Lunar Bound, page 20
part #4 of Sky Brooks World: Ethan Series
“Of course,” she said. “I’ll just step out and give Ethan a call to see if he’s stuck in traffic.”
As she turned out of the doorway, I bumped into her, deliberately slopping the coffee onto her white blouse. She gasped. Expecting to be burned, she pinched the fabric from her skin with both hands.
“Sorry,” I said with little enthusiasm. I turned to find McClintock smiling at me. He’d taken the chair farthest from the door, turned it so he could see trouble coming. For a moment, outing myself no longer mattered. I imagined wrapping my hands around his throat, but set that need aside. “One moment,” I said, then guided Stacey back toward the reception desk.
“Oh my God,” she hissed, still struggling with the stain on her blouse.
“You’re not burned. You need to leave here, now.”
“Wait, that was deliberate?”
“I want you to go to the bathroom.”
She hissed on her way out, “You could’ve just told me I had to pee.”
I stopped at the end of the hall, watched her leave. Aaron gasped at her blouse, whispered to her, “He’s such a jerk.”
Walking back to my office, I stopped in the doorway. Tonya and McClintock smiled back at me, smug as hell. They both wore cheap suits, probably just bought off a discount rack. I noted the bulge of a pistol holster at the small of Tonya’s back, another at her right ankle. If I found a small knife tucked into her dark bob, I wouldn’t be surprised. McClintock did a better job of secreting his weaponry, but the human body offered only a few functional hiding places.
“There he is,” he declared with a shit-eating grin, straightening his jacket as he rose. Tonya rose as well. She looked me up and down, scanning for weapons.
I smiled back, showing my teeth. Reaching behind me, I closed my door and stood there, blocking it to make sure they understood who was trapped by whom. After tightening the blinds to Latisha’s office, I dropped the pretense.
“You’re playing with fire, coming here.”
McClintock gestured at my office, lowered his voice. “Have I finally crossed your line? Here I thought shooting one of your pals would do the trick.”
My fists clenched as I focused the wrath of my glare on Tonya. “You shot him.” I turned to McClintock. “And you killed him.”
“So he did die.” He shrugged. “Happens. I must say, your self control has definitely improved. Back in the day, someone murdered your pal, you’d be out there causing all sorts of mayhem to get your revenge, damn the costs.”
Let’s cut to the chase. “How much is Marcia paying you?”
He pursed his lips, grunted. “You know there’s two things I never discuss, the recipe to my grand-mammy’s scrumptious Lane Cake, and my clients.”
“So you are working for her?”
He strolled over to my desk, ran a finger over the finished oak. “Neither confirm nor deny.” With a smug look, he dropped into my chair and leaned back to put his boots on the desktop. “You have a nice office here. Nice coworkers. Is that what you call your fellow lawyers?” He looked to Tonya, who shrugged. “I can see that look in your eyes, Ethan. Your wolf is showing. I’d hate to see all these civilians get caught up in some violence. Of course, you’d expose your true self to them. That’s going to get out for sure, which means a whole lot of attention is going to fall on you, the pack, and every other supernatural being out there. I might be going out on a limb, but I think that’s going to really piss off the rest of the factions.”
I growled, “You talk too much.”
His lips spread into a grin as he declared, “That’s because I ain’t never heard a voice as sweet.”
“Give me Artemis. If she’s safe, you get to walk away.”
Tonya scoffed.
“After we killed your friend, you’re going to let me live?” McClintock said. “Oh, I know you too well for that.”
“You’re obviously here to negotiate.”
Feigning confusion, he asked Tonya, “Is that what we’re doing?”
Her smug smile grew smugger.
“Marcia’s on the run,” I said, folding my arms over my chest. “Sean is on the run. Are you prepared to hitch your fate to Ethos?”
The humor left him. “Last I heard, you all killed that thing.”
“He’s aligned himself with one of the smaller packs here.”
“Ares,” McClintock confirmed like he was putting puzzle pieces together. “The ones that just attacked your retreat.”
So he hadn’t been involved in the attack. I knew by his tone. When McClintock was pissed, he dropped the smug act, as he did now. I still figured Marcia was behind his contract, but she’d kept him at arm’s length. Even desperate, the old man wasn’t likely to bind himself to a nefarious and powerful figure like Ethos.
“This is bigger than you want to be involved in,” I said. “Name your price to walk away, as long as I get Artemis safe and sound, and I never see your face again. That goes for your sidekick as well.”
Tonya tensed at the label. She wanted a fight. I made note of her temper, something to make use of later.
McClintock slipped back into his devil-may-care persona. “Now what makes you think this is a negotiation?”
I let my wolf rise to just below the surface, let its need for violence fill the room. “Why else would you put yourself in a closed room with me?”
Tonya took a step back, reached toward the holster behind her back until McClintock gestured for her to stand down. Reluctant, she obeyed, but remained ready. Her drawing hand rested next to her hip, close enough to still make a quick draw. She was kidding herself. If I’d wanted to kill her, she’d be dead before her fingers touched the pistol grip.
From Pavita’s office, I heard the baby cry.
I glowered at McClintock, awaiting his theatrics. He slowly pulled his boots from my desk and rose, pushing the chair back in case he needed room to maneuver. “Ethan, I’m just here to remind you who you are, what you are. I just want you to do what you were born to. I want you to hunt.”
“Who?”
He raised his hands out from his sides, as if the answer were obvious. “Me.” He glanced around the office. “All this, it’s just wrapping paper. Your tidy desk.” With a sweep of an arm, he sent the contents of the desktop clattering to the ground, triggering muffled muttering from the office next door. Next he plucked my framed law license from the wall, dropped it into the waste bin by my desk. “Your certificate of normalcy. All these people here, your assistant—they’re not your coworkers. They’re food. Deep down inside, you know there’s just your pack and the hunt. This”—he made a gripping gesture toward his mouth and nose—“muzzle you wear, that’s just someone else’s leash. Take that shit off. Get mad. Show me the real Ethan.”
I lowered my hands to my side. “We can take this to the parking garage across the street. The cameras there are fake. We can finish this without interruption.”
“This is just a tease to get you in the mood.” He strolled around the desk to stand next to Tonya. “You want me, hunt me.”
I nodded, appreciating his plan. “You think the angrier you make me, the easier I’ll be to defeat.”
“I’ve owned you at every turn.”
He had. It was time to turn the tables. “I’ll come for you in my own time.”
“Well”—he cocked his head—“time is a luxury you don’t have. There’s Artemis to think of. And all these lovely people here. That precious baby next door.” He answered Tonya’s appalled look with a resigned sigh. “Okay, we draw the line at babies, but fuck the parents. How many people do I have to hurt to properly motivate you, Ethan? You know I will not stop until I get what I want.”
It took everything I had to not murder them both on the spot. “I hope Marcia paid you up front.” Reaching behind me, I opened the door and stepped aside. “You have twenty-four hours to return Artemis to me unharmed.”
He held my gaze for a moment, measuring me. “You have twelve hours to find me, or the girl dies and I start killing people.” With a nod, he strolled out the door like I couldn’t reach out and snap his neck before he could react. Tonya followed him, but without his swagger. She glanced over her shoulder as I followed them through the hall, into the lobby, outside the firm, until they disappeared behind a closed elevator door.
Josh emerged from the bathroom, alone. Noting my expectant look, he explained. “I had her show me on her phone where she lived and transported her there. She’s going to need tomorrow off.” He glanced toward the firm. “I checked with Sebastian. No attack. I guess McClintock wasn’t trying to distract you. What did he want?”
“He wants me. That’s his contract.”
“Dead or alive?”
I’d no idea. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Why go through all this trouble? Why not just ambush you when you come to work?”
“Because he’s not a fool. He wants me to lose control and walk into a trap.” I turned to Josh. “That’s exactly what I’m going to have to do. Wait here.”
I found Stacey’s cubicle. Ignoring the confused looks of the other paralegals, I retrieved her handbag, jacket, and anything else she might need over a two-week vacation. Josh waited for the elevators to close before transporting us to the living room of her apartment, only a foot from where she was standing with a shot glass of whiskey. Startled, she splashed her fresh shirt with whiskey. She gaped at the mess.
“Shit.”
With a slight wave of his fingers, Josh reached out with his magic. Seconds later, any trace of the spill had disappeared.
Stacey gave him an awed look. “I want to do what you do.”
Before he could brag, I placed her belongings in her arms. “You’re going on vacation.”
“I am?”
“Paid. I’ll transfer money to your account, more than enough. Use it to get out of Illinois.”
Using my phone, I made the immediate payment. We’d done enough business outside the firm that I had her bank account on my friends and family list. Her phone dinged an alert in response. Her eyes widened at the amount.
Turning to Josh, she asked, “Can you take me to the Bahamas?”
“You’ll have to get there the usual way,” I explained. “Go now. Buy a ticket when you get to the airport.”
I called a cab for her while she packed. Once she was safely on her way, Josh returned us to the retreat. I gathered the ranking pack members once more into Sebastian’s room. I gave them a quick rundown of my encounter with McClintock.
After I finished, Gavin stated the obvious. “Ethos didn’t take advantage of the distraction.”
“McClintock knew about the Ares attack on the retreat,” I said. “But he didn’t know Ethos was behind it. They are not working in collusion. There won’t be another attack here, but Ethos is going to make his play for Maya, sooner or later. He knows that she’s close to taking control.” I met Sebastian’s gaze. “I need to finish this before Ethos makes his play.”
Sebastian nodded.
“We still have to find him,” Winter noted. “So far, he’s been pretty good at hiding.”
My phone vibrated as if on cue. Glancing at the screen, I saw Matthew’s name. “Tell me.”
“He’s a wily one,” he said, glee in his voice. “We used two drones, like you requested. He used two ride share cars and a bus, but we followed him to a small warehouse in the industrial district. So far, he hasn’t come out. There’s an open window. I could probably squeeze a drone through.”
“No,” I snapped. “Did he at any point spot your drones?”
“No way. These aren’t cheap little RCs, man. These babies take crystal-clear zooms from a hundred feet. He was definitely watching his six for a tail, but he never looked up.”
“Good,” I said, relieved. “How long can you keep your drones in the air?”
“Other than bringing them down every hour to swap batteries, indefinitely.”
“Send me the footage you have.”
“I’ll send you a link to the live feed as well.”
Steven asked as I pocketed the phone, “You asked the Worgens for help?”
“I’m paying them for their services. I’ll have an address and visual reconnaissance of McClintock’s hideout in a matter of minutes. There are details to work out once I can review the footage, but I have the general plan.”
Josh gaped at me. “You’re just going to walk right in there all on your own, aren’t you?”
“That’s what McClintock expects, so yes. To defeat him, I will need”—the word twisted my tongue—“assistance.”
Winter’s eyes widened in mild surprise. “Three syllables to avoid one? Impressive.”
“There’s another matter,” I said. I described how close Maya had come to taking Sky over during Anderson’s attack. “Ethos tried to draw her out as well. He was nearly successful.”
“She’s getting stronger,” Josh said, absently chewing on his nails while he thought. “We need to find the Tre’ase that created Maya, fast.”
Gavin calmly noted, “Even if we could devote all of our resources to the search, it could take months.”
Sky didn’t have months. She might not have days. I needed to get McClintock out of the way, then Marcia.
Josh declared, “There has to be some spell or ritual to weaken her. I might find something useful in the library.”
“We’ve been through those books a dozen times,” I snapped. “If there was a solution there, we’d have found it.”
“You have a better idea?” he snapped back. “I’d like to hear it.”
Sebastian intervened. “Do it, until we have another option to pursue. Josh, I also need you to figure out how much control Maya has over Sky.”
He nodded. “I have an idea.”
“How?” I asked, suspecting his reply.
“Sky wants me to help her learn how to control the Aufero. I’ll be able to push her. While I’m testing her abilities, I’ll be able to see what it takes to draw Maya out.”
“No.” I scowled. When it came to power, Josh was careless. “The orb is too dangerous for her.”
Since Sky had used the field to absorb my dark elf magic, the orb’s power had darkened. Its field suffocated anyone inside its protection. One mistake might trigger Maya to take control, permanently.
“I can manage it,” he insisted.
“You’ll push too far.”
“I’ll push just enough to get a glimpse of her. I know you don’t trust me, Ethan, but magic is my realm. I know what I’m doing.”
Josh’s confidence gave me none of the same, but we needed the information. He’d never consciously hurt Sky. Without another option, I had to trust him. He took my scowl as permission, or a dare.
“What about Ethos?” Winter asked. “We barely defeated him last time and we had the Seethe on our side.”
Sebastian brought his fingertips together to form a pyramid in front of him. He considered quietly for a moment. “We’ll need allies, but not Demetrius. Ethos hasn’t threatened the Seethe. Demetrius has nothing to gain by helping us.”
The vampire would probably relish a fight between the pack and Ethos, each side weakening the other.
I said, “The elves have nothing to gain by helping us.”
“There is one option,” Sebastian said. “With the rest of the Clostra in Ethos’s hands, Samuel might be motivated to help us retrieve them.”
Winter scoffed, “If we could find him.”
He turned to me. “Claudia might be able to help.”
My godmother was considered a neutral, respected by all of the factions. If anyone could broker a meeting, it was her. I’d never asked her to help us hunt him down, but the situation had changed. We needed to bargain now. Claudia’s reputation was a guarantee to Samuel that intentions to negotiate weren’t a ploy.
“I’ll ask.”
CHAPTER 10
Claudia wasn’t surprised by the call. Whether she could get word to him or not, she wouldn’t say, but she had my confidence. Whether Samuel would choose to meet with us was another question. At the end of our call, I received another text from Matthew with links to their surveillance video.
The livestream was a split screen showing the front and back view of a square, two-story, concrete warehouse. A quick public records search of the address revealed the building’s history. Last in use three years ago, it had been a tool and die plant until the company went under. Since then, the building’s fate was locked into a court battle between the owners. Blueprints revealed a simple floor plan. Most of the building was an open work area with a high ceiling. Pairs of columns ran up the middle from the entrance. At the south end of the first floor was a row of offices. Above that, another row of offices was the entirety of the second floor. Entrances were limited—a door at the front and back, and stairs to the roof. There were plenty of accessible windows on the first floor.
Watching the livestream, there was no indication that the building was occupied, but they were there. According to Matthew, no one had entered or emerged from the building after McClintock and Tonya went inside. I set that laptop aside with the stream running. Using my backup laptop, I clicked Matthew’s link to the footage that started with the hunters leaving my law firm’s building. I played the footage twice, once watching only McClintock, then only Tonya, scrutinizing for any sign that they might’ve spotted Matthew’s drones. That they hadn’t didn’t ease the worry in my stomach. McClintock was clever. If I wasn’t careful, I’d find myself once again on the wrong side of his plans.
Too easy. He wanted to be tracked. I shook my head. Up until now, he’d been impossible to find. Two cars and a bus—cautious, or just enough to look like he was making an effort?
Referring again to the blueprints, I began to put a plan together. It started with me walking through the front door.
“I don’t like this plan,” Winter stated.
I met her gaze from across the cramped van cabin as Matthew drove us toward McClintock’s warehouse. The van walls were crammed with shelves containing a variety of electronic equipment, including monitors and computers, most of which wasn’t necessary for our purpose. From what I knew, the Worgens used the van as a mobile hacking platform. How that worked was on a list of questions I hadn’t gotten around to asking. Crammed between the equipment were jump seats. Winter and Josh scowled at me from across the van, while Gavin and Steven watched my reaction from a bench seat to my left.
