by K. R. Willis
CHAPTER 27
Sally’s frantic breathing echoed the pounding of my heart as we stood there waiting. Several tense moments ticked by as I listened for any indication that someone was home. Nothing. No footsteps echoed on the other side of the door, no shadow passed behind the curtain hanging in the window next to us. I exhaled softly, letting some of the tension I’d been holding on to escape.
Someone on the block fired up their Mustang and revved it several times. As with most classic cars, I could tell what it was by the distinctive rumble of its engine. I turned and watched as the iconic muscle car, a silver beauty with black racing stripes, backed out of a garage three houses away, then tore off down the street. I winced as the tires squealed on the pavement.
“Come on, Sally,” I said as I faced her. “Let’s…what the hell are you doing?” I squeaked.
She hunched over the doorknob with two of her black bobby pins stuck in the hole where the key was supposed to go.
“Shhh.” She gave me one of her are-you-stupid looks. “Keep your voice down,” she whispered. Sally cocked her head to the side as if listening to something and wiggled the bobby pins back and forth.
“Fine,” I whispered back. “What the hell are you doing?” I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone watched, but the street was clear. Even the guy who’d been washing his Jeep had disappeared. For all I knew he was in his house calling the police at that very moment. I shifted to try and hide Sally a little better.
She rolled her eyes. “What does it look like I’m doing, ordering pizza? I’m picking the lock.” Her face brightened for a moment as she jiggled the doorknob, but it must have still been locked because she went right back to work.
“I figured that much out, smart ass,” I whispered as loudly as I dared. “What I was asking was why. You’re going to get us arrested and thrown in jail. Or worse, killed.” I glanced over my shoulder again, but so far the coast was still clear.
“Look,” she said as she twisted one of the pins to the right, “we’ve come too far to just turn around and leave without any answers. That mark on your shoulder isn’t going away on its own.” Her forehead scrunched in deep concentration, then relaxed when something inside the door clicked. “Gotcha.” She flashed me a goofy grin before opening the door.
I quickly followed her through and pushed the door shut behind us. “Shit, Sally,” I whispered. “As soon as all this is over, we’re gonna have a talk about how you know how to do that.” She just grinned as she wandered off to search the house.
We entered the living room first. It was a decent size, with a beige sectional sofa that ran along the wall of windows overlooking the front porch. An oak sofa table sat between it and the windows, with just enough room for whoever lived here to peek through the floor-to-ceiling curtains and see anyone at the front door. Several photos of the woman Sally claimed to be Janelle Williams littered the room. Neat and tidy, the room held little in the way of anything that might be helpful for what Sally and I looked for.
I bypassed the kitchen, figuring there wouldn’t be any clues hidden in the cupboards with her pots and pans, or in the pantry with her groceries. I saw Sally going through a dresser in the first room on the left as I walked down the hallway. She shook her head when I peeked in, so I continued on to the next room I came to. It appeared to be an office. Bingo.
The oak desk filled the right side of the room with just enough space for the chair to slide in and out between it and the wall. A bookcase occupied the left side of the room, littered with books and magazines in varying subjects: everything from military, to National Geographic, to a handful of romance novels. But these pieces all drifted away when I caught sight of the four metal filing cabinets lined up across the wall in front of me. I stepped into the room and headed for the first one.
Two cabinets later, all I’d found out was that her name really was Lilith Johnson and that she was neat, clean, and extremely organized. Most of what I found was military paperwork I didn’t understand, and the rest of it was personal: car loans, utility bills, credit cards—again, nothing that would help me.
When I tried to open the top drawer of the third cabinet and discovered it was locked, my heart skipped a beat. Most people didn’t lock stuff up unless they didn’t want anyone else to see what it was. Now I just had to find the key.
I ran my hand along every possible surface, inside every drawer, nook, and cranny, until my fingers bumped into something small and metallic taped to the bottom of the leather desk chair. Gotcha! I peeled the tape off and held it up to the light, marveling at how something so small could possibly be the answer to my prayers.
With the key gripped tightly in my hand, I hurried back over to the filing cabinet and heaved a sigh of relief when the key slid into the lock. It turned with ease, as if the drawer was opened on a regular basis. As quietly as possible, I pulled it open.
At first glance, it appeared to be the same as all the other drawers with hanging file folders lined up neatly front to back. Surely she wouldn’t have locked the drawer and hidden the key so well if it was just more everyday gibbledy goop, I thought, so I pulled out the first folder and opened it on top of the filing cabinet.
Tom Bansen’s handsome picture stared back at me like a ghost from the grave. Startled, I jerked my hand back and almost threw the folder to the floor. That wasn’t what I had expected to find.
The paper was dog-eared and soft, almost fabric-y in texture, like she handled it often. Height, weight, hair color, eye color, where he lived, where he worked, it was all hand scribbled underneath his image. I flipped through several more pages, all with pretty much the same sort of thing written on them, including some notes about Brian and how they were best friends. A shiver ran down my spine.
“Sally,” I said as loud as I dared. “I found something.” It only took a couple of seconds for her to come around the corner and poke her head through the door.
“What is it?” When she saw the file cabinet open with the folder on top, she hurried to my side. I tilted the folder away from her so she couldn’t see. “What?” She stood on her tiptoes and reached for the folder.
“Wait!” I squeaked. I planned on showing her, but wanted to prepare her a little first. “You’re not gonna like what’s in here.”
She crooked her head to the side, confused. “What do you mean? She only worked at the hospital for a few weeks. We spoke at work sometimes, but otherwise we didn’t know each other.”
“I know, but….” I sighed. There was no easy way to tell her. The right words escaped me. Reluctantly, I handed her the folder.
Sally’s eyes rounded and filled with tears. She stared at Tom’s picture, reaching up with her hand and stroking his image, a gentle caress, as though she could actually touch him. “But…I don’t understand,” she choked out around a sob. “What is this?”
I wiped a tear away that leaked out and rolled down her cheek. “From what I can tell, Lilith was infatuated with Tom. Everything in that folder is about him. She even mentions Brian a few times.”
Reality dawned as she skimmed through Lilith’s notes. The tears dried up and anger replaced them, coloring her cheeks as red as her hair. “That bitch!” Sally screamed. She shook so hard the file cabinet rattled.
“Shhh,” I whispered. “Someone will hear you.”
“Ooh, it’s a little too late for that,” a woman said from the doorway just as Rya yelled Intruder! in my head.
Sally and I yelped. My heart went into overdrive and forced its way up my throat as we spun around.
Lilith Johnson stood in the doorway of her office in a green Army T-shirt, green camo pants, black lace-up boots that reminded me of mine, and a scowl that could have sunk the Titanic if it’d still been afloat. She had her blond hair pulled back in a severe bun that accentuated her high cheekbones and intensified the angry look on her face. Her appearance frightened me well enough on its own, but what had me shaking in my boots, literally, was the black piece of cold steel she held
pointed at me and Sally. I would have backed away if there’d been anywhere to go.
Keira, what’s going on? Do you need me? Rya asked quickly. I felt her moving closer to the house.
No, wait, I replied. Lilith is here. She has a gun. I’m going to try and talk us out of it. She’s angry, but she hasn’t made a move toward us yet. Just give me a minute.
But I can take her, Rya hissed. She’d moved even closer to the house.
No! Hang back a sec. It’s gonna be hard enough talking me and Sally out of here. You could get one or all of us killed if you startle her.
Rya growled. Fine. She wasn’t happy with my decision, but she stopped her approach. I just hoped I hadn’t made a mistake.
“Who are you? Why are you in my house?” Lilith barked. She stepped farther into the room, but didn’t come any closer to me or Sally. The arm that held the 9mm was steady and solid, not once wavering from where it aimed at our chests.
I started to speak, but Sally beat me to it. “Janelle, it’s me, Sally, from the hospital.” Sally used the name Lilith had given at the hospital so hopefully she wouldn’t realize we knew who she really was. I was proud of her fast thinking, and hoped it worked.
Lilith turned to Sally, getting her first good look at her since she’d been partially hidden by me, but had stepped forward when she addressed Lilith. Her eyes narrowed to pinpoints. “You!” she snarled. “You ruined everything.”
Lilith cocked the hammer on her pistol and fired before I realized what she was doing. The world slowed down to that one single, solitary instant.
The percussion from the pistol firing rang out, deafening me. The muzzle exploded, sending the bullet flying across the room straight at Sally.
I shoved Sally as hard as I could.
The bullet hit her; she crumpled to the floor.
I screamed. The world around me sped back up. Sally lay on the floor in a puddle of blood. Not moving. I dove for her, ignoring the woman standing to my left with the gun now pointed at me.
“No, no, no! Sally?” Her skin felt clammy when I touched her. My heart nearly stopped. I couldn’t feel my legs. My whole body felt numb. I’d kept the bullet from piercing her heart when I shoved her, but it still hit close. I lifted her head and cradled her in my lap. “Don’t you dare die on me. You hear me?”
What had I done?
My world collapsed in on itself; narrowed down to just me and my best friend lying motionless in my arms. Tears soaked my cheeks. I should have never let her come. I should have protected her, kept her safe.
My heart skipped a beat when she drew in a ragged breath. She still lived, but for how long?
Rya! I wailed. Go for help. Sally’s been shot. I ran my fingers through her beautiful red hair as I held her.
What? I’m coming in. I’ll use our bond to locate you. I felt her move, searching for a way to get in.
No, I sobbed inwardly. I can’t risk you getting killed. You’re the only hope she has. Get help. Find Sam.
But—
Rya, please…I can’t lose her.
She took another ragged breath. Her shallow breathing grew weaker by the second. I felt the instant Rya relented and raced off toward the shop.
Gently, I laid Sally back on the floor, putting her on her side so she could breathe a little easier, then turned to face Lilith Johnson. The look she saw on my face as I got to my feet made her take a step back. If I could have frozen the blood in her veins with my stare, I would have.
“Your turn,” she said. “Who are you?” Lilith aimed the 9mm at my heart, making her intentions clear. As if they weren’t already.
I squared my shoulders. “My name is Keira Nadine Blackwater, only daughter of Jacob Anthony Blackwater, Chief of the Blackfoot nation.” Pride for who I was and where I’d come from welled up in my chest, making my words come out steady instead of shaky like they probably should have considering I stared down the barrel of the gun that had just shot my best friend.
“So you’re the one,” Lilith said. The snarl that twisted her lips mutated into something way more unsettling…a grin. Excitement replaced her angry features. I’d known that, as a werewolf, she knew who I was, but it still troubled me. She was military; if she told anyone else about me and what my blood could do, I’d end up a lab rat in some underground base somewhere. That couldn’t happen.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, playing dumb.
“Oh, please,” Lilith scoffed. “Don’t insult me. I know exactly who you are. But what I don’t understand is why you’re in my house.” She adjusted her stance, but her aim never wavered.
Damn, playing dumb hadn’t worked. Time to see how much she knew. “Yeah? Who am I?” With my heart in my throat, I glanced down at Sally. Her chest rose and fell in another ragged breath. Come on Rya, hurry. If she was fast enough, Sam could save us both.
“You’re the cure,” Lilith answered. “Your blood holds the key to salvation for all of us.”
I had no idea what she meant about my blood being the key, but she said it with such conviction, I knew she believed every word. She adjusted her stance again. Her eyes shifted for a brief second to where Sally lay. Now or never.
I dove for her legs in an effort to avoid being shot and still take her down. It would have worked, too, but in that split second, she proved without a doubt she was indeed still a werewolf. She moved faster than any human ever could, twisting to the left, just out of arm’s reach. I crashed face first into the carpet and grunted from the impact, then saw stars when she kicked me in the ribs. Pain exploded in the back of my skull as Lilith cold cocked me with the 9mm.
The last thing that went through my mind was Sally lying on the floor in a puddle of blood.
The world went black.
CHAPTER 28
Several voices woke me: some loud right next to me, some quiet as though far away. I groaned. The back of my head felt like someone had clubbed me with a rock. With effort, I tried to open my eyes, but they were stuck: either with something manmade like duct tape, or from bodily fluids, like blood and sweat.
“Ha…lo?” I slurred. My dry, cracked lips let me know I hadn’t had any water in a while. A coppery tang coated the back of my throat as my lip split.
The voices quieted, then drifted away altogether, leaving me in silence. Whatever I was lying on was hard and unyielding, but my head and body hurt so bad, I didn’t care the least bit. I licked my lips, and let the darkness carry me away again.
***
Sometime later I awoke to the whirring of machines: the whoosh-beep, whoosh-beep conducted a symphony of horror like one of the great masters. My pulse sped up and my mouth dried out more than it already was. This time, when I tried to open my eyes, they responded.
Blinking several times to clear the last of the crustiness from my lashes, I looked around and found myself in a bright white room. At first glance, it looked just like any normal hospital room: cold, sterile, boring. Stainless steel tables lined the walls with syringes, needles, flasks, beakers, a centrifuge—all things that could easily be found in any hospital in the country. But as my vision came more and more back into focus, I realized it was very different.
Instead of me lying on a soft, white, cushy hospital bed, I was strapped to a cold, hard, stainless steel gurney tilted at an uncomfortable forty-five-degree angle. I yanked on the leather cuffs that held my arms, testing them. They didn’t budge. The four-inch-thick steel blast door someone had propped open and the coded card reader across the room by the door drove the point home. Definitely not a hospital room.
The machine making the whoosh-beep sound caught my attention, drawing my eyes down and to the right. Some sort of machine was set up about a foot from where I lay with all manner of tubes and wires running in and out of it. Red liquid flowed into it at a steady pace. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat.
Straining my neck as far to the right as I could manage, I tracked the tubes as they dipped down low in a large loop, then ran u
p the side of the gurney into my arm—confirming my fears. Someone was draining my blood into that machine.
Panic set in. Where the hell was I? Who had me hooked up to that machine and why? My body started to tremble. I swallowed hard, trying to hold back the scream that built in my chest. I had to get out. The leather straps creaked and popped as I struggled in earnest, determined to stop that constant flow of life-giving fluid that slowly drained from me.
“Thems is werewolf grade straps honey, lined with silver. You ain’t goin nowhere.” The male voice dripped with Southern charm, but didn’t sound at all comforting. I stopped yanking on the straps and jerked my head toward the man standing just inside the blast door.
He seemed to fill the entire room even though he hadn’t stepped past the door yet. Standard green Army fatigues stretched across his sizable frame, barely containing it all. Black boots, close-cropped black hair, but holy shit his muscles had muscles. They seemed to be stacked three high on each arm like the cartoons I remembered of the muscle bound, hired hands that had the brawn but not the brains. Considering his English, he appeared no different.
Maybe I could use that to my advantage and get him to undo my restraints.
“Hey, look, there’s been a mistake,” I said to the big brute, turning on my own brand of charm. “I’m merely a classic car mechanic from Great Falls. And I’m human, so there’s no need for all this.” I gave him my brightest smile, batted my eyes at him the way I’d seen Sally do a hundred times.
Sally! My heart tried to climb its way up my throat as I remembered how I’d last seen her…motionless, barely breathing, covered in blood. Tears welled up and threatened to fall, but I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. I had to concentrate on what I was doing so I could get out of here and find out what happened to her.
The man in the doorway tsked. “Honey, I might look and sound dumb, but I ain’t stupid. Jis never had no need for schoolins all.” He tromped into the room, sidled up right next to me alongside the gurney and bent his head down so that our noses nearly touched. “Always been a big boy. Got by on my muscle and ability to intimidate jis fine.”