“No idea,” Brigid said absently as Natalie steered the car through light traffic. “We’re going to the Mexican border, right? And why there?”
“The earth vampire Baojia and I spoke to out in the desert said trucks were dumping the bodies, but the victims have all been Mexican nationals. You want trucks coming from Mexico? You go to Otay Mesa. It’s the third busiest port of entry between the US and Mexico. Tons of traffic. And I know a few people who work there.”
“You’re a newspaper reporter, then?” Brigid asked. “Very cool. I was horrible at writing in university.”
“Brigid was studying to be a criminologist when life got interesting. Now she does security for the vampire who runs Dublin.”
“Along with a bit of… consulting, we’ll call it.”
It felt weird to have them in the backseat. Natalie felt like a chauffeur. She was reminded of poor Luis in San Diego. What would happen to him now that Baojia wasn’t working for Ernesto? What would happen to Baojia’s things? Did he own his house in San Diego? Suddenly, her stomach dropped. Would he be able to move back or would he disappear into the night when this was all over?
Beatrice piped up from the back. “Why are you so upset, Nat? Your heart is racing.”
Natalie cleared her throat. “I’m… I’m not. Don’t listen to my heart, B.”
“It’s pounding out of your chest,” Brigid said. “And you smell of nerves.”
“God!” Her breath exploded. “Is it always like this with you people? You can smell everything! Hear everything. Baojia never—”
“He probably doesn’t mention that stuff because he knows it makes you nervous,” Brigid said. “Humans who don’t grow up around our sort tend to be jittery.”
She bit back an angry retort, feeling like a fish out of water. She felt a hand patting her shoulder from the back seat.
“It’s fine,” Beatrice said. “You’re doing great, Nat. And the good thing is, Baojia’s not so old he doesn’t remember what it’s like to be human, you know? You’ll be fine.”
She hoped so. Not being fine wasn’t really an option at this point. She might not have super powers or combat skills, but she knew she’d have to figure out some way to survive if she was go ifampire wing to live in this crazy new world.
Brigid asked, “So tell me more about this Ivan fellow. Your man’s quite sure he’s the one behind this?”
“Baojia said that the waitresses at the club smelled amazing. Like pomegranate. Very hard to resist.”
“Yep.” Brigid sighed. “That sounds like Elixir. Poor things. They’re dying and they don’t even know it.”
By the time they’d pulled into the port of entry, Natalie was getting nervous about the dawn again. It had to be almost two in the morning and it had taken them over two hours to get there. She’d already called her contact at Customs to ask her if she was working, but Natalie was still worried about the sun.
“Are we going to have enough time?”
Beatrice didn’t seem concerned. “We’ll worry about that. You just find your friend.”
It turned out she didn’t even need to look for Sandra. Almost as soon as she parked the car, she saw a flash of a familiar face.
“No freaking way…” she muttered. They couldn’t be that lucky. “Beatrice, Brigid, back in the car.”
The two vampires spun around in almost choreographed movement.
“Back in the car! We have to follow that truck.”
To their credit, neither hesitated; they just jumped back in the car as Natalie started the engine and slammed it into reverse, hoping to catch up to the nondescript container truck that was already heading north.
“Natalie, what are we doing?”
“There’s a vampire in that truck, and I recognize the bastard. He almost bit me in Mexico, but Baojia put a knife through his throat. His name’s Tio.”
Brigid grinned. “Well, that’s a stroke of luck!”
“So we’re chasing one of Ivan’s men?” Beatrice groaned. “Oh shit. He’s going to be pissed.”
“Nonsense,” Brigid said. “This is far more fun than asking questions.”
By the time they reached their destination, Natalie already had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“I know this place,” she said as she pulled into the mostly empty parking lot. She found a spot a few rows away from the truck and they stopped, rolling down their windows. The same electronic noise filled the air as the last time she’d been here. Tio and the driver were already jumping out and walking into the casino. “This is Ernesto’s casino. I came here with Baojia.”
Beatrice was the first out of the car. “This is my grandfather’s?” She kicked a rock, which sailed over the dumpsters and into the black desert. “Shit. Shit! What the hell is going on? There’s no way he could be involved. I don’t trust him completely, but he’d never get mixed up in something to do with Elixir.”
“I don’t know your grandfather, but I say we have a look at that truck,” Brigid said. “If there are humans inside—”
“They’re not likely to be alive, if there are,” Natalie interrupted her. “But we should still check it out. Someone needs to call the police.”
“No police,” Brigid said.