by Mark Tufo
“Define ‘off’, Laura. I’m not sure that I know where you’re going with this.”
Laura sighed. “Does he seem to be acting less like himself?”
Evan swiveled his chair side to side for a moment as he thought about her question. Suddenly he looked up at her and said, “No.” Then turned and picked up the tiny object again. “Are there any more questions you’d like to ask me?”
“Evan, come on!” she pleaded. “This is me! Talk to me.”
He spun back to her and practically glared at her. “You come to me and ask if your boss seems ‘off’? You never so much as came to visit me while I sat in that silver-plated cell and rotted for nearly three years,” he said through gritted teeth. “Three years! And now that I am out, you’ve barely spoken to me, but you’re concerned about Matt. Fine. Let’s just talk about him. I’m sure the two of you got real cozy while I was locked up, eh?”
She stepped back, shock registering as she realized that Evan was not only jealous, but hurt. Here she was, waiting for him to come to her to express interest in resuming their budding relationship, and he was wondering…God only knew what he was wondering, all the while he was working away and gong about his business as if nothing was wrong. “Evan, I don’t…I didn’t know,” she stammered.
“Didn’t know? Didn’t know what? That I was alone? Or that I was starving in the darkness?” he seethed. “Didn’t know that my heart was breaking for you every moment of the day?”
“Yes, of course…I mean, NO!” she stammered. “I had no idea that you ever thought that Matt and I had something going on. That idea is ludicrous!”
“Is it now?” he barked. “Then why the sudden interest in how he’s acting?”
“It’s complicated. I guess I can’t expect you to understand, you—”
“I’m what?” he growled. “Just a vampire?” His words dripped with venom.
She suddenly turned angry. “No. That wasn’t what I was going to say at all.” Now it was her turn to get angry. She stepped toward him, hands planted firmly on hips. “I was going to say that you’ve been gone too long to notice the subtle changes in his behavior.” She took another step toward him, this time with a finger pointed in his face, “I was going to say, that if I’d had any clue that you still cared about me, I would have been man enough to make the first move the moment you got out and tried to rekindle what we had!” She took another step, jabbing the finger more pointedly. “I was going to say that had I known you were going to just throw yourself into being Matt’s butt-buddy and shadow puppet, I wouldn’t have risked my career and possibly prison time slipping you blood and then busting you out!” Now she stood directly in front of him and he was leaned back against his workbench, her finger directly in front of his face. “I was going to say, that had you been around, that maybe you would have noticed his behavior changing and could help me identify it so that I could know if it was him or me!” Then she stepped back and made an effort to calm herself. When she looked back up, there were tears threatening her eyes. “Because, if it’s me, then I can’t do this job anymore. And I really don’t want to leave, but I will if I have to.”
She turned and left as quickly as she gracefully could before she lost control in front of him. Evan sat quietly for a moment contemplating what she had just dumped on him, and he felt like an idiot. Even before he was made into a vampire, he wasn’t very good with reading women, much less dealing with relationships. This only went to prove that being an immortal didn’t improve one’s charm with the ladies. He shook his head and in his frustration, swiped his arm across his workbench tossing everything across the floor. If he really gave two shits about his work, he would have cared about the damage he’d done, but honestly, the only thing he cared about just left in a huff. If he had a functioning brain cell left in his head, he’d take off after her and try to fix it, but for the life of him, the only words he could think to say to her was, ‘I’m sorry’ and somehow, he doubted that would fix this.
Screw it. I have to try. He ran after her, trying to follow her scent, but he lost her near the ventilation intake. The facilities air intake sucked up everything and he was left standing alone, wondering which way to go. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine, if I were an upset female, where would I go? The lady’s room?
It sounded as good as any other place, so he tried. He went there and placed his ear to the door. He heard nothing. He opened the door slightly and had no idea what to expect. Rather than the plush interior with feathered fans and perfume bottles, lotions, and stacks of every conceivable tissue known to man, he found a sterile looking white tile restroom that appeared, for all intents and purpose identical to the men’s restroom…minus, of course, the stand-up urinals. Which would make sense, since women don’t normally stand to urinate. Unless, they weren’t…he was thinking too much. “Laura?” he said softly.
“She’s not in here,” another woman’s voice said. “And you shouldn’t be either.” Judging by the slight accent it was either Sanchez or one of the other Latino women who worked at the facility. He prayed it wasn’t Sanchez. That woman scared him. If he were smart, he would simply say, excuse me and slip out, but…he really felt the need to find Laura.
“Any chance she came through here?”
“Nope,” said the disembodied voice. “Now get out before I stake your ass, bloodsucker.”
Holy shit! Evan thought. Whoever it is, knows I’m a vampire. But… “Sanchez?” Surely she was the only one whose senses were sharp enough to be able to tell.
“I swear to God, it’s bad enough I have to shower with all those swinging dick smartasses, but if I can’t take a dump in peace, I’m gonna give you a swirly so bad you’re gonna look like the singer for the Stray Cats, you got me, lab rat?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Evan said, and scooted out the door. He turned quickly and bumped into Laura. “I’m sorry!”
“For sneaking into the Lady’s Room?”
“What? No. For…us,” he said. “I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t fix anything, but it’s all I have.” He sighed, sounding defeated.
Laura gave him a stony look. Evan knew he bought exactly zero points with his comment. “Laura, you know me. I’ve never been exactly good with the ladies.” He pleaded. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have exploded like that on you. You came to me looking for a sounding board and I unloaded my insecurities on you and…”
“And maybe I could have been a little more sensitive with your situation as well,” she said, not meeting his gaze. “Evan, I can’t say that I’m exactly good with people either. Nor am I that experienced with relationships. At least, not successful ones.”
“Do-over?” he asked, a lopsided grin breaking across his face.
Laura smiled at him then threaded her arm through his. She pulled him toward her office. “Let’s see if we can work through both our problems and our insecurities in my office, shall we?”
From within the restroom Sanchez yelled out, “Thank God! I never thought you two would leave! Get a room already!”
Mitchell scanned the activity reports that came in from the field. With the full moon almost upon them, the activity level was picking up and the action reports reflected everything from possible zombie outbreak in the middle of Mexico (unconfirmed), to goblin activity in lower Canada (single sighting confirmed, awaiting secondary confirmation), to a possible baby vamp attack (single confirmation, awaiting secondary confirmation) in California. Matt sighed. If either of the single confirmations got a secondary confirmation, he’d be sending out Second Squad. If the other gets confirmation while Second was in the field, they could have simultaneous ops running. He really didn’t like that possibility but they always ran that risk when the full moon came about.
And the worst part was, the night of the full moon, he’d be out of commission. Again. Just like every full moon. He needed Laura more than ever at that time, and the possibility that she may be coordinating two operations at one time? She was up to it. He knew she was. Th
at was why he hired her. He double checked the date on his watch. Two days to go before the full moon.
Matt could feel his ability to keep everything in check slipping. Sometimes he even questioned his ability to continue his command. But every time he questioned his ability to lead, his hubris rubbed that doubt to ash. So many times he wanted to bring Laura in and tell her the truth, but…how would she react? Would it change their working relationship?
Matt, found himself drinking more. And feeling it less. He poured himself a scotch. He clinked a chunk of ice into the glass and swirled it around a few times before swallowing the drink back. He waited a moment for the familiar burn. Nothing. He could taste it just fine and he relished the flavor. He just couldn’t enjoy the slight buzz that it once gave him.
He looked out over the training grounds that his men used and sighed. If they knew the truth…if they only knew the truth. They’d probably turn their weapons on him. Then each other.
When he questioned what they had done, he thought back to his wife Jo Ann and daughter Molly. They never stood a chance. Neither wanted to go camping that fall weekend, but Matt insisted. The weather would be perfect, he told them. The moon would be full, they could build a huge campfire and make s’mores. It was supposed to be a new beginning, but instead, it was the end. It was the end of Mitchell Mathews – the lone survivor of the attack. When Major Mathews discovered the full extent of his injury and his miraculous recovery, plans were put into place. It didn’t take long to discover why Major Mathews recovered so quickly. But what Mathews became every month…that was a topic of much debate. The few who were in the know quickly decided that if Mitch Mathews was attacked and survived, then his attacker was still out there. And if there is one, there are more. So, a new unit was created to deal with just such a threat and Major Mathews was put in charge of it. Except Major Mathews was erased, his records destroyed, and Matt Mitchell was created. A perfect example of oversized government and the glory of computer records. If you aren’t in the computer, then you no longer existed. It worked easily enough for Matt to simply swap his surname for his first name, so why not try it for Evan Peters? Dr. Peter Evans had raised no eyebrows when he was brought on staff. Those who did know were smart enough to keep their mouths shut.
Good for them. They’ll live longer if they keep quiet.
Matt shook his head. Why would he think such things? That wasn’t like him. Matt sighed. He poured another drink and considered once more of bringing Laura in on the truth. She was his XO. She should be privy to all things that had an impact on the operation.
He made an executive decision. He picked up his two-way, “Laura, can you come to my office?”
It took her a moment to respond and when she did, she sounded breathless. “On my way, sir.”
When Laura knocked and entered, her lips looked red and swollen and her shirt tail was untucked. She was still trying to put her hair back behind her ear and make herself presentable before she entered, and failed to catch the details. Matt assessed the situation and jumped to his own conclusions. “Did I interrupt something, XO?”
“No, sir.” She adjusted her collar then looked him in the eye. “I was just going over some…results with Evan.”
Matt smiled. “I’m glad that you and Dr. Peters have worked things out.” He offered her a chair. “Laura, we need to talk.”
“Okay, sir. Is something wrong?”
Matt sat on the edge of his desk, contemplating where to start. “I need to come clean with you about a few things, XO. Especially if I’m to expect you to pick up the reins once I’m…gone,” he said solemnly.
Laura was not expecting this in the least. She never expected Matt to consider leaving, much less to leave her in charge. And could he leave her in charge. She wasn’t military and this was most certainly a military operation. As far as the service was concerned, she was a civilian contractor, yet…
“Matt? What are you talking about?”
“I need to tell you a story about a young major who lost his family. A major who was, himself, attacked by a werewolf and survived.” He finally met her eyes and sighed. “I need to come clean with you about who I am and why I’m so adamant about ridding the human race of these damned creatures.”
Chapter 258
Nadia had packed them a light picnic lunch and they ate along the shore. With the forest behind them and the salty sea air blowing in on them, Jack felt like he could conquer the world. They watched the waves come up and make small crashes on the rocks, sending sparkling droplets into the air and sea foam along the surface of the water. A seagull cried out above them and Jack threw a piece of sourdough at it. It failed to catch the offering, but the gulls on the ground scrambled and fought for it.
“I could stay like this forever.” He sighed soaking up the sun and breathing deeply of the clean air.
“So could I,” Nadia said. She sat next to him and sliced hard cheese into small bite sized pieces. “Perhaps when you have fulfilled your obligation to Rufus, you will return here and we can stay?” It sounded more like a plea than a question.
“You mean retire?” Jack laughed. “I’m a bit young for that, don’t you think?”
“You will not age now, Jack. You’ve been made wolf. Remember?” Nadia reminded him.
He hadn’t thought of that. It had only been…what? Maybe five years? Six? How much does a man age in that time?
“What would you do then? Go back to hunting our own kind?” she asked him.
“I don’t know,” Jack said. “I don’t even know if they’ll have me back.” He propped himself up on one arm and watched her. She looked sad. “What would you have me do, Nadia? Would you have me come back and whisk you away to see the world?” he teased her.
“Non. I would miss my family too much,” she whispered, tears threatening her eyes.
“Then what? Come back here and do…what? Lay around all day, eating cheese and grapes and making love to you?” he asked defensively.
“Would that be so horrible?” she asked, the tears flowed freely now.
“Nadia, that sounds wonderful, but there has to be more. For me, anyways. I need to be doing something productive.”
“And loving me is not productive?” she asked. She placed her hands upon his chest, “It could be if we tried enough.”
Jack was taken aback with that one. She meant children, didn’t she? So soon? And…holy Christ on a cracker…he wasn’t expecting that. “When I said productive, I meant like…a ‘job’. I need to be working.”
“You could be security here, Jack. Rufus has security, but none of them are truly warriors like you.” Her eyes were practically begging him, and he could feel his heart breaking.
“You don’t want to see the world? Even for a little bit? Leave the island for a Honeymoon?” he asked. “Go to Paris or London or…shit, even Detroit? Not that there’s anything in Detroit worth seeing except maybe a Tigers game, but nothing says we have to stay. Just go be by ourselves for a little while, then you could come back and we’d have those memories forever.” He gave her a smile, but she was shaking her head.
“I cannot leave my family,” she said flatly.
“So my bargain with Rufus…it was for nothing? You wouldn’t leave if he threw you out, would you?”
“No. I would find a way to stay with them,” she said, her eyes downcast. “And I would hope that you would come back to me.”
Jack stood up and stared out to the sea. He had made his bargain with Rufus to save her from what he perceived to be slavery, only to find out that it wasn’t really slavery. At least, not the way he thought of it. He made the agreement with the idea that they could leave whenever he was done and then he and Nadia could make the decision together where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do with their lives. That it would be a mutual decision…but she never intended to leave. He tried to remember if she ever alluded to leaving. Or if she ever made a comment about staying there forever, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t r
emember. He continued to stare at the ocean, arms crossed over his chest and Nadia sat behind him. She said nothing, but the tears ran freely and he knew.
Jack turned and without saying a word to her, he walked back to the castle and to his room. He had packing to do. It didn’t matter now about the experiment. It didn’t matter whether she could control her wolf during the pull of the moon or not. He had given his word to Rufus that he would deliver the state of their plight to his people, and he intended to live up to his word. Nadia may be his mate, but she made up her mind. Her pack meant more to her than her mate. So be it.
Jack disrobed from the beach gear and began putting his uniform on. As he was dressing, Natashia passed by in the hall. Jack called to her from his room. “If you see Rufus, could you ask him if I could speak to him please?”
Of course Natashia was puzzled. She knew that Nadia and Jack were supposed to be enjoying a picnic lunch on the beach, but she didn’t mention it. “Rufus will be sleeping at this hour. But as soon as the sun sets, I will let him know of your desires.”
“Thank you, Natashia.” Jack went back to dressing and packing his gear.
Natashia only raised an eyebrow. He did not call her ‘mom’. Perhaps there is trouble in paradise? If so, Nadia would be needing her. She slipped down the hall and out through the dining hall door.
When Jack had finished, he realized, it took far less time than he expected. He still had hours left before sundown. He went to Rufus’ study and waited. As soon as Rufus could arrange for transport back to the mainland, the sooner Jack could begin his journey back to Oklahoma City and get his obligation over with. Depending on how the team accepted him (or not) this could be a very short, one-way trip.