1
Morgan
I hear Andy grind his teeth. “I don’t like this,” he whispers, eyes moving up and down the alley. His voice is barely audible. His hand is on his gun, which is holstered at his side.
“My intel is good,” I assure him. “They abandoned this location yesterday. We need more information on where they’re headed. We can get a team together, track them, and exterminate them before they hurt any more people. That means going in now,” I whisper as well, even though I don’t have to. Call it a habit. You can’t be too careful.
Andy swallows thickly, his eyes on the door. “I would prefer it if we brought in a team now. What if they’re still in there?” My partner is one of the bravest men I know, and yet I understand his apprehension. Back to ‘no such thing as being too careful’. Andy is probably right about waiting, just to be sure…but that would mean losing them.
No!
Forget it.
“They’ve left.” I’m repeating myself, which normally irritates me. I do it anyway. “Calling in a team would mean waiting days for everyone to assemble. You want to catch this herd, don’t you?”
“We could put eyes on this location for a day or two and proceed from there.”
“May as well wait for a team then…I’m going in.” I know I’m being a jerk, but I can’t help it. “I trust her. You stay here if you want to.”
“You don’t really know her,” he half growls.
“I trust my gut.” I raise my brows. Lilith and I are tight. I didn’t have any girlfriends growing up. I always found myself hanging out with the guys. It’s been really nice to finally meet a woman I connect with. “She’s good people.”
“There is no such thing as a good harpy,” he mutters, shaking his head.
“The only good harpy is a dead harpy,” I say. “How many harpies have you actually met?”
He narrows his eyes. “You know the answer to that.” He sighs. “My grandfather ran into a harpy once. Said she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met.”
I roll my eyes. Men!
“Said he couldn’t get her out of his mind for months.”
“What happened to her then?”
“He had to kill her, or he would have been a goner. He said—”
I can’t help the laugh that’s pulled from me. This story is getting more and more far-fetched by the second. “Frank could tell a story, alright.”
“They weren’t all stories.” Andy looks put out.
“I know that, but come on, there is not much known about the species. They can’t all be bad.” What am I saying? “They aren’t all bad.”
“Some of them are fucking evil as a collective, and you know that.” He points at the door. “Some of them are born bad…most of them,” he corrects.
“I don’t like generalizing. Besides, Lilith is really nice. You met her. You liked her. You…” I’m smirking at this point.
Andy rolls his eyes. “She’s hot,” he groans. “Fine, I’ll say that much. It’s hard not to like…all that…to be taken in. It’s almost freakish how I see her, and…my mind is blown.”
I roll my eyes again. Always the same.
His eyes get this faraway look. “I’ve met her a few times now and…” He shrugs, shaking his head. He still looked undecided. “She’s a harpy,” he finally pushes out. “When I’m not around her, and I can think straight…” He pauses. “I don’t know. There’s something off about her. You can’t trust a harpy.”
“More generalization. Her sex appeal doesn’t work on me, and I like her just fine. I’ve known her for a couple of months, and I still like her. I trust her.”
“Are you sure you trust her because you’re trusting your gut, or is it because you want to believe her so that we can catch this herd?” He points at the warehouse.
“It’s not that.” My mind works through the possibility. “I mean, I really want to get eyes on this herd. I really want us to take them down, but I trust Lilith. She told me they left, and I believe her.” I shrug.
“Why didn’t she tell you they were here in the first place?” He looks skeptical.
“She only heard about them leaving this morning. She called me immediately. I called you straight after, and here we are. I trust her,” I say for the millionth time.
His eyes move to mine for a second, and I watch as his shoulders relax. He gives me a nod. “Okay, I’ve known you for years. We’ve been partners for two of those years—”
“Three,” I correct him. “It’ll be three years next month.”
He smiles. “Time flies. I trust you, and I’ll follow you in there. Let’s do this thing.”
“Hey,” I turn back to lock eyes with his, my hand is on the door handle, “Lilith may have mentioned that she’s interested in you.” I wink at him.
I see interest flare in his eyes. He schools the emotion. “She’s your friend.” He shakes his head. “I’m not going there.”
I snort. “I don’t mind.”
“We’ll talk about it later. I’m sure there must be a rule against us dating the enemy.”
“I know I have a rule. I guess I sort of broke it by being friends with Lilith so…”
He narrows his eyes. “Let’s first find out where these fuckers are headed.”
I nod before turning back to the warehouse entrance. Just as Lilith said it would be, the door is unlocked. We walk into the abandoned building. I carefully close the door behind us.
I squint into the shadows. Neither of us moves or breathes. We are met with complete silence. I roll my eyes at myself. Of course it’s empty. I push out a breath. We’re so damned paranoid. After everything we’ve seen, who wouldn’t be?
Andy pulls in a deep breath through his nose. I smell it too. It’s unmistakable. He draws his gun. I leave mine in the holster. I trust Lilith. I’ve never made friends with someone so quickly. So easily. When I found out who she was – what she was – I pulled back. I notified the higher power within our organization. I told them I had it under control. I did. I still do. She might be a harpy, but she’s my friend. She’s no angel, but she’s definitely not evil.
Andy signals that he’s going to circle around the outer perimeter. He still has his gun drawn. He’s being cautious.
I nod once, tempted to draw my own weapon as well. I don’t. They left yesterday. This warehouse is empty. We’re looking for clues. That’s all. Lilith is well connected. She knows things. I trust her.
I stop for a second. I watch Andy’s retreating back. I’m tempted to call out to him. It’s not too late to withdraw. To call a team. To draw my weapon.
My paranoia is ridiculous. I need to get a grip. I shake it off and keep walking. The smell is getting worse. The musty scent of animals. I smell excrement and urine. I smell…grass and a coppery scent.
All is quiet. If they were here, we would hear them. It’s not like a herd of these things would be silent. Especially since they have no idea we are here. What am I saying? This abandoned warehouse is just that…abandoned. It’s no longer housing—