“What's the matter?” Melanie cried out, straightening out the car and exhaling loudly before glancing in his direction. Annoyance managed to creep into her voice as she asked, “What was that for?”
“We were driving directly into a police roadblock. The Enforcers are probably already trying to cordon off the area, and if they manage to do that before we can escape then we are boned. We can't use the main roads, so we need to take side roads and hope that we slip by,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. She could see him biting his bottom lip gently, and a faint trickle of blood flowed down from where his teeth were digging into his bottom lip. It was the first time his face had worn a weary look since they had met, just a half hour ago.
She turned down a small alleyway that was just wide enough for the car. The absence of any trash cans or other obstacles seemed mildly strange. Melanie wasn't about to complain about the fortunate circumstances, however. She knew that doing so would only bring down bad mojo on the two of them. As she pulled out of the alleyway, onto a small street that led to the highway, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips and she looked over at him.
“We are almost at the highway, Manu,” she couldn't contain her excitement as she spoke, nearly bouncing in her seat from the giddiness she suddenly felt.
“Take it easy,” Manu said gruffly, pulling a small cellphone from his pocket and dialing a number from memory. The phone was answered on the first ring, and the Indian starting to speak rapidly into the phone in a language that she didn't understand. It sounded faintly familiar, and upon a bit of reflection, she realized that she recognized it from music she used to listen during her stoner phase in college. It was Cherokee, and from the way he spoke it, he had been speaking for it a very long time. She realized that her eyes were focusing on him more than was proper while driving, so she forced herself to return her full attention to the road.
“I hope no one calls this vehicle in as stolen,” she piped up after fifteen minutes of silence.
“That would certainly be unfortunate, but I don't think Barnaby would do that to us. However, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that one of the Enforcers might make it their prerogative to do so. I would say that we have probably another half an hour, before the police activity on this highway will grow to such high levels that we will be risking capture. Fortunately for us, we only need to stay on the highway for roughly ten minutes and then we will reach our exit. After that, it will only be a few minutes before we reach the location,” he said, pressing the button for the air conditioner in the car.
“Can I ask you a question, Manu,” Melanie asked quietly, feeling the all-too-familiar blush creep across her face. She felt warm despite the cool air currently blowing through the vents in front of her, and her flustered feeling was one with which she wasn't used to dealing. The ease with which he had dispatched the officer and the risk he was taking to save her was causing a myriad of strange emotions to bubble up inside of her.
“I am surprised that you haven't asked more questions at this point. Anyone else would be chewing my ear off by now,” he said, reclining slightly in his seat and turning his head to look at her.
“Are you a shifter?” she asked softly, putting on her blinker so they could merge into the lane to the right.
“I am,” he said warily, the tone in his voice communicating clearly to her that it was a touchy subject.
“You don't have to be so on your guard. I am a shifter too, you know,” she said, raising her eyebrow over at him.
“I've spent every day of my life, from the moment I was old enough to remember, fearing for my life. Every day I spent my time going out of my way to stay out of people's sight, to avoid garnering unnecessary attention. That isn't just going to go away. If anything, the fact there are two shifters occupying the same vehicle fills me with fear more than anything else. We've doubled the chance that the Enforcers are going to want to target us. Even if we manage to get to headquarters, you aren't going to be able to just go back to your old life. You could possibly be able to get your possessions later, but you can never go back to your home or contact your friends, in person, ever again,” he said soberly, looking down at his hands slightly. “This is the beginning of a very isolated existence for you.”
Melanie reached over and gently squeezed one of his hands, offering him a gentle smile when she saw that he had raised his head to look at her.
“I don't know what will happen later today, and I don't even know if we will live through the night. What you said is terrifying, and I won't even begin to deny it. However, for whatever reason, you came to save me. I know that we don't know one another, yet you have put your life on the line for me, without hesitation. I am incredibly grateful for that,” she said, giving his hand one more squeeze before placing her hand back on the steering wheel.
“Take the next left and drive past the parking ramp over there,” Manu said, raising a hand in front of his mouth and coughing into it to clear his throat. She noticed that his voice suddenly sounded dry, but as she was concentrating on navigating the car through the crowded streets, she didn't dare glance over at him. She got the feeling that he liked her, even if he wasn't trying to give away that he did. She was used to guys playing hard to get, but she wasn't used to feeling the tugging sensation inside of her that she felt at that moment. It was as if her inner wolf was trying its best to get closer to him. Her thoughts were broken when he spoke once more. “Alright, park it here.”
Chapter Four
They had come to a stop in front of a large metal wall, which loomed high above them. Manu pointed toward the front gate that served as the only entryway to the place.
“That is where we are going to approach, but we need to be careful. There are additional security measures in place here, and guards watch the place at all times,” he said, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. “You could say this is one of the safest places in the city.”
“Once we get inside, anyway,” she said, looking over her shoulder to check the back window for anyone who might be following them. The streets around them were unoccupied and still; an unusual thing to see for someone who had grown up in a place where the early afternoon generally had the greatest amount of traffic. She slipped the key out of the ignition and dropped it into her purse. The pair climbed out of the car together and closed the doors as quietly behind them as they could, before Manu led the way toward the gate.
A single camera sat perched on top of an intercom, set into the fence nearby. A faint clicking noise alerted them to the fact that their pictures had just been taken. Manu raised his hand in a hand sign that she didn't think she would ever have been able to replicate, and the camera lens zoomed in on it. There was a small dinging sound followed by a green light blinking to life on the panel. The gate slid open noiselessly, moving over to the right until there was room enough for four people to walk in shoulder-to-shoulder. They stepped through and Melanie winced as she watched the sunlight suddenly disappear behind the gate. The solid sound of metal clicking into place reminded her slightly of the sound of a jail cell closing. She gave herself a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimmed lighting, before they made their way into the building.
The hallways were long and adorned with many portraits and paintings. The stoic faces of those contained within the picture frames seemed to watch her as they passed. Suddenly, she stopped walking as her eyes came to rest on the last portrait, just before a large mahogany door. A soft gasp escaped her lips, before she could stop it. Those warm, twinkling, blue eyes and distinct goatee couldn't have belonged to anyone else. Tears began streaming down her cheeks before she could stop them. Her mind had recognized him, even before she read the placard beneath the portrait through her tear-filled eyes. Brian Nightingale: beloved member, founder, and friend.
“Warms your heart, doesn't it?” The mahogany door crept open, revealing a skinny young man who couldn't have been older than his mid-twenties. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans that were heavily fra
yed at the knees. He had a studded earring twinkling from his right earlobe. His hair was dyed black, red, and blue in such a way that he reminded her of the Japanese pop stars she had occasionally seen in music videos. He also had the telltale golden-brown irises of a shifter, his pupils slit-shaped like a cat's eye. “Welcome back, Manu,” he said, his Japanese accent coming across clearly as he spoke. “We were wondering how much longer you were going to be. Barnaby already called us to let us know you would be coming. He said you would be bringing us a recruit as well,” he added, his gaze turning to Melanie.
“That is right, Kenji. We have a woman, here, whom we think had her secret leaked by someone here at headquarters, and we are in damage control. I expect you to do everything in your power to make her feel welcome,” Manu said, his hand moving to push a lock of his hair away from his face. “Just don't try anything funny with her.”
Something in his tone of voice caused Melanie to blush furiously; she couldn't help but hear the note of possessiveness that had crept into his voice just now. The nagging suspicion that he was interested in her began to grow inside of her. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she watched the exchange between the two men. It was like watching two brothers argue, even if the two of them probably weren't related at all.
“Alright. You’ve made your point, Manu,” Kenji replied. The young man's face turned slightly pink. “I learned my lesson from last time, thank you very much.”
“What happened last time?” Melanie asked, unable to quell the curiosity that their conversation had sparked inside of her. “Does Kenji have a habit of going after girls or something?”
Neither of the men were quick to reply, but their silence communicated the answer clearly enough. Kenji placed his hand on the side of his neck and rubbed it while looking quite embarrassed—the shade of blush on his face almost managing to match the shade of red, dyed into his hair. “I have been a little over-zealous when it comes to communicating my feelings to women before, but don't get the wrong impression of me. I'm not some kind of monster that you have to worry about—I grew up in a household surrounded by women, so I am most comfortable around them. I understand that my being a man makes such a relationship seem mildly strange, but I mean you no harm. You can be absolutely certain of that.”
“Thank you, Kenji. That comes as a great comfort to me,” Melanie replied, nodding her head graciously toward him. “It has been a very eventful day, after all, and I have a feeling that a lot of changes are going to happen in my life that I'm not entirely ready for. It would be nice to know that a few of the faces around me are actually friendly.”
“That is what we are here for,” a voice said from behind the group, breaking up their conversation. They all turned to see the newcomer. Melanie was surprised to see a woman, who appeared to be in her early forties, walking toward them—her grass-colored irises gazing intently at Melanie as she approached. She was dressed in a business skirt and necktie that was reminiscent of the outfits that Melanie’s old librarian used to wear. “We are here in order to make you feel safe. This is our home, and our members are like a family,” she said, gesturing to the large facility before them. “Now, it is your home as well.”
“Thank you,” Melanie said earnestly, reaching her hand out towards the woman. “I'm Melanie Nightingale.”
“I know who you are, Miss Nightingale,” the woman said, offering a small smile that didn't quite seem to reach those glassy-green eyes of hers. She had the intent gaze of a predator, watching something that it considered a possible threat, and Melanie couldn't help but feel slightly unsettled by it. “Barnaby has spent the last week making preparations to have you brought here.”
The look of surprise that passed across Melanie's face must not have been expected, as the woman looking slightly taken aback, before she turned her gaze to Manu instead. “Have you not told her anything?”
“There wasn't a lot of time for talking. The building was surrounded and I didn't want to waste precious time that might have resulted in our being captured. We had to kill a guard in the parking garage as we were leaving, and I'm sure that his body will have been discovered by now. She is probably already on the wanted list, as a person of interest,” he said, gesturing toward Melanie. “Do you think I did the wrong thing by exercising haste? After rescuing that kid from the Enforcers earlier, I was lucky that I managed to get to her in time. Especially after having to take that detour because someone gave me the wrong address at first.”
The woman took a deep sigh, and rested her cheek against her right palm, while she crossed her other arm over her chest, her left hand resting on her right elbow.
“No, I do not think you were wrong. You acted in the best way that you knew how to, at the time, and you have never made a bad judgment call before in all the time that I have known you. I believe you did what you believed to be necessary, and I can't fault you on that.”
“Thank you, Selena,” Manu said, dipping his head in her direction. “Though. I'm not sure that is really a compliment.”
“No need to thank me just yet, I'm afraid. Melanie is going to have to go through orientation, and we’ll have to show her around and help her get settled in. Manu, I assume that I can leave that up to you?” Selena asked. Without waiting for an answer, she turned away from them and used her middle finger to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose. The light from the ceiling concealed her eyes.
“Of course, I will see to her orientation, personally” Manu said, casting a sidelong glance at Melanie, with such intensity in his eyes that she had to look away from him.
“Good. Now that we have taken care of those arrangements, I would like you to take Melanie to the housing office so they can issue her a room key. I am sure you can arrange it so that her lodgings are near to yours,” she said dismissively. She pulled a small electronic tablet from her back pocket and starting to flick through it, her fingers tapping across the screen rapidly. “I will get her an expense card so that she can purchase meals and the other necessities. I am sure she will want to get a new wardrobe, now that she is unable to return to her home to collect her possessions.”
Sadness flowed through Melanie, and she pondered those words as she and Manu made their way toward the housing department. It didn't take long for them to get her information processed and to have expense and housing cards issued to her. It seemed strange that this humongous place seemed to manage to be hidden from the outside. If this was only a small portion of headquarters; then, how large was the place? How would she manage to navigate without getting lost?
“I know the place probably seems overwhelming, since you are new here, but believe me when I tell you that it will get easier as time passes. There is also a phone app you can download that has a full map of the place. It is hidden behind an encrypted password, however, so I’ll have to type that in for you. I am not sure how you are about personal privacy and all,” he shrugged his shoulders as he spoke, the gesture coming off as slightly dismissive.
“I think I can trust you enough to let you do that,” she teased, pulling her cellphone out of her pocket and placing it in his hand. She noted how much larger his hands seemed, compared to hers. He seemed like a giant beside the petite young woman. She watched as his thumb tapped idly around on her phone for a moment—a rapid series of presses signaling the entering of a password. He held her phone out shortly afterward, apparently finished with it.
“Thank you,” she said, tapping on the app and pulling up the map to the facility. “Do you want to go get something to eat? I ordered a food delivery right before you came for me, so I didn't get a chance to have my lunch. It will give us a chance for you to fill me in on things.”
“I don't see the harm. Selena told me I am responsible for you, so my other duties will be postponed until I part from you. I am at your disposal until then,” he said smoothly, his eyes gazing into hers deeply. She could almost sense his inner wolf sizing her up, in the silence. Eventually she turned her gaze away from him an
d followed the map in the direction of the mess hall. She noticed that he had deigned to walk behind her as they went, and she couldn't stop from smirking at the intense gaze she felt emanating from him.
Well, I guess that answers my question about whether he is interested in me or not. I have the feeling that he is still going out of his way to try to keep me in the dark about why I am really here. Selena seemed nice, but I've been around long enough to know when someone is trying to keep themselves from letting something slip. I will find out what they are hiding, but I'm content to bide my time for now.
Chapter Five
“So, what is the first thing you want to know?” Manu asked as they sat under a parasol-shaded table, watching various citizens walk past the small pop-up restaurant, where they had decided to eat, just outside the shopping mall. The stand had lured Melanie to it with its mouthwatering scent of freshly-seared meat and fried onions, and the two were now waiting for their food eagerly, Melanie was barely able to contain herself as she bounced excitedly in her chair.
“You never answered my question about why you happened to be in my work building this afternoon,” Melanie said, leaning forward to slip the straw of her milkshake into her mouth. She sipped gently a few times until she felt the cool soft serve flowing over her tongue. “It seems a little too convenient.”
“I got a message from Barnaby, around half past ten this morning, telling me that he had seen some suspiciously-dressed people gazing through your building's windows with high-powered binoculars. He believed that they were Enforcer agents scouting you and him out, and he had a suspicion that they were planning to make a move while the two of you had your guard down,” he replied, leaning back in his chair and using a napkin to wipe any traces of food away from his mouth.
“It’s funny that you should mention that—I saw those same men on the rooftop, across from my office this morning while I was stretching my legs. They seemed to be dressed like bird watchers, but I didn't think that it made much sense for them to be there given the time of year,” Melanie said, popping a curly fry into her mouth and chewing on it slowly.
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