“You’re probably right,” Gabriel smirked. “And yet, she came back, as you can see.”
Lucretia had picked up something from the laundry basket that had been left sitting near the washer and dryer on the far side of the room. It appeared to be one of Rico’s T-shirts, and she rubbed it to her cheek as she inhaled its scent. Tears sprung up in her eyes, which she wiped onto the shirt as well.
“I may be a bit of a cynic, but that doesn’t look like the face of a woman who has given up,” Gabriel pointed out.
“No, it doesn’t,” Rico agreed. “But that doesn’t change anything, does it? I’m still going to do things the same way. I promised to help you destroy Lupo and that’s exactly what I aim to do.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The bus stopped just inside the outskirts of northern New York City. Rico didn’t think it would be a good idea to park the thing anywhere too conspicuous, so it was a good twenty yards away from the nearest entrance into the Alphas’ lair. He led everyone inside in groups of five at a time, instructing them to refrain from looking around lest they alert the guards who knew must be around somewhere.
“Stealth is going to be a really big issue,” he explained once everyone was inside. “We go quick, and we go quiet, and we should probably not stick to one group. Obviously Gordral, Gaal-det, Betsy and Gabriel should be among one team, so they can do what we came here for. I will lead the way with another team. The rest of you can divide as you please and follow behind us a bit. I will place Desmond as another leader, since he has at least been down here before.”
“Damn, I wanted to be on the demon’s team,” Desmond teased with a grin. “But I can see your point.”
“Good, now let’s move out.”
The caves were almost completely dark, so that even the wolves, with their low-light vision, had trouble seeing the walls. For a while, the floor descended fairly steeply, but finally it leveled out so they could traverse more easily. So far, they hadn’t run across a single Alpha, and they had to have been walking for over an hour.
Just as they were beginning to think the caves were abandoned completely they heard voices up ahead. They followed the sound and located the source. Probably forty people were seated around a banquet table in a large cavern at the end of the smaller cave they’d been following. They were toasting something but then the man who held up his glass froze in mid-boast and looked directly where they stood.
“Intruders!” he growled angrily, and jumped up onto the table, pointing. The party he spotted was Rico’s, so Betsy and Gabriel’s party was a bit further back. When Gabriel realized there was going to be a fight, he told his group to hurry, since its members were among the strongest. They surged forward and quickly joined the fray as mayhem erupted.
“Don’t let any of them escape,” Rico ordered. “They could forewarn the ultimate quarry.”
Rico pulled out a gun and gave it to Gabriel, and he gave him a funny look. “I thought these bullets would only wound them.”
“We analyzed the lance,” he explained. “It was the Riconite, only blended with aluminum. I had a few bullets made once I knew, but there are only a hundred so aim carefully.”
“Are you sure they’ll work?” he asked.
“I have no idea,” said Rico, then he shot at one of the Alphas, and the head practically exploded. “Yes, they do,” he answered then.
“Well, all right, then,” said Gabriel with a determined sneer. He aimed and shot ten of the Alphas before one managed to land a glancing blow on his shoulder. In response, he shot that one in the face.
“It’s a good thing we aren’t doing this under a full moon,” said Desmond tiredly as he passed Gabriel by. “I don’t want to even imagine what that would be like.”
“Ugh! Don’t remind me!” said Gabriel as he shot yet another enemy. He didn’t see any more to shoot after that, so he perused the room and saw that they’d all fallen. “Rico, are we good?”
“It seems like it, assuming nobody heard the guns,” he said. “The silencers do a decent job, but you never know since we’re in a cave.”
“I suppose we’ll just have to keep our eyes open then,” said Gabriel.
“There’s still plenty of space between here and Lupo’s cave,” Rico reminded him. “It’s a fair bet that by the time we get there it’ll be night time. It’s three days till the moon is full, but some of the more powerful wolves may be able to transform tonight. Keep yourself frosty.”
“Oh, I intend to transform myself, as soon as I am able,” Gabriel told him.
“So do I,” he said with a grin. “You can bank on that.”
#
Another hour passed and then another. They were under the heart of the city and the lack of Alphas was beginning to disconcert them. Rico called a halt when they reached yet another area that should have been populated and didn’t find a soul.
“There’s something strange going on here,” he told them all. “I’m not sure what it is but the Alphas are obviously all elsewhere. We could be walking straight into a trap.”
“Even if it is some sort of a trap, there’s little we can do about it now,” Gabriel pointed out. “We’re going to have to press on.”
“I want you all to make sure your guns are loaded and your stones are securely against your skin,” said Rico with some urgency. “If any werewolf manages to feel the urge to turn, do it. The stronger we are when we get there, the better.”
Various voices went up in agreement, and then they all joined together to continue forward in the gloom. Gabriel took Betsy’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze as they went.
“If this doesn’t go the way we planned, I want you to know I love you very much, ma bella,” he told her.
“I love you too,” she told him with a smile. “Always and forever.”
“How very sweet,” scoffed Lucretia from somewhere behind them. They turned to see her leaning casually against the cave wall, watching the rather large group pass her by. When they looked ready to pounce, she straightened up and walked casually in their direction. “Now that’s not very sporting, so many of you against one lone wolf. Don’t bother. As you may have guessed, I came here to talk.”
“What are you doing, Lu?” Rico demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared.
“I’m just being myself, I suppose you’d say,” she practically purred as she stepped past him, running a finger down his spine along the way. “Since this is what was so important to you I thought maybe I’d turn a blind eye to it—at least for now. You see, my Alphas and I had important business, so we weren’t down here when this rather large army passed by. Now, what do I get for being such a good girl?”
“What do you want?” Rico asked.
“A piece of the power, of course,” she said.
“You can have it,” Gabriel said. “I’m just here to get my family back and be able to go home afterwards. I could care less about your precious power.”
“Now Gabriel, don’t be so hasty,” Rico said. “I don’t think being in charge of everything would be such a bad gig. You might grow to like it.”
“Rico, my friend, if you think so then perhaps you should take the job yourself,” Gabriel suggested.
Lucretia’s eyes rounded, just for a moment, and then a satisfied smirk settled across her features. “You know, that may be the best news I’ve heard all day. What a wonderful idea you’ve come up with, Gabriel. You should be commended.”
“Boss? You’re absolutely sure?”
“Yeah, boss, I am,” said Gabriel with a grin. “So I take it that means there’s nobody between here and Lupo’s door?”
“Oh, I didn’t say that,” she replied. “I have a lot of clout around here, but it doesn’t extend quite that far. You’ll still have need of those bullets. Fascinated to hear more about them, by the way.”
“Perhaps another time?” Rico suggested as his army began to fidget.
“Oh, yes, very sorry,” she said. “Wouldn’t want to keep you from ta
king care of business. Most pressing matter, to be sure.”
“Extremely pressing,” Gabriel said sternly.
“See you later, then,” she answered, her glaze flicking from Gabriel to Rico and back again. “Good luck.”
CHAPTER NINE
Lucretia hadn’t been kidding when she said there would be Alphas waiting between them and the door. Probably about a hundred of them. Gabriel suspected these particular Alphas may have been created recently, for they were not yet aware of the moon’s pull on them that would allow the most skillful werewolf the ability to turn.
Gabriel and Rico grinned at each other and turned at precisely the same time. Gaal-det transformed from his disguise back into a full-blown demon and the apostate knights also transformed. They each had a curious glow about them that hinted at a greater magic than the one currently known by their new companions.
Gordral paused a moment and whispered The Lord’s Prayer in Italian. Smirking at this, he asked, “I thought you were excommunicated from the Church.”
“Oh no, my son, quite the contrary,” he said. “The task which I was charged with is even more important than the one given to the Pope. I was charged by God himself to protect His children from evil in any way I can.”
“And yet once you thought that werewolves were evil and then you became one yourself?” he asked. “Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?”
“Not at all,” he said. “Over time I have learned that not all werewolves are evil. That they are not spawned of Satan as once I thought, but they too have a special purpose on this Earth. It is only those like Lupo, who let their powers go to their heads and commit atrocities as a result, who are truly evil. Justice will be exacted upon him by the will of God.”
Their little side conversation was interrupted by a large pair of claws slashing at their faces. “Join the party, boys,” said the owner with a toothy grin.
“With pleasure,” Gabriel told him, and shot him right in the face.
The body fell backwards and transformed back into a man. Gabriel didn’t know him. Nor did he care, he just started shooting every enemy in sight, wolfed out or not. His bullets joined those of the others until all but one enemy had fallen. But this last one was running for the elevator at full speed.
“Stop him!” Rico shouted. “He’s going to tell Lupo we’re here.”
“And you don’t think he knew that already?” Gabriel pointed out, but he still shot the guy anyway. “Lupo probably knows exactly what we’re doing right this second, you know that. We’re in his world now.”
“Just because he knows that we’re coming doesn’t mean he knows that we are here,” Rico pointed out. “But I’m still trying to work out how he knows what he does. Unfortunately, I don’t like the ideas that I’m coming up with in the least.”
“Bugged the plane?” Gabriel suggested.
“There is that,” Rico agreed. “Or it could have a homing beacon on it. Probably both. But that wouldn’t have told him he needed a bigger number of guards than usual to wait down here because of our increased numbers. Somehow he knows more than we expected him to. Desmond, you’re sure the pilot was properly disposed of?”
“As sure as I can be,” the man replied. “Maybe there’s a snitch at your complex.”
“Or maybe you told him?”
“Why would I do that?” Desmond protested. “I’ve been trying my damnedest to keep Gabriel’s kids safe from the man. Why would I then turn around and rat Gabriel out?”
“Money? Goods? A cushy new job?”
“Never,” said Desmond. “Loyalty is greater than any amount of that stuff.”
“Are you wearing a wire, Desmond?” Rico persisted. “I’ll bet anything that you are.”
“No!” he insisted. “I would never willingly help Lupo like that.”
“Not even to save your own life?”
Desmond was shaking his head, but sweat had begun to bead on his face, and he pulled at the uncomfortable tightness of his collar around his neck. Rico tore open the front of his shirt and pulled the wire free. He tossed it down and smashed it under his still wolf-like foot and snarled viciously.
“Leave him alone, Rico,” Gabriel said then. “He’s the only one who knows where our daughter is. He had to stay alive if he wanted to keep her safe. I would have done the same thing. Besides, it doesn’t really matter if Lupo knows that we are here. It’s much more important that we reach him than it is that he is aware of the attempt.”
Without another word, Rico turned away again. “The elevator is designed to hold ten people at a time tops. I think in this case we should send up the fighters first so they can clear out half of the problem before we even arrive.”
“Desmond, you can lead the first team,” said Rico with finality. “If you’re truly as loyal as you say you are, you’ll make sure they do a good job.”
“All right,” he replied. “Gabriel, if I don’t see you again, look for a woman named Esrelda Gomez. She is keeping Maria safe. You must tell her you were sent by her little wolf-man. That’s the only way she’ll tell you anything.”
“Thank you for everything, Desmond,” Gabriel said then. “I hope that you will still be alive when we reach the top and we can go retrieve my daughter together.”
Half the group split off from the rest of it and entered the elevator. It remained fully functional and began its slow climb to the top. Rico surveyed the room they were standing in, and realized there were about a hundred bodies there.
“Well, men, we’ve got some time to kill,” he said. “What do you say we loot these bodies?”
Gabriel chuckled. “Rico, always thinking with your pockets. You’ll be a good boss when all this is done.”
“Thanks, my friend,” he said with a grin. “You’ve never really been cut out for this racket anyway, have you?”
“Not really,” he agreed. “My brothers put me up to it. I should have become a Federal Agent instead.”
“Never even say so,” said Rico with a shiver. “Then I’d have to kill you.”
“No, I think I’ll take over the other family business,” Gabriel said.
“You’re going to run the vineyard?”
“Yes. Why not?” he said. “I know much of the business from my youth, and the rest I can pick up along the way. It’ll be just like riding a bike again.”
“No, you wouldn’t want to ride a bike,” Rico said. “That’s too slow. I think I will buy you a motorcycle.”
Gabriel gave this a moment of thought, visualizing himself riding along with Betsy curled up behind him and their twins in a side car. The wind whistled past their helmets as they smiled at each other and enjoyed the scenery.
“You know, Rico, I think I would like that,” he said then.
“What would you like?” asked Betsy as she joined them from across the cavern.
“Oh, nothing, ma bella,” Gabriel told her. “You would not wish for me to spoil the surprise, would you?”
Betsy chuckled at this. “Gabriel, you know very well that I would.”
Both of the men chuckled then. They couldn’t argue with her there.
*
The elevator reached the top with an ominous click. They could hear the sounds of fighting outside the door so they made sure their guns were loaded and their weapons were drawn before they stepped outside. The sight of Gaal-det gave several of the combatants pause. Some of them even ran away from sheer terror.
Even though there were not as many wolves to contend with up here, these enemies were much harder to subdue. Finally, however, the party managed to fight its way to Lupo’s door. Gabriel kicked it open and stepped inside, taking the lance from Gordral when he held it out to him.
“Thank you,” he breathed, then wielded the weapon as he stormed inside.
Lupo was sitting at his dinner table as usual. However, this time he had a highchair sitting nearby as he tried to feed the small boy who was seated there.
Gabriel saw red. “What do you think you are doing?” h
e demanded hotly.
“Feeding my son,” said Lupo with a fanciful smile on his face.
“He’s not your son,” said Gabriel with a deadly sort of calm. “He’s my son.”
Betsy was fuming now and she stormed over to Gabriel’s side. “He’s lying, Gabriel. He knows I never touched his worthless hide. I never would touch it.”
“Well, he would have been my son if you’d only cooperated,” Lupo snapped. “I would have been good to you, Betsy. You would have wanted for nothing. Instead, you persist in staying with Gabriel, who by all accounts has got to be one of the worst excuses of a crime boss ever.”
“News flash, Lupo,” she said tightly. “I didn’t marry Gabriel because he was a crime boss. I could care less about you or your stupid crime syndicate crap. Now give me my child so he doesn’t have to see what’s about to go on here.”
“I’ll do nothing of the sort,” Lupo growled. “And what is that thing you’re holding in your hand? Do you expect me to believe that’s really Gordral’s lance. Where did you get it?”
“Under the Vatican, of all places,” Gabriel told him. “Just ask Gordral himself if you don’t believe me.”
Lupo looked at the man standing behind Gabriel, the one who had handed him the lance. He turned pale, and then turned to a wolf instead. He picked up Mario in his claws and attempted to run away with him, not even sure which way to run as panic gripped him.
Gabriel roared with indignation and gave chase, intent on stopping the werewolf before he got away. His paw was actually on the doorknob when the lance impacted with his spine and ran straight through it. Lupo’s lifeless arms dropped the child but Gabriel was quick to catch him in his arms.
“You got him, boss!” Rico shouted joyfully.
Betsy ran over and took Mario out of Gabriel’s arms while the two men embraced. Gabriel tossed the lance back over to Gordral, and he and Gaal-det linked arms, suddenly disappearing into nothing but mist. The same mist as they’d seen at the end of the fire-pit under the Vatican.
Return Of The Real Italian Alphas Page 6
