by Morgan Wylie
“Rylen? What is going on?” she asked with a shocked look of hurt in her eyes. Her response seemed innocent enough, but Rylen wasn’t so sure.
“I’m sorry, Lacy. I just can’t.” Rylen stepped back, buttoning his pants, and put his shirt back in place then began buttoning it as well. Lacy leaned up with confusion written on her face.
“Are we done, then?”
“Yes, Lacy. We are done.” Rylen picked up her shirt and threw it toward her.
“Maybe another time then,” she stated with a seductive leer as she replaced her shirt.
“No. No more, Lacy. Whatever this was,” he motioned between the two of them, “it’s finished. I’m sorry, Lacy. I know you expected more than you let on.”
Lacy pulled herself together and studied Rylen. “You might regret this later. You’ll realize that we were good together. And I’ll welcome you back with open arms because I can see the bigger picture here. You and I are meant to be together, Rylen. You’ll see.” Without another word, she stormed out of the room.
Rylen ran his hands down his face then shook out his arms. He headed toward his bathroom.
“I’m going to need another shower.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The team was assembled and ready, dressed in black fatigues, boots, and stocking hats to better blend into the night. Several of them checked and prepped weapons. The team didn’t rely on guns, but sometimes they did come in handy. When creating the teams, Rylen always made sure they had some natural “weapons” on the team as well as being stocked with manmade ones for whatever they might face. Vi was ready with her transport portal awaiting Rylen’s word.
Rylen strode down the hallway with fresh frustration boiling in his veins. Flexing his fists, he came barreling into the room where they all awaited him.
Lucius studied Rylen, he let a small smirk slip through his rugged appearance. “Trouble?”
Rylen let a growl rumble through his chest. “Not the kind you think.” Rylen prepped himself quickly, checking his pockets and tucking his black shirt into his cargo pants.
Overhearing, Mather came up beside the two and nudged Lucius. “Boss having trouble in the bedroom?”
Just as he said that, Enock had come up to join the group now sequestered into the corner of the small room. With a false whisper he jumped into the conversation. “Boss can’t get it up?”
“Shut your fucking mouths, all of you.” Rylen pointed into their faces. “I don’t need the entire Lair starting rumors like that, it will ruin my game.”
The boys laughed. “I think a feisty little blonde in the enemy’s camp already did that,” Lucius said with more knowledge than Rylen gave him credit for. Rylen rubbed a hand down his face.
“All right, enough guys. We have Vegas to take over,” Rylen said with sudden focus and clarity. He moved away from the boys and into the center of the room.
Rylen stood tall and in command as he gave directions. “It’s time. Thank you all for being ready. We got a call for assistance from the Vegas branch. The alliance has made their intentions known to take Vegas out. We are most likely walking into a firestorm. Be prepared for anything the moment you walk through that portal. To clarify tonight’s objective: Take out Fairfax with whatever means you deem necessary and protect Vegas, they are our primary concern.” Rylen looked around at the fifteen or so members of his faction that had responded to his call. “Questions?”
A guy, another vampire, near the back moved forward a couple steps to stand out in the sea of black. “I have one, sir. What if all is already lost when we arrive?”
Rylen nodded. “Good question. We stand in for Vegas until the Black Widow says otherwise. The dominion of Vegas is large and must remain whether they can protect it or not. What they cannot, we will. Understood?” His eyes gazed across the room once more until he was sure that everyone there understood what he was asking.
Rylen led the way into the Door room. The room was under heavy spell enchantments as well as physical guard. The only thing in the room was a single door with a digital display above it and a security panel to the right of it. The room was monitored with the highest quality and latest in technology tech gear combined with magic wards that Tom and Poppy monitored from HQ. The door was their portal—a portal that led to the various Web headquarters within the US. When the door was spelled with Violet’s unique magic it could take them anywhere they needed to go, preferably if they had been there before. That was something the rest of the Web wasn’t yet aware of. But with having that portal to the other parts of the Web—the other factions—in turn, had access to their Lair if they knew the location and had the magic to do so. Thus the extra security. No one could get out of that room unless permitted by one of the inner circle. Their door was an inter-web travel system, so to speak.
“Let’s go! Vi, open the portal.” Rylen nodded to Vi as she stepped up to the panel at the right of the door.
Vi placed her handy shock-box tool over the security keypad. Closing her eyes, she steadied her breath and infused the box with her particular kind of magic. Lights in the small room flickered as with a power surge. The digital display above the door flashed different symbols until landing on one they had designated for Vegas. Holding her box with one hand, Vi then opened the door with her other, revealing a swirling mass of white fog. Once she was satisfied with the stability of the magical doorway, Vi stepped to the side to allow Rylen and the rest of the team room to enter.
“Well done, Vi,” Rylen said as he stepped forward and stood in front of the entry. He spoke words of magic under his breath, engaging a protection spell to surround himself as he would be the first to enter. He then raised one of his hands ready with additional spells. In his other hand, he gripped a small dagger that he kept down at his side but ready to use if needed. Rylen was trained in all manners of weapons, but he preferred his magic and the creativity it allowed him to use for different situations. He looked back at his people, noting the faces of all that would be with him and nodded encouragingly at them. “Follow me.”
~~~~~
Immediately, the sounds of horns honking, the rush of traffic, and the blare of music hit Rylen’s sensitive ears as he emerged from the portal. The blast of dehydrating heat smacked into him next as he slunk toward the dark end of the alley they opened into. He raised his nose, gathering as many scents as quickly as he could.
“Nothing but rotting food, human waste, and standing water,” Rylen whispered to Mather who was directly behind him.
“That’s all I picked up too,” he confirmed.
“Where are they? Did she put us in the wrong spot?” Enock said quietly from a little behind Mather.
“No, this has to be it. We’re just not seeing it.” Rylen continued to move slowly around the end of the alley that they were beginning to fill up. It was fenced in by two tall hotels on either side, each approximately ten to fifteen stories tall. Mather and Enock looked all around, using their particular gifts to help sniff out an entrance or any consistent trace of comings and goings indicating an entrance. Lucius walked to the end of the alley, Mai closely behind him.
“What do you see, Lucius?” Mai asked in barely a whisper, knowing he could hear her.
Lucius frowned at the brick wall. He studied it a moment before even acknowledging Mai. He looked up to the top of the wall where the bricks turned to the same cement that was on the two buildings on each side of them. “See where the brick and the cement meet?” Lucius pointed up. Mai’s gaze followed his. Closing in behind them were Rylen and Mather while Enock and the rest of the team except those put on watch duty to cover the street entrance to the alley continued to feel over the grime-covered walls, inspecting them for hidden doorways.
“What do you think it is, Luc?” Rylen asked.
“It’s odd how they changed the materials here,” he pointed along the edges of the brick from one side to the opposite. “Rylen, look with your magic, see if you can see anything that shouldn’t be there, or perhaps so
mething that should.”
Rylen nodded and stepped forward, inspecting the brickwork for himself. He concentrated first on one small part of the wall. Taking a deep breath, he called forth his magic and focused it on seeing what the brick might reveal to him. The energy of his magic stirred within him, exciting him, causing strength and raw power to surge from his core. Rylen’s eyes widened as his magic flowed through his optical nerves, engaging his sight.
“This is it,” Rylen whispered. Mai snuck silently to Enock telling him to bring the team closer. Rylen placed his hand against the wall as bricks illuminated before his eyes. “Do you see it?”
“No. What do you see?” Mather questioned as his eyes followed where Rylen’s hand touched from one brick to the next.
“The bricks are glowing, revealing some kind of pattern I think.” Now with both hands on differing bricks, he moved them around touching one then another. “If I can get the right brick, perhaps we can get through,” he paused, “that or maybe we’ll be imprisoned in the wall forever.” Rylen shrugged as Mather snorted at Mai’s expression that was not impressed with her boss’ humor. “Give me a sec. I want to try a couple things.”
Instead of focusing on the bricks, Rylen closed his eyes and allowed his magic to channel through him and guide him without hindrance and distraction. Rylen’s magic moved throughout his body, intensifying through his arms and directing them to touch specific bricks. Those bricks were highlighted a bright green—the same as his magic—in his mind’s eye as if revealing a code he was not privy to. A few minutes later, the bricks that were illuminated blinked out, returning to their original red brick-colored state. Rylen’s magic returned to its place of birth within his soul. He opened his eyes and took a step back as he watched the wall with anticipation.
Nothing happened. Rylen frowned and took a step forward. As he did, the bricks started to rumble. Everyone took a step back, weapons out and ready, watching in awe as the bricks fell away one by one, dissolving before they hit the ground. In a matter of a few seconds, a black hole emerged big enough to swallow an entire grown man. Cautiously, Rylen took a few steps forward, signaling his team to follow. As he paused right in front of the black hole, he reached his hand slowly out to test what was in front of him. His hand went right through the blackness into a space much cooler than the hot, dry Vegas air they stood in. Rylen took a deep breath, with his magic again at the ready, and stepped into the black abyss not knowing where it would lead. His hope was it would lead directly into the main room of the Las Vegas team’s headquarters similar to their Lair back in Seattle. Once the team had all stepped through, the bricks were instantly replaced as if nothing had happened.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
They had emerged in what appeared to be some kind of lobby or entryway. It was dark inside, making it easier for Rylen’s team to blend in to the shadows. They inched around the walls of the room, trying to avoid the several couches and chairs that were set up for conversation. A commotion stirred from down a hall. A stream of light broke through the darkness, illuminating a portion of the room. Rylen continued to move toward the noise and the crashes. Once he was highlighted by the light near the hallway, he turned to his team and waved practiced hand gestures at them to spread out and be ready.
A double door stood at the end of a long exposed hallway with one side shut and the other cracked open, letting out the long beam of light. Harsh whispers could be heard, but to whom they belonged, Rylen couldn’t quite make out. An overriding noise like the loud hum of machinery drowned everything else out. Rylen and most his team had incredibly sensitive hearing. In fact, most of the supernaturals of their group did, so how they handled that loud noise he had no idea. Rylen was grateful that using earplugs had become a standard practice for their team, or at least having them stashed on their bodies for every mission was. Earplugs helped, but they didn’t mute the current noise enough to not hurt Rylen’s ears.
Near the end of the hallway, Rylen motioned for Enock to step forward. Rylen looked at him with a questioning glance. Enock put his head down and listened closely. Then he looked up with a quizzical expression as if he couldn’t be sure what he was about to say. He held up six fingers and shrugged, then motioned to his ears with one of his hands. Rylen nodded in understanding. Because Enock was a vampire—and one of the strongest Rylen had met in his years—he could detect how many bodies were in a room, especially if they were human. Even when they weren’t all human, he was still pretty accurate with his counts.
Rylen held up his fingers, giving his team a countdown starting at three… two…
The door flung open, revealing a tall man in a tattered three-piece suit. “Ah, Rylen, I thought I heard scurrying out here.” Rylen stood with his hand and pointer finger up in the air, stalled in his countdown surprised by Michelson, the leader of the Vegas clan and clearly still alive. “Do come in,” he continued, “late as I expected. But what else should I expect from the lazy Northwest.” That comment earned a growl from Mather who stood with his arms crossed behind Rylen. The man, Michelson, barely spared a glance toward Mather as he ushered Rylen’s team inside with a wide sweeping gesture that was at odds with the sneer marring his handsome face. Michelson’s tall frame handled his added muscle with ease. With his short black hair and closely groomed black beard complete with a mustache that grew into it, his dark beady eyes, and olive complexion, he looked like he could be from Greece. Vegas was all about excess and Michelson displayed that with his three-piece Armani suit and large diamond earrings in each ear. The burgundy-and-gold crushed velvet Fleur de Lis wallpaper and the other materials used throughout the room shared the great display in excess. The room itself was large, but full of destruction and chaos—toppled over and broken furniture, bookshelves shoved on their sides with books strewn about the floor, and lamps turned over with shattered glass all around them.
“As you can see, Rylen, the danger is gone.” Michelson stood in the center of the large room with his hands spread out wide, indicating the room surrounding him. “We chased off most of the righteous do-gooders, but we did manage to capture a few of the pricks.” The leader pointed to one of his guys guarding a door off the end of the room.
“We arrived as soon as we were able to leave.” Rylen stepped forward, keeping his head straight at Michelson, but glancing at the guarded door. “Looks like you didn’t really need us though. Have you questioned them yet?” Rylen asked nodding to where the prisoners were held.
“We were just about to when we were so wonderfully interrupted by your visit.” Michelson turned and walked toward the door. He then turned back and said, “Please feel free to join us. I’m sure you have your own techniques for getting what you want.” Michelson’s face revealed nothing but a slight glint in his eyes and the slightest of smirks that someone else might have missed it.
“Thank you for your kindness,” Rylen said with restrained hostility. With arms crossed over his chest and without looking back to his friend, staring straight ahead at Michelson, Rylen added, “Lucius? You’re up.”
Michelson watched as Lucius approached. Everyone knew of Lucius’ reputation for getting things done using whatever it took, but they also knew Rylen’s and he wasn’t one to back out of a challenge, especially the subtle one that Michelson just threw down. “You are their leader, do you not want to find out the answers for yourself? You would trust someone else to do it for you?” Michelson bit out haughtily.
Rylen’s eyes glowed a bright green, revealing the beast inside him that was very close to the surface. If Rylen hadn’t been watching so closely, he wouldn’t have seen the barest registration of shock in Michelson’s eyes. “You will have to forgive me. I’m a little too on edge and I fear I would simply kill the bastards before we were able to get any answers from them.” His eyes brightened even more. “You see, they have one of our team members and I have had it with the shit they’ve been pulling in my city.”
Michelson nodded to Lucius.
Lucius moved
forward and stopped beside Rylen. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
Lucius moved to follow after Michelson. The leader of the Vegas clan stalked to the door guarded by two of his own men. Stepping into line behind him were two others Rylen recognized as Michelson’s first and second in command. When they reached the door, the guards stepped aside and raised their guns to their chest, ready in case the Seattle team tried something. It always baffled Rylen why they used guards who needed to use guns since most of them had other abilities, but maybe here in Vegas things went down differently. As soon as the door closed behind them, Rylen turned to face his team who stood protectively behind him. He looked directly at Enock and then at Mather. They moved in close to talk.
“Good show, man,” Mather whispered.
“It wasn’t entirely a show,” Rylen admitted. “I’m on edge more than this situation requires.”
With his voice low for the benefit of possible Vegas members with super sensitive hearing he admitted, “Something’s not right. This was too easy.”
“It looks like a setup, Boss, again,” Enock added also with a low whisper.
Mather nodded his head and then sniffed the air. “They were here, that is real though.”
Rylen nodded in agreement. “But why send a secondary party only to most likely lose people. They had to know they wouldn’t stand much of a chance against this clan.”
“And why call us?” Enock pondered.
Rylen, Mather, and Enock looked down at Enock’s pocket. With their sensitive hearing they could hear the cell phone vibrate. Enock reached for it quickly and pulled it out. Just then, both Rylen and Mather’s phones vibrated at the same time. Each had a text message from the Lair.
“I should stay here. Mather, go out to their entry and call home. Be careful what you say,” Rylen said tapping his ear. Mather nodded and walked in a manner to not stir much attention as he walked out of the room, waving his phone at the guard by the door as if it was a casual call he needed to make. The guards easily stepped out of the way and let him pass without a word.