My canines came out and my claws extended. My face scrunched up, making way for my muzzle, and I let out a howl. Tony shrieked, scurrying away from me, but I had my claws in him—he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Come back here, little Tony,” I taunted. “I thought we were becoming friends.”
“I didn’t know you were a wolf!” he cried as he tried to crawl away.
“Don’t be prejudiced. That’s not nice.”
“Please don’t eat me!”
I laughed. Loudly.
“Eat you? Little boy, please.” I grabbed the ropes and tied his wrists together on top of his lap before Amy walked back in. This time, if he untied them, I’d see it.
Going through his stash, I pulled out his phone and put it close to his face. “Now, Tony, what’s your PayPal?”
We left the necromancer in the abandoned store to wait for Bobby Wu to pick him up. Who knew what he was going to do with the little twerp, but that was none of my concern anymore. My debt was paid. I really needed to stop going to Bobby for help. Seeing Tony and how deep he was with the warlock was a nice little reminder of what could happen in my future. Dealing with the warlock was no joke, and I needed to stop taking the easy way out when I had problems. Easy magic wasn’t the solution. The faster I realized it, the better off I’d be. Maybe Bobby did me a solid by doing this.
Amy and I went straight for the Brooklyn Pack warehouse. It was on lockdown since the attack the other night. No unwanted guests were getting in, and the building was being patrolled round the clock.
When we walked in, Bash, Duke, and the captains were huddled around the cafeteria-style tables on the main floor. They were discussing a new plan of attack similar to the one at Central Park. It had drawn Enzo’s humans out the first time, but it wouldn’t the second time. It was time I told them the truth about everything.
“It won’t work,” I said, drawing their attention. “Not this time.”
“And why’s that?” Bash crossed his arms over his chest.
I cleared my throat. “Because Enzo won’t be baited. Not again.”
“Enzo?” Duke raised a brow. “What do you know about him?”
“I know a lot more than all of you. Like, where he is at this precise moment.”
Bash’s ice-blue eyes chilled the room, and I thought he was going to burst a blood vessel. The veins in his temple were pumping with each tick of his jaw—he was ready to explode.
The main floor went quiet as they watched Bash and me like a tennis match, waiting to see who would react first. It wouldn’t be me.
“My office,” he ordered quietly. “Now.”
I followed him down to the basement. It wasn’t the time for any immature antics. Duke came with us, which didn’t surprise me. It was his life on the line as well.
Duke shut the door to Bash’s office. I waited for the yelling, but it didn’t come. Bash paced in silence, making me uncomfortable. I looked at the cowboy, who only looked at me with pity. Ugh. I hated that.
“I know you’re mad,” I started, “but you were safe in the warehouse. I had to take advantage of that. If the tables were reversed, you’d have done the same thing.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Mackenzie,” Bash argued. “I would have worked with you. Why are you so secretive lately?”
My face heated up and my body tensed. I felt like I was on trial.
“I’m not. I was protecting you.”
“Right.” He rolled his eyes.
Anger rose within me. “Let’s not talk about secrets,” I blurted. “You had a pretty big one until recently. If someone wasn’t out to kill you, would you have told me?”
We stared each other down, and the quiet was answer enough. Bash would have gone to his grave with this secret. Our promise to tell each other everything was a hoax. Who were we kidding?
“Y’all,” Duke stepped in, “maybe we should stay on track. Kenz, if you have any info on Enzo, it’d be highly appreciated.”
I glared at Sebastian a second longer before I tore my gaze away. Duke was right; this wasn’t the time or place.
“Enzo is smart,” I said. “He’s not doing any of the dirty work but hiding behind a human army of his making.”
Duke looked at me. “How do you know this?”
“It's still a theory but one I strongly believe in. Unless you guys really did bite Natasha?” They both shook their heads. “Exactly. My running theory is he’s the one who bit them.”
“And he tells them the story of killing their maker to end the curse before the full moon,” Bash said.
I nodded. “What I haven’t figured out is why. Could Enzo be Killian wanting to tie up loose ends?”
“No” Duke shook his head adamantly. “I promise it’s not him.”
“You said you have a location,” Bash said. “Where?”
I pulled a map of Long Island from my back pocket. “He’s hiding in a random house in New Hyde Park.” I pointed to its location on the map with the address written on the side. “I had a friend of mine do a locator spell—”
“You mean Bobby Wu,” Bash said.
I sneered. “And if I did?”
“I told you to stay away from that warlock. He’s bad news!” Bash walked toward Duke and me. “He’s going to get you into trouble.”
“I’m a big girl, Bash. I can take care of myself.”
“You’re also a cop. Ever thought of that?”
I pressed my lips together but kept quiet. He was right. I was toeing a line between right and wrong. Sooner or later, I’d be in deep shit.
“Wait a minute, are you sure this is where he is?” Bash pointed to the house on the map.
“Positive. Why?”
Bash’s face turned beet-red. “Son of a bitch!” he yelled as he ripped the map to shreds and crumpled it up, tossing the pieces everywhere.
“What the hell?!” I threw my hands in the air.
“Sebastian!” Duke reached for the Alpha, but Bash almost swung at him.
Before we had an opportunity to react, he stormed out of the office and up to the main floor, barking orders all the way.
“Bernard!” he yelled. “Gas up the trucks. Mohammad, set up the teams. Jackson, I want you running point on squad two—”
I tuned him out as I followed him and found Amy in the fray. She was standing with Jackson, holding hands.
Amy quickly released him. “Kenz, what is going on?”
I shook my head. “I seriously have no idea. I told him the location and he lost it. He won’t tell me why, and he completely destroyed the map.”
“Darling, he's not in his right mind,” Duke interrupted. “That place in New Hyde Park must mean something to him.”
Jackson choked on the water he was drinking. “New Hyde Park? As in Long Island?”
I nodded. “What gives?”
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “That’s where Bash grew up. How can you not know this?”
“I thought Bash was born in Rhode Island. That’s what he told me …”
“He was, but his mom moved them up north when he was really young. He was raised in New York,” Jackson explained.
I paled. Enzo was playing a game. This could be a trap.
“Duke …” I looked up at the Alpha.
“I’m thinking the same thing, darlin’.”
We went in search of Bash, who was setting up a plan of attack with Mohammad.
“We charge the house from both entrances, sealing the garage door from the outside,” he ordered.
“Bash, I need to speak with you,” I requested, but he had tunnel vision.
“Not now.”
“Yes, now,” Duke said. “Will you excuse us, Mohammad?”
The captain was stuck between the two Alphas, but when I flashed my silver eyes, he couldn’t refuse a princess. He left.
“We don’t have time for this,” Bash said. “He could be leaving there at any moment.”
“Or this can be a trap,” I offered. “It�
�s your childhood home, isn’t it?”
He glared at me, his jaw ticking in tandem with the vein in his neck.
“He’s obviously done his research on us, Sebastian,” Duke said. “We can’t go in there guns blazing. It’s what he wants. I know for a fact it is not Killian. We’re being tricked.”
“What if he is there? Are we just going to let him go?”
“We need to be smart about it,” I implored. “Let Duke take lead on this mission.”
Getting Bash to give up the reins was harder than getting me to eat healthy. He eventually saw reason, especially when I brought up the fact he could get his pack members killed. After the massacre of the Lunas a few years ago, he didn’t wanna any more deaths in his pack.
In four separate SUVs, we rode from Brooklyn to Long Island. It was a little over an hour and a half with traffic, giving us the opportunity to go over Duke’s plan. Since Enzo had come to my apartment, I’d be the one to go into the house while the captains flanked the home looking for any traps and openings. Enzo would most likely be expecting me anyway.
“I don’t like this,” Bash repeated for the nth time since we’d left the warehouse.
“We know,” Duke said. “Mackenzie has proven she can hold her own though.”
“It’s my intel anyway,” I reminded him from the back seat, where I was sitting with Amy and Jackson.
“Do not engage him, Mackenzie.” Bash looked at me in the rearview mirror as he drove. “Get as much information out of him, but don’t goad him. You understand?”
“I make no promises.”
Amy snickered.
“This is serious. Enzo is a dangerous man. He’s clever. We don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“He doesn’t know what I’m capable of,” I murmured. After all, Enzo was a wolf just like the rest of us.
Sebastian parked the SUV across the street and a block away within viewing distance of the house. The other cars followed, dispersing in different areas of the neighborhood to be inconspicuous.
The block was relatively quiet, just a typical, suburban neighborhood. A few kids played down the street, and Duke ordered Wyatt to compel them inside.
The house was a two-story brick home with a one-car garage. The front lawn had a gorgeous garden—someone was doing the upkeep. Smoke billowed out of the chimney, which was odd because it was summer time.
“Someone’s inside,” Jackson announced.
“It's him.” Bash got out of the car, and we rushed to follow him.
He wasn’t acting like himself. There was more to this than just his childhood home. He had more secrets he wasn’t telling me. A sinking feeling in my gut rolled in and I felt sick. I’d known Bash for over three years, and he was like a stranger to me at the moment. Did I ever know him at all? Or was it all just a fantasy? Had Alexander been right at first? I shook my head. This wasn’t the time.
“Bash, let’s stick with the plan,” I said, stopping him before he went any farther. “I’m the hot head. Let’s not switch roles today, okay?”
His nostrils flared, but he nodded once in agreement. I sighed in relief and watched as Bash and Duke stayed behind with Amy.
The captains surrounded the house, taking the sides and the rear. Before I went straight for the front door, I paused and shut my eyes, pulling at my oracle sight, hoping to get a layout of the house before entering it. Drawing emotions from deep inside, I channeled my fear of losing Bash. The sight typically worked whenever I feared something, so this was a longshot. I thought of losing Bash like I’d lost Jonah. I scrunched my forehead inward, focusing on that emotion, but I came up empty and my eyes popped open. I was standing in front of the door while everyone waited for me to get on with the mission. What was the whole point of being this wolf-oracle hybrid badass if I can’t even use my powers when I needed them?
I rang the doorbell and knocked. After about thirty seconds, I looked back at the Alphas and shook my head. Duke gave me the signal, and I went for the doorknob. It was open. Slowly, I turned it and pushed open the door. Making sure it wasn’t booby-trapped, I slipped inside and shut it behind me. Going into a half-shift, I sniffed the air and smelled the fire burning in the fireplace but also the scent of cigarettes. Walking out of the foyer, I entered the living room and found cigarette butts littering the floor.
“Hello?” I called out. “Enzo?”
Heavy footsteps approached from what I assumed was the kitchen.
“Took you long enough. Although, I expected to see Sebastian Steel” Enzo came into the living room. Just like the human who’d followed me the other night, he wore a hoodie that covered his face except for his mouth. They had the same average body build, but most of it was hidden by the oversized hoodie.
“Poetic justice, huh?” I raised a brow.
“Something like that,” he smirked. “You’re a smart girl to have found me so quickly. I underestimated you. I won’t be doing that again.”
“This is the end of your games, Enzo. You’re finished.”
He chuckled. “You can be so dense at times.”
“You’re not leaving here.”
“I know.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What’s your game?”
“You really haven’t figured it out yet, have you?” He tilted his head in the same direction as me. “I bet Duke and Sebastian have.”
I gulped. Just more secrets. “You’re not the first monster I’ve dealt with.”
He smiled brightly. “Oh, trust me, that much I know. The great Mackenzie Grey. I know all about you. I look forward to playing with a formidable opponent such as yourself. It really is quite the honor.”
“I’m done playing, Enzo,” I growled, catching a whiff of tar.
“You see, I’m not Enzo,” he lifted his hood and revealed his face, “but he sends his regards.” The man unzipped his hoodie, revealing a bomb strapped to his chest.
I turned and ran out of the house. “Bomb!” I screamed as I exited Bash’s childhood home. The captains came running around the corner of the house as I continued to yell. All I could see was Sebastian down the street, his eyes wide with fear, being held back by Duke and Amy. I wouldn’t leave until everyone was safely outside, especially Jackson.
I stood on the front lawn waiting for Jackson. He came around the corner when the bomb went off.
“Jackson!” I shouted as the house exploded. The windows shattered outward and parts of the roof were blown off. The blast threw me across the street, and I banged my head on the road. My vision went pitch-black, and all I heard was a loud, high-pitched ringing in my ears. The air had been knocked out of me—I was suddenly caught in a fit of coughs. I rolled over to my side and winced when glass punctured my skin. My vision was returning, but it was clouded. Red and orange flames licked the air as the fire engulfed the house.
“Jackson,” I croaked as I tried to crawl toward the house.
“Mackenzie!” Sebastian’s voice was loud and clear in the chaos. He dropped to his knees beside me and cradled me in his arms. “You stupid girl. What were you thinking?”
“Jackson,” I repeated and tried to point where I’d seen him, but I started to cough again.
“We’ll find him. Don’t worry.” Bash rocked me and wiped my hair away from my face.
The blaring of sirens sounded in the distance, and I found myself going in and out of consciousness. I couldn’t black out without knowing whether Jackson was alive. I had to know …
My head fell back, and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. Everything went black.
9
A faraway beeping sound stirred me awake, and the sheets were rough against my skin. This wasn’t the soft bedding I was accustomed to; they were over-washed and cheap. I grimaced at the pungent smell of bleach. The top of my hand itched, and when I went to scratch it, pain coursed through my hand. My eyes were practically glued shut. Wiping away the eye boogers, I peeled them open.
“The hell?” I muttered as I smacked myself in the
face with the cold I.V. tube.
My vision grew glossy, and my throat burned with the need to cry out. I was in a hospital. Alone. Last I remembered, Jackson was caught in the blast and …
I curled into the fetal position and wrapped my arms around my knees, not caring that the I.V. was pinching my hand. Jackson was most likely dead. If only I’d gotten my sight to work, I would have known there was a goddamn bomb. I could have stopped this. I could have saved him. Now, I had to tell Jonah I’d killed his brother too …
I let out an anguished cry.
The curtain beside my bed was opened, revealing Jackson in the bed beside me. “Morning, sunshine.”
“Jackson!” I shot up a little too fast, sending blood to my head in a rush. “Whoa.”
“Easy there,” he said. “I know you’re excited to see me, but slow down.”
“Shit.” I rubbed at my temple. “I thought you were …” I gulped, licking away my tears.
“Ditto,” he whispered. “You didn’t have to come back for me, you know.”
“Of course, I did.” It went quiet for a moment. “Is everyone okay?”
He nodded. “Some injuries, but nothing severe. Everyone’s been waiting for you though. What happened inside the house?”
I didn’t want to answer that question without Bash and Duke around. It’d be a mouthful, and the fact we got played—again—wasn’t going to be a joy to explain.
“Why are we in a hospital?” I thought getting the humans involved would be the last thing they’d want to do.
“Your boyfriend freaked out, so that’s why we’re here. Don’t worry, it’s supernatural friendly.”
I sat up slowly. “We’re back in Brooklyn?”
“No,” Amy answered, walking in with a tray of coffee, “we’re in Queens.”
“It was the closest hospital,” Jackson muttered as Amy handed him a drink.
“Which means …” I started to say as the last person I wanted to see walked into the room. “Cas is here.” Cassidy Chang, my co-worker at the SIU and a member of the Queens Pack.
“Kenz …” he said. Bash and Duke trailed behind him. “Why am I not surprised?” He shook his head and laughed. “You get put on a two-week mandatory vacation, and you still seem to get yourself into trouble.”
From the Grave Page 9