Obsessions: A Monster Squad Novel 7 (27 page)

Stevens shoved a report onto his desk and stood smiling proudly as the man picked it up and browsed through the summary. “What is this?”

“Communications, sir.” He glanced over his shoulder toward the door. “I thought your secretary was going to beat me over the head and take that from me, but I—”

“What kind of communications?” The director continued to sift through the papers behind the summary.

“Oh, uh…between the target party and their operatives in the field.” Stevens leaned across the desk and tried to see what page the director was on. “I got to thinking, they need to have a way to
know
when a threat is real. They can’t just wait for a civilian or a police agency to call them and say, ‘hey, can we get a werewolf or vampire exterminator out here’ now can they? No. So they must have field operatives. And if they have field operatives, then they have to communicate somehow.”

“So…you utilized a satellite to track radio data?”

Stevens smiled. “Negative, sir. They’re using old-fashioned telephone lines. I utilized the Patriot Act to pull their records of both incoming and outgoing calls. Then I started recording calls.” He absolutely beamed as he spoke. “I uploaded the sound files to your G drive, sir. The hyperlinks are spelled out there so you can go straight to them and listen to—”

“English, son, in English.” The director slapped the file shut and stared at the man.

“Oh…uh…I saved the sound files on a drive that only you and I can access. The directory to get to it is the last page of the report…the addendum there. I believe its attachment F, sir.”

The director opened the file again and flipped to the last page. Slowly a smile crossed his face. “Okay, Stevens, I’m going to go listen to these files. If they are what you say they are then…good job.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Director Jameson looked up at the man. “You still cleared for field work, Stevens?”

The analyst paled as he tried to digest what the director had just asked him. “Sir?”

“Are you still cleared for field work?”

“Uh…I suppose, sir. But I’m an analyst. I work in the office here. I mean, I’m a data kind of guy, I don’t actually go into the field and—”

“You’re about to.” Director Jameson reached across his desk and picked up his phone. “I’ve got to call Ingram and have him put together a surveillance team. I want you on it.”

Stevens paled even more. “But, sir, I’m not really qualified to…I’m not a field operative!”

Director Jameson stared the man down. “If you’re qualified to be one, then by God, you
are
one. Unless you’d rather be crunching satellite data in the fucking Yukon?”

The analyst stiffened and swallowed hard. “No, sir. I’d rather not.”

“Excellent. Get your gear and prepare to assist Ingram’s men in the field.” Jameson began punching numbers into his phone then paused. He turned to Stevens once more. “That is all. You’re dismissed.”

CIA Analyst Robert Stevens walked back to his desk in a daze. He sat down in his chair and stared at his computer screen. His hands went through the motions of shutting down his station as his mind raced. Going out in the field was one thing. Going out in the field and facing genetically mutated, monster hunting, Special Forces soldiers was another.

He stared at the blank walls of his cubicle. For the briefest moment, he actually wished that he had a family or a sweetheart that he could tell good-bye.

14

“So what exactly did you send Mr. Simmons?” Mick asked as he leaned back in the metal chair.

Mark laid the camera back down and slid it across the table to him. “Those are pictures of another site. Then we snapped a few of different areas in here and in other buildings across the base. We had a draftsman draw up phony blueprints and artificially age them so that they’d look old.” Mark crossed his arms and stared the were-cat down. “The big question now is, are you ready to become a part of the solution, or will you remain part of the problem?”

Mick held his chained hands up and rattled them. “You really think I want to spend the rest of my days like this? What’s your proposal?”

“If I had my way, we’d take you out back and sink a bullet in your head. But seeing as how the colonel is feeling much more generous, he’s offering you asylum. Of sorts.”

Mick lowered his hands and cocked his head sideways. “Asylum? How does that work?”

“Considering that this Simmons character has a pretty long reach, we’re prepared to offer you a lifelong vacation on a really nice island. Surrounded by other shifters, too.”

“In exchange for?”

“In exchange for your help, as soon as Simmons is properly set up, we send you out on a chopper. It’s just a few hours away from here.”

“An island? Just a few hours from here?” Mick raised his brow at the man, obviously disbelieving.

“It’s in the Gulf. The fellow running it at the moment used to work here.” Mark scooted his chair back and glanced at his watch. “It’s a short-term offer.”

“Fine. I suppose it beats the bullet option. But what do you mean by lifelong? I’ll be a prisoner there?”

Mark ignored him as he flipped his folder shut. “Lifelong as in, as long as you want to stay alive. I truly doubt that a money man like Simmons is going to come out of the shadows to lead his little attack on us. As long as he’s out there, you’re going to need to keep a low profile.”

“So I’m either a prisoner there or a prisoner here.” He flung his chains toward Mark. “That’s some choice you’re giving me, mate.”

“There’s always option one.” Mark shot him a lopsided smile.

Mick sighed and pushed the camera back to him. “Just tell me what I have to do.”

“We’ll get you another cell phone. You call him and tell him that after the attack we decided to move to this location because of the damage done at this location. Make sure that he believes you.”

“And then?”

“And then make sure he knows that you are running out of minutes on your prepaid phone and have to go. Then we make you disappear.”

Mick swallowed hard and averted his eyes. “What about Jennifer?”

“What about her? She’s my CO’s mate. We’ll protect her with our lives.” Mark crossed his arms and stared the man down. “From
anyone
.”

“Yeah, I gathered as much.” Mick leaned forward and held his hands out. “I’m not a threat Major. You may as well remove these.”

Mark chuckled and shook his head. “Not until we’ve got what we want.” He stood and pushed the chair back in to the table. “Then you’ll get what you want.”

“Yeah, I doubt that.”

*****

“I don’t understand. What do you mean that I invade your dreams?” Kalen was nearly floored by her question.

“Don’t be coy with me, Sugar Cookie. I know that you did it, and you know that you did it. I just don’t know how.” She crossed her arms and squeezed herself tightly. “It’s not like I’m going to tell anybody. I just want to know.”

Kalen shook his head, his hands coming up in surrender. “I swear to you, Brooke, I haven’t—”

“Raven.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “Please, call me Raven.”

Kalen’s curiosity got the better of him. He could read her emotions, and they were all over the place. He sat down beside her and gingerly placed a reassuring hand on her arm. “Why? I don’t understand why you would change who you are.”

She shook her head, her hair covering her face. “Brooke is dead. She’s long since gone. Only Raven can do the things that need doing now.”

“You do realize you’re the same person, don’t you?” Kalen squeezed her arm gently. “You’re still you under all that black leather and bladed weapons.”

She pulled her arm back and leaned away from him. “No, Kalen, that’s where you’re wrong.” She stood and crossed the narrow room to the door. She stood with her back to the exit and still refused to meet his gaze. “Brooke was innocent. She was weak. She was…a child. Raven is strong, and she can do what needs to be done to survive. Raven can kill indiscriminately and she can…” Her voice broke, and he saw her bottom lip quivering.

Kalen got up and stood before her. His hands gently held her arms as they clutched even tighter to her sides. “Br-…I mean, Raven. You can be anything. You can become anything. You can even go back if you want.” He slowly stroked the sides of her arms as he spoke. “But changing your name doesn’t change what happened to you. It doesn’t change what you had to do in order to survive. Yes, it made you stronger and yes, you had to harden yourself in order to do it, but it doesn’t change the fact that you are Brooke Sullivan.”

He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He noted the tears running down her cheeks and a part of him wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her that it would all be okay. He wanted to kiss her and tell her that she didn’t have to hurt inside any longer. He wanted to tuck her into his pocket and keep her warm and protected and hide her away from anything that might harm her. But the other part of him knew that she was as dangerous a warrior as any he had come across. He knew that she could just as easily best him in battle if he weren’t careful. She might have a fragile psyche, but she was far from broken.

He tucked away another strand of hair and gave her a gentle smile. “I’ll call you whatever you wish. And we needn’t speak of it any more if you don’t want to.” He pulled her gently into an embrace and he softly wrapped his arms around her.

For the briefest of moments, Kalen felt at peace; as though everything that could be right with the world suddenly was. Then he felt her shift under him and he knew that she didn’t share the feeling. He broke the embrace and stepped back slightly, his eyes searching hers. Tears flowed freely, and she tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand. He reached across and grabbed the tissues from his desk.

“Thank you,” she sniffed as she dabbed at her face.

“You are most welcome.” Kalen stepped aside and allowed her to take the chair. “Not to change the subject, but you said that
I
had invaded your dreams.” She looked up at him expectantly. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “I honestly thought that it was you who had invaded mine.”

Her eyes went wide with shock and she stared at him. “I wouldn’t…I mean, I couldn’t even if I…”

“I understand. And neither could I.” He sighed heavily as he sat down. “Perhaps it was happenstance that we shared a similar dream?”

She looked at him and shook her head. “What did you dream?”

Kalen’s face flushed and he shook his head. “I don’t really remember.”

“You too, huh?” She chuckled as she wiped her nose again. “Yeah, mine was pretty steamy too.”

“Did you rip out my throat in your dream?”

She gasped as she turned to him again. “No!”

He nodded. “You did in mine.”

“Oh, my God…” Raven suddenly stood and was searching for the door. “I need to leave.”

“No, wait!” Kalen jumped up and stood between her and the door. “Please don’t.”

“No, Kalen, this was a mistake. A giant, horrible mistake.” She tried to maneuver past him, but he sidestepped and stood in front of her again. She opened her mouth to protest when he leaned down and kissed her.

*****

Derek Youngblood stood in the living room of his childhood home and spun in slow circles. His mind raced as he tried to take in everything that Laura had told him. “And you just…shot him up with this stuff?”

“Yes, Derek, I did.” Laura groaned as her brother seemed to slip into shock. “But I did it to save his life.”

“Yeah, but at what cost?” His voice was raised and nearly at a panic level. “And why the hell would you tell me?”

Laura sat on the edge of the couch, her hands tucked neatly between her knees. “Because I think I’m going to have to go back and face the music for what I did. Dad’s going to need somebody to make sure he takes his medicine…and to keep an eye on him. Somebody to keep him grounded.”

“Oh, my God!” he screeched as he continued to spin in slow circles. “You want me to be responsible for your screw up? Isn’t that just priceless?”

“My what?” Laura glared at her brother, her head slowly tilting to the side. “Did you just say that saving Dad’s life was a ‘screw up’?”

“Yeah, I did. No, wait. I mean…I meant to say that…yeah, you…well…” Derek couldn’t wrap his own mind around his thoughts, but the way Laura had twisted it back on him had him completely puzzled. “You did screw up. You know it and I know it. It was Dad’s time. He had come to terms with it.”

“But now he doesn’t have to.”

“Oh yeah. And he’s supposed to just walk out with a clean bill of health and live forever and nobody will be the wiser for it.” Derek threw his hands into the air and glared at her. “How the hell am I supposed to explain that one?”

“You don’t have to, D! Medical miracles happen all the time.”

“Not like this they don’t!” He finally stopped his spinning and sat down hard on the brick hearth of the fireplace. “Jeezus, Sis, what have you done?”

“I saved his life.” Her voice was soft and low, nearly pleading for her brother to understand her actions.

“At what cost? What if he does change? What if he likes the strength and power too much, and I can’t stop him?” Derek shook his head. “If he decides to stop taking the meds, you know I can’t force him. He’s more pigheaded than you are.”

“What do you want me to do, D? Shoot you up with the stuff too so you can overpower him?” She gave him a sideways look and Derek nearly fell off the hearth.

“Hell no! I don’t want nothing to do with that stuff.” He suddenly came to his feet. “In fact, as it is, you have me scared to death that if he scratched me or got mad and spit on me that I might get it.”

“It doesn’t work that way, Derek.”

“How the hell am I supposed to know? It’s not like I work with this crap every day.” He began pacing, his eyes shifting back and forth as his mind raced.

“Will you just calm down?”

“Calm down? She wants me to calm down. You shoot our father up with werewolf venom and you want me to calm down. Sure, I’ll just get right on that!”

“I’ve got a valium if you think that will help.”

“No way, Jose. It’s probably got vampire DNA or something in it. I’m not taking anything from you.”

Laura chuckled and leaned back on the couch. “Vampires carry a virus as well. You can’t get it from a valium.”

Derek froze in place and slowly turned to face her. “Vampires? You mean to tell me that they’re real, too?”

*****

Jack rounded the corner and tapped on Mitchell’s door. “Come.”

He stuck his head inside and nodded to his ex-commanding officer. “You got a minute?”

“Not really, but I’ll make one. Take a seat.” Mitchell poured him a cup of coffee and set it on the edge of the desk. “What’s on your mind, Chief?”

“I just got off the horn with Viktor.” Mitchell gave him a concerned look and Jack cut his question off before he could ask it. “Nadia is fine and so is the baby. No, this had to do with Rufus.”

Mitchell leaned back in his chair and raised a brow. “So he’s definitely alive and kicking?”

“And captured.” Jack took a sip of the coffee and cradled it while he recounted the tale that Viktor had told him. When he was finished, he decided to drop the bomb. “I just recently got wind from the Wyldwood that our big dark threat is some chick named Lilith. Ever heard of her?”

Mitchell shook his head. “No, but something tells me I’m about to.”

“She’s apparently the original badass bitch created by God to be Adam’s mate, but she rejected him and turned her back on God. She ended up with the fallen angels and…well, she turned to the Dark Side.”

“Joy. So what is she supposedly up to?”

“World domination, slavery of all mankind, that sort of gig. And she’s the one holding Rufus.”

Mitchell’s eyes widened. “Damn, when your boss steps in it, he really steps in it, doesn’t he?”

“He’s not my boss any more. But Viktor wants me to help him save the bloodsucker.”

“And you’re going to do it because it’s Lilith that has him, right?” Mitchell could see where this was going.

Jack sighed and ran a hand across his face. “If this gal is everything she’s made out to be, I don’t know if my junior cub scouts can handle her.”