Conner had taken a shower as well, and his hair was still wet. Sarah stepped behind him and ran her fingers through his hair, creating a faux hawk. She flashed Harper and Brittney a thumbs-up, as Conner tried to get his hair to lay flat again.
"Funny," he said. "Real funny."
"Oh, come on," Sarah said. "You looked good like that."
Conner frowned.
"Well, you did. Right, Harper?"
"Right," Harper said.
"See? You're outnumbered," Sarah said. She tried to do it again, but Conner slapped her hands away.
"I'm not thirteen," he said. "What, would you like me to put on some eyeliner as well?"
Sarah shrugged. "I'm not against it."
Harper and Brittney howled with laughter. Alec came out of the bedroom, looking groggy. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Conner growled. The others stopped laughing, and they all sat down again.
"We have to leave soon," Alec said. "It's getting late. We don't want you guys to miss your date, after all."
Sarah suddenly blinked, and stood up straight. "Wait, how long do we have?"
Alec checked the clock. "About three hours," he said. "But I figured we'd get there first, scope the place out, and figure out where we'll be lying in wait for the signal from Harper and Brittney."
"What if they see you?" Harper asked.
"Alec can hide well enough and I'll transform," Conner said. "They have so many demons working for them, that they'd just assume I'm part of them. Alec's right, though, if we're going to find a good spot, we should get going. We want to have the upper hand, after all."
"You do that. But there's something else I need you to do first. We have time, I think. Just enough time." Sarah said. "Oh, also... I'm going with the girls."
"What?"
"Trust me on this," she said. She suddenly smiled. "I too can have a plan."
FOURTEEN
Brittney stared at Sarah. "Come on, we're running out of time. We only have twenty minutes to get the meeting spot."
"I'm almost done," Sarah said.
She bent down and put on her shoes. They were tall pumps with zippers up the side. She transformed into her wolf form, and then switched back to human. She glanced down at her left shoe, knelt down, checked something, fiddled for another moment, and then went through the shape-shifting process again. This time, she seemed satisfied. There we go, she said to herself.
"Alright, come on," Harper said. "We're going to have to take my car. We don't have time to go get one from the precinct lot."
Both of them nodded and hopped in Harper's beaten up, old car. Harper sped on the way there, knowing that if they got pulled over, they could just flash their FBI badges that were in the glove compartment. Nobody stopped them, though, and they were soon parked where they'd been the first time they'd met Trinity.
A few minutes after they'd arrived, they saw headlights from another car. Sarah quickly morphed into her wolf form, and they waited for the car to stop. Zach and Sean got out. The girls got out too, moving forward to shake their hands. "It's good to see you again, Tricia. Megan. And what's that with you?"
"A present for John," Brittney said. "Don't worry, she's house-trained."
"You brought him a wolf?"
"He said to bring back something interesting," Brittney said. "But don't worry, that's not all we brought." She held up a large bag, which had one of the paintings stored inside. "Now, are we going to go see him, or are we going to chat all night? Not that I mind chatting with you boys, but I think your boss will really appreciate what we brought him."
Sean nodded. "Let's get inside then."
"Wait," Zach said. "We have to pat them down first. Make sure they're not carrying. If we forget that, the boss isn't going to be too happy with us."
"Right," Sean said. He stepped over to Brittney and began patting her down. Zach did the same to Harper. Both of them bore it in silence, though Harper did tip Zach a wink afterward. He grinned at her.
When they opened the door, they saw John waiting for them.
"You came back," he said to Brittney and Harper. "How delightful. I had my doubts that you would show up again."
"We keep our promises," Harper said.
"I can see that," he said. "And what is that beautiful creature with you?"
"A present for you," Brittney said. "She's a wolf."
"I can tell that," John said. "Is she trained?"
Both Brittney and Harper nodded.
"How delightful," he said. He bent down and pet Sarah. She allowed this without so much as a growl. In fact, she licked his hand when he got close to her snout. Sean stepped forward to pet her as well, and Sarah growled at him, moving protectively close to John. "Oh, look," John said, "I don't think he likes you, Sean. Come ladies, let's go inside and see what else you brought me."
They followed John further into the warehouse and into his office. Sarah stopped outside of it, and laid down. When the door shut behind them, she hopped up and began prowling around the room.
"So, you've decided you want to work with me," John said. "I told you that if you brought me something worth my time, that I would consider it. The wolf is a nice gesture. What else have you brought?"
Brittney set the bag she was holding down on the table, and pulled out one of the paintings that had been missing. It was a beautiful rendition of a street in Rome.
John let out a low whistle. "I've heard of this. This is one of those stolen pieces. It's worth at least four million on the black market."
Harper nodded.
"What's to stop me from killing you and taking this for myself?" John asked.
"Because," Harper said, "our associates -- you remember them, right? -- they wouldn't bring you the others. If you've seen this on the news, you know it's not the only one missing, and you know it's worth the least amount."
"So you're the art thieves," John said. "You must be very talented. They say the doors were locked from the inside, and that nothing was caught on tape. Nobody can explain it. It's a mystery even to me. How did you do it?"
Brittney shook her head. "We don't reveal information like that to just anyone," she said. "You have to give us something we want first."
"Which is what?"
Brittney smiled. "Why don't we take a walk through your little establishment here?"
John looked at her hard, and then consented with a nod. He opened the door and led them back out. They walked around, exploring the workshop. There were less thugs than the last time they were there, but there were still at least thirty demons lurking around the place.
"Now," he said, "about those other paintings..."
"You're a human, aren't you?" Brittney asked.
John raised a brow at her. "Excuse me?"
"It's just that you're woefully ignorant about the supernatural side of things," Brittney said. She nodded at Harper, who went to the front door.
"What are you doing?" John demanded.
"I'm calling in our associates," Harper said. "Unless you'd rather not have the rest of those paintings?"
John turned back to Brittney. "What are you talking about? Supernatural?"
"See, I know you're human, because you don't have the Sight," Brittney said. "Unlike my partner, who can see everyone in here for what they really are. Including that wolf we brought in."
John unholstered his gun and aimed it at Brittney. "What are you saying?"
Harper stood at the door, trying to think of a way to signal the men. "Ileana," she called out. "Help me!"
Suddenly, it was like she was two people at once; she was Harper, but she was also Ileana, and her powers were magnified. She closed her eyes, and sent all of her and Ileana's mental energy outward. She didn't know if it would work until she saw Alec and Conner running forward from their hiding place.
"Put down your gun," Brittney said. "Don't worry, you're going to live through this."
"This... what?" John said. He didn't drop his gun, but Brittney seemed unfazed.
She turned to Sarah. "You can transform now," she said.
John turned his gun to Sarah, who transformed back into her human self. She bent down and touched the bottom of her pump. It snapped open, revealing a hidden compartment in the heel. She took a remote out of it. "Our associates have been lining the walls of this place with explosives," she said. "Funny thing, when your men saw them, they just saw more demons. Didn't bother questioning them at all. You really should think about your security."
"Put it down," John said. He pulled back the hammer on his gun. Brittney casually walked over to the office room, and grabbed the painting she'd brought. The demons were all staring at them, waiting for John to tell them what to do.
"You have about thirty seconds to get out of the building," Sarah said. She pushed the button on the remote. "Do you really want to waste that time pointing your gun at me?"
John turned and ran for the exit, and Brittney, Harper, and Sarah were right on his heels. They made it outside just in time. They were all pushed to the ground as the building exploded behind them. Harper felt her arm and leg get scratched up as she landed on them, but she ignored the pain for now. It was nothing compared to when she'd got shot.
She glanced at Brittney and Sarah, and saw that they too were alright, if a little bruised and scratched. She let out a sigh of relief.
Some of the demons had escaped when they saw them running towards the door, and Alec and Conner went after them. Sarah rushed over to help them, transforming into her panther form on the run. Brittney and Harper both knelt down beside John, who'd hit his head when he'd been blown off his feet.
He sat up groggily, and asked, "Who are you people?"
"A better question would be, what do you want?" Brittney said. "And I can tell you exactly what that is."
"What?"
"You're going to go turn yourself in," Brittney said. "You're going to keep these paintings with you, and when the police get here, you'll tell them you were the one who stole them. You're going to go to prison."
"You've got to be joking," John said.
"It's that or we go tell your boss exactly how you let a shape-shifter walk into your warehouse. Not to mention that you let two unknown demons put up explosives around your warehouse. You really thought your little crew were the only demons hiding in this city?"
John shook his head. "But if you're all supernatural," he said. "Then why would you do this? We're on the same side!"
"No," Harper said. "That's where you're wrong. We're not on the same side. See, you? You're the bad guys. Which, I suppose makes us the good guys. So it's your choice. You can face prison time for the art robberies or we can go to your boss and tell him how we took down an entire wing of Trinity just because his lieutenant wasn't paying enough attention."
"I'm not doing that," John said.
Alec and Conner returned with Sarah on their heels. All of them were dirty, bleeding, and grinning. Conner and Alec bumped knuckles, and then Conner ruffled Sarah's fur.
"Fine," Harper said. "Alec, change him. Let him join the undead."
Alec stepped forward, his eyes completely black and his fangs glinting in the moonlight. "Gladly."
"No!" John said. "No! Okay, you win. I'll tell them I did it. Just don't turn me. I don't want to be a vampire."
"Good boy," Brittney said. "I knew you'd come to that conclusion. Now. Where are Sean and Zach? Were they still in the building when it exploded?"
Alec shook his head. "No. They fled with the others. We caught all of the demons, but we let the boys go. Clearly, they don't know what they'd gotten themselves into. They'd never even realized they were hanging out with a bunch of demons. When they saw me, they freaked out, and begged for a second chance."
"And you let them have it?" Harper asked.
"Well, they were pretty cute," Sarah said, as she morphed into her human form. "I have little doubt that they'll go back to Trinity with this, but that's on their heads. If they want to risk angering the boss, then that's their decision. Personally, if I were them, I'd get as far away as I could. Now... ladies, I think you have some work to do."
Conner tossed Harper a pair of handcuffs. She put them on John and led him back to their car. Brittney followed, still holding the painting in her arms. It looked no worse for the wear, luckily. Harper had wondered if it would be damaged in the explosion, but it was a risk they'd decided to take. They had all the other paintings, after all. Still, it would have been a shame to see something of such beauty get destroyed.
Sarah, Conner, and Alec got into Conner's car and drove off. Brittney sat John on the curb as Harper fetched the handguns and badges from the car.
"Who are you people?" John asked again.
"We're Afterlife," Brittney said. "And I want you to really remember that name, John. Because I have no doubt you'll be getting out soon. Men like you rarely end up taking the fall, even if you do admit to stealing these paintings. So when you get out, I want you to go to your boss and tell him that the city is ours. Trinity can survive, but only if it stays out of our way. Understood?
"Yes," John said. "Not like I have a choice, right?"
"Right."
Harper handed Brittney her gun and badge, and they both slipped the badges on over their heads. A few seconds later, several police cars and a fire truck sped down the street towards them.
After the officers talked with Brittney and Harper, they ushered John into a police car. The two followed behind the car down to the station. Alongside the officers, they walked John in through the door.
Ryan Moore was waiting over at his desk. When he saw them, he leaped to his feet and came over, followed by two other policemen, both with their guns out.
"What'd you do?" Ryan demanded. He turned to the men. "Get him in a questioning room."
"We took down one of Trinity's branches," Brittney said. "We got you one of the leader's top men. Oh, and we retrieved the stolen paintings from the museums. Looks like John there had them."
"How'd you do all this?" Ryan asked, flabbergasted.
"We have our ways," Harper said. "We'll come in tomorrow and give you a statement for your report. For now, we just want to go home and sleep. Fair enough?"
"Fair enough," Ryan said. He shook each of their hands, and then shook his head. "I have to go get his statement. I'll look for you tomorrow. You have no idea what you've done."
"Oh, we do," Harper said. "Trust me on that. We know exactly what we've done."
Ryan stared at them for a moment, as if he'd never seen anyone like them before. "Alright," he finally said. "Go home, get some rest. You deserve it."
Brittney and Harper both nodded. They let themselves out of the police station and drove back to their house. Everyone had reconvened there.
"That was awesome," Conner said. "I mean, we got to blow a place up, and I got to kill demons. It's been a good night."
"It's not over yet," Brittney said.
"What?"
"We're going after Chloe," she said. "Right now."
With the look on her face, nobody wanted to argue with her. They all got back in their cars, not even bothering to change or wash up. They drove over to Nick's house, and Brittney pushed forward, pounding on the door. Nick answered.
"What? You guys again?"
"Let her go, Nick," Brittney said. "You said that you love her, so let her go. What you're doing is wrong, and I think you know that."
Nick frowned. "No, she loves me. She told me so."
"None of that magic you've been given can create real love," Harper said softly. "You have to let her go, Nick."
Chloe stepped up behind him. "I don't want to be let go," she said. "I'm happy here. I'm happy with Nick. You guys can all leave. We'll deal with you soon."
"You made a deal with a demon," Conner said to Nick. "I know what it's like to want someone so badly that you'll do anything to have them. I'm an incubus. I've been there. I've taken women because I could, because I wanted them, without thought to what they wanted. But it's h
ollow, Nick. It's not real. Chloe is in love with Brittney, not you, and every moment you keep her here is another moment where you're robbing her of her life. Is that what you want for her?"
"I don't have a choice!" Nick said. "He'll take my soul if I don't kill you guys! It's not just about Chloe anymore. I don't have a choice!"
"That's why you don't make deals with demons," Alec said. "Who is it?"
"Akain."
"We'll pay him a visit," Alec said. "Get in the car and follow us."
"But why should I?" Nick said.
"Because if you don't, we're going to have to kill you," Alec said. "And trust me, you don't want that. Now, I know deep inside, you're a good man who made a bad decision. But there's time to rectify that -- if you come with us."
Nick glanced back at Chloe. He lowered his eyes to the ground.
"You're right," he said. "She doesn't love me. She thinks she does, but sometimes I see this look on her face... she knows she doesn't belong here, somewhere inside. She's been fighting it, but she's losing. I don't want her to be like this."
Chloe frowned, and touched Nick's arm. "You said that we belong together."
"I was wrong," Nick said. He put a hand on Chloe's arm. "I've loved you since the first moment I met you, but this isn't the way, Chloe. I just wanted you to notice me, that's all." He turned to the others. "None of you even remember my name. I've worked at your nightclub for a long time, and you still don't remember my name."
"We do," Harper said softly. "You're Nick."
He nodded and turned back to Chloe again. "We don't belong together," he said. "I'm sorry, Chloe, but it's over. You belong with her." He shoved her gently towards Brittney.
Chloe blinked, and her eyes seemed to clear. Then she ran forward and threw herself in Brittney's arms. The two of them held each other for a moment, staring into each others' eyes. Then they kissed. Nick looked away, his expression one of hurt and remorse.
"I'm sorry, Chloe," he said again. "I shouldn't have done that to you."
Chloe turned back to Nick. "I forgive you," she said.
"You do?"
"We ignored you," Chloe said. "We're so wrapped up in our little world that we forget there are others out there. We didn't treat you fairly. Can you forgive us?"
Kinda Like Van Helsing (Afterlife Book 4) Page 13