“They’re speaking Cantonese,” Angela said with a note of surprise.
We’d all assumed they’d use their ancient dialect again, which was why we’d called the Smiths in the first place.
“Can you still translate?” Vanessa asked.
“Um, yes. It’s been many years but...‘Have they yielded the proposition?’”
A different man’s voice was heard next.
“‘No. They seem certain it will not pass but are using it as their platform,’” Angela said haltingly.
We heard Mrs. Velazquez’s voice then.
Angela translated. “‘My love, can we take that risk?’”
“‘They have involved the police and even Ashki and Dymeka. It’s only a matter of time before they do something irreversible. I say we deal with them now and never have to be bothered with them again.’”
Mrs. Velazquez started talking again.
“‘It is decided then. Salamander, you have served us well. You bring much honor to the Salamander name. We have one final task for you: bring the mayor and his wife here. This will be your greatest challenge, for they are like us. You may summon any of our force to aid you but this must be done in the shadows as always.’”
The male voice we didn’t recognize replied and Angela murmured, “‘Yes, ma’am.’”
“We got them,” Vanessa said with a grin. “All units move in.”
I leaned forward to get a better view of the officers storming the storage unit. Their body cams showed them kicking the door down and tossing concussion and smoke grenades into the building. Bullets started flying. Shadows darted in all directions, behind crates and support beams. Gunfire lit up the smoky interior like poppers on the Fourth of July.
“Ms. Burkley, please remind your team to take extra precautions when restraining Fadele and Nij. They are masters of escape,” Angela said over the noise.
And she wasn’t wrong. I had a hard time keeping track of the immortal couple. They moved gracefully throughout the building, taking down any officers who stood in their way with strategic punches and quick swipes of hidden blades. They made their way to a window and practically threw themselves through the tiny square with acrobatic ease.
“My God, they’re like ninjas,” I murmured.
“They’ve had many years to perfect their techniques,” Angela said.
“East wall window, east wall window!” Vanessa screeched into her headset. “You can’t let them get away!”
The members of our team who weren’t pinned under fire took off after the Velazquezes. Through the cameras on the scopes of our snipers, I watched the immortal couple take to the rooftops and start heading toward their car.
“Get them, get them, get them,” Vanessa chanted, staring intently at the live feed.
Our snipers opened fire but their bullets only seemed to stall the immortal couple. The Velazquezes kept pulling each other up and darting around, making steady progress toward their getaway vehicle.
Our team screamed in our coms, frustrated and bewildered as to why nothing seemed to be able to stop the Velazquezes.
“Dammit!” Vanessa wrenched her headset off and yanked out her gun.
“What are you doing?” I asked when she jumped out of her chair and made to leave the van. “What makes you think you can—?”
“I have to do something!” she snarled, throwing the back doors open.
I turned to the laptop. The Velazquezes seemed to have given up on their getaway car and were now heading for the main road where the surveillance van was parked. Where I was.
I panicked. “Shit, they’re heading this way!”
“What?” Vanessa stayed in the doorway, her gun pointed to the sky as she turned from left to right. “From which direction?”
“O-On your right.”
The only remaining officer in the van left his seat to crouch in front of me with his gun drawn. “Stay down and be quiet.”
I ducked under the desk, my organs steadily climbing up my throat. I felt like I was going to throw up. Sweat poured down my back.
“I see them,” Vanessa snarled, raising her weapon again. “SPD! Stop or we’ll shoot!”
I felt unreasonably calm. Like a supernatural force was willing my senses to be at peace. The Velazquezes must’ve been really close to the van. It felt so wrong. I knew I should’ve been terrified.
There was a pause where Vanessa stood poised and ready to fire. And nothing was happening. The Velazquezes couldn’t have been intimidated by her shouting. Her bullets could do no more damage than everyone else’s. So why had they stopped running? Could they sense me? Did they realize something was off? For whatever reason, they hesitated which was exactly what our team needed.
“Restraints!” someone in my headset cried. Then a boom, like a canon firing.
“We’ve got you,” Vanessa said with satisfaction. “It’s over.”
The officer acting as my human shield moved out of the way so I could see. The Velazquezes were on the ground, struggling with thick rope netting. Vanessa and four other officers were coming down on them, shooting tasers to try to keep the immortal couple from wriggling free of the netting. Finally, they were both cuffed, hands and feet and chest.
It really was over.
“Charlie?”
I blinked down at the phone I still clutched in my hand. My knuckles ached. I slowly loosened my grip.
“Yeah?” I croaked.
“What’s going on? Are you all right?” Angela asked.
“They got them.” I choked on a laugh.
Angela wept freely while Jerald murmured reassurances in the background.
I could only savor the victory for a moment because I got this slimy, gross feeling in my stomach. I gagged.
“Whoa, you okay, Charlie?” my former human shield asked.
I had just enough time to shake my head before I slumped forward and was catapulted into a vision.
Jasmine stood in the middle of her glass birdhouse on the roof of the precinct. She was wearing one of my old hoodie sweaters and a jean miniskirt with those faithful, clunky swampers. She had a hollow look on her face. A painful little smile made it seem like she had indigestion. Looking up at her birds, she said, “This is where I say goodbye, friends.”
Then she took a knife out of her bucket of birdseed.
“Jazz,” I said, my heart jumping around, “what are you doing?”
“Goodbye, little
