by Mark Henwick
Tullah was white-faced and trembling, deeply shocked. I hugged her and coaxed her through what had happened.
When we had moved the office here, Tullah had linked the alarm system into her cell and it had sent her a message when it went off. She’d arrived first, followed by Victor’s quick response team and the police. She’d managed to get in and out before them.
“The patio doors were forced open.” She swallowed. “Reynolds…he’s dead, Amber. The other guard too. I think they were wounded first. Then…” she angrily wiped tears from her cheeks and looked away. “Then they were shot in the head as they lay there.”
After a moment she continued. “The guards fought back. I think Jen fired a shotgun. There were five other bodies in the house.” She took a breath. “No messages left.”
This was all my fault. I hadn’t found Hoben. I hadn’t warned Jen and Victor how serious the problem was.
“I need to know who did this,” I said and made to move past her.
She held me. “It wasn’t Athanate, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
I looked at her. “This is some Adept thing? You know this for sure?”
She nodded jerkily.
“Were?”
“No. They were human. A dozen of them, I’d guess.”
The only person it could be was Frank Hoben. But why Jen? It was me he was after. Unless he was using Jen to get to me. Why the hell had she come back here?
I had to put that aside. The police would take note of us if we hung around. Tullah had stopped me from making a big mistake walking in there. I could not have the police looking at my personal armory in the trunk, or asking me questions for hours.
“Tullah, you’ve done what you can, thanks. This is up to me now.”
“I can help, Amber.”
“I’m in enough trouble with your mother already.” I didn’t give her any chance to argue. I got back in the car and hit the gas.
David’s place was out. That left Alex’s.
On the short drive, I couldn’t think of anything but the worst case scenarios. I was already angry, now I added guilt and frustration to the mix.
“Please, Amber,” Pia said quietly. I looked into my mirror. Her eyes were wide and unsettled. I realized both of them would be reading the emotions off me and picking them up themselves. Pia was my early warning system. She was very sensitive to the emotional signals around her. It had probably been what made her good with Aspirants, even though she’d made mistakes as a Mentor. But I wasn’t an Aspirant, I was her Athanate Mistress, and she would be unable to block out my emotions. I was having to learn this role as I did it.
“I’m sorry,” I said and forced my mind onto useful, logical paths about what we could do when—not if—when we discovered where Jen was being held.
Alex’s house was jarringly bright and cheerful in the morning sunshine. And empty. Maybe Alex was catching up on his work. Or maybe he was being a wolf, out in the mountains. I sent David to the kitchen to make coffee while I paced in the living room and tried to force myself to think constructively.
Pia stopped me and cocked her head. “Car pulled up outside,” she said and ran to the front door with her P90. I grabbed the HK.
“Amber, it’s Tullah,” she called. “She must have followed us here. She’s alone.”
I felt a spike of anger at myself for not noticing that she had followed us. I was head down and reacting, behaving as if I’d never had training, blinded by my personal involvement. I had to change that. The best way to get Jen back was for me to be operating at my best, for me to be cool and calm, however difficult that was.
I met Tullah at the door. She was carrying her laptop and glared defiantly at me as she tried to force her way past.
“Tullah, I won’t stop you. But I have Athanate here with me; are you sure you want to come in?”
She nodded nervously, and I stood aside. She slipped past, keeping as far away from Pia and David as she could without making it obvious. She went straight to the coffee table in the living room and set up her laptop, with a patchwork of odd cables and hubs attached.
“Your old cell, Amber,” she said, holding her hand out.
Puzzled, I handed it over. “What’s that?”
“They weren’t after Jen,” she said. “They wanted you. They’ll use her to get to you.” She connected my cell to her laptop with one of the cables and fired up a message recording app.
“They took Jen’s cell,” she said, “so I’m betting that’s the way they’ll contact you.”
She put her cell phone on another connector.
David held his hand across the table. “I’m David, by the way, and this is Pia.”
After a tiny pause, Tullah shook their hands carefully. I wondered if they could tell she was an Adept. Her tension eased a bit as she fiddled with her laptop.
“Can you track an incoming call with that setup?” asked David.
“This isn’t some TV show,” replied Tullah. “But I’ve got someone who may be able to help.” She picked another app off her toolbar and spoke. “You still there, Matt?”
“Yo.” His image came up in a window. He was surrounded by racks of equipment.
“Amber and some friends are here. You want to tell them what you told me about tracking?”
Matt’s voice, replayed through the laptop’s speakers, was wary. “Hey, the short answer is, I don’t know how successful it’ll be. I’m trying to access the repeater tower traffic. As long as the cell’s turned on, it’s in contact with the nearest towers. Even without, like, cracking the GPS data, I would be able to get a reasonable fix...”
“But?” I prompted him when he slowed.
“Well, back here in the real world, I might not get in quickly enough and I could get thrown out of the connection by their security systems. Then, even if I do manage to get in and get a fix, you know, the bad guys watch TV too. That phone and Ms. Kingslund could be on different sides of Denver.”
My cell rang and everyone froze.
I grabbed it and read the ID. I closed my eyes.
I shook my head to the others and turned away slightly. “Alex, hello.”
“Amber, my security system says—”
“Hold up a second,” I cut across him. “There’s a problem. Jen’s been kidnapped and I think they’ll use this number to call. I’m sorry, I’m in your house with my team. I didn’t know where else to go.”
“Forget that, you’re good. I’ll call on my landline.”
He called right back.
“Amber, I’m sorry,” he said. “Is this something to do with Tucker? Is there anything I can do?”
“Don’t know yet, Alex. Hold one second.” I turned to Tullah. “Did Matt track Alex’s call to my cell?”
She shook her head. “Too quick,” Matt said.
Tullah fiddled with another cable to Alex’s landline base.
Alex’s voice came from the laptop speakers. “You still there?”
“Yeah, we just rigged you into a laptop, like a conference call hookup, so we can all hear you and you should be able to hear us.”
“Hi everybody,” Alex said. “Amber, can you tell me what happened?”
Between Tullah and me, we gave him the outline of what had gone on. Talking about it was strange. It moved it away from the personal, a little. It helped me to be much calmer when my cell rang again, this time with Jen’s ID.
I grabbed it, and everyone else went silent.
“Who is this?” I said.
“Tell me, was it you killed my old man?” I recognized his hoarse voice.
“Don’t try that shit on me, Hoben. He killed himself, and if he hadn’t, he was going to kill you over the money you wasted on the hitman.”
“Was he?” Hoben snorted. “Asshole. Now, shut the fuck up and listen, or I end the call.”
There was a gasp of pain, and Jen’s voice: “Amber, don’t—”
There was the sound of a blow and a cry from Jen.
“Jen!
” I called.
“What your bitch is trying to say, is don’t be stupid, or you’ll never see her again,” said Hoben. “We’ll call back, me and Jen, later, when we’re not busy. You better keep your cell with you, but calling the cops on it would be stupid. Same goes for Altau. You do what I tell you, and you might get your bitch back alive.”
The call disconnected.
I made it to the basin before I threw up.
Chapter 43
Twenty minutes later, Alex had joined us in person.
“Focus, Amber,” he said. “Hoben wants something from you. While he wants that, we’ve got a chance.”
The ‘we’ helped me as much as the question itself. What did Hoben want?
“He’s not just out for revenge. He’s trying to set something up,” David said.
Alex had gone all stiff-legged and territorial at finding David here, but, smart man that he was, David ignored it. It went away quickly and I could see them becoming a team. The trouble was, they needed me to lead them and I was having difficulty seeing the problem dispassionately. Just as Hoben had intended, no doubt.
“It’s not just trying to kill you. He could have set that up in minutes,” Alex said.
“Yeah, he needs time. He’s gone to talk to someone,” David said. “My gut says Matlal.”
Pia leaned forward. “If it’s Matlal, there’s no chance he’d let you go. It’d just be a trap.”
“It’d be a trap anyway,” I said, but at least I was thinking again. “We need to know where.” I tried not to look at the screen with Matt in his roomful of computers. He hadn’t been able to track Hoben’s call. He was spending the time setting up some more tools to give him a better chance the next time around.
Alex brought out a huge map of Denver and the surrounding area and laid it out on the coffee table. I looked down at it, willing something to leap out at me as the obvious place.
“It’d be out of town,” I said.
“But Tucker—”
“No, that was Tucker’s style. He got his kicks from doing everything right under everyone’s nose, like being a respected business leader and heading up a criminal organization. Hoben’s different. And Matlal will want to keep things hidden. This will be somewhere private, out of the way.”
“Somewhere that Matlal owns?” said Tullah.
I shrugged. “Or Hoben. We know next to nothing about him.”
“Hold on,” David said, and suddenly looked up. “He’s gotten you to leave your cell on. If you think Matlal’s tracking that, it could lead him right here.”
“Shit! You’re right. I’m so sorry, Alex. We’ve gotta move.”
“Stop.” Alex frowned in thought and got up. “Give me a few minutes.”
“We can’t fight here—”
“Matlal doesn’t want to come into the open,” Alex said. “Like you said, he’s going to want this to go down somewhere quiet. We’re probably safe here. But just for insurance, let me call Felix.”
Alex left us and went up into his study to make the call. I wasn’t sure bringing the pack into this was going to work, but I had to trust his judgment on that.
“Tullah.” I leaned close to her and spoke quietly. “Is there anything Adepts can do to find people?”
She shook her head. “Not me. Not like this.”
“Mary?”
Tullah’s face went stony. “I don’t think so. For sure, not quickly. And not with Athanate involved.”
“Amber,” called Alex from the top of the stairs, “come up, please.”
His study was bright and tidy. Big windows opened to the back yard. Larimer’s face looked up at me out of Alex’s computer screen.
“Ms. Farrell, believe me, I am truly sorry to hear of your problem,” he said.
“Thank you.” No reason to not be polite about it, but I had a feeling Larimer wanted to take advantage somehow. If it got Jen back, I’d listen.
“And I want to thank you for the information about our rivals. I won’t bore you with the details, but it has been of benefit to us.” He paused. “However, I am not accustomed to having my wishes disregarded.”
Crap. Alex or Olivia must have told him about yesterday.
“I’m not in your pack, Larimer.”
“We haven’t really decided that, have we? But Alexander still is,” he replied evenly, “and I understand from him you claim some kind of affiliation.”
“To Alex,” I said.
“And thus to me.”
I couldn’t find a snappy answer to that.
“I don’t wish to benefit from misfortune,” he said, which meant he was about to. “I will make the following proposal. We will guard Alexander’s house. I will allow members of the pack to run errands for you today if you need it. Alexander can help you. But the pack will not get involved in fighting any Athanate, other than in defense. That includes Alexander.”
“And for that, you want what?” In truth, I was in no position to negotiate with him. He would have figured out that I couldn’t call on Altau at the moment, or I would have already. My small team were very vulnerable to Matlal. A few of the pack might make all the difference.
“After today, you leave Alexander alone for a while—”
“Why? And what’s a while mean?”
“Because I need to be completely sure that what Alexander is doing is what he wants to do, and not what some Athanate mind-meddling is making him do.” Larimer was staying calmer than I was, and I struggled to match him. “I need to be sure where his ultimate loyalty lies. As for the while—a week, two weeks should be enough. I’ll still need to see you when I want as well. I’ll tell you when I’m satisfied.”
“What else?” I knew the bastard hadn’t finished with me. My eyes flicked to Alex, but he wasn’t saying anything.
“There’s been another incident similar to those in your police report. I need you to find out who’s doing it.”
“Huh?” Not my smartest rejoinder, but I hadn’t seen that one coming.
“Ms. Farrell, you have demonstrated a capability in this area.” He ticked items off on his fingers. “As far as the Were are concerned, you are…” he shrugged, “a cousin, say. As an Athanate, you have advantages in detecting the truth, not as good as the Adepts, but sufficient. And I know you are motivated.”
There was no need to think it through. I couldn’t afford to have Matlal attack here while I was trying to put together a plan to get Jen back. I needed some defenders.
“Done,” I said, and looked at his smug image on the screen. “You trust me?”
“Ms. Farrell, I’m not yet sure that I trust you. However, I am sure I do not trust the rest of the Athanate.”
“Call Skylur. Talk directly to him,” I said. “I’m not able to make any official statements, but I believe Altau are your friends.”
Larimer made no response other than a nod.
He disconnected and I stared at the blank screen.
Alex squeezed my hand. “One problem at a time,” he said.
Good advice.
I’d just gotten back downstairs when my cell rang again.
Chapter 44
“Amber—”
Jen’s voice was cut off as abruptly as it had been before. She sounded hoarse and in pain, exhausted.
“Have you been enjoying the wait, Farrell? Your bitch has.”
“Hoben, I swear—”
“You want to think very hard about what you say next, Farrell. You want me in a good mood, don’t you?”
I didn’t reply, and Jen screamed.
“Don’t you, whore?” he shouted.
“Yes! Yes, I want you in a good mood.” I felt sick again, but it was important to keep him on the line and it was important to stop him from hurting Jen.
“Oh, that sounds good,” he said. “Ask me like you mean it. You’re a whore, you can fake it, can’t you?”
“Please.” I forced the words out. “Please, I want you to be in a good mood. Please don’t hurt her.”
&
nbsp; “Better. Turns out you’re in luck. Getting me in a good mood will be easy. You’re my ticket to get Matlal off my back, so you better fucking listen and do what I tell you. You come to meet me, alone. I’ll have one of Matlal’s vamps along. All you’ve got to do is tell him where the Altau house is and persuade him you’re telling the truth. Do that and you can take your pretty meal ticket and walk away.”
“I can’t—”
“Well, you better find a way you can,” he shouted. “What the fuck’s your problem? Altau have screwed you over. You don’t owe them. You got the deal. But you take your time, we’ll enjoy your little bitch’s company while you make your mind up. You got till sundown and then I hand her over to them. And you know what they want with her. Text this cell when you decide and I’ll tell you where to come.” He laughed. “Come on, bitch, playtime. Make me happy.”
Jen screamed and the line disconnected.
I was shaking. Hoben was a dead man. Once Jen was safe, whatever it took, I would hunt him down and he would die like a rabid dog.
“Sorry. I couldn’t trace the call,” Matt said into the aching silence, before anyone asked. “I’m querying the main area database. That might cut it down.”
I closed my eyes. Pia was right next to me, trembling with reaction to my anger. The anger that was clouding my mind, the anger that wasn’t going to get Jen back. I had to work this through.
“Play the recording back please, Tullah.” My voice sounded loud in my own ears.
We listened again. I refused to let the words make any sense. It was just noises.
“Again,” David said. “Just before Jen screams.”
Again and again. In the half-second before she screamed there was another noise, a similar noise. Tullah clipped and played it with the volume up. It was a distinctive noise, an aircraft jet engine.
“That’s not a passenger plane, it’s something smaller,” David said. “Maybe an executive jet at full power, climbing after takeoff.”
There were a half-dozen airfields in the Denver area. Matt started checking wind direction for runways in use and plotting guesses for the noise footprint.
“Someplace upwind, close to a runway big enough for a small jet,” Tullah said.