Sins of Long Ago

by Naomi Bellina

  “Are you saying you can work today? Now?” Kern asked.

  “Sure can! Here, I got a card, it’s got our website on it, phone number; you can call and check me out. This is my name here, Dwight Smith, I can get my badge out of my truck. I’m all done with my job at the deli. I could be back here in fifteen, twenty minutes, with my uniform and everything. What do I need to do?”

  Kern looked at his watch. “There’s a man in the basement. You don’t need to do anything—he’s fine. Just call me if something happens. I have to go to the airport and pick up my wife. I’ll swing by in one hour to make sure everything’s okay. Get back here in fifteen minutes. I need to get going.”

  “Yes, sir!” Vincent loped out the door to his Jeep, drove a short distance away, and made a call. His second-in-command was on it. Kern had already checked in, and Roland told him what he needed to hear. Vincent changed into his phony uniform, waited ten more minutes, and then drove back to the house.

  Kern paced the kitchen when he got there, talking on his cell phone and gesturing with his other hand.

  “Fine, fine, you know what to do. I’ll be in touch tomorrow. Here.” He tossed a key ring at Vincent. “House keys. This one’s for the padlock on the basement. Keep all the doors locked. Don’t, I repeat, don’t go in the basement unless there’s a fire and don’t touch anything in the rest of the house except the television. Here’s my number if you need to reach me.”

  “Now that’s a nice size TV,” Vincent said, walking into the living room. “I bet the game looks really good on it.” He picked up the remote and started clicking.

  Apparently satisfied his new guard was sufficiently entertained and would behave, Kern left.

  One hour. He had one hour before the asshole returned. Enough time to grab the guy in the basement and get the info he needed. The file still downloaded, so Vincent went outside and took several items from his Jeep, then headed back down the stairs, approaching cautiously. He kept his weapon hidden, hoping the chain would hold if the captive became violent. Vincent tapped the man’s arm and stepped back. No response.

  “Hey, wake up.” He jostled his shoulder.

  “What?” the guy murmured, rolling all the way over and opening his eyes. “Shit!’ He jerked away.

  “Take it easy, guy. I’m not going to hurt you. What’s your name?”

  “I’m Mark. Who the hell are you? One of them guards? You’re not supposed to mess with me.”

  “I’m not going to mess with you, Mark,” Vincent said. “I just want to talk to you for a few minutes. Why are you being held prisoner here?”

  “I’m not a prisoner. I’m a test subject. Why do you want to know?”

  “I heard a man was being held prisoner in this house. What are they doing to you? Why the chain if you’re not here against your will?”

  “These scientists, they’re doing an experiment. Like with wolves and stuff. I volunteered because they’re paying me big bucks, and well, it sounded kind of cool.”

  “What are they doing to you?”

  “They give me some drugs, then watch what happens.”

  “What does happen?”

  “I grow fur, claws, my body changes. I don’t remember all of it, when I’m changed. They said when we’re done, I could be really strong too.”

  And mostly dead. This test subject did not have a long life expectancy, Vincent suspected. Once they learned what they needed from Mark, Kern couldn’t risk letting him run loose to tell others. Experimental animals died.

  “Why are you chained?”

  “They don’t know how I’m going to react to the drugs they give me. Said they don’t want me to hurt myself.”

  Right.

  “Do you know what you look like right now? Are you in pain?”

  “I’ve got this fur on me; my face feels kind of funny.” Mark turned his hands over and studied them. “Yeah, it hurts a little. Sometimes a lot. They said I’ll grow fur and claws and my body will change every day. All part of the experiment. When they’re done, I get a huge chunk of money and go back to the way I was.”

  Vincent sniffed. A foul odor, not just human dirtiness, made him gag. More than likely, Mark was being kept drugged. His words came out slow and slurred, not just because his jaw was grossly misshapen. The man’s eyes were not focusing like they should, and he seemed to have trouble keeping himself propped up on his elbows.

  Fuckers. Vincent fought down his anger. Had to keep calm.

  “Do you have any idea why the scientists came to this area to work?”

  “Yeah, they said something about a pack of wolves around here. They been studying them, going to use them for the second part of the experiment. Hey, since you’re here, how about bringing me a soda? They only want me to drink water, but I could sure use a soda.”

  “Look, man, I can get you out of here. I think you might be in danger. I know a little about these guys, and they’re not the best people to trust your life with.”

  “I know. Shit might end bad. But I got to stay, got to take my chances. My family really needs the cash, and we don’t have any way to get it. They already sent us one big check. Can’t have them taking it back. I’m gonna stick it out. About that soda?”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Vincent put his hand on Mark’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. “I’m going to take a look around here first.”

  Nothing much to see. A prowl through a smaller room off the main one revealed tools and hardware used to put the bars in the window, and a few other supplies. Though Vincent longed to shift and take a sniff, he didn’t have time. The main priority right now—get those files. He’d bring Mark his soda, see if he could talk him into leaving again, but probably not. The guy didn’t seem to want to budge.

  Still downloading. Shit, you’d think the guy could afford a decent speed computer. Vincent prowled through the garage and shoved a rag he found lying on the floor into his pocket. He’d smell it later, when he could shift. Maybe get an idea where Kern was from, so he could track him down.

  Chapter 10

  Vincent opened the refrigerator, grabbed a can of soda and headed to the basement when he heard the crunch of leaves from outside, very close to the house. He drew his Taser and leaned against the wall, looking out the window. A ghost of a movement caught his eye. He crept to the living room and saw a figure crouching by the side of the house. Cracking the front door open slightly he stuck his nose out, breathing deeply. A familiar smell reached him. Genevieve? No, couldn’t be.

  He slipped out the door and crept down the front steps, then to the corner of the house. Angling his head slightly he saw her crouched down, holding an object. Large trees created shadows, but he knew the unmistakable scent of Genevieve. And pizza. She had a box of pizza.

  “Vincent?” she whispered. “Is that you?”

  She stepped away from the house, and he stared. It was almost Gen, but not quite. Her reddish brown curls were now short and blond. Her eyes were blue not green, and her nose and chin were slightly different. Her scent, however, exactly the same, and the light in her eyes and curve of her lips as she saw him made his heartbeat quicken.

  She walked toward him, then stopped, frowning. “Is that you?”

  He realized he looked slightly different also. He’d temporarily dyed his medium-length light brown hair and cut it shorter than he normally wore it. A pair of tinted contact lenses turned his hazel eyes to dark brown.

  He took a step toward her, then stopped as he heard the crunch of gravel at the far end of the driveway. Damn, Kern, back early.

  “You’ve got to get out of here. Ethan Kern is coming.”

  “Who? The guy who’s messing with the weres? I thought you were hunting.”

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her around the house. “Hide in these bushes and keep quiet. Why do you look different, and what the hell is this?” He motioned to the box she carried.

  “It’s a pizza. I wanted to surprise you.”

  “You did that. I’ll get rid of Ker
n. Just keep quiet.”

  Vincent ran inside the house and into the office. Finally, download complete. He shut down the computer and put the flash drive in his pocket, locked the office back up, then jumped onto the front porch just as the car neared. Kern opened his car door and stepped out.

  “Everything okay here?” he asked.

  “Yeah, no problem. Nothing going on. Drunk guard is still snoozing in the kitchen, guy in the basement hasn’t made a peep. I’m just watching the game. I ate that sandwich, but it’s okay, I’ll pay for it. I get a discount…”

  “Can you stay a few more hours?”

  “Hurry up!” A woman’s voice yelled from the car. “It’s bad enough you drag me out to the middle of nowhere on a holiday; we don’t have to be late for dinner.”

  A muscle twitched in Kern’s jaw. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” He trotted over to the car, leaned into the window, and spoke to the occupant. Vincent couldn’t make out his words, but the tone wasn’t pleasant.

  Vincent edged back up the steps. Asshole had to get the hell out of here. Gen wasn’t hidden overly well. With any luck, the man’s wife would talk him into leaving, quickly.

  The sound of breaking glass and a scream made both men turn to the back of the house.

  Vincent ran and skidded around the corner. In the dim light he made out Mark, hunched on all fours, his form now more animal than human. The bars from the window lay on the ground and broken glass littered the lawn. Gen stood backed up against the house, her eyes wide with terror. Mark faced her, snarling.

  Motherfuck. His hands twitched, claws threatening to emerge, and the urge to shift and attack Mark pushed so hard he nearly gave in. Another wolf attacking Gen. His woman. Forcing his mind to calm, he drew his Taser and shot Mark, willing him to transform quickly. Most weres, when hurt or stunned, changed back to human form. He hoped to hell this poor, hideous experimental man would do the same.

  Mark dropped to the ground, shaking, and Vincent pulling another object from his pocket and pressed it to Mark’s arm. There. That would knock him out for a while. Hopefully. He grabbed Gen, still plastered against the house and pulled her in close.

  “This guy is a shifter. Sort of. Tell Ethan Kern you saw a man crawling out of the window. You’re here to bring your boyfriend, Steve, dinner. Follow my lead,” he whispered in her ear.

  Kern rounded the corner.

  “What are you doing here?” Vincent yelled at her, dragging her closer to Kern and away from Mark.

  “I came to see my boyfriend.” Gen looked and sounded terrified, and he hated to add to her panic but this scene had to look real. He removed a cable tie from his pocket, pulled her arms behind her back, and bound her wrists, careful not to fasten it too tight.

  Vincent kicked the pizza box on the ground.

  “I was bringing him dinner. Let me go!” She tried to wiggle out of Vincent’s grip, but he held fast.

  “What happened back here?” he asked. Say the right thing.

  “I…I’m not sure. I was going to surprise my boyfriend, sneak in the back door, and I saw some guy climbing out the window. He looks like some homeless dude. Lots of hair on his face. He tried to attack me! Where’s Steve?”

  “Your boyfriend is passed out in the kitchen. I’m watching the place now.” Vincent gave her arm a gentle squeeze. The story was perfect. She definitely thought fast on her feet.

  Kern had his hand under his jacket, and now let it drop. Vincent breathed a sigh of relief. A gun would escalate the situation to another level.

  “What exactly did you see?” Kern asked her.

  “I told you, a guy climbing out the window, he came after me, and this idiot—” She pointed with her head to Vincent. “—grabs me. Get this thing off, I didn’t do anything wrong. You should be tying up that guy who broke into your house.” She squirmed again.

  Kern walked around them both. Vincent turned and let out another breath. Mark lay on the ground, fully human.

  “I tased him, just gave him a little jolt. He’s okay. A Taser shot doesn’t have any long-term effects. I don’t know why he passed out, though. He’ll come around soon. Probably.”

  Kern stood with his hands on his hips, and Vincent’s mind raced. This guy did not want any trouble. Trouble meant cops. If Vincent could offer a solution not involving the police, he’d be happy to take it.

  The car horn sounded again. Yeah, and if he could keep the pissed-off wife from getting more pissed off, even better.

  “Sit here and don’t move.” Vincent lowered Gen to the ground.

  She glared at him, not pleased to be bound this way. He put a finger on his lips. If she’d just play along awhile longer.

  “Where’s your car?”

  “Down the road. Steve told me not to park in the driveway.”

  “Listen,” Vincent said, moving closer to Ethan Kern and lowering his voice. “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll get your guy back in the house. I’ll drag that useless guard out of the kitchen, toss him in his girlfriend’s car, tell her to get the hell out of here. They can pick up his car later. I saw some plywood sitting by the side of the house. I’ve got tools in my car, I can fix the window. Your guy won’t get out again.”

  The horn honked again, a long, loud blast. Kern swore.

  Vincent kept a look of enthusiasm on his face, hoping to hell the man bought his routine. In Vincent’s experience, people often blocked out improbable events, substituting them with more plausible scenarios. For all Kern knew, that really was what Gen had seen. A homeless guy, possibly robbing the house. And Kern had an angry wife to deal with and needed to get his ass on the road.

  “They’ll be happy to get out of here without any more trouble. Steve won’t say anything if he wants to keep his job. I’ll threaten his girlfriend with trespassing charges. You won’t hear from either of them again.”

  “All right. Get her out of here. We’ll carry the man downstairs.”

  Vincent helped Gen to her feet then sliced through the plastic on her wrist. “Get in your car and go. Anywhere in town and stay put. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

  Kern was bent over Mark when he returned to the side of the house. Vincent grabbed the young man’s legs and Kern his shoulders, and they carried him into the house. Down in the basement, they surveyed the damage. Mark had broken the ankle shackle and torn the chain. What had made him transform completely and lose control? Gen’s scent, more than likely. Lord knew it drove him crazy. Maybe it had the same effect on Mark.

  “Looks like you got a rowdy prisoner. I got more of these cable ties. I can fasten him back on this chain, if you want.”

  Kern eyed Vincent, and he smiled and shrugged.

  “I used to do some side work for my uncle. He’s in prison now. I only do legit security work these days. Mostly legit. But you know, a guy’s got to make money. I can look the other way. And don’t worry, I’m good at keeping my mouth shut. No one at my company or anywhere else will hear about this. Here, I’ll give you my private number. In case you have any more jobs you have to keep low key and don’t want to call my company.”

  Vincent pulled a card from his pocket, hoping he wasn’t overdoing the act. He had to sell this story.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Kern said, slipping the card into his pocket.

  The men headed up the stairs.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get Steve woke up, get him out of here. I’ve done plenty of shit like this before. Him and that bitch won’t say nothing. Hell, he’s drinking on the job. He won’t ever work in security again if word gets out.”

  Ethan Kern pulled out his phone, and while Vincent washed his hands, he listened in on the conversation.

  “I want you to run two plate numbers. One looks like a rental car, other one’s a Jeep. See what you can find out.”

  Shit. The asshole must have seen Gen’s car as he came in and grabbed the numbers. If it was a rental, they were in luck. Probably he couldn’t track her down, but maybe he could. He’d tucked h
is Jeep away, but Kern must have seen his vehicle too. He’d put his “spare” plate on the Jeep, but if the guy’s resources were good, he’d eventually figure out who it belonged to. Time to get the fuck out of here.

  Kern pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. “A little extra for all your hard work. I’ll be back in a few hours to relieve you. We’ll settle with your company tomorrow. Or not. We could keep this between us.”

  “Fine with me. Wow, thanks! Mighty generous of you. I can sure use the cash. You enjoy your evening. I’ll get this all taken care of. By the time you get back, everything will be just the way it was.”

  As soon as Vincent saw the taillights disappear, he called Gen.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m fine, thanks for asking. No, you didn’t hurt my wrists with those ties, not at all.”

  “I had to make it look good. Our little show worked, but Kern is running our license plate numbers. I don’t know when he’ll figure out who we are, but we’ve got to leave now. You driving a rental car?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where did you get it?”

  “Discount Car Rental.”

  “They’ve got a branch in town. We’ll drop off your car, and you’ll ride home with me.”

  Dead silence. Issuing orders to Gen didn’t work as well as it did to his pack and employees but fuck it, tonight, he didn’t have time to worry about it. “Where are you?”

  “Right down the road. I’m coming back.”

  “I told you to get out of here. What if he saw you?”

  “He didn’t. I hid. I have half a brain. Be there in five minutes.” She hung up.

  Wanting to call her back and argue but knowing there wasn’t time, Vincent snapped on a pair of gloves, grabbed a dish towel, and took a quick run around the house, wiping down everything he’d touched. Kern would more than likely figure out who’d been here, but no reason to make it easy for him. As Vincent checked Steve’s pulse, Gen’s headlights swept in through the front door.