Marked Clan #2 - Red

by Maurice Lawless

  “These are the men who attacked you, Santero?” the man asked.

  Manuel sighed. “Yes. The debt is paid, with interest. Death was not necessary.”

  “Death,” the man said, “is always necessary. I trust my men with my life. When they betray me, they forfeit theirs.”

  “Say we go along with this,” I said. “What can you offer us that we don’t already have? We did a pretty good job on our own at Donald’s place.”

  “I offer you my men, my weapons, and the location of their second den.”

  “I don’t buy it,” Lupin said. “If you know all this, how come you haven’t wiped Donald out before now?”

  Manuel answered. “The truce. Any direct action against your rivals will give them a reason to declare war on you.”

  The man nodded. “You are wise, Santero. Unlike my counterparts in other organizations, I prefer to do business, not war. That’s why it must be outside forces that end the wolves. I can guarantee no retribution for you. No one will know you were involved.”

  “And in return, we owe you a favor?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “You owe me nothing past taking this new threat away from my rivals’ hands.”

  “What do you think, Manuel?” I asked.

  The santero rubbed his temples and looked at the photograph of the three men’s heads. “I hate to say it, but I trust him. For now, at least. It’s not in his best interest to incite a war. He said it himself—the gang that hired Donald has more firepower and men. He’d be committing suicide.”

  I looked at Slate, Lupin, and Dree. They nodded in agreement.

  “We just want Donald out of the picture,” Lupin said. “If this guy can help, let him.”

  What a strange night this had been. What had started out as a simple matter between my family and the ones they cursed turned into an all-out war between two drug cartels? I addressed the man’s back.

  “Your word that as soon as Donald is dead, Justin walks? Unharmed?”

  He nodded. “You have my word. The doctor will be released as soon as the wolves are taken out.”

  “Well, Scarface, looks like you just hired Clan Mackenzie. Let’s see these weapons you promised.”

  He stood and finally turned around, extending his hand. I shook it.

  “Call me Cesar,” he said. “Now, let’s leave this house of God so we might talk about bringing others to their maker.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Cesar led us to a nondescript single-story house a few blocks from the church. His black SUV pulled into the garage, and they waited until we joined them inside to close the door. As soon as everything was secure, Cesar’s men opened up a standing freezer in one corner and started pulling out steaks.

  I wanted to make a quip about it, but I held my tongue. I figured it wasn’t a good idea to insult a drug lord on his own turf while his men unloaded their weapons stores. Once the steaks were removed, they pulled out two big duffel bags and laid them on the floor in front of us.

  Cesar nodded, and one of the men unzipped the bags. Body armor filled one, and at least a dozen automatic handguns filled the other. They sat on a bed of probably two-dozen loaded clips.

  “TEC-9 modified fully-automatic with silver tipped rounds. You have two dozen seventy-two round clips in the bag with them and another dozen under the vests,” Cesar said. “My competitors have purchased quite a few of these since they started their deal with the wolves. Your Donald must need a short leash.”

  Slate and Lupin checked out the bags, and then hefted one a piece onto their backs. Dree looked extremely out of place amongst all this. I pulled her aside while Cesar called for more of his men.

  “Talk to me, Dree,” I said.

  “I don’t want to be here. Tracking down Donald was one thing. Dealing with this gangster? I don’t like it.”

  “Neither do I,” I sighed. “But I don’t think we have much of a choice right now. They have Justin, and they claim to know where we can find Donald. What else would you have me do, Dree?”

  “Let me see if I can find where they took Justin,” she said. “You’re well taken care of for this fight, between Lupin, Slate, and these thugs. I’ll make sure Cesar comes through on his half of the bargain.”

  It was a sound idea. “Okay. Don’t leave yet. We can split up once Cesar hands over everything. What do you need from me?”

  “You’re practically bathing in Justin’s scent right now,” she said. “I think I can track him off that.”

  “Really?” I asked. “I…didn’t know it was that strong. Where will you start?”

  “This area seems to be Cesar’s backyard. I’m thinking he likes to keep things close,” she said. “Look, I’m a lot more comfortable with this bloodhound thing than I used to be. If they took him anywhere near here, I’ll find him.”

  “Thanks, Dree. Really. I’ve spent so much time killing wolves, I never thought maybe I could trust some of them.”

  “Wolves are people too,” she said, and then laughed at herself. “Wow, that sounded like an after-school special. What I mean is, we’re not all bad. At least, not us three. I trust Lupin and Slate with my life. They’re my family now.”

  Slate’s words came back to me just then. Ours is a cursed line, a blight on the world. Would Dree be so trusting if she knew Slate had a death wish for them all? I must have telegraphed my concern all over my face because Dree picked up on it.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Cesar’s men came back just then. Saved by the Taco Bell. He didn’t introduce them by name.

  “These are my men,” Cesar said. “They work for me, and until the wolves are dead they will work for you. They’re loyal and fearless. True descendants of the great Incan warriors of the past. May they shed much blood for you.”

  I was beginning to think the Scarface nickname fit Cesar better. He had a definite flair for the dramatic. The show of weapons and muscles was all well and good, but the longer he kept Justin, the less I trusted his goons not to hurt him.

  “Where are we going, Cesar?” I asked.

  “My sources have him holed up in an abandoned service station off old Highway 90. East of the industrial parks.”

  “I know the area,” I said. “That means woods. How well can your men cover ground that isn’t paved?”

  One of the goons spoke, and my opinion of him rose just a bit. “I went hunting every year with my dad growing up. I know my way around a forest.”

  It was good to know one of them wouldn’t die immediately. I don’t know why I was so picky—I wasn’t exactly the outdoorsy type myself. I guess the idea of going against a pack of wolves on their home turf with lots of potential cover made me want to cross all my Ts.

  “Okay, then,” I said. “Let’s go.”

  Dree gave me a nod once we were outside, and then slipped into the night. I hoped she was as successful in her hunt as we were in ours. I’d only known him a little while, but I was beginning to think I liked Justin.

  Lupin, Slate, and I went to her car and loaded the bags. I noticed neither one of them were keen to put on a vest. If this was how Slate chose to go, I wasn’t going to get in her way. Damn it if I suddenly wished she wouldn’t. Wolf or not, she was blood. Connor liked her, and she was growing on me as much as the dear doctor.

  “I’m coming too,” Manuel said.

  “Isn’t it against some divine law for you to go out killing people?” I asked.

  Manuel shook his head. “A shepherd has to tend his flock. Sometimes that means killing a few wolves. Besides, I already have plenty to atone for. If God sees fit to judge me tonight, my soul stands ready to answer for it all.”

  This was the most serious I think I’d ever seen Manuel. I simply nodded, and he made his way back to his car. We had a full hunting party tonight—two wolves, a holy man, and three gun-toting gangland hombres. And of course, then there was me. What was I? Maybe Manuel said it best; I was La Guerrera de Sangre, a blood warrior.

  It was time to spill
some more.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The drive to Donald’s supposed base would take us to the other side of town, so after the first half-hour of silence I decided to use the time more effectively.

  “Slate, I was wondering about something,” I said.

  She nodded. “Go on.”

  “Ever since the…ever since Donald marked me, I’ve had these flashes whenever one of your kind touches me. You were the first, then Dree and Laurie. I see bits of your past, in first person. Like it’s happening to me.”

  If she was disturbed at the idea of me knowing her past, she didn’t show it. “It is an ability we all share, but normally it must be willed to happen. Yours is apparently less controlled.”

  “Can you teach me how to control it?” I asked. “It’s kind of a liability right now. Every time I touch a wolf I’m pretty much stunned for however long the memory lasts.”

  Slate thought about it for a moment. “Have you had a memory of changing? When we go from human to wolf?”

  “Yeah, that was Dree’s memory.”

  She nodded. “Remember that sensation. It’s different for everyone, but there are some common elements. There’s a force that seems to be different than yourself. Dree calls it her wolf. They really aren’t different, but it helps the mind cope. The next time you feel a flash coming on, imagine locking the force away. Close a door on it in your mind. With practice you may be able to call on it only when you want to.”

  “Here,” Lupin said from the back seat. He held out his hand. “I’ll let you practice on me.”

  I took a deep breath and touched his outstretched palm with my own. The flash came faster than I could react. I was tied to a horse’s stall in a barn. My feet were bound as well. I tried to free myself, but the bonds were tied so that the more I struggled, the tighter they became.

  “Woe be unto you, lad,” a voice said behind me. “To be the first to receive such a curse.”

  I don’t want this. Get back! Back off! Go away!

  The flash didn’t want to cooperate. Everything went shimmery, out of focus for just a second before it snapped back to crystal clarity. The first white-hot stab of silver and flesh on my back made my neck snap back in pain. I didn’t know whose memory it was at this point, because I knew that feeling myself.

  Stop! This is enough! For fuck’s sake, GO AWAY!

  I dropped back into my own head and snatched my hand away. “Well that could have gone better.”

  “What did you see?” Lupin asked.

  “I saw…well, I think I saw when you were first marked. Is there a reason why these particular scenes are coming to me?”

  Slate shook her head. “I’ve never known anyone with an unfocused ability like yours. For us, we have to think of a specific memory and will it over to the other person. You seem to be able to pull them right out of us without any help.”

  “That’s kind of disturbing,” I said. “I never know if the memory is going to be painful, scary, whatever. It’s never pleasant, I know that much. Just once I’d like to flash over to a flowery meadow, or even just a good fucking. Enough with the pain and blood already.”

  Lupin chuckled. “Best you not try and get a fucking memory from me then.”

  Slate gave a ghost of a smile and took one of her hands off the wheel. “Try me again. This time prepare yourself before we touch. Don’t let me bowl you over.”

  I imagined a door in my mind and shut it tight. I went ahead and imagined a few padlocks and some deadbolts while I was at it. Can’t be too careful, after all. Once I had my brain sufficiently controlled, I touched her hand.

  The flash came for me in a wave, but it hit the padlocked door and stopped. I could almost feel the door bow inward from the force of Slate’s memory, but I willed it away. Eventually, I was able to stop its advance completely.

  “It worked that time,” I said.

  Slate smiled. “Good. Try again with Danny.”

  I’d never get used to the familiarity Slate and Lupin shared. Up until recently I’d seen him as the man who changed my best friend and stole her away from me. Poppa saw him as the first of a long line of miscreants and good-for-nothings who wronged our family over the generations. I had trouble seeing him as “Danny.”

  Lupin held out his hand, and I reinforced my door with a couple of boards just in case. Our hands touched, and his memory came charging for me full force. It hit the door and I felt it creak. A padlock fell off, and I replaced it. His memory kept pushing, harder until the boards I’d put up began to splinter.

  No. I won’t let you. You come into my head when I tell you to, not before.

  The memory pushed one more time with all its might, but stopped after that. I let go of Lupin’s hand and smiled. “Well that’s a load off.”

  “Remember your physical conditioning too,” Slate said. She turned onto the outer loop. We weren’t far from Donald’s place now. “Strike where they will be, not where they are. Donald and his wolves were too fast for you in the restaurant. You have to anticipate.”

  I felt for my pens. I really wished I hadn’t let Donald take my dagger. Even with an automatic weapon, I preferred the heft of the steel in my hands. I wanted to run my fingers over the runes my ancestors had carved into it. I wanted to feel their strength bolster mine.

  “Luceo non uro,” I said.

  Slate looked over and repeated it, “Luceo non uro. We shine, not burn. May the moon shine in our favor tonight. May your blood burn our enemies and send their souls to Hell.”

  Now that was a prayer I could get behind.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Cesar’s men stopped in front of a barely paved road that led back into a pine forest. It looked like it might have been important at one time, before the new highway had been built. Slate popped the trunk, and we loaded up as much ammunition as we could.

  While Cesar’s men suited up, Slate and Lupin stripped down. I watched them unselfconsciously remove everything they wore and stow it away in her trunk. Once they were nude, they looked at each other and dropped to all fours.

  Their changes were almost synchronized. The muzzle, the claws, the fur all emerged in tandem until two large, lean wolves looked back at me. I looked back and saw one of Cesar’s men staring, mouth agape. Apparently he hadn’t seen the wolves in person yet.

  “Is this going to be a problem for you all?” I asked. “I can’t have you freezing up when the unfriendly ones show up.”

  The thug who hunted looked at me and shook his head. “Not a problem. One question though—how do we tell them apart from the others? Wouldn’t want to shoot them by mistake.”

  It was a fair point. Slate padded over to the trunk and nuzzled around for something. It was an odd sight, like watching a large dog digging through its toy box. She emerged with a stick of white shoe polish. She really did plan for everything.

  “I think I know what you’re getting at,” I said, and walked over to her. Her fur was much softer to the touch than I expected. I had to resist an urge to pet her. Something told me that wasn’t kosher.

  I marked Slate’s coat with a large white X on both sides, and then did the same to Lupin. Finally, I pointed out my handiwork to Cesar’s men. I remembered something Manuel had said to me once, “Entiendes?”

  They all nodded that they understood. The guns Cesar gave us had straps, so I slung an extra over my shoulder and checked the clip on my primary. Cesar’s had intact safeties, and I was glad for it. It wouldn’t do me much good to shoot off my foot before the battle started.

  Manuel had somehow found time to change clothes. He was no longer the blinding white beacon he’d been in the church. Now he wore a dark shirt, cargo pants, and a utility belt. The only weapon I could see was a gleaming machete. I looked down at my belt full of blood vials. Hey, who was I to judge?

  “Let’s go,” I said. The wolves took point, leading us down the road a ways before veering off into the brush. The night was chilly, but under a layer of Kevlar and a hoodie I was a
lready slick with sweat. The added weight of the guns and my clips weren’t helping. Cesar’s men seemed to be having equal difficulty. The only one of us that kept up with the wolves was Manuel. I really had to find out more about his past one day.

  Lupin and Slate kept a slower pace than I knew they could in order not to lose us. We were deep into the woods when the first of Donald’s group lunged at one of Cesar’s men. To his credit, the man dodged and rolled, and then came up shooting.

  One wolf was down, but two others emerged from the darkness on either side of our group. I flipped my safety and sprayed the one nearest me. It bounded out of the way of my first spread, but I caught it with a second. The gun reduced its head to a fine mist.

  “Paco, Jose, remind me to thank Cesar for the guns after this is over,” I said.

  “It’s Robert,” one of them said. “Racist bitch.”

  I snorted, and Manuel gave a chuckle as well. So far Donald’s group hadn’t managed to instill the fear of God into us. If these were the best he had, it was going to be a short fight. I felt a little more confident about our chances.

  Of course, that would be the moment all hell broke loose. The whole rest of the pack descended on us without warning. One of them slammed into me and I sprayed bullets into the trees. The wolf missed my throat, but his jaws ripped through the strap of my backup gun. I rolled over and took aim, but Manuel lopped off its head in a single downward chop.

  “Thanks,” I said. “Where’d you get so handy with one of those?”

  “I wasn’t always a man of God,” he said. “My soul has a lot to atone for.”

  Slate and Lupin were walled off from the rest of us by a mass of fur. Donald’s wolves had encircled them. I got up, and was immediately knocked down again. This was getting old. I felt slow and bulky in my hoodie and vest, like a grade-schooler dressed for snow.

  I rolled and ripped off my hoodie, not caring that I was tossing my extra clips along with it. Next came the vest. I felt so much lighter without them. I dodged the next lunge toward me and let loose a spray into the wolf’s side. It dropped.