by Shae Bryant
A few minutes later, a black Oldsmobile Rocket roared into the parking lot and stopped just a few inches from Sophie. Vince opened the door, looking at the unit that was being assaulted from the inside. Loud crashes boomed against the metal door. Small dents from large claws were starting to show on the outside.
"Sophie." Vince chuckled,"Did you put a Werewolf in my storage unit?"
She grinned,"Yes. I did."
"Would you mind telling me why you didn't kill it?" He walked towards the door, inspecting the claw marks.
"She insisted I take her to a bar before she shifted." Sophie looked at Vince,"She has blonde hair, dark eyes and a tattoo on her back."
Vince raised his eyebrows,"You are saying she knew she was shifting and didn't go to a Sanctuary?"
"It seems so. Yes."
He smirked,"A lone wolf." He paused to tap his fingers on the cold metal door,"I have two choices Sophie. I kill it now or I let Isaac take care of it in the morning. I must admit, I'm tempted to rip her apart. Somehow I have a feeling that thing in there is responsible for Leo's attack."
"I won't mind helping you kill it, but I won't clean it up." Sophie crossed her arms over her chest.
"Someone else will clean it up." Vince murmured to himself while he contemplated his options,"As much as it pains me to say this... Leave her here tonight. I'll let Isaac Carillo deal with her in the morning."
Sophie kicked at a rock,"I really thought we would kill it."
"The Iron Oath is here. I am not putting any attention on myself or us." Vince took her arm, leading her away from the storage unit.
"We've hidden things from them before." Sophie whined.
"We have. Yes. You know my history with them, though. I don't want to take any chances when one of their investigators may be trailing a friend."
Sophie tilted her head,"Are the Detectives friends now?"
"Raina is. Er... Detective Escobar." Vince faltered, "She isn't Human. She is on our side. The other I am not so sure about yet. Right now isn't the time to test her."
Vince and Sophie both left the warehouse, letting the Werewolf howl and beat on the doors until the morning came. Two motorcycles pulled up to the unit along with a small sedan. Isaac stepped out of the car and checked his phone to make sure this was the correct unit.
When the door slid open, the sun streamed inside. The light illuminated the dusty face of the girl Sophie had found at the train station. She opened her eyes, squinting towards the figure standing in the doorway.
"Ugh." She grunted,"Who turned on the sun?"
"Me." Isaac snapped.
She sniffed the air,"I know you. Wait. No I don't."
Isaac sneered at the girl when he offered her a hand,"You know your own. That's what you smell. Come on, get up."
She clutched her hands to her chest, shaking her head vehemently." Who are you?"
"Isaac. Who are you?"
"I'm... Alyssa."
Isaac pointed towards the door,"Get in the car, Alyssa. We need to have a talk."
Alyssa finally pulled herself off of the floor, feeling like she had been curled up in a tight ball all night long. This little walk felt like a wonderful stretch for her body. What Alyssa had been locked in a storage unit all night. Her body did not like the confined space.
She scuffled to a stop when she saw the two motorcycles idling behind the car. The faces were unrecognizable under the helmets. All Alyssa knew was that it was a man and a woman on the bikes.
"You... You aren't going to hurt me, are you?"
Isaac opened the driver side door, "That depends on what you've done. I might rip your damn throat out."
Alyssa shrank away from the car, "No. I don't think I'm coming with you."
Isaac stormed towards Alyssa, "I'm pretty sure you're the idiot who put a kid in the hospital and brought the Iron Oath down on us. Right now, you don't have the luxury to choose where you go!"
"Let me go!" Alyssa cried, pulling away from Isaac. She tried to run, but the woman revved her bike, putting one foot on the ground and another on her shifter. If Alyssa would run, she'd be caught in a moment.
Isaac pointed towards the female rider, "Do you see that lady? That's my good friend Erin, and she doesn't like you either. If you don't come with me, I'll leave you with her. Do you want to know how many times she's been arrested for assault?"
Alyssa gulped, "N...no."
"I didn't think so." He growled, "Now get in!"
I got a phone call from Isaac while I was in my office. He told me the story of the woman named Alyssa that Sophie had found the night before. All of us were fairly sure this was the lone wolf we had been looking for. Darius walked into our office as we prepared to leave. He motioned for both of us to wait a moment.
"What's up, Darius?" Catherine asked.
"I noticed both of you aren't too close to Mister Stuart right now." He stated.
Catherine pursed her lips together,"Yeah. We...he did something. No one has seen him for days."
I wasn't about to let Catherine cover it up,"He manipulated records."
"He faked them?" Darius turned to me.
"No." Catherine took the lead on this one,"He put records together to make it look like we had a possible suspect. Raina dug deep enough to find out that it was all wrong. I just don't understand why."
Darius groaned,"I was afraid of this."
I squinted at Darius, leaning in a little closer,"Darius. The other day you kept something from me. Mind sharing it now?"
He marched across the office, waving his hands at both of us,"Every time the Iron Oath comes in, things get weird. People go missing, arrests don't get made, warrants don't get served, people who shouldn't be arrested are arrested and bodies begin to pile up. Innocent people wind up in jail or the morgue."
"Innocent people?" I raised my eyebrows.
"Humans and Non Humans, Raina." He thumped his hand on the wall,"People. Citizens of this planet. I'm including everyone. I don't trust the Iron Oath. I'm here to protect everyone. When the Iron Oath is here, I feel like I can't do that. I want Jacob Stuart gone for good, so I can do my job."
"He might be." I waved towards the door,"Right now, we're pursuing a lead in North Dade."
"Lone wolf?"
"Yep."
"Will you make an arrest?"
"I don't know." I grinned at him, walking out the door before he had a chance to tell me anything else.
We drove up to Hialeah and turned at the dealership. Isaac's house was on the same block. He let Catherine and I in, taking us past his cluttered kitchen into the living room. A young woman was sitting on his couch, looking like she'd seen better days. Someone had given her a black eye, and they busted her lip. She glared at us, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Before you ask." Isaac put up his hands,"Erin did that."
"Why?" Catherine questioned.
Isaac snorted,"Talk to the bitch and you'll see why."
Catherine looked upset at the way this young woman was being treated. I stepped in before she could say a word,"If she's responsible for all of this, I'm liable to beat her up myself."
"Just wait and talk to her. Then you can give her another black eye." Isaac muttered.
I looked at the girl,"Are you sometimes called Mila?"
She grinned through the busted lip,"Yes! And a bunch of other names too!"
Catherine quickly stepped between me and the woman,"Why don't you tell us how you got into your...state?"
Alyssa smiled,"It was my ex boyfriend who turned me. About six months ago. I didn't want it at first, but in the end I said it was fine. Then...he showed me everything I could do like this! He showed me how to hunt in the Everglades, and how to control shifting for a while. We talked all about the little family we'd create together. It was great!"
"Starting his own pack." Isaac snarled.
"I gathered." I turned to Alyssa, "Why didn't you want to run with the pack here?"
She rolled her eyes like a petulant teena
ger, "Because. It's always the same stuff. Bikers and bars and everyone living on the same block. So boring. Why not have a pack that's a little more...not stuck in the 1980s?"
I could see why Erin decided to give this girl a few good licks. I wanted to hit her myself. She wasn't only stupid, she was reckless. She had no idea what it meant to be a Non Human. This was nothing more than a game to her.
She and her now-ex boyfriend thought this would be some fun idea. Turn others and start their own pack, forcing them to be "modern" Werewolves. They had no understanding of the instinct that all Werewolves have to find their own. Packs don't separate. It isn't good for them. It's why they all stick together.
Alyssa's boyfriend had used her as some sort of toy, and she had gone right along with it. Everything was great until Alyssa brought the first guy home. She was going to have some fun with him and then turn him against his will. Her boyfriend got angry about it, and the two of them fought. He left her then and there to create a pack on her own.
That was when Alyssa discovered something Werewolves were able to do. No matter how attractive they were — or weren't — before turning, Werewolves somehow managed to turn heads. There was just something about them people found desirable. When she realized this, she surfed bars and found a different guy every night. On full moons, she would turn her suitors and leave them until morning. Then, she'd watch them from afar, silently giggling at his misfortune when he shifted for the first time.
Her plan was to reach out to them later and tell them what had happened. But, she always seemed to forget while she enjoyed her newfound 'freedom' with men.
Catherine's fists clenched tight the longer Alyssa spoke. I thought that I might actually see Catherine become violent with someone. Somehow, she managed to pull herself together and grabbed her handcuffs. "I'm just arresting her now. We have a confession."
"Don't do that, Cat." Isaac cautioned.
"What? What should I do? Let her go!?"
"Look." He said,"I get it. You're pissed, and arresting her will take care of her. She's a spoiled kid who thought this was a game."
Alyssa threw her hands into the air,"Excuse me? I'm right here!"
"I know." Isaac shot her a warning look.
"Let me arrest her!" Catherine narrowed her eyes at Isaac.
Isaac shook his head,"No. Not with the Iron Oath in town."
I knew where he was going with this,"You're taking her to Atlanta, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"Will someone please clue me in!" Catherine was already exasperated with Alyssa and the two of us were just making it worse.
Every Non Human group had a headquarters in their respective countries. In smaller countries, most headquarters were in the same city. In the United States, we're pretty spread out. The Druids were in Denver, Colorado. The Vampires were in Los Angeles, California. Werewolves were in Atlanta, Georgia.
Headquarters aren't officially sanctioned. Meaning the Human government didn't recognize it. They only saw it as a large gathering of Non Human groups. This allowed us to do things our own way.
It was how we governed ourselves. Many times, we'd go to our councils to get answers. Sometimes, we would take our own to the council instead of taking them in front of Human law enforcement. Depending on the severity of the issue, the punishment could be better or worse than what they'd see in a courtroom.
In Isaac's case, taking Alyssa to Atlanta would hold her accountable for what she had done. If Catherine arrested her, she'd be tried and convicted of a few counts of illegal turning and maybe Leo Moretti's assault. She'd spend some time in jail and then get out. If the Werewolf Council got hold of her, she'd have to answer for what she'd done in front of her own. They would also keep her out of the clutches of the Iron Oath.
Catherine wrung her hands,"I...this isn't remotely legal! She's a suspect!"
"If you arrest her, she might fall into the hands of Jacob Stuart." Isaac motioned to Alyssa, "You know what he did to you. Think of what he could do to her."
"Isaac!" Catherine protested,"I'm a Police Officer!"
Catherine paused long enough to look around the room. Isaac and I were both very serious about keeping Alyssa from getting arrested. We didn't realize it, but we were standing in front of the young woman, forming an unconscious barrier against the handcuffs Catherine held.
Catherine closed her eyes,"Fine. Take her to Atlanta."
"Erin's got some business there. She can go with her." Isaac smiled,"I promise she won't beat her up again."
Somewhere in Central Florida, Jacob Stuart was sitting in a dark office. He replayed the conversation that we had just finished at Isaac's house. Every word we uttered was now on record with the Iron Oath. Our plans to take Alyssa to Atlanta, what time they would leave and where Erin was stopping was now part of an email to various investigators in the South East United States.
Catherine's radio had a wire tucked in it, and we would not find it until weeks after the fact. He had hoped for some spying and one female Werewolf. He got far more than he bargained for.
Alyssa and Erin left for Atlanta the next morning. A few hours later, Erin stopped to get gas off the highway. That night, the Police arrived to check on an abandoned car. There were no signs of struggle, but the doors were left ajar and the keys still in the ignition. There were no bags, no purses and nothing to identify who might have been driving the car. The license plates were registered to a Brian Neason in Hialeah, Florida.
While Brian was getting the disturbing news that his wife had gone missing, Chloe was on her bike headed towards Miami Beach, blissfully unaware of the situation at home. Leo had been released from the hospital, and he was cleared for visitors. She was eager to see him. If Chloe were to tell herself the truth, she'd have known a while ago that she and Leo both had a connection. But, they were both young. This sort of thing took some time.
She pulled up to the mansion and took off her helmet, fixing her hair in the rear view before she went up to the door. Leo rushed to the window when a bike pulled into the driveway. He waited by the hallway until Chloe rang the doorbell. Then, he answered the door.
"Hey Chloe!" He gave her a broad smile.
Chloe returned the smile,"Hey! Welcome home! How are you?"
"Better." He closed the door behind them, motioning to the living room. Leo absently scratched at the cast on his arm before stammering,"Uh... Chloe?"
"Yeah?"
"I still want to go to Universal, but I can't right now. So I thought maybe...maybe we can just get something to eat one night?" Inwardly, Leo wanted to run away and hide. What if she said no? What if she said yes!?
Chloe played things much cooler. She stood there quietly, trying not to let her eyes betray her. Inside, she was running through Vince's living room and jumping on the cushions in celebration. He had asked her out! Finally!
"It sounds good!" She nodded,"Is this a...date? Or are we just hanging out?"
"I was hoping for a date?" Leo toyed with his cast, unable to make eye contact with her.
Chloe broke into a grin. Before she could answer Leo, Vince's strong footsteps echoed in the hall. He appeared in front of the two with a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other.
"A date!" He exulted,"Oh Leo! This is wonderful! We need cigars! No. No. You can't smoke. It turns out its terrible for Humans. Well, I'll have the cigar. Now then, let's discuss your dinner plans. The town car, yes?"
Leo wanted to shrink down into the floor and stay there forever. His cheeks turned red as a beet while Vince started planning their date. When Vince left the room to get another wine glass, Chloe slowly turned to Leo.
"Is your Dad always like this?"
Leo sighed,"Yep... I can't believe he's doing this to me."
"I thought having Werewolf parents were bad." Chloe laughed.
"I am so sorry." Leo stammered,"Are you hungry? We can go eat now before he comes back."
"Sure!"
Both of them hurried out the door and jumped in
to Leo's car. While Vince would have normally heard such a thing, he was so busy celebrating Leo's date that he paid no attention. He walked back into the living room with a more suitable wine glass, holding it in the air.
"I've got the... Leo?" Vince looked around the empty house as he heard Leo's car pull out of the drive, "They left. Of course, they did. They wanted time to themselves. Ah, to be young and in love. Well, there is no sense in letting good cognac go to waste!"
Vince sat down on the sofa and poured himself a glass, happily drinking by himself while he imagined Leo's dinner date.
CHAPTER TEN
The Cult
The next few days were business as usual for the department. I had already heard the news about Erin Neason going missing. Catherine and I both begged Darius to allow us to check in on the case, but we were denied access to the files. The only good news was that the Police Department in Georgia had taken the case. The records didn't mention the Iron Oath at all. I didn't believe that.
While I kept a close eye on that case, another one popped up in South Florida that made the news. All of us sat in the lobby, watching the reporter in front of Mount Sinai Medical Center. He was surrounded by other reporters who were trying to catch a glimpse of the child that had been brought in by the Police.
"Janelle, I'm here at Mount Sinai Medical Center where a neglected child was brought in to be assessed by Doctors. The child was found in the Everglades National Park by a group on an air boat ride. Child Services told us that the child is unable to or refusing to speak and seems to be traumatized. Her parents and how she got in the Everglades is a mystery. We have permission to show a picture of the child in hopes that anyone who has information will call Crime Stoppers. I'm Rex Harrison, Channel 7 News, Miami."
The camera cut to a photo of an angelic young girl in a hospital gown. Her big blue eyes were opened wide with fear and confusion. She had her fingers in her mouth as a matter of security, and she couldn't quite keep her eyes on the camera. Instead, they kept glancing towards the window with a look of expectation.
When the camera cut back to the news desk, everyone started to walk away. This case landed on our doorstep and it was our first glimpse of the girl. The Officers who responded to the scene hadn't returned from the hospital yet, but a number of phone calls and texts had been flying back and forth.