Paranormal Erotic Romance Box Set (37 page)

“Okay, guys,” I said, “let’s go outside. Come on, Andy.”

Anthony and the wolves left the room and the others
followed. I turned around to find James. He stood in front of Brandt and got
into his face.

“I hate you for doing this to her,” James said and gripped
the back of Brandt’s neck. “And I hate you for making me do this.”

“You’re not doing a thing,” I said and grabbed his hand,
“the wolves are. Let’s go.”

James and I walked down the corridor toward the lobby.

“Just let them go,” James said.

“What?” I said and stopped in the hallway.

“There’s no point if there’s not a confession, is there?”

“Are you serious? You’re the person who told me not to
give up.”

“Yes, I suppose I am.”

“You definitely are. Look, no one wanted them to confess
more than me, but that didn’t work, did it?”

“No. I have a bad feeling, though.”

“Yeah, I do too. I have a bad feeling that Bobby Allen is
going to die for something he didn’t do. But them? Nah. Brandt and Nellie are
here to die.”

“You seem to be living among wild beasts and you
become a wild beast yourself.”

William Beckford

“What’s he doing?” James said as we walked through the
lobby and passed Mr. Conway.

“Pacing,” I said. “He’s probably just waiting for them to
leave like we are. At least it’s dusky now.”

“Not dark enough,” James said.

We walked outside and Anthony and the wolves were lined up
on the lawn across from the entrance to the hotel and the others stood behind
them.

I looked across the property and waved at Mica, Perry and
Mary McDonald who were posted at the property line by the forest flinging
chunks of meat into the woods with Dr. Newlander and Heinrich.

“There are no animals there,” I said.

“That’s why I wanted to wait. The less activity going on,
the more likely whatever lives in the woods will come out. I think Jonas wants
to see you,” James said and pointed.

I looked over at the rose garden and Jonas Dashiell stood
next to Adelaide and gestured for me to come.

“Great.”

“Just go, everything will be fine.”

“Will you go see if Perry had any luck with any woodland
creatures bigger than a breadbox?”

“Sure thing, cherry blossom,” James said and walked toward
the property line. “Hey, you know what?”

“What?” I said as I walked toward the rose garden.

“I--”

I turned around and looked at him.

“Yes?” I said.

“I...I don’t want you to worry, that’s all,” he said and
turned around.

“I love you too,” I said and smiled.

I walked toward the rose garden and Anthony ran after me.

“Sophia,” Anthony said, “where are you going?”

“Adelaide wants to see me,” I said and pointed toward the
rose garden.

“Oh, gosh, I feel sorry for you,” he said.

“Just hang back, I shouldn’t be long. You know, you’re
doing an amazing job, Anthony. And don’t think I haven’t noticed that May has
been all over you.”

“Yeah, about that,” Anthony said and stared at his feet,
“would you mind just calling me Tony for the rest of the mission? It really
gets me into character.”

“Of course, Tony,” I said.

“Thanks, friend,” he said.

Anthony ran back to the wolves and I walked toward Jonas
and Adelaide.

“Hi guys,” I said as I walked up to the gate of the rose
garden.

“Sophia,” Jonas said.

“What’s going on now?” Adelaide said. “I see everyone has
gathered.”

“Yeah, well, there’s been a snag,” I said and rested my
arms on the iron gate. “Nellie found the recorder that Patrick hid under the
bed.”

“That is a snag,” Adelaide said. “What’s the plan?”

“The plan is moving forward, just not at the time I would like,”
I said. “She got spooked and called a cab.”

“You’re going to do it now?” Jonas said.

“I have to. They’re going to leave.”

“It’s a little early for these hijinks, wouldn’t you say?”
Adelaide said.

“It’s darker now,” I said.

“Your victims are coming out,” Adelaide said.

I turned and looked toward the entrance to the hotel as
Nellie dragged Brandt out the front door. She helped him over to a bench near
the driveway and they sat down and huddled together.

“They’re here!” Patrick said and his voice echoed across
the property.

“I’ve got to go,” I said to Adelaide.

“Go, go,” she said. “Who’s stopping you? Just be very
careful, Sophia.”

I ran across the lawn and joined the others. Anthony lined
the wolves in a row across from Nellie and Brandt. Only the snow-covered
asphalt driveway separated them.

“Get them ready, Tony,” I said.

“Up!” Anthony said.

The wolves stood at once and the muscles in their necks
tensed as they fixed their eyes on Brandt and Nellie and licked their chops.

“Shouldn’t we spread out?” Tara said.

“We’re not playing football,” Judah said.

“Hey, Conway is at the door,” Patrick said.

Mr. Conway stood at the front door to the hotel with his
face pressed against the glass. I turned around and looked at the property
line. The only thing that stood on the other side of James and the others were
the woods.

“There are no animals there,” I said.

“They’ll come,” Andy said and rested his head against my
leg and sucked his thumb.

Nellie stood from the bench and looked toward the long
driveway.

“Someone is coming!” Jonas called to us from the gate of
the rose garden.

Car headlights cut through the thick fog that enveloped
the long drive toward the hotel.

“What is it?” Brandt said and looked up at Nellie.

I looked at Mr. Conway who stood at the front door and
shifted on his feet.

“The cab, I think,” Nellie said and squinted.

“Good,” Brandt said. “I need a shot.”

“Ready!” Anthony said and lifted his arms in the air.

The wolves stretched and pushed their weight to their
front paws and drops of saliva fell from their bared fangs.

“Red lights,” Nellie said. “Red lights!”

“What the fuck is she babbling about?” I said and turned
toward the driveway.

The fog turned red as whatever was driving toward the
hotel stained the air.

“Cops!” Nellie said and pushed Brandt. “Brandt, get up!”

Nellie picked up the suitcase and threw it toward the
bushes and turned and ran toward the front door of the hotel. She grabbed the
door handle and Mr. Conway stood on the other side of the door and held on.

“Open this fucking door!” Nellie said and pressed her face
against the glass. “Open this door right now!”

“Oh, fuck,” I said and ran over and stood in the driveway.

A police cruiser with its lights flashing cut through the
fog and moved slowly through the slushy asphalt. The first car was followed by
another.

“Sophia!” James’ voice echoed across the grounds.

Nellie shook the door handle and banged on the glass
panes. Brandt sat slumped against the side of the hotel and bowed his head.

“Brandt get up! He called the fucking cops,” Nellie said.

“Good,” Brandt said and closed his eyes. “I can’t take
anymore.”

“You’re dead!” Nellie said to Mr. Conway as she banged on
the glass. “Do you hear me? Dead! You can’t prove a fucking thing.”

A row of guests inside the lobby lined up at the windows
and stared at the scene from the inside of the hotel.

“It’s now or never, Sophia!” Anthony said. “I’m not going
to be able to call them off soon. They are wicked pissed!”

The cop cars stopped at the mid-way point before reaching
the front of the hotel. The officers inside did not get out of their cruisers.

“Brandt, get the fuck up!” Nellie said.

“No, Nellie,” Brandt said as he held his arms out, “I want
them to take me away. Take me away!”

I looked across the lawn at James. He looked at me and
shrugged. And then he nodded.

“Now, Tony!” I said as I ran toward the wolves. “Now!”

The wolves started barking and they crouched down toward
the ground, waiting for their command.

“Go!” Anthony said.

“Oh, shit!” I said as I skidded across the wet grass and
landed on my ass.

Two of the wolves jumped at Brandt and each took one of
his feet in their jaws and clamped down.

“Nellie, help!” he said and looked down.

Nellie swung around and looked at him as the wolves yanked
back and pulled him off the bench. Brandt landed on his back on the pavement
and two more wolves lunged at him. They each clamped their jaws around his
wrists and waited for the others.

“What the fuck?” Nellie said and covered her mouth with
her hands. “Brandt!”

“What’s happening? Something is biting me,” Brandt said
and screamed.

“Go!” Anthony said and two wolves ran over to Nellie.

One of the wolves jumped up on his hind legs and clamped
down on Nellie’s shoulder and pulled her to the ground. The other wolf took her
arm in his mouth and dragged her across the driveway into the grass.

“Brandt, what’s happening?” Nellie said and tried to sit
up.

Four wolves pounced on her each one grabbing her feet and
hands as the others did to Brandt. Mr. Conway opened the door to the hotel and
walked outside.

“What...I don’t...” he said and rubbed his eyes.

The wolves held Brandt and Nellie off the ground by their
hands and feet and Nellie turned her head and looked at Brandt.

“You’re off the ground!” she said as she looked at the
space between Brandt and the ground. “What the fuck is going on?”

“Yes,” Brandt said and smiled, “I’m floating.”

“Brandt,” Nellie said as she fought against the wolves,
“wake the fuck up!”

“Let’s do it, Tony,” I said as I ran toward him.

“Go!” Anthony said a third and final time.

The wolves ran, dragging Nellie and Brandt in their mouths
toward the property line. We all ran after them and I looked over at the
driveway as one of the officers got out of his car.

“Help,” Nellie said as she was dragged past the police
cars. “Help us!”

The officer ran onto the lawn and cleared his gun.

“Halt!” the officer said.

“We’re not doing this!” Nellie said as her head bounced
off the snow.

I looked at Brandt’s face as I ran next to him. He looked
at the sky and smiled.

“I am ready,” he said as the wolves dragged him toward the
property line. “I am ready to die!”

I reached James and he put his hands on my shoulders and
turned me around to face the hotel. Mr. Conway ran across the lawn toward
Brandt and Nellie and a few of the guests inside peeked outside the door.

“Well, kid,” James said, “you never want to do anything
small-time. It’s the big displays that people always remember.”

The wolves that were not dragging Nellie and Brandt lined
up at the property line and barked.

“Look,” Perry said and pointed to the trees, “eyes.”

I looked into the woods and a pair of eyes looked back at
me through the thicket. Slowly, five coyotes crept out of the woods on their
bellies. They came toward the property line and snarled as the wolves dragged
Brandt and Nellie toward the edge.

“Give them room,” Anthony said as he ran toward us.

Brandt lay on his back and didn’t move. He had the same
dopey smile on his face as he stared up at the purple sky. Nellie struggled
against the wolves. Her wrists and ankles were bloody and she writhed on her
back, trying to get free.

“Help me!” Nellie said.

The six cops ran toward us, guns drawn as they shouted a
jumble of commands at once. Half of the cops had their guns on the growling
coyotes and the other half, on Brandt and Nellie. Mr. Conway knelt in the
middle of the lawn and babbled to himself.

The wolves that held Brandt reared back with their heads
and held him off the ground.

“What the--” one of the cops said as he cocked his head
and looked at the space between Brandt’s body and the ground he should have
been on.

“Now!” Anthony said and held his arms up.

The wolves pulled back on Brandt’s arms and legs and
lunged forward and released him. Brandt flew through the air, over the property
line and landed on his back in front of the coyotes. They circled him and
growled. One of the coyotes tapped on Brandt’s chest with its paw. Nellie
screamed as the wolves lifted her and the cops backed away as the wolves held
her off the ground.

“Help me!” Nellie said.

Nellie twisted her hands in the wolves’ mouths, slashing
her wrists further as she hooked her fingers into one of the wolf Number Ten’s
collar.

“Now!” Anthony said.

“No, she’s got him by the collar!” I said.

The wolves restraining Nellie reared back and tossed her
toward the property line.

“She’s taking Number Ten with her!” Anthony said and
jumped toward the wolf.

“Anthony, no!” I said.

Anthony pried Nellie’s wrist out of wolf Number Ten’s
mouth in mid-air and pushed Nellie’s head away as they both flew toward the
property line. Nellie landed first and rolled toward the woods away from the
coyotes.

Patrick grabbed Anthony’s foot to yank him back, but he
tripped over one of the wolves and fell. Anthony landed on his stomach with
half of his torso over the property line.

It was that half of Anthony that exploded and burst into
flames.

“No!” May Gaspar said and screamed as flames engulfed the
upper half of Anthony’s body. “Tony!”

“What the hell?” one of the cops said as he moved toward
the flames.

The half of Anthony’s body that remained on our side,
convulsed as his upper half burned.

Mr. Conway ran toward the flames and fell to his knees.

“The burning bush! The burning bush has come,” he said and
lifted his arms to the sky.