Page 64 of Almost Midnight

His eyes held a fierceness that took Nick aback.

“RUN!” the old human snarled. “RUN, NICK! GET THEFUCKOUT OF HERE!”

CHAPTER15

THE ESCAPE

Nick didn’t think.

He followed Morley’s shouted, thunderous words as if the old man had jabbed him in the chest with an electric prod. At the very least, he took them as a direct order, which, Nick supposed later, they pretty much had been.

He had one thing still had going for him as a vampire.

Vampires were fast.

They weredamnedfast.

Nick had been told, on more than one occasion, thathewas damned fast, even for a vampire. His body could definitely move a hell of a lot faster than his vampire mind could think.

Over the years, that had been both an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on what was happening. But usually, in life or death situations, it was an advantage.

It was one of the things that made him such a good professional fighter for Farlucci, and such a skilled fighter out in the real world, as well. Working the cage-fight circuit for the past few years hadn’t exactly diminished that ability in him.

All of that is to say, Nick moved before he had any idea why.

He darted to his right first, instinctively, and just in time to miss the weapon James Morley must have seen but that Nick didn’t, likely because the antique car blocked his view.

The uniformed, hybrid male hadn’t been carrying it when he crossed the parking lot to reach them, so Nick guessed he’d had it up his sleeve in some kind of retractable holster, or possibly in a coat pocket.

Either way, it was cocked and ready to fire in those seconds before Morley shouted.

Nick’s vampire eyes tracked the harpoon gun as he leapt, and as the razor-sharp projectile shot past him, practically grazing his skin. They’d aimed it at his thigh, presumably to bring him down before he could do exactly what he was doing now, but it slammed into something else entirely.

“Fuck!” Charlie snarled from behind him.

Nick heard it, understood it, and his fury boiled over.

They’d shot Charlie.

Gaosdamn it.They’d shot Charlie.

As if she’d heard his thoughts, the other detective’s voice rose. It sounded gravelly, pained, but clear.

“I’m fine!” she snapped. “Go, Nick! Do what James said!”

“Detective!” Morley shouted.

Nick saw Morley running in Charlie’s direction, panic in his voice.

“I’m fine!” Charlie snapped again. “It hurts like a mother, but it’s not fatal. Don’t worry about me! Just get Nick out of here!”

Nick saw another weapon rise to his right. Instinctively, he leapt up and sideways again, and a second harpoon passed below his feet.

No scream from Charlie that time. Which meant either they’d missed her, or they’d managed to kill her that time. Nick glanced over just long enough to see Charlie with Morley now, an angry scowl on her face, but no more harpoons sticking out of her.

He needed to get the fuck out of there.

He needed to get away from his friends before he got them killed.

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