Chapter 3

Even though it was late, there was a busy crossroad ahead of Jo, and she knew she was going to have to at least bring her bike to a low throttle, if not stop completely, in order to safely make her way across what used to be an Interstate Highway. Since the Vampires had basically claimed much of this part of town, most of the humans who lived here didn’t ever come to these parts, or if they did, they did so in the daylight. Still, no matter who or what was driving the cars up ahead, there were more of them than Jo had collectively seen in the last few minutes since this was a major artery that cut through the center of Denver, so she couldn’t rush into oncoming traffic despite the fact that the black SUV behind her was closing at an ungodly rate.

Taking her eyes off of the asphalt ahead of her Jo looked over her shoulder. How was it the SUV was possibly closing? “Goddamnit!” She whirled back around and considered pressing even harder on the throttle, taking her safety into her hands and challenging her bike to a game of Frogger, but she knew how much this motorcycle originally cost and how hard it was to get parts for now that the government had banned almost every vehicle LIGHTS had ever relied on, so she did the only smart thing she could and slowed down.

Traffic did not cooperate, and by the time Jo darted across the makeshift intersection, woven through what used to be the median, the SUV was close enough that she could smell the exhaust. A flicker of something came over her IAC, but she couldn't catch it and imagined it was just her annoying older brother messing with her. The SUV would have to be more careful cutting across the highway and through what wasn’t actually a road, so she hoped to put some more space between them, but when she finally met concrete again, whirling her bike into a tailspin as she took a corner down an alley she’d used often when cutting through this neighborhood, the black vehicle seemed to have somehow gotten even closer to her. Whoever these people were, they had some tech. It was the only explanation she had for how they could keep up with her bike. She imagined they had to be FBI, CIA, or the new patrol VEC, Vampire Enforcement Center, President Crimson’s branch that made sure everyone played nice to his kind. Whoever they were, she didn’t want to tangle with them.

And yet, the faster she went, the closer they got. Her bike was already pushing way past 200, and she knew there was another sharp corner coming up ahead if she wanted to maintain her usual route, not that it was probably wise to head back home with these jackasses on her tail. Jo looked around, trying to figure out another direction to go when another IAC message flickered across her eye. “Where are you going?”

It wasn’t her brother this time, though it was a relation of sorts. Puzzled, Jo lost concentration for a second and nearly spun her front tire out when it contacted the edge of a manhole cover sticking up from the road. She corrected the bike, letting off the gas as she did so, and made a sharp right, but by the time she turned the corner, the SUV was on top of her, and as the black vehicle spun in front of her, turning sideways to cut her off, she had no choice but to stop the bike or jump it.

If she was still carrying the speed she’d had before, prior to the manhole cover getting in her way, she wouldn’t have thought twice. But now, at less than 70, she would never make it. Jo slid sideways as she brought the bike to a halt, surveying her options. She wouldn’t be taken alive again if she could help it--but then if these guys weren’t Vampires, they wouldn’t be able to kill her. And she’d promised her father she wouldn't kill any more federal agents.

The back door of the SUV flew open, and Jo instinctively pulled her gun. She recognized the burly man instantly and dropped the point of her weapon. “What the hell…?”

He had his hands up, like he thought she might shoot him. “Jo--is your IAC not workin’? Why the hell you runnin’ from us?”

“I thought….” She shook her head. “No, it’s not working. Not really.” She looked behind her, glad she didn’t see anyone else in pursuit, the red and blue lights long gone. “What are you doing here?”

“We need to chat.”

“Why not meet me at my apartment?”

He shrugged, and the front door opened, another familiar face making her gulp down air as the woman walked toward her. “I’ll take your bike,” she said. “Get in the SUV.”

It seemed like more of an order than a request, and even though she hadn’t felt like part of a team in as long as she could remember, she put the kickstand down, turned off the engine, and got off, leaving the key in the ignition for her aunt.

A glare was all she got as the woman said nothing and walked past, staring at Jo like she couldn’t believe what she’d become. Jo had no answer for that either. She headed for the SUV, not at all surprised that she was being offered the back seat. Shaking her head, she moved past the door. “Not even a hello hug then?” he asked, scoffing at her.

Jo closed the door without answering, and he blew out a hot breath before he climbed into the passenger seat next to his son. “See ya at Jo’s,” he hollered out the window to Aunt Cass and then Uncle Brandon Keen punched the gas, and Jo folded her arms in defiance as her “Funcle” Elliott Sanderson turned to look at her one more time before shaking his head again and staring out the window at what was left of the Denver cityscape.