by Mac Flynn
"So he's going to use this money to pay for his private army?" I guessed.
"Most likely," Shadow agreed.
"And how the hell will it help him to show the whole world that werewolves exist?" I pointed out.
"Not the whole world, but many in the city," Shadow corrected me.
I snorted. "Like videos and pictures of werewolves are going to be kept off the internet."
"He intends to take out parts of the communication during his siege of the city," Shadow informed me.
I shut the folder and tucked it under one arm. "All right, so what's our next move?"
He raised an eyebrow. "'Our?'" he repeated.
I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm just going to sit here while you go get yourself killed?"
"I wasn't planning on-" I held up a hand.
"Even the best laid plans go awry, so I'm coming with you," I insisted.
He shook his head. "You're not trained with your werewolf powers. You'll only get yourself killed."
"Then give me something to pack," I suggested.
"I don't think I follow," he replied.
I dropped my arms and patted my right hip. "I need a gun. I may be a werewolf-in-training, but I already have my detective creds. Give me a gun with some silver bullets and I'll take care of Night's men."
"It will be dangerous," he warned me.
I snorted. "So is every day being a detective, but I won't complain."
Shadow chuckled. "All right, if you insist. Follow me."
Shadow led me into the bedroom and over to the closet. He slid open the door, brushed aside the clothes that hung on the hangers, and stepped inside. There was a shelf above his head, and he reached into the farthest left corner and pressed something beneath the shelf. The wall slid out and then apart to reveal an assortment of mounted guns. There was a small shelf beneath the guns that was stacked three boxes deep with ammo.
"Not bad," I complimented him as moved to stand beside him.
"I aim to please," he replied.
I picked up a box of ammo. It was a plain black box, and opening the top revealed clips that lay on their sides stacked one on top of the other. "These all silver?" I asked him.
"Every one. There's a small fortune here," he assured me.
"Good because we've got a small army to decimate," I quipped.
"We may not be able to be that blunt," he warned me.
I snatched a black handgun and slid a half dozen ammo boxes towards me. "Why not? He wasn't exactly hospitable to us last night," I reminded him.
"There are rules we must-" I spun around and pressed the gun against his nose.
"Night doesn't follow the rules, at least not the one about Thou Shalt Not Kill," I pointed out. I dropped the gun and crossed my arms over my chest. "That means we need to be willing to at least bend the rules a little, and that includes being blunt about what we aim to do."
He raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"
I shrugged. "Either convince him to donate his loot to charity and go into a convent, or try to start a war and have us stop him." I looked into Shadow's eyes with a firm gaze. "Even if that means killing him."
Shadow sighed, but gave a nod. "You may be-" Ding-dong.
I looked around us. "You have a front door?" I asked him.
"It's the garage. Someone is here," he told me.
Shadow strode past me and into the main living space. I tucked my gun in the back waistband of my jeans and followed, and he led me out into the garage. Quinn's car was gone so the place was empty. Shadow walked over to the door on the right-hand side of the garage and stopped in front of it. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air. I frowned, but did the same. I wrinkled my nose.
"Somebody's wearing too much perfume," I commented.
"It's just the right amount to dazzle a male wolf, and if you open the door I'll dazzle you with my eyes," a female voice commented from the other side of the door.
Shadow pursed his lips, but opened the door. On the threshold stood a woman of thirty in a tight blue dress not unlike the red prison I'd worn the previous night. She had a matching handbag clutched in her hands in front of her that sparkled with jewels, and a white boa of fox fur wrapped around her neck. The woman wore painful high-heels, but walked like she was on Cloud Nine. She smiled at us and her teeth were so white they almost blinded me.
"Good morning, sleepy heads," she teased as she pushed her way past Shadow. She turned to me and held out her hand. "You must be Shadow's new toy."
It didn't take a genius to figure out this woman had all the snake-like charm of Night, and was thus related to him. That meant this was Shadow's ex-mate.
I slapped a smile on my face and shook her hand. "And you must be his old luggage," I retorted.
The woman pulled her hand away and her smile grew strained. She turned her eyes to Shadow. "What a charming little viper you have here," the woman commented.
Shadow frowned back at her. "How did you find this place, Dawn?"
She chuckled and strode around the empty garage. "You're not the only one who has competent trackers, darling," she explained.
"But you're not one of them," he retorted.
Dawn paused and looked over her shoulder with a frown on her face. "If you must know I heard from a little pale night bird. He's very full of information."
I froze. There was only one 'pale night bird' who knew about this location. He'd sold us out. I glanced at Shadow. His lips were pursed tight and his eyes held anger, but he didn't betray his complete feelings.
"If that's the case then we don't have time to chit-chat," Shadow informed her.
Dawn stopped a few yards from us and spun on her heels to face us. "But I haven't come here for chit-chat. Night tells me you didn't behave very well at his party last night."
I snorted. "He wasn't exactly the model host himself."
Her eyes flickered to me and her eyebrows crashed down. "I know you're Shadow's new toy, but I don't think I caught your name."
I folded my arms across my chest and smiled. "It's Dusk."
She raised an eyebrow. "What a strange name."
"It means I'm standing between Shadow and Night, and I won't let Dawn get in the way," I quipped.
Shadow choked on his laugh, but Dawn failed to see the humor. Her eyes hardened and she glanced at Shadow. "An amusing woman you have here, but I didn't come here to play word games. What are your intentions towards our son?"
"We mean to stop him," Shadow told her.
Dawn rolled her eyes. "That old feud again? Why don't you just give him your share and buy an island?"
Shadow stalked up to her and grabbed her arm. "This isn't one of those petty squabbles we have between us, Dawn. Night means to expose us all to the humans."
She shrugged out of his hold and crossed her arms over her chest. "I know what he intends to do, and I support him completely."
Shadow's eyes narrowed. "Then you need to leave."
A sly grin slipped onto her lips. "And miss the party?" His eyes widened, and she laughed and stepped back. "Did you think I would let you ruin our son's chance at ruling this city? Who would own this town but him? You?" She looked him up and down, and sneered. "You're just an old wolf in new clothing and-" she glanced past him and at me, "-with something new wrapped around his-"
I whipped out the gun so fast even I didn't see my arm, and stepped forward and pressed the barrel against her forehead.
"Shadow said you need to leave, so leave," I growled.
I didn't get a chance to hear Dawn's snide remark before Shadow wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me towards the house. Something loud banged on the garage door and the indent of an elbow appeared in the entrance. Dawn's cavalry was here.
CHAPTER 35
Dawn tilted back her head and laughed.
"You think you can run away from him? Night owns everything and everyone!" she crowed.
My reply was to fire off a couple of shots before we disa
ppeared into the house. Dawn screamed and dove to the ground right in the middle of a nice oil pile Quinn had graciously left. I'd have to thank him later, and then stake him.
Shadow put me down in the house and grabbed my free hand. He pulled me towards the rear bedroom just as I heard the garage door bust open. We slipped into the bedroom and shut the door behind us as werewolves spilled into the house. Shadow shoved the bed in front of the door and moved over to the far corner past the bed. He leapt the eight feet and grabbed a small white knob in the white ceiling. When he came down the knob went with him, and so did a trap door concealed beneath several layers of paint. A short ladder sprang down for my werewolf rookie self to climb.
"Climb up," he ordered me.
"I hope you more to your plan than getting stuck in an attic," I quipped as I followed his directions.
"We'll see," he answered.
The attic was sloped and five feet tall in the best of places. My short height didn't have too much problem, but Shadow had to stoop. He took the lead and led me down the narrow beam that sat along the roof joints to the far end of the house. We heard gnashing teeth and the crashing of furniture beneath us.
"You idiots! He's up there!" Dawn screamed.
Furry, clawed hands punched holes in the floor of the attic and grabbed at us. One wrapped around Shadow's ankle and pulled him to the floor, but the beams stopped Shadow from falling through. I aimed my gun and fired off a couple of shots into the hand. The skin sizzled at the impact of cursed flesh and silver. The werewolf yelped and yanked its hand back. One down, but that left a couple dozen pairs to go.
They popped up like bad weeds. Shadow stomped on them and I shot them, but they tore the attic floor to pieces. The sheets lost their grip on the ceiling and toppled to the ground floor. We went with the sheet rock and landed on top of the wolves. They jumped us and my gun was torn away. Shadow partially transformed and tore into our enemies. He sent a half dozen werewolves to some early graves, but they piled on top of him. The wolves pulled our arms behind our backs and slammed our faces into the floor.
I got a good look at a pair of high heels before I heard Dawn's voice above us.
"I tried to convince you, but you just had to be difficult," she commented.
"You would know," I growled.
Dawn put one of her heels against the middle of my back and pressed into mine spine. I ground my teeth together, but a small cry escaped my lips.
"Stop it!" Shadow shouted.
Dawn pulled her foot off me, but she also chuckled. "So cute how you're trying to be brave. I'd have more fun with your new toy myself, but Night is just dying to see you two again."
"I wish. . ." I murmured.
Dawn gave me a good kick in the side with her pointed shoe for my mouth. "Shut your mouth, whore," she snapped. "And keep them shut, boys."
The werewolves pulled us to our feet and shoved clothes into our faces. I inhaled a faint whiff of a pungent smell that made the world spin before it knocked me out.
The next I knew I woke up with a tight sensation around my wrists and ankles. My arms were pulled behind the chair, and my ankles were bound to the legs. I unconsciously tried to pull, but the bindings wouldn't budge. My eyes fluttered open and I found myself staring at a blank cell with cement walls and a large wattage bulb over our heads. The room was maybe ten by ten feet without any windows and only one door.
The 'our' was because Shadow was with me. We sat shoulder to shoulder on a pair of rickety old wooden chairs with him on my left. The four legs of the chairs were bolted to the concrete floor. Another wooden chair sat in front of us and faced ours, but its legs weren't bolted.
Shadow was wide awake and glared at the metal door in front of us. It was shut, but his nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed like he expected the devil himself to enter. Turns out he wasn't far off.
"Where are we?" I asked him.
My whisper echoed around the chamber. There was a slight movement above us, and I noticed a pair of cameras in the front corners of the room. They swiveled on their long necks and didn't miss a point in the room. I didn't doubt the two corners behind us had the same pair.
"One of Night's interrogation rooms," he replied.
"Any idea how to get out of here?" I inquired.
He shook his head. "We don't."
I frowned. "Seriously? You're just going to give up that easily?"
"No one escapes these rooms," Shadow told me.
"There's a first time for everything," I insisted.
He nodded at the walls in front of us. "The walls are three feet thick. The door is two feet thick, and the center is lined with silver. The cameras pick up on every movement and cover the entire room. There is no way to escape.
I pursed my lips, but didn't argue. How could I? He'd made a pretty compelling argument that the room was impenetrable and our only hope of escape was actually release.
My ears picked up on a faint sound outside the door, and the heavy metal entrance swung open. There was a bare concrete hallway outside our small world without light or any further hope of escape.
Night stepped inside with two of his transformed goon werewolves and another familiar face. Quinn.
"You," I hissed at Quinn.
The vampire leaned against the door frame and grinned. "Detective," he greeted me.
I tried to lung at him, but the chains around my ankles and wrists held me firm. The bolted chair only budged a half inch.
"Come a little closer so I can give you the greeting you deserve," I dared him.
He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I know you too well, Detective."
"Refrain from your idle chat," Night ordered us as he plopped into the seat in front of us. He crossed his legs and folded his hands into his lap. A sly smile danced across his lips as his eyes fell on Shadow. "Your new plaything seems to be quite the liability, Father. I never thought I would succeed in getting you down here again."
"Only you would consider a mate a plaything," Shadow snapped.
Night shrugged. "Sticks and stones, Father, though I have something a little more substantial in response." He scooted forward so he sat on the edge of the chair and leaned forward so his face was only six inches from Shadow's. He lowered his voice and slowed his words. "You see, that information you had your human lackey fetch was a little wrong. I don't intend to control the city within the next week. I intend to solidify my control tonight."
"You're a fool if you believe you can conquer an entire city without a single picture escaping the boundaries of your power," Shadow told him.
Night chuckled and leaned away from Shadow. "Who told you I only intend to conquer one city?" Shadow's eyes widened, and Night nodded. "That's right, dear Father. While you squandered your time in this ruin of a concrete jungle I expanded my horizons, so to speak. I intend to enforce my rule of half the cities that are controlled by werewolves."
Shadow's eyes narrowed and his eyebrows crashed down. "You're insane," he commented.
Night grinned and stood. "I can see we won't find any common ground. You're the old rule, and I'm the new, and I'm afraid what's old must go." He turned to Quinn and one of the werewolves. "I believe you asked for the honors of finishing them off?" he asked our old companion.
Quinn pushed off from the doorway and nodded. "Yeah. Werewolf blood is a delicacy for me."
The pair of werewolf guards cast wary eyes on Quinn and stepped away from the vampire.
Night merely sneered at him. "Just don't get any ideas for those under me, or myself."
Quinn held up his hands. "I won't indulge too much of a good thing," he assured him.
"Good," Night replied. He strode towards the door and paused beside Quinn. Night half-glanced over his shoulder at us and leaned towards the vampire. His sly smile had returned and his eyes glittered with a golden hue I didn't like. "But don't let them go too quickly."
Quinn smiled. "I'll see what I can do."
Night returned his full attention to the vampire.
"You do that, and I'll keep these two with you to ensure you do." He glanced at the pair of werewolves. "Remain in here until the deed is done." They bowed their heads, and Night turned around to face us. "Au revoir, Father. Thanks for the gift, and I'll see you in hell."
"You first," Shadow retorted.
Night chuckled. "I don't think that will happen. Goodbye."
He left the room and shut the door securely behind him. We were trapped.
CHAPTER 36
Quinn slipped into the seat in front of us and grinned at us. "Imagine meeting you two here," he commented.
I growled and strained against my bonds. "You set us up!" I snapped.
He shrugged. "I prefer to call it a re-alignment of alliances, but if you want to be that blunt."
"I want to be more than that," I retorted.
Quinn shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't be necessary. However-" He glanced over his shoulder at the pair of werewolves who stood on either side of the door. "Don't you two have somewhere better to be?"
The eyes of the werewolves narrowed and they glanced at each other. One of them turned back to Quinn.
"We were told-"
Quinn jerked his head towards the cameras in the corners of the ceiling. "I know what you were told, but I've got enough peeping eyes. Besides-" A slow grin spread across his face and revealed his long fangs, "-you wouldn't want me to 'accidentally' involve you in my meal, would you?"
The interrupted werewolf scowled at him. "Disobeying Mr. Night is worse," he argued.
Quinn sighed and stood. "All right, but I did warn you."
Quinn walked around Shadow and me to our backs. I cringed when I felt his cold fingers against the veins in my wrists, but his adept fingers worked away at my bindings until I felt the thick metal chains fall off me. They clattered to the floor, and I turned and frowned at Quinn. Quinn grinned back at me.
"You wouldn't believe how cheap Night is," he whispered to me. I tilted my head to one side and furrowed my brow.
"What the hell are you doing?" one of the werewolves snapped.
Quinn turned his attention to the guard. "I like my food free-range," he replied as he stepped over to Shadow's chair. In a thrice Shadow's wrist bindings dropped to the floor.