“My superiors don’t want that. If we take the Torquemadans alive, we’re turning them over to the FBI.”
“Who will keep their imprisonment a secret and torture them. In which case, your government will learn the history of my people, and we’ll still be in danger.”
“I was told the government wants to observe you and possibly make peaceful contact with you.”
“Do you believe that?”
Mace considered the question. “No.”
“What will they do, propose a treaty with us? Confine us to reservations? Allow us to sell tax-free cigarettes to feed our families? Or will they pursue a more explicit form of genocide?”
“I don’t know. But they know you’re in New York. Any of you who stay here do so at your own risk.”
“I’ve already sent my wife and children away until this is over.”
“Maybe you should consider not bringing them home.”
“My wife is a strong-willed woman—like yours.”
Mace disliked people knowing anything about his personal life, but Cheryl’s relative fame as a local celebrity made that unavoidable.
“I read about her interview tomorrow night.”
“Rodrigo Gomez is one of you.”
Gabriel’s face seemed to tighten. “I really must have a talk with my sister.”
“I brought Gomez in. I had a personal reason for pressing her on the point.”
“I remember when you arrested him. It was a relief to us. My father was grooming me to succeed him while Gomez terrorized the city. You did us a favor. Then that book came out, and we got nervous all over again.”
“Carl Rice has been an ongoing irritation to me.”
“He made you famous, didn’t he? I saw the movie. You looked taller on TV.”
“I get that a lot.”
“We can’t keep enough copies of The Wolf Is Loose in stock at Synful Reading.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“At least they haven’t turned that into a movie yet.”
“I understand the rights have been optioned.”
“Do you see any money from that?”
“No. I refused to cooperate with Rice on either book. I’m just a figment of his imagination.”
“I wonder what he’ll write next.”
“You have to help me help you.”
“What would you like me to do?”
“Angela found Janus Farel. You can help me locate these Torquemadans before anyone else gets killed.”
“Julian walked into Synful Reading while Angela was working—just like you did. She had his scent.”
“After tonight, Raphael and his crew have the scents of four of the Torquemadans.”
“If you’re right, I’m sure he has his own plans for them.”
“Then you’ve got to rein him in. Let him track them down, but allow me and my people to handle the confrontation for your own good.”
“If you arrest any of the Torquemadans, you have no way of guaranteeing they won’t stand trial. You have no idea what your superiors will do with them, no matter what they say now.”
“Trust me, the last thing the authorities want is to cause any more panic than there’s already been. Keeping these guys out of the public eye is a priority.”
“Your plan makes sense, but I can’t promise anything.”
Mace took out a business card. “You can reach me here at any hour. Where are you staying?”
Gabriel pocketed the card. “Someplace safe.”
“I can provide you with additional security.”
“The fewer people who know my location, the safer I’ll be.”
A deafening sound from outside, like a giant toilet flushing, overwhelmed the conversations in the diner, and Mace noticed the water in his glass rippling. Patrons exchanged terrified glances, and by the time the sound faded, a chorus of car alarms had commenced. Gabriel closed his hands into fists again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Mace ran out of the diner onto East Thirty-fifth Street, followed by Gabriel. He saw people running in the direction of the PATH train station two blocks away. Turning, he sprinted in the opposite direction and climbed into his SUV. Before he had turned the ignition, Gabriel opened the door and got in beside him.
“This isn’t a ride along,” Mace said as he affixed his strobe light to the vehicle’s roof.
“I’ll only follow you on foot if you tell me to get out.”
Mace activated the siren. “Strap yourself in.”
Gabriel buckled his seat belt, and Mace pulled into the street. In the distance, orange flames rose high from a parking space and black smoke obscured the view of skyscrapers. Transit police exited the PATH station, and a squad car stopped in the middle of the intersection. People ran from the scene as well as to it.
Mace double-parked. “You stay here.”
As soon as he got out, he smelled burning smoke. Running through the intersection, he flashed his ID at the two POs who had just gotten out of their patrol car. “Keep everyone back!” he said over the screaming car alarms.
The flames and smoke rose from a vehicle in a parking space. He ran close enough to the inferno to feel the heat from the flames on his face. The roof had been blown off the SUV, and the doors and hubcaps lay smoldering in the street, blood and oil mixed on the pavement, burned flesh and clothing spread out like frosting on a cake. The stench of burning skin filled his nostrils, and he gagged. Backing up, he glimpsed something lying on the ground underneath the SUV on the opposite side of the street. Covering his mouth and nose with one hand, he crouched and saw a human hand and forearm with black skin. The end of the forearm looked as if it had been cut from the rest of the arm.
He took out his phone and called Candice. “I’m at the PATH station. It looks like someone blew up an SUV. I’m willing to bet it was our sword-wielding terrorists. Their man probably died, and they knew they’d been spotted, so they blew up the vehicle with him inside it so we couldn’t identify the corpse. Only problem is, the severed arm didn’t get burned, so we can lift fingerprints. Get Hector and Suzie over here right away.”
Willy unlocked the door to his apartment and went inside. He tossed his unopened mail and keys on the table and peeled off his leather jacket. Then he set his Glock on the table too. Christ, what a long and unbelievable day. He just wanted to take a shower and crawl into bed. Instead, he turned on his computer and the television, which he switched to Manhattan Minute News with the volume off. His door buzzed.
Who the hell?
Probably neighborhood kids, running around late at night. He pressed a button on the intercom. “Yeah?”
“It’s me,” a female said.
Karol. But he had just seen her. “What do you want?”
“To talk.”
Sighing, he buzzed her in. Then he wondered if he should be admitting a werewolf into his apartment after midnight. He grabbed his Glock and clipped its holster to his belt again. Then he sniffed his underarms and frowned. He hurried into the bathroom, slapped some cologne onto his face, and returned to his door, which he opened. Karol stood there. His heart jumped in his chest, and he flinched. He felt his cheeks grow hot.
Karol smiled. “Did I scare you?”
“I’m a little on edge. Aren’t you?”
Moving forward, she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck and kissed him on the mouth. He raised his hands to push her back, then clasped her sides, and finally set them around her waist. She bit his lower lip, then rubbed his crotch, arousing him. Allowing their mouths to separate, she looked into his eyes and then walked around him. He closed the door, and when he turned around he saw her drop her coat on the floor and untuck her shirt from her jeans. She had no trouble finding the bedroom.
Swallowing, he followed her and stood in the doorway, where he flipped the light switch.
Wearing an orange bra, she kicked off her shoes and unzipped her jeans, which she squirmed out of. As she stepped free of the denim, he saw that her thong matched her bra
. “Take your clothes off.”
“I don’t know if I want to.”
She dropped her gaze to between his legs. “Yes, you do.”
“I don’t know what you are …”
Karol strode toward him. Her hands slid along the sides of his ribs, fingernails scratching him. “You know what I am. You know who I am. Are you man enough to handle me? Show me. Everyone’s got an animal inside them. Let me see yours.”
This time he kissed her hard. She dug her fingers into him, and he pulled her against him. Then he pushed her onto the bed and took his shirt off. Propping herself up on her elbows, she raised one knee, watching him as he removed his jeans and his boxers. Staring at his erection, she made a little grunt and smiled. She took off her bra and slid out of her thong, and he climbed on top of her, pushing himself against her moist opening.
Rolling over, she raised herself on her hands and knees and looked over her shoulder at him. “Like this,” she said in a husky voice.
Willy mounted her from behind, thrusting himself hard into her, locking his hands on her hips so she could not crawl away. She snarled at him, a moan escaping from between her clenched teeth. As he pounded away, he felt himself snarling as well.
Spreading her fingers wide, Karol slid her hands forward, pressing her breasts against the mattress and arching her back. “Bite my neck. Please …”
Leaning forward, he clamped his jaws over the back of her neck and felt her shudder. He wrapped one arm around her waist, controlling the lower half of her body. A long, low moan escaped from her lips, transforming into something more animal than human. Sweat soaked his brow, and as he continued to thrust, driven on by her musky scent, he prayed she would maintain enough control to stay in her human form.
Please, God, don’t let her change! He released his bite on her. “Don’t stop!”
Fastening his teeth on her flesh once more, he plowed her forward. She cried out, then laughed. He did not stop.
Do it. Do it!
At last she howled, and he unleashed himself.
A dozen official vehicles blocked off the intersection, and Mace imagined many more idled beyond his line of sight. Firefighters had already extinguished the blaze, and the wreckage of the SUV smoldered. The fire engine remained parked nearby, the firemen awaiting instructions. Standing downwind from the smoke, Mace and Candice watched Hector and Suzie package the hand in a plastic bag.
“There’s newspeople all over the neighborhood,” Candice said.
“Just keep them far away.”
She hurried off.
“How many bodies?” Mace said.
“Oh, only one,” Hector said. “Unless there’s bodies clinging to the buildings like Spider-Man, and we just don’t see them.”
Mace saw Shelly and Norton approaching with half a dozen other officials in suits. “Make sure you’ve got those prints.”
“They’re in my pocket,” Hector said without looking up.
The cavalry arrived.
“Captain, I’m Michael Kelly with Homeland Security …”
“… Derek Clendening with the bureau …”
“… Emil Novak, NYPD Counterterrorism squad …”
Mace faced the men. “Who’s taking charge of the crime scene?”
The men exchanged apprehensive glances.
“I am,” they said in unison.
Norton and Shelly stayed quiet.
“Just make sure you copy me with your findings. I wasn’t the first officer on the scene. Two of the uniforms back there were.”
‘We need to send the evidence to Quantico,” Norton said.
“Of course you do.” Mace turned and walked away. As many as one hundred onlookers watched from the sidewalks, and he saw cameramen training their cameras on him. When he reached his SUV, he saw that Gabriel had disappeared. Then his gaze locked on the PATH station across the street. Turning, he zeroed in on Candice and waved her over to him.
“Is something wrong?” she said.
“Get your hands on the security camera footage inside that station, going back four hours. I don’t care if all these federal agencies get them too, but I want copies immediately. Requisition the appropriate corresponding footage at other stations from the Transit Authority. Make sure Ken knows to expect them. I want him to concentrate on the footage as soon as we get it.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Port Authority Trans-Hudson service used tunnels only in Lower Manhattan, Hoboken, and downtown Jersey City.
Jersey, Mace thought.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Eun awoke with her face on fire.
Where the hell is my medication?
Sitting up, she groaned. The clock on the bedside table read 1:03 AM. She had a vague recollection of Valeria telling her there was a mission tonight.
Did they leave me alone?
She pulled back the blanket. Valeria had dressed her in flannel pajamas. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she stepped into the slippers on the floor and stood. After staggering past the electric heater to the bathroom, she relieved herself and faced the mirror. Although her face remained wrapped in a bandage like a mummy, in her mind’s eye she saw only the hideous countenance she had seen earlier. No amount of plastic surgery would ever restore her beauty, and she doubted she could ever look anything other than disfigured. She had pledged her life to Father Tudoro and the Brotherhood; she accepted that she could be killed at any moment for their cause. But she had never anticipated that the price she would pay for battling monsters was that she would become one herself.
Eun wanted to leave this place, to return home … but she didn’t really have a home. Orphaned at age four, she had been placed with a foster family in Isernia, Italy, by Tudoro, then enrolled in boarding school. After Tudoro enlisted her in the Brotherhood, she had gone off the grid, living first in the Brotherhood’s training barracks, which relocated on a semiannual basis, and then in a series of apartments under assumed names. She had followed Michael into battle in Naples, then Finland, then Greece, and now the United States. She had devoted her adult life to exterminating the beasts. She believed in the cause.
What do I have to show for my sacrifice?
She wished she had been able to accompany her comrades on their current mission. The satisfaction of slaying some beasts would have made her feel better.
Hunger pained her stomach. She left the medical room and made her way to the dining room, where she gazed at the monitor on the wall. In her cell, the bitch they had captured slept on her side. As far as Eun knew, the beast still had not provided Michael with the information they sought. She turned to where Myles’s Blade had been mounted on the wall.
Sticking to the shadows, Gabriel walked along the tree-lined street to the safe house. As he neared the low gate, two figures separated from the darkness, as he knew they would, and surrounded him.
“Gabriel!” David said. “We were worried.”
“Raphael’s waiting inside,” Eddie said.
“Thanks.” Gabriel walked up the steps and opened the front door.
Raphael and Elias sat on the living room sofa.
Raphael jumped up at the sight Gabriel. “Where the hell were you?”
Gabriel studied his brother. “I was answering for the mess you created.”
Raphael’s jaws tightened, but he did not avert his eyes from Gabriel’s. “I took action. I’m not ashamed of it.”
“You were seen entering by the police and not leaving. And then you were seen by the police in Wolf Form.”
Raphael’s nostrils flared. “We’d have prevented him from speaking, but Karol Williams protected him. You should have warned me that she was staking out the funeral home. You must have known.”
Gabriel did not care to admit what he did or did not know. “You were seen. If you were going to carry out some rogue operation behind my back, you should have taken better care to protect our secrets.”
“I laid the trap. Everything went according to plan. We’d have f
easted on those Torquemadan dogs if that cop hadn’t walked in on us. He ruined everything.”
“There are police in the real world. We deal with them all the time. That’s why Karol does what she does.”
“Make her tell me the identity of the Hispanic man who saw us. I’ll silence him forever.”
“Have you become stupid as well as reckless? The police are after the Torquemadans. We’re the victims. Kill one of them, and they’ll be after us as well.”
“They will be anyway.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You’ve played this too close to your vest. I’m entitled to know: What do the police know?”
“Not just the police—the FBI. And you’re only entitled to know what I think you should know. Right now that isn’t much. As an advisor, a confidant, and a brother, you’ve betrayed me.”
“How could protecting our people be a betrayal to you?”
“You don’t strike at anyone unless it’s on my orders.”
“We’re at war. We need leadership, not speeches. Action!”
Gabriel looked at Elias. “Someone’s lit a fire under my brother.”
Elias said nothing.
“No one’s done anything to me,” Raphael said. “If you won’t do what’s necessary, then I will. These Torquemadans have to be found and killed. I came close tonight, and now I have their scent.”
“Leave them to the police.”
Raphael scrunched up his face in disgust. “Why?”
“Because the police can take care of the Torquemadans without exposing us more than you already have.”
Raphael’s entire body seemed to tighten. “What happens if the Torquemadans are taken alive and they stand trial? What’s the risk of exposure to us then?”
“He’s right,” Elias said. “At this point, it’s best if we handle this situation ourselves.”
Gabriel offered Elias a tight smile. “Perhaps you should actually become a member of this pack before you challenge my leadership of it.”
Elias did not answer, but he did not lower his eyes, either.
“How will the police even locate the Torquemadans?” Raphael said.
The Frenzy War Page 22
