5. Preys and Predators; The Betrayal Part 2 Rating Mature

3.

The Detective

The Council once told us that we are a special breed; the last of our kind. We numbered in the hundreds but with so many tribes, only a handful carried the Hantok name. We knew that we were hunted not by humans, but by the others. The vampires are our arch enemy and the cause of our dwindling numbers. For centuries we had fought, although we had come from one, but evolved on our own to be what we are then. I had hunted the vampires, and killed them by the codes of conduct of the law or beneath it. My badge allowed me special access and also privileges to access certain quarters. Among them was the human group named as the In-Between. They harbour the likes of us from the law. I had twice sent over kins who were driven by the full moon urge. They did not kill their victims, but they deserved sanctuary. The group arranged for them to be shipped out to other states, with supervision of the houses there, to protect them.

"Father Sanchez, I did not do it." I sat there on the long bench in the main hall of the church. Father Sanchez ran the local house for the 'In-Between'. He was an older man dressed in the frock of the faith but he carried a heavy burden on his chest. The cancer was eating at him and soon he would need to find a successor. He had denied all help as he said, let me die in service than to rot on the bed for the devil. More to that, he was blind in sight from an earlier disease.

"No, my child. You may not had done it but the mind plays on the soul."I looked at the man who laid his doubts on me. I had known him since I was young and reckless then, but with his guidance I was redeemed in the correct path.

"I cannot tell if you are innocent. Or guilty. Only he can do it. I am just his leading sheep while you was one of his lost ones. Trust in him and he would show you mercy in his own ways." Father Sanchez advised me.

"On your mother, she would be attended to with the full service." Father Sanchez told me. I offered to pay him but he said all payments would be submitted when we met him.

"Father Sanchez, tell me of any misled sheep that had been to your parish?" The question blurted out with no intention of malice. I was trying to do my job as the defender of the innocent.

"I have many lost sheep. But there was one. She came one week ago. She was in need of salvation." Father Sanchez replied. "Seek her but she may not be the one you seek."

He gave me an address.

It was a junkie house; dangerous structure which no restoration needed but demolition would had suffice. The house was a three level, with an average of twelve rooms. I walked in by the back door, stared down two junkies who taught I was fresh meat, and slammed one bitch who came on too strong. I stopped at the third door on the second level. I did not knock but kicked the door down. I walked in and saw her. She was huddle on the corner suffering from withdrawals. I pulled and threw her over my shoulder before carrying her down. I had swapped the bike for a van which was where I dumped her in. I drove off to my safe haven.

The Attorney

I had the case wrapped up with the defenders to pay cost plus compensation in the suit. My client walked up to me and thanked me. He was an old man with years of business experiences but the last deal was not done with words but by threats.

"Thank you, Mr Landon. You saved my company." Mr Golan thank me but his adversary had harsh words for me.

"Mr Landon, bad things happen to those who goes against me.": Mr Hasin glared at me. "My son's death was one you did not help me. Now you help the one who laughed at my face. I am a good man with better memories of the bad things. You had moved yourself up the list of bad things. Ms. Morales would be your least concern."

I wanted to grab the man in the tailormade suit, but Heidi who was next to me stepped up to face me. Her look stopped my action. She handed me the paper to read. I did and excused myself.

I was in the Italian cafe with the owner sitting across me. He had served me coffee and a slice of apple pie. On the later, he said it was the culture requirement but he changed only in the exterior.

"I am not too fond of the detective, but she had saved my family once or twice, I can't recalled. Since she is in trouble, I offered to help." The owner looked around before talking again. "She left me a note to pass to you."

The note said she may had a lead. She would advise me. She also told me to be careful.

I questioned the owner more but he said that was all he know. I doubt the man but there was nothing for me to worked on. I left the cafe and went back to the office. I saw the tail on my rear window and did a drive to the hills. Since my sabbatical trips up there, I knew the roads well. I had the tail off my window before I pulled off to a side road. The car passed me and I took to tailed it. I had the number down and soon called Clarice. She called me back; it was registered to the Hasin Corporation.

So I was in the bad things list to be removed, I guess.

Special Agent

I lied to him when I passed him the name. It was from another corporation; the Golan Corporate Enterprise. Mr Golan was not only a business man with years of trading but also a trafficker of drugs. He was under scrutiny by the DEA of a new drug that had side effects. Since he won the case, I was elated for his success but with the call, I was concerned for his involvement. He could be considered as collateral damage, of Hasin decided to play tough. More to that, Precinct 7^th had a three officers under observation including Detective Morales.They were all involved in the raid on the warehouse where six traffickers and four of officers were shot dead and a stash of drugs found. They also found a lab with surgical equipment and dismembered joints. There were no suspects to questioned as all the officers claimed that the former attacked them despite being shot. They had linked the drugs to Golan.

The DEA held back on the investigation pending the outcome of the court case between Golan and Hasin. They reckon with either verdict there would be a gang war. The DEA want to picked up the leftover later.

She got the call from an informer who squeaked to her's. Morales had a visit to church.

"Father Sanchez, please tell me if you had seen Morales?" I asked him as we met on the church steps.

"Yes, I did. She was here." I did not expect anything else. The man in the frock would never lied on his name. "I told her to go and seek the truth. She did not kill her mother. Someone did and blamed her for it."

I thanked the priest and walked to my car. When I opened the door, another car pulled up beside mine. The man with the dark shades got out and leveled the gun at me. I ducked down but he was not aiming at me. He was aiming at the father.

"Die, wolf lover." The man in the shade jumped back his car and the car sped off. I had my gun out but I was scared to my bones. I could had been shot then. I remembered the priest. I ran up to him but he was beyond the help of mortals.

Did someone shot the priest because of Morales? Or was it me?

I called Jimmy. I needed him then. Thank God, I had speed dial for him. I was already shaking in my arms. Gang war was never my turf, I only hunt serial killers. They don't shoot most times.