Page 78 of Now or Never

“Do you think that’s Tok in the tracksuit?”

“They aren’t using names.”

A kid came out of a building two doors down. Baggy jeans, gray hoodie. From his build and height, I’d say he was in his early teens. He entered the alley and walked toward the guy in the tracksuit. The gangbangers turned their back to the kid and went to their phones.

“I need some Ecstasy and meth,” the kid said to the tracksuit. “It’s for Fang.”

The kid took a bag from Tracksuit and turned to leave, and a black SUV pulled up to the alley. A guy got out and fired off a bunch of shots, and the kid and Tracksuit went down. The gangbangers grabbed the duffel bag and ran for the SUV. They got in and the car sped off. Ranger was on his feet, talking into his earpiece, calling for backup and medical. I was right behind him. We ran to the kid, who was moaning and crying. Blood was seeping through his jeans. He was shot in the leg. Tracksuit wasn’t moving. The two Rangeman guys from the Freemont Street car went to Tracksuit, determined that he was dead, and moved to Ranger and the kid.

“Shot in the leg,” Ranger said. “Scoop him up and take him to the medical center.”

Ranger stood, and we turned toward Stark Street. A shadowy figure was at the end of the alley. He was slim with brown hair slicked back, and he had a large knife in his hand.

I felt a chill rip through me. “Zoran,” I said. More question than statement. It was very dark and it was hard to see his face, but his mouth was wide open and I saw the fangs.

“We meet again,” he said. “Your destiny brings you to me. It’s preordained. You’ll be mine in the very near future. I’ll feast on your blood and we’ll be immortally joined. We’ll experience the rapture together.”

“When we’re done here, remind me to sharpen my wooden vampire stake,” Ranger whispered in my ear.

Zoran whirled around and took off running. Ranger ran after him, and I ran after Ranger. Zoran crossed the street, ran into a building, and slammed the door shut and locked it. Ranger kicked the door open, and we heard Zoran on the stairs above us. By the time we got upstairs there was no sign of Zoran. There were three doors on the second floor. All were shut. We heard a woman scream behind one of the doors and Ranger kicked the door open.

“He go out the window,” the woman said.

We ran to the window and saw Zoran on the fire escape. He dropped to the ground and disappeared in the dark alley that ran the length of the first three blocks of Stark.

“He’s pretty agile for a drugged-up lunatic,” I said to Ranger.

“Vampires have superpowers when they’re on meth,” Ranger said.

We exited the building in time to see a fire truck pull onto Stark. A cop car was behind it. A second Rangeman fleet SUV was angle parked by Ranger’s SUV. Ranger’s second in command, Tank, was standing beside it. Tank’s partner was standing guard at the body. Ranger and I walked over to Tank.

“Looks like the guy in the alley sold his last bag,” Tank said.

“Yeah. Drug deal gone wrong,” Ranger said. “A kid who was running an errand for Zoran got shot. Jules and McKinney took him to the medical center. I want to talk to him. Tell whoever gets assigned to this case that I’ll be in touch later this morning.”

“You got it,” Tank said. He nodded and smiled at me. “Nice to see you.”

“Nice to see you too,” I said. And I meant it. Tank was in Special Forces with Ranger. He had Ranger’s back then and hestill has it now. His name is only half-appropriate. He’s a total tank on the outside. On the inside, he’s a marshmallow.

We got into Ranger’s SUV and drove off before we were pinned in by emergency vehicles. Ranger called McKinney and told him to watch the kid until we got there.

“We can canvass the alley behind Stark when it gets light,” Ranger said. “Too dangerous to do it in the dark.” He glanced over at me. “You look a little pale. Are you okay?”

“I didn’t have time for makeup. I also didn’t have time for food.”

“I can’t help with the makeup, but I’ve got food. There’s a compartment in the console that’s filled with protein bars.”

I picked one out that advertised peanut butter and chocolate chips.

“Does Ella cater the cars?” I asked him.

“Her husband is in charge of cars,” Ranger said. “After we talk to the runner, we can go back to Rangeman, where there’s a larger selection of breakfast foods.”

“I should check in at the office after the medical center.”

“It’s Sunday, babe. There is no office.”

Everyone was still in the ER when we got to the medical center. Jules was in the waiting room and McKinney was bedside with the runner.

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