Target

by Connie Suttle

  "Watch this, we're gonna save the universe," Trajan grinned, loading up the game. Trace did well enough against his brother, but Marco was working as hard as he could against Ashe. With Ashe, it was as if he always knew the enemy's moves before they were made. Trajan and Trace sat back and whistled as Ashe obliterated cyber creatures, one after another.

  "Here, my arm's tired," Ashe handed the controller off to Trajan while his avatar died on screen.

  "Holy crap, kid, did you even have your eyes open there at the end?"

  "Don't know," Ashe shrugged. "Now you know why Sali won't play against me anymore. If he wants to play, he invites Larry, Jeff and Hayes over." Ashe named off the other male students in his and Sali's class. "I'm going to bed. If you want a rematch sometime, let me know." Ashe rose from his seat on the floor. He couldn't help himself as he walked out of the room. How much Elemaiya blood do you have? He sent to Tony Hancock.

  I'm an eighth, Tony returned. Ashe was shocked that the vampire even answered.

  * * *

  Honored One, the child is more than talented. He seems intuitive, if that is the proper term. I'd say it borders on Foresight, actually. Is there more information available on the Elemaiya? I never received anything, as you know, and they do not bother with anything less than half-bloods. If there is anyone you know who might be able to provide information, I'd appreciate any assistance with this. It will help me determine what his full talents are, I think.

  -Anthony.

  Tony closed his laptop and sighed. The boy was only sixteen. He hoped Wlodek would give him more than two years before sending someone to collect him. The rule of conscription was at times a harsh one. If the vampire race found a human who would enrich their race, the normal rules of turning could be ignored. That's how brothers had been turned—mindspeech and misting ran in families. The Council's two misters were brothers, as were the two other mindspeakers. Tony had mindspeech but no blood siblings. They'd have been turned quickly if he'd had any. Tony had been adopted as a baby by his werewolf mother. He had a stepbrother—Deryn Alford, a werewolf in the Denver Pack. No werewolf had ever become vampire. They also didn't have the misting or mindspeech ability that a handful of vampires held over the centuries. Tony was surprised to get a return email so quickly from the Head of the Council, the message causing his cell to vibrate. Tony read it from his phone rather than opening his laptop again.

  Will contact my eldest, the message read. He will know if anyone will—W.

  "Yeah, he'd know, all right." Tony deleted the message and went to walk the beach.

  * * *

  "You promised to bring the boy," Obediah Tanner's brother stared at Dominic Pruitt.

  "He took off with Dusty. I'll get him back. He'll learn what it's like from this end of things," Dom snorted.

  "You know we need him and more like him to haul this stuff across the border," Ezekiel Tanner snapped. "All we have is older males, and half of those have bullets lodged in their bodies. They can't run as fast anymore."

  Dom didn't want to point out that Obediah and Ezekiel had chased away or killed any females who'd associated with the rogue Pack, which was located just across the border in Mexico. It prevented any young wolves coming from that Pack. This was a lucrative business, but they worried about recruiting from any of the Grand Master's Packs. Somebody would surely pass the information along and the Grand Master would send his Trackers with an army of wolves and vampires at their backs.

  Dom, Obediah and Ezekiel had smuggled drugs and contraband for years. Dom was searching for a good location to set up another game preserve—the one Obediah ran had brought in huge payoffs from wealthy clients, in addition to being the perfect place to hide smuggled drugs until they could be distributed throughout the United States.

  Hunting on the preserve had been Obediah's idea—the shapeshifters had no form of government to protest against the practice, so it was easy to kidnap a rare one here and there. There was no shortage of well-paying hunters either, who jumped at the invitation to take them down. Dom and Ezekiel both realized that Obediah was likely dead now, after the raid on his game preserve—neither had heard from him since.

  Dom hadn't heard from the two wolves he'd sent after Jackson either, and he was getting worried. Jackson hadn't turned yet, but that could happen anytime. He'd informed Jack of what he was shortly after his mother took off. The boy hadn't taken it very well, but he'd come to like it soon, Dom was sure of it. The boy would make a good runner, too, if they could get him back. He'd thought to recruit Dusty, but his oldest son had too much of his mother in him.

  Dustin. Just the thought of him made Dominic growl. Dom had given up on his oldest son. Jackson liked the expensive cell phones, toys and the Corvette his father had bought for him recently. With the promise of wealth, Jackson could be convinced to run drugs as a wolf. All it took was a specially made harness, loaded with sealed bags of illegal substances. Money would replace the drugs in the bags, once the receivers on the U.S. side of the border were reached. Border guards were less likely to aim at what they saw as a wolf or coyote. It was easy for them to slip through. The bullet wounds came mostly from farmers and ranchers, worried about their livestock.

  "I'll get the boy back," Dom promised. "Maybe we can hit that supernatural community, too. Should be enough young wolves to be had there, plus the kids who turn into larger shifters. They can carry as well as a wolf can."

  "What?" Zeke stared at Dominic Pruitt for seconds before the idea took root. Dom recognized the light in Zeke's eyes as he weighed the merits of Dom's suggestion. "Do it," Zeke said, nodding curtly. "We can snatch those old enough. They'll learn quick enough what it's like to live on this side of the border."

  "How are the plans coming along on taking William Winkler down?" Dom asked. He'd gotten wind from some of Zeke's rogues that something was in the works. Zeke hadn't shared anything, yet, though.

  "That plan is taking shape," Zeke growled. Dom was wise enough to recognize that growl—it meant Ezekiel Tanner wasn't prepared to share information yet. He was angry, though. Angry that Winkler had been instrumental in his brother's takedown. Dom kept further questions to himself. After all, he had plans for William Winkler too, and he was keeping that information to himself.

  * * *

  "I don't think any normal person will get into this bank," Ashe handed over what he had to Winkler the following afternoon. The bank in Boise had been a difficult system to crack. Ashe had noticed that his usual ability to crack puzzles and such was much sharper, now. Perhaps it was because most puzzles didn't provide much of a challenge to him. Now, when Winkler set these things in front of him, he could almost see a road map to his destination if he just closed his eyes and concentrated.

  "Kid, this is frightening," Winkler said, going over the information in the folder Ashe handed to him. "I'll tell you what; go find something to eat while I make a call or two."

  "Okay," Ashe stretched and rolled his shoulders to work out a few kinks. He'd gotten stiff, sitting in a chair most of the day. "Do I have time for a quick run on the beach?"

  "Take Marco or somebody with you," Winkler nodded.

  "All right." Ashe wandered down the hall toward the media room. "Who wants to go out for a run?" He asked. Trace, Trajan and Marco were in the kitchen for an afternoon break. Keeping the grounds and surrounding beach patrolled and safe was their job, as well as that of Gabe, Gene and Spencer.

  "I'll go," Trace offered. "Just let me finish this glass of water. You ought to have some too, before we head out. It's hot and muggy out there." Ten minutes later, Trace and Ashe were running down the beach. Trace was nearly as tall as Trajan and he ran with an easy lope, even in the sand.

  "You know, Trace, I've been thinking," Ashe said. "When those two wolves found us in the theatre parking lot in Denton, they were parked right beside the van we drove."

  "They might have been following you," Trace said.

  "Yeah. I guess. But what if that isn't true? What if they had a t
race on Jack's cell or something? Besides, I think Marco might have noticed if we were followed. He's pretty careful."

  "Yeah. Well, I'll mention it to Winkler and see if he wants to check into that," Trace said. "Come on; see if you can catch up with me." Trace took off at a faster pace.

  * * *

  "Let's go do a little checking for bugs," Winkler said, once Trace mentioned what Ashe had said. "Probably should have done it to begin with. Just didn't credit Pruitt with that many brain cells."

  "Yeah, well, even the dumbest of us have our moments," Trace agreed.

  "Then let's go see if Pruitt had a moment. Bring the equipment and the others. We'll find out."

  "Okay."

  * * *

  "Does he have his cell with him?" Winkler asked Marcie, who wore a worried frown when Winkler, Trace, Trajan, Marco and Ashe walked into the house.

  "It's charging up on the kitchen counter; Jack went down to see Larry and Jeff at Jeff's house. They seem to be getting along pretty well."

  "Check it," Winkler jerked his head at Trajan. Ashe stood by, watching in fascination as Jack's cell was checked. Trajan grimaced as he cracked the expensive phone's case and then used tweezers to lift out a tiny chip.

  "Lookie here," Trajan handed the chip to Winkler, who had a small plastic bag ready.

  "Can we look through the rest of his things?" Winkler asked Marcie, who now wore a horrified expression.

  "Look through everything. Get every bit of that crap away from my son," she insisted. Winkler and his team went through the rest of Jackson's things, finding one more chip in a duffle bag shoved inside his closet. "This can't be happening," Marcie moaned. They checked Dusty's things as well, but failed to find anything.

  "We'll destroy these," Winkler promised as they walked out the door.

  "Good. I'm not telling him," Marcie said. "I'll let Jason know, but that's it," she added.

  "I'll send somebody else to stay with Ace and Gene," Winkler nodded. I'll call Nathan and Aedan when the sun sets. We all need to be on guard in case these things got past the shields those witches put up."

  "Jack's been outside the community several times, so they could have picked up a signal then," Marcie was wiping tears. "Keep them away from us, please. I don't want any of them near me or my sons."

  "We'll do our best, Marcie. Jason's tough and Gene and Ace are two of my best. I'll send Nick over, he's good, too. Just stay calm, all right?"

  "Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Winkler."

  * * *

  "Good call, Ashe," Winkler said, once they'd loaded into the van. "Now, Trajan, what do you think we should do with these?" Winkler held up the small plastic bag, which contained the locating chips.

  "I have an idea," Trajan grinned.

  "Dude, that's just nasty," Ashe said when Trajan returned to the coffee shop after using a strong adhesive to glue the chips to the underside of a police cruiser parked outside.

  "We'll let Pruitt argue with the kind officers driving that car—if he catches up with them and wants to," Trajan shrugged.

  * * *

  "My contact said to give this to the boy," Wlodek's eldest vampire child handed a small volume over. Wlodek, black-haired and black-eyed, was born Greek nearly three thousand years earlier. His eldest living vampire child, sitting across from him now, was Roman at birth and more than two thousand years of age.

  "This looks new," Wlodek observed, taking the book.

  "It is a translation, so I had the loose papers bound and covered."

  "Then express my gratitude when you see him next."

  "I will. He also said to exercise caution, and not to play with fire."

  "More vague warnings? I am not surprised." Wlodek turned the book over in his hands.

  "You know he can't interfere. Not directly. He says it's part of a larger volume, and that this is the most he could give."

  "I understand." Wlodek sighed.

  "He also says that Radomir should not be punished. He acted honorably, and you will see that for what it is one day."

  "Shall I let him have my seat as Head of the Council as well? He desires to make my decisions for me?"

  "No, father. I think he wishes to keep you from making a terrible mistake."

  "Very well. I will look through this first, and then hand it over to the boy."

  "Good. Is there anything else?" Piercing blue eyes twinkled and white teeth flashed in a brief but brilliant smile at the Head of the Council.

  "No, child. Thank you for doing this so swiftly."

  "You are welcome, father."

  Chapter 10

  "Nick is headed to Star Cove to provide extra protection for Jackson and Dusty," Marco said the following morning over breakfast. Ashe recalled that it was Tuesday, July first. The full moon was eleven days away.

  "Trajan says that Jack hasn’t turned yet," Ashe said, rotating an arm to loosen up his right shoulder. Winkler's Second had made him do extra reps in the weight room before sending him out for a run with Marco and Trace. Trajan had then disappeared into Winkler's office for a private breakfast meeting.

  Ashe realized that Trajan had a serious job as Winkler's Second, but he couldn't help but like the tall werewolf or his younger brother, Trace. He also liked Jason Landers, Jackson's stepfather, very much. The old cowboy was more than one hundred fifty years old and treated everyone with a courtesy that Ashe didn't see in many people.

  "You think he might turn this time?"

  "Maybe," Ashe always hedged his bets. "Tell Ace and Jason to be careful, okay?"

  "Werewolves aren't in the habit of saying be careful to fellow werewolves, but I'll see what I can do," Marco grinned, biting into a piece of crispy bacon.

  "All tough guys," Ashe nodded.

  "Darn tough," Gabe and Spencer, werewolf brothers, wandered in from guard duty and sat at the breakfast table, helping themselves to the food laid out. Ashe liked both werewolves, and decided he appreciated the fact that gruff and grumble Orville had been asked to tend the store in Cordell instead of coming to the Gulf Coast. Orville hadn't liked Ashe from the beginning.

  * * *

  "Here's your assignment for today, courtesy of Matt Michaels, our friend in Washington," Winkler handed over a few pieces of paper. "And he warns you that this information is secret," Winkler grinned.

  "Okay, I'll look through it," Ashe agreed, walking into his office. Ashe was shocked to see Congressman Jack Howard's name on the papers, with a suspected offshore bank account. "Wow," Ashe breathed, eyebrows lifting as he booted up the computer.

  * * *

  "Mr. Winkler, just tell Mr. Michaels that I was particularly motivated on this one," Ashe handed over the paperwork two hours later, complete with passwords and codes to a bank account in the Cayman Islands. The esteemed congressman had millions stashed away and hidden, according to the records. Ashe didn't know what else the congressman had, but regular deposits from a business in South America had shown up.

  "Ashe, you're beginning to frighten me," Winkler grinned, belying his words.

  "Mr. Winkler, I would never do anything like this on my own, unless it was necessary to save a life. You have to believe me when I say that," Ashe said.

  "And that I will believe," Winkler said, raising his cell and punching a number on speed dial. He motioned for Ashe to sit while the call went through. "Matt?" Winkler said when the phone was answered. Ashe heard the Director's voice quite clearly. It made him wonder if he knew that the former Director-turned vampire, Anthony Hancock, was staying with Winkler. Winkler gave information on Congressman Howard over the phone and Mr. Michaels was pulling information up on his own computer.

  "Got it," Matt Michaels was laughing. "I'll get a team on it now. Our congressman may go down faster than he ever thought possible. I'll keep you posted. Tell that kid I owe him." The phone went dead.

  * * *

  "I'm thinking about taking college courses," Adele pushed the information she'd printed off the computer toward Denise and Sharon.

&n
bsp; "Marine biology?" Denise lifted an eyebrow and handed the sheet of paper to Sharon.

  "Ashe will be off to college or doing something else in two years," Adele sighed. "I can open another business or do this. I still haven't decided."

  "Marcie's looking for something to do; she says Jack wants to find another Pack after he turns eighteen," Denise pointed out. "I think she and Jason liked running your store in Cordell."

  "Yeah. But there's plenty of those businesses in this area already," Adele said, sipping coffee. "Ashe and I were looking at opening a small bookshop on the beach in Port A. If I buy another business, that's what I'll probably do."

  "Jonas and I will likely buy another farm when Wynn graduates and goes off to college," Sharon said, handing the flyer back to Adele. "It's what we know best, and it hides us well enough when we turn." Sharon turned to a palomino mare and Jonas became an eagle. Wynn's unicorn came from her mother's side of the family. A great-great-great grandmother had also been a unicorn, but they were so rare as to be the myth everyone believed. If Obediah Tanner and Jack Howard had succeeded, then there might not have been a legacy to pass down to another child, someday.

  "Where does Jack want to go?" Adele asked. Jack had just finished eleventh grade in Phoenix and would be a senior when school started again.

  "No idea. Marcie says at times he appears confident and seems to know what he wants. At others, he looks haunted. Now, I've got a good guess as to why that is, but I won't spread that rumor until I know for sure," Denise said. "Marcie and Jason are taking Jackson to Corpus Christi to buy clothes. He barely got out of Phoenix with a suitcase and a duffle bag. Ace and that other one, Nick? Is that his name? Are going too."

  "How are Sali and Dori doing in Shirley Walker's groves?" Adele asked.

  "Fine, when they're not in trouble horsing around. I think they got into a fruit fight with Jeff, Hayes and Larry. Jennifer Campbell was mortified when Larry's pay was docked for destroying peaches."

  "After all those years of Wynn and Dori fighting with Sali, now she's dating him," Sharon O'Neill shook her head. Adele sighed again, and this time it was for Ashe.