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Max is right about this and how I know that he’s right is not something I want to share. I already know what he thinks of me. “What do you want from me?”
    “There’s a pattern to the killings. We find the bodies on our patrols on Tuesday mornings. Always in roughly the same location.”
    “If you know this, you don’t need me. Set a trap.”
    “We did. Last week. The guy slipped past us as if he was invisible. But not before leaving us another victim. A young girl. You have to realize, Anna, our emphasis is on stopping the drug trade. Not human trafficking. We don’t have the resources to conduct another undercover op. That’s why I’m here. To ask you to come with me tomorrow night. If I’m right, the only way we’re going to stop him is by fighting fire with fire.”
    I snort. “You mean vampire with vampire.”
    Max’s mouth tightens. “This isn’t a joking matter.”
    “Do I look like I’m joking?”
    His expression shifts, softens. “Sorry. I know I’m asking a lot. I don’t know what else to do. If we don’t stop him, he’ll go on killing. He likes it. He’s found an easy food source. And he takes money from victims desperate to make a new life.”
    He stops, draws a breath. “Culebra told me you’re some sort of uber-vamp now. Well, I need an uber-vamp. I can’t think of another way to stop him.”
    Uber-vamp. Yeah. That’s me, all right. Head of the thirteen vampire tribes. Only thing is, except for a few extra abilities, I don’t feel any different than I did before. The only thing that’s changed is that I have another uber-vamp, Chael, gunning for me.
    I push the thought out of my head. I can probably help Max. I’m stronger than other vamps. The question is, do I want to?
    Stupid question. I choose my words carefully.
    “I’ll do it. But not for you. I’ll do it because a vamp who acts like this is a rogue, a threat to all vampires. Sooner or later, what he’s doing will come to the attention of vampire hunters. Then none of us will be safe.”
    Max lets his relief show in a tiny gesture of gratitude. He holds out a hand.
    I let my feelings show by standing up and taking a step out of reach. Max is still an asshole in my book. “Where shall I meet you?”
    He stands, too, lets his hands fall to his sides. “The border crossing at San Ysidro. Tomorrow night. Ten o’clock.”
    I nod. Max stares at me a minute, waiting I suppose for the ice to melt. It doesn’t, and finally, Max walks away.
    For the first time, I notice.
    He’s not limping anymore.
    At least one wound has healed.
    When I get back to the cottage, there’s no one waiting for me, no urgent voice mails announcing yet another crisis. I decide to push everything that happened this morning out of mind and do what I originally intended to do this Sunday afternoon. Curl up with a bottle of wine and watch a Dead Like Me marathon on the Syfy channel.
    Only in my original plan, Stephen was supposed to be curled up on the couch with me.
    I pour myself a nice big glass of Merlot and fire up the TV. The first time I saw this series I was human. Amazing how one’s perspective can change. Now not only does the title seem ironic, but a story about a grim reaper? Reapers have it easy. From where I sit, being a reaper is a hell of a lot easier than being a vampire.

CHAPTER 5
     
    I PLANNED TO BEAT EVERYONE INTO THE OFFICE ON Monday morning. Check telephone messages, the calendar, pull notices from the fax and, if no jobs presented themselves, sneak away before David showed up.
    Well, I did beat David.
    But not our other partner, Tracey.
    She’s already at work behind the desk, pencil in hand, scanning fugitive posters hot off the fax. She’s sitting in David’s seat and looks up when I come in.
    She’s pretty in a “don’t fuck with me” kind of way. Big eyes, big smile she can switch to a just-as-big scowl. She uses both to her advantage. She wears very little makeup, and I’ve never seen her long auburn hair in