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“Yes, but I also have ice cream and cold cuts. I can show you.”

The light swings back to my face.

“License and registration, please.”

I don’t want to get shot, so I keep my hands on the wheel while I think. I’m in a stolen car and I’ve been legally dead in California for years, so a driver’s license isn’t in the cards. In better times, I could hoodoo up the paperwork. But I don’t know if I can do that and maintain the glamour.

“Sir?” says the cop.

Before I begin a whole new string of lies, two more LAPD cars pull up alongside the first two.

Shit.

I look at Alessa.

“This is why I wish you hadn’t called the cops. Now they know you’re home and vulnerable.”

“What are you talking about?”

I never get to answer because by the time I turn back to the cops, the four new ones—all faction members—are executing them.

Two to the chest and one to the head each. Twelve shots. Four dead cops.

I kick open the driver’s-side door and shove Candy out of the way as one of the faction cops opens up on us. I pull her around to the back of the car and grab my na’at. But Candy doesn’t stay put. She leaps and knocks Alessa to the ground. When Candy stands up again she’s turned full Jade. Her eyes are red slits in black ice. Her nails grow into curved claws, and her mouth is full of white shark teeth.

She jumps across the car like a beautiful animal and rips out the closest faction member’s throat. He’s dead before he drops. I throw out the na’at like a whip, taking out one cop’s gun hand, then whip again, and the tip of the na’at goes into his heart. Candy has another cop pushed up against a squad car, her teeth in his neck. Faction cop number four moves around the Subaru looking for Alessa.

He’s too far away for the na’at, so I throw the black blade. Let me tell you, being in a severe state of decay doesn’t help your aim. Instead of his heart, the knife lodges in his shoulder. The cop staggers back and fires at me. Gets me once in the side and again in the leg. I stumble toward Alessa, shouting Hellion hoodoo. The street shudders in a mini-earthquake, knocking the cop off his feet. I get in front of Alessa and when the cop hits the ground I put a bullet through his head.

Keeping Alessa behind me, I drop my hands across the hood of the Subaru, aiming for the last cop. But he’s already sliding down the side of his squad car, his head at a funny angle and Candy wiping blood from her mouth.

She comes around the side of the car and hugs Alessa. When I try to stand my leg barely holds me upright. I grab the black blade from the dead faction cop’s shoulder and put it in my coat before Candy has a chance to recognize it.

“Thanks,” she says. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you earlier.”

I start to say something, but I have to lean against the Subaru.

Alessa grabs my shoulder.

“He’s hurt. Should we call an ambulance?”

“No!” I shout. “No more calls. We can’t stay here. There might be more of them.”

“Where do you want to go?” says Alessa.

That’s when I fall over. I’m bleeding again. Hitting my leg was bad enough, but that dead fuck ripped my cling wrap with his other shot. I’m going to be a mess.

Candy says, “Help me get him inside.”

“No. We have to go,” I say, but they’ve already pulled me to my feet.

With Candy on one side of me and Alessa on the other, they walk me into Max Overdrive. Where, once again, I fall on my damn face.

I point at the door.

“Lock it and kill the lights.”

Alessa runs over and does it.