Past Due

by Catherine Winchester

  Frankie nodded. She didn’t like being left out of the action but she also realised that someone else needed to know what was going on. “Okay.” At least they had another day until the demon was summoned.

  Josh nodded once. “He’s in position.” He looked down at Frankie. He looked conflicted for a second then told her, “Be sensible and be careful.”

  She nodded and then he was gone. Frankie waited. She paced up and down the street a short way, both to keep warm and to work off some of her tension. She expected to hear fighting or at least some noise, but she heard nothing. She took it as a good sign. Twenty minutes ticked by, then thirty.

  Frankie glanced at the phone in her hand. Maybe they’d just been held up; they could be taking the time to cover things up. Thirty two minutes. Maybe Josh’s watch was broken in the fight. Thirty four minutes...

  As thirty five rolled around, Frankie used the phone to call Adam first. He cursed vehemently then told her that Alex was already with him and they would be there as soon as possible.

  Frankie debated for a moment then used her own phone to call Will.

  “Campbell.” He sounded sleepy.

  “Will, it’s Frankie.”

  “Why are you whispering?”

  “I’ve found him, Will. DON’T come down here, I have some supernatural help of my own and you’d just get you and your men killed. Do you understand?”

  “Frankie, I have to come down there, this is my case. Where are you?”

  Frankie had been afraid he’d react like that. “I can’t tell you, I’m sorry.” Frankie was fighting back tears but she wasn’t quite sure why. “I’ll leave a message for my boss in case this doesn’t work. I…”

  “Frankie!” he yelled, clearly upset with her. She didn’t blame him.

  Her own tears spilled over as she whispered. “I’m so sorry, Will, for everything.” She hung up and blocked incoming calls so he couldn’t call back. She called her boss's phone and left him a voicemail with the address and instructions for if she didn’t get back to him.

  She put the phone in her pocket and wiped her tears away. She understood why she was crying now, because this was dangerous (it was now forty minutes since Josh and Mark had entered the building) and she didn’t rate her chances of surviving where they had failed. She hadn’t been updating Will. She’d been saying goodbye.

  She wondered if Mark and Josh were still alive, then firmly stamped on those thoughts lest they bring on another bout of tears. She was an emotional wreck tonight, she realised.

  That’s what happens when you get attached to people, she chided herself. She had always hated those cynical thoughts but had to admit that right now, they were absolutely correct.

  She was almost literally vibrating with tension and couldn’t stand the inaction any longer. She wasn’t someone who stood about and thought deep thoughts. She plotted a course of action and executed it then moved on to the next task. And her next task was to find out what was happening inside the church.

  She wasn’t planning on confronting anyone, she just wanted to recce the situation. After all it was getting late, nearly 5am and they didn’t have much time to waste since Alex and Josh had to be inside during day. Once she found out what had happened to Mark and Josh, she could inform Alex and Adam when they arrived and they’d come up with a plan of action from there.

  She headed down the side street and found the alley Mark must have taken around the back.

  The small yard at the back of the church was concreted over but weeds had still managed to take root in the cracks. She took her gun out and paused to listen for any sounds before crossing to the rear door. She couldn’t believe it was so silent. Surely Mark and Josh would make some noise even if they had been captured.

  The red door had clearly seen better days; its paint was flaking and at least two older colours were visible beneath the red top coat. Thankfully the door stood ajar since it seemed Mark had broken the lock when entering. She pressed her ear close but heard nothing behind the door. She pushed it open, praying it wouldn’t creak and by some miracle it didn’t.

  In front of the door was a bare corridor with two other doors off to the left. At the end was another door and Frankie guessed it led to the main part of the church. Thankfully it was closed and Frankie was glad since - assuming Brad was through there - it would help to mask her entry. She looked down at the step and noticed dots of something wet. There also seemed to be older, dry drops. She bent down and touched her fingertip to one and it came away red. Blood.

  Her immediate reaction was fear for Mark and Josh but her rational mind kicked in. This wasn’t blood spatter, these drops had been sprinkled there. Even if it was Mark’s blood, it wasn’t enough to indicate he was in serious danger.

  Frankie stepped over the door sill, down three steps and began creeping to the first door. It was open and she listened once again from the hallway before she looked in. Just as she was about to peer around the frame she heard chanting and her heart leapt into her throat as her grip on the gun tightened. It took her a few moments to identify that the sound was coming through the door at the end of the hall; not the one beside her.

  It took her a second to summon her courage, then she looked into the room. Her eyes quickly scanned every corner but she saw only Josh and Mark in there, so she slipped inside.

  The room was about twelve feet square and empty of all furniture except a radiator on the left wall and a set of shelves on the far wall. The left hand wall had a row of narrow windows at the top, looking out over the rear yard.

  Josh was unconscious, his hands cuffed behind him and chained through the radiator and his feet were also shackled. Mark was bound in the same way to the other end of the radiator. His eyes were wide with fear.

  “What are you doing here?” he hissed, “How did you get in?”

  “The back door and I came to check on you two,” she knelt down beside Josh and began checking him for injuries. “What happened?”

  “You have to get out now. The doors were booby trapped with a stasis spell. He must be resetting it now,” he nodded towards the doorway where a faint chanting could still be heard.

  Frankie looked towards the hallway as a flash caught her attention. The chanting stopped. “Too late,” she muttered, assuming that meant the spell had been recast. Though she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be trapped inside, at least her decision to stay or go had been made.

  She was about to carry on checking Josh when she thought about Alex and Adam. She pulled Josh’s phone from her bag and called Adam’s mobile.

  “We’re here,” he answered the phone. “Where are you?”

  “Inside,” she whispered. “Listen to me, okay, I might not have much time. We’re all fine and I see no reason for that to change but the doors are rigged with a spell, so don’t try to come in on your own. I think the earliest he can perform the ritual is six o'clock tonight so use the day to plan, to see if you can find some witches to break the spells and get some backup. It should be dark by four thirty so you’ll still have plenty of time.”

  Adam was silent for a long moment. “Agreed. Can I talk to Josh?”

  “He’s… resting.” She held the phone to Mark’s ear instead.

  “Yes, do as she says,” Mark told his brother. “He’s gone.” He told Frankie.

  Frankie turned the phone off, in case anyone tried to call and gave her away, then she lifted her shirt up and placed the phone in her bra cup.

  “Interesting hiding place,” Mark had clearly enjoyed the view.

  Frankie shrugged at him and went back to Josh. She felt his scalp again and this time found the problem; he had a rather deep dent in the back of his skull.

  “Will he heal from this?” She asked Mark.

  “I don’t think it’s lethal.”

  “What’s that smell?” she asked, removing her coat and easing it under Josh’s head.

  “Burns. The cuffs are silver, they’re burning his skin.”

  Frankie saw that his
ankles were protected by his trousers so she put her gun down beside him and manoeuvred him onto his side until she could see his wrists. She grimaced as she saw that each wrist had a deep laceration burned into it. Slowly at first, for fear of hurting him more, she began to ease the sleeves of his jacket under the cuffs. It was awkward thanks to the position and there wasn’t a lot of room under the cuffs but she managed. He never moved and she hoped he was too far gone to feel the added pain of her ministrations.

  Once done, she picked up the gun again and turned to Mark. “Are you hurt?”

  He shook his head. “Just sore.”

  “What happened?”

  “We both got trapped. I heard him order the zombie to kill Dad and then he came after me with a taser.”

  “No lasting effects?”

  “I’m just sore but I’m a quick healer.”

  “So why isn’t your Dad dead?” she asked.

  “I don’t think the zombie knew he was a vampire; they’re very basic creatures.”

  “Brad obviously recognised him as a vampire,” she pointed to the silver shackles.

  Mark grimaced. “He knows what I am too.”

  “Can all witches do that?”

  Mark shook his head. “Only a few powerful ones.”

  Well, Brad was powerful, she mused as she fussed over Josh.

  They had theorised that he didn’t need spells to perform magic but he had been chanting earlier and the blood on the door sill was obviously for the spell. Maybe he wasn’t as powerful as they thought? Maybe he owed his power to the demon he was calling? She suddenly wished she knew more about magic. She had always thought she was well informed, until this case.

  She heard a noise behind her and turned to the doorway, gun raised.

  As he stepped into the doorway Brad was momentarily stunned and Frankie used his hesitation to squeeze a shot off. Before she could fire a second though she felt a stinging in her abdomen and her gun fell from her grasp. She looked down to see the wires from the taser trailing from her coat.

  “Bastard,” she mumbled before she slipped to the floor, unconscious.

  When she woke up it was still dark outside so she realised she hadn't been out for too long. Her body felt like she’d just run a marathon and every muscle ached. She tried to sit up but realised she’d now been bound too. Her eyes sought the other captives.

  “You got him in the shoulder,” Mark told her. “He’s not dying but it hurts like a bitch,” he gave her a grim smile. She wouldn't begrudge him the satisfaction of seeing Brad in pain.

  “How long…?” her mouth didn’t quite seem to work but Mark knew what she meant.

  “Only fifteen minutes or so.”

  She saw that her handbag and gun were gone, big surprise, but she could still feel the mobile phone in her bra cup, that was something.

  She’d been restrained like the others, hands behind her and ankles bound, but it felt like tape not cuffs. She also wasn’t tied to anything. After she strained at her bonds she also noted that her feet weren’t bound too tightly, probably thanks to both his injured shoulder and her bulky trainers.

  It took some wriggling but she eventually got herself into a sitting position.

  “How long will he be out?” she nodded towards Josh.

  “He’s conserving his energy to heal. He’ll only wake up once healed or when he runs out of blood to heal.”

  “Is he going to be safe from the sun under those windows?”

  “Should be, they’re high and he’s directly under them.”

  Frankie nodded and closed her eyes. She needed a handful of pain pills, a stiff drink and a good night’s sleep. None seemed within the realm of possibilities right now.

  Alex didn’t want to wait, he didn’t want to plan, he wanted to charge headlong into the church and rescue his Frankie. All that stopped him was the realisation that she could die if he messed this up and reluctantly he retreated to Josh’s home with Adam to plan. However, that realisation didn’t stop him pacing like a caged tiger and Adam was growing weary.

  Adam needed a clear head but Alex’s pacing combined with his own lack of sleep was making that difficult. Adam was always the methodical brother; he made their business plans, he dealt with the bank and the bills, he was the one people counted on in a crisis. Even if his family was in danger, or perhaps because of it, he needed to keep his cool now more than ever.

  He had tried calling Josh’s mobile but it was switched off. He could only hope someone called again. In the meantime he had a plan of action.

  Witches

  Backup (in the form of fellow shapeshifters)

  Blueprints

  Weapons

  He had a local shapeshifter friend looking for a coven to assist them. He also had a number of friends trying to round up their friends. Next was getting the blueprints of the church and for that he needed the main library which wouldn’t open for another hour.

  Alex was calling around his own contacts, trying to round up help and support. Adam decided to leave early and grab some food on the way. Maybe the fresh air would help him clear his head.

  Frankie had worked her trainers off and almost pulled one foot through the loose duct tape when Josh groaned.

  “He’s waking up,” Mark commented.

  Frankie bit back the sarcastic retort that was in her head.

  Slowly Josh opened his eyes and with some difficulty, sat up.

  “How’s your head?” Frankie asked.

  Josh shook his head very slightly and she took that to mean ‘not good’.

  “You need blood,” Mark told Josh.

  Frankie was beginning to think he should be called Mr. States the Obvious.

  “Yes, but we can’t always get what we want,” Josh commented dryly.

  “You need to change,” Mark said. “It’s our only way out of this. Do you think you have the strength?”

  Josh shook his head. “Not yet.”

  “Can you break the shackles?” Frankie asked, finally freeing her feet.

  “If they weren’t silver I could.”

  “You can’t break silver?” she asked.

  “It weakens us.” He seemed to be having trouble keeping his eyes open.

  “You have to give him blood!” Mark told her, his voice a hiss as he attempted to stay quiet.

  Frankie glared at him. Really, she understood that this was his Dad, that he loved Josh and would do anything for him, but the idea of being a nominated donor didn’t appeal.

  But reason would win this battle, not emotion. Now wasn’t the time to let personal feelings get in the way. A full strength vamp was preferable to a weak one and she was the only one free to get close enough to… donate.

  Frankie glared at Mark. “First of all, never tell me what to do. Second of all, there’s a reason you can’t just walk up to people and say ‘you’re a match to my dad, now give me your kidney’.”

  Mark looked only slightly chastened.

  “Was there a third of all?” Josh croaked.

  “Yes,” she snapped then swallowed. “I’ll do it.”

  They both looked relieved.

  Frankie got to her knees and shuffled over to him. His back was against the radiator and his shackled legs straight in front of him. There really was only one comfortable way to do this and Frankie wasn’t looking forward to it. She wished her hands were free - then she could just offer him her wrist. Instead she straddled his lap, one knee either side.

  “One more thing,” she said. Josh looked at her expectantly. “If you kill me I’m coming back as a poltergeist and I’ll haunt your scrawny little arse for the rest of your days.”

  “Scrawny?” he asked with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes that annoyed her.

  Sitting on his lap as she was, Frankie had to admit there was nothing scrawny about him; he was very well built. Not that she was pleased by that knowledge.

  “Yes, scrawny,” she insisted.

  Josh’s smile faded. “I understand,” he told her seriousl
y. “I won’t hurt you, you have my word.”

  Frankie swept her hair off her shoulder, sat down on his lap and leaned forward, exposing her neck to him.

  He began to lick her neck, sending rather unwanted feelings through her. She gritted her teeth. “Just bite already,” she snapped.

  “That would hurt,” he explained.

  Frankie thought a little pain would be good right now because thanks to being in such close proximity to such an undeniably attractive man, not to mention his oral talents, she was feeling a little turned on.

  Finally she felt him bite down on her neck and she gasped. Alex hadn't been kidding when he said their saliva turned pain into pleasure. She felt him becoming aroused too and tried not to squirm in his lap. She closed her eyes and wished for this whole embarrassing scene to be over.

  When finally he’d finished feeding and began licking her wound closed, she backed away and saw that both men had amused smiles on their faces. Frankie glared at them both.

  “You were moaning,” Mark told her

  Frankie used the glare from her teenage years, the one that could, on occasion, actually quell her mother’s more outrageous requests. “It’s not nice to play with your food,” she told them.

  “You’re quite right,” Josh said. “And I appreciate your help. Thank you.”

  Frankie nodded her acceptance of both the apology and the thanks and made her way back across the room, sitting with her back against the opposite wall.

  “How long until you’re fighting fit?” Frankie asked. She’d tried not to look too closely but his head wound still looked pretty bad from the glimpse she'd caught.

  “An hour or so; less if I sleep.” He leaned back and closed his eyes.

  Frankie used the wait to work on freeing her hands but they were bound too tightly.

  Brad came in a while later, shadowed by his new zombie friend and Frankie wished she could look at her watch and see how much time was passing. It had been daylight for a while now and she wanted to know how much time they had left. She’d guess it was still before noon but it was just a guess. She’d put her trainers back on and now she tucked her legs under her so he wouldn’t notice that one foot wasn’t bound any more.