by Sharon Green
She agreed by saying goodbye and ending the call, so I was able to join my teammates in going to the table.
"So they have a residential hotel for us to stay at," Eric commented once we were all seated. "And they'll pick us up at the airport. I think I'm going to have to fight to keep from getting used to this kind of treatment."
"I think we'll all have to fight to keep from getting used to being coddled," Freemont answered with a small laugh that Amiol joined him in. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to enjoy the treatment. As long as we don't get to a point where we expect the rogues to treat us the same way we ought to be all right."
"I don't mind at all being coddled," George's voice came just before he appeared in a chair near the table we sat at. "And, in case you were wondering, Aurella doesn't mind either. You should have seen her face when I told her about the prepaid card she'd be getting. I know she wants to start spending as soon as the plastic is in her hand, but I also know she won't. When you have kids to support you tend to become very stingy."
"Only if you're a responsible human being," Eric said, nothing in the way of amusement in his voice or face. "My father had a family to support, but that didn't stop him from spending most of his income on drinking. My mother worked and my brother and sister and I had after-school jobs, but all that barely got us through."
"You don't have to be a drinker to put your family through some kind of hell," Freemont said as Eric began to eat his food, my partner's voice just as disturbed as Eric's had been. "Some people are just mean, and they aren't happy unless they're doing something nasty to those around them. But let's change the subject before I lose my appetite."
Amiol and I exchanged a glance before giving our attention to the food, but neither of us said a word about what we'd heard. George was frowning while he looked from Eric to Freemont and back, but he also stayed silent. I'd known Freemont hadn't had an easy time of it when he'd been younger, but he'd never shared any details about the time and we hadn't asked. Eric's comment had brought out a bit of the same from Freemont, letting me know that the subject would do best by being changed – for now.
Eating our food let everyone stay quiet for a time without the silence being too strained. By the time we all sat with refreshed cups of coffee I decided to mention the obvious.
"We need to get started with packing up, teammates," I said, looking around at them. "If we'll be taking off at noon, we probably need to be downstairs by eleven at the latest."
"It shouldn't take any of us long to pack," Freemont said with a nod for my suggestion. "But I do have to say that this is one time I envy George. He's always ready to go at a moment's notice."
"Yes, that's definitely a bonus for me," George agreed as we all finished our coffee before standing up. "Of course, that bonus means I don't have anything to pack, a state of affairs too many others share without being ghosts themselves. I seriously doubt if anyone envies them."
That was for sure. None of us argued the point as we headed to our bedrooms, and certainly not because we didn't agree. We just didn't have the time to get into the subject the way we had on other occasions. I happen to believe that the larger number of homeless in a society, the more the number is a critical mark against that society.
It actually took less time for us to be ready than someone might have expected. I tend not to spread out in a hotel room, and my teammates apparently did the same. I also had the sombrero bag to carry, but that wasn't hard. The last thing done was packing up our coffee things, and then we were ready to go downstairs. It wasn't quite eleven yet, which meant we'd have plenty of time to say goodbye to the people we'd gotten to know.
Coming out of the elevator on the ground floor showed us members of the security force as well as Dan, their leader. Dan did a small double-take, then strode over to us.
"You guys are leaving?" he asked after glancing at the bags we all carried. "I know you're not just moving to a different suite, otherwise I would have been told."
"We need to get back to the States," I answered, giving him something of a smile. "We'll be accepting the offer we got from Georgia to make Atlanta our home base, so please do keep in touch, Dan. We'll be passing on word about that shapeshifter community we expect our friend to start."
"You know, I almost forgot about that," Dan said, a touch of surprise in his expression. "Yes, I'll definitely keep in touch, with you and with the others still here. We only have this job once every three months, so maybe we can work something out in your area."
"That would be good," I said, giving him another smile. "Please say goodbye to everyone for us, but right now I have another question: do you by any chance know if Mio is awake? We'd like to say goodbye to him too."
"I can find out," Dan answered, pulling out his cell phone. He chose a number and called it, but a minute later he shook his head. "Nope, Mio isn't up yet. His phone is on auto, so he's still asleep."
"Well, tell him we said goodbye," I acknowledged with a shrug. "You might also tell him if he's ever in our area he should feel free to look us up. If we aren't out hunting rogues we'll enjoy getting together with him."
"I'll do that," Dan agreed, his smile on the sad side, and then one set of elevator doors opened behind us. Inside the elevator was Oldon, wearing his day coat, holding his day hat, and pulling his luggage. He stepped out without hesitation, and his smile had turned into a grin.
"Hah! I just won a bet," Oldon exclaimed as he stopped near us. "Wait just a minute."
He let go of his luggage and pulled out his cell phone, used the phone to take our picture, then sent the picture somewhere.
"My brother bet me that I'd have to wait for my new team to get down here," Oldon told us after putting the phone away again. "I took the bet and said you'd be here before I was, and now I've sent the proof of who won. If he tries to argue, I can have him talk to Dan."
"Yes, I'm definitely a witness," Dan said with a laugh of true amusement. "You people have a good flight home, now. I've got to get back to work."
We all shook hands with Dan, even Oldon, and then our newest teammate gestured toward the doors to the front of the hotel.
"Our ride to the airport should be here, so let's go and take it," he said. "The plane will be ready for us when we get there."
With that Oldon put on his day hat, which covered him completely from head to toe. The hanging part of the hat made him look like a beekeeper, but the gloves coming out of the long sleeves of the day coat weren't part of the image. The vampire headed for the doors with the rest of us walking with him, and when we got outside we found a limo waiting.
"No sense in being crowded," the vampire commented as we walked to the vehicle to put our luggage in the large trunk. "We couldn't very well walk to the airport, could we?"
I knew Oldon was looking at me through the veil, so I shook my head and turned toward one of the car doors.
"We definitely have an argument ahead of us," I said as I opened the door. "We probably could have gotten two cabs for the price of this limo and still had money left over. You're going to have to learn how to live on the cheap, Oldon, otherwise it's going to be war."
No one else on the team commented, but I could see them fighting to keep from showing grins and laughter. And that included George. None of them seemed to understand that getting used to expensive things wasn't a good idea. We might have money to spend right now, but the largesse wasn't likely to last forever. If Oldon decided to leave the team, once our "bonuses" were gone we would be back to scrambling for income from rogue hunts.
The ride to the airport was very silent, but once we got there and boarded our plane our newest recruit was able to take off his hat.
"I'm glad to see they followed my instructions and closed the shades over the windows," he said with his usual smile. "As soon as we're in the air I'm going to the private cabin and take a nap. It's definitely going to be a while before I can readjust my sleeping habits."
Eric and Freemont began to question Oldon about h
ow hard it would be for the vampire to become a "day" person, but I didn't bother to listen. I put my luggage away and went instead to one of the seats, then belted in. Starting an argument on a plane wasn't a good idea, but the more Oldon tried being "cute" the more annoyed I got. I'd begun to wonder if the vamp was playing some kind of game, and that thought increased the annoyance. Well, we'd get it all straightened out once we got where we were going, even if that meant asking Oldon to be on his way.
It didn't take long before we were in the air, and then Oldon left us to take his nap. The rest of us got out books to read, so the three hour flight went by fairly fast. Our steward, not the same one we'd had on the flight down, brought us sandwiches and drinks when we asked for them, otherwise left us in peace.
Oldon rejoined us just before we began to land, and once the plane stopped we heard the sound of clanking. The steward opened the door to let us see the corridor we'd walked to reach the plane when we'd left the States, and we all reclaimed our luggage before using the corridor. We went through a door that led into the main part of the airport, and waiting outside that door was a man who smiled at us.
"You have to be the Rogues people," he said as he glanced at me and my teammates. "Ms. French sent us to get you to your temporary home, and we have two vehicles. One of them will be left with you and your team, Ms. Bell, to be used whenever you like. Please follow me."
He turned and led off then, and after exchanging glances with the others I followed as requested. Outside were the two vehicles we'd been told about, both of them Ford Explorers. One was black and the other red, both of them looking new. Freemont and George joined me in the red vehicle, Eric, Amiol, and Oldon taking the other, and once we were all settled our driver moved off with the second car following.
We left the area of the airport, and after a few minutes we were in the city proper. Another few minutes of driving brought us to what looked like an older residential neighborhood, and a couple of blocks down our driver pulled over to the curb. The house he'd stopped in front of was on the corner, a position the much larger-than-average building did need.
"I'm told there's a garage around the corner, just past the end of the house," our driver said, gesturing to the right. "You'll probably want to talk to the owner of the hotel to find out about parking there, but until you decide which of these trucks you want we decided to park out here. Have you made a decision?"
"Yes, we have, and we'll take this one," Freemont said while George simply showed amusement. "Our partner there next to you made the decision, but we don't mind going along with her."
"That's settled, then," the man said with a smile, then he turned off the engine and handed me the key. "The registration and another key are in the glove box, and I'm told the title will be sent to you. Welcome home, and I hope you'll all enjoy being here."
He sent his smile to my partners before getting out of the car, then headed for the car that had parked behind us. Our teammates were already taking their luggage out of the black Explorer, so Freemont and I did the same from our new car before I hit the key that locked the vehicle.
When I turned away from the car I saw a man standing on the porch of the house, his smile saying he was definitely waiting for us. As soon as we got close enough to the three steps leading upward, the man took one step forward.
"Welcome home," he said in a warm voice that matched his smile. "I'm Sheldon Ford, owner of this residential hotel, which means I'm your host. If you'll follow me, I'll show you around."
He turned and opened the screen door he'd been standing in front of, then moved through the wooden door he'd left open. Once the whole team had followed him inside, Sheldon Ford moved over to close the inner door again.
"You'll all be given keys to this door as well as the door from the garage," he said after turning back to us. "You'll also have keys to your apartments, of course, but since you're our only guests right now you can decide whether or not to use them. This is our entrance hall, with the gathering room to your right. On the left is the dining room, with the kitchen ahead behind it. The laundry room is right next to the kitchen."
We all liked hearing about the laundry room, but if the expressions on my teammates meant what they seemed, they also liked the looks of the "hotel" as much as I did. The entrance area was bright with fresh paint and the lamps on the walls, and what we could see of the gathering room had comfy-looking couches and chairs. The dining room had a large table in it surrounded by chairs and covered with a red table cloth, but that's pretty much all we could see from where we stood.
"There's also a powder room near the kitchen, which can be reached by walking straight ahead from here," our host continued with a gesture in the proper direction. "I'll show you up to your rooms in a minute, but I think I need to mention a temporary problem right now."
The man actually looked embarrassed, his smile now appearing the least bit shame-faced.
"Our cook won't be here until tomorrow morning," he said, as though admitting a terrible failing. "We didn't know you folks would be here today, so Jack went to visit his family for a while. He's on his way back, but won't make it until really late tonight."
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Ford," Freemont told him gently. "We can eat out tonight, and tomorrow we can start out with breakfast. How about Chinese food tonight, people?"
We all agreed that that sounded good, and our host's smile widened again.
"Wonderful," he said, looking around at us. "You won't be disappointed at breakfast, but please call me Shell."
We all gave Shell our own first names, then followed the man again when he turned to the stairs to the left of the entrance hall. We went up the single flight, finding ourselves in a hall that went left and right before curving back and away out of sight. There were doors in front of us as well as at the sides, and Shell gestured again.
"The three apartments here as well as the two on either side belong to you folks," he said. "This apartment right in the middle is for the vampire member of your team, and the rest are your choice as to who gets what. I'll be downstairs while you folks settle in, so don't forget to get the keys you need before you leave for your meal."
He nodded to us as we thanked him, then he went down the stairs again. Everyone waited until the man was out of sight, and then we looked at each other.
"This place isn't bad at all," Eric commented from where he stood. "Everything looks fresh and new, and we even have the house to ourselves."
"Yes, I've definitely seen worse," Oldon agreed, his hat now being held rather than worn. "I don't yet know what their accommodations for me are like, but my being directed toward a particular room seems to mean they've done something special."
"I know this probably isn't the time for paranoia, but I can't seem to turn it off," I said, now staring at the door Oldon would be using. "Eric, would you take a careful look into that center room, just to be on the safe side."
"Oh, I doubt if that's necessary, Taz," Oldon protested as Eric nodded and turned to walk to the door. "I'm sure there isn't–"
Oldon's words cut off as Eric opened the door - then closed it again with the speed only a shapeshifter can manage. Luckily for Oldon he'd been gesturing with his hat, which means none of the bolt of bluish light bursting through the doorway reached him.
"Concentrated ultra-violets," Amiol said into the shocked silence the rest of us were producing. "If Oldon had been the one to open that door there wouldn't be much of anything left of him."
"I think I need to be very grateful that you're paranoid, Taz," Oldon said, actually sounding shaken. "What in hell is going on around here?"
"I don't know, but I sure as hell mean to find out," I answered, deliberately echoing one of Oldon's words. "You wait up here with Freemont while the rest of us take a look around downstairs."
Oldon's mouth opened, as if he meant to argue what I'd said, but then it came to him that he would be guarding the one non-fighter on our team. Instead of speaking he nodded instead, which meant the
rest of us could leave our luggage and turn back to the stairs. George was gone, most likely doing his own looking around, and I couldn't wait until we found out what was happening.
I'd have to call Allison then, and tell her she had a mole in her organization. But a mole for who would be another question entirely…
Chapter Eight
"Wait just a minute," Amiol said before we started down the stairs, and then he was speaking in that strange language I'd never heard before meeting the dark elf. Once he was done he nodded with a smile. "Okay, now we can go down."
"You set something to guard us?" I asked as we started down the stairs. "What kind of something did you use?"
"Instead of guarding us, I spoke a spell to slow down our quarry," Amiol answered with a very amused grin. "If he just tries to run away, he won't get very far. If he tries to jump us instead, his jump will be in slow motion. Now we should be able to get our hands on him."
"I love it," Eric said with a laugh, exactly what I was thinking and feeling. "Now we have a chance to get some answers."
And eliminate at least one enemy, I thought as we reached the bottom of the stairs and turned left. Ahead we could see a door standing part way open, what seemed to be the powder room we'd been told about. To the left was supposed to be the laundry room and the kitchen, but the scent of Sheldon Ford was coming from the right. There were two more doors to the right, the first of them slightly ajar, and that was where the scent was coming from.
I moved fast to get to the door, Eric and Amiol right with me, then pushed gently to open the door a bit more widely. There were two people in the room, one lying on the floor all taped up, the second our quarry. The man who'd called himself Sheldon Ford stood not far away from the man on the floor, one of his hands holding a hypodermic. He was also moving in very slow motion as he spoke, the words sounding long and drawn out. Then Amiol softly spoke another spell, and suddenly our quarry was moving and speaking normally again.
