Chapter 29

Chapter 29

This Is The Hunt

Psycho

I didn't want to admit I was nervous, but my jerking knee in the front seat of the Suburban said otherwise. Nera found some herbs that would sedate the vamp, whose name we still didn't know, and he was currently sleeping soundly after taking us to this location—under duress, of course. Not that I gave a shit. He'd be ash as soon as we got Deon. But for now, we needed him, unfortunately.

Nera also assured me that she could wake him if need be. I wasn't thrilled about her being here, but she deserved closure. She deserved to be here if we found this Deon asshole.

"What do you know about this place?" I asked Wizard, who sat in the passenger seat. Nera and Chaos sat in the second row and Trigger and Menace were in the back row, keeping an eye on the asshole in the cargo area. Strife, unfortunately, was as full-blooded wolf, with two wolf parents, and turned three nights a week, so he was in the bayou with a few others, including a second cousin of mine I'd found out a few months ago I'd had named Rick, who lived here in New Orleans. He'd declined joining the Bayou Wolves and I hadn't balked about it much. He was a stupid kid who played video games and worked at a hotel and wasn't ready. Maybe one day he would be, if he matured up.

"It used to be Don's Mechanic Shop until a few years ago. Shut down during the pandemic, like a lot of places," Wizard said.

I looked at the place. It was nothing but a squat building with an open bay for vehicles and an office. What an odd place for an exchange of hostages. I peered around the area and noticed the streetlights were off, and when I squinted and looked closer, I saw their bulbs had been broken. The building sat in darkness, but I could see enough with my eyesight that it was dark and anonymous and the cops probably never came around here.

We were parked behind a nearby building with our lights off. I checked the time on my watch: 11:54 p.m. The bastard had told us exchanges happened at midnight but I'd yet to see any cars.

"How much longer until he wakes?" Trigger asked, glancing behind him at the sleeping vamp.

"Not sure," Nera replied. "I've only used those herbs once."

Trigger's brow furrowed. "And how long was the vamp out?"

Nera grinned. "I don't know, we're about to find out."

A collective groan rattled through the Suburban but I simply chuckled. Nera didn't have much experience with vampires. She'd been raised a witch but from what she'd told me, her family lived like humans and didn't belong to a coven or even use witchcraft that much. They only used it to benefit themselves when they needed something, like money. I hadn't asked what that meant and I hoped they hadn't been robbing liquor stores or something.

Not that my shit was exactly legal, but that was a discussion for another day.

Just then, a windowless black van pulled up to the mechanic shop.

I heard Nera gasp. "That's it. That's the bastards' van."

"Bingo," I murmured. "Be ready, everyone."

"Oh, we are," Menace said, a wicked gleam in his dual-colored eyes as I looked at him in the rearview. He was seriously unhinged when it came to violence and it was one of the reasons I had brought him on. He really could be a serious menace when we wanted him to be.

A short White guy got out of the driver's door and looked around. He was definitely paranoid, and I watched as he raced around the back and opened the doors, indicating for whoever was there to get out.

A growl erupted from my chest when two young women bound by the wrists scooted out and then stood on the cracked concrete. They could barely stand and were wobbly, seeming intoxicated or drugged.

"Fucking bastards," Nera murmured from behind me.

"Let's go get them," Trigger said.

I put my hand up. "Wait. We need to find Deon."

It didn't appear anyone else was getting out, but because the back of the van was facing us, and there were no windows except in the front, it was impossible to see if there was anyone in the passenger seat.

Lights from another vehicle caught our attention and I watched as a white van similar to ones used for tourists or maybe old folks' homes pulled up. It had windows along the side, but they were very dark.

A tall guy with black hair and a goatee got out, and the man from the black van grabbed both girls by their upper arms and manhandled them toward the van.

"It's either we get out now and smoke these fuckers, or we follow the white van and let the other guy go," I said, talking to myself mostly.

"Let me get the black van guy, I'll take care of him so we can follow the others," Trigger said.

"I have a better idea," I said. "Chaos, Menace, get out and force him to drive you to where they are keeping other girls. Then, the rest of us will follow the girls."

"On it, boss."

The two of them got out and ran with their UV guns out, sneaking up on the guy from the black van as he was about to get back inside and drive off. Chaos whacked him over the head with the pistol but his eyes turned black and he produced fangs, probably hissing at them as he lunged at Chaos and fought back. I gripped the door handle, ready to get out, but as he tussled with Chaos, Menace came behind him and stabbed him in the neck with the switchblade. Blood arced across his face, but of course he just smiled like the psychopath he was. The vamp slumped to the ground, and they easily picked him up and tossed him into the back, while Menace got into the passenger seat. Obviously, it had been empty.

Menace gave me a thumbs up as I smirked. I put the SUV in drive without the lights on and followed the white van. I hoped they they'd have him tied up or subdued once he woke. They both knew how to handle vamps so I wasn't too worried.

I stayed a good distance behind the van, hoping they didn't see they were being followed. When they stopped at a light, I pulled over and parked on the street and waited until the light turned green, then resumed following them. It took about ten minutes, but they ended up in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and weaved their way to a set of condos on the water.

"What the fuck are they doing here?" Trigger asked.

"Yeah, this doesn't seem right. Don't criminals try to avoid busy and touristy areas?" Nera commented.

"They do," I muttered. I parked in the condos' lot and killed the engine, just watching. The vamp got out and went around the back. When he extracted the girls, I noticed their hands were no longer bound. He looped their arms around his shoulders and smiled at the valet worker, saying something to him.

"They're so drunk," Nera said.

I looked at her. "You think?"

She shook her head. "No, that's what the vamp told the valet. I'm fairly good at lip-reading. He looks like the hero, bringing these girls into their ‘condo' instead of the monster he actually is." She pointed to the side of the van. "Look what it says. Mississippi Party Bus." She shook her head. "Clever and diabolical."

"Disgusting and despicable," Trigger growled.

"I agree." I stroked my fingers down my beard in contemplation. "Let's go inside." I looked at Nera. "Distract the vamp, ask about the party bus. Trigger, pretend you're her boyfriend, keep an eye on him."

"Will do," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Wizard, you stay here, watch the asshole. Stab him if he wakes."

"We should just waste him now. He's served his purpose," Trigger said.

"Not completely. We need Deon," I said.

"He said he doesn't know where he is," Nera remarked.

"He's lying. I have lots of stuff to extract the truth from him in the clubhouse," I quipped. "Meanwhile, we need to get those girls and get this vamp."

We got out of the Suburban and Nera and Trigger rushed up to the vamp holding the girls while I slipped past them and headed for the elevator to wait for this guy.

"Excuse me," she said. "Can you tell me about your party bus? We want to rent it for my bachelorette party."

She was a great actress. I chuckled.

"Piss off," the vamp said.

"Wow, great customer service!" Nera said, stomping her foot. "We'll take our business elsewhere then. Won't we, sugar lumps?" She looked up at Trigger and I almost lost it at the look on his face.

He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Uh, yeah, we sure will, snookums."

The vamp shook his head and as he approached, I hit the call button for the elevator. "Going up?" I asked.

Dumb question since we were on the bottom floor.

I looked at Trigger and Nera and inclined my head to follow me.

He grunted in the affirmative and I looked at the girls. "They look totally wasted."

The elevator arrived with a ding and we walked in, and then I asked him, "What floor?"

"Six," he replied quietly.

"Me too." I pointed at the girls. "Do you need help with them?"

He shook his head. "No, I got it. They just need to sleep it off."

I chuckled. "Too much partying?"

"Something like that."

I discreetly pulled out my phone and texted Trigger.

Me: 6th floor

Trigger: Copy

The elevator dinged and I watched as he turned right, so I turned left. Then, I noted which condo he went into and texted Trigger the number.

A minute later, Trigger and Nera exited the elevator.

"What's the plan?" he asked.

"Nera, knock on number 218 and smile at the peephole. As soon as they open it, we'll bust in."

She grinned. "Absolutely."

We hurried down the carpeted hallway and Trigger and I stood on either side of the door with our guns drawn.

She knocked on the door.

About thirty seconds later, a gruff male voice asked, "What do you want?"

Fuck.

She didn't look at either one of us, only smiled. "I was told to deliver a message about the girls."

Interesting…

The locks disengaged and as soon as the door was open, Nera stepped out of the way and we rushed inside.

We bowled over the human who'd answered the door, and he hit his head on the wall and was now unconscious. What we saw in the living room area made us halt in our tracks.

The two girls who'd been taken out of the back of the van lay damn near catatonic on the sofas, vampires feeding on them. They lifted their blood-fanged, black-eyed stare at us when we entered.

I didn't even think. I lifted my UV gun and blasted one right in the head. He didn't even have time to scream. He instantly turned to ash since he was obviously very old.

The other one dropped the girl to the sofa, blood dribbling out of her neck, and he rushed toward us. Trigger shot him with his crossbow pistol and hit him straight in the heart, where he dropped and then turned brown, then gray, and crumbled to ash too slow and disgusting for my liking.

I would never get used to that. It was easier to take when they exploded into a dusty ash ball.

"Why do they turn to ash at different speeds?" Nera asked.

"Age," I replied. "The older they are, the faster they crumble."

She made a face and took off down the hall.

Trigger and I quickly made rounds in the condo, my weapon up at the ready, checking rooms for any more occupants.

"Clear!" I called after making sure two bedrooms had no occupants.

"I got something!" Nera yelled from somewhere in the condo.

Trigger and I rushed toward her voice and entered a bedroom where two girls with large, frightened eyes and gags around their mouths stared at us. Their hands were bound in rough rope, their skin bleeding.

Nera quickly removed their gags while Trigger and I yanked their ropes off.

I picked up the phone and dialed Wizard.

"Boss," he answered.

"Vamp still out?" I asked.

"Yeah, but he seems to be… stirring a little."

"Stab him in the carotid and leave the knife in. Then bring the Suburban to the front. We got four victims we need to load in."

"You got it."

It was going to be a tight fit but we'd have to make do.

"What are you names?" Nera asked.

"Miranda," answered one. She was pale with brown hair and frightened hazel eyes.

"Alicia," the other answered, olive skin and large brown eyes.

"You guys are safe with us, okay? We're going to get you out of here." Nera squeezed their hands, and both of them started crying.

These fucking vamps. I was so angry I was ready to turn this whole thing over to Viper. But would he really punish these guys? These pieces of shit creating blood whores out of girls who were barely out of their teens?

Yes, I knew he would. I would need his help to get whoever was in charge. The two we'd wasted were obviously just junkie customers and I didn't give them a second thought.

"Listen, girls," I said. "I'm going to need you to walk downstairs and act like everything is normal. I'll carry the other girls, but for the sake of your safety, pretend you know us as we walk through the lobby downstairs, okay? Then we'll get you to a safehouse and you can call your family."

They sobbed again and nodded.

Alicia hugged Nera. "Thank you."

"I've been where you are. These sadistic fucks won't ever hurt you again. I promise," Nera soothed.

By the time we got downstairs, Nera was holding hands with both girls and telling them stupid jokes to get them to smile, giving off the appearance they were friends. I had one of the drugged girl's arm over my shoulder and Trigger had the other. We had them in a fireman's carry, and thankfully, being it was past one in the morning, there weren't many people around except the valet kid, who I wasn't worried about.

Wizard came around and opened the back of the SUV. We put them back there with the vamp and the other two girls rode in the backseats.

I just hoped none of them woke before we reached the compound.