Smoke backpedaled.
Kane and Allison got up from their seats and leaned over the edge. “They’ll kill you, Smoke. Stop running and fight. That’s what we paid for.”
Not finding any avenue of escape, Smoke danced out of the shambling men’s paths. Their stiff limbs moved with purpose. There was intent in their sunken eyes. Deaders weren’t hard to beat, but they were hard to kill. As his mind sought a way out, his instincts fired. It was hard for him not to fight when his body went into survival mode. A revival of energy flowed through him.
The closest deader took a lengthy swing. Smoke grabbed the bat. He pulled the deader off balance. The iron grip of the deader didn’t loosen on the bat. Smoke shattered the deader’s knee with his heel. He spun the bat head over handle until the fiend’s grip freed. He brought it up to catch the second deader swinging. The bats collided with a loud clack.
Allison clapped with excitement.
Using his speed, Smoke connected the bat to the temples of the deaders. Bone was hard, but Smoke hit harder. He disabled the undead things with blow after blow to the temple. They sprawled on the ground, crawling all over without direction, senseless.
Kane said, “Well, that was mildly entertaining. To be expected. How do you feel, Smoke?”
Great! That was Smoke’s first thought. The truth was, he felt more than great. He felt like he could take on the world. A little like if he’d taken a super vitamin. Not as strong, but whatever was going on, he felt like it was lasting. “This is childish, Kane.” He tossed the bat aside. “Come on. Let’s make it interesting. For all of the marbles. Me versus you.”
“No, that’s not part of the plan. You see, I make plans and I stick to them. I don’t operate on emotions.” He gave a nod toward a silhouette way up in the stands.
A trap door opened far away from Smoke. A man hopped out. He was a big, bearded guy with muscles like a professional wrestler’s. “Oh yeah!” he said when he eyed Smoke.
Smoke squared up on the guy.
“Do you remember Wild Jack, Smoke? As I was told, it was quite a fight the two of you had in Night Bird’s sanctuary. You should have killed him, but you showed compassion. Wild Jack has wanted a rematch ever since. I promised him that if I got the chance, he would have it.”
The retired MMA fighter’s eyes were as wild as his name. He was juiced. His pupils were tiny dots in his eyes. Big blue veins popped out in his shoulders, neck, and arms. He wore a skintight Guns N’ Roses t-shirt over cut-off jean shorts, with a blue bandana on his neck.
“I supposed he’s going to try and kill me, same as he did last time.”
“This match will be to the death one way or the other, Smoke.” Kane made a crooked smile. “You better not hold back on this one. If you do, the enhanced Wild Jack will tear you apart like a Rottweiler chewing a juicy bone.”
CHAPTER 17
Smoke had managed to beat every opponent the Drake had thrown at him. He beat some with weapons and others with wit. In all of those battles, he’d never been as confident as he was now. He’d handled Wild Jack before. He’d handle him again. With a flick of his fingers, he said, “Here, boy.”
The bullish Wild Jack rushed right at him.
Smoke connected first with a solid fist, smacking right into the man’s jaw.
Wild Jack ran right through it. He overpowered Smoke and drove him hard onto his back.
They wrestled like wild cats on the floor, in a knot of muscles that twisted, spat, elbowed, kneed, and punched.
In a surge of uncanny strength, Wild Jack reversed Smoke’s arm bar and put him in a two-handed head lock.
Great Dane!
Wild Jack’s powerful muscles went to work, constricting Smoke’s throat. The wrestler tried to snap his neck.
Smoke stepped behind the fighter’s legs just enough so he could get a surge and hip toss the man. He landed on top of Wild Jack, pinning the man between him and the floor.
Wild Jack held him fast, saying, “You’ll die, rookie! You’ll bleed, you’ll cave, you’ll die. Oh yeah!”
Smoke drove elbow after elbow into the man’s ribs. Nothing shook Wild Jack free. Smoke clawed at the air and saw Kane and Allison looking right at him, their faces intent. Fighting for breath, he pitched over to the side and balled up with Wild Jack on top of him. He tucked his chin down as far as he could, trying to wedge it between the corded meat of Wild Jack’s forearm and biceps. It bought him time, but only a little. He was choking. His air was thinning.
Smoke’s savvy wouldn’t work the wonders it once did. There was no super vitamin pill to take, only the annoying scratching of Wild Jack’s rough beard on Smoke’s ear—and Wild Jack’s insane mumblings. This savage match was not one of wits. It was survival of the fittest. Smoke let go of his inhibitions. He turned loose his rage.
Flexing, shaking, writhing, and slobbering, Smoke turned into a mass of angry energy. He squirmed and fought against Wild Jack’s powerful arms and legs. He fought himself free and bounced to his feet. He took in a gust of air and let it out with a howl.
Wild Jack sprang to his feet.
Smoke jumped him. He peppered Wild Jack’s face with lightning-fast, hard punches to the face. He crushed Wild Jack’s nose. Blood dripped on the floor.
Wild Jack took the punches in stride. He countered with his own. He turned loose uppercuts and haymakers.
Anticipating every strike, Smoke countered. His fists cracked ribs. A hard punch crushed Wild Jack’s throat.
The burly man fought on for a second before he started gasping for air.
Smoke didn’t let up. He pummeled the man. His fists were wet with blood.
Wild Jack lay on the floor, dying.
Smoke didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything but blood. He snatched one of the baseball bats from the floor. He brought it over his head and started to bring it down full force.
Wild Jack’s eyes showed no plea for mercy, only hatred. He spat blood and barely managed to say, “Finish it, monster.”
Monster.
The word struck a chord. It connected with the man whom the beast had buried. Smoke twisted his head around and upward. Kane and Allison were gloating. Their eyes were hungry for the kill. Smoke cocked the bat behind him and slung it at the both of them.
Kane snatched the bat out of the air. His sideways smile turned up in the corner. “It’s not a problem, Smoke. You don’t need to finish him. Our project is finished already.”
Temper cooling, Smoke tried to sort out what Kane meant. Wild Jack lay on the floor wheezing. His face was swollen. Blood had been smeared beneath the both of them. The brute thrashed on the ground. Smoke knew there was nothing he could do to save the man. His wicked days were over. But the blood was on Smoke’s trembling fingers. Wild Jack was a man. Smoke had killed him.
A drop of blood fell to the ground. It made a splash with startling clarity. Smoke looked down. His eyes grazed his bloody fists. His skin was discolored and gray. He opened up his fists, revealing extra-long fingers. The knuckles were big. His fingertips were long and sharp like an eagle’s talons.
“What has happened to me?”
Together, Kane and Allison laughed out loud. Kane started clapping. “Welcome to the club, Smoke. You’re one of us now.”
Smoke looked over his arms and legs. There was fine hair, like fur, all over them. “What have you done to me? What am I?”
“You’re a shifter the same as the rest of us. With Wild Jack’s dying breath, the process will be complete. You killed the man with your bare hands. Wild Jack was an innocent man who had repented. Now, he’s dead. The process is complete.” Kane stretched out his arms as if he was the emperor of the arena. With his fingers opening and closing into fists, he said, “Embrace your gift, Smoke. Embrace your power. There is nothing in the world like being a shifter. You will see. Your life will be richer and fuller from here on out. You can’t escape it.”
Smoke searched for a way out, but there wasn’t one. His temperature started to rise.
He pounced over to one of the trap doors in the floor. He wedged his fingernails into the narrow seams. With a strenuous heave, the trap door buckled under his raw strength. He dropped inside the hole. The last thing he heard was Kane muttering to Allison, “Oh dear, I didn’t see that coming. I didn’t see that coming at all. Fetch the horde after him.”
CHAPTER 18
“Hi, Ted. It’s good to see you!” Sid threw her arms around her old section chief, Ted C. Howard. She hadn’t seen him since they recused him from the clone factory. Gruff as an aging linebacker, he accepted her embrace in his strong, bearish arms. “I’ve missed you. Welcome back from the dead.”
He kissed her cheek. “One thing’s for sure. I’ve never felt so alive. You know, I never got a chance to thank you, Sidney.” Ted took her by the hand and sat her down on one of the benches overlooking the DC Reflecting Pool. “I have to admit, when I wake up in the morning, sometimes I have to pinch myself because I think I’m dreaming. To be honest, I’m still not completely sure what happened.”
“Your old protégé Deanne Drukker shot your clone deader than a doornail. I was mortified. I don’t think my heart ever hurt so much as the moment I first thought you were gone.”
Ted adjusted the flap of his overcoat he was sitting on. “Yeah, but do you really think she thought it was me? Maybe she knew it was a clone. I’ve given it a lot of thought since I’ve been back. Maybe she was double undercover. Perhaps even she was a clone?”
“You’re bringing too many dead back to life.” She patted his knee. “Let’s just stick with you for now. I don’t think I can handle any more.”
“You got it. So how are you doing?”
“Fine,” Sid lied. She was reeling inside. Sleep was hard to come by. There weren’t any signs of Smoke or the Drake.
“Aw, come on. I can see you’re hurting. Talk to me about it. We have some catching up to do. As I understand it, you and Smoke are married. I’m surprised, and I’m not surprised.”
Sid spent the next couple of hours filling Ted in. It came out like some sort of confession. She even spoke to Ted about Kane. Ted would nod and hold her stare with his soft, understanding eyes. He was a man of wisdom. A true confidante. “I’m sorry, Ted. I’m talking your ears off.”
“No, you need this. Heck, I need this. Our lives have been turned upside down and inside out, but you know what?”
“What?”
“We’re gonna see it through.” He squeezed her hand. “You can make it through this. You and your baby. I know you’re worried about Smoke, but even if he doesn’t make it, you will.”
Tears ran down Sid’s cheeks. “I don’t want to fight this fight without him. It’s not the same. I miss him.”
“You know you have to keep swimming, Sid. If you don’t, you’ll drown. That’s what the enemy wants. That’s what they’re counting on. They want the good guys to quit. Just when they think we’re down, we have to stick it to them. Hit them right in the gut. Hard.”
“Maybe you should start coaching football now that you’ve officially retired.” She sniffed, wiped her nose, and laughed. “You’d make a great coach.”
“Well, I might have plagiarized that speech a little. But who’s going to know?” He stretched his arm over the backside of the bench behind Sid and stared into the pool. “Life’s such a mystery. Heh. You should have seen Mrs. Howard’s face when I showed up at home. I’d never seen her make that face before. She was thrilled but torn. It was strange, and I couldn’t figure it out until she finally confessed yesterday.”
“Confessed what?”
“That she was dating. I have to admit, I was surprised. I wasn’t dead that long, and it really threw me. We had a strong relationship. At least I thought we did. Now, she’s a different person. I’m not so sure we’re going to make it.” He sighed. “I’m some sort of dead man walking.” Scratching above his ear, he said, “Aw, listen to me, whining like a baby. My problems aren’t nearly as bad as yours.”
“Hey!”
Ted nudged her. “Aw, just remember what I always say.”
“Don’t eat too much fast food for breakfast?”
“No, when you’re feeling down—”
“Kick ass and smile.”
***
Ted’s pep talk lit a fire under Sid. Not a big one, but enough to get her going. Sitting around and sulking wasn’t going to do her any good. She needed to find Smoke or at least find out what happened to him. She watched for tidbits on the news, read the papers, and looked for any unusual activity at all over the next few days. Finally, she headed to FBI headquarters, filled with frustration. The elevator rose to the floor of Section Chief Cyrus Tweel’s office. The doors split open. Sadie was there. The pretty black woman’s smile was as warm as sunshine. She hugged Sid. “Don’t you ever stay away from me this long again, you hear me?”
“Sorry, Sadie. It’s been rough.”
“Tough times are times best spent with tough friends. Like me. I’ve missed you, Sid, but my heart jumped when I heard you were coming in. To be honest, I didn’t know if I was going to hug you or hit you.”
“You hit somebody?”
“Hey, this sweet thing has more fight in her than you know. I had to fight. It was the only way to keep them ornery boys out of my skirt.” Sadie wrapped her arm around Sid’s waist and marched toward Cyrus’s office. She spoke to the secretary. “Tell Cyrus that Sidney Smoke is here, Louise.”
The young secretary typed a message into her computer.
“They text everything now,” Sadie said. “They have to document everything. Ain’t that sad.”
“What happened to Jane?”
“She dropped dead of a heart attack a few weeks ago. The entire department went nuts. It’s a shame, but I told everyone that’s what happens when you get a full moon.” Sadie looked at Sid and said, “Speaking of moons, your eyes are as big as them. What’s wrong?”
Sid swallowed the lump in her throat. Jane was a clone. I never would have suspected. Not certain if Sadie was privy to everything going on with the Drake, Sid replied, “I’m just shocked is all.”
“Life is chock full of surprises.”
“You can go in now, Mrs. Smoke,” Louise said.
“Don’t leave without saying goodbye, hun.” Sadie hugged Sid again.
Sid entered Cyrus’s office. Cyrus and Rebecca Lang were waiting.
CHAPTER 19
Rebecca, an attractive, scholarly, petite woman, threw her arms around Sid. “Sidney! I’m so glad you decided to come by. I’ve been meaning to thank you.”
Sid peeled the wiry woman’s arms off her. “You’re welcome.” Looking serious, Cyrus started in with a courtesy hug, but Sid stopped him. “I’ve had plenty of hugs today. Save it for some other time.”
“Please have a seat then.” Cyrus took his spot behind his desk.
Rebecca sat across from Sid. She was glowing. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No thanks.”
Rebecca seemed more like the person Sid originally met. She was eager but not overly enthusiastic. The blonde’s behavior was in stark contrast to the monster she’d become shortly after that. Sid had tussled with her several times in Cyrus’s office. Without that tension, the atmosphere was downright weird.
“So what’s going on with the Black Slate, Cyrus? I haven’t heard a peep about any of it. Aren’t there any new assignments?”
“The silence is deafening, isn’t it?” Cyrus put his glasses on and pecked on his keyboard. “Sorry, I needed to respond to that.” He pushed himself away from his desk. “Anyway, since the collapse at the clone factory, the Black Slate list hasn’t been mentioned at all. The Drake investigations are suspended. But don’t come up out of your seat, Sid. You saw the news. Government agencies have gone nuts. The cleanup and damage control have been a scramble. We just got our feet back under us a few days ago. I have to say, I’m relieved. I”—he looked over at Rebecca—“we could use a break. Honestly, I don’t even want to hear the name
Black Slate. As far as I’m concerned, you stopped the clones. They’re defeated.”
“You know this isn’t over yet. The clones were only one layer of the Drake’s power. The Drake is still out there.” Sid’s fingers dug into the arms of her chair. “Besides, I didn’t come here for a new assignment, I came for help. They have Smoke, Cyrus. I need to find him. I need something to go on.”
Cyrus’s eyes slid over to Rebecca’s and back to Sid’s. “Sid, since this last debacle, I’ve got eyes all over me. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if there were bugs in this office.”
Sitting on the edge of her chair, Rebecca said, “We’ve checked, but we’ve been really discreet about it. What are you supposed to do if you find them? You can’t remove them.”
Sid picked up a sticky note and pen from Cyrus’s desk and started writing while at the same time saying, “So who do you think is keeping tabs on you, the FBI or the NSA?” Sid held the note up for both of them to see. It read, “Write it down, dumbasses!”
“Oh, it could be either one, I suppose,” Rebecca said with a nod. “But you must believe us, Sid. We don’t have anything new.”
“As a matter of fact, Sid, chances are we’re going to be given a new assignment. It looks like I’m going to be relocated. This happens, especially after administrative changes or big shakeups. They like to clean house.”
“I know how it works.”
“I have to be honest with you, Sid, I’m glad to be free of it. Rebecca and I have another chance. A new start.” His chair groaned when he leaned forward and back again. He rested his elbows on the desk. “Maybe you should make a break for it too. And don’t get me wrong, Smoke earned my respect as much as any man could, but if he’s gone, he’s gone.”
Sid’s eyes narrowed. “It’s only been a few weeks, Cyrus. I came to ask for help. All you’re giving me is a song and dance. I don’t appreciate it. Not after all that we’ve been through.”
The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files: Special Edition Fantasy Bundle, Books 6 thru 10 (Smoke Special Edition Book 2) Page 44