The Book of Death (Bourbon Kid 4)

book. How good of you, Sanchez.’
    He shrugged. ‘Well, it was
nothing really. Perhaps you could just give me the reward and I’ll be on my
way?’
    ‘Why the rush?’ Jessica asked, a
mischievous grin breaking out on her face. ‘Why don’t you stay a while? We’re
having a party. Your friend the Bourbon Kid is here too. He’s about to show
himself to us any second now.’
    It suddenly became glaringly
obvious to Sanchez that Jessica was an evil vampire bitch. He couldn’t fathom
how he’d never spotted it before. Maybe he’d been blinded by his infatuation
with her. Either way, he didn’t feel like hanging out with her any more. ‘It’s
okay. I’ve got places to be,’ he said, attempting to turn back towards the
door. Flake shoved him hard in the back again pushing him even further into the
hall.
    Jessica walked through the
middle of the hall towards them, looking all around her, no doubt waiting for
the reappearance of the Kid. Behind her, Razor and his hostage Beth followed on
tentatively.
      Flake shoved Sanchez once more, a little
harder than was necessary. Then she called out to Jessica again. ‘He wasn’t
planning on giving you the book at all,’ she said. ‘He found out you’re a
vampire and had a change of heart. When I found him he was cowering in a
bathroom and trying to hide the book.’
    ‘That sounds like typical
Sanchez all right,’ said Jessica scornfully. ‘We’ll deal with him later. For
now I think it’s maybe time to call out our mystery guest.’ She stared all
around the hall, looking once more for sign of the Kid, then she called out
loud. ‘Very well then, Razor, kill the girl.’
    “What a bitch,” Sanchez thought
inconsequentially.
    ‘WAIT!’ It was the Bourbon Kid.
Sanchez recognised the gravelly tone immediately. He spotted the mass murderer
step out from the shadows behind the large staircase.
    For the next twenty seconds or
so, the Kid exchanged insults with Jessica and Razor and tried to persuade them
to give up Beth. Sanchez prodded Flake in the arm and nodded at The Book With
No Name which she had tucked under her arm.
    ‘You gonna do it now?’ he
whispered.
    Flake grimaced. ‘Not sure. I’m
waiting for some kind of signal.’
    ‘Like what?’
    ‘I don’t know. The Kid said I’d
know when the time came.’
    Sanchez’s eyes opened wide as he
saw some action up ahead. ‘SHIIIIT!’ he yelled instinctively. ‘He just shot
that guy in the dick!’
    The Bourbon Kid had fired a
silver dart from a miniature crossbow and it had hit Razor right in the
privates, doubling him over and taking him out of the equation completely.
    In the confusion, Beth made a
break for it. It was a futile attempt because Jessica grabbed hold of her
before she’d taken barely two steps. The Vampire Queen wrapped one of her long
bony hands around Beth’s neck. Her fingernails had lengthened into rather
unpleasant looking claws, razor sharp ones.
    ‘Do you think that was the
signal?’ Flake whispered.
    ‘It could be. You’re gonna have
to do something pretty quick, or she’s gonna kill Mental Beth.’
    Up ahead, Jessica and the Kid
continued to trade insults. Jessica seemed to be calling all the shots though
because the Kid dropped a crossbow from the sleeve of his coat. It clattered
onto the floor. Maybe he was surrendering?
    ‘Got any other weapons?’ Jessica
asked. ‘Because now’s the time to drop them.’
    The Kid opened his coat.
Underneath it he wore a simple black T-shirt and black combat trousers. ‘I have
nothing else. Now let her go.’
    ‘Take off your coat and get on
your knees,’ Jessica ordered.
    ‘You’ll let Beth go?’
    ‘Get on your knees.’
    The Kid took off his coat and
tossed it onto the floor. But instead of dropping to his knees he made a swift
movement with his right arm. He reached behind him and whipped out a gun that
had been strapped across his back. He pointed it at Jessica’s head, its red
laser sighter aimed at the centre of her face. Jessica was lightning quick
though. As the Kid was about to squeeze the trigger she yanked Beth’s head into
the line of fire. For several seconds the Kid continued to re-aim the gun at
Jessica. Each time he did she moved a part of Beth into the line of the red
sighter.
    In the middle of all this the
guy on the floor with the silver dart in his nut sack let out a gentle groan.
It distracted the Kid who took his eye off Jessica for a second and took aim at
the stricken soldier on the