by Helen Harper
‘Wait,’ I said. ‘You can’t just waltz out of here. Boyce, you came here for a reason. Tell us more about what’s going on.’
‘I’ve told you what you need to know,’ he said. He didn’t look at me. ‘It’s up to you what you do with that information.’ He sniffed. ‘I’m going back to my nice, large, safe tent.’ He enunciated his words carefully then he turned and walked out of the bar.
I glanced at Carter, who hadn’t moved a muscle since he’d poured Boyce’s drink. ‘What the fuck was that about?’
The vampire’s expression was troubled. ‘Damned if I know.’
I scooped up Lucy in my arms. She let out a squeak of protest, which I ignored. ‘I have to go,’ I muttered.
The door opened once more and I swung towards it, half expecting Boyce to return – or for Barrett to stalk in and demand to know what was going on. But it was a couple of other vampires, both with humans hanging off them. It was already dark outside now so I guessed it was breakfast time.
Carter didn’t take his eyes off me. ‘This doesn’t feel good,’ he said.
All I could do was nod my head. ‘I know.’ My jaw tightened. ‘I know.’
***
As soon as I left the Blood and Bones, I started to run. The uneasiness that had been trickling through me ever since Boyce came into the pub was turning into a cascade. Monroe would probably still be with Julian in the town hall. With luck, the others would be there too.
I swerved round the first corner, barely slowing down. Lucy was starting to wriggle; when my grip tightened on her, she let out a high-pitched screech of unhappiness. Then she opened her mouth and nipped me so hard on the fleshy part of my arm that I gasped and let her go. She dropped to the ground and scarpered off, disappearing down the street with surprising speed. Shit.
‘Lucy!’ This was not the time to play bloody hide-and-seek. If Julian caught wind of the fact that she was loose within the enclave, he’d demand that I get rid of her for good. ‘Lucy!’
From further up in the gloom I heard another tiny squeak. I cursed and sprinted towards it. A small dark shape flitted across the road, barely twenty metres away. I gritted my teeth and ran towards it.
‘Lucy,’ I said, in my sternest voice. ‘I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but there will be no treats for you if you don’t get back here now.’
I’d barely finished speaking when a loud crack filled the air. I came to a sudden halt. What the fuck was that? A second later there was another one. And another.
‘Gun shots,’ I whispered. ‘Those were gun shots.’
The barricade alarm began to sound, its clang reverberating through the streets. This time I knew it wasn’t ringing because of any pigeons. This time it sounded a death knell.
Chapter Twenty-four
Blood was roaring in my ears. Every single reason for the gun shots flooded through my head as my feet pounded the streets towards the barricade. Every single possibility apart from the right one.
When I reached Felicity and Theo, who were both pale faced and staring across at Fabian Barrett’s tent, I saw the splatter of blood on its white length. Then I saw the sprawled body lying in front of the tent with its hazmat visor half pulled off. The shock that reverberated through me had me gasping for breath.
I threw myself past Felicity and Theo and over the top of the barricade, then crouched down by Boyce’s side, desperately seeking a way to stem the blood flow, to check his wounds, to help him out in any damn way that I could. I was already too late. No pulse throbbed in his neck and, when I yanked the hazmat hood away, his eyes were fixed and staring.
Further away from the enclave, I could hear yelling. I rocked back on my haunches, nausea and disbelief mingling in my belly. Then I was up and stumbling away, as the contents of my stomach ejected themselves into a corner of the dusty street.
‘What the fuck happened?’ Monroe’s Scottish brogue was harsh, laced with both fury and fear. His demons from the first night of the apocalypse still haunted him; any death, even this one, was liable to bring them to the forefront of his mind again.
I swallowed hard and stood up, turning to Felicity and Theo, desperate for an answer that would make sense. Theo drew in a deep breath. He was trembling. Knowing the laid-back vampire, it was probably more because of shock than fear.
‘He came past us maybe ten minutes ago. He was alone.’ Theo shook his head, his eyes glowing a baleful green through the darkness. ‘I don’t know where he’d been. We opened the door for him and he went round the back of the tent.’
‘Did he go inside?’ I demanded. If Barrett had realised what Boyce had been saying to me moments earlier, he could well have done this himself. Icy fingers gripped at my heart. Despite my shocked stupor, I was already getting an idea of how Barrett would play things.
‘I…’ Theo stared at me. ‘I don’t know. I didn’t see.’
‘No.’ Felicity’s voice was thin but the word still echoed round us with finality. ‘He took position outside with one of the other guys. There was a noise.’ She pointed down the street to where the yelling had come from. ‘Like a thud or something. He went to investigate it. He came back a few minutes later and said it was nothing. He was looking at us and then…’
‘Then the shot,’ Theo finished for her. ‘I don’t know where it came from.’
‘One shot?’ Monroe’s eyes narrowed. ‘I heard two.’
‘The second one hit the tent.’ Felicity pointed at a tear I’d not noticed. Boyce’s blood circled it, like a sickening bullseye.
‘And you stayed there? Behind the barricade?’ Fury coloured Monroe’s every word.
‘The other guard had already run off. Fab Barrett and the others came out and did the same.’
‘And you let them go off on their own?’
Felicity lifted her chin. ‘We were the only ones here and our job is to protect the enclave. Not them.’ She glanced at Boyce’s corpse and then away. ‘Not him.’
‘They chose to pitch their tent outside,’ Theo agreed. ‘We chose to stay here and protect our own from whatever else might be coming. That man was already dead. We couldn’t have done anything to help him.’ He paused and reached for Felicity’s hand. ‘And if we’d got involved, who knows what accusations we might have faced.’
Because of Fabian Barrett. My stomach lurched again but this time I managed to keep a lid on it. Barely. The pair of them had thought a lot more rationally and calmly than I could have done. No wonder they made such effective barricade guards. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they’d done the right thing. If they’d abandoned their posts to go after the gunman – or woman – who knows what else might have happened.
‘You have no idea who did this?’ I asked quietly.
They shook their heads. ‘No.’
From behind me a single voice called out, ‘I know who did this.’
Barrett. I turned and watched him approach. ‘There’s only one person who could have been responsible for all of this,’ he said. From beneath the visor his expression was set and tense. ‘Only one person had access to the guns we brought in on our first visit.’
In a fluid movement, Monroe leapt from behind the barricade and planted himself in front of the billionaire. ‘Are you trying to suggest that Julian is behind all this?’ he snarled.
I had to give Barrett his due; despite the full force of Monroe’s fury, he stood his ground. ‘Where is he? I don’t see him here. When that bell rings, aren’t you all supposed to come running?’ Barrett waved his hands at the crowd that was growing behind us. ‘All these people are here. Where is Julian?’
I glanced about me. I saw many familiar faces, including Cath, Jodie, Lizzy and even Julie. There was no sign of Julian.
‘You were with him,’ I said urgently to Monroe. ‘Where is he? Where did he go?’
‘You’re not suggesting that…’
I grabbed him. ‘No.’ My eyes bored into his. ‘I know he’s not. But we need to be able to prove that and prove
it quickly.’
He gave a terse nod. Fabian Barrett had the upper hand but what the wanker hadn’t appreciated was that Julian was just about the only one fighting his corner behind the scenes. He might have challenged Barrett during his speech, but he’d been advising caution. Julian wasn’t the person that Fab Barrett should have been accusing.
‘It was him,’ Barrett spat, ‘and you know it.’ He flung his arms towards the small rent in the tent. ‘Not only that, but he deliberately shot at our tent. If we’d not still been wearing our hazmat suits, we’d be as contaminated as you. We wouldn’t be able to leave Manchester and organise more supplies. We’d be stuck in here starving to death with you, or outside in quarantine unable to do a thing.’
How convenient that they’d not taken off their suits, I thought sourly. All the same, I noted the shock on the faces of many of those around us.
‘Julian didn’t want me to help you out! He didn’t want me to bring in food so he decided to attack instead!’ Barrett shouted.
‘You’re a fucking liar,’ Monroe said. He said it quietly but I could feel his rage. He was close to the edge. Then again, so was I.
‘Julian took our guns and put them in his safe,’ Barrett sneered. ‘So unless you also had access to that safe, then this is on him.’
I stepped forward, glaring at him. ‘You could have brought more guns in when you returned.’
‘We were searched by your fucking welcoming party! We brought in nothing of the sort. And if you’re trying to suggest that I put a bullet into the heart of one of my own men…’
That was exactly what I was suggesting and he knew it. In fact, I’d bet that the first shot came from inside the tent rather than from outside. That’s why there were two shots; that’s why there was a bullet hole in the tent’s fabric.
‘You’re sure that you don’t know where the shots came from?’ I ground out to Theo and Felicity.
‘All I know is that they came from behind.’ Felicity raised her chin. ‘Actually, that’s not true.’ She stared hard at Barrett. ‘I also know that Julian wasn’t responsible.’
‘Then,’ Barrett said, with a pointed gesture, ‘let’s find him and talk to him.’
‘He was going home,’ Monroe muttered. ‘He left the town hall and headed home to get some time to think and talk to his pack. He was inside the fucking enclave.’
Theo coughed delicately. ‘No, he wasn’t.’
We both turned and stared at him. He offered us a wounded, helpless shrug. ‘About fifteen minutes before the guard walked out, Julian walked out too.’
‘At this hour?’ Monroe snapped. ‘In the dark?’
‘Did he say where he was going?’ I demanded.
Theo held up his hands, palms outwards. ‘He said he wouldn’t be long. Felicity tried to stop him but…’
She swallowed and nodded. ‘He insisted. It’s not our place to stop him from leaving if he wants to.’
I clenched my fists and rounded on Barrett. ‘You lured him out, didn’t you?’
‘Don’t be so bloody ridiculous! I’ve been in that tent for hours.’
I raised a disbelieving eyebrow. ‘Without taking off your hazmat suit? Really?’
‘I was about to go for a walk,’ he returned. ‘That doesn’t make me a murderer. I’m growing tired of your accusations. Let’s find Julian and see what he has to say for himself then we’ll get to the truth of the matter.’
One of Barrett’s other guards, who had remained pointedly silent, stepped up. ‘He ran off in that direction.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘I’ll bet he did.’
Julian’s pack moved forward as if they were one. Nero, one of the younger werewolves, drew back his shoulders. ‘He is our alpha and we will find him. He did not do this. But we will find him.’
‘No.’ Monroe crossed his arms, his expression stony. ‘We will not risk an entire pack. I can track him on my own.’ He pointed at Barrett and the other guards. ‘You keep an eye on the wanker squad. Don’t let any of them leave.’
‘You can’t treat us like prisoners,’ Barrett spluttered.
‘Oh yes, we can.’ Monroe looked at me. ‘I will find Julian.’
‘I’m coming too,’ I said.
‘No, you’re not.’
‘Yes,’ I said simply. ‘I am. Protect Julian’s pack all you like but you’re not protecting me. You need me. You need my magic.’
I thought he was going to continue to argue but he just sighed. ‘Fine. Don’t get yourself fucking killed.’
I curtsied. ‘Same back to you.’
Barrett cursed loudly. ‘Screw this. I’m taking the body of my man and going back to my tent.’ He turned on his heel, leaving his guards to take hold of Boyce’s body. Not one of them looked in our direction as they picked up their fallen comrade. There weren’t any accusing looks or directed comments; either they were remarkably well trained or they knew that Boyce wasn’t dead because of us.
Monroe jabbed his finger at Nero. ‘Not one of those fuckers leaves that tent. You hear me?’
The young wolf nodded. ‘You have my word.’
Monroe turned to me. ‘You know we’re probably walking into a trap, right?’
I met his gaze. ‘There’s no probably about it.’ I set my chin decisively. ‘Let’s go.’
Chapter Twenty-five
‘Boyce really did that?’ Monroe asked as we jogged down the desolate, silent street.
‘He did. And less than ten minutes later, he was dead.’
For a long moment Monroe didn’t answer as he wrestled with his thoughts. ‘You know,’ he said finally, ‘it’s true. The magic here could be put to all sorts of uses. Commoditise magic, control its flow, and you could be king of the world.’
‘But it’s not a commodity,’ I said. ‘Not any more than the air we breathe.’
Monroe reached for my hand and squeezed it. He didn’t need to say anything; neither of us did.
When we reached the first crossroads, we came to a halt. Monroe lifted up his head and sniffed the air. ‘Julian was definitely here,’ he said. ‘And recently.’ His mouth flattened into a grim line. ‘He wasn’t alone.’
I stiffened. ‘Can you recognise the other scent?’
He shook his head. ‘No.’ He looked at me unhappily. ‘There are several.’
I hissed through my teeth. So we could assume that Barrett had brought in more people – and without our knowledge. It confirmed the secret tunnel theory. I was beginning to get an inkling about where the entrance might be located, too. One problem at a time, however.
Monroe exhaled. ‘Charlotte, I can smell blood. I can’t tell if it’s Julian’s or Boyce’s or it belongs to someone else. But it’s fresh and clinging to everything.’
Something hardened deep inside me. ‘Then let’s get our arses into gear.’
He nodded and pointed left. ‘That way.’
We took off again. An odd skittering sound lit through the street behind us. I glanced back but couldn’t see anything. Maybe it was a giant rat. Maybe it was something worse. It didn’t matter; Julian was our priority.
We continued for another half a mile, turning once to the right. It seemed that the deeper we continued into the city, the more silent everything became. I knew these streets and I knew them well, but there was a prickling threat rippling through the atmosphere that I hadn’t ever sensed before. Monroe felt it too. His hair was standing on end at the nape of his neck, as if he were wolf right now rather than man.
He slowed down and jerked his head towards one of the shadowed buildings. ‘There.’ He clenched his teeth. ‘Julian is in there.’
I tipped my head back and gazed at the building. It was nondescript, with little about its architecture or cleanliness to commend it. The windows were black with soot, indicating that it had been badly affected by fire at some point, no doubt from the fiery rain in the first days of the apocalypse if the state of the roof was anything to go by. There were no other signs of life.
‘Wait he
re.’
Monroe frowned but didn’t speak. I padded over to the far corner of the building and leaned to the side, eyeing the guttering that was hanging off the semi-destroyed roof. I flicked out a thread of magic, twisting it round the edge of the guttering, and tugged on it until I was rising through the air. In seconds I was at the top floor, peering through the highest window.
The grime and soot made it difficult to see anything. I squinted and swung closer. I could make out a few static shapes that looked like cheap office chairs and desks. I changed hands, switching my magical tether from my right to my left, and looped over to the next window like some strange cross between Spiderman and Tarzan. There was nothing to see inside that window either.
I released some of the tension on my magic rope and dropped to the third floor. The fire that had gutted the building had clearly been most destructive higher up. The windows here were less coated with soot and I could make out a little more of the room beyond. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see anything that was living. Or dead.
I was about to scoot across to the window on the other side when the faintest flicker of movement caught my eye. I held my breath and pulled back so that whoever was inside wasn’t alerted to my presence. It was unlikely that any of Barrett’s goons would expect someone to be hovering outside the window at this height; this wasn’t a magical skill that I used often so I doubted he’d be aware of it. All the same, if this was the trap that we were anticipating, the more surreptitious we were before triggering it the better.
With most of my body out of sight from the window, and Monroe looking on from below, I peeked in again. I couldn’t make out whether it was Julian who was inside – or who might be with him – but I hadn’t imagined the movement. Someone was in there.
I dropped down to the ground.
‘Third floor?’ Monroe asked, keeping his voice low.
‘Yep.’ I wrinkled my nose. ‘I can’t see who or what is in there but I’m sure that’s the place. Something is moving in that room.’
