Dark Refuge (11 page)

“Will you let me go home? Or at least call my parents? My name’s Mary Ryder, and Ralph kidnapped me off the campus at Berkeley over a year ago. My parents probably think I’m dead. I don’t have any dreams like you’re talking about. I dream about my family and my little sister.”

Em pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and handed it to the girl. “Go ahead and call them, and tell them once the police get a statement you should be able to fly home. We’ll take care of the airfare.”

Her whispered “thank you” was barely audible. She took the phone into the kitchen. Gabe grinned at the last two woman, a beautiful redhead with curly hair falling to her waist and an equally beautiful Latina with long black hair and dark, dark eyes. “Are you ladies okay?”

The redhead grinned at Gabe. “We’re better than okay, though it might be nice if you lost the jeans. The view was a lot better before.”

Gabe shot a quick grin at Em. She was scowling at the woman. “I think that’s an issue you’d have to take up with my woman. I’m not sure she’s willing to share.”

What Gabe said seemed to change Em’s mood. She smiled at him. “Your woman is fine with it as long as she gets to look, too. Touching though? That’s another matter.”

“That’s good to know.” He was chuckling when he turned as three police officers entered the apartment.

“Alex? Alex Aragat? What the hell are you doing here?” One of the cops stepped over Kamon, who was beginning to stir. “What the hell’s going on?”

“Detective Bandy! Good to see you. These six young ladies have been held prisoner and forced into prostitution by the four gentlemen on the floor. We discovered that the one with four legs, standing on the big guy, was Chanku, and the only way to rescue her was to rescue all of them. We thought you might appreciate the help.”

“I do. In fact, I’m beginning to appreciate it more all the time. Is that Russo Allende?”

“His name’s Russo.” Alex glanced at the girls. “Anyone know if that’s his last name?”

The blonde stepped closer. “I think that’s it. We only heard their first names. Russo, Kamon, Ralph and Jengo.”

“That’s okay. In fact, it’s better than okay. I thought I recognized all of them. We’ve got all their last names on file. This is quite a haul, Aragat. There’s a hefty reward for Allende, and Ralph Alonzo as well. Human trafficking, drugs, counterfeiting . . . the list goes on. Need to check on the other two, but might be something coming for them as well. We’ll make sure you get it.”

“Actually, it goes to the women.”

“We can do that. Do you mind calling the wolf off Allende? We need to read him his rights.”

“It’s okay, Sissy.” Gabe glanced at the policemen standing beside him. “Here. This was Ralph’s.” Gabe passed the handgun to the cop and then walked over to the wolf. “You were absolutely fantastic, Sissy, but you can go ahead and shift. The officers will take over now.”

She stepped away from Russo and shifted. A couple of the officers and all of the girls gasped. Em handed her the bathrobe she’d left on the floor, and she quickly wrapped herself in it and walked over to stand with the other girls.

Bandy stood there, shaking his head. “Ya know, I’ve seen you folks do that at least a dozen times, and it still blows my mind. It looks impossible.”

Gabe laughed. “According to all the laws of physics, it is. Luckily, I’m not all that good at physics. Look, we’ve offered the young women a refuge of sorts—they can stay at our complex over in the Sunset as long as they need. We’ve got plenty of empty apartments. We think two more of them are Chanku, so we’ll want time to give them a chance with the nutrients, but the other three young women can choose to stay with us or do whatever they like. CGI will be more than happy to help them out financially so they can get started back to a normal life.”

The paramedics had arrived and were slapping bandages on Russo’s throat, but it appeared that Kamon and Jengo were going to the hospital first. Gabe noticed the EMTs had them cuffed to the stretchers before they took them out of the apartment.

“I don’t get it.” One of the younger police officers glanced up from cuffing Ralph. “What’s in it for you guys? Why are you willing to help? They’re just whores.”

Em started to speak up, but Gabe was already down in the officer’s face. “You, sir, are an ass. These women were kidnapped off the street and forced into prostitution. They’ve been held against their will as sexual slaves by these lowlifes. Any one of these young women could have been someone important to you—a sister, a girlfriend, a wife. They had no choice, and no recourse but to do what these bastards told them to do, or end up dead. If that’s how you think of perfectly innocent victims of sexual predators, you have no business being in law enforcement.”

“He’s right, you know.” Detective Bandy waved one of the other cops over. “Jenkins, go with pretty boy here and get these two booked. Keep them in a holding cell until I get down there. I’ll get statements from everyone here.”

Mary walked out of the kitchen. Her face was streaked with tears, but she was smiling when she handed the phone to Em. “Thank you. I just talked to my mom and dad. I told them I’d be home as soon as I could get there, but probably not for a few days.” She looked at Gabe, and he realized she was absolutely beautiful, now that she didn’t look terrified. “If you don’t mind, I’d like a couple of days before I leave. I have to see if I can start feeling normal again. I’d like to go with everyone to your place if you don’t mind.”

“You’re more than welcome. Let’s see what Detective Bandy needs, and then we’ll get all of you settled.”

• • •

Alex and Em left to go over to CGI. They got Em’s SUV and Alex borrowed the big van that belonged to the company so they could get everyone and their belongings moved to the Sunset house. It was another couple of hours before the police finished their initial questioning and said they all could leave, with instructions to keep in touch.

At this point, Gabe wanted nothing more than sleep, and he intended to do that sleeping in Em’s bed. Running with the pack in Montana the night before seemed at least a lifetime ago, and it was already dark by the time they reached the Sunset house and got everyone settled.

Annie ordered Chinese takeout delivered from the Platinum Duck, since they all agreed that Em’s walk to the restaurant for dinner was the beginning of the rescue, but by the time the food was delivered, it was almost impossible for Gabe to stay awake.

They sat around the big trestle table in the kitchen with cartons of food covering the surface. Em grabbed a bottle of the nutrient pills out of the cupboard and held them up. “If any of you think there’s a chance you could be Chanku, go ahead and take one of these. You’ll need to take them twice a day, at least until you shift. Usually takes a week to ten days. If you’re not sure but curious, you’re welcome to try them. Nothing will happen to you if you’re human. You’ll only notice changes if you’re Chanku, but once those changes happen, there’s no going back. You won’t be human ever again.”

Sissy, Janine and Mbali each took one. Lindy and Nina turned and glanced at each other and then shrugged and held out their hands. “What the hell,” Lindy said. “I don’t think I am, but damn I wish I could shift.”

Nina punched her shoulder. “But what if you are?”

“Then I will be the happiest woman at this table. I think it would be so cool.” She popped the big capsule in her mouth and washed it down with a swallow of her wine, and then turned to Mary. “Aren’t you going to take one?”

She shook her head and blushed. “I can’t. I know I’m not Chanku, but even if I were, my parents belong to a church that teaches that the Chanku are from the devil. I don’t agree, but I’d hate for my parents to think that’s how I was. It’s going to be hard enough for them to accept that I’ve been working as a prostitute for the past year.”

Em shook her head. “It’s not like you had a choice, Mary. I hope your parents won’t hold it against you or think you’ve sinned.”

“I don’t think they will. They sound excited about me coming home.”

Annie reached across the table and covered her hands—Mary had torn her paper napkin into shreds while she’d been talking. “You ever feel the least bit uncomfortable, your parents or anyone gives you any grief—and this goes for all of you—Alex has programmed all our numbers into the phones he gave you guys. You just have to call and we’ll fly you back out here so fast your head’ll spin. We can always find a job for you here with CGI. It’s a big company with good people.”

Mary nodded, but she looked stunned by Annie’s offer. The other women were eating and talking and laughing, telling stories about their time with Russo and the others. Mary ate and listened, but she kept stroking the mobile phone that Alex had given her. He’d picked them up for all six of the girls, but Mary seemed to be the only one with anyone to call. She’d spent most of the time she’d been here on her phone, catching up with her family.

Gabe watched her for a minute, wondering how she felt, knowing she was surrounded by Chanku. She didn’t seem afraid, but he’d heard of churches preaching about the evil of the shapeshifters. That was one he’d never figure out, but he wasn’t going to worry about it now. He needed sleep. Finally, he leaned against Em and whispered, “I’m going to bed. I want to sleep in your room. Is that okay?”

She turned around and surprised him when she kissed him. “I hope so, because I gave Alex and Annie yours. They decided to stay here for a couple of days because they don’t want to miss anything. And yes, I put fresh sheets on the bed.” Then she kissed him again, a little longer, a little deeper. He almost whimpered when he realized he was too tired to even consider reciprocating. “Go to bed. You’re fading fast.”

“Yes’m.” He stood and saluted the rest of the group. “I need sleep. I’m too old to keep going for two days straight.” He looked at Em and laughed. “I can tell I’m exhausted because I can look at you and imagine you naked, and merely want to sleep next to you.”

Alex shook his head in exaggerated sympathy. “That’s not just exhausted. That’s dead, man. Go to bed.”

“Dead’s not good.” He turned away and left the room, left all the chatter and laughter behind, but it was a damned good feeling, hearing that laughter. They’d not only rescued six young women, one for sure and possibly two others were Chanku. He needed to call his dad.

Then he thought about talking to Anton and realized that no, he couldn’t call him, because if he did, he’d ask him what the fuck he’d done to Em. And that was not a question for Gabe to ask his father. It was Emeline’s question, and both sets of parents needed to hear it. He stripped out of his clothes and crawled between the sheets. But he rolled over until he was on Em’s side of the bed, where the sweet scent of her body lulled him into sleep.

• • •

Em wiped down the counters and made sure everyone had everything they needed. She was exhausted but still wound tight. It was almost midnight—the women had gone off to their beds and she headed toward hers. Alex and Annie met her in the hallway in front of her room.

Alex gave her a sheepish grin. “Em, can we sleep with you guys tonight?” He glanced at Annie. “We’ve gotten so used to being with the pack, well . . .”

Annie punched his shoulder. “The point is, it’s lonely in that big bed with just the two of us.”

Em gazed from one to the other and shook her head. “Yeah. I guess. I’ve never done that before. Slept with more than one person.” She leaned close and whispered, “And I’m talking sleep. Gabe’s the first Chanku guy I’ve even had sex with.”

Annie giggled and Alex covered his mouth. “I was a virgin when Alex and I did the deed, so don’t feel bad.”

“I didn’t think there were any female Chanku virgins.” Em covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Goddess, she didn’t want to laugh, but it appeared she and Annie had more in common than she’d thought.

“Well, there certainly aren’t any now.” With an exasperated look on his face, Alex grabbed Em’s and Annie’s hands and dragged them into the bedroom. He stripped off his boxers and pulled the tee Annie had borrowed from him over her head.

Em stripped down and got into bed beside Gabe. He grunted and rolled over, tugging her close against his chest. Annie snuggled up behind her with Alex on the far side. He wrapped his arm around Annie, and his fingertips rested on the lower curve of Em’s breast. Gabe’s heart beat a steady rhythm against her ear until Em felt cocooned in warm bodies, beating hearts and soft breaths. Annie sighed, Alex coughed. Then Gabe whispered softly, “Go to sleep, sweetheart.”

And, just as simply as that, she did.

Chapter 7

It was still dark when Gabe awoke. He glanced at the bedside clock—it was barely six, so he rolled over and snuggled against Em. He vaguely recalled Alex and Annie coming in last night, but not anything after.

They all must have been exhausted. Gabe was still feeling his lack of sleep and he wanted another hour or so before they got up. If the weather was still nice, he wanted to take Sissy over to Mount Tam so she could run the mountain trails, but right now the bed and Em felt too good to think about running anywhere.

He closed his eyes, thinking of the thrill in store for Sissy, and how excited he was to be able to share it. And he wondered how long the other girls would take to change.

Unless they were making up the stories about the dreams, he had a feeling that Mbali and Janine were Chanku. This had been a good year for finding more—Sebastian and then Romy, and most recently Fen. All good people and assets to the pack. Each new member brought something fresh, and he wondered what Sissy, Janine and Mbali had to offer. And, if they might lead to others. Sisters, mothers, brothers—since the species followed the female line, there was always hope that each new discovery would lead to more. Too often, though, they were like Sissy—the single surviving child of a dysfunctional mother, a woman who’d never discovered her Chanku heritage. He didn’t even want to consider the frustration, that constant sense that something important was missing, or at the very least, incomplete. The stories among his parents’ generation were uniformly sad.