Lunar Bound, page 10
part #4 of Sky Brooks World: Ethan Series
“Sable threatened Kelly,” Sebastian stated. “To hurt Gavin.”
That was a surprise—more so that Gavin hadn’t told me. I took in the new factors, weighing how that changed the situation. The news increased my newfound fear that Kelly might be in danger. Anderson was a fool, but he wasn’t cruel. Sable was a psychopath, a trait she’d displayed well before becoming a vampire. Her obsession with Gavin made her even more unpredictable.
Sebastian continued, his eyes fixed on the road. “Sky told me at dinner. I talked to Sable, and to Demetrius. She admitted to the threat, but denied following through.”
By his flat tone, I knew he wasn’t convinced.
“He should’ve said something.” As the head of security for the pack, I’d a right to know of any threats to our members, and allies like Kelly. Her safety was my responsibility as well.
“I’ll address the issue.”
The chip on Gavin’s shoulder didn’t always make him amenable to correction. I suspected Sebastian would find a way to get his point through.
The Ares Pack leased an old warehouse in the city. I knew the location because the Midwest Pack bought the property six months ago. Since I’d retained the same property management firm, Anderson didn’t even notice the transfer in ownership.
We arrived to find a pair of police cars parked in front of the warehouse, lights flashing—Tim and three other officers who were pack members. Tim and Anderson appeared to be having a conversation. I counted thirty behind Anderson, facing a dozen more of mine that included Gavin, Winter, Marko, and Steven. A lot of tense, angry faces watched our SUV as Sebastian casually brought it to a halt next to the police cars. Sebastian, his jaw set, emerged from the SUV as casually as if he were out to dine. Josh and I followed.
Most of the Ares grinned at our approach like they’d just found a mouse in a trap. They held faith in their numerical advantage, but our were-animals were stronger, faster, and immensely more skilled at fighting. I knew we had enough on hand to permanently deal with the Ares, should Anderson let the situation escalate. Anderson himself looked just as confident as his pack, but looks were deceiving. The presence of the police had rattled him. That the officers were were-animals belonging to a rival faction didn’t matter. If the officers were harmed, the rest of the Chicago police would come for revenge, precisely why I’d invited Tim. I intended to use every bit of leverage available to nip Anderson’s ambitions in the bud. So far, he hadn’t done any real damage. If the pack could be saved, it would be.
I scanned their faces, searching for a stranger. My own magical ability gave me the ability to sense the magic of others. If the jackal was among the Ares, its dark magic would be apparent. Josh was making the same survey.
Sebastian walked directly up to Anderson, who stood his ground. Shorter by nearly a foot, he stared up at the Elite. His chest puffed out and his shoulders pulled back. In contrast, Sebastian was calm, clinical. They stood like that for a long, quiet moment, staring, unblinking, Alpha to Alpha. For all his bravado, Anderson’s heart pounded. If violence broke out, he knew he’d be the first to die.
When his pack stirred, impatient, Anderson signaled them to sit tight. Looking at those chomping at the bit for the taste of blood, I wondered if he had enough control over his pack to keep them in line.
After a long, tense quiet, Sebastian finally spoke. “Your Beta is dead at my hands.”
The muscles of Anderson’s jaw rippled as an angry murmur passed among the Ares. Sebastian offered no excuse, no justification, no reason for Anderson to accept the offense. Either he responded with a challenge, as his pack expected, or he was weakened before them. He knew that challenging Sebastian meant a fight to the death. Anderson had to know that his chances of success were nil. Judging by the buzzing anger of the Ares, it seemed their Beta was popular. I wondered if Anderson wasn’t happy to be rid of the competition, but that didn’t explain their alliance with the mysterious jackal.
For a moment, I thought Anderson was going to fall victim to his mob and issue the challenge, until he visibly relaxed. His shoulders dropped. He nodded once.
“I heard. Benson stepped out on his own initiative. I’d known nothing about it until a few minutes ago. The others thought they were following my orders. They’re blameless.”
Sebastian turned to Josh and me. I answered with a slight shake of my head. Josh did the same. The jackal wasn’t here.
Sebastian pressed the issue with Anderson, his tone unforgiving. “What is your relationship with the jackal?”
“Not one of us. A stray Benson picked up. He wasn’t Ares, never would be.”
Sebastian answered with a dangerous smile. “A diplomatic answer.”
“I’m not lying.”
“No. Your statements were carefully chosen. Tell me everything you know about this jackal.”
“That’s easy.” Anderson gestured broadly. “I don’t know anything. Didn’t like him, didn’t ask. I don’t know where he came from, where he’s going. I couldn’t even tell you if he lifts his leg when he pees.”
Again, he wasn’t lying, but there was a lot of daylight between his statements.
Sebastian stared Anderson down a moment, just to make him uncomfortable. “I have a claim on the jackal. If Ares encounters him again, notify me at once. Don’t try to apprehend him on your own. You’re no match for him.”
Seeing the insult strike home, I allowed myself a hint of a smile.
Sebastian continued, his smile broadening. “If I find out you’ve failed in your obligation, there will be consequences.” When Anderson nodded, Sebastian gave his attention to the rest of the Ares for the first time. “Your ranks are growing.”
Anderson shrugged. “We picked up some strays recently.”
“You’re creating were-animals.”
“A few,” he lied. “There’s no rule against making.”
“There is now, until I say differently.”
“For everyone,” Anderson asked, indignant, “or just Ares?”
Sebastian assured him, “Just Ares.”
Anderson asked, emboldened, “Does the size of my pack worry the Elite?”
“In the same way I’d worry about an overflowing trash pile.”
Anderson stiffened. The gallery of were-animals made some noises, just enough to be heard without consequences. Staring them down one by one, I saw the real fight had left them after they’d already seen their Alpha acquiesce to the Elite.
“You’re growing beyond your ability to control your pack,” Sebastian said. “Prove to me you can control your pack and I’ll consider allowing you to grow further.”
Sebastian cut Anderson’s authority with a surgical blade.
“Keep your people in your own territory. The next time one of your were-animals gets near Sky or any of my people, I will hold you personally responsible.”
“Well, I see your point,” Anderson stammered, “but this is all just some minor misunderstanding. I assure you, the Ares Pack is no threat to you.”
“No. It isn’t. Are you working with Samuel?”
“The witch?” he asked, genuinely taken aback. “Even if I knew where he was, I’d stay away from him. He’s a fanatic. Ares has no share in his interests. If I hear anything about him,” he added, “I’ll be happy to let you know.” He threw an anxious glance toward Tim. “I hope you’ll call off your dogs.”
“You have a lot of people here,” Sebastian noted. “Where do you park your cars?”
Anderson frowned, confused. He pointed to the warehouse. “Some inside, the rest out back. Why?”
I gave Tim a look. He stepped forward with a smile.
“We’ll be happy to take a look around,” he told the two Alphas, “make sure everything is properly licensed, lights all working, etcetera—for the public good.”
Anderson exclaimed, “Shit.”
Sebastian nodded to Tim, gestured for the rest of the Midwest Pack to leave, then led us back to the SUV. Once inside, Sebastian looked to me.
“I’ll put more eyes on Ares,” I said. “I’ll also put the entire pack on notice about the jackal. If he hasn’t fled Chicago, we’ll find him.”
Sebastian nodded, then started the engine.
CHAPTER 6
I made the necessary calls from home. While others helped spread the word, I turned my attention to my other problem. So far, I’d let McClintock play his little games, but that was about to change. He’d made himself a proper pain in the ass and it was time for me to return the favor. First, I needed to put some obstacles in his path, slow him down. Sean made for a less-than-perfect obstacle, but steering him into the elder hunter’s path would be simple. Another hunter might consider McClintock a mentor. Sean’s arrogance made him hyper-competitive. Anne, the only other hunter in Chicago, was small-time, hardly a threat to him, but Sean had spent the last month spreading rumors and lies about her. He wasn’t going to suffer competition, ever. With any luck, Sean might already be onto McClintock’s presence.
An hour later, I drove into an affluent Chicago neighborhood popular with young professionals. Sean’s camouflage-painted Ram Macho Power Wagon was parked outside a cluster of luxury townhouses. I shook my head at the gaudiness of it. Most hunters didn’t like to announce their presence until they had their prey in their sights—not Sean. He might as well drive a clown car that played Little Brown Jug on an endless loop.
His townhouse was at the back of the cluster, on the other side of a courtyard. An opulent fountain gurgled as I walked past. Peaceful, except for the loud techno music blasting from Sean’s home. As I approached his porch, the front curtains snapped open, revealing a young man with short-cropped dyed-blonde hair that stood on end. Sean wore a camouflage button shirt split open to reveal pale, hairless skin. Grinning, he fluffed his pot belly with both hands until he saw me coming. The joy drained out of his smile. His hands dropped to his sides. A second later, he snapped the curtains closed, as if I hadn’t already met his gaze.
Not quite the reaction I expected.
The music grew louder by a couple decibels. I was about to pound on the door when a feeling came over me. Either Sean was going to pretend to not hear me, or he was using the music to cover his escape. I walked around the townhouse in time to find Sean, a duffle bag in hand, locking his back door. He’d taken the time to button his shirt, at least.
My approach startled him.
“Is there something you need, Charleston?” he stammered. “I’m a busy man.”
“You remember me.” I scowled. “I’m flattered.”
“I never forget a grouchy face. I’m really sorry about this, but I have a strict autograph policy—between twelve and twelve thirty only. If you’ll excuse me…”
I remained in his path, unobliging. His heart raced as he glanced about, as if expecting were-animals to appear from the shrubbery. I noticed his bag, the bit of white underwear poking from the closed zipper—he’d packed in a hurry. “You’re running.”
“From you?” He chuckled nervously. “I’m on a job. When I’m on the hunt, I’ve got a singular focus.” He made a slow slicing gesture with the edge of his open palm as he explained, “It’s just me and the target, man. Everything else just falls by the wayside.”
He was doing his best to tame his racing heart, soothing it with rising bravado.
“We’ll catch up some other time, yeah?” He trotted down the steps, trying to skirt me. “I’ll have my secretary call you.”
I gripped his arm, held it in place. Glaring, I said, “For a hunter, you’re behaving like prey.”
Frowning at my grip, he jerked his arm free and took a step backward. “You know, don’t you?” He rubbed a thumb across his forehead where sweat had started to bead. His heart raced like a Ford engine. “It’s not what you think. Being a hunter, sometimes I have to do things that I don’t agree with. I wasn’t really going to follow through. It’s just business, yeah? Don’t make it personal.” He repeated like a plea for mercy, “Don’t make it personal.”
If I just silently stared at him, he’d spill all of his petty secrets, but he wasn’t worth my time. “You think Anne hired me,” I stated. “You think we’re mercenaries for hire, like you?”
He stammered something unintelligible.
I continued, putting his mind to rest. “She has no relationship with the pack.”
“If that’s…” He smiled, genuinely relieved. “So why are you here, exactly? Never mind. Duty calls.” He pointed toward his waiting Macho Wagon. “I’ve got some really important shit to do. You don’t even know. Can we skip to the part where you tell me what you want from me? I’ll name you my price, which you’ll call ridiculous, and then we can go our separate ways.”
“You’re focused on the wrong threat.”
“What do you mean?”
If he knew about McClintock, Sean did well to hide his knowledge. The key was to answer his questions with small bits of information to see if he’d slip up, tell me something he shouldn’t know. “There’s another hunter in the area.”
Disbelieving, he demanded, “Who?”
“McClintock.”
His nose wrinkled at the name. “That old coot? Last I heard he was living on some island in Georgia. There’s zero chance he’d come up here and earn himself a slice of this.”
Sean proudly thumped his chest.
“You didn’t know?”
He scoffed. “No.”
“You haven’t talked to him in the last few weeks, traded messages?”
“No.”
I frowned, but the disappointment was expected. McClintock wouldn’t waste his time with a bumbling hunter like Sean.
He thought for a moment, decided to shake off his indignation. “Probably doing some grunt work for Demetrius, tracking down pretty girls or something lame. I’ve got more important work to do.”
“McClintock didn’t come all this way to corral the Seethe’s garden.”
“You think he’s making dough?” Sean read my silence the way I wanted him to. His cheeks darkened. “I’ll tell you, there’s no respect left in the world. He and I are going to have a little chat. Nobody hunts in my backyard without paying a tithe. You know where he’s crashed?”
When I didn’t answer, he remembered to fish in his pockets for something hard to find. “I appreciate the information. Here, one sec.” He scrunched his expression as he dug deeper, dropped a pair of pennies to the concrete as he pulled out a crumpled handful of small bills. He counted, offered them to me. “The Seaninator always pays for good intel.”
I glowered at the insult.
He explained as if embarrassed, “It’s only eighteen. I usually pay twenty but there’s a recession coming.” He pushed the bills at me. “I’ll catch you on the flip side for the rest.”
“If you find McClintock,” I growled, “tell me where he is.”
He shrugged, pocketed the bills. His eyes brightened at the prospect of earning a profit. I expected the insistence that he’d find the hunter, that he needed to be paid, half now, half when the job was complete. It was all there in his eyes, another minute of my life gone to waste. Instead, he only nodded.
“That’s it?” he asked, hopeful. “That’s all you wanted?”
“I’ll send Anne your compliments.”
Walking across the courtyard, I determined to send some business her way—nothing important, or dangerous, but enough to keep her afloat while I quietly worked to squash Sean’s rumor mill.
Approaching my car, I noticed a six-inch horizontal scratch along the driver’s side door, like it had been keyed. Tonya. Glancing around, I didn’t expect to catch sight of her, but I needed a moment to repress my anger. She was racking up a hell of a bill. Eventually, that bill was going to be paid. Glancing through the window, I noticed a white flip phone waiting on my seat. The door was unlocked.
I snatched up the phone and called the first and only number on speed dial. The call connected immediately. On the other end I heard a ragged breath.
I growled, “Don’t push me, McClintock.”
The quaking voice that answered surprised me. “Ethan.” Artemis. “I-I’m sorry.”
I tensed, barely stopping myself from crushing the phone in my hand. I listened for any sound in the background that might give away their location, but got nothing.
“I don’t know how he found me.”
“Put him on.”
A moment later, I heard McClintock’s smug drawl. “Hello, Ethan. We should probably talk about your little friend here. She’s a plucky one, clever. I’d just hate to have to hurt her, but…you know how things are.”
“You’re trying my patience, old man.”
“As I see it, as I’ve previously stated it, you owe me a hundred grand. Now pardon me if I’m jumping to conclusions, but I do believe you were going to have your police friends chase me out of town without you paying.”
I shook my head. “Extortion was never in your repertoire.”
“There’s a big picture here, you just don’t see it.”
“Retirement? You’re not exactly buying yourself security.”
“Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be just fine. Shall we discuss the terms and location of the drop, or should I just put your were-fox out of her misery while I have you on the phone?”
His threat was accompanied by the distinct click of a pistol being cocked. In the background, I heard Artemis gasp.
“As a philosophical matter,” he said, “you know I don’t make idle threats.”
I forced a calm into my voice, a hint of disinterest. “She’s a contractor. If she got caught, she’s no good to me.”
“We both know that’s a lie.” He chuckled. “Artemis tells me you two go way back. You like this kid. I can see why. She’s talented—don’t think I caught her easily. She’s got heart. She’s got a sob story of struggle and redemption. She hits all your buttons, Ethan. For all your ruthlessness, you just can’t help picking up a stray. For the sake of expediency, let’s just pretend that I cut her, she screamed, and you dropped this pretense.”
