Dark Survivor Echoes of Love

by I. T. Lucas

“How come I don’t remember anything?”

  “He is a talented hypnotist. Harold is probably still under the influence of it. That’s why he isn’t responding.”

  Vera hefted herself off the couch. “I better go check. I need to find the last bank statement to see how much we had in there. Harold takes care of all the financial stuff.” She cast her husband a worried glance.

  “What are we going to do about them?” Liam said after Vera had gone to call the bank.

  “First of all, we are going to replenish their accounts. That’s the least we can do. I don’t know what can be done about him.”

  “Maybe Vanessa can help?” Liam sounded hopeful.

  “She has enough on her hands as it is. I can’t have her come all the way over here.”

  Vera came back with tears in her eyes. “There is nothing left. Thank God he couldn’t touch the annuity. We would have been left with only social security, and that’s not enough to pay the bills.”

  Magnus got up and patted her arm. “Our department will pay you back every missing penny. How much was in there?”

  “Over the past two days, Harold withdrew almost twelve thousand dollars.”

  Thank the Fates it wasn’t a huge amount. “We will send you a check to cover it.”

  “That's so kind of you. I didn’t know the fraud department took such good care of senior citizens.”

  “It’s a special case. What is the year and model of your car?”

  “It’s a brand new Honda Civic. We leased it. That’s why I’m less worried about the car than the money missing from our accounts. The insurance will pay for it.”

  Thank the merciful Fates the car was new. That meant that it could be easily located.

  “Do you have the lease papers? I want to jot down the information.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  As soon as they left the couple’s home, Magnus texted William the information and then called him. “The Doomer stole a car. I texted you the license plate number and the VIN.”

  “I got it.”

  “Call me when you find it.”

  “Give me five minutes.”

  “You’re the best.”

  “I know.”

  The other four Guardians were waiting for them down the street, while Jeff and the dogs were inside the guy’s van a little farther away.

  Magnus was glad he’d told Jeff to stay.

  The hunt wasn’t over yet.

  26

  Wonder

  “The café is closed,” Carol said. “You can use the vending machines.”

  The latest batch of guys who wanted to meet the new girl had shown up after Wonder and Carol had been done with the cleaning.

  It had been like that the entire day, guys coming to check her out and introducing themselves.

  Wonder felt like a monkey in a zoo.

  “Hi, I’m Ruben,” one of the four introduced himself.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Wonder.” She smiled thinly as she shook his hand.

  The other three took turns shaking her hand and telling her their names, but there was no way she was going to remember them. She’d met so many.

  “Shoo.” Carol waved her hands at them. “Wonder and I need to get going. You can come back tomorrow.”

  After the four mumbled something about stopping for lunch the next day and left without getting anything from the vending machines, Wonder released a relieved breath.

  It had been a long day, and it wasn’t over yet because Carol wanted her to accompany her to the training center, which meant meeting more people and smiling politely while pretending she didn’t get the hints or see the covetous looks.

  But that was also where Anandur was, and she wanted to see him. Heck, she needed to.

  “Come on. I have ten minutes to get to the center and change clothes.” Carol glanced at her watch. “My class starts at six.”

  The blond walked as briskly as her short legs allowed, which meant a leisurely stroll for Wonder. “You said that you’re teaching a beginner self-defense class, right?”

  “Aha.”

  “Do you take advance training classes yourself?”

  Carol was in decent shape, but in Wonder’s opinion not good enough for a fitness instructor.

  “Yeah, I do because Brundar makes me. I’m a sharpshooter. I don’t need to know how to fight hand-to-hand.”

  “Brundar is your instructor?”

  “Kind of. He is more like the one in charge of my training regimen. With the new Guardians, there is a lot of shuffling around going on. Everyone is busy with retraining the guys and making them combat-ready for this century, so I had to take on the beginners’ classes because we are short on people. I was a trainee myself not too long ago.”

  Wonder followed Carol into the pavilion. “Maybe that is something I could do? I mean after I get some training?”

  “I thought you said you didn’t like violence.” Carol pressed the button for the elevator.

  “I don’t. But teaching self-defense is not the same as actual fighting, is it? I can think of it as dance moves with a purpose.”

  Carol laughed. “That’s an interesting way to look at it.” They stepped into the elevator. “Fifth floor,” Carol said, and the elevator lurched down.

  “I’ve never been in a voice-activated elevator.”

  “Yeah, not one of William’s brightest ideas. It gives the Scots hell. It can’t understand their accents. It’s good that there are also buttons.”

  They exited into a wide, well-illuminated corridor lined with doors.

  “Do you want to participate in my class?” Carol asked as they entered a locker room.

  “Sure, I can start with that.” She watched Carol change into a workout outfit. “I’m not dressed for it, though.”

  Carol put her work clothes inside the locker and closed the door, but there was no lock, probably because there was no need for one.

  “You can just watch today. Maybe check out some of the other classes.” She smirked. “Anandur’s is right next to mine, you know. You can take a peek.”

  Wonder avoided Carol’s smiling eyes. “He is training Guardians. I’m sure his class is too advanced for me.”

  “You can still take a look. Unfortunately, all these hunks are my cousins, so I can’t enjoy watching them, but you can.” She winked.

  “I think I’ll start with watching you and your students. I’m curious to see what shape ordinary immortals are in.”

  Carol laughed. “Prepare to be disappointed. They are a bunch of couch potatoes who get winded after twenty minutes. Not that I was any better a few months ago. But at least I worked at it. Most of the civilians come to the classes to socialize. Very few make an effort to get in shape.”

  The blond didn’t look like someone who belonged in a gym, let alone as a self-defense instructor and a sniper. She was too small and cute and soft for it, evoking feelings of protectiveness even in Wonder.

  Males probably went crazy over her.

  Then again, Wonder knew all about appearances and how deceptive they could be. Carol could have a heart of a tigress trapped in her small body, while Wonder had a gazelle’s trapped in a powerful one.

  “What prompted you to take up training?” she asked as they entered Carol’s classroom.

  For a split moment, Carol’s cheerful demeanor was replaced by an expression that was almost vicious. “It was when I realized that charm alone can’t get me out of every kind of trouble. Sometimes the only choice is to fight.”

  “I guess.” The thugs who’d attacked Wonder in Alexandria were a good example of that. If not for her strength and natural fighting skills, things would have ended much differently for her.

  Imagining it, she felt a shiver run down her spine.

  Carol patted her arm. “No need to get upset. My motto is to leave the crap in the past and focus on the future.”

  “Yeah.” Wonder sighed. “You’re right.”

  Carol turned to her students and clapped her hand
s. “Line up, people.”

  The six females and four males arranged themselves around a sparring mat.

  “This is Wonder, for those of you who haven’t met her yet, and she is only going to watch today. So don’t embarrass me.” She winked and smiled.

  A few words of greetings were exchanged, and then the lesson began.

  Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, Wonder pretended to pay attention to the class for a few minutes, but all she could think about was that instead of watching a bunch of out of shape beginners fumble around the training mat, she could be watching Anandur.

  A trained Guardian teaching other Guardians would no doubt be magnificent. And not any Guardian, but Anandur, with his hulking, muscular body, and his charm.

  Would he act all tough with his trainees? Or would he stay true to his character and joke around with them?

  Wonder was itching to find out.

  Right, as if that was the only thing she was curious about and not the sight of all those magnificent muscles of his in action.

  27

  Magnus

  As soon as he arrived at the location of Vera’s car, Magnus pulled out his phone. “Vera, I just wanted to tell you that we found your car and it’s perfectly fine. No damage whatsoever.”

  “Oh thank goodness. Where is it?”

  “Somewhere downtown. I’ll have one of my guys drive it back to your house.”

  “Don’t you need to collect evidence? I watch crime shows all of the time and the detectives check for fingerprints and other things like that.”

  Magnus chuckled. Already, Vera sounded much less distraught. “This is a simple fraud and theft investigation. Not a murder scene.” And thank the merciful Fates for that.

  “Yes, of course. You have to excuse an old woman.”

  “I have to go, Vera. I’ll call you later.”

  “Good luck on catching the thief.”

  “Thank you. I’ll do my best.” He disconnected the call.

  “Drive to the parking lot of that hardware store we’ve just passed,” he told Liam. “I’m going to text everyone to meet us there.”

  There was a good chance Grud was going to lead them to a Doomer nest, and Magnus wasn’t taking any chances.

  “Yes, boss.”

  As they waited for the Guardians and Jeff to arrive, Magnus texted Onegus with the update.

  Do not engage. Just scope the area. It’s vital for the Doomers not to realize that their location is compromised.

  Magnus was disappointed, but the chief was right to exercise caution.

  As much as he would have wanted to storm the Doomers’ hideout with the Guardians he had with him, Magnus had to agree with the chief that it would’ve been irresponsible. A raid required extensive reconnaissance and a well-prepared plan. Besides, the Guardians were not combat-ready yet, not for modern warfare, and not in the middle of a densely-populated city.

  Liam parked at the far end of the hardware store’s parking lot. A few minutes later Jeff’s van pulled up next to them, and some of the other Guardians he’d summoned were starting to arrive as well.

  Magnus got out of the car and signaled for Jeff to lower the window. Unfortunately, he had to thrall the guy again. Seeing so many burly men arrive was no doubt going to freak him out. The guy had signed up for a simple search job, not for a war.

  “Everything is okay. I called in more buddies from my old commando unit to help find our friend. They are all good men. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Jeff nodded.

  When all the Guardians were accounted for, Magnus signaled for them to gather around. “I’m going with Jeff and the dogs. I want you to fan out and watch our backs. Don’t get too close and make sure to keep some distance from each other. Onegus wants us to check things out, not to storm the place. It’s crucial that we don’t alert the Doomers to our presence.”

  He waited until the men dispersed before opening the van’s door and letting the dogs out. Surprisingly, the animals had been fine with the small group of immortals that had searched the neighborhood, but they might have gotten agitated around a larger one. Too many predators in one place were sure to scare the dogs.

  As Jeff got out of the van, his responses were markedly slower. He was starting to show the effects of the repeated thralling.

  Hopefully, it would pass. Magnus had been careful to use as little as possible, but the guy was very susceptible.

  “Can you keep the dogs from barking? I don’t want our guy to notice us. I want it to look like we are just two guys walking our dogs.”

  “They won’t bark unless they feel threatened.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  28

  Anandur

  Even though Anandur was sparring with his back to the door, he felt the moment Wonder entered his training room.

  It wasn’t her scent, since the place was saturated with the smell of fifteen sweaty Guardians, and it wasn’t even the sound of the door opening and closing. He could just sense her presence.

  Unfortunately, his momentary loss of concentration was all that Gilbert needed to get out of Anandur’s arm lock and flip him down on the mat.

  The class erupted in cheers.

  Damn each and every one of them.

  Lying on his back with his trainees hooting and hollering because the undefeated champion had gone down so easily was not how Anandur wanted Wonder to see him.

  This was the first time she was watching him in action, and instead of him impressing her with his skills and his strength and his speed, she’d seen him lose to a trainee.

  Gilbert was going down.

  Unleashing his full strength, Anandur dislodged the guy’s grip on him, wrapped his legs around his middle, and flipped them both over.

  One punch and it was lights out for Gilbert.

  The room went quiet. Anandur had never before finished off an opponent in a training session.

  Damn. He hadn’t meant to punch so hard.

  “Come on, Gilbert.” He lightly slapped the guy’s uninjured cheek. “One little punch and you go down like a rookie? Get up!”

  Gilbert groaned. “You call that a light punch?”

  Thank the merciful Fates it hadn’t been a knockout. Anandur got to his knees and offered the guy a hand up.

  “Sorry, buddy. I got a little carried away.”

  Rubbing his jaw, Gilbert cast a glance at Wonder. “That’s why pretty lassies shouldn’t come to watch matches.”

  A few of the Guardians murmured in agreement.

  “I don’t know about that,” Vernon said. “Wonder can come watch me spar any time.” He took off his training shirt, tossed it to the floor, and flexed his pecs to the great joy of his fellow idiots who started another cheer.

  Anandur jumped to his feet and helped Gilbert all the way up. “You okay, buddy?”

  Gilbert moved his jaw from side to side. “Nothing’s broken.”

  “Good.” Anandur clapped him on the back, then turned and walked over to where Wonder was leaning against the wall.

  “What are you doing here?”

  For a moment, she just stared at his bare chest, then lifted her chin and looked into his eyes. “Why? Is there a problem with me being here?”

  Crap. He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh. “No, of course not.” He scratched his beard. “I’m just surprised to see you here. I thought you’d go home after a long day at the café. How was it? Did you enjoy it?”

  Wonder glanced behind him at the Guardians who were standing around, watching and listening to the exchange as if it was the best show in town.

  “Don’t you have a class to teach?”

  Anandur turned and looked at the bunch of immature old farts. “Vernon, take over for me, will ya?”

  “Sure. Whatever you say, boss.” Vernon sauntered to the middle of the mat puffing his chest out like a gorilla.

  Apparently, one pretty face was all it took to transform centuries-old Guardians into adolescent boys
. Him included.

  He grabbed the shirt he’d discarded before and pulled it on. “Let me find you an intermediate class.” He put his hand on the small of Wonder’s back and led her out. “Kri teaches one, and most of her students are females.” He cast a glare over his shoulder at the smirking Guardians. “It’s a much more mature crowd.”

  “Kri is the female Guardian you were talking about, right?”

  “Yes. And she is a relatively young immortal too. I think the two of you can become good friends.”

  Wonder rolled her eyes. “Why, is it because she is also tall? Or because you still think I should join the Guardian training program?”

  Well, yeah, they had those traits in common. Why would she take offense at that?

  His friends were mostly other Guardians, not guys from the accounting department, and for a good reason. What the hell would he talk with an accountant about?

  Not much, unless the guy was interested in war stories or battle strategies. Anandur could talk about movies and maybe gossip a little, but that would cover about thirty minutes.

  True, it was overgeneralizing and casting people into preconceived molds, but most of the time that wasn’t such a bad approach. It simplified life.

  “I don’t know, Wonder. If you hit it off with Kri, it’s fine and if you don’t, it’s fine too. I just thought it would be good for you to meet new people.”

  Wonder let out a breath. “I met a lot of people today. I’m a little tired of all the introductions.” She smiled apologetically. “Don’t get me wrong, it was fun. I love it. A whole community of immortals and everyone is so nice and welcoming. It was just a long day.”

  He had a good idea who were the friendly immortals who’d gone to the café today to introduce themselves.

  An unattached immortal female was a big attraction, and they all had been trying to impress her.

  “How did you like working with Carol?” Anandur chose the one safe topic that wouldn’t enrage him.

  “I like her a lot. She seems like an interesting person, but she’s not really open. She hides behind a cheerful façade, but I have a feeling that she doesn't like to talk about herself.”