"Carlos?" Shabazz bellowed.
"God bless him! He saved my life."
"Where is he?" Damali asked, trying to keep her voice level and authoritative.
"He said he didn't believe in that shit and stayed behind to walk to his car!"
Daniel's voice had broken off into sobs. "I shoulda made him come with me, but I was too scared to wait for him - and he was arguing and shit, D. I practically begged him!"
She walked over to the steel-protected window, closed her eyes, and pressed her palm to it, watching the heat of her hand fan out and make a ring of mist.
"Okay, okay, Dan, it's not your fault," Damali said as calmly as she could over her shoulder, ignoring the glare Shabazz and Marlene gave her. "What streets did you pass?"
"I was on Rodeo, then shot up to Sunset, then - then, I guess I'm on Coldwater Canyon Drive! I'm lost; my tank is on a quarter - whaduldo? What the f**k do I do?"
"He's headed north, if he passed those streets in that sequence," J.L. confirmed from the map showing on the wall from the computer projector.
"Dan, head east, that's going to be toward your right, onto Mulholland, toward Hollywood Hills," Damali said, her heart slamming inside her chest as she tried to speak calmly for Dan's sake. "Okay? Dan?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay," he stammered. "I can't go home, Damali. I'm scared."
"We're not going to leave you out there. We got'chure back. Stay calm."
"Stay calm! Stay calm? You should have seen that thing! I could feel something creepy walking up on me and I started running. I had on my star like you said, D. Swear to God!"
"She's bringing him in - oh, we're f**ked with a breach," Rider said, beginning to pace in an agitated state.
"No, not a good idea," Big Mike agreed.
Marlene pushed the mute button as Dan hysterically railed on.
"Look, guys, we can't in good conscience leave an innocent man out there like that. Jesus, y'all!"
"Damali - what if this is a setup?" Shabazz walked around the table, studying the weapons array.
"Listen to him," Damali urged. "The man is about to piss himself. The guy is traumatized. He's no vamp - and Carlos is out there, too. We need to bring them both in."
"No!" J.L. said, making a swift cutting motion with his hand. "What if Carlos is already compromised from being in that parking lot too long? Bad move."
Damali paused for a moment. "If we coach him in, we can hit Dan's ride with UV when he pulls into the garage, and wait until the sensors tell us there's nothing left to materialize, then open the door and let the poor guy in. Or, we can go get him and keep his eyes covered - if that would make you feel better. Same with Carlos. What is with y'all? We've got an innocent being pursued, plus another in serious danger."
"Guys, guys, talk to me! There's something hovering near my back windows!"
Damali slapped the mute button. "Step on it, Dan!" she yelled. "That's it - I've heard enough. We're coming to get you. When you see our Hum-V, pull over on the shoulder, but do not jump out of the car until one of us comes and gets you.
"Rider, Big Mike - grab a coupla heat seekers and a cannon, crossbows... let's rock and roll!"
"You are not going out there tonight!" Marlene said fast. Her expression was frenzied and her words had come out in a quick rush of horror.
"Marlene, I love you, but save it. Keep talking to him, guys. J.L., keep us on a Lo Jack radar blip, and keep com going, and I want a three-way to the vehicle with you guys and Dan so I can hear him and talk to him - Shabazz, you got the compound. Bring Jose into the weapons room and let him rest in here. We all stay in eyesight of somebody. Nobody goes it alone."
Damali was in instant motion and the team begrudgingly nodded as she harnessed herself with shells, a handheld cannon, holy water grenades, and her Isis blade. As long as she could hear Dan's voice she was okay - but she wasn't sure of what she'd do if she heard him scream, or heard the sounds of him being ripped apart and eaten alive. It was as though everyone shared the same thought all at once as they each paused and looked at one another. Big Mike and Rider grabbed an armload of artillery and followed Damali, who was already halfway down the hall.
CHAPTER TWO
Carlos was in the process of dematerializing into unseen vapors when Damali's worry for him stabbed into his skull. How ironic. His plan had been to follow Dan's scent to her, when she literally called out into the night with her mind and was pulling him! How could that be? She'd broken into a master vampire's mind, a human? No one had told him that she would be able to invade his thoughts, draw him to her. Fascinating, and thoroughly electrifying. A shudder of anticipation ran through him.
Carlos became solid form as he closed his eyes and opened his mind to Damali's panic. He could see her driving, could see the perspiration cast a slight sheen to her lovely brow. He licked his lips, tasting the salt of her skin. Her deep brown eyes had opened wide, her pupils expanding until they eclipsed her irises. Night vision... like his kind?