Hell's Teeth (Phoebe Harkness Book 1) by James Fahy Page A

coffins.”
    Cloves snorted down her nose most attractively and hung a left, heading the car into my neighbourhood. She had probably never even been to such a poor district before. From the look on her face, she didn’t have much interest in slumming.
    “So what is your plan for this evening then?”
    My mind went to the small business card which was now in my apartment, sitting on my bedside table. Sanctum, the vampire club.
    I raised my eyebrows, surprising myself with my own suggestion. “I’m going clubbing.”

 
    13
     
    Cloves had dumped me unceremoniously outside my tiny flat, giving the street and the coffee shop-cum-cyber café a disdainful once over as she did so.
    “You actually live here?” she asked, unable to keep scorn entirely out of her voice, if she was even trying to. “Above a café?”
    “Such is the glamorous life of a Blue Lab toxicologist,” I replied unapologetically as I finally got out of the car. “Maybe you can suggest a pay rise in my next review.”
    Cloves’ face did not crack. “Listen to me, Harkness,” she growled. “I want you to check in with me tonight, as soon as you’ve done whatever it is you plan on doing. You’re on my payroll now. Don’t do anything stupid.”
    For a moment I thought she was concerned for my safety, but then realised her own ass was on the line as my babysitter. Cloves seemed to be a woman used to getting results, and definitely used to being obeyed by her Cabal underlings.
    “And there I thought it was you who were at my disposal,” I said lightly. “I’ll call you from the club if I need a ride.” I slammed the door before she could reply, and she peeled away with a squeal of furious tyres.
    *
    Later, I sat nestled in the battered old armchair in my lounge, a cup of much needed hot chocolate in my lap. I have few pleasures in life, but imported cocoa, hard to come by in our day and age, is one of my guilty luxuries. I took a deep breath and flipped open the manila file.
    There was a photograph attached to the inside cover with a paperclip. A covert-looking shot of Allesandro, evidently taken at the R&D presentation the night before. I studied the photo. He was certainly a striking figure. I studied it some more, for the sake of thoroughness. People tend to avoid outright detailed inspection of others when actually face-to-face. It’s a bit rude and tends to make one look like a nutter. Thankfully though, technology has saved the voyeuristic day, and now you can stalk whomever you like with relative impunity. With this in mind, I flicked through to see if there were any other photos. Nada. It didn’t give me enormous faith in the spying potential of Cabal if the only photograph they had of this GO was from the same function where I had met him. I had been expecting years’ worth of impressive surveillance. A full dossier on his every movement. No such luck. It was evident with every passing moment that I would be flying blind.
     
    Subject 142531
    Designation GO anima - mortis .
    Colloq : Vampire
    Age : undetermined
    Origin : undetermined . ( Suggested Italian / Caecilian / Hispanic origin ?– tbc )
    Known associates :
    Subject 476421
    Subject 343465
    Subject 763541
    Subject 244356
    Subject 432126
    Subject 145552
    Current loc : New Oxford , Saint Giles , Neo - Vampire - District
    Other known / suspected Pre - wars loc : Geneva / London / Florence
    The genetic other known as Allesandro ( no known surname ) currently resident and working under the GO Registration Act 2017 in New Oxford, west of the reclaimed Cambridge Campus site . Believed to be employed under subject 145552 in the GO entertainment industry . Currently resident at sanctum / e & c . No known undesirable activity . No criminal record post wars . Identifying marks , none .
     
    There was nothing else.
    I flipped the page, just to check the back sheet was indeed blank. It was.
    Seriously? This was intel? About as useful as a thumbnail sketch. For a start, I had no idea who the