Shades of Red

by T L Christianson

  Muttering a curse under his breath, Alexei cleared his throat. “I was hoping that he’d been gone when the place was attacked yesterday, but he would’ve come back by now…For that matter, Maria and Roman should be back by now also.” The Russian paced the wood porch, his long legs eating up the planks and creaking beneath his weight. “I need to go. I need to find them.”

  Shaking my head, a breath whooshed out of me I hadn’t known I’d been holding. “That’s a bad idea. You may be tough, but you’re still human.”

  He stilled, eyes searching the trees. “I’ve got to do something.” Lacing his fingers through his dark wavy hair, he made it stand on end.

  “No, you need to wait. There were at least two attackers, probably more from where they came from. I don’t like those odds,” I told him.

  “I don’t either, but I can’t leave my friends out there.” Gesturing toward the trees, before steepling his fingers and sinking into the wood chair.

  Climbing the steps, I knelt in front of him and gently pulled his hands away from his face. “Listen, I have an idea. If I can use your satellite phone, I’ll call Chronos to set it up.” The bounty hunter shifted in disagreement, but I tightened my grip on his arms. “Stop. Listen. Look at me. This is what I do for a living. I make problems go away.”

  His silver eyes locked with mine. “I’m listening.”

  “Okay,” I released him, and stood, leaning against the railing. “We’re going to lure Amy to us. To the airport in town.”

  Furrowing his brow, Alexei’s mouth turned into a sneer. “If it were that easy…”

  I cut him off, “You asked for my help. I know Amy. You have to stop thinking like a bounty hunter and think laterally instead of vertically. You said that every time someone got close to her, she ran and disappeared? Well, we’re not going to come after her. We’re going to go fishing…and I have the perfect bait. All we need to do is set the trap and wait for her to spring it on herself.”

  He trained his severe glance on me, sizing me up, but I’d withstood worse. He was gauging my words, assessing my tone of voice and wondering whether or not to take the gamble.

  “It’s not foolproof,” I said, “but I think it’s the best we’ve got. Amy’s going to run if we go after her. If we keep doing the same thing, then we’re never going to get different results.”

  “How can we lure her to us?”

  I frowned. “Sarah. Amy had become pretty attached to her before escaping…just leave it to me.”

  The bounty hunter’s eyes flicked between my own several times before he nodded. “All right. Will you help me scent track Maria and Roman?”

  “If they don’t show up by nighttime I will. BUT, I’m not a soldier, I’m a civilian. If it comes down to fighting, I’m not making any promises…which means I’m probably going to just run.”

  The corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile, and he nodded. “Spravedlivo, Fair enough. Thank you.”

  “I haven’t done anything yet. I’ll make the call now. It’ll take time to get everything together.” Alexei entered the cabin and quickly returned with what looked like an old 1990’s mobile phone. Turning the object over in my hand, I frowned, shaking my head. “Humanity never ceases to amaze me.”

  “Walk out into the open for a better signal,” he told me.

  “Can I text using this?”

  His hand slid over mine as he took the device and walked out from the porch.

  “Here,” Alexei pulled out the antenna and turned the device on. After a brief moment, he handed it to me, “Okay, it’s acquired a signal. Here you go—Do you…?”

  I nodded, “Hold on, one moment.”

  Closing my eyes, I extended my senses out into the forest and surrounding area, focusing on one quadrant at a time.

  Frogs.

  Fish.

  Birds.

  Snakes.

  Bugs.

  The generator.

  No people, except Evy still in the kitchen. The dishes clanking, the gas hissing on the stove where she cooked, the scrape of her wooden spoon on the pan.

  “All right,” I said, before dialing in the US code, and the direct line to Chronos Corp security. It rang a few times, and I sighed in impatience. When the call was finally picked up, I recognized the voice on the other side. “Iggie, this is Hazel. I have an important mission I need some resources for.” I listened to his response before continuing. “I need you to prepare a plane and have it waiting for me at Iquitos airport. We’re going to be transporting a high-profile criminal. We need a tactical squad, silver cuffs, shackles, and sedatives. Inform the pilot that our next destination will be Global Council Headquarters.” The GC was the utmost governing body of all moroi, the vampire capital of the world for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years.

  The GC were also the ones to put a 50 million Euro price on Amy’s head.

  My heart squeezed at this, thinking of what I was doing to Amy. Why had I suddenly become so conflicted? I’d made a choice to bring her in—why couldn’t I just stand by that decision and move on? She was a criminal…she was a monster…but she was also broken.

  I was a fixer. I’d wanted to fix her like I’d fixed Sarah.

  Could Amy be unredeemable? Damned? She’d killed countless moroi and many more humans in her quest to create killer diseases.

  Iggie interrupted my thoughts, “You’re going to The Hague, Netherlands?”

  I answered, “Yes. Also, please contact Forest and have him covertly—I mean no one knows about this—not even Karsten—have Forest gather clothing from Dr. Shepard’s house to dress a mannequin. Make sure the clothing has all been worn by her. I’m talking socks, shoes, a hat. Place the mannequin dressed in her clothes in a makeshift bed in the back of the plane, far from the door. It needs to pass for Sarah.”

  My conscience began prickling me fiercely, the feeling that I was betraying both Sarah and Amy.

  I hesitated.

  “Hazel? Where do we go? You said Iquitos Airport, where is that?”

  “Iquitos, Peru. It’s in the Amazon jungle. I need the plane on the tarmac at noon tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Authorization code?”

  I sucked in a breath through my nose. “Septem, quatuor, octo duo novem duo.”

  “Okay, ma’am, we’ll be on the tarmac, Iquitos Airport—FAP. Twelve-hundred hours, Peru Standard Time, tomorrow. Anything else?”

  I sucked in a breath, “Please brief Aurev only about this mission, he’ll know what it’s about. Thank you, Iggie.”

  “No problem, it’s my job.”

  After I’d said goodbye, I made my way inside, where Evy served eggs and coffee on the table.

  Inside the dining room, I slid the phone across the toward Alexei.

  Evy set a cup of juice in front of me.

  “Gracias,” I told her.

  “I’m still leaving after I clean up,” she reminded me in Spanish. “Remember to tell Rodrigo!” She called out from the kitchen.

  Turning to Alexei I said, “Okay, I made the call. We’re meeting a Chronos plane tomorrow at noon. Now, we need to leave Amy a note.”

  “What about my people?” He asked, buttering a slice of toast.

  “That’s up to you.”

  “Viktor got killed because of this bounty. I’m going to collect.”

  I shrugged. “I’m not trying to take anything from you. But if this works out, I’ll want my half.”

  “Half? I said sixty-forty. You get 40%.”

  “You found her, I’ll catch her. Fifty-fifty.”

  The bounty hunter pursed his lips, “Fine.”

  “What are you planning to do with the money?” I asked.

  He shook his head, “Go back to Russia. Maybe Canada.” Shrugging, he said, “I don’t know. I want away from my Clan for a bit. Help my grandmother.” A smile tugged at his lips. “She’s getting old and refuses to be turned.”

  He thought she should become a moroi while he hedged?

  I pursed my lips before aski
ng, “Is she in the US or…?”

  “She lives outside St. Petersburg.”

  We ate in silence for a while until the Russian pierced me with his steel eyes again. “I’d heard rumors that the Butcher is a little girl. How well do you know her? Are the rumors true?”

  I sipped the instant coffee before answering. “Well, I know the Butcher as Amy or Kahama’at. According to her, she was made at around age thirteen during the 4th dynasty in Egypt.”

  A low whistle escaped his lips and brought me out of my memories of the girl. “That would make her about forty-five hundred years old. Who is Sarah and what does she have to do with Amy?”

  “Sarah is a close friend of mine. She also was a foster child Aurev pulled off the New York streets back in the 1980s. Sarah’s one of the smartest scientists we have at Chronos. It was her along with your friend Karsten who tracked Amy down the first time. The two became friends and worked together trying to fight the Vampire Plague.” I hesitated. “Have you been given the human immunization for OVC?” At his nod, I continued. “Yes, well, that was created by Sarah…and Owen, her ex-husband.”

  Cocking his head, he raised an eyebrow. “Chronos sold vaccinations—my Clan purchased enough to cover all humans associated with us.” It was good to know that he was clean—if I needed to drink from him.

  I smiled at his irritation, and a silent laugh escaped my lips. “Chronos is a business, but even so, we sold those vaccinations at a loss to try to get them into as many human hands as possible. Billions of dollars have gone into fighting the disease.”

  Alexei shrugged one shoulder.

  I continued, “You’re lucky to have received it. So far, our research shows that if you get turned, you’ll have immunity to the plague.”

  “Chronos…the big bad corporation…So, what do you do for them? You said you’re a fixer? I thought you were a lawyer?” Alexei placed the utensils on his plate and poured us both another cup of coffee.

  “I’m…I was an in-house attorney. Chronos is a pharmaceutical company, but we own and run the largest vampire labs in the US. We do clinical and medical tests for moroi. If a moroi is charged with a crime in the United States and there’s biological evidence, then it’s sent to our criminology lab. Most of my days involved protecting the company, handling lawsuits and preventing lawsuits. We also take care of the clan members who get into situations or trouble in the human and moroi world.” As an afterthought, I added, “I also do quite a bit of pro-bono work for humans. If humans took care of each other the way moroi take care of our own, I’d have almost no clients.” I laughed sardonically.

  “Yeah? I guess you’re right. Maybe it’s just because we’re such a small percentage and humans number so many.”

  I laughed at him in earnest this time. “You consider yourself moroi?”

  “Having been raised in moroi society my whole life, I never really thought about it. I’m surrounded by moroi, but I’m not quite human either. I’m something in between.”

  I smirked. Was this guy full of shit?

  I honestly couldn’t tell.

  “I’ve got to be honest with you, Alexei. I don’t believe you.”

  He shrugged. “Believe, don’t believe. I don’t care.”

  The generator that sat to the side of the kitchen and main lodge suddenly stopped. The cook’s footsteps slapped the ground as she took off on a trail through the trees.

  “Evy’s gone,” the Russian said.

  “Yeah, you’ve got good hearing…for a human.” The corners of my lips curved up as I teased him.

  However, his expression turned tense again. “We can leave anytime you’d like me to show you where the Butcher is. We’ve got a long hike ahead of us. I’ll take you as close as I can, but there will be a long way you’ll have to go on your own. Do you need to get ready or anything?”

  Shaking my head, I swallowed. “I’ll go get my pack.”

  “Maria left some hiking boots; do you want to use them?”

  Alexei ran ahead through the forest trail, and I followed a few meters behind. Gauging our speed somewhere around 7 miles per hour I began to wonder if the Russian was telling the truth about his parentage. I wasn’t an expert in human physiology, but few humans could run for four hours like we did without stopping.

  When the cadence of his steps slowed, then stopped, Alexei pulled out a water bottle and took a long drink. His face was red, but his heart rate began to slow immediately.

  “I’m impressed, will you be able to run back?” I asked.

  “I can handle it. It’s nothing compared to what you’re going to have to do.” He gulped down more water and pointed to a gap in the trees where the wide Amazon River ran its course through the jungle.

  An alarmed expression must have crossed my features because Alexei ran his free hand down the length of my arm in reassurance, his face an example of determination.

  “This was your plan.” He reminded me. “I hope to God you can swim.” When I nodded, he continued. “Amy and her group are staying in this abandoned British building up on the opposite shoreline. Swim across and hike upstream. In front of the building is a dock on the river.” He pulled out a dagger. “Use this knife to secure your message somewhere around the dock or the compound.” He examined my face. “Don’t get caught.”

  “The note?” I asked, holding my hand out.

  The Russian pulled off his pack and pulled a small blue dry bag out. “It’s in here.”

  Taking some deep breaths, I began taking off the hiking boots and socks while standing. The steady current of the flat water had my heart racing. Ready to get it over with, I pulled off my shirt and shorts until I stood there in my camisole, bra and my lacy blue underwear.

  “What’s wrong?” He asked my back as I stood there frozen with fear watching the wide river.

  “I drowned before. I haven’t gone into the water since.”

  Walking to block my view of the river, Alexei took my face in his hands. “You said you can swim.”

  Shaking my head, I said, “Yes. It’s just been a very long time. I haven’t swum since I was a child.”

  Sucking in a deep breath, he bent my face upward to look at him. “You can do this, Malishka. You used to swim…where as a girl?”

  His thumb traced the bottom line of my lower lip.

  “In the river, near my house in Iowa.” Tears overflowed my eyes and ran down my cheeks.

  “Sh..sh…shhh.” Our gazes locked again. “Pretend that you are only swimming in the river in Iowa. There are no rapids here. It’s straight across.” His hands cradled my head tenderly.

  I nodded, but my lip quivered.

  When he bent toward me, his soft lips against mine were utterly unexpected. Breathing him in, our breath mingled in the close space. He kissed my mouth, then my forehead and the top of my hair. Tucking my head beneath his chin, he squeezed me. “It’ll be alright. If I could do it, I would.”

  This made me laugh, but when I pulled away, I realized he was serious. “You would, wouldn’t you.” I laughed again in amazement. His lips curved up into a shy smile. “Then kiss me again, and give me something to take my mind off this.”

  Startling me, his hands spanned my waist, pulling me up. My legs encircled his waist instinctively, as his mouth met mine again.

  This kiss was no chaste peck as his mouth devoured my own, making all thoughts flee my mind.

  My fingers threaded into his wavy wild hair as I drank in the physical closeness and affection that only one person can give another. His body felt so warm, hard and good, but as he pressed his arousal into my core, I knew I should stop this.

  I’d never been with a human since my transition into a moroi. Could I hurt him? With my strength or my impassioned blood lust? I wasn’t sure, this was new territory for me.

  I broke away from him, my body throbbing with need. He held me as I slid down him, his own excitement still pressing into my soft curves.

  Backing away, we broke contact, and I turned. Touching m
y lips with the tips of my fingers, I mourned the loss of his warmth.

  When his hands covered my naked shoulders, I turned back to gauge his expression, his face flushed, and lips swollen from our kiss.

  “I can do it,” I told him.

  He only nodded and watched me as I waded into the murky water.

  Chapter Eight

  Once in the river, the deceptively calm current began to push me rapidly downstream.

  Panic filled me, and I drank in several gulps of the green water.

  My arms flailed as I slapped the surface with the blue drybag Alexei had given me.

  Alexei.

  I thought of his warm, soft lips against mine and fingers against my skin. How I longed to have his strong hands on my body again.

  I sank beneath a wave and faintly heard him cry out, “Hazel!”

  When I stopped struggling, the flow of the river began to push me further downstream away from my Russian and away from Amy.

  I couldn’t do this.

  I had to do this.

  I had to push my fear away and take control. Gritting my teeth, I tried to calm down.

  Iowa, I told myself. I’m in Iowa, not Peru. Picturing the river near my childhood home, past the railroad tracks to where the water became deep and slow in the summer.

  When the heat of the sun became unbearable, we’d go there. My oldest brother would climb the large tree and tie a rope to a thick branch that grew out over the water.

  But the warm green waves crashing over me were nothing like my Iowa river back home. My brothers weren’t there. They were dead.

  I was drowning in the warm water of the Amazon.

  Something brushed my bare foot, and I jerked, afraid piranhas were trying to eat my toes. I screamed, floundering again before settling on my back.

  Watching the wispy clouds overhead reminded me of a different sky I’d looked up at the last time I’d nearly drowned in a river.

  The New York sky, at night.

  The memory of that black water sparkling with reflected light formed in my mind. The hard, icy cold water that hit me like a truck and broke my body when I’d fallen from the bridge.