Dirty Blood

by Heather Hildenbrand

  An hour ticked by, and I could feel my muscles getting sore and stiff. The cotton of my jacket chafed against the scrapes on my arm, and Mrs. Fletcher gave me a dirty look every time I shifted in the chair. Finally, Stacey, one of Julie’s friends and my mother’s new employee, showed up to get me. She had her bright blond hair pulled back in a harsh ponytail and her eyes were rimmed in red.

  “Hey,” she said, smiling a watery smile.

  “Hi,” I said.

  Stacey was halfway through her junior year of college, so in a way, I felt like she was more my age than a grown-up. And even though I didn’t really know her (I’d met her a couple of times when she’d been in the store to see Julie), the fact that she didn’t give me the same disapproving glower that an adult would made me instantly glad it was her instead of my mother.

  “Where’s my mom?” I asked, gathering my stuff and following her out of the office.

  “She said she would close up and see you at home,” she answered, holding the door open and then falling into step beside me.

  “Oh, okay,” I said, kind of shocked my mother had opted for work instead of guarding me like a prisoner.

  “Did you want her to be the one to get you?” Stacey asked, giving me a sideways glance, eyebrows raised.

  “No, it’s fine,” I said quickly.

  Stacey smiled knowingly and led the way to her second-hand Mazda parked at the curb. As soon as we were on the road, I waited for her to start questioning me about what happened, but she stayed quiet. Maybe it was my preoccupation with my own problems, but it took me a minute to realize Stacey was just as distracted.

  “Everything okay?” I asked hesitantly. I knew what happened to Julie had to be rough, but I wasn’t sure I was the best person to reassure her.

  “Hmm? Yeah, just thinking about something that happened at the shop earlier,” she said. “Actually maybe you can help. This guy came in, around your mom’s age, and asked to see her. Wouldn’t give his name, just said he was an old friend. But when she saw him, her expression turned all weird.”

  “Who was it?”

  “I don’t know. She asked me to come get you and basically kicked me out the door.”

  “What did they talk about?” I asked, not sure why I suddenly felt so uneasy.

  “They didn’t. At least not in front of me. It was this awkward, tense silence,” she said with a shrug.

  “What do you think it was about?”

  “No idea. She locked up behind me, too. She’s never closed the store in the middle of the day like that before. Weird, right?”

  “Weird,” I agreed.

  “Do you have any idea who the guy could be?” she asked.

  “What did he look like?”

  “Forty-ish, brown hair and beard with streaks of gray …” She squinted in concentration.

  “That’s about all I remember.”

  “I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “Doesn’t sound familiar.” I tried thinking of people my mother knew who might fit Stacey’s description but the list was short. Mom didn’t really have a lot of friends and the ones she did were middle-aged neighbors, all female, who she used to call on to keep an eye on me, when I was home alone. I briefly wondered if it could’ve been another Hunter or member of The Cause, but dismissed it. The only one she said she knew of in the entire area was Vera, and even that connection was made recently. Besides, based on Stacey’s recollection, he didn’t sound like any of the group I’d met.

  “Well, at least you’re off the hook for a little longer about the fighting,” she said, breaking into my thoughts.

  “Yeah, thanks for that,” I agreed. My stomach growled loud enough for Stacey to glance over.

  “You hungry? I can hit a drive-thru if you want.”

  “That would be great. There’s probably not a whole lot at home,” I said. Plus, I wanted to prolong the ride as long as possible. The rest of the afternoon stretched out in front of me, empty and alone, in my house. It didn’t sound like fun. We hit up McDonald’s and then took back roads home.

  “I’m really sorry, about Julie,” I said, glancing over at Stacey and then away. I didn’t want to make her upset again.

  “Thanks. Her funeral was Friday. Your mom said a lot of really nice things.” Stacey pulled in behind my car, and I gathered my stuff, reaching for the door handle. “Hey, good luck later,” she said with a sympathetic smile.

  I thanked her and got out, slowly making my way toward the front door. I dug for my house key while gripping the paper bag that held my lunch. The sound of Stacey’s whining engine disappeared behind me. I felt my fingers close around my key ring, somewhere in the depths of my bag. I stepped up to the front door and was hit by a solid wave of tingling.

  It ran up my arms and down my back, leaving goosebumps in its wake. Every muscle in my body went taut and I strained my ears against the sunny silence in my yard. A sliver of panic curled its way up my spine as I realized my front door was already cracked open.

  I reached out and pushed it wider, staying where I was on the front step as I scanned the entryway for signs of movement. Cheery sunlight filtered through behind me, the contrast somehow giving the whole place an ominous feel. The front hall was empty and untouched but beyond that, I could see overturned furniture in the den. I hesitated only a second before I crashed through the debris and pushed forward into the house, dropping my bags as I went.

  The lack of windows in the den made the shadows heavier but I didn’t bother flipping the switch. It was a safe bet nothing would happen, since I could already see the shards jutting from the fixture where the bulb had been smashed. I kept waiting for someone—or something—to jump out at me, but the room was empty. The access door to the garage was hanging open and I peeked in and froze. My mother’s car was parked inside, the engine still creaking with warmth.

  Panic rose and suddenly I didn’t care who or what heard me.

  “Mom!” I yelled, turning and racing for the hallway that led to the rest of the house. The living room and kitchen were trashed. All of the furniture had been overturned and anything breakable had been smashed to pieces. I kept going, not even slowing to take note of the damage that had once been my TV or the dining room table that was split in two. One thought dominated any fear I might have felt and drowned out all rational thought as I turned the corner and ran for the stairs.

  “Mom!” I screamed. Still, no answer.

  The pounding of my feet on the stairs echoed against the walls. At the top, I stopped just inside my bedroom and stared. Clothes littered the floor; my computer had been ripped from the wall and thrown across the room. My mattress had been slashed and my comforter shredded. I halted my inspection when I realized the room was empty and continued on to my mother’s room.

  I threw open the door and stopped. This room was also empty and trashed but something else entirely had already caught my attention. Across the room, a piece of paper was pinned to the wall. A lump rose in my throat and I slowed to a walk as I crossed to it, dreading its message. It was handwritten in elegant cursive and addressed to me. It read: “I’m willing to trade. I’ll be in touch.”

  I stared at it, a tight fist just beginning to wrap itself around my heart. Downstairs, the sliding glass door slammed shut and I jumped, jerking into motion. I raced back down the stairs and wrenched the door open, stepping into the yard, scanning for movement. Nothing. A car engine revved, and I bolted toward the front. I didn’t bother with the locked gate, instead using the momentum of my body to swing over the fence. I landed with bent knees on the front lawn and ran for the curb. Red taillights in the distance faded around a corner, taking the tingling feeling with it.

  My knees threatened to buckle, and for a second, I was tempted to give in to the despair and fear that gripped me, squeezing harder and harder inside my chest. I could barely breathe from the pressure and I doubled over, trying to get enough air. I had to think. I had to clear my thoughts enough to figure out what to do. The answer w
as easy. Wes. It was the only coherent thought I could form. I straightened and felt my pockets for my phone. They were empty. Then I remembered: my mother had my phone.

  I raced back through the front door and into the kitchen, yanking open the junk drawer next to the sink where my mother liked to think I didn’t know she hid things. Batteries and flashlights fell as I rummaged roughly through the drawer’s contents, until my fingers closed over my phone. I gripped it with white knuckles, like a lifeline, and messed up twice before I found the right buttons to dial Wes.

  It rang four times, which felt like four hundred, and then his voice mail came on. It wasn’t until I heard the recorded message that I remembered he wasn’t taking my calls. Panic seized me harder, and I couldn’t think. I sucked in a gulp of air and pushed the panic away as best I could, finally remembering there was someone else I could call.

  He answered on the second ring. “Hey, Tara. What’s up?”

  “Jack, I need you to come get me. Right now.” I still felt out of breath and talking made it worse so my voice came out whispery and faint. It must’ve been enough to get Jack’s attention, though.

  “What happened?”

  “He was here. He took her.”

  I could hear him calling to Fee in the background and then his voice came back on. “Where are you?”

  “My house.”

  “Dammit, Tara’s home early.” His voice was muffled and I assumed he was talking to Fee. Then he came back on. “Okay, who was there? Leo?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you see him?”

  “No.”

  “Who did he take?”

  “My mom.”

  “Shit.” On his end of the phone, a car door slammed. Then another. Then an engine revved and I could hear him muttering stuff to Fee again. “Okay, we’re on our way. You need to get someplace safe until we’re there. Can you do that?”

  “Um …”

  “The woods,” I heard Fee saying. “Tell her to go to the woods behind the house and stay put until we get there.”

  “Did you hear that?” Jack asked.

  “Yeah,” I said, squeezing my eyes shut in a futile attempt to block out the panic and fear. “Yeah, okay, I’ll do that.”

  “Okay, I’ve got to make some calls so I need to hang up now, but I’ll be there in a few minutes. You gonna be okay?” Jack asked.

  “Yeah,” I said, my voice near a whisper again.

  Jack hesitated and I knew he wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t have a choice. “See you in a few,” he said finally.

  We disconnected but I kept my phone in my hands and got to my feet, heading for the back door and the woods beyond. I managed to find a decent place to sit—using an old tree stump for a chair—and dropped heavily onto it. The problem with waiting is it gives you plenty of time to think about things you shouldn’t, things that only make the panic and fear worse. In this case, it was guilt, over the way I’d treated my mom the past few days and all the nasty things I’d said to her about everything being her fault. I’d acted like a kid throwing a temper tantrum when she’d really just been protecting me, the best way she knew how. And now, she’d been taken because of me.

  Heavy tears filled my eyes and wasted no time in spilling over onto my cheeks. My vision blurred and sobs racked my shoulders so badly that I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to feel a Werewolf, even if one had walked right by me. Mostly, the tears were a result of my fear for my mother but a few were for Wes, too. He hadn’t even picked up the phone. When I’d needed him the most, he hadn’t bothered. It made me angry, and it hurt, which made me even angrier. I cried harder.

  I needed to get myself together before Jack and Fee found me. Crying and falling apart wouldn’t help get my mother back. Neither would being mad at Wes. I had to do something, take action, and I couldn’t do that if I was a wreck. So I did my best to push aside the agonizing worry and wiped the tears from my face with my sleeve, determined to do whatever I needed to rescue my mother.

  When Jack got there, the tingling came first. I tensed up, worrying an enemy Werewolf had found me, but when I heard the extra heavy crunching of leaves under human feet, I realized who it was and stood up as Jack came into view. He strode toward me, scrutinizing my face as he got close. I hurried over to him and he surprised me by reaching out and pulling me against him in a suffocating hug. The embrace lasted only a second, which was good because I couldn’t breathe against the bulk of his chest, and then he let go of me, looking slightly awkward about it.

  “Come on. The truck’s waiting out front,” he said.

  I fell into step beside him, which was tricky, since I had to take two steps for every one of his. “Where’s Fee?” I asked.

  “In the house, checking it out and packing some things for you.”

  “What things?”

  “Clothes, whatever you’ll need. You’re not staying here until Leo is dealt with. We don’t have the manpower to fight him and guard your house.”

  “And you think dealing with Leo will take a while?” I asked, dreading his answer, and what that might mean for my mother.

  “I don’t know, but we have to be prepared.”

  Fee was already at the truck when we rounded the side of the house. She slung my blue duffel bag into the back and then turned to wrap her arms around me. “You okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  She gave me a quick squeeze and then released, nudging me toward the open truck door. “Get in, we need to hurry back to meet the others.”

  I wedged myself between Jack and Fee, and we left. I couldn’t say we were necessarily speeding, because I wasn’t sure this truck was capable of it, but Jack definitely didn’t brake for corners or stop signs, so it was a jarring ride.

  “Who are we meeting?” I asked, when we’d made it out of my neighborhood and onto the main road.

  “Miles, Cord, Bailey, and Derek. Vera’s farther out so it’ll take her a little longer. The rest are all on assignment so they can’t get here in time, but we put the word out and they’ll be here tomorrow, if we need them,” said Fee.

  “What about—did you call Wes?” I asked, hating that I even wanted to know.

  Jack and Fee exchanged a look. “He’s cleaning up the mess from earlier. Did you want us to?” she asked, gently.

  “I don’t know. I guess not,” I said.

  Nobody said anything after that. I had to concentrate on staying upright in my seat, as Jack sped around the back roads and curves like he was on a race track.

  There were a couple cars out front when we arrived. It made me feel a little better knowing we had help. I knew they were doing it for Jack and Fee, not for me, but I didn’t care. Whatever it took to get my mom back.

  Derek met us at the door.

  “Where are the others?” Jack asked.

  “Kitchen. Bailey’s already pissed because he knows you’re going to sideline him.”

  Jack grunted. “What else is new?”

  Derek eyed me as I passed him, but he didn’t say anything as he shut the door behind me and followed me down the hall. Jack waited until we were all together in the kitchen, then he turned to me.

  “Tell us what happened.”

  I didn’t answer right away; the abruptness of the question threw me off, along with everyone’s eyes swiveling to me. “He took her,” I said.

  “How do you know?”

  “I got home from school and the house was trashed and I sensed a Werewolf. I wasn’t really that worried until I found my mom’s car in the garage, which meant she’d come home. I ran through the house looking for her, but all I found was a note in her room. I heard the back door shut and I ran down but he was already gone.”

  “What note?” Jack asked.

  “It was on the wall in my mom’s room. I guess I forgot to tell you about it,” I said.

  “Here, I grabbed it,” said Fee, holding up a piece of paper. She handed it to
Jack.

  “Yeah, so obviously it was Leo,” I went on while Jack read. “He loves leaving me cryptic little notes.”

  Jack looked up at that, his eyebrows wrinkling in confusion. “This isn’t from Leo.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “This note is from your mother,” he said.

  “What? No, it was from Leo. It said something about trading her for me,” I said.

  “This one is different. I found it in your room when I was packing your stuff,” said Fee. “I would’ve showed you but I assumed you’d already seen it.”

  “You need to read it.” Jack handed me the letter.

  I took the crumpled paper and unfolded it. It said: “Tara, I don’t have much time, but I want you to know that I love you and everything I’ve done is to protect you. I know you don’t understand, but this is my choice. I’ve gone with Leo willingly. He agreed to leave you alone if I do. Please don’t come after me. This is my decision. Find Vera. Call Grandma. They will help you stay safe. I love you, forever. Mom.”

  When I was done, my hands fell limply to my sides and I stared at Jack, without really seeing him. I felt the paper slip out of my fingers as the others passed it around.

  “Tara?” Fee called gently after a moment of silence.

  I shook my head vigorously from side to side. “I don’t understand. How could she just…?”

  Fee tilted her head to the side in a sympathetic expression and led me from the room by my elbow, up the stairs and into the same guest room where I’d woken up on morphine. She nodded to my duffel bag, which was sitting on the bed already. “You should get cleaned up. Take a few minutes for yourself,” she said.

  That brought me out of my haze. “No, I’m fine,” I argued. “We need to make a plan, go get her back.”

  “And we will, but you need to take a few deep breaths first. You won’t be any good to us, or your mother, if you fall apart in the middle of the mission. Besides, we’re still waiting on Cord to get here. So take a shower. You’ll feel better.”

  Something in her tone made me glance down and I stared in surprise. My shirt was ripped along my rib cage, and my jeans had dirt and grass stains on the knees. I could only imagine what my hair looked like. “I jumped the fence,” I explained.

  Fee’s lips curved. “I don’t doubt it. See you downstairs.”

  After the door shut, I went to my bag and unzipped it, curious to see what clothes Fee had managed to grab for me; my room, and its contents, had been pretty destroyed. There wasn’t much in the bag: a pair of faded gray sweatpants I’d forgotten I owned, a pink thermal tee, and a pair of black leggings that I’d borrowed from Sam and never returned.

  I showered quickly, antsy to get going and search for my mother, but knowing deep down that Fee was right. If I was going to fall apart, I better get it over with now, or at least be sure it wouldn’t happen later.

  I just couldn’t believe my mother had gone willingly. I thought about the possibility that Leo had made her write the note but I wasn’t so sure. There was a small part of me that got angry thinking about the line she’d written, how she was doing this to protect me. It seemed everyone else knew better than I did what was best for my safety, even if it meant putting themselves in more danger to do it. Which only made me think of Wes again, and how he hadn’t answered his phone.

  My anger turned to a sadness that left a physical pain in my chest as I shut off the steaming water and stepped out. My mom was out there somewhere, a prisoner, all because of me. I towel-dried my hair, threw on the thermal shirt and sweatpants, and ripped a brush through my wet tangles. I pulled my hair into a loose ponytail as I hurried down the stairs.

  Everyone else was already assembled in the living room when I got there. Miles sat behind Jack, in the chair by the window. It reminded me of Wes sitting there, playing chess with Fee. I shook the image away. Bailey sat in the chair beside him looking sullen. Derek was in the chair I’d sat in that first day I’d come. His back was to me. When I walked in, he glanced at me once, and then turned back to Jack. Fee was on the couch, wringing her hands, and looking just as stressed as I was. Cord came in behind me, her heavy boots clomping on the hardwood, and leaned against the railing near the stairs. Jack was in his usual chair by the fire. Instead of his usual pose, which included his feet propped up on the coffee table, he was leaning forward on the edge of the cushion, his elbows propped on his knees. Worry lines creased his forehead and he was staring intently into the flames.

  A harsh rap on the door cut the silence and I turned to answer it. Cord rushed past me, glaring in disapproval, and threw open the door. Vera stood there, looking sleek and businesslike in a black pant suit. She strode past Cord and me without a word and went straight to where Fee sat. Fee rose to greet her with a relieved expression and took Vera’s hand in hers.

  “Any visions?” Fee asked quickly.

  Vera shook her head. “Not yet, but I had to keep it closed off while I drove. Let’s do it together, to keep it focused on what we’re looking for.”

  Fee nodded and they sank onto the cushions together, hands still joined. They bowed their heads and Vera’s lips began moving in some sort of silent chant. I glanced around the room for some clue as to what they were doing but everyone else just sat and watched them expectantly.

  “What’s she doing?” I asked Cord. I was hesitant to speak to her considering the way she always glared at me like I had some communicable disease, but she was the only one close enough to whisper to.

  “Trying to see your mom,” she said, her tone letting me know the answer should’ve been obvious.

  I tried to be patient while I waited for Vera to finish but I kept shifting my weight from one foot to the other; my body itched to move, to take specific action in searching for my mother. Inevitably, my mind wandered to her, where she was, if she was okay, if I would ever find her. From there, my mind drifted to images: her smile, the color of her hair, her perfume.

  My fault. My mind kept sending me back to that. This was my fault.

  Whether I agreed with her twisted and faulty reasoning of doing it to protect me or not … the fact was, it was still my fault. The familiar pang in my chest sharpened and I shifted again, needing movement.

  Finally both women looked up and opened their eyes, immediately focusing on me.

  “I can’t see where she is,” Vera said, sounding frustrated. “Not completely. Something’s blocking me. But she’s alive and unharmed, at least.”

  I had no idea how she knew this, but my heart soared at the news.

  “I sensed a closed-in feeling,” she continued. “Underground, maybe. But that’s all I could get.” She frowned. Her gaze flickered over me and away.

  “What do you mean ‘you sense it’?” I asked.

  “Vera’s visions can sometimes be focused to a specific person or event,” Fee explained. “It’s unpredictable at best and doesn’t always work, even with a great deal of focused energy.”

  “So what are we supposed to do? She could be anywhere,” Derek said.

  “We’ll use our contacts,” Jack said. “Someone has to have heard something.”

  “All right, I can ask around,” Derek replied slowly, obviously unconvinced.

  No one moved from their spots, and I wanted to yell at them to get going already.

  “It may be slow going, but it’s all we’ve got for now,” Jack said, picking up on everyone’s hesitation.

  “In the meantime, I’ll keep trying to get a better read on her,” Vera added.

  “Fine, then let’s get moving,” Cord snapped. For once, I didn’t mind her impatience.

  “We need to stay in pairs,” said Jack. “Cord, you and Miles—”

  “I’ll go with Tara,” Miles interrupted, rising from his chair by the window. I’d almost forgotten he was here, he’d been so quiet.

  “Okay, then,” Jack said, nodding once. Beside me, Cord snorted.

  Miles turned to me a
nd I shifted under his unreadable gaze. I wanted to argue but Jack continued.

  “Cord and Derek, you two stick together. Fee and I will go together, and Bailey—”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be here to hold down the fort, blah, blah, blah,” said Bailey.

  Derek grinned.

  Jack’s mouth tightened. “I need you to stay with Vera in case she gets any more information on Elizabeth. If she does, you can take her wherever the vision leads.”

  Bailey did a small fist pump in the air, a grin spreading across his face.

  “But don’t forget to call us so we can meet you,” Jack added sternly.

  “Jack, do you think it’s a good idea, letting him help like that?” Fee asked, giving Bailey a motherly frown.

  Bailey’s grin disappeared and his face fell.

  “No. But we’re short-handed. Wes is still out on that tip we got earlier. I don’t have a choice.”

  Fee sighed and nodded and Bailey’s smile reappeared, a little smaller.

  Miles rose and stepped over Derek’s sprawled feet, coming to stand in front of me. “Ready, then?”

  I nodded and pushed off the doorframe, not excited to be paired with Miles but willing to make do if it meant action.

  Everyone shuffled to their feet and readied to leave. Cord and Derek huddled together in the entryway, making hushed plans about where they would go, whose car they would take. Jack and Fee disappeared into the weapons room in the back of the house, and Vera rose, saying something about making some tea as she headed for the kitchen.

  “We can take my car,” Miles said, placing his palm on my back and leading us to the door.

  “Don’t we need to wait for Jack and Fee to give us weapons?” I asked, sidestepping so that his hand dropped away.

  “I have a stash in my trunk. We should get moving. I have an informant in Lake Anna who might be able to tell us something.”

  I moved to follow him and he pulled the door open, ready to follow me out. I took a step and then pulled up short, realizing someone was blocking my exit. My pulse sped when I saw who it was.

  ~ 31 ~