Judged

by Liz de Jager

  ‘You’re terrible,’ I tell him and he nods, looking smug.

  ‘I know, and you love me for it.’

  ‘I do not, stupid werewolf.’

  ‘Stupid human.’

  ‘I have magic.’

  ‘I have claws. And fangs.’

  I scowl at him. ‘You’re ugly.’

  He sags dramatically and clutches at his heart.

  ‘Babe, you gonna defend my honour?’ he demands of Dante, who just shakes his head and gets up from the couch.

  ‘You called me babe. No one calls me babe.’ Dante’s look is arrogant as he sweeps from the room and Aiden just stares after him in shock.

  ‘Babe is a great nickname,’ he tells me, looking solemn.

  ‘No, Aide, not really.’

  Dante walks back in with my laptop and shoves it at Aiden. ‘Make the tracker work. We’ve wasted enough time being distracted.’

  ‘We were attacked. By monsters. And sorcerers.’

  ‘Still, wasting time. Come on. Let’s figure out where your brothers are being kept so we can clear this mess up. I need to sleep.’

  Aiden gets to it pretty fast. ‘Did Kyle say anything else?’ he asks me after about ten minutes of doing mysterious stuff in a software program that looks both archaic and futuristic.

  In answer I pass my phone to him. ‘Talk geek to my cousin. He mentioned tracking them to a certain point and then something blah blah, electronics, sunspots, I don’t know.’

  He grabs my phone and hits Kyle’s number and I wander into the lounge to turn on the TV. There are three channels off the air but I keep pressing buttons until I find one of the big international news channels. They seem to be talking almost exclusively about the weather. There’s concern about massive weather fronts moving in and terms like weather bombs were being thrown about. I watch in shock as they show footage of the sea striking the north-western shores of Scotland and Ireland, with up to forty-five-foot swells battering the coast.

  Unprecedented storms also meant lightning strikes had cut power across areas of Scotland, the Western Isles and parts of Northern Ireland.

  The screen switches to footage of Iceland and huge drifts of snow. And, although it’s a country known for its harsh winters and snowfall, it’s struggling to cope. Emergency services and the army have been called in to try to reach remote communities to bring people to safety. There’s more, and after about half an hour of this my mind is reeling with the enormity of the problem. It’s completely out of hand.

  ‘Okay, listen, we’ve got a route,’ Aiden calls out and I jerk with surprise, noticing that Dante’s come to sit next to me and I didn’t even see. ‘The tracker headed towards Welwyn Garden City, past that, along the motorway and then we lost them. But then it shows up near Coventry again, and since then, there’s nothing.’

  ‘Do you think they found the device?’

  Aiden shrugs. ‘It’s possible.’ He rummages around in one of the large drawers in the kitchen and comes back carrying a large AA map book. ‘Let’s map this out.’

  ‘Let me call Leo and check something with him,’ I say. Aiden waves at me to go ahead as he leans over the map looking at the tracker info, tracing the roads with his finger.

  Leo answers on the third ring. ‘Hello, pretty girl,’ he breezes and I laugh because he sounds delighted that I’ve called.

  ‘Hello, hipster boy. Why are you out of breath?’

  ‘I’m running,’ he says, a little breathlessly. ‘To keep in shape. It’s all for you, of course.’

  ‘That’s so sweet, but so unnecessary.’

  ‘I know, but I can dream. So, why are you calling me?’

  ‘I need to know where our friend Caleb lives,’ I say.

  ‘You can’t be serious.’

  ‘Like … deadly serious. There’s also been kidnapping. Aiden’s brothers have been taken.’

  ‘Shit. Are they okay? Is there a ransom? How’s Aide?’

  ‘He’s fine, but it’s a close thing. Connor and Shaun, though … we don’t know,’ I trail off. ‘But we really need more information to sort this out.’

  ‘Write this down,’ he says.

  I grab my notebook and a pen, and cradle the phone while I write down the details he gives me. I frown at the string of numbers and repeat them back to make sure I have them right.

  ‘Kyle will know what to do with it,’ he tells me. ‘I knew you’d phone me to get this. I argued with my dad about giving me the address. I hate passing it along because I know you guys are going to do something stupid, but, Kit, listen to me when I tell you to stay clear of this completely, as much as you can. These guys are not nice.’

  ‘I can’t promise anything, Leo. We have to do something. They already tried kidnapping us earlier. We got away, but Leo, if we don’t act, they’ll just keep coming.’

  There’s an unhappy silence on the line and I wait for him to process what I’ve just said. All I can hear is the sound of traffic in the background. ‘Tell Aiden not to lose his head. Call me when you guys are done.’

  ‘I will. And thanks, Leo.’

  ‘You’re not welcome. Just stay as safe as you can.’

  He rings off and I wordlessly hand Kyle the string of numbers and go to make coffee.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Aiden grins at the note and shakes it like it’s his ‘eureka’ moment. ‘I love that guy. He’s made it so easy. This is how we passed notes at school. It’s a cipher.’

  I prod his shoulder as I pass him his coffee. ‘Get to work.’

  He sets to work on the code and five minutes later he holds up an actual address. ‘It’s about an hour away from where the tracker stopped working. Do I get a cookie now?’

  ‘Go get changed. We’re dressing for a long ride.’ Dante taps Aiden’s shoulder as he continues talking. ‘Ring your dad too. Let him know we’ve got info and have him get in touch with Kit’s uncle. We need everyone to know what’s happening and where we’re going.’

  We split up and head to our rooms. I layer up, shoving my gloves and beanie into my backpack, along with my notepad and iPod. It is going to be a long drive.

  When I pull open my door, Aiden’s standing there, holding his own backpack and a jacket. He looks at me and behind those pretty eyes of his I see the fear he’s been trying to hide from both me and Dante. I reach up and give him a brief hug.

  ‘Your brothers are gonna be okay. We’re going to go in and get them out. Even if we tear down the entire world around them. Connor and Shaun are like family to me too.’

  He nods and holds out the jacket to me. ‘Here, it’s warmer than that leather jacket.’

  I lean my backpack and sword against the wall and take it from him. Although it’s a bit too big for me in the arms, it fits well enough, giving me space for more layers beneath. ‘Thanks. Whose is it?’

  ‘Mine. When I was like twelve.’ Then he’s laughing and I consider pushing him down the stairs.

  Dante joins us with his own go-bag and we head to the basement garage. Aiden stops short, staring at the handful of cars. ‘I forgot the Cayenne’s all screwed up because of the accident.’

  ‘Any of these would do,’ I tell him but he shakes his head.

  ‘No, Dante struggles with the iron and steel.’ He looks thoughtful. ‘I had the Cayenne fitted out so that the iron and steel wouldn’t bother him so much.’ He points to the Audi. ‘How about Kit rides shotgun and you sit in the back, Dante?’

  Dante blinks, seemingly touched by Aiden’s consideration. ‘Yeah, that’s fine. I get to catch some sleep then.’

  Aiden grabs the keys to the powerful Audi I drove to the North London Hold and we settle ourselves in. As I pull my seatbelt on I look at him.

  ‘What’s our plan, by the way?’

  He starts the engine and frowns at me. ‘I thought you had a plan.’

  ‘My plan was just … you know –’ I motion vaguely with my hands – ‘go to that address, kick ass and take your brothers back.’

  ‘Ho
w are you two still alive?’ Dante asks from the back seat. He’s settled himself as far away from the doors as he can get and is dressed warmly in a thick black jacket and roll-neck jumper. The way Aiden looks at him I wonder if I’ll have to take over driving so he can climb all over Dante halfway through the drive. ‘I spoke to my boss at the SDI. He’s going to speak to your uncle Andrew. They know what we want to do and I’m hoping they’ll come in with back-up. We’re not giving them a lot of time to act, but it means they can’t really stop us.’

  ‘Excellent. Let’s get this show on the road.’

  I fall asleep somewhere after Welwyn Garden City. It’s thankfully dreamless and I wake up an hour and a half later to the buzzing of my phone in my pocket.

  ‘Ngggh.’ My eloquence is staggering and I scowl at the screen blearily. ‘Un’le Andrew?’

  ‘We’ve booked flights to the UK. We’ll be there tomorrow,’ he says without preamble. ‘Both Megan and I are coming. Your aunt Jennifer is still in China, but she’ll be flying in in the next few days.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘Why do you sound awful?’

  ‘I’ve just woken up from falling asleep for the first time in maybe twenty-four hours,’ I say, gratefully taking an energy drink from Dante. ‘Why are you all coming to England?’

  ‘Because things are getting out of hand. I’m calling a family meeting.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Keeping the fact that you’ve been working with a Fae and hiding his real identity from the family is not the way to endear yourself to me, Kit.’

  ‘I know. Jamie already threw his tantrum at me. I feel crappy.’

  ‘Language.’ But there’s no real censure there, just tiredness. ‘Jamie’s been working his contacts in Special Branch and it sounds as if he’s managed to get them very interested in the Garretts’ kidnapping. Aiden’s dad has given us all the information he has on this too, so you guys won’t be going in alone.’

  ‘We’re not?’ At the shocked tone in my voice Aiden turns to look at me, tapping his ear. I fumble the phone and find the speaker. ‘I’m putting you on speakerphone, Uncle Andrew, so the boys can hear you too.’

  ‘Who’ll be meeting us, sir?’ Aiden asks, never taking his eyes off the road. It’s been raining on and off the entire time we’ve been driving and the traffic heading out of London was heavy, as usual.

  ‘Friends of Jamie’s. They’re aware of a couple of things, supernaturally, but even so don’t push your luck and wolf out on them when you get angry. You might get shot.’

  Aiden snorts. ‘I’ll remember that.’

  ‘I’m sure this will go okay. These guys have been after the Jericho Gang for a long time.’

  ‘How does Jamie know them?’ I ask but Andrew makes a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat.

  ‘There are some things I don’t need to know. I think probably from his Forces days. For now, just get to the services. I’m texting you which one it is as soon as it’s confirmed. Wait there for the team to show up. They’re solid guys, apparently. Jamie’s trusting them with your safety and vice versa. Don’t screw up.’

  ‘We’ll try,’ I promise, trying to sound solemn but then Aiden spoils it by unexpectedly laughing.

  ‘But you never know,’ he says. ‘We’re like the start of a bad joke: a human, a faerie and a werewolf walk into a bar …’

  Andrew mutters something beneath his breath, but then he says, ‘Not until you can all legally drink, I hope. It’s a good one, though. What’s the punch line?’

  ‘I’m not sure yet. They all walk out alive afterwards?’

  ‘That works,’ he agrees. ‘Kit, please be careful. All three of you. Don’t take unnecessary risks.’

  ‘We’ll do our best, Uncle Andrew. We’ll see you guys tomorrow.’

  I have never felt more disreputable in my life. We meet a group of six people – four guys and two women – in the parking area of a large service station off the motorway to Birmingham. They look as if they’re heading out for a big hike somewhere. They’re all dressed in warm clothes and hiking boots that look military issue. The two girls have hair shorter than mine. One of the guys, no older than twenty-five, has long blond hair and looks as if he’d be more at home on a beach somewhere with a surfboard under his arm. Everyone else looks military somehow, despite outward appearances, and I blame this thought on Jamie. Two of the guys have ugly beards and look civilian enough – given the way they dress and stand around drinking from take-away cups of coffee. But they don’t fool me and they’re all sporting ink of some sort, even the girls. I struggle to pinpoint what’s off and it comes to me – they move as a team, and a disciplined one at that. There’s an awareness of their surroundings about them that I’ve not really seen in others outside my family and the Garrett pack.

  I’m aware that Aiden, Dante and I don’t look like much, but then sometimes it’s a good idea to be underestimated. I stand tall and lift my chin a little, pulling my shoulders back even though all of me aches from too many bruises and fights over the past few days.

  The leader of the six, Hawke, has piercing grey eyes in a craggy face and he’s one of the beard-wearers. I can’t figure out how old he is. When his eyes rest on me I have the urge to snap to attention and call him ‘sir’ in an un-ironic way. But no one else calls him anything apart from Hawke. The girls, we learn, are sisters. Emily and Jane look alike enough to be twins, and they don’t look older than their mid-twenties. The guy with the long blond hair is Rocco, and when he speaks it’s with a Californian accent. The last two guys (Johann and Rick) don’t say much and they remind me even more of Jamie, in the way they hold themselves and subtly watch everything that’s going on.

  ‘Jamie tells us it’s your brothers who’ve been taken,’ Hawke says, staring at Aiden. ‘I think I’ve worked with one of them in the past. Connor: about six-three, two-forty, has the sense of humour of a MAC truck?’

  ‘Yeah, that sounds like my big brother.’ Aiden nods and grins. ‘Sorry if he made a bad impression. He’s not the best with people.’

  ‘Cillian thinks very highly of him,’ Jane says.

  Aiden’s chin jerks up and he stares at her in surprise. ‘Cillian?’ he repeats and she nods, seemingly oblivious to his reaction. Hawke, though, watches Aiden with interest.

  ‘Yeah, he’s the one who teamed us up with Connor the first time. We took out a nest of …’ Jane’s voice trails off and she grimaces. ‘Ah, I can’t tell you about that because officially it didn’t happen. Sorry.’

  ‘No, it’s okay.’ Aiden’s expression is tight and controlled and I step forward to draw Hawke’s attention.

  ‘We’ve got the location,’ I tell him. ‘If you have a map we can show you.’

  For the next few minutes, we pore over the maps. Listening to Hawke and his guys talk about entry points and perimeters relaxes me with its familiarity. This is the kind of talk I can handle.

  In the end it’s simple enough: Aiden, Dante and I will be Team B. We go in once Team A (Hawke, Johann and Jane) have secured the outside. Emily and Rick will cover us as our snipers and I’m not sure what Rocco will be doing, but he just grins crazily at us.

  ‘We hit fast and we extract your brothers. We’ll have a helicopter on standby two farms over, so all we have to do is get them that far,’ Hawke says. ‘The heli belongs to your family, I think?’ He nods to me and I shrug.

  ‘If you say so.’

  ‘The pilot is called Isak?’

  ‘Yeah, it’s my great-aunt’s helicopter. Isak is in her employ.’

  ‘If we pull this off and we get Aiden’s brothers away safely, remind me to send her a fruit basket.’

  ‘Oh, I think she’d prefer a bottle of whisky,’ I say, and Hawke looks surprised for a moment.

  ‘I like her more already,’ he says, and claps his hands. ‘All right then, folks. Move out.’

  We head back to the cars after a quick refreshment break and a frantic round of coffee, tea and sandwich purchases. We pull out
ahead of the black van onto the motorway.

  Dante’s the first to speak. ‘Things are moving faster than I anticipated.’

  ‘If Cillian’s involved, this is going to be over before we know it,’ Aiden says. ‘He runs a tight ship.’

  ‘Who’s Cillian?’ Dante demands.

  I try to catch his eye, but he ignores me and sits forward in his seat so he can stare at Aiden.

  ‘He’s my brother,’ Aiden says moodily, staring at the road.

  ‘You don’t like him?’

  ‘He doesn’t really like us,’ Aiden clarifies but his voice is flat. ‘Cillian was born human. It happens, sometimes, and when he turned eighteen he just upped and left, saying he doesn’t want anything to do with the pack, with us, any more.’

  ‘And yet he suggested Connor work with Hawke and his team.’

  ‘Cillian is a contractor. He’s ex-military. He does stuff for governments most governments would deny completely. He uses people as tools. Connor obviously was the best fit for whatever needed to be done so he got him working with Rocco. Trust me when I say Cillian isn’t the sentimental kind.’ Aiden shrugs and overtakes a slow-moving car in the middle lane. ‘It’s weird. Sometimes I miss him, other times I remember how much he disliked being at home and the fights he got into with my parents and other pack members. It’s better if he’s not around.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Dante sits back after gripping Aiden’s shoulder sympathetically. ‘That sucks.’

  ‘Family, right? Can’t live with them and can’t actually live with them.’

  ‘Family’s not just about blood,’ I say into the silence. He glances at me questioningly so I continue, ‘It’s who we choose to spend time with. It’s about people who have each other’s backs in bad times and not just good times. That’s what family’s all about. It’s a Hawaiian concept Nan taught me. Family can mean blood relatives or adopted relatives or friends. A unit against the world. The Hawaiian word is ohana and I really like the idea of it.’

  ‘I like it too.’ Dante’s smile swings from my face to Aiden’s and settles there briefly.

  ‘Ohana. Yeah, I like that, Blackhart. It’s like being part of a pack,’ Aiden says.