by Erin R Flynn
“And she’s having drinks with our Alpha Friday night and he’s going to ask a personal favor that in no way has any infringement in regards to her job. It’s not even a parking ticket.” He glanced at me with worried eyes. “Please don’t make me tell you. Alpha Stud will be pissed.”
“Please don’t tell him how badly we screwed up, either, Alpha. We just got this gig, and it’s way better than washing dishes at the casino,” the second one begged, dropping to his knee with his head bowed. “It pays more and I’m going to school.”
“I think you’re going to make the kiddies cry, Chief Thomas,” Robinson called over. I kinda agreed.
“Fine, as your punishment, my Betas have an errand to run for a friend back home. You hook them up with whatever they need and, I don’t know, take them to the best strip club you guys have here for lunch while I’m working, and I promise, I won’t rat you out.”
“You’re sending us to a strip club?” Hagan asked, half amused, half worried like he thought he was being tested.
“Fine, go shopping and get too many souvenirs for the boys. I don’t care. Just drive them wherever.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be in charge,” Simone assured me, moving closer and kissing my cheek. “Go with the nice G-men and remember to eat. We did on the flight.”
I nodded and headed back to my ride, stretching again as I got to them. “Feed me and I’ll let the lack of Chief greeting go without kicking your ass.” Robinson made the mistake of snorting. “Dude, I tried. I probably could have taken you before I was a wolf, but now…” I let my hand change to claws and twisted them around for him to see. “I think you’re out of your league.”
“Drive thru okay?” he asked as he opened the back door of his car for me.
Now we were getting somewhere. I agreed to the drive thru, as there really wasn’t many options on the way there since it was mostly expressway from the airport to the FBI office. Except they had a McDonalds like right there. So Micky D’s it was.
“Where do you put all of that?” Robinson asked as he passed back the bags.
“Shifter metabolism and last day of the full moon cycle. Read the reports we updated. If you ever have one in custody and don’t feed them like this, you’re basically starving them in an inhumane way.”
“Good to know.”
I found it rude to eat in people’s cars, especially because it’s a smackable offense in my own, so I waited until we were in the office and in the conference room I was going to use as my office while there. I plopped my butt down and dug in, smiling at them in between bites. “Hey, bring it on. I’m only here for a few days and I want to play in Vegas, so let’s get this show on the road and outline what specifically you guys want me to teach.”
“Okay, so how do we bring in a vampire that’s a suspect?” Robison asked, sitting down first and then Wu.
“You don’t. You call us or LA if it’s a paranormal case.”
“Right, but how do we contact this vampire council or whatever?”
“You don’t,” I repeated, glancing between them. “You contact one of the non-human FBI branches to take the case as soon as you know it’s not a human suspect or crime.”
“Sure, sure,” Wu agreed, taking over. “How would you test a witch’s potions? Say you get stuff off the street and you run it through the lab and it comes back as not drugs, but something. What do you do then?”
“I would smell it and be able to tell you a ton of shit about it, and if it was suspicious, have the witch in my department look at it or the all-powerful witch we have a relationship with that we know can be trusted,” I informed them, closing my empty Big Mac container and pulling out another one. “You would call LA or us because it’s way over your expertise to handle. So why don’t we cut the shit, guys?”
“What do you mean?” Robinson muttered, glancing at Wu.
“Hey, it’s like I don’t work for a fake FBI and I’m not a moron,” I drawled. “You said you wanted someone to come and talk to the office and do some Q&A about the updated guides we put out. Maybe a few questions on how we’re labeling the database with what we know. I don’t see the whole office here, but you guys asking specialized questions. So how about you hand over the case files and what you’ve got and I’ll be a lot less angry than if you keep insulting my intelligence.”
“Thomas, I don’t—”
“It’s Chief Thomas, Robinson, now get me the goddamn files and tell your boss I want a word,” I growled, narrowing my eyes at him. “Now.” They both stood, slowly, but they did it and left. I pulled out my phone and called Monroe.
“Vegas fun?”
“Oh, well, we work for the fake FBI, and I’m not giving a lecture, but in the conference room being asked some detailed questions by a couple of agents who think I’m pretty damn dumb.”
There was a slight pause, and then he started cussing. “They’re trying to solve preternatural cases on their own. Those fucking morons.”
“Oh yeah. Big time. Even when we used to be stupid in the regular office and not consult on normal cases with you guys to check, if we knew it was your rodeo, we handed it over. So far I know there’s a vampire they need to bring in for some reason because they asked how to contact the Vampire Council.”
“Jesus Christ. Are they just trying to get themselves killed?”
“And they’re asking how to find out about witch potions as if it’s a pH strip you can stick in it or a pregnancy test they can give it,” I informed him, glancing up when the door opened and a man I didn’t know walked in with Robinson and Wu. “Tell Davis she might be coming to Vegas if they have a witch problem. I think their boss just walked in. You want to talk to them?”
“Nope. You’re basically in charge. I’m trying to get a hub running, and Noah’s a big help with that, so thanks. Call me if he’s an asshole, but you know how to beat people when they don’t call you when it’s your jurisdiction. I will mention it upstairs, though, because this shit needs to stop.”
“Roger that.” I hung up and stood. “I don’t see any files in your hands, guys.”
“Chief Thomas, I’m Division Chief Hull. You were brought in to answer some questions and—”
“Let me stop you right there, Hull, because I’m a Division Chief too, so you can cut the sarcasm on my title,” I purred, folding my arms over my chest. “You didn’t bring me in as if you have that sort of power or authority. You guys have been requesting my office send someone to give Q&A on the guidelines we updated with more current information than a grade school preternatural biology book. I thought I was coming into something like when I taught at Quantico, not overly specialized questions like ‘how do I contact the Vampire Council?’”
“Which you haven’t answered.”
“Oh, I did. You just don’t like the answer. You don’t contact them. We do if needed. You’re not calling a fucking judge for a warrant, Hull. That’s not how this works. Calling the International Vampire Council is like calling the head of the European Union, but he might eat you if you piss him off. Believe me, I’ve played with them, and I nearly pissed myself. You guys wouldn’t sleep for a week.”
Hull actually rolled his eyes. “Right, because you’re such a badass that—”
I was around the table, had them all disarmed and handcuffed in chairs, partially shifted, and snarling in Hull’s face before any of them could react. “What were you going to say about me mockingly? I’m not trying to hurt your fucking pride even though you and yours have taken several shots at me. I’m trying to keep you idiots alive. Do you get it now, Hull?”
“I get it,” he whispered, his voice shaky. “I hear you.”
I took a deep breath and went back to human, rolling my neck. “Last day of the full moon makes me cranky. I wasn’t planning for crap from you guys, but a few easy days teaching and a much needed, long weekend off and some goddamn fun by a pool. Let me teach you how easy it can be if you let us help you, Hull.” He still didn’t look fully convinced, and I sighed, un
cuffing him and handing him back his gun. “Did you hear the main Chicago office apprehended Damon Marks?”
“Yeah, huge win for them,” he commented, raising an eyebrow. “You saying that was with your help?”
“Fuck, I found him and called Chief Havers in. Damn idiot requested a meeting with me to join my pack. I brought him in without a bullet fired or anyone hurt. We can do shit you guys can’t. So can the bad guys. Both Chicago offices work together pretty damn well.”
“Because you’re banging their Division Chief,” Robinson snickered.
“Seriously? I’m not going to uncuff you and test that potion out on you instead. That’s sexual harassment of a superior, you jackass.”
“So you’re not?” he pushed.
“No, I’m not. For one, I could seriously hurt him now that I’m a wolf. And secondly, well, we’re not friends, so none of your damn business. Now act just a bit professional, or the next thing you say to piss me off will get a formal write up because I am real FBI.”
Just to make my point, I unlocked Wu and waited until Robinson apologized and agreed to behave before letting him go and returning his weapon.
“And guys, keep in mind I’ve only been a wolf for a few months. I’ve seen vampires move that I couldn’t even keep up with now that I’m a wolf. Witches can capture gazes and work your mind. Doesn’t work on shifters. There’s a reason this shit is split up. So tell me what you got, and let’s not make this worse than I’m sure it already is.”
“You’re just going to take credit for it all,” Robinson bitched.
“We didn’t for the Damon Marks case. We got credit for the capture and assist. That’s all we want so we get the funding we desperately need. I could give a shit about glory. I just want cases solved and bad guys put away. Don’t you? Isn’t that more important than any of this other crap?”
I think that was what finally got through to them, which made me worry how bad what we were working with was. When they brought the stacks of files, I knew that my weekend wouldn’t have that much time for fun.
Fuck a duck.
9
“You have two choices, Hull, either your office pays to get my team down here and we help you clean some of this up and you swear on a stack of Bibles that next paranormal case you call us in on, or I bring my team down here and we take it all over and I start a shit storm of epic proportions,” I seethed after about ten minutes of flipping through files.
“You don’t have the authority to—”
“Yeah, yeah I do, and this one case alone gives it to me,” I interrupted, holding it up. “They asked me how to bring in a vampire or contact the Vampire Council, and I know why. This one, the kidnapping? Are you fucking joking?”
“What? She kidnapped her daughter,” Robinson argued, his eyes darkening. “We’re trying to get the girl back safe and—”
“Break several laws,” I snarled, my head aching. “Her ex-husband had her declared legally dead after her new boyfriend turned her into a vampire, which isn’t legally dead. Him doing that dissolved their custody agreement to which the wife had full custody, so now she has her daughter like normal and he’s calling it kidnapping. You should be arresting him and whoever got her declared legally dead! She’s hiding out with the Vegas Master so her daughter is protected, I promise you.”
“Look, however it happened, she no longer has custody and has the child so—” he started to argue.
“You know it’s not that simple. She had custody, and he broke the law to pull the rug out from under her. Did you see in here that he’s got domestic abuse charges against him? What if he hurt the kid those times too? Are you really so against vampires that you would rather return the kid to someone abusive?”
“No, but she’s a new vampire, and the girl could get hurt too,” he snapped.
“You can’t punish her in case she might commit a crime, Robinson. Besides, vampires practically spoil kids rotten because they can’t have them. If it’s anything like the vampires I know at home, the kid has a guard just in case someone young or new has a problem until they’re used to her. They’re not rabid zombies, for fuck’s sake. You go after your gold fish because you’re starving?”
“Point made, Thomas,” Hull sighed.
“Is it? Because you have stacks of these.” He nodded, and I backed down. “Fine, here’s what I’ll do. The cases we help you close but are in order, we’ll just take the assist, no transfer, whatever. The cases that are a mess, like this one, my division and office is taking over and expect your office’s full cooperation on and I’ll even give you the sound bite with us and the best spin I can that someone didn’t fuck up.”
“Can we borrow your plane to bring your people here?” he inquired.
And then it hit me. “You’re in trouble for having so many open cases without results, aren’t you? You were hoping you could ask me a few questions, I was from the fake FBI so I wouldn’t figure out they were real files, and you guys could handle them in no time, except it’s a mess and you can’t clean it up on your own. Am I close?”
“I think she’s from the real FBI, Chief, if she’s got that much figured out,” Wu chuckled, reaching over and handing me the bag of my food. “You didn’t finish eating, or do you want warm stuff now that it’s cold?”
“Why do you like me?”
“I like not being in trouble, and our office is in trouble for all the unsolved cases. I think we need a non-human team here just like we have an organized crime one. And you definitely aren’t the ‘full of hot air bitch that banged her boss to get her promotion when she got transferred to MNSTR because she fucked up and got cut’ like we heard.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more, Wu. And yes, cold fries suck. And that last one, wow, that, just, no words for that one.” Then I turned to Hull. “You buying fuel for my plane because you can use it then?” He nodded, and I got on the phone to call my people in. God, what a fucking mess.
Noah got me the number for the Vegas Master, and that was my first call.
“Hi, this is Chief Seraphine Thomas of the FBI looking for Levy Sosa.”
“May I ask what this is regarding, Chief Thomas?” the voice asked hesitantly.
“One of his coven being wrongfully accused of a crime and the Vegas office trying to get her to come in and file a report to fix the situation. I believe some wires got crossed and she fled thinking because of whatever reason, she was in trouble. She is not.”
“Truly? Wonderful, please hold.”
“Is this Chief Thomas also Alpha Seraphine Thomas?” a deep voice asked.
“Yes, Mr. Sosa, but this is a professional call for now. I’m here in Vegas helping on some cases, and this one came to my attention because at first the office didn’t have the full story and well, let’s be honest, it looks like Ms. Villegas’ ex-husband is a lying, abusive, law breaking sack of shit, to be blunt.”
“Indeed, he is at that. I was told our lovely local office hunted Ms. Villegas.”
“Mr. Sosa, if you’re anything like the vampires I know, you cherish children. Speaking from experience, nothing is more sacred to the FBI when there is any dispute of a child missing that the child be found. Normally if a taken child is not found within so many hours or a ransom is sent, the chances of them ever being found go down exponentially. So, in all honestly, the alarm was sounded that a child was reported missing and last seen with their mother. Once they’re found, everything is put into place.
“However, I understand Ms. Villegas’ side that someone declared her legally dead, and that loses her all rights until it’s fixed. If I believe what I think, Mr. Sosa, is in fact true, I wouldn’t take the chance the child would end up with him while things are fixed.”
“Then you understand the situation perfectly.”
“I do. But we’re also at a stalemate. We cannot move forward to help her until we see the child and Ms. Villegas gives us a statement and files a report of a crime. She does that, and there’s no reason to take her daughter fr
om her.”
“And you will be the one to do this, Chief Thomas?”
“Me or one of my team. There are several cases like this unfortunately. Please, Mr. Sosa, bring her in with the child, bring a lawyer if that makes her feel better and protected. You have my word that no one is trying to snowball her nor is this a trap. I will say that there is some concern of a child being with a brand new vampire, so someone from my office might talk to her without her mother around to check if the father’s concerns of that are valid, and I might check Ms. Villegas’ control, but that’s fair.”
“Yes, very. Alright, Chief Thomas, we will be there shortly. Thank you for your aid in this matter. It has all been very—stressful.”
“I’ll bet.” We said our goodbyes, and I slapped that folder in one pile and looked up at Robinson, waving my hand at him. “Bring me the potion or brews or whatever you got off the street. Which file is it?” They showed me, and I glanced it over as my wolf about howled when I smelled it. “My wolf doesn’t like it, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it.”
There were a few more, and none my wolf liked. I made my next call to Hagan. “Nina said her contact dealt in only raw materials, right?”
“Yeah, grows herbs and medicinal ingredients for potions. Her powers lie in the quality and output, but she had no affinity for spells. Why?”
“I’ve got several potions here that the local office has picked up from the street, and my wolf doesn’t like them, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad.”
“Your wolf might also not like them because it’s the last day of the full moon and everything is more sensitive.”
“Fair enough. The plane is being refueled to go back and pick up my team. Things got complicated here. Sorry, but I might not be putting on that bikini Alena packed for me.”
“How the fuck did you know Alena packed a bikini for you?”