by J. C. Diem
Mark turned to look at me, seeking my approval to change our plan. I nodded to indicate that I was okay with it. “We’ll head straight to Oklahoma,” Mark said. “We should arrive by late afternoon. Email me everything you have on file.”
“Thanks, Mark,” RJ said in obvious relief. “I knew you and your team would be able to help.”
Mark spent the final hour of our drive reading up on the cases that his contact emailed to him. He put his tablet away when we reached our destination. We were forced to use a domestic airport this time and he used his ID to get us access to the tarmac. We’d draw far too much attention if we were to enter the terminal. Especially now that Zeus was part of our team.
A pair of baggage handlers took a break to watch us place our bags in the cargo hold of our private jet. Both were in their early twenties, had dark hair and tanned skin and were speaking Spanish. One said something and the other shrugged before replying. They both laughed and stared at Kala and me.
“Does anyone have any idea what they’re saying?” I asked the team.
“The first guy asked his friend if he preferred you or Kala,” Flynn said. “He replied that he couldn’t choose and that he’d be willing to have both of you. Preferably at the same time.”
“You speak Spanish?” I asked.
“He can speak French, German and Italian as well,” Mark informed me as he climbed the stairs.
“I have a gift for languages,” Flynn shrugged modestly.
Kala blew a kiss to the two men while I sent them a scowl. Reece’s glower was fierce enough to make them decide they should get back to work.
The pilot emerged from the cockpit and frowned when he saw Zeus. “I see you have a new team member. I hope he’s housetrained. We’ll be in the air for around two and a half hours.” He was the same pilot who usually ferried us to our destinations. Tall, fit and in his mid-fifties, his bearing was decidedly militaristic.
“He’ll be fine,” I reassured him. Zeus had taken care of business on a small strip of grass while we’d been loading our luggage into the jet.
Kala pushed past us and took the usual row that we shared. “I call dibs on the window seat,” she said as she plonked herself down.
I sat beside her and Zeus lay on the soft carpet beside me, effectively blocking the aisle.
“I’m starving,” Flynn complained as he headed for the seat across from me. He stepped around Zeus gingerly, wary of accidentally treading on him.
Mark had brought a bag of snacks along, figuring that we’d begin complaining soon. He handed something to Reece as he took a seat up the front of the jet. He threw a candy bar to Flynn and Zeus went into action. Almost seeming to defy gravity, the Rottweiler leaped into the air and caught the chocolate bar.
“Damn it!” Flynn cried in disappointment. “Bad dog!”
“Drop it!” I commanded while trying hard not to descend into hysterical giggles along with Kala. Chocolate is bad for you, I thought to Zeus. He didn’t understand why and it was hard to explain. The food smelled good and he couldn’t figure out how it could possibly be bad. The best I could do was to send him a picture of a painfully swollen stomach. It worked and he dropped the bar into my hand. “It doesn’t look too badly chewed,” I said to Flynn and offered it to him.
He sent me a disgusted look then gestured for Mark to try again. This time he caught the food without it being stolen from him. Mark tossed both Kala and me chocolate and chose a bag of nuts for Zeus. My guardian caught it and sent me a wary look. “You can eat that,” I confirmed.
Tearing the bag open, he scarfed down the contents. He’d never been on a jet before and whined when we began to move a few moments later. I leaned down and grabbed him when we took off so he didn’t slide backwards down the aisle. My touch calmed him and his fright eased when the jet levelled out.
We had an uneventful and boring flight. I spent the time on my laptop reading through the reports that had been sent to Mark. The police reports were sketchy and lacked any helpful information. Thirteen corpses had been stolen from three different funeral parlors.
I’d never heard of Lilydale, but I’d also never been to Oklahoma before. With plenty of time to kill, I brought up the statistics of the city. It had three hundred thousand inhabitants and four cemeteries.
Apart from the missing corpses and children, it was just a normal city without any obvious signs of supernatural creatures. Even if monsters weren’t involved, we could still offer our assistance to the local police to help find the kids. We should be able to track down whatever was responsible for taking them. It would be up to Mark to decide how we’d handle them once we had them in custody.
We had three options that I knew of when we were on a job. We could kill our targets, hand them over to the cops or call in another PIA team to take them away. The team we’d use was called the Containment Squad and I hadn’t met them yet. They were called on when we needed to lock up any bad guys that the cops couldn’t handle. They’d been responsible for catching the Seven Deadly Sinners back when they’d first become a nuisance.
The Containment Squad was the human equivalent of our team, or so it seemed. I assumed that if we went bad, they were the ones who would be sent after us. They wouldn’t stand a chance against us, of course. If it came down to a fight there was no question which team would win. We were called the Track and Kill Squad for a very good reason.
The usual black SUV was waiting for us when we landed. Zeus rushed off to pee while we unloaded our belongings and crammed them into the car. We were at another commercial airport and an official hurried over to meet Mark. He flashed his ID again and we were given the clearance to leave.
“Where are we staying this time, boss?” Kala asked as Reece put the vehicle in motion.
“I hope it isn’t another haunted B&B,” Flynn muttered.
“I’ve hired a house on the outskirts of town,” Mark said. “It’ll take us two hours to drive there. I’m not sure if it’s haunted or not.”
Kala groaned at how long we’d be stuck in the car and slouched back in her seat. “I hope we’re going to stop for dinner along the way.”
She wasn’t the only one who was thoroughly sick of travelling. I felt the need to stretch my legs as well. The few minutes we’d spent offloading our luggage hadn’t been long enough of a break.
“We might as well have dinner before heading to our new base,” Mark agreed. “We’ll have to pick up some supplies anyway.”
“There’s no Cleanup Crew here?” Reece asked.
Mark shook his head. “The closest Crew is in Oklahoma City.” That was several hours away and I could see why we were on our own this time.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twelve
Our stomachs were grumbling monotonously by the time we reached Lilydale. Reece chose an Italian restaurant and pulled over. Kala pointed to a dark blue sedan as we climbed out. “That’s an undercover cop car if I ever saw one.”
Mark agreed with her assessment. “Let’s hope they’re not serial killers this time.”
“If they are, they’re bound to be drawn to Lexi,” Kala smirked. “I swear she’s a magnet for crazies.” She sent a glance at Reece to judge his reaction. I wasn’t sure if the dig was directed at him personally or at his brother. His lips thinned in annoyance, but he didn’t show any signs that he was about to fly into a homicidal rage.
Whatever had influenced him to attack Kala and then me seemed to be gone now. I wasn’t about to forget being almost choked to death anytime soon. He might not have been in control of himself, but it had still been his hands around my throat.
Zeus leaped to the ground and looked at me for instructions. Stay close and try to keep out of sight, I told him. He gave a low woof of agreement and trotted to the mouth of a narrow alley next to the restaurant. His black fur helped him to blend into the shadows.
We spotted the cops as soon as we entered the restaurant. One was female and in her early twenties. The other was male and in his mid-fifties. They looked more
like father and daughter than partners, except she was white and he was black. They eyed us warily, instantly pegging Mark for a federal agent. The rest of us received puzzled looks from the pair. Neither of them gave off dangerous vibes. Maybe I wouldn’t become a target for a serial killer during this job after all. Frankly, it would be a nice change.
We took a seat across the room from the officers and a waiter came to take our orders. He was cute, but at least several years younger than Kala. She flirted with him outrageously despite his youth. Almost tripping over his own feet as he hastened away, he cast a longing look back over his shoulder at her. She winked and he blushed bright red.
“Isn’t he a little young?” Flynn said in disapproval.
“There’s no harm in flirting with the guy,” she said defensively. “I don’t plan on sleeping with him.”
“Why not?” Reece queried. “Don’t you sleep with most of the guys that you’re attracted to?”
She didn’t take offense at his question and merely laughed. “Of course not. There are half a dozen men in here that I’d like to sleep with. You don’t see me propositioning any of them, do you?”
Flynn was dazed by her admission. He took a long look around the room, trying to spot the men who had caught her eye. His curiosity got the better of him. “Which guys are you attracted to exactly?” She pointed them out and his confusion didn’t lessen. “They don’t look anything alike,” he exclaimed. They were of various ages and were wildly different in appearance. “How can you possibly have the hots for all of them?”
Picking up a breadstick, she bit into it and lounged back in her chair. Thankfully, she swallowed the mouthful before responding. “Unlike you, I’m not particularly picky. I find all sorts of things attractive in a man. It could be their eyes, their hair, their bodies or their smile that draws me to them.”
“Their hair?” he said incredulously. “How can you possibly want to sleep with a guy just because of his hair?”
Kala and I shared a look and we both smiled. “It’s more than just his hair, of course. There has to be a certain charisma. It’s a female thing and I can’t explain it to you,” she said with a sigh. He looked at me and I nodded to back her up.
“Women are crazy,” he muttered. Mark and Reece didn’t disagree, but they were wise enough to keep their opinions to themselves.
To no one’s surprise the waiter returned with Kala’s order first. She dialed back on her flirting at a warning glance from Mark. He really was too young for her. There were laws about the age of consensual sex that even werecats had to respect.
“The cops are going to question us, aren’t they?” Reece said to Mark when the rest of our meals had been delivered and the waiter had left again. He nodded surreptitiously towards the two officers.
“Most likely,” Mark responded. “I’d want to know why we were here if I were them.”
Lingering over coffee, the cops waited for us to finish eating before they stood and approached our table.
“Something tells me you’re here to assist us with the missing kids,” the male officer said when he came to a stop. His voice was a deep rumble. He was tall and edging towards being overweight. The buttons of his dark blue jacket strained to close over his stomach.
Mark nodded and indicated for the pair to sit. “I’m Agent Steel and this is my team.”
Both cops nodded and took a seat. “I’m Tompkins,” the male cop said. “My partner is McSweeny. Do your agents have names?”
McSweeny wore black dress pants and a prim gray cardigan over a plain white blouse. She was small with red hair and pale skin. A spattering of freckles covered her nose. Her eyes were blue and inquisitive and they lingered on Flynn longer than they did on the rest of us.
We introduced ourselves by our surnames. Tompkins frowned when I spoke. “Levine? You’re not related to Philip Levine by any chance?”
I kept my sigh internal. “He’s my father.” A lot of people in the police force knew about him. He’d given lectures and classes for more than just the army during his service. He was often loaned out to various police departments to train their sharpshooters.
McSweeny was mystified by her partner’s interest. She clearly had no idea who we were talking about. “Her Dad is the best shot I’ve ever seen,” he explained to her. “I saw him hit a target dead center from two thousand yards away once.” He shook his head in amazement at the memory. “Did you inherit his talent with guns?” he asked me.
“She’s every bit as talented as Philip,” Mark said on my behalf. He was as proud of my abilities as my father was. “She’s been kind enough to pass her knowledge on to us.”
“I take it your Dad is famous?” McSweeny said to me.
“Only in certain circles,” I replied. “He’s an Army sniper.”
She studied me then switched her gaze to the others again. “No offence, but you all look too young to be federal agents.”
At Mark’s nod, we all produced our IDs. It felt strange to flip the small black wallet open to reveal my photo. “I’m still fairly new to the agency,” I explained.
“What about you?” she asked Flynn and leaned over the table to read his ID. “Agent Flynn Bailey,” she read. “You can’t be much older than eighteen.”
“I’m twenty,” he replied with a smile and her face reddened.
Kala elbowed me and smirked at Flynn. “She’s into you,” she whispered too quietly for the humans to be able to hear her. “You should ask her out.” His response was a slight frown.
“Do you have any leads?” Mark asked.
“Nothing so far,” Tompkins replied. Grizzled and graying, he looked like he was nearing retirement age. He’d been paired up with McSweeny in order to train her. In a few more years he’d pack it in. He’d no doubt spend the remainder of his days boring his grandkids by incessantly reminiscing about the good old days.
“Do you think they’re connected to the bodies that have gone missing from the funeral parlors?” Reece asked.
Tompkins shook his head. “We have no reason to believe the cases are related.”
“But we’re not ruling out the possibility,” McSweeny said firmly. Her partner rolled his eyes, but refrained from arguing with her. At this stage of their investigation they couldn’t rule out anything.
“Will you be checking in with our Captain tomorrow morning?” Tompkins asked.
Mark shook his head. “We’ll remain low key. We prefer to operate behind the scenes whenever we can.”
“What exactly is the PIA?” McSweeny queried. “I’ve never heard of them.”
“I’m afraid that’s classified,” was Mark’s response. “All I can tell you is that we were originally sent to investigate the bodies that were stolen. Now that some children have been taken we’ll do our best to find them first.”
“We all know there’s very little chance that they’re still alive,” Tompkins pointed out.
McSweeny’s eyes flashed in anger. “I’m not going to give up hope until I see their bodies.”
The look her partner gave her was full of pity at her naivety as he heaved himself to his feet. “We’d better get back to it. Good luck with your investigation,” he said to Mark.
They left and the female cop sent a lingering look at Flynn over her shoulder. “Don’t say it,” Flynn said to Kala.
“What?” she asked innocently. “I was just going to say that she’s very pretty. If I were a guy, I’d totally go for her.”
“I’m surprised you aren’t into girls,” he grumbled.
“Me, too,” she said with a laugh. “I like girls well enough, but they don’t do anything for me sexually.”
Mark wasn’t at all surprised by the turn of their conversation. He’d come to expect the unexpected from his agents. Subjects that were considered taboo for most people seemed to be open season to us.
He checked his watch then signaled to the waiter. “The realtor is going to meet us at the house in half an hour. That will give us just enough time to
buy some supplies first.”
Zeus emerged from the alley when we stepped outside. He didn’t have anything to report from his vigil. He did complain that the smells coming from the restaurant had made him hungry. We’re heading to our temporary home now, I told him. I’ll feed you soon. The concept of moving so frequently was strange to him, but he was excited to have a new place to investigate.
We piled into the SUV and drove to a nearby supermarket. Mark and Reece teamed up to purchase food, leaving the rest of us in the car. It took them twenty minutes to find everything on Mark’s mental list. Zeus couldn’t be trusted not to scoff down the contents, so we cradled the shopping bags on our laps rather than placing them in the back.
We drove for a few blocks and pulled up in front of a small house to find the realtor waiting for us. Seeing our car approaching, he turned with a welcoming smile. “Mr. Steel and his party, I presume?” he asked when we climbed out. He was tall, thin and balding. I told Zeus to stay inside the SUV for a little longer. I wasn’t sure whether pets were allowed or not. Keeping him out of sight would be the safest move.
“Thank you for meeting us here,” Mark said with unfailing politeness. “I apologize that we weren’t able to arrive during business hours.”
The realtor waved his apology away. He snuck a look at his watch before taking several sets of keys out of his pocket and handing them over. There were enough for all of us. “I’ll show you through the house, if you’d like.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m sure your family is expecting you.”
“My wife will be grateful if I can make it home in time for dinner,” he said sheepishly. “You have my number. Call me at any time if you have any problems.” With that, he climbed into an elderly white sedan then drove off.
I opened the backdoor of the SUV and Zeus jumped to the ground. He trotted to the front door and waited patiently to be let in. Mark gave us each a set of keys then unlocked the door. Zeus took it upon himself to make sure it was safe even though we could tell that the building was empty. He checked the entire house out while we carried the groceries and our luggage inside.
