“Don’t know,” said Vex. “Let’s find out.”

They reached Jackie Earl’s compound two hours later as the sun was dipping to touch the horizon. Gracious and Donegan scouted the area and Saracen went with them. By the time they got back to the van, night had fallen.

“Any sign of our mysterious brunette?” Vex asked.

“None that I could see,” said Gracious, “and I was keeping an eye out. Quite a few guards, though.”

“For an operation of this scale,” said Donegan, “I’d kind of assumed that Earl would have a lot more hired muscle around the place.”

“It’s still a formidable number,” Gracious added, “but I’d heard they had a vampire somewhere here.”

“No sign of that,” said Saracen, “but they’re definitely expecting trouble.”

The Monster Hunters looked at him. “We didn’t see any evidence of that. How do you know?”

Saracen just tapped his nose.

“It doesn’t make any difference,” said Vex. “They’ve gone to the trouble of setting a trap, it’d be rude not to oblige.”

A little before midnight, they got out of the van.

The Monster Hunters split off from them, and Vex led the way to the main entrance. Aurora used the air to yank the sentry from his rooftop. He landed painfully and Frightening choked him till he passed out. Vex was the first to step through the entrance. The courtyard was quiet. Windows above them on either side, and a door in front.

“They’re getting ready to spring the trap,” Saracen said softly. “Those windows on our left? Five of them, armed with automatic weapons.”

“And the windows on our right?” asked Frightening.

“Five more, but don’t worry. Bane and O’Callahan have it covered. Get ready. The ambush is about to be sprung. Right... now.”

The gunmen appeared but Frightening’s eyes were already lighting up, and he sent twin streams of white energy into the nearest window. Vex heard a man cry out and then he sent an energy stream of his own into the shoulder of another, saw him spin away as his gun dropped to the courtyard. Aurora raised her hands and the air shimmered, and the three remaining gunmen opened fire. Bullets hit the wall of air, slowed to a stop and hung there. Purple energy crackled in Vex’s hands. When the gunmen paused to reload, Aurora dropped the wall and Vex released the energy, taking out two of them. Frightening’s eyebeams took out the third.

Saracen looked up at the windows to their right.

“How are they doing?” Frightening asked, waiting for his sight to return.

“Two down already,” said Saracen. “Three down. Four. One left.”

Glass smashed and a man came flying out, crunching to the ground. Gracious appeared at the window, waved down at them.

“Any idea what’s next?” Vex asked, nodding at the door ahead of them.