by Laken Cane
“He does this teleporting shit,” Jack said.
She nodded. “We heard. How many did he kill?”
“Six people. Eugene is going to have to work with the humans on this, because they’re not going to let this case go.”
“Understandable,” she said. “Show me the bodies. I want to see what he did.”
He led her to two of the closest bodies, two doctors who’d been working together when Jett had found them. They’d died together, as well.
There were no wounds, no blood, no weapons protruding from organs. But their staring, horrified eyes and waxy faces told part of the story. Green, putrid flesh and a stench strong enough to make Rune flinch told the rest.
They’d been murdered, and it’d been a harsh way to die.
“He just touched them,” Jack said. “Witnesses said he appeared suddenly behind his victims, touched them, and after a pretty grisly process, they died.”
Rune stared at the victims from a few feet away—the human officials weren’t letting anyone get close enough to screw up their crime scenes.
“What process?” she asked.
“What’d Tasha call him—a griev? We should have had someone do some research,” Jack answered. “After he touched them, they seemed to get some sort of horrendous infection.”
“Son of a bitch,” she said, then punched in Bill’s number. “Bill,” she said, when he answered, “I need you to research Grievs. Find everything you can and type up a report for me.”
“I’m already on it,” he said, and hung up.
“I need my ass kicked,” she muttered. “I didn’t take the girl seriously enough to do some fucking research.”
“Shit happened,” Jack said, always her defender—even against herself. “We got busy. We’d have gotten to it.”
He also wasn’t willing to let her take all the blame.
“This griev has a grudge,” Roma said, staring at the bodies. She swallowed hard and backed away. “A teleporting griev who kills you by touching you. How can you defend yourself against that?”
Tasha was already gone when they got back to the guards. Rune called Eugene to tell him the girl was on her way, and that Jett had done what he’d set out to do and was gone.
But none of them believed that was the last time he’d show himself.
No.
Jett Ramsey was just getting started.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rune crossed her arms as she stood in the darkened room beside Eugene, Logan, and Bill and watched through the one-way mirror as two Annex ops interrogated Tasha Ramsey.
“Obviously there’s a way we can use her to get to her father,” Bill said.
Rune shook her head. “Listen to her. She isn’t lying about it being out of his control.”
“She doesn’t think she’s lying,” Logan said.
“Mind control,” Bill said, skeptically.
Rune snorted. “Her father teleports and kills with a touch.” She gave Bill a sharp glance. “I just found out that you—”
“Rune,” Eugene warned.
Apparently Logan wasn’t in the loop and they weren’t planning on bringing her in anytime soon.
Rune ignored Logan’s narrowed eyes and dark frown and changed what she’d been about to say. “Dude, seriously? After everything we’ve seen and done and are, you’re not prepared to think an Other exists with the power of mind control?”
“You forget, Rune,” Bill said. “Tasha says the man who has her father is human.”
Rune rubbed her nose. “There is that. But really, she only knows what her dad told her. He could be feeding her shit to feed us.”
“Logan got you in to see Elaine Garrett at Forsythe,” Eugene said. “She’s not going to be cooperative, but we need to find out everything we can about a doctor who experimented on Others there.” He inclined his head toward Tasha. “Fictional or not.”
“I’ll get her to talk,” Rune answered, grimly.
“I sent ops to the Ramsey’s house,” he continued. “I wanted to see what we could find before human law enforcement got there. My ops sent word fifteen minutes ago that they left just as HLE arrived, and they’re currently on their way back with a couple of boxes of stuff.”
“HLE will insist on getting their hands on it,” Bill said.
Eugene shrugged. “They’re welcome to it—when I’m done with it.”
“No reported sightings of Ramsey?” Rune asked. “People will be watching for him.”
“Sure,” Bill said. “We’ve had over two hundred “sightings” in less than an hour. People are reporting every strange black man they see.”
“This is not going to be an easy case,” Logan said.
Eugene held up a hand. “Listen.”
Tasha was weeping inconsolably, and though Rune felt sorry for the girl, she felt sorrier for the families of Jett Ramsey’s victims.
“I don’t know anything else,” she said, finally regaining control. “I want you to rescue him. Why would I lie?”
“Earlier,” one of the interrogators said, calm but unrelenting, “you said…” He looked down and shuffled through his notes, though Rune knew that was pretense—he wouldn’t need his notes to remember everything the girl had said. “Ah, here it is. You said your father had a talk with you one day. That he told you about the doctor he was suspicious of.”
Rune nodded. “That’s what she told me.”
“But just now,” the op continued, “you said your father kept a journal and after he disappeared, you read about his suspicions in his journal.”
Rune narrowed her eyes. “The girl isn’t stupid enough to fuck up like that.”
“I did not,” Tasha said, angry. “I said he told me about it. And I said I snooped in his private things once he was taken and found his journal. He’d written about the contact with the doctor at Forsythe.”
The op leaned forward. “Where is the journal, Tasha?”
“I burned it,” the girl whispered.
“You burned it.”
“Dammit,” Rune muttered.
“Why would you have destroyed your father’s journal, Tasha?” the second op asked.
She never took her eyes off the table top. “Because there were things in it that will get him into trouble.” She looked up, finally. “When he’s found.”
“What things?” the first op asked. He sat back and spread his hands, then gave her a kindly smile. “You can tell us. We don’t care what your father did in the past. We just want to help him now.”
“I’m not a ten year old,” Tasha said. “And I’m not stupid. Don’t talk to me like I’m either.”
“Okay,” the op said. “Okay, Tasha. Why did you burn Jett Ramsey’s diary? If indeed such a thing existed.”
“I don’t know many men who keep diaries,” the first op said, grinning.
“It was for me,” Tasha told them. “A couple of years ago he started writing things for me. Just in case.”
“Things like what?”
“Safe places I could go if I needed to get away. What to do if something happened to him. Who I could trust.” She raised her head and met the op’s stare. “Who I couldn’t trust.”
“Then why are you still in town?”
“Because he said I could trust Rune Alexander, and I’m not running when my father is in trouble. That’s not what you do when someone you love is in trouble.”
Rune grunted. “He knows me.”
“Most people do, Rune,” Eugene said. “Especially Others.”
She nodded. “But not everyone knows they can trust me with their daughter.”
“I want to go home now,” Tasha said. “You can’t keep me here.”
“You’re right,” the op said. “I’ll have someone escort you to your car.”
“I’ll put some ops outside her house,” Eugene said. “The bastard might return.”
“Go visit Forsythe,” Eugene told her. “Bring me back some information I can use.”
“I’ll do m
y best.”
“Take two people, Rune,” Eugene called. “I’ll need the rest of them if Ramsey makes a move before you return.”
She let the crew decide who’d go with her to the prison camp—in the end Levi climbed into the passenger side and Denim took the back. She’d sent Roma to start researching teleportation and Jett Ramsey, and though the girl was unhappy with staying behind, she didn’t put up too much of a fuss.
They stopped for coffee on the way to Forsythe, and grabbed a bag of burgers while they were at it.
Levi called Ellis while they were waiting for their food, not only to let him know they were leaving town but to check on the baby.
“Kader’s fine,” Levi reported, hanging up. “He said to tell you they have a vampire in the safe room, four guards outside, an alarm system, and Grim. Stop worrying.”
Rune grinned. “I wasn’t worried.” Hell, she knew how secure the place was. But no matter what they did to make Kader’s home a safe place for her, it wasn’t going to be quite as safe as it was when Rune was there.
So maybe she was a little worried.
“We made great time,” Rune said, an hour and a half later. “Even with the roadwork.”
It had helped that she’d ignored the posted speed limits all the way up.
Forsythe Prison Camp wasn’t the dismal place one would imagine it to be—at least by outward appearances.
But Rune and the twins weren’t fooled by brightly painted buildings and beautiful landscaping. It was a prison camp for Others. No matter how they’d painted the exterior, everyone knew there was only darkness inside.
But from everything she’d heard about it, the place was still better than some of the larger prisons.
But it didn’t feel any better.
Two guards—a man and a woman—came to escort them into the prison.
“We’ll need to search you all,” the female guard said. She was a tall, burly woman with short dark hair and red cheeks. “You’ll need to undress.”
“You’ll need to kiss my ass,” Rune told her. She pulled her ID from her pocket. “I’m here to see Elaine Garrett. Take me to her. Now.”
They glanced at each other. “All visitors—”
“Not law enforcement visitors,” Rune said, impatient. “The fuck is wrong with you?”
Again, they glanced at each other, and Rune narrowed her eyes. “You were told to give me a hard time.”
The woman blanked her face. “We were told to follow procedure.”
Rune held her arms out. “Search us and let’s get going. I’d like to get back home sometime this century.”
They took the blade in her boot and the blade at her waist, then looked surprised that she wasn’t carrying more weapons.
They stepped back, watching her suspiciously. “Law enforcement and no gun?” The man asked.
“My brother and I are carrying,” Levi said, gently. “If that makes you feel any better.”
The woman put her hand on her holstered gun.
Rune sighed. “You’ve seriously never heard of us?”
“We were just told that you belonged in here with the rest of the Others,” the man said, “but that you have connections. I guess that makes you lucky.”
The woman paled a little, maybe afraid her partner’s insolence was going to get them hurt. “We weren’t given any names.”
“No? Then I’ll be happy to make introductions. These two are part of my crew—Levi and Denim Montrosa. I’m Rune Alexander. We’re from the River County Annex.”
They took another step back. The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “You’re the monster.”
She nodded. “Uh huh. Yeah. And I don’t need a gun.” She shrugged and grinned. “At least not most of the time.” She dropped her fangs and shot out her claws, the sound loud and metallic in the quiet of the stuffy room.
The guards jumped back, scrabbling for their guns.
“Back,” the man shouted. “Back!”
As though he were the handler at a zoo, and she was a performing lion that’d had enough.
“Calm down,” she said, and withdrew her claws. “I’m just showing you why I left my guns in the car.”
Levi grinned. “Ready to take us to the warden now?”
Both the guards pointed at the doorway of the room. “Go on out,” the female said. “We’ll follow you.”
They directed her down a hallway, through a few more doorways, and finally, into the warden’s waiting room.
They saw few people on their way to the warden’s office, but then, they were in the area containing business offices. The prisoners were not in that part of the building.
At least, not all of them.
She caught a wolf’s scent as she walked, but never caught sight of him.
There was a dark feel to the place. If she closed her eyes, she was transported swiftly into Brasque Dray’s Dim. It was that dismal. And she did not want to continue on.
Her monster paced like a wild, caged animal. What if they splintered her with obsidian and threw her into a dank cell for the rest of her life? What if…
Levi wrapped his fingers around her arm and when she looked at him, he winked. “Don’t be so paranoid.”
“Fuck if you don’t know me,” she murmured.
She was being paranoid.
If something that sinister ever happened to her, her people would find her.
There weren’t enough walls or guns or men to keep her crew from coming for her.
Or Ellie.
The thought of Ellie made her smile.
But it was a fucking prison camp for Others. It was going to creep her out just a little.
The warden made them wait for fifteen minutes before finally, her secretary came to the door of the waiting room. “She’ll see you now.”
She rapped on the warden’s door, then pushed it open.
“Come in,” Elaine Garrett said. Her voice was flat and unenthusiastic and when Rune and the twins walked into her office, she didn’t try to hide the resentment in her face. “Sit.”
“Thank you for seeing us,” Rune said, sitting down. The twins elected to stand behind her.
The warden glanced at them once, then didn’t look at them again. “It wasn’t my choice,” she said. “And I’m not wasting more than twenty minutes answering senseless questions.” She glanced at her watched. “What do you want to know?”
She was late fifties, hair in a bun, glasses with large, black frames. She wore a plain dark blue suit with the tiny US flag pinned to her lapel.
And Rune couldn’t read her.
She was as blank as Gavin Delaney.
“There was a doctor working here a couple years ago,” Rune said. “Maybe he’s still here. He was experimenting on the inmates. I want everything you have on him. Name, address, where he is now.”
The warden gave an incredulous laugh. “There was no doctor experimenting on inmates, Ms. Alexander. You’ve been misinformed…or maybe you watch too many movies. Our doctor is a woman named Sugar Benoit and I promise you, she is not some nefarious scientist doing secret experiments in our dungeon lab.” She laughed again.
Rune leaned back in her chair and smiled. “You’ve been here for twenty years, which is why I’m talking with you right now. You know everything that has gone on inside this shithole for the last two decades. You’re lying to me, and your pathetic laughter isn’t covering up those lies.” She crossed her legs. “I’ll ask you again. Who is he?”
The warden didn’t blink. “Get out of my prison.”
Rune blew out a long breath. “And here I am being nice.” She looked glanced up at the twins. “Didn’t I tell you guys that being nice was overrated?”
“You did,” Denim said. “You said those very words.”
“Levi,” she said.
He walked to the door, opened it, and stepped through the doorway. Without a word, he shut the door behind him.
Denim walked around the warden’s desk and stood behind her. �
��If you push that alarm button, I’ll rip your arm off.”
And Rune stood up.
“My boss told me to bring information back to him,” she said, casually. “I can’t go back without it, you understand. He wouldn’t be a happy boss.”
“You can’t do this,” the warden said, her face reddening. “Don’t be stupid. I’ll have your badge, your job, your life, you monstrous piece of Other garbage. I’ll have you sent here, where you belong.” She poked her desk with a stiff finger, over and over. “And I will make sure you suffer.”
“Hmmm. Will you?” Rune put her hands on the edge of the desk and leaned over it. “Do you make sure the Others here suffer, Elaine? Is that what you do?”
“Sounds like the type of person to allow a doctor to torture the prisoners,” Denim noted.
“It sure does.” Rune straightened. “I’m going to ask you one more time to tell me about that doctor.”
There was a muffled thump outside the office door.
The warden glanced at the door, and Rune saw something sneaky in her eyes.
“Denim, check on Levi.”
Denim stepped through the door, and then it was just the warden and Rune. And Rune was tired of wasting time—especially if she needed to be outside the office helping her two men kick ass.
“I can’t tell you anything,” the warden said quickly, when Rune advanced toward her. “I can’t. Hurt me, maim me, do whatever you must, but don’t do it thinking you’ll get anything out of me. I have nothing to say.”
And Rune knew it was the truth.
The warden wasn’t talking, no matter what she did to her.
“So don’t talk,” Rune told her. “I’m going to do something worse to you than breaking your face. I’m going to tear apart this prison.” She stomped toward the door. “Keep your silence. The inmates will tell me everything I need to know.”
The warden jumped to her feet. “No! Wait. Wait.”
Rune stopped at the door and turned back to face the woman. “You have five seconds.”
“Shit,” the warden whispered. “Fine.”
“Give me a name,” Rune said.
“Gerald Stavish. Now get the fuck out of my prison!”
Rune opened her mouth but before she could dig for more information, her cell phone rang.
It was Ellis, and there was never going to be a time when she ignored his call—not when he was taking care of Kader.
