Stormrage by Skye Knizley Read Free Book Online Page A

in windows, casting a warm yellow glow out into the street that seemed to push back not only the darkness, but also the evening's bone-numbing chill. The flame made Raven smile and she instinctively reached for Levac's hand. He didn't resist, but held it gently, not saying anything as they continued deeper into the maze of ancient sidewalks.
    "Yo mama, you don't want to be going no further!"
    The voice so surprised Raven she had drawn her Automag and spun before she even realized she'd done it. In the shadows of one of the alleyways stood a short, thin man wearing a yellow hoodie, black jeans, hiking boots and a do' rag that held his black hair back from his face. The hoodie read "Love Machine" in big pink letters and Raven smiled in spite of herself.
    "What did you say, sir?" Levac asked, gently pushing Raven's pistol down.
    The sh ort man inhaled on the blunt he'd been clutching and stepped into the light, flicking the ember into a nearby drain with practiced ease.
    "I said, you don't want to go no further," he repeated. "You're heading into Black Widow territory and them cats ain't right; they're peddling nothing, but that red death shit."
    "You mean Thirst?" Raven asked.
    "I ain't talking about pixie dust, lady," the man replied.
    "How do you know that?" Levac asked.
    The kid frowned and folded his arms over his chest, "Why you asking, Codumbo?"
    Raven flipped out her badge and fought back a smile. The kid had gotten Levac's precinct nickname in one go.
    "Detectives Storm and Levac, Chicago police. That's why we're asking," she said. "Now tell us about Thirst."
    "Shit! Yo, I always help out our boys and girls in blue," he said, grinning at Raven. "Especially the girls. I'm Paco, by the way, but you can call me Love Machine."
    "We'll stick with Paco, thanks," Levac said.
    “ Whatevs, man." Paco said with another leer at Raven. "Look, these Black Widow chicks came in about five weeks ago. Knives, guns, probably even grenades, who the heck knows? They took over this whole section of Old Town and run the show from the old meat packing plant."
    " Black Widows? That's a weird name. What are they, a clique or something?" Raven asked.
    "Yeah, that’s what they call themselves, like some crazy all-girl biker gang or some shit. Bad-ass women if you ask me."
    "How do you know they are pushing Thirst?" Levac asked, writing in his notepad.
    Paco bristled and stepped forward. "Cause I seen it, Holmes! Two of my crew tried that red shit. One ended up dumb and blind down at the Sisters of Mercy by St. Jude's, the other got shot down by cops when he tried to bite his girl. I ain't sitting out here warning folks out of the goodness of my heart!"
    "Are they selling Thirst out of the plant too?" Raven interjected, one hand on Levac's elbow.
    "Yeah, mama. They make it and sell it out of the plant," Paco replied. "Far as me and the boys can tell, all the other buildings are empty, for now."
    "Look, Paco," Raven said. "Don't call me mama, mamacita, or anything other than Detective Storm, are we clear?"
    Paco smiled again. "Whatever you say, Detective."
    "Is there anything else you can tell us?" Levac asked.
    "Yeah, you two are going to need more firepower if you plan to take them down. Like maybe another dozen people armed with rocket launchers or some Halo shit," Paco said.
    "I think we've go t things under control, Paco," Raven said. "Thank you for the tip."
    "You got it ma… Detective Storm."
    Raven shook her head and led the way toward the old meat-packing plant. Back in the early days of Chicago, the city was known for its slaughterhouses and meats. The packing plant was a throwback to those days, left undamaged by the fire and largely unaffected by age. Until recently it had been a home for runaways; confused pureblood lycans and vampires found the smell of old blood and meat comforting. It would have taken some doing to get them to move. Even young preternaturals were more than a match for most humans. That meant these Black Widows