The Severed Thread

by Dione C. Suto

  “I help!” she hissed. “I help!” My head lolled as her words echoed inside my head. She needed to stop doing that. It really messed with my equilibrium. I opened my eyes to find Andrei once more inches from my face.

  “Don’t pass out on me, little elf,” he said, obviously misinterpreting my reaction. “We have a lot of fun ahead of us tonight, and you have to be awake to fully appreciate it.” To prove his point, he ran his knife under the buttons of my blouse, each one landing with a plink on the floor. I flinched as the point of the blade shallowly grazed the skin at my collar bone in a careless arc. He smiled in satisfaction as a fine bead of blood formed along the cut. He then used the knife tip to slowly push the two sides of my blouse away, exposing my bra.

  “Pretty,” he murmured as he gazed at the blood that had begun to trickle down my chest. I started pulling at my bindings again, even knowing the effort was futile. My mind and body were screaming at me to try to get away. I was frantic, yanking and tugging at the restraints but I only succeeded in tearing the skin bloody on my wrists.

  “Naris!” I screamed in my mind as my beast continued thrashing in her cell. Pounding, pounding, pounding – she was relentless. I could already feel the burning in my eyes, and knew I was only moments away from giving in to her demands.

  “If I interfere directly Abigail, something important will be forever lost. Something you would not wish.”

  There was that word again, directly. He had better be doing something indirectly, or I was going to be seriously pissed. And what could possibly be more important than not being raped and sliced up with that knife? Maybe something would come to me later, but at the moment, nothing seemed more important than getting free from this chair, killing Andrei, and if I was lucky, maybe I would get to kill Luca too. My bloodthirsty thoughts were a good indicator of how close my beast was to the surface. I stilled as another idea formed, my feet pressing down on the floor for confirmation. Was I really that dense?

  I could feel my eyes come alive with roiling flame as I looked at Andrei. His confidence visibly slipped when I bared my teeth at him.

  “Berserker restraints may hold me,” I wheezed, my words deep and rough, “but this chair won’t.” I leaned forward onto the balls of my feet, flexing into my ankles before leaping high into the air. Andrei lurched backwards in surprise.

  I leaned back, forcing the chair under me as I crashed to the floor. Thankfully the wood splintered, allowing me to move my legs. I swiped one of the broken rungs as I got to my feet and shook free of most of the chair. The bad news? My arms were still behind my back, even the one with my meager weapon, and my left leg was partially encumbered with the remains of the chair.

  “Very impressive,” Andrei said, clapping. “You are making this too much fun.” He flicked his head at Luca, indicating he should circle around behind me. Luca grimly did as he was told. Having him behind me was bad, even if he was the weaker of the two.

  I had only taken two wary steps back towards the hall, when Andrei rushed me. I jumped over him, landing on the floor awkwardly, still encumbered by chair pieces. Swinging around, I kicked the back of his knee, making him stumble to the floor.

  I needed to get my hands out in front of me and fast. There wasn’t much time to turn myself into a human pretzel but I did it anyway, thankful for long arms and many years of yoga. I sat on the floor and slipped my hands under my butt then behind my legs and feet. I groaned in pain as I forced my wrists and shoulders to do something they were never meant to do. Finally, my arms were where I wanted them – still connected to each other by the restraints but at least out front.

  When I looked up, Andrei was bearing down on me with a murderous expression. Tightening my grip on the rail of wood more firmly, I leapt to my feet. I could still feel the rage of the beast but it had subsided somewhat as she waited to see what would happen next. I guess I had made some progress.

  A loud bang from the front of the house distracted me and in the next second Andrei was on me. I toppled backwards onto the floor, his legs straddling me. My tightly gripped piece of wood was the only thing between my neck and his blade. My muscles strained with the effort of holding him off. In desperation, I kneed him in the groin. He rolled off me to clutch his balls, the knife clattering to the floor. Really? I could hardly believe it. I had just downed a psychopath with the ole’ knee to the groin?

  I rolled into a crouch, warily watching Luca while still clutching my wooden chair rail. He hesitated, undecided about whether to run out the back or engage whoever was barreling down the hall. He wavered too long. In the next instant, his head was ripped from his body by a furry chestnut blur.

  “Bitch!” Andrei bellowed behind me. I had forgotten about him as I watched Luca’s beheading in awe. Stupid. I pushed my arms out, and leapt to the right, swinging the short wooden bar at the same time that he lifted his knife. I landed hard on the floor, unable to brace myself with my bound arms.

  Andrei was still standing, a bewildered expression on his face as he looked down at the piece of wood protruding from his chest, his knife clattering to the floor for the second time tonight. I heard a rumbling growl from behind me and the scrabble of more claws in the hall. The chestnut wolf with a silvery grey streak on his face was stalking forward, blood and saliva dripping from his fangs, while others crowded into the room behind him. A grey wolf burst from the throng, knocking Andrei to the floor before tearing out his throat.

  There was a mournful howl from outside that caused all the wolves to look up. Several left to investigate. The grey wolf approached carefully, running its snout along my face and arms, sniffing. He nudged my still bound hands.

  “I’m okay, Corbin,” I said as I awkwardly scratched his ears, blood from my wrists smearing on his fur. “Well, mostly. I think I may have cracked a rib when I hit the floor.”

  I looked over at the chestnut wolf with the bright green eyes. He was watching me as I rubbed Corbin’s fur. I met his steady gaze.

  “Thanks,” I said softly before lying back on the kitchen floor and closing my eyes.

  Chapter 29

  I blinked several times at Agent McCabe as he peered down at me. The last thing I remembered was the green eyed wolf in the kitchen. Now I was on the couch with no memory of how I had gotten there. Being carried around while unconscious seemed to be a theme tonight. I was trying to be thankful that someone had had enough sense to cover the couch with a sheet first since I seem to have blood all over me, but I was stuck on how disconcerting it was to have been moved again while not aware.

  “Welcome back to the land of the living,” Agent McCabe said. Andrei had said something similar the last time I opened my eyes. Prey. You are acting like prey, Abigail.

  “Um, thanks,” I said, wincing at the pain from my split lip. “I think.” My mouth tasted like I had been up all night licking old envelopes and my head was pounding.

  “You up for giving a statement?” he asked as I sat up with a groan, holding the front of my shirt together. I wasn’t sure what hurt more, my head or my chest. I was going to have to get my ribs looked at. Someone had obviously already taken care of the cuts on my chest and wrists because they were covered with gauze and tape.

  “Only if I can have a glass of water and some ibuprofen first,” I replied. I was trying to get my bearings as we spoke. There were a lot of people milling around my house, mostly members of Jonathan’s pack and a handful of people wearing black jackets with the Interspecies Bureau logo.

  “I think that can be arranged,” he said, smiling sympathetically.

  “There is a bottle in the same cabinet as the glasses,” I told him. “To the right of the sink.”

  He came back a minute later with the water and ibuprofen. I popped four of the little brown pills into my mouth then gulped the whole glass of water, trying to get rid of the nasty taste in my mouth.

  I recounted what had happened with a few small changes. Agent McCabe didn’t need to know about the Locating. Instead, I told him I had been
meditating when Andrei and Luca had arrived.

  “How do you know Andrei and Luca?” he asked.

  “I don’t really know them,” I said. “I saw them talking to Harvey Keltan one day about two weeks ago at the coffee shop near the office. Then they showed up last week when I was grocery shopping. When I asked them if they were following me, Andrei went and pulled out that ugly looking knife of his.”

  “Then what happened.”

  “Sampson and Trevor were at the store. They came along and defused the situation.” His pen made scratching noises as he added more notes in his little notebook.

  “Alright, back to tonight,” he said. “What did Andrei and Luca want?”

  “It was mostly Andrei… Luca didn’t seem like he wanted to be here,” I said, running my hands through my hair, the movement causing my to wince in pain. “Andrei was apparently more than a little irritated that he had gotten his knife out last week and hadn’t gotten to play. He seemed to think he was owed some time with me and the knife.” I shivered at the thought. McCabe’s hand stilled on the page.

  “Owed?”

  “His words,” I shrugged. “The guy was a wacko.”

  “Alright,” he said as he resumed writing. “Then what happened?”

  “I broke the chair, got ahold of one of the chair rungs and was able to fight him off somewhat. If the wolves hadn’t shown up, I’m sure I would be dead right now. Or, at least wishing I was,” I added.

  “Well, Ms. Lassiter. Life around you is never dull, is it?” he said after asking a few more questions.

  “Not this month,” I said, as he got up to leave.

  I went into the kitchen after Agent McCabe was gone. There was a photographer taking photos of Andrei’s body where it lay in a congealed pool of blood. I could only see Luca’s feet. Thankfully, the rest of him was on the other side of the island. Severed heads were not really my thing.

  “Abigail, how are you?” asked Jonathan from behind me. I turned back into the hall where he stood looking fresh in a white button-down shirt and jeans.

  “Okay,” I said. “How did you know I was in trouble?”

  “Samantha called Corbin in a panic when she couldn’t reach you,” he explained. “He was training at the Den. When the two wolves guarding the house didn’t pick up their cells either, he rounded up a few pack members and headed over.”

  “Who was outside tonight?” I asked, even though I dreaded the answer.

  “Jamison and Fortuna,” he responded grimly. I could see the sadness in his eyes.

  I reached out a hand and placed it on his forearm. “I’m sorry.”

  “You should be,” said Alexander. He was standing at the end of the hall glaring at us in a pair of faded jeans and a long sleeve grey thermal shirt that was covered in smears of blood. I reflexively pulled my hand back from Jonathan at the censure in Alexander’s glaze. “We lost two pack members tonight because they were watching your ass.”

  “I know,” I said, feeling like a complete shit. And even though I felt horrible, I got sidetracked by the blood on Alexander. How had Alexander gotten blood on his clothes? I turned back to Jonathan who was crisp and clean. Not a drop of blood.

  “Alexander, that’s enough,” Jonathan said, his dominance blazing into the confined space. I tensed as I felt another presence flare behind me.

  “Please tell me you aren’t blaming Ms. Lassiter for the shoddy security your wolves provided?” said McCallister coldly. Just what I needed, Liam McCallister stirring up Jonathan and an already pissed off Alexander.

  “Where were your people vamp, while our wolves were defending your little elf?” Alexander asked.

  McCallister wrinkled his nose. “She smells so strongly of dog that it would seem she is more your little elf than mine.”

  “Look,” I said in irritation. “Speaking of smells, the stench of testosterone in here is getting overwhelming. If you boys could crank it back a notch, I would really appreciate it.”

  “Fucking vampire,” Alexander growled before turning on his heel and stalking out the front door. Jonathan watched him go before turning his scowl on McCallister. I really needed to thank Jonathan for his help but it felt awkward with the two men glaring at each other.

  “Thanks for you know… taking care of Luca,” I said. He looked puzzled and then the wrinkles in his brow smoothed out as if something suddenly made sense.

  “That wasn’t me,” he said, shaking his head. “I was across town when Samantha called, so I got here later than everyone else. As I understand it, Alexander was the first one through the door.”

  “Alexander?” My mouth dropped open. He didn’t even like me. Did he? Beside me, McCallister cleared his throat.

  “Abigail, we need to talk. In private.” He looked pointedly at Jonathan who just glared back.

  “It’s alright,” I assured Jonathan. “I do need to speak with him.” He didn’t look happy about leaving but he gave me a single nod before turning down the hall.

  McCallister and I followed him into the foyer. Having a vampire at my back had the hair on my neck standing at attention. The only consolation was that there were too many people in the house for him to do anything to me at the moment. I knew he had most likely opened that first container and was ready to murder someone, no matter how calm he appeared at the moment.

  As soon as Jonathan was through the door, McCallister turned his angry gaze on me. “It seems that yet again, something that belongs to me is missing. You have exactly one minute to explain.”

  “The container that Lok indicated did not contain anything other than what was listed on the manifest,” I explained in a rush. “Someone on your end messed up, which I’m not too happy about by the way. He opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off with a raised hand.

  “And before you freak out, my contact noticed something odd in another container and informed me. He passed the container through customs and it was successfully offloaded. I had just tracked your items to their current location when I was detained by the psychopath and his sidekick.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder towards the kitchen where Andrei and Luca’s bodies were still cooling on the floor.

  “The pallets are in a high temperature cold storage room at this warehouse,” I said, walking to my desk and writing the information down on a slip of paper. “I assume Lok has some way of telling which pallet is the correct one?”

  “He does,” he said, nodding.

  “Good, I confirmed the items you wanted are there. I read the energy signature on two pallets. Someone on your end fucked up with the loading, so you are going to have to go get it yourself,” I flopped down on the couch, holding my shirt together. “I’m done today.” I closed my eyes and waited. When I didn’t hear anything for several minutes, I opened my eyes.

  McCallister was still standing where he had been a moment ago. He had obviously been waiting for me to open my eyes again.

  “I will have my people retrieve the items. If the merchandise is not there, I will be back before daybreak,” he warned before heading towards the front door. As he got to the hall, he turned back. “And for the record, I never freak out.” He curled his lip at me, showing a large amount of fang before heading out the door. I breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone.

  It was late, or should I say early by the time all of the Interspecies Bureau people had cleared out and the bodies had been removed. Thankfully my night did not include another visit from the tall and moody fanged one. I could only assume that he was able to retrieve the Sapphire. As soon as I was alone I showered, slumped into bed and proceeded to sleep straight through until mid-afternoon.

  I didn’t awake until Samantha called to let me know that she had hired a company that specialized in disaster clean-up to help with the mess in the kitchen. They arrived at just after three to scrub the blood in the kitchen that I couldn’t bring myself to touch.

  When the house was finally clean and the debris from the Interspecies Bureau had been cleared out, I checked m
y email. There was a note from Nemesis that contained an attachment. The attached file outlined two sets of pension fund balances, and a series of transactions that would have the Attorney General’s office at our office door with a search and seizure warrant. The transactions outlined in the document followed the money as it moved from the pension fund then into another bank account administered by Jamison Financial where it was withdrawn as cash over the last few months. Then, last week, there were two large deposits that nearly had the balances back in order.

  What the hell was going on? If we were ever audited, it was likely someone was going to jail. I didn’t understand the need to move around all that money just to replace it. And what had my father needed all that cash for in the first place?

  I picked up the phone and called my parent’s house. My mother answered.

  “Mom, is the old man home?” I asked.

  “I really wish you wouldn’t call him that, you know he hates it.”

  “I know,” that’s why I do it, I thought to myself. “Is he there?”

  “No, he’s still at the office. He called and said he was going to be late this evening,” she said. “Is everything alright?”

  “Everything’s fine,” I lied. “I just needed to talk to him about a few things. Maybe I will swing by and see him.”

  Chapter 30

  I pulled up in front of the office at just after seven-thirty. My father’s car was in its usual spot. I passed through the lobby, nodding to the guard as I headed for the elevators. When I reached the fifth floor, the reception area was quiet, most everyone having left hours ago.