Affliction (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter) - Laurell K. Hamilton Page 0,150

still wanted it were vampire executioners. ‘Don’t die on me,’ I said.

‘I won’t,’ he said, and he leaned forward, lowering his voice so the other cops wouldn’t hear. ‘I’ve got European grenades in the car.’

I gave him wide eyes, because in parts of Europe where vamps and shapeshifters can be killed on sight just for being, they had grenades designed to burn longer than even the old-fashioned phosphorus over here. They were designed to explode, get nasty burny stuff on the targets, and the burn kept burning until it burned through the target. They were illegal as hell here.

I smiled and shook my head. ‘I’ll be back with more stuff when I can.’

‘I know you will,’ he said.

I looked at Al, and didn’t know what to say to him. Jenkins and the guards I’d just met, but Al had grown up with Micah.

I heard the doors bang as the zombies started working better as a unit. I’d never seen this many of them without a necromancer in control of them. I should have stayed with Edward and kept them contained. That would have been the best use of resources, but I was going for the loves of my life. Once they were safe I’d save the rest of the world; until that moment the world could take care of itself. Or that was what I told myself as I started running for the elevators with Nicky and Dev at my side and Gonzales bringing up the rear.

44

The elevator doors opened just as a huge crash came from behind us. I had to look back. Edward and the rest had thrown themselves against the door. He yelled, ‘Anita!’

‘Shit,’ I said.

Edward yelled, ‘They’re using a gurney as a battering ram. I need my gear now! I’m sorry.’

In all the years we’d worked together he’d never apologized for the job and the choices we had to make. Dev was in the elevator. He held out his hand. ‘Give me the keys, and you go on to Micah and Nathaniel.’

There was another huge crash, and the men at the end of the hallway all put their shoulders into it, holding on. ‘Anita, you know how I pack. You can find them faster. We need them faster!’ The doors bucked as if some giant hand had slapped them. They weren’t going to hold.

‘Anita, now!’

I got in the elevator. ‘Stay and help hold the door. I will be as fast as I can.’

Nicky stepped out. ‘Don’t make me stay.’

‘I’ll keep her safe,’ Dev said.

Gonzales stayed beside Nicky. ‘Hurry,’ Gonzales said. There was another thunderous crash at that far door.

The elevator doors began to slide shut and I had one of those moments of revelation. I knew Nicky was stronger, more ruthless, and better at fighting than Dev; he was the one to leave. The only reason not to leave him was that I loved him. I love-loved him, and I hadn’t known it for certain until this second. I moved as the door closed and said, ‘I love you, Nicky.’

He smiled then, and the doors closed.

I wished there’d been time to kiss him good-bye.

45

I dug the earpiece for my phone out of one of the pockets and called Micah from the elevator. He answered on the second ring. ‘Anita, vampire on this floor is dead. We’re okay.’

‘The morgue is not okay; I’ve got to help Ted contain it. I had to leave Nicky there to back him up.’ As soon as I said it, I realized I was looking for absolution, someone as strong as I was to tell me that it had been okay to leave someone I loved who wasn’t a cop down there with the other cops and the monsters.

‘What made you willing to leave him down there with Ted?’

‘Grenades and shit in Ted’s car, Dev and I are fetching.’ I transferred my badge from my hip to tuck it in a MOLLE strap on the front of my vest. We didn’t have any uniforms or locals with us this time. I wanted witnesses to know we were the good guys.

‘Because you know where the stuff is in Ted’s car,’ Micah said.

‘Yeah,’ I said, and the elevator doors opened.

Dev paused before he went through, checking to make sure it was clear; he gave a small nod and held the door for me, leaning against it with his gun already out. Most handguns wouldn’t do much against zombies or rotting vamps, but Dev had never seen real combat like Nicky had, or I had,