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voice sounded cold, even to myself.
The past week had been one hellish ordeal after another, culminating in me killing my two worst enemies—the rogue vampire Alexandre Peyton, and my mother, Mercy. I’d assumed when I got back to New York, my problems would be limited to settling debts and dealing with the council, but this…this was wholly unexpected.
The air smelled of burning metal and melting plastic, and big plumes of black smoke blotted the moon and stars from sight.
Returning to the car, I found the duffel bag with my weapons in it. I was already wearing my shoulder holster but added in a second gun and started loading my jacket pockets with ammo clips. I slung my katana over my back, adjusting the strap on the scabbard sling so it wouldn’t interfere with my ability to draw the guns. There was a silver knife tucked in my boot, and I didn’t think I could carry anything else without creating problems.
I tossed the duffel bag onto the street between Desmond, Holden and Genie.
“If you guys want to leave, I understand. I don’t know what’s going on out there, and by the look of it, it could be freaking Godzilla. I have no idea. You can go if you need to, but Keaty, Nolan and Mercedes are out there somewhere. Same with Shane and Siobhan. My dad is probably still sitting in his apartment wondering what to do. I can’t leave them.” After dropping my keys on the driver’s seat, I closed the car door. “So, if you’re going, go. If you’re staying, grab a weapon.”
For a moment Genie looked like she might make a dash for the car. I wouldn’t have blamed her. If I had a more finely honed sense of self-preservation, I would have gone that route myself.
Instead, she knelt and opened the bag, finding one of my old Glock handguns. She didn’t appear altogether comfortable holding it, but when she glanced at me, I saw the determination in her eyes. As Desmond filled his pockets with more clips for the handguns and slung a shotgun over his shoulder, my tension kicked into high gear. He looked ready to go to war, and for that one second I wanted to send him away.
My brand-new engagement ring—something he’d only put on my hand a day earlier—felt heavy, and I prayed when all of this, whatever it was, was over, I’d still have a fiancé.
The city was like a set piece straight out of an apocalyptic movie, but here I was worrying about my future wedding. Really, though, I was terrified of the idea I might lose anyone I loved tonight.
Holden didn’t take a weapon, but I hadn’t expected him to. Instead he picked up the bag—much lighter now with most of its contents removed—and strung it across his back. “Never know when we might need more,” he explained.
I could have hugged him, but I doubted he’d be too thrilled with me touching him.
Breaking a vampire’s heart tends to make them grouchy.
“You’re all nuts, you know that, right?” I said.
Genie offered a weak smile. “It runs in the family.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the idea our family lineage was being brought up right now, considering I’d murdered our mother in cold blood only three days earlier. Genie was taking that particular bit of information in stride though.
The police cruiser blocking the tunnel exit made a crackling noise, stealing my attention.
“One-six-seven, one-six-seven, do you copy?” The voice coming from the car was distant and followed by static. A radio transmission. But if someone was calling the car, that meant somewhere in the city there were still cops on duty. I felt a glimmer of hope as I jogged towards the car.
“One-six-seven?” the radio asked again.
I sat in the driver’s seat and picked up the handheld radio from the dash. Desmond, Holden and Genie circled around, with Holden’s focus remaining on the streets rather than on the car.
“This is one-six-seven,” I replied. “The car has been abandoned.”
“Who is this?” the male voice on the radio demanded.
“My name is Secret.”
“I don’t have time for games, lady. What’s your name?”
I groaned. “Just call me McQueen,” I grumbled, not bothering to explain the misunderstanding. It wasn’t worth the effort.
“McQueen. You got any affiliation? What are you doing in that car?”
I glanced nervously at Desmond, chewing the inside of my cheek for a moment. This wasn’t how I’d pictured telling the boys about my new job, but if my connection could help us, maybe it was time to spill the beans.
“I work for the FBI. I found this car abandoned at the Lincoln Tunnel. No sign of the officers.”
The radio voice cursed. “FBI? How’d they get you here faster than the military? Jee-sus. Well, hell, we need all the help we can get.”
Desmond was staring at me, and when I met his gaze, he mouthed the word FBI to me, raising his eyebrows in question.
