“Back up slowly, Darien.” The man who was holding him said, each word measured and careful. The two of them walked back until they were standing at the trunk of his car. Two of the other men had walked around and convinced Susan to join him there. They turned him around and Darien saw two of the men held small handguns. Their fingers were off the triggers, but the weapons were no less threatening. The other two men stood a couple of feet back and kept an eye on the environment. One of them was focused on the door and the other watched the car ramp. Darien glanced up at one of the surveillance cameras near the stairwell entrance.
“Forget it, Darien. Those cameras? They’re turned off. We thought it was best to have an uninterrupted conversation.”
“You’ve got a funny way of getting my attention.”
The man in front shrugged and then holstered his gun under his shoulder. “A necessary evil. I wanted to make sure we had this opportunity before you did anything foolish. I trust that we have your full attention now, and such measures are no longer necessary?”
Darien looked at the other men—every single one of them was larger than he was and probably trained in ways he had never considered. The man next to Susan still had his gun out. It seemed like a safe bet that if they wanted him dead, he would already be killed or stuffed in the trunk of a car. And it wasn’t like he had much choice.
“What do you want?”
“It’s simple really. We want you to stop asking questions and stop getting other people involved. That includes going to the hospital and talking to your friends about matters that don’t concern them.” He turned and stared at Susan for a fraction of a second before returning his attention to Darien. “You’ll thank us in the end. And if not, well, then things could get messy.”
“Do you work for Lieutenant Olson?”
The mysterious man sighed. “I thought I just asked you to not ask questions. Was I not clear?”
“No, you were clear.”
“Thank you. I’m glad that you can be smart. Try and keep it that way.”
A sudden growling interrupted their conversation. It sounded like a gigantic dog. Everyone looked around for the source, but the rest of the garage floor seemed still. Darien backed up and reached out towards Susan. She grasped his hand and they both squeezed tightly. The sound continued to grow and was soon accompanied by more growls in different pitches and coming from all around the small group. The two men with concealed weapons drew them, aiming their barrels away from the group.
The animal sounds cut off as if on cue and the parking garage become silent except for the people breathing. The tension mounted with each ticking second. The armed men shifted their focus from one imaginary target to another. Some of the men’s arms started to shake, their aim wavering. A drop of sweat slid down the side of the leader’s face.
“Stay firm, men. We can take them,” he ordered. His voice did not hold the same composure as his words.
The man watching the door screamed as a large German shepherd leapt at him from behind a pillar and sank its teeth into his arm just above the elbow. His weapon clattered to the ground as he was yanked off his feet and dragged back behind the pillar. Blood smeared over the parking floor as the body was pulled out of sight. The others turned and fired a couple of times, but the dog was already behind the safety of the concrete post. The leader shoved through Darien and Susan, rushing to get to his fallen comrade. Darien bounced off the trunk of the car and landed flat on the ground. He saw Susan smack into the pillar and slide to the ground with her eyes closed and body limp.
As the leader rounded the post, the shepherd let go of his victim, dropped to its belly, and scuttled under Darien’s car. The other two armed men moved to flank the beast, but were cut short as another dog, a large husky, jumped up from behind and slammed one of them to the ground with his full weight. The man landed on his face with a shout, but was quickly cut off as the beast ripped out a chunk of his neck. The dog stood and snarled at the armed man next to him, pulling back red lips and exposing his sharp teeth. The man ran, making a break for the parking ramp. The husky watched him go, only turning his neck.
The leader slid down on his knees, bringing his gun underneath the car and aiming at the shepherd, but the beast was too quick. As soon as it cleared Darien’s car, it jumped into the black sedan and pushed off the door to change its momentum and hurtle back over Darien’s vehicle. It landed on the leader and the gun fired, but the shot went wide and shattered the glass of Darien’s rear window. The shepherd wasted no time, burying its teeth into both sides of the man’s neck. There was a sickening crunch, followed by a wet tearing sound. Then all Darien could hear was the fading steps of the runner. Either the first victim was dead or he passed out from the pain.
Darien crawled towards Susan, keeping an eye on the animals and not making any sudden movements. It was impossible to tell if their rage was sated. They watched him as he slid across the cement floor. The shepherd stalked towards Darien, and he froze as the animal drew closer. The beast walked past him, moving towards the husky. The entire way, it kept its eyes locked on Darien’s, holding him entranced. Without looking at her, Darien continued moving towards Susan’s body.
The two dogs stood near each other and turned away from Darien to face the ramp. This could be his best opportunity. He turned his attention to Susan and was glad to see there was only a small amount of blood on the back of her head. He opened the door to the backseat of his car and saw shattered glass littering his seat. He took off his jacket and swept out the fragments as best as he could. Then he laid his jacket on the seat. It would have to do. Darien picked Susan up and eased her body into the back seat of his car. He nudged it closed, making sure that more glass pieces didn’t fall on top of her.
When he looked up at the dogs, he saw a woman standing between them. They sat on either side of her with their heads held high, as if they were hers to command. She wore a deep red dress and had straight blond hair that was almost white as it cascaded against her shoulders. She smiled when Darien met her gaze and her emerald eyes sparkled.
“Hello, Darien,” Alyssa said, with a voice that was as sweet in person as it was in the dream. “It’s nice to meet you in person.”
Chapter 7
Darien stumbled backwards and pressed his hands against the cement pillar for balance. His mouth hung slack and his eyes widened at the vision before him. She was standing there, just like he remembered her from the dream. This was impossible. He must have passed out. He slammed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to clear it. When he opened them, she was still standing in front of him. Her delicate hands rested on her hips, and her chest moved up and down as she chuckled.
“You don’t believe it, do you?” she asked.
“You can’t be real,” Darien stammered, regaining his composure. He stepped forward, reaching towards the driver-side door. He kept his attention focused on the woman, so he didn’t see the dog leap onto the hood of car. He felt the hot, humid air against his face before he heard the low rumbling growl that penetrated through his body and make his spine quiver.
“Vladimir!” Alyssa’s voice cracked like a whip. “Get down!”
The mastiff stopped growling and jumped off the car to land in the middle of the bloody scene. He walked towards Alyssa, but kept his attention on Darien. His snarl was persistent, and Darien saw frequent flashes of white teeth.
When Vladimir was next to Alyssa, he sat down in front of her and gazed up. She crouched down and scratched him behind the ears. The other two canines maintained their vigil, looking like statues. Alyssa stood and bade the animals to stay with a simple hand gesture. She walked around the bloody body and came to the back of Darien’s car. As she moved, her dress shimmered across her body and hugged every curve. It required a conscious effort for him not to stare. It helped that he could see the muscles in Vladimir’s back tightening as Alyssa drew closer.
When she was at the back corner of his car, Alyssa reached out her hand. “As you alr
eady know, I’m Alyssa.”
Darien glanced at the dogs as he reached forward and shook her hand. “What the hell is going on? What are those dogs? You just killed four men!”
She interrupted his stream of questions by placing her fingers against his lips. They were warm and smelled like lilacs. “I don’t think you’re quite ready for all the answers, Darien. Don’t worry,” she continued before he could interrupt, “they will come with time.”
He grabbed Alyssa’s hand, pushing it away from him. This garnered a growl from Vladimir. She shot the dog a glance, and he sank to the ground quietly. “Let’s start with who are you? And what do you want with me?”
“As I said, I’m Alyssa. I know you want more answers than that, but I can’t give them to you right now. As for what I want, it’s very simple. I want to keep you alive.”
“What are you talking about? Why would I be in danger? Is this cause of the blackouts? Am I sick or something?”
She laughed as if placating a child. “You’re a demanding one, aren’t you?”
Darien stared at her, refusing to change his expression or back down. The humor left her face. When she spoke, Darien had to strain to hear her soft voice. It was the tone used to bear bad news.
“There are people who will want to kill you because of who you are.”
“Why?”
“That’s one of those things I can’t answer yet.”
“That’s a great way to build up trust. I’m a little leery of strangers who aren’t willing to tell me anything. You’ll excuse me, but I’ll be leaving now. I’ve gotta call the cops.”
She put a hand on Darien’s shoulder as he reached for the door to his car. “Please, Darien, at least listen to me. Be careful. That’s all I am asking.”
Darien stared into her face and was surprised to see what looked like genuine concern. Her eyes were soft, and her features almost pulled into a worried frown. She squeezed his arm. It felt comforting and warm, not hard and controlling. He shrugged her hand off and glanced towards the dogs. They were all on their feet, watching him. As he opened the door, none of them moved. Alyssa stepped back and away from his vehicle.
“You don’t have to call the police, Darien. They’ll show up in their own time.”
“I’d rather not be an accessory to murder. Who knows how many people saw and heard what happened here? I need to tell them what I know.”
Alyssa glared. “And what will you tell them? That a woman commanding a pack of dogs had them killed but spared you? If you barely believe it, how will they? Be smart, Darien. You’re no use to me if you’re alive but trapped in a mental institution.”
She turned around and walked over to her animal companions. They were tall enough that she was able to reach down and run her fingers across their heads without bending over. The action seemed to calm her down. “The garage is empty, and the cameras are turned off. Just like that man told you. It was their own plan. I merely used it to our advantage.”
Darien stood with one leg in his car. “Who were they?”
“Agents working for Michael Olson.”
“What do you know about him?”
“He’s one of the people who would have you killed. Stay away from him as much as you can.” Her voice sounded tired and her head sagged. “Get out of here. We’ll meet again. Remember to be careful.”
Alyssa walked down the tunnel she came from, and the dogs walked beside her. It wasn’t long before Darien lost sight of them. He still wasn’t sure what to believe. One thing he was sure of—he wasn’t dreaming. Now that the excitement was over, he felt a weariness and pains that he didn’t feel in dreams. He looked back through the shattered window at Susan on his backseat. He also had to make sure that she was taken care of.
Before climbing into his car, Darien opened up the back door once again to check on Susan. He reached down and touched her neck. Her pulse was strong and her chest rose and fell steadily with each breath. Chewing on his bottom lip, nervous about what he might find, he rolled her head to one side and looked at the back of her skull. It looked as if the bleeding had stopped. It didn’t look any worse than when he first picked her up. She was going to have a hell of headache, but it looked like that would be the worst of it. Feeling significantly relieved, Darien laid her back down and got into the driver’s seat.
He forced himself to calm down as every instinct in him screamed to leave. He considered going to the hospital, but he was terrified of leaving a trail for Lieutenant Olson to follow. It was just a bump on the head, something he could treat and keep an eye on. At her apartment, they would be safe from the lieutenant. If she got worse, he could always take her to the hospital later.
His decision justified, he started up the car and drove out of the garage, taking care to avoid the carnage and not leave any tire tracks in the blood. The drive was uneventful, and luck decided to favor him as he turned down her street. He was able to claim the parking spot in front of her door. He got out of the car and ran up the steps. Mark was sitting behind the desk, so Darien paged security from the panel next to the door.
Mark looked up at the door as he picked up the desk phone. “Darien? What’s going on?”
“Mark, I need your help. Susan slipped and knocked the back of her head on a stone pillar. I need you to open the door when I carry her up.”
“Of course.”
Mark hung up the phone and hustled over to the door. Darien didn’t wait for him before turning back and jumping down the steps to his car. He opened up the rear door and picked Susan up, picking the jacket up underneath her and using it to cradle her head. He kicked the door shut and heard several remnants of the window tinkle as they crashed to the pavement or inside his car.
Holding Susan close to his body, Darien approached the entrance to the apartment building. Mark opened the door as Darien was climbing up the steps.
“Is she alright?”
“Yeah, she’ll be fine. She just slipped in the parking lot and cracked her head on a stone pillar. Knocked her clean out. I’m going to put her in bed and give her an ice pack to help with the swelling.”
Mark ran down the hall to the elevators and pressed the call button for Darien.
“I need to stay and watch the door. Are you sure you can get her to the apartment by yourself?”
“Yeah, we’ll be fine. Thanks, Mark.”
Darien carried her to her apartment, easing her body onto the soft cushions of the couch. He took his jacket and wrapped one of the pillows in it, a protective measure against blood stains. Lifting up her shoulders, he slid the pillow underneath her head. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully, and he had done all he could for the moment.
Exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave, and he collapsed to the floor. He still couldn’t believe what had happened. It was too surreal. He had seen men murdered—mutilated—right in front of him. And the woman, Alyssa, seemed no more affected by it than if she were filing some paperwork. The illusion of comfort lingering from his dream was shattered by the reality of what he witnessed.
It was no surprise that the men were working for Lieutenant Olson. Even if Alyssa was terrifying and ruthless, he didn’t doubt her about that fact. But why would the lieutenant send armed men after him and what did this have to do with him? It was obvious both he and Alyssa knew more than they were telling, and they both wanted to keep him in the dark. He needed answers, but for now, he just wanted to curl into a ball and rest.
Susan groaned on the couch and raised a hand to her forehead. Darien's head snapped up and he reached out to pull her into a tight embrace. When he let go he began looking her over.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I think so. My head hurts like hell and I can feel a bump back there. What happened? How did I get back here? The last thing I remember is falling as that one goon shoved through me to get to the rabid dog.”
“It was crazy. More dogs showed up, and they attacked the guys with the guns. They killed them, Suz. They ripped the
bodies to shreds. It was not at all like watching it on a movie. Their screams were…” He shivered. Susan reached out and squeezed his shoulder, her mouth drawn tight into a line.
“When it was all over, I thought they were going to come for us next, but they left me alone as I carried you into the car. As I was getting to leave, Alyssa showed up.”
“Alyssa? Like from the dream? She’s real?”
“She’s very real. I couldn’t believe it when I saw her. She looked just like she did in the dream. I thought I was losing it.”
“What did she want?”
“She said that she wants to keep me alive. That’s all she’d tell me. The more I asked her about stuff, the more she dodged questions. She told me that I should be careful and that there are people who want to kill me. According to her, Lieutenant Olson wants me dead. She was pretty sure that the goons were working for him.”
“That not really a surprise. We both were thinking it already. The question is, do you trust Alyssa? This strange woman who show up out of nowhere with a pack of wild dogs?”
Darien hesitated. “I don’t know. I want to, but there’s something that I just can’t work my way around.”
She grabbed one of the cushions from the back of the couch and swung it around to smack him in the chest. “Maybe the fact that she wasn’t at all bothered about killing four men? How’s that for starters? Did you call the cops?”
“And tell them what? A pack of dogs attacked four armed men and killed them, yet didn’t touch us? Not only that, but some woman is able to call these dogs to heel. They’d lock us up, either on charges or for being crazy. Not to mention, Lieutenant Olson works with the cops. I don’t want to give him any excuse or ability to get his hands on me.”
The Shadow Chaser (The Sheynan Trilogy Book 1) Page 5