by Ayer, T. G.
No response there.
"We'll get involved if and when we are convinced it's necessary."
"So will you at least do a head count?"
I was beginning to feel a little dizzy. What was it with these damned Alphas? It seemed to be a sore point when they were asked to count the members of their colonies. Or perhaps they didn't take kindly to a female giving them orders.
"Every pack in the Chicago basin is, at this moment, processing their colonies, ensuring they know where everyone is. Are you telling me some stupid racial prejudice means you won't do the responsible thing because the cats are doing it?"
I was so disgusted with his childish behavior I barely registered the words as they left my mouth. Barely registered Byron as he flashed toward me, claws drawn on huge hairy paws, each easily the size of my head. Then the room tilted. I was falling. I’d expected my head to crash in the polished redwood, and when the crunch of my skull on the wood did not come, I found myself flat on my back, Byron lying beside me, one paw cushioning my head while the other was splayed at my neck, claws bared.
His body, transformed, he lay next to me in an almost-cuddle, but this little rendezvous was about as far from making out as the North Pole was from the simmering plumes of Yellowstone. I was deathly afraid. Not of what Byron might do to me, but more of what might happen if he accidentally touched me with one of those scalpel sharp claws he was waving in front of my face.
I knew this was an attempt to show me who was boss. And I was thoroughly enlightened. This power play was getting tiresome.
"Put a lid on it Byron. There are too many lives at stake to be playing games. I don't have the time to waste on your territorial dominance games while the killer is out there ready to make his next kill." I kept an eye on his claws as I spoke.
The surprise in his eyes mirrored Anjelo's, and he transformed slowly, back into the version of himself far more easy on the eye than the hairy, growling canine. Byron lifted himself off the ground in an easy glide, and lent me his hand. I ignored it, my pride still burning from my undignified visit with the floor.
"You’re lucky you are an Alpha, Kailin. Or you’d be dead just for your smart mouth."
And I would’ve believed him had it not been for the tiny curl of amusement on his lips.
***
I'd put my visit to Iain last on my agenda, mostly because I wanted to find some excuse to avoid it. But, here I was, entering the colony grounds, and heading straight for Iain's home. The sun hung low, and the sky darkened to an inky hue. A beautiful night awaited us. I pressed my thumb on the keypad, very glad I was still logged with the security company.
Since I'd left, two years ago, I'd returned only twice. Both times to see Iain. The only person in my family still on chatting terms with me. My father's coldness seeped into my bones - I'd seen him only once since I’d left. Greer had visited my apartment a few times, bringing with her the cool, hauteur of the snooty elder sister, come to make sure Grams was taking good care of me. Had she come bearing a care package, I may well have tossed her out on her patootie.
But she'd come to gloat. Something about a job in Seattle. Some newspaper gossip column where she could hide her identity well enough, and still get far away from Father. Seems I wasn't the only one running from the winter of our father's heart.
I hadn't seen her since, and that was over a year ago.
"Iain?" I called, loud enough to echo through the house. Better to warn him than to get mauled to death by my very own brother.
"Kai?" He rounded the corner, coming into the hall from the kitchen, dusting crumbs from his shirt as he drew close for a bear-hug. I loved those huge crumpling hugs. One of those squeezes could last me for days; these days they had to last me for months. "What are you doing here, kid?"
"I actually have some troubling news to discuss."
"Come on in, then. You might as well make some coffee while you talk." He smiled in anticipation and I sighed and followed him into the huge kitchen.
Shaking my head I walked around the island to the counter-top where the huge stainless steel coffee machine still sat. It was an ancient contraption and I hated it with a passion. Hated it because by some stroke of awful luck I happened to be the only member of my family who could actually make a drinkable cup of coffee with it.
I set to work, my hands busy while my mouth rattled on. I filled a silent Iain in on the whole goings-on including my visits to Justin and Byron. He wasn't happy.
I handed him his cup of freshly brewed coffee, and he inhaled the aroma.
"You should’ve come to me first." His tone was thorough Alpha male.
"So you could go tell them yourself? So when would you have done it? Before or after all the chest pounding and name-calling?"
"Shut up, Kai."
"Well, it's done. I'm still alive, and they are both duly informed. No harm done." I looked at my cup, mixing it studiously.
"Still, you should’ve left it to me. Dealing with Alphas is a dangerous business."
I clamped my jaw shut before I could recount Byron's attack. Wouldn't want to start a Panther-Wolf war. It took fourteen years for the last feud to end, and peace has always been the preferred status quo. And, I wouldn't dare tell him I'd interrogated the Cougar Alpha. Those two were already on the verge of ripping each other's throats out, no need to give him a reason to start all over again.
"Where's Father?" I asked in-between savoring my drink.
"Off-colony. There's something he needs to sort out." Now it was Iain whose drink was far more interesting.
"Have you heard from Greer lately?" I asked. Iain eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Don't give me that, Iain. Is something wrong with Greer?"
"No, she should be fine."
"Have you or father heard from her?"
"No. Have you?"
"Not since she came to say goodbye, and that was a year ago. Must be living the Seattle high-life." Iain brow knitted in confusion.
"Seattle?"
"Yes, dear brother. Greer told me about her job at the newspaper in Seattle." I spoke slowly, as if to a child.
"Oh. Yes. I get it." He nodded. Then fell silent.
Everything he said should’ve sounded perfectly fine and believable. But something was bothering him, and it had to do with Greer. Bullying Iain into telling me more was a waste of time and my breath. I'd get royally pissed off and he'd just walk off calm as you please.
I told myself I'd done my duty, given all the Alphas the information they needed to keep their clans safe. But my visit to Iain left me unbalanced. There was so much he hadn't told me, evading all those questions about Greer, and where father was and what he was doing. Something heavy settled in the pit of my stomach. I hoped Greer was safe. Hoped she was not in trouble. Heavier still the feeling that I was still outside the loop. Still kept at arm's-length from anything important. Why hadn’t they told me the minute Greer had gone? The minute they knew anything, shouldn't I have also been told? But maybe I made my bed by leaving.
No time for self-pity. I'd have to check back with Iain in a couple of days to make sure she was okay. But for the moment, I had other pressing matters on my mind.
***
I sat on my bed, toweling my hair, trying not to think about the various spots of pain dotting my body.
My mobile phone was yelling at me to answer the incoming call. I hated the thing, but could never do without it. Usually I had a blue-tooth ear-piece, so I didn't need to put up with its persistent ring, but showers and technology weren't pretty playmates. I'm pretty sure the result would be electrocution. I'd rather not find out first hand.
A new number blinked on the screen. Before the murderer had begun to troll our neighborhood, I'd have answered the call with a flick of a button. But today I hesitated. It was silly.
Stop being stupid Odel. Answer it.
Later I wished I hadn't.
"Kailin, it's Byron." His voice was sharp, raw.
&n
bsp; "Hello Byron. Done your head-count yet?" I'd had enough of stubborn superiority from the clan leaders to last me a lifetime.
"Yes. It's why I'm ringing. We were short six until half an hour ago." His voice held a tremor which served to chill my marrow with foreboding. I knew I wasn't going to like what he had to say.
"All but one of them returned this morning. Bunch of stupid kids...too scared to let us know, they left it the whole day. Went out on the town. Boozing, clubs, you know how it is?" Wolf-Walkers, much like any of the other Walker clans, had no problems with alcohol. Most alcohol had no intoxicating effect, thankfully. Unfortunately, it had a different addictive result. Alcohol was like candy to Walkers. "They all came home this morning, except for Evan. Faith was too afraid to tell me. Now we may be too late."
It hit me like a medicine ball to the head. Evan and Faith were Byron's twins. This was now a very big problem. "How's Faith?"
"She's in shock..." Byron's voice shivered a little. "I'll be out as soon as I get things sorted here-"
"No. Stay with Faith and the pack. We'll look for him." I was afraid Byron would scare away any witnesses. Wolf Alphas didn't have the most subtle interrogating skills. They ran more along the lines of talk-or-I'll-rip-you-to-pieces. Those types of life threatening scare tactics were not so effective.
It was best Byron stayed home. It may hurt his ego to have a girl to do his dirty work— the girl being a Panther would make it harder to swallow—but I was all he had.
"I'll get things calmed down here, and then I'll be straight out."
I was not going to go head to head with an Alpha. I'd fight him though, if he pulled any strong-arm tactics, but I left it for now. "Byron, which club did they go to?"
"It was Club Wylde." Byron paused, and I heard the soft mumble of voices. "Spencer will finish questioning them soon, and he'll have the report emailed to you in the next half hour."
In Spencer's case a half hour meant exactly a half hour. Spencer Caulfield was very thorough. Undercover at a local police precinct after training at the Chicago Police Training Facility, his aim had been to police the pack with better organization skills. Spencer was particular. I sighed. At least the report would be detailed. Detailed or not, Spencer's investigative reach was limited. Probably why Byron sought me out instead of instructing his guard-dog to go fetch. My territory perhaps? Or too many cats for Spencer's tender faculties.
"And Kailin? Evan's only just seen his first Change. He'll be volatile, dangerous. Whoever has him.... They'll be in danger." I'd forgotten about the effects of a Wolf-Walkers Change time. Unpredictable. Extremely dangerous. Now he was captured and threatened, he'd be more of a danger to everyone, including himself.
"Alright. Oh and Byron, one more thing," I said.
"Yes." he prompted.
"Can you tell me if there were drugs available or in any way involved with the kids?"
"Drugs? Kailin you know we are immune to the –"
"I know that. But word is there's a drug out there right now that is addictive to Walkers. So I'm just checking."
"Okay hold on." I heard the soft drone of his voice. "Faith says they were offered something but she didn't take it. She thought it was a joke. But she can't be sure that Evan refused it."
"Okay, thanks. And Byron...I'm sorry. Evan's smart, I'm sure he'll be fine." What I actually meant was I hoped he'd be fine. At this point I couldn’t even hope to guess the outcome.
"I wish I could be so sure." His voice was a father's heart grieving for a son. Sometimes people get 'feelings'. A sense of loss when someone close dies. I hoped Byron's feelings weren't coming from some deeper father's instinct. I wanted to help get Evan home to his family, not track down another skinned corpse.
He cut the call, and I was glad I didn't need to say goodbye. My throat was far too tight to manage words. I dried my hair and twisted it away from my face with a clip dangerous enough to be a weapon itself. There goes my evening, then.
***
I speed-dialed Anjelo.
"Hey, how you feeling today? No more holes I hope?" Cheeky, but not far from the reality of my life these days.
"Byron's kid Evan is missing," I said, my voice flat, devoid of the shock I was in.
"When? Where?" He wasn't counting the holes in my body anymore.
"Last they saw him was Club Wylde, last night. I'll have the statements of his friends in an hour. In the meantime, round up a couple of people to join us. We're going clubbing. I'll meet you at the Deep."
"I'll sort out the tickets. We'll have to wait until opening time."
"Which is?" I'd never been to Club Wylde. My evenings were often filled with other pursuits—like killing Wraiths. Besides, I liked my personal space. The thought of gyrating on a darkened dance floor, hip to hip with scores of unknown bodies...ugh. Not my thing.
"Ten-pee-em, Kailin." Uttered with such patience.
"Sorry, I'm not a club-crawler okay. That's your thing."
"Probably the touch-me-not Alpha in you." He obviously thought it was a joke. But he was right. "I can go without you. Have a look around and give you a full report."
"Not happening. I want to speak to the manager of the club. Best place to get the information is from the guy in charge."
"Fine. If you want to tangle with Sully you can come."
"Sully?"
"Yeah the club owner. Name's Sullivan, but goes by Sully."
"He's a Walker?"
"Must be to own a club like Wylde."
"So you don't know his species?"
"Sorry Kai. I go to dance, not to fraternize with management." Anjelo snorted.
I ended the call and gathered my things. I usually don't carry my bow unless on a hunt, only the knife in my boot. But today I wanted my weapons with me. This killer had kicked the heat up a notch and I was beginning to get uncomfortable.
What pissed me off was the killer's audacity to poach a young kid at a night-club. And worse yet, kids were now a target as well. Most clubs overflowed with both Humans and Walkers, bumping and grinding the night away. He'd need to have a Walker detector to know who was who.
He'd need to have a Walker on his side. We had a traitor in our midst.
***
Chapter 19
Evan twitched a finger. Sensations tingled into his body as the world came back to him a little at a time. He lay supine on a surface unexpectedly and tolerably comfortable. The thought caught him by surprise. Why would it be unusual? He was a bit fuzzy on the details.
The only thing he was certain of was his last memory. The club.
He backtracked, struggling with a hazy memory of the events of the day. Then he remembered leaving Club Wylde with Anita. Yes pretty Anita with the generous boobs and the pouty red lips. Being away from home was wild. Club Wylde was way wilder. But he didn't feel so wild right now. His body ached, and his arms no better than limp pasta. His eyes….
He opened them, blinking away the gritty dry coating. The neon-red club lenses stuck tight to his eyeballs, made him blink automatically as his eyes trying to generate some moisture. Lifting his hand to shove the thing around his eye to work up some wetness, he found said hand firmly attached to the metal rails on the right side of the bed. The other hand had met with equally ignominious fate.
He surveyed the small room, enough space on either side of the bed for his Aunt Zelda to fit her generous hips. But that was it. A teensy window high up on one wall, way too high to jump to. Even if he changed. And maybe that wasn't a good idea either.
He lay on the bed, listening for movement, any sound that told him someone was around. The thought he might be all alone was scarier than wondering who had tied him to the bed and what they wanted with him, and he strained to hear the slightest noise. He allowed the change to condense his eardrums, lifted his ears a bit - borrowing some of his wolfish hearing might do the trick.
***
Evan didn't need his wolf senses. He didn't need to fear he was all alone. His captor was just down the hall. H
e'd be visiting Evan soon enough. Something the boy was better off not knowing.
***
Club Wylde was an enormous abandoned factory. We entered onto a balcony, immediately bombarded with a full view of the gyrating dance floor. A living, breathing sea of dance. The crowd heaved and pulsed with the grinding rhythm. Music crushed my lungs, hammered my eardrums. Bass throbbed through my veins, reaching greedy fingers for my heart. I blinked, drunk with sound.
We descended the wide staircase and plunged into the melee. Bodies crushed me, swayed me to their seductive rhythm. Hands and hips gyrating, hypnotized by the beat. Colored lights flashed. On. Off. Swirling, turning, dizzying. Faces, smiles. Here. Gone.
Before I'd entered, I'd worried I was a bit under-dressed. So wrong. All black knee-high boots, black leather mini, sequined racer back tee. Compared to the girls with tiny shorts and pearlized bras, I was the over-dressed one.
Lily jabbed Anjelo in the ribs, giving him a dirty look. He'd paid the price for ogling a girl while his beloved was standing right next to him.
Only Anjelo.
He strode up to a nearby bouncer and spoke a few words to him. The guys face remained expressionless as he nodded and headed for the stairs to tell his boss he had guests.
Only moments later, the guard returned and signaled for another nearby bouncer, all beefy muscles and emotionless eyes.
A strong hand closed over my right arm, digging cruelly into the soft flesh. I shrugged the hand off a little and the grip loosened. These bouncer types were not the most hospitable guys around. While my first instinct was to resist, spin around and knock each of them flat on their sorry asses, I paused. I needed to get Sully on our side, and as much as I would take pleasure in turning these two turkeys into stuffing, I went quietly.
I followed Anjelo as they led us up a second metal staircase on the furthest end of the heaving dance floor. Meanwhile, hips swirled and booty's undulated in a mess of suggestive sensuality, to the pounding bass blasting from a hundred speakers.
Lily followed a few paces behind us, a salivating gleam in her eye as she stared into the crowd. I assumed the dance-floor called but she gave it a regretful glance and fell into step beside me, curiously unhindered.
