by S. E. Meyer
“I'm not putting those on. You can shove them up your ass.”
The butler pulled out a gun. Cocking the weapon, he aimed it at Damarion's head. “Put them on or Damarion dies right now. You can watch your father bleed out all over the floor.”
Isabelle swallowed, stretching her tight throat. Shaking her head, she reached through the bars and took the cuffs from the butler. “You're a sick human being,” Isabelle said, ratcheting a cuff around one wrist before sliding the other between the bars. “No different than the man you work for.”
Still on her knees, Isabelle wrapped her left hand around the bottom of the metal bar she'd chosen, hiding the cut that Damarion had almost completed before the butler attacked. She closed the other cuff around her left wrist.
The butler stood up and went to the door's console. He typed in the code and the door's latch clicked. Tucking the gun back in his suit jacket, he swung the door just far enough to slip through. “Now play nice,” the butler said, taking up a position behind Isabelle. “Or I'll kill him.” He pulled Isabelle's ankles backward.
Isabelle's hands trembled on the cold metal bars, staring at her father's motionless frame.
Wake up, she thought. You have to wake up.
Her cuffed wrists forced her to support herself with her knees and elbows.
Isabelle moved her shaking hand to inspect the bar as the butler pushed his skeletal frame against her.
Isabelle's eyes widened. The cut was almost complete with just enough gap to slide the handcuff chain through. She glanced back at her father.
What do I do? What do I do?
Then, out of the corner of her sweat-stung eye, she saw it. The butt of her father's handgun, just visible beneath the fold of his jacket.
Yes, of course. He never leaves the house without his gun. But can I reach it?
Isabelle contemplated her move as the slender shadow behind her pawed at her clothing.
It's now or never, she thought. To save both of us.
Isabelle let out a breath.
On her elbows, she braced her hands against the door and kicked backwards landing a blow to the butlers midsection. As the man teetered backwards, Isabelle slipped the cuff chain between the bars before throwing both her arms through the gap, reaching for Damarion's gun.
The bars pressing tight against her triceps she strained to find the gun with her fingertips.
“I told you to play nice,” the butler said, righting himself. His eyes widened as Isabelle's fingers found the gun. In an instant she pulled her arms back through, but with bound wrists she struggled to load the chamber.
The butler reached for his gun.
Isabelle’s heart slammed against her chest as she tried again.
The butler took aim.
Her heart skipped a full beat as the semi-automatic‘s upper receiver snapped into place and Isabelle fired three rounds. The man fell backwards with gun in hand, crashing to the floor. Isabelle slipped through the unlocked doorway and knelt next to Damarion. “Wake up. Come on! Wake up!” she urged, slapping his cheeks. “We have to get out of here.”
Damarion stirred.
“Dad! Dad, wake up.”
The butler groaned and Isabelle snapped her neck around to see the gaunt man raising his firearm. Isabelle raised her father's gun with shaking hands. With eyes closed she squeezed the trigger, emptying the clip.
Several seconds ticked by, gripping the gun through white knuckles and sweaty palms. She opened one eye, squinting through the bars. The butler was lying on his side, motionless.
Isabelle let out another long breath.
At least my father taught me how to shoot a gun.
“Dad!” she yelled into Damarion's face.
Damarion sat straight up. “What?”
“What is that look on your face?”
“I think that's the first time you've called me dad.”
“We need to go,” Isabelle urged, helping her father to his feet.
Damarion looked around the room. “What the hell happened?”
“I'll explain later.”
“Can we get these handcuffs off?”
“I don't think we have time. The butler said men are on their way back.”
Damarion nodded. “All right, let's go.”
They flew down the hall and jumped the steps two at a time. Arriving at the front door, Isabelle pulled it open and they leaped from the front landing. Out of breath, they clamored into the car.
“Where do we go?” Isabelle asked. “Cornelius will look for us.” She shook her head. “This will piss him right off!”
Damarion started the car and pushed down hard on the gas pedal. “Don't worry. I'll take you somewhere safe where no one will find you.”
CHAPTER III
The steady beep of the heart monitor lulled Anna back to consciousness. She opened her eyes, wincing. “Ow!” she groaned, placing a hand to her left side.
“I’ll let you go, she's waking up,” Charlie said, ending his call and rushing to Anna's side. “Are you okay?”
Anna placed a hand on her head and rubbed her temple. “I think so. What the hell happened?”
“You took a bullet and lost a lot of blood. You're lucky though, it was a ricochet. It lodged between your third and fourth rib. Does it hurt?”
Anna winced again, clenching her jaw. “Only when I breathe,” she replied.
She shook her head as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Charlie sat down on the bed. “Oh, Anna. Is it that bad? I’ll get a doctor,” he said, rubbing her arm.
“No, It‘s not my rib.” She looked up at Charlie. “It’s everything else. I was just dreaming about Atticus. I grew close to him as I grew up. We spent a lot of time together and finding out he was the Lonewolf hit me hard. I can't believe I didn't figure that out, and now he's gone.” Anna shook her head. “I'm just sick and tired of watching the people I love get sent through the gates. First Billy, and now Atticus.” With a clenched jaw, Anna let out a long breath. “When will it end?”
Charlie leaned in, kissing her on the forehead. He pulled a tissue from the bedside table and dabbed Anna‘s cheeks. “I'm sorry,” he said. “What can I do?”
Anna shrugged. “There's nothing you can do, Charlie.” She clutched her side. “I'm a tough girl. I'll be all right.”
Sara entered the room and stopped at the other side of Anna's bed. She touched Anna's hand and smiled. “I guess it's my turn to come visit you in the hospital.”
Anna forced a smile. “Damn right.”
“Are you okay?”
Anna nodded. “I will be.”
Jack limped into the room and set a cup of coffee on Anna's bedside table.
“Wow, I guess everyone is coming to see me today, and you brought me coffee, sir? That must have been expensive. Thank you.”
Jack sat down in the chair near the foot of Anna's bed. “Don't worry, Anna. It didn't cost me an arm and a leg. It was half price.” Jack grinned.
Anna let out a weak chuckle through another wince. “Come on now, don't make me laugh,” she said holding her side. “It hurts.”
“You look like you could use some cheering up,” Jack replied. “As soon as you're up for it, your badge and gun are waiting for you in my office.”
Anna nodded. “Thank you, sir. I'm ready to get back to work. I'll come see you tomorrow.”
“Whoa, slow down Anna,” Jack replied. “There's no rush. You need to recover.”
“It's just a few stitches,” Anna shrugged.
“And nicked a good blood vessel,” Charlie added.
“I'm fine,” Anna said.
“Take your time Anna. I'll see you when you're ready,” Jack said, rising from the chair. “I wish you a speedy recovery,” he added before leaving the room.
“I should go too,” Sara said. “I need to go to school. I'll come back and visit you tonight,” she said, leaning over Anna and giving her sister a warm embrace.
“Thanks for coming, sis,” Anna re
plied. “Is everything good at home? You're doing your chores, studying, and staying off the weed?”
Sara shook her head. “I came to make sure you were okay, don‘t be a crotch-waffle,” she teased, smiling.
“I won't, as long as you’re not lying around like a half-baked twat-dish.” Anna returned the smile.
Sara laughed. “I have to go.”
“Bring chocolate.”
“Okay,” she replied before leaving the room.
Anna placed a finger on her chin and raised her eyebrows. “Charlie. Hand me my phone,” she requested, pointing to her bedside table.
Charlie lifted the phone and handed it to Anna. “Where’s your tablet?” Anna asked.
“Right here,” Charlie replied, pulling the tablet from a small table in the room's corner.
“Good.” Anna tapped her phone. “I'm sending you a picture I took of a man I saw yesterday at the wall ceremony. He gave me the creeps.”
“Okay got it. This guy?” Charlie asked, turning his tablet toward Anna.
“Yes.”
“Nice hat,” Charlie noted.
“Right? Let's run him through Facial Rec.”
Charlie tapped the screen. “Okay, let's see who he is.”
They waited several seconds for the search to run.
Charlie lowered an eyebrow.
The screen display read ‘No Match Found.’
“That‘s strange,” Anna noted. “Everyone has a file.”
“Everyone except this guy. He's a ghost.”
◆◆◆
“Where is he?” Cornelius roared, entering the ballroom with Richard.
“Who?” asked an employee sitting at the workstation on Cornelius’s left, a cup of coffee trembling in his hands. He set the cup down for fear of spilling it.
“Who do you think? I'm looking for George. Where the hell is that imbecile?” Cornelius barked.
A young man ran into the ballroom, stopping in front of Cornelius to catch his breath. “Sir, I just got word you made it back, I-”
“Shut up!” Cornelius spat, moving within an inch of George's nose. “What the hell happened? I left for three days and you screwed up this entire operation!”
George stood motionless, without flinching, even when Cornelius's spittle sprayed his cheek.
“Sir, I-”
“Don't speak!” Cornelius turned and ran his arm along the top of the desk to his right, sending the desk's contents, including the computer, crashing to the floor. “The wolf got out, Isabelle escaped, my butler is dead, and they hacked our system! It's like no one was even here. What am I paying you all for!” Cornelius raged through red jowls. He stopped to light a cigarette. “You're all fired!” he finished, exhaling through a cough. “But first, you incompetent fools will give me an update.”
George held his breath, waiting to see if he had permission to speak. Cornelius slapped the man across the face. “What the hell is a matter with you, boy? I said update, now!”
George rubbed his cheek while staring at his shoes. “Yes, Sir.” He turned and nodded at a woman sitting at a workstation illuminated several monitor screens. “We're re-writing the firewall code to avoid future attacks, but they did some damage. At least the citizens aren't blaming you for the inability to capture the Lonewolf. In fact, they‘re thrilled over his sentencing. There's been a large uptick in citizen's communication over relief he's gone.”
“Where are my ratings?”
“Down five points since yesterday,” George explained.
The screen on Cornelius's left changed, showing his current rating. It displayed seventy-two percent in large block letters. Cornelius winced.
“We‘re working on that, sir,” George continued. “We'll get the ratings back up, as I explained the citizens don't blame you. On the other hand, everyone is talking about Anna Wool. With the breach, they're giving her all the credit.”
“And where are her ratings,” Cornelius crackled.
Biting his lip, George touched the red hand-print on his face. He gave a nod, and the screen changed. In large block letters the screen now read eighty-one percent.
Cornelius's eyes widened, the vein in his temple bulging with a purple hue. He grabbed the nearest ceramic coffee cup and threw it at the screen, smashing the cup to pieces and cracking the screen.
“It's okay, sir. This is actually good news.”
“Good news!” Cornelius raged, moving towards George. Flinching, George took a step back.
“Yes, the citizens are demanding she receives an award, and as Governor, you will be the one to deliver it. With Agent Wool's ranking so high, yours will climb just by being seen with her in public. This is your best course in the public's eye. The election is nearing. Hearts and minds, sir.”
Cornelius took a long drag from his cigarette. “Hearts and minds,” he scoffed. “You want me to ride that girl's shirt tails?” he growled. “Never! She‘s the one responsible for getting Lonewolf through the gates.” he finished, looking around for something else to throw.
Richard had remained silent while witnessing the outburst. He adjusted the sling holding his left arm. “He's right Grandfather. Trust me. It's the best plan of action at this point. It helps your ratings and puts Wool in the spotlight so we can keep an eye on her. This could be a good thing.“
“You're all still fired!” Cornelius yelled. He kicked the chair in front of him, stubbing his toe. “Shit!”
CHAPTER IV
While crossing the police station parking lot, Anna caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see the man in the bowler hat at the lot's far end.
Anna froze.
The man stood motionless, boring holes through her with his piercing stare.
There he is again. Is he following me?
Anna shuddered.
With unwavering eye contact, the man moved toward her, lifting the hair on Anna's neck.
Maybe I should find out what he wants, Anna thought, against her better judgment.
The man reached into his suit jacket, rocketing Anna's pulse.
Shit.
Anna glanced around the empty parking lot.
I'm alone.
And I don't have my gun.
Anna bolted for the police station steps. Holding her side through the pain, she took the steps three at a time and scanned her ID through the console.
Anna whipped around, waiting for the familiar click of the lock giving way.
With a hand still inside his jacket, the man in the bowler hat jogged toward her.
Anna turned, slapping her palm on the console.
Maybe they forgot to update my ID?
“Come on!” she breathed, pulling on the door's handle.
They wouldn't let me out of the hospital for three damn days. Jack should have updated my ID by now.
The lock clicked as the man reached the steps. With her trembling hand still gripping the handle, Anna pulled the door and ran inside, almost crashing into Jeff.
“Oh, sorry.” she said, looking up into Jeff's face.
Anna rolled her eyes. “Oh, it's you.”
Great, here we go. First day back and some sketchy guy with a hat is chasing me through the parking lot, and now I have to deal with this asshole.
Jeff made eye contact with Anna and lowered his eyebrows. “No, I'm the one who should be sorry.”
“What are you talking about?” Anna shook her head, pointing at the door. “Someone is following me.”
“What? Where?” Jeff asked, peering through the glass doorway.
“He was right there,” Anna replied, looking out into the vacant steps and parking lot.
Anna let out a long breath. “I don't understand, he was right behind me.”
“Anna, I'm glad I ran into you. Well, I guess you ran into me.” Jeff smiled.
Horrible way to start the day.
Anna turned her gaze from the doorway. “What do you want, Jeff?”
“The day you got suspended. I was a to
tal asshole. I just wanted to apologize.”
Anna nodded.
Wow, didn't see that coming.
Jeff extended his hand. “You brought in the Lonewolf, all on your own when no one else could even get close to him. I respect you for that, and I realize I misjudged you.”
“Thank-you.” Anna replied, taking Jeff's hand and shaking it. “It will take more than one apology to change my opinion of you, but I appreciate the effort.”
Jeff smiled. “I'm just asking for a chance to start over.” He pulled a hundred-dollar bill from his jacket and tucked in into Anna's pocket. “I can't keep this in good conscience. Making a bet on you getting fired was cruel.”
“Thanks,” she said turning to climb the steps to her office.
Arriving at her open office door, Anna stood in the doorway taking in the scene as the scent of fresh flowers filled her nose.
Anna placed a hand over her mouth.
“Wow.”
There were dozens of bouquets littering the room. She leaned over to read the cards and breathed the exhilarating aroma. letting out a sigh of relief when she realized the flowers were not from Richard.
Thank God. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to throw them all away.
Anna browsed the cards and smiled. They were all from coworkers. Even Jeff sent a small grouping of carnations.
It did not start off well, but this is turning out to be a good morning, Anna thought. She took in one more breath of the fresh flora before heading to Jack's office.
She poked her head into her boss's doorway and Jack glanced up from his computer, grinning. “Get in here Wool,” he said, waving her over. Anna's rib twinged, making her swing her hip to favor her right side as she entered Jack's office.
“You're walking around like you’re wearing a peg leg or something. Anna, are you mocking a wounded veteran?” Jack asked, still grinning.
“No, sir, it's my rib-”
“Yes, yes. I'm just giving you shit. Speaking of peg legs.” Jack placed a patch over his left eye and donned a pirate hat. “What do you think?”
“About what?” Anna asked, raising both eyebrows.