Mei paused, looking up with a triumphant smile. "Nope, tea." Then she jogged the last few steps to pull open the door and wave Dahlia inside. "Momma needs a new pair of shoes, baby. Let's go shopping."
Said in her girlish voice, it was even more adorable. Dahlia caught her hand and led her straight to the clothing section. They didn't need much, and they wouldn't want to rack up any suspicious charges that would get the cards cut off. So each woman found a pair of jeans, a decent shirt, one package of socks to split, and shoes for each of them.
But when they got to the register, they had a problem. The first credit card was declined. So was the second. In desperation, Dahlia tried the debit card. Even better, the moron who'd treated her like garbage was the kind of guy who wrote his PIN number on the back.
Thankfully, that worked. The two women headed straight to the bathroom to change, and Dahlia dropped the canceled cards in the trash. The debit card, however, might still be useful. So, when they no longer looked like strung out meth addicts, the pair made their way to the gas station next door.
There, they found an ATM and tried the debit card again. Selecting the options, Dahlia checked the balance. Just over a hundred bucks. Well, it wasn't like the dead man needed it anymore, so she withdrew as much as she could. When the machine spit out five twenty-dollar bills, Dahlia shoved them into her pocket, and then the debit card went into the trash outside.
"I think Utah's going to have to wait until we get some more funds," Dahlia said.
Mei just shrugged. "I knew it wouldn't be easy. So, step one is finding a place to spend the night. Step two, get our asses back to the Metroplex so we can earn a little more money."
"Prostitution?" Dahlia asked, raising a brow.
Mei scoffed. "I prefer to pick my marks, thank you very much. Bars, Dahlia. We're about to become damsels in distress with a threesome kink."
"And no killing," Dahlia said. "No crimes that will lead the inquisitors to us. There's no way those bastards can be everywhere."
"A lot easier to get lost in a few million people," Mei agreed, sitting on the concrete curb in front of the gas station. "Someone stopping here has to be headed south. Doesn't even matter how far. Besides, things have been worse, right?"
"Right," Dahlia agreed, dropping down next to her. "So long as we're together, everything else will work out."
Chapter Eight
THANE
Earlier that day...
It was dawn before the inquisitors had the area cleaned up enough to head back. Thane climbed into the SUV with the rest of the guys, and they all moved like they were in pain. Every inch of his body hurt after that fight. Dahlia had beat the crap out of him, and his muscles were starting to stiffen up. From the sounds of it, the Asian girl had done a number on the rest of the team.
The pair of women had managed to kill five priests, total. The four in the alley and the Asian girl had gotten another in a parking lot. She'd vanished after that. The blonde, however? Yeah, she was an enigma.
The first girl was clearly a nu gui - even if she wasn't in a white dress. There was no doubt that she was out for revenge, yet nu gui fell under the vampire classification. The blonde could have been anything. She seduced men, but she also drank their blood. That meant she was closer to a vampire according to the Church's teachings, yet she'd called herself a valkyrie.
Out of all the demons Thane had hunted in his thirteen years of doing this, most fit their type. Vampires sucked blood and killed in a frenzy. Witches caused bad luck, ill omens, and drained the life from their victims with a touch. Ghosts were intangible, but sucked life out over time. Demons came in many forms, from shifters to brutish monsters, but they tore apart their prey and ate it like a beast. The rules were simple. The classifications were clear.
That woman didn't quite fit in any of them.
The big question, however, was how the Inquisition could have missed her existence. Dahlia had said she'd been around for at least a century. Something as powerful as she was should've stood out. He'd never even heard of a demon able to do half of what she'd tried. Never mind the issue of his ward staying silent until she touched him. Even then, it hadn't burned. The damned thing had barely even tingled.
He mulled over the possibilities the whole way back. The sun was just peeking over the horizon when they pulled around to the back of the church. Like most places of worship in Texas, it was massive. Unlike most, the majority of this building wasn't open to the public. The Church of the Holy Inquisition welcomed any inside for prayer, but only those born into the faith were admitted to the dormitories beyond. The tattoo on his arm was the key to get in. He flashed it to the black-robed priest as he stepped through the boring metal door at the back of the building, just like the men before him and those following behind.
Inside, the place was as cold as ice. His footsteps echoed on the bare walls. There were no paintings, no statues to glorify the Lord. The only decorations back here were the brightly painted doors leading to each section of the church. Black was open to anyone with the mark of God's Gift. White was reserved for priests. Red? That was for only the highest-ranking members of the Church. Yet when he turned for the black door of the hunter's quarters, his team leader stopped him.
"Thane," Dale said, gesturing to the opposite side of the building. "The Bishop wants to speak to you. Shift change will probably be over when you get back, but I'll let the next team know what's going on."
"What is going on?" Thane asked.
Dale just sighed. "No idea, but they'll have questions. Look, I know you've been up for more than a day straight. If you want, I'll make sure there's a bed for you to use."
"Thanks, Dale," Thane said. "I'm definitely going to take that option, because I'd never make it back home before falling asleep at the wheel."
"Good luck," Dale said, slapping his shoulder in encouragement.
Paired with what his brother had told him, Thane could only guess that this was going to be bad. Still, he knew the way. So, dragging his aching body around the back of the church, he headed to the most ornate door in the building. There, he tapped politely and simply waited.
After a little too long, a voice called, "Come!"