Lunar Bound, page 21
part #4 of Sky Brooks World: Ethan Series
The van rattled as it drove over a speed bump, irritating everyone.
Josh declared, “I’m with her.”
Gavin scowled agreement. Steven was somber, determined, but his eyes showed his concern.
I asked her, “You have an alternative?”
“Well,” she said, her thoughtfulness exaggerated. “He’s expecting you to just walk in there like you’re Clint Eastwood. I suggest not doing that.”
“We should overwhelm them,” Gavin stated. “Attack simultaneously from multiple directions.”
Steven remained silent, watching.
“McClintock expects me to trade my safety for Artemis, but he’ll be on alert. Once I’ve met his expectations, he’ll drop his guard.”
Winter frowned. “You mean, once you put yourself on a platter. Did you bring the rice pilaf, because I forgot?”
Steven spoke for the first time. “He could just shoot you outright. We know he has silver bullets. The smart play for him is to kill you on sight, kill his hostage, and get paid.”
He won’t kill me without making a speech. I’m not the only one who is predictable. “After all this foreplay, he’ll want to put on a show.” Despite my confidence, I had to plan for the worst. “Should anything go wrong, make sure Artemis survives. Then kill them all.”
The van veered off the road and came to a stop. Brushing a curtain aside from the window next to me, I saw we were in an industrial park. Being the weekend, this area at least seemed quiet.
Matthew looked back from the driver’s seat, gestured out the window. “It’s around that tan building there.”
“Surveillance?” I asked.
He tapped a wireless com in his ear. “No change.”
Turning the other way, he opened his door and slipped out of the van. By the time I opened the sliding door, he was there. As we emerged from the van, he handed me a delicate, clear wireless device and gestured to my ear. The others received a device as well. While we installed the devices, he retrieved a small wireless microphone and duct tape from a compartment. Knowing what he had in mind, I opened my shirt.
“We’ll be able to hear everything,” he explained, “but I’ll be the only one you can hear.”
“Once Artemis is in the van,” I addressed the others, “make your move. Not before.”
Winter glanced around at the quiet. “You don’t think it’s strange that he hasn’t posted a scout or a patrol?”
“It’s a trap,” I stated. “Let’s get this started.”
Winter retrieved her katana from the van, then disappeared between two buildings. Gavin followed her, while Steven crossed the road and disappeared into a parking lot full of white vans. Thanks to the drones, Matthew had mapped out the best locations for observing the warehouse without being detected. He taped the microphone to my chest while I watched Josh wiggle and stretch his fingers, like an artist warming up.
Once I’d replaced my shirt and made sure the microphone wasn’t obvious beneath, I started toward the warehouse around the corner.
“Good luck,” Matthew said.
After acknowledging him, I gave Josh a sarcastic smile. “Thanks.”
“I’ll give you ten minutes,” he declared, “and then I’m coming in.”
I closed the distance between us, towering over him. “You come in after Artemis leaves, not a second sooner.”
“What if he doesn’t let her go? What if he decides to kill you both?”
“Then I’ll kill McClintock,” I growled, pressing my chest into Josh’s. “Don’t do anything until the violence starts.”
Josh rolled his eyes as he held his ground. “That’s a horrible idea.” He gestured toward the warehouse. “He’s prepared for you to attack him. We need to strike first, in force. Hell, I could just walk in there with you, put a field around Artemis, and take them down on my own.”
“Josh,” I snapped. “This is not a time for your impulsivity. We do this my way. If you go in there too soon, you’ll probably get Artemis killed. I have to count on you to follow the plan. If you can’t do that, then leave.”
He made a disgusted smacking sound with his lips as he glanced to Matthew, who kept himself busy linking a monitor in the van to the drones.
I pressed closer to Josh, obliging him to take an annoyed step back. “Can I count on you?”
“Fine,” he grumbled, holding up his hands. “Just give me a safe word.”
I stepped back from him, surprised. “What?”
“Why am I not surprised you’ve never used a safe word?” he said with a lopsided grin. “It’s a word or a short phrase. You say it and we come running. That’s my compromise.”
Matthew chimed in. “That’s actually a good idea. I suggest ‘pineapple.’”
Josh and I both gave him a puzzled look. I needed something I could speak aloud that wouldn’t seem out of place, something McClintock would expect from me.
“Fuck you,” I said, then walked away.
The warehouse was just as it appeared on the surveillance footage, aged concrete. Rotting wooden boards covered the front door and the ground-floor windows. The second-floor windows were murky, some broken—the barrel of a sniper rifle would be difficult to spot there. I glanced up to the roof, looking for the same. I was a sitting duck for a silver bullet to the skull. Lingering doubts came to the forefront as I walked the hundred feet of open ground toward the door. Had I misread McClintock?
Easier to shoot me once I’m inside. Use a silencer and the microphone might not even pick up the shot, though it would pick up the sound of my body collapsing to the floor.
The drones would pick up a sniper, I reminded myself, not entirely convinced. Matthew would tell me if they spotted danger. I resisted the urge to tap the device in my ear, or glance up to the sky to locate the drones.
Reaching the door, I found it was slightly ajar. After a calming breath, I opened it the rest of the way. Rusted hinges creaked. Sunlight flooding in from behind me faded quickly, revealing just a few feet of the debris-littered hallway. Beyond, a few beams of sunlight from the second floor windows revealed hints of the warehouse’s better days—silhouettes of neglected machinery, tipped over chairs and shelves. On the other side of the warehouse were the two floors of offices.
The door clattered shut behind me, triggering a scurry of feet up ahead. Something metallic clattered against the concrete floor, followed by silence. Listening, I could just make out the sound of heartbeats—two or three, I couldn’t be sure, the sounds were so entwined.
Mustering my confidence, I set my doubts aside and strode into the hallway, making no attempt to disguise my arrival. On the contrary, I wanted to be noticed. Several feet into the open warehouse, I stopped and called out, “Artemis.”
A muffled whimper answered from somewhere nearby, about forty-five degrees to my right, followed by the brief rattle of a thin chain. Remembering the blueprints, I had some idea of where she was, though I couldn’t know her immediate surroundings. I waited, giving my eyes time to adjust to the available light. I picked out two heartbeats from the direction of Artemis, one anxious, the other excited. Ahead of me, the third heartbeat was calm—McClintock, about ten feet away.
I remained still in the protracted silence. Finally, I announced, “I can do this all day.”
From ahead, a click of a switch. Against the suddenly blinding light that surrounded me, I draped an arm over my eyes. Through quick, pained glances, I saw floodlights on four surrounding pillars—the light from each converged on me. Looking down, I saw a red ‘x’ painted on the concrete beneath my shoes.
Exactly where he wanted me.
As my eyes adjusted, I saw a frightened Artemis standing near one of the pillars, darkness beyond. Her mouth was taped. Silver cuffs bound her hands in front of her, leaving a ring of raw, burned skin. Other burn marks, harder to explain, dotted the exposed skin of her arms and legs. Next to her, gripping her arm just above the elbow, Tonya gloated. In her free hand dangled a military-grade stun baton.
With Artemis so close and able to run, I reconsidered attacking first. My mind raced through the tactical calculations when four figures—two men, two women—stepped out of the dark to surround me, armed with knives and pipes.
How could I miss four sets of breath, four beating hearts?
I noted the pale skin, the lifeless eyes, the retro-modern clothing style. Vampires, probably from out of town. They didn’t have the look of the Seethe, and I doubted Demetrius would allow his vampires to draw him into a war with the pack. They had a cooped-up look, like they’d waited too long to raise hell. They’d probably been hiding out here for weeks to avoid notice, which explained how Matthew’s drones had missed their presence. Four vampires I could handle, depending on how involved McClintock and his sidekick became. My gaze flicked around the warehouse, wondering if there were more vampires lurking in the shadows. They could be in the neighboring buildings as well. Josh, Winter, and the others could be surrounded and not know it.
Aware of the microphone against my chest, I needed to warn Matthew without drawing McClintock’s suspicion.
An obnoxiously slow clapping sound started in front of me, reverberating. A moment later, he walked out of the shadows, clapping his hands together with lazy enthusiasm. He was decked out for battle, with several knives strapped to his body. A sawed-off shotgun was holstered at his right thigh.
“My, my, the Big Dog himself.” He grinned as he held his arms open wide, gesturing to our surroundings. “You found me. See what you can accomplish when you put your nose to the ground?”
Matthew’s voice whispered in my ear. “Four—make that five—vamps just came out to the rooftop.”
“Vampires?” I scoffed to McClintock, loud enough for the microphone to pick up. “Just these four, or do they have help?”
“Copy that.”
Unaware of the conversation in my ear, McClintock shrugged. “You work with what’s available. Obviously I had to hire from outside the area.”
A scuffle broke out on the other side of my earpiece, loud enough to make me flinch. To cover for the gesture, I shifted my weight, shot quick glances at the vamps surrounding me. The ear-splitting sound ended abruptly, followed by Josh’s anxious voice.
“You have vamps inside?” he asked in a rush. “Ethan, I’m coming in.”
Not yet, dammit. My gaze flicked toward Artemis. Not until I get her out. McClintock came prepared, but that didn’t mean he’d break his word. “You should’ve brought more,” I told him. For Josh’s benefit, I added, “Four, I can handle easily.”
He cursed in my ear. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep him from barging in.
The old man’s gloat faded while he scrutinized me. Something like a mild regret crept into his voice. “You know, Ethan, there’s a small part of me that hoped you wouldn’t take the bait. The rest of me figures you brought this on yourself.”
“You have a choice.”
“You made my choice for me when you undercut my belocka hunt. That made you fair game.”
Josh whispered, “Gavin, Winter, and Steven are repositioning. They’ll have to deal with the vamps on the roof first. When you say the words, I’m coming straight in. And in five minutes, I’m coming in anyway.”
I gestured toward Artemis. “Let her go.”
“First things first.”
He drew out a set of handcuffs from the pocket of his camouflage pants, tossed them at my feet. The vile scent of silver caused my nose to wrinkle. I’d expected the demand, but the vampires complicated the situation. At six to one, I couldn’t start a fight and expect to get Artemis out alive.
Tonya pressed the baton against Artemis’s hip, her finger hovering over the button on the pommel. Artemis’s resultant whimper brought a vile smile to Tonya’s lips.
Fuck you, I thought, but it wasn’t time—not quite yet. Tonya was going to sing a different tune when I turned that baton on her.
Begrudgingly, I reached down and snatched the handcuffs from the dirty concrete. Pain shot through my hands as the silver seared the skin of my fingers, my palm. Contempt froze on my visage as I absorbed the pain, refusing to give the old man satisfaction. Only the sweat beading on my forehead betrayed me. Scowling, my gaze fixed on his, I cuffed one wrist, then the other. He stared back at me, his satisfaction tempered.
“Your turn,” I stated.
He remained still, considering.
I growled, baring my teeth. “McClintock. You were always an asshole, but I’ve never known you to break your word.”
Josh said in my ear, “Ethan, she hasn’t come out yet. Is something wrong? The mic is only picking you up, but it keeps cutting out. I think it has a short.”
The vampires shifted, positioning to attack from all fronts. No matter which way I turned to fight, two of them would be at my back. I’d need to break out beyond the pillars and get a wall to my back to keep from getting overwhelmed—that didn’t bode well for Artemis. In animal form, we’d both have a better chance, but the handcuffs prevented both of us from shifting.
McClintock said in a voice that sounded perilously close to regret, “Therein lies the rub.” He gestured to the grinning vampires. “My associates here have discovered the virtues of collective bargaining. I’m sure you know their kind finds were-animal blood intoxicating. I promised them yours, but”—he glanced at Artemis—“I guess that just isn’t going to be enough.”
He wasn’t happy about giving in to the vamps. As complicated as it was, he had a code. There was still a chance I could talk some sense into him, perhaps even drive a wedge between him and his vamp mercenaries. Before I could try, Artemis smashed her clasped, cuffed fists into Tonya’s nose. The vamps converged on me from four directions, forcing me into quick action.
Charging the vamp in front of me, I extended my arms, clotheslining his neck with the cuff chain. Continuing my momentum, I drove him down onto his back and rolled. I came to my feet, expecting to find McClintock a foot in front of me, but he’d disappeared. Pivoting back to the oncoming vamps, I’d at least maneuvered them all in front of me.
Opening my mouth, I formed the words that would bring Josh and his magic. Movement caught the corner of my eye just before Tonya jammed her baton into my back and lit me up. Every nerve in my body screamed. Stumbling away from the agony, I ducked beneath the first vamp’s charge, then rose to flip him over my head. While he crashed behind me, I turned in time to sweep a knife aside with the cuff chain, then drove a boot into the attacker’s ribs.
“Fu—”
Tonya appeared in front of me, grinned as she jabbed the baton into my gut. I doubled over from the pain, backpedalling as she pinned me to a pillar. One of the vamps appeared beside her, decided to get clever. While she continued lighting my nerves on fire, the vamp swung a metal pipe down at my head. Roaring against the agony, I reached up and caught the pipe before it struck. The vamp let out a horrified scream as electricity flooded through the connection. My own pain eased some, enough for me to slap the baton aside, breaking contact.
The vamp’s pipe clattered to the floor as he collapsed.
Tonya struck again, striking the pillar when I spun away.
Backing away from her, I tried to catch my breath. Somewhere behind me, I heard Artemis’s growl.
“Ethan!” Josh shouted in my ear. “What’s going on?”
Before I could answer him, another vamp leapt onto my back. His arms cinched around my throat, squeezed. Josh’s panicked voice was cut off in mid-shout as the device fell from my ear, dislodged by the struggle. My muscles were weak from the shocks, made weaker still by the lack of oxygen as I gasped for wisps of breath. Unable to pry loose the vamp’s grip, I peddled backward and slammed him into a pillar. His grip slackened and I sucked in a gasping breath. Before I could slam him again, Tonya jabbed her baton into my chest. I gritted my teeth against the pain while the vamp on my back screamed in my ear. Every muscle in his body clenched, causing his arms to cinch even tighter around my throat. Pain ravaged me. I tried to rally, to knock the baton away, but the accumulation of shocks had done their damage. Deprived of oxygen, I could barely lift my arms. My nerves burned. Consciousness ebbed. All I could do was hope Tonya was sadistic enough to release me so that she could shock me again. Given the evil grin on her face as she watched me die, I didn’t hold out much hope. She had the wild look in her eyes of a killer elated by the moment of victory.
Like Maya.
My vision faded. Pain grew distant. As my eyes started to close, I saw the shocked look on Tonya’s face as she noticed the bloody end of a long knife jutting from her chest. She gaped at the wound. The baton fell from her grip, bringing the pain in my body to a merciful end. I gasped for breath as the vamp slipped from my back to the floor.
Blood trickled down the blade as Tonya gripped it with her bare hands, then collapsed, revealing Artemis behind her. Wild fury burned in her eyes.
Nodding, I reached down to the vamp on the floor and snapped his neck. As I rose, she moved closer. My chest was still heaving, muscles still recovering. I didn’t have much strength left, but I could still fight. Our backs to each other, we faced off against the three remaining vamps that surrounded us. Two held pipes, the other held a long knife like the one in Artemis’s hand.
Instead of attacking, the vamps held their ground. McClintock walked out of the shadows to stand over Tonya. He stared down, the muscles of his jaw rippling as her blood pooled at his feet. After a moment, he looked up at me with a cold, deadly stare.
“That is the last good thing you will ever destroy.”
My chest ached as my lungs continued sucking in desperate breaths. “Fuck. You.”
I expected the windows to shatter, the doors to fly open. When nothing happened, I reached for the mic at my chest, suddenly aware of the pain there. Glancing down at the blackened area of shirt where Tonya had shocked me, I realized the mic was fried. The duct tape had melted against my chest. Eventually Josh would lose his patience and the cavalry would arrive, but I guessed I’d done a good job of convincing him not to.
