“Isabelle Van Helsing?” he asked as he neared our position by the door, McGrady eyeing the weapons closest to us. They looked like katanas, but I wasn’t sure enough to say it out loud.
I put my hand out to shake his and corrected, “Izzy, please.”
“Izzy,” Thomas smiled, “I like it. You can call me Thomas. So,” he rubbed his hands together and looked me in the eye, “we need to get some weapons made for you, I take it.”
“Yup.” I grinned back at him, flashing my pearly whites. “I’ve been meaning to come based on Jared’s recommendation, but haven’t really had the time.” Yes, I may have lied, but McGrady wasn’t going to rat me out. What he did do though was shoot me a dirty look that would’ve made me cringe if he wasn’t so damn handsome. I dismissed the look with a wave of my hand and found Thomas was watching us closely; I had a feeling he did this with anyone that walked through the door, Van Helsings especially, given our history.
“Well, your brother is a very loyal customer. He has even come in for some personally commissioned work outside of the Initiative.”
“Ah’d say that speaks highly oov yer work, Mr. Leeland,” McGrady complimented, looking at the swords that were the closest to him. One of them had a golden hilt with tarnished crosses etched within the metal. “Truly bonnie work.”
Thomas grinned again and walked toward the swords McGrady was admiring and touched the hilt gingerly, beaming with pride.
“Why thank you, Mr.—?”
“McGrady,” he said as he put out his hand, taking Thomas’s in a firm and formal handshake. “Jonas McGrady, but all fokk call me McGrady.”
“Aahh. From Scotland, I take it,” Thomas stated. “So you can definitely see fine craftsmanship.”
“Ah guess ye cood say that.”
I felt like an outsider watching them both drooling over the weapons that were displayed to show their high and unique quality around the store and zoned out, barely even recognizing when Thomas had said my name.
“Yes?” I shook my head trying to rid it of cobwebs. “I’m sorry. What was that?”
Thomas cleared his throat awkwardly and said, “Do you have any particular weapons in mind? Normally when someone comes in they have something they’d like in particular. I want to make sure you’ll get something you’ll use.”
Just as I was getting excited about the entire prospect of getting what I wanted McGrady rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and stated, “Och goodness, don’t e’en get ‘er started.”
“Oh my gosh,” I said clapping, “I’ve always wanted some throwing stars.” I was practically giddy as I watched Thomas’s expression change from one of professionalism to one of amusement as his eyebrows rose at least an inch.
“Izzy, let’s at least be practical,” McGrady protested.
I turned to him and slapped his arm playfully, my frisky and adventurous side coming out at the thought of having weapons I actually wanted instead of what the Initiative wanted me to have. I thought they would be sticklers, but I was learning they were the exact opposite, and I was extremely excited about it.
“I am being practical. What if a bad guy tries to run away and I have to stop him?”
McGrady groaned and replied, “Well, Ah guess ye have a point, but ye only get three weapons so mebbe ye want somethin’ a wee moor…” he paused, “moor.”
“You men and always wanting more.” I winked at him and turned to Thomas. “Is there anything you suggest for my particular line of work?”
He held one finger up and moved to the back of the shop, returning with a large case that he seemed to struggle with, but it was because of the length and not the weight from what I could tell.
“This is the mack daddy of weapons that all Van Helsings love. My most requested piece, actually,” he said with pride, his chest puffing out just a little bit showing how proud of it he was. “Your brother even has one.”
In that instant, I knew exactly which weapon he was speaking of. It was one that I had seen Jared use quite often, and it was one I envied and a truly extravagant one at that.
“Oh my God. Is that what I think it is?” I gasped, not being able to hold in my excitement.
“It sure is, little lady. I’d like to present to you, the Excalibur of the Initiative.”
With those words he opened the case, revealing the most beautiful piece of weaponry I had ever seen in my life within the black leather casing. There was a collective gasp from myself and McGrady once it was exposed, the light reflecting in a gorgeous way off of the sleek metal. The blade was long, but thin enough to where it didn’t weigh a ton and light enough according to Jared that you could carry it everywhere. The blade wasn’t long, but would still stick out like a sore thumb in a sheath, but that didn’t matter to me. As soon as I saw it, I had to have one for myself. The handle was crafted out of steel coated in carbon fiber that had been decorated to look like flames moved within it, making it one of the most unique pieces I had ever seen. And a lot of Van Helsings had one. He wasn’t lying about that. What helped was that it was a lot like a katana, but so much more cool in retrospect.
“Now, how do Ah get one ay those?” McGrady was practically drooling over it as Thomas radiated with delight.
“Well, you’d have to pay for it. Only the Van Helsings have government coverage for anything in this shop. Sorry,” he explained as his eyes shifted from McGrady to me. “What do you think? You want one? We can even customize the handle for you.”
I heard McGrady curse next to me, jealousy rippling through his muscles, but he would get over it soon enough. Especially if I promised some fun later on in the evening.
“Really?” I was like a little school girl, giggling and clapping like a damn teenager. “I think I know what I want already.”
“An’ what’s that?”
I leaned over and whispered that I wanted a Celtic cross on it, knowing that McGrady would truly appreciate it. Plus, I was in love with them.
“That’s not fair, loove.”
I smiled at him and said, “It’s a surprise. Trust me, even though you won’t get to use it, you’ll love it. I’ve got to get something good out of this entire mess, so you’ve got to at least let me have this.”
“Och, I’ll let ye have moor than that,” he teased, causing blood to rush to my cheeks and my entire body to flush. I wasn’t usually shy about our intimate life, but Thomas was a stranger to me, so I was a little uncomfortable with it. But I let him carry on as if I was perfectly alright with his dirty trash talk. Thomas ignored it and closed the case.
“I can definitely do that for you, Izzy. Now, anything else you want? The entire shop is open to you, courtesy of the Initiative.” He motioned toward the rest of the store with a flourish of his arm, like a magician.
“Do you have throwing stars?” I responded.
“Why, yes we do,” he replied as he walked toward the front of the shop and stopping along the wall closest to the register where there was a vast array of designs to choose from.
“So, tell me, Thomas. Whit makes these custom pieces so special? That’s if Ah can ask.”
“Oh, I can tell you. It just can’t leave the shop. I have to disclose this to Izzy regardless, and it won’t hurt if you hear anything since you are also from one of the sectors of the Initiative.” Thomas went behind the counter and came back with a tiny plastic baggy in his hand, a silver piece of metal in it with hints of green. A microchip of some kind.
“A chip? Really?” My shock must have come through in my tone or my expression because Thomas acted like he had heard and seen it before, barely reacting anymore after dealing with so many of us. Even those from offices in other states ventured in here based on a recommendation.
“You bet. This chip is very special and serves a critical purpose.”
“An’ that purpose is?
” McGrady asked skeptically, one eyebrow raising as his brow furrowed and I watched as his muscles tensed.
“Well, lady and gent, these blades are very smart which is why they are made custom.”
I was confused, and I was sure it showed plain on my face as he went on to explain exactly what he meant by a ‘smart blade’. That didn’t sound right even to me, but what did I know. I didn’t even like smartphones and only knew how to use it to make phone calls. This went straight over my head.
“If it makes you comfortable, all the features I am about to explain are why I am the most sought after fabricator in the country, if not the world.”
“Okay,” I said as my eyebrows rose in interest, “then please educate me. I’m very interested in these features.”
“Yeah, that makes th’ both oov us,” McGrady snorted.
“Now, I won’t tell you it doesn’t have a tracker in it, but the tracker is extremely specialized for one reason. There is only one instance where the tracker will turn on, but no time before this. The blade can sense your blood so, if your blood touches the blade in any way, whether from a cut or stab or even just a drop, it activates the tracker inside of it so the Initiative knows where you are and can get to you. It also adjusts to take a beating from any kind of blade forged, including a Sanguinarian blade which some others can’t handle. One reason we have the chip is to be adaptive, which it will be.”
“An’ I’ve bin tellin’ ye tae do this fur how long now?” McGrady scolded as a sheepish grin took residence on my face and a blush crept into my cheeks again. “She only seemed tae learn ‘er lesson when she tooched a Sanguinarian Blade jist th’ other night. Didn’ ye, loove?”
“Oh get off it, you filthy Scot,” I said as I flashed him a grin and took his hand, so he knew I wasn’t serious about him being a dirty Scot, but he could forget about me touching that damn blade. “I’m alive so no need to ponder.”
“I’ll stop ponderin’ when ye start listenin’ tae me.”
“Sure, sure. That’s what they all say.”
He laughed, and Thomas put the blade in the back again as I browsed the assortment of throwing stars, wondering which would work best for what I did for a living.
“Ur ye sure ye want throwin’ stars? Mebbe throwin’ knives wood be better,” McGrady suggested, inspecting a set of throwing stars that had four points decorated in gorgeous curves with those same curves etched into the metal.
“Oh you’re into them, and you know it. You just think they’re impractical is all.”
“Yoo’re right, but Ah do think th’ knives wood be better fur ye.”
“Maybe you’re right,” I said as I turned to find Thomas hanging back just enough to let us speak privately, but be present in case we needed him. A great salesman. “Thomas, do you happen to have an assortment of throwing knives?”
“Of course, I do,” he quipped as he turned on his heel and led us to the wall across from the throwing stars where an even larger selection was housed. “I have one of the biggest assortments of throwing knives in the state so you can have your pick of pretty much anything.”
My eyes shifted from blade to blade, he only had one of each on display to avoid an entire set being stolen just in case someone felt the urge to do so. It seemed like it hadn’t happened before now, but you never knew sometimes. Particularly in New Orleans.
“Thes is an impressive selection ye have hur,” McGrady complimented.
Thomas came to stand next to him with his hands shoved in his pockets and perusing the display that he had so lovingly set up for his most treasured patrons.
“Thank you. I try very hard to have a broad range of designs and a large number of them. You can’t really sell these things unless you have an excellent selection. People have a tendency not to stop in if you don’t, especially government customers, which is where a lot of my business comes from. The Initiative is my best customer to date, and I have to say you two are the best ones from there that I’ve ever had.”
“Oh yeah?” I probed.
“You bet, and the best paying,” he chortled as he took a step toward the wall, pointing at a particular knife that looked a lot like the blade I had chosen for myself. “If you’re into having matching sets, this set of knives will match perfectly with the blade. I can even customize the handles the same way if you want.”
“Oh? You can?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. I like that idea.”
“Is this the design you want?” He reached up and pulled the knife from the display. It had a sleek blade that did matched the sword I had chosen perfectly, the handle black, but not made out of the same material. “Maybe you should hold it and see how it feels.” He handed the knife to me, and I tested its weight, the handle made out of a type of rubber coated steel. “If you like this one, I can even etch your design into the actual blade instead of the handle.”
“I definitely like that idea,” I answered. “This is the set I want for sure. I like the feel of it.”
McGrady was watching our exchange with amusement, his eyebrows raised and his arms crossed as he leaned against the only part of the wall that didn’t have anything hanging on it.
“Ye git one moor weapon, loove. What’s yer pick?” he asked as I handed the throwing knife back to Thomas.
He put it back in its slot on the wall and made a note on a notepad that I hadn’t even noticed he was carrying. “Yup, you get three. One more left so choose wisely.”
“I already know what the last one will be,” I stated without hesitation. It was a weapon my mother carried, and she was a marvel to watch using them. I had only seen her practice them since we were never sent out into the field together and I was certain she was just as graceful in a true fight. “And I know exactly what I want them to look like.”
“An’ what’s that?”
Thomas was watching me with interest, and I thought he’d explode at any second if I didn’t spill. This was a weapon I had wanted for a long time, and I was hoping he was a man that could get them for me.
“I want sais.”
Chapter 9
“So, what’s up wit th’ sais? That’s a very odd choice,” McGrady enquired as we drove to the house.
The first ten minutes of the drive had been in silence as I thought about what was happening within the Initiative. Something was after Van Helsings, if not after everyone within each sector so we had no idea who was safe and who wasn’t. We would all just have to watch our backs. I looked at the clock and realized it was three in the morning. How long had we been in there playing with weaponry? I decided I didn’t want to know. I leaned my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes.
“My mother carried them when she was alive. I learned how to use them from her, but the memory was too painful before to get a pair of my own,” I confessed.
His warm hand closed around mine as he kept one on the wheel. We were now at least five minutes from the house, and I couldn’t wait to plop down onto the bed and sleep until the rooster crowed.
“Ah kin. Ah had no idea.”
I straightened in my seat and let my eyes flutter open, a halo around each headlight that came in our direction. “It’s alright. I didn’t mention it to you. I don’t mention it to a lot of people. The only person that knows is Jared, and he’s my brother. Besides him, only the Initiative knows, and that’s because she was a part of the Extermination Sector too. She was recruited in from the FBI because of all the work she did on paranormal cases.”
“Ah. Well, Ah’d loove tae knoo moor about ‘er. Ye don’t gab about yer parents.”
I turned to look at him, his gaze never once leaving the road even though I could tell he knew I was staring at him.
“You’re one to talk. You don’t either.”
He removed the other han
d from the wheel long enough to wave off the statement as if it shouldn’t exist and replied, “There’s nothin’ tae gab about. Mah mammy is deaaadd an’ mah father isn’ a part ay mah life. That’s all thur is tae knoo besides whit Ah told ye earlier.”
I hadn’t even noticed we arrived home until we pulled into the long driveway. A heavy feeling of despair flooded me, making my heart skip a beat and my body warm, muscles tensing as it prepared to fight or run.
“Stop the car,” I said as I placed a hand on McGrady’s thigh and squeezed, knowing something was wrong deep within my gut. Jared and Addison’s cars were parked in the driveway, but the house seemed off somehow like even from the outside you could see something was wrong.
Before he had a chance to stop and put it in park, I was opening the door, and my feet hit the ground. I sprinted for the door, taking my new gun out of its holster and turning off the safety like McGrady had shown me as well as the man at the office. My hands gripped the gun so tight that my knuckles were turning white, but I didn’t care. I also knew that it probably wouldn’t hurt whatever was inside, but I had to try. McGrady was out of the car and running toward me as I opened the door and took a tentative step inside, also taking out his firearm. He knew that my instincts were always right which was why he didn’t question my quick actions. Ever.
I stepped inside and raised my firearm to point at empty air, feeling McGrady at my back within mere seconds. The lights were off, not even the chandelier shining radiant light down on us. Complete darkness surrounded us as we made our way further into the foyer, McGrady shifting behind me and looking through my home office door to our right, seeing nothing. I looked at him, and he shook his head, confirming my assumption. I would’ve called out to Jared and Addison, but not knowing what was inside of the house, if anything at all, kept me from doing so. A feminine cry ripped through the air, coming from upstairs. It startled the both of us, causing us to turn both of our weapons to point at the landing. Using one finger, I attempted to activate the light in the foyer. Nothing happened.
Chasing Shadows (The Initiative Book 1) Page 9
