Page 24 of Bold Mercy

Chapter Thirteen

I climbed into the driver’s seat of my car, raising an eyebrow when Eli got into the passenger seat without a word. “I thought you’d insist on driving,” I told him. “I expected an argument.”

“Not at all,” he said, smiling smugly. “You drive, we watch for danger. If we see something suspicious, we’ll jump out and take care of business while you tend to the steering and braking and such.”

He laughed when I glared at him.

The city was in disarray, but it would get worse before it got better. Cops were stopping people, strongly encouraging them to go home and stay off the streets after the sun set. Some people listened, and some didn’t. Some couldn’t, for various reasons. More people died.

Eli read news articles to me as I drove through the city, taking backroads and side streets whenever possible to avoid police.

Apparently the homeless were safe. The vampires ravaging the city left them alone—probably their blood wasn’t quite rich and tasty enough and with the bounty of the city at their disposal, the vampires were going for healthier choices.

There were fights. Shootings. Killings. People began to take advantage of the chaos by looting and burning.

And because it was November, spirits and demons joined the fun. I saw them. I would need to control as many of them as I could, because the vampires weren’t the only threats to human safety.

How long before the military was brought in? How long before they formed a perimeter around the city and refused to let anyone leave? Maybe they’d drop a bomb on us, hoping to contain the problem. Who the hell knew? I certainly didn’t.

All I knew was that we needed to neutralize Avis and her people before it came to that.

I was late getting to Rick’s house, but he didn’t complain when he opened the door to let me in. He glanced at the four people behind me. “You have a key, Kait.”

I shrugged. “I’m not using that key if you’re home to open the door for me.” I looked at Eli. “I’ll be right back.”

He nodded and he and the others spread out on the porch, watchful and patient.

I followed the detective into the living room, and he gestured at my blade and the laminated ID badge on the coffee table. He’d put the badge on a black lanyard, and I checked it out before dropping it over my head. “Where’d you get the picture?”

He grinned, and for a second, his amusement lit his face and chased away the shadows. “Internet.”

My stare lingered on his face, memorizing that expression. I knew I wouldn’t see it often. “There are pictures of me online?” I gripped the handle of my blade, enjoying its familiar warmth before sliding it into its sheath at my hip.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “Quite a few pictures of you, Kait.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What are you being so sly and amused about, Detective?”

“It’s not me,” he said, not quite grinning. “It’s the teenager inside me.”

“I don’t know what that means,” I said, but he wouldn’t tell me. Fine. When I got a chance, I’d search my name and see what came up. Better yet, I’d ask Max. I was sure he’d already Googled the hell out of me.

“I have my old ID in my glovebox,” I told him. “You didn’t have to get me a new one.”

“The red line at the edge of the card,” he said, “is not a quality error. It’ll tell any cop who stops you that you’re working with us and for the mayor. It was Louis’s idea. He has people watching out for you, you know.”

I nodded. Ever since I’d led the police to their son, the mayor and his wife made sure I was taken care of. “Thank him for me, will you?”

“I will. You’ll be hearing from him soon. He wants to speak with you.”

For some reason, that made my stomach tighten. Mayor Hedrick was going to need something I wasn’t sure I was ready to give. “How’s Beth?” I asked, changing the subject. The house had an empty feel to it, as though Rick weren’t enough by himself to bring life to it.

“Better,” he answered. “She has good people around her. She…”

“What?” I prompted, when he stopped.

“She’s not coming home. She’s going back to Colorado. Her parents are there.” He shrugged, trying for casual, but he didn’t look at me. “She told me half an hour ago.”

I reached out to squeeze his arm. “I’m sorry, Rick.” I hesitated, then, “Not because of…?”