Obsessions: A Monster Squad Novel 7 (10 page)

Big drove to the location and parked far enough away that surveillance cameras wouldn’t detect the motion, then he entered from the wooded side. He slipped under the chain link and darted from building to building, his eyes constantly scanning for cameras, motion sensors or any other foreign devices.

As he crossed the short area between the outbuildings and the main warehouse, he paused. He noted the brown stain in the gravel; the stain that was once his commanding officer. Bigby stood in the open and shook with rage as he remembered watching Sheridan’s Halfling form fall, the Monster Squad operator and their traitorous ally working together to remove him from the equation. His jaw ticked as the images flashed through his mind’s eye.

“I shall avenge you, Sherry. You have my word.”

He quickly turned and finished his assessment of the grounds. Satisfied that it was clear, he texted the location to the incoming wolves. Bigby walked out through the open gates and pulled the truck through and into the warehouse that was home just days before.

He began unloading the crated gear, all the while his mind raced. Different scenarios on how he would decimate the Monster Squad for what they had done flashed before his eyes. When he finished, he hadn’t remembered half of the job, his anger having taken his mind to a darker place. A place where revenge was sweet and served cold.

*****

Kalen had purposely separated himself from Brooke when they arrived at the training area. The group broke into two sets of two, each set of warriors working with a different squad member. He had assigned Azrael and Brooke to work with Lamb while he and Gnat worked with Jacobs. He found the exotic looking man’s voice to be calming.

“None of your human weapons fit my hands.” Azrael sounded frustrated as he tossed the SCAR to the side. “They are too small for my frame, as well.”

Lamb rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yeah, I noticed that as well.” He picked up the SCAR and extended the stock all the way to the rear. “How much more before this feels comfortable?”

“Can you attach another one to the rear of this one?” Azrael wasn’t joking.

“Uh…no.” Lamb pulled the weapon from him and examined it again. “Maybe a .50 cal?”

“Maybe if he didn’t have gorilla arms.” Brooke punched the gargoyle lightly in the arm.

“I do not. I have gargoyle arms.” Azrael flexed his mighty muscles and even Lamb was impressed.

“Okay, Schwarzenegger. Quit showing off for the ladies.” Lamb pulled a Barrett .50 caliber rifle from the weapons locker and handed it to him. “Try this on for size.”

Azrael hefted the weapon and nodded. “This feels more appropriate. But this part is still too short.” He pointed to the stock.

Lamb shrugged. “Try to make do until we can get you a custom stock made. Can you fit your finger in the guard here?”

Azrael wiggled his trigger finger into the guard, but it was too tight. “No.” He handed the weapon back.

Lamb laid the weapon down and scratched at his head. “Maybe we’ll just have to have one custom made for you.”

“Try the M2.” Major Tufo stepped closer to the railing and nodded over their heads. “You’ll have to pull one from the stocks. He can hook an ammo can to his belt or wrap a few bandoliers across his chest.” Mark shot a cheesy grin to the crew. “Those ginormous meat hooks of his should be able to hold and operate one of those.”

Lamb snapped his fingers and smiled. “And as big as you are, the recoil shouldn’t be a problem.”

“What is recoil?” Azrael gave him a quizzical look.

“It’s when the gun kicks you.” Lamb turned and trotted off for the weapons supply.

Azrael turned to Brooke. “Then I shall kick it back.”

Brooke patted his large shoulder. “You do that, big guy. You just do that.”

Jacobs sat on the ground and tried to figure out how to make any of their weapons work with Gnat’s stubby little hands. He threw his hands in the air and shook his head. “Major, none of our weapons will fit him. I’m sure he’s stout enough to handle the FiveseveN, but the grip is too wide. He can’t wrap his hand around it.”

“Did you try the MP7?” Mark asked from the balcony overlooking the training area.

“Affirmative, sir. The grip is too wide. He can’t get his thumb and trigger finger to wrap around…” Jacobs paused and stared at the little Gnome. “What about a .22, sir?”

“We have no silver ammunition that will work for a caliber that small.”

“Never mind, Ing.” Jack stepped into the training area and crossed his arms, his eyes scanning his ‘team’. He turned to Kalen, “You’ll never guess who just contacted me.”

Kalen shrugged. “I have no idea, Chief Jack.” He swallowed hard, hoping that Azrael said nothing to him about Brooke.

“Loren.” Jack shook his head. “Apparently
our
weapons are not the order of the day. She’s been in contact with…I dunno, somebody. There are supposedly
special
weapons that we need to pick up.”

Lamb stepped back in lugging the M2. “What do you mean, special, Chief?”

“I mean, not human. She didn’t go into detail. All I know is that we’re wasting our time here.” He cast a disapproving look to Kalen. “How I’m supposed to train you guys without having all the facts is beyond me.”

“I’m sorry, Chief Jack, I did not—”

“Save it.” Jack turned for the door. “For now, run them through the drills using their own weaponry. I have no clue what the special stuff is supposed to be, there’s no sense in risking their lives with stuff they don’t know. Just get them working together tight. As a team.”

“Got it, Chief.” Lamb dropped the M2 and stepped toward the door of the trainer. “Grab your gear and get ready to run the gauntlet.”

Azrael perked up. “The gauntlet? I enjoy gauntlets.”

“Sorry to disappoint, big guy. It’s just an expression.” Brooke patted his shoulder again as she walked by.

Azrael’s shoulders slumped and his face fell before he turned to retrieve his own weapons.

*****

Matt wasn’t sure how he ended up back at Jenny’s quarters but he was just about to turn and try to walk away when she opened the door and leaned against the doorjamb. “Are you going to keep pacing out there all evening or are you going to knock?”

“I was…I mean, I…” He glanced first one way, then the other. “I have no idea how I even got here.”

“Join the club.” She stepped away from the doorjamb, inviting him inside when he noticed that she wore only boxer briefs and a thin t-shirt. He swallowed hard and found that his feet were moving him inside on auto-pilot.

She shut the door behind him and turned to find him looming over her. “I can’t stop thinking of you.” His voice was low and breathy, and she felt chill bumps break out over her skin. A shiver ran up her spin as his hands reached out and grasped her gently by the elbows. “Why can’t I get you out of my mind?”

She leaned into him and inhaled deeply, doing her best to imprint his scent in her mind. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at him. “I don’t know. I’ve had the same problem since I…since we…I mean, since our wolves…”

He leaned down and kissed her, pulling her up and closer to him. She stood on the tips of her toes, placing her hands against his wide chest and pulling herself higher to better reach him. She barely realized that his hands had slid down and cupped her bottom until he lifted her effortlessly and held her against him. She groaned in his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him to her.

He turned slowly and placed her gently on the narrow bed. She wrapped her legs around him more tightly and squeezed, holding him close to her. Matt pulled his mouth from hers only long enough to draw in a gasp of breath before she pulled his mouth back to her own.

He turned them both and sat on her bed, the springs creaking under his weight. She slid further up in his lap and wrapped her legs tighter around him, struggling to keep her grip on him. He ran his hands up her back and soon found them sliding under the thin material of her t-shirt. Without trying, he had the shirt pulled to her neck and slid his mouth from hers long enough to pull the shirt off and toss it to the corner of the room. She was back on him before he could speak and his hands slid slowly across the silky smoothness of her bare skin.

She moaned as he pulled his calloused hands to her front and cupped her bare breasts, his fingers brushing her sensitive spots. He slowly kissed his way to her neck, pausing only a moment to tug and nip at her earlobe before kissing his way to her chest. She threw her head back and bit back a scream as he deftly took each bud in his mouth and sucked at her, nipping her gently with his teeth, his whiskers rasping her tender flesh with each brush.

She threw herself forward, her arms wrapped around his neck once more, pulling herself up and tighter to him. “If you don’t fix this soon, I’m going to go crazy.”

He gave her a confused and half-dazed stare. “Fix what?”

“This.” She leaned back and thrust her breasts into his face. “Get your clothes off now before I rip them off!” she growled from low in her throat.

He felt a chill run up his back and settle in the base of his neck. He knew that her voice had stirred his wolf, and he was quickly pulling at his uniform, tossing pieces aside as quickly as he could remove them.

His hands slid into the waistband of her boxer briefs and slide them off her hips, his roughened hands scratching at her legs as he tugged them off. He paused only a moment as he stared at her beauty then lifted her gently in the air and settled her on him. Her eyes went wide just before he entered her, and she placed both hands on his shoulders. “This is forever you know.”

His eyes darkened and he smiled at her knowingly. “I know.” He pulled her close and sucked her tongue into his mouth just as she relaxed her thighs and allowed herself to lower onto him.

*****

“What kind of trap can we set that will draw them out?” Lilith paced in the confined area of her office/bedroom.

Samael hunkered in a dark corner, his mind wondering about that very same problem. “Perhaps we need to draw them out by sticking to the plan? Use our demons to stir up the humans and when they come out and offer the cache to help, we strike.”

“Who would they offer them to…” She snapped her fingers. “The hunters.”

“The hunters.” Samael stood and leaned against the support column. “We will need eyes on the hunters.”

“Easy enough. There are humans all around them according to Damien.”

Samael shuddered. “Do not speak that name any longer.”

“Why, lover? Surely that flesh no longer remembers being him. It surely looks nothing like him any longer.” She ran a long and pointed finger across his chest.

“The fact that you allowed that dead flesh to touch you…” he trailed off.

“No, lover. I allowed it to touch a borrowed body.” She shuddered as she remembered the buxom redhead. “One that almost corrupted my mind.”

“Regardless, that name is dead to us.” Samael snapped as he pushed away from the column. “Now, let us check with our legion and see if the preparations have been made.”

Lilith held the door for him as he ducked and walked outside. As soon as his presence was noted, the demons rushed to form up once more. “Commanders!” he barked. “Do you have your supplies?”

“Yes, m’lord.” The company commanders stepped forward and marched toward him.

The lead commander spoke first. “We have those with the technical knowledge creating the devices now.”

“Very well. How much more time is needed?”

The commander turned and looked to the others who gave a slight shrug. “A day, two at the most.”

Lilith held up a white ball. “And these will do the trick?”

“According to the host, yes, my queen. Those are ceramic and will not be detected by metal detectors.”

“Damn the technology,” Samael growled as he snatched the white sphere from her hand. “And what of the rest of it?”

“Fiber optics instead of wires. Two part explosives, virtually undetectable by most of their scanning machines. Even the canines they use are not trained for this.”

Samael nodded as he tried to crush the white sphere. It seemed as solid as the steel he wanted to use. “And the triggering devices?”

The commander held up a cell phone. “Everybody has one these days.” He turned to another of the lesser unit commanders. “Retrieve one of the devices.” They watched as he ran to the far side of the warehouse then jogged back carrying the vest. “They are lightweight, easily concealable, the explosives are layered in as a paste and it takes very little. The ceramic spheres will act as mortars once the device goes off. Everything within two hundred yards will be decimated.” He smiled as he held the device up.

“And how many are there now?” Lilith asked as she handed the ceramic sphere back.

“Somewhere between five and six thousand. Each of us should be able to suicide our host, return with a new one and be back out in a matter of days.”

Samael nodded. “How many total will there be once all of the materials are used?”