Page 115 of Taste of Blood

“Ouch. That’s got to sting.”

“You know how Dante feels about betrayal.”

Yeah, he made that abundantly clear with Cosgrove.

“With everything they know, it’s only a matter of time before they attack us here, and right now we’re spread pretty thin. The Python has been poaching our donors, too. Two dens have already been hit.”

Sounds like things are getting dire. As much as Dante may resent it, it might be time to call for reinforcements. Yeah, they would come in and take over for a while, but it’s better than sacrificing the entire organization.

I lean over to Zeke, lowering my voice. “Have you heard anything about the Black Guild taking notice?”

Zeke looks around to make sure no one is listening. “Not specifically, but you know it’s only a matter of time, especially if we keep losing men.”

“I’m not an advocate, but I also don’t want to see the Crimson Guild fail here.”

“Let’s not talk about that here. We’ve got to put together another team before Dante comes back and chews our asses out.”

♦ ♦ ♦

We wait until evening before leaving for what I consider to be a waste of time. The streets are unusually quiet as we make our way through the neighborhood where we were ambushed. Every now and then I glance up at the rooftops for our backup. They’ve been following us from building to building, putting to use their parkour skills. All of them are armed with crossbows, as are the other two guys on the ground with us, TJ and Eddie. Zeke is wielding a thick length of lead pipe and I’ve got my axe. We must look like a pack of medieval cosplayers to anyone passing us on the street.

We’ve decided to head over to the bar we were watching when we got drawn into the ambush. I don’t know if it’s one of their hangouts, but we’ve got nothing better to go on. We’re supposed to be bait for a trap, but it sure feels like they’re the ones with the advantage?

As we round the block across the street from the bar, the voice of one of the guys on the roof comes over our comms.

“We got movement heading your way.”

“How many?” Zeke asks.

“Hang on.” We wait half a minute. “Looks like three.”

“Sure they’re not randoms hitting the bar?”

“They’re vamps. And they’re packing blades.”

Fuck me. Looks like we’ll get some action after all.

“If you get a clean shot, take it,” Zeke tells him.

“Roger that.”

Zeke and I duck into a doorway while TJ and Eddie slip around the corner of the alley entrance.

We hear them before we see them, broadcasting their presence like they own the street.

“I saw them go this way,” one of them says as they approach the corner.

Zeke is poised with his pipe on his shoulder like he’s coming up to bat. When the three vamps draw even with us, he steps out and takes a full extension swing at the first one, spinning his head around and dropping him to his knees.

The others pull their blades and go into a fighting stance. They don’t look like the ninjas we encountered before, but they appear more trained than your average street thugs.

One of them comes at me with a machete he whips out of a sling on his back. I duck under the blade then kick out to back him up. When he’s off balance, I raise the axe and bring it down on the top of his head. The satisfying crunch of crushing bone brings a smile to my face. Not dead yet, but knocking on the door.

The third one goes after Zeke, who’s still busy finishing off the first one. TJ and Eddie step into the street and take aim as Zeke yells at them.

“Any time now.”

“I can’t get a clear shot. I don’t want to shoot you.”