"There," Alyssa tapped on the grid. "We figure that's the last shelter that was under the Talos' control."

Abby folded her arms, frowning. The Talos empire was rather extensive. The windfall from taking down Danica and Asher might be upwards of several million. It should have made her happy, to liquidate their assets and absorb it into the Nightstalker budget, but it didn't. Knowing how much one coven of vampires controlled was depressing, no matter who ended up with the cash at the end. It just made her imagine what untold billions they probably had altogether. What were a few millions against that?

"How soon until we have it?" She directed the question at Gidge.

"Tomorrow, if we clean it out tonight," Gidge called without looking away from his computers.

"Anything to indicate this is something more than a tomb?"

"Not a plant, if that's what you're thinking," Alyssa shook her head. A tomb was a vampire safe house, for holing up and waiting out after a disaster. A fairly recent invention, seeing as they'd ruled unseen for centuries and few people believed they existed. 'Plant' was the rather oversimplified euphemism for a harvest facility; any more specific term than that woke horror in Abby's gut. Aside from Blade, she was the only hunter who'd ever actually seen one.

"We're sure this belongs to Danica Talos? I don't want to go in there and find a new vampire trying to step into her shoes."

"No one's moved on the Talos accounts," Gidge said, again without taking his eyes away from his screens. "They might not even know yet."

"It's been a week and a half. Someone has to know. About the plant we shut down, at least," Abby thought aloud.

"Maybe they're moving slowly, waiting for the hunters to move on out of the area."

"They have to know we'll raid the accounts if they don't get here fast."

"Not if they think it was Blade," King entered the room, Zoë riding piggyback. "They're pretty shit-scared of that guy." He caught Zoë's eyes over his shoulder, "You didn't hear that." Zoë grinned, King continued, "Not that I blame them."

"Drake's stunt won't stay a secret long," Caulder reminded them. "If they believe the initial reports from the FBI about Blade's demise, they might already be moving in."

"Unless they're scared off by the vampire granddaddy taking a permanent dust nap," King suggested.

"So, we don't know which version of the official reports they're working on. It doesn't matter," Abby waved that train of thought aside. "We have to clear out the Talos holdings now either way. We'll need the capital to continue pursuit."

"I've got Fox and Stone scouting the bay area up north for any spots. L.A.'s not cleaned out by any means, but we risk the other groups if we prey too much in this spot," Alyssa tapped on the map spread out on the table. "There've been some unexplained disappearances of surfers, wind-boarders, kite-boarders. So far, the city thinks it's related to the explosive reproductive season among the sea lions there."
"They're blaming the deaths on sharks?"

"Looks like," Alyssa confirmed. "When Fox gets back to me, we'll consider a move. Right now, she's going to contact the group in Oakland, see what they've got, if it merits a visit."

"What about the Sacramento problem?" Abby reached over to drop a newspaper over the map. One of the smaller front-page headlines from The Sacramento Bee read "Prominent Doctor Abducted, Car Found Abandoned off Rte. 80".

"Most likely related to plants in the area or in general. We're going to have to place that on the back-burner for now."

"What sense does that make? If we hit their food supply, they go back to feeding one at a time. It exposes them more. Easier to find them."

"Actually," Gidge interrupted, "San Francisco's a bigger center for research-related plant activity. If they snatch the people they need elsewhere, I'd bet most of them end up in the Bay. More materials at hand that can't be moved."

"People carry-on. No checking, no waiting," King deadpanned, but he wasn't wrong.

"Exactly. Find out where they're going, find a city that has the technical know-how and the rotating tourist population to make a good source of raw material, and you've got your plants and your covens all in one."

Abby, grudgingly, had to concede that this plan made sense. Still, the doctor abducted near Sacramento was the third from that county; someone was working that area over for talent. Maybe it was just to distract and draw attention away from San Francisco. They were getting into double- and triple-feints, here. The stories about missing water sports enthusiasts was almost too blatant to be an accident, but maybe that's what the vampires wanted—make the story so ridiculously obvious that they would overlook as a ploy what was the heart of the operation. Damn it. It was so much easier to just put out bait in dark corners and see who bit.

There was a general consensus, achieved through nods and significant glances, around the room about the next move. Except for Abby, who passed her thoughts to King when she caught his eye through an absence of any perceivable reaction. He blinked, a sign of acknowledgment. Tonight, they cleared out the last Talos holdover in L.A. Gidge would clean up the financials, then it was off to San Fran.

Alyssa and Caulder cleared out, the former observing Gidge's workstation and his various piles of printouts, the latter out to the workshop on the warehouse floor. Firmly, Abby dismissed anticipatory excitement and adrenaline, steadily walking over to muss Zoë's hair affectionately.

"How'd you do, Zoë?"

"150!" Zoë exclaimed, happily.

"Total?"

"Yep."

"How many darts?"

"Three!"

"You're going to be out-shooting me any day now," Abby grinned at her.

"Not me, though," King mock-pouted. Zoë grasped him about the neck tighter. "Ack…kiddo…not…okay, okay, I give." Zoë relented. "Maybe you can shoot better than me. Maybe, and that's all you get. Here," he shifted Zoë around, and Abigail held out her arms to take her. King collapsed onto a stool with a dramatic sigh. "Jesus, kid, you're heavy."

"No, I'm not," Zoë said, straight-faced, "you're just weak." Zoë promptly jumped down from Abby's arms and went over to play with Gidge's computers, ignoring the wounded gasps King made. Abby raised an eyebrow at him.

"What is it about me that I attract this kind of woman?"

"You invite trouble, King."

"Is that an invitation?" If he'd smirked, she might have slapped him. Good thing King had mastered the blank, can-you-tell-if-I'm-being-sarcastic? expression.

"You're on. Pistols at dusk."

"I'll be there."