"Never do her? You saw the way he looked at her!" Jose was on his feet, walking a hot path of rage between the doorway and the equipment table. "But you guys had me convinced that he was on our side, was the only one who could really protect her with that block-the-shot bullshit y'all came up with!" He spun on the group and pointed hard at the elder guardians. "I must have been out of my mind going along with allowing a master vampire to guard her against another master vampire. Are we crazy?"
"That's right," JL said. "We all saw the way he looked at her. Were we nuts, or what?"
"Marlene, if he was a third or fourth generation, I wouldn't be as worried..." Rider's words trailed off as he gazed out the window. "Love will make you do some crazy shit, and I think this time we messed up, getting all sentimental, hoping against hope. Aw... shit, Mar, tell me you've got something to shock her system and purge it, if we find her body... that is, if she's still breathing."
"Are you gentlemen finished?" Marlene said, yawning.
"Finished? Finished!" Rider spat. "We haven't even gotten started, Mar." He grabbed a round of artillery, as did the others. "We hunt this motherfucker down and stake his ass in broad daylight, if she's not breathing."
"Word," Shabazz said, picking up a handful of holy water grenades along with his Glock nine. "Might even have four dead monks out there in the woods. Last night, Father Pat said the shit was cool out there. In fact, I was cool until ten o'clock this morning. If Marlene hadn't been arguing about not being hasty, I would have been out. Now we ain't heard from nobody in hours. What's that shit about? Huh, Mar? How do we know that Rivera didn't answer the phone last night and throw the clerics' voices, or something? What if they were probably dead on arrival last night - f**kin' DOA when we called! But, no, I couldn't tell you jack - you said, 'Oh, Shabazz, have faith.' You crazy? I'm a man. I know what I'm talking about!"
"I just want her body back," Big Mike said, trying to keep his emotions in check. "Gotta drive a stake in her heart and bury her ashes on hallowed ground... that's the least we can do."
"Yeah..." Jose agreed, wiping his eyes. "We never leave our own."
"Uhmmph, uhmmph, uhmmmph," Marlene said in a blas� tone, glancing at the monitors before the reading even came up. "You got incoming, JL. Man your station. Five warm bodies approaching."
Ignoring protocols, the team rushed the compound doors, weapons in hand, leveling artillery and fanning out in battle stances.
Ohhh... boy... she was in trouble. Damali glanced at the clerics when their Jeep came to a stop in her compound driveway. "Uh, look... uhmmm... it's gonna be a little tense with my family when I go in there, so, how about if you guys go back, make sure Carlos is all right, and uh, I'll get back to you later?"
Father Patrick glanced out of the window and nodded. "You will give Marlene my best?"
Damali smiled. She could dig it. If she could send word by third party herself, she would have opted for that, too. "Yup. Will do," she said, opening the door slowly to avoid any sudden motion that would start bullets flying. "Thanks for the lift... and uh, the evening."
Without looking back, she watched her team visibly relax as the Jeep made a SWAT turn in the driveway and took off. Carefully strolling toward them, she opened both arms and turned around in a full circle, allowing the sun to speak for her. "Can I come in and get some breakfast and a shower?" she asked, trying not to laugh.
Only when Big Mike lowered his shoulder cannon, did she approach. Marlene was standing in the door shaking her head. Shabazz took his time, but ultimately put Sleeping Beauty back in its holster. Rider spat on the ground, and lowered his crossbow, while JL, Jose, and Dan mopped their brows and went inside.
Have mercy... it didn't have to be all of this. But she knew she had to face the music in order to stop a lynching. Taking the lead, she walked past her team and went into the living room. Right now, the last place she wanted to go was into the weapons room. God how she hated this.
"Okay, y'all," she said, yawning, feeling every deliriously placed bruise on her body. "I'm fine, sorry that I worried you, and I - "
"Sorry you worried us?" Shabazz looked like he wanted to slap her.
"Try stopping our hearts," Big Mike muttered, giving her a glare of disapproval.
"So'd you kill the bastard, or what?" Rider asked. "Tell me you killed him, so we don't have to." He rubbed his hands over his face and punched the wall. "Look at her throat." He leveled his gaze at her, then sent the hot glare to Shabazz and Big Mike. "A master did that? Let her come home raggedy and torn up like she'd been in an alley attack! Is it me, or am I insane? No respect, whatsoever, to send the girl home like that!" His line of vision returned to Damali with fury. "Tell me you killed him - broke a wooden table leg off and gored that sonofabitch!"
She couldn't help it, but a lopsided grin found its way to her face. "Yeah... I think I killed him. Several times."
She watched their shoulders slump, bodies dropped in sudden relief onto chairs and the large sectional sofa. JL laughed with a nervous burst, while the muscle in Jose's jaw pulsed. Tears streamed down Dan's face as he shut his eyes and silently wept for his friend, not comprehending. Marlene leaned against the wall with one eyebrow raised.
"You could've called," Marlene said casually. "Not that we're in your business, and we know you're grown, but even at my age, if I'm going to be out all night, I do leave the team a message so nobody freaks."
"Yeah, you're right, Mar... but, uh..."
"Yeah, I know," Marlene said calmly walking toward her.
"Okay, Mar, I know we were all worried, but, 'You could've called'?" Rider glanced at the other guardians who also shared his confusion.
Marlene swallowed away a smile and took Damali's chin, moving her head to the side. "Quite a bite you got there... couple of 'em, in fact. Gonna need a scarf and some makeup - "
"A bite? A bite! And all you got for the girl is a scarf and some makeup? You lost your mind, Marlene? When I got bit - oh, shit... you lose your magic, Mom? Not now!" Big Mike was hysterical, and rushed over to Damali before she could push him away. He'd swept her up in his arms like a baby and was pacing toward the hallway. "Get an ambulance - a holy water douse! Lord, Jesus... a bite and Mar's magic is shot! That's why she didn't call, she's dying and we ain't got no antidote!"
Struggling and laughing, Damali wrested herself from Big Mike's arms, kissed his cheek quickly, and hopped down.
"Guys... I am really, really tired. I need a couple hours and a shower. Mar, we got anything in the fridge? I'm starved."