Demon Tracker (Divine Justice, 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Demon Tracker

  Warning

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  About Mary Abshire

  Demon Tracker

  Book 2 in the Divine Justice series

  While the Divine Syndicate is working to prevent an outbreak of demons, vampires are disappearing and turning up as corpses.

  The Union of Justice is known for tracking and serving justice on vampires. With the increase in departed vamps spiraling out of control, the UoJ's top field agent, Zale, and his partner must switch from their normal job to investigate the remains of destroyed vampires. Identifying those responsible is proving to be a big challenge. Zale needs the assistance of the vamp community, only they have their own idea of ending the bloodshed. They want to kill demons. But murdering humans, possessed or not, is against the law. Complicating matters, neither vampires nor the UoJ trust each other. Mankind's future is dependent upon vampires and vice versa, but both are at stake as the demon population grows. Zale will do anything to save lives and end the madness, even if it means working with the one species he's chased his entire career.

  * * * * *

  Demon Tracker (Divine Justice, 2)

  ©Copyright 2017 Mary Abshire

  ISBN: 978-0-9986820-1-3

  Cover Art by Susan Garwood

  This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, and events are from the author's wild imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (such as electronic, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, scanning or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  License Notes: This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Warning

  This book contains language and violence.

  Chapter One

  May 14th

  Zale gripped the steering wheel of his Explorer with one hand while he grabbed the bottle in the cup holder between the seats. The cruise control on the dashboard showed the dial hovering over ninety miles per hour. He checked the vehicle’s mirrors and spotted a semi far enough in the distance from his SUV and several cars a half-mile ahead. Confident he could drive sans hands for several seconds, he let go of the helm and hurried to twist the cap off the drink. Once he’d removed the lid, he dropped it near the gearshift and then returned to navigating the dark interstate road.

  The loud ring from the Bluetooth startled him and he spilled water on his chin and shirt.

  “Shit,” he said as he set the bottle back in the holder.

  He pressed the button on the wheel to answer the call. “Hello?” He wiped the liquid from his face.

  “Hey, where are you?” Ray asked.

  “I’m about twenty minutes from home.”

  “So, you’re not coming to work?”

  “I spent seven nights running between Chicago and Merrillville trying to catch Tom. I haven’t had a decent meal or sex. I need to satisfy a couple of cravings, if you know what I mean.”

  Ray chuckled. “I hear you. So, I take it you didn’t catch Tom.”

  “Well… No, and I’m not sure I will.”

  “How’s that? You always catch the vamps you’re tracking.”

  Zale couldn’t argue with Ray. Tracking and catching immoral vampires were his top skills. The Union of Justice paid him handsomely to do both. He’d spent over one hundred and twenty years working for the agency. He’d trained many of the agents in the field today. He loved his job and he was great at it. The last time he’d missed capturing a vampire had been during the Depression when an outbreak of demons had caused chaos in the city.

  “It’s strange, but Tom disappeared,” Zale said.

  “Disappeared? How’s that possible?” Ray sounded shocked.

  “I found him staying in a friend’s house in Merrillville. The night I was going to apprehend him, he left with his friend and drove to Chicago. I followed them to a garage in the city. From there, they walked around and visited a few clubs near Lake Shore. I waited outside each time. They never stayed more than an hour and a half. But when they stayed two hours in the last club, I started to suspect something fishy. Dawn was approaching and I knew they’d have to return to Merrillville soon or find a place to crash for the day. I searched inside the club and couldn’t find them.”

  “Let me guess, they snuck out the back.”

  “I picked up his scent at the back door along with a few others of the female kind.”

  “It’s a good thing you were able to get inside his apartment here in Indy before he bailed.”

  “Right. So, I followed his trail a few blocks to a small alley between two buildings. A door to one of the them had been left ajar, so I ventured inside. You won’t believe what I found.”

  “Let me guess, the vamps were banging several whores.”

  “No, I didn’t find any bodies, but I smelled the strong scent of blood.”

  “Blood?”

  “Yep. I was surprised too. The portion of the building I was in appeared abandoned, so I snooped around. The first floor had been crawling with all kinds of odors. If I were to guess, the homeless had moved in. But what caught my attention was the large pool of blood in one area. The fluid smelled fresh.”

  “That’s strange.”

  “I thought so too. I kept looking around and even checked the other floors for Tom. Nothing. There were only two exits and neither one had his scent. But I found blood leading down a set of stairs. I followed the trail to a basement. From there, the blood led me down a tunnel and then to a freight elevator. I took it up to the main floor where I stepped out into a hallway of an apartment building. The drops of blood continued to a back door that opened to a small side street.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  “No, nothing. The trail stopped cold, so I returned to the garage. The car was still parked in the same spot. I called the UoJ office in Chicago and spoke to an agent Hendricks. I thought I might need an extra set of eyes and ears on the streets with me. Well, he said they’d heard about vampires going missing recently, but they weren’t concerned.”

  “Why would they be?” Ray smirked. “It’s not the UoJ’s job to track missing vampires.”

  “Right. I gave him Tom’s information and sent a picture. I asked him to call me if they see him and he said he’d have the parked car monitored.”

  “Maybe Tom will show up.”

  “That was a week ago. I checked with him this morning and the car hasn’t moved.”

  “Oh.”

  “I had an odd feeling after I found all that blood, so I returned to the house in Merrillville and waited several
days. The only person who showed up was an agent from the Divine Syndicate. He was looking for Tom too. The DS agent said Tom had called their office with a concern. The agent wanted to check in. I told him what I had seen in Chicago and he told me the vampire community had noticed an uptick in missing vamps.”

  “Did the DS agent say what Tom had been concerned about?”

  “Demons. He’d seen several at a nightclub and had gotten in a fight with a couple.”

  “Demons? You mean, possessed humans?”

  “Same thing.”

  “Ok, still, how could Tom have been in a fight with demons when he hadn’t been there long? Did you see him get in a fight?”

  “Of course Tom didn’t get into any fight in Merrillville. He was there one night before he went to Chicago and I watched him the entire time. I told the DS agent Tom had been in a fight in Indianapolis and he’d killed two humans. The agent wasn’t pleased, but said he’d have someone monitor the home and would contact me if Tom made an appearance.”

  “Do you think he will notify you? I mean… The DS are a bunch of vampires.”

  “Yes, I think he will. He was a nice guy.”

  “Wait, you’re calling a vamp a nice guy?”

  “He had a good sense of humor and a healthy interest in women. Anyway, I hung out with him for a few nights. The DS have their own problems to handle, but they don’t harbor immoral vampires.”

  For the most part, all supernatural creatures lived peacefully. Similar to humans, everyone worked, followed laws, and maintained a normal lifestyle. Those who broke the few laws created by the Alliance of All, the governing body over supernaturals, were handed over to the UoJ. Most of the criminals were vampires, but once in a while a shape shifter, witch, or necromancer caused trouble.

  “You hung out with a vampire?” Ray asked. “Are you okay? Did he bite you?”

  “The time I spent with him was somewhat work related. I’ll tell you about it later. But the bottom line is, we both agree Tom is no longer walking this Earth.”

  “Maybe Tom got what he deserved if he did run into the wrong crowd.”

  Tom had broken the AoA’s law by killing a human. As a result, the UoJ had to inflict punishment. There was one exception to the law. The AoA believed newbie vamps struggled to control their thirst. Therefore, the new vamp received a free pass. But if the vampire took another life, the UoJ would decide the punishment. Zale had destroyed many vampires for taking human lives. The UoJ wanted to save mankind and stop any superior race from dominating others. From what Zale knew about the Divine Syndicate and the short time he’d spent with an agent, the DS shared the same goals except their battle was with demons. And if demons had destroyed Tom and his friend, then there truly was another problem evolving.

  “I’ll file my report tomorrow. Tonight, I want to grab some Italian food and later pick up a nice lady from the bar near my house.” Since Zale had left Chicago he’d been looking forward to relieving some stress with a woman.

  “I hate to interrupt your plans, but I have a request and it came straight from the boss.”

  Zale sighed heavily. “What is it?”

  Although he enjoyed his job and working for Gordon, the leader of the Union of Justice’s main office in Indy, he’d hoped to get one free night before having to return to work.

  “We got a tip-off from the State police. A trooper stopped at a Speedway gas station off Route 421 and East Sycamore in Zionsville. He said he noticed a foul smell from a nearby dumpster.”

  “Seriously?” Zale laughed. Didn’t all trash stink?

  “The trooper investigated and found a decapitated body in the dumpster. Apparently the state of decomposition freaked him out. He took a photo and sent it to his boss who then called us. Since you’re heading toward Indy, Gordon would like you to check the corpse and confirm if it’s a vampire.”

  Few humans knew about the existence of supernaturals and kept the knowledge secret. Of the few, almost all assisted the UoJ or DS to help maintain peace among all species.

  “Why can’t he send someone else to go look?” Zale asked. “I’ve been gone for a week. I need to eat and get laid.”

  “Would you like me to share that with him?”

  “No!” Zale barked.

  Ray laughed. “Didn’t think so. How far out are you from Zionsville?”

  “I think I saw a sign a few miles back. I should be coming up on the exit for it soon.”

  “I’ll let Gordon know you’re heading to the scene.”

  “I’ll send you some snap shots.”

  “Sounds good. Talk to you later.”

  Zale pressed the button on the wheel to end the call. Unease stirred within him as he took a sip of bottled water. Local law enforcement had been contacting the UoJ more frequently over the past few months, asking for help when they found unusual dead bodies. So far, every corpse had been a vamp. The number of extinguished vamps had grown and he couldn’t figure out why. Sure, demons loathed the bloodsuckers, but they hadn’t attacked vamps since the outbreak. Was it possible demons were planning another one?

  The headlights from his Explorer illuminated the exit sign for Zionsville. Zale set his drink down before he switched off the cruise control. He veered into the empty lane and exited from the interstate.

  While he drove on the continuing highway, he tapped the screen for the GPS navigation system on his dashboard. He entered the cross street names to find a list of businesses. After selecting the Speedway station, the directions appeared on the device.

  Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the destination. The gas station had a large convenience store with parking on the side. Yellow police tape blew in the breeze from somewhere behind the building. Zale steered into one of the empty spots. He spotted the dumpster behind the structure and next to a small alley. At least the store hid the trash bin so no one would see him digging in the garbage.

  His stomach grumbled after he cut the engine. He’d spent the last three hours driving and hadn’t eaten much before he’d left Merrillville. He’d put off stopping at a fast food place so he could enjoy a nice meal near his home in Carmel. But now, he doubted he’d get to enjoy any kind of dinner. He grabbed his phone before he left the SUV.

  The strong scent of rot immediately flooded his nose and he wrinkled it. The breeze seemed to be pushing the odor and the yellow police tape in his direction. Sometimes he wished he had superior hearing instead of smell.

  He walked along the small alley to reach the blue trash bin. One of the covers had been left open, allowing the pungent odor to drift out. He stopped at the side of the metal receptacle with his back against the wind. The stench poked at his gag reflex. Dinner was definitely not happening later.

  Gazing inside the trash, he spotted two arms. The white skin clung to the bone as if the body had dehydrated. Large black bags covered the chest. The other half of the body lay under the covered portion of the bin. To get a better view, he’d have to lift the lid and move a few bags around.

  Zale tucked his phone into the back pocket of his jeans as he moved in front of the dumpster. He hated to get his shirt dirty, but at least he had a change of clothes in his car. He always kept extra in case he needed to shift. After he raised the top cover, he shoved it up until it smacked the back of the receptacle. The corpse’s legs were covered by another big bag. Although he disliked the idea of moving items from a crime scene, he saw no other options in order to get a good view of the corpse.

  Shaking his head, he placed his hands on the edge of the bin and then lifted his body up. His biceps bulged under his tight t-shirt. He grabbed one of the bags and his knees thudded against the bin. With a single heave, he brought the bag up and behind him. He climbed down before he repeated the steps to remove the other bags. By the time he’d finished, he had a decent view of the corpse.

  Without a doubt, a vampire had been slain and the head had been severed. The color and tightness of the skin confirmed his suspicion. F
urthermore, the jeans, belt, and flat torso suggested the departed was male. The state of dehydration led him to believe the body had been dumped at least twenty-four hours ago.

  Zale scanned for the head. In the far corner, he noticed hair sticking up from a pile of debris. He figured the hair belonged to a head or some kind of mid-sized animal. After he moved to the side of the bin, he climbed the wall. With one leg over the edge, he stretched his arm and pushed aside trash. A face appeared among the messy locks.

  The open eyes of the vamp were bloodshot. His skin had paled so all the veins had appeared. Zale had seen plenty of severed heads. Blood always filled the white parts of a vampire’s eyes and stayed there. It was another confirmation to add to his list.

  While leaning on the edge of the dumpster, he carefully removed his cell from his back pocket. He tapped the camera icon with his thumb to open the application. Screen ready, he pointed it at the head and took two photographs. After he climbed down, he moved to the front of the bin. He leaned over the edge to snap a few shots of the body.

  Satisfied he had enough to deliver to his boss, he returned his phone to his pocket and headed for his vehicle. He removed his shirt along the way. It had rubbed against the trash and he couldn’t stand the horrid smell being on him.

  Stopping at the driver’s side, he grabbed his bottle of water. Half of the fluid remained and would be enough to clean off his hands. Shirt and bottle in hand, he strode to the back of his SUV and then lifted the gate. Car lights flashed across him as he poured the liquid over his hands. The woman driving smiled at him as she turned her vehicle. Grinning, he shook his dripping-wet hands to dry them. He’d hoped to find a woman to take to his bed, but the way the night was heading, he doubted he’d get to.

  From the small piece of luggage, he dug out a new shirt. After he slid it over his head, he closed the back and then returned to the driver’s seat.

  While he sat in the quiet car, he prepared a text to Ray and attached the pictures he’d taken. He told his good friend the corpse was in fact a vampire. Once he fired off the message, he set the phone aside and then started the engine.