“Oh man,” I said. “That thing made a stop across the street from my house. That ain’t right.”
“It did?” Clarissa asked with wide eyes, her gaze dipping to my phone.
“Yeah. This just got personal.”
I reached for the door handle.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“It’ll be faster on foot. The captain gave me coordinates.”
“But wait, I didn’t tell you about—”
I jumped from the car, shut the door behind me, and hit the hood twice, telling her I was clear. I would figure out whatever it was she hadn’t told me. Before now, I’d always had very little information when I went in hot. The outcome was usually the same—tag and bag my mark.
I jogged along the sidewalk, weaving in and out of people and keeping my eyes open. Some supernatural creatures could hide in plain sight. Since I hadn’t confronted this particular creature before, there was no telling what it might surprise me with.
I crossed Bourbon Street. There were way too manypeople there. Instead, I worked toward the slower areas near the sighting. I wasn’t actually far from Darius’s home in the Brink. Ghost and vampire tours would be meandering around, not to mention people staggering home or heading to their lodgings. For a supernatural, it was a good place for a little dinner.
I turned down a quieter street, dodged a horse and carriage carrying a man explaining French Quarter architecture to two tourists, and slowed. Laughter, a shout, and someone talking too loudly drifted toward me. Shoes scuffed against cement. Someone belched. Welcome to New Orleans, where the party never ended. My kinda town.
I gripped the hilt of my sword and pulled it free, ignoring the surprised expression from a passerby. There was no need of a gun or even magic. If the creature needed a sword to the back, by golly, who was I to sayboo?
I walked a ways, not hearing anything foreign. No screams. No flocking birds. I typed a message to the captain, asking for new coordinates.
It’s MIA. We’re hunting, came his reply. So he was on scene as well. That was rare. This thing had to be a doozie.
I did love a challenge.
Bring it in and we’ll get you partnered off,he sent. Their whereabouts came next.
“Um…nope,”I muttered to myself. Working with one of the other agents would only slow me down.
“Dude, have you seen the display?” a passing guy asked me, holding a pink plastic container half filled with a cocktail.
I slowed and gave him my attention. His friend laughed and pointed the way they’d come. “It was gnarly. Seriously. Some guy in a costume went after some other guy. They staged the whole thing so people could see.”
“It was awesome!” The first guy, younger twenties and with a shining upper lip from his drink, grinned. “Blood and guts all over the place. You should check it out. They’re probably still going.”
I saw a cluster of people gathered in front of a doorway down the road, all with wide eyes and open mouths.
Bingo.
“I will, thanks,” I said.
“Wait, was that a sword?” I heard one of the guys ask as I broke into a jog.
“Gross,” a woman said as I neared, her eyes big and a smile curling her lips. “That’s really great makeup.”
“It’s got to be a costume,” another said in a hush.
I stopped beside them, peering into the open doorway protected by a small chain. The sign dangling from it told tourists it was a private residence and not toenter, and warned of a camera watching.
I’d been past this residence a million times, and if the occupants were home, this door was usually open. They liked to be one with the Quarter.
Bad move, it turned out. It had made them easy pickings.
At the back of the room, hunched over a still form lying on its back, was a creature with a leathery torso and muscular legs ending in huge wolf paws. Blood spread along the cream-colored linoleum floor. Pretty gross.
