Slade noticed Leona relax, when she closed her cell phone. The tension drained from her body, her posture went from sitting up straight widely alert to comfortable. He wanted to know what happened, but decided this was not the time and the place to ask questions. Leona took Slade's hand, picked it up and nuzzled it against her cheek showing how relaxed she really was now. She kept his hand not wanting to let go. They fini...

You will never see your sixteenth and all because your sister's ex was mad she was dating again enough to kill you because you got in his way and kidnap her after choking her into submission. You will never kiss your girlfriend again and I know many say you were too young to understand love that you both were too young to know it, but I hear her sister speak of you two, and I know it to be true. You will never dance toget...

Slade sat at his desk, looked over the squad room and thought of his missing partner. Connie was not there, she was in the hospital in a coma caused by an explosion when she visited The Main Artery's owner Gustaf. It appeared the explosion concentrated on his office and destroyed his sleep chamber. Gustaf was the master vampire of the city and had many friends and just as many enemies. This explosion targeted him, but onl...

Connie wondered why Slade left so early. He usually waited until she was ready to leave, walked her to her car and said goodnight. Tonight he left, never said goodnight and was very secretive about it. She went to her locker, grabbed her workout bag and left the squad room quietly. She had a post midnight rendezvous with Gustaf, the master vampire of the city at his club The Main Artery. She headed home now where she show...

Connie sat at her desk staring at the words on her screen while shock and surprise washed across her face. She pushed the print key and printed four copies. The data was there, she read and re-read the screen in disbelief but computers do not lie. Connie took the four copies, filed three where they belonged and carried the fourth over to Slade. She silently handed the fourth copy to Slade, watched as he read it and waited...

WaitingMoose gone at 9.Sean right along at 9.Jon missing at 12.Tiger cold at the corner at 14.Sitting in your chair shotgun on your lap.Nose running, smoke curling to the ceiling.Steps coming up the stairs.Waiting...

The day was coming to a slow end, as Slade and Connie came back to the squad room. After they filled out their reports earlier, they left until their duty shift began in mid-afternoon. The weather took a downward turn with the sun blocked by dark clouds and the threat of rain. To Slade, it seemed as if every time he went to see Leona or Gustaf, the weather was foggy or rainy. At least now, Slade was back in the squad room...

Slade and Connie headed back to the squad room. Instead of going home back to bed, they had to report on what they saw and file the appropriate paperwork. For every incident a detective covered, there was a corresponding paper trail in quadruple copies. One copy went into central files, one copy to the evidence locker by case number, one copy to squad files and one copy to the officer. It seemed like a lot of work, but it...

Slade caught up with Connie as she sauntered down the alley to the street. She was still euphoric from her first meeting with vampires. They controlled her easily and kept her out of the direct exchange between Slade and Gustaf. As far as she knew, the vampires were lovely people and could be trusted. When Slade got beside Connie, she wrapped her arm around Slade's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Slade went along...

Slade and Connie finished with the body and scene, headed back to the car and sat inside reviewing what they had. Laid out in the car was not much stuff. There was not much room in the car with all the computers and firepower. "Let’s go back to DD's. We can spread everything out there and review it." Connie said. Her car was still there and she needed it to get home. Slade agreed, "OK, we need more coffee to stay awake to...

It was a very dark cold night, the air was heavy with rain. The alley was narrow, the cobble stone walkway glistened from newly fallen rain and continuing mist. The walls of the buildings held the sound of my heart and my shoes, as I walked slowly toward the only light. I pulled up my collar to warm my neck and protect it from the people I saw. It was a red light above a small non-descript sign that read 'The Main Artery'...

Cricket and Monica met when Roger and Monica returned to her hospital room. They moved away from Roger to speak privately. Cricket asked, “Has anything happened with my persecutors. I am anxious to get them taken down and put away. They have ruined so many innocent lives with this vendetta against me.” “Not yet, they are still looking for evidence. It is very hard to find anything from outside the company.” Monica replied...

At 1:00 am, Eric warned the group that the van and SUV turned down the road leading to the estate. The van drove up to the estate and blocked the driveway. The team got out and gathered at the rear of the van. Leo got out of the SUV entered the van and distributed the arms and ammunition to the team. Each member got a pistol and a compact machine gun. Some members got hand grenades while others got charges of C-4 with 15-...

Emily and Leo sat with the team, eating a small meal while preparing to leave and go to Cal’s estate. They realized that the loss of two team members hurt, but not as much as expected. The two, Felicity and Christoph were the youngest members of the team and the least experienced. The reason they made the team, was due to their being ruthless and heartless, when it came to taking a life. When Leo and Emily trained at the...

Eric and Erin sat in front of their laptops watching through the windows of the room overlooking the newly rented storefront. They watched and waited for signs of movement inside. The cameras they placed earlier functioned perfectly. They watched the occupants on their laptops and listened to the conversations. About 3:30 that morning, six more people arrived in a large black van at the back door. They brought more equipm...