Smashed (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8.5)(28)

It would have been easy enough to grab a random person off the street in order to send Briggs to a real murder scene. However, seeing Alexa had awakened the spark of light within me that was all her. Knowing she wouldn’t want me to kill a so-called innocent, I chose instead to fake it.

Seeking a relatively private place to lure Briggs and his team to, I headed for the river valley. The walking trails there would be perfect. Foot traffic should be minimal at this hour, and the surrounding trees and brush would prevent witnesses.

We parked the car and walked the trails until we came to a spot where we could easily ambush approaching agents from the trees. I called Jez who informed me that the FPA building was surrounded by armed guards. They couldn’t get very close. From what she could tell Briggs was already gone. He’d gotten an early start. I asked her to call in the false attack report, and then we waited.

“I can see why you like it here,” Jenner mused as we listened to the sound of the nearby river. “Definitely a lot greener than Sin City. Not quite as fun though.”

“Are you kidding me?” I laughed. “You were almost roasted by a dragon and now you’re hunting Feds. How much more fun do you need?”

Jenner leaned back against a tree, gazing up at the sky. “I’m starting to miss my nightclub. The orgies in the den, the swooning women on stage. Hell, I actually miss the sound of all those damn slot machines. I didn’t realize how loud they were until they were gone.”

“And you say that I need to get out more,” I scoffed. “Shit, Jenner. When was the last time you left Vegas?”

“I’m not sure. Back in the 80s I think. Who needs to leave though when you have an all you can eat buffet in a city that never sleeps?” There was a glimmer of nostalgia in him when he looked at me. “Don’t tell me you don’t miss it. We made a hell of a lot of memories there.”

“Of course I miss it. There are nights when I crave that desert air and the non-stop flow of human traffic down The Strip. But I was just biding my time there. Waiting. I belong here now.”

Jenner’s laugh came out sounding more like a hiss. “I never thought I’d see the day when you were more in love with a person than with that city. It’s unnatural.”

Las Vegas meant a great deal to me. It was where I’d really come into my own, taking a stand against the one who sired me. It was where I was when I knew with absolute certainty that Alexa lived. It would always be home, in its own bizarre way.

We sat there shooting the shit and reminiscing about the good old days and some of the not so good old days. It wasn’t long before I sensed the approaching human task force. They were loud. Even as they tried to be stealthy I could hear their breathing, the beat of their hearts, and the occasional scuff of shoes.

Briggs was smart enough to have his team approach from both sides. He’d sent nearly a dozen agents in total, all of them with weapons drawn. I waited until I saw Briggs himself. He brought up the rear of one group, hissing orders at his team. I didn’t see Juliet.

I laughed silently to myself. Briggs thought a dozen humans were enough to take Alexa down?

Meeting Jenner’s gaze, we shared a look and a nod. One benefit to knowing someone for several decades is the ability to read so much in a look. Words weren’t necessary.

When every agent was gathered at the place that I’d told Jez to describe in the report, we converged on them. We didn’t leap out of the trees with a loud display of violence. No, we slid from the brush with soundless steps and grabbed the closest agents first. Clapping a hand over the guy’s mouth, I bit deep into his carotid before tossing him aside and grabbing another. Jenner mirrored my actions, taking it a step further by also breaking his victim’s neck. We dropped four of them in just seconds. That’s when the first shout rang out.

With our presence revealed, we abandoned stealth in favor of a savage attack. Briggs shouted orders that included the command to take us out. Laughter poured from me as I spilled their blood. Shots went off, and I held one agent in front of me as a human shield. The crossbow bolts meant for me embedded in his chest, and he screamed in agony. I silenced him quickly with a twist of his neck.

“Not him,” I shouted when Jenner went for Briggs. “That one lives. But only that one.”

With a shrug, Jenner slammed Briggs with enough power to take his feet out from beneath him. The Fed went down hard on the paved walking path, and I took the opportunity to relieve him of his weapons and his phone.

“You’re making a big f*cking mistake here,” he snarled through teeth clenched in agony.

I whirled around in time to take a bolt in the shoulder. “Cocksucker,” I swore, retaliating with a psi ball big enough to tear the guy’s head off his shoulders.

The bolt lodged in my flesh hurt like a bitch. I tore it free and plunged it into the neck of the nearest agent I could get my hands on. Blood spurted from the puncture, and the guy went down grabbing uselessly at the wound.

A wolfish growl rumbled in my throat. The walking path was littered with bodies. The remaining two agents surrendered, hands held high and guns on the ground. There would be no mercy for them. Despite their pleas, we killed them. I threw one guy down in front of Briggs. His wide, gaping eyes stared at his superior as the life faded from them. Briggs looked about in horror, trying to take in what he’d just witnessed. It had all happened so fast.