Obsidian Wings (16 page)

Winds Of Change

“It’s not like they can just go in there and take her out,”
Rune said, pacing Rice’s office. “It’s not easy to escape from a maximum
security prison.”

“Unless you’re the leader of COS,” Lex said. Her voice was
lackluster but when she met Rune’s gaze, her eyes were full of fire. “That
might make it a little easier.”

“This is bullshit,” Denim said. “Fucking governor. I knew he
was a friend to the church.”

“He’s corrupt,” Rice agreed. “That’s no secret.” Then his
phone rang. “Excuse me.”

“If they plan to break her out for the ceremony, they only
have a couple of days left to do it,” Levi said.

The new moon loomed over them like a mountain of death.

“Crews will be coming in the day of the new moon,” Elizabeth
said. “We’ll have a lot of help.”

“I hope it’s enough,” Jack said, adjusting his eye patch.
“Personally, I’d rather not meet a demon.”

Lex looked down at her hands.

“Dammit.” Jack put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re not a
demon, Lex.”

She shrugged. “Who knows what all is swirling around inside
me? I’m not worried.”

But if anyone could understand what she was feeling, it was
Rune, and she knew Lex was unsure.

Strad watched them all—especially Rune. She felt the touch
of his stare all the way to her toes.

“I might as well tell you about my encounter with Cree and
Fin now,” she told them.

Strad narrowed his eyes. “What encounter?”

Jack cleared his throat. “Elizabeth sent us on a run to
Creeper’s Point. The birds were there.”

“Did they attack?” Strad asked.

“No. Cree begged for help. Fin had been attacked and was in
bad shape,” Rune told him. “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have survived. Jack
called Dr. Haas, but she wasn’t inclined to do anything other than kill him.
She wouldn’t come.”

“I’m sure she had her reasons,” Elizabeth said.

Raze saluted them with his coffee cup. “I wouldn’t help the bastards
either.”

Rune took a deep breath. “I did help them.” She raised a
hand as everyone started to speak at once. “It was a good trade. They’re going
to help us fight COS when they attempt to call the demon.”

“What was the trade?” Strad asked. “What did you do, Rune?”

“I fed him.”

He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, they were
full of thunderclouds. “The birds shouldn’t have your blood.”

“It was what I needed to do. They can help us defeat COS.
You know they’re great fighters.”

He strode to her and grabbed her shoulders. “But what they
did to you. What they did to the twins. You can’t…” He let her go and ran his
hand over his still healing face. “I’ll kill them.”

“It was the right thing to do,” she said. “We need them.”

“She’s right,” Elizabeth said. “We do what we have to do, no
matter our personal feelings.”

Strad stepped away, but he didn’t soften. Rune figured if
the coming fight didn’t kill the two birds, the berserker would.

“We have four nights to find Horner,” Owen said, “or another
slayer who can give him to us.”

Rice hung up his phone. “There was another murder. A human
male, nailed to the wall—inside, this time—of an abandoned warehouse.”

“In the Moor?” Rune asked.

“Right outside it. And the murder before this one, the
detectives found a single fingerprint belonging to a COS member who disappeared
three months ago. Guy’s wife claimed he’d left the church, and she thinks COS
killed him for defecting. But this fingerprint would show otherwise. The guy is
alive, in hiding, and helping COS murder not only Others, but humans.”

“Whoever the murderers are, they’re escalating,” Owen said.

“So now,” Rice continued, “we’re not alone in our search for
COS and Bach Horner. The humans want him, and want him badly. With our combined
information and resources…”

“We may have a chance at finding them before the new moon,”
Elizabeth said.

“Yes.”

Something dark and secret flashed between Rice and
Elizabeth, so quick and subtle Rune thought she might have imagined it.

She took a deep, cleansing breath. “With the world hunting
the slayers, they’ll soon run out of places to hide.” Then, she smiled. “How
the hell did we get here so fast?”

“Oh, my dear,” Rice said. “Ask the Others who’ve been
persecuted for centuries how fast we got here.”

“We’re not anywhere,” Denim said. “We’ll be
there
when COS is dead. Not just when the world is beginning to fear them.”

“To hate them,” Levi added.

“It’s a good fucking start,” Rune said.

“I’ll ask Elizabeth to keep you all updated on the investigation
into the murders, as well as on any COS sightings,” Rice said. “And while I
have you all here, I wanted to talk with you about some plans for improvements
Elizabeth and I have been discussing.”

No one said a word.

“For the crew,” Rice elaborated. “For you.”

They groaned.

“Why screw with a good thing?” Rune asked.

“To make better things,” Ellis said, smiling.

Rune glared. “Ellis, you knew about this and didn’t give me
a heads up?”

He winked. “They’re all good, I promise.”

She sighed. “Okay. Out with it.”

Rice stood and clasped his hands behind his back. “You’re
getting fully equipped vehicles. SUVs with lights, sirens, radios, computers.
The design will be unique to Shiv Crew, as far as paint colors, door lettering,
interiors. The cars will be black and silver.” He looked at Rune. “Except for
yours. Yours will be pink and gold.”

She gaped. “
Fuck
you.”

He laughed, and the entire crew broke into guffaws. “I’m
kidding, Rune.”

She cleared her throat. “Asshole.” But she grinned.

“Crew cars,” Jack said, nodding. “I can live with that.”

Denim and Levi high-fived each other, like old times, and
Rune’s spirits lifted. They were going to be okay.

“Good deal, you guys,” she said to Bill and Elizabeth. “When
do we get them? Tomorrow?”

Elizabeth smiled. “I’m happy to see your enthusiasm, Rune,
but it’s going to be a few months. And there’s more.”

“I knew it,” Raze said.

Owen leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets. When
he caught her gaze he shrugged and winked. “The cars will make up for the
uniforms.”

“Uniforms,” Rune exclaimed. “Are you kidding me?”

Elizabeth and Rice looked at Owen. “How did you know we were
doing uniforms?” Elizabeth asked.

Rice folded his arms and stared her down.

“I never said a word,” she said.

“It was just a guess,” Owen said. “I figured if you were
putting us into crew cars, you’d be putting us into crew uniforms as well.”

“Seriously, though? You expect us to wear fucking uniforms?”
Rune asked.

“Not until we get the cars,” Rice said. “And along with the
other changes, it’s going to be a while.”

“But we do have pictures of the uniforms,” Elizabeth said.

“I can do uniforms,” Lex said.

“They’re not fancy,” Bill said. “Black pants and pullover
tops, Shiv Crew written on the front left breast and across the back of the
shirts. Many loops and pockets. Boots. Hooded jackets for cold weather. Also
caps with Shiv Crew written on them, which you may wear or not as you choose.”

“And I’ll need all your sizes,” Ellis said.

“How can RISC afford all this?” Rune asked.

“Tell them, Bill.” Ellis clapped his hands, his eyes
sparkling.

Rune lifted an eyebrow. Uniforms and cars. They already had
a weapons room at RISC. What else was there?

“Soon RISC may no longer be a branch of the River County
Sheriff’s Department. We’re being taken under the command of a government
agency known as the Annex. Maybe you’ve heard of them.”

“Yeah,” said Strad. “Whispers. Gossip, mainly. I’ve heard
it’s an offshoot organization made up of people from different government
agencies. They’re taking control of Other management?”

Rice nodded. “They have been for some time. Others are
moving up the food chain, and the Annex is all over it. I will answer to them.
We
will answer to them. And they are powerful. We’ll have jurisdiction in all the
United States—not just River County.”

He glanced around at them, but when no one said anything, he
continued. “The changes will be gradual as the talks continue and the kinks are
worked out. But local law enforcement won’t be able to keep us out of human
cases if those cases have any bearing on ours. We’ll no longer be under their
thumbs. That’s not to say we won’t butt heads with them, or that they won’t
try—at least at first—to flex their muscle. Hell, we’ll be flexing our own
muscle. The director of the Annex reports directly to the president. And fools
don’t want to screw with us.” He smiled. “Not anymore.”

“Levi and I knew before you took us on that the crew was
going to be something big.” Denim picked up a forkful of food and studied it
absently.

Rune smiled at him. “I remember.”

“Are we sure this is a good change?” Lex asked. She sat
beside Levi at Rune’s kitchen table, her dinner of Chinese takeout untouched.

“No,” Rune said. “We’re not sure of anything.”

“Does it piss anyone else off that Rice and Elizabeth didn’t
bother getting our opinions about any of this? Changing hands, new cars,
uniforms…they planned everything without giving any of us information.” Levi
eyed Ellis. “Most of us, anyway.”

Ellis dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry, Levi. I apologize to all
of you. I haven’t known for very long. I overheard Bill talking after he
brought me in to take over for Elizabeth, and—”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Ellie,” Rune said.

“I thought it would be a great surprise,” he murmured. “The
Annex is powerful. Now
we
are powerful.”

“We are still tools,” Rune said, gently. “Used by the higher
ups.”

“But more powerful tools.” Ellie could be stubborn when he
needed to be.

She took a sip of her coffee. “I guess we are.”

Strad wasn’t the only one who’d heard whispers. She’d heard
those same speculations. About how the Annex controlled their people—especially
their field ops—through fear. How the Annex was above the law. How no one
really knew what went on within the Annex because the employees weren’t talking
and outsiders were never allowed inside any of the Annex buildings.

It made her worry that the Annex was the Other version of
COS.

But maybe that was all just gossip. Maybe.

“You get new crew cars,” Lex said. “That’s pretty sweet.”

Cars or not, if they came under control of the Annex, that
would mean new people coming into River County. New bosses.

“It’s good the humans are helping us search for COS,” Rune
said. “I hope that means that when the bastards gather for their ritual, the
humans will help us fight them.”

“Karin is no longer on death row. COS can get to her. Anyone
want to talk about that?” Levi’s voice was bitter, angry.

Rune couldn’t blame him. Karin seemed destined to stay the
nightmare that plagued them with unrelenting regularity. Just like fucking COS.
“Slayers aren’t the only ones who can get to her, baby.”

They all looked at her, silent, allowing her words to sink
in.

“Yeah,” Denim said, slowly nodding. “That’s right.”

They said nothing more, but the seed had been planted. It
began to germinate into hope.

COS didn’t play fair. Neither would Shiv Crew.

“There will always be bad guys,” Lex said. “The world is
full of evil. Eventually COS might become hunted, scared men living on the
fringe of society. Eventually Karin Love will be dead. But there will be others
to take their places.”

“And we’ll fight them, too,” Ellis said. He smiled at the
others. “Remember—we’re Shiv Crew. It’s what we do.”

Rune’s cell rang. She glanced at the display, and when she
didn’t recognize the number, almost let it go to voicemail. But she didn’t.
“This is Rune Alexander.”

“Rune.”

She frowned. The voice was familiar, but rusty and strained.
“Who is this?”

“Sam Cruikshank. The man your crew almost murdered.”

“Who is it?” Ellis asked.

She stood and left the kitchen. “What do you want? An
apology? I’m sorry you were hurt. I did warn you.”

“I need to warn
you
before your dog succeeds in
killing me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Are you still in
the hospital?”

He laughed, or tried to. “I was never in the hospital.”

“I sent Owen to take you in. He painted you with some pretty
grim colors. He didn’t expect you to live.”

“And I wouldn’t have, if I hadn’t managed to escape when he
and that brute Matheson left me for a while.”

She took a breath and rubbed her temple with her free hand.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

“Your two men came to my house and knocked me out when I
answered the door. They dragged me back inside and tortured the hell out of me.
All night long.” He paused and took a shaky breath. “They left me when they got
a phone call. I guess it was because you were found. Owen told me he was coming
back to finish me off.”

“They won’t bother you now.”

“Owen will. He wants me dead.”

“Why?”

“Maybe he knows what I want from you. What
you
want.
He came back but it wasn’t to take me to a hospital. I was waiting in a house
across the street and I watched him. I have pictures if you want to see.” He
hesitated. “He has a killer’s eyes.”

“Sounds like you need to find a new city,” she said, but she
was uneasy. “I’ll talk to him.”

“I’m not calling for you to make him back off. He won’t care
about your orders. I’m calling to warn you about him. I started digging into
the crew members’ backgrounds when I first got interested in you. I know more
about their pasts than you do.”

“You need to back off, dude.”

He ignored her words. “I couldn’t find anything on Owen
Five. It’s like he never existed. There was nothing. Whoever he is, he’s not
who you think. Don’t trust him.”

She swallowed as the sudden metallic taste of fear coated her
tongue. “I don’t trust
you,
Cruikshank. Don’t call me again. I’ll make
sure Owen stays away from you, but you need to get the fuck out of Dodge.” And
not just because of her crew. Because of her.

All she heard was the sound of his breathing, gentle, soft.
Then, “I can’t, Rune.” He hung up.

She closed her eyes. What the fuck was wrong with him?

“Rune?”

“Shit!” She swung around, her fangs dropping before she
could control them, and stared into Ellie’s wide eyes.

He held a hand to his chest. “Are you okay?”

“You startled me, baby.”

“What’s wrong?” His worried expression changed to one of
suspicion. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing. I got a call from Cruikshank, that fucking
reporter. He’s trying to stir up trouble.” She hooked her arm through his and
walked him back to the kitchen. “Are you spending the night?”

Ellis tightened his lips. “I don’t think I’d better.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

He shook his head. “It’s going to take time. I’m okay, but
Levi…it’s going to take time.”

“Yeah. Don’t give up, Ellie. He needs you now more than
ever. Even if he doesn’t realize it.”

“We need each other. It all just went so wrong, so quickly.”

“Let me know if there is anything I can do.”

“What you can do is be careful. No more wandering the
streets alone, looking for trouble. I swear, Rune, you need a keeper.”

She grinned and headed back to the kitchen to finish her
meal. A growing monster had to eat.

And she was growing. In every way.

She’d actually begun to think that she and her crew would
get a quiet evening when her cell rang, and at that exact moment the night
outside her house came alive with screams, gunshots, and blasts.

She answered her phone as she ran to the door and yanked it
open. “Hello?”

“Rune,” Rice said, his voice grimmer than she’d ever heard
it. “The slayers have arrived, and they are early. Weapon up, and try to stay
alive. I need you.”