Angel’s desk was filled with pictures of his grandmother and his parents before they died in a car crash, and comic book characters from before the war when paper and pens were still in existence.

  “Alright, we don’t have time for intros or whatever,” Dex said, tapping on the large screen at the front of the room. Usually, it looked like a blank glass board, but when he turned it on pictures of grisly crime scenes filled the space. “These murders happened a week apart. To the day.”

  Mark shifted in his desk and pulled a pack of cherry ropes from a drawer. Mark was a nervous eater, but Angel had never seen him shove three ropes in his mouth all at once.

  Dex cocked an eyebrow at Mark, but continued. “The killer left nothing behind. This guy is a professional.”

  “Who are the vics?” Leo asked.

  The screen flipped, showing two Supes in their late teens or early twenties. “Grace Farrow and Miles Knowles. Both vampires.”

  “We’re looking into the death of Supes now?” Mark challenged. Even Angel had to admit that investigating the murder of two teenage Supes was highly irregular for the Watch. “Are we just a joke to WT? We get the dumbass cases no one else wants?”

  Dex’s eyes narrowed. “We are sworn to protect the people. If there is a killer on the loose, what is stopping them from going after humans?”

  “Maybe this guy only kills Supes,” Astrid suggested.

  “We don’t operate on maybes.”

  The room fell silent.

  “I just do what Cole tells me,” Dex said, pacing the small space in front of their desks. “And Cole wants us to stop this guy before shit really hits the fan.”

  “Were there any witnesses?” Angel asked, hoping to relieve the tension sucking the air out of the room.

  Dex’s eyes softened as they shifted to Angel. “Two. A pack of wolves saw two figures fleeing the scene of the crime on August 4th, and a DRIVE-U employee saw two figures emerging from an alley on August eleventh.” Dex flipped the screen again. It went blank, and he started writing on it with a stylus, assigning the team to their leads. “Jaden, Leo, I want you to interview the driver. Mark and Astrid, go down to the morgue and get the reports from Dr. Pellman.”

  “What am I doing?”

  Dex smiled, and something warm and pleasant flowed through Angel. He tried to ignore the odd feeling. “You and I are going to interview the wolves.”

  Chapter Four

  Dex

  The perks of working for WatchTower didn’t outweigh the cons, but Dex loved his new helio-SUV and the two bedroom house the Watch had bought for him. He had never been one to care too much about material things, he could live in a one bedroom apartment and be just as happy, but he appreciated the nice things that were gifted to him.

  “You’re quiet,” he observed as he manually pulled out of the parking garage onto the freeway.

  WatchTower and a few other buildings shared by Supes and humans acted as the official line dividing the north and south. These were the only buildings Supes could legally enter so close to the north without getting arrested.

  “I’m always quiet.”

  Angel’s eyes are big and innocent, making that protective nature inside of Dexter take notice.

  Before moving to Albuquerque, Dex had seen a file containing pictures and biographies of everyone on his new team. But the picture and bio he had looked at the most was Angel’s. His big eyes and small stature had pulled Dex in--he had always been attracted to those he could protect. But Angel didn’t need protecting, he was trained in MMA and was a genius with a knife. The strength in Angel was what kept Dex looking at that picture.

  “I’m sorry about Felix,” he said, turning off of the freeway.

  They were deep in Supe territory now. The differences between the human side of the city and the Supe side were vast. The human side was immaculate thanks to the trash bots and Sanitary team that kept it sparkling. On the Supe side there were overflowing dumpsters with trash because the Sanitation team only cleaned the area once a month. Homeless Supes slept in parks and under bridges.

  We should be doing better, Dex thought as they passed a row of tents on the sidewalk. How can they survive here?

  Dex continued on his conversation with Angel. “I met him briefly back in the day.”

  Angel snorted. “Back in the day? Like you’re so much older than me.”

  “Thirty.”

  Angel rolled his eyes. “Not that much older. My abuela says back in the day when she talks about kissing sailors and dancing with her friends.”

  “Your grandma sounds like a riot.”

  Angel’s face softens, showcasing the immense amount of love he had for his grandmother. “She can’t do much anymore. She contracted the BTR Illness.”

  Dex suppressed a shudder. Years ago an outbreak of a strange illness happened to many humans and Supes. It began with fluid building up in their ears, kidneys shutting down and losing mobility. Dr. Benson Tyler Ruxon had came up with a treatment and a shot to prevent others from contracting the illness. Those that had were able to live longer. The treatments and shots were only administered to humans up until three years ago. Supes were only given the shot if they had been Turned after the 21st Century.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Angel shrugged off Dex’s apology with a small, sad chuckle.

  Dex pulled the SUV into the driveway of a small house just off Lomas. Outside a small group of children played in the synth-grass, and a man sat on the porch talking to a woman as she tended to some synth-flowers. They both stood as Dex and Angel exited the car, posed in fighting positions.

  “Takeo Hirota,” Dex said, walking up the path. “I’m Dexter Williams with WatchTower.”

  Takeo remained calm, aloof, but there was a real fear in his eyes. “And?”

  “And,” Dex said, irritation clear in his voice. “We would like to talk to a few of your betas: Henry, Brittney and Zio.”

  “Henry and Brittney are here, but I don’t know where Zio is.”

  “You don’t know where you’re own beta is?” Angel challenged.

  Takeo pinned Angel with a cold stare and smirked. “They come and go as they please. Zio is a free spirit.”

  “Fine. Can we talk to Henry and Brittney?” Dex cut in, trying to ease the tension.

  “Charlotte,” Takeo commanded the older woman. She was older than him by several years, but he held power over her as the alpha. “Please go get Henry and Brittney. And tell Bex to help you with dinner.” He turned back to the WatchMen as Charlotte went inside. “I’ll be staying out here as you conduct your interviews. Too many Supe lives have been lost at the hands of WatchTower.”

  “We only hunt Supes that break the law,” Angel snapped.

  Dex wanted to argue with his companion, but he hadn’t seen the things Dex had seen. Angel didn’t know the corruption inside the Watch.

  Takeo smiled a wicked smile that bared all his teeth and his eyes flashed gold. “Junior, if that’s what you really believe then you need to find something else to hang your hopes on. I could tell you all the times Hunters and WatchMen came through here and wiped out even the most innocent of us.”

  Kaya. Images of Dex’s niece filled his mind.

  Takeo descended the stairs, stopping only a feet away from Angel. “Tell me, Junior, who are you voting for in the upcoming election? The Supe hater?”

  “No.” From somewhere on his person Angel had produced a knife, pointing it at Takeo’s belly. “I believe in equal rights for Supes.”

  Takeo eyed the blade. “Funny way of showing it.”

  “Enough! Mr. Hirota, back off. Angel, stand down.”

  Takeo smirked but knelt down in the grass where the children were watching in stunned silence. One was crying, and Takeo was making soothing, rumbling noises in his throat.

  “I’m sorry,” Angel apologized, sheathing his knife. “I didn’t mean to scare them. Are they your children?”

  Takeo regarded Angel curiously. “In a way. All children belong to the pack. I’m not their father, but they are mine.”

  From around the corner a person with multi-colored hair entered the yard, swinging a large purse.

  “Zio. WM’s are here to talk to you.”

  “Well, shit,” Zio said, leaning against a synth-tree and lighting a cigarette. The smell of cinnamon and clove filled the small space around them. They wiped lipstick off their teeth and regarded Angel and Dex with a crooked smile. “Is this cause of the dead body I saw last week or the S-pot I told the last WM I didn’t have?”

  Dex held back a chuckle. The young wolf reminded him of his late sister. “I don’t give a shit about your S-pot.”

  “Honey, you could use some. You need to loosen up.”

  “Zio,” Takeo warned. “Show some respect.”

  Zio waved a hand at their alpha.

  The door banged open and two teenagers bounded down the stairs. The girl came to a stop by Zio, placing her head against their shoulder. The boy stood apart from the rest, hair hanging in his face.

  “The WMs are here to talk to you guys about what you saw last week. Don’t give them any lip, and answer all their questions honestly, understood?”

  “Yes, Takeo,” Brittney and Henry said in unison. Zio rolled their eyes.

  “Great.” Dex turned to the three teens. “I know you already told the other WatchMen what you saw, but we just have some follow up questions.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, for starters, Zio, you told Agent Diaz that you saw two figures in the alley, but couldn’t recall anything about their build or what they were wearing.”

  “One was male and the other was female,” Henry answered.

  Zio rolled their eyes again and took a long drag on their cigarette. “Like you remember.”

  “Better than you, obviously.”

  “Look,” Zio turned back to Dex, “I was high that night. Synth-weed is some good shit, but I don’t know if I saw two figures or four, ya know? Brit and Henry said they saw two, so I went with that.”

  Henry hit Zio’s shoulder. “Idiot. The male was about average height and build. He was wearing a vintage Armani jacket.”

  “Armani? That hasn’t been around for a hundred years.”

  “Hen’s studying fashion,” Zio boasted. “He loves vintage clothes.”

  Henry knocked Zio’s shoulder with a smile. “The female was wearing a skirt, not vintage but still high end. She was white; I could see her legs as she ran away.”

  “And you guys are the ones who called WatchTower to report the body?”

  “Yeah, I called,” Brittney said. “Zio threw up in the bushes.”

  “You didn’t have to tell them that!”

  Henry and Brittney smirked.

  “Thank you. This has been very helpful.”

  Takeo picked up one of the toddlers, placing her on his hip. “Are you done harassing my betas now?”

  “It’s called interviewing,” Angel quipped. “And we’re done.”

  Zio laughed. “I like him.”

  Takeo ignored his beta. “Get off my property then.”

  Dex rolled his eyes, and led Angel back to the car. With his hand on the door he called back to Zio. They turned, pushing their hair out of their eyes. “If I catch you smoking Synth-weed I will arrest you.”

  Zio laughed and waved the threat off.

  ★ ☆ ★

  As they arrived back at headquarters the Hunters were bringing Sinclair through the lobby to the execution room. The large space was quiet as they paraded the warlock. Both human and Supe alike stared at the man with judgement.

  Angel stiffened, his whole body vibrated next to Dex with shock and rage.

  “Angel?” Dex stepped in front of him, blocking the Hunters and Sinclair from view. “How about we go to the cafeteria and get some lunch. It’s already two.”

  “I want to watch.”

  “Angel, I--”

  “Please, Dex. I need to make sure that bastard gets what he deserves.”

  Dex sighed, and against his better judgement, led Angel to the elevator. They waited in silence, Angel fidgeting as he leaned against the wall.

  “Are you okay, Angel?”

  He looked up and offered Dex a small half-smile. “I will be once this fucker is dead.”

  The elevator doors opened and they piled in. Angel was pressed against Dex’s side even though they had the entire car to themselves. Not that Dex was complaining; he could smell Angel’s cologne: Lavender and Sandalwood. He yearned to put his arms around the smaller man’s shoulder and tell him everything was going to work out okay.

  “When I was new to the Watch,” he said, tapping his fingers against the rail, “I lost my unit leader.”

  “You did?’

  Dex nodded, looking up at the mirrored ceiling above. “Gus. He was my mentor like Felix was yours. I know what you’re going through, Angel. If you ever want to talk--”

  “Thank you, but I’m fine.”

  Dex doubted him, but nodded. “Okay. Well, the offer still stands.”

  The doors opened and they followed a group of Hunters, WatchMen and a few civilians to the Execution room. The circular hallway had no windows, and towards the middle were several archways that led into a huge open room with a dirt floor and a single metal post in the middle.

  Attached to the post with chains, Sinclair knelt in the dirt. His hair was matted with blood and sweat. His chest bare and cut with iron daggers dipped in pure Halven salt. The WatchMen and Hunters around the room shouted and cackled, goading their fellow comrades into abusing the warlock more. A Hunter stepped forward, pouring a bucket of Halven salted water on the warlock’s head. He screamed as the salt blistered his skin. The crowd cheered.

  Angel turned away. “I never thought too much about the execution ritual, the humiliation we cause just before we murder them, but after talking to Takeo…” he trailed off, looking at Sinclair once more. “He’s right, WatchTower takes advantage of Supes.”

  I nod. “Many innocents have lost their lives to WatchTower, but Sinclair caused the death of two innocent women and the injuries of many Supes. He killed your leader.”

  “I know. I just think we should forgo the humiliation and just execute him. We don’t need to draw it out, you know?”

  Dex pressed closer, placing a hand on Angel’s shoulder. “You have a big heart, Angel.”

  He smiled shyly and turned back towards the chained up warlock.

  The room fell silent as Hunting Unit 4928 stepped onto the dirt. Cameron Finch, the smallest in the group, took up a long broadsword. He stalked towards Sinclair while his fellow Hunters stayed back. He was the one who had caught Sinclair and arrested him; he would be the one to kill him.

  “Brandon Sinclair, you have violated laws 49 and 35 of the Southern Supe Code of Conduct. By the order of the WatchTower Albuquerque Division in District three, I sentence you to death.”

  Loud cheering went through the room like a wave. Across the sand, Dex saw Director Cole and Leo Till. The Director shook his head at Dex, making a motion to see him in his office after the execution.

  Cameron didn’t ask if the warlock had any last words. He swung the sword and cleaved Sinclair’s head from his shoulders.

  The head rolled until it came to a stop in front of the other Hunters. The leader bent down, grabbing it by the hair and hoisted it high. He let out a loud warrior’s cry.

  The rest of the Watch follow suit, even some of the civilians joined in.

  Angel and Dex remained silent.

  Chapter Five

  Dex

  “I told you to keep your unit away from the execution today, Dexter,” Alistair said, pacing the large expanse of his office. “Yet, I find Leo, and you escorted Angel down there yourself.”

  “You’re right, Director. I messed up.”

  “You disobeyed orders is what you did.” Alistair smiled. “I thought you would at least wait a few days before you went against what I said.” The Director turned, perching himself on the corner of his desk, adjusting his suit before saying, “Any new leads on the murder case?”

  “Angel and I talked to the wolves. There’s not much, but they believe one of the suspects is a woman. I have the rest of the team talking to the other witness.”

  Alistair nodded. “Good. The Head of the New Mexico WatchTower wants this case closed as soon as possible. They don’t give a shit that a bunch of Supes are being murdered; they just want the notoriety of catching a possible serial killer. The quicker your team solves this, the quicker you can go back to helping humans.”

  “And what do you think?” Dex asked, knowing full well that Director Cole didn’t agree with what he was being told. After everything they had been through in Salt Lake, the two friends had come out the other side with a different perspective on their roles at WatchTower.

  Director Cole scrubbed a hand down his face. “Someone’s murdering people. Supe or not, they are still people, and the sooner we get the son of a bitch off the streets, the better.

  “You got it, Al. Count on us.”

  “I am.”

  Angel was sitting on the chairs outside of Director Cole’s office when Dex exited. Amber’s desk was empty. Angel looked up from his hands as the door closed, jumping to his feet. His eyes wide and guilty.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble.”

  Dex stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. When Dex’s thumb accidentally brushed Angel’s neck, something in the air zapped with energy. Dex’s eyes were drawn to Angel’s lips as the younger man sucked in a breath at the contact, his pupils blew wide.

  “I didn’t get into trouble,” Dex said. His voice sounded thick and strange even to himself. He cleared his throat. “Cole just wanted to know how the case was going.”

  Angel looked down, scuffing his shoes against the floor. “Oh. I thought he was going to yell at you.”

  Dex chuckled. “How about we go for a drink?”

  Angel looked up, startled, cheeks turning pink. “I...um…” Dex could see in Angel’s eyes that he wanted to say yes. He could see it in the way he faltered over his words, and the way he pressed just a tiny bit more into Dex, but he shook his head. “I have a boyfriend.”

 

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