A Monster's Death

by Raven Steele

  She searched my eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"

  I kissed her on the forehead, an action I wished I could do for the rest of my life. "I need you safe, and I won't be around to make sure that will happen. I can't lose you."

  "Funny thing to say to someone you've only known for a short time, don't you think?"

  I didn't answer for fear I might finally speak the truth.

  She reached up and caressed my cheek. "I feel like I've known you for a long time."

  I swallowed, then cleared my throat. "Will you go straight home?"

  "For you, yes."

  The weight constricting my chest lifted and I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. "Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow morning as soon as I can."

  "You better." She lifted on her tiptoes and kissed me lightly, but as soon as our lips touched, it was impossible to stop. I moaned low in my throat and deepened the kiss, my insistent mouth parting her soft lips. I breathed her in, wanting desperately to taste her, lick her, drink her…just be close to her. She tugged on the back of my shirt, urging me closer even though there was no more space between us, and yet, I felt as if someone had crammed the whole world between us.

  I stepped back, breathless and berating myself for being careless. Victor was probably still in the building. Already I had revealed too much when it came to Emma, but if he caught us just now?

  She seemed to read my mind. "One day, you're going to need to let go of all that responsibility. Life should be lived with passion and joy, not weighed down by guilt and self-control. I have a feeling you've already lived a lifetime with those burdens."

  "How—?" I couldn't finish the question. I just searched her eyes, wondering if she knew who I really was.

  "Go," she said. "Do what you’ve got to do, but when it's finished, let yourself be truly free."

  Nodding once, I disappeared before I changed my mind. Soon this would all be over, then maybe I would take her advice. If Victor were out of the picture, what would stop me from being with her? From having a normal life?

  I just had to make sure that everything went perfect tonight. At least Emma would be safe at home behind a security system. Not like that would really stop Victor if he really wanted her, but it was something.

  I drove my car through Pigtown toward Victor's home. I thought of Richard. There's a chance he could've been taken there. Maybe I would get lucky and get the chance to talk to him. I need to make sure he left by choice and not by force. Something told me it was the latter.

  As I drove slowly up the long lane to the Devil's Playground, I took extra care to notice everything I could about the security system. I spotted at least half a dozen cameras in the trees, and those were just the ones I could see. There weren't as many guards as I expected, though. Maybe more came at night.

  I circled around the nightclub until I reached Victor's home. I parked in front and walked up the steps. They were in full sunlight so I kept my head down, glad I had at least worn a long jacket.

  The door opened before I reached it. A bald, skinny man wearing a suit that looked way too big for him stepped outside, stopping me from entering and leaving me standing in the sun. I resisted the urge to claw at my skin.

  "Can I help you?" he asked.

  "Victor sent me. Is Jordan here?"

  "He's expecting you?"

  "Yes. Is he here?" I rolled my shoulders back and cocked my neck. Much more of this and I was just going to have to barrel past the old guy.

  "Let me call him." He reached into his pocket and removed his phone.

  "I'm not waiting." I side-stepped him and walked into the shaded doorway, my flesh immediately relieved. I moved further into a grand foyer unlike anything I had ever seen before. A fountain sprayed water at least ten feet high in the center of the room. Behind it, a wide staircase swept up to the second floor.

  "Now hold on a minute, young sir," the man began. "You have not been given access—"

  "You must be Adam," a voice said.

  I turned around. A tall, barrel-chested man with a ruddy complexion stood off to my left in between two white, decorative pillars. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a bunny on its front. A knife stuck out of the bunny's back, its white fur stained red. The t-shirt's headline read: I HATE BUNNIES.

  "You're Jordan?"

  He turned around. "Follow me."

  I passed the old man who stared at me in disdain and followed after Jordan. Jordan didn't seem like Victor's usual guys who loved to show off their badassery in a ruthless glare or a random flex of their muscles. He seemed more bored than anything else.

  We walked into a room with a big-screen TV that was paused on some videogame of men fighting with AK47's. Jordan picked up a bowl of cold cereal on the end table and took a few bites.

  "Just a second," he said through a mouthful.

  "Take your time."

  I casually looked around the room, but took note of as many details as I could. So far, I'd spotted only one camera in the entryway. Nothing like what I found outside. There were three leather sofas in the large room, all set up around the TV as if Victor often hosted massive gaming competitions. One controller was on the ground, smashed to bits. I eyed Jordan sideways as he drank the milk from his bowl, wondering if he had a temper.

  He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and set the bowl down. "Victor said you wanted to inspect the place. Something about that kid who got away."

  "That's the plan." I glanced out the window toward the Devil's Playground. I could just see the back of it through the expansive lawn and several mature trees.

  "Do you really know what you're doing, or is this just Victor testing you?" he asked.

  "The latter."

  "Sucks to be you. And maybe me, too, especially if I have to scrape your body off the floor tomorrow. I really hate the smell of blood. It makes me barf."

  "I'll make sure that doesn't happen, then. Do you want to show me where he was being held?"

  For the next hour, Jordan showed me around, including where Crow had knocked out the two men with a two-by-four and rescued Oz. He took me upstairs and around the club. I inspected every room I could to search for Richard but found no sign of him.

  Finally he showed me the security tapes, which I pretended to study carefully. I even asked for a list of names of people who went in and out of the club during the thirty-minute window when Oz disappeared.

  When we were finished, I asked, "Can I inspect the property?"

  "Help yourself."

  I left him and walked the grounds, taking mental notes of each camera's location and angle. I peeked in the windows of the other outbuildings, but they were as expected, just garages with antiqued vehicles or lawn care equipment.

  After about an hour, Jordan found me outside. "You discover anything we didn't?"

  "I think I know how the kid escaped. There's a broken bush beneath the second floor bathroom window. I'd bet money the Crow lowered him out of it."

  He nodded, as if considering the idea. "That's a long drop, but you could be right." He handed me a slip of paper. "Here are those names you wanted."

  I took it from him. “Thanks.”

  "I hope you find him," he said. "You seem like a decent enough guy. Too bad you got mixed up in all of this."

  The way he looked at me, he already figured I was a dead man.

  "You'll see me again," I said.

  I turned around and headed back to my car. Other than not finding Richard, I had all the information I needed. With Oz's help, we could easily make it inside the house. I didn't know where Victor slept, but I could figure it out. Now I just had to stay hidden the rest of the day to make sure Victor didn't find me. There was no way I was giving up Oz.

  33

  The first thing I did was check in with Emma while the garage door back at the Southside building closed behind my vehicle.

  Are you okay?

  A message returned. I'm safe. You stay the same.

  I breathed a sigh of r
elief and returned to Ironwood.

  Oz sat on the steps of my home fiddling with some wires and electronics. He looked up at me as I approached. "All good?"

  "It went better than expected. I was able to gain access to Victor's home and the Devil's Playground. I'll draw up everything I remember about their security. Where's Amy?" I peeked through the window of my home.

  "Roman's showing her around the place." He narrowed his eyes. "He's cool with her, right?"

  "Absolutely."

  "Good. Because if he tries anything, she's carrying a gun I stole from your safe, and she legit will shoot him."

  "I don't know who I'm more concerned for," I said. "How about you don't steal my guns?"

  "With Victor looking for us, we need to protect ourselves."

  "Then let's take him out of the equation."

  For the next hour, Oz and I discussed the best route into Victor's home. We went over camera placements, number of security guards, a backup plan, and then a backup plan to the backup plan. We needed to make sure everything went perfectly.

  It was afternoon when Roman returned with Amy. He practically carried her because she was so tired, but she was smiling big.

  "I'm so glad we came down here, Oz," she said. "This is the coolest place I've ever been!"

  "Don't get used to it. It won't be long before we can return home." Oz stood and stretched.

  "Can we come back and visit?" she asked Roman. She leaned into the doorway, inhaling deep breaths.

  Surprisingly, Roman answered, "You are welcome here anytime, as long as you can keep this place a secret."

  "I will never tell a soul," she said, making a crossing motion over her heart.

  Oz walked over to her and scooped her up. "I think you need to rest."

  She closed her eyes. "I think you're right."

  I turned to Roman, a small smile on my face. “She’s different, isn’t she?”

  Roman didn’t look at me, but I could tell he liked her by the soft look on his face as he watched Oz carry her off to bed.

  He finally turned to me. "I trust everything is in place for tonight?"

  "It is. I don't foresee any complications." I walked past him onto the porch. He followed me, his body tense.

  "You can still change your mind," he said. "Fighting Victor will be more difficult than you can imagine, but if you were a vampire—"

  "I shouldn't have to keep telling you this," I said. "I'm going to stay who I am."

  "It won't be enough, and I fear you may get hurt in the process because of your stubbornness."

  I seethed as an annoyed burning filled my chest. Would it kill him to give me a few words of encouragement? "There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay as human as possible. Why can't you understand that? You know how hard I've worked, how hard I have trained for this moment. I will not lose."

  "I hope you're right." He turned around and walked away leaving me staring after him.

  It pissed me off that he had so little faith in me, especially since I'd endured his countless, brutal training sessions. I have given him my blood and sweat for as long as I can remember.

  I turned away, sighing. I’d accepted his apathetic nature long ago. I didn’t like it, but I had other things to think about now.

  While we waited for nightfall, Oz mapped out a way for us to get to the house without being seen. It involved shutting off cameras at certain points in time but not long enough to alert security. He would shut off one camera for four seconds while we sprinted to the next area. We would hide, wait a short amount of time so cameras didn't "malfunction" too close together, then shut off another camera and sprint again. We had to be fast.

  If everything worked out as planned, we estimated we could get to Victor's mansion without being seen in under an hour. This felt like a long time to be hiding from wandering guards, but it was the best option. Plan B involved me fighting my way in, which I really didn't want to do. I needed to avoid as much altercation as possible to save my strength for Victor.

  Getting into the house would prove to be a little more difficult. Oz had to be physically at the security system to crack it, and it would take him at least a few minutes. As long as we weren't seen, everything would be okay. If we were, well, then I was ready to do what was necessary. I needed this to end tonight.

  I took out my phone and texted Emma again. Where are you?

  She responded: On my way home.

  "Who do you keep texting?" Oz asked.

  "A girl."

  "Someone you care about?"

  I just looked at him.

  "I'll take that as a yes. You know it's a dick move getting someone else caught up in this mess, right? I experienced firsthand the repercussions of knowing you, but I chose this."

  "She's safe. Besides, after tonight, it won't matter. What time is it?"

  "Almost nine o'clock. Why?"

  "I need to see Kristen before things go down tonight."

  He reared back, eyes wide. "Is this like one of those last goodbye things, like you're worried we'll die or something? Because I'm not about that. I fully plan on owning a yacht someday with a hot chick by my side, rolling in the dough—"

  "Shut up. I just want to tell her to leave town. When I kill Victor, his men may riot. This city will not be a safe place for awhile."

  I grabbed my jacket off the back of a chair. Truth was, I was afraid Victor might find out who I was. If he did, they would go straight for Kristen, as she was the one who told everyone I had died in the fire.

  "I'll be back soon," I said. "We'll leave at midnight."

  Kristen's apartment was quiet and the lights were off. I almost changed my mind, but when I dropped onto her fire escape platform and peered through the window, I could see a soft light glowing beyond the kitchen. I softly rapped my knuckles against the windowpane.

  She appeared a moment later, smoothing her hair back. She opened the window then stepped back, stuffing her hands into the wide pocket of her sweatshirt. I quietly slipped inside.

  "What are you doing here so late?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

  "You need to leave town."

  She huffed. "Is that all?"

  She turned around and walked back into her living room, where she dropped into a recliner and pulled a blanket over her legs.

  I followed after her. "Did you hear me? You need to leave town. Tonight."

  "I'm not leaving. I was around when Jonas went all power-hungry. Do you think he didn't try and intimidate me? He hated me. Victor's not my fan, either. They can push me around all they want, but I'm not leaving this city."

  "Do it for me. Please."

  She looked up at me. "I love you, more than anyone on this earth, but this is my home. I won't be scared off."

  I stared at her in frustration.

  Her brows pinched. "You're really worried, aren't you?"

  "Not for me."

  "Do you have any doubts about not turning?"

  "No," I said, my tone hard. Why couldn't they let it go?

  She watched me for a moment. "You know I will always be proud of you, no matter what you decide. You are a good person and that won't change. But sometimes even good people need to break the rules to stop evil."

  "I will do what has to be done."

  "I'm sure you will." She smiled at me, that familiar grin full of strength and love. The one that gave me confidence.

  I bent over and kissed her on the top of the head before leaving the way I came. I hated that she wouldn't go. She was the last tie to my mother and my only living relative. If anything happened to her, I feared what would become of me.

  Oz was waiting for me when I returned to Ironwood. "Are you ready?"

  "Let me go talk to Roman real quick."

  I headed toward the Halo and found him in his usual spot. "Have you heard anything?"

  He tilted his head. "Nothing unusual. In fact, Victor's men seem unnaturally quiet. It's like there is less of them on the street tonight."

  "Maybe they are finally
scared. They may not think they'll get jail time for their crimes, but they always end up with monstrous headaches."

  "Giving out headaches is not going to win a war."

  I gave him a predatory grin. "I was joking. I won't bother you anymore. Get back to your eavesdropping." I turned around and walked away, not caring if I had offended him or not. Maybe when all this was over, I could move above ground. There was no reason for me to stay down here anymore, especially if Victor was dead.

  I walked right by Oz into my home, careful not to wake Amy sleeping peacefully on my bed, and opened the bookshelf door to get into my weapon closet. There was only one blade I wanted to carry tonight. I withdrew the scimitar from its sheath, eyed its sharp edge, and slid it back into its cover. It would work nicely. I hooked it to a strap around my chest that held the blade on my back.

  "Let's go," I said as I walked by Oz. He hurried after me, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and his fanny pack around his waist.

  We traveled the tunnels until we reached the garage in Southside. Oz placed his bag in the backseat of the car, then hopped into the front. I revved the engine a couple of times and tightened my fingers around the steering wheel while I waited for the garage door to open.

  "You're quieter than usual," he said to me.

  "So are you."

  "I guess we're both a little nervous. I've broken into a lot of places, but nothing like this. This is the big leagues."

  "Everything will be fine."

  "Easy for you to say. You're a freaking superhero."

  "Don't call me that," I said as I drove the car out of the garage. I’d never admit it to him, but I was nervous too. A lot could go wrong when I needed everything to go right.

  We remained silent the rest of the way to Pigtown. Oz kept fiddling with his equipment, occupying his hands and mind with something else. I only had two things on my mind: Emma and Kristen. Their safety meant everything to me.

  As we approached the Devil's Playground, he said, "Drive around the block until I can lock into their wireless network. Once I'm in, I can configure everything we'll need into my phone."