by AE Jones
She studied every inch of the space for the thousandth time. She was in a basement room. Small, rectangular windows high on the wall let in very little light. The only illumination came from a single bulb hanging from the ceiling. The bulb was so dusty it cast a grayish hue over the room.
She rubbed her hand under her nose to stop the incessant itching. The longer she stayed in this filthy place, the more her allergy symptoms acted up.
The only furniture in the room were an old cot, a rickety table, and a chair that lay in pieces on the floor. Earlier she had tried to open the windows by standing on the chair. But the legs gave out, and she’d landed hard on the floor, knocking the wind out of her. Now she sat on the cot waiting. She had to find a way to escape. Marina would kill Devin if she got her hands on him.
Marina was right about one thing. Devin was noble, and even though he’d broken it off with Alex, he would still feel it was his duty to save her. She shivered. He would blame himself for her death too. When the door squeaked open, Alex stood up.
The simian walked in and glanced at the broken chair for a moment before putting a plate and water bottle on the table. “Just me, pet.”
Alex stood still, not responding.
“Aren’t you going to thank me?” he asked, grinning.
“Thank you.”
“I find it ironic that we’ve switched places.”
Alex shrugged. She wasn’t in the mood for games, although she really had little choice in the matter.
“Will you answer a question for me?”
He hesitated before responding, “It depends.”
“The weddings you attacked were mixed couples, right?”
He nodded.
“Then why did you attack Julian and Fiona’s wedding? They’re both vampires.”
He smiled. “Marina wanted me to kill the bride.”
“Why?”
“So that Devin would take the blame for failing to protect his friend’s woman.”
Alex’s chest tightened. Marina was truly evil.
He continued. “Your man should be pretty upset by now.”
“He’s not my man,” she blurted, and could have kicked herself for the outburst.
The simian circled the table, walking toward her. “Trouble in paradise?”
“I don’t know what you hope to accomplish with keeping me here. Devin and I aren’t together.”
“I saw the two of you. There was intensity between you. I thought it was because you were a distraught captive.” He clucked his tongue. “Of course, now I know the truth.”
“Please let me go.”
“Not a chance, pet. Marina needs you for her plan.”
“Is she the head of the gang?”
“Hardly.” He puffed out his chest. “The Vipera are widespread. We’re just one branch of a much bigger tree.”
“Why does she get to boss you around, then? Is she a higher level supernatural than you are?”
He scoffed. “She’s an elf. They always think they’re better than everyone else. The only ones worse than them are faeries.”
“So why listen to her?”
“She’s close to our boss.”
“Does she sleep with him, too?”
He grimaced. “I hope not; they’re related.”
“Enough!” Marina hissed as she entered the room.
The simian tensed and then stepped aside while Marina walked around the table and stood in front of Alex.
“What’s the big secret about boss man? I know you couldn’t possibly be the mastermind behind all of this. Someone else has to be telling you what to do.”
Marina leaned toward her. “We’re part of a larger group of supernaturals who are willing to stop allowing humans to pollute our genetic pool. You can’t stop us, and your hero Devin can’t stop us.” Marina smiled. “Speaking of Devin, he received my gift.”
Alex swallowed hard. “When are we meeting him?”
“At seven tonight, and I’ll watch his face when he realizes he threw away his powers permanently for you.”
“What are talking about?”
“Seven o’clock is when his final Tribunal takes place. If he doesn’t show up, they’ll take away his powers for good.”
Alex’s thoughts spun out of control. “You couldn’t have known Devin would be called in on this case.”
“I hoped he would show up. He cares deeply for that sister of his. He’d be willing to jeopardize his case on behalf of family. I always knew we would face each other again. This time, I have the upper hand.”
Stan walked into the room, interrupting Marina’s self-absorbed ramblings. She turned to him. “Is everything else set up?”
He grinned. “Yes. Birds of a feather should stick together.”
She laughed. “They’ll be sticking together soon enough.”
Alex stomach lurched as she watched them. “Why are you doing this? Why do you hate humans so much?”
Stan turned toward her scowling. “Humans practically wiped my species off the face of the earth centuries ago. There are only a couple hundred of us left. Humans outnumber supernaturals five to one, but instead of marrying within our species to make ourselves stronger, these supernatural traitors are marrying other species, including humans! You are like ants, covering the earth, breathing our air, eating our food. You should be our servants.”
Alex stared at the man in front of her, not daring to say a word. She could feel power flowing from him in angry waves. He could crush her with a single word.
Marina patted him on the arm. “Stan here is a bit melodramatic at times, but he gets his point across nicely.” She turned and walked toward the door. “Keep a close eye on your pet, Gene. I may let you keep her.”
The simian turned to her and smiled. “You’re going to be a fun toy.”
Alex didn’t allow herself to shudder. She needed to find a way to warn Devin before it was too late.
* * *
Let this be the right place. Devin surveyed the building while Charlie pulled into the parking lot of Speedy Courier Service. Chrystal had been able to identify the logo, and Devin hoped they could find a lead, any lead, to Alex.
The building looked like it had been a gas station at one time. Two bay doors stood open. A group of young men sat around in lawn chairs in silence, each of them typing on their cell phones.
Charlie shook his head. “They’re probably texting to each other instead of talking.”
Devin stopped in front of the group. “Who schedules your pickups and deliveries?”
One of the men hitched his thumb toward the building. “Johnny at the desk in there takes care of things.”
They walked over to find a heavyset guy standing behind the desk wearing a T-shirt of a skeleton riding a bicycle.
“Are you Johnny?” Devin asked.
“Yep. What can I do for you?”
“I need to talk to you about a delivery I just received.”
Johnny’s eyes tightened on them. “If it was broken upon receipt, that’s not our responsibility, talk to the sender.”
“I need to know who sent it.”
“Where was it delivered to?”
Devin gave him the address, and Johnny typed it into his computer. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you who sent it.”
Devin glared at him for a moment. “Why not?”
“It’s not listed here in the system.”
He was through playing with these idiots. What would these guys be afraid of getting mixed up in? Why would they not want the cops sniffing around them? “The package was full of drugs. If you don’t tell us where it came from, I’m calling the cops.”
Johnny’s eyes widened. “Whoa, we just deliver it. We don’t know what’s in the box.”
“I don’t think that will hold up in court.”
He clicked on the computer. Reaching for a microphone, he hit the button. “Jeff come to the desk.”
A rail-thin guy moseyed to the desk and stared at them with glassy eyes befo
re turning to Johnny. “You got a run for me?”
“Nope. These guys need to talk to you about the run you made to Bennett Bridal.”
“What about it?” Jeff asked as he rubbed his stomach.
“Where did you pick up the package?” Devin asked.
He stopped for a moment as if the question was too hard to answer. “At a diner out on Highway 94. This giant guy gave it to me.”
“And you didn’t think it was weird to meet him there?” Charlie asked.
“Nah, I’ve met a lot of strange people in this job. I’d rather meet them in a public area than at their home, if you know what I mean.”
“Did he say anything to you?” Devin pushed.
He shrugged. “Just told me where he wanted the package delivered and gave me a hundred bucks to make sure I got it there this afternoon.”
Devin nodded. “Is there anything else you can tell us about him?”
“I think he was one of those people who talk through dolls…a ventriloquist or something.”
“What do you mean?” Charlie interrupted.
“I kept hearing his voice, but his lips weren’t moving.”
“What did he say?”
“‘Deliver the package and forget you met me,’ or some shit like that.”
Devin glanced at Johnny, who rolled his eyes. Thanking them, he and Charlie trudged back to their car.
Charlie pulled his keys out of his pocket. “That kid was higher than a kite.”
“Yeah,” Devin answered, “which is probably why the telepathic suggestion Stan used on him didn’t stick.”
“I never thought I’d be happy about drug use,” Charlie answered.
Once inside the car, Devin hit speed dial. “Giz, Stan was seen out in East County on Highway 94. Are there any links to gargantuans in that area?”
“Hold on a minute.” The sounds of frantic keyboarding came through the phone until Giz spoke again. “There’s a property that belonged to a gargantuan named William Peterson. He died several years ago.”
“Do we know anything about him?”
“He had a son who’s also dead. Wait.” More clicking. “Jackpot. His grandson inherited the house. His name is Stanley Peterson.”
* * *
As the minutes ticked away, Alex became more hysterical. On the outside she was calm, cool and collected. But on the inside, her adrenaline was in overdrive: stomach heaving, nerves jumping, heart pounding. It was like she was singing naked in front of seventy thousand screaming Chargers fans.
No! She would not succumb to her fear. She wasn’t going to spend the rest of what little time she had left having a panic attack.
Marina came into the room, followed closely by Stan. She circled Alex and assessed her, wrinkling her nose at Alex’s appearance. What the hell did she expect her to look like after spending two days in her pajamas in a filthy basement, and having her hair cut off by Stan the man?
Marina flung a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt at her. “Are you ready to join our little outing?” she asked with a smirk.
“If it includes Devin kicking your ass, then I say ‘let’s go.’”
Stan growled and took a menacing step toward Alex.
“Bring it on, Big Guy. If the rest of your kind is this slow and stupid, no wonder they died off.”
Marina placed a hand on Stan’s arm. “Wait. We need to show Devin she’s alive if we have even a hope of bringing him out in the open.”
“Don’t listen to her, Jolly Green Giant. Is she really your boss?”
“Enough!” Marina demanded. “Your goading is ridiculously transparent, but he can’t kill you. Yet.” She walked toward the door. “We need to leave in twenty minutes to make it to the park on time.”
“Where’s the simian?” Alex asked, thinking he was her last chance for escape.
“I sent him on a job. I promised him he could play with you later.”
Alex’s hysteria jumped several notches. She was out of time.
Lorinda’s Wedding Tip: Help the bride and groom keep things in perspective. A wedding is not a life and death proposition.
Chapter 38
Let her be alive.
Devin and Charlie crouched down, peering through the trees at the back of Stan’s house. Dusk crept in, darkening the yard. The building was fairly run down, with loose shingles hanging over the eaves, and paint curling down the woodwork in strips.
Two men, more than likely demons, stood outside the front door, and two more walked the perimeter of the building.
“How do you want to do this?” Charlie asked.
The team van pulled up and parked next to Devin’s car. Connor, Jack and Giz piled out.
Devin stood up. “What the hell are you doing here? I told you to cover the wedding.”
Connor shook his head. “No way were we letting you two go in there alone.”
Devin gave Jack a once-over. Even for a werewolf, it was still soon for him to be up after being shot. “You up for this?”
“Yes. I’ll stay back and let the rest of you do the heavy lifting, but I had to be here.”
Charlie interrupted, “Giz, can you cast a spell to see how many people are in the building?”
“I could, but it would take a while to do it. Why don’t we let technology help us out? I have a heat signature gun.”
Five minutes later, Giz announced that, besides the four outside, there were two on the inside. And one of them was a gargantuan.
“Do you think the other is Alex?” Devin asked.
“Not sure.” Giz scowled at the screen.
“What is it?”
“One of them just disappeared.”
“How is that possible?”
Giz paused as if trying to determine possibilities. “A basement, maybe?”
“So there could be more people in there?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah.”
Devin thought for a moment and then nodded to his men. “Here’s the plan.”
* * *
Devin pointed the gun and fired. A split-second later, the tranquilizer dart hit dead center in the man’s back. But instead of going down for the count, the man spun around, and hissed as fangs jutted from his mouth.
Great, a snake demon. He hated the ones that spit. The demon advanced on him. Devin avoided punching his jaw for fear he’d hit his fangs, and kicked him in the stomach instead. The demon expelled a harsh breath, and Devin pounced while he was disoriented, knocking him to the ground. He pressed his arm over the demon’s neck, effectively blocking his air supply.
The demon struggled and spewed a bit of venom, which hit Devin’s arm, singeing it on contact. Devin let out a hiss of his own, but didn’t let go. Seconds later, the demon’s struggles lessened and he passed out.
Devin flipped him over and cuffed him. Charlie had already dragged the other man into the bushes and was now coming over to join him.
“What took you so long? Did you miss him?”
Devin glared at him. “No, he’s a snake demon. Maybe tranqs don’t work on him since he’s full of venom.”
They each grabbed an arm and dragged him into the bushes. Devin spoke into his comm piece. “Clear in back.”
Connor replied, “Clear in front.”
“What’s the twenty on the bogies?” Charlie asked.
Giz replied. “Don’t see any on the monitor. Must be below ground.”
“We’re going in, watch our backs.” Devin said.
“Got it.”
Charlie pulled open the door, and they advanced slowly into the kitchen, then waited in silence, trying to get a bead on where the others were. After a moment, they could hear murmuring coming from below them.
Moving silently out of the kitchen, they walked down a hall and stopped on either side of an open door with steps leading into the basement. The voices came through loud and clear.
A woman spoke in harsh tones, her voice strangely familiar. “We need to leave now. Find out what’s taking so long.”
Heavy steps sounded on the stairs. They both tensed, waiting for the gargantuan to appear. When he stepped into the hall, Devin and Charlie let four tranquilizer darts fly. Stan staggered backward and used his body to block the doorway while hollering, “Trap!”
Shit. Devin grabbed the gargantuan and tried to pull him out of the way. There was a rustling in the basement followed by a crash and Alex screaming.
Charlie shot two more darts into the gargantuan, and he staggered forward enough to let Devin get through the door.
Charlie yelled. “Go, I’ve got him.”
Devin bounded down the stairs. Alex stood in the middle of the room with a woman behind her using Alex as a human shield.
He pointed his gun at the woman’s head. She turned to face him. Recognizing her was like a blow to the solar plexus, and his gun hand faltered slightly.
She chuckled harshly. “Surprised to see me?”
“How?”
“Have you forgotten now that you’re powerless that anything is possible?” She smirked. “You always were so gullible, only seeing the best in people.”
The truth clicked in his brain like the last piece of a puzzle. “You were working with the gang all along.”
“Bravo! You got it in one guess.”
How could he have missed that? Alex was in danger because of his stupidity. “Are you going to hide behind a human woman, Marina? This is between you and me.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “Drop the gun and I’ll think about coming out to play.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I have my blade against her back. You know what an elven blade would do to her. Drop it and call your team off.”
“Don’t!” Alex cried out.
He placed his gun on the floor and held out both hands. “Stay upstairs, guys.”
“Always so gullible.” Marina reached up and yanked Alex’s head by her short hair, bringing the knife up toward her throat.
“No!” Devin yelled.
In the next second, Alex went limp, throwing Marina’s balance off, and she flipped Marina over her shoulder. But with her elven powers, Marina righted herself in midair and landed on her feet like a cat in front of Devin. She launched herself at him, and he jumped to the right, barely avoiding her blade. Alex gasped, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off Marina.
