Toni jumped when Clint cuffed her by the arm and dragged her to stand in front of her brother. “Do you see this?” he growled at Dominic. “This, right here, your baby sister…she is what you risk losing if you don’t keep yourself under control. And I swear to God, if she ends up with so much as a scratch on her arm because of you…I’ll put you down myself.”
Dom leaned forward, his nose only inches from Clint’s, fangs clearly visible. “You mean you’ll try.”
Clint released her arm. “Toni, I’m really sorry about everything…but I need to leave. If you can, try to keep him out of trouble. And like I said before, I wish you the best of luck.”
Toni didn’t even know what to say when Clint walked away then slammed the door closed behind him. Was it too much to ask that the most important men in her life actually get along? Clint hated Drake. Apparently her brother hated Clint. And Lord only knew how Dom and Drake might get along.
She looked up at Dominic. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t fuckin’ like him, that’s what’s wrong with me.”
“Yeah, I kinda picked up on that. But why?”
“Because he shows up late last night, talking all kinds of shit about you still being alive and how you need my help. But he didn’t actually say that, because he was doin’ that whole subtle word game shit where he’s saying something but he isn’t really saying it. And then he’s telling me he had to make some deal with Locke to get me back in, and how I need to behave because he has to answer for me now, and if I get in trouble and get punished, he does too. But it’s all crap. He just wants me to feel all indebted to him and shit, that way when he needs some fucked up favor later I’ll have do it, no questions asked, because I owe him. It’s like he doesn’t think I know how this shit works.”
For a moment, Toni could only stare up at her brother. “Wow. I don’t even know what to say to that.”
“There’s nothing to say. It is what it is, and I know what the fuck this is and how it works. I’ve been here before and I’m not about to take it in the ass again by some Elder.”
“Some Elder? Clint’s my friend, Dominic. And he’s an Ancient, not just an Elder. And I don’t know what it sounds like to you, but to me it sounds like all he’s been doing is trying to protect me. So…I love you, I really do…but you need to calm down, because I’ve never seen anyone get away with calling him out like you just did. And the fact that he up and walked out without even laying a hand on you…I don’t think you realize how lucky you are right now.”
“And here I thought you might actually be on my side.”
She narrowed her eyes on him. “I am on your side, Dom. You have no idea how much I’ve thought about you since you left, or how happy I am to see you now. But I don’t wanna get you back just to watch you do something crazy and lose you all over again. I’m not sure I could deal with something like that right now. Not with everything else that’s going on."
Dominic wrapped her up in a one armed hug. “All right, I hear you. I’ll try to dial it down a notch, okay?”
She smiled up at him. “I think you mean two or three.”
“For you, I’ll go two and a half.”
Toni jumped on the offer. “I’ll take it.” She grabbed the arm he still had draped around her shoulders and used it to pull him towards the couch. “So why don’t you start by telling me what you’ve been doing since you left, and then I’ll tell you all about our new investigation.”
Chapter 19
Natasha Stryker waited in her brand new Mercedes, parked near a dark tree line on the northern outskirts of Chicago. The most recent transfer had gone through perfectly, and according to her contact at the zoo, her new wolves had been delivered that very afternoon.
She let out a laugh as excitement spun through her. This would be a coup for the history books. When this one, very simple power play finally came full circle, she’d be one of the youngest vampires to ever control a major modern city.
She watched, her smile firmly in place as a total of nine wolves stepped from the woods and began making their way towards her car. She waited until each had taken their human form before she opened the door and stepped out into the cold night air.
“Gentlemen, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Thomas growled when she offered her hand. “We aren’t old friends. Just tell us why the plan’s changed.”
Stryker slid her hand back into her pocket. “Fine, we’ll get right down to business then. The plan has changed because Christian now has someone investigating your appearance in the city. If we’re going to do this, and be successful, we need to have two separate plans of attack.”
His mouth twisted into a snarl. “Who’s looking for us?”
“Her name is Toni Tutoro. She’s a Fledgling who’s caused far more trouble than she’s worth. However, she’s not really what I’m concerned about. It’s those who seem to enjoy her company that we might have problems with. Why they’re so attached to her, I still don’t understand, but that’s beside the point. She’s also the youngest child of Alexander. And I’m sure most of you remember Alexander, don’t you?”
Thomas’s eyes flashed an eerie shade of crimson. “I remember him. He’s the Leech who killed my wife.”
She dismissed the slur for her race with a wave of her hand. “Well then, soon you’ll be able to take all that pain and rage out on Toni. As far as I’m concerned, once our goal is accomplished – you can do with her whatever you like.”
The smile that slowly spread across Thomas’ face was unsettling at best. “Good. What part of the plan has changed?”
“For you and the twins, I need the device set by midnight tonight, at the same place we originally agreed upon. Christian will be there tomorrow night, as always. And if for some reason the device doesn’t kill him, I’m sure the three of you will be able to finish him.
“As for the others,” she said as she considered the large men, “you’ll be dispatched to Lord Locke’s office to execute the city’s current Enforcement Team. This way, should Christian somehow manage to survive and or flee the first attack, you’ll be waiting for him when he returns.”
“What if things don’t go as planned?”
“If things should change, or if for some reason Christian turns out to be more than we bargained for, simply retreat. I have another meeting in an hour to make sure that no matter what happens, Christian Locke doesn’t live past tomorrow night. Either way, I’ll give you back this land; as long as you agree to work for me should I need you in the future.”
When Thomas and the twins nodded, Stryker smiled. “Then it’s settled. All we have to do is stay quiet until then. Here,” she said as she handed a cell phone to Thomas, “if I get any other intelligence, or need to change the plan again, I’ll call you. Otherwise, follow everything exactly as we’ve discussed. Oh, and don’t forget to call me when it’s done.”
Thomas slid the phone into his pocket. “Is that all?”
“Yes, that’s all for now,” she said, then turned on her heel and walked back to her car.
Once inside, she watched the men disappear into the woods. “You mangy fools,” she laughed out loud. “You have no idea who you’re playing with.”
Stryker started the car before she settled into the warm leather seat and smiled yet again. Christian wouldn’t even know what hit him. And when all was said and done, she’d be able to claim she’d had nothing to do with it. And even if someone learned of her involvement, most of the residents of Chicago wouldn’t believe them anyway. But such was the idiocy of those who believed all younger vampires were worthless and incapable of forward thinking.
How perfect would it all be? The werewolves would take the fall for Christian’s death, no one would be the wiser, and she’d even be able to get rid of Toni Tutoro in the process.
Tires spitting gravel, Stryker pulled off the access road and headed back towards the city. Everything was moving smoothly, and by tomorrow night not only would she own Chic
ago, but everyone within its borders would be bowing at her feet.
***
Toni sighed as Dominic finished bringing her up to date on the major happenings of the last decade of his life. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed him, or just how much he’d changed, until he was sitting in front of her. But knowing he’d been through a lot of the same problems she had, made her feel even closer to him.
“So tell me about this investigation I’m about to get involved in,” Dominic said as he reached out and ruffled her hair.
She pushed his hand away. “There are three werewolves in the city, but no one seems to know why. I’m supposed to find out what they’re doing here then let Christian know.” She combed her fingers through her hair. “I don’t have much information right now other than the area of town they’ve been in, which is the same part of the west side where Stryker lives, and then some names and numbers for the workers at the zoo who let them in.”
Dominic let out a booming laugh. “Stryker is still alive?”
She nodded. “Yeah. She’s the one who sold our address to Oktober. He’s the one who killed our family.”
Dominic frowned. “Oktober killed our family?” He held his hand an inch or so above his head. “A big guy, kinda looks a little like me but darker, with funky black eyes? Always wears a sleeveless leather trench?”
She wrinkled her nose at that. Her brother really didn’t look like Oktober, but then again, they were both bald and roughly the same size. In a dark room, although she wouldn’t make the unfortunate mistake, she could see how someone might. “Trust me, Dom…I know who Oktober is.”
“Are you sure? I know Oktober, and he doesn’t usually kill humans unless they’re food.”
Toni stared up at her brother. Why did it seem like everyone around her knew Oktober? “I saw the video, Dom. I know it was him, and he doesn’t deny that he did it. How the hell do you even know him?”
“I did a couple jobs for him out in California. He’s fuckin’ weird, but he’s not a bad guy.” He cocked his head. “If there’s one thing I’ve figured out about being a vampire, it’s that there’s always more going on than what you see. If Oktober killed our family, he was contracted to do it.”
“What kind of jobs did you do?”
“I outfitted a few vehicles for him. Big SUV’s like Navigators and Escalades and shit. The standard package was tinted bulletproof glass and depleted uranium plates on the undercarriage. You know, the kind of illegal shit civilians can’t get, but I’m happy to supply for the right price.”
Toni shook her head, some things never changed.
“But let’s go back to Oktober and our family,” Dominic said as he stood up and started pacing. “I may be a fuckin’ violent person, but even I know better than to go after him.” He motioned between them. “He ain’t like us. He’s a whole other fuckin’ ball of wax. I owe him a serious beating if he did it, but me killing him ain’t gonna happen.” He shook his head, as though he needed to convince himself of his own words. “No. When someone kills your family who’s contracted, you don’t go after the killer – you go after the person who paid them.”
“But I didn’t go after Oktober, Dom. I went after Stryker. That’s how I got kicked out. She’s the one who sold him the address.”
“Just because she sold him the address doesn’t mean she’s the one who paid him to do it. Come on Toni, why would she sell him the address if she hired him? That sit doesn’t make any sense. Either way, I guarantee you Stryker ain’t the one who sold him the fuckin’ address. She may think she did, but he didn’t need her to get it. He’s got way better Techs working for him.”
Toni jabbed her index finger into the couch cushion. “The letter he sent me with the video said to thank Stryker for the address. If she didn’t give it to him, then why would he say that?”
The air around Dominic started to ripple like the street on a hot summer day. “He sent a letter?” Before she could answer, he raised his hands. “Forget it. I don’t care what a fucking letter said. If he wrote it then he wanted you to go after Stryker. Oktober ain’t no beginner. He’s old with a capital fuckin’ O.”
Toni rolled her eyes. Was he just not listening to her? “I understand that Oktober is old, Dominic. That’s why I didn’t go after him. What the hell is your deal?”
He leaned over and grabbed her cheeks. “Forget about Oktober and what you did or didn’t do. He’s not what your investigation is about. That’s where we need to focus right now. I have a feeling we’ll get all the answers we want about what happened to Mama, Bell, and Ray while we’re workin’ on this. Christian’s a manipulative prick. He put you on this for a reason.”
She squeezed her eyes closed tight. The whole situation was beginning to make her head hurt. “You think he put me on this as more than just a test to stay in the city?”
“Damn right, I do. But enough of that, let’s look at the facts.”
Toni accepted Dominic’s hand when he offered it and followed him over to the table. She flipped the folder open and patted the stack of papers. “This is everything I got from Locke.”
She watched over Dominic’s shoulder as he sat down and spread the pictures and information across the table. “Oh shit!” she yelled when he turned over the piece of paper Robert had given her. “I have to go see a man about a sword before midnight.”
Dominic slowly turned his head to stare at her. “A sword?”
She nodded. “I’m not allowed to be out in the city with guns. That’s what got me in trouble the last time. Plus, Robert said my guns won’t do me any good against vampires or werewolves, and I guess Locke wants me to be prepared.”
He narrowed his eyes and scanned her body from head to toe. “Yeah, these particular dogs would probably chew you up and spit you out.”
“How do you know that?”
He pointed to the pictures. “The two black wolves are Death and Rattle. They’re twins, who have enough attitude between them to make me look tame. They’re strictly vamp hunters, and they’re pretty damn good. Have you ever fought a werewolf?”
“No,” she admitted, suddenly feeling like a little sister again. “I’ve never even seen one…other than in movies.”
Dominic laughed at her again. “Believe me when I tell you it ain’t fun. Their claws are razor sharp when they wear their big war form, and they get damn near twice as big as they are when they’re human. Think of a werewolf as a hairy chipper shredder.”
Toni cringed at the visual. “Does silver work?”
“Nope, this ain’t the movies. You basically gotta tear them to pieces. Their bodies heal like ours, but a whole lot faster, so you pretty much gotta dismantle them before they’ll actually die. They draw their power or whatever from nature, and that shit’s every fuckin’ where. They’re not restricted by their blood, or fueled by it like we are. It’s the one point they really got us beat on.”
“Have you fought these two before?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t fought them, but I’ve seen them before. The twins are known for blowing shit up.” He pointed to the other wolf in the picture. “That’s Thomas, the twins don’t go anywhere without him. He’s like their uncle or some shit. They all lived in the northern woods back when I was here. Clint told me Alexander and the old Enforcement Team died two years ago tryin’ to kick ‘em out. But that’s old news now. What we really need to find out is what they have in common with Stryker.”
Toni closed her eyes as a dull pain tinged with anger shimmered in her blood. So that was what happened to Alexander. She absently touched the side of her neck where he’d bitten her the night he’d turned her. He might not have always been there for her, might not have prepared her for the life he’d thrust her into…but he didn’t deserve to die like that.
Now she definitely wanted to find out what the werewolves were doing in Chicago, and whether or not Stryker had anything to do with it.
She stared at Dom. “Do you think they’re here to blow me
up?”
“I doubt they’re here for you. They could be here for Sydney, which I’d be fine with, maybe Clint, Christian, Derek Ballard, or anyone else who had something to do with them getting kicked out.”
“What? Why would they be here for any of them?”
He ticked off his fingers. “Locke controls the city, and because of that he’s always a target. Clint’s the eldest of our line in the city, which means even though Locke handpicked Brick and the boys as his Enforcement – they still answer to Clint when the night’s over. Derek,” he said, then paused to laugh, “Derek funds the Enforcement. He’s the reason they have heavy, sometimes military grade weapons, which were no doubt used to kill the dogs during the fight to kick them out. Hell, Stryker may have them here for Murdoch. Maybe she’s looking for a self-made promotion to Councilor.”
“Who’s Murdoch?” Toni asked.
“Murdoch is Stryker’s Elder. He’s never been overly fond of her, but she’s a useful tool. He’s probably still the Elder rep for the Techs, which is probably where these pictures came from. He’s half the reason Locke always knows what’s going on. Murdoch’s got web cams strategically hidden all over the city. He sees what’s going on all the time, day or night.”
Toni massaged her temples. “How do you know all this stuff?”
He laughed once again. “I was here for a couple years before I got kicked out. This is shit you’d know too if you’d been here longer. I’m guessing this is the reason Clint came and got me. He knew that I’d know all the shit you don’t. Plus, it ain’t like I’m gonna let anything happen to you. You’re my baby sister.”
Toni smiled at him. “I appreciate that.”
“Hey, that’s what brothers are for.”
She pulled the dog bite report out and dropped it on top of the stack. “Well, from what you’ve said so far, it’s not gonna be easy to narrow down who the werewolves are here for, and this is really the only place we have to start.”
Dominic looked up at her. “Nothing in vampiric society is ever easy. You’ve got a bunch of people cursed to live forever who wanna control everything they can get their hands on, and every single one of the fuckers are more than willing to kill anybody who gets in the way.”
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