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I opened the door to find a box with a USPSlabel I bent to pick it up and stopped,All wrong Wrong! I stood and backed sloay, easing the door closed "Kid, call nine-one-one Tell theet your brother here Now!"

• • •

The NOPD Boencies took over my house, my yard, and my life They had insisted the entire street evacuate, but I had refused to go No as I going to leave my home with a bunch of cops in it Not with all the toys in the hidden roo that Eli had begun keeping bigger and better weapons in there, weapons that the ATF ht have been unhappy for us civilians to have Soer brothers were huo; I wasn’t and didn’t, not that the cops knew that The token firefighter in boots and heavy gear looked over at ht was my stupidity Okay Maybe I couldn’t survive a bo until I had to

I sat, alone, at the back of the living roo the activity in the front part of the house, eating a stick of Eli’s beef jerky, which reeked of spices I usually didn’t ingest, and drinking iced tea Fingering the business card given toto rip it into sht need the contact info later on I was ain, and I saluted hi, or , from the way he reacted I chewed and sed and ate another cho that the pizza delivery had been rerouted and was delicious, and updating ress Not that he was supposed to know He had hacked their co to him) had only basic, elementary firewalls and protection He was in heaven; his brother was torn between the need for intel and the need to keep Alex out of jail; I was ticked off that someone had sentinventive? So ue-vamp attack, or even a drone attack? One with a boe No They had to send e boain "Yeah?"

"A robotic bo down your street," Alex said, his inner geek turned up to max "Can you see it?"

"Not from here They won’t let me near the front of ht at the moment "Hold on," I whispered into the cell I raced to the kitchenand looked out Streetlights meant I could see about fifty feet to either side in both directions The street was lined with marked and unency vehicles with flashing lights There wasn’t a single POV--personally owned vehicle--anywhere Placing lass, I could see farther down the block where news vans were blocking the street both ways, and overhead I could hear the steady thump-thump-thump of a helicopter Fro moved

The robot could have been designed by Caterpillar Inc in e body with tanklike track wheels It had a single long arers on the end, and a tall, slender black boxa caht The robot wasand a littlea kid would love to get for Christ out the word

"Ma’auilty, and whirled on the firefighter who hadhiusted breath "Never ?"

He esture that probably involved his whole body under the firefighting gear, and though I saw only his hands and shoulders, I could tell he was annoyed "Yes,out that side door"--he pointed toon your own feet, or tossed over my shoulder, however you want it"

I narrowedhim to try, and then heard Eli over the cell "Jane, you’re acting like a civilian Get out and let them do their job" Civilian was an insult from Eli I frowned, closed the cell, and walked to the side door and out into the backyard The padded firefighter followed, leaving the door open behind us as he went out the narrow side drive to the street Open doorto help equalize the pressure should the bo as getting expensive I hoped that was all I would need to do before the night was over

CHAPTER 10

HOT Spelled Out Across His Ru at the back of the house, so I half climbed, half jumped the brick fence to Katie’s I could hear the sounds of hammers, electric skill saws, and other noisy equipment from nearby, and tracked the sounds to the house near Katie’s Renovation had started in the old building, and the back attic as cracked open The sht Hoping that the neners knew about Katie and wouldn’t later cry foul about living or having a business next to hers, I went on to the back door and waved at the security ca whorehouse in New Orleans, catering to both humans and vamps The oas Leo’s heir, was scary powerful, and wasn’t totally sane--even as far as sane vaiven the deed to the house And if I was honest, Katie didn’t like uys were at the big bar in the huge kitchen, watching raw footage froe points, on several screens, as the robot approached the box on my front porch I smelled food and tea and coffee and liquor and perfume Way too much perfume

"Civilian?" I deiri sushi into ave a one-tenths smile, more a twitch than an indication of amusement as Deon, Katie’s chef, placed a Coke in my hand "Eat You bein’ starved, Tartlet, in that house with all that military eatin’," he said, in his lovely island accent Eli’s smile widened at the nickname I pretended to not see it and ate another sushi piece, a ball of rice with a strip of raw salmon on top Deep inside, Beast chuffed happily at the raw ly, empty--but it was totally delicious in its o-meat way