arms wide, offended. For a grown man, he sure pouted quite often.
Poe dropped her pack with a sigh and gave the pushy man a tepid pat-pat hug. Morales, having none of that, gave her a tight bear squeeze that lingered a little too long.
“Our little smuggler is a woman now,” Morales declared, rubbing her back and adding, “And quite a woman she is, too.” The look he gave Poe made her ears burn and her nostrils flare as his eyes lingered on the scar that began on the left side of her forehead and crossed over to her right cheek. Brashly, his gaze dipped lower to her chest. All she could think of were those cheesy swinger flicks from the 1970s starring chest hair and gold chain guys like Bam Boozle and Ram Martini.
Megan pried her friend from Morales’ grip, saying, “Do I have to douse you with ice water, Sam?”
Poe so wanted to chew out the presumptuous Morales if only she could utter a stutter-free sentence, but Sister Ann interrupted.
“A halfdead is missing from the farm.”
Everyone quieted down.
“I hope these sun-proof vamps aren’t growing in numbers,” Megan said, fingering the silver cross of the rosary the nun had given her, and she unconsciously rubbed it against the fang bite scar on her neck. “Last 44
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week, I was followed by one. If Morales hadn’t been there to shoot the bastard, the HQ would’ve been compromised.”
“We have to discuss a different pickup route. We can never be sure who’s watching and who’s following.”
At Goss’ words, everyone looked at each other.
All operations would have to be suspended at least a month for precautions. A new route would need to be planned and debris cleared strategically. They would have to stealthily execute the plans with precision and without alerting enemy eyes. Poe couldn’t help but look over her shoulders and feel malevolent eyes staring back. She should’ve listened to that pesky voice in her head for just then a peroxide-haired day vamp and her reed thin companion emerged from behind an overturned truck.
Poe reached for her Beretta, alerting the others.
Sister Ann cocked her shotguns. Goss, Megan, and Morales unslung their semi-automatics.
“I wouldn’t shoot us, if I were you,” said the blonde vamp with overkill makeup and earth mother hips. “None of your guns have silencers on them. One bango and poof, a whole buncha sun deads are gonna rain down your rickety van over there.”
“I don’t think that’ll happen,” Goss said. Can’t you hear gunfire all over the city? Your leeches are bored, and they’re shooting up old skeletons.”
“You have a point there, brother,” said the femvamp. “You’re too smart to go back to being a janitor. We’re just gonna have to drain you. I’m sure Trench and Sainvire won’t mind since you’re a threat to our way of life. Big guy like you ought to be enough for the two of us. We’ll even overlook your skin color since we haven’t had a human kill in years.”
45
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“Just you try, Elvira,” said Goss, gripping his semi tighter.
“But getting back to the point, how do you know we didn’t bring reinforcements?
“Because you two don’t exactly strike me as being very bright,” said Sister Ann.
“I heard about you, nun. You’re a pest. And if you think Romeo and I are alone, then why don’t you take a shot at us right now?”
Sister’s eyebrows furred. She couldn’t take the chance.
“So this is how it’s done,” said the toothpick of a vampire before Sister Ann could reply. “These rustlers take ’em outta the city from this bridge.”
“A black, a bean, a nun, a redhead, and a girl mutt. These are the people that’ve been stealing our livestock, Romeo,” commented the undead with wide hips. “How pathetic is that?”
Romeo inched toward the van, opened the door, and looked over the cattle inside until he chose the pregnant one. He helped her down the van like an anorexic gentleman. “Very pathetic, Charlene.”
“Leave her be,” said Sister Ann in her harshest Mother Superior voice.
“You talkin’ to me, nun?” he said, shaking his head. “I could strangle you with your rosary, you know.”
“Not before I scatter your skinny ass with my bullet,” said Goss.
Romeo smiled before punching the pregnant woman in the stomach and jumping back as bullets flew around him. He and Charlene skipped from one stranded car to another like hopped up ballerinas, dodging bullets as they moved.
Sister Ann helped the whining cattle off the ground and into the van. The woman had wet herself.