Resurrection: The Clandestine Saga Book 2

by ID Johnson

  Before he could reply, Elliott stepped out of the door behind him and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. At his approach, Cadence took the opportunity to escape and took off towards her apartment faster than any human could ever move. "You tried, man. Come on, leave her alone. Just give it some time."

  Aaron sighed and watched her disappear. "We don't have time. The body count is over 60 now, and it's just getting higher everyday. She's got to do something. She's the only one that can."

  "I'll talk to her," Elliott promised. "But I don't think she's going to listen to you until you..."

  "What's going on?" Eliza asked, pushing open the door, a confrontational tone in her voice.

  Elliott shook his head, no longer needing to finish his sentence. "And that's my cue to exit," he said, taking the widest possible path around the pouting red head and walking back into the workout facility.

  "I need her to help us get Jack," Aaron replied, an exhausted tone in his voice.

  Eliza crossed her arms. "I told you, we can get him without her. If she doesn't want to be part of this team, then screw her."

  Aaron didn't miss the irony in her choice of words but chose to ignore the phrase. "It's not that simple, Eliza, you know that. She's got to do it herself." He took a step towards the door as well, assuming she would follow.

  "Why? Because she's the Vampire Hunter extraordinaire, and the rest of us are just her little minions who do whatever she wants? We used to operate just fine without her, you know? Remember?"

  "Eliza," Aaron sighed, his hand on the doorknob. "I don't want to argue with you about this. Cadence can get Jack back within our reach easier than anyone else can, so we need to come up with a plan to help facilitate that. Maybe she'll be okay with your involvement as well. Now, would you please stop being so defensive?"

  Eliza threw her arms down to her side and her head back at the same time, taking on the stance of a whiney teenager who wasn't getting her way. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm just super cranky. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be with you and not be with you?"

  Looking at the ground instead of at her, Aaron said, "I told you--I want to take this slow and make sure we're doing the right thing before we just jump in and make the same mistakes we did last time."

  "I know," Eliza said, stepping towards him and resting her hand on his arm, "but we already went there--can't we just do it again, just once? Let me remind you why you chose me."

  As tempted as Aaron was to explain that he didn't feel that he had chosen her at all, he decided against it and said instead, "Eliza, please--not now." He could feel her attempting to sway his emotions; however, he had asked both Elliott and Hannah to help him out a few weeks ago, not by changing his opinion against Eliza, but allowing him to at least stay true to himself. Elliott had absolutely no problem with it, but it had taken Hannah a bit of time to come around to the idea, as she preferred to stay out of matters of the heart . Once she was assured that she wouldn't have to make anyone feel any differently than they would have on their own, she had agreed to help. Armed with these new weapons, Aaron was able to thwart Eliza's advances. Though he hadn't completely broken it off yet, at least he was no longer confused about how he actually felt as opposed to the persuasion she was constantly thrusting in his direction. Elliott had asked him at least twice a day when he was going to dump her for good, and he didn't have an answer. Leaving too soon made it seem like a one night stand, and that just wasn't his style.

  "Fine," Eliza finally said, defeated. "I'm going to go finish my work out. If you talk to her again, though, I want to know."

  As tempting as it was to let her draw him into an argument, he said nothing. He pulled the door open for her, and she went back into the facility, leaving him standing alone in the cold.

  Chapter 11

  "Thank you for choosing American Airlines. How may I help you?" the short brunette behind the counter asked as Jack approached the front of the line. She wasn't particularly pretty, but she had a friendly smile, despite the fact that working at the lost baggage center had to be anything but pleasant. Her name tag read "Grace" and Jack was drawing on every bit of that quality he had left to contain the rage he felt at having to report to this particular area of the airport to begin with.

  "Hello, my bag was lost on a flight from Cabo San Lucas this morning," Jack said, resting his arm on the counter and taking a deep breath.

  Giovani and Zabrina were not with him. They thought it would be best if they kept their distance so that no one would notice three people even remotely meeting the description of the murderers the authorities were looking for hanging out together in the airport.

  "I'm so sorry to hear that," Grace replied, typing something into her computer without looking up. "May I have your name please?" she asked with her smile still plastered in place.

  "Jack Carol," he replied, using the alias Giovani had created for him. He had a passport, driver's license, bank account, social security number, and several credit cards all in his new name. Assuming she may need some form of identification, he went ahead and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

  Still typing furiously, Grace said, "May I see your identification, please?"

  As he handed her the requested card, Giovani sent him a message via telepathy. "Any luck, man?"

  "No. And I'm not leaving this airport without it," he replied. Somewhere between Cozumel and the second trip to Cabo, he had figure out how to make the telepathy thing work.

  "Well, I'm glad we decided to wait on that connecting flight to Omaha because we'd be missing it now, brother."

  "Yep," Jack replied, though he also realized that, if they hadn't changed their minds at the last minute and decided to spend a few days in Dallas, he may not have been in a situation where his bag became lost. At any rate, it was missing, and he needed to get it back in his possession as quickly as possible.

  "Okay, Mr. Carol," Grace was saying, bringing him back to the counter. "We don't have any sightings of it yet, but as soon as we do, we will contact you."

  That answer was not what Jack wanted to hear. "What do you mean? It has to be on a plane somewhere, right? You have a little barcode scanner thingy on it, don't you? How do you lose something like that?"

  "Sir," Grace began, still smiling but gritting her teeth. "I understand that losing your bag is frustrating; however, I assure you that we are doing everything we can to find it. Now, if you will kindly fill out this form, we will contact you as soon as we have located it."

  "But, you don't understand. I had a ring in that bag--for my girlfriend!" He didn't mention that the ring could also link him to a murder; that seemed like an unnecessary bit of information to share with the lady behind the counter at the airport.

  "I'm very sorry to hear that," Grace continued, her smile beginning to fade. She handed Jack his identification back and said, "Make sure you list the cost of the ring on the form, and we will see what we can do to replace it."

  "That's not the point!" Jack spat, barely able to control his anger now. In fact, as he said the word point, he could feel his teeth beginning to become just that and had to take a deep breath to recoil his emotions. "Fine, give me the form," he said, waiting for Grace to hand it over.

  As she handed him the form attached to a clipboard with a pen dangling, Grace's eyes grew wide. She had noticed the peculiar eye color of this particular customer as soon as he approached the counter, and now she was fairly certain she had seen a shift in his teeth as well. Though most other people may not have noticed, Grace was familiar with a specific type of being this Jack Carol person seemed to resemble. Her Uncle Sam had shared many stories with her over the years, despite the fact that his line of work was supposed to be top secret, so when Mr. Carol asked for the clipboard and walked away, Grace was happy to see him go.

  "What are you doing now?" Giovani asked a few minutes later.

  "Finishing up this stupid form," Jack replied. He had filled out most of it. "Bitch at the front counter was completely worthless
," he added.

  "Oh, yeah?" Giovani asked. "What did she say?"

  "Nothing helpful," Jack fired back.

  "Should I come over and straighten her out?"

  "Nah, I don't think that's necessary. Just pissed. I wanted to give Cadence that ring, and it's in the bag."

  "I see," Giovanni replied. A few minutes later he added, "Well, if the bitch isn't going to help then maybe she needs to be taught a lesson."

  "Maybe so," he agreed as he finished the last of the form and made his way back over to stand in the line again. He was hopeful that he might get a different representative this time, but when it was his turn, Grace was the one who was not busy. He made his way over to her. She looked just as irritated to see him again as he felt.

  "Thank you, Mr. Carol," she said taking the clipboard. "As soon as we know something, we'll give you a call."

  Her smile was so fake, Jack could feel his stomach tightening. Just as he was about to say something snide, a familiar voice behind him said, "This is unacceptable, Grace. I want to see your supervisor."

  Grace gulped, fear clearly present in her eyes. "I'm sorry, sir. We don't have a supervisor available right now. But, if you call the number on the bottom of this form," she continued, giving Jack his copy of the form he had just filled out, "you can speak to a supervisor."

  Giovani shook his head and Jack put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "My brother was right," he said tersely. "You are a bitch."

  "Sir!" Grace replied, shocked, "I don't think that's called for. I've done everything I can to help. Now please, leave before I before I call airport security."

  Giovani laughed, but Jack was still thinking more like a human and was able to push him away from the counter. "Thank you for your time," he said, still irritated. "Come on, brother. Let's go."

  As Jack and Giovani made their way out of the missing luggage office, Grace put a "Closed" sign on her lane and took some quick precautions. First of all, she pulled up Jack Carol's information from the airport security system and began to search through the other passengers on the same flight until she saw a passport picture that resembled his brother. She knew she was breaking rules and probably several laws, but she felt it was necessary to get this information to her uncle as quickly as possible. Something just didn't seem right about those two.

  "Are we just going to let her get away with that?" Giovani asked as he and Jack met up with Zabrina back near the baggage claim area.

  "I don't know," Jack said, considering what had just transpired. "She wasn't helpful, but she didn't do anything too terrible."

  "What?" Giovani practically spat. "She was a total bitch to you! Surely you can't be suggesting that we just let her go on about her day like she didn't just treat you like trash?"

  Zabrina rolled her eyes. "Giovani, you are so overly-dramatic." She tossed her long honey-brown hair over her shoulder as she stood and slipped her arm through his, hoping to calm him down.

  "What are we going to do? Follow her into the bathroom and take her out?" Jack asked, looking around to see where the taxi stand was.

  "No, we follow her home and make sure she never treats another paying customer like shit again," came the quick reply.

  "How will we even know where she lives? I don't even know her last name," Jack replied.

  "Leave that to me," Giovani assured him. "I have connections, my friend. Zabrina, why don't you go rent us a car while I make some mental calls."

  Zabrina shook her head, knowing her lover well enough at this point that there was no point in arguing. "Come on, Jack," she said headed towards the Hertz counter. "May as well let him have his fun."

  ***

  Grace Faircloth had digital information on both of the passengers she found to be suspicious. She had sent it all over to her Uncle Sam earlier, but it wasn't until she was making her drive home to Arlington that she received a phone call from him confirming that he had received it. Due to the hectic Dallas area traffic, she decided to play it safe and take the call over her wireless Bluetooth connection. "Hi, Uncle Sam! How are you?"

  "Hey, darlin'" came the reply. "I'm a little concerned, sweetheart. I think you did the right thing in letting me know about these two shady characters. Unfortunately, I'm out of town. I've alerted one of my colleagues whose closer but I'm not sure if he'll be able to make it over there tonight. Just be careful, darlin'."

  "Do you really think it's anything to worry about?" she asked, the alarm in her voice fairly obvious.

  "Nah," Sam lied. "I'm sure it's nothin' but I reckon you oughtta keep the place locked up tight tonight, that sort of thing. Alex is in San Antonio now so he should be able to make it up there in a few hours, less if he drives like your uncle," he joked.

  "All right," Grace sighed. "Well, at least if anything happens to us, you'll know who to blame," she said, managing to add a slight chuckle, though she was also quite serious.

  "I'm sure it'll be just fine," Sam said before telling her goodbye and disconnecting the call.

  Grace pulled into the driveway well after the sun had gone down, though it was only a little after 6:00 PM. She took a quick glance around before making her way to the front door. Her husband, Christopher, and her two teenage kids were already home, and glancing into the dining room, she could see that the table was set for dinner. She locked the door behind her, slipping the chain in place as well, and then made her way into the kitchen. "Hey, honey. How was your day?" Christopher asked, stirring what appeared to be a pot of spaghetti on the stove."

  Before Grace could answer, the back door came bursting in, shards of glass flying across the room, peppering the couple with fragments. Grace threw her hands in front of her face to protect her eyes. When she pulled her arms down, she began to scream. Looking into the maniacal steel gray eyes, there was no doubt in her mind now that Jack Carol and his brother were Vampires.

  ***

  Alex Sellers had been a Vampire Hunter for centuries. When he got the urgent message over the IAC from his friend Sam--known as Cowboy Sam by those who knew him best--he didn't hesitate to hurry towards Grace's house. While Sam told Alex he was cautious enough to be nonchalant with Grace, the second that Sam saw Giovani's picture, he knew exactly who he was. One could not be an active Vampire Hunter and not recognize this particularly dangerous off-spring of the late Holland, ancient Vampire queen.

  As soon a Alex pulled into the driveway, he knew something wasn't right. The lights in the house were on, but it seemed too still, too silent. Pulling his Glock from it's holster, he crept his way to the nearest window, which looked into the living room. He couldn't see anyone from that vantage point. Rather than knocking on the door, he decided to go around to the back of the house.

  The remnants of the back door were his first indicator that he was too late. He hadn't lived this long as an independent Vampire Hunter through acting recklessly, but he was fairly certain that Giovani and his friends had already left the scene. Most of the time, if a Vampire was nearby, his gut would let him know, and he was feeling no internal indicators that any of the bloodsuckers were still present. Keeping his gun drawn just in case, he made his way through the remains of the back door and gasped at the sight. There on the floor were the crumpled remains of Grace and her husband Christopher. While it was apparent there had been a bit of a struggle, neither of them had, had a chance, and Christopher had died with his wife in his arms in what could only be described as a futile protective embrace.

  Before making his way over the couple and into the next room, Alex stopped to turn off the over-boiling pot of pasta on the stove. There was very little blood on the floor, but the broken glass, scraps of wood, and looks of sheer terror frozen on the couple's face were just as disturbing as the bloodiest crime scenes Alex had ever seen.

  Unfortunately, the repulsion Alex was feeling was about to grow. As he made his way down the hallway, he stepped into the room of the teenage daughter. He found her body huddled in the corner of the closet. Clearly, she had heard the commotio
n and had been trying to hide. In the adjoining bedroom, the son lay near the window, one hand still grasping the handle. He had been so close....

  Alex hesitated to call this in. He knew that Sam and his great-great-great-grand-niece were very close. He was not going to take this well. Even before he called LIGHTS--something even independent Hunters were required to do--immediately, he let Sam know. "I'm so sorry, my friend," he said over the IAC. "I didn't make it in time."

  There was a long pause before the reply came. "Giovani and his friend will pay for this."

  ***

  Jack drove the getaway car as they made their way back toward the Fort Worth hotel room they had checked into earlier that afternoon. In the backseat, Giovani and Zabrina were clearly celebrating a bit too much for his liking. He tried to tune them out and stay focused on the highway in front of him.

  "Did you see their faces?" Giovani asked, a shriek escaping his lips that sounded more like that of a resident of an insane asylum than anything else to Jack. "Bitch had no chance, no chance!" he exclaimed.

  Zabrina chuckled along. "I love watching you in action," she said, patting his chest and leaning over to kiss him hungrily.

  Jack said nothing, only shook his head in disbelief. Every time he took an innocent's life, it felt wrong to him. But on this particular occasion, it seemed even more so. Eventually, Giovani noticed his brother's solemn state and asked, "Brother, what's the matter?"

  Sighing, Jack said, "Nothing. I just...I never took out a kid before."

  Giovani scoffed. "Kid? That girl was, like, 18 or something. Besides, they had it coming. Her mom was a bitch. She was probably a bitch, too.

  Jack tried to believe his brother's words. Still, the more he thought about it, the more upset he became. He knew that if Cadence ever found out what he had done--what he had been doing--she would never forgive him. Though Giovani was back to making out with Zabrina, he still voiced his concern. "Just seems a little ridiculous to wipe out an entire family because I didn't like the way she handled my missing suitcase."