Midnight protection a bo.., p.1
Midnight Protection: A Boxset, page 1
MIDNIGHT PROTECTION
D E E B RI D G N O R TH
Copyright © 2019
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Book One
Chapter 1 – Viktor
Chapter 2 – Emily
Chapter 3 – Viktor
Chapter 4 – Emily
Chapter 5 – Emily
Chapter 6 - Viktor
Chapter 7 – Viktor
Chapter 8 – Emily
Chapter 9 – Viktor
Chapter 10 – Emily
Chapter 11 – Viktor
Chapter 12 – Emily
Chapter 13 – Viktor
Chapter 14 – Emily
Chapter 15 – Viktor
Chapter 16 – Emily
Chapter 17 – Emily
Chapter 18 – Viktor
Chapter 19 – Emily
Chapter 20 – Viktor
Chapter 21 – Emily
Chapter 22 – Viktor
Chapter 23 – Emily
Chapter 24 – Viktor
Chapter 25 - Emily
Chapter 26 – Viktor
Chapter 27 – Emily
Chapter 28 – Emily
Chapter 29 – Emily
BOOK TWO
Chapter 1 – Willow
Chapter 2 – Julian
Chapter 3 – Willow
Chapter 4 – Julian
Chapter 5 – Willow
Chapter 6 – Julian
Chapter 7 - Willow
Chapter 8 – Willow
Chapter 9 – Julian
Chapter 10 – Willow
Chapter 11 – Julian
Chapter 12 – Willow
Chapter 13 – Willow
Chapter 14 – Willow
Chapter 15 - Willow
Chapter 16 – Julian
Chapter 17 – Willow
Chapter 18 – Willow
Chapter 19 – Willow
Chapter 20 – Willow
Chapter 21 – Willow
Chapter 22 – Julian
Chapter 23 – Willow
Chapter 24 – Willow
Chapter 24 – Willow
Chapter 25 – Julian
BOOK THREE
Chapter 1 – Graham
Chapter 2 - Shasta
Chapter 3 - Shasta
Chapter 4 – Shasta
Chapter 5 – Shasta
Chapter 6 - Graham
Chapter 7 – Shasta
Chapter 8 - Shasta
Chapter 9 – Shasta
Chapter 10 - Shasta
Chapter 11 - Graham
Chapter 12 - Graham
Chapter 13 – Graham
Chapter 14 - Graham
Chapter 15 – Shasta
Chapter 16 - Graham
Chapter 17 – Graham
Chapter 18 - Graham
Chapter 19 - Shasta
Chapter 20 - Shasta
Chapter 21 – Graham
Chapter 22 – Shasta
Chapter 23 – Graham
Chapter 24 – Shasta
Chapter 25 – Shasta
Chapter 26 – Graham
Chapter 27 – Shasta
Chapter 28 – Shasta
Chapter 29 – Shasta
Chapter 30 – Shasta
Chapter 31 – Graham
Chapter 32 – Shasta
Chapter 33 - Shasta
Chapter 34 - Shasta
BOOK FOUR
Chapter 1 – Alexis
Chapter 2 – Seth
Chapter 3 – Alexis
Chapter 4 – Alexis
Chapter 5 – Alexis
Chapter 6 – Seth
Chapter 7 – Alexis
Chapter 8 - Seth
Chapter 9 – Alexis
Chapter 10 – Alexis
Chapter 11 – Alexis
Chapter 12 – Alexis
Chapter 13 – Davina
Chapter 14 - Alexis
Chapter 15 – Alexis
Chapter 16 – Alexis
Chapter 17 – Alexis
Chapter 18 - Alexis
Chapter 19 - Alexis
Chapter 20 - Alexis
Chapter 21- Alexis
Chapter 22 - Alexis
Chapter 23 - Alexis
Chapter 24 - Seth
Chapter 25 - Alexis
Chapter 26- Alexis
Chapter 27 - Alexis
Chapter 28 - Alexis
Chapter 29 - Alexis
Chapter 30 - Alexis
Chapter 31 - Alexis
Chapter 32 - Alexis
BOOK FIVE
Chapter 1 - Mandy
Chapter 2 – Lucas
Chapter 3 - Lucas
Chapter 4 – Mandy
Chapter 5 – Lucas
Chapter 6 – Davina
Chapter 7 – Lucas
Chapter 8 – Lucas
Chapter 9 - Lucas
Chapter 10 - Amanda
Chapter 11 – Davina
Chapter 12 - Davina
Chapter 13 - Davina
Chapter 14 - Davina
Chapter 15 - Davina
Chapter 16 - Davina
Chapter 17 - Davina
Chapter 18 - Davina
Chapter 19 - Davina
Chapter 20 - Davina
Chapter 21 - Davina
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25 – Amanda
Chapter 26 - Amanda
Chapter 26 – Amanda
Chapter 27 - Amanda
Chapter 28 – Amanda
Chapter 30 – Mandy
Chapter 31 – Amanda
Chapter 32 – Amanda
Chapter 33 – Lucas
Chapter 34 – Amanda
Chapter 35 - Lucas
Chapter 36 – Lucas
Chapter 37 – Lucas
Book One
Chapter 1 – Viktor
A thick mist drifted off the rolling black waters of the Mississippi, adding to the already eerie atmosphere. There was a chill in the air that was unusual, even for the middle of January.
I noticed none of this. Seeing in the dark wasn’t a problem for me. What I couldn’t see, I could smell or hear. My extraordinarily keen senses were one of the few benefits of the dark gift, though I didn’t so much view it as a gift. It was more of a curse than a gift.
My curse was darkness and a warped version of immortality.
My soul is trapped in a body that owes its immortality to death.
“Viktor.” A shadowy figure immerged from the swirling mist. “You’re late.”
“I was held up at the office.”
“You know how risky this is,” he reminded me, his voice laced with apprehension.
Detective Jake Randall was one of the few humans to know the truth about Midnight Protection. He knew what we were, and he kept our secret. It wasn’t as if he had a choice. We were the only ones who could help New Orleans control a certain segment of the population not as inclined to abide by the law as humans were.
“I know, and I’m sorry,” I apologized. “You know how much we depend on your info and appreciate all your help.”
Keeping our law enforcement contact happy was essential to Midnight’s success, as well as the success of Lucas’s mission. Basically, Midnight Protection had two missions, ensure the safety of humans against a threat that most of them didn’t even realize existed, but there was something else just as important.
“What do you have for me?” I asked.
“There are signs that the Underground may be operating in the city.” Randall took another step in my direction.
“I’m sure you heard about the bodies we found in the Lafayette Cemetery last night.”
I nodded. “The news claimed they were tourists and that the police believe it was a mugging that went south.”
Jake nodded. “Their cash was gone, but what you didn’t hear on the news is that the victims were drained of blood. Robbery wasn’t the only motive, but that information hasn’t been released to the public.”
“It could be a wayward vamp.” I lifted my shoulders.
Although not unheard of, occasionally a vampire might go off the rails. But for the most part, vampires kept a low profile. Vampires tended to keep dedicated feeders, or if they did attack a human, they were careful to leave them alive and completely unaware of what had happened. Vampires that killed indiscriminately posed a danger to the rest of us, and this was something that couldn’t be tolerated.
The Underground was a wayward nest of rebel vampires that did exactly that. They killed without regard for their victims or even their own best interest. The Underground didn’t care about humans and viewed them simply as food. It was as if they’d forgotten they’d once been human themselves.
They’d lost their humanity.
But even worse was the fact that the Underground wanted to come out of hiding. They believed themselves to be superior to humans with every right to control the world. Part of Midnight’s mission was to ensure that never happened.
“I’m surprised they would risk anything too blatant here,” I commented doubtfully.
The Underg
“What are you thinking?” I fell into step beside him as we started down the boardwalk.
“The tourists were incidental,” he sighed. “They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is enough crime in the city, so they probably figured that Lucas wouldn’t suspect anything.”
I agreed. The tourists had likely been wandering the cemetery after dark. Many visitors disregarded all the warnings and broke into the cemeteries at night. I couldn’t help but wonder if they would be so careless if they truly understood what dangers lie in wait for them beyond those cemetery gates.
But these vampires weren’t in New Orleans just to hunt in cemeteries. They were here for a reason.
Frowning, Jake glanced over at me. “Your boss will need to get a handle on this. Sooner or later it will get out that the victims were drained of blood … and if there are more like that, you’ll have people turning this city upside down looking for a serial killer. That can’t be good for you guys.”
He was right. Not only could it bring unwanted attention, but we would probably end up with every slayer in the country stalking the city in search of vampires. That could get ugly fast.
“I’m sure Lucas will want to get on this right away,” I said. “In the meantime, you know the areas of the city where the police will need to increase patrols, right?”
“I’ve already suggested to the captain that we need extra patrols around the cemeteries and high-traffic tourist areas. Whether he’ll listen, I don’t know.” Jake shrugged his wide, burly shoulders.
A blissfully naive public had always been a problem. As long as the population was kept in the dark, they were vulnerable, but the alternative was probably worse. As long as they were unaware, they could go through life without being terrified of the darkness.
Most of the public would never encounter a vampire, or even if they did, they’d never know it. On the other hand, if the public realized just how many roamed their city streets, there would be panic.
Jake stopped when we reached a late-model Dodge four-door sedan. Although the blue sedan wasn’t marked in any way, it obviously belonged to a cop. Police always drove boring cars, which was one reason I preferred working for Midnight. The money was a hell of a lot better, and the boss understood that working dayshift was out of the question.
“Keep me updated.” Jake opened the car door and got in. “And keep an eye on the news for more tourist problems.”
As I watched Detective Randall drive away, my thoughts turned to Mortas. He was the real reason I’d taken a job with Midnight Protection. Lucas was after the Underground, and I was positive that Mortas was part of that nefarious vampire group that most referred to as the Underground. I’d been hunting Mortas for almost three hundred years, but so far, I hadn’t managed to even get a glimpse of the vampire. He was like a ghost.
There were lots of rumors about Mortas. He was said to be a vampire so ancient that he’d turned before the rise of the Roman Empire. I had no idea if the rumors were true or not, but I did know that Mortas was a vampire extremely skilled at remaining obscure.
The pain of losing Clarice was no longer as acute as it had once been, but the rage was still there. The devastation and anger had long ago seared its way into my soul. Now, only revenge could put out that fire.
I would avenge Clarice’s murder, and then I would walk into the light and finally bring an end to the eternal darkness that was now my life.
That had been my plan from the beginning. I had no desire to spend eternity walking the earth as the world change around me. The vampire’s existence was akin to standing behind a glass wall while life unfolded on the other side, just beyond your grasp. That was the real curse of the vampire.
Chapter 2 – Emily
“But, Daddy, I want to go too,” Emily cried, tears welling up in her topaz-colored eyes.
Patrick Pagano kneeled in front of his daughter and took her hands in his.
“Not this time, pumpkin.” He shook his head, and when he did, long locks of curly brown hair brushed against his shoulders.
In his camouflage hat and tan khakis, her daddy looked just like a real-life Indiana Jones. But he didn’t just look like an adventurer. Patrick Pagano was a real, honest-to-goodness treasure hunter, and he almost always took her with him, at least he had been lately.
Why not this time?
“It’s too dangerous,” he said with a sad smile. “I could never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
“It won’t.”
Patrick drew his daughter into his arms, hugging her to his chest. “Don’t worry, Em. I’ll be back before you know it.”
* * *
The sound of the phone ringing woke me before the part of the dream where I watched as my father walked away for the last time.
Brushing tears from my eyes, I rolled over and grabbed my phone from the bedside table. Still half asleep, I had to squint to see the caller ID. It was the alarm company.
“Hello,” I said with a bit of a sleepy squeak in my voice.
“Miss Pagano?” A man came on the line.
“Yes, what’s wrong?”
“Can you provide your password?” he asked.
“Patrick,” I said without hesitation. “What’s wrong?”
“You have an alarm going off at your place of business. Would you like us to send the police?”
“Umm, no. I’ll take care of it,” I told him, as I sat up and flipped on the light next to my bed.
I’d already had a false alarm this week and had been warned by the police department that if I had another, I might be fined. A fine was exactly what I didn’t need right now.
“But if you haven’t heard from me in an hour, you can call the police,” I added.
“I will make a note to call you in an hour if you haven’t called back,” he said.
“Thanks,” I told him.
Ending the call, I glanced at my phone and noticed that it was almost three in the morning. I’d gone months without a false alarm, and suddenly I get two in one week. The police were convinced that rodents were setting off the motion detector, but I wasn’t so sure.
The last time the alarm went off, I’d noticed that some of the items in the shop had been moved, but because I wasn’t absolutely sure, I didn’t press it when the police brushed it off.
Forcing myself to get up, I hurried into the bathroom to throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Before leaving my apartment, I grabbed the baseball bat from the closet. I kept it on-hand just for situations like this. Since I didn’t own a gun, a baseball bat seemed like the next best thing.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I descended to the back courtyard where the designated tenant parking was located.
The fog was so thick that I could barely make out the outline of my truck that I’d parked about twenty feet from the building’s exit.
I hesitated. With such poor visibility, the drive to my shop on the corner of St. Louis and Royal might be even more hazardous than normal. The roads were so narrow that even on a clear night it took real talent to keep from hitting something.
But the only other option was to let the alarm company phone the police. The fog didn’t bother me enough to risk a fine.
Normally, my white Tacoma stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of all the tiny cars in the parking lot. Due to the narrow roads, most French Quarter residents knew better than to drive big trucks. Although mine was only midsize, it looked huge next to the rest of the automobiles in the Arms Apartments parking lot.
Using my remote, I unlocked the truck before making a mad dash into the dark, foggy lot. It wasn’t so much that I was afraid of the dark, but crime in any city was pretty horrible and New Orleans was not an exception.
Trekking across town in the middle of the night wasn’t actually that smart. The one advantage of a three a.m. trip to the shop is that there were few people in the streets and almost no traffic.
Fortunately, I didn’t live too far from my shop, and the drive was uneventful. I could hear the alarm sounding as soon as I pulled up in front of Treasure Chest Antiques. Putting the truck in park, I studied the front of the shop. From what I could tell, the door appeared to be secure.
Drawing in a deep, calming breath, I got out of the truck and made my way to the entrance, my hand clenched tightly around the baseball bat.
This was the part I hated. It was dark, and the alarm panel was located at the back of the store.
I should have had the place rewired so that I would have a way of turning on the lights from the front of the store.
