The Keepers Story 01 - The Gatekeeper

cop. But first he wanted about two minutes alone with Jimmy Taylor. After that, it would be great to have some help. He hit the speed dial on his phone and gave the code for “Officer in Need of Assistance.”
    Then he took a deep breath and ducked into the alley, keeping close to the wall of the building on his right, one of the smaller casinos and most likely another of Carl Bailey’s properties.
    There was a doorway marked Employee Entrance about thirty feet in, and Taylor was heading right for it.
    Saxon hurried past boxes and an overflowing Dumpster, and before Jimmy could put his hand on the doorknob, Saxon grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, forcing his thumb on a pressure point in the younger man’s throat as he slammed him against the door.
    “Where is she?” Saxon demanded.
    The other man couldn’t breathe, which made him desperate. He tried to make the change, no doubt intending to rip Saxon to shreds with his teeth and claws, but Saxon just increased the pressure on that vulnerable point. And if the other man couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t make the change.
    Jimmy sagged, giving up, and Saxon eased up just a hair, then repeated, “Where is she?”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about, so kill me if you want to. But you’d better be quick. You’re going to die soon enough yourself.”
    “Not likely. You’ve got good hearing, right? I can already hear the sirens.”
    “Great. I’ll have you charged with police brutality,” Taylor told him.
    “Where’s your evidence? There’s not a mark on you. Now, you have thirty seconds before I put a shade more pressure on your neck and zap your nerves. You’ll be a paralyzed pup the rest of your life.”
    At last Taylor looked scared. “If I talk to you, I’m dead anyway!” he said.
    “Dead is probably better than the way I’m going to leave you,” Saxon said. “For the third time, where is she?”
    Taylor blinked. “You’re talking about that girl, right? That singer? I told him to leave her alone.”
    Saxon tensed, accidentally increasing the pressure on Taylor’s throat. The werewolf let out a sharp squeal and started talking again the minute he eased up.
    “I didn’t hurt her. I didn’t do anything to her. I just drove her out there.”
    “Out where?”
    “His lair in the desert,” Taylor said. “Five miles out Highway 15 there’s a big stand of cactus. You can’t miss it. His place...it’s there, but it’s underground. You—”
    Saxon heard footsteps. He pressed Taylor’s neck hard to silence him. It had to be Carl Bailey’s men, and considering the speed with which Taylor had given in, he might be someone worth keeping around.
    He spun around and saw four thugs heading his way. Two dumb human guards with no clue, along with a vampire and a werewolf. He smiled.
    “We can go at it, boys, but I think you hear the sirens. Now, here’s the thing. This young pup of Bailey’s doesn’t give the police any respect. He took a swing at me. He’s going to spend a night in jail, and then the little bastard will be arraigned and dumped back out on the streets. I think we should leave it at that.”
    “You know we have to report this incident to Mr. Bailey, Kirby,” the vampire said, assuming the lead.
    “I’m counting on it,” Saxon said.
    “You okay, Jimmy?” the werewolf asked. “We look after our own, so if you want help, just say the word.”
    Jimmy managed a nod. “Damn straight I want help. You need to bail me out. Fast!”
    “You bet, Taylor. And don’t worry none—Mr. Bailey looks after his own kind.”
    The four thugs turned and left seconds before two patrol cars, sirens screaming, drove into the alley.
    “Take him in. Assaulting an officer,” Saxon said, shoving Taylor toward the officers emerging from the second car. Then he bent to speak to Keeghan McMurtree, the driver of the first.
    McMurtree was a leprechaun. A tall one. Despite his race’s reputed ability with money, he wasn’t lucky at gambling. He was a damn good cop, though, driven by his disgust at all the killing he’d seen back in the old country—among humans and Otherworld races alike.
    “Anything going on I should know about?” Saxon asked.
    McMurtree nodded. “Just a warning. Captain is in a state, anxious as all hell. That business yesterday with the dead guy getting eaten, you know.”
    “I know,” Saxon said. “I’ve got a few things to follow up that might put him in a better mood.”
    McMurtree nodded.