It continues the adventures my vampire-next-door J. Gifford and his seductive lady-love (and sire) Surica Fieraru. Anton is J.'s best friend, the New Prospect, Colorado Chief of Detectives, and General Grenville Dodge is the 187-year-old villain. Please enjoy …

Chapter Twenty: The Silent Gunfight

Friendship is born at that moment when
one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought
that no one but myself …"
— C.S. Lewis

It promised to be a bitter fight—or possibly not, because Dodge wanted Surica alive, Chalcedonia as well, and maybe even me, although I promised myself to be more trouble to him than I was worth. Neither of the redheads would ever be taken again; they were each to die before that happened. Grenville Dodge's minions might end up fighting us all hand-to-hand—not my favorite form of conflict resolution.