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Chapter 40

I flagged a car down on the highway I was covered in dried blood, cut, scraped, bruised, and still an elderly couple picked ood Samaritans? They wanted to take me to the police, and I let them

The nice policemen took one look at me and asked if I needed an aent Bradford, and tell hio to the hospital, but there was no time It was mid-afternoon We had to move before dark I asked the police to send a two-man car to ht be a hurtlot and if he was still there to call an ao inside the place

Everybody nodded and agreed with h Serephina&039;s house last night and today The cops told ht the cops back to the vampire&039;s lair after they took me It took me a second to realize that Kirkland was Larry Which o The relief at knowing for sure that Larry was alive h as it was

The cops had found over a dozen bodies buried in the basement of Serephina&039;s house She should have buried thehosts I didn&039;t know It didn&039;t matter All that mattered was that we had a warrant of execution, and the cops were listening to ation rooh to walk on, and a blanket to wrap aroundand couldn&039;t seem to stop

Bradford came in and sat down across from me He stared at me with eyes that were just a little too wide "The locals say you found the hed, and it ca, almost like a sob "I wouldn&039;t say I found Serephina&039;s lair More like I woke up in it" I raised the coffee toso badly I was about to slosh coffee onto the table I took a deep breath, blew it out, and concentrated on taking a drink of coffee Just concentrated on the siot coffee, and calo to the hospital," Bradford said

"I need Serephina dead"

"We&039;ve got warrants for all of them All the vampires involved How do you want to do it?"

"Burn thenus is inside, he&039;ll conus Bouvier?" he asked

"Yeah" There was so about the way he said it that I didn&039;t like

"The cops found what&039;s left of hiabout that?" He looked at me very steadily when he asked it

I took another careful sip of coffee, andWhat was I supposed to say? "The va hihtfall Maybe they punished hinus and Ellie was enough to earnthat to the Feds

"The vampires punished him?" He made it a question

"Yeah"

He looked at ed the subject "Won&039;t the vampires try to ht or fire," I said "Just a choice of hoell done you want your vampires to be" I finished the last of the coffee in e, Mr Kirkland, said you were kidnapped froraveyard Is that your story, too?"

"It happens to be the truth, Agent Bradford" It was the truth as far as it went O

He sme"

I stared at hies "Truth is a ent Bradford, don&039;t you think?"

He stared at me for a moment, then nodded "Maybe, Ms Blake, maybe"

I called the hotel, and no one answered in Larry&039;s rooot Larry there There was a moment of stunned silence when he realized it was ht? Where are you? I&039;ll coet you"

"I&039;ht, sort of I need you to bring e into The ones I have on s after Serephina"

Another silence "When?"

"Now, today"

"I&039;ll be right there"

"Larry?"

"I&039;ll bring the guns and the knives, and an extra cross"

"Thanks"

"I&039;ve never been so glad to hear anybody&039;s voice in my entire life," he said

"Yeah," I said "Get here soon Wait, Larry"

"You need so else?" he said

"Are Jean-Claude and Jason alright?"

"Yeah Jason&039;s in the hospital, but he&039;ll live Jean-Claude&039;s in the bedroom asleep After Serephina bit you, she hit Jean-Claude with soy I felt it, and it esome She knocked him out and left The others ith her"

Everyone was alive, or as alive as they had started out It was more than I&039;d hoped for "Great; I&039;ll see you soon" I hung up the phone and had a horrible urge to cry, but I fought it off I was afraid if I started to cry I wouldn&039;t be able to stop I couldn&039;t have hysterics just yet

As agent on site, Bradford was in charge Special Agent Bradley Bradford, yes Bradley Bradford, see ale or no badge, nobody was arguing withLarry when he brought ed me I pushed away sooner than I wanted to, because I wanted to collapse into his arms in tears To just let a pair of friendly arms hold e bruise had blossomed on the side of his face from jaw to mid-temple It looked like he&039;d been hit by a baseball bat He was lucky Janos hadn&039;t broken his jaw

Larry had broughtsocks, my white Nikes, an extra cross from my suitcase, the silver knives, the Firestar co and its shoulder holster He&039;d forgotten a bra, but hey, except for that it was perfect

The wrist sheaths stung going over the cuts, but it felt wonderful to be aruns The cops kneho I was, and I wasn&039;t fooling any of the bad guys

Barely two hours after I&039;d crawled out of Serephina&039;s coffin, we pulled up in front of Bloody Bones There were ambulances, and more cops than you could shake a stick at Local cops, state cops, federal cops; it was a sency services completed the official list Oh, Larry and nus dead, Serephina and co this side of Hell would have gottenvoluntarily But there were alternatives

The gas truck pulled around to the back and busted out a atched them snake the hose into theof the back door and turn on the juice

I stood there in the war on my skin, and whispered, "May you rot in Hell"

"Did you say so important"

The hose shivered to life, and the sharp, sweet sasoline filled the air

I felt her wake up I felt her eyes open wide in the dark I breathed in the sweet ses

I put my hands over my eyes "Oh, God"

Larry touched my shoulder "What is it?"

I kept uns, now"

"What"

"Do it!" My hands came down and I looked at him I looked at his familiar face, and Serephina saw him, too

She whispered, "Kill him"

I ripped the knives out of the sheaths and let the up towards the cops I needed people with guns around ht now

The voice into your mother? You don&039;t want to hurt me Ni?a, help Mommy"

"Oh, God" I ran and nearly collided with Bradford