by DG Wood
Darkly had been right about the hooker hunch, and she had another hunch. She remembered hearing about a speakeasy in New Orleans. The entrance was through a women’s toilet stall of a law-abidingly dry restaurant. With that thought, she gathered up her things and got the hell out of the Echo Park flat. She placed a text message, I’ve been compromised, and cautiously walked to her double-parked car. Toma knew where she was staying, so there was no coming back. She was homeless for the time being, and whistle-less. She wasn’t about to return to the Hollywood sign to find that needle in a haystack.
It was well after midnight now, but she suspected Achoo was still going strong. She made her way to the club and entered without any hassle from a bouncer who was now drinking at the bar himself. The club was winding down, with only a handful of millennials, what looked like the remnants of a bachelorette party, left on the dancefloor. One of the dancers was covered in a disintegrating toilet tissue wedding dress. Darkly ordered a drink and stood by a Copa table close to the toilets. After a couple of sips, she abandoned her drink and walked down the hallway to the women’s room.
Inside, Darkly was greeted with the sound of retching from one of the stalls. Darkly walked past and looked out the window. To the left, along the brick wall was exactly what Darkly was looking for. When she looked to the right, there was a smooth brick wall. But, to the left, the wall pushed out to form a narrow box of bricks about seven feet tall. Anyone would think it an accommodation in the structure for plumbing. Maybe that’s all it was. Or maybe it was something more.
Darkly pulled her head back inside and pushed the door of the stall closest to the window open. She stepped inside and locked the door behind her. She could hear the girl a couple of stalls away dry heaving. Good. If someone else came in, they’d be distracted by that. Darkly examined the subway tiles that lined the inside of the outside wall and the load bearing wall behind the toilet. Amongst the white tiles, was the occasional black one. She pushed on the black tiles. They didn’t give. She traced the grouting between the tiles, looking for imperfections, but found none.
The toilet then beckoned Darkly. She realized she hadn’t gone to the bathroom for hours, and the drink she ordered had prompted some urgency. As she sat, she examined the floor. It was concrete. There were no exceptional cracks that suggested a trap door. She got up and examined the wall behind the cistern. The flush mechanism was not part of the toilet. It was built into the wall. She flushed. All the normal things happened. She stood back and thought. She then ran her fingers over the flush again and lifted up, instead of pushing down. There was a distinctive click beside her, the kind of click when something unlocks.
Darkly turned to the outside wall again and placed both of her hands against it and pushed. The entire wall below the top of the stall slid back over a hole in the floor. She held her phone over the hole, lighting a stairwell. Darkly didn’t like the look of this. She knew what happened to women in horror films who descend stairs leading to the bowels of a building in the middle of the night.
She had no choice. She’d signed up for this crusade. Turning back now meant chaos for the world she may not have been born into, but had come to be quite fond of. The threat had to be contained, and the wolves of Wolf Woods saved from the societal backlash and slaughter Buck was too naïve or delusional to see coming. This was her task, even if it is was to become her life’s work.
Darkly descended the stairs until she reached a basement level. Directly ahead of the last step, was a black-out curtain. She felt silently for the opening in the curtain and, when she found it, took a deep breath and pulled it ever so slightly apart to see what she could see inside. Firelight greeted her.
Through the curtain, was a world of comfort. There were a couple of sofas and a fireplace with a roaring fire. The walls were covered in wood paneling from the 1970s. The carpet was shag. This was a disco king’s man cave before they became the necessary third room in any house purchase.
There was a bar in one corner with a refrigerator and sink, and a cathode ray tube television on a rolling cart. There was a closed door in the middle of one of the four walls. Darkly walked toward the fireplace. When she got to the sofa, she could see over it onto the floor. There, on a faux bearskin rug, was Marielle’s nude figure, fast asleep. She was clearly exhausted from the night’s activities.
“Mummy?”
Darkly whirled around and drew her gun on a toddler boy rubbing his eyes and then quickly hid the weapon behind her back. Marielle stirred, and Darkly held her finger to her lips.
“Shh. I’m a friend of your Mommy’s. Let’s not wake her up. Come on, back to bed.”
Darkly ushered the toddler back through the now open door. Inside the child’s room, was a cot, a diaper changing table, plastic bins of toys and clothes, and a nightlight. Darkly put the little boy on the cot and covered him with blankets. He rolled over and went back to sleep, clearly exhausted himself.
At that, Darkly heard the cocking of a shotgun hammer behind her and Marielle’s voice.
“Step away from my son.”
Darkly raised her hands in the air.
“Slowly.”
“I’ll go as slow as you want,” replied Darkly, backing up from the child.
Marielle backed out of the room, and Darkly followed her out backwards.
“Shut the door. Quietly,” commanded Marielle.
Darkly did so.
“Now,” continued Marielle, “put your gun on the floor and step away from it.”
Darkly did as she was ordered once again.
“Sit. But keep your hands where I can see them.”
Darkly sat on the sofa, and Marielle picked up the gun.
“You came here to kill us. Kill an innocent child. My baby.”
Marielle was growing emotional. That made her even more dangerous, worried Darkly.
“What? Take a look in the clip. They aren’t silver bullets. I came to find you and bring you home. What made you think I was going to kill you?”
“Because you tried to kill us in Wolf Woods. Buck saw the Mountie, your friend, shoot Wyatt. He would have shot the both of us, too, if we hadn’t gotten away. You brought him to kill us. And now you’re hunting us. Buck warned me this would happen. I came here so me and my son could stop hiding. I promised myself I wouldn’t hide anymore. After I kill you, my son will have a normal life. I trusted you.”
Marielle was in tears now.
“And you still can trust me, Marielle. Wyatt isn’t dead. My friend didn’t kill anyone. He came to Wolf Woods because he knew I was in trouble. It was all a big mistake.”
“Prove it,” challenged Marielle.
“I can prove it. Just let me remove my phone. I’ll call Wyatt right now. You can speak with him. The Mountie who shot him. By accident, Marielle. Wyatt is staying with him. The Mountie is keeping his secret and mine. There’s nothing to fear from us. I swear to you. Just let me call Wyatt. You can see him.”
Marielle waved her gun, and Darkly lowered her hands slowly.
“Just one hand,” Marielle said excitedly.
Darkly’s left hand shot back up, and she reassured Marielle.
“Okay. No problem.”
With her right hand, Darkly removed her phone and dialed Ennis’s number. She chose the video option. It took quite a few rings, but Ennis finally picked up.
“Darkly?”
“Uncle Ennis.”
“Should you be calling me? Someone might be listening in. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Ennis. I need to speak with Wyatt. It’s very important. Life or death. My life.”
Darkly held the phone up to take in the image of Marielle holding the shotgun.
“I see, Darkly. I’ll go get him. He’s chopping wood.”
Ennis set his phone down, and Darkly tried to engage Marielle in logical conversation.
“You found your son’s father. He’s a little different from how I remember him. I’d say you’re better matched now.”
; “He was supposed to kill you tonight, so his son would be safe from the wolf killer forever. He’s a good man.”
“I’m sure,” said Darkly sarcastically.
“He is, Darkly.”
“Did he tell you to sell your body?”
Marielle was silent for a few moments. Darkly saw shame in her face.
“Toma says it’s our duty. It’s what Buck wanted. The more people we turn, the safer we’ll be.”
“That doesn’t sound like Buck to me,” Darkly countered. “He wanted families of wolves to colonize the world outside of Wolf Woods, for you to find your mate and raise children with that mate. Those children would choose their mates, and so on. Wolf begat wolf. Slow but effective.”
Darkly was putting a positive spin on things. She knew full well that one-night-stands were part of the plan. But, Buck would never have wanted those under his care to degrade themselves. Marielle was a slave to Toma. Or was she a slave to Cassandra?
“You don’t know anything, Darkly.”
“Darkly?”
It was Wyatt’s voice.
“Wyatt?” Marielle answered.
Marielle lowered the shotgun and rushed to the phone, which Darkly handed to her.
“You were dead,” said Marielle with confidence.
“It wasn’t a silver bullet. I’m okay. And I remember more of who and what I was. But, it’s like watching a movie about someone else. I don’t recognize the man as me. I’ve been given a second chance, Marielle. Think about it. If Darkly didn’t kill me, she’s not going to kill you. But, if you don’t come home, eventually someone will kill you, once they figure out what you are. Come home, Marielle.”
With that, Wyatt passed the phone to Ennis.
“Darkly, Wyatt thinks he’s found the right location to start again. More remote, but with woods for hunting, grazing land and an unending water supply. I’ve decided I’d like to be one of the founders of the new Wolf Woods. A chance to be useful again. It’s my choice. And I’ve spoken with a few others from my tribe looking for a new start.”
“I understand,” Darkly answered, not at all surprised by what she heard.
“Ennis out.”
And with that sign-off, the screen went black. Uncle Ennis’s words struck a chord with Darkly. My choice, he said. She wanted to bring Marielle back to Canada for the safety of the world, but also for hers and her son’s safety. Yet, who was she to force her will upon any other person? She suddenly found clarity. Her mission was not to hunt and impose, but to track and persuade.
“Marielle, if you want me to walk out of here and leave you and your son and never come back, I will. But, think about it. In a community of wolves, your son will always be protected. Someone will always have his back. Here, the chances of him growing old without being killed, well, ask yourself how realistic you think that is.”
Marielle’s voice wavered in certainty when she replied.
“I have Toma. We’re a family.”
“Marielle, I think we both know that Toma is under Cassandra’s control. You’re the strong one. He’ll do whatever he’s told. You need to be stronger than her.”
Marielle leaned the shotgun against the wall and took a seat on the sofa next to Darkly.
“She owns this place,” Marielle said with a wave of her hand. “Cassandra. I found Toma playing dives in Toronto. He was good. He’d survived the change without me. It had given him confidence, he told me, that he didn’t have before. So, we came south to where all dreams come true.”
“That’s when you met Cassandra?” Darkly asked.
“Yes. She came to one of his shows. Told him he had talent. He likes flattery, and he likes to brag. It’s his weakness.”
“That’s a lot of men, Marielle, werewolf or not.”
Marielle looked down at herself and realized she was still naked.
“I’m still…”
She grabbed a blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped herself in it.
“He was with her the night our son was born. Paying her for the promise to make him a star. She’s one of us now.”
Marielle looked into the fire for a few seconds before finishing her thought.
“It’s selfish not to share, he told me.”
“Do you know where they are now?” Darkly asked, glancing at the stairwell that led up to the women’s toilets.
Marielle reached out and touched Darkly’s fingers.
“His band was going to play the Cha Cha Lounge, then he was going to stop you from hurting us. Permanently. He wanted me nearby to see the body for myself, so I wouldn’t be scared anymore. Then, Cassandra was taking him and the band to play in London. A private party.”
“It’s too late to fly. They’re not going anywhere till morning.”
“Did I mention she’s an heiress? She owns her own plane, Darkly.”
Darkly promised she would bring Toma back to Marielle. Her son would have a father. In return, Marielle promised to return to the woods. Darkly knew how she would achieve this. The night had been a moment of truth. She had come to L.A. with the objective of bringing wolves home. She now knew that objective must change. For wolves like Cassandra, who got her highs from death, there could be no redemption. If she lived, she would continue to corrupt the other wolves around her.
So, Darkly found herself stepping into a 24/7 gun shop and purchasing five silver bullets. She had promised to bring back Toma. But, if she had to, she would kill the bandmates along with Cassandra. They had all taken innocent lives. At least she assumed Cassandra had. The only one who was still relatively pure was Toma. For Marielle’s sake, Darkly hoped he remained so.
After acquiring the bullets that meant permanent death, Darkly drove to Burbank and parked her car a half mile from the end of the Bob Hope Airport runway. She crossed one wide ditch and climbed two chain link fences before reaching the end of the runway. She kept to the shadows at the edge of the runway and made her way to a series of hangers by the airport’s terminal. The airport was now closed to commercial airliner takeoffs and landings. If it was closed to private takeoffs, as well, Darkly was certain Cassandra would have bought her way around the rule.
A sliver of light appeared on one of the hangers and grew wider. A door was opening. Once fully open, Darkly watched the nose of a small passenger jet emerge. The plane had begun its taxi to the runway. Darkly pulled a clip from her pocket and inserted silver bullets into the clip. She loaded the clip into her gun, left the shadows behind and ran for the plane.
At the sound of the engines on the plane powering down, Darkly ducked behind a baggage cart left on the tarmac. She climbed on and peered through the rain flaps of the cart cover. The door to the plane opened, and steps lowered to the ground. A woman in a flight attendant’s uniform stepped out and looked in Darkly’s direction.
Darkly ducked for cover, and it was then that she first heard the quiet car behind her. The luxury electric automobile rushed past the baggage cart and pulled up next to the flight attendant. Cassandra got out of the car first, followed by Toma and the band. It was now or never. There was no time for hesitation. Darkly needed to take Cassandra out.
So, the Mountie sprang into action. She leapt from the cart and ran, her gun in her hand ready to fire. Cassandra didn’t see her. Neither did the band. But the flight attendant did, and she was no mere stewardess. She turned and reached into the plane, withdrawing a semi-automatic weapon. Darkly fired her first shot at Cassandra and missed. The flight attendant got in the next shot when she sprayed the ground in front of Darkly, as Cassandra and the band hurried onboard. Darkly stopped.
The flight attendant backed up onto the plane and yelled something Darkly couldn’t hear at the car that had dropped the travelers off. The plane was moving before the door to the plane was fully shut. Darkly began running again. At that point, the car turned around and sped towards Darkly. There was nowhere for her to run and escape in time. She lowered her gun at the car’s windshield and fired. The bullet hit the top of the glass,
which did not shatter. The car kept coming. Darkly fired again. The bullet embedded itself in the windshield, but again, it did not shatter. It was a fucking bullet-proof car. Darkly had two bullets left, and the car was ten seconds from mowing her down.
That’s when she did something crazy. She started running again. Head on at the car. It was a Hail Mary. Two seconds before impact, Darkly dove to the right and rolled up into a sitting position as the car missed her by inches. She fired both shots into the rear passenger side tire. It blew. Fortunately for her, the tires weren’t bullet-proof.
The driver of the car lost control, and the vehicle skidded off the tarmac and into a ditch. By the time the emergency personnel emerged from the terminal, Darkly had disappeared once again into the shadows. She had failed again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Darkly stopped into a Mexican bar to wind down. It had been one hell of a night. She ordered a shot of bourbon with a Mexican beer chaser. What was the next step? She had to come up with a plan quickly that would snatch hope from the jaws of disaster.
Marielle needed to leave Los Angeles before she turned anyone else. The girl’s sexual appetite was bound to get the better of her with Toma not around. Darkly needed to get to London and stop Cassandra. By the end of her beer, she knew the next steps.
It took some explaining to Marielle, but Darkly convinced her that she would chase Toma around the world to bring him back if that’s what it took. Right now, she needed to get Marielle and her son to a place where they would be safe and provided for. A place where Marielle would never again need to leave her son asleep alone in a basement without windows. So, they packed up Darkly’s car with clothing and supplies and left Los Angeles. It would be a two-day drive north. When the threesome stopped for their first bathroom and food break, Darkly made a call to Vincetti. There was one loose end in Los Angeles that needed taking care of.
The undercover agent who greeted Darkly at LAX, when she had arrived in Los Angeles, walked through the hospital corridor in surgeon’s scrubs and attracted no suspicion when he stepped into the elevator and selected the basement level. He entered the unattended morgue and examined a chart as though it was a common ritual for him. Perhaps it was.