The twins were young girls, in their teens, both with a Goth look from what they’d been told. Apparently, they had always gone everywhere together, except for a certain Halloween party where one of them had gotten herself infected by a Vampire. Once she’d turned, she immediately turned her sister as well. Born together, die together. Cadence couldn’t imagine doing something so terrible to her sister, but then, it had been partially her fault Cassidy had been infected. Giovani had been after Cadence after all. The guilt still kept her up at night sometimes.
Shortly after 10:30, they were down to two cars on Cadence’s side of the lot, both of them parked at the far end of the parking lot. A row of bushes ran between the cars and a road that passed down the center of the larger parking area. The lot was fairly large with several stores, but Hannah had a clear view and could alert the team if they needed to move. Cadence had a feeling the owners of those two cars would be the mark, though she didn’t know why. She started to get a fluttering feeling in her gut and knew the Vampires were nearby. She considered telling Aaron he needed to get into position, but she didn’t bother. She could do this herself.
Cadence spotted them first. They were slinking in the shadows from across the road, both dressed in black with dark, scraggly hair, their pale skin the only part catching the light. She watched them cower in the bushes near the cars. The rest of the team would be able to see them, too, through her IAC, if they were watching her feed. A few seconds later, Hannah made the call, alerting the team, Aaron sent his new friends up to the roof and began making his way over to her, and Jamie and Hannah shortened up their proximity, using the shadows and trees between parking spots to pass unseen.
“You ready?” Aaron asked as he crouched down beside her.
“I’ve been ready,” Cadence said, keeping her voice even. She pulled the Glock out of her hip holster, tripped the after-market safety, and attached a silencer Christian had especially made for her. She thought it was a good idea to have it on when they were in an urban area.
Clearly choosing to ignore her attitude, he said, “I was explaining to them that it would be very beneficial to watch how you approach the mark. Ashley needs to learn to move as quickly and directly as you do, while Mickey will have to learn how to try to anticipate his Hunter’s movements so he can provide the right protection.”
“Okay.” Cadence replied, refusing to look at him. Her weapon was ready to go. Normally, she would re-holster it; she almost always preferred decapitation. Tonight, she chose to keep it in her hand. She could tell by the way Aaron was looking at the gun and then back at her that he noticed the difference.
Two employees came out the front door of the establishments, both carrying blue smocks tossed over their arms. One stopped to lock the door from the outside and the other surveyed the parking lot. She didn’t seem too worried, as they were both laughing and carrying on a conversation as they made their way across the parking area. This was a fairly safe part of town—usually.
The woman was a short bottle-blonde with frizzy ends and a southern accent. The guy with her was short and stubby with facial hair and dark-rimmed glasses. One look at them and Cadence had no doubt they didn’t stand a chance against the sisters who were already up, preparing to pounce.
Noticing their new positions, Aaron asked, “Are you ready to move?” only to her through the IAC.
Cadence said nothing. This is the point in the operation where she should have been closing the gap, ready to attack. She couldn’t wait until the Vampires launched themselves at the victims. By then, it would be too late, and the innocents could be infected. Even a scratch could be enough to turn them.
The lady was digging in her purse, clearly looking for her keys, as the man unlocked his car with a clicker. They were nearly at the trunks of her mini-van and his Volvo, still laughing and chatting. As the woman pulled her keys out of her bag, the twins sprung up out of the bushes. Cadence saw Aurora shift into gear, obviously wondering why in the world Cadence hadn’t already covered the ground and taken them out, Jamie right behind her, and Aaron was instructing her to move, while Hannah was also giving directions to close in.
The Vampires were in the air now. Though they couldn’t fly, they could fling themselves far enough for it to appear as if they could. They were both stretched out, coming down fast when Cadence nonchalantly stood, aimed, and with two flicks of her finger sent a spray of ashes up into the air. Without a word, she pulled the silencer off of her gun, replaced the safety, and put it away.
Aurora and Jamie pulled up a few feet from slamming into the Volvo. Both of the employees were screaming, and as the ashes dissipated in the breeze, Aurora began running interference, trying to convince them that they had seen a pair of coyotes.
As Cadence began to walk back toward her bike, Aaron caught up to her, and taking her by the shoulder attempted to get her to stop. “What the hell was that?”
She shrugged him off. “Target practice.”
“But I just told you that I wanted them to watch you move in on the target, not annihilate them from forty feet away.”
Cadence wasn’t in the mood to explain herself, so she just kept on walking. Normally, nothing made her feel better than ripping the head off of a bloodsucker, but tonight, she just wanted to show him that she could make her own decisions.
“Seriously, Cadence. It was your idea for them to come. You’re the one who wanted them to get something out of this.”
She stopped halfway across the parking lot and turned to face him. “I guess I taught them the importance of being a good shot.”
