by Jeff D Ellis
Mark shook his head. “I really don’t like being a pawn in someone’s game. I feel like everything I know are only half-truths, from where I came from, to the games Greta and my father were playing. Those games cost my father his life.”
“I understand you’re upset, Mark. Greta doesn’t normally trust outsiders and keeps much close to the vest even among Vampires. I am her second in command and I don’t know everything. So why don’t I fill you in with what I know.”
“Fine.”
“The computer people Greta was talking about used to work for Pyotr Volk before I killed him. They wanted to work for me and I have moved them from crime to high tech work and intelligence gathering. Not all of them know about the Veiled. A couple of my most trusted people have been keeping an eye on our network infrastructure. They even set up some honeypots.”
Chloe frowned. “What’s a honeypot?”
“In network security, it’s a system that looks like our servers but the data on them is not real. They are set up to capture all access to them to expose what the hackers are trying to do and how they did it. Someone broke in and thinks they stole our customer lists and digital assets. They then installed ransomware that is set to go off just after Sam becomes Pack Alpha.”
“Then they think they have the upper hand. Are you sure they have not gotten in some other way? We did have Pack staff on site setting up the security, and I found those computers were sending data back to the Pack control center. There could have been an attack from inside the network.”
“I will have my guy check everything again, but like I said, he has been constantly monitoring.”
“Are you sure he could not be turned by the Vukodlak?”
“As sure as I can be. He saw me kill a Vukodlak as well as give him the money and respect he did not get under them. He would think if I found out he had betrayed me that everyone he cares about would pay the price.”
“You would do that?”
“No, but he thinks I would. It’s part of their culture.”
“Do you think we can get any other kind of support from them?”
“I trust them, but we don’t want to put them in the direct path of the Vukodlak.”
“Speaking of Vukodlak, how do you kill one?”
“The touch of silver will force them back to human form and removing their head will kill them. I cut off a hand and it started re-growing in moments. I was lucky to have swords that had silver inlaid into the blade. A Vampire Clan I trained with in Japan was used to killing monsters that could be hurt by silver.”
“Is there another way for us non-samurai?”
“The U.S. Marshals had some experimental ammo that used a silver ball in the tip. We didn’t try it and don’t know if it actually would work.”
“Do you think they would help us without being officially involved? Would they sell you some of the ammo? I expect Greta wants to keep them out of this situation.”
“They were willing to act as backup support last time, but I don’t think they would be willing to take a backseat again. I would be surprised if they haven’t started their own investigation into the deaths of Alistair and Adam.”
“When I talked with David Seymour this morning, he did not let on about an investigation.”
John looked puzzled. “Why did you talk with him?”
“David and Abby helped us move out of the Pack-owned house this morning. We were worried that Sam or whoever killed my father and Adam might take a shot at us. We asked Abby as members of her tribe, not as them being Marshals.”
“Were they identifiable as Marshals when they helped?”
“They used Abby’s SUV that had Marshals markings on the doors.”
“Then you tipped off the Pack and maybe the Vukodlak that you are on to them and the Marshals are involved.”
“It’s not like we had any choice. They chose to use their car.”
“Greta is not going to be happy. Leave it to me to do some damage control with both her and the Marshals. I will also see about getting a small quantity of their ammo for defensive purposes only. Did you want to drop any other bombs in my lap?”
“David suggested we talk to you to see if you knew of any place for us to live. We are currently holed up in your Seattle penthouse, but I need to find a house on the ground with access to forest.”
John finally smiled. “Now you know why I don’t like the place. Rhi loves it but she is a creature of air. I would invite you to stay with me while you look, but with a new baby in the house, you wouldn’t get much sleep. Actually, my son-in-law was thinking of moving closer to me so Anna could help take care of both babies together.”
Chloe looked puzzled. “I thought you said your wife’s name was Rhi?”
“I am married to both Rhi and Anna. We are a very happy family. If Kat and Henry move in next to me, their house in Renton would be available. It has access to both forest and a small lake. He was keeping it as his secret spot, but I think too many people know about it now. I will ask them about it when I talk with the Marshals.”
“Are they Marshals as well?”
“They work with David and Abby. I expect David would have said something about it, but Henry and Greta don’t get along. It’s a long story involving torture and is one area that Greta and I don’t see eye to eye on. It’s best to not talk about Kat or Henry in earshot of the Clan. Even I wouldn’t dare bring up Henry in Greta’s presence.”
John stood. “I think we are done here. I will let you know about the network, Marshals, ammo, and housing.”
Mark shook his hand. “Thank you for your time. I am sorry about any issues I may have caused with the Marshals.”
Chloe followed suit. “I am sorry as well.”
After checking in with Jen to make sure everything was going smooth security wise, they headed back to The Second Circle.
“Chloe, I can’t believe they withheld some important details from us both.”
“It’s something you come to expect when working for Greta. She always has plans within plans and knows more than she lets on.”
“How are we supposed to do our jobs like that?”
Chloe put her hand on his leg. “You just do what you’re told and expect Greta to make things work out.”
“You can work that way?”
“Up until now, I never had a choice. I just did what I was told.”
“Do you think she knew we would fall in love?”
“Vampires are not supposed to fall in love. The rules are slowly changing when Humans are not involved, but in general, it’s against Clan laws.”
“I am happy you’re not fully a Vampire.”
“Mark, can you work this way? I would have thought your Pack way of life was blindly following your Alpha’s commands and you wouldn’t expect to know why.”
“That is true. I don’t know why it bugs me so much now. Maybe I just trusted my father to tell me everything I needed to know more than I do Greta. But my father also kept the game he was playing with Greta hidden from us.”
“I get mixed signals from you about the job. Last night you seemed a natural and a born leader. Other times it seems like you want to do something else entirely.”
“I have been meaning to talk to you about it. I think after the crisis, I want to learn the magic of the Alphas and be a good leader to the Coyote Shapeshifters. The tribe welcomed us into their family and I want to take them up on leading the next generation of coyotes.”
“You know that’s going to be hard work for no pay and everybody complaining about your every move.”
“Maybe I can find them jobs that fit the coyote mindset and make a company to give the Pack a run for their money. Or we could see if the Marshals are hiring. It seems like most everybody we run into works for them.”
“Mark, I am sorry about getting Abby and David involved. I was just worried. I will smooth things over with Greta.”
He didn’t want to look Chloe in the eye. “I think it was a great idea, but we shoul
d have found a way to keep a lower profile. I can’t believe how badly I hurt my mother. I’m also sorry for how she treated you.”
She touched his arm. “I’m a big girl; she was lashing out at me because she was hurt.”
“I lost everything in my life but you. I need a real house to call home and a way to own it. I don’t want to get kicked out of our home again by Greta or anybody else. We have to face the fact that until now, we have never had or needed an income. Our groups paid for everything we ever needed. It might be a while before we can afford to buy a place of our own.”
“Mark, don’t worry. We have made it through major life changes in a short time. We will work this out.”
“I guess it’s time to go inside and see where our day goes. I’ll let you smooth over Greta, while I learn what I can from Erica.”
***
Chloe stopped to talk with Onyx while Mark went to find Erica.
“How is Mark liking the penthouse?”
“I have to be honest, he hates it. It’s too fancy for him and I think he has a problem with heights.”
“I checked and we don’t own any properties like the place you used to live. We have some tiny apartments like the one you moved out of. Actually that one might be available.”
“Mark is not going to be happy there. We had a meeting with John and he may have an idea. I’ll let you know if he comes up with something. Is Greta available?”
“Let me check…” Onyx looked at the screen in the reception desk. “Go on in.”
“I understand you need to talk to me?”
“Yes, we had a situation this morning that may have unexpected side effects. Mark told Sam he was leaving the Pack since he was back with me and coyote now. He was told to move our personal items out of the house while people were at work. We were worried a sniper or Sam might set up some other way to remove us from the equation. I asked Abby, as a member of her tribe to help us move. The problem is David and Abby used an official U.S. Marshals SUV to help us.”
“If someone was watching for you, they may think the Marshals are officially involved. As long as they are not actually going to involve themselves in our business, it might give our enemies doubts about the situation. That could work to our favor.”
“I thought you should know.”
“I can call the station chief and warn them off.”
“John is already going to talk to the Marshals.”
“Oh, is he.”
“We were there a little while ago to ask him about his network people as you suggested, and told him of our adventures this morning. He said he would take care of it.”
“I expect he also told you not to bother me with this.”
“He said it wasn’t important enough to bother you.”
“Thank you for bringing it to my attention. You and Mark did good work last night getting our businesses disconnected from the Pack.”
“Thank you, Greta.”
“You are dismissed.”
Chloe stopped to talk to Onyx.
“Things seem to have gone fine with Greta, but I’m not sure I didn’t get John in trouble.”
“He’s a big boy and can handle it. What’s next on your list?”
“I better go check in with Mark.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
It's starting
MARK HAD A fitful sleep. Last night would have been the Alpha bonding ceremony. Sam should be in full control of the Pack now. He could feel that this would signal the start their attack on Greta’s companies. He had no idea if it would be over the course of hours or days, but it was coming.
“Chloe, I have a bad feeling about today.”
“Whatever happens, we’ll face it together. We should head into work.”
Chloe still had the only car and was doing all of the driving. Mark’s phone chimed and was getting messages faster than he could read them.
“It’s started. Nadine said her people can’t get into the servers for the video editing. Jen sent a message saying their servers are also down at B&K. Onyx said the client appointment database is non-responsive. They are all shutting down for the day.”
“I will change course for B&K. Maybe John has an update from his network guy.”
“Why don’t you pull over while I call John. Then we can decide on going there or The Second Circle.”
“Hi John, I thought you say your guy had checked out all of the servers and network devices? Why is everybody down?”
“We can’t talk now. Will explain at The Second Circle. Consider all operations on lockdown today.”
Mark looked at his phone; John had hung up on him.
“Back to the original plan. We are wanted at The Second Circle.”
Chloe pulled back into traffic and punched the accelerator.
“Hey, we need to make it in one piece.”
“Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”
Chloe hit the phone button on the steering wheel. “Call Onyx.”
“It’s us, we will be there in ten.”
“We’ll be waiting in the conference room.”
Chloe ended the call and raced through traffic. All Mark could do was hold on and hope they didn’t get pulled over or cause an accident. True to her word, they pulled into a VIP spot at Greta’s Place right on time. Mark raced to the door and used his keycard to enter. They didn’t bother checking in at the security room before hitting the elevator to The Second Circle. It was strange that no one was around. Normally Onyx was at the reception desk managing things and not seeing her at her station felt wrong. The area was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Normally there was light music and sounds of people milling around. They went back to the conference room where Greta, John, Onyx, and Erica were seated at the table. Mark and Chloe took seats at the table.
Greta stood. “Now that we are all here, we can get started. The malware on the honeypot systems went active right on schedule. They put up a notice that we will be contacted. We have not been contacted. I expect their next action will be an attack here as a show of power and maybe to kill me and negotiate with my replacement. Now is the time for all of your planning to pay off and win the day. Questions, Mark?”
“What is the actual condition of our systems, John? Did they only get the honeypot servers?”
“All of our systems are fine. We are putting on a show as if they succeeded.”
“Thanks, John. Erica, have we noticed any extra attention to the underground or Greta’s Place?”
“No sign of intruders at this time, or anyone scouting out the underground trying to find out hidden entrances.”
Mark addressed the group. “If it was me, I would be set to breach the underground entrances. The elevator is too small for much of a tactical force to enter though. I can’t believe Sam would only attack with two guys plus his primary. A proper security detail could be done with three bodyguards, but it’s not much if trying to secure a place as large as this with an unknown number of Vampires waiting for him.”
John took a sip of coffee. “When I fought Pyotr Volk, he had around fifteen armed Humans securing his warehouse. They must assume we have people, and knowing I killed one of their best, Vivian should not be so arrogant to think she does not need protection. If they run to pattern, they should also try to threaten us enough to make us come to a place of their choosing.”
Greta took her seat at the head of the table. “Thanks, John. I expect you’re right, but I am going to force her to come here. If she is going to challenge me, I want to have home court advantage.”
“What if she decides keeping you shut down and losing money is good enough for her?”
Greta shook her head. “Mark, I know her type. She wants to see me kneel at her feet or see my head on a pike. Just laying siege wouldn’t be good enough for her. She wants to force us to work for her.”
“Would she think holding your businesses hostage is good enough to guarantee her safety and your compliance? She must expect a trap if she comes here.”
“Understood.”
Mark, Chloe, and Erica stayed behind when everybody else left the room.
“Erica, we need to make sure we have people at each of the entrances from the Underground.”
“We have removed any access from the outside. The doors can only be opened from inside. I don’t think the doors can be breached from the outside.”
“If Sam gets people inside, the last thing we need is for them to open the backdoor and let everybody else in.”
“Don’t worry, Mark. We have it covered.”
“Erica, you do understand the Pack he would be using are military trained killers. Unless you shipped in the Clan from Japan, our only strength is in numbers and being crafty like a coyote. What are our numbers at the law office and studio?”
“We have four at B&K and six at the studio.”
“That should be enough. If Greta is right, they should leave the places they plan on owning alone. That could be a contingency plan. She could try and destroy each of those places if things go wrong here.”
Erica made a chopping motion with her hand. “Then we better take the head off the snake when we have the chance.”
Mark nodded. “I agree. I don’t think Sam will continue with Vivian’s plans if she is dead. Last thing, are all of your people armed with guns as well as blades this time?”
“Yes, and since we are surrounded by rock and brick, they are .308 caliber semi-automatic rifles.”
“Those are going to be really loud down here.”
“Don’t worry, they all have sound suppressors. That should help keep us from going deaf. One last thing, John has a gift for you both. I’ll be right back.”