Xavier considered himself a simple man. Complications had no place in his life. Point one, Claude was the enemy, had killed a lot of people and posed a significant threat to his race. Point two, he dies. See? Simple?

At his side, David, quiet, agreed wholeheartedly. He had been held for three decades and tortured into insanity by Lamont's organization, and while Claude hadn't been part of it, he was the next generation that would continue the torture. He had no sentimentality or mercy at this point for anyone involved with the SRS on Claude and Lamont's level. Find the enemy, kill the enemy. Yeah, it worked for him.

Using air displacement to travel much faster than any human ever could, both men were up the stairs and outside of Claude's apartment within seconds. Taggert would lag by quite a few minutes, but they didn't want him there when they found Claude at first. Just in case there was gunfire, Taggert was safer coming in after they entered the place.

"It's quiet. I can't even hear him breathe," Xavier said.

"You could hear that, even out here? Maybe he isn't inside, then."

"Only one way to fully determine that." Xavier, with all of the finesse he was famous for, splintered the entry door, and disappeared into the room. David, with a crooked smile, followed. Rough, but he kind of liked Xavier's style. The huge vampire was results-oriented and that, too, worked for David.

After a quick search of the six generously sized rooms, it was clear that Claude was not in the apartment.

"He couldn't have known we were coming," David commented, as Taggert, breathing hard, entered the shattered doorway.

"No, unless..." Taggert's expression was troubled. "Unless he knew we were here when we got here." He scanned the room, his eyes landing on a desktop computer set into an elaborate wall unit and walked over to turn on the monitor.

Six divided views showed camera images, one clearly showing the three men now standing in the center of this room. Another camera angle faced the hallway outside of the door.

Xavier rolled his eyes. "f.u.c.k. When do we get a break?"

"When we play as dirty as they are. They're smart, I'll give them that. They outsmart us every time. I didn't expect cameras at their residences, but I guess I underestimated their paranoia." Taggert shoved the monitor back and it tipped over.

David nodded. "Yeah, Eillia said once that they were the kings of surprise, and I guess they are. We are just not used to thinking like soldiers."

"Well, I am. I should have antic.i.p.ated this. Not only did he get away, but now we don't have surprise on our side."

Xavier's hand landed hard on Taggert's shoulder, nearly shoving him to his knees. "But we've got power and magics on our side. We'll get the motherf.u.c.kers, don't worry, little human."

Taggert had adjusted to the vampires, but this new one, aggressive and loud, spooked him. He rubbed his shoulder and neck as he stepped closer to David.

"I'll go back to the SRS and see if I can find out where he is. When I do, I'll text you and we can finish this mission."

Xavier slammed a fist down on a thick wood sofa table and broke it into two equal halves. "Aye, do that. David and I will be waitin' in that restaurant we just came from."

Taggert stared at Xavier for a few moments longer, then flipped his phone out as he walked through the open doorway.

Across town, Eillia, Koen, and Ahmose walked up to the house that Taggert had told her was currently owned by Lamont. It was a three story brownstone in a high-rent area, and while she figured there would be camera surveillance, she didn't care right now. Later, they'd take care of any video problems. Right now, Lamont was the only concern.

Eillia spelled any openings to the house.

"Now, he won't be able to leave. If he's inside, we have him."

Koen stared at her before they crossed the street. "I'm using Xavier's methods, you understand?"

Eillia nodded. "I do and you will hear no request for mercy from me. We kill him. Well, you do. I hate that man beyond belief for what he has done and what he would continue to do if we did not stop him. But you are better suited to the task. Ahmose, I a.s.sume you're okay with this?"

"Completely. I am the one who ended Windari last year when it was necessary. I did not enjoy taking her life, but I stood on Mother Earth and when the judgment was rendered, I could not ask any of my brothers or sisters to do what I had proclaimed must be done. I performed the task with respect." He paused, then finished his thought.

"I think it pleased her that it was I who ended her life. That still disturbs me."

"I can't imagine something like that. You're a strong leader, Ahmose."

"My people mean everything to me. I would give them my life without question. I can tell, you would do the same."

"Yes, yes, great leader," Koen said, with typical Koen impatience and humor. "But we need to get this done. Later, if you like, you two can continue the mutual admiration society."

While there was no chance of escape with Eillia's magic sealing the house, if Lamont was in the house, Koen just wanted this finished.

"I'm sorry, Koen, you're right. Let's go."

While Koen did not destroy the door as Xavier had done, he did break off the handle as he crushed it and shoved the door in. Eillia swept through first, her empathic skill reading the lower rooms quickly.

"He's not here. Let's try the next story."

She couldn't read him? Koen thought, f.u.c.k this isn't going to go our way again, I know it.

And it didn't. After checking all three levels, the house was empty. Ahmose found a panic room on the second level, but no one was inside.

At that moment, the silence was sliced by the low tones of Eillia's cell phone.

She answered instantly, and heard Taggert's pleasant voice. If she wasn't mated, she would have used the term s.e.xy, but Daniel would not have liked her thinking about him like that. She'd told him that she never thought of any other man s.e.xually, and he knew that, but his vampire nature, hot red blood, still found that possessive streak he couldn't deny.

"Taggert. Please tell me you were successful."

"I'm afraid I can't. Claude wasn't home. More accurately, if he was home, he knew we were here, had an escape route, and got the f.u.c.k out of there. You?"

"My target wasn't home at all. I can feel a sense of him, and it's distant. He hasn't been here for at least an hour. I'm inclined to speculate he was just absent, not aware that we were after him tonight."

"I agree. There's no way they knew we were coming for them. It's just that the surveillance here was unexpected. I don't know what the f.u.c.k went wrong there. All of my recon shows both men in their residences every night long before now. Something must have happened to draw Lamont away. f.u.c.k the timing!"

"Indeed. Okay, let's meet and regroup. The cafe?"

"Yeah. Xavier's already mentioned it. We're on our way."

Ending the call, Eillia turned to the two men beside her.

"Sorry, Koen, bloodshed will have to wait."

Koen looked around the townhouse. "I'm going to stay and check this place out first, then I'll join you guys."

Ahmose began to move toward the second story. "I will remain, too. Perhaps something will lead us to him."

Eillia nodded to her dedicated team. "All right, but call me if anything happens, if he comes back, if you find anything at all."

Koen waved a hand to her absentmindedly as he perused a hand-written book that had been lying on a tabletop in the foyer. "It's Lamont's. f.u.c.k, he keeps a diary. Well, this should be interesting reading."

He tucked it into his coat pocket and glanced up at Eillia. "Go on, meet the team, I'll call, I promise."

With raised eyebrows, because she knew he wouldn't, Eillia hurried out of the house and headed back downtown.

IN L.A.

After killing a decaffeinated cup of coffee, Mal dressed and went to her door. The last minute check for her gun, properly holstered, and her badge, stopped her at the door for a moment, but as she started to pull it open, she paused, her hand just above the handle.

When she opened the door, she would be face-to-face with Tommy's apartment door, and her heart pounded.

No way around it, she just had to accept the pain that would come, and it would, and walk past to get to the station so she could avenge his murder.

Swallowing hard, she turned the k.n.o.b and pulled, closed her eyes, then opened them to see the door across the hall in its usual closed position. Everything looked so normal, even though it wasn't. She imagined Tommy's wife, who she knew wouldn't have stayed there last night, and how much pain she was in right now.

Life sure beat the f.u.c.k out of you sometimes, didn't it?

It was Mal's job at a time like this to get justice for those that fell when life took a wrong turn, like Luka and Tommy. She wouldn't fail. It wasn't even an option here if she were going to beat the same nasty fate at the hands of the same creature. Her own life, and her child's, lay in her success in killing Canzone.

Life beat the f.u.c.k out of you, but you couldn't let that destroy you. Even beaten, you had to rise back up and go on with that life, against all odds. That was the path she trod now. Her choices boiled down to the simplest ones in her life.

Kill the man before he killed her, and find her little piece of heaven. Raise this beautiful child, happy and safe. Simple.

When she walked into the station, heads turned sharply.

"Detective, what the h.e.l.l are you doing here?"

Captain Kordalis yelled across the big room and every head turned towards him.

Mal started towards him. "We have to talk."

"You bet your "should be suspended" a.s.s we have to. Get in here!" He disappeared into his office, and Mal followed, giving the rest of the turned heads a smile and a shrug.

"Teacher's p.i.s.sed," she said to them, and closed the door.

"What the f.u.c.k is it about the fact that I am trying to protect you that you aren't getting? And where the h.e.l.l is your father?"

"Sleeping with Bev by now, if he's smart."

"Oh, f.u.c.k me. Mal, you shouldn't be here. Canzone is everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have someone in the station watching you for him. I won't lose you, too."

"Sir, I appreciate your concern, you know I do. But it's me he wants. I am the only one that can get to him. Captain, do you know about the homicide in my apartment building last night?"

"I saw the report this morning. I didn't realize it was in your building. I'm sorry, did you know the victim?"

"Not only did I know him, I think he was killed because of me."

Kordalis shoved his hand into his hair and dropped into his chair.

"Sit down, detective. Give me the full story."

IN LONDON.

"No! I cannot believe they found me again. How are they pulling this off?"

"All that matters now is that they have found us. We have to bug out again. Immediately. If they found our homes, they know about this facility."

"I have no other place to bug out to, Claude. This was my final facility." Lamont held a rifle in his hands, loaded with the serum that would stop first blood vampires only briefly. Outside the door of this office, ten large men, armed with the same serum, stood guard. It wasn't enough, he knew that.

Lamont's head shot up to Claude. "The girl. Do we have her yet?"

"Uh, no, I haven't heard from Cheeto yet."

"Get her!"

Claude turned away and dialed Cheeto. There wasn't time now to implement his new plan. If they didn't have her secured and monitored, the vampire would rip them apart before they had a chance to use her.

"Cheeto, listen carefully. Do you have the girl? No. Okay, is it possible for you to get her, secure her, and get her under camera surveillance within, say, half an hour?"

Moments later, he answered the voice on the other side of the phone. "Do it. No matter how you have to. Get her. Shoot her. f.u.c.king kill her, if you have to, but get her in a chair and in the lens of a camera. Call me the second you have it done and the feed ready to send to me."

He killed the call and looked up at Lamont. "He'll do everything he can, sir. That's the best I can offer. It isn't likely to be in time, though."

Lamont shot him a look that Claude understood very well. It didn't matter to Claude, though, because he knew that if Cheeto couldn't pull it off, it was over for all of them. But Lamont was incapable of antic.i.p.ating outcomes based on intel. Lamont had been delusional since Claude met him years ago, and the only thing that had changed was that the delusional state of mind had worsened.

So, the crazy f.u.c.k could stay here and finally meet his well-deserved end at the hands of the vampires when they came, but Claude was getting the f.u.c.k out of here right now.

"Sir, I need to get my tablet in case my a.s.sociate gets our hostage. I'll be right back." Like h.e.l.l he would!

Glaring at Claude, Lamont backed up and sat in his big office chair. "See that you hurry," he barked.

"Oh, I'll hurry," Claude agreed, and went out the door. He looked up at the force of big, armed security outside and walked down the hallway, slowly, without the urgency he felt. Ten large armed men wouldn't stop the vampires, Lamont should know better. He knew something else that the vampires didn't know. Lamont's stolen vampire abilities had weakened. It was why he was more desperate than ever for Claude to help him capture a first blood.

After he arrived at his own office, Claude pulled a "go" bag from under his desk, which held everything he would need to start over elsewhere. He'd always known they'd come. You couldn't threaten such a powerful group of people and not expect this kind of retaliation.

He got it, he would do the same. They were just protecting themselves. Still, he wouldn't be waiting for the inevitable. A panel behind the desk slid away with the touch of a b.u.t.ton under the desk. Moments later, Claude was gone.

Chapter 13.

Lamont waited in his office, a gla.s.s of wine in his hand. Where was that weasel? If all went well, they would have the first blood chained and compliant by the end of the night. But only if Claude did his job right, and he had already been gone twenty minutes.

Balancing the over-filled gla.s.s, Lamont fished his cell phone from his pocket. After dialing Claude, his impatience hit a high point when the thing went to voice mail. Did the man have a death wish? Lamont had expected total submission from Claude now that he was his right hand man.

He buzzed the young woman who took care of all of his other needs beyond Claude's job expectation.

"Have you seen Claude?"