There was an edge of ungratefulness in his voice, and Marie glared at him. She handed the photos to Nathan and studied the basement, trying to think ahead.
"I've got all the information I need," she said, tapping her nose.
Regardless of the fate of Nathan's family, she knew she wouldn't step foot in his basement again. She tied the curtain in a knot and gathered her folders and flash drives. They were on a corner desk. Only a drop or two of blood managed to find the folders. She was nearly to the steps when her eyes fell on the briefcase she'd brought with her.
Marie hated herself for what she was about to say, but she had no choice. Opportunity had arrived, and she'd learned decades ago that the only person who would truly look after her was herself.
"Nathan, I'm guessing your family is still okay. They'll keep them alive, as a bargaining chip. And I can save them. But…what are they worth to you?"
His eyes widened. "What?"
She gestured to the briefcase. "Are they worth fifty thousand dollars?"
It took only a second to grasp her meaning. "Yes! For Christ's sake, yes. Take the money."
"Thank you. Let's go."
They left the house, and Marie hesitated as she stood on his front porch. The streets were empty as the night had finally taken over. A single car drove past, but didn't slow down. She was suddenly very conscious of the fact she was covered in blood and wearing a curtain.
Nathan angled for his car.
"No," she said. "My car. You drive. The keys are in my purse behind the seat, since this is such a safe neighborhood."
He didn't laugh at her joke as he slid behind the wheel. She set her belongings in the trunk before walking to the middle of the street. She lifted her nose to the air and inhaled, short, steady sniffs. A mix of scents flooded her nose before she locked onto three of them. Terri, Mackenzie, and the third henchman who ran away.
She squatted as low to the ground as the curtain would allow to get a better scent. She'd assumed they all went in the same direction, but that wasn't the case. The henchman's trail led down the east side of the street, while Nathan's family went the opposite. Eddie and his men parked somewhere else and walked to Nathan's house, so the henchman was on foot. Was he running to Nathan's family, or for the Mexican border? Marie wasn't sure which scent to follow.
Nathan backed her car out of the driveway while leaning out the window.
"What are you doing?" he called. "We have to go."
She climbed in the passenger's side. The last thing she wanted was blood in her car. Judging from the lack of activity on the street, no one heard the gunshots in Nathan's basement. Still, if the police did show up, she wanted to be long gone, along with her car.
"Where are we going?"
"West. Just go down the street. I have their scents. Just drive slow and keep calm."
He managed to drive slow, but calm was a state of mind he wouldn't achieve for quite a while.
"Keep calm? My family is in danger. I just watched a—" He could believe he was saying the word. "A fucking werewolf kill two men. You bit their limbs off, Marie."
She frowned. Her taste buds were human once again, and the blood in her mouth didn't taste good. Normally she'd wait much longer between changes, after the taste was long gone.
"Don't remind me. It'll take a gallon of mouthwash to feel right again. Turn left here."
She stuck her head halfway out the window, simply following the scent. She made him stop once at an intersection while she picked out their direction. Nathan was agitated, but seemed to be holding up well, considering the circumstances.
"So, a werewolf," he said. "I see it's a full moon. You can change whenever you want?"
She rolled her eyes. She didn't want to go into too much detail about herself, but if it kept Nathan from panicking she would oblige him somewhat.
"Yeah. A full moon simply makes me stronger. But…you wouldn't want to meet me in a dark alley on a half moon, either."
"And you're really eighty years old?"
She said nothing. The answer was obvious.
"And you're smelling my family right now? Like a bloodhound?"
She winced, not liking the comparison, but supposed it was somewhat accurate.
"It's no different than humans picking a face out of a crowd. But my senses are better. When I'm a wolf, they're even stronger. But then we wouldn't be having this nice talk." She smiled at him. "Now, let me ask you something."
"What's that?"
"What are we walking into here? Are we talking six guys? Ten guys?"
"Oh, man. We're talking Lou Gallano's people, so I have no idea. I'm sure it'll be a lot. Eddie was his son. Not the best bunch, like you saw. Lou paid me a lot of money to make him disappear, but I knew he'd screw up. Now he blames me."
"You need to pick better clients."
He cast her a sideways glance. "Like no werewolves?"
"Hey, be nice. This werewolf is going to help save your wife and kid."
Tears streamed down his face. "Oh God, Terri, Mackenzie, I'm so sorry."
"Nathan, come on. Hold it together."
She guided him down another road, and he slowed down as they saw the accident ahead. A car was half on the curb, half in the street. Police were at the scene, along with neighbors standing on their lawns. Glass was everywhere. The front windshield was completely shattered.
Nathan slowed to a stop. "Oh my God. That's Terri's car!"
He went to open the door, but Marie stopped him by clutching his shoulder. "Don't go out there. Are you crazy?"
"Where's my wife and little girl?"
"Obviously not here. This is just where they got picked up." She slid down the seat to avoid being seen. "Drive through, nice and easy."
She thought Nathan would fall apart as they passed the scene. He continued to cry. He avoided eye contact with everyone, keeping his eyes focused on the road. The scent grew stronger, and Marie knew they were getting closer. She finally guided him down a road that led away from the houses and streets. It felt very isolated, with not much to see on either side.
"What's down this way?" she asked.
"Just the old boat dock. It hasn't been used in forever. I know kids have their little spots up here, all romantic by the water."
She nodded. It sounded like a good place for bad people to do bad things, and even hide a body or two.
The scent of water reached her, and the road opened up to a parking lot. There were a few small buildings scattered around and several ramps led to the water. A public bathroom, a visitor's center. The sound was soothing, the water lapping against the concrete.
Other scents weaved their way in between Terri and Mackenzie's.
Her eyes grew wide. "Stop! Stop the car."
He did so, throwing them both forward. He glared at her.
"Back up," she commanded. "Park in the trees back there."
He shook his head as he killed the headlights and found a spot in a thicket of trees they'd passed. She left the car first, quietly closing the door behind her. Nathan kept an eye on her as he joined her.
"Do you know what you're doing?" he asked.
Marie had her share of violence in her life. She'd committed violence, and experienced it. Killing to defend herself was something she'd done in the past. However, launching a rescue at an abandoned boat dock was new to her.
"I can leave, if you want," she said. "You can call the police."
"No. That's quite alright."
She took a step forward, but stopped one more time as she looked down at herself. The curtain was finally too much. She undid the knot and cast it aside. Nathan quietly took in a breath behind her, but said nothing. She was uncomfortable, but ignored it as best she could. Being naked in the woods was a very familiar feeling, but having company was not.
Marie kept low to the ground as they made their way through the tree line. Nathan followed closely behind. She tried not to get overwhelmed at the sounds and smells around her. A squirrel running through t
he trees. The relaxing water. The trees moving with the gentle breeze.
Other scents rushed in, and she signaled for Nathan to stop. She didn't move an inch. The sounds followed, and she closed her eyes to better process them. Her vision was supernatural. She could even see in the dark when she wanted. But she always found herself relying on her nose and ears more often.
"What's going on?" Nathan whispered.
"Shh!"
Pieces of conversations. Scents she had to separate in her mind.
"…gonna kill the women? Both of them?…"
A woman sniffling.
"…Eddie…hasn't called…"
A touch of marijuana. Three, perhaps four men.
"…don't like this…"
Some arguing, raised voices.
"…Eddie…kill you…calm down…"
Marie couldn't hear Terri and Mackenzie, but definitely smelled them.
The third henchman from the basement was nowhere to be heard or smelled. He'd decided not to run to his friends, but far away in another direction. She had the element of surprise.
"Stay low," she said. "Don't make any noise."
She led him further along the trees until they finally saw what they were looking for. A van was parked not far from one of the old ramps. Shadows moved about under the light of the moon.
"I can't see anything," Nathan said, his pulse quickening. "Is my family there?"
She said nothing, but lay prone on the ground with the brush and leaves. It was awkward exposing her bare body to Nathan, even if his mind was on far more important things. She clenched her eyes shut and focused on her vision. She willed the darkness to fade away.
A soft gray rushed in to replace the black, and she shielded her eyes. Whenever she used her night vision her eyes glowed. The last thing she wanted was for Eddie's men to see two glowing slits in the trees.
The shapes became figures. Four men, all moving about near the rear of the van. Two of them paced while another leaned against the open rear door, smoking. The fourth man stared at a cell phone.
Terri and Mackenzie sat in the back of the van. Tears ran down their faces as Mackenzie leaned on her mother's shoulder. They were still bound and gagged.
The conversation was finally clear.
"You're telling me you're okay with killing a woman and a kid?"
"Hey, are you telling me you're okay with not doing what Eddie says?"
"Eddie would really do that?"
Laughter. "I saw Eddie push an old man out of a wheelchair. There's nothing that bastard won't do. You should know, you're his brother."
"We're not exactly close."
One of the men stepped toward Terri and ran a finger down her cheek. She recoiled.
"Hey, guys, seeing this doll tied up like this is kinda doing things to me. Do you think Eddie would care if—?"
"Oh, great. Not only are we gonna kill them both, but you're gonna rape the mom, too. You're an angel."
"It's not rape if she enjoys it."
"You're a piece of shit."
"There's no way you're Eddie's brother. You're not cut out for the work we do."
"You call this work? Smacking around a woman and her kid. That's work?"
"I'm getting real tired of your mouth."
Two of the men approached each other, one with his fist cocked back. The one holding the cell phone separated them.
"Come on now, children. Try to behave until we hear from Eddie."
"Something's wrong. It doesn't take this long to rough up a little computer nerd."
"Nothing's wrong. Sometimes Eddie just gets carried away. When he gets what he wants, he'll call, and we'll put these two lovely ladies in the water."
"No. If the guy does what Eddie wants, we'll let them go."
"Aww. You're so cute when you're stupid."
Nathan squatted next to Marie. He put a hand on her shoulder to keep balance, and quickly pulled it away when he felt her bare skin.
"What's going on?" he whispered. "I can't hear anything."
"I want you to stay back. Just give me a few minutes to deal with this mess."
"What are you going to do?"
"Save your family."
"I'm sure every one of those guys has a gun."
"As long as they're not using silver bullets, I'll be fine."
She took a deep breath, trying to prepare for the pain. One change was rough on her body. Three changes in thirty minutes would need a lot of Tylenol.
Nathan's eyes shot open and he covered his mouth as Marie changed. She curled on her side as the agony took hold. Usually the change was painful, but had a touch of sweetness to it. She enjoyed being a werewolf, the thrill of the hunt, the peace of the woods. But the sweetness was gone.
Her bones broke and muscles stretched. She kept her mouth clenched shut, trying to make as little noise as possible. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek as her hair turned dark and grew all over her body. Nathan did his best not to gasp.
"Did you guys hear that?"
"Are you joking? Now you're gonna be a spooked little bitch, too?"
"Shut the fuck up. I heard something in the trees."
"Yeah. You know, animals live in the trees. Squirrels, bird, spiders."
Marie crouched down, her jaw only an inch from the ground. Her tail moved absentmindedly through the grass. Licking her lips with her long tongue, she watched the men argue and trade banter as Terri and Mackenzie cowered. She sensed Nathan behind her, slowly backing up into a tree. The full moon hung over the water, and it was tempting to sit on her haunches and howl.
She skulked through the grass, staying in the shadows. The men continued their talk as she circled around them. She sized them up as she finally left the safety of the tree line and moved near the front of the van. She tried to keep Terri and Mackenzie at the front of her thoughts, but part of her was enjoying herself. Humans would never know what it was like to sneak up on prey, the feeling of raw power in sharp claws. None of the men stood a chance against her, but she had to be careful. It wouldn't take much to put Terri and Mackenzie in harm's way.
One of the men was ogling and feeling Terri as Marie quietly jumped on the hood of the van. It was all she could do to hold in a snarl. Terri and Mackenzie's muttered cries from behind their gags, mixed with the men's laughter, enraged her.
Marie hopped from the hood to the roof. Her claws made tapping sounds as she picked up speed.
"Hey, did you guys hear—?"
His last words.
She jumped from the roof, over Terri, Mackenzie, and the man trying to force himself on her. She landed on victim number one, the man previously using a cell phone. Her claws ripped through fabric and flesh as she buried her teeth into his cheek. Her teeth touched bone, and she clamped down. It took only a simple twist of her neck to rip half his face completely away from his skull. She flung the loose skin behind her. The flesh sailed through the air and struck another of Eddie's men in the chest, staining his nice shirt.
Her senses took over. Terror filled her nostrils. Heartbeats all spiked in unison. Her eyes fell on one of the men reaching inside his coat.
Marie ran forward and pounced on him, attacking ferociously. She raked her claws across his face before clamping her fangs on his exposed throat.
"What the fuck?"
"What is that?"
"Shoot it!"
She wasn't worried. Their tiny bullets would barely penetrate her hide, and a simple drink of blood would force healing. Getting shot definitely stung, but she'd been shot countless times over the decades. Only silver was enough to really hurt her.
Terri and Mackenzie were the real concerns. Everything would change if guns were pointed at them.
More than satisfied the second man was no longer a threat, she turned. She expected to see the last two men with guns pointed at her, but was in for a surprise.
Terri and Mackenzie were doing their best pushing themselves into the back of van. They didn't know Marie, and were just as terrified as e
veryone else. The last two of Eddie's men nearly trampled on the women as they made their way through the van and started the engine. They'd decided it was better to run than fight. The rear doors were still open, and Mackenzie nearly fell out as the van sped away. Terri barely saved her by placing her bound feet over her daughter.
Marie took six steps and lunged, and nearly made the leap. Her front paws scraped the van's bumper. She tumbled and rolled, but quickly recovered to give chase. The van swerved for a moment before straightening out.
She ran. She was incredibly dangerous as a wolf, and also very adept at running. Running close to sixty miles per hour wasn't a challenge for her, and she could hold that speed for several hours.
The problem was the van was moving just a bit faster.
She did the math in her head. It took several minutes to drive down the long stretch of road at normal speed. Eddie's men might put some distance between them by the time they made it back to town, but she had their scent now, and probably wouldn't even lose sight of them. They'd have to slow down once the road ended, and that's when she'd strike. She'd kill them right in the middle of the street if she had to.
It turned out she didn't have to.
Her own car emerged from a path in the tree line and nearly sideswiped her as it leveled out on the road. She turned to see Nathan behind the wheel. She was so distracted she didn't even hear him start the engine.
Marie jumped nimbly on the hood and hunched down. Nathan let out a girlish squeal, but managed to keep the car straight. Their eyes met, and she yipped, hoping her simple message of speed up was clear.
He pressed the pedal to the floor.
She turned to face the back of the van. Nathan was obviously terrified, but drove with a purpose. She let out a quiet growl of satisfaction as the distance slowly began to close.
He tried to get closer, but it wasn't necessary. Marie could jump extraordinary lengths. She took the few short steps to the edge of the hood and leapt into the back of the van.
Terri and Mackenzie screamed through their gags. Their fear turned to surprise when Marie skipped over them, ignoring them completely, and headed for the front.
The man in the passenger's seat saw her coming and reached for his gun. He whipped his arm around, but Marie was much faster than any slow human. She caught his arm in her jaws and sank her teeth in. He howled in pain as he lost control of his muscles, and fired a single shot. That shot slammed into the skull of the driver, killing him instantly.
Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse Page 3