Dante chuckled humorlessly, remembering Ceasario’s talk about the wannabe crime-fighter. It seemed too good to be true. “This vigilante got a name?”
“The Onyx Fox, I think.”
Dante paused and stared hard at the side of Bones’s face. It was the second time a mobster mentioned the name, but Dante still couldn’t fathom it. Surely, I was imagining her saving me from that fire at Frankie’s house, right? But Bones didn’t do anything—no funny looks, no winks, no nudging, no laughing. Dante settled into his spot, now curious to see where the night would go.
—
Abraham brought his jog to a halt and pressed himself up against the nearest building. Suzette stumbled to a stop, nearly knocking into him. Curious, she leaned out around his big frame to take in the warehouse.
“She’s in there,” Abraham whispered.
Suzette’s intuition felt panicky as she stared at the big metal building; the only light shone from over the warehouse doors, casting a dark shadow against the two figures that stood outside. “They’re going to kill her.” She darted forward.
Abraham scooped her up by her arm. “Stop, wait!”
When she turned, his eyes were locked on the figures. “Wait for what? They’re going to kill her!” She tried to pull away.
His eyes fell on her sternly as he straightened his back. “I’ll go.”
“No, she’s scared of you!” Suzette argued. “If she sees you, she may run.”
“That’s not—”
“She’s probably right,” Jack interrupted. “Suzette may have a better chance of calming her down.”
Abraham sneered at the idea and tossed Suzette’s arm aside.
“You be my backup,” Suzette tried. “If she runs from me while I’m busy trying to beat these guys up, you can hang back at a distance, track her movements for me, reroute her if you have to, and then catch her if you feel it best. Otherwise, I should be quick on her trail.”
“But—”
“Thanks!” Before he could get in another word, Suzette turned and scurried across the dark lot until she pressed herself against the empty car parked in the lot in front of the building. She peered over its hood and watched the two dark figures pacing by the door. One looked like he held a gun, but she didn’t see a weapon on the other. That’s odd, she thought. But she didn’t dwell too long on it. Instead, she reached for the car door, opened it, and shut it again.
The sound stirred the two look-outs. After a moment’s hesitation, the empty-handed one started over cautiously. As he rounded the car, Suzette snatched him by his shirt and brought his face down into the side mirror. He groaned and fell to the ground.
The commotion sent the other one running. “What the heck?! I thought you were supposed to be—”
Suzette sprung up and slid across the hood, kicking the gun out of the man’s hand before she landed on the other side of the car. With a quick kick to the man’s stomach, he was on the ground. She sprinted into the building.
The warehouse was fairly empty minus a few pallets, some old, rusty cars, and a large, wheeled tool chest off to the side. Two men hovered over a blindfolded Hester. One man had a handful of her hair and pounded a fist down on her mouth. She whimpered as blood dribbled down her quivering chin. The second man, slightly older, reached out to the tool chest and grabbed a drill. He tested the trigger a few times, smiling as Hester began to sob at the noise.
“Didn’t your dad ever teach you not to hit a lady?” Suzette couldn’t hide the growl in her voice.
The men looked up, shocked.
“Is that—?” the first asked.
The older one stared wide-eyed. “The Onyx Fox.”
Suzette curtsied for them. “Glad to hear I’m making an impression.” Without wasting another minute, she charged forward a step. And suddenly, her body hit the deck. Shocked, she glanced up to see the men ducking away, almost scalded by a flying ball of fire. It burst against the back of the warehouse.
The one closest to Hester knocked into her seat and sent the pair of them crashing to the ground. The woman quickly tugged on her loosened binds until she was free. Hester gasped and threw off the blindfold, her terrified eyes locking on Suzette.
Suzette went to give a reassuring grin, but her body rolled her away several feet. An intense heat radiated behind her. Pushing herself up, she regained her footing and kicked backward, sending whoever the assailant was stumbling away.
Suddenly, cries of agony echoed off the metal walls, turning Suzette’s attention back to Hester.
The woman straddled the man who had delivered the blow to her face. She gripped at his shirt and snarled at him as her eyes locked him in a horrified trance. The man writhed beneath her, screaming.
“Hester, stop!” Suzette shouted.
The sound drew Hester’s eyes away. She looked up at Suzette in bewilderment. Slowly, realization hit and she glanced down at the man in terror before yanking her arms up and away from him.
As his yelling died down, the second goon was up off the ground. He pulled a pistol out from the back of his pants, eyes locked on Hester.
Suzette darted forward and smacked the man’s hand up as the gunshot rippled through the warehouse. Then she reared back and punched him in the jaw, sending him back to the ground. She reached to grab him, but her feet retreated a few steps just as a hot bolt of fire zapped the floor in front of her. The impact sent her flipping over the tool chest, knocking it over on top of her. She groaned in pain and stopped, surprised by the sensation. She fought against the tools around her, desperate to find her footing. When she did, she jumped up and froze.
The only person left in the warehouse was the goon who had almost become Hester’s victim. He rolled around, muttering weakly under his breath. The gun that had once sat on the ground was now gone.
Suzette scrambled out the door, only to stumble to a halt again, shocked.
A goon ran through the dark toward the now running car. His whole frame was shrouded in darkness, but his hand… Is he on fire? He’s not even reacting! Does he even realize?
The man jumped into the car. As police sirens could be heard approaching in the distance, the tires squealed and the goons took off down the road before disappearing around a corner.
“Bram! Bram!” she blurted out, darting opposite of their direction.
“Are you talking to me?” Abraham grumbled through the earpiece.
“Yes!”
“Well, my name is not Bram,” he barked.
“Just tell me where Hester went!” she snarled.
“Hester’s heading north. I’m a little way behind her, now. I’ll hurry on ahead of her and scare her in your direction.”
Though she was breathless already, she couldn’t help but laugh at his retort. Altering her path by just a hair, she picked up the pace. “Thanks, Bram.” She smiled at the groan on the other end of the earpiece, almost indiscernible against Jack’s chuckling. “Jack, there were a few guys in there but they all scattered. Two hopped in a car. Do you know where they’re headed? I want to know where they’re operating.”
“I’ll work on it.”
She darted around buildings, trying to keep her path as straight as possible, letting her intuition guide her. She felt like she had been running for several minutes when Jack broke the silence.
“Suzette, the police scanner just went off,” he told her. “They got a report about the fires maybe five minutes ago and sent some cars down—that’s what scared those thugs off, I’m sure. But they just got another report about screaming and gunshots in the vicinity you’re coming up to. One patrol car split off and is on the way over to you. Hurry up.”
“I sent Hester backward just a while ago, so you’re closer now, Suzette,” Abraham said. “It’s up to you.”
Almost as soon as he finished, she could hear the police sirens. Despite the stitch developing in her side, she picked up the speed. But the wailing just kept getting closer and closer—louder and louder.
Without her permission, Suzette
’s foot turned outward and her body followed without hesitation, drawing her between the black veil of two buildings.
The flashing lights zoomed past her before the car came to a sudden stop.
“Bram—quick! Get to Hester!” she tried, scrambling up the short ladder on the side of the building.
“I can’t!” he snapped. “The cops are involved now!”
Furious at herself, she groaned and scrambled up to the roof.
“Put your hands up!”
No! Suzette wanted to scream as she darted to the edge. Looking down, she beheld Hester, literally caught red-handed over the dead body of the older goon with the gun. Fear was evident in her face as she stared into the headlights of the patrol car, terrified to look anywhere else. She blinked a few times and looked around for a place to run, but she was pressed against a wall. Her lips quivered as she looked up at the officers. “Please—he tried to kill me! I couldn’t—!” She choked on her words and abruptly became furious. “No! He deserved it!” The harsh words shook her humanity awake again and a single tear escaped her eye. “No—no! I’m sorry! I didn’t want to!”
The two cops came up and apprehended Hester. As one placed the cuffs on her and the other called in the report, she looked up and caught a glimpse of Suzette.
As a warning, Suzette brought her finger to her lips and shook her head, begging Hester not to say anything. Go peacefully.
Hester seemed to understand perfectly. Defeated, she burst into tears. From there, the cops placed her in their car and disappeared down the road.
Suzette sighed and sat down in the middle of the roof, out of sight. Dread filled her.
“You guys, what happened?” Jack asked frantically.
Suzette couldn’t find the words. Her chest heaved, trying to force down her bitter disappointment.
“Guys, talk to me!”
“They’ve arrested her.” The growl in Abraham’s voice made Suzette cringe.
Canto XVIII
The only thing keeping Dante’s nerves in check was the sound of his finger drumming against the bar counter. Bones’s cautious stare seared into the side of his head from the stool next to him. Dante watched his finger go up and down, his elbows planted firmly on the counter, waiting for Bones to stop cross-examining him with his eyes. Guess he didn’t get the memo about the freak ability.
Dante dared to steal a glance toward the back hall of the bar. The door to the back room had been shut for nearly half an hour as Ceasario, Uso, and Bernardo plotted over the next course of action, their angry voices carrying out into the bar. Dante couldn’t forget Ceasario’s face when he’d heard that the plan had failed. The memory made Dante cringe and he let his eyes fall back to his finger, tapping away at the scratched wood. Now, he just awaited his fate.
A door opened and Dante could feel Bones’s gaze rip away from him. As Dante heard the trio approach, he balled his fists together and set them against his mouth, making sure all of his nerves stayed bottled. He closed his eyes and waited.
There was silence. And it kept going. Dante could feel all eight eyes burning into him. And they kept burning. Searing. He could feel the heat inside of him rising and rising—faster and faster until—
He opened his eyes to his steaming fingers and let out a calm breath, stopping the rise of emotion.
“So, what happened?” Ceasario asked in a cool tone—too cool.
His ease left Dante wary, but also annoyed. “It went south.”
“And what exactly were you there for, again?”
Dante pursed his mouth shut, unable to answer.
“Turn around and look at me, boy,” Ceasario snapped.
With a blasé attitude, Dante swiveled in his seat and gave the trio in front of him an impertinent smirk.
The sight made Bernardo stiffen and take a step forward.
Ceasario set a hand up, eyes locked on Dante. “You were supposed to make sure the Onyx Fox didn’t interfere while my boys took care of the crazy broad,” he said with a sting in his voice. “Instead, I’ve got one man in prison and the other dead. You hear that? Another one of my men—dead. That’s on your head, kid.”
Dante’s insides shook, plagued by frustration and nervousness. “I didn’t actually expect the Onyx Fox,” he muttered.
Ceasario took a step forward. “You callin’ me a liar?” he snarled.
“No, I—”
“Then what? A freak like you, and a crime-fighter in a fancy costume caught you off guard? That’s what you’re telling me?”
“The boss gave you a job,” Uso added. “So, why didn’t you take care of the Onyx Fox?”
Dante’s hand tapped the side of his leg almost wildly now. “I tried, okay?” he barked at them.
Bernardo leapt across the gap and whipped Dante up by his shirt, yanking him straight off the stool. “Watch your mouth, kid,” he growled in Dante’s face.
Dante’s fingers sparked at the sight of the brute’s bloodthirsty eyes, his own frustration beginning to peak.
Uso’s hand quickly came into view between the two.
Bernardo took note of the sparks and set Dante back in his seat.
The trio quietly inspected Dante, each look reading something different.
“I’m sure we would have gotten them if it weren’t for the cops.”
Bones’s voice drew their harsh gaze. The man shrunk back in his seat and nodded at the implication of his requisite silence.
After a moment, Uso leaned in toward the boss. “Bones has a point, boss. Let’s not look at it as a total failure. Maybe it’ll prove useful to keep the kid around.” A grin crept across Uso’s mouth as he looked over at Dante. “He could certainly help weasel out all the pansies.”
Ceasario’s eyes narrowed. “I dunno if he’s man enough for this kind of work.”
Dante’s chest grew warm at the offense, but he quickly forced it down before it could show through sparks or steam.
“He sure showed Tony a thing or two. Now the guy’ll think twice before trying to hide something from you,” Uso mused. “In fact, I’d say he’s more loyal than ever now, wouldn’t you?”
The idea caused a very visible war to wage in Ceasario’s eyes. He glanced sideways at Uso and let out a hum as he mulled it over. “I’m not sure how much use he is if he can’t even protect my men from the vigilante.”
“I tried to hit her,” Dante interjected, sure to watch his tone. “I really did.”
Bernardo let out an amused chuckle. “Kid looks serious, Boss.”
Ceasario took a step back and rubbed his chin, lost in thought. As he contemplated the fate of the situation, Dante sat in agony, awaiting the verdict. Finally, the boss let out a sigh and squared up to Dante. “If I give you another chance, we need to lay some ground rules,” he growled. “First, I want your undying loyalty, just like that of my late employee. He didn’t care that the cops were coming. No, he chased after the dame I told him to annihilate. He tried to follow my orders to his dying breath. That’s the loyalty I want from you, got it?”
Dante gulped and nodded.
“Second, no more attitude. A smart mouth doesn’t last long in my company. Those kinds of folks tend to disappear.”
Dante let out a slow, quiet exhale. “Of course.”
Ceasario glanced back and forth between his two men before sneering. “Be lucky Uso saved your hide.” Then he reached into his coat and presented a wad of cash before tossing it to Dante. “Consider it an investment.”
Dante caught the money. Baffled, he fanned through the bills, enjoying the sight of each duplicated face as it passed. And I know exactly what to do with it, he thought, the image of a $500 price tag resurfacing.
—
With the hotel phone to his ear, Dorian lounged comfortably on his couch as the ringing through the speaker hummed melodiously. The more it rang, the more eager he became. He let out a long breath, trying to suppress his angst. After all, it had only been a day since Henry left the country. Yeah, a whole day I could ha
ve been spending with the Order. Henry doesn’t even appreciate the honor he’s been given. Jealously ate at Dorian as he knew the doctor was still overseas in their company.
“Hello?”
“What happened?! Tell me everything!” Disappointed in his failure to remain cool, Dorian sighed and repositioned himself, trying again. “What was it like?” he asked, calmer.
“Well…” Henry fell silent on the other end of the phone. “When I got there, Jill introduced me to her master,” he began, quiet and disturbed. “Just that morning, they had confined him to his bed, so she had to escort me to his private chambers.”
Dorian felt excitement and jealousy at such a privilege as that. “And?” he breathed, picking at the seam of the couch arm.
“And Jill began to explain the…” Henry’s voice began to shake. “The ceremony to me and…what it meant and…” He fell quiet again.
Dorian exhaled shakily, just trying to imagine such an elaborate, powerful ritual as the one Henry must have witnessed. “And?” he pressed.
“She was smiling,” Henry grumbled through clenched teeth.
“Go on!”
Jekyll sighed and waited a moment more. “Hyde took over,” he whispered ashamedly. “Jill’s master was pleased to see him and asked him to perform the ceremony. I watched from a mirror as Hyde spoke. It was a different language, similar to the one you used during the experiments. Only, he didn’t use a book. It was like he just knew what to say from memory.” Henry’s voice grew panicked, like he was reliving the scene. “And—and it was horrible! And when it was over, Jill just… She just left the room, speechless. Emotionless. I don’t—I’m not sure what she thought.”
“What do you mean, ‘what she thought’? Spit it out!”
“He’s dead,” he finally breathed.
Dorian’s blood turned cold. “Dead?”
“Dead,” Henry affirmed, almost triumphantly.
Dorian hadn’t even known he was pacing until he slumped back down into his seat. He had no idea what to say, what to think, what to do—a rare moment indeed. The master was supposed to die of old age, not slowly and painfully, poisoned by an enemy of the Order. He deserved a better way to go. No, he was stronger than that. Henry must have been mistaken. “Are you sure?”
Blind World (The Onyx Fox Saga Book 1) Page 41