Page 221 of Broken Bonds

Turns out we didn’t need the outside preparations, other than disguising the noises, because none of them made it out of the warehouse. The sentry was liquidated once the two sets of attackers were inside the gate.

Even better, we learn Thad was supposed to report back tonight, in person, to his father in Atlanta, at the family home.

As Marchman, Morning, Dahlia, and I stare down at the body of Thad Sterling, Morning smiles and turns to Dahlia. “We need a vampire of his approximate height and weight.”

She laughs. “Think he’s got enough left in him to drain to use for it?”

“Maybe.”

Marchman arches an eyebrow at them. “What?”

“There’s a spell I haven’t done in a while that Dahlia can help me with,” Morning says. “But we need his blood. We can glamour a vampire to look like Thad. They can also drink his blood immediately before entering the house to smell like him long enough to get close to Sterling.”

“I’ll fool the clueless humans acting as security,” Dahlia says.

“Why a vampire?” I ask. “Why not a wolf?”

“Speed,” Marchman, Dahlia, and Morning say in unison. “A vampire can kill before Sterling even realizes what’s happening.”

“And the security will see Thad going into the house and blame him for it,” I say, now following. “That’s brilliant. What if his other two sons are there?”

Marchman shrugs, then reappears on my other side, startling me, but he’s smiling. “Three throats are just as easy to slit as one.”

I laugh. “Jesusfuck, I forgot how fast you guys are,” I say without thinking, but he and the other vampires laugh.

“We are,” he agrees. “And we can position a couple of people in the backyard to make entry and help, if necessary.”

“He won’t expect an attack at home,” Dahlia says. “He’s too confident. We can’t take him out at his office—too many witnesses to risk it. Plus security cameras everywhere.”

“Then let’s get busy and do this before he completely leaks out all over the floor,” I say.

Sterling’s team in Dallas was wiped out en masse, all seventeen of them, but they managed to embargo the news until later that evening. Morning will confirm the identities with his friend later, once the press dies down.

Six hours later, ten of us, including Marchman and four other vampires, one masquerading as Thad, are waiting in our positions. It’s dusk, but with the sun far enough below the western horizon that there are no direct rays, the vampires can now move unimpeded.

I wish I had an interesting version of events to tell, but our plan goes off without a hitch. Lucky for us, David and Harrison are also at the house and killed at the same time. The vampire dropped the knife he used next to the bodies and escaped through the back door. Said knife which was conveniently engraved with Thad’s name and was an item easily identifiable to others.

Police are now searching for Thad because the three security agents stationed outside at the front of the house swore it was Thad. The security cameras outside showed it was Thad who entered through the front door and then fled through the back door. They heard “Thad” screaming that he believed Sterling had their mother and Mal killed. When the security team finally made it inside, they found the crime scene.

I should mention the whole thing about vampires needing invitations and not being seen on cameras or in mirrors is also pure Hollywood bullshit. If they move at full speed, the ones who can, they might look blurry on camera because of that. If they’re standing still, they’re just as visible as anyone else.

An hour later, we’re all sitting around a cheery firepit on Morning’s flagstone lanai surrounding his pool and toasting our success with our beverages of choice.

I should mention vampires can and do drink and eat things other than blood, although they require blood periodically because of their condition.

We’re all watching an outside TV hung on the wall when one of the local stations breaks in with news of the murder of Sterling and his sons, and that the police are looking for Thad.

Oh, and an anonymous tip just received says Sterling and his sons are shifters who haven’t registered.

And police are now also investigating the fact that Mal and his mom haven’t been seen in person in…a while.

We all toast again. “This was a group effort,” I say, holding up my bottle of beer. “Let’s hope this finally buys us peace.”

“Will Mal and his mother come out of hiding?” Dahlia asks.

“She’s done nothing wrong,” Morning says. “We have dozens of witnesses that she and Mal were nowhere near Atlanta when the murders occurred. They’re not guilty of anything except not registering as shifters. Even then, since they’re not running for office, that’s not exactly a crime. Mal has never falsified financial documents due to his age. Depending on how Sterling set up his finances, Iris might face a civil fine, at best.

“Considering the circumstances,” I say, “can’t she claim emotional distress and domestic violence, and being in fear for her life? I know she mentioned wanting to disband the pack and liquidate everything. It’d be a shame for her and Mal not to receive a dime from the estate, considering the years of crap they survived. Besides, she’s only fifty-four. So, unless Sterling did it for her, she probably hasn’t even committed document fraud.”