Dreams of Darkness

by Eve Langlais

  “Where were you last night?”

  Easy enough answer, since Logan and the boys had a set response for just this type of scenario. “Playing poker with the boys.”

  The detective rattled his sheaf of papers, pretending to peruse them, when, in reality, he already knew what they said. “According to neighbors, they don’t recall seeing your truck in the driveway.”

  “Because we didn’t play at my house, which means I drove my truck there.”

  “Whose house were you at?”

  “Kevin’s.” Because Kevin lived off a remote road with acres surrounding him and plenty of trees, which meant no one could claim they saw shit. A random person especially couldn’t come forward to verify if his truck were parked there or not.

  The cop knew it and frowned. “Who else was there?”

  Logan named them, knowing they’d all have the same story. For those who might think it odd that they’d created an alibi ahead of time, they’d obviously never had to deal with someone calling in a report of a naked man running across their lawn, his jaw streaked with blood. Rabbit blood for the most part, but still. Those kinds of things tended to bring the cops around.

  Draw no attention, the first rule of lycan existence. Followed by: don’t eat your human neighbors. It used to be an issue and brought new meaning to having your neighbors over for dinner.

  “If you were playing poker at your buddy’s,”—the cop sneered as he said it, showing how little he believed Logan’s words—“then how do you explain this?” The man held up a card, streaked with dirt and other stuff—dead, bloody, gooey stuff—but still clearly showing Logan’s name and number.

  “It’s my business card. I have a few thousand of those printed a year to hand out. It’s called advertising.”

  “We found it at the crime scene.”

  “What crime scene?” Logan asked, looking as bored as he possibly could. Not easy, given that his wolf paced inside. It didn’t like being caged.

  “Don’t play stupid. Someone fitting your description was seen in the area.”

  “You mean someone tall and dark-haired?” Logan arched a brow. “How many people do you think that describes?”

  “I’d say about one, given we found his business card.”

  “Except I wasn’t there.” Logan leaned forward. “And I have no idea what crime scene you are talking about unless you mean the carnage Tommy made of Kevin’s bathroom from too many tequila shots.” Tommy was such a lightweight with booze. But he kept trying.

  The detective slapped the table. “Don’t play stupid. We know you killed Anabelle Smithson.”

  “Who?” This time Logan didn’t have to fake it. He truly had no idea who the cop meant.

  “Anabelle Smithson. Used to work as a nurse at Silver Mercy Coma Hospital before it burned down.”

  Silver Mercy, the hospital where Adara was admitted when she wouldn’t wake up. This was not a coincidence. Someone was cleaning up loose ends. How long before they came after Adara herself? He had to get back to her.

  “I have an alibi. I’ve never heard of or met the broad you’re talking about. And I’m kind of done repeating myself.” Especially since he knew he was innocent. “Either charge me or let me go.” And if the detective thought he had enough evidence for charges, he’d soon regret his choice because Logan’s lawyer would have them dropped in no time.

  A knock at the door had the cop leaving the table for a few minutes. When he returned, he looked grim. “You can leave.”

  “What happened?” Because anyone could see that the cop had received some kind of news.

  “None of your damned business. But this isn’t over. Don’t leave town.”

  Logan didn’t plan to. However, whoever fucked with his city was about to get a smackdown. Killing people willy-nilly. Trying to pin the blame on him.

  That kind of shit didn’t fly.

  Exiting the station an hour later, because it took that long to get back his stuff, he noted the sun getting low in the sky. A quick call to Kevin put his mind at ease. Adara was fine, which was why he made a detour to Titus’s house.

  Although house was a real misnomer. More like mansion. The massive building loomed behind an impressive gate inset within a stone wall. A wave at the camera when he arrived, and the gates swung open.

  He drove his truck past perfectly manicured shrubs into the roundabout with a fountain in the middle. Nothing screamed rich with too much money than some kind of Grecian-looking statue pouring water out of a jug. Exiting his truck, he couldn’t resist flicking a coin into the water and making a wish.

  It never hurt to stack them any chance you got.

  The door, a massive portal about nine feet high—arched and carved in wood—opened. Stefan, sporting some kind of throwback to Miami Vice days with white slacks and a bright Hawaiian shirt, grimaced at him. “You.”

  “I’m just as happy to see you.” He held back on adding the word asshole seeing as how he still had to get inside.

  Stefan blocked his way. “Come to give me another useless clue?

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “The phone booth? That turned out to be a dead end. This woman you and the master are all agog about is proving to be a right pain in the ass to get information on.”

  “Someone hid her tracks well.”

  “Hid? It’s more like she never existed. And there’s no one to question because, every time I locate someone, they’re already dead.”

  “Like the doctor.”

  “Him, and the nurse. And the landlord of her building. As to the records of who bought out all the leases and emptied the building? Poof.” Stefan exploded his hands. “Fucking gone. Computer hard drive meltdown.”

  “Surely, there’s something or someone left we can question.”

  “A few, but you’d better move quick. I don’t put high odds on them living long.”

  The stark reminder of how far someone was willing to go really struck Logan. Whoever this person was, they were proving ruthless and single-minded. “Do you think it’s the necromancer going after them?”

  Stefan shrugged. “Could be. The sorcerer obviously has a few screws loose. He does, after all, play with the dead.”

  “I wonder what his motive is,” Logan mused aloud.

  “Maybe she’s an ex-girlfriend, and he wants her back.”

  A possibility that made his wolf growl. But Logan didn’t think it fit. “This feels like something more than breakup revenge.”

  “And all this is speculation. Fact is, we have no idea what’s going on because, every time we catch a break, someone is one step ahead of us.”

  “What do you suggest we do?” Surely, there was a way for them to get ahead.

  “Forget the girl. Just drop the whole thing.”

  The very idea was ludicrous. “We can’t. She needs our help.”

  “Which is precisely my point. You can’t help yourself. Just like Titus can’t. You’re both ridiculously fascinated by her. To the point you’re ignoring the warning signs and taking undue risks.”

  “What signs?”

  “That’s my point. There are so many, starting with the fact that she remembers nothing. Like…hello. In this day and age, how does no one—and I mean fucking no one—have a hint of her real name? Did you know the cops don’t even have a file on her?”

  Logan frowned. “They must have one. The hospital would have had to report her the moment she came in as a Jane Doe.”

  “That’s what the rules say, yet they didn’t. Or if they did, the record was wiped clean. So, there was no actual attempt made by law enforcement to identify her. I’ve seen no missing persons report matching her description.”

  “It could be she was a loner, and no one noticed she was gone.”

  “How about the fact that no one knows where she went after the coma center?” Stefan said.

  “She was placed in an asylum.”

  “According to what? None of the reports I filched said anything about one.
”

  “There was a fire. It was chaos. Shit gets lost.”

  “And there you go, making excuses again for glaring bullshit. You’re obsessed.” Stefan turned on his heel and led the way into the house.

  A part of Logan knew that what Stefan said was true, yet it wouldn’t stop him. “I know what I’m doing.”

  Stefan whirled around in the lavish room with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and a large ornate desk. “That’s what the master said.”

  “The master also says you are impertinent.” Titus appeared in the doorway to the office, wearing a casual burgundy pullover and a scowl.

  “Don’t shoot the messenger because you dislike the news.” Stefan didn’t appear rebuked at all.

  “Your task is to find information, not speculate on it or my motives.”

  “I will damn well speculate if I’m worried it’s going to kill you.”

  “Ah, isn’t that sweet, your Renfrew”—the fancy name for a vampire blood servant—“cares about you.”

  Stefan snorted. “More like if Titus dies, then I gotta go job hunting. I highly doubt my next master will offer the perk of longevity.”

  “Maybe your next master will do a better job of beating some obedience and manners into you,” grumbled Titus.

  An empty threat. Titus valued Stefan too highly to abuse him. For a vampire, Logan had to admit, Titus wasn’t all bad. But I’ll kill him if he gets in my way.

  Stefan smirked. “You’ll never get rid of me. You’ve invested too much time and training to fire me now.”

  “Time wasted since you missed the asylum clue.”

  Zing.

  The rebuke put a scowl on Stefan’s face. “Because there was no paper trail.”

  “There must be something.” Titus pointed to the door. “And you’re going to unearth it.”

  “Yes, master.” Spoken in a sarcastic drawl as Stefan left the room.

  Must be nice to have a lackey. “Think he’ll find anything?”

  Titus shrugged. “Perhaps. If there is a crumb, he’ll find it.”

  “I’m surprised to see you awake.” The sun hadn’t fully set.

  The vampire turned his attention on Logan. “I doubt you’ve come at this early hour to dissect my sleeping habits. Why are you here? Where is Adara?”

  “At my place.”

  “Alone?”

  “I didn’t have a choice. The cops came by and took me down for questioning.”

  “They linked you to the doctor?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. Some nurse. But they let me go suddenly. I think someone is going around knocking off anyone who ever came into contact with Adara.”

  “Wiping their traces,” Titus mused aloud. “But why now?”

  “Could be they’re getting nervous because they know we’ve been nosing around.”

  “And we shall keep doing so. Sooner or later, they will make a mistake, and then we’ll have them.”

  Damned straight they’d find the person fucking with Adara. Once they did…he wouldn’t lay odds on them living too long.

  “We should get going. Twilight has fallen, and I think whoever is responsible knows who I am now,” Logan stated.

  “What makes you say that? Did something happen?” Titus queried sharply.

  “Someone planted my business card at the scene of a murder last night.”

  “Which means your home is possibly compromised. And you left her alone.” Titus glared.

  Logan shrugged. “I didn’t exactly have a choice. But I left her with as many of the pack as I could without drawing undue attention. Still, given the effect she has on folks, we should go.”

  “Why should he go with you?” Stefan interjected as he strolled back into the room. “The master doesn’t need the aid of a dog.”

  “True. However, in this case, cooperation has its benefits. Please cancel any appointments I have. I might not return until the dawn.”

  “What about the report I compiled and the new information I dug up?” Stefan asked, waving it.

  Titus snared the sheaf of papers. “I’ll read it on the way. And I’m sure the wolf can fill me in on some of the more pertinent details.”

  “Like I said, fucking pussy whipped,” Stefan muttered with a shake of his head.

  As they headed out to the truck and back to his place, Logan filled Titus in on the details of the events of his day. At the end, the leech appeared thoughtful.

  “The most important thing we should draw from this is the fact that our efforts to identify Adara have been noted. With the police being intentionally involved, it shows that someone wishes to get you out of the way.”

  “Why not you?” Logan asked. Or was the planted evidence Titus’s way of clearing a path to Adara?

  “I see the suspicion in your expression. I had nothing to do with your interaction with the law. If I wanted you gone, you’d be gone.” Titus flashed some teeth.

  “Which makes me think, wouldn’t it be easier to put a bullet in me than play this game?”

  “There could be a few reasons why they chose this path.”

  “Because they’re scared of me and don’t want to face me directly.”

  “A possibility,” Titus conceded. “But there is also the fact that you are a pack leader. Kill you, and the wolves might go wild. The Cabal wouldn’t like that.”

  “If the necromancer were worried about drawing the notice of the Cabal, then he wouldn’t leave dead bodies and zombies all over.”

  “Unless we are dealing with two separate entities.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not sure yet, except that some of the actions we’ve seen are disproportionally opposite. Let me mull it over a while longer.”

  The idea of two groups working in regards to Adara was worrisome. Especially given the extremism they’d witnessed thus far.

  Logan drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “What’s the plan for tonight?” Because he doubted an evening of Netflix and chilling was on the menu for him and Adara.

  “Tonight, I think we should visit the asylum Adara most recently inhabited.”

  “Do you know where it is?” Because Adara never told him the location and he wasn’t keen on upsetting her by asking.

  “There’s only one in the area.”

  “Are you sure it hasn’t burned down yet?” Logan was only partially joking.

  “It hadn’t as of this report.” Titus waved the file Stefan gave him. “But the night is young. You might be interested in knowing that the patient records show no sign of Adara being there.”

  “Maybe because it’s the wrong one.” Logan played devil’s advocate.

  “It’s the only place that makes sense. It is possible they filed her under a different name. She did say a nurse was the one to start calling her Adara.”

  “Then they probably have her listed as Jane Doe.”

  Titus shook his head. “Already checked. No Jane Does either. And as for this Dr. Forrester that treated her? Also nowhere to be found. The current list of employees—and past ones for the last several years—show no record of him. Not at this asylum or any other medical facilities in this state.”

  “How do we even know this is the right place then?”

  “Because, just over a week ago, a dead body was found on the grounds. A body that, according to the police report, someone had dug up and dumped there.”

  Logan slapped the wheel. “A zombie.”

  “And where there are zombies…”

  Chances were, they’d find Adara’s past, too.

  Arriving at his house, he noted a mini party happening. A subtle one that involved a bunch of wolves out front playing a pickup game of football. They waved at him as he arrived. They all stared at Titus as he got out of the truck. The intent looks followed them, but Titus didn’t seem to care.

  Inside the house, a few more packmates lounged on the couches, playing video games. Kevin saw him enter and waved. “Hey, boss. A few of the boys came over to play.”
/>   Code speak for: gut feeling says shit might hit the fan.

  Logan had that same feeling. He waved at his crew and then signaled Kevin over. “Where’s Adara?” he asked.

  Kevin jerked his head, indicating overhead. “Still in your room.”

  “How’s she doing?”

  “A little freaked. Which is understandable.”

  “Any problem with the crew?” Logan asked.

  “A few eyeballed the stairs. I couldn’t exactly hide her scent. But none have ventured up there.”

  “Good. Stick around and cover for me. I’ve got to go do something.”

  “With that?” Kevin didn’t hide his disdain for Titus.

  “Is this how you let your members speak to a highly placed Cabal leader?” Titus could turn a supercilious eyebrow like a pro.

  “So sorry, my lord.” Logan would have bet Kevin rolled his eyes as he apologized and swept a big bow.

  “Behave,” Logan admonished before leading the way upstairs.

  As soon as he opened the door, Adara flew at him. The hug was quick and fierce. His arms wrapped around her as he lifted her from the floor.

  “I was worried about you,” she admitted.

  “Told you they’d let me go.”

  “Evening, Adara.”

  She peeled herself from Logan and offered a shyer greeting to Titus. “Hi.”

  “Have you eaten?” Logan asked.

  “A few times. Your guy, Kevin, brought me food like every hour on the hour, I swear.” Her lips curved into a smile. “Your food bills must be crazy if you all eat that much.”

  “We buy in bulk.”

  “If we are done with the idle chitchat, perhaps we should attend to more important business.” Titus’s words emerged smooth, but Logan detected a hint of annoyance.

  Because I am so obviously winning.

  Except, this wasn’t a game, and that was never clearer than when they found themselves once again in the dark, huddled outside the asylum.

  Thankfully, it hadn’t burned down. Nor did they encounter any zombies, fog, or anything out of the ordinary, yet Logan fumed. Against his advice, they’d brought Adara because, as Titus reminded him in a low voice, who did he trust to guard her?