Blood for blood

by Tobi Grim

  He leaned back and glanced at her. “A’right. Wantin’ to take them now?”

  “Whoa!” Lupa laughed, “Hold on there, big guy, how long does this shit last? Cos Slasher is probably going to call me in later to let me know how the interviews have gone… It’s only one now, still got hours til she’ll be done. I think I need at least a couple of hours to prepare myself.”

  Sledge grinned, “Aint thinkin’ ‘bout that. Lastin’ about three or four hours from what I rememberin’. Wantin’ to try tonight then?”

  “So long as nothing else happens with the case, I’m fucking in.”

  Sledge nodded, drinking his beer and looking around the room. Lupa’s phone beeped. Rummaging through her bag she pulled it out, a text from Grey. Dammit. He was asking to come over… She glanced over at Sledge who was gazing at the roof now. She messaged back saying he could.

  “Hey, um… I got a friend coming round-”

  “Oh, a’right. I be goin’.”

  “No wait, actually I was hoping you might stay. It’s the guy that chick has been going fucking nuts over. Hawk thinks he might know something. Or like… be getting in this chicks head and messing with her or some shit. I have a few questions I was to ask him, a bit of muscle on my side might make him answer more honestly?”

  “If’n that’s what you wantin’, I stay.”

  Lupa beamed. “Thanks Sledge, you’re a champ.” She bumped her shoulder to his and winked.

  “You can be callin’ me Lio if you likin’. My name before. Sandalio. Aint likin’ it long like that. But you can call me Lio.” Sledge’s face was bright red and he kept his eyes averted.

  “Lio, hey... I like that. Odd name. Don’t think I’ve heard it before,” Lupa hesitated, he was trusting her with this, was he trying to prove she could trust him? She reached out and put her hand on his strong arm. “Thank you, for trusting that with me.”

  Sledge grunted in response, his cheeks were still slightly pink. Lupa’s phone beeped again; Grey was outside and waiting. She got up and went downstairs to let him in, it was the first time she’d ever had him over at her place, and she realised she felt rather uncomfortable about it.

  Once back in her apartment, she grabbed everyone a beer and studied Grey, he appeared as though he hadn’t been sleeping. His skin was pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Was he… Whatever.

  “This is Sledge, he’s a friend of mine. Sledge, this is Grey.”

  Both men nodded in acknowledgement to each other and then Grey turned to Lupa. “Can we talk in private,” he whispered, eyes glancing over to Sledge.

  “No. Anything you have to say, can be said in front of Sledge. He had to save me the other night from your crazy, bitch ex-girlfriend.”

  Grey glanced over to Sledge, who was slouching comfortably on her couch, with his eyes fixed on Grey; cold and unwavering. Lupa would have been terrified if they were on her like that, probably how he got Hammer’s ‘clients’ to pay up. Grey ran his fingers through his hair, drinking some of his beer and letting his eyes meet hers.

  “Bree’s gone crazy. She waits at my door every day, she’s broken in twice. I found her asleep in my bed last night. I can't sleep, I haven’t been eating... I don’t know what’s going on. This is fucked.”

  Grey lit a smoke, throwing back the rest of his beer. Lupa frowned. He hadn’t mentioned any break in’s on Tuesday, either Brianna had broken in later that night after the pub, and Wednesday night, or he was lying. Shit.

  “She put a spell curse on my door Tuesday. I went out with Sledge, and when we got back she was waiting,” Lupa glanced over to Sledge who was still watching Grey, “She could have killed me. It was a specific spell just for me, I couldn’t even sense it... I’ve reported her to Slasher.”

  Grey nodded, “Good. Slasher called me in for an interview today, think that’s what it is about?” He stared at her intensely.

  “Could be. Look, why are you here, Grey? Have you been messing with Brianna’s head?”

  Grey looked slowly over to Sledge, then back to her, a snarl forming on his lips. “You fucking him? You dropped me, for this guy? For an ugly meathead?”

  Lupa’s eyebrows felt like they had shot off her head. What the fuck? Where the hell was this coming from? Hadn’t he said… “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  Grey grabbed her arm, slamming her wrist against the bench. Putting his face right against hers, his eyes looked crazed. “You’re fucking him! You let him in your house when you wouldn’t let me-”

  Grey yelped as Sledge threw him against the door, holding him up by his neck. “What you wantin’, witchy girl?” he asked her, his eyes not leaving Grey’s struggling body.

  “Throw him out, would you?” Lupa responded coldly.

  Sledge nodded, opening the door and dragging Grey yelling down the stairs, Lupa went to her door to watch as Sledge threw him to the ground. Grey scrambled to his feet, yelled some obscenities at Sledge and then took off.

  “Thank you… Lio,” Lupa said, smiling as he came back into her apartment, “Seems I’m attracting all the obsessive fucks at the moment.”

  Sledge looked at her with his eyebrows drawn together, his eyes searching her for something, but she didn’t know what. “Aint offended him thinkin’ you fuckin’ a guy like me?”

  Lupa snorted. “Bet you’re a wild animal in the sack, why would I be offended?” She winked at him and stuck her tongue out, feeling childish, but he just looked at his feet. “Sorry, no. I wasn’t, why would I be?”

  Sledge shrugged and checked the time. “I callin’ you up around six? I gotta get back to Hammer. Less you thinkin’ I should hang around in case that mate of yours comin’ back?”

  “I don’t think he will…”

  “A’right, I callin’ you up around six? If you still wantin’ to try the pills?” He still wasn’t really looking at her.

  Lupa nodded. Feeling like she had missed something. But he smiled at her as he left. “Talk later,” she called as he trudged down the stairs.

  Shutting the door, she leaned against it and sighed. Her life was getting crazier by the day. What the fuck was up with Grey? Fucking hell. She figured she should probably tell Slasher about the incident as well. But for now, she was going to take a nap, the alcohol was making her sleepy. She may as well get some sleep now, as she didn’t know how long her night would be now that she had agreed to take this drug of Hammer’s.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Power is measured, but all magick is power…”

  Lupa awoke to her phone ringing loudly and unusual sunshine streaming through her bedroom window. The rain must have fucked off for now, how strange. She rolled over and grabbed her phone.

  “Ma?” She said, she rarely called Slasher that anymore, but she was still half asleep.

  “Hey Little Red, you ok?”

  “Mhmm, needed some sleep. Grey was round earlier, cracked the shits with me. Lay his hands on me too. This is my official report for now.” Lupa yawned, looking at the time. Five thirty. “But don’t worry about that, how have the interviews gone?”

  She heard Slasher sigh heavily through the phone, and imagined her putting her head on the desk. “Useless. Everyone insists that they haven’t spoken about it in public, haven’t told anyone blah, blah, fucking blah. Darwin was great, I got so sick of asking the same questions so he took over for a bit. The guy might be a wanker, but at least he’s a useful wanker.” Slasher groaned, “We still have no fucking answers though, we’re still in the same place we were this morning. Edge… the Commander from Serum called me, she’s not found out much, their kind of Blackwater is what meets the river. Slum fucking central, she says it’s highly possible there are beasts hiding there but she’s not sure, they’ve been dealing with some major shit elsewhere though.” Slasher yawned down the phone, making Lupa yawn too.

  “So what now?” Lupa asked, lighting a smoke and sitting up in bed.

  “I don’t know. We can't take the nest on tonight, and d
efinitely not tomorrow. I’ve got to call Hammer soon, but thought I’d talk to you first. He say much to you?”

  Not a lot. He fucked me real good though. “Not really, apparently he’s set up surveillance though. That might come up with something. Least we can hope so.”

  “Good, well that’s something. Ok, hun, I’m going to call him now then. Want me to call you back?”

  “Just text me if you want, I’m going to go and jump in the shower now.”

  “Ok, I’ll text you. If I need to talk to you directly, just call me when you’re free.”

  They hung up. Great. No new fucking information. Hopefully Hammer had found something, or might find something tonight. Tonight. When she was going to try one of Hammer’s pills, trusting Sledge to keep an eye on her. With the sun dropping below the buildings Lupa shuddered. Was she doing the right thing? Or was this Hammer pulling her off her path?

  Putting her smoke out in an ashtray, she hopped out of bed and headed to the shower. She stopped suddenly, looking through her bedroom door to the kitchen. Was someone… she listened. Someone was walking up the stairs from the front door very heavily. The elderly couple next door never had anyone over, and Janice was gone now… she took a few silent steps towards her door. She heard the sounds of someone trying to pick her lock. Fuck. She made a dash for her jacket hanging on the wall, pulling out her long silver blade and sliding over to where the door opened.

  The wall was cool against her bare back. Long deep breaths. She waited. Listening to the noises, smelling wolfblood… the door lock clicked. Whoever was out there got it, they pushed the door open silently and stepped though, Lupa struck out, driving her knife into the creature’s side and jumping back as it howled.

  It turned to her, with blood dripping down its abdomen and its foul, mutated leg. “Fucking witch! I’m going to devour your insides!”

  It lunged at her, she ducked quickly, driving the blade into the beasts other side and flipping around to face it. She didn’t have much room, the bench of the kitchen was at her back.

  “Come on, then. Try and fucking get me!” she yelled, holding her blade ready.

  The wolfblood ran at her, Lupa tried to jump to her left but his arm knocked her down. Fuck, she kicked at him pushing herself away at the same time. He punched her in the stomach. Her eyes blurred with tears, she sliced at him, cutting open his arm as he tried to protect himself.

  “Fucking witch, you shoulda never got involved. You gonna die for your Protector boy.”

  Lupa’s stomach felt hard with rage. She scrambled away and stood back up, the pain gone from her mind now. “And you should have kept your fucking mouth shut.”

  She ran at the creature, it jumped to her right but she struck out, driving her knife into the wolfbloods stomach, but she didn’t pull it back out, slamming her body into his she looked up into its eyes and smiled. It grabbed her around the neck but she kept smiling viciously, pushing her blade up through its stomach, tearing it open ever so slowly.

  “Maybe I’m the one that should devour you, fucking wolfblood scum!”

  Her head felt light as the creature tightened his grip around her throat. She needed to be quick, tearing the blade out of his stomach she dug her hand in instead; grabbing at the slimy insides of the foul beast.

  “What the fuck!”

  The wolfblood screamed as he lost his hold on her, blindly reaching for her arm, as she grabbed tighter and yanked. His intestines fell into a hot, writhing heap on the floor. Lupa maliciously grinned, sending the black lightning into his guts. He tried to grab at them in vain, but his strength was fading fast. Then something hit her head, and she blacked out.

  ⃝

  Lupa opened her eyes to the sounds people talking. Sitting up, she realised someone had put her on the couch and covered her with a jacket. Who the hell would have done that? Trying to focus her bleary eyes… oh.

  “How you dun feelin’?” Sledge strode over to her.

  “Like fucking shit. What are you doing here?”

  “I callin’ you three times, aint gettin’ an answer, thinkin’ maybe you in trouble. Come here and seein’ you out cold on the floor covered in blood, and that there wolfblood guts hanging out all over the place.”

  She peered behind Sledge, to where two men were hauling the wolfblood’s carcass out. “Who are they?”

  “Hammer’s clean-up. Hopin’ they ok to call? Or you dun needin’ your crew?”

  Lupa rubbed her aching head and stood up, the coat falling off her, belatedly realising she was still only in her underwear. Shit. Too late now. She looked down at herself, she was covered in the beast’s blood.

  “Nah, should be fine, mind if I just hop in the shower? This blood…”

  Sledge nodded and stared over her head. She glanced over at the blood all over her floor and shuddered. Yep, definitely needed a fucking shower. She raced to her room and tried to keep her shit under control.

  Lupa showered quicker than she would have liked, but there were strange people in her house and that made her uncomfortable. Pulling on a band shirt and some black denim shorts, she quickly dried her hair with the towel and went back out. Most of the actual blood was gone now, but the guys were still scrubbing at the stains on the wood floors.

  “You wantin’ to go get somethin’ to eat?” Sledge asked, lighting a smoke and leaning against the bench.

  “And leave two strangers here?”

  Sledge shrugged, “If they touchin’ your stuff, I break their hands.”

  Neither man reacted, but she guess they knew that Sledge would do it. Lupa nodded and shoved her feet into her sneakers. “Wet out?” she asked.

  “Yeah, the rain dun comin’ back. Aint too cold though.”

  Lupa grabbed her hoodie just in case, hanging it over her bag as she stepped around the clean-up crew, avoiding the blood drips as she went, forcing herself not to shudder. It was her doing after all, and she had enjoyed it. She hovered in the doorway and looked over to Sledge.

  “What you wanting to get to eat?”

  Sledge stopped next to her and shrugged. “What you wantin’?”

  Lupa looked out the door. “Something close,” she said, “we got a diner to the left and a taco van to the right. Your choice.”

  “Taco soundin’ good.”

  They stepped out onto the dark, wet street and headed up towards the taco van. It wasn’t far, and there was a nice, big awning out the front for them to stand under. There were two empty metal chairs out the front, so they both ordered and sat in them, watching as more wet stragglers started lining up out of the rain. The taco was good and Lupa couldn’t really remember when she’d eaten last. She ate almost as quickly as Sledge, who seemed to put the whole thing in his mouth in one massive bite.

  “Hammer got any info out of the wolfblood?” Lupa asked curiously, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

  “Aint got nothin’. Aint thinkin’ you wanna know much more’n that. Thinkin’ we should move?” he asked, glaring at the people huddling near them, trying to eat standing up and watching him warily.

  “Yeah, guess so,” Lupa shivered, not wanting her mind to wander… “Think the guys will have finished cleaning?”

  “Shoulda. Aint would have left yet though.” They stood up and started walking back to her apartment. “So… what happenin’ with that wolfblood in your place?”

  Lupa filled him in as they walked back to her apartment building, finishing her story as they climbed up the stairs. The two clean-up men were standing in the hallway smoking, their faces looking relieved as they nodded to Sledge.

  “All finished up, Sledge, we leavin’ yous now?”

  Sledge nodded and followed them down, locking the main door behind them. Lupa scanned her apartment for any signs that the men had touched her things, presuming they wouldn’t have with the threat of having their hands broken, but still not trusting them. The floor still had a slight discolouration, but she knew they wouldn’t have been able to get it all out. Blood was
a fucking bitch to clean up. She sighed and went to the fridge for beers.

  “Who you thinkin’ send the wolfblood?” Sledge asked her as they sat down on the couch.

  “Fuck knows. Maybe the nest? Maybe the wolfblood that killed Janice’s boyfriend? I don’t know. I should call Slasher… might wait til morning though…”

  Lupa put her feet up on the table and took a long drink of her beer. Who the fuck had sent the beast to break into her house and try kill her? Was the nest pack aware of her involvement? Had someone seen her at Sable Towers? She sighed, either way, she wasn’t fucking happy about it. She’d have to put some wards up on the main door and her own. At least until they found out who was trying to fuck with her.

  “You still up for tryin’ them pills? Or you aint wantin’ to now?”

  “May as well, hey? Can’t get much fucking crazier around here.” They smiled at each other and Lupa fished in her bag for the gold pill case. Opening it, she took a deep breath. “Any advice?”

  “Aint thinkin’ so. Takin’ about twenty minutes to work. If it takin’ much longer then it probably aint workin’. Started out all tingly for me, then went crazy quick. If anythin’ feelin’ strange just talkin’ to me and I be helpin’… I aint tellin’ Hammer if you worried about that. If you aint wantin’ me to, I sayin’ nothin’.”

  Lupa smiled, “Well, here goes nothing!”

  She put the small, pink pill in her mouth and chased it with her beer. Shutting the gold case and tossing it back into her bag. She flicked on the radio and turned the sound down low. She felt nervous, but also a little excited.

  “Mindin’ if I grabbin’ another drink?”

  “Yeah sure, help yourself. If I go all wacko on you, feel free to grab as many as you like.”

  She looked at her phone, eight pm. And a message from Slasher saying no new info yet. She sighed, she really should call her now and let her know about the wolfblood, but it was too fucking late. Slasher wouldn’t be happy if she found out Lupa was taking random pills to try and boost her magick. Especially not with one of Hammer’s men.

  “You a’right?”