Marie didn't respond. Several minutes passed, and Jack heard the first of many quiet snores.
More time passed, something Jack was used to. He checked the time on his phone only once, at three o'clock. He was tempted to call Tiffany, to hear her voice, but knew she was probably busy with homework. Soon, it would be him instead of Kevin at home with her, the way it was supposed to be.
The sun set, and dusk took hold. Activity at the office building picked up. More men loitered outside, pacing about, loading and unloading equipment. Lights flickered on in the building.
"Marie," he said, shaking her shoulder. "Wake up."
She stirred and sat up. Jack watched as she opened her eyes. They glowed red, and she was instantly alert.
"They're organizing. What door are we sneaking in?"
"Sneaking? Who says we're sneaking?"
"Well, what are we doing?"
"I'm walking straight to the back door. Give me five minutes and come up behind me. You're on cleanup. They'll waste most of their precious silver on me."
"You make it sound so simple."
"It will be. It'll be messy, but easy. We'll sweep every room. Everyone wandering outside will step over each other getting inside. We're far enough away that we shouldn't make much noise. But if the cops come, just get out."
"If you say so."
Jack stepped forward, but Marie grabbed his shoulder.
"You'll seriously take every bullet? Nothing can stop you?"
"Nothing. And I even wore crappy clothes for the occasion."
She hugged him. Wincing at first, he slowly returned the embrace. He wasn't sure what it was for, but there was no harm in accepting it. Her body was certainly worth touching.
"Thank you," she said. "I know you're doing this for yourself, but thank you. I'm usually on my own with everything. It's a nice change not to be."
Marie released him and backed up a step. In one motion, she pulled her shirt over her head. Jack didn't move when she unsnapped her jeans.
"You could have done that first, then hugged me."
"I'm counting five minutes in my head," she said, smiling. "You'd better get moving."
He reluctantly turned and walked away. Leaving the woods behind him, he walked across the rear parking lot. A man spotted him from a second floor window, and raised a walkie-talkie to his lips. Jack didn't bother trying to read his lips. Whatever he said, it was meaningless. There was nothing they could do to stop the death that was coming for them.
Jack even gave him a wave.
Two men stood near the rear door to the building. They both carried guns, but wisely kept them concealed. One of them smoked, and threw his butt away as Jack approached. The second man stepped forward, a smarmy grin on his face, holding his hand up.
"Hold on there, cowboy. This is private property. Don't come any closer."
Jack said nothing. He didn't slow down. The man reached inside his coat.
"Didn't you hear what I—?"
Jack kicked the man in the stomach. As he doubled over, gasping for breath, Jack reached inside the man's coat and grabbed his gun. He calmly shook it free and shot him in the head. Blood and brain matter sprayed and landed on the shoes of the partner standing near the door. The partner only had his hand on the handle of his own gun when Jack ended his life.
Two down, nineteen more to go.
Jack wasn't fond of guns. They simply didn't mesh with his personality. Killing from a distance wasn't his style. He'd prefer to use his own hands, but he couldn't waste time fighting hand to hand with so many mortals.
He stepped into the building. The office space housed no business. There were no desks or computers. The dark hallway went in two directions. Most of the offices were empty, but he did see a light two rooms down. Turning into the office, he saw two men leaning over a table, working at a laptop. Jack shot them both.
"This is going to be too easy," he muttered.
There was another light ahead. He turned into what was a small conference room. He nearly bumped into a man leaving to investigate the noise. Jack raised the gun, but someone attacked from behind, looping a cord over his head. The gun fell to the floor as Jack was dragged into the room. He was disoriented for a moment when someone threw him over a table, still pulling on the cord. Someone choked him from behind and a large man appeared in front of him. The man punched Jack several times as a voice spoke into a radio behind him.
"We have a situation. We need everyone inside. Now."
Jack smiled. Finally, some fun.
The man reared back to punch Jack again, but halted when he saw the smile. His partner continued to pull the cord as hard as he could, his foot pressed against the table for leverage.
"What are you doing, Dan? Fuck him up!"
"Something's not right. I'm not even sure—"
Jack reached out with his feet, trapping the Dan's leg. He fell to the ground, and Jack was on him. The hunter with the cord tried to pull Jack, but it didn't work. He slipped out easily and pummeled Dan, ramming his head over and over into the floor. The man behind him had fallen, and crawled for the gun on the floor. Jack paid him no mind as he continued his assault. Shot after shot rang out, and he felt the stings, but didn't slow down. Dan tried to fight back for a moment. He was stronger than Jack, but it didn't matter. Jack drove his knee into the Dan's stomach and continued to rub his face in the carpet. He eyed the gunman only for a second when the gun clicked empty. His eyes were full of awe and terror.
"Shit."
"Be patient," Jack said. "I'll get to you soon."
Two more men showed up in the doorway. Jack hadn't yet killed Dan, but he was close.
"What are you waiting for? Shoot him!"
Jack laughed. The man with the empty gun had shot him until the clip was empty, and was ordering his colleagues to shoot him again. He ducked and covered his ears as his partners lifted their weapons, ready to fire.
They never got the chance.
He didn't even realize it was Marie until one of the men was on his stomach screaming. She picked her targets carefully, and it was a joy to watch her work. He reached out, grabbed the loose cord on the floor, and strangled the man under him, all the while keeping an eye on Marie.
The second gunman fell backward when Marie jumped on her first target. She bit the back of his neck and twisted, killing him instantly. The gunman raised his weapon, but she was already in the air, leaping across the room. She attacked with a frenzy, snarling and ripping. The man screamed in agony as she tore him literally to shreds. In just a matter of seconds, he was more blood and tissue than skin.
The final hunter tried to attack her from behind. Jack almost shouted a warning, but it wasn't needed. Marie caught his arm as he tried to swing a silver blade. She clamped down once, and then loosened her jaws for a second strike. The arm fell to the floor. One rake of her claws later, and he lay on his side next to his limb, his face a horrific mess.
Dan finally stopped moving as life left him. Marie had killed three mortals by the time it took Jack to kill one. He could almost sense her laughing as she stared at him.
"That's not fair," he said. "I distracted them for you."
She trotted across the room and licked Jack, smearing blood across his face. Letting out a quiet yelp, she ran out of the room. So much for her following his lead.
A voice squawked from the radio of one of the dead men.
"The dog's here. We need everyone inside, now. She has help. A man is with her—"
His voice cut off. There was a snarl, a scream, and the radio went silent.
"Showoff."
Jack grabbed a gun from the floor and left the room. He checked the next office to see another hunter taking his last breaths, having just been visited by Marie. The left half of his face was missing, his eye hanging from its socket.
His shoulder stung as someone fired at him. He looked down the hall to see two men kneeling. They fired several more times, the bullets striking Jack's chest and face. He flinched
in annoyance before raising his own gun and returning fire, not stopping until it was empty. Unlike him, the hunters weren't immune to gunfire, and they fell as Jack struck various body parts.
He approached, and ended the lives of the two hunters as he reached the corner. A bullet to the head for each. The lobby to the office was to the left, with stairs leading up. A pair of feet vanished past the top step. Jack pursued slowly, not in a hurry. Two cats crossed his path, running for safety.
He opened the door to the second floor. Somewhere he could hear another man dying at the claws of Marie. He didn't get the chance to take a step through the door when a knife swung into his chest. The hunter hiding next to the door squealed in shock when the knife stopped. Jack shot the hunter in the leg as he grabbed the knife. He ran the blade across the hunter's throat as he surveyed the second floor. The floor only had two offices, one at each end of the hall. There were open spaces intended for cubicles, each filled with cots in rows.
Marie was in one office. Jack could see two dead bodies, with another hunter gripping the door frame. His horrified eyes met Jack's before Marie dragged him back into the room out of view. Blood sprayed onto the rear wall.
The second office door was shut. Jack thought he heard muffled, urgent conversation. He turned the knob only to find it locked. He smiled as he gently knocked on the door.
"May I come in?" he asked.
The answer came when the men in the office opened fire. The door splintered as they tore it to pieces. Jack actually fell to the floor and dropped his gun.
"Okay!" someone shouted. "I think you got him!"
Jack grabbed a piece of wood from his chest and dropped it next to him.
"Yeah. I think you got me."
He stood up, stealing a quick glance at the piles of silver bullets at his feet. The first thing he saw were the confused expressions. Six men were hiding behind two tables turned on their sides. Jack stepped into the office. A few more stray bullets bounced off him as most of the hunters reloaded. One man standing slightly to the back feverishly tapped at a cell phone.
"Okay," Jack said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's get started."
The man with the cell phone stepped forward, holding the phone in the air.
"Stop!" he shouted. "If you take one more step, your daughter will die."
Jack's eyes went wide as his legs froze. His mind raced for an explanation as he studied the man holding the phone.
He knew he was staring at their leader, the man named Sean. Sean was most likely Sean Faraday. The resemblance to his brother Rob was telling. There was a look in his eye that told Jack he was very serious. His finger hovered over the send button.
"What did you say?" Jack said.
"I said if you take another step, your daughter, Tiffany March, will die. Hey, little dog," he said, raising his voice. "I know you can hear me. Get your tail in here, or you'll be responsible for the death of this man's daughter."
Jack could only hope Marie would listen.
"Jesus Christ," Sean said, shaking his head. "Finally, we found something that can stop you. What the fuck are you?"
He barely heard the question. His mind was still reeling.
"You…went after my little girl?"
Sean leaned on one of the tables. Jack noticed a television sitting on a table in the corner of the room, along with papers, knives, guns, and ammunition.
"Not my proudest moment, believe me. I kill werewolves, not humans. And especially not little girls. But we've got resources all over the world, and we will do what we have to."
There were footsteps behind him, and Jack turned to see Marie walking with a man behind her. She was naked and her body covered in blood. The hunter held a gun to her, and shoved the barrel in her back as she stood next to him.
"Your daughter won't die over me," she said.
Jack gave her an appreciative nod.
"Will someone throw the dog a robe or something?" Sean said. "I don't want to stare at wolf tail."
One of the hunters retrieved a blanket from a cot and threw it at Marie. She bared her teeth as she wrapped it around herself.
"You weren't at the hotel for Marie," Jack said. "You were there for me."
"We found your business card at the dog's apartment. My gut told me to dig into you, and I always listen to my gut. Turns out I was right. You're a very private man, not much is out there on you. But we did find your daughter. Picked her up from Parkville Elementary when she was at recess."
Jack clenched his fists, eying each and every hunter.
"Do you realize what you've done? Do you know how many people will die because of your actions? Your little wolf hunting club? It's over."
Sean laughed, nearly sending Jack over the edge.
"You don't know how big our little wolf hunting club is."
It was Jack's turn to laugh as he shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. One hundred years. Two hundred. All of you will die."
His words shook up the hunters, but Sean managed to keep a brave face.
"That may be true, but your daughter will still be dead if we don't come to some kind of deal right now."
"What kind of deal is that?" Marie asked.
"Excuse me," Sean said. "Humans are talking here."
"Don't insult me," Jack said.
One of the hunters leaned closer to Sean. "I don't like this."
Sean raised a hand to silence him.
"I would love to know exactly what you are," Sean said. "But the truth is you're not a werewolf, so I really don't care. In order to save your daughter, all you have to do is turn around and walk away. The pup stays with us. We'll get to know her and her pack very well. You go home, hug your daughter, forget you ever came here. It's as easy as that. I'm not happy you killed nearly my entire unit. But I've learned over the years when to cut my losses."
"There's a problem with that. You're looking at the only member of her pack," Jack said.
Marie grabbed his shoulder, and gave Jack her own appreciative look.
"Jack, go," she said. "It'll be okay."
"Exactly," Sean said, rubbing his finger over the send button. "Everything will be great. We'll give her food, water. She can pay for my brother's death. It'll all be fine."
"I want to see Tiffany. Show me she's okay."
Sean looked at one of his men and gestured to the television. The hunter moved across the room and turned it on.
Jack waited impatiently for the image to come to life.
CHAPTER 32
Kevin leaned back in the driver's seat of the rental car with his feet hanging out the window. His body ached from running more cable at a warehouse earlier in the day. He did take a shortcut when everyone went to lunch. Instead of using the scissor-lift to reach the top of the warehouse, he simply used his magic feather, pulling cable as he floated along. There were smudges of dirt on his arms, and he couldn't wait to get back to Jack's house to shower.
"I miss you," Leese said, her voice emanating from the rock under his shirt.
"We just saw each other last night," he said, smiling.
"So? Are you saying you don't want me to come over tonight?"
The school bell rang. He looked up over the dashboard to see the parents gathered in the playground, waiting the release of their children. The doors opened, and the young ones ran all over the place. Some ran to the swing-sets while others ran to their parents. Some just ran in circles.
"I didn't say that," Kevin said. "Tiffany said she wants to cook for us."
Leese laughed. "That should be fun."
"How's Cindy and Alex doing? Is he back from Florida yet?"
"Not yet. Cindy's actually heading down there now. All my favorite people will be gone. Will you keep me company?"
He smiled at her flirtatious tone. "You know I will. What's going on with them?"
"She just misses him. They're still newlyweds. She can't go ten seconds without wanting to hold his private parts."
Kevin chuckled.
/> "He also showed up on You Tube again. Cindy showed me last night. I thought her head was going to spin in circles. He was flying away from a helicopter or something. It actually looked pretty cool, but you know Cindy. She'll probably slap him across the face for worrying her, then hump him."
"Nice image, Leese."
The noise seemed to grow quiet outside. Kevin looked at the playground once again to see fewer parents and children. Tiffany sometimes spoke with her friends for a few minutes, but never enough that the playground emptied.
"Kevin?" Leese said. "You didn't hear me, did you?"
"No, sorry. I'm looking for Tiffany."
"I asked what you wanted me to wear tonight. I was trying to sound all sexy."
He smiled at the thought, but kept scouring the playground. Tiffany should have already opened the car door and been sitting next to him, complaining about her day.
"I'm sorry. It's just she's usually here by now."
"Did she get detention or something?"
"Tiffany? Nah, but I'd better go see what's going on."
"Okay. Call me when you get home."
Kevin grabbed his coat from the back and left the car. He marched across the playground toward the open doors. He was nearly inside when he heard a girl talking to her mother.
"Mom! That man there, that's Kevin! He's the one I told you about, the man who can make people float in the air!"
He turned to see one of Tiffany's friends, Melissa, and her mother, Stacy. Stacy was giving him a look that didn't make him feel comfortable, and would certainly draw a scowl from Leese. He approached the two and smiled politely.
"Hey, Melissa," he said. "How's it going?"
"Good. Can you make me float again? My mom doesn't believe me."
"Uh, that was just a trick. Listen, have you seen Tiffany anywhere?"
"Not since lunch. She wasn't in class after that."
"Did she get sick or something? Did she get in trouble?"
Melissa shrugged and made a noise that resembled I don't know. Kevin's heart pounded harder as he searched the playground one more time. Stacy grabbed his shoulder gently.
"Is everything okay?" she asked. "Tiffany's had a few issues in class before. She's probably with the principal. I wouldn't worry too much."
Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse Page 35