by C. T. Adams
A distant siren made his ears perk and his brother likewise turned to the sound, not quite consciously. There hadn’t been any sirens while he was in Santa Helena, except for the testing of the fire engines each morning. He was surprised to realize he had found it more than a little refreshing and even now, his muscles tightened as a second car joined the first toward a distant problem. Maybe he was getting burned out, even though it had never occurred to him.
“You ready?” David asked the question calmly, a hand on his jean-clad hip just above the chain that was always attached from his belt loop to his wallet. The scents of concern and understanding flowed from him.
Adam squared his shoulders and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Even though David had done his best, there was no way to truly prepare for the sights and smells that hit him as he walked through the door. Multiple eyes turned as he opened the glass door that bore deep cracks and a scattering of bullet holes. They’d been covered by masking tape so they weren’t obvious, but it was amazing to him that there wasn’t any yellow tape blocking the door to climb under, nor familiar uniforms taking photographs of the scene.
It was the lack of things he noticed first. The comfortable leather couch was gone, and so was the grand old corner table, made of mahogany and marble. In their place were two of the white plastic patio chairs normally scattered around the swimming pool in back, and the small table from Josef’s office down the hall. The walls were damp to his waist and the paint faded from scrubbing. But it was the smells that got him most… worse than he’d expected. Fear and pain, blood and bile that even ammonia cleaner couldn’t mask. Over it all was the drowning deep scent of sorrow that covered everything like a dark shroud.
“Adam! Oh thank God you’re back!” Jill Taylor dropped a sponge into a pail of foamy, pink-tinted water and threw herself into his arms. She began to sob, clutching his back with desperate intensity while her husband Tommy looked on, appearing as though he’d like to do the same. Instead, he raised his chin in greeting and set his jaw while blinking back wetness angrily.
“Sorry you have to see this, Second.” His voice cracked enough that he stopped, refusing to give in to the urge to break down.
Adam held Jill, petting her short blonde hair like a child, while he nodded grimly back to Tommy, his friend for so many years and the pack’s Third. He and Jill had been one of the families he’d considered taking down. “I’m sorry you had to live it, Tom.” And he was. He should have been here, should never have left the pack in the care of a madman. Tommy’s rolled-up sleeves revealed gashes and bruises, along with one hole with burned edges that told Adam he’d been among those Josef had used as cannon fodder against the Sazi agents. Nobody in their pack, save those on the force, used guns… and certainly they didn’t have silver ammo that would char flesh.
David didn’t meet the eyes of either of them. He just walked past Tommy toward the locker room, his emotional scent lost under others too strong and visceral. He hadn’t asked his brother if he had any healing wounds, and David had been careful to shower with peppermint soap so he wouldn’t know. Peppermint could hide a world of ills and part of him wished he could spray it all over the building.
Adam never would have believed this of his pack leader, even if someone had told him—had predicted it. He would have laughed at the absurdity.
“Thanks for getting back here so quick, Adam.” Lucas’s quiet, serious voice from the hallway made him turn his head and, strangely, fight back a growl. He reluctantly pulled himself free from Jill’s grasp. Tommy stepped forward and eased her away, then put an arm around his shaking wife to lead her back to a chair to sit.
He started to follow Lucas down the hallway but turned back to look at the others before he rounded the corner. “Tommy.” The older man raised his head. “Why don’t you take Jill out to sit in the garden for a little while? I think you guys could use a break.”
Tommy nodded gratefully and squatted down next to his wife, lifting her chin to whisper to her and kiss away her tears. Adam left them to deal with it, but he was definitely going to have to talk to someone about getting a Sazi psychiatrist in here to help his people pick up the pieces.
His people. Yah, underneath all his worries and fears of ruling them, he was the only leader they had now. He would protect them.
He walked down the hallway, trying to shake the scent of blood that permeated everything. Probably it had been a good idea for someone to remove the bulbs in the hallway. It was one thing to smell the blood, but the dark spatters and dents in the pale peach paint were a little easier to ignore in the dimness.
Lucas disappeared into Josef’s office. Adam was a little annoyed that someone would just set up shop in a private office, but then again, it really wasn’t Josef’s anymore—not if he had any say in the matter.
Adam walked in to find that Lucas had planted himself behind the desk. This time he did growl, low and meaningful. The older man raised his brows and nodded before relinquishing the chair to him without a word. What in the world was he doing, growling at the Wolven Chief? Was he suddenly feeling suicidal? Did he want someone to kick the shit out of him? He didn’t approach the chair, but something in the action by Lucas satisfied whatever was bothering him.
Two other men were in the room, which had been remarkably spared from the battle that raged outside. They were sitting in the high-backed wing chairs and looked suitably weary while sipping whiskey from lead crystal glasses. Adam recognized the slender dark-skinned man who carried the dusty scent that said snake and he dipped his chin in greeting. “Hey, Bobby. Sorry about all this.”
Bobby stood up and took one step before leaning forward fluidly and holding out a hand that looked like a puppy had used it for a chew toy. “Been a long time, Adam. And don’t worry. We know none of this was your fault.” Adam shook the hand firmly, because Bobby would be insulted at anything less, before leaning up against the desk. Bobby nodded toward the third man. “You met Tony Giambrocco yet?”
He shook his head and looked Tony over. He was about Adam’s own age, with dark brown hair and blue gray eyes. It was obvious he’d taken the brunt of the attacks the day before. A gash from hairline to neck sliced through the corner of his mouth. It was slowly healing and his throat had obviously had fangs try to tear it out. Tony was likewise appraising him, watching his every movement with eerie calm. He picked up his glass with a black gloved hand and raised it in a light salute that revealed a shoulder holster with a loaded .44 revolver under his suit jacket.
Adam didn’t find it difficult to imagine this man as an assassin. He had that cold, empty look to his eyes that said yesterday had been all in a day’s work. If he saw this person in a crowd, he’d be the focus of attention—the single threat to be watched. Tony’s thin smile didn’t reveal a thing about what he was actually thinking. The only surprising part to Adam was that he was one of the good guys here. He probably should acknowledge that. “Thanks for your help yesterday, Agent. Lucas said you tried hard to keep casualties to a minimum.”
Tony smiled with the same black humor he’d expect from one of the guys in the squad room and chuckled lightly. “Well, I kept deaths to a minimum, anyway. Bobby took care of those. But casualties… no, most of them were mine. I just wish it hadn’t taken so damned long to find Josef—the fucking coward. He was hiding in the back room, directing the other wolves like puppets on parade. It was pretty clear there was nobody home in the eyes of the first ones to attack us. Once we put him out, the rest of the pack snapped to and stopped trying to kill Bobby and me.” He stopped and cocked his head and all the humor dropped off his face. “But you… I imagine you would have been out in front of the troops in the same scenario. It’s probably best you were somewhere else. I would have seen you as a threat.”
A dark smile, closer to a baring of teeth, came to Adam’s face as Tony took a careful sip of amber liquid, wincing a little when it apparently stung the wound. “Likewise, I’m sure.”
Lucas cleared h
is throat and they all turned their attention. “Adam, the only reason Bobby and Tony are still here is I wanted them to meet you. You’re all agents now, and I’d prefer for agents to start to meet each other in controlled settings. They’re on their way to Ziri’s village to question her family, via Santa Helena. I’m hoping you have a direct number to Alpha Salinas, so I can let her know they’re coming. I think Tony can manage what I couldn’t in finding out what Ziri saw.”
He reached for his pocket and extracted the card. “I do, and that reminds me—Carita did some research down there and found out some information about the… situation.” He wasn’t sure if the others knew the details, but they must at least know something to be going down to investigate. “Should I give you the intel now, or would you prefer it in private?”
Leaning forward with obvious interest, Lucas smelled pleased and slightly amused, but he didn’t know why. It was then that Adam noticed he could actually smell Lucas, who now revealed an underlying scent of cactus fruit and prairie grass, along with sweet curiosity. And, like at the restaurant, he was keeping his power inside. Actually, he realized he scented Lucas in the outer room, sharing the pain and anger of the wounded pack. It had probably helped him be allowed to walk through the building unmolested, where the Wolven cologne might be a liability when everyone’s nerves were on edge.
“No, please go ahead. What did she find?”
Adam told them all about her conversation with the attorney, and how she’d tied it together with the missing animals. “She told me as soon as she can hook up with Will, she’s going to check out the property.”
Lucas turned his attention to Bobby, who was taking notes in a strange sort of shorthand that was nothing more than squiggles and swirls. It wasn’t the sort secretaries used to write—his mother had done some typing for an old lawyer when he was a child, and that was different, though no more legible, than Bobby’s. Still, he seemed to understand it, because he was reading back over it from time to time, mouthing words. “Bobby, when you get there, check to see if she’s gone out with Will yet. That’s Sam Clouds-fall’s present identity, by the way—Will Kerchee. He’s a Texas Ranger. If Will hasn’t been able to fit it in, take an afternoon and help her out. But remember it’s her territory and she’s a fellow agent. It’s her game down there, so if she doesn’t want your help, back off. But,” He raised a finger and pointed at Giambrocco. “Tony’s session goes on with or without her permission. That’s straight from Charles. I’ll let her know that when I talk to her.”
The Chief Justice had ordered Ziri be questioned? This was sounding like a lot bigger deal than he’d first thought. Was there more to this than a simple case of rogue birds?
Lucas stood up and pushed back his chair. “Okay, time for you guys to take off… before the other pack members get here. I think they’ve seen enough of you two for awhile.”
Before he could even register the thought in his brain, Adam took a step forward and spoke, the inflection in his voice flat and commanding. “No.”
Lucas raised his chin and motioned to the others to obey, as though he was expecting the interruption. Confusion roiled through Adam as he tried to figure out why he stopped Bobby and Tony from leaving. The older wolf must have noticed. “You’re not sure why you’re feeling so aggressive, right? Trying to figure out why you’re countermanding my orders?”
All he could do was nod, furrow his brows, and try to figure out how to respond.
“You’re an Alpha in your prime, and there are unattached wolves nearby. You’re seeing me as a threat, even though it’s not on a conscious level. Growling at me for being in the center chair, taking the final word on directions… that’s all the wolf talking. The best thing to do is ride with it. Those who might challenge you for the top slot are going to be aggressive to you now—meet your gaze, snarl, or growl. You’ll probably have a few fights on your hands during the next days if you stay.”
Adam blew out a slow breath. It made sense and yet it didn’t. “But I’ve never wanted the pack. I’ve been content to be Josef’s Second.”
That pulled a laugh from all three men, but it was Lucas who spoke. “You’ve been content to be Second because Josef convinced you that you were—as part of the pack binding. I’ve done it myself with some of the more aggressive members of my pack. In centuries past, the newly crowned Alpha would simply take on all comers, defeating… and usually killing the lesser alphas. Leadership challenges are to the death, after all. But that’s tricky to explain in today’s world, so the council recommends to new alphas that they first try to use magic to lessen the aggression of powerful alphas in their pack. But without Josef here, the need to rule is starting to eat at you. And it will eat at others, too.” He paused significantly. “But that’s not why you stopped them from leaving, is it?”
While Lucas had been talking, Adam had tried to think just what did make him stop the pair from leaving. Yes, there was something to what Lucas said about feeling aggressive, but that wasn’t everything. “I need to see for myself.” He dipped his chin to Tony. “You can do that, right? You can let me see what really happened here yesterday… with your gift?”
Tony shrugged. “Yeah. Can’t imagine why you’d want to, but I can do it.” He glanced around the room as though looking for something. “Here’s as good as any, I guess. Bobbo, how about you go sit on the other side of the room. I doubt you’re interested in a rerun.”
“No lie.” The tall African stood up and walked over to join Lucas at the wet bar in the corner.
Tony looked at him again and started to pull off his gloves, tugging to get the tight leather peeled off his fingers. “Okay… choose your victim.”
“Excuse me?” Adam felt his brows raise as he stepped closer. “What do you mean?”
Lucas responded. “Hindsight is a very unusual seer gift. Instead of seeing random flashes of some unknown future, the seer is drawn into a past scene—through the visceral experiences of a person who lived it. He can touch a person and sift through their memories, then use his gift to project those events to a third party. So, you’ll be able to view the events that person lived.”
“View… yeah right,” replied Tony dryly after an intentional snort. “Don’t expect just a simple viewing. Maybe other seers get lucky and just get visuals. But so far I can’t do that. I’m too new at this to do much more than pause, rewind and fast forward, if I can even make them dredge it up. No, you’ll be getting a roller-coaster ride of sights, sounds, smells, and sensations. You’ll feel every claw tearing your skin and taste sweat, blood, and bile on your tongue. You’ll hate it or enjoy it, just as that person did, so pick carefully who you want to be attached to, or you might see a lot more than you want. The victim… I mean, subject won’t notice a thing, but unfortunately, we can’t pull out of there until they’re done with the event. Memories are sort of like podcasts—short loops of time that replay when triggered. Freud would have been fascinated with some of the things I’ve learned.”
“Freud?” Adam couldn’t keep the surprise from his voice. “You’ve heard of Freud?”
The scent that rose from Tony was a blend of amusement and annoyance, a caramel citrus mix, even though his face was a blank slate. “Uh, yeah. Psychology minor, business major, in case you care. Testing the soundness of his theory of unintentional verbal utterances being attached to memories, what most people call Freudian Slips, has become a bit of a hobby of mine lately. Anyway… the best I can do is fast forward a memory pod, and that’s a case by case thing. Oh, and you won’t really be sure while it’s happening that you’re going to survive.” He chuckled lightly as he tucked the gloves inside the pocket of his jacket. “I’m your ticket inside the world’s most realistic video game… no quarters necessary. If I could find some way to market this shit to EA Games, I’d be a friggin’ billionaire.” The smile he gave had more than a little challenge to it. “Sure you’re up to taking a dip in my pool, tough guy?”
Adam ignored the sarcasm. He was starting t
o realize he might not be giving the man in front of him enough credit. Perhaps there was a good reason why Lucas trusted him enough to send him here. He felt his chin dip once, sharply and squared his shoulders. “Whatever my wolves endured, I’ll endure. You were both there. Who would be the best person to view through? Someone who was there from beginning to end.”
Tony looked over at Bobby, who shrugged. “How about that one wolf who met us at the door?” Tony suggested, “The little blonde with the short hair who’s been cleaning up—she was the one who did your hand, right? I know she gave me the claw to the face.”
“Yeah,” replied Bobby with a skeptical look, “She’d be a good pick, if you’ve got a strong stomach. But she was probably most strongly under Josef’s control, so I’m not really sure how much she’ll remember. What was her name again? Jane? Julie?”
“Jill?” As much as he didn’t want to, he felt himself stiffen. Jill seemed so terribly traumatized by the event. But maybe that was the point. If she was there the longest—“You’re sure it won’t hurt her? I don’t want to cause any damage.”
“Actually, it’ll probably help.” Tony seemed confident, almost casual about his ability and Adam felt himself being persuaded, almost against his will. “I can bury the memories pretty deep when I leave, so it’ll be like forgetting the details of childbirth—or so I’m told. Personally, if that’s what childbirth is like, I’ll stay home and send my wife in a cab so she doesn’t rip my face off.”
