Elemental Assassin 01 - Spider's Bite

shuffled into view. The vampire might be strong, but his stocky body was built for short bursts of energy, not an extended run. He was already winded. Thanks to the streetlights, I could see the flush in his face, muddying his cheeks. Good. Tired men were easier to kill.
    Every few steps, the vampire glanced back over his shoulder, but he never looked left or right or scanned the shadows around or in front of him. He wasn’t expecting me to come from any other direction. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.
    The next time the vamp turned his head, I darted forward. A four-foot-high fence butted up against the street, and I ducked down behind it. The gate lay to my right. Someone had forgotten to latch it, and the night breeze had pushed it open even more. Perfect.
    The sound of the vampire’s footsteps grew louder, and I realized Carlyle was talking to himself in a soft voice.
    “Stupid, arrogant bitch,” he muttered, passing the gate. “Thought she’d torture me. Hah. Old Chuckie C. showed her who was boss. Stupid bitch—”
    My first knife slashed into his leg, severing his hamstring so the bastard couldn’t run again. Carlyle had just started to scream when I popped up from behind the fence and used my other knife to cut his throat. A fountain of blood spewed out of the deep, lethal wound, spattering me and the fence.
    Carlyle stumbled back, his wounded leg gave out, and he stumbled into a car before bouncing off and crumpling to the sidewalk. One hand clutched at his leg. The other tried to slow the blood gushing out of his neck.
    I came around the fence and stood over him, a bloody knife in either hand. The vampire’s eyes widened, and he tried to drag himself away. But he’d already lost too much blood. Carlyle managed to pull himself forward about two feet before his wet hand slipped off the wound in his neck. Arterial blood coated the sidewalk like black varnish.
    I used the toe of my boot to turn the vampire over onto his back, then crouched down beside him. “Don’t say I didn’t keep my promise, Chuck. I’d told you that you’d die quick.”
    The vampire tried to gurgle something at me, but the effort was just too much for him. The sound snuffed out like a candle and died. A few seconds later, Carlyle did the same.
    I waited until I was sure he was dead, then got to my feet. My eyes scanned the surrounding houses, but no lights snapped on. No curtains twitched. Nobody opened their front door. No one had heard the vamp die, but I still had to do something with his body. My gaze flicked to the fence. I didn’t think the owner would appreciate finding blood spatters all over that in the morning.
    So I pulled my cell phone out of my jeans pocket and hit one of the numbers stored in the speed dial. It rang three times before she picked it up.
    “Hmph?” Sophia Deveraux answered with her usual greeting.
    “It’s Gin,” I said. “Good news. I’ve changed my mind about not needing your services. How fast can you get over to Northtown?”
    For once, luck smiled on me. Sophia Deveraux was in the area and arrived about ten minutes later, pulling up to the curb in her vintage black convertible. I eyed the car. With its long body, fins, enormous trunk, and creamy white interior, it looked more like a hearse than a classic car, especially this late at night. I showed the Goth dwarf the blood on the fence and the bush I’d dragged Charles Carlyle’s body behind.
    “Do you think you can clean this up before one of the neighbors wakes up and sees you?” I asked in a low voice. “Or do I need to stay and help you with the body?”
    Sophia grunted and gave me a sharp look.
    “Sorry. Just thought I’d ask.”
    While the dwarf got to work, I jogged back to Carlyle’s house. The front door was still open. I stepped into the house, quietly shut it behind me, and headed toward the game room.
    “Why isn’t she back yet?” Donovan Caine’s rough voice drifted down the hall to me.
    “Because killing people takes time, detective,” Finn replied. “She probably had to chase the bastard a few blocks before she caught up with him.”
    “And what if he caught up with her instead?” Donovan countered. “What if he got the drop on her? What if he killed her?”
    Finn laughed. “Unlikely. Gin’s been dissecting toads like Carlyle for years. Why the concern, detective?”
    A pause. “Fuck if I know.”
    “Might it have something to do with the way the two of you were sucking face at Northern