Reorganized Wolf (Seraphine Thomas Book 12)

by Erin R Flynn

  “Yes, please,” he sighed, waving at one of his guys.

  Carter nodded and was gone before the CPD guy could even object.

  And object he did. I got an earful while we waited. I nodded my head along, not listening in the slightest until I heard what I was really listening for.

  “We’ve got a timer. Twenty minutes,” Oswalt confirmed.

  “Fuck,” I snarled, turning from the CPD officer and clueing him in I hadn’t been paying attention at all. “Same as last time?”

  “Yeah, we’re on a shorter clock,” Oswalt agreed. He walked Carter through the steps and slowly people stopped bitching when they realized we were just going to ignore them and do our thing.

  “Unless you have a better viable plan, you are not getting near her and don’t even think about touching her,” Emilio practically growled at someone. So clearly my security was having fun too. Awesome.

  We went through the paces, Carter scanning the full thing to make sure there wasn’t any wires or leads to the box after he shredded some of the paper. Next he cut the box half off and brought it back to us after taking more images.

  We met at the FBI command van and were comparing images to last time to make sure nothing new was added. It seemed a valid concern given a timer had been added from the first to second bomb. I was just about to ask what blurry thing was near the bottom when I heard the distinct clicking sound of a rifle bolt chambering a round.

  Oh fuck. Now we had more problems than a bomb.

  22

  I turned towards the sound and saw the laser sighting turn on to aim at Oswalt, shoving him out of the way and moving in his place. The shooter had been in his final stage of taking the shot as he didn’t stop in time, the bullet hitting me in the shoulder not even seconds later.

  Everyone ducked down or launched to protect people at the sound but I only banged into the FBI van… While the shooter stood with the rifle to his shoulder. A gust of wind carried the sound and people screamed with it. I had a moment to think it would also carry the scent of my blood along and I was going to be in deep shit again.

  Except for what else I caught.

  “Hold your fire!” I bellowed when people started reacting and pulling your weapons. “Don’t shoot!”

  “Thomas, are you nuts?” someone asked me.

  “What do you smell?” Carter asked instead, getting my sensitive wolf nose caught something the humans wouldn’t or the vampires couldn’t over the smell of my blood.

  “Explosives,” I answered.

  “And we’re upwind from the bomb but downwind from him,” Nikos surmised. “Fuck, he’s wearing a vest.”

  “My guess as well,” I confirmed.

  “Why are you helping them?” the shooter bellowed as he lowered his rifle. “I’m on your side!”

  I didn’t reply right away, studying the guy who wasn’t much younger than me. Maybe five years. He couldn’t have been more than mid-twenties but not a kid for sure. “Oswalt’s my friend. I would never hurt him.”

  He huffed. “Fine, I wasn’t trying to kill him, just get him out of here so he didn’t stop this bomb too.” He nodded towards the building. “It’s corrupt. All you keep doing is cleaning up its corruption but there’s more and more. They fail people.”

  “We all do,” I reminded him. “I have. There are those I’ve failed. Should I be blown up? Is that what you want?”

  He frowned. “No. I want to help your fight. No one helps you clean up Chicago. This city and the people of it have failed you again and again and yet you always help them, save them. Someone needed to help you.”

  “Not like this—what’s your name?”

  He looked taken aback that I cared. “My name doesn’t matter. I don’t want credit or my name in papers.”

  “I know. But I still care. What is it?”

  “You always care.” He hesitated. “Jeremy.”

  Dammit. There was a Jeremy I had wanted to get information on today. I wondered if it was him but until then I was flying blind. “I have help, Jeremy. Lots are stepping up to help Chicago. You don’t have to do this. Blowing up buildings won’t stop the corruption and will just cost the city money it doesn’t have. You’ve been careful not to hurt people but there’s no guarantee with that.”

  He snorted. “The city has more than enough money if people would stop giving bribes and inflating what they pay to put money in their pockets.”

  I couldn’t really disagree with him on that one. I saw Carter moving out of the corner of my eye, Orson doing the same from the other direction. I was afraid Jeremy would notice but someone from CPD tried to take over the situation.

  “Put down your weapon and surrender,” an officer ordered, training his weapon on Jeremy. “Tell us how to deactivate the bomb and come in quietly.”

  The look Jeremy gave him was almost comical. Then he opened his jacket to show he was wearing a vest of explosives. He slung his rifle on his shoulder and mocked the officer.

  “Sure, shoot me. You’d blow us all up and then the building will definitely come down. You were all fighting for credit and who’s in charge so you didn’t call in Sera faster and she didn’t clear the area like before. I put more time on the clock than last time and yet she only had twenty minutes when she got here. And you’ll blame her in the end.”

  Well fuck. Again, I couldn’t argue with him on that one either.

  “Lower your fucking weapons,” I snapped at CPD before focusing on Jeremy. “Seriously, where are you getting all of this C-4? Is there a cool toys warehouse I’m not a member of?”

  “No, you’re honorable, Sera.” He sneered at the group of cops. “Unlike others with badges. Anything can be bought for the right price. Even from CPD evidence lockup. I thought it perfect to use it here given where I got it from.”

  “Oh fuck,” someone hissed, several saying about the same.

  “I want to know who you got it from and I’ll bust them, Jeremy. I promise. Let’s put them in jail.” I got desperate when he shook his head, knowing the clock was running down. “Please don’t do this. You’ve not hurt anyone yet. You’re right we don’t have time to evacuate. Let us defuse this bomb and surrender to me. You can tell me everything and I promise you I’ll be in your corner and we’ll do good.”

  He stared at me several moments and I wasn’t the only one holding my breath or with a racing heart. Granted, mine was also because I’d been shot and was bleeding even with the pressure I was holding on the wound. He shook his head. “No, not this time, Sera. I’m sorry. You’re the good guy but sometimes only a bad guy can fight other bad guys. Let them see that people will stand up to them.”

  “Jeremy, no, don’t do this,” I begged when he reached for something in his jacket as he moved towards the gathered cops. I saw the switch and knew I couldn’t get to it in time, couldn’t get to him in time, having a flash of Brian getting shot.

  I wasn’t alone though. What I’d told Jeremy was the truth and it wasn’t only me in this fight. Orson went in from the right and Carter from the left to handle the situation.

  Unfortunately, they weren’t the only ones. I heard the shot and watched the three of them land in a heap, my heart stalling for a moment.

  “Well, I think we have our first suspect who sold him the explosives,” Orson bitched as he got to his feet, glaring at the group of CPD. He held up the vest trigger Jeremy had been going for. “We got it and didn’t shoot the kid.”

  “Dead,” Carter seethed as he stood as well. “Back the fuck up. It’s Chief Thomas’s case and especially now one of yours shot her suspect.”

  “He was coming at us,” one of the cops defended.

  “Yeah, and only one of you pulled a gun so I call that suspect,” Carter snapped. “Nikos, secure the body and call in the right whomever from the regular FBI for this.”

  “Hey, I’m in charge here,” I reminded him. “And we still have a bomb to deal with now.”

  “You’ve been shot. Again,” Carter growled. “Why is it a
lways you that gets shot?”

  “I’m most powerful with the best reflexes,” I grumbled.

  “I’m grateful, Chief,” Oswalt offered, coming over to help me.

  “Don’t,” I argued, waving him and his guys off. “I don’t want to infect anyone. I’m fine. Orson, work with Oswalt to handle what Carter did last time. Apparently he’s going to doctor me.”

  “On it,” Orson promised and Oswalt led him over to where we’d been looking over images.

  “You’re not fine,” Carter growled. “That’s why people run their mouths and assume it doesn’t hurt.”

  I rolled my eyes as he yanked open my coat. “Of course it hurts. I’ve been shot. In the shoulder with a rifle. I’m fine as it’s not life threatening or—” I snarled as he pulled off my suit jacket too. “I will fuck you up and toss you off the packhouse roof. That hurts, asshole.”

  “I’m sorry. You were shot. Again,” he grumbled, before glancing around. “Does anyone have a med kit? I need a knife or something to cut her shirt enough to get the bullet without flashing everyone here.”

  “Yeah, here, we’ve got one,” one of the bomb squad guys offered, reaching in their vehicle and pulling it out. People passed it along and got it to Carter.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “Someone saw who took the shot, right?” I asked under my breath.

  “Yeah, Sander has already got him disarmed and in custody,” Carter answered. “People arrived from the regular FBI but were in the back of the circus. The moment I told Nikos to get them I heard Corbin demand people make a hole and more. They’re clearing the area. It’s your guys’ scene.”

  “Good.” I groaned as he dug out the bullet, glad when it was done. “Thanks.”

  “I’m going to get chewed for letting you get shot.”

  “When do you guys ‘let’ me do shit?” I drawled. “I’m the boss.”

  “Yeah, you’re the boss,” he sighed, kissing my hair before he made quick work of cleaning up the mess. Everything he used besides the knife to cut my shirt was disposable so we could take it with us so no one tried for my blood or samples of me.

  It was understandable we were still paranoid like that.

  My shirt was toast and dry cleaning probably wouldn’t save my suit jacket but I covered it all up with my winter coat once I cleaned up enough of the blood. I went over to the body and saw the shot went through Jeremy’s throat. Given the two ancients had probably knocked into him around the same time, I couldn’t know if the aim had been for the head or chest.

  Either way, my best guess would be it wasn’t meant to be an incapacitating shot. It made me think their accusation someone was taking the opportunity to cover up their crimes was accurate. Great. I would have much rather gotten information out of Jeremy but now I would have to settle for wherever he lived.

  “It didn’t have to be this way, Jeremy,” I whispered sadly, his lifeless eyes staring back at me. His face wasn’t twisted with pain or agony, which told me that the shot had made him bleed out fast. It had to be for Carter to have called it so soon. One or both of the major arteries in the neck had to have been severed with the shot to go that fast.

  I knew it could be like three seconds but looking around at the blood on the ground and snow… Yeah, with the internal bleeding as well, sure, it could be that fast if one was severed and another clipped. Just the wrong spot and game over.

  People were fragile like that as much as they could be strong and resilient.

  “We’re clear on the bomb,” Oswalt called out.

  “Well, thank fuck,” I sighed in relief, thanking him and his crew. They promised to handle disposal and get them the reports as Orson brought it over, smiling like the hero of the day.

  Sure, he could even wear a beauty queen–type sash that said so. I’d make sure to get him one.

  There were a few more pissing matches but after some CPD higher-ups showed up and got their people to back off, our people were able to get their jobs done. My heart hurt as his body was loaded in a bag and then in the corner van.

  “We got his info,” Jennings informed me, handing me a tablet. I gave him a confused look and he shrugged. “I was already headed to the regular office to confer on this case since I’ve never worked a bombing either and wanted the experience. When Shaw informed us of the call and where it was, she said you could use all available backup and I booked it here.”

  “Thanks, Jennings.”

  “Always, boss.”

  I took the tablet and swallowed loudly. Jeremy Baig was on the list I had planned to get information from DCFS and the archdiocese. Dammit. I glanced over at Corbin. “You got things here? We’ve got an address to start on if you do?”

  “All good here, Chief. Let me know if you need us.”

  I nodded. Oh yeah, we’d need them. “I’ll text you where to go when you’re done. Also Oswalt, we’ll need you guys once we do a sweep. I’m sure there’s bomb gear to properly handle.”

  “That’s a wise guess,” he sighed. “Bomb makers generally have gear and don’t just shit the bombs.”

  “Good to know that’s not actually an option for humans,” Emilio said, trying to lighten the dark mood.

  It didn’t work.

  We loaded up and headed to the address as I checked out the file.

  “How bad?” Carter asked, all of them sensing my mood getting worse.

  “Bad,” I whispered, still reading Jeremy’s background. I had access to his DCFS file through the FBI system, but to get information on complaints filed was why I’d had to ask them to pull confidential information. Well, to do it the right way. I’d still have to contact the archdiocese to find out what happened there as well.

  And I certainly would.

  Jeremy Baig, twenty-four, could have been a younger brother from another mother just from his DCFS history alone. He’d been bounced from several bad homes and placed with multiple group homes. The police had been called in on different foster families and nothing concrete ever done besides certain people blocked from ever being allowed to be foster parents again.

  He was labeled a problem in his file like I was. Personally I called myself a problem magnet. I seemed to attract every horrible foster parent no one should ever have approved and Jeremy seemed to have the same gift from his file.

  He was bullied in high school and didn’t get the chance I did to go to a better school or graduate early. He got good grades and was smart, getting enough financial aid and scholarships to attend University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with minimal debt, which was amazing. He was a political science pre-law major and after graduating applied to the police academy.

  And was rejected. His history cited as the reason. They rejected him because of his messed up childhood and said he failed the psych requirements.

  Fuck, I was angry for him. He had glowing recommendations and aced his LSATs. He could have gone to the best law schools in the country with that but he wanted to become a cop to help people, help Chicago, and they denied him because they system fucked him over. They judged him for what wasn’t his fault.

  How close to home did that hit?

  “Sera, how bad?” Carter worried, reaching over and wiping a tear off my cheek.

  I sniffled and pushed his hand away, quickly wiping under my eyes. “Let’s just check his place.”

  “We’re almost there,” Emilio told us.

  A few minutes later we pulled up to an apartment building. Not a nice one but definitely not falling down or the projects. There was a middle-aged man waiting just inside the main door and he came out when he saw the badges.

  “I saw the news. I figured you were coming,” he told us, holding up a set of keys. “The kid’s dead, right?”

  “You’re the building manager?” I checked, nodding when he did. “Yes, Jeremy Baig was killed. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry too. I didn’t think…” He trailed off and shook his head. “He was a good kid. He just wanted to fucking help people. Everyone
shit on him his entire life and that makes people break. I’m sorry he did. Dammit. I thought he—dammit.”

  I patted him on the back when he got choked up, saying the only thing I could think of. “He died fast and it wasn’t painful. He didn’t hurt anyone. He uncovered some corruption too and I promise we’ll clean up what he started.”

  “Good, good, he would have wanted that.” He handed me the keys. “Apartment 213. Across the hall is going to fall apart. She only could still live in that place because Jeremy helped her when her shitty kids didn’t do anything. I don’t know what she’s going to do now.”

  “Thanks,” I whispered, taking the keys from him. We waited for Jennings and his team to show up since we’d need pictures and everything documented of the scene before we touched anything. We headed up and to say the mood was somber was an understatement.

  And that was before we saw what was in the apartment.

  Carter went first in case there were any traps or trip wires. He took two steps in before coming back out and closing the door behind him. He gave me a worried look and swallowed loudly. “Is there anything I can say that would keep you from going into that apartment?”

  “No and especially not now,” I chuckled darkly. “I’ve got a job to do, Carter. Step aside.”

  “Dammit, Sera,” he whispered but did as I said.

  I understood his worry as I opened the door and went in. The whole living area wasn’t just his workroom for making bombs but looked more like FBI conference rooms when we were working complicated cases. He had whiteboards hung on the walls and standing ones with written notes, printouts, and articles.

  And pictures of me plastered among all of that.

  Lots of pictures of me. If I didn’t know better I would have thought we were walking into a stalking case and I was the target.

  I knew I shouldn’t but I walked over to the first board and saw a picture of me coming out of the courthouse. I couldn’t place it but the article next to it was an opinion piece saying I was nothing but a walking, talking dog and I’d admitted as much about werewolves to try and push the boundaries of the law to get illegal evidence allowed.