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I’d left the knives in their wrist sheaths. Carrying naked blades in the pockets of a suit that was air-and water-tight seemed sort of defeatist. If I lost both handguns and had to scramble for the knives under the suit, then we were probably toast. No need to worry about it. My silver cross hung naked around my neck. It was the best deterrent I had against baby vamps. They couldn’t force their way past a bare cross, not when it was backed up by faith. I’d only met one vamp that could force his way past a blazing cross and harm me. And he was dead. Funny how so many of them ended up that way.

Tucker came over to me. “I’ll help you adjust the mask.”

I shook my head. “Leave me till last. The less time I’m in this get-up the better.”

She licked her lips, started to say something, stopped, then said, “Are you all right?”

Normally, I would have said sure, but they were depending on me, maybe for their lives. How scared was I? Scared. “Not exactly,” I said.

“You’re claustrophobic, aren’t you?” she said.

I must have looked surprised, because she said, “A lot of people want to be firemen, but in the middle of a fire with the mask down and smoke so thick you can’t see your hand in front of your eyes, you don’t want to be claustrophobic.”

I nodded. “I can understand that.”

“There’s a part of training where they cover your eyes completely and make you do the equipment by touch as if the smoke had blacked out the world. You learn who doesn’t like it close.”

“I could take the suit without the SCBA. It’s the combination of the suit and listening to myself breathe. I had a diving accident just after college.”

“Can you do this?” No accusations, just honesty.

I nodded. “I won’t leave you stranded.”

“That’s not what I asked,” she said.

We stared at each other. “Give me a few minutes. I just didn’t understand what Haz-Mat was. I’ll be okay.”

“You sure?”

I nodded.

She didn’t say anything else, just walked away to let me gather my scattered wits.

Wren had finally wandered over to talk to Fulton. Wren and Tucker were going in because they were both paramedics and we might need their medical training. Also, frankly, I didn’t want Fulton in the dark with me and a bunch of vamps. He was simply too freaked. I didn’t blame him, but I didn’t want him at my back either. Of course, if I’d been watching me sweat and struggle to breathe calmly, I might not want me in there. Dammit. I could do this. I had to do this.

Detective Tammy Reynolds came slogging up in her own suit. They didn’t have one big enough to fit Dolph, so she was my armed backup. Oh, joy. I couldn’t send them in with Tammy as their only backup.

Tammy had managed to get her shoulder rig over the suit. She had one of those that just rode across the shoulders, no belt to put through straps. When I’d been shopping, all the holsters that just crossed the shoulders moved around on me too much. Part of it is having narrow shoulders. I’d have had to have the holster cut down. I don’t buy things that have to be fussed with. Not dresses or holsters.

Reynolds smiled at me. “Larry’s really disappointed that he can’t come along.”

“I’m relieved,” I said.

She frowned at me. “I thought you’d want him to back you up.”

“Yeah, but a gun can’t help him if the ceiling caves in on us.”

“You think it will?” she asked.

I shrugged. I’d concentrated on getting suited up, on small details, on Wren’s quiet teasing. I’d managed not to dwell on the thought that we were about to walk across a floor that might collapse underneath us, then walk under it and wait for it to collapse on top of us, while wading through water full of coffins and vampires. What could be better?

“Let’s just say I’m cautious.”

“And you don’t want to risk Larry.”

“That’s right. I don’t like the idea of Larry getting hurt, by anything.” I stared at her while I said it.

She blinked hazel eyes at me, then smiled. “Neither do I, Anita, neither do I.”

I nodded and let it go. I’d done my parenting bit. I wasn’t even sure why I didn’t trust Tammy, but I didn’t. Women