“Most of them should be at Her Majesty’s Pleasure, if you catch my meaning.”
“Not really, no.”
That’s when I sensed something was off. The old woman hadn’t moved and she appeared to be blocking the exit on the other side.
I gave both of them a deeper look.
Werewolves.
“Damn it,” I said, pushing past the old bullshitters and out onto the sidewalk, turning on the jets in the process.
Unfortunately, I slammed into a person walking in the other direction.
We both hit the ground.
“Hey,” the guy said while dusting off his suit, “watch where you’re going, will you? This suit is worth more than…” He paused and looked at me just as I was looking at him. “Ian Dex?” he said, rubbing his eyes as he got to his feet.
“Simon Strong?” I looked up and saw another man standing there. “Montague?”
“Officer Dex,” Montague replied with a short nod. “Always a pleasure.”
“Thanks,” I said while pushing myself back up. “What are you guys doing here?”
Simon waved a dismissive hand. “Mages summoning demons, making a power play to destabilize the balance. You?”
“Rachel got herself kidnapped by werewolves.”
“Shit,” said Simon. “Wish we could help, but you know how it is with mages and demons.”
“Never ends, does it?”
“No.”
“Pardon me,” said Montague, “but there was a fellow who sped by us about thirty seconds ago.” He glanced back. “I still see him running towards the square. Is he the one you’re after?”
“Actually, yeah,” I said.
Montague gestured and formed a silvery orb. With a word, he released it. It raced through the crowded street until it crashed into the back of the fleeing man, causing him to spasm and fall to the ground.
“He’ll be down for a few minutes,” Montague said with a nod.
“Thanks, man,” I said. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“Say, Dex,” Simon said, “I don’t mean to pry, but you have James Bond and an industrial version of Sherlock Holmes standing behind you.”
I gave him a look that said “help me” and then said, “I know.”
Simon stepped around me and nodded. “Great seeing you, Ian.” He then glanced at his watch. “Well, we have a lot of destruction to do and not a lot of time to do it. Good seeing you again.”
“Good seeing you again,” I said in agreement. “Thanks again for the help, Montague.”
“Think nothing of it.”
We took off to catch our werewolf pal before he woke up from whatever it was that Montague had cast on him. It certainly made me think that I’d have been wiser to bring along one of the mages rather than a werebear. Another glance at Harvey in his silly outfit solidified that thought even further.
I dragged the runner to his feet as he mumbled something incoherent. Obviously Montague’s spell had knocked the shit out of him.
We moved to the wall and I told Harvey and Leland to keep watch.
“This is my case, Mr. Dex,” Leland said sternly. “It should be me who is questioning this fellow.”
“You can do that when I’m done,” I replied before smacking the werewolf. “Unless you want to end up in an early grave, pal,” I said to the dazed guy, “you’d better tell me what you know about the disappearance of Rachel Cress.”
“Ouch,” he answered, rubbing his cheek. “No reason to hit me.”
“Americans,” Leland grunted. “So uncivilized.”
“Excuse me?”
“May I?” Leland said, motioning toward the werewolf.
I didn’t know why, but I backed away.
“Listen, old chap,” said Leland as he helped straighten up the man’s outfit, “we Brits need to stick together. Do you agree?”
He continued rubbing his jaw. “I guess so.”
“We’ve a duty to Queen and Country, I’d say,” Leland continued. “Our national pride is at stake on a daily basis. If we don’t keep our guard up, we’ll be at the mercy of countries like my new friend’s here in no time.”
“That makes sense,” the werewolf said, looking unsure. “Where are you going with all of this?”
“It’s simple, really. You provide me the details on the whereabouts of Officer Cress and I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you, my fellow countryman, so that they are lenient on your sentencing.”
The guy gave Leland a hard stare, then glanced at me, then up at Harvey, and finally back at Leland.
“And who’s going to stop the Werewolves of London Clan from tearing me to shreds when I get out of prison?” His look was laced with expectancy. “Assuming they don’t just have me done in while I’m jailed, that is.”
“I’m sure we can work something out,” Leland said after a moment of hesitation.
So much for his patriotism play.
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” the werewolf said.
“Hmmm.” Leland pursed his lips. “Do it for the Queen?”
“No.”
I pulled out Boomy and stuck it on the guy’s forehead.
With a dark look, I growled, “Do it to avoid having parts of your head littering the street?”
“Okay, okay,” he said, swallowing hard as his eyes crossed in an effort to study the Desert Eagle that was threatening to ruin his day. “I’ll take you to her.”
I left Boomy pressed against his head for another few moments and then pushed it a little harder before letting go.
“If there are any tricks,” I stated in a tight voice, “I’ll shoot you more than once.”
Chapter 13
We took a brisk walk down Northumberland Avenue. I didn’t know where our new pal was taking us, mostly because I wasn’t familiar with the area, but Boomy was at the ready, just in case it was some kind of nefarious play on his part.
Buses and cars were zipping by this way and that as the bustle of people who were going about their everyday lives seemed bent on impeding our progress.
Again, I had to remind myself that Rachel would be fine until the demands came in. Hopefully, anyway. My gut churned at the thought that she may be tortured, though.
That only hardened my resolve.
“Keep moving,” I said, sticking Boomy into the guy’s back.
He grunted in reply but picked up his pace.
“It’s that way,” he said as we neared an intersection. “The alley right between The Sherlock Holmes and Thai Square Spa.”
“Hey, Chief,” Harvey said with excitement while pointing at The Sherlock Holmes restaurant, “you think we could—”
“No,” I interrupted before he could finish.
“Aw, come on, Chief.”
I stopped and turned on my partner.
“Look, Harvey, this isn’t some vacation that we’re on here. My partner—”
“Ex-partner,” Leland corrected.
“—has been kidnapped by werewolves. If she gets hurt in any way, that would be pretty awful, don’t you think?”
“Of course, Chief.”
“And every moment that we’re wasting, stopping to play dress-up and looking for ways to stuff our faces with fast-food, is another moment that Rachel could be suffering through some kind of torture.” I stopped while staring at the large man. “Do you really want that on your conscience?”
The werewolf began edging away from us, but I spotted him doing so out of the corner of my eye.
I raised Boomy in his direction while keeping my gaze on Harvey.
Mr. Werewolf froze in place.
“All right, Chief,” Harvey said like a kid who’d just been routed for getting a failing grade in math. “You’re right. I’ve been acting like a fool.”
He moved to take off his hat, but Leland stopped him.
“Nonsense,” the James Bond wannabe stated. “You are following in the tradition of a fellow who has solved more intricate cases than any sleuth in the history of crime. Who ar
e we if not those we wish to be?”
My eyebrows uncontrollably squeezed together.
“What?”
“You, Mr. Dex, are obviously a stickler for rules, and that—”
“I’m really not,” I stated, interrupting him this time.
“Well, you sure are on this day.”
“My partner—your partner—is in trouble, Leland.” I smacked myself on the side of my head as I lowered Boomy. “Doesn’t that bother you in the least?”
He looked quite offended at my remark.
“Of course it does,” he said. “What gentleman would feel less than concerned over the current disposition of a delicate flower such as Rachel Cress?”
I blinked and shook my head as if someone had just thrown a bucket of freezing water on me.
“Are we talking about the same Rachel Cress?”
Leland rolled his eyes. “I speak of the female form in generalities, Mr. Dex. Police work is a man’s world.”
“Wow,” I nearly choked in reply. “That’s probably not something you want the ‘delicate’ Rachel Cress to ever hear you say. She’ll end up kicking you right in your double-oh-sevens.”
He cleared his throat and scanned the area as if she may have been close enough to have heard him. His hands even moved to protect himself. Obviously, he had been through this before.
“Yes, I’m aware of her feelings on the matter.”
“Uh, Chief?”
“What, Harvey?”
“The guy’s gone.”
I spun to where our werewolf pal had been standing a moment before. Sure enough, he’d split.
“Fucking fuck, fuck,” I spat.
While I didn’t want to point fingers at either Harvey or Leland, it was their goddamned fault that the guy got away. Technically, I suppose it was my fault for letting them take my focus off the matter at hand.
I glared at them both.
“All right, you two,” I said through gritted teeth, “this stops here. You’re going to quit with this charade and help me find Rachel or you’re going to get the hell out of my hair. One way or the other.”
Harvey went to take off his hat again.
“I don’t care about the outfit, Harvey. What I do care about is the lack of professionalism. Interfere with my progress once more and I swear I’ll send your ass straight back to Vegas.” I met his eyes. “Got it?”
He gulped. “Got it.”
“As for you, Leland, I can’t dictate what you do or do not do, but if you impede my progress toward finding Rachel again, you can expect a really nice shoe to be buried in your arse.” I said that last word in his manner of speaking, to drive the point home. “Are we clear?”
He merely harrumphed, never taking his eyes away from mine.
I had to give him his due there. It wasn’t often that a person would dare stand toe to toe with me on such a threat. I could look very menacing when I wanted to, after all.
“There he is, Chief,” Harvey said, pointing to the alley by The Sherlock Holmes restaurant.
We ran out into the street, dodging cars as their drivers laid on their horns.
I made sure to grab Harvey’s arm as we sped by the restaurant that was the namesake of his current getup. Patrons in the windows were pointing and laughing at him as we padded on by. It was probably the highlight of their day, especially if there were any tourists in there.
We got through the little alley and chased our werewolf pal on Craven until he jumped down a set of stairs by one of the buildings.
It was a null zone.
“Trap,” I said, holding back Bond and Holmes before they could jump in after our prey. “Get your weapons out.”
Harvey pulled out his Desert Eagle. Leland unveiled a Walther PPK.
While officers didn’t go about flaunting the fact that they carried weapons, the PPD didn’t follow any standard societal rules. We did our best to keep things under wraps, of course, but our job required the use of guns and other weaponry in order to subdue supernatural perps.
“Nice gun,” I said with a genuine nod at Leland. It wasn’t a commonly used weapon in the PPD, but it had a certain level of class to it. “I’m impressed.”
“Authenticity, Mr. Dex.”
“Right.” I checked Boomy to make sure he was fully loaded.
Then he looked at Boomy with wide eyes. “Is your gun big enough?”
I wanted to make a juvenile wisecrack in response, but it was too easy.
“Best gun I’ve ever owned,” I replied proudly. Then I pointed at his PPK. “I’m assuming you’re using standard breaker bullets?”
“No,” he answered. “We received a new line of breakers that are multi-infused. Some pixie in America put the plans up and everything has been altered accordingly.”
“That pixie works for me,” I stated proudly. “Now, am I to assume you know how to use your PPK as well as your famous James Bond?”
“Let’s just say that I rarely miss.”
“Good enough for me.”
We jumped into the null zone.
Chapter 14
The area was dark and damp, but it was also a lot more roomy than I’d expected.
I reached out to feel the area and wasn’t all that happy with what I was sensing.
Werewolves.
If my radar was right, there were about fifteen of them, including the guy who’d led us down here.
He’d be the first to die.
“Welcome, Mr. Dex,” said Mr. Werewolf as he stepped out into the light. I held my trigger finger back. “I have to say that I didn’t expect you’d actually follow me into a null zone, but I was hoping you would.”
“Where’s Rachel?” was all I cared to say in response.
“Not here,” he answered with a teasing grin. “But she won’t matter to you anyway, unless you get past us, of course.”
I frowned at him. “Call me dumb—”
“Okay,” he said quickly.
“—but is this some kind of game to you?”
“Most certainly,” Werewolf-boy said, nodding. “We call it the challenge game. It helps us to know who is truly at the top of the heap. And you’re the perfect candidate for helping us with this because we all know what you are, Mr. Dex.”
“And what’s that, exactly?”
He tilted his head. “An amalgamite, of course. We also know that you’re one of a kind. This means that we, as werewolves, wish to test our mettle against you.” He then looked over Harvey and Leland. “Your friends can play, too, of course, but they’re not really going to be much trouble. We’ll dispose of them quickly.” He then studied Harvey again. “He may be a bit of a struggle, I’ll admit, but your James Bond lookalike should have informed his next of kin before entering the area.”
I ignored that. “And what if I refuse to participate in your challenge game?”
“Then you’ll die and so will Officer Cress.”
Right, so I had to allow a bunch of werewolves to test themselves against me in order to get to Rachel. I didn’t know if they had any expectations about me dropping Boomy and doing this in a hand-to-hand fashion, but that wasn’t going to happen.
“And so we start with killing everyone in here?” I said, letting my senses flow. “Is that right?”
“If you can, Mr. Dex,” he replied smugly. “If you c—”
That’s all he got out before Boomy ended his thought process.
An instant later, there were wolves jumping at us from all angles.
I’d taken down three of them almost as fast as they appeared, but the rest were coming in quicker than I could manage. At this rate, Boomy would become nothing more than a club.
Harvey had morphed partially into werebear mode, which looked truly ridiculous since his Holmes outfit was still on his person. My guess was that his precious new outfit wasn’t magically protected from shredding. He must have either known this or was worried about it because he should have completed the switchover by now.
I rolled back as a w
erewolf launched at me, aiming for where I’d been a moment before. A round from Boomy squelched his menacing thoughts, but another wolf was already on my leg, working to tear into my flesh. Fortunately, I was not that easy to rip apart. It still hurt like hell to be bitten, sure, but it wasn’t like the doggy was going to do too much damage. This became even more true as I pressed Boomy against its head, yelled, “Quit biting me, you fucker,” and pulled the trigger.
Harvey roared and threw two wolves with such force that they thudded against a wall and slid down with lifeless eyes. Trails of blood smeared the concrete behind them.
Leland was also holding his own, and he was true to his word.
The man could shoot.
I’d always prided myself on being quite the marksman, but this guy was in a class all by himself. He was firing that PPK as if it were an extension of his person. Honestly, it was mesmerizing to watch, which was a problem because another werewolf slammed into my side and did its best to bite my head off.
If you’ve ever smelled the breath of an aging Chihuahua, take that and multiply it by ten. Then, get that stench all slobbered into your hair and your five-thousand-dollar suit. Finally, let those stinky teeth fight to prick your skin.
Now, how do you think that would make you feel?
It pissed me off.
“Son of a bitch,” I yelled as I pried the nasty jaws from my head. “Gingivitis much?” I said while angrily shoving Boomy into the beast’s mouth and pulling the trigger.
That wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had, seeing that I was covered in its nastiness within seconds.
“Ah!”
I looked back to see that Leland was grappling with one of the wolves, and he wasn’t very good at it, either. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Leland didn’t know how to fight at all. Mostly, he just lay on his back, slamming his fists against the creature’s head as if he were playing the bongos. It was so bad that the werewolf started laughing.
Harvey, on the other hand, had dropped a few more of the doggies, leaving only two left…aside from the one that Leland was basically petting.
“Harvey,” I yelled, pointing at Leland.
My partner leaped across the expanse and grabbed the wolf off the James Bond clone. Then he snapped its neck with a solid roar.
The Ian Dex Supernatural Thriller Series: Books 1 - 4 (Las Vegas Paranormal Police Department Box Sets) Page 52