Chasing Shadows (The Initiative Book 1)

by Kindra Sowder

  I shrugged out of his grasp and moved to stand next to Addison whose arms were now crossed over her chest in a disapproving fashion.

  “Don’t give me that shit, Jared. You’re irresponsible and reckless and one of these days they’re going to kick your ass out of the Initiative if you’re not careful, and you’ll come crawling to me begging me to get you back in.” I couldn’t believe him at that moment. He showed nearly no remorse for putting his baby sister in mortal danger, and I was beginning to become frustrated with the entire thing. It had been like this with him since the day we were brought into the Initiative and, six years later, nothing had changed as far as he was concerned. Me? I had grown up and followed the rules like a good government worker even though I disagreed with quite a few of them.

  “And with Governor Richards coming today? Really, Jared?” Addison nearly shouted as she watched Jared’s face fall.

  Jared and Addison had had something going on for the past few months, which I was trying to support because they were both happy and it meant I got more alone time at my home with McGrady as well.

  “I know, I know.” He walked back to his desk chair and plopped down in it, unbuttoning another button like he was suffocating. Sweat broke out across his forehead and his upper lip. He turned on the small personal fan sitting on his desk and leaned into it, letting the air flow over his flushed skin. “He got away from me, and I hadn’t been able to track him down again. I never meant for him to actually come looking for anyone to try to get to me.”

  “You know you have to expect that with these guys. They don’t play by the same rules and have no code of ethics keeping them from killing and maiming anyone, especially if it’s to get to someone. You know this,” Addison lectured, leaning no his desk and staring at him.

  I was worried, because of their relationship, that she would be completely in Jared’s corner, but I was happy to see that she was still smart and level-headed despite being shoved up my brother’s ass.

  “That vamp had a Sanguinarian Blade on him, Jared. The only way I was able to kill him was to touch it and use it against him. He’s dead, but I’m not extremely forgiving even though he can no longer hurt anyone.” I sat down in one of the chairs across from him and took a silver pen from the holder on his desk, clicking away as I held it in my hand. It was a nervous habit of mine that annoyed them both, but I couldn’t help myself.

  “And you’re not dead?” Addison asked, turning to stare at me in shock.

  “Obviously not, Addi. But it did hurt like a bitch, and I have learned my lesson. Suffice it to say, I need the number of that guy you use for your weapons, Jared.”

  He didn’t turn to look at me and kept his face in direct line of the cold air the fan was blowing at him.

  “Thank God, because I worry about you every single time you go out with just those silver stakes.” Addison sat down next to me, taking the pen from my hand and a yellow Post-It note from Jared’s desk. He wasn’t paying us any attention as his anxiety spiked, so she took it on herself to do what I needed. “This is the name and number for the guy he uses. You know how Jared is. He has to have his freak out before he’ll be any good to anyone. I say if you want to have an honest conversation with him you come back in about thirty minutes. That’s if Richards doesn’t find a way to corner you as soon as you walk out of here.”

  “Thanks, Addi. Please, when he comes out of his stupor, tell him I’m not mad at him. Just upset.” I stood, taking the piece of yellow paper from her hand, and walked toward the door. As soon as my hand touched the cool metal of the handle, Jared spoke up.

  “I love you, sis,” he sighed into the fan, sounding like a muffled robot.

  I smiled and nearly laughed at the sound, pushing the door as I responded, “I love you too, bro. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  He nodded, and I turned to look at Addison again.

  “You up for lunch later?” I asked her, actually hoping she would say yes.

  “Absolutely. Just let me know when and where and I’ll meet you there.” She got up and moved to his side of the desk, rubbing Jared’s back as he sat there trying to work through his anxiety.

  He had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder after the death of our parents and didn’t handle conflict between the two of us well. We were all we had left besides Addison and McGrady, but not all relationships lasted, and family was forever. I had to continue to remind myself of that fact no matter how upset I was with my big brother. I made a left as soon as I was out of his office and headed to my own, watching my surroundings as closely as I could to avoid James Richards at all costs. I did not want to be cornered by the man alone if I could help it, but he was like a ninja and always managed to sneak up on me somehow no matter what I did. I walked as quickly as I could, making sure he was nowhere to be seen, my office door within sight. Before I knew it, I had made it to the bulletproof glass door and opened it, slinking inside as quietly as I could.

  A quiet hush fell over my office once the door clicked shut, the fresh air inside revitalizing aside from the blistering heat in the hallways that had sent sweat trickling down the back of my neck. I sighed and slumped against the door, taking in the beige color of the walls in my office and the solid cherry wood desk covered with stacks of paperwork and a desktop computer. Yes, I just happened to be one of the busiest and most sought after agents within the Initiative and Van Helsing Exterminations all because of my family lineage. Jared and I were descended from the Van Helsing spoken of in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which just happened to make us better for some reason. Also, I was the best with Jared ranked second. When people couldn’t have me, they went to him despite his rule breaking.

  Moving around my desk, I let my fingers trail the cold wood, sitting in my computer chair and twirling around in it once before turning back to stare at the files littering my desk. I willed them to go away, but they remained there, taunting me with the white pages within them that were begging for my attention. I reached out and before my fingers even touched the very top manila folder closest to me, my office door opened, and a man with dark hair and a gray suit stepped inside. I knew exactly who it was and on the inside, I was screaming for McGrady. James Richards turned away from the door as it clicked into place, shutting me inside with the narcissist of a man that could not take no for an answer.

  “Miss Van Helsing, how are you?” he asked in a lilting, lighthearted tone that said he knew I didn’t want him around, but was going to be here regardless.

  “Don’t act so surprised I’m in here, Richards. This is my office. My name is even on the door,” I responded as the hate I had for this man leached into my voice. He knew how I felt about him, but continued to push me, and I couldn’t respect him because of that no matter what station within the government he held.

  “I came here to see if you thought any further about my offer,” he said as he walked closer to me, his expensive cologne tickling my nostrils in a sickening way.

  I hated cologne, especially the expensive kind. The smell was offensive and vigorous. McGrady was blessed with a natural scent that made me weak in the knees whenever he was around. Richards, not so much. If anything, the smell caused a sensation that was a mixture of nausea and the urge to sneeze. I choked both down, sniffing in slightly to keep the sneeze from forcing its way out as it tickled the back of my sinuses.

  “I haven’t. There’s nothing to think about,” I answered, clearing my throat and unlocking the screen on my desktop computer so I looked busy. I even picked up one of the file folders and opened it, pretending to read the words within it hoping he would leave me alone.

  “Nothing to think about? What makes you say that?”

  He was now behind me, and it took all of my considerable will not to turn around, forcing my eyes to stay on the page and my shoulders to remain hunched in on myself. All I wanted was for him to leave, never to come back i
nto my office again, but it looked like I would have to find a way to kick him out.

  “I’m not going to help you cheat on your wife. Also, I’m not interested in what you have to offer. So, please, I am politely asking you to get out of my office before I have to kick you out.” This was the same conversation we had every time he stopped by the office and just happened to waltz into mine. Every single damn time.

  “You wouldn’t kick the governor of Louisiana out of your office,” he said as his finger trailed my bare neck.

  I flinched and turned quickly, snatching his hand in mine and giving it a slightly painful squeeze hoping he would learn his lesson. His eyes never wavered and a cry of pain never left his lips.

  “I don’t care if you’re the goddamn President of the United States. You do not come into my office and continue to sexually harass me without expecting to get kicked out on your ass. What would a charge like that look like for the next election, huh?”

  He went completely silent, not even whimpering as I increased the pressure on his fingers. He was a good actor, his face never once changing despite how much pain I caused him. It only made me want to squeeze hard enough to break the bones within. His non-reaction made me angry and frustrated because it didn’t seem to matter to him the ethics or morals of others. Plus, I was happily with McGrady, and we had an amazing sex life that I didn’t feel the need to supplement with an affair. He didn’t make a move, attempting to look fierce in the face of a pissed off woman who actually wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

  I let go of his hand and said one last thing while turning back to the open file on my desk. “Now, Mr. Richards, I am politely asking you to get the fuck out of my office.”

  He walked back around to the front of my desk and headed toward the door, stopping with his hand on the door knob. I looked up, about to ask him to leave when our eyes met, and his mouth opened so he could speak.

  “You will give into me one day, Miss Van Helsing. One day.” He whispered the last two words and I rolled my eyes in answer to them.

  “Don’t hold your breath, Mr. Richards,” I replied.

  He started to laugh which caused me to become even angrier, but I refused to let it show in my expression or my body language. Ignoring him was the best thing to do, and I was only hoping that he’d take the hint and go after someone else at some point.

  “Have a nice day, Isabelle.” He knew I hated the use of my full name and did it anyways, attempting to get a rise out of me in one way or another.

  I looked back down at the file in front of me and said, “You can call me Miss Van Helsing, Mr. Richards. That or nothing at all. Now, get out.”

  A chuckle left him as he finally exited my office, leaving me alone in the quiet room which was all I wanted. I pushed out a frustrated sigh and leaned back in my chair, rubbing my hands over my hot face. I didn’t care for the man, and he shouldn’t have been able to make me this angry, but he was able to get a rise out of me whether I let him see it or not and he knew it. That was how he still held even a millimeter of power over me no matter how many times I denied it. My desk phone rang, and I groaned in protest, leaning forward just enough to see who was calling me. It was the retrieval department. Relief flooded my body, and I smiled, knowing it had to be McGrady on the line. I picked up the receiver and placed it to my ear, clearing my throat in an exaggerated way.

  “Van Helsing Exterminations, this is Izzy speaking. How can I assist you, Mr. McGrady?” I was attempting to sound professional just to throw him off, which was something I did while in the office. Outside of the office and on the cell phone I didn’t care because my calls weren’t being listened to like they were here in the office.

  “Izzy,” he laughed, “ye knoo Ah loove it when ye talk loch that.”

  “I aim to please, Mr. McGrady. How can I help you?” I answered, trying to hold up the façade even though I felt it faltering under the weight of the accent.

  “Ah was callin’ tae see if Richards managed tae find ye yet.”

  I nodded and then remembered he couldn’t see it. “Well, he sure found me, and I had to kick him out of my office.”

  “Wur ye at least nice about it?” he asked, a skeptical tone to his voice. He knew me all too well and knew that I had no patience for Richards, especially when he started getting handsy.

  “I was,” I answered, knowing he would see right through it.

  “Izzy.” His tone of voice said that a lecture was coming if I didn’t fess up.

  “I even asked him politely to get the fuck out of my office.”

  “Well, at least ye used th’ word ‘fuck’ politely.”

  I laughed at his small joke and smiled. He always knew how to make me feel better about any situation I found myself in. It was one reason I loved him.

  “You know I can’t stand rudeness, particularly when the word ‘fuck’ is involved. I am a lady after all.”

  He laughed uproariously on the line, it dying off just as quickly as it had started as he spoke. “Ye want a coffee? Aam goin’ on a run.”

  “God, yes, please. I need caffeine like, yesterday. I’d say long before Richards even stepped foot in the building.”

  “Alright, th’ usual?”

  “A caramel macchiato with three pumps? Abso-fuckin-lutely.”

  “That’s mah lassie. I’ll see ye shortly.”

  The line went dead, and I hung up the phone, knowing he would make his rounds to drop the rest of the coffees off and leave mine for last so he could spend a few minutes with just me. Granted, it wouldn’t be piping hot anymore, but it would still be warm enough to keep my happy. That was something McGrady was good at.

  After placing the receiver back onto its cradle, I logged into my computer and turned my attention back to the open file in front of me, the first page being a police report detailing an incident between a vampire and a human female by the name of Veronica James. According to the report, she had been attacked by a vampire and was able to give a small description of him. There was no way that the information she had given us would be enough to identify the bloodsucker, so I closed it and moved onto the next one, placing it in the wire basket on my desk that was labeled ‘dead-end.’ I only put cases in that basket where there was too little information to base an execution on and “vampire with red eyes” was not enough since most vampires did have red eyes, only a rare few possessing the same color they turned with. That made them even harder to identify as something other than human.

  The next file was a different case altogether, pulling my attention as soon as I read it. This was a case I would definitely be taking.

  Chapter 5

  Because I didn’t own a car I called a driver via Über, using the company credit card to pay for the ride like I was instructed to get to my destination as indicated in the file I had been reading before taking this case. This even took precedence over anything else going on, the press conference especially. I exited the car and was standing in front of a Voodoo storefront called Rillieux Voodoo Shoppe owned by Constance Rillieux, a priestess that practiced the old, much darker ways of the art. I’d only had to deal with her a couple of times, but each time someone complained about her the complaint was always well-founded in something evil and pure that I could sense, but never truly saw. Only once was there no basis for the claim and someone wanted Constance investigated for absolutely nothing except for the fact that they didn’t approve of what she did for a living. The times I had been to investigate her before I had found one dead rooster or goat because of some spell she had worked for a client and that was all I had to add to her file. Just a few dead animals and nothing more.

  I walked toward the door, wishing that I hadn’t been wearing my knee-high boots because of the heat and humidity. It was too late to change anything, so I dealt with it as best as I could. Plus, they hid the switchblade I had stuffed down in
side one of them before I left the office very well. I always kept one in my desk drawer that I sometimes took with me to work a case just in case something happened. I didn’t believe anything would, but you never knew when it came to Voodoo.

  When I opened the door, I was met with a cold rush of air and the smell of fresh herbs and burning candles that were used in their rituals to keep the store cleansed and safe from any outsiders or as decoration. Different hand-crafted candles were lit and placed in intervals around the shop, sending a very fragrant floral scent into the air that nearly choked me with its strength. I had asked Constance about them once, and she had told me that the deities on them were painted by hand by herself and her grandson, who was always present in the shop no matter what time of day or night it was.

  There was a massive shelf placed behind the counter where the cash register was located, each shelf lined with ingredients to make a Gris Gris or potion for anything a client could ask for. I had gotten curious enough just once to ask Constance to commission a Gris Gris for me, but backed out before I opened my mouth to ask, not knowing what I would even ask for. A Gris Gris was a charm bag used to bring about love or health as well as other positive influences, but there were some made to bring about negative influences or magic. I had never seen one myself, but McGrady had been called out to retrieve one years ago. No matter how interested I was, I never asked him about it.

  “Can I do something for you, Miss Van Helsing?” a deep male voice asked, resonating through the shop with an energy that penetrated my soul on a deeper level than ever before.

  I turned to find Constance’s grandson Marcos standing in the doorway to the left of the large shelf, surrounded by hanging door beads that I hadn’t even noticed had moved while I was busy staring at the shelf deep in thought. His brown eyes never left my face as the candle light reflected in them and bounced off of his deep, chocolate skin, and his nostrils flared in irritation.