by Riley Storm
“Ow,” he snarled, regaining some of his composure. “What the shit was that for?”
The two just attacked. Kal ducked the first punch, but these two had obviously trained together before, because he dropped right into a knee from the other. It connected with his jaw and flung him back. His boot caught on the edge of the road and Kal fell onto his ass.
In a flash the two were on him, raining down blows with their fists, knees and even their feet. He kicked out hard at one of them, catching him in the upper leg just shy of the groin, sending the attacker reeling.
The metal bar came down again on his upraised arm. Kal bit back a cry of pain as he felt something snap.
“You’re going to pay for that,” he said coldly. He lashed out with his other hand right into his attacker’s stomach.
The dragon shifter bent in half as the ice-covered right hook sank its teeth deep into his skin, penetrating even the tough hide of a shifter.
Kal got to his feet and squared off against them. Ice covered both his fists now, acting as weapons but also shielding his fractured arm. Cold, hard, and deadly. A long blue-white blade of ice rose along his forearms. It would slice open dragon flesh with ease.
He wasn’t about to go down without a fight.
“Bring it on,” he challenged.
The other two shifters paused, ten feet separating them. Kal hissed in fury as he watched them shift, red-gold scales covering their entire bodies as they drew heavily upon their heritage. Horns sprouted from their heads and their faces elongated slightly, taking on a bit more of the lizard nature.
“Two can play that game,” he said, and let his own platinum-white scales shine through. Twin horns of brilliant white jutted from his forehead, sticking almost as far forward as they did upward.
He didn’t have time to let his wings finish bursting through, because his two opponents decided to rush him right then and there.
Kal’s only advantage was that he could employ his element, while the fire dragons had to restrain theirs. If they used fire on him here, it would attract attention from within the Atrox compound.
“Bunch of pathetic losers,” he taunted as they broke apart, both sides sporting more open cuts. He was breathing heavier now though, forced to fight the two of them. “Can’t even hit me with fire.”
“We’re not falling for that.”
“You do speak!” Kal crowed. “Maybe you’re not completely mindless lackeys. Here I thought that he only hired idiots.”
“We’re not idiots. We weren’t hired either we—oof!”
The taller, more reddish half-dragon slammed a fist into the stomach of his more golden colored companion.
“Shut up,” he growled. “He’s trying to get information out of us.”
Kal grinned. “Well color me surprised. Did not see that coming.”
The two dragons just rushed back in at him. Kal dodged and spun, slicing hard across the stomach of the golden scaled dragon. Tiny scales and blood spilled across the road, and he heard the muffled grunt of pain.
Turning, Kal went to square up with his foe.
A fiery fist slammed into his face, knocking him to the ground, leaving him stunned and his face seared with pain.
“Bet you didn’t see that coming either,” the crimson scaled shifter snarled. Then he hit Kal twice more in rapid succession.
“What do you want?” Kal asked woozily, knowing the fight was over. “Are you going to kill me?”
“Kill you? No. You’re under arrest.”
Kal gaped. “Are you fucking serious? Why didn’t you, oh I don’t know, lead with that?” he all but shouted, wondering if it would draw attention from inside the compound.
Then again, they might be in on it. Would it matter?
The pair of shifters ignored his question. “You’re coming with us.”
A scale-covered fist flashed down at his face and Kal knew only darkness.
Chapter Twelve
Kal
“How long was I out?”
This was becoming a question he was asking far too often. Kal decided that he needed to start being on the other end of fights, sooner rather than later. He’d much prefer to be the one answering that question.
One of his mystery attackers—he was flanked on either side by them—just snorted. Judging by the height difference, Kal assumed the taller one was the crimson dragon, the shorter the golden. He had no names for them.
“So, Clifford,” he said, addressing the taller one on his left. “Where are we? What do you want with me?”
“Clifford?”
The other shifter snickered, obviously recognizing the reference.
“What’s so funny Goldenrod?” Kal taunted.
That earned him a punch to the stomach that drove most of the air from his lungs.
“Hard to make fun of us when you can’t breathe, isn’t it?” Clifford snarled.
Kal shrugged, looking over at Clifford, then slammed his head up into the man’s face.
“Oops, sorry,” he gasped, still struggling to regain his lung capacity.
Goldenrod growled and pushed him forward. “Inside,” he said, pointing at the thick metal door in front of him.
For the first time Kal took in his surroundings, really paying attention to where he was.
“What the fuck,” he said, realizing that it was familiar. He knew this place. “Why am I here?”
“Commander Viko is waiting inside,” Clifford said, wiping blood away from his nose.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t broken, much to Kal’s regret. Should have hit him harder.
The words sank in a moment later. Commander Viko. His former boss. They were at the offices of the Gate Guard, a squat, stone building at the foot of Mount Verdent, the same mountain where the Gate itself was located.
Kal knew all this, because he’d spent many a time here before. Not all who took turns guarding the gate were regulars, like him. Every Clan was required to ensure that positions were manned at all times, but there was only a small core of regulars who took the duty seriously.
Like I was, he thought sourly, correcting himself. Kal was no longer part of that group, he’d been thrown out. By the man on the other side of the door. The man who was now arresting him.
Reaching in front of him, he found the door handle. With one last glance at his two assailants he pulled it open violently and stormed inside.
“What the hell is the meaning of this?” he snarled. “You’ve overstepped your bounds Viko. Sending thugs to jump me in the middle of the night, only telling me after they beat me up that I was under arrest?”
Commander Viko looked up slowly from whatever paperwork he was pretending to examine on his desk. Kal knew full well he’d heard everything that had gone on outside his door. The man could be a dick, but he wasn’t an idiot.
“Be quiet,” Viko hissed.
Kal thought he could be strong. That he could act like seeing his former boss again didn’t matter, that he was only irate about his current treatment.
But now that he was back in the office, back where he’d once felt like he belonged, all the memories came flashing back, all the shame and guilt that he’d felt after being thrown out of the Guard in disgrace. It all slammed back into Kal, knocking him down several pegs.
“Why am I here?” he asked numbly.
Why have you brought me back?
“Where have you been Kal Aterna?”
“Screw you. That’s none of your business. You aren’t my keeper.”
“It is my business,” Viko said, not rising to the bait.
“Don’t you remember Viko? You threw me out of here. Tossed me aside because you needed to blame someone,” Kal spat. “So you took it out on me, and Gunnar and the others.”
“Odd that you should bring up Gunnar,” the commander said calmly, leaning back in his chair.
Kal’s blood went cold. There was something more going on here than he was aware of. What was Viko’s reasoning for bringing him in?
&n
bsp; “You haven’t been seen anywhere near any of the clans in nearly a month. Yet today you show up at Clan Atrox, looking for Gunnar.”
Kal kept his mouth shut. He didn’t know what Viko was playing at, but he didn’t like it, and he wasn’t going to give the man anything else.
Commander Viko waited, shaking his head when Kal didn’t reply. For the first time he looked a little flustered. “You don’t think it’s suspicious that you turn up right at the same time that Gunnar goes missing?”
Kal doubted he was able to keep his face completely blank. He wasn’t trained for that sort of thing, but with the beating he’d received, and Viko’s casual arrogance, he hoped that Viko hadn’t realized what he’d let slip.
“So you know Gunnar is missing?” he asked, trying to sound calm.
“Of course.”
“Then how come the rest of his clan, including his clan head, has no idea?” Kal asked tightly.
Something was very fishy here.
Viko’s eyebrows raised slightly, but that was the only hint he gave that Kal’s question had rattled him. “It’s being kept a secret for the moment,” Viko said after a lengthy pause. “We aren’t sure who is behind it, or how they did it.”
Kal frowned. “How do you know anyone is behind it? How do you know he isn’t just up in the mountains hibernating for a week in his vault?”
Again Viko hesitated. Not much, but enough.
“You don’t know that he’s missing for sure,” Kal said. “You have no evidence it was me, none at all, because I haven’t seen him since I last left this building. So I know you don’t have it. So you let me go, because nobody would ever approve this sham of an arrest, and you know it.”
Viko snarled silently. “Where is he?”
Kal rolled his eyes. “I. Don’t. Know. Not that I would tell you even if I did.”
Anger flickered violently in Viko’s eyes, promising Kal lots of pain, but the frost dragon just shrugged it off.
“Next time, by the way, tell your new goons, whoever they are, that they should start by asking someone, using their words. They don’t have to immediately resort to violence. They aren’t good enough for that. If they hadn’t gotten the jump on me, I would have wiped the floor with them.”
“Tell me what you did with Gunnar, Kal,” Viko said hotly, getting to his feet, leaning forward over the desk as if to impose his will on Kal.
Kal hesitated. For years this man had been his boss. He was used to reporting to him, to owing him allegiance.
A flicker of the embarrassment he’d felt on that day four weeks earlier fed back into him. Embarrassment he hadn’t deserved. Shame that he shouldn’t have been burdened with.
All of that was Viko’s fault. He could have gone to bat for Kal and the others, could have spread the responsibility around. Instead he’d washed his hands of it and blamed only those on duty. Those who hadn’t been doing anything new. Viko had known they were slacking against the written protocols. It had been done for decades. Since before Kal was ever a member.
“Goodbye Viko,” he said coldly, storming from the office.
Clifford and Goldenrod were there waiting. They moved to try and stop him. Kal gave them the finger. “At ease boys, your job is done.”
He walked out of the building. Unbelievable. Viko had tried to arrest him for Gunnar’s disappearance.
Except he’d had no evidence. Had no case prepared. Had he simply expected Kal to give in and accept the frame job Viko was trying to put together? That made no sense.
No, there was more to it than this. There had to be. The question on his mind though, was what was Viko up to? What was his role in everything, and why?
The better question wasn’t what Viko’s role was. It was what the heck had Kal just gotten himself involved in?
And where did he go next?
Chapter Thirteen
Anne
When Kal didn’t show up that morning, it left Anne flustered. She didn’t know what to do.
At no point had he communicated with her that he wouldn’t be there, bright and early, like each of the past two mornings. She’d gotten up, gotten dressed and was ready to help out. Today they were supposed to start fixing the far wall, repairing the man-sized dent in it.
She’d been excited to learn how to rebuild something, instead of the unceasing amounts of destruction and cleaning they had done so far. That didn’t seem like it was going to happen now.
So she was spending her morning upstairs in the bedroom, daydreaming. Ever since Kal had suggested that changes could be made, she’d begun to think of what she would do to the place if she had the funds. There was a lot of potential in Rocky’s, but so much of it unrealized. She imagined another big window in the front, to let in more natural light on the far side, and some more energetic décor as well.
The previous owner had been intent on keeping it “his” dive bar, and it showed. The interior of Rocky’s was grungy, boring and uninteresting. The only thing that stood out was the jukebox, and that didn’t even work anymore!
“What are you doing mommy?”
Anne looked over, her daydreams going up in so much smoke as Liam wandered into the room and sat on the bed. It was a Saturday, and so she hadn’t been able to send him off to school. Until now he’d been happy to remain in the other room, watching cartoons on her phone.
Given that Kal didn’t seem like he was going to put in an appearance, maybe it was time she adjusted her day’s plans. A trip to the park, perhaps, to get out and see some wildlife, experience some fresh air. Maybe they would find some other kids there that Liam could befriend.
“How do you feel about going to the park?”
Liam thrust out his lower jaw. “I’m ten mom. I can go to the park on my own now. You don’t have to come with me.”
She smiled. Whether he was right or not wasn’t a debate she was about to have with him right then. Either way, she didn’t want him going alone. Not when he didn’t have any friends to go with.
“Well, how about we go for a long walk to get some exercise, and then we get some ice cream on the way back,” she said. “A little Saturday morning treat.”
She didn’t think that Kal would begrudge her for spoiling Liam a little bit with his money. She certainly couldn’t afford to take him on her own. That was too much of a treat for her wallet.
“Ice cream? Really?”
Anne bit her lip, trying not to get lost in a sea of negative emotions, about how she was having to rely on someone else to be able to spoil her child. That she’d made a stupid decision to buy this bar, and move across the country instead of using the support network she had back east and—
Enough. You did the right thing. Things are looking up here. Once you get the bar repaired, who knows what will happen. Don’t let Liam see you like this.
“Yeah, ice cream,” she said, reaching out to ruffle his hair.
Liam jumped up from the bed.
“Come on mom, let’s go! Let’s go!”
She laughed. Seeing her son, her child, excited and happy like this, it was indescribable. Anne just wished it could go on forever.
“Better get changed out of your pj’s then,” she said, getting up from the bed and heading out the door. “See you downstairs.”
Liam jumped up and began getting dressed immediately.
Anne laughed and left him to it, going downstairs to do another check, just to make sure Kal hadn’t shown up out of nowhere. It was just as empty as she’d left it though.
Where are you?
She thought about texting him, but didn’t want to come across as needy. Maybe he wasn’t expecting to work on a Saturday. That was perfectly fine, he was helping her for free, Anne wasn’t going to get on his case about it. Whatever help he provided was fine by her.
Behind her the bar phone began to ring.
Walking over, wondering who was calling on a Saturday morning, she eyed it for a long moment before picking up. Even as she lifted the receiver to her ear Anne was
wondering why she was giving into the telemarketer.
“Rocky’s Roadhouse, sorry we’re closed,” she said with all the politeness she could manage.
“Ah. Hello Anne,” a quiet voice replied.
She went still, staring ahead at the wall. “How did you get this number?” she hissed, trying to fight back the rising wave of panic and fear quickly building in her.
“You bought the place Anne. That’s all public record. It really wasn’t hard. Though I must admit to being surprised at the location. That’s a lot farther than I expected you to go.”
No. No, no, no. This wasn’t happening. It was a dream. A really bad dream. Anne was ready to wake up from it now.
“What do you want?” she asked, keeping her voice down so that Liam wouldn’t hear. She didn’t want him to see her like this. Not again.
“I want you,” Alexi growled, his eastern European accent slipping through, making his w’s sound more like v’s.
“We went over this Alexi. I’m not yours anymore. I haven’t been for two years. I left you, don’t you recall? The police said you can’t come near me.”
“That’s in New York. You’re not in New York anymore now, are you?” Alexi taunted into the phone. “Clear across the country to some little dipshit town. Five Peaks. What kind of name is that?”
Anne closed her eyes. She was trembling by this point. He’d found her. Again.
“Just leave me alone Alexi, please. I don’t want to be with you anymore.”
“You belong to me,” he snarled. “You don’t just walk away. I gave you everything. Money, cars, jewelry.”
“And I left it all behind,” she snapped, losing her temper. “Just like I left you, you shit.”
He’d always known how to provoke her, to get the worst of her to come out. Anne hated it, and it was one of the reasons she’d taken Liam and left Alexi. She’d seen her son start to mimic his father, and that had been too much. The day Liam had tried to hit her, she’d vowed that was it. No more.
Since then, despite her struggles to provide, she’d managed to undo a lot of the hatred and bad habits Alexi had instilled in their son, but Anne was still fearful that they would come back if he was exposed to them again. She had to do everything she could to give Liam a proper upbringing, so that he turned into a decent person, not the woman-beating, stalker, asshole that was Alexi Sturmagedov, his father.
