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petered out.
    “Carl, talk to me,” Amaury ordered. His hand gripped the handle bar above the window.
    “Engine blew, brakes are sticky, and the steering is stiff. What else do you want? A running commentary?”
    For the first time since he’d known Carl, he saw him lose his temper. His shoulders drawn up, the skin on his neck muscles pulling into tight horizontal lines, Carl was as close to panic as Amaury had ever seen him.
    The car flew over a bump on the road and landed hard, lifting everybody out of their seats before they landed hard on their butts again. Vampires weren’t into wearing seatbelts.
    Another wild steering maneuver and Carl brought the vehicle over the sidewalk. Both the curb and the thick brush the car grazed helped stop it inches before it hit a low fence.
    Amaury looked at his colleagues. Everybody appeared a little disheveled, but nobody was hurt.
    Immediately, Carl pulled the lever for the hood and jumped out, Amaury on his heels. He heard displeased grunts behind him as he joined Carl who’d already propped the hood up. With his hands Carl waved the smoke and steam away, before he started inspecting the engine.
    “Damn,” Carl exclaimed after several seconds.
    “What?”
    “Here, see this?” Carl pointed to a hose, not that Amaury knew exactly what it was. It appeared to be blown to bits. “This didn’t just happen on its own. Somebody made sure it did. This was no accident.” Carl’s grave look was worrisome. He wasn’t one to spurt baseless accusations.
    Amaury trusted Carl’s assessment, even though he himself couldn’t confirm it. Other than driving a fast German car, he wasn’t really into the mechanics of it. He left that up to people who found tinkering with an engine interesting.
    Carl pointed at some tiny items hanging off the shredded hose. Amaury followed his finger. Two wires.
    “Looks like somebody didn’t want us to get back. Somebody set a charge.”
    “Shit.” Amaury raised his head to scan the horizon and then looked at his watch. “Fifteen minutes to sunrise.”

Five

    The New York vampires scrambled out of the car and congregated around the open hood. Quinn gave the engine a more than cursory look as he bent over it and sniffed.
    “The engine’s shot. We can’t rig it here. Takes too long.” Quinn gave Amaury a knowing look. “Explosives.”
    Amaury nodded.
    “What now?” Gabriel asked, his voice tense.
     “I’ll call Oliver to pick us up in the blackout van.” Carl flipped his phone open.
    “No time. We’ll be toast before he gets here. We need to hide,” Amaury said.
    “Where?” Yvette asked, looking around the quiet neighborhood. “You don’t suggest we break into a house and scare the shit out of the inhabitants, do you?”
    “That’s exactly what we’ll have to do,” Zane insisted. “There’s no time for your misplaced sensitivities.” There was a dangerous undertone in his voice.
    “Exposure is to be avoided at all cost,” Yvette retorted.
    Zane took a step toward her, going nose to nose as he let out a low snarl. “Would you rather be exposed to the sun? That can be arranged.”
    “Shut up, Zane, and leave her alone,” Amaury defended her. He had a better idea. “Let’s go. Keep up with me. There’s a house for sale about four blocks up.”
    “As much as I like California, I don’t think this is the time to buy a house, Amaury,” Quinn interrupted. As always he was the most relaxed amongst them.
    “You don’t have to buy it, but I’d like to show you guys the inside. Right now.”
    Amaury launched into a jog. His friends joined him as he ran along the sidewalk.
    “Don’t you need an appointment to show a house?” Quinn asked in a casual tone.
    Amaury pulled out his electronic lockbox key from his jacket pocket and waved it at Quinn. “Not if you have a key to it.”
    “We’d better be prepared to use our powers in case somebody’s there,” Gabriel advised.
    “It’s vacant. I was going to check it out for