Chapter Fifteen

W hile Derek was busy giving Lou a report on their failure with the UV weaponry last night, Gina took the opportunity to shower and change clothes. On her way back, she ran into Jake sitting on a secluded shady hill overlooking the beach, furiously scribbling on a notepad.

“What are you doing?” she asked, grabbing a spot on the ground next to him.

He glanced at her, then shifted back to his notepad. “Taking notes.”

“Obviously,” she said with a smile. “What kind of notes?”

“Laser notes.”

“We had trouble with the UV last night.”

“I know. I heard Derek telling Lou. That’s why I’m making notes.”

She peered over his shoulder to see a few drawings and complex formulas that made absolutely no sense. “So what is that?”

“It’s an idea I have about reconfiguring the lasers.”

“Really? In what way?”

“Make a cutting tool out of the lasers instead of a flash weapon. I have the equipment here to do that. Just need some of Lou’s weaponry.”

“A cutting tool?”

He looked up at her again. “Slice and dice. Cut the demons in half.”

“Yuck. But oooh, I like the sound of that.” It would sure take care of the problem they’d encountered last night. “How long would it take to build the weapon?”

“Doesn’t take any time at all. Just a matter of sending the laser through the mechanism, and the mechanism is easy. The key is whether or not Lou will let me build and try one.”

“I don’t see why he wouldn’t. Have you talked to him about it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“He might say no.”

She rolled her eyes. “He might say yes. You need to tell him your idea.”

“We’ll see.”

Geniuses. She’d never understand them. “Jake, are you afraid to make the suggestion to Lou?”

“I don’t do people very well,” he mumbled, his hair falling over his face.

Shy. The kid was shy. That was kind of cute. “Would you like me to go with you?”

He jerked his head up, flipping his hair out of the way. “You’d do that?”

“Sure. I think your idea has merit. Let’s see what Lou says.”

 

“And you can create this laser cutting machine in a day?”

Jake shrugged, pushing his hair out of his eyes again. “Yeah. Pretty much. I mean it’s easy enough if I have the right tools, and I can create the remote controller easily. I can build it in a day, sure.”

Lou looked over at her, lifting his brows and nodding. “Interesting.”

“That means we lose weaponry,” Derek said. “Not sure I like the idea.”

“Only need a couple of the weapons,” Jake said, jamming his hands in his pockets.

“I think it’s a fabulous idea,” Gina said. “And given that the UV light weapons didn’t work for us last night, it’s worth a try.”

“They didn’t work for anyone,” Lou added. “We’re reconfiguring them now. But still, I like your idea, Jake. I do agree with Derek that we can’t really afford a shortage of weaponry, but if it’s only two, then go for it.”

“Excellent!” Gina was excited about this. “You need any help, Jake?”

Jake looked at her, wide-eyed. “Uh, yeah, if you want to.”

“I’d love to be involved in this, to see how you build it and to help you with the testing phase. Hell, I want to watch you kill demons with it.”

“I’ll bet you like those robot war shows on television,” Derek said to her.

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

Derek laughed. “You two go enjoy yourselves, then.”

She did. Thoroughly. Building something with her hands wasn’t something she often got to do. Jake really involved her in the process, and while she didn’t understand everything, because God knows the kid was light-years ahead of her, she had a fundamental understanding of what he was doing. They worked all that day and into the night. Gina even got to stay behind as one of the guards for Lou while everyone else went out hunting. Gina and Dalton stood guard mostly while Jake worked, but she watched Jake.

He was fast. Scary fast. The remote control part she understood, but the whole laser array was out of her realm of understanding. She tried to ask him questions, but he might as well have been speaking Klingon to her.

When she wasn’t watching Jake, she was watching Lou track demons and hunter activity. Derek and the others had managed to rerig the UV laser array, broadening and expanding the field. Of course it tested out as a stronger kill, but the only true test would be tonight. Gina had been torn between hanging out with Jake while he built the cutting laser and heading into the jungle to test the reconfigured UV weapon.

In the end, her geeky curiosity over the laser had won out. Derek didn’t seem to mind, just shrugged and reworked the teams for tonight. He was probably happy not to have to drag her along with him.

Okay, so she hoped he missed her. A little.

Give it up, Gina. Other than screwing you, he’s primarily interested in hunting demons. You’re not his girlfriend or any permanent attachment in his life. You’re a fellow demon hunter and occasional sex partner. So get over yourself.

To keep from obsessing about it, she turned to Lou. “How are they doing out there?”

“Holding on. All teams are engaged.” He looked up at her. “That’s all I can really tell you right now.”

“Thanks.” So no word yet on how the adjusted weaponry would work.

“I think the laser’s ready for a quick test,” Jake said.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

Gina looked to Lou. “Be my guest.”

“What’s the range, Jake?”

“Close is best. Say twenty-five feet.”

Gina scanned the area lit by torches. “How about that tree limb right at the entrance to the jungle? That’s about twenty-five feet.”

“It’ll do.” He took the remote, which looked a lot like one of the devices used to manipulate a radio-controlled toy. After a quick flip of a side switch, the device lit up and began a soft whirring noise.

“It’s supposed to do that, right?” she asked.

“Yeah. Don’t worry.”

She had been the recipient of too many high school chemistry class experiments gone wrong to believe that one. “Uh, I’ll try. I’ll just assume you know what you’re doing.”

He laughed. “Just step a little behind me in case this thing explodes.”

He didn’t have to say that twice. She moved back and held her breath while he aimed the handheld remote laser pointer in the direction of the branch attachment to the trunk. Once he had it in position, he pressed the button on the remote and a bright flash of light cut across the limb. It flamed for a second, then fell off the tree and crashed to the ground.

“Yes!” Gina jumped up in the air and threw her arms around Jake. “It works! It works!”

When she pulled back, Jake had turned beet red, but had the widest grin she’d ever seen. Gina pivoted and turned to Lou. “Did you see it?”

Lou was smiling. “I did. Well done, Jake. A very useful weapon.”

“Thanks.”

She couldn’t wait for them to try it out.

 

Derek wasn’t in the mood to argue.

And obviously Gina wasn’t in the mood to see reason.

“You don’t fight on Jake’s team. You fight on mine,” Derek said the next night when it was time to get ready.

“I understand that,” Gina argued. “But I’ve been helping Jake since the inception of the laser. I would think you’d make allowances just this once. I want to go with him when he test-fires this thing.”

“And he needs to be with experienced hunters who can back him up.”

She blew out a breath of frustration. “Then put another hunter with us. Put two. You can go, too. I don’t care. I just want to be there.”

They stood on the beach face-to-face like Old West gunfighters preparing to draw. The other hunters were waiting, their rifles poised over their shoulders.

“Just keep things the way they are.”

“I’m going with Jake.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yeah, I am. What are you going to do, shackle me to your ankle and drag me along with you into the jungle?”

“Don’t make this difficult, Gina. It’s important you understand one thing. I’m in charge of the hunters. I know what’s best for all the teams. And your job as a hunter is to take direction from me. You’re with me and Linc and Ryder tonight, and that’s the way it is.”

“This is important to me. I need to go with Jake. I want to be there.”

He heard the silent plea in her voice, knew she was asking him based on their personal relationship.

Goddammit, that’s the last thing he wanted, to feel anything for this woman that would cloud his judgment. He didn’t like this. Not at all. And damn Gina for putting him in this position.

“Let her go with him, Derek,” Lou said, stepping onto the beach. “She has a genuine interest in the laser and did help Jake build it.”

“Fine. But I’m going on record against this.” Derek stalked away, content to leave his team one man short rather than restructure. And maybe digging in his heels at having her with him had more to do with wanting to keep her close, this unreasonable need to protect her.

At least Lou had taken the decision out of his hands. He’d have to remember to thank him later, as well as have a private talk with Gina about never doing this again. “Leave the extra man on that team. You might need him. Everyone get hunting.”

Though he wasn’t sure if he was more pissed at Gina or at himself, he was so goddamn livid he hoped they faced ten demons tonight. The way he felt right now he could probably kill them all with his bare hands.

 

Gina watched Derek stalk away and realized she’d just made a critical error, in both their personal and professional relationships.

What had come over her, pulling a diva move like that? Demanding her way or no way? She’d acted like a spoiled child, and that just wasn’t like her. Why was it so important that she go out on Jake’s team tonight and watch him fire the weapon? She already knew it worked.

What the hell was wrong with her?

She owed Derek an apology. Hell, she owed all of them an apology. But Derek and his team had already left and it was too late to tell him, at least. But not the rest of them.

“Hey, everyone. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me there. A flight of movie star diva-ness, I think. My apologies for acting like a spoiled princess. That’s really not me. Um, I dunno…PMS, maybe?” When they laughed, she exhaled, then turned to Lou, suddenly desperate to make this right. “I screwed up and stepped out of bounds. I can catch up with Derek and the team—”

Lou shook his head and grinned. “Don’t worry about it. And we all butt heads with Derek now and then. Ask any of the hunters. You can go out with Jake’s team tonight. Tomorrow, you’re back with Derek.”

If he’d have her. She nodded, feeling a little more relieved when the other hunters nodded back, some chuckled, and a few winked, diffusing the tension.

She’d tell Derek she was sorry later when he returned.

But for now she was heading out with a new leader. Dalton, a lean-looking muscle-bound warrior with surfer-boy shaggy, sandy hair and intense green eyes. Also on the team were Jake, Mandy, and a tough-looking hunter named Punk. She knew how he got that name: Had to be the hair, which stuck straight up. And he had the most interesting tribal tattoos on the back of his neck and around both biceps. But he looked like he’d cut your throat if you talked to him.

So she wasn’t about to say a damn word. She was the interloper here. She stayed in formation and followed their lead. Jake remained silent, his newly created weapon tucked safely inside the pack at his side. He toted his rifle, but she knew if there was going to be any action, he’d be dragging the cutting laser out.

And Gina was dying to see how it worked.

Keeping her voice low, she asked, “You sure you’re ready to use this on a real moving target, Jake?”

He slung the backpack over his shoulders, his lips curled in a half smile. She noted his nervousness, knew he tried to hide it behind his newly discovered bravado and maybe a little thrill at being the center of attention.

“It’ll be fine, trust me. The system is untried, and while I would have liked more time for testing, I’m confident it’ll fire.” At her dubious expression he added, “I won’t let the team down, Gina. This will work.”

If ever someone needed a confidence booster, it was Jake. She nodded and squeezed his upper arm. “I know it will.”

“Demons, your area, Dalton,” Lou commed. “Four of them.”

“Got it, Lou,” Dalton replied, craning his head to look at Jake. “Looks like you’ll get your chance, Jake.”

She felt the muscles tense in Jake’s arm.

“Gina, why don’t you and Jake let us know what you want to do to set up,” Dalton suggested.

At the look of uncertainty on Jake’s face, Gina took over. “Let’s have him stationary. Let the demons approach so Jake can aim and fire with the remote control.”

She put Jake in front of two thick trees, positioning herself to his side so she could cover his back, and suggested the others work the front line defense. Jake should be well protected from the demons but still have clear line of sight to fire the laser.

“Jake, how’s the vantage point?”

“Clear. I’m positioned and ready.”

“All right everyone,” Dalton said. “Stay sharp.”

Adrenaline pumping and guns drawn, Gina scanned the area for sign of approaching demons, eager for Jake to try out the lasers. All they had to do was draw the demons close enough for him to get a clear shot. Should be easy enough, right?

She hoped. Nothing was easy about these demons, but the whole thing seemed logical and straightforward. Right now it was all any of them could hope for.

The sounds came first, like an earthquake vibrating the ground under their feet. Then the movement along the tree line in front of them, branches swaying as the demons pushed them out of the way.

“Straight ahead,” Mandy reported, already setting up her sights.

“Got it,” Gina replied, taking aim. “Jake, you ready?”

“Lining up now.”

“Mandy, Punk, you take the two on the outside. Leave the ones on the inside for Jake.” Dalton looked to Gina, who nodded.

“That should work great,” she said.

She turned and gave Jake the thumbs-up, wanting him to know she had every faith in him to do the job. The last thing she needed was for Jake to get nervous and freak out on them.

The sounds of the jungle simply died as animal life hid away from the unnatural forces making their appearance.

Gina spotted them, their gruesome appearance still making her shudder. God, those things were ugly. Giant movie zombies with glowing eyes, dripping fangs, and extended claws. Her skin prickled with goose bumps as fear inched its way up her spine.

Pushing her fear aside, she concentrated on the task. This was no time to be afraid. They had a huge task here—to kill these bastards. Unimaginable visions of these things running amok in a city or small town, creating havoc and killing the innocent, filled her with rage. They had to be stopped.

“Let them draw a little closer, wait them out,” Dalton said.

Their menacing faces loomed into view, fingers uncurling to reveal their long, dripping claws. They were near enough for the hunters to see their red eyes and fangs, horrible, gruesome faces twisted in evil sneers.

She could smell them now, wrinkling her nose and trying to ignore how horrible it all was. Sometimes it seemed as if it was all a dream, that this wasn’t real. But it was and she had to face it, had to fight them.

“You doing okay back there, Jake?” she asked, focusing only on the demons now, refusing to turn her gaze away from them.

“I’m ready, Gina. Just bring them to me.”

She smiled.

As soon as the demons were in range, Mandy and Punk fired the UV lasers. The demons stopped, throwing their huge hands over their faces and twisting as if in great pain. But they kept coming. After firing again, the second and third shots took them down, boiling them down to a mass of smoking, gelatinous blobs.

Gina and Dalton backed up as the center demons continued their approach.

“Jake, ready?” she asked

“Ready!”

“Team down!” she commed.

They dropped to the ground and Jake fired the laser, a thin blue line arcing across the neck of one of the demons. Beautifully pinpoint, the demon stopped, tilting its head as if regarding them curiously. Then its head slid clean off its neck.

“Bull’s-eye!” Gina yelled with an exuberant pump of her fist. She twisted halfway to give Jake another thumbs-up. “Way to go! All right, Jake, fire again!”

Another shot of the laser to their right and demon four was history.

Hot damn, this was fantastic! Exhilarated, Gina turned to give Jake another thumbs-up.

“Yes!” Jake said, standing up from his crouched position and pumping his fist in victory. He looked to Gina, his eyes sparkling in excitement.

“You did it, Jake!” She felt his thrill, knew how much it meant to him to participate, turned to Mandy and Dalton, who grinned back at her.

Hell, yeah, this new weapon rocked! When she looked back at Jake, her heart slammed against her chest, horror replacing her excitement.

Standing behind Jake was a demon, a human-looking one, a smug smile on its pale face, its long claws embedded in both sides of Jake’s neck. Blood poured from the wounds in Jake’s throat, sliding down his chest in lethal amounts. Jake’s thin fingers fought against the claws embedded in his neck, but it was a fruitless effort.

It all happened so fast her mind barely registered it as real, and yet it happened as if in slow motion, every single frame as vivid as a picture in a photo album. The look on Jake’s face would be forever frozen in her memories. Shock, fear, disbelief, the light and life in his eyes quickly extinguishing as the demon lifted him in the air. Jake struggled, kicking his feet out for a few brief seconds, then stilled.

Noooo! Her mind screamed it, her voice frozen into silence. Oh, God, no, this couldn’t be happening! There were four demons. They’d killed all of them. So where did the new one come from? Where was Lou’s alert indicating another had surfaced?

Do something, goddammit! Her mind forced her body into action. Pulling her weapon, Gina lunged toward the demon, toward Jake, desperate to pull him away from danger, refusing to believe what she’d just seen. Punk grasped her arm, jerking her backward.

She didn’t understand. Struggling to find her voice, she screamed, “What are you doing?”

“Look!”

She turned, horrified to see five of the hybrid demons appear out of nowhere. Rather than coming toward them, they flanked around the one holding onto Jake, as if protecting him. She didn’t care; she’d take them all on if she had to. Struggling against him, she tried to pull away, but Punk held her firmly in his grasp.

“Woman, stop! You can’t save him!”

The demon disappeared with Jake, dropping down into the ground. The other demons dropped down, too, vanishing instantly.

Gina wrestled away from Punk and started to run toward the spot where the demon and Jake had been. Punk tackled her to the ground. “Let me go, goddammit! I have to get to him.”

“No,” he yelled. “You’ll only end up getting yourself killed. More of them could appear instantly.”

She didn’t care, had to save Jake. But Punk held on, refusing to let her loose, dragging her up to her feet by the back of her shirt.

“He’s dead, Gina,” Dalton said as he stepped up beside her, his calm voice belying the rage on his face. “There was nothing we could do.”

She brushed tears away with the back of her hand, jamming her fist in her stomach to fight off the pain churning there. “Dammit, we can’t just let them walk away with Jake! What if he’s still alive?”

Mandy grasped her arm and turned her around, forcing Gina to meet her hard eyes. “The demon cut into his carotid arteries. He’s gone.”

“He’s not gone! There’s still a chance we can save him! We’ve got to go get him!”

“We can’t battle the demons for Jake’s body,” Mandy said. “We’ve lost him.”

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