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Fangs of Vengeance (Fang and Flame Book 1)

Page 23

by Aaron Henley


  It’s almost like they’re expecting trouble Steve. I wonder where they could have gotten that idea? Boy, when you screw up, you never it do by halves do you?

  Just keep your ears on a swivel buddy. We can’t risk shifting until Lexi kills the cameras. We’re just damn lucky she had when we broke in last time.

  You keep that gnome lady safe Steve.

  No question. You think I want Bob after me a second time?

  Him? You should be worried what I’ll do to you.

  They waited for a few more minutes as the patrol passed, oblivious to the bikers waiting below.

  Kurt whispered a soft, “Clear. Go.” and Bob and Lexi crawled on their bellies to the first fence. Bob took the bolt cutters out of his pack and quickly snipped a hole wide and tall enough for him to crouch through. He pulled the broken fencing away and handed the cutters to Lexi. She had to be the one for the interior fence as there wasn’t enough room for anyone else to be able to use the cutters effectively. She finished the last cut and backed out of the fencing to let Bob pull the second hole free. As soon as he backed out of the hole, both he and Lexi were crawling back to the ditch while Kurt and Ayla raced past them into the yard.

  Lexi whispered over to Steve. “Hit the toggle on the left side.” Steve did so and a corner of his helmet’s visor filled with an image of him looking at himself with the text “LEXI” in yellow at the top. “I set up the default to be my camera. The whole team’s rigged in case of trouble. Those buttons next to the toggle flip through the cameras. If you want a good show, I’d switch to Kurt or Ayla’s. Also give your thermal vision a shot too. Wish I’d brought some popcorn to this movie.”

  Steve first turned the camera to Ayla’s. He guessed she was crouched as the angle of the pipes next to her was slanted and too far above her. He turned on the thermal imaging and the whole world was bathed in shades from blue and green to orange, red and white. He was able to see two bodies separate and move around the perimeter while the rest remained either in pairs or singles.

  Got to be Kurt and Ayla.

  “Lexi, where’d you come up with all this?”

  “Got the idea from a movie. Only thing missing is the cloaking screen. I’ve tried a few prototypes but---it got messy. I was cleaning out apple fragments from the garage for days.”

  “How’d did you afford all this?”

  “Kurt paid for it. That’s all I know. We could always use another source of income though.”

  “I know a very rich mother-in-law who would gladly help stop stuff like this from happening. Pretty sure the sky’s the limit with her.”

  Lexi was silent for a moment then said, “How does Becca feel about polygamous marriages?”

  “Patrol,” Bob whispered and everyone shut up instantly the humor gone. The men walked straight ahead, their heads never turning.

  Guess you walk the same route long enough you stop paying attention.

  Rick licked his chops. I almost feel sorry for these guys. They’re going to wake up with one hell of a headache.

  “Clear,” Bob said again.

  When Steve looked back at the yard, quite a bit had changed. The searchlights were still moving but the men next to them were lying face down arms and legs crossed. The zip ties didn’t show up on the imaging but Steve knew they were there. Once the lookouts were dealt with, Kurt and Ayla blitzed through the single patrollers like a scythe through wheat. Steve was amazed at the sheer speed and ferocity they used to knock the helpless guards unconscious. All that was left were three pairs of guards mulling around the yard. Kurt and Ayla met up with each other and headed for the first pair. It was almost like a dance the way they ambushed the guards. They moved in tandem, movements perfectly synchronized as they assaulted the two ignorant guards. Once they finished, they moved on to the two final pairs. The whole assault took maybe five minutes.

  Kurt’s voice came over the com. “All clear. Move your asses. Lexi, there’s a key card lock now. Time to work your magic.”

  The gang met up with Kurt and Ayla. Steve, Mark, and Michelle kept a lookout while Bob and Lexi ran up to the locked door. He laid the pack on the ground and she pulled out a tablet computer with a long cord sticking out of the end. Attached to the other end of the cord was a thin strip of plastic with a magnetic strip on it. She shoved the card-like device into the slot and started typing on the tablet.

  Steve glanced behind to see what was happening but a glare from Kurt had him return to his lookout duties. Soon, he heard a buzz followed by a click. “Got it,” Lexi whispered. Ayla yanked the door immediately while Lexi pulled out the card and shoved the lockbreaker back into her bag. Bob threw it over his shoulder and everyone slowly crept inside.

  There were a few more guards at various points throughout the office but they were easily subdued, tied, and gagged. They made their way through the garage without any problems and crossed it to the hallway where the server room waited. A guard station had been installed and there were a lot more heavily armed goons this time. Ayla reached to a shoulder holster and pulled out an odd looking gun. Steve held his breath. He knew they might have to kill but it didn’t mean he liked doing it. He watched her swing the gun through a long arc and repeat the motion once more. She set her stance and nodded. Kurt nodded the go ahead and she went through the arc once more, only this time firing as she went.

  Tiny darts flew down the hallway, each one finding a target. In a moment, every guard dropped to the floor.

  “That’s my girl,” Kurt whispered over the com. “Let’s move.” As they passed the prone guards, Steve could see them still breathing.

  Tranquilizer darts. Shouldn’t have doubted them.

  No. You shouldn’t have. Rex admonished him. Think we will need to have a talk on these trust issues of yours later.

  Bob and Lexi approached the server door while everyone else waited in the corridor. She hacked the key card lock and Bob rushed inside. There were some shouts and the sound of something being knocked over. Bob came back out and said, “Clear.” Lexi rushed in to hack into the mainframe and get the data they needed to stop the traffickers. The next ten minutes had Steve sweating. He thought of all the possible ways the whole plan could go wrong, including having another errant werewolf put his snout where it didn’t belong. He could hear the twins rustling behind him as the stress started to get to them too.

  Only Kurt and Ayla’s stoic gazes and presence gave him any sense of calm. The minutes ticked by and still no word. Steve thought about switching on his tac-cam again but it would only show Lexi working at a computer with tons of gibberish he didn’t understand flashing across the monitor. He settled in and took a few steadying breaths.

  Later that week, or so it seemed to him, he heard Lexi over the com. “Mission accomplished. Let’s get the hell out of here!”

  Bob and Lexi walked past the twins who would bring up the rear guard and everyone started moving back through the garage. They were just halfway through the darkened room when light suddenly filled the room and they were surrounded by armed guards.

  Everyone instantly dived behind the closest cover they could find. They heard steps on the concrete approach them as a male voice called out. “I’m impressed. I certainly never expected you to get this far. The way you took down my men was really a work of art. Something I certainly wouldn’t expect from a bunch of thugs riding around on little two-wheelers. As such, I’m giving you one chance to surrender. After that, I’m afraid you will all be shot in “self-defense”. You have sixty seconds to decide.” The man’s footsteps faded slightly as he moved back from them.

  “What do we do boss,” Mark asked. “They’ve got us pinned down but good. We stick our noses out and they’re coming back bloody.”

  “Michelle, up above, see that cabling,” Kurt asked her.

  “Yeah boss. What about it?”

  “It stretches over where a good portion of those troops are. Think you could cut it and drop it on them?”

  “Yeah. I can. We’re going a
ll-out then?”

  “No choice. Lexi, you disable the cameras from the server room?”

  “No boss. They moved it to another room. We’re on live TV. You sure about this?’

  “It’ll make an interesting story for the survivors. Cub, don’t hold back. You shift and start tearing into the closest group you can. You and I may make it but if anything happens to the crew, you won’t live long enough to make it to the chapel.”

  “Got it boss.” Steve took off his jacket and helmet and Bob stuffed them in the bag.

  “Ayla, Mark, covering fire. Bob, you see an opening, you get Lexi out. Don’t wait for us. No one be a hero and the beer’s on me when we get back home. Ready?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Do it Michelle!”

  The dwarven woman began mumbling softly while a glow appeared at two ends of the large cabling above the guards. She clapped her hands together and a large section came tumbling down with a large crash. A few guards were completely buried while the rest were scattered trying to get out of the way. Ayla and Mark leaned out from the tool chests they were hiding behind and began firing. Simultaneously, Kurt and Steve shifted and barrelled into the guards the cabling had missed. It was sheer chaos as bodies were tossed around the garage, leaving ribbons of blood in their wake. Mark and Ayla kept the guards from finding a new position with their fire. They just had to keep the guards put until the wolves got to them. Steve had just cleared a space by tossing a helpless guard into a group of his fellows giving the orc the opening he needed. Bob grabbed Lexi like a football and took off running as fast as he could for the exit.

  The guards finally got themselves in some sort of order and returned fire. Mark and Ayla ducked back behind cover as bullets impacted the heavy metal chests. Kurt roared and leaped into the fire, taking it straight to his body. Large chunks of flesh were torn from him but he didn’t stop. He reached the guards and all they could do was scream. Steve worked his way around, picking off the stragglers. Blood and ichor dripped from his claws and muzzle. He finally realized what Kurt had meant about him not having been a true werewolf. He was having no trouble tearing through the men like a buzzsaw. It was horrifying, it was gruesome, and it was exhilarating.

  Only a few minutes passed and the battle was over. The moans of the wounded and dying filled the garage. Kurt yelled out, “Everyone move! Now!” The gang raced out of the depot passing still unconscious guards. Kurt picked up a heavy piece of machinery and threw it at the damaged section of fencing. It tore through the weakened steel and crashed a dozen yards away. They ran into the forest and headed for their bikes.

  Bob and Lexi were already there waiting. They were on their bike with the engine purring. The rest of the Dragon’s Bane mounted their bikes and tore off into the night leaving the depot far behind.

  ***

  Lilith answered the phone on the first ring. “Phase 1 complete. Phase 2 will begin in three days. Any adjustments my lady?”

  “Just one Edward. I plan to leave a little message for these thugs. Here’s what I want you to do.”

  Chapter 32

  The ride back went surprisingly smoothly. Everyone kept looking over their shoulders expecting a fleet of police vehicles or armored vehicles in pursuit; but, nothing came. They tried to figure out just how they had been ambushed as they rode back. Lexi thought that she must have tripped a silent alarm or something when she hacked the doorways or the mainframe. Either way, they had gotten what they came for and no one was seriously wounded. Mark would tend to Kurt once they got back home.

  The riders arrived at the Howling Moon to see Kiera and Becca waiting for them. As soon as they parked the bikes, Becca and Steve ran to embrace each other. They kissed again fiercely as everyone started heading inside the tavern. They walked inside, hand in claw, as everyone gathered around the bar. Michelle started filling mugs and passed them around.

  “Did we get what we need Lexi?” Kurt asked after taking a large swallow of beer.

  “I think so. It’ll take the rest of the night and most of tomorrow to decrypt it though. Afterwards, I could use some help going through all of it.”

  “Soon as you can Lexi. After that, everyone helps. We don’t know when the next transport is and we’re on the clock.” Kurt looked around the group and everyone, including Becca and Kiera, nodded their heads. “Good job people. Proud of all of you. Now if you’ll excuse me and Mark, the rest of you finish your beer and get some rest. Come on Mark, better bring the tweezers too.” The dwarf nodded and the two men walked into Kurt’s office. Ayla finished her beer and followed them, closing the office door behind her. That seemed to be the unspoken signal to break up as everyone else finished their drinks and went upstairs. Becca whispered something to her mother, who nodded and was the last to follow, leaving Becca and Steve the only ones in the semi-lit tavern.

  “Hell of a day Red. I hope we can help those girls. It may not be much but it feels good. I feel like I fixed my mistake now.” He took another sip of beer. “When I left home to find you, I never expected anything like this. To be honest, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Sure, I acted all tough but it was just a front. I felt like I had to do something to avenge you. I was just a dumb, stupid cub with delusions of grandeur.” He ran one hand over her scaly arm. “Then you came back from the dead. My heart soared Becca. Rex was practically doing backflips, he was so happy.”

  “Really Rex?”

  Steve’s eyes glowed amber. “Yep. Front flips too.” Becca laughed as the glow faded from Steve’s eyes.

  “That’s going to make an interesting parlor trick baby. Just warn me if he wants to come out when we’re alone okay?”

  “We are---oh. You mean alone alone.”

  “Catches on quick doesn’t he Rex?” She expected him to acknowledge her joke but instead there was nothing. “Rex?”

  “Sorry Red. Just me. He’s still in shock that you’re even contemplating having sex with him. He loves you just as much I do you know.”

  “He should silly. He is you. It’s only fair that I sleep with all of my man on occasion. Just no wolf right now. I’m still adjusting to being a dragon before we start adding shifting to the bedroom.”

  “We are definitely going to need a stronger bedframe when that happens. Probably going to need a bigger bedroom too with those wings of yours. Kiera’s filled your entire dining room.”

  “Mom says I should be just about done with the transformation. Dragonspawn don’t get as large as full-blooded dragons and we don’t turn into a full dragon either. It’ll be a while before Mom does. She thinks a year or more before she can.”

  “Looking forward to that anniversary party, especially when your cousin Willis starts in on his medical history. We finally have something we can use to shut him up once and for all.”

  Both the young lovers laughed. “Becca,” Steve began. “I’ll admit that when things got hairy back at the depot., I was scared. Not for myself or the gang though. I knew they could handle themselves. I was scared about you. That if something happened to me, I don’t know. I just---” Becca pressed a claw to his lips and silenced him. She leaned down and they kissed once more. Steve responded and pulled her even closer, tilting his head to take in more of her mouth. A few moments passed and, suddenly, the kiss broke. It wasn’t because the two lovers needed a breath but that Becca’s head suddenly wasn’t there anymore. Both of them blinked in surprise as Steve looked down at the now entirely human Becca. She looked up back at him, tears in her eyes and they embraced once more, both laughing and enjoying the moment. Becca shivered just then and took a step back from Steve. He looked down to make sure she was okay and a shock of surprise shot through him. Becca’s coverings had fallen down to her feet and she was completely naked. They both realized it at the same time and Steve hurriedly turned around while Becca grabbed the fabric to cover herself.

  “Sorry Becca. I didn’t mean to.”

  “It’s okay Steve, it’s okay. It was an accident after all. It just fe
els so good to be me again. Wait a second, don’t turn around.” Steve waited for a couple minutes. “Ha! I can shift at will now and the necklace still stays on. Mom was right!”

  “I’m glad Becca. Um...I’ll go get your mom to bring you some clothes okay? I’ll be right back.” He hurried out of the tavern before what he really wanted to do took him down a path they’d never come back from. As he raced upstairs, Becca leaned against the bar holding the tattered fabric to her chest.

  “Damn. I almost had him. Oh well, it’s only a matter of time before the wedding now. I guess I can wait. Just not too long.” She leaned against the bar and waited for her mother.

  ***

  The following morning, Lexi’s terminal beeped. She leapt into the chair in front of it and started combing through the data. She ran searches through tracking records and shipping manifests, looking for commonalities in the data. She had narrowed the work considerably but there was still a lot of paperwork to go through and a lot of willing eyes to do it. She hit the print button and the printer next to her began churning out pages.

  The gang spent the rest of the day pouring through the pages as Lexi continued bringing them more stacks of paper. It seemed an never-ending search until, later that evening, Kiera spoke up. “Ayla, do you still have that pile of manifests from Mexico?”

  “Right over here. Find something?”

  “How many of them are for Harry’s Fish Market in Toronto, Canada?”

  Ayla spent the next ten minutes sorting through the stack, pulling out the invoices. “Almost a third. Wait a minute.” She started reading the invoices. “These are all for industrial fryers. In fact, every invoice is for industrial fryers. Now that’s a bit odd for a pharmaceutical company isn’t it?”

  “Indeed, all these invoices,” Kiera pointed to the stack next to her, “are for Happy Bandito Tacos in Cancun, Mexico. Guess what they ship out?”

  “Industrial fryers.”

  “Bingo. The dates on some of these correspond to the timeframe of the two trucks that had girls in them. According to this latest invoice, there’s a delivery scheduled from Mexico to Canada in two days. I think we better tell Lexi to see if she can’t pull the route. I think we just hit paydirt.”

 

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