Branded

by Neva Bell

  “I got another call from my dad,” James answers. “I’m supposed to meet with Rawley tomorrow at a coffee shop eight blocks from here.”

  “We’re debating whether we should plant a camera in the coffee shop tonight,” Frank adds.

  “Why wouldn’t we?”

  “Julian’s men may have the place staked out. They’re getting closer and closer to their end game. Which means they could be taking extra precautions. We don’t want to raise any red flags,” Frank explains.

  I turn to Willa. “You can conceal a wire again, right?”

  “Absolutely,” she says with conviction.

  “I vote we send him in with just the wire. We don’t need visual. Why take the risk? It’s not worth the reward.”

  James nods. “I agree.”

  We talk logistics for a few more minutes, then disperse. I head back to my room and climb in bed after changing into pajamas. Worrying about tomorrow’s meeting with Rawley keeps me up. I can’t imagine how worried James must be. Then again, ice runs through his veins. He’s probably sound asleep.

  I think about our conversation in the library. He was flirting with me, right? Or was I imagining it?

  I replay it in my mind. Yep, he was flirting with me.

  Then again, it’s James. Just because he’s being nice to me doesn’t mean he’s flirting with me.

  I slam a pillow over my head and clamp it down over my ears. No, no, no! I will not act like a middle school girl and overanalyze conversations. It’s James. He hates me and vice versa.

  So why am I so worried about him?

  ---

  My stomach is in knots during breakfast. I swirl my oatmeal around the bowl, hardly eating any of it. Everyone at the table has the same disposition. Except for James, who is pounding his blueberry muffin and scrambled eggs.

  How can he be calm at a time like this? Does anything rattle this man?

  Whitney asks a few questions about the upcoming meeting with Rawley. She wasn’t at our brainstorming session last night. I’m not sure why.

  “I don’t like this,” she says after James explains everything to her. “Do you really have to meet with him? There has to be another way.”

  “This is the quickest way to find out where Dad is.”

  “Quickest isn’t always best,” Whitney pleads.

  “That’s what she said,” Jessica whispers to me.

  I nearly spit out my water.

  “It will be fine Whit. Nothing bad is going to happen,” James says in a soothing voice. I’m warmed by his obvious concern for his sister.

  Whitney frowns but doesn’t press the issue any further.

  James pushes his chair back. “It’s time for me to go.”

  “Promise me you’ll be careful,” Whitney says as he’s leaving.

  James leans over and kisses the top of her head. “Always am.”

  ---

  We’re huddled together in front of the monitors watching James leave the building and walk down the block. Once he’s out of our cameras’ range, all we have is the sounds picked up by his mic. My heart races as I listen to the chatter of people walking by and the city traffic.

  After what seems like forever, a bell jingles through our speakers. I’m guessing it’s the bell hanging over the door of the coffee shop.

  James confirms my suspicion when he says, “Rawley. Good to see you again.”

  “Same to you,” Rawley’s husky voice answers.

  “Has it been two weeks already?”

  Rawley laughs. “Time flies.”

  “I guess so.”

  “How are things going with the new Verhena?”

  “Good. Really good actually,” James responds.

  “Fuck her yet?”

  I curl my hands together and make fists.

  “C’mon Rawley. You know my track record. Was there ever a doubt?”

  Whitney turns to look at me.

  “He’s lying,” I whisper.

  She nods. “I figured as much.”

  Frank shushes us.

  I miss Rawley’s next question, but I hear James say, “She’s decent.”

  Decent?! Decent?! Would it have killed him to say I’m a tiger in the sack? He’ll pay for this in training tomorrow.

  “Enough about the bedroom,” Rawley says. “Tell me about her skills.”

  “She’s getting a little better, but the progress is slow. If you’re going to act, you should do it now. While she’s still in the beginning stages. I’ve seen what Willa can do. You don’t want to deal with that.”

  “Exactly what your father thinks too.”

  “Great minds,” James says.

  “Indeed.” There is a pause in the conversation, but Rawley finally continues. “Before your dad moves forward with his plan, he needs to see you out with her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He wants to see you two together. As a couple. He needs to see that she trusts you.”

  James whistles. “Getting her out of the building will be tough.”

  “Sure it will. But if she trusts you, she’ll do it.”

  We hear a faint thumping sound, Rawley or James strumming their fingers on the table.

  “She’s been bitching about wanting to go dancing. Would that work?” James asks.

  “Sure. Take her out to a club. A public place where others will see you together.”

  “Give me a few days. I’ll work on her tomorrow and convince her we should go out. Once she goes to the Guard, it will take a day or two for them to work out a plan.”

  Rawley laughs. “Speedy crew, huh?”

  “Fast as a sloth.”

  A few Guard members flex their jaws, but no one says a word.

  “Today is Tuesday. Have her out Friday night.”

  “I can make it happen by Friday.”

  “I’m sure you can.”

  “Here’s my question - how will I know we’ve been seen by the right people?”

  “You’re a smart boy James. Figure it out.”

  The two exchange good-byes, and soon James is out on the city streets. Once he’s back within camera range, we head to a conference room for a briefing session.

  Frank opens his mouth to start talking, but I put my hand up. “Let’s wait until we’re all here. This is too important for anyone to miss even the smallest detail.”

  “You’re right,” Frank agrees.

  The conference room is silent as we wait for James, none of us wanting to engage in small talk. I run through James and Rawley’s conversation in my mind. Julian is certainly testing his son’s loyalty by asking him to get me out of the building. How can we pull this off without making it obvious I’m in on it?

  James walks into the conference room ten minutes later. He lifts his shirt so Willa can remove the wire. I myself cannot see it until she touches it.

  “That went well,” James says before taking a seat.

  I nod. “I think it did too. Rawley doesn’t seem to doubt what you’re telling him.”

  “He doesn’t completely trust you though either,” Frank notes.

  “True, but if we can make Friday happen, I think we’re golden.”

  “Any suggestions on where we can go Friday night?” I ask the group.

  Whitney lights up. “I know the perfect spot! I just read about it on Marley White’s Facebook page.”

  “Who is Marley White?”

  Whitney takes out her cellphone and taps the screen like a madwoman. “She is this amazing werewolf blogger. She travels around the country and reviews new dance clubs and restaurants. She’s going to a new club here in New York City this weekend. She’s been talking about it all week. It’s perfect timing!”

  Whitney hands me her phone.

  “She crosses the barrier line?” I ask. “Pretty risky.”

  Whitney nods. “It’s why she’s so popular. The wolves back home love seeing the places she visits east of the dividing line.”

  I scroll through Marley White’s Facebook page. S
he has a ton of followers and she posts a lot of pictures of the venues she’s reviewing.

  “Whitney is right guys. This is perfect.”

  I hand the phone to James so he can look at it. Frank leans over and they review the blog together.

  “If Marley sees you at the club James, she is going to write about it. She may even post pictures. It will be all over social media.” Whitney’s face is beaming.

  “Do you know Marley?” I ask James.

  He shakes his head. “I do not.”

  “But she will know you!” Whitney exclaims. “Every werewolf knows you. You’re a future pack leader. Just like every witch knows Chloe.”

  “I think this could work,” Frank says.

  “Me too,” James agrees.

  Frank stands and pushes in his chair. “Okay then. We know where we’re going and we know we’re going Friday night. I’ll get the travel arrangements and security details worked out.”

  Willa speaks up for the first time. “I don’t trust Rawley. We need to do all we can to protect Chloe. This could be a trap.”

  Frank nods. “As soon as our group leaves this building we will be followed by Julian’s men. We have to set up perimeters around the club and along the route.”

  “We can use my guys too,” James adds. “Have them in the club before we get there. They can check the place out and make sure we’re not walking into an ambush.”

  I push my chair back. “Well, I’ll leave the security details to you guys. Whitney and I have some important work of our own to do.”

  “We do?” Whitney asks.

  “I haven’t been out dancing in forever. I need a new outfit.”

  Whitney jumps up. “Yes! Let’s go.”

  I turn to the guys and use my big girl voice when I say, “We’ll meet Friday morning to confirm the final details of the plan. Willa and I will make any changes we feel are necessary.”

  Willa gives me a wink as I leave. Those leadership books are paying off.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Whitney, Jessica and I “ooh” and “aah” over several outfits we see online. Nothing is jumping out at me though.

  “I tell you what,” Whitney says, “I’ll go shopping for you. I’ll find you the hottest outfit. I promise.”

  At this point, I don’t have any other options. I’m excited about going out, but I’m terrified at the same time. If Marley White is at the club, it’s possible other werewolves will be there too. What if one of those wolves is a member of the rogue group? What if he comes after me?

  I push the thought out of my head during my meeting with Willa on Thursday. We’re discussing her current policies and where we’d like to see them go in the future.

  “When Whitney was talking about social media the other day, it clicked with me how far behind I am. Maybe it’s time we have more of a social media presence,” Willa suggests.

  “We can make it happen, but we need to be careful. It would be nice to have a webpage for witches to interact, but the log-in credentials and overall security will have to be carefully thought out. We don’t want the average person somehow stumbling across it.”

  “Agreed,” Willa says. “Work with the Guard. I’m sure you can come up with an easy solution.”

  I jot down some notes on my pad of paper. “Anything else for today?”

  “Yes. It’s a bit of a morbid topic though.”

  “Okay…”

  She hands me a file folder.

  “What’s this?” I ask.

  “A copy of my Will and a description of my preferred funeral arrangements.”

  My jaw drops. Her Will? Funeral arrangements?

  “Willa, this is crazy.”

  She shrugs. “I’m old. I need to be prepared for these things.”

  I sigh. “Fine, I’ll take this, but I’m not looking at it.”

  Willa smiles. “Alright. But just so you know, I’m leaving everything to you. My belongings, my money, everything. I don’t want you to ever worry about finances.”

  I tear up. “I don’t know what to say.” I lean over Willa’s desk to give her a hug. “Thank you.”

  “Absolutely. You’re doing a great job Chloe.”

  Willa’s praise means the world to me.

  “You have to promise me you’re not going to leave me any time soon,” I say as I pull away.

  Willa laughs. “I’ll do what I can.”

  ---

  Friday morning I wake up full of energy. Tonight is the night! I get to break out of this place.

  Frank and James confirm the security plan over breakfast. I listen intently for any potential hiccups, but Frank has every minute detail covered.

  When Willa and I give our stamp of approval to the plan, Whitney claps her hands. “I’m so excited! I found you the best outfit Chloe! You’re going to look so freaking hot!”

  James rolls his eyes. “This isn’t a girls night out. This is business.”

  Whitney brushes him off. “Get over yourself. We’re going out and we’re going to have fun.”

  I can’t help but laugh, Whitney’s energy is infectious. For the first time in forever, I’m going to do what normal girls my age do.

  But first, I have to get through training with my skin-reading bodyguard and a hot werewolf.

  Training goes well because I’m hyped up. James and two of his wolves circle me as I stand in my protective bubble. I’m now able to hold my protection spell for five minutes. I can also throw a bubble over someone else and protect them for thirty seconds.

  Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out how to hold the protective shell over myself and someone else at the same time. As it stands, the other person has to be right next to me for it to work.

  When my bubble pops today, I use my super speed to zoom in-between the werewolves as they lunge. I want to try one of the glamour spells Willa and I have been working on. The problem is, I don’t think I’ll be able to hit all three werewolves with it at the same time.

  The werewolves come at me quickly. I freeze James and one of his companions. The third werewolf lunges for me and I shoot the glamour spell at him. In a flash, instead of a growling werewolf, I’m looking at a small kitten. The orange and yellow striped cat meows loudly and chases its tail for a few seconds. Confused, it sits down, its green eyes staring up at me.

  My glamour spell worked!

  “Take care of the others!” Frank barks at me.

  Oh yeah, right. I almost forgot about the other two wolves trying to kill me. I release the second werewolf and leave James frozen in place. When the second werewolf comes for me, I send electric energy out of my fingertips. The werewolf’s body stiffens and jerks awkwardly as if he’s been hit by a taser gun. He falls to the mat and transforms back into his human form.

  And then there’s James. What to do with him today?

  Beating James has gotten a little old. I now know what Ivan meant when he said werewolves don’t stand a chance against a powerful witch. The element of surprise is the only way James can get the best of me. And unfortunately for him, that’s hard to achieve in our training sessions.

  I stand in front of James’s frozen body. I wonder what it feels like in there. Does he think any fluid thoughts, or is he literally stuck in time?

  “Chloe! Focus!” Frank shouts.

  I turn to Frank. “Not really sure what to do at this point. I mean, that one is a kitty cat; that one is taking a nap; and James is frozen. If this was the real world, I’d roast them all and be done with it.”

  “Fair enough,” Frank concedes, “but you know as soon as you release James, he’s coming after you.”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “What makes you think he won’t?”

  I shrug. “He can’t come after me if I’m not here.”

  Frank smiles. “You’re going to leave him frozen, aren’t you?”

  “Yep. Let me know how long the spell lasts.”

  Before I leave, I change my feline friend back into a werewolf. He shakes his hea
d, then morphs back to his human form.

  “That was the weirdest experience of my life,” he says to me stupefied.

  I grin. “You’re welcome.”

  I wave good-bye to James’s frozen figure and leave the training center.

  ---

  Half an hour later, my room phone rings.

  “Ms. Chloe, I’m calling to inform you that a werewolf is approaching your room.”

  My heart races. “Who is it?”

  “James.”

  I relax. “You scared the crap out of me!”

  “My apologies Ms. Chloe. I’m just following Directive Number Five.”

  “Directive Number Five?” I ask. Never heard of it. In fact, I’ve never heard of any of the directives.

  “Yes Ms. Chloe. Per Frank’s orders, I am to alert you when a werewolf is on your floor.”

  Have I never had a werewolf up here before? Now that I think about it, Whitney’s never been in my room. We’ve always hung out somewhere else.

  A loud banging ricochets off my door.

  “I think said werewolf has arrived.”

  “Do you need assistance?” the Guard member asks.

  “No, but thank you.” I hang up the phone.

  Fresh out of the shower, I’m in my robe and my hair is twisted up in a towel on the top of my head. This isn’t the best way to open the door, but I don’t think James will patiently wait while I get dressed.

  “Come in!” I yell.

  James walks into my room. His chest heaves and his hands are clenched into fists by his sides. Veins are popping out of his neck.

  Crap.

  Per my usual, I make light of the situation. “Hey! You’re unfrozen!”

  His eyes bulge. “How dare you leave me down there like that!”

  Do I still have time to call for reinforcements?

  I want to hide in my closet, but I stay and face the music. “It was a training exercise, I wanted to see how long I could keep you in place.” My explanation sounds hollow even to me.

  “Do you realize you’ve taken a half an hour of my life I’ll never get back?!”

  And now I feel even worse. “I’m sorry,” I stammer. “I, I didn’t look at it that way.”

  “Next time you want to conduct experiments, ask permission first.”

  I step toward James, but he backs away. “James, please. It was a stupid and inconsiderate thing for me to do. I didn’t think it through.”