“This way,” I said. They’d all been with me before on hunts; they knew that once the power found the vampires it was a race. A race to see if we found them before they fled, or found us. We got our guns out and we ran. Running over the brick in the stilettos made me curse under my breath. The men couldn’t go first, because I was the only one who knew where we were going. I moved up on the balls of my feet, so the heels didn’t touch, and I ran, gun pointed at the ground. I loved Nathaniel, but I was going to have to stop letting my stripper boyfriend dress me for work. I had a moment to realize I hadn’t cleaned off the one heel after it went in the vampire’s chest. They’d smell the blood on me; they might even know it was Barney’s blood. I wondered if they’d think I killed him; I wondered if I cared.

A scream sounded, high and piteous, echoing off the buildings. We ran faster, and somehow I knew the “feel” of vampires would be in the same direction as the scream.

I HATE IT when the bad guys are in upper stories because there are only two ways up, elevator or stairs, and either way they know you’re coming and can ambush you. The huge, rickety freight elevator, which was the only elevator in the place, was a metal cage-a kill box, if they had guns. No way.

That left the stairs, which were so narrow, dark, and dank that given a choice I’d not have gone into them. Another scream sounded from above us and there was no choice, so we went up. The steps were so narrow and steep I had to kick the stilettos off, and the moment my bare feet touched the chilled, damp steps, I slipped because of the hose. Shit!

There was just enough room for Smith and Perry to ease past us, while I sat down on the steps and unfastened the hose from the garters. Zerbrowski stood beside me, gun in hand, watching up and down the stairs. He never made one smart-ass flirting remark as I slid the hose down and left them crumpled on the steps. When Zerbrowski missed a chance to make some inappropriate remark, things were serious.