Gabi took the wheel of the first four-wheel drive while Julius and Fergus took the back seats, Razor between them. Kyle pulled a large spray can from the bag slung over his shoulder and efficiently set about spraying the windows of the Hummer. The clear glaze was a new variation on Savannah’s miracle coating, one that wouldn’t protect against bullets but would deflect more than ninety percent of the sun’s rays if they managed to get caught out in the open with the sun up. Once done, Kyle threw the can to Butch, who quickly did the same to the second vehicle as the others loaded gear into the back of both vehicles. Butch took the driver’s seat in the other vehicle while Lance took shotgun and the humans climbed in the back. In minutes they were following signs for the exit. Thank the Lord and Lady for Kyle’s school-level Spanish. Privately she suspected Julius spoke the language better than Kyle, but he was quiet and brooding in the seat directly behind hers. Something was bothering him, but there was no time to drag it out of him now.
Kyle had her tablet on his lap and directed her through the early evening traffic using the GPS co-ordinates Murphy had supplied them with. The night was young, but they had plenty to do before the sun rose.
Palm trees, manicured gardens, modern condos and brightly lit shopping malls eventually gave way to narrow streets and tiny ramshackle apartments nestled against each other for support. Meagre cobbled sidewalks, tiny second-floor balconies and lantern-shaped streetlights added to the olde worlde atmosphere of the old part of the city. Gabi could see what drew the tourists, but manoeuvring the Hummers through the narrow streets was giving her a headache.
It came as a relief when Kyle said, “Let’s find somewhere to park. We’re less than a kilometre from the GPS point.” But her relief was short-lived. Finding somewhere to stop was proving more difficult than any of them had anticipated.
“Plan B,” Gabi said. “I’ll drop you off to scout the area. Take Lance with you. We’ll keep circling in the vehicles. Take earpieces with you.”
Kyle handed the tablet to Julius, and Gabi pulled into a quiet side street, stopping in the middle of it.
“Don’t try anything stupid, and whatever you do, don’t send them running,” Gabi warned him.
He sent her an unfriendly glare before trotting over to the vehicle behind them. Gabi watched in the rear-view mirror as Lance joined him, and both men went to the back of the car and pulled out bags of equipment. Kyle loped back to her, and when she opened the window, he handed her a small bag containing several comm units.
“We won’t go far,” she said out the window as Kyle and Lance began jogging up the street.
“It’s them; I can scent Caspian all around here,” Kyle said directly into Gabi’s skull. She’d always hated the effect of the inner-ear microphone designed so that no outsider could overhear anything and small enough not to be noticed. It had its drawbacks, but Gabi couldn’t fault its advantages. “It’ll take me a while to unravel the scent markers and figure out where they lead.”
“Keep us posted,” Gabi told him. She finally found parking big enough for the two Hummers in a paved, open space that was probably a market or plaza during the day. It was quiet now; not even the casual foot traffic that traversed many other streets passed here. They reversed into a far corner and Butch aimed a small rock at the only lit street light in the area. It blinked out with a small fizz as the rock struck.
In the shadows they began pulling on protective clothing and strapping weapons to their bodies, the quiet only interrupted by the odd grunt and the slap of leather on metal. Gabi supressed a grin, thinking about how the airport officials would’ve reacted if they’d actually inspected their luggage instead of just walking away thinking they’d inspected the luggage. Their bags weren’t full of clothing and beachwear, but broadswords, daggers, short swords and an assortment of Mac and Savannah’s inventions. The sheer number of weapons was impressive, never mind the ingenuity of some. She had her standard outfit of Nex, four butterfly swords, a MacDartgun and a MacCrossbow; she added extra darts and crossbow bolts. They weren’t expecting too much of a fight, but she’d long ago learned not to underestimate a desperate, cornered adversary. Once she was done, she fastened Razor’s armour to him and tightened the straps, kissing his cold, wet nose before rising to her feet.
“I’ve got it narrowed down to an address,” Kyle said, making her jump. “But there’s something going on. I don’t think Caspian is here, and I think I smell blood. I’m following another trail, it’s the freshest scent of Caspian.”
“We’re on our way on foot. Be careful, don’t spook him,” Gabi reiterated.
They left Sasha and Big Dog with the Hummers as Gabi, Butch and the Vampires ghosted down the narrow lanes. Girls in short skirts and guys in jeans and short-sleeve shirts moved out of their way. Gabi knew it would be impossible for them to completely avoid being noticed by those out on the streets. The night was relatively young, and people were busy heading out to dinner or drinks before clubbing or partying with friends. Far too many for even Fergus and Julius to mind roll. It wasn’t even worth the effort; most norms simply came up with a logical explanation for something unusual. Her dark and dangerous group would more than likely be tagged as part of a costume party or some kind of cosplay event. Until the violence began…
They rounded a corner and the building Kyle had earmarked came into view. Without a word Fergus and Butch crossed the road and, after a quick check for witnesses, they leapt upward. Fergus reached the rooftop in one smooth move; Butch made use of a first-floor balcony as a halfway point. Once they’d both disappeared from view, Gabi and Julius crossed the road as well, Razor a shadow at their heels. Their destination was a terracotta-coloured apartment with a battered number fifteen hanging from a once-cheerful, red door.
She glanced at Julius as they stopped outside the door. He gave her a nod. He was outwardly calm and controlled, but an edge of anticipation rubbed against her own sense of urgency.
“Can you hear anything?” she asked, her voice a bare whisper.
He shook his head. “It’s quiet. Too quiet. Be ready for anything.”
She drew two butterfly swords from her left ankle, settling the D-shaped hilts in each hand and stepped to one side, checking the road as Julius lifted one booted foot and kicked the door open with minimal effort. They were both inside before the door hit the wall of the cramped hallway. Gabi kicked it closed once Razor slipped in behind her. Julius had been restrained; aside from the broken lock, the door was still in one piece.
Eerie silence greeted them. Julius was a dark shadow in front of her, looming large in the compact apartment. He melted away and she followed him into an open room accommodating a sofa, two armchairs, a dining table and a kitchenette. A new TV and several tired pictures of fishing villages and vineyards hung on the walls. The nose-crinkling stench of long-dead animals suffused the entire place.
Wordlessly they split up to investigate. Opening doors, Gabi found two bedrooms and a cramped bathroom down a short passage, all equally devoid of life, except for a few lazy flies and some scavenging cockroaches. Julius had disappeared up the narrow staircase leading to a second floor when Gabi returned to the main room. With no obvious threats inside, she re-sheathed the short swords and centred herself before sending out her vamp ESP. She doubted Caspian was close enough to sense, but maybe she would pick up the Shape-shifter Magus. She bit back a growl when she found nothing besides the familiar presences of her own crew. Growing agitated, she paced to a small window facing away from the road and tugged on the latches. It opened easily enough, and when she stuck her head out, she found Butch standing in the dark alley outside.
“No fresh scents here,” he told her. “Anything inside?”
She shook her head and looked up. Fergus’s face peered down from the roof. He shook his head as well.
“Lea,” Julius called her name softly. She pulled her head back inside and jogged up the staircase. Two doors led off the landing at the top, and she found Julius in the room to her left.<
br />
It took her brain several seconds to make sense of what she was looking at. At first glance it could have been a murder scene. Two single beds almost filled the small room, separated only by a nightstand. One of the beds was still neatly made while the other was a rumpled mess; the yellowed sheets and a thin green blanket were covered in dark stains. A pile of towels lay beside the bed, also stained dark with blood; in fact, the scent permeated the air. The dead-animal smell had been so overpowering downstairs that it had overlaid the fresh blood up here. Torn bandages hung from all four corners of the bed frame and some surgical supplies lay in disarray on the bed stand. A bucket stood in front of it, beside Julius’s feet. She looked at him, not daring to put her fears into words.
“Placentas,” he said, surprising her, “two of them. She’s had the babies.”
CHAPTER 17
“Oh Lord and Lady,” Gabi whispered, unable to take her eyes from the bucket beside Julius. The bucket that confirmed their worst fears. “We really have to find them. Now, before they leave with the babies and we lose them again.” She tapped the commlink to activate it. “Kyle,” she called, “hurry up. The situation has turned critical.”
“I think we’re close,” Kyle replied, his breathing strained. “But the trail is definitely only Caspian and a human. I can’t scent Mariska or anything that could be the Mole man.”
“Do you think he’s…” she trailed off, reassessing the blood on the sheets and blanket.
“No, there isn’t enough blood for him to have killed two people here.” Julius shook his head. “I think they’ve separated; they’ve done it before.”
“Or the Mole is taking Mariska somewhere more remote to kill her and dispose of her body,” Gabi suggested.
“There’s one other problem.” The edge to Julius’s voice made Gabi glance at him sharply. His face was a careful mask. He held up a small glass jar. In the dim glow of the bedside lamp she could see a thin layer of something dark ringing the bottom of it. She frowned, not understanding. “It’s blood,” he explained. “Vampire blood. The Maleficus wasn’t doing this willingly. Caspian was using his blood to control her.”
“Oh…shit…” The reality hit her. “That means the babies…” She couldn’t say it.
“They’ll almost certainly be Dhampirs,” Julius finished for her. And she’d thought the situation was critical before. Her mind froze, the shock of the revelation jamming her brain in neutral. A loud yowl from Razor broke through her stupor. She realised that Razor hadn’t followed her upstairs; he must still be on the lower level.
Gabi made the bottom of the steps a breath before Julius, Nex drawn. They found him standing to attention in a dark corner of the living room, behind the sagging sofa. He glanced back at their approach, and Gabi was relieved to note that he didn’t seem to be in any imminent danger. She nudged him to one side as Julius pulled the couch away. There was a large jagged hole in the floorboards, big enough for a large human to have fitted through. Loose dirt filled the area beneath, and when Gabi pressed her toe into it, it gave for an inch but then felt solid.
“The Mole took her and ran.” Julius’s eyes were narrowed. His mind was racing while hers was just getting into first gear.
“To kill her or to save her?” she wondered aloud.
“Either way we have to find them.”
“But how the Hell do we follow them? We can’t track them underground; they could be anywhere.” Gabi was beginning to feel desperate; their operation was quickly turning to shit.
“Not really anywhere,” Butch interrupted as he and Fergus shouldered their way through the door. “I doubt he’d want to raise attention. He’ll head for somewhere isolated, somewhere it’s unlikely there’ll be witnesses to see him emerge from the ground. That must narrow his options.”
“Phone Murphy, see what he can find,” she told Butch as her brain finally found a new gear and renewed determination took hold.
“Gabi, we’ve found the end of the trail,” Kyle’s voice sounded in her ear. “It’s a small medical clinic. We’ve retreated a couple of blocks, so as not to spook Caspian, but he’s definitely in there.”
“Send me the address. We’re on the way,” Gabi told him. “Whatever else happens, do not let him leave.”
“Hellcat,” Butch called out, the phone still to his ear, “Murphy says there’s a graveyard less than a klick from where we are now. It sounds as good as anything.”
Gabi caught herself already on the way out the door, torn.
“You take the Maleficus; I’ll take the traitor.” Julius made the decision for her.
She nodded in quick agreement; divide and conquer, it was the only way. “Kyle, give Julius five minutes to get closer; then you and Lance meet me at the graveyard. Butch will send you the address.
“Copy that,” Kyle returned.
“And Fergus is going with you,” she told Julius, whose expression immediately went hard.
“It’s Caspian…you need the non-Werewolf backup. I’m chasing a woman who just gave birth and who has been bedridden for weeks. Send Caspian my best,” she said with a vicious smile, giving him a quick, hard kiss.
*********************
A man wearing a stolen overcoat over his loose medical scrubs stood in the shadows between two narrow houses. Across the street was the clinic where the Vampire had taken the babies. It had been difficult to follow them without making his presence known, but he’d done it. He knew better than to take on the Vampire directly. That wouldn’t work. But the pull…the pull.
“Must get the babe,” his brother told him again.
“Yes, yes, I know,” he told the voice in his head.
“Must get it soon.”
“We have to be patient.”
“No, now.”
“No, wait. Wait for the right time. It will come. It has been prophesised.” His brother had become more demanding since he woke from the weeks of darkness, but then his twin had always been the more impetuous one.
And so they stood in the shadows, arguing in whispers.
********************
Gabi, Razor and Butch hurtled down the streets, following the directions Murphy sent to Butch’s phone. Several groups of young people looked at them with wide eyes as they rushed past, or maybe it was just Razor they were looking at. No one tried to stop them or ask questions. Butch’s phone chimed and he didn’t miss a stride as he checked the message.
“Murphy says that Trish has found a back door into the police network,” he told Gabi, “and Murphy himself is in control of the local surveillance cameras. They’ve got our backs.”
“Excellent,” Gabi panted, “one less thing to worry about.”
“It should be just around here,” Butch said as they sped around a corner. The small groups of tourists and revellers had dried up a street or two ago, and the sudden quiet was eerie. A crumbling stone wall replaced the apartments and small houses. A cold shiver crawled up Gabi’s spine and nipped the back of her neck.
“They’re here,” Gabi whispered just as Razor gave a low growl. Movement to her left had Gabi pulling Nex from her sheath, but it was only Kyle and Lance. Kyle fell in beside her and they kept moving down the road until they reached a pair of rusted metal gates secured shut with a large padlock. A quick flick of Kyle’s wrist broke the lock, but it took both the Werewolves to shove the heavy gates aside. They all slipped inside and pushed the gates back into place, wincing at the hoarse shriek of metal on rusted metal. Hopefully it would serve to discourage any inquisitive norms.
Once inside they paused, the Werewolves lifting their heads to sniff the breeze as Gabi sent out her Vamp sense, to no avail. It felt like her sense had been covered in fog, somehow muted. Perhaps it was the setting, which was strangely chilling. Gabi had never been perturbed by graveyards before, but there was something particularly unsettling about this one. On the surface it seemed much like any other graveyard she’d ever been in—angels wept from atop tall headstones, the Virgin Mother prayed ov
er tombs, engraved slabs of marble and glossy concrete crosses stuck out of the ground like broken teeth—but there was something more here, something over…
“That way,” she and Kyle said together, pointing in the same direction. Kyle raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged.
“I can sense something in that direction. I can’t tell if it’s the Mole or the Maleficus, but it’s something out of the ordinary.” She tried to explain the weak sense of wrongness that tugged at her. Just then the graveyard darkened, a thick cloud rolling in to blot out the pale sliver of moonlight, and, as they glanced at each other, a growl of thunder rippled over their heads.
“That’s not normal,” Butch said, sounding uncharacteristically shaken.
“Mariska,” Gabi confirmed grimly. “She can control the elements. She has regained her Magi powers.” They broke into a run in the direction she and Kyle had indicated. Gabi dodged graves and leapt over burial sites, her eyes focused ahead, as the sense of wrongness grew.
They could hear them before they found them in a small clearing on a grassy slope under a huge sycamore.
“Leave me, you monstrous creature,” Mariska shrieked. “Run now while you still can.”
The hunched, cloaked figure shook his head. “No,” the man said hoarsely. “Protect you.”
“You can’t protect me,” Mariska sneered as the wind began to blow, whipping dry leaves and small twigs around her legs. She was wearing nothing but a stained and torn nightdress, her hair tangled and unkempt. “You can’t even protect yourself. He used you. Used you to get what he wanted. I will find them and I will kill them. They are mine to kill. They should never have lived. Never.”
There'll be Hell to Pay (Hellcat Series Book 6) Page 22