Chapter Eighty-One
She was pissed now. Who in their right mind wouldn't be? Here she was working her butt off in somebody else's town. She parked the Saab on a funky side street, near the Metro Center, right across from the Asti bar. She had lost track of the San Lorenzo River while she was driving, but it was around here somewhere. She could smell it anyway. She had just gotten out of the vehicle when two men appeared. They walked up quickly and flanked her tightly on either side. Jamilla winced. They almost seemed to appear out of nowhere. Blond ponytails, she thought. College kids? Surfers? She sure hoped so. They were well-built, but they didn't look like weightlifters. More like they came by it naturally. Images of Eros, Hermes, and Apollo came to mind. Muscles that were extremely well-defined. Virility. Chiseled marble. 'Can I help you fellows out?' she asked. 'Looking for the beach?' The taller of the two spoke with tremendous confidence, or maybe it was cockiness. 'Doubt it,' he said. 'We're not surfers, actually. Besides, we're from around here. How about you?' Both of them had the deepest blue eyes. They were incredibly intense. One looked no older than sixteen. Their movements were deliberate and controlled. She didn't like this. There was no one around to intervene on the side street. 'Maybe you could tell me where the beach is?' she said. They were crowding her physically, standing too close. She wouldn't be able to get her gun out. She couldn't move without
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bumping into one or the other. They wore black T-shirts, jeans, rock climbers' shoes. 'You want to back off a little?' she finally said. 'Just back off, okay?' The older one smiled. The dent between his lip and nose was a sexy round hollow. 'I'm William. This is my brother Michael. By any chance were you looking for us. Inspector Hughes?' Oh no, oh Jesus. Jamilla tried to reach for the sidearm in the holster strapped to her back. They grabbed her. Took away her gun as easily as if she were a child. She was astonished at how fast they moved and how strong they were. The two of them pushed her down on the sidewalk and handcuffed her. Where did they get cuffs? In New Orleans? The murdered detective? The older one spoke again. 'Don't scream, or I'll snap your neck, Inspector.' He said it so matter-of-factly. Snap your neck. The second one spoke then. He was right in her face. She saw the long canine fangs. 'If you hunt for the vampire, the vampire will hunt for you,' he said.
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