True North (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 6)

by Nikki Jefford

  Man, oh man, was it tempting to grab the radio from Henry and tell Jared to go fuck himself. I’d love to see his expression then.

  I’d love to have a picture of it.

  Henry lifted the radio under his mouth.

  “That’s an affirmative. Over.”

  “Stay with her. Do not let her out of your sight. I’m coming back. Over.”

  Noel pulled out her radio with a satisfied grin and said, “The Grinch is on his way. Over.”

  “Well, he ain’t stealing Christmas. Over,” came Dante’s reply.

  Noel’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. Then more shots rang out in the distance.

  17

  Team Reindeer

  Noel’s eyes locked on mine and froze for several heartbeats. An eerie silence followed the shots. Her eyebrows furrowed.

  “I’m going in for a closer look,” she whispered.

  “I’ll come with you,” I said, gripping the hilt of the knife.

  “No,” Noel and Henry hissed.

  Henry scowled. Noel blinked a couple times before speaking. “Stay here with Henry.”

  I placed my free hand on my hip. “Does Henry have a way of communicating with the rest of you?”

  Noel glanced at Henry. “No,” she admitted. “Henry only has the one radio, and he needs to stay on Jared’s channel to keep tabs on what’s happening on that end.”

  I dropped my arm and lifted my chest as though preparing to deliver a speech. Mine was short and to the point. “Exactly why we need to stick together. We need to keep appraised of what’s happening with both sides.”

  Not to mention Noel had an informant’s background while I was an experienced assassin.

  Noel chewed on the inside of her cheek. Her gaze bypassed mine, landing somewhere in Henry’s vicinity.

  “She has a point,” Noel conceded.

  “Good, now let’s go,” I said, taking lead.

  I didn’t crouch when I walked to the outer corner of the bunkhouse. I was done slinking around. I wanted to get into position before Jared had a chance to return. I wanted to fire a bullet into his brain as he rode in, which reminded me . . . I needed a gun.

  When Noel joined me, I stuck out my hand. “I need to borrow your gun.”

  Instinctively, she placed a possessive hand over the bulge on her belt and turned that hip away from me.

  “Girl, you know I love you and I’d do anything for you, but I’m not giving you my piece.”

  I released an exasperated breath. “How else am I supposed to shoot Jared?”

  “Dante said Jared’s his.”

  “The hell he is,” I said, feeling my face heat.

  If anyone should take the shot, it ought to be me. I was the one Jared ran into head-on. I was the one he’d bullied and abused, kidnapped and threatened. He would have killed Fane then come back and killed me.

  Twice, I’d seen Giselle try and fail. Despite her emotional detachment, she had too much history with Jared. That relationship, no matter how dysfunctional, had been Giselle’s downfall. She should have shot him dead at Winner’s Creek rather than duel with swords. She should have waited until we were better prepared at the lodge last month rather than call Jared in without a solid plan of attack. Better yet, she should have shoved a sword straight through his heart centuries ago rather than report him to the authorities.

  I had no such qualms when it came to Jared. No parting words. No burning desire to duke it out like a couple of snow cowboys putting on a show of pomp and ceremony. I’d gun that bastard down in cold blood before he had a chance to draw his weapon or speak another word.

  “It doesn’t matter who shoots him so long as he dies,” Noel said.

  Static came over her radio quickly followed by a crackle on Henry’s. Two male voices rushed out words that were nearly impossible to make out with them speaking from different channels at the same time. One sounded like he was attempting to contact Jared.

  Noel pulled the radio off her belt and said, “Please repeat. Over.”

  “I had to shoot one of the agents,” Dante said. “Two of them came snooping around. One’s dead. The other took off. Over.”

  “Roger that,” Noel said.

  Henry’s radio crackled to life.

  “Team leader not responding,” a deep male voice said. “Probably en route. Banks, return to basecamp. We wait for backup. Fisher, is prisoner still secure? Over.”

  Henry lifted the radio to his lips. “Affirmative. Over.”

  “Roger that. Hold position. Over.”

  Once Rivera was finished speaking, Noel spoke into her radio.

  “They’re waiting for backup. Over.”

  “Let’s take them out before we’re outnumbered. Cupid and I are going in. Dancer, Prancer, get into position across from the recreation hall. Shoot anyone who attempts to flee. Dasher, I need radio silence until I say it’s safe to communicate again. Move in closer if you can, but stay with Blitzen and his radio. If things get hairy I may need you to send in Comet if she’s fit for duty. Over.”

  “Roger that,” Noel said.

  “Over and out.”

  I sucked cold air in through my nostrils.

  “Let me guess,” I said. “I’m Comet.”

  “Sky and Comet make sense; don’t you think?” Noel asked, grinning.

  “And Dante is?”

  “Rudolph.”

  “Naturally,” I said with a wry smile. “Which reindeer is Fane?”

  Noel hunched her shoulders together and glanced down sheepishly. “Donner. That was Dante’s doing, not mine.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “And Ashley is Cupid?”

  Noel looked up and grinned. “Because she stole Dante’s heart.” Her eyelashes fluttered as she placed a hand on her chest. “You missed the big news.”

  “I already knew about those two,” I said with a smirk.

  Noel huffed. “Thanks for sharing.”

  “Maybe I would have if I hadn’t been drugged, abducted, and held captive.”

  Noel shrugged.

  “Right, then let’s move.”

  “Are you sure that’s a wise idea?” Henry asked, his eyes darting around the darkness as though expecting assassins to run at us from every direction.

  Noel gave an exasperated sigh. “The three of them are holed up in the recreation hall. We won’t get a better opportunity to move in. Now let’s go.”

  “Comet’s ready to make a dash for it,” I said.

  Noel snickered. “Finally getting into the holiday spirit?” she asked.

  I squared my shoulders. “If by holiday spirit you mean decorating the snow red with Jared’s blood then, yes, that would be an affirmative.”

  Henry rocked in place. “I’m not cut out for this,” he said, wringing his hands.

  “Time to fly. Follow me,” Noel said.

  She slipped around the corner. I did the same. At the next corner, she paused before sprinting into the open. I raced after her, eyes forward, not looking to see if Henry followed.

  Cold air filled my lungs as I ran for the nearest bunkhouse. The snow guided my footsteps through the dark.

  Noel darted around the A-framed structure and I shot through the night after her, just like a comet. Henry panted behind me.

  Without warning, Noel ran for the next bunkhouse over. I kept on her like a shadow. We ran from one structure to the next. They seemed to go on and on. Shots rang out as we ran across the snow. Noel didn’t pause and neither did I, not until we were behind the next bunkhouse, out of view. Henry dove to the ground beside us, huffing in gasping breaths.

  Maybe a minute passed before another shot ripped through the night sky. This one sounded as if it had come from outside.

  Noel pulled out her gun and held it in an impressively steady grip.

  The sky had filled with stars in the millions, dotting every visible space in the expanse above. It was a brilliant display of light, an overwhelming amount of beauty twinkling above the ugly taking place
below.

  The radio crackled at her hip.

  “All four targets are down,” Dante announced.

  “Roger that,” Noel answered. “We’re coming out. Over.”

  Henry let out a sigh of relief. Noel holstered her gun, face beaming with excitement.

  “Stage one, success,” she said to Henry and me.

  “It’s stage two that concerns me,” Henry answered darkly.

  Noel batted the comment away. “Stage two is easy. We have the advantage. When Jared and his team ride in, we’ll open fire. Come on.”

  We walked out into the open. A long two-story building took up the length of a block across the street, dwarfing the tiny bunkhouses we’d leapfrogged across. It was about the size of a sporting goods store. I caught a faint flicker from a window on the second floor.

  Four silhouettes huddled together in the distance. As we approached they looked our way and I could begin to make out the faces of Dante, Ashley, Reinhardt, and Gunter.

  “Hey there, Sky,” Dante said with a nod and a grin. “You survived another Jared encounter.”

  I walked over and gave him a one-handed hug, carefully keeping the knife out of it. When I pulled back, I looked around the small circle with a smile.

  “It’s good to see you guys.”

  “High five for Team Reindeer,” Reinhardt said, dancing a little jig in place.

  Gunter held up his hand and Reinhardt stopped his dance to slap hands with his teammate. When he lifted his hand in front of Ashley, she didn’t slap it back. Her eyebrows furrowed.

  “We’re not done yet.”

  “Ash is right,” Dante said, sidling up beside her with a hooded glance at her lips. “Our main target will be here soon.”

  Silence fell over the group as we turned and stared into the horizon. Color had crept over the stars. Red streaked overhead as though the sky was bleeding.

  We all listened for the sound of engines in the distance. I strained to hear them in the air. Would Fane’s flight pattern take him over Platinum before landing in Goodnews Bay?

  The snow underfoot sent chills up my legs. I shifted from one foot to the other. Reinhardt and Gunter twisted from side to side, stealing glances from different angles. Ashley leaned into Dante and spoke in whispers. We were all on edge.

  Henry’s radio fizzled and cracked. Our group fell silent.

  “I heard gunshots,” Jared ground out through the speaker. “Rivera, what’s going on over there?”

  The silence that followed spoke volumes.

  “Rivera, report. Over,” Jared said. “Henry, what’s happening?” he barked out shortly after.

  Henry jumped in place. His thumb slipped over the “speak” button. The radio crackled one second then went dead. Henry held his thumb over the button and answered in a wavering voice.

  “I don’t know . . . over.” Henry lowered the radio with a shaky hand.

  Dante lifted his face to the sky. No one spoke. We all listened, but the land was silent.

  “He knows,” Henry said in a voice strained with panic.

  “He doesn’t know anything, which is why he’s not answering,” Dante returned. “He’s too busy scratching his head.”

  I was no Jared expert, but I was pretty sure Jared wasn’t standing around scratching his head.

  “We should get into position,” I said.

  “Agreed,” Noel said with a nod.

  “Anyone have an extra gun?” I asked.

  “I do,” Gunter said, pulling a handgun out of his shoulder holster. He presented it to me with a pleased grin.

  “Thanks,” I said, taking the piece. A holster would have been nice. Then again, with Jared on his way, we should probably all have our weapons out ready. “How many rounds does this thing have?” I asked Gunter.

  “Fourteen in the clip; one in the chamber,” he answered.

  Fifteen bullets. Fifteen opportunities to kill Jared. Worked for me.

  “Time to double back and give Jared a proper welcome,” Dante said. “Ash and Reinhardt, you’re with me. Noel and Gunter, you stay back with Aurora and Henry. I’ll radio you when the remaining targets are down. Till then, keep radio silence.”

  I cleared my throat. “I’m coming with you.” Before Dante could protest, I said, “I insist.”

  A slow smile broke out over his lips. “Roger that, Sky.” His gaze drifted to the rest of the group. “Reinhardt, you stay here with Gunter and Henry.”

  “Want me to come along, too?” Noel asked, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder. “Aurora, Ashley, and I can be Team Charlie’s Angels.”

  “We’re no angels,” I said. “We’re the firing squad.”

  “There’s going to be five of them and only three of you,” Noel pressed.

  “True, but they’re riding right into an ambush,” Ashley spoke up. Like Noel, her hair was pulled back. She wore hers in a long blond braid.

  “Maybe we should all go,” Gunter said.

  “No,” Dante said. “We need agents stationed around the recreation hall in case any of Melcher’s men break through the perimeter. Ladies, with me. Reinhardt and Gunter stay behind with Henry.”

  With that, Dante waved his hand for Ashley, Noel, and me to follow him. We trekked the way we’d come, past bunkhouses darkened by the night. This time we walked down the road rather than darting and ducking behind Platinum’s abandoned structures. My sense of direction was completely out of whack. I would have guessed that the recreation hall was on the edge of town, not the bunkhouses.

  Dante pulled out his gun. Noel and Ashley did the same. I swapped Gunter’s handgun with Noel’s knife so that the gun was in my right hand and the knife in my left. Adrenaline kept my fingers from going numb.

  Dante bumped my shoulder with his and grinned, teeth flashing in the dark.

  “One last mission together, aye, Sky?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, just don’t sing a song about it.”

  “Hell no,” Dante said. “We’re in stealth mode.”

  Noel snorted. “If you’re in stealth mode, maybe you should pipe down.”

  “There’s no way they’d hear us over their snowmachines,” Dante said, but he didn’t speak after that.

  Our footsteps crunched over the icy layer on top of the snow. It didn’t feel as cold as the interior of Alaska had during my time with Jared and Valerie, but the breeze from the ocean chilled me to the bone. The red borealis continued to fill the sky in a light show that was both breathtaking and haunting.

  Although we were taking the direct approach, it took a good twelve or fifteen minutes to make it back—about the same time it had taken Noel, Henry, and me going in the opposite direction with all the sprinting we did from house to house.

  When we reached the last bunkhouse, Dante kicked the wood siding and asked, “This is where they were keeping you?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  Dante nodded and looked down the road that led through white snow into blackness.

  “The first thing Jared will do is check that you’re still secure. Moving targets are harder to hit. We’ll let them come to a stop and head inside. As they do, we’ll come around from the side and take them out all at once.”

  “What if they don’t all stop?” Ashley asked. “What if some of them continue into town?”

  “Hold your fire,” Dante answered. “We don’t want to alert Jared of our position. Reinhardt and Gunter can take any rogue agents who slip by.”

  “What makes you so sure Jared will stop?” Ashley wanted to know.

  “He’ll stop,” Dante said with certainty, glancing at me. “He has a special fixation on Aurora.”

  “I wouldn’t call it special,” I said, wrinkling my nose.

  “More like warped,” Noel agreed.

  The sound of engines buzzing in the distance reached our ears in no time.

  “They’re coming,” Dante said, staring into the darkness somewhat dreamily.

  His statement was unnecessary, and yet it heightened t
he adrenaline pumping through my blood. I felt our small group as a whole go temporarily rigid as though hypnotized by the noise. In the next moment, we hustled around the bunkhouse and pressed our bodies against the outer wall . . . and waited.

  Dante stood at the front of our lineup, Ashley close behind him. Technically I was third in line, but it didn’t matter where I stood. I could arc around both Dante and Ashley easily. Once Jared stepped away from his snowmachine, I wanted to put the first bullet in him. One probably wouldn’t be enough to take the bastard down, but he wouldn’t walk away from fifteen. Once he was on the ground, I’d stick the knife in his heart for good measure. Jared wasn’t walking out of this one. J Day had finally come—just not the one Jared had anticipated.

  As the engines drew nearer, sick excitement rose up my throat. My body twitched. Standing still was proving near impossible.

  The noise increased in volume, churning and chopping up the earlier silence. Before reaching us, the engines cut out suddenly. Dante’s shoulders tensed. He glanced around. No one said anything, but the shared anticipation and concern was palpable.

  I saw Dante’s fingers tighten around his gun.

  The engines roared back to life. As they neared, the sound carried ahead to where we stood frozen in place, waiting. The machines slowed as they approached the bunkhouse. I listened for them to shut off, but they kept running.

  Any approaching footsteps or voices were drowned out by the machines.

  Dante inched his way to the corner of the bunkhouse and craned his head over the edge for a look. A second later, he whipped back around and waved his arm frantically, his gun moving with him. He didn’t say anything. Once he’d alerted us, he lifted his gun and stepped around the corner, firing a shot almost instantly.

  A man yelled over the sound of the engines. My heart leaped up my throat. I lunged forward to join Dante. Ashley sprinted around the corner ahead of me. Two more shots rang out. Before I could get in on the action, Noel screeched in dismay. I whirled around in time to see one of Melcher’s camo men sneak around the corner, revolver raised. Noel knocked it out of his hand and kneed him in the groin. He grunted and fell onto his hands and knees. Unfortunately, he managed to reclaim his gun while he was on the ground. From on his knees, he fired a shot at Noel, who dove out of the way just in time.