I eased the door open. The street was clear . . . until I stepped onto the porch. The limo had only moved a few yards down the street. I ducked quick and made like a spy, edging along the fence, crawling over the neighbor’s fence, and then skulking along that yard until I was within earshot of the limo.

Then all three got out of the car. They scanned the area. They didn’t see me.

The two goons stood side by side in the shadows in front of the old man.

One of the thugs spoke first. “The animal was there.”

“Yes, I know,” the old man said. “And she was there as well, or had been at one time. That disgusting detective was lying about more than just the animal.”

Disgusting? Screw that fuck. I hoped his diapers broke.

The other goon spoke. He had the same exact voice as goon number one. “Why didn’t we just take it, then?” he asked.

“Because, idiot, if the detective knows anything about Annette’s whereabouts, we don’t want him dead yet. Annette has the key.”

The goons nodded their bald heads in unison.

The old man grumbled for a second or two, then made a decisive grunt. “I want you to spy on the detective.”

“Now?” both asked.

“Yes, now. Shift into Spy Mode.”

Spy Mode? What the fuck? I couldn’t resist. I slowly peered up through the chain-link fence. There were shrubs obscuring my view, but I could see the goons facing their boss.

Both goons went rigid and closed their eyes. Each exhaled long and controlled breaths. On about the third breath, their bodies just froze. It was so sudden and so stiff I thought I was seeing things. They were absolutely still, like a machine turned off.

If only it had stopped there.

Then the tops of their heads began to part and the fronts of their eyelids went soft as the heads lost their contents. The heads parted smoothly in two parts; first the skin split and opened, exposing the skulls beneath, and in turn, the skulls did the same.

Their brains were visible.

I think I almost pissed myself. I didn’t need to see any more. I looked away and turned and crawled back the same way I’d come until I reached my house. Inside Mo’Lock sat on the couch with the ugly little creature next to him.

“We’ve got big trouble,” I said.

Mo’Lock tilted his head, “How do you mean?”

“I have no idea.”

When I get scared or freaked out, it turns to anger pretty fucking fast. I was really pissed. I mean, first this orphan flesh-eater devours a potential client, now threats from a thousand-year-old man and his thugs.