Simon didn’t find much humor in it, but Sean quickly continued, “She’s setting up the next rendezvous point. After we’re done here, we’ll call her up.”
“All right.” Simon didn’t sound very pleased, but there was nothing he could do now. The plan was in motion. The setbacks would just have to be overlooked for now. “That’ll have to do.”
There was a tense air as everyone gathered themselves closer to Simon. He was about to go over their procedure for entering the place. Claire hung back, but Davis went forward, though unwillingly. They listened.
“This is how we’re going to do this: There will be two units. One will take the front entrance, the other takes the back. Once inside, we split up. We take the first floor. We check every room, every closet—”
It was Sean that interrupted. “What do we do if we run into one of them?”
Simon turned a deadly glare upon the man. “All your years of doing this and you have to ask what to do? Are you fucking stupid?”
Sean hesitated as he stared into Simon’s burning eyes. The others looked at him expectantly. He wet his lips.
“I only ask, Simon, because the PRDI doesn’t have just werewolves there. I should’ve asked, what do we do when we run into someone that’s NOT one of them? ”
Simon narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps,” he began in a low voice, “you should’ve made yourself clear on the matter.”
“Simon…” Eric spoke up next. “We’ve got things we have to do. Don’t waste your time messing with this punk.” He looked at Sean with contempt for a moment. Davis raised an eyebrow.
Sean had taken one step back, but he didn’t look away from Simon. Simon took a deep breath and began to explain.
“When we go in there, we kill everyone and everything who gets in the way, regardless of what they are. We leave no witnesses. If possible, take captives. They may have information for us. There is only one exception.”
Claire stared at him. Her mouth gaped open in shock.
“There is one important reason why we are going in there, and it’s not just to kill them.” Simon removed the photograph that had previously occupied a space in the PRDI folder. He circulated the picture among the men. “Get a good look at it. This woman must be captured alive. Use force if necessary, but if she’s dead, you’ll quickly join her.”
A murmur of understanding ran through the men. They all took note of the woman’s appearance. The photo made it back to Simon and he pocketed it.
“What’s so important about her?” someone asked from the back of the crowd. Simon grinned evilly.
“She has something that’s very important to our mission. Capture her alive. Everyone else you can kill. They don’t matter.”
Claire stared at Simon. Hate burned in her eyes as she stared at the back of his head. She wanted to yell at him, to hurt him.
Innocents! There were innocent people in there, people who weren’t targets, people who had done nothing wrong…and he going to kill them regardless.
“You can’t do that.” The voice that spoke did not sound like it was coming from her mouth, but it had. The voice was angry and cold, full of hate. Tears glistened in her eyes.
A chuckle arose from a few of the men. Davis was silent, but he turned to regard her. He almost shared her look of anger, but he said nothing. Simon was last to turn around to face her, and when he did so, he moved slowly. His movements were deliberate.
His face was mocking when he looked at her. He lifted an eyebrow, curious by her outburst. He grinned slowly. He held out an arm in her direction and gestured toward her as he spoke to the other men.
“This is Claire Hennessy, our morality expert. She thinks everything is wrong. We can’t do a lot of things, according to her, but we do anyway.”
A few more of the men got a good laugh out of it. Claire ignored them, her gaze focused on Simon. Her face burned red with embarrassment and anger for having been singled out by him.
“You’re horrible,” she said to him. “You’re going to kill innocent people. None of those people in there deserve to die.” Claire pointed at the building. Tears had already begun to fall upon her reddened cheeks.
“Perhaps not, Claire,” Simon said in a fake soothing voice. Then he began to laugh. “It doesn’t matter if they did anything or not. It doesn’t change the fact they’ve got to die sometime. Why not now? Why not have them die protecting what they’ve spent their wholes lives protecting? Some of them deserve to die. They’re criminals. None of it matters, Claire. It’s all for a good cause.”
He took a step forward and towered over her. She stared up at him with her tear streaked face and blurry eyes. She didn’t blink.
“You’re an asshole,” she whispered to him.
“Such harsh words, Claire. Your mommy and daddy are rolling over in their graves, hearing such profanity coming from their little girl’s mouth.” He grinned down at her, and there was a flash of something evil in his eyes, something that frightened Claire. She looked at him as if she had never seen him before.
Some of the men behind Simon shifted their weight uncomfortably. Some were still laughing. Eric watched with a grin and Davis looked ready to jump on Simon. His hand was already on the grip of his gun. It would only take a moment.
“I would remember our conversation, Claire. Remember what I told you. Behave yourself, like the good little girl you are, and leave us to our discussion.” He spoke like a father would to an unruly child, but there was a sick tone in his voice. He enjoyed belittling her.
“Fuck you,” Claire spat at him.
“I’d rather not, Claire.” Simon smiled and then turned back to the men. It was all a joke to him. Several pairs of eyes, however, still rested on Claire. She endured the embarrassment, but took a seat on the step of the van and turned her head away from them. The hot tears continued to roll down her face. She didn’t care. She hated them all.
Davis watched her. He felt compelled to comfort her suddenly, but Simon threw him a glare and started with his attack plan once again.
“Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted? Ah, yes. We split up once inside. We storm the lower level first. We go into each room. A few of us will head upstairs. Hopefully, it’ll be a quick in-and-out event, but be prepared for some struggle. As far as I know there are three werewolves in that building, but I could be wrong. Find the woman and bring her out alive.”
Several heads nodded.
“Davis, you’re with me. You two,” he pointed at a few of Sean’s men, “you are with me as well. The rest go through the back. Davis will take the upper floor, but everyone else needs to secure the bottom floor before heading up top. Got it?”
A murmur of agreement went through the crowd. Simon had a smug look on his face, and he checked his watch.
“We’ll head for there in about twenty minutes. That’s enough time for everyone to gather their stuff and get ready. Be prepared.”
With that, the men from Sean’s group headed back to their car and began to get around. Michael joined Davis at the van.
“You look pissed,” he said as he reached inside a suitcase and removed a radio from the casing.
Davis gave a shrug and glanced at the cab of the van. Claire moved away from the step and was now seated in the driver’s seat of the van. She watched them with red and wet eyes. She wasn’t crying anymore.
“I’m always pissed when it comes to Simon,” he said under his breath. Simon stood just behind him. He spoke in hushed tones with Eric and Sean.
Michael gave a sharp laugh as he began to load an extra magazine. “Yeah, I know the feeling. I think he hates everyone.”
“And everyone hates him,” Davis added. He looked down at the silver bullets he held in his hand. He didn’t want to do this, but he had no choice in the matter. He was stuck here. He turned to look at Simon and narrowed his eyes. If he listened hard enough, he could hear what he was telling Eric.
“I don’t trust these jerk-offs so I’m entrusting you two with these.
” There was something small and cylindrical, made of metal and glass in the palm of Simon’s hand.
Eric and Sean each took one from him and studied it. They were capped syringes, filled with some sort of colored liquid. Davis quickly averted his eyes when Simon glanced toward him. He busied himself with loading another magazine.
“It’s a tranquilizer. Use it on the woman if you have to. One dose will knock her out for an hour or so. You two seem the most capable of following orders. Find her first, before these overzealous amateurs riddle her full of bullets. Can you do that?”
“Yeah, boss,” Eric replied in his deep voice.
“Sure.” Sean followed. Davis risked another glance over his shoulder. Simon had moved toward him, but he had caught a glimpse of the other two pocketing the syringes. He jerked his head away just as Simon stepped behind him. The taller man reached over him and grabbed a silencer for his gun.
As he withdrew, Simon whispered harshly. “Ready to go again? Here,” he handed Davis another silencer, “you might want this. Don’t want to make any mistakes this time.”
Davis closed his eyes and exhaled. Simon chuckled and never waited for a reply. Davis glared at him as Simon moved away to the side of the van and then began to fix the silencer to his gun without a word.
Claire rolled her window down and leaned partly out of it. She stared down at Simon.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked. She vainly hoped he would tell her she could go home, but she had no such luck. Simon laughed. He seemed in good spirits now. Things were getting down to the wire. His plan had almost reached the finish line.
“You think I want you handling a gun and going in there with all your decent and moral values? You might get your hands dirty. We don’t want that.” He spoke with his usual sarcasm.
Claire glared at him. “Well, what am I supposed to do?”
“Look pretty, I suppose. The crying, red-faced look really suits you.”
“Fuck you.”
“I told you once, Claire, I’m not interested. If it makes you feel important, you can drive the van for us and keep it running while we’re inside.”
Claire stared down at him, coldly. She hated him. She hated his mocking tone, the way he looked at her, the way his lips curled around the freshly lit cigarette. She wanted to hurt him somehow, but what could she do. After a moment, she leaned back against the seat. Simon’s laughter echoed in her ears.
“He’ll pay for being the dick he is.” A voice sounded from behind her. It was Davis. He sat in the back of the van, tuning his own radio to the correct frequency. The others waited near the curb where Sean’s car awaited. They were almost ready to go.
Claire looked at Davis through the rearview mirror. He looked pale and upset.
“He’ll pay,” Davis repeated. “I probably won’t be the one to do it, but he’ll get what’s coming to him in the end. Every good deed is rewarded, and every bad deed is punished. He’ll get what’s coming to him.”
Claire shook her head. “I don’t really believe in that, but I hope to God you’re right.”
Davis chuckled, but it was a forced chuckle. His eyes met Claire’s in the reflection. “I don’t really believe in God.”
“I wish we weren’t here,” she said softly and looked away from his eyes. She stared forward at the PRDI building in the distance and then closed her eyes.
“I know,” Davis answered. A voice from outside called his name and he let out a sigh. He slipped out of the van, slammed the sliding door and started toward the others on the pavement.
Claire reopened her eyes and watched the group of men as they trekked toward the building. She watched as they divided into groups of four, and one started around the back of the place and out of her sight.
Her vision became blurred once more, and she couldn’t see them any more. She began to cry once again, the tears free-falling and no one was there now to laugh and judge her. The sobs racked from her chest, and she made ugly choking noises.
But she couldn’t cry for long.
She tried to silence her crying and brush the wetness away from her eyes so she could see clearly. She started the engine of the van and let it move at a slow crawl toward the PRDI building.
Simon, Davis and a couple of the men Claire didn’t know were at the front doors. She stopped at the curb and let the engine idle. She wouldn’t watch.
She turned her head away and closed her eyes as one by one they entered the PRDI building. Despite Claire’s determination not to cry, the salty tears touched her cheeks once again and fell upon her lips so she could taste the bitterness.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Simon paused just long enough to watch Eric, Sean and two of the cronies disappear around the back of the house. He watched them and noted the stealthy way in which they moved, and he smiled smugly to himself.
At least they have sense enough to do that. So far, so good.
There was another pause when he turned to watch the van creep along the street. It came to a stop in front of the building, and he spied Claire in the driver’s seat, looking red-faced and teary-eyed.
Simon didn’t have time to worry about her. She was too sensitive for this sort of thing. A small part of him thought perhaps he should’ve let her go, but no, she was too involved. She knew too much. He couldn’t just let her go.
Besides, he wasn’t that nice.
He narrowed his eyes at her a moment, then turned back. The front door was obviously locked, but it wouldn’t be for long. One of his men had already begun picking it. Simon quickly scanned the porch with his eyes.
“There’s got to be a camera someplace,” he said in a quiet voice. Davis stood next to him, and he too began searching for any signs of a camera.
“What makes you so sure of that? I’m not seeing anything,” he answered after a moment’s searching.
“I know this place.” Simon gave him a harsh look and pointed upwards. When Davis turned his head, he could see a small opening in the roof of the porch, much smaller than he had thought possible for a security camera.
It was a quick matter of aiming the gun and shielding one’s eyes from the debris. With the sound muffled somewhat by the silencer, sparks shattered and glittered down around them. Bits and pieces of wood from the ceiling above them along with metal and glass from the camera left their fragments on the front porch.
Davis had just enough time to look away before the debris fell onto his exposed face. When he looked up to glare at Simon, the man was smirking. Davis wanted to punch him.
The other guy was still picking with the lock, and Simon stood there, gun in hand, as he waited for the door to open.
“They’ll have been watching and they know we’re here,” he said in a low voice. “We have to move fast once inside. Remember what I said. Kill everyone but the woman.”
Davis nodded once, and then inclined his head toward the van. Claire had chosen a spot behind that damn crotch rocket and Davis bitterly thought of the werewolf that had thrown him through the window of his car. It made his head hurt just thinking about it.
He hoped to run into that guy again, but this time with the upper hand. Maybe he could prove something to Simon once and for all.
Or maybe not.
On second thought, he wished he didn’t even have to be here at this exact moment. He didn’t want to face anyone. He wanted to turn and run, and make a break for it while Simon was occupied. It would’ve been so easy…
He didn’t want to have to kill anyone, even if it was that damn werewolf. Davis was not a murderer, not in the least. His hand still shook when he held the gun. He couldn’t even fire straight. His aim was poor.
Simon interrupted his musings. “Come on, let’s go.” The door was open now, and they were starting to head inside. Davis hung back.
“It’s now or never, Davis,” Simon said to him as he started across the threshold. His smirk was sardonic, as always. “You remember how it went last time?”
Davis could only le
er back at him as he brought up the rear.
* * *
Rose awoke to a strange and completely unfamiliar sound. She sat up in the empty bed, glancing around in the darkness. She blinked a few times to adjust her eyes and listened. She couldn’t hear anything now, but something had woken her.
She ran a hand through her tousled hair and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The air was cold, and she shivered slightly. Her eyes roamed over the empty place next to her.
Jason was gone.
She didn’t know where he had gone, but it couldn’t have been too far. After all, with a scare like he had experienced earlier, he wouldn’t be too quick to roam far. He didn’t want to leave her here alone.
At least, that’s what she was hoping.
She closed her eyes tightly and took a few deep breaths. Rose again ran her fingers through her hair. They became snagged on a few snarls and she gave up on loosening them. They didn’t matter now. She stood up slowly and searched for her clothes among the pile in the floor. She began to dress.
Once more, a strange feeling hit her, that feeling she had had before falling asleep. Something was going to happen, but she had no idea what. Rose couldn’t place it. She hated all these cryptic feelings and premonitions. She wasn’t psychic, at least, not to the degree of anyone else at the PRDI, but how was it she was feeling this? Instinct, perhaps? the wolf mused in her head. Rose gave a slight chuckle.
“Some hell of an instinct,” Rose answered aloud, and was thankful no one was in here to hear her talking to herself.
She stifled a yawn as she slipped on her final garment, her T-shirt, and started for the bathroom. Something sounded from downstairs, and it sounded quite familiar. It made her stop where she was with her hand resting on the light switch. She had heard the sound before.
It sounded like a gunshot, but muted.
A few moments later, the sound of shattering glass rang quite audibly from somewhere on the bottom floor. Her heart pounded and she strained to listen over the thumping in her ears. More sounds rang, and Rose knew exactly what they were now.
Sweet Moon Dreams Page 20