Eternal Hearts (A Darkness Within)

by Jennifer Turner

  No further questions were ever asked by the public.

  Then, when Christian had punished Mika for breaking the Veil by sentencing him to death, Alexander had been the one to do the honors. As the Head of Enforcement, it was his job to carry out the Lord’s demands.

  And ever since that day, Stryker had gone out of her way to make Toni’s life difficult. Closing her bank accounts, revoking her license, and once, she’d even gone as far as having the electricity to her apartment shut off for nonpayment even though she’d paid the bill only days before. Anything of Toni’s that Stryker could electronically manipulate, she did…repeatedly.

  They’d been minor annoyances that Toni had learned to live with, mostly because there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She’d been told by Clint that those were the types of games she’d have to get used to. He’d also told her that’s what young vampires did to each other before they learned what the games really were.

  Toni shook her head as she blew through a yellowish-red light. No, she didn’t want to be even a small part of the games. After everything she’d learned tonight, she’d most likely lost her family to either the game itself, or the after effects of Oktober playing the game too much.

  No one had ever warned her that her own family might become a weapon against her, to be used in said games. Neither Alexander, nor Clint, had offered her that single but very valuable piece of information. But she wished someone had. She wished that, if nothing else, she’d had a chance to warn them.

  As she sped down the icy streets of downtown Chicago, Toni whipped her car into a left turn then expertly pulled the back end out of a fishtail. If this was all just a game, it could wait for an hour. There was another piece of business she needed to take care of, and it was a hell of a lot more important to her than a few werewolves would ever be.

  Chapter 15

  Stryker pulled her eyes away from the glowing computer monitor when she heard footsteps in the hallway outside her office. She watched the door, scowl firmly in place as Jayson stepped into the room. Clad in baggy jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, and suede work boots, his dreadlocks were gone, replaced by a clean shaven head.

  She stared up at him while he moved to stand in front of her desk. “What happened to your dreadlocks and the expensive leather suit I paid for?”

  He shrugged; a movement far too lazy for the defiant words that followed. “I’ve decided I’m gonna dress the way I want to from here on out.”

  “You’ve decided?” She laughed at him as she leaned back in her chair. “Have you forgotten you don’t get to make those decisions anymore? You’ll wear what I tell you to, how I tell you to, and when I tell you to. I’m your Sire, not the other way around, Jayson. Do you understand me?”

  He pointed down at her. “You told me to do whatever I needed to get your answers. And what I needed to do was go back to my old neighborhood and get my contacts back. The people down there won’t talk to me when I look like a Goth freak, Stryker.”

  “How sweet, you’ve gone back to your pathetic Ghetto roots. Please tell me you didn’t bring any roaches back with you.”

  He gnashed his teeth, and she might have thought the action cute if he didn’t look like he was about to knock over a liquor store. “No, I didn’t. I did get some information for you though. That is, if you’re even interested in what my black ass has to say.”

  She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the desk before she laced her long fingers together. “Oh, do tell.”

  He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, something she’d seen him do at least a hundred times before. “Toni Tutoro is only back in the city because Clint paid a hell of a lot to get her back in. Rumor has it she won’t be here for very long. I haven’t figured out exactly why yet, but I did find out that she’s not here for you.”

  “And just how do you know that?”

  “She’s decided to let her past be just that, the past. She’s only here so she can rebuild and recover. And I know all that, because I talked to her.”

  “You talked to her?” Stryker asked with an arched brow. “Does she know who you are?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I was actually hoping you’d let me do some undercover work. I can stick around her and see what she’s up to. That’s the other reason I changed my look. If I reminded her of you, she’d probably get suspicious.”

  Stryker slowly nodded. She was genuinely impressed, even though the acrid scent of deceit practically dripped from every dead pore on his body. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. See if you can work your way into her personal circle and keep an eye on her. Truth be told, I don’t think she’s ready to let what I did pass.”

  “I will. I’ll get word to you if I think she’s up to something.”

  She smiled at him. Lying or not, this could very well work in her favor. “Good, why don’t you go find…” She trailed off when her butler came running into her office.

  “Miss Stryker, Miss Stryker, there’s a man at the door who…” She waved a hand to silence him when Brick stepped into the doorway behind him.

  Brick tipped his head back and looked all around the room. “Now this is a nice house. Bet it takes a lot of upkeep though.”

  Stryker dismissed her butler then glared up at Locke’s favorite Hee Haw reject. “Isn’t there a cow giving birth somewhere that you should be attending to? Or some colorful barrel at a rodeo you should be popping out of?”

  Brick didn’t respond to her. Instead, he inclined his head in Jayson’s direction. “Why don’t you go meet some friends, Kid? It’s still the weekend, go have some fun for once.”

  Stryker watched as Jayson quickly left the room on Brick’s order. Now that was an interesting turn of events. Perhaps the ungrateful hood-rat was more of a traitor than she’d first suspected.

  “Stryker, Stryker, Stryker,” Brick sighed once they were alone. “What kind of dirty are you up to this time?” He wiggled his large index finger at her and clucked his tongue. “I hear you’re making waves in the kiddie pool again.”

  She stood up at his attempt to scold her. He had absolutely no idea who he was playing with. “As I said, shouldn’t you be riding the range somewhere, preferably at Noon? I don’t care what position you currently hold in the city. This is my personal home, and you aren’t welcome here.”

  “You’ve been playing where you shouldn’t be.” He punctuated his statement by shoving her computer monitor off of her desk.

  Stryker jumped back just before her foot would have been crushed. She considered the broken shards of glass for a long moment before she forced a smile across her face. He wanted some kind of reaction, but she refused to give it. “Are you done? Breaking my equipment won’t get you anywhere. However, it will get you the replacement bill.”

  His jaw flexed. “I’m not paying for a replacement.”

  “No? Well, I suppose I could always take my grievance to my very own Elder Councilor, Murdoch, and have him forward my reparation request to Victoria. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to know how well her family behaves in public. Then again, I guess I shouldn’t expect anything more from a lowly Thug like you.”

  Stryker did everything in her power to remain calm when Brick lunged across the desk and with one hand snatched her up by her hair. Her scalp burned as his foul breath skimmed her cheek. “You’ve been playing in the wrong sandbox, Stryker.”

  She smiled again, and the surprised look on his face said that was the last thing he’d expected. “Why, whatever do you mean, Brick? I don’t know about you, but I stopped playing in the sand quite a few years ago.”

  “You wanna tell me what you’ve been doing?” She winced when he raised his other hand and dug his fingertips deep into her cheeks. “Because I reckon this’ll end a lot better for you if you just fess up now.”

  Stryker stared daggers into Brick’s dull gray eyes. She knew exactly what he was trying to do. He was talking about something specific, and was hoping she’d admit to something else. She
fought to smile one more time, even as tendrils of pain wound down her neck. “I haven’t been doing anything. And even if I was, I wouldn’t tell you. You’re nothing but a worthless piece of Warrior trash.”

  “What’s your Tech ass up to?” She groaned when he slammed her back against the wall. Agony shot down her spine, but she refused to give him the pleasure of seeing it on her face. He leaned in close to her, his nose just inches from her own. “Do you really think we don’t know what you’re trying to do?”

  She narrowed her eyes on him. The entire Warrior lineage was packed with nothing but brainless barbarians. Quick to temper, they were even quicker to make critical errors. And just when she’d found the perfect string of words to lead him into yet another mistake, the squeal of a ringing cell phone stole her opening.

  Brick dropped the hand that had most likely left bruises on her cheeks to pull his phone from his pocket. “Yeah?” he asked it.

  Stryker rolled her eyes. Really? He was taking a phone call in the middle of his interrogation routine? Oh, he was going to get his.

  “Okay. I’ll be right there,” he said before closing the phone.

  She let out a growl when Brick pulled her away from the wall then slammed her back into it, cracking the plaster. The room took on a red tinge as rage surged in her blood. “You don’t have the intelligence to best or break me, Brick. So I suggest you put me down if you want to live past sunrise. Or don’t, and we’ll just see how it all plays out for you.”

  He actually had the nerve to laugh and drop his phone back into his pocket before he bothered to look up at her. “Consider this your one and only warning to stay away from the police, Stryker. I’ve already had to clean up after your kid once this week, I’m not about to clean up after you, too.”

  Pain rattled Stryker’s entire body when Brick threw her down to the floor. She snarled, barely managing to pull her hand back before his boot crushed it. “Get out of my home! As an accepted and respected member of Chicago, it’s against Christian’s rules for you to even touch me, let alone blatantly assault me.” She jabbed a finger in his direction. “Tell your precious Lord he can expect Murdoch in his office before the night is over.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he’ll be scared – shaking even.” He motioned to her shattered monitor and grinned. “Electronics are fragile. I’m thinking you should really take better care of your stuff.”

  Stryker stared down at the floor until she heard her front door slam closed. After crawling to her feet, she stormed into the living room and grabbed one of her maids. “Go in there and clean my office.” When the girl ran off, she moved to stand in front of one of the large bay windows and watched as Brick climbed into his truck then pulled out of her driveway. “You’ll get yours!” she screamed at him. “One way or another…you’ll die too!”

  Only when she was absolutely certain that Brick hadn’t circled back around did Stryker turn away from the window and head for her secondary office. He’d been trying to get her to admit to something…but what? She pressed the computer’s power button then stared at the loading screen.

  Had Christian simply learned of her sway over the police again, or had he found out about her plans? There was no way he could have. She was the only one who knew.

  Fingers flying across the keyboard, Stryker screamed for one of the maids to retrieve her address book. When the older woman scurried into the room and set it on the desk, she flipped it open and smiled down at the entry for the Director of Operations at the Chicago Zoo.

  Not only did she need to change the timing of the attack, but after the night’s events, she was going to need more wolves.

  ***

  Toni sat in her car, which she’d expertly parked between two older model Cadillac’s, on the curb of South Ridgeway Avenue. She was chilled all the way to her undead bones, but how she felt had nothing to do with the heavy snow falling all around her. How she felt had everything to do with what she saw as she stared through the windshield at the glowing porch lights dotting the street.

  The street she grew up on.

  After attempting to mentally prepare herself, which she realized she’d probably never be able to do, Toni slid out of the car and walked around the front of it. She managed to step up onto the curb with no problem, but the moment her feet touched the sidewalk – she froze.

  The tiny light blue house looked the same as it always had. Even the white country-style shutters, which her mother had insisted on having, still framed the windows.

  “People who live in this part of town just don’t put things like that on their house. This isn’t Kansas.” Toni smiled as her father’s voice echoed in her mind. He’d repeated those exact words three different times, but had her mother cared? Not one bit. She’d simply waved her hand and flashed him a smile that said she had every intention of doing it anyway.

  One lesson she’d instilled in Toni, with every fiber of her stubborn but loving being, was that just because they didn’t come from a good part of town, it didn’t mean they couldn’t dream.

  Mama had always wanted to live in the country. But when she realized that wasn’t ever going to happen, she’d spent fifty dollars and brought the country to her. She was the only one on the street to ever plant flowers in front of her house. And the only one to weed and water the lawn instead of letting it turn brown and die.

  It never seemed to matter how insane anyone thought she was, because all she ever did was smile and say it was crazy to abandon your dreams just because you couldn’t afford them.

  The tears flooding Toni’s eyes ran down her cheeks and melted the snow near her feet as she stared at her house. With everything she had, she wished that just one more time she could see the lights turn on inside, and her mother in the window motioning for her to come in. She wished she could go back to being a kid, back to playing with her brothers and sister in the small front yard. She wanted to hear them laugh one more time, listen to them tease her for being a tomboy, hear them pick on her for being the short one.

  But that would never happen…

  And what hurt more than anything as Toni stood in front of her old house, was that while everything about it looked the same – nothing about it felt like home. There was no welcoming feeling anymore, no comfort warming and rippling the air above the chimney. There were no signs of life anywhere. Even the air of happiness it once held was gone.

  Now, there was only a lingering emptiness, an overwhelming sense of loss…and it seeped straight into her soul.

  She stared down at the sidewalk as she slowly made her way to the porch. Ghostly images of chalked suns and flowers flickered against the dusted concrete, their once vibrant colors faded to pale, sickly hues. She squeezed her eyes closed tight, knowing in her heart that nothing here would ever be right again.

  It would never look right, never smell right…never feel right.

  Toni opened her eyes and focused on the door. There were no lights on, but it was still early enough that someone should be up. Reaching out an unsteady hand, she knocked. As she waited, a sad smile crept across her face. In the far corner was her mother’s rocking chair. The people who bought the house must have kept everything that was left unclaimed.

  Of course, everything would have been unclaimed…

  There was no one left to claim it.

  For five full minutes Toni waited on the porch, but no one ever came to the door. She figured she deserved it; nothing about her life had gone right since the day she’d moved out. It was only fair the streak remain unbroken.

  “Nobody lives there anymore. I don’t know what happened to the nice lady who used to, but I ain’t seen her in a long time.”

  Toni turned around to see a little African American girl, who couldn’t have been more than seven years old, standing on the sidewalk. Bundled up in a pink coat with a matching hat, scarf and mittens, the rainbow of colored beads lining the bottom of her braids jutted out in all directions.

  “Ya kinda look like her. Did ya know her?” the girl
asked.

  Toni pressed her lips together in a smile, the salty taste of tears wet on her lips. “Yeah, I did. I used to live here a long time ago. And you’re right…she was a really nice lady. What’s your name?”

  “You tell me yours first.” She cocked her head and pushed her hat up a little bit. “You ain’t gonna kidnap me, are ya?”

  “My name’s Toni, and no, I’m not gonna kidnap you.”

  She broke into the wide grin of a child. “Okay. You don’t look like a kidnapper, but I thought I’d ask ya just in case. I’m Tonya. Are you a friend of the big blond guy?”

  “The big blond guy?”

  “Yeah, there’s a big blond guy that comes here every now ‘n then. He usually gots an old guy with him. I asked ‘em if they lived there but they said they was jus’ keepin’ an eye on it. I don’t know what that means, but my Mama said they’s from the Mob.”

  Toni couldn’t help but to laugh. “Why does she think that?”

  “Because they’s always drivin’ nice cars. We don’t see cars like that down here. Mama said that’s what the Mob drives.”

  “I don’t know the blond guy. How often do you see him?”

  She shrugged, which was quite a feat considering the thickness of her coat. “I saw ‘em last summer, n’ then once around Christmas.” She broke into another huge grin. “At Christmas, they gamme a present. A new bike! They said it was for watchin’ the house.”

  Toni smiled at the innocent, almost infectious light in her eyes. “So do you live in this neighborhood?”

  “I live down the street. All the kids are comin’ out to have a snowball fight. I’m cheatin’, but don’t tell nobody,” she said, raising a pointed index finger to her mouth.

  Toni drew a cross over her chest. “I promise I won’t.” She looked down the street when she heard a chorus of little voices fill the air, and saw more kids coming out of houses. “You’d better hurry. I think everyone else is trying to cheat, too.”