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“Talking pretty quiet. You on a stake-out?”
He recognized Lily’s voice and some of the tension eased out of him. Lily worked dispatch, manning the phones and passing out assignments. “Trying not to attract notice.”
“So, who is she?”
The question startled him. He didn’t think anybody knew what he did between calls. Shit.
Then he realized Lily was fishing. “A beautiful Honda Scrambler, 1973.” Half true. He’d started to collect Café Racers, the older, the better.
He heard Lily snort. “You men and your machines. Okay, listen up. This comes from the chief. We’ve got a runner out at Amado Bridge and he wants you on it.”
Connor frowned. He didn’t usually work the dead-talker end of vampire territory. “Isn’t that Jason’s section?”
“Jason’s MIA, has been for two nights now, and the chief is about ready to explode.”
Unusual for Jason to be missing, but he was a Border Patrol officer and sometimes the men needed to go on a bender just to survive. “He’ll turn up, but his head won’t feel too good.”
Lily laughed. “I totally agree and to answer your next question, yes, Easton was adamant you take this call.”
No point arguing about any decision the chief made. “I’m on it.”
He took off, heading north in the direction of Crescent Territory, wondering what the hell he would find this time. He touched the hilt of his half-sword and thumbed the holster of his Glock. He wore black leather wrist guards lined with steel, a black tank, leathers, and heavy boots. He was ready.
Amado Bridge. He scowled. One of the worst terrains for a runner to attempt to take drugs into the human world.
His instincts lit up. Jason was missing, a runner was out at Amado and Easton wanted him on the assignment.
A sick feeling started crawling around his gut. This call already stunk and it was only midnight. Great.
~ ~ ~
At the same moment Iris felt Connor take off, her cell rang. She fished it from her jeans pocket and saw that the Tribunal was calling. She frowned because she wasn’t working tonight, and she had a dozen orders to fill. Her job as a TPS officer barely paid the bills so she supplemented her income by creating special potions. Using a human dealer, she had her products selling at high prices in the various malls and specialty stores around Phoenix. She was doing well.
She touched the phone face. “Meldeere.”
“Sorry, Sweetie, but Donaldson wants you out at Amado Bridge.” Faith doled out the assignments through the night and had a calming effect with the officers. “Know where that is?”
“Northwest Crescent Territory.”
“Right.”
Iris frowned. “But I’m not on duty.”
“I told his royal highness as much, but his face turned red, you know in that fucked up wizard way of his. He then let a few choice words fly. I tossed up both my hands and said I’d give you a shout.”
Donaldson was a prick, no question about that. He was also corrupt as hell, so already Iris was uneasy. Corruption tended to lead to the three drug-lords in Five Bridges. But her fingers were squeaky clean so she couldn’t imagine why any of them would send her out there. “What’s the crime?”
“Some Border Patrol officer has gone berserk. Donaldson wants it documented and you have permission to take the BP’s ass out if you find him abusing the perp, which would be awesome.”
Crescent Territory was home to the alter vampires, which meant all Crescent Border Patrol officers were vampires.
Iris chuckled. She liked Faith. “You’re not being very politically correct. We’re supposed to honor all five species. Didn’t you get the memo?”
“What-the-fuck-evuh. Do us proud. Got another call.”
Iris put her phone back and started stripping off her smock. With her Sig Sauer clipped to her belt, she headed to her garage and revved up her TPS motorcycle. It was a big, heavy Harley-Davidson police cruiser, a bike fit for carting her around all five territories, including No Man’s Land. She wished she could fly like some of the more powerful vampire officers and a couple of the witches who served in Elegance’s Border Patrol. She didn’t have the gift of levitation, at least not yet. Maybe one day, if she lived long enough.
But she liked the bike, even though it was more machine than she needed. Although, it worked well for the bigger male bodies on the TPS force.
