King Takes Rook

by A. L. Kessler

  "Okay. If you're done with my services, I need to go meet a client in the morning, so I actually need to sleep." Oliver walked by Levi and paused. "And Levi, if Ira gets his hands on Abigail, I will hold you responsible for it all."

  Levi glared at him but said nothing as the warlock walked out, leaving the office door open behind him.

  It wasn't long after that Mario walked in. "I take it Oliver has left?"

  Levi walked to his desk and snatched the list up. "Yes, he did. I hope you two worked out payment?"

  "You wouldn't have the list if we didn't. He's not going to be able to find the vampire he's looking for. He's disappeared off everyone's radar, even his maker's."

  "What Oliver wanted, is it dangerous?"

  Mario shrugged a shoulder. "I wouldn't know. He didn't tell me why he was looking, just that he was."

  Levi looked over the list in his hand. There were a few names under the warlocks and witches section and a couple creatures under the other section, including Fae.

  "Do you think he's right about the Fae?" Mario asked, breaking the silence.

  "I don't know. We'll find out though. If it's a case of a changeling, then someone should return posing as the boy soon."

  Mario chuckled. "A changeling taking over a warlock's spot in the world. I'm not sure that would go over so well."

  Levi put the list back on the desk. "Dawn is coming. Let's get some rest, and we'll go visit the town tomorrow to see what Laura has to say."

  Mario nodded and walked out of the office. Levi disappeared and took himself to his room. A good day's rest would do wonders for him. He was ready to recover from the stress of the night and the worry that ate at the back of his mind about giving Abigail Ira's name.

  Levi stripped off his button-up shirt and took off his pants, replacing them with his silk pajama bottoms before crawling into bed. He'd skip reading this morning and just go straight to the sleep that he was craving.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Levi's phone went off before dusk, news alert after news alert making the device scream. He snatched it off his nightstand and looked at the headlines. "PIB building explodes." "PIB under terrorist attack." "Unknown number of victims."

  Panic flooded through him as he scrambled to turn on the news. Abigail. Was she in the building at the time that it exploded? What the hell was going on?

  The screen flickered, showing the news anchor there. "PIB has no statement on the attack, but local authorities think that it may have been an act of terrorism." The camera shots showed smoke billowing out of the building's windows, or what was left of them. The emergency crews worked on putting the flames out, fighting against whatever had caused the explosion. Levi's eyes scanned the crowd to see if Abby was among them.

  He couldn't find her.

  He had to resist taking himself down there to find her in the daylight. He needed to make sure she was alright. He reached for his phone to call her, just to hear her voice to make sure she was okay, but it rang before he could call her.

  Oliver's name flashed on the screen. Levi picked it up. "Please tell me that she wasn't in the building."

  "She wasn't. She had just left and avoided the blast." Oliver's voice was hard to hear over the background noise of where he was. "She's safe, but I have to go." He disconnected, and Levi turned back to the television screen. Abigail was safe, but this was another narrow escape from something that could have killed her. His mind went to Ira. No, this wasn't how he worked. It was too messy with a large margin of error. If anything, it was the work of one of his flunkies.

  Levi sighed and muted the news. He would check up on Abigail come nightfall, but right now he was sure she had a lot more on her plate and didn't need his paranoia and worry clouding the rest of her day.

  He laid back in his bed and dozed in and out as he watched the news until dusk. He finally pulled himself away from the bed and the television to get ready for the night.

  His phone rang, and he glanced down to see Detective Mason's number flash on the screen. He picked answered it with a swipe of his finger. "Good evening, Detective."

  "Evening, Levi. I hate to bother you again, but we've detained a vampire that I'd like you to interrogate."

  Levi paused for a moment. "Who detained them?"

  "Abigail and Agent Grayson did."

  "And Abby doesn't want to do the interrogation?"

  "She's handling the human and thinks that you'd want to interrogate the vampire. Is she wrong?"

  "No, I'll be there in a bit." He disconnected the phone and rubbed his eyes. He needed to get ready for the day. He shed his pajama pants and got into the shower, letting the hot water warm him for a few minutes before washing and getting out.

  He was wrapping the towel around him as his phone started ringing. He rushed to grab it hoping that it was Abigail, to his disappointment it was Clarissa.

  "Good evening, Clarissa."

  "I wish it was a good evening, Levi." She sighed. "Abigail just left the coven gathering. I need to warn you about something."

  He stiffened. Who did Abigail attack this time? "About?"

  "I'm sure you've seen the news about the bombing?"

  "I did, I was assured that Abby made it out safe."

  "Yes, but Nick didn't. He was in the building, Levi. Abby is pretty torn up about it, and Jack made an inappropriate comment. Abby stormed out of the yard and left." Her voice shook a little bit. "I'm worried about her being alone. She promised we'd meet up tomorrow, but still."

  Levi pressed his lips together. The blast had killed Nick. He wasn't sure if he should be happy about it or concerned. Clarissa was right though, Abigail probably shouldn't have been left alone. Grief was a nasty thing. "Where is she tonight?"

  "She said that she needed to go meet a consultant for the current case she was on. She was all business, it's a full moon too, so I'm sure that she's also feeling the magic and the tension of the wolves."

  Ah yes. One of the side effects of Abby taking over the protective circle on the werewolves' pack land. She could feel when the magic activated. "If she's with someone from work, she should be fine. I'll make sure to check in on her later tonight."

  "Okay."

  "And thank you for calling me, Clarissa."

  "Of course. I didn't know what else to do." She sighed. "Have a good evening, let me know if Abby needs me."

  Levi smiled at the warm words. "I will. She's lucky to have such a caring friend around."

  "Some days I think I'm the lucky one." Clarissa hung the phone up. Levi sighed and finished drying off. He got dressed and walked out of the room to see Mario heading down the hall, his face drawn into tight lines.

  "Have you seen the news?"

  "I have. Abigail is okay, but either way that's not a good thing. Clarissa just called me, and said Nick was in the building."

  "Oh shit." Mario's eyes grew wide. "There's no way he could have survived that."

  "Exactly. There's not a chance. Right now we need to focus on the town and figure out what snatched that little boy." Levi ran a hand through his hair. "Never a dull moment."

  "You should go see Abby tonight." Mario followed Levi down the hall.

  "No, she's pouring herself into work, as is her way when she grieves." Levi shook his head. "Not right now, the best thing I can do for her is to let her handle it her way. Besides, Mason called and I'm needed down at the station."

  Mario snorted. "Which is not to handle it all. She is your child through and through."

  Levi glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "Did you ever truly grieve for Elizabeth?"

  "That's not up for discussion."

  Mario smirked. "Exactly. I'll see you once you're done at the station." He disappeared before Levi could respond.

  Levi sighed and took himself to the PIB containment center again. He found Mason a
lready standing at the entrance. His arms crossed. "Hello again Detective."

  "Levi." Mason nodded. "Sorry to drag you out here again, but I wanted you to be the one to interrogate the vampire that Agent Collins brought in."

  "Blood-starved?"

  He shook his head. "No, completely in his right mind. I haven't talked to him, but he's not sporting the crazed red eyes."

  Which was a tell-tale sign of being blood-starved. "Okay, lead the way." Levi motioned and followed Mason in.

  Levi followed Mason into the interrogation room. Levi shivered as he passed the silver-coated doorframe and into the room. The silver would keep the vampire weakened and in theory keep him from popping in and out. As an extra precaution, silver chains shackled the vampire to the table.

  Levi looked him up and down. "So, what do you have to say for yourself?"

  The male vampire laughed. "Fuck you. That's what I have to say."

  Levi nodded and looked back to Mason. "Can I see his file?"

  Mason motioned to the table. "It's right there and all yours."

  Levi picked up the manila folder and flipped through it. "Robby Trunks, vampire, approx a hundred. Current employer Calico Research." Levi raised a brow. "Pretty sure that's a cover for working under Ira Diaz."

  "And who are you? You know everything about me." He smiled enough to show fangs.

  Levi closed the folder. "Do you know that you could be charged with murder or accessory to murder?"

  "Our clients all sign a release form saying they know that death is a possibility." He snorted. "Read the contracts."

  "I'm not talking about the ones you have contracts for. I'm talking about the ones PIB found sealed in the basement of the house." Levi met his gaze. "Those are Ira's victims as well. You will go down for that crime if you don't give me some information on him and what he is planning."

  Robby held his arms out the best he could. "You can just kill me. I'm not going to give you information on him. I fear him more than any PIB agent or some stupid vampire on a power trip."

  Levi crossed his arms. "Stupid vampire on a power trip? I'm the leader of this territory, and I'm a retired King's Guard. I'm not on a power trip. I'm keeping my territory safe by getting rid of trash like you."

  Something crossed the vampire's eyes, and Levi couldn't tell if it was fear or doubt. Robby put his hands on the table. "You don't scare me. Ira wouldn't let anything happen to me."

  "Tell that to Brian Tomes who's currently sitting in containment for crimes against PIB." Levi shook his head. "You are nothing but a flunky to Ira. We can make a deal, find you a new location, and keep you safe if you would just tell us where to find him."

  Robby shook his head. "Not happening."

  Levi locked his jaw. "Okay, what about the experiments. What is he trying to accomplish there?"

  After a couple moments of silence, Robby shrugged. "Perfection. All the people are volunteers. Some are looking for a cure. Some are looking to become stronger. If you check the system, all the paperwork is in order. Now, because the paperwork is in order, you can let me go."

  "No, because we aren't holding you for that. We're holding you for attacking a PIB agent." Mason stepped up.

  He snorted. "Agent Collins attacked me first."

  Likely story, but he probably was telling the truth. Depending on the situation, Abigail could have shot first and asked questions later.

  "Mason, make sure you also have him on the list of suspects for the case Agent Collins is on."

  "He's already on it," Mason promised. "Because Calico Labs looked a lot like the set up in the basement we found."

  Good. This bastard wasn't just going to talk his way out. Levi nodded. "I'm done here then." He turned to leave.

  Mason followed him out. "Thank you for coming down for this."

  "You're welcome. I wish we could have gotten more out of him, but most of Ira's flunkies are tight-lipped." Of course, had they not been under containment and Mason's watch, Levi could have forced information out of him in a less pleasant way. "Now, please excuse me as I have somewhere else that I need to be tonight. Please call if you need anything else."

  Mason nodded. "I will, thank you."

  Levi walked out of the building and took himself to Sol Ridge to meet with Mario.

  Levi appeared just in time to see a woman fall to the ground, screaming. Levi rushed to her. "What's wrong?"

  She clamped a hand to her neck and started shaking. Levi had seen this before, and panic filled him as he pried her hand away from her neck to confirm what he already knew. She'd been bitten.

  Mario came out of the building in front of Levi. "What is going on?"

  "Take a guess. This woman has been fed from, and she's suffering from Ira's lovely after effect."

  After a moment or so the woman took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "It's been like this since I was returned home at dawn."

  "I don't know of any way to break the connection." Levi sighed. "He has to be the one to break it."

  She started to shake. "So I'm connected to that monster until I die?"

  Levi didn't know what to say. There was so much hate in the word monster and so much venom in her voice that he felt guilty over it, even if he wasn't the one to cause the pain.

  "Your silence is enough," she growled and ripped away from him.

  Mario sighed. "So is this Ira's feeding grounds now?"

  "Looks like he had a meal from here, at least." Levi nodded and then motioned to the building. "Were you talking to Laura?"

  "I was, she was upset about Oliver not being able to give her a clear answer. Then we heard the woman screaming." Mario looked at the woman in question.

  She stood and dusted her clothes off. "Unless you can do something about this, go away."

  Mario motioned to the empty street. "Feel free to leave the area. We're here to help with the disappearance of a young warlock. I'm sorry your life has been interrupted by a vampire, but he is not under our control, so your anger is misplaced."

  "Maybe I just hate you all," she snapped back and started down the road.

  Levi pressed his lips together. "It's like he wants us to find him."

  "I'm pretty sure he's just trying to egg you on and catch your attention." Mario shook his head. "Let's focus on the task at hand." He motioned to the door.

  Levi walked into the building and looked around. Rectangle mats covered the floor in a variety of colors, and calm, soothing music played through the room. Mirrors covered the front wall.

  Laura walked out of a room toward the back of the main area. "Yoga helps shifters learn to relax and control their shifts and their attitudes and modes. It's a passion of mine."

  "That's quite a passion to have, helping others," Levi stated. "I hear Oliver spoke to you?"

  "Yes, that warlock came and told me that wind swept my brother away." She crossed her arms. "Are you going to tell me otherwise?"

  "We don't know what took your brother. Oliver saw a whirlwind, which points to two particular creatures. An elemental that controls air, or a fae." Levi met her gaze.

  Laura's brows drew together. "Fae? No one has seen them for years."

  "Which leads me to believe that it's most likely an elemental. What I need to know though is if anyone has a grudge against you that would want to take your brother?"

  She was quiet for a moment, and Levi was about to prompt her when the door busted open.

  The doctor ran in and looked at Laura. "The three teenagers have died."

  Levi looked at Mario. "Go talk to the doctor about the boys. I'll stay here with Laura and talk to her."

  "Of course." Mario walked out with the doctor, and Levi turned his attention back to Laura. "We were getting ready to talk about anyone who might want to hurt you."

  Worry crossed her face, she took a couple steps towards the door and then shook her head. "Let's go talk
in the office." There was a small shake to her voice. "My instructor will be here soon to lead a class, and I don't really want to talk about it here in the open."

  "Of course." Levi followed her to the office.

  She sat down behind the small desk that took up most the room, and Levi sat in the chair against the wall. She sat silently for a moment before taking a deep breath. "The only person I can think of that would do something like this would be an ex-boyfriend of mine."

  Levi raised a brow. "That's quite the length to go for a lover scorned. Why do you think he'd do such a thing?"

  She sighed. "Because things ended really poorly between us, and he was convinced that we were fated to be together."

  Levi laughed. "Fated to be together? What is his name, and do you know his location?"

  "Omar Kensing, and last I heard he was living in Manitou." She shrugged. "I don't have a contact for him though.

  Levi pulled his phone out and made a note of the name. If he was lucky, she was right, and this would end quickly. "I know a few people down there, so I can ask if they've seen him around."

  She nodded. "I just want my brother back, Levi. I'd give anything for him to walk through that door and be safe."

  "I know you would. Family is very important, and it's never comforting to think of a young member out on their own. I need to speak with your parents to see if anyone would target them."

  "Of course. They're the first house on the corner, north of here. Just follow the street, you can't miss the house."

  Levi walked out of the yoga studio and followed her direction. There, on the corner of the next block stood a bright pink house. He stood and stared at it for a moment before moving on. He climbed the small stairs that led to the front door and knocked.

  A woman peeked her head out the door, and her eyes narrowed upon seeing Levi standing there. "What do you want bloodsucker?"

  "I wanted to speak to you about the disappearance of your son. I'm Levi." He kept his voice calm and even.

  She hesitated for a moment. "Did Laura send you?"