by C. T. Adams
No! Control, Tony. Keep it together! I had other things to do. Taking a deep breath, I walked out of the bedroom, down the short hallway, and found Bobby standing by the front door. I was still a little hot and bothered, but the icy breeze from the open door cooled me down a bit. I started past him to talk to the driver of the car as the kids were finishing gathering their things. Bobby stopped me with a sharp look. Fine, I’d wait until the children had said their good-byes. They each apologized to me in quiet voices and solemnly shook hands with Bobby. They thanked him for sparing Denis. Both the apologies and appreciation were genuine. The horn honked a second time. Steam rose in clouds from their mouths as they ran down the walk and greeted their family with hugs tight enough to crush. Bobby and I watched through the closed storm door. With a start, I recognized the woman as the one called Alena before she disappeared behind the foggy layer of ice that formed on the glass.
I started forward once more. No, damn it! They were going to get a piece of my mind.
Bobby’s grip on my bicep stopped me cold. “Don’t do it. They were only following instructions. They won’t understand why you’re upset.”
“Who the hell would give them instructions to leave a bunch of kids with a complete stranger?” I snarled.
“Only Nikoli would know where you live and that Sue was home,” said Bobby ominously. He waited to see my reaction. His eyes were angry but I didn’t think it was because of Sue having to babysit.
There was something wrong with that scenario but I couldn’t decide what. In a second it hit me between the eyes.
I frowned. “Wait a minute. I didn’t even know you’d arrived until the middle of the hunt. Alena was on the bus with us. How would she know to bring the kids here before we left?”
Bobby’s brows raised. He’d apparently been thinking the same thing. “Exactly.”
“I think I’ll go have a chat with my pack leader,” I said with fire in my voice.
“I’m going with you.”
“Like hell you are! This is my problem, Bobbo.”
His eyes were cold and deadly. “I almost had to kill a child tonight, Giodone. I wouldn’t have enjoyed it much. Nikoli is going to get a piece of my mind about his lack of training of our young. And he’ll be damned lucky if I don’t turn him over to the council for damages.”
His arms closed over his chest and the burning coffee of his anger rose from him in a cloud.
“I also don’t like being spied on. He had to have bugged something or someone to know we were in town.”
I nodded my head. Good enough. I grabbed my coat and had just turned to tell Sue what was happening when the pain hit.
“Christ Almighty!” I screamed. I dropped to my knees and put fists to my temples with gritted teeth but it didn’t help stop the ice pick of pain being driven into my brain. Bobby bent down to check on me until he heard a scream and a crash from the bedroom. He leapt to his feet and sprinted down the hallway. I didn’t know where it had come from but the migraine was even making my eyeballs pound. At least I made it to the bathroom before I vomited. The sudden movement caused a new wave of violent pain and nausea. I didn’t dare turn on the light. It was as bright as the mid-day sun in the windowless room.
I glanced in the darkened mirror and didn’t like what I saw. My steel blue eyes were squinted almost shut, and my face was pale and drawn beneath recently dyed brown hair. Death warmed twice would be an improvement.
I heard Bobby whispering to Sue down the hallway. My hearing had sensitized to the point that his soft murmuring was like standing next to the big speakers at a rock concert. I grabbed a pair of pillows from the couch and covered my ears. Sue was suddenly gone from my mind. I couldn’t hear her; couldn’t feel her. But every time I tried to stand to get to her I lost balance and got dry heaves. Sparkles danced across my vision and continued even after I shut my eyes tight.
I’ve had a couple of migraines before. Not often, thank God. You usually have a few minutes of warning before the pain really hits. This was like nothing I’d ever felt before. I told myself I could get through this. I knew I could.
Bobby came out from the bedroom looking grim. He seemed to know to speak in a whisper. I hesitantly removed the pillows from my ears.
“We need to get a healer in here. Both of you are in bad shape. All I can tell is that it’s something magical. You stay here with Sue. I’ll go get the pack healer. It’s not something a human doctor can handle.”
I stood up and fought through the pain to stare at Bobby with a tight expression. The sparkles were still there but I could stand without falling. I’d spent my life in the mob. I’d been beaten, shot, cut, and had my throat torn out. I could get through a headache. As Dad used to say, “Headaches are all in your mind.”
Still, I winced as my own voice reached my ears. “I still have a score to settle with Nikoli, Bobby. I’m going with you.”
Bobby looked at me with exasperation. He’s tried to talk me out of stupid things before and hasn’t succeeded yet. “You’re in no condition, Giodone. It would be better for you to stay here with your wife.”
“Probably.” I said as I reached for my coat once more. I shot him a look of annoyance that cut through the pain. “And don’t call me that.”
He started visibly. This was the second time he’d called me by my old name. He’s smart enough to know better. The only thing I could think of was that the thing with the kid had toasted him more than I’d originally thought. He’s not normally so careless. I certainly couldn’t afford him to be. There’s still an APB out for me. One slip of the tongue and some wanna-be snitch might place an inconvenient call to my old nemesis on the homicide squad.
Bobby’s scent turned to cloves with the sharp tang of worry. His face went blank and he nodded. His scent faded as well as the snake in him took over. He was back to his professional self. My vision was still dark edged and fuzzy but I could see. I rummaged around in the drawer next to the door and found a pair of wrap-around dark sunglasses. That helped a bit with the sparkles.
Next, I went to the darkened bedroom. Sue was out like a light. Apparently Bobby had used his Sazi magic to put her under. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of him doing it, but I didn’t want her to endure this kind of pain unnecessarily. If I’d let him, he’d probably have done the same for me.
I went to the closet and pulled out a pair of shooter’s foam earplugs and stuck them in my ears. It helped, but only a little. The screaming of the refrigerator compressor dulled but I knew that voices would still be uncomfortable. I tried not to think about the noise of weekday traffic.
I reached back into the closet to retrieve one of my guns. Bobby eyebrows rose a good inch as he watched me strap on my inner pants holster.
“You’re going to go armed into your own pack den?” He sounded bemused. Sunny oranges glided over his worry.
“You showed me the key, Bobby. Heart and then head.” My voice was flat and burned metal chased away the citrus. I flipped open the cylinder of the Taurus three inch snub nose .38. Five .999 fine silver bullets filled the chambers. I swung it shut sharply and turned to him with a grim expression. “I’ve been practicing ever since you left the island. I used a bunch of paper targets Carmine left at the house and figured the proportionate distances with a measuring tape. My speed has improved over sixty percent at fifty yards.”
He raised his brows and let out a low whistle. “It wasn’t too shabby to begin with. Were they confirmed lethal zone hits?”
I didn’t even dignify that with a reply. I just shot him a withering glance.
He shook his head again, almost sadly. “Truly a shame you’re a three-day. But just remember—I can’t allow you to kill unless it’s in self defense. I’ll put you down without a second thought.”
I stopped and stared at him, trying to catch his scent. He looked away first and walked out of the room. The black pepper gave away the lie. I knew he would do it—but not easily.
I holstered the revolver and untucked m
y sweater to hide it. Then I pulled out the box of hand-loads. I grabbed another ten rounds, quickly removing each bullet from the box by the casing. I swore lightly when one silver bullet scorched my hand as I dropped the bullets in my pocket. At least I’d had the sense to reinforce the pockets of all my pants with thick canvas. My scarred thighs were living testament to being careless, and once was enough.
I stepped out into the lighted living room and swung on my winter coat. I was dressed all in black and the heavy bomber jacket completed the outfit. I was as ready to see Nikoli as I was going to get. Bobby was waiting by the door, still looking like this was a bad idea. I stared at him through the mirrored sunglasses, even though I knew he couldn’t see my eyes.
“They think I’m the lowest dog on the totem, Bobby. I’ve been called ‘puppy’ and ‘whelp’ and been told to bury bones. I’m nobody’s pet. They’re about to learn that this yearling has teeth.”
Chapter 4
THE VOLKDOM HOTEL was built in a by-gone age when visitors flocked to the stockyards for livestock auctions. The name is a rough phonetic of the Russian words, “Wolf House.” Shiny new fire escapes that had been installed to meet Fire Code requirements had been grafted onto a brick building that had obviously seen better days.
It was a six-block walk from the apartment to the lair. I stared at the building from across the street as we waited for traffic to clear. Bobby stomped and waved his arms wildly as he tried to keep his blood moving. He glanced at my open jacket and cursed lightly.
“At least have the decency to look cold, Giambrocco.” He huddled further inside the heavy down jacket and stomped his feet again. I didn’t have to be able to smell him to know he was annoyed.
“It’s not exactly frigid, Bobby. It’s only about twenty degrees out here.” I’d been in worse. Hell, I’ve had to lie in wait for marks in blizzards for hours. At least the sun shone in the icy blue sky. Mind you, it didn’t warm the air any and the reflection off the snow made my head feel like the inside of a kettle drum.
“Damn mammal,” he muttered as he clumsily pulled down the furred flaps of his cap with thickly gloved hands. The adjustment only added a square inch more protection.
“Well, why the hell are you in Chicago if you can’t stand a little snow?” I never had found out what Bobby wanted that was so important.
“I go where I’m assigned. I’ve been assigned to get you.” That little bombshell caused me to miss the opening in traffic. I turned without asking, the question trembling on my lips, and walked toward the intersection. Bobby followed grudgingly. Snakes don’t like to move much in the cold. But we might as well go across with the light if we hoped to get to the hotel today.
“Care to tell me why?” I asked as I pressed the button on the light pole. I tried to make the question casual, but he knew better.
He shook his head once. “I need to talk to Nikoli first. Just don’t do anything stupid and get yourself killed before we have a chance to chat.”
That was all right with me, since I had some things to discuss with the pack leader myself. The walk had done nothing to cool my fury with Nikoli for taking advantage of my mate. Still, Bobby’s words brought something to the surface that had been bugging me since the kids left.
“Y’know, Bobby, I admit that I’m still figuring things out, but if you have to go through Nikoli before you tell me anything, why didn’t you go there first?”
“I drove Sue back from Boulder. We didn’t get to your place until after the bus was ready to leave and then the kids arrived. I could have followed, but I knew that Sue would have a hard time babysitting without another one of us there.”
I picked up on his phrasing, as a couple walked past on the sidewalk. They were human. “Okay, but that raises another question—Denis is like us so why wasn’t he on the bus with me?”
He nodded without looking at me, keeping a careful eye on the flow of traffic. He kept his voice low and quiet, even though the humans had passed. “It’s a fair question. All of the kids have potential, but not all of them will ever turn. Normally, a child has to reach puberty before the talent manifests. And it’s generally a few months after that before they join the game. It’s very unusual for a child of Denis’s age to already have talent. It’s only happened a few times. He’ll definitely be a big dog. If Alek or Sonya had done the deed. I probably would have just pulled them off and scolded them. But as soon as we develop the talent, it’s transmittable. Sonya will be on the bus soon, and since we know that she and Denis have both shown talent, the two of them have to be punished as if they’d already been to the first game.”
Interesting how he phrased the words so that I would understand his meaning exactly, but no one overhearing would be able to interpret. Dr. Betty had already told me that game is a euphemism for hunting. He left me standing on the corner nodding as he sprinted through a sudden opening in traffic.
I darted across the street after him, skidding to an abrupt halt in front of the hotel. I stared at the polished dark wood of the doors as a wave of…something coursed through me. Though the doors were closed I could faintly smell the scents of musk and fur. But it was more than that. It smelled, felt like…home. A small smile played across my lips and I felt the furrows in my brow soften. Total acceptance waited behind those doors. I’d been here multiple times in the past month but never felt this way before. I belonged here. Bobby noticed the change, as well.
“Remember why we’re here, Joe.” Not even Tony anymore. He’d learned his lesson.
I reached for the polished brass door handle. It was a struggle to remember why I was here—why I was angry. As I pulled the door open my nostrils flared, saturating my nose once more with cinnamon-laced fur as we stepped inside.
For a hotel that’s never had a single customer, Nikoli keeps up all the outward appearances. All the better to write off on his taxes. Bobby tensed beside me as we passed through the “doormen” posted on either side of the entrance. Several pack members stood and moved toward us. His tongue began to flick in and out of his mouth, licking his lip over and over as he scented the air around him.
Welcome home, Anton. said a honeyed baritone in my head. Remove the snake and be one with us.
I shook my head and blinked my eyes. Why was there a snake in our lair? I couldn’t remember. But he knew he was outnumbered. I couldn’t smell his fear over the musk of the others, but he had to be afraid. I backed away from him to join my brothers and narrowed my eyes. A low growl rumbled my chest. My hand started to move to the small of my back. Of course I would remove the snake. He didn’t belong in our home. That only made sense.
The snake looked at me sharply and let out a frustrated sigh. I felt a veil of magic disappear from the back of my mind. My mate woke in a flash of pain that cleared my brain. An aching throb began in my calf and the sharp edges of the migraine that the snake—that Bobby had eased—rushed back in all its glory.
Damn it! I’d been tricked. It pissed me off. It shouldn’t be that easy to get inside my mind. I shook my head and fought off the images of safety, pack and home. They were a lie. I was here for a reason and I would be damned if I was going to be hypnotized by Nikoli’s voice and magic. I pulled my Taurus and pointed it at Bobby. He froze and looked at me strangely. I raised my brows a fraction. He took the hint. As I pulled the trigger he dropped and rolled. The bullet passed over where his shoulder had been.
A tall man called Sergei dropped to the floor from a mid-air pounce with a scream. Blood poured from a wound in his arm. The flesh had charred edges. Sergei kept staring at the wound, expecting it to heal. It didn’t. That’s the nice part about silver. It’s worth a few calloused fingers. It turns the Sazi into just normal folk.
The other men caught the scent. One of them tried to lash out at us with magic, keeping his distance, but I fired a shot just an inch above his head. We weren’t here to kill people. He didn’t know that though, so he ducked. It threw off his aim enough that his attack only caught me in the shoulder. The invi
sible missile dropped me to one knee and my shoulder went numb. I raised the revolver and scanned the group. Bongo drums were playing in my skull and it was hard to focus. I offered Bobby a hand up without taking my eyes from my pack mates.
“All of you—back off now or you’ll be joining Sergei.” Brave words, but truthfully, I was a little worried. There were five of them, and I only had three bullets left. I didn’t know if I could reload before they pounced on us. I could only hope that Bobby would be able to hold them off if it came to that.
Bobby and I stood back to back in the circle of growling wolves—human in form, but still wolves. And they were pissed. The room was awash with the scents of burning metal, burning water, and jalapeño peppers, hot and strong. One lone patch of hot and sour soup rose from Sergei.
“Thought I’d lost you there for a minute,” Bobby said softly as we danced around in the ring of angry, growling men.
“You did,” I acknowledged with squinted eyes. “Wish you would have found another way to break the spell, though. My head’s ready to explode.”
“Deal with it. I can’t afford to protect you right now. I told you I need you alive. The same goes for me.”
I could feel Sue’s agony in the background and knew that she needed help. I tried to put her out of my mind but I just couldn’t. My mate was in pain.
“Let’s just get the healer and get back, Bobbo. I can deal with Nikoli another time. Sue’s really hurting.”
He gave a little bark of laughter. “Yeah right, Tony. Like we’re going to make it out of here without seeing him. Look, I’ll take care of the wolves. You just find Nikoli for me.”
None of the wolves had made a move yet, but I could feel each of them twitching as they watched Sergei writhing on the floor. I struggled against a growing pain in my chest from seeing my pack mate hurting. I shook my head again as my gun started to waver. No! I was not going to give in.
“You’ll heal,” I said to him with bitter amusement. “Eventually.”
