A Cat's Chance in Hell

by Sharon Hannaford

  Gabi snorted. “Yeah, it was all doom and gloom and prophesies, reminded me scarily of Athena,” she said with a slight rolling of her eyes at the name. “We even had special names. I was the Human who is not a human, and apparently you were the Wolf who is not a Wolf,” she said dramatically, emphasising the names with a deep rasp, trying to imitate the Wraith, then she chuckled darkly, “very original.”

  Her eyes snapped to Julius. “That reminds me, why did the Wraith call you The Baron?” she asked, putting little air quotations around the title and popping a pastry into her mouth.

  Julius sighed. “Because,” he ground out between his teeth, “that was my title when I was human. Now, we were trying to work out what assassination attempt had been made on Gabi’s life, ideas anyone?” he continued, bringing the previous topic to an abrupt end.

  Gabi filed the little snippet of information away for future questioning.

  “Have there been any close calls in the past few weeks? Anything, it could be work related or during personal time, any odd occurrences.”

  Gabi still looked baffled, and looked over at Kyle. “I can’t think of anything out of the ordinary, can you?”

  “Nope, aside from the previous two fights, which the Wraith is apparently not referring to, things have seemed relatively normal,” he mused thoughtfully. “The only other odd occurrence is you being attacked by…” he trailed off, glancing quickly at Julius then back at her. “You know. The bunch who were supposed to take you to Julius.”

  Understanding dawned on her face.

  Julius and Alexander both went rigid.

  “No offence, I wasn’t implying anything,” Kyle said quickly, seeing their intense reactions. “It was just an observation.”

  The two Vampires looked hard at each other, as though conversing without words. Julius’s eyes were burning with anger and trepidation.

  Alexander recovered first. “It’s possible,” he almost whispered, his jaw clenched but his face carefully blank. “We spoke about it, things didn’t add up at the time, but it just seemed like one of Genevieve’s bizarre moods. She was too old for the Red Rage, volatile yes, but to attack over one small insult, it was extreme even for Genevieve.”

  Julius shook his head, not in denial but rather in disbelief.

  “Do you think…..both of them?” Julius asked in a voice tight with rage.

  Alexander looked off out into the garden, his eyes distant, not seeing what was in front of him. Eventually, he nodded, a single quick bob of his head. “Yes, I don’t see Genevieve keeping something like that from him, and you know he was the one who was so adamant they both went on the mission. It all seems to fit. Is there any way we can be sure, though?”

  “We must investigate this further. If it’s true, there may be others.” Julius looked as though someone had just punched him in the gut, as though his world had just been upended.

  Gabi looked across at Kyle to see if he was making any sense out of the conversation, but he looked as confused as she felt.

  “Yes,” Alexander responded shortly. “Do you think Sebastian can help? He might be able to trace their movements, their correspondence, any outside contacts.”

  “Can he be trusted, do you think?” Julius sounded uncertain for the first time since Gabi had encountered him.

  “Maybe this will be a good test. If you order him to find the information, he will have no choice but to obey. His findings could be very telling.” Alexander had settled into a cold, hard rage.

  “Call him, tell him to meet us in my office in half an hour,” Julius ordered brusquely.

  Alexander got up to retrieve his phone from his jacket in the hall. They could hear him talking a few seconds later.

  Gabi’s head was spinning. A few moments ago, she was about to find out who had been leaking information to Julius about the MV, and now the two Vampires had gone off on a tangent about the assassination attempt on her life, which she hadn’t even known about until Julius brought up the Wraith’s words. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that little fact either; grateful to be alive? Annoyed at the attempt? That the Vampires were blowing it out of proportion? She needed to slow everything down and let her brain catch up. What did Alexander and Jules mean about Genevieve, and who was Sebastian? Too many questions and not enough answers.

  “Jules,” Gabi said cautiously, “are you going to tell us what’s going on or am I going to have to beat it out of somebody?”

  Julius raised an eyebrow, a smile almost cracking through the mask of anger.

  “Well, we can’t be positive at this stage, but we think perhaps we have traitors in our ranks,” he said calmly and clearly, but the clipped tone he used spoke volumes about his feelings on the subject. “The way that attacked you on Friday has not sat well with me, it never made any sense. Genevieve has never had the most even temper, but for her to attack you like that, completely against orders, was not normal, not even by volatile Vampire standards. Alexander and I had discussed the subject before and wondered if there was more to it than simple temper. It was only once the issue of the assassination attempt came up and Kyle mentioned her attack on you in the same conversation that the link became clear to us.” He paused for a moment as though he needed to steel himself for his next words. “We’re wondering if they had been working for Danté, and if they were, are there others in my Clan doing the same thing.”

  Alexander walked back into the room and went straight to the bar to re-fill his glass, in the silence Gabi could hear the clink of the ice falling into the crystal tumbler and the splash of alcohol over it. Her thoughts raced through what Julius had just told them. It was Kyle who broke the ensuing silence.

  “But why would Danté want Gabi taken out of the picture? How does he even know of her existence?” he demanded. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

  The other three looked at each other, Gabi gnawing on the inside of her lip again. Kyle had obviously been so badly concussed that he couldn’t remember the Wraith waxing lyrical about the prophesies made by the Dark Mage. He didn’t know that Mariska had foreseen Gabi and himself as pivotal players in the upcoming war; players that Danté needed to control or eliminate if he wanted the upper hand. Alexander walked over with another beer for Kyle and explained in short clipped sentences what the Wraith had said while Gabi and Julius stared at one another; pensive frustration on both their faces.

  Minutes later, Julius led them out of the entertainment area, up a sweeping flight of stairs to the first story and along a short corridor to his office. As the door opened, Gabi remembered her first visit to the room. It was as large and comfortable as she remembered it. The computer still hummed quietly on one side of his desk, and she again felt the strange sensation of trying to meld her idea of a Vampire lair with this office, which so obviously belonged to a business man who made full use of all available technology and gadgetry. She noticed so much more as she stepped through the door this time. Walking in with full control of her own faculties, and not feeling threatened or unsure of her immediate future, she took time to admire the smaller details.

  There were some beautiful watercolours on the walls, a few Greek and Roman artefacts, and a shelf on the massive bookshelf behind the desk dedicated to old books, which would probably prove to be first editions. There was a shadowed alcove in a back corner of the room which she was sure had been vacant the last time she was in here. It was taken up now by a large, strategically lit display case full of ancient weapons. Gabi was mesmerised, weapons were one of her favourite things in the world. Aside from Nex, she had started a collection of her own, but nothing to rival this exhibit. She knew why the case hadn’t been in here the last time she was a guest in this office, she would definitely have found a way to get her hands on a few of them. Julius was a smart Vampire. She glanced away from the display to see him watching her with a little smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He was obviously thinking the same thing she was.

  “Please make yourselves comfortable,” he said, i
ndicating the chaise longue Gabi had woken up in and another up against the window wall. Alexander had taken one of the two guest office chairs and Julius settled himself in his chair behind the desk. The other guest chair sat waiting for the unfortunate Sebastian.

  Gabi continued her investigation of the room, browsing the book collection. There was too much nervous energy in her body to sit still. She didn’t turn from her perusal of the books as she said, “I’ve answered your question, now it’s your turn.” She heard Julius snort softly, apparently he was under the assumption she had forgotten all about that question amid all the new developments. She turned her attention to him now, leaning back against the bookshelf and resting her left hand on her hip, she would have folded her arms to look more stern if it didn’t still hurt to do that.

  “All right, fair enough,” he conceded, “but you have to understand that much of the information we have on you came from Sebastian, whom you are about to meet. Sebastian has no ties to the SMV, he is just an absolute computer whiz, who used all kinds of geeky computer tricks to find out things about you. You need to trust me when I say that my informants didn’t give me very much information at all.”

  Gabi sighed. “Informants?” she asked sharply, emphasising the ‘s’. “There’s more than one?”

  Julius nodded. “And I ask that you entreat the Council to send them to me if they decide to dismiss them, I have places for them in my own staff. They will not cause you any harm, I assure you of that. Neither of them would have given me any information if they were not completely convinced that I had no intention of harming you or anyone else in the organisation. And they were under Alpha’s orders.” This meant that they were Weres and their Alpha was under Julius’s orders Gabi realised, once again intrigued by supernatural politics.

  “Just spit out their names, and we’ll take it from there.”

  “Ross and Rory. They gave me the information that you were close to one of the Council members and told me when you had a night off. They were to help me make contact with you.”

  Kyle sat up in surprise. “Ross and Rory the Werewolves? The team Drivers?” he asked, shocked.

  Julius nodded. “They’re part of the Blackriver pack, and the Alpha of the Blackriver pack works for me.”

  “Byron would have looked into that kind of link. He would have checked on their Alpha before bringing them into the Society,” Kyle protested.

  “Ah,” Julius responded dryly, “but their Alpha does genuinely work as Head Security Officer at Flamingos Gentlemen’s Club. Flamingos just happens to be owned by one of my holding companies.”

  Further discussion on the matter was brought to an end as they all heard a set of quiet footsteps approaching the office.

  “Come in, Sebastian,” Julius called when the footsteps hesitated near the door.

  Gabi took a seat next to Kyle as a tall, gawkish young man entered the office. It took a few seconds before Gabi realised that the freckled, ginger-haired individual was actually a Vampire. His Vampire presence was so weak so as to be almost non-existent. And he moved with none of the fluid, confident grace of the rest of Julius’s retinue.

  “Sire,” he greeted, almost tripping over his own feet on his way to bow jerkily in front of Julius’s desk. “Alexander asked me to come to you urgently.” He kept his eyes down except for a brief, worried glance at Alexander.

  Gabi wasn’t sure he was even aware of her and Kyle being in the room. Extremely unusual behaviour for a Vampire.

  “Yes, Sebastian. I need you to find some information for me. It is of a very important and sensitive nature. I know if anyone can do it, you can.” Julius spoke with a carefully toneless, but utterly authoritative voice.

  Gabi felt slight wisps of power brush against her as it quickly filled the room and swirled around the geeky, young Vampire.

  Sebastian nodded, with quick erratic bobs of his head. “Of course, Sire, anything I can do to help, anything at all.”

  Gabi had the feeling that if Vampires could sweat, this one would be lathered like a nervous horse. It was strangely unsettling for her to see another Vampire having this reaction in front of Julius. It reminded her once again of exactly how powerful Julius was and precisely what different worlds they lived in. It brought back the memory of Gregory asking if he could take the young woman home, and she barely suppressed a small shudder.

  Julius rose from his chair and inclined his head towards Kyle and her on the couch. She saw Sebastian actually flinch when he turned and noticed the two of them, apparently for the first time. Gabi wondered briefly if Sebastian was just a really new vampire, or if something had actually gone wrong during the ‘change’. She had never encountered such a feeble, nervous, inept Vampire before. She guessed that out on the streets, without the protection of someone like Julius, he would just have been fodder for other Vampires.

  “I would like you to meet Gabrielle Bradford and Kyle Robson,” Julius said formally. “I’m sure you recognise them from your surveillance footage.”

  The gawky, young Vampire swallowed convulsively and his eyes grew huge and panicky. He looked quickly from the two of them back to Julius with a pleading look on his face. He seemed utterly incapable of getting any words out. Alexander actually started sniggering from his chair and Julius’s expression suddenly became one of annoyed exasperation. Then he spoke slowly and clearly, as though explaining something of significance to a three year old.

  “I’m not giving you to them, Sebastian. They didn’t come here looking for revenge or retribution.”

  The ginger-haired Vampire’s anxiety levels immediately went down a notch, but he still had a frightened, apprehensive look in his eyes. “Something has come to our attention, and we need to verify or disprove a theory. You are the most competent Clan member for this kind of investigation.” Suddenly, Julius’s voice took on that strange authoritative quality again, and whispers of power teased the hairs on Gabi’s arms upright. “What we are about to reveal to you is not to leave this room and is not to be discussed with anyone besides the five people present here. Do you understand me, Sebastian? No one.”

  “Yes, yes, of course, Sire, I completely understand. You can count on me, of course. Anything I can help with,” he stammered quickly.

  “Good,” Julius said shortly, his voice returned to normal and the power level in the room subsided. “Alexander will explain the situation and our requirements to you, while I see to our guests.” A millisecond later he was in front of Gabi with his arm extended in invitation. “Shall we,” he invited, slightly mockingly.

  Gabi ignored his arm but stood and strode towards the door, casting a last analysing look at the young Vampire causing him to pull in a quick nervous breath. Julius seemed to have problems hiding an amused smirk as he trailed behind her out the door. Kyle loped out after them, giving Alexander a quick farewell salute.

  Ten minutes later Gabi and Kyle were in the Mustang on their way home. Gabi had wanted to stay and find out if Sebastian turned up anything, but Kyle had pointed out that he had hardly had any sleep in the past few days, and he was on duty the following day. Gabi had a feeling that he was only saying it to get her to go home and rest, but she couldn’t really argue with the sentiment. She was practically asleep on her feet; it was nearly three am Monday morning, and even though she was officially off Hunter duty, she was bound to have some conventional work for today. So they reluctantly left the estate with Julius’s assurance that he would let them know the moment he had any worthwhile information to share.

  Chapter 14

  The next morning, Gabi was surprised when the annoying buzz of her phone woke her, and as consciousness hit her, she could see sunlight peaking in through slits in her curtains. She grabbed the phone, taking in the bedside clock with sleep blurred eyes. 9:18 glowed in bright red numbers. She squinted at the caller ID — Donovan. Damn, she would have to take it. Donovan was one of her oldest and most loyal clients; a film producer who often made use of her services as animal trainer. Usuall
y, she got contacted by underlings on a movie, but Donovan always called her personally. They’d developed a good working relationship over the past few years, and she always tried to help him out if she could. He was openly gay, and a genuinely nice guy if you were on his good side, heaven help you if you pissed him off. She sat up and cleared her throat before she pushed the receive button.

  “Hey, The Don,” she said cheerfully, using her brisk, teasing but professional voice that she always used with good clients. As a Hunter for the Malus Venatori, she was known as short-tempered, rude and abrasive; she allowed her natural temperament to show among her supernatural peers, but in her business she was all smooth, confident professionalism and after so many years of wearing it, her business mask now felt comfortable and familiar.

  “Gabrielle, my Sweet,” he greeted her, his natural effervescence clear even across a phone line. “How is my little ray of sunshine this morning?”

  Gabi groaned; he knew full well that she was not a morning person.

  “I haven’t had my first cup of coffee yet, so tread carefully,” she warned in a mock growl.

  Donovan chuckled on the other side of the phone as she absent-mindedly petted Razor who head-butted the side of her face, almost giving her a black eye.

  “And what was my little Tiger up to last night that she’s extra grumbly this morning?” His tone suggested she had been up to something naughty and he wanted details.

  Gabi let his imagination go wild at what she got up to at night that often caused such bleary-eyed mornings. Rather he thought she was a wild party girl, living the single life than he find out the monster-encrusted truth. She climbed out of bed, wrapping a robe around herself one-handed and grimacing at the uncomfortable stiffness in her shoulder and ribs. “Now, that would be telling,” she retorted. “A good girl doesn’t kiss and tell, now does she?”