verbally. “I was raised to believe in three things: rules, him, and the flag. In that order. If I had believed in anything like vampires he woulda broke my fuckin’ nose. In fact, I think that was one ofhis rules—no believin’ in shit you can’t see, touch, or kick the crap out of.”
Before anyone else could reminisce, the van came to a halt. Tony H. killed the engine, but nobody budged. “We’re there,” he said. “As far as we can drive, anyway.”
“Okay,” Marina said. “We don’t know which house it is—it’s one of the first three on the north side of the street. So we’ll enter all three at once. Teams of two, as we discussed, with me and Monte hanging back to support whichever team hits the jackpot.”
“Right on,” R.T. said. “Hope it’s my team.”
“These bloodsuckers have a rep,” Marina reminded them. “They’ve been active and they’re not afraid of publicity. So expect resistance. This could get as hairy as that battle in downtown L.A.”
“Hoping for that, too,” R.T. said.
“Who isn’t?” Tony O. said.
“Let’s do this,” Marina said. She rose from her seat and opened the van’s rear doors. They all piled out except Tony O., who stayed inside long enough to pass out weapons and ammo. Then he jumped to the ground and closed the doors.
The NYPD officers stared anxiously at them. They hadn’t been told much about the mission, but knew they weren’t supposed to get in the way. That was all Marina wanted from them.
There were six houses on the north side of the block, but the three on the far end had been ruled out by surveillance. The three on the near end were all seeminglyabandoned, but structurally sound and yet free of the usual squatters, gangbangers, drug dealers, and whores who would otherwise have made use of them. Those people stayed clear for a reason, and Marina figured the most logical reason was that those who
were
using those houses were too bad to mess with. She also guessed the vampires were primarily in the center house, leaving the other two unoccupied as buffer zones. But they might know that someone would figure that out, and so use one of the others as their den. Thermal imaging wouldn’t be much use in this situation, since the bloodsuckers and their prey were all on the cool side.
The team fanned out, watching the windows in each of the houses (the police had evacuated everyone from the houses on the south side; anyone hiding out in the empties at the end of the block was on their own). Nobody moved inside. R.T., Tony H., and Spider John carried handheld battering rams and had their automatic rifles strapped to their backs; the others were ready to open fire at the slightest provocation. Marina and Monte stood a dozen feet back from the center house’s door, watching Tony H. and Jimbo and hoping her guess was correct.
When everyone was in place, Marina took a deep breath and shouted, “Go!”
Simultaneously, rams crashed into three doors.
The door of the center house didn’t buckle under the assault like the others.
“It’s this one!” Marina cried.
Tony H. swung the ram twice more, putting his shoulders and back into it, and the doorjamb split. The door buckled open into the darkness.
By the time she and Monte reached the four steps up to the door, the agents from the other houses had joined them. The cops would watch the surrounding houses, but she really believed they were out of play. This center one was where the action would be.
It didn’t take long to get started.
Tony H. dropped the battering ram and brought his weapon around as he took his first two steps into the house. Before he had the gun in place, though, a dark form dropped on him from above. Jimbo had gone farther into the house already—if he turned and fired, not only would he risk hitting Tony H., but his rounds would threaten the other Red-Blooded operatives charging the door.
“We’re engaged!” Marina shouted. She clicked on the TRU-UV lamp mounted
Before anyone else could reminisce, the van came to a halt. Tony H. killed the engine, but nobody budged. “We’re there,” he said. “As far as we can drive, anyway.”
“Okay,” Marina said. “We don’t know which house it is—it’s one of the first three on the north side of the street. So we’ll enter all three at once. Teams of two, as we discussed, with me and Monte hanging back to support whichever team hits the jackpot.”
“Right on,” R.T. said. “Hope it’s my team.”
“These bloodsuckers have a rep,” Marina reminded them. “They’ve been active and they’re not afraid of publicity. So expect resistance. This could get as hairy as that battle in downtown L.A.”
“Hoping for that, too,” R.T. said.
“Who isn’t?” Tony O. said.
“Let’s do this,” Marina said. She rose from her seat and opened the van’s rear doors. They all piled out except Tony O., who stayed inside long enough to pass out weapons and ammo. Then he jumped to the ground and closed the doors.
The NYPD officers stared anxiously at them. They hadn’t been told much about the mission, but knew they weren’t supposed to get in the way. That was all Marina wanted from them.
There were six houses on the north side of the block, but the three on the far end had been ruled out by surveillance. The three on the near end were all seeminglyabandoned, but structurally sound and yet free of the usual squatters, gangbangers, drug dealers, and whores who would otherwise have made use of them. Those people stayed clear for a reason, and Marina figured the most logical reason was that those who
were
using those houses were too bad to mess with. She also guessed the vampires were primarily in the center house, leaving the other two unoccupied as buffer zones. But they might know that someone would figure that out, and so use one of the others as their den. Thermal imaging wouldn’t be much use in this situation, since the bloodsuckers and their prey were all on the cool side.
The team fanned out, watching the windows in each of the houses (the police had evacuated everyone from the houses on the south side; anyone hiding out in the empties at the end of the block was on their own). Nobody moved inside. R.T., Tony H., and Spider John carried handheld battering rams and had their automatic rifles strapped to their backs; the others were ready to open fire at the slightest provocation. Marina and Monte stood a dozen feet back from the center house’s door, watching Tony H. and Jimbo and hoping her guess was correct.
When everyone was in place, Marina took a deep breath and shouted, “Go!”
Simultaneously, rams crashed into three doors.
The door of the center house didn’t buckle under the assault like the others.
“It’s this one!” Marina cried.
Tony H. swung the ram twice more, putting his shoulders and back into it, and the doorjamb split. The door buckled open into the darkness.
By the time she and Monte reached the four steps up to the door, the agents from the other houses had joined them. The cops would watch the surrounding houses, but she really believed they were out of play. This center one was where the action would be.
It didn’t take long to get started.
Tony H. dropped the battering ram and brought his weapon around as he took his first two steps into the house. Before he had the gun in place, though, a dark form dropped on him from above. Jimbo had gone farther into the house already—if he turned and fired, not only would he risk hitting Tony H., but his rounds would threaten the other Red-Blooded operatives charging the door.
“We’re engaged!” Marina shouted. She clicked on the TRU-UV lamp mounted
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