Missing, Suspected Dead: Elisabeth Hicks, Witch Detective

by Rachel Graves

  Another nod. I put my hand on his knee, trying to catch a vibe off of him, but he’d already turned the inside of his head blank. I gave up, no sense in trying to find out what he didn’t want me to know, and went back to my phone.

  “Sue?”

  “I’m here.” She sounded bitchy maybe, but normal, not like someone who thought they might get sold to be hunted down in another few hours.

  “Are you alone?”

  “Hold on and I will be.” I heard a door open, then shut. “Okay, go ahead.”

  “Do you have any plans tomorrow night? Anything going on?”

  Her breath caught. “Vincent offered to take me out for a beer, it’s sort of an anniversary for us. It’s the day we bought the hotel. Why? Did you find something out? Does Edward want to see me?”

  She’d thought of her pack first, her son second. Even if I pointed it out, she wouldn’t see why it was wrong. “I know what happened to all of them, and I can end it without you getting involved.”

  “To hell with that. Tell me,” she commanded.

  “They were sold to a hunter.”

  She sucked in her breath. “That’s impossible. No one here is stupid enough to—” Less than a second went by before she got it. “Vincent. I’m next to go. That’s why he made such a big deal about taking me out.”

  “I’m sorry.” What else could I say?

  “That son of a bitch.”

  “I think he’s using the money to fund improvements around the hotel, for the kids.”

  “That comes from donations.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “That bastard. I trusted him. I let him handle all of the money.”

  “He’s only half of it, Sue, someone paid him.”

  “You know who?”

  “Yeah, I’m meeting him tonight.”

  “I want to be there.”

  “That’s why I called.” Ted pulled the car into the driveway while I gave her the details. I hung up before he turned off the engine. I expected us to talk, but instead he got out of the car and walked into the house. Maybe he wanted to be alone, so I gave him a minute, but when I got inside he was on the phone. After a few sentences it was clear he was talking to William. After he hung up the phone, he kept moving, pacing out his frustration.

  “Care to share?”

  “Dealing with this guy is risky. Now that you’ve exposed yourself to him, he has to die. Tonight. Leaving him alive is too dangerous.”

  Had I thought about that? Was letting Hank Black go ever an option? If I was going to turn him over to the cops, I would have called Garcia, not Jo. Some part of me had made the decision without even realizing it. “I hadn’t planned on leaving him alive.”

  “What do you have planned, exactly? Because I understand wanting to stop this guy, I understand being righteously angry, but I don’t understand why you have to be the one to put an end to it all. There are organizations, police, officials who can take it from here.”

  “Maybe,” I shrugged. “Maybe not. I don’t have a lot of proof. I’ve got one fifty-year-old picture that matches a guy alive today. I’ve got a lot of people telling me he does bad things. That doesn’t add up to jail time.”

  “You’ve got Vincent.”

  “You think he’s going to tell us everything? Break down, confess, and beg for forgiveness?”

  “I think my mother could get it out of him. All of it. She’d strip it from his mind and leave him just enough brains to feel pain.”

  “That wouldn’t help a cop.”

  “She’ll do it anyway.”

  “What are you really worried about? Why are you keeping me out of your head?”

  He stopped in the middle of his path and turned to me. Before I could blink, his hands were on my arms, pulling me close to him. He kissed me, his lips bruising mine the way his thoughts suddenly went into my soul. He was scared, afraid for me, for us. The Pack was going to ruin the first good thing he’d had in a long while. For Ted, this was about them, and the way they’d almost taken every good thing from him.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” I told him when we broke our kiss.

  “No. You’re not. I’m going to make sure of that.” He kissed me again, this time pulling me into a long hug that pressed all of my body to his. His emotions slipped from fear and worry into love and longing as we wrapped our arms around each other. “I love you. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I know. You won’t.”

  “You can’t be sure. You can’t promise that.”

  “I promise.” It was stupid, but I did it anyway. I couldn’t control death, but I wanted him to know that I wasn’t going anywhere.

  Instead of talking, he kissed me more, and after a few seconds began to move our bodies toward the bedroom. The sunset had finally come, filling the room with shades of pink and red. As our bodies moved together, Edward ran his hands over my skin again and again, whispering that he loved me. I told him I loved him back, but when he stopped kissing me his new words were deeper. “I don’t want to lose you.”

  “You won’t,” I swore.

  Time stopped for us but somehow when I fell back to the bed the sun had finished setting. A heavy wave of tiredness came over me.

  “What time is it?”

  “Not that late.”

  “Wake me around ten?”

  He nodded and kissed the top of my forehead, folding me into his arms. I slept there, all the horrors of the world chased away by his love.

  16

  Ted was bringing William but I wanted someone who, if it turned out we needed it, could undo whatever spell might be making Henry Black permanently young. Douglas was my version of William, an army buddy who’d done this sort of thing with me before. But he was still a baby vampire and pretty untried with magic. So I called Jo; she wanted to come anyway. Of course Jo meant bringing LaRue, and since LaRue didn’t believe in talking and driving at the same time we ended up in their town car. Ted and I sat in the back next to Jo, LaRue in the front, William driving. Sue was supposed to meet us there. We’d arrive early, with enough time for everyone to get into their places before the show started. And it was going to be one heck of a show.

  If things went right, Black would arrive at midnight. I’d lead Sue to him, looking like she was tied up and drugged. Once he handed me the money, she’d grab him. By then the vampires would have taken care of any muscle he’d brought with him. Whatever Sue did to him, if it didn’t work, Jo would step in with magic. In the end, Black wouldn’t be walking. Sue would head back to San Francisco to deal with Vincent. William would head back to Osceola with us. Jo and LaRue would probably spend the night painting the town red in LA. All of them seemed fine with what we were doing. But worries and a quiet discomfort settled on me. What if all our work just cut out one small part of a larger organization? Who would go after the rest of Hank Black’s world?

  Moths danced in the white lights that lit the Hollywood sign, but just outside the giant letters the world was darkness. The car that pulled up stuck to the shadows, but it was big, an SUV maybe. Several doors opened, and then came the familiar, uncomfortable clicking noise of a shotgun.

  “Mr. Black?” I called out.

  “You were expecting someone else?”

  “I was expecting you to come alone.”

  “I expected you to bring Vincent along.”

  Tired of raising my voice, I walked forward into the pool of light by the base of the sign. Right now, some tourist could be taking my picture. The thought didn’t comfort me. The guys Black had brought could be lining up their gun sights on my head. I brushed the fear away, and reached out with my magic. It found Black and at least three others. Before I had time to figure out more, he walked towards me holding a backpack.

  “Did Vincent tell you how much?” His smile looked open but I didn’t trust it.

  “No.”

  He laughed. “Did he tell you anything?”

  I debated, but went with the truth. “Not really.”

&nb
sp; “But you got her here anyway?”

  “She’s in the car.”

  “I could use a woman like you.” He stepped a bit closer, and held out his hand like he was going to touch my cheek. I didn’t want my magic to connect us, not that closely. Whatever was inside his head could stay there. I cautiously stepped back, increasing the distance between us. Silence filled that space, broken only by the sounds of animals in the park around us. “Shy?”

  “Cautious.”

  Another laugh, this one made his body shake. “So Vincent told you something.”

  I shook my head. “We’ve met before. I was looking for a werelion at the time.”

  He snapped his fingers. “Right. Did you find one? I had my hands on one but just a cub. Useless, really, they can’t even run away. Now the sire, that would’ve been a hunt.” His smile looked different, like genuine pleasure, nothing hidden.

  “You really like it, don’t you?” It took work to keep the disgust out of my voice.

  “Best rush in the world. And weres, they’re better than anything else. They’ll hunt you back, like lions or sharks, only smarter. Makes you feel alive.”

  “Are you?”

  “What?”

  “Alive?”

  His smile disappeared and his eyes narrowed. “That’s none of your damn business. Bring me the alpha bitch and you get your money. I’m finished talking.”

  I circled back to the town car and pulled Sue out. She acted groggy, half asleep, and wore a pair of hand cuffs. Cheap tin that looked like silver, she could bust them apart in a second. I suspected she would the minute we got near Black.

  “I gave her the wolfsbane. She’s been out of it since.” I half-dragged her to the edge of the light only a few feet away from him.

  “They always are.” He walked forward, raising his arm. In the darkness I couldn’t see anything, but Sue reacted. Her head came up and a low growl started in her throat. Black moved his hand, and a fine mist enveloped her face. Her growl stopped with a choking sound, as her hands moved to her throat.

  “What the hell?” I shouted, jumping in front of her.

  “Aerated colloidal silver. You didn’t give her enough of the wolfsbane. You screwed up.”

  Sue’s face was swelling. Her eyes puffed up into golf balls with tiny slits. Her mouth hung open, panting. She probably couldn’t breathe right. I knelt down to check her pulse, and it raced under my fingers. But when her mind touched mine, she was pissed off, not scared.

  “Is she going to be all right?”

  “You’ve got bigger things to worry about.” His arm came up, a shiny silver jacketed .45 in his hand. A million memories moved my muscles without conscious thought. I twisted from Sue to face him, snatching my gun out of its holster at the same time. We were two, maybe three feet apart and the Glock kicked back against my arm each time it let a bullet loose. I aimed for his face, squeezed off three shots before he took his first shot at me. His bullet went around me, loud and close. My second shots went to his chest, three close together. He staggered back, shooting wild, not bothering to aim. Any normal human would be close to dead. I aimed lower, the belly, and left at least three holes. I’d brought the bigger magazine, so I had shots left but this time he didn’t return fire. I waited in a shooting stance for the air to clear.

  “You dumb bitch.” His voice cut through the stinging smoke. “Shoot her!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. I steeled myself for the impact knowing nothing could save me. But my friends had done their job. The night stayed quiet. Black lunged forward and grabbed my right arm, my good arm, smacking the gun to the ground. I rolled with it, bringing my knee into his chest, but he caught me, jumped back. Sue was in the clear now, but not moving. My hand cast around on the ground for my gun, while my eyes stayed on him. My fingers closed around the plastic just as I saw the dark blur go by in front of me.

  Jo’s fingers flew over his chest, dripping blood. She traced symbols over him, arcane magic I didn’t recognize. When she finished they glowed on his skin.

  Black wasn’t impressed. “Good luck, babycakes. It’ll take you hours to guess the right one.”

  Jo shrugged. “I’m undoing them all.”

  “What?” he stammered.

  She smiled at him, her grin pure evil, and began to chat. “Unbind. That which was sealed, be open. That which was done be undone.” Her words continued in the same cadence, but the language changed into something unfamiliar. Black struggled, and I saw now that LaRue was holding Black’s arms, pinned. But even with LaRue’s fangs at his throat, Black hadn’t been scared. Not until he knew Jo was unbinding him. I rocked back on my heels to watch.

  The magic got faster, making the air around us whip into circles. Trees rustled and the animal noises disappeared. Jo practically sang, her voice rising clear and cool over Black’s screams. It went on and on but passed in a matter of seconds, until his shouts took on a new tone and the blood on his skin began to boil. Smoke and steam rose off his skin, smelling like acid eating flesh. Even LaRue cringed at the scent. Black took the opportunity, and went backward, then forward kicking Jo in the chest. It wouldn’t hurt her, but it caught her off guard. LaRue, true to his nature, dropped the man to go to her. When I looked back from the two of them, Black had Sue by the throat, his silver spray aimed at her again.

  “Nobody fucking moves!” he screeched. “What did you do me?”

  Jo was standing again, LaRue in front of her. “I unbound you. There’s nothing left. No spells, no protection.”

  “MacKenzie! Ellis! Sarsfield!”

  “They’re dead,” I told him, keeping my voice completely calm. “Everyone you brought to protect you is dead.”

  He whined, a tight noise coming from his throat, and tried to pull Sue. “You come near me and she dies. She moves and she dies. Anybody moves and she dies!”

  He was hysterical, but the vibe I got from Sue was more contemplative. The silver pointed at her face might be enough to make her throat swell shut. Something from her, maybe her psychic abilities, told me she was willing to take that chance. Beside me, LaRue and Jo stood very still. In the shadows somewhere, Ted was waiting. Somewhere farther out, William was waiting. They all expected me to take the lead. Problem was I wasn’t sure how I wanted this to end.

  The noise of the bullet came from behind me, and I’m not ashamed to say I ducked. It went past me though, invisible with speed. The shot hit Black in the arm, drilling through him into Sue’s face and out again. He dropped the silver with a scream, and she shifted.

  I’d never seen an adult were go with my own eyes. The flesh split apart like water pouring down an arm, the fangs grew, and her jaw shifted to form a snout. It finished almost before it started, and now she was on him, tearing into him. Werewolves were large, her four-footed form almost as tall as I was. His body disappeared under her, but his terror and the sounds of bones breaking in her mouth were clear. After only a few seconds, I had to look away.

  LaRue and Jo watched without flinching, their eyes glowing red. I saw Jo’s pink tongue sneak out, licking her lips. Hunger radiated from the two of them, and suddenly I wanted to be far away from this.

  I tilted my head toward the screaming thing that was rapidly becoming a corpse. “You two should eat.”

  But when LaRue and Jo went over, I turned around completely, facing the car. It didn’t stop me from hearing the awful crunch that ended the screams. Worse, my magic let me experience Sue’s vengeance and hate. It didn’t feel any better than LaRue and Jo’s bloodthirst. I worked hard to shut down my magic. If I had to stay, I didn’t want to feel anything but my own emotions.

  Ted, no this was probably an occasion to call him Edward, joined us. His eyes stayed behind me. After a while, when the worst of the slurping and gulping noises stopped, I turned around to look. LaRue and Jo stood back, their mouths momentarily bloodied. LaRue pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to Jo. She cleaned up as daintily as a church-wife at a tea party. She took care of his face next, w
iping the blood off with a sensual slowness. I gave them their privacy and caught Sue shifting back.

  Her mouth pushed in first, the muzzle and teeth retreating into a human face. The fur shrank back, the legs pulled themselves to human. It seemed to take longer, maybe because she didn’t need to rush. This time I could blink, look at her paw and see it slowly slide back to a foot, then look up and see her claws disappear into nails. When it was over her human skin looked pale in the florescent light of the Hollywood sign. The blood looked almost black. Naked, but perfectly healed, she looked past me to Edward.

  “Why?” She put her hand down on the mass of tissue that used to be Hank Black, and pushed herself up with a squish. “Why shoot him? For me?”

  Ted took a second, then another. Finally, he said, “You kept me alive. I kept you alive. We’re even.”

  “But…I’m your mother. I love you.” She said it like a plea, like all that mattered in the world was that he loved her back. He walked away. She started to follow him, but I caught her arm.

  “I need to go to him. He doesn’t understand. I can explain, I can—”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Not now. Maybe someday, but not today. This is just the start. You push it now, it’ll be the end.”

  “No,” she whispered. “No, please. It’s been so long.”

  “He saw what you did. Do you really want to start from there?”

  Her eyes looked sad, but finally her shoulders slumped in agreement. I wanted to ask her why nothing else had made her care, but him killing someone to protect her made it all matter. I couldn’t bring myself to do it though, and finally Jo was the one that saved the moment.

  “Do you need clothes or a ride?” she asked.

  “I’ve got a spare set. I, uh, I figured things might turn out like this.” She looked back at Edward, then forced her eyes to Jo. “Thank you for helping me. If I can pay you back, if the Pack can…We pay our debts.”

  Jo nodded. “Thanks for letting us share your meal.”

  I rolled my eyes at her, but Sue didn’t see it. If she heard my childish thoughts about vampires sharing dinner with werewolves she ignored them. We watched her walk out of the clearing and into the shadows. When I heard the motorcycle start up, I knew she was safely on her way. I suspected Vincent wouldn’t live much longer than it took her to get home.