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The Honorable Mayor Buster Zennith was coming, preceded by his stalwart assistant. Her appearance usually meant he was just a few minutes behind her. She marched across the station house as severely as any prison warden.
Frank Mosby swallowed hard when her gaze settled on him. He searched the floor trying to locate Omar. Omar stood with a small group of uniforms at the coffee machine stirring his mug of coffee with a plastic spoon. Frank got to his feet to greet Patricia Sikes. She merely glanced at the hand he offered her.
“Have you an office?” She asked, raising her head.
“No, ma’am. We all just hang out here. But the captain is out. We usually use his office when necessary.”
“Fine, that will do,” she said, heading right over there. Frank hesitated, glanced Omar’s way then followed her into the office.
~*~
Omar sat at his desk, mulling over his situation. He’d broken nearly every rule in the book going to the mansion, but surely Jerome wasn’t making an official complaint. No, he no longer had evidence that they were even there. Velvet had knocked out the surveillance, and all traces of Samantha were gone. But the mayor coming to visit had him just a bit unnerved.
A few quickly turned heads got his head up. No wonder the guys were worked up because two of the most attractive women he’d ever seen together was headed his way. Both were well put together, dressed in suits carrying their overcoats on their arms. Velvet wore a pink skirt and matching jacket. Tyra wore a navy pantsuit with a lime blouse. Omar leaped from his desk eager and pleased at the visit.
“Ladies,” he greeted and pulled up an extra chair from someone else’s station. “What can I do for you?” he sat on the edge of his desk, cheesing at Velvet.
“I hear they’re going to transport Jerome’s workers today.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“They won’t survive on a bus trip that takes nearly an hour in direct sunlight. It’s murder, Omar.”
“I know that Velvet, but there is nothing I can do, as they were declared a menace to society. Officially, they are just being transported to another facility.”
“Jerome is the menace.”
“Jerome wasn’t in the Grove that night.” He eyed Tyra sitting quietly beside Velvet. She naturally couldn’t stand vampires and once upon a time her job was to hunt them down and kill them, no questions needed to be asked. Now, such behavior was frowned on, even outlawed in Fairlight. “The mayor is coming, maybe you ladies should-”
“I don’t make it a habit to avoid him.” Velvet rose and Tyra followed suit, turning to face the door.
Dressed in a very expensive looking dark suit and white shirt, he strolled in as if on cue, flanked by two bodyguards. Distinguished at the age of fifty, though not good looking, and rather tanned, Buster Zennith instantly had command of the squad room.
He stopped to acknowledge the women. “If it isn’t the first ladies of darkness.” He stepped back to admire their choice in clothing. “Didn’t dress the part today? What is this, another photo opportunity?”
“I would like to ask you to reconsider letting us transport the prisoners. Our vehicles are modified for vampire shielding from the sun.”
“Modified? You mean you’ve cast a spell. I will not allow any city worker to be put at risk of your magic. The county has already accepted the vampire friendly suits you provided. I think that is enough interference from you.”
“You should reconsider that. Those vampires are mostly youngsters and they are going to be pretty unsettled.”
“As any criminal should be. You know, Miss Washington this is all your fault. Sending those children down there with those werewolves, you set this all in motion. Couldn’t wait for the city to do its job, could you?”
“No,” Velvet replied curtly. “I couldn’t. Just like I’m not letting you and Jerome sacrifice these youngsters to the sun to save your own grown asses from inquiry.”
“I hope you’re not implying what it sounds like.”
“What if it is?” Tyra asked edgily. “What you gonna do, you vampire whore!”
“Miss Kincaid,” the Mayor blustered. “One more outcry like that and I will sue you!”
“You should be ashamed of yourself. I was a slayer and could legally kill any vampire I got between my blades, but I never killed anyone without a reason. Just like that dead cousin of yours, you are a cold blooded monster.”
“Enough!” His red plump jaws filled with air and he fumed. “We cleaned up these streets and now we are about to get rid of the riff raff. Isn’t that what you complained about Miss Kincaid? You want us to turn those rabid things loose on the community again?”
“Just getting them to county would be sufficient,” Velvet replied. “But that isn’t what you or Jerome wants. All those scared vamps, at least one or two might want to make a deal. I know I would. So to Jerome and you, it’s worth it to let some vampire haters force them all out to the sun.”
“You’ve got some imagination lady.” He cut his eyes across the station, at the anxious faces trained on him and the witch. He lowered his voice, “One day Miss Washington, you won’t feel the need to come down here interfering in city or police business.”
“As long as I’m alive I will be here- in police business or any business my work leads me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is so!”
Velvet stepped back from the desk, Tyra moved to stand beside Omar. In a quick dramatic gesture she raised her arms upward, the lights flickered then thunder clapped and the wind outside picked up in gushes. People from outside ran noisily inside, marveling at the abrupt change in weather, commenting on how dark it was so suddenly.
“She’s doing it!” A policewoman holding a dog on a leash shouted. “She’s changing the weather!” Most of the squad room rushed to the windows, some stepped outside. Everyone raised their voices, excited for more than one reason. The policewoman got on her knees hugging her dog.
“I think I see a tornado!” A fat male detective ran from the windows up to the front door and ran outside.
“You should never make a witch mad, man!” A young uniform cried out, backing away going down the hall toward lockup. “Give her whatever the hell she wants!”
“Vee!” Omar shouted over the noise of the rising wind from outside. “Velvet, what are you doing?”
“Somebody shoot her!” The mayor ordered. “Now, somebody do it!”
“No!” Omar rushed to shield her from the front. His hand went to his own gun holster. “I’ll shoot anyone that moves.”
A blue swirling light surrounded her and her eyes shined white.
“She’s working a hex against us!” Mayor Buster Zennith declared at the top of his voice to be heard over the storm brewing outside. “It is illegal and an act of terrorism! Shoot that bitch!”
The police dog began to bark, he slipped away from the policewoman who was neglecting to hold his leash. He ran over to the mayor and leaped up on his chest. He staggered to keep from falling on his butt. “Yaaay! Control this animal!”
“Tiger! Get over here, boy!”
“The sun is gone!” A uniform ran back inside to announce. “It’s dark as night!”
“Velvet!” Omar risked standing as close to the light as he dared. He didn’t know if her light was harmful to regular humans. He recalled hearing about her years ago on the news killing demons with big waves of it. “Velvet?” She relaxed her arms, and brought them down. Her bright eyes and light remained while she calmly pulled down her jacket and smoothed out her skirt. The flickering lights, stayed on and the wind began to subside. “Vee, come on back,” Omar urged.
“I didn’t go anywhere,” she said.
Omar wasn’t sure he liked the expression on her face. He’d never seen her wield her power like that and for the first time he was seeing the witchy side of her. “What did you do to the sun?”
“Nothing was done to the sun.” She raised her voice and addressed the station. “It will remain dark until the vampires are received safely to county lockup.”
“One day!” The mayor began. “You dark ladies will be run out of Fairlight! Defiance is the first sign of lawlessness!” He went to the policewoman with the dog. “Stand up, officer! Fear not these demonic beauties,” he said. “Such power can’t rival city hall!”
“That’s right,” a few cops agreed.
The mayor took out his big white handkerchief and boldly swiped Velvet right across the face. “Get out, mistress of deceit and foulness!”
“Hey!” Tyra exclaimed.
“Toss these harlots from hell into the pavement men!”
“Anybody touches either of these women,” Omar announced calmly. “She’ll be the last woman you touch.” He moved closer to Velvet while keeping his eyes on his fellow officers. “I suggest you all move on to something else.” He met the mayor’s incensed eyes. “Sir, these women are my friends.”
“She has you bewitched, detective. You aren’t the first policeman whose soul she has tainted.”
“Delano Milton wasn’t tainted, he followed his destiny and became a dhampir,” Tyra said. “And a damn good one. Who is tainted is you! Whoever heard of a mayor getting rich in a town like Fairlight? Funny, only you and Jerome Firestrom can afford to live in great mansions.”
“More slander, Miss Kincaid?”
“Mister Mayor,” his assistant said, as she walked between Tyra and Velvet. “The captain is not available at this time.”
“Thank you, Pat.” He let her walk ahead. Without another word or glare at Velvet or Tyra, he strolled out flanked by his bodyguards.
~*~
After the vampires were loaded up and off to county, Tyra left with Leroy while Velvet stayed behind at Omar’s request. They spoke in the visitor parking lot.
“Wow. You sure did your thing today, didn’t you?”
“Move a few clouds? Witchcraft one oh two.”
“Why you go out of your way for drug dealing, blood stealing, vampires?”
“The same reason I’d do it for anyone. They were defenseless.”
“Sure it’s not to get Jerome’s goat?”
“That is just a perk, although I’d love to see him roasting in the parking lot.”
“This is how you want to spend your life, hitting Jerome and him hitting you?”
“I just want Fairlight the way it used to be. People weren’t locked away in fear at night. Vampires weren’t running the streets like it’s one big ghetto.”
“The world changes, Velvet. It moves on, doesn’t go back.”
“Just because it hasn’t, doesn’t mean it can’t.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll see one day.”
“Careful girl, lest you step off into obsession.”
“Is that what you think?”
“I just don’t want you losing sight of what’s important in life.” He took her hand and jerked her forward to fall into his embrace. “Chasing Jerome ain’t it, baby. Stop now, you did enough. Let the law handle the rest.”
“The law?” She laughed. “The law that was going to kill all those kids that didn’t have a choice in the crimes they committed?”
“Hey now, we don’t know for sure if it was gonna go down like that.”
“How can you say that? Omar!” She pulled back to see his face in the darkness. “If they were human would you be this wishy washy? You aren’t saying you don’t care about their lives?”
“I’m saying I care about you. I saw your face when you worked that magic. You were scaring the crap out of a whole police station. I also see how you look at Buster Zennith. You hate him the same way you hate Jerome.”
“If you had to endure what I have because of them, you wouldn’t look down on me or what I do.”
“I’m not looking down on you, baby. Right now, you just have a one track mind and all you know is one speed. Honey, step back and ease up.”
“Where is this coming from? The other night we were on the same page. You acted like you wanted to help me.”
“I do. Don’t you want to be a normal woman? Have a normal life?”
“I am normal.”
“Besides me and Leroy, can you name a regular human in your life?”
“Besides me, can you name a super-being in yours?” She waited for an answer. “I’m a witch, Omar. You can’t be scared of me and call yourself my friend.” She pushed out of his arms.
“I’m not scared of you, Velvet. I’m scared for you.”
“Oh. In other words you don’t think I know what I’m doing?”
“Baby! While you were doing that light show, Zennith ordered for you to be shot! Was that light and shiny eyes going to protect you?”
“Yes! Omar, I’m not stupid enough to make a stand and not be prepared to protect my own life! And what you think Tyra was there for?”
“Honey, calm down.”
“Stop calling me honey! I’m not your wife!” She slapped away his hands that were reaching out to her. “I’m out of here!”
“Velvet, you can’t be mad at me for caring about you!” He succeeded in pulling her closer. “Come here, now.” His voice went softer as he hugged her rigid body. “Okay, I’ll keep my mouth shut about it. I just had to say my piece, all right?”
“Fine. Now, let me loose.”
“Sweetie,” he said. His lips brushed her cheek. “You get so busy taking care of everyone around you, you forget about taking care of yourself. Let me, baby. Let a man hold you down sometime.” Holding her face in his hands, he kissed her resisting mouth.
“Omar, stop. Just stop.” She pushed him back using a touch of super strength. “This ain’t gonna happen.”
“You that mad at me?”
“I’m not mad. I’m disappointed as hell.” Backing off she began to fade into the darkness.