“How was your shower?” I asked, putting my blades away.
“Warm. Lovely.” Julia looked at me through lowered lashed. “Lonely,” she added.
I went over to the railing that separated us, reached over and pulled her close for a lone kiss. “Behave yourself,” I said, with not a small amount of regret.
Julia grinned wickedly at me. “If you say so.” She turned away and in the same motion, dropped her towel as she went back into her room. I had a glimpse of slender, athletic legs rising up to perfectly rounded buttocks. I tried to see more, but she closed the bedroom door and I had to keep from falling over the railing.
Behind me, a voice sniggered. “Jackass.”
Chapter 22
I spun around and saw Jake standing there. He was holding a burning knife and grinning at me with the most annoying look that he could put on his face, which was impressive.
I decided not to rise to the occasion, metaphorically speaking, since physically I was already halfway there. “Your time will come,” I croaked, having had my mouth go suddenly dry a few seconds ago.
Jake cocked his head as he studied his burning knife. “That a threat? Not like you, Aaron.”
I shook my head. “No, stupid. Someday you’ll fall in love, too.”
Jake’s smile turned real. “You feel that strong, huh? Good for you. Everybody should at some point.” His voice turned more serious. “Hope she feels the same way, bro.”
I hadn’t thought about it, and suddenly I was scared. I mean, I knew she cared about me, but what if she didn’t feel the same way? What if I told her and made a complete fool out of myself? I couldn’t possibly live in the same place as she, knowing she didn’t feel like I did. I decided not to say anything until she did. That way I would know for sure, and then not feel stupid.
“Well, I’ll let her tell me first, then I’ll know,” I said, gathering up my blades and ‘hawk.
“Good plan,” Jake said.
I couldn’t tell if he was being supportive or sarcastic, and right then I really didn’t care.
We all got ourselves together enough to go and get something to eat. We were dressed casual, but each of us had a weapon on us somewhere. It was too much of a habit not to. Julia was all flirty smiles and I felt like my heart was going to burst, but I tried to play it cool. Jake saw my dilemma and was openly grinning at me like the jerk he was.
At the restaurant, was sat near a table at the back, and the place was reasonably full, which was good for the business, and for things in general. A lot of the patrons were old timers, reliving the good old days. If a meal out was becoming the norm for a lot of people, then things may finally be returning to what my dad had talked about before the Upheaval. It was something to think about.
Halfway into our meal, a gorgeous blonde walked into the restaurant. She was wearing tight jeans and a form-fitting shirt that left nothing to the imagination. Her knee-high boots were shiny black, and she wore a vest which accented her ample charms. Her long hair hung in a way that framed her face, and her eyes were taunting and contemptuous at the same time. She was a woman to fight for, and many had, if I recalled correctly. All conversation seemed to stop when she looked around. Spotting our table, she strutted across the room, clearly aware of the effect she was having. Julia did the same thing, only she wasn’t aware of her effects.
“Hey beautiful,” the blonde said, sitting next to Julia and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Julia gave her a hug. “Hey yourself, Kayla. I didn’t know you were going to stay in the capital.”
“I’m over at the Towers. Took a room by the river.” Kayla leaned behind Julia and gave me a hug. “Hey, Aaron. Looking as deadly as ever.”
“Thanks, Kayla. How’s your mom?” I asked, taking a drink of wine.
“Better, thanks. Dad was worried for a while, but she’s her old self. Wants her niece and nephews to visit more often. Hey, gorgeous.” Kayla directed that last at Jake, who smiled.
“Hey yourself,” Jake said as he reached out and gave Kayla’s hand a squeeze, causing her to blush slightly.
“Thanks for your help, lately, I really appreciate it,” I said, working around another mouthful of food.
Kayla smiled and put her elbows on the table, resting her head on folded hands. “Well, let’s talk about that, Aaron. I was wondering if I could tag along and help on a more permanent basis.”
I thought about it, but before I could say anything, Julia spoke up.
“Are you sure, Kay? I mean, you’ve been as trained as we have, but we’ve logged a lot more experience being collectors and all. It’s a dangerous thing and there’s not much gold at the end of that rainbow, if you get my meaning.” Julia sounded sincere, and I was grateful she was able to voice what I been thinking.
“Serious as a heart attack, baby. I want to be part of the action. I mean, I grew up on the stories of our parents, yours especially, and now you’re out there making the same kind of history. I want to be part of it, and in a way, I ought to be.” Kayla smiled and I had to admit she did have a point. As the daughter of Duncan and Janna Fries, she’d know a thing or two about defending herself.
I looked over at Jake. “What say thee, oh eldest brother?”
Jake shrugged. “As long as you understand you could be killed at any time, and your death will likely be messy, I’m okay with it.” Jake softened his words a bit. “I think you’d be a good addition, personally.”
Julia tossed a breadstick at Jake, and then turned to Kayla. “Cool. Then if you don’t mind, maybe we can do some training together. I’ve only had these lunks to fight with.”
Kayla beamed while Jake and I exchanged hurt looks.
“What next?” I asked.
Jake looked at the door. “I think ‘What Next?’ just walked in.”
Chapter 23
I looked over to the door and saw what Jake was looking at. The sheriff was standing there, and he was clearly uncomfortable with the thought of disturbing people while they ate. However, he overcame it quickly enough when he saw us in the corner and came to join us.
“Gentlemen, ladies. May I have a word with you?” the sheriff asked.
Jake pulled a chair from a nearby empty table. “Have a seat, sheriff. Can we get you something to eat?”
Sheriff Tucker shook his head. “No, I won’t bother you for that long. I wanted to make you aware of a situation we have here and to maybe ask you for help.”
Intrigued, I leaned forward. “Do tell. Might this have anything to do with the kidnappings we have heard so much about?”
Tucker shook his head. “I’m at my wits end. We’ve had stakeouts, and we’ve had citizen patrols. Hell, I even thought of having papers made for everybody and if you didn’t have one you were a suspect.” Lane shook his head. “Of course, I brought that one to the president and his guard nearly shot me. Those old timers take their rights pretty seriously.”
“For some of them, their rights and their lives were all they had left after the Upheaval,” Jake said quietly.
Tucker looked at Jake sideways before continuing. “Anyway, my men are all known around here, and this group is operating outside my range of experience. They used to take one every few months, and sometimes we would find out it was a girl running off with her boyfriend. Now, it’s getting so they’re not just taking the young girls, but the older ones, too. Hell, last month we lost a mother of three for God’s sake!”
Julia put her hand to her mouth and Kayla seemed distraught as well. Jake’s eyes narrowed and I could feel my own anger start at a low simmer. We might have run into them a while back, but being the young, misguided, and idealistic fools we were, we let them and their boss live.
“What do you want us to do?” I asked, giving voice to the question that I knew was on everyone’s mind.
“I don’t know!” Tucker’s voice raised a little and a few people looked our way. He glanced around and lowered his volume. “I don’t know. I feel so damn helpless, and I know there
’s going to be another kidnapping soon. I can feel it.”
Jake spoke up. “Tell you what, sheriff. You’ve told us you have a problem you can’t solve. All right, done on your part. We’ll see what we can do and let you know how it goes. If we can catch one of them, we’ll see what he has to say. Just do me the favor of telling your boys we’re out there so they don’t come after us by mistake.”
“Done. And you’re doing more than I could ask for. Thanks, I really appreciate it.” Sheriff Tucker’s gratitude was real and he left walking a little straighter than when he came in.
Jake turned to the rest of us. “Any ideas?”
“Nope,” I said.
“None,” said Julia.
“Zip,” said Kayla. “But…”
Jake cocked his head her way. “But…what? Talk to me and let’s see if you’re as suspicious as I am.”
Kayla kissed her lips at Jake. “You know me, sweetness. What are the odds the sheriff happens to have a problem with kidnappings getting worse just as we are in town? What are the odds that he has a feeling the same night we decide to stay the night?”
I would be the first to admit I am too trusting and would likely have never thought there was a connection. However, now that Kayla had brought it up, there were a lot of coincidental events happening.
Jake signaled the waiter. “We’ll have to see what happens. If it turns out Tucker is on the level, then we’re all good. If not, then we need to expect an ambush.” Jake looked over at Kayla. “Sure you still want part of this?”
Kayla gave my brother a smile that was a lot of unfulfilled promises. It made me sweat and I wasn’t even the recipient. Jake wasn’t fazed at all, the cold jerk.
“As much as I can get, gorgeous,” she said.
Chapter 24
Half an hour later, and another bottle of wine found us with a flawed but workable plan. One of us would act as bait and the others would follow, surprising the kidnappers if they decided to make a move. The upside of the plan would be the kidnappers would be biting off a whole lot of trouble from either of the two lovely ladies. The downside was we could lose one of the two lovely ladies.
An hour later, I was in a yard standing next to a small tree, hoping like hell the owners of the house wouldn’t see me and decide to say howdy by shooting me in the ass. It wasn’t a situation I would have recommended to anyone, but since it was the best idea out of the several we had thought of, it would have to do.
When we left the restaurant, we had agreed to split up, and we would position ourselves along a predetermined route for our victim to walk down. Once she passed one of us, we would run up a parallel street and reposition, leapfrogging the other saviors. The theory was we would be in place before the attack came, able to intervene as needed. It wasn’t a great plan, but we couldn’t hunt like we normally would, and since we weren’t sure what we were looking for anyway, it would serve.
The night was cool and getting colder, and I wished I had a heavier shirt on. The house behind me was dark, and I was grateful they couldn’t see me, if they were still awake. I looked down the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jake or Julia, but I knew I wouldn’t. Jake wouldn’t answer if I called to him, and that would defeat the whole purpose of being stealthy.
The sky was overcast, and the darkness was deep. I could barely make out much detail even thought my eyes were adjusted to the dark. Some of the shadows were as black as the bottom of a well. Nevertheless, it was very quiet, and I was able to make sounds out around me. There was a cat across the street that was talking to itself, chirping and meowing. I heard some movement in the house behind me, and when I focused on it, I realized why the people living there weren’t looking out their windows. The rhythmic creaking going on up on the second floor told me exactly what they were doing.
I tried to ignore that noise and focus on the drunken singing that was coming down the street. On the far sidewalk, a woman was singing softly to herself, weaving slightly from side to side. She bumped into a small tree, burped, and giggled like a little girl as she spun nearly completely around. Catching herself, she scolded the tree and slapped it with her hand before she continued on her way. Even in the darkness, I could tell she was an attractive blonde, a perfect target for anyone looking to do a nefarious deed, kidnapping or otherwise.
Kayla kept up her act as I watched her go by. It was a decent distraction from the house behind me, since the couple had started talking strangely to each other. It was some of the stupidest crap I had ever heard. Why the man would be interested in whom his wife’s daddy was at that particular moment made no sense at all.
I was paying attention to the wrong thing and nearly missed the dark figure which flitted up the street behind Kayla. It was a tall man, too tall to be Jake and clearly not able to be Julia. He moved from deep shadow to deep shadow, trying to stay out of the lighter areas in case his victim turned around suddenly. As I watched him move, I realized he could potentially use my hiding place as a stopping point. That would be interesting. I knew Jake and Julia were further down the street, so I would have to deal with this. If I could, I’d try to take the man alive and hand him over to the sheriff. If not, I wasn’t going to cry about it.
The man passed my spot, and as he moved, so did I. I quietly drew my grandfather’s knife from its sheath, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear it gave a little quiver of anticipation. The man following Kayla was so focused on his target that he didn’t notice me step in behind him. A good rule to follow: In the dark, move when your prey moves. They can’t see your movement unless you’re right in front of them. Despite my bulk, I had learned to be stealthy from the master, and this guy wasn’t about to notice me.
I stopped in a deep shadow, since I realized that the man hadn’t done anything yet. If I had attacked him, it would be my fault and he could claim he was just going home.
As it turned out, I did the right thing. A second man was coming up the street, as quietly as the first, only this one was on the far side of the road. Had I kept walking, I would have blown the whole thing.
I watched the second man move quickly to catch up, and Kayla was still moving down the street, as oblivious as ever. She stumbled a bit, caught herself on a fence, and had a hushed conversation with her fingernails, which caused her to giggle again.
As the second man passed me, the first one had closed the distance with Kayla. He stepped up behind her and grabbed her around the waist and shoulders. Her arms were pinned to her sides and his hand was clamped over her mouth. He lifted her off her feet to disorient her, and when she kicked out with her feet, the second man arrived. He caught up her kicking legs and wrapped them up in his arms. The two men began to run side by side down the street, holding a squirming Kayla between them. The whole attack had taken barely seconds.
I broke into a sprint, while at the same time, I realized I had no plan of attack that wasn’t a risk to Kayla. I didn’t have a gun with me, although a shot was out of the question. I had my knife, and I had my fists. Hopefully, they would be enough. As I ran, I wondered where the Julia and Jake were. I had seen no sign of them and hoped they were close.
Chapter 25
The two men ahead of me slowed to a stop, and their manner of stopping told me they had just encountered something and were contemplating their next move. A man stood in the middle of the street, and it was clear by his stance he had been expecting them. His hands were behind his waist, seemingly clasped. His face was concealed by shadow, but I didn’t need light to know who it was.
As the men stopped about fifteen yards from him, Jake pulled his hands out from behind his back, each holding a long, gently curved knife in each hand. The blades were seven inches long, and even in the darkness they gleamed with malicious intent. Jake leapt forward, not bothering to waste time talking or boasting. He never bothered anyway.
The man holding Kayla’s legs dropped them and jumped towards Jake, pulling a knife out from a sheath on his thigh. He moved forward in a low crouch, holding
his knife low and to the side, likely hoping for a chance to slide the point in between Jake’s ribs.
I didn’t have a chance to watch Jake’s fight, as I was closing on the man still holding Kayla. However, this time surprise wasn’t on his side and she knew what he intended to do. He tried to hold her feet off the ground, but that was precisely what she wanted him to do. She kicked her feet out to give them momentum as she thrust her boot heels back into the man’s knees.
I heard a stifled cry as the man fell forward. I had no way to stop them, but I shouldn’t have worried. Kayla twisted as they went down and managed to get the man underneath her as they hit the ground. She jerked her head back, slamming the back part into the man’s face, eliciting another cry. That also freed her from one of his arms, and she used that opportunity to slam her elbow into the man. Rolling off, Kayla came up with one knee on the man’s chest.
The man was game, however. He got his hands under the knee on his chest and thrust backwards, spilling Kayla off of him. As she fell, he scrambled to his feet, pulling his own knife. Just as he advanced, I slammed into him from behind. I had a full head of steam and my shoulder was down, with my hand tucked into a fist on my chest. His arms and legs flew outwards and his neck snapped back as I hit him. I straightened my back as I hit him, causing the man to swap ends and land on his face. Somewhere between earth and sky, he had lost his knife, but I wasn’t worried about that anymore.
Kayla jumped to her feet and lightly punched me on the arm. “That was awesome! I think he flew ten feet!” She whispered excitedly.
I ignored her as I went to see if Jake needed any help. The guy I hit wasn’t going anywhere. I heard soft footfalls behind me and was relieved to see Julia coming up the street.
Generation Dead Book 2: What You Fear Page 8