Come Hell or High Water (Hellcat Series Book 5)

by Sharon Hannaford

  Patrick and Kyle murmured agreement.

  Adriana pursed her lips in thought. “They also all moved in a similar way; it’s as though they’ve all had the same kind of physical training, but I didn’t see anything to pinpoint a specific martial art or anything I would recognise. They just moved very easily, freely, almost like dancers, very aware of their bodies and how they functioned. Not nearly as clumsy and heavy footed as most humans. Their voices were unremarkable, not that they spoke much. Oh, and they all wore trainers, it just struck me as odd. Really high-tech-looking shoes, nothing I recognised, though.”

  “What about their tattoos? Can you remember any of them specifically?” Kyle asked.

  “They all had so many it was hard to focus on any in particular, but I could probably describe a couple of them well enough for Jade to sketch them.” She tipped her head to rest on her tall friend’s shoulder.

  “That would be very helpful,” Patrick told her. “Work on that as soon as you feel up to it and get someone to email us the images.”

  “Okay, what about locations?” Gabi said. “Was the church the only place they kept you?”

  Adriana nodded. “In the van they handcuffed me with normal handcuffs, but threatened to put the silver ones on me if I tried anything, so…so I just did what they said. It was terribly hard to keep my wolf calm; that took a lot of my attention and made it hard to concentrate on other things.”

  Jade ran her long fingers, trembling just a little, through Adriana’s blonde curls, soothing both of them. Gabi added another whisper of calm to Adriana’s wolf.

  “When I saw the cage with the cameras set up, I tried to run. I knew if I didn’t escape, they’d see me change. Full moon is so close. I wouldn’t be able to keep her back forever.” A single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek, and she dashed it away. “So I broke the cuffs and made a break for it. But the woman was so fast. Or maybe I was so confused that it just seemed like she was so fast.” She shook her head as though trying to clear some of the memories. “They used the silver knives after that. It was all I could do not to change. When I became aware of myself again, I was in the cage.”

  “I think that’s enough for now,” Harrison said, putting himself between the girls and Gabi’s group.

  Gabi wanted to argue, but she knew he was right. Adriana needed rest and time to heal. She nodded and rose; the rest followed her example.

  “Wait,” Adriana called. “There’s one more thing. They barely spoke to me once I was in the cage, but in the van they spoke about two other people. I assumed they were male; one they called Dark Stalker and the other they referred to as the Lieutenant. They didn’t say enough to get any idea of how they fit into the group, but I got the impression that Dark Stalker and Lady Helsing were equals, and they all sounded a little scared of the Lieutenant. I’m sorry I don’t know more than that.”

  “It’s okay, sweetheart.” Gabi skirted around Harrison, laying her good hand on Adriana’s arm. “We are so glad to have got you back; that’s what matters right now. You heal and get well, leave the rest up to us. We’ll find them and make sure they never hurt anyone again. I swear it.”

  ********************

  Someone rapped softly at the door to their apartments. Julius sent a thread of power outward, assessing. He sighed inwardly and silently gave Kimberley the hand signal to change to Gabi’s façade. She moved from the table where she and Derek had been playing a complicated game of cards that Julius didn’t know the rules to, and retreated to the bedroom; it took her a few moments to completely assume Gabi’s personae.

  Derek lifted an eyebrow questioningly and Julius shook his head; their visitor was no physical threat. The other man settled back into his chair as Julius reached for the door handle.

  “Amelia,” Julius greeted the pretty blonde woman waiting outside, and then he did a double take. He’d known Amelia for decades, but he’d never seen her dressed like this, or with the aura of happiness that surrounded her so thoroughly as to be almost palpable.

  “Hello, Julius.” Amelia smiled. Instead of her usual dress code of fully formal, complete with layered make-up and ostentatious jewellery, she was dressed in slacks and a cashmere jersey, her face was make-up free and her hair hung loose in soft waves down her back. Not a single item of jewellery appeared anywhere on her person. “Are you going to close your mouth and invite me in?” Her smile turned wry.

  “Oh, yes, of course.” Julius recovered, stepping back from the door. “I just wasn’t expecting to see you. Please join us.”

  “May I bring in a guest?” She held her hand out towards the corridor and a smaller hand found hers. A young girl sidled up alongside her, coyly keeping her head bowed. She was wearing a yellow dress with cornflower blue daisies sprinkled across it. Julius recognised her immediately and a wash of emotions flooded him. For a moment he couldn’t speak and could only hold out his hand in silent welcome as the two brushed past him into the suite.

  The tiny dark-haired girl was the one Santiago had flaunted at the Princeps’ Ball the last time Julius had been here. She was the girl who had incited Gabi to murder a Princep. This tiny scrap of a child now brought home so many feelings that he felt off balance. Understanding for Gabi and her inability to walk away and leave a child in the hands of a monster. Pride that she’d done something about it, even in the face of dreadful consequences if she’d been found out. Guilt that he himself hadn’t done something about it. Guilt that the whole Vampire race had allowed a person like Santiago to continue doing what he’d done. Sadness that the girl had had both her childhood and her adulthood ripped away so very cruelly. Right now she was still a child, obviously beginning to blossom under Amelia’s doting care, but in time she’d tire of being treated like a child. It would be a difficult path to walk.

  “We really were hoping to see Lady Gabrielle,” Amelia told him as he escorted them to the sitting room.

  Recovering a little, Julius introduced Amelia to Derek, who smiled politely but stared with furrowed brows at the small girl. Julius could see the penny drop into place in his mind when his breath hissed inward and his eyes widened. It was one thing to hear the sordid details of a paedophile, but it was another to be faced with one of his victims. Julius had told them the basics of the events leading up to Gabi’s possible trial, as well as a little about Amelia and how she’d offered to care for the girls. He was relieved that she’d managed to gain some kind of custody over them. The airheaded, man-hungry Amelia had been a thorn in his side every time he visited the Princep Court, openly pursuing his attentions, as she did with every eligible male Vampire who visited. He’d always suspected that beneath her charmingly vapid façade a genuine and caring personality resided. The two of them would never have worked out, but he had always hoped she’d eventually find someone who made her happy. It seemed his wish had been fulfilled, just not as either of them had anticipated.

  “Abby would love to meet her. She’s heard so much about her.” Amelia’s eyes told him that Abby would like to thank Gabi, but they all knew better than to say those words aloud.

  “Of course,” Julius said gently. “I’m sure she’d love to meet Abby. She was just resting, but she’ll be…” He broke off as the bedroom door opened.

  “Amelia,” Kimberley said as she strode out, with exactly the right mix of politeness and wariness. Julius had warned her that Gabi hadn’t taken well to Amelia flirting with him. “Oh, and who is this?” She paused in surprise when she noticed the girl clinging to Amelia’s hand.

  Amelia brought the girl’s hand to her face and kissed it tenderly, pulling her forward a little in Kimberley’s direction.

  The girl lifted her eyes to Kimberley and smiled shyly. “My name is Abigail, but Amelia calls me Abby. I like Abby.”

  Kimberley’s eyes flashed briefly to Julius, who sent her a tiny nod of encouragement, acknowledging what she suspected. A moment later she was in front of the girl, crouching to be at the girl’s level.

  “I’m very pl
eased to meet you, Abby. I like Abby too, it’s a beautiful name.” When she smiled, it was warm and open, and the girl’s answering smile was beatific.

  ********************

  When Gabi returned to the manor house, Razor was waiting indignantly at the front door. He was sorely put out that she’d gone without him again. He directed a low growl at Patrick, his eyes narrowed warningly, and the hair down his back and tail rose to make him look even bigger than usual.

  “Handle that monster, Gabs,” Kyle grumbled, coming through the door behind her and Patrick. Razor immediately switched his annoyed gaze to Kyle. Luckily she came bearing gifts, they’d stopped at a drive-thru on the way home to fuel up on burgers, fries and soft drinks. Gabi had made sure to order an extra burger for just this scenario.

  “It’s alright,” Gabi soothed Razor, bending to stroke the cat’s raised fur back down, making sure he could smell what was in the paper bag she held. She didn’t try to lift him, it wouldn’t do to tear open the gunshot wounds. Instead she lifted his face to hers so she could plant a kiss on his nose and turned him to precede the rest of them up the stairs to Julius’s office. At least if he was in front, he couldn’t take a piece out of one of the Werewolves.

  “Geez, he lives up to his reputation, doesn’t he?” Patrick remarked in a loud aside. “Not sure I’d take him on.”

  “You are wise indeed, Lone Wolf,” Kyle agreed.

  Gabi ignored them.

  Entering the office, she opened the paper bag, pulled out the cheeseburger and removed it from the bun, breaking the pattie into small chunks and placing them on the desk in front of his lordship. He glared at her one last time before accepting the tasty bribe.

  Gabi started Julius’s computer as the Werewolves paced restlessly. She used her login to check email and was pleasantly surprised to find an email from Harrison already. The girls had already worked on the tattoos and Harrison had photographed the end results. He’d included a brief note that Adriana had narrowed down the places she thought it likely that they’d come into initial contact with her. Both locations were popular craft markets.

  Gabi opened the attached files. She’d forgotten how beautifully Jade could draw. She had a real talent for capturing lifelike images with a pencil or charcoal. The sketches showed very intricate and detailed tattoos, not the kind you got on a whim at a run-of-the-mill tattoo place. These were works of art, displaying the touch of a true artist.

  She swung the monitor for the guys to see. “I’ll print these out. I think we may well be able to find the artist if we can find someone in the know on the tattoo scene,” she said.

  Kyle whistled appreciatively, and Patrick studied them intently. “Those certainly look custom,” Patrick agreed. “I think I might know someone we can speak to.”

  Gabi was relieved. It wasn’t like Werewolves or Vampires ever bothered with tattoos, as their bodies rejected the ink within hours, healed the tiny wounds and erased the image, rendering the pain and effort worthless. The printer whirred to life with a few clicks of the mouse.

  “Great,” she said. “You work on that angle and we’ll get working on the names Adriana gave us. Maybe Trish can find something on the web. These guys must have a way to communicate. She’s been checking the captives’ phones, but so far they’ve only led to disposable mobiles. I can speak to Byron about following up on the guns; maybe he has someone we can speak to about how and where to go about acquiring the kind of firepower these guys have.”

  “What do we do if nothing pops?” Kyle asked, pausing to study Julius’s knife collection. “I think we need to get someone on the inside. That’ll be the quickest way to get information.”

  “You have someone in mind? You know we can’t chance sending in a supernatural, the Kresniks might know about the rest of them too. I don’t want to be putting something useful right in their lap.” But Gabi could see the wheels turning in Kyle’s head; he had an idea.

  “Well, there’s the Null,” Kyle said. “He’s human, and he’s always keen to help out. With the SMV dismantled, he’ll be at a loose end.”

  Gabi grimaced. She considered Henry a friend and trusted him implicitly, but he was new to the supernatural scene and hadn’t truly been put under pressure before.

  “He’s had no training, he’s completely green,” she reminded Kyle. “I’m not sure how he survived the Dark Elders, but it was most likely sheer, dumb luck.” She honestly wasn’t sure how he’d cope as an undercover agent.

  “We can only ask him,” Kyle persevered. “He has a backstory already, and he’d have reason to hate supernaturals without needing to make anything up. He’s not going up against people who can smell lies or deception, he only has to have enough acting skills to fool other humans. If those two we caught are anything to go by, they aren’t exactly fussy about who they recruit. As long as they want to help expose the rest of us.” Kyle had a point there; the two they’d caught weren’t exactly exemplary human specimens. But that brought up an inconsistency.

  “That’s true enough about the ones we caught,” she said, “but Adriana said that the men who kidnapped her had some kind of fight training.”

  “She wasn’t sure about that,” Kyle reminded Gabi. “Her description could be of dancers or acrobats or some kind of athlete for all we know. A lot of humans move lithely and are quick on their feet. She was under a lot of stress at the time; she could be putting emphasis on something actually unremarkable.”

  Gabi sucked on her bottom lip. “How would Henry get more information about the upper echelons of the Kresniks than the two we have here, though?” she mused. “Those two know fuck all. Besides confirming the nicknames of some of them, they’ve hardly given us anything.”

  “Henry could go in saying he had information for them,” Patrick said, nodding as though he could see this plan working. “If he managed to get recruited, he could tell them he had important information that he would only divulge to the leaders. If we let him give them just enough information to believe he can help them…” He left the sentence hanging.

  “I don’t think they’re going to simply invite him to wherever they hole up. These guys seem pretty careful about that kind of thing. They’ll meet him somewhere well away from their safe house.” Gabi couldn’t see how that would help them.

  “All we need really is a photo or two, maybe some fingerprints.” Kyle was fully behind this idea now. “Byron will have someone in the police who can look them up for us. Or Trish can use her ‘backdoor’ into their database and look for information. Once we can identify them, we’ll be able to figure out how to find them. These guys can’t be functioning without some kind of financial backing. They’re either independently wealthy, have a wealthy backer, or they work to fund their after-hours exploits. And if they were planning to distribute the footage of Adriana’s Change to wolf form via the Internet, I’m willing to lay good money down that they have an Internet presence, one Trish will be able to track down.”

  “Alright,” Gabi finally capitulated, mostly because she didn’t have any better ideas. “I’ll call Henry and get him to meet us. You guys get to work on your assignments.” She handed each of them a small pile of hard copies of the tattoo sketches. “I’ll call you once I’ve spoken to him.”

  As the men left, Gabi settled back into Julius’s comfortable leather office chair and pulled out her phone, hoping she’d remembered to save Henry’s contact details. The phone vibrated in her hand, almost making her drop it. The message icon popped up. It was from Julius. She checked the time and did a quick mental calculation; Julius must have been awake for a couple of hours already. The day had gone by so fast she hadn’t realised it was already mid-afternoon. ‘Have meeting with Princeps scheduled in a few minutes, then the trial. Leave Alexander to sleep. I’ll contact you after the trial. Miss you.’ The message was typical Julius, he wasn’t one for verbose text messages. The trial of the Vampire accused of attempting to create a Dhampir should be fairly straightforward, but the additional meeting
was being deliberately shrouded in mystery. Curiosity was eating her alive.

  CHAPTER 10

  The trial was scheduled to begin at midnight, a few hours from now. Julius wasn’t looking forward to it. As much as he wouldn’t hesitate to kill in the heat of battle, or in defence of his Clan or someone he cared about, killing didn’t come easily to him. The deaths of Dantè’s Clan members still hung heavily on his conscience. It was the first time in all his Vampire years that he’d truly lost himself. The beast inside him took control and it was a wholly savage creature, one he fought every single day of his life to keep securely contained. If anything happened to Gabi, the beast would surely break free again, and if she wasn’t there as a beacon to call him back, the man might never regain command. It was the reason his new-found Magi abilities scared him worse than they could possibly scare anyone else. If he lost control now, who would ever be able to stop him?

  Julius drew a breath, calming his thoughts. He needed a clear mind for the mysterious meeting that awaited him. He was grateful that Kimberley tended to be quiet around him. The rest of his retinue were back at the suite, they would be allowed to accompany him to the trial, but this meeting was a small private affair, invitation extended only to himself and Gabi. Xavier didn’t know the reason for this meeting but didn’t think it had anything to do with Santiago’s death. As far as he knew, none of the Princeps were aware of the evidence Santiago’s Clan was holding. Julius hoped he was right, he’d prefer a little time for Kimberley to wear Gabi’s skin in public before she was thrown to the wolves.

  He glanced at her; she strode at his side, keeping pace with him despite his longer legs, just as Gabi would. The only outward sign of her nerves was the way her thumb worried at the ring on her left ring finger. Julius knew what it had cost Gabi to hand it over. He’d had it specially made just for her and presented it to her at their Joining ceremony. There had been no time to have a replica made; finding the right stones to match would’ve required weeks if not months of searching, and Vampires could certainly tell the difference between diamonds and any other pretender gemstone. He was profoundly aware that the tiniest detail could be the one that tripped them up.