I yawn as I finally wake up from my nap and just lay there in bed. The warmth of the blanket surrounding me and the chill of the cold air in my room makes the blanket I’m curled up under feels wonderful I hear Heather and her crew working outside my window on the side of the house near my bedroom. I look over towards the nightstand on my husband’s side of the bed and notice that it’s 4:30 in the afternoon. I lay there snuggled deep under the blanket and think about what I have to do tonight.

I promise Gerd I would come by tonight with his chicken dinner in exchange for letting me see the bodies down in the morgue. Then after that, going to see Mistress Selena at her club called Velvet down off of 41st and Colley ave.

“God, I do not want to get up.” I toss the blankets off me and get up out of bed. My nightgown brushes against my knee’s as I head into the bathroom and get the shower going.

“Mmmmm!!” as the hot water from the shower hits my body. I stand there basking in the warmth of the water as I go about washing myself and thinking about the case and tonight.

The one question is why? Why kill those people and kidnap a little boy? As I began to shampoo my long hair. Why do I get the feeling that Mistress Selena was punishing one of her vampires inside that mausoleum? As I raise the shampoo out of my hair and began to apply the conditioner my sister had made for me. I stand back away from the water as I let the conditioner soak into my hair. I stand there and listen to the noise coming from the wall that faces the outside of the bathroom as an electrical sander hits the wood. I shake my head and put it back under the water to raise the conditioner out and then once that is done. I turn everything off and grab a towel to dry off. I wrap it around my body and grab another one to wrap around my hair, as I walk into my bedroom and sit down at my make-up table, and began to dry my hair as I run my brush through it to keep it nice and straight.

While I am brushing my hair, I hear the front door open, followed by several masculine voices as they drift up the stairs towards the second floor. I hear Ajax disagreeing with my husband about something. I know my husband wouldn’t normally engage Ajax in conversion unless he had something on his mind, and he wants Ajax to do. Which knowing my husband is giving Ajax the riot act, should he do anything to endanger my life. I go ahead and finish getting dress and fixing myself up. Normally I wouldn’t carry my Ruger P345 with me, but tonight I’m going to see Mistress Selena and I don’t think my werewolf strength is going to be enough. I grab my gun from under the bed and my shoulder holster out of the closet. I put my gun and the two spare clips in it, after inspecting them to make sure I have the hollow points filled with holy water in them. I also grab my fourth clip that has the hollow points filled with silver iodide in them to use against other werewolves if I had to. I wasn’t going to take any chances tonight considering everything that could go wrong. Just before I walk out of my bedroom. I stop and grab the pentagram my sister gave to me. Most of the women in my family are Wiccan High Priestess and since this one was given to me by my former High Priestess, I would think the religious aspect of it would protect me tonight. I tuck it inside my blouse so that the bouncer at Velvet’s doesn’t notice it.

As I come downstairs I see Ajax leaning against the doorway to the living room in his tight leather biker vest, light faded blue jeans, and swat boots. I notice also that he brought his favorite toy with him as well. His chrome-plated .44 magnum semi-automatic pistol. His bald head reflects the light creeping in from outside. As I glance over towards Jack, I notice that he is nice and comfortable sitting in my favorite chair and reading my mystery book I just started. Normally Jack is a strict business type person, but today he has dress down some. He is wearing a light blue sports jacket, blue jeans, and black ankle-high boots. Jack doesn’t like to carry his gun so that the public can see it. So, he keeps it tucks inside the sports jacket.

Ajax looks over towards me as I walk into the living room” Stanley told me we’re to be your back-up tonight. What have you gotten yourself into that you need my services.” as he tries to look me in the eyes?

I look back at him “if I was you, I would turn those eye’s somewhere else unless you’re planning on challenging me.” as I stare back at him.

“You better do what she says Ajax. You forget you’re in the home of an Elder and Victoria is his mate. She would have all rights to kill you right now for challenging her in her home.” Jack looks over towards Ajax and then towards me. “You remember what Stanley said. We’re to do whatever Vicky tells us and not interfere in her case. We’re strictly back-up to her tonight.” as Jack puts my book down and stands up.

Ajax glances over towards Jack and then directs his eyes to my feet.

“That’s better.” I walk past him into the living room. “I have two stops I have to make tonight guys. The first place is Mistress Selena’s bar, and the second place is the city morgue to take a look at somebodies that are there. When we visit Mistress Selena’s place tonight, don’t give her or any of the other vampires there that are not under her control any reason to attack us. Cause the last thing I need tonight is a shootout with her bodyguards. Also, Jack”

I direct my eyes to him “no flirting with kitten tonight. I know you like flirting with her, but I don’t need Mistress Selena getting mad with us because you are flirting with her sex toy.”

“You have no arguments from me on that subject Vicky. She’s too submissive for my taste.” Jack lifts his hands up in a surrender position.

“What’s wrong Jack? You don’t know how to handle a submissive woman?” Ajax looks over towards Jack with an evil smile on his face.

“They’re not that hard to control. Just use them like they want to be used and enjoy it.”

I stand there stunned at Ajax’s comment. “What are we speaking from experience Ajax?” as I stare at him with unbelievable belief.

“As a matter of fact, yes. I’m into the BDSM scene and there are several men and women that like being treated like sex toys or slaves and they don’t mind giving themselves over to that lifestyle.” He returns my stare with a smirk on his face.

“So what vehicle are we taking?” Jack looks towards me. “Because I know your little Honda will not be able to support all of us and your husband’s hummer sticks out like a sore thumb.”

“I figure we would take your Chevy Blazer, Jack. Since all of us have to travel with one another and since you guys are supposed to be my bodyguards tonight. Also, Emygdia has given me the use of her condo off of Duke Street. So, we can spend the night there. After we visit the morgue tonight.”

“Stanley didn’t tell me about any sleepover.” Jack gives me a playful look.

“Don’t get any ideas about this Jack. It’s just her place is closer than driving back to my house and we can stay there and go over a plan I have for investigating the projects tomorrow morning after we leave the morgue. Cause I feel there might be an attack tonight and I want to be ready to intervene.”

“What does your husband think about this plan?” Jack looks at me.

“He doesn’t mind, plus he has to visit the pack leader of the Stegaraki clan tonight.”

“The Stegaraki clan?” Ajax looks at me as I mention that clan.

“Yes!” I look at him with a questionable look on my face.

“Did Tom tell you why he was asked to come up there?” Ajax searches my face for an answer.

“Sort of. They’re having a problem with dust addicts up in their territory and need Tom’s help locating the supplier.” I watch his reaction.

“I hope they find the bastard, that is selling the dust and give them a huge dose of it.” Ajax storms past me and out the front door of the house.

I look towards Jack “what was that all about?”

“Ajax lost a brother to red dust. His brother took a dose made from the blood of an extremely old and powerful vampire and it turned him into a mindless, killing zombie. That’s why Ajax is so set upon killing as many vampires and blood dolls as he can.” as he walks over towards me.

“Come on. We better get going, before Ajax decides he doesn’t want to follow orders tonight.” Jack heads outside.

I walk over towards the downstairs closet and grab the overnight bag I know my husband had already prepared for me. As I lift the bag out of the closet, I notice my husband’s assault shotgun is missing from the gun cabinet he had built in the closet along with his sword. That tells me he is expecting trouble and I mean serious trouble. I close the closet door and sling the overnight bag on my shoulder and head out to Jack’s blazer. I notice Jack is in the driver's seat and Ajax is riding shotgun, which leaves me in the back seat. I climb into the blazer’s backseat and make myself comfortable.

“So where to first, Vicky?” as Jack turns to look at me.

“Velvet night club down off of 41st and Colley ave. Jack. Mistress Selena is down at her main nightclub tonight.”

“Oh, great! You mean we are heading into the lion’s den without any type of support or back-up?” Jack gives me a hard stare.

“Yep, right into the lion’s den with my detective badge protecting us.” I watch as Jack turns around and began backing out of the driveway. We head down US 17 to Dominion Blvd and then get on the interstate there and take that to downtown Norfolk.

I sit there and enjoy the ride as Jack plays the latest Gretchen Wilson country cd that is out. Ajax stares straight ahead and watches as we pass other cars traveling at this time of night. He turns around in his seat and looks at me.

“You mind telling me what the case is that your working on, that Stanley feels you must have two bodyguards?”

“I’m working on a missing child case. The child is 10yrs. old and has been missing for a few days now. Not only that, several dead bodies turned a few streets up from where the boy disappear from. Plus I found these inside an open mausoleum.” as I pull out the broken cross pieces I found.

Ajax reaches back to take one of them to examine it.

“These pieces were laying inside on the ground near a burial vault.”

“What was in the burial vault?” as Ajax looks at me.

“Nothing, it was empty, but something had been in there for a while. It smelled very old and powerful.”

“And your thinking that it might have something to do with the missing child?” as Ajax hands me back the broken pieces. Just as he handing them to me, my cell phone starts ringing.

I pull it out and notice the number belongs to Emygdia.

“Vicky here.,” I hold the cell phone against my cheek.

“Vicky, I have some news for you from the ghost hanging around that graveyard you went to.” Emygdia's voice comes over my receiver.

“What’s the news Emygdia?” I grab my small notebook along with a pen out of my purse.

“According to some of the ghosts in that graveyard. The person that was inside the mausoleum was placed there by a group of vampires a long time ago. They said he was responsible for the death of several young children with special gifts.”

“Special gifts? What do they mean special gifts?” I write down what Emygdia has said so far.

“I ask them that, but they kept on saying, just special gifts.”

“How long ago did they imprison this person?”

“Remember Vicky, time has no meaning to spirits. All they can say is a very long time ago.”

“Is there anything else you can tell me? Do they know anything about that boy that was taken?” as I motion for Jack to turn the overhead light on so I can see better to write.

“Yes, they said that the one, that was released from the tomb is responsible for him. Along with others just like him as well.”

“There were others?” as I write this down in my notebook.

“Yes, they said at least four others from the surrounding neighborhoods.”

“Ms. Longford didn’t say anything about four other children being missing from her area.” I put this little info into my notebook.

“It might be that she didn’t know, Vicky. These children were taken from the other side of the project that is near Fresh Pride. One of the spirits said that the family he looks after lives over there and was summoned by some sort of wizard that lives on that side of the projects.”

“Did that spirit say why he was summoned over there?” I watch an SUV with kids in the back seat watching a DVD pass us.

“Yes, he was summoned to help find one of the missing kids. Unfortunately, he had no luck finding any trace of the child he was summoned to find. It’s like the child was spirited off to somewhere else. “

“Do you think maybe a vampire is involved in this matter?”

“That would be my first guess. I would have to guess that someone is out to get even with Mistress Selena and maybe take over her position.”

I hear gunshots and screams in the background.

“I have to go, Vicky. There is some trouble going on over near Grandy village” Emygdia's cell phone goes dead.

“What did Emygdia have to say?” Jack looks at me in the review mirror.

“She was giving me an update about what she found out from the ghost in the area where the boy disappeared from.” I look up at the mirror.

“From the way the conversion was going, it sounded like she found some more interesting news for you.”

“Yes, according to Emygdia a wizard or shaman is living in the projects over on the other side of the projects near the grocery store over there.” I look down at the notes I took.

“Does he have anything to do with the missing children in that area?” Jack exists off the interstate and onto Saint Paul’s Blvd.

“Nope, according to Emygdia, the guy asked one of the ghosts to search for the children in the project.” as I watch as we turn on to Brambleton Ave.

“Isn’t your office over near here, Vicky?” Ajax turns his head to look at me.

“Yes, right down there past the Federal Court House on Monticello Avenue.” as we passed the street.

“So, you’re not that far from Mistress Selena’s club then, are you?” Ajax gives me a questionable look.

“I’m about ten to fifteen minutes away depending on traffic. Hampton boulevard backs up in the afternoon from about three to seven at night from all of the traffic trying to go through the mid-town tunnel. You could take Granby or one of the other side streets off Brambleton avenue to get to her club. Colley avenue is the fastest to turn up on because all the other side streets you have to turn down another street to get to her place.”

“Have you been to her club without back-up before?” as he searches my face.

“Once or twice with some friends. I went to keep them out of trouble. I’ve gone a few times with my husband since I’m his wife.” as a grin appears on my face.

“And Stanley knew this?”

“Yes, he knew that I went with my friends and he didn’t have any problems with it. I think the reason he wants you guys there with me as back-up is because I’m working on a case that can cause some of their dirty laundry to be exposed.” as I watch as we reach the intersection of Colley avenue and Brambleton Avenue.

“Take a right Jack.”

Jack makes the right-hand turn.

“How far up?” Jack looks into the Mirror towards me.

“Just keep going till you see the club on the left-hand side of the road. It’s just a few blocks down from the seven-eleven at 38th and Colley.

“Okay.” Jack keeps driving, going past 21th street and then 26th street. “Is that the seven-eleven you were talking about?” as he stops at the stoplight.

“Yes, that’s it and right across the street is the post office for around here on the right.” I point to an old brick building. Right across the street from the street on the right of it are some old apartment building that has been gutted out and is in the process of remodeling.

“There’s her club.” as we come to a three-story L- shape building that is painted in black gothic-style dark colors.

There are only windows on the second floor of the building and the name of the club is painted on the side of it in red gothic script. The parking lot already has a lot of cars in it along with a line outside of the club itself of people waiting to go in. I notice most of the people waiting to go in are college kids waiting to see real vampires.

You can tell the gothic ones have already been allowed in, while everyone else hasn’t. I notice some of the young women standing in line have on outfits so short and revealing, that I wonder if they know what they are getting themselves into here.

Jack parks his blazer as near to the building as he can, which isn’t easy considering all the good spots have already been taken up. I get out first, then Jack and Ajax follow behind me on either side of me as we walk towards the front entrance.