Stake-Out (Paranormal Detectives Series Book 1), page 9
“I’m so sorry. I hope you catch the bastard,” she said. “And I don’t mind lunch. I’m glad to get to know you.”
She looked at him with wide green eyes, making him feel warm, even in the cool restaurant. There was no darkness, no guile in those eyes. He was sure she wasn’t hiding a deep, dark secret. She was normal, safe…human. She was what he needed. So why on Earth was he mentally comparing her with Angelica? Why couldn’t he let himself be happy?
“Because you hate yourself for so many things, not killing Vincent, letting Camille die…among other things,” Angelica’s cool, soft voice said in some echo chamber of his mind.
“You okay?” she asked, startling him out of his reverie.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He smiled, taking a sip of coffee.
She had a refill on her white wine and changed the subject, wanting to enjoy her date with this handsome, fun man.
When lunch ended, a light rain had begun to fall, so Danny took Shannon back home, promising to call over the weekend to make another date.
“I had fun, just talking with you,” he admitted.
“Me too.” She leaned in and gave him a light, lingering kiss on his lips. “See you soon.”
****
Shannon. He said her name was Shannon, Angelica thought, sitting at her technologically enhanced laptop, prepared to see who Danny had invited into his life. She tried hacking his cell phone, but couldn’t get past the Samsung security without actually going into the FBI/PID offices and using their computers. She didn’t want to leave a trace that Director Dominic could see.
She tried rationalizing her curiosity to herself by saying that having some new person in his life while he was in danger of attracting Vincent’s attention toward him and her. It was endangering an innocent civilian. She knew herself better than that, however. She was jealous. She had loved Danny when he was Jonathan Price, in the early 1900s. When he died, she loved him still. And when she saw him in that alleyway, facing off against Vincent, she thought she was seeing things. Her love had been reincarnated again, and put right into her path. It was like a dream.
Her dream come true was really a nightmare, as he hated vampires in this life. Jonathan had been okay with paranormal creatures after a while, but Danny was prejudiced and judging all vamps by the bad actions of very few. If vampires judged all humans by the actions of Charles Manson and Ted Bundy, they would’ve waged war against the entire race by then!
Even with the harsh words Danny had said to her, and how he shut her out of his personal life, she couldn’t un-love him. His opinion on vamps might’ve changed, but his laugh, smile, warm eyes and soft hugs were the same. He made love to her just the same way he used to. And he even remembered some of their past life together! She was still a human, technically, and still had human emotions. Jealousy was one of them, as much as she hated to admit it.
Her long nails tapped her keyboard, trying to see if there were any Shannons who worked with Danny or lived near him. No one with the first name Shannon, and the two with that as their surnames were both males, and, as far as she knew, Danny was straight. Exasperated, she went for a long shot and searched everyone with the first name Shannon who had moved into the Chicagoland area within the last six months. The search would take a while, almost as long as facial recognition, so she went to get ready for the stakeout that night. She sighed. Trapped in a car for about nine hours with a man who hated her. Joy…
****
They started the stakeout early, to follow their “living bait” as she left work at eight that night. This time it was Danny’s turn to drive, so she didn’t notice the same car following her night after night.
As they waited while she was in a restaurant, he said, “I had another vision today.”
Good for you, Angelica thought. She said nothing.
“It was about that Guilfoyle witch.”
“What about her? Her death, I hope?” She managed a weak grin.
“No…she was casting a spell a hundred years ago, on someone named Jonathan Price. She hated him and loved him at the same time. It was…very frightening. She decapitated a frog and, while it was still twitching, burned it with some herbs. She cursed him with a long and painful death. Did…did you know him?” he asked.
She bit her lip. Here he was, right with her again, alive, and yet his death still hurt like a fresh knife wound. “Yes. I knew him very well. He was a wonderful man and didn’t deserve that fate.” She turned away, not wanting to converse any longer. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but didn’t have the heart.
When the stakeout again ended uneventfully, Danny dropped her off at the PID office to pick up her car and drove off without a word. Angelica got into her car and opened her laptop. The search had been completed. There had only been two Shannons who had moved to the area in the last six months. One was Shannon King and the other was Shannon Mallory. King was in her 40s and a librarian. Her driver’s license photo showed a painfully thin, miserable looking woman. She doubted that this lady had captured Danny’s attention.
She clicked on the personal information of Shannon Mallory and, as her photo loaded, pixel by pixel, Angelica had to leave the car to throw up for the first time in a century.
“Not again,” she whispered into the parking garage garbage can. “I can’t go through this again.”
****
Instead of going home, changing into pajamas, and cuddling on the couch with a good book, she went home to change her clothes and grab her weapons. It was time to end this, once and for all.
She tucked a gasoline/holy water mixture into a duffel bag, along with her sheathed falchion, a flamethrower and needles filled with snake venom. She strapped her two guns to her hips and two enchanted daggers to her thighs. Her mission that night was death, and God help anyone who got in her way! Deathstroke the Terminator had nothing on Detective Angelica Cross.
Chapter 10
“She is like a cat in the dark and then she is the darkness.” —Fleetwood Mac
Drinking an extra packet of blood for strength, Angelica got into her car and drove to the same building that Danny had been at earlier that afternoon. The first thing Angelica noticed was the ancient fountain stationed in the front of the building. She didn’t know that the fountain had been what had triggered Danny’s vision, but she recognized it. It had been in the courtyard of Fiona Guilfoyle’s mansion a century ago. When the mansion was abandoned, the city relocated it.
She used her vampire senses, which she normally tamped down on a daily basis, to search the inhabitants of the building. It was empty. Fiona must own it and pretend to be renting it to others. The only energy signature she could sense was Fiona’s, in the top apartment to the left. She remembered that signature very well, black and red with a little bit of green. All evil, passion and envy. She would not ruin her life again, not this time.
“Angelica,” she heard inside her head. “Come on up. I’ve been looking forward to this for a century.”
Glad that she was a half-vampire and did not actually need to be invited in through a door, she took a running leap and crashed through the window to Fiona’s bedroom.
She looked into the eyes of the witch who had killed Danny in his previous life and had cursed her to a life of misery. She hadn’t aged very much, still appearing to be a woman in her early thirties. How had she managed to live this long? Was it a spell? She certainly wasn’t a vampire.
“I never thought you’d show your face in my city again,” Angelica said. “You must have a death wish.”
Fiona laughed, her brogue coming back now that she was not playing the part of Shannon Mallory. “Oh, Miss Cross, you’re still a hotheaded halfling.”
“I’m Bilbo Baggins?” Angelica quipped. “Why are you still alive?”
“None of your business, you twit.” Fiona looked like she was upset that, even now, she didn’t have the power to hurt a vampire with such ancient blood as Angelica…yet. “Get out of my home.”
“This isn’t your home. Your home is in the deepest pit of Hell!” Angelica said, drawing her falchion and circling her like a cat circling prey. “I’m not as brash as I was before. I’m going to give you one chance to end this amicably and without bloodshed. Call Danny, tell him you were unexpectedly called out of town and don’t know when, if ever, you’ll return. Leave us be and I’ll leave you be.” Why did she invite me to fight her and then order me out a second later? That makes no sense!
Fiona smiled. “No. I’d rather fight you.” She threw up a wall of magic, which threw Angelica into the far wall and held her there. “I can’t kill you, but I can hurt you…very badly. Are you sure you want to play this game? And all over a man who doesn’t even want you?”
Angelica wrenched herself from the wall, breaking the spell. “That’s the difference between you and I— you see life as a game to win, no matter the cost. I see it as a precious gift to cherish. You’re evil, Fiona. You always have been.” She thrust her sword, hitting thin air. Fiona used magic to teleport behind her. She used magic to knock Angelica to the ground and toss her sword far out of reach. Angelica immediately grabbed one of her daggers as she jumped back to her feet. “Love doesn’t have to be returned to be felt. You of all people should remember that.”
Fiona teleported again, but Angelica was prepared this time. She knew where the witch would land and swung her dagger in that general direction, cutting into the flesh of her shoulder and drawing blood. Damn. About six inches to her left and she would’ve killed her! Fiona sent another wave of infernal energy at Angelica, knocking her to the ground. She bent over her to send another spell her way when Angelica kicked out, her silver-tipped, spiked heels digging deep into Fiona’s stomach.
The witch stumbled back, her breath short. Angelica knew she had gained strength in the last hundred years, more than Fiona would have anticipated. She used telekinesis to send a very important bottle from a shelf right into her hand. She couldn’t kill Angelica, no, but she could destroy her emotionally (again) and scar her permanently. Angelica stood up, getting her bearings quickly, but not quick enough. Fiona tossed the contents of her bottle at Angelica, and the vamp could barely duck before the holy water scalded her cheek and neck.
She let out a scream that would’ve had the police there in three seconds…had there been anyone around to hear. It burned worse than whiskey inside an open wound. Unwanted tears of pain gathered in her eyes. She wondered if she could drain Fiona and kill her that way. She needed blood to repair her flesh, but was too wary of what might actually be running through the witch’s veins.
“You’re a monster, just like Danny said. You and all your kind deserve death, and I swear I shall be the one to deal it to you!” Fiona had a silver dagger and was ready to bring it down on Angelica, but the fight wasn’t out of her yet. She rolled out of the way, kicking at Fiona’s ankles as she did, sending her to the ground.
Using her vampire speed, Angelica reached her duffel and got the gas/holy water mixture she had made and tossed it on top of Fiona, who had already been about to try and strike her again.
She screeched. “My eyes!”
“Sayonara, you son of a bitch,” Angelica growled, tossing her lighter at the wet figure in front of her, setting her living flesh on fire. She backed away as the fire consumed Fiona completely. She watched as the flesh boiled and bubbled and wondered why Fiona wasn’t screaming; just standing there in a little fireball. God, don’t let this not have worked!
Fiona began to laugh! Angelica could see through the flames as skin and flesh gave way to muscle, muscle to bone. Yet Fiona still stood, still laughed. “You really don’t know who you’re messing with.” The voice was a tongueless hiss, but very clear. The laughter then turned to an agonized moan as the corpse finally fell to the floor, still burning, completely dead. Angelica tried, but she could not sense life within that burned husk.
Smoke alarms rang shrilly, and sprinklers began to put the fire out. The corpse lay face-down on the floor, blackened and charred, mostly without flesh. The blood had all burned away, as had her hair. Smoking bones were all that remained. Angelica stared down at the corpse, unable to believe that this was over already. One hundred years had led to this moment, so why did she now feel like she had lost the battle and the war? She backed away, going to the basement to cut some wires. With any luck, the electrical fire she was about to set would appear an accident and no one would be the wiser that she had murdered a witch. And the bones would burn. That was the most important thing of all. No one wanted a vengeful witch spirit hanging around!
She walked toward her car as the smoke began to rise from the basement. Her advanced hearing and sense of smell could hear the crackling of flames and smell the burning copper. She was not a fan of arson, but it was a way of getting rid of bones and purifying a place. And this land needed to be purified. Next she’d go back and destroy the statue in the yard…just in case.
Upon her arrival back home, she undressed and stepped into the shower, wanting to wash the vicious stench of burnt flesh and wet dog (the sprinklers) from her hair.
“Are you sure you want to play this game? And all over a man who doesn’t even want you?”
Fiona’s words haunted her. She didn’t need a reminder that, in this life, Danny had chosen his killer over her, but would he have, had he known who she really was? Had she killed Fiona out of revenge from a century ago or out of spite and jealousy now?
No matter what, Fiona had won.
****
Danny had a nightmare about fire. He saw cut wires and an explosion. The building looked familiar. It was like he was a ghost as he went from the basement and followed the fire up the stairs to an apartment. Inside he saw a burned body on the floor. The smell made him feel sick and he clearly recalled a case from his last year as a detective for the CPD, when a kitchen had been sabotaged to kill a cook.
The flames engulfed the entire apartment, but swirled over and around the corpse, never touching it. He watched intently as the flames lifted the corpse from the floor, holding it straight as if it were standing on its own. He saw flesh reverse from burned to clean and clear, pale. A nearly perfect female body appeared, blonde hair regrew at a rapid rate. The face was obscured, but he saw long-lashed eyes open…completely black.
He gasped and sat up in bed, sweat drenching his body and sheets. What the Hell had he just seen?
He checked the time and saw that it was time for the early, early edition of the news to be on so he clicked on his scarcely used TV and saw the headline: APARTMENT FIRE KILLS ONE.
The screen showed firefighters putting out a raging fire at Shannon’s building! The news anchor said, “This has been confirmed to be an electrical fire, accidental. The building owner, Fiona Guilfoyle, claimed to be renting to multiple persons, but only one lived there in reality, a woman named Shannon Mallory. Her body was nearly disintegrated by the flames. At this time, no foul play is believed to have been perpetrated, though police are trying and failing to locate Ms. Guilfoyle. Back to you in the studio.”
Fiona Guilfoyle. Danny’s head spun. Had Shannon Mallory actually been Fiona? Had he been that close to an evil witch and murderer? If so, had the fire really been an accident, or someone out to get Fiona? Had it been Angelica? He needed answers, and realized he had to wait until sunset. Angelica would be dead to the world till then.
Chapter 11
“And please remember that I never lied/And please remember how I felt inside now, honey.” —Guns N’ Roses
“We need to talk.”
Angelica had barely been awake ten minutes when her doorbell had rang repeatedly. When she saw that it was Danny, she knew why he had come. She let him in, waiting to see if he’d be upset, confused, grateful or none of the above.
“I know.” She sat at her kitchen table, nursing a mug of blood.
“What happened to you?” he asked, noticing the burn marks on her right cheek and neck. They looked fresh and had to have been bad if they weren’t healed.
“Holy water. Some more of this and I’ll be as good as new.” She gestured to her Umbrella Academy mug and tried to ignore the look of disgust on his face. “Sit. Tell me why you’re here, though I think I already know.”
“Was Shannon Mallory really the witch in my visions? Guilfoyle?” No point beating about the bush. He didn’t want small talk and he didn’t want a story. He just wanted the truth.
Angelica nodded.
“The murderer I saw sacrificing a frog, who killed your friend years ago?”
Again, she nodded.
“Jesus.” He sat down, feeling faint. He had been very close to sleeping with the enemy! What would she have done to him had he ever pledged love for her? Bewitched him to be with her and kill alongside her for eternity? He shuddered. “How long did you know?”
“Not long at all. The second I saw who she was, I went after her. I knew that it would be my only chance to end it once and for all. I would’ve told you beforehand, but I didn’t think I had the time to convince you of her guilt. I hope you’re not mad. But I did what I did for the good of the world, and for your own good. She would’ve destroyed you, Danny.” There was stern sincerity in her eyes and he didn’t doubt that Fiona deserved to die. Had he not had the visions, he would’ve doubted Angelica’s motive, but he knew how evil she was.
It hurt that she hadn’t told him in advance, that she hadn’t trusted him again, but he understood why. “I’m not mad. I just wonder when my life is going to take a turn for the better.”
Angelica’s blood-warmed hand touched his arm and made him jump. “Please don’t despair. It will get better. I promise.”
“Why do you give a damn what she would’ve done to me?” he asked suddenly.
She stood up and walked to his side of the table. She raised the hem of her tank top to reveal her soft, pale abs. Running across them was the scar left by Jerry’s knife. “This is why. You could’ve left me to die there or even killed me yourself. Lord knows I deserved it. But you gave me your blood. Danny, I would not be here if not for you. I couldn’t let her get to you.”
