Red Hood: The Hunt (11 page)

Mrs. Remington took it in stride. “No need to apologize, the young ones are always so overzealous, this will teach him some humility, he'll heal up in the next few hours.”

Then she made an ushering gesture and Victor and I glanced at each other and realized our hands were on our own weapons.  We dropped our hands and stepped through the metal detector, setting it off.  The remaining man gave us an uncertain look, and Victor just patted the badge on his belt and the man let us pass.  We were led to the top floor and up to a reception desk.  A young woman sat at the desk with her head lowered as she diligently wrote in some sort of a ledger.

When Mrs. Remington spoke, the girl looked up and my heart stopped beating. “Beatrice, this is Mr. Slater's personal assistant, Sabina.  She will be your liaison with Mr. Slater and will take you from here.”

The young woman looked up and her eyes went wide with terror and concern when she saw me.  She was in a professional business suit and looked seventeen or eighteen going on a thousand if the shadows in her dull eyes were any indication.  It was impossible, but here she was staring at me like I was her worst nightmare, a small voice squeaked out of me and almost caught in my throat, “Prue?”

She was shaking her head side to side and her fear seemed to double.  I smiled and said, “Prue, it's me Daria.”

She looked away and my heart which had been soaring crashed and shattered.  I was in a daze, my sister was alive and apparently working for Slater.  Why had she never contacted me?  Didn't she want to... was she...  I was knocked out of the torrent of thoughts and emotions by Antonia snapping, “Sabina! Ridica-te tu curva fara valoare!” Maireni's eyes narrowed at that and she whispered something into Beatrice's ear and I could see the Mayor's practiced smile waver and her eyes harden on the matron.

Prue looked at Antonia in fear and stood quickly and smoothed down her skirt and said quickly, “Da amanta!”  Then grabbed a tablet computer and a file and made an ushering motion with her hand and said in a hoarse voice devoid of anything you could mistake as emotion,  “Please Madame Mayor, this way, Mr. Slater is expecting you.”  Mrs. Remington bowed her head to excuse herself and walked off the way we had come.

The Mayor looked at Prue. “Sabina, please call me Beatrice.”

Prue looked at her feet as we walked and said in a strained voice like it pained her to say it, “I... I cannot.  I'm sorry.”

I stepped up from my position after glancing around and grabbed Prue's elbow gently.  She wouldn't meet my eyes.  “Prue?”  She just kept walking.  I pulled her to a stop. “Why won't you talk to me?  I've searched for you all these years.”  My heart ached, she hadn't aged a day since that wolf bit her. She looked exactly as I remembered her except that spark of life that used to dance around in my big sister's eyes wasn't there, they seemed so old and dead now.

She whispered as a tear fell down her cheek, “I... I can't Daria.  He won't... I can't.”  Then she pulled her arm from me, wiped the tear away, and started leading the mayor again leaving me watching her back.

Maireni was suddenly by my side, I hadn't even seen her move.  She whispered into my ear, “She is under compulsion.  She literally can't Daria.”  She gave me a sympathetic look and then as swiftly as she had appeared, she moved back to the mayor's side.

We arrived at a glass-walled conference room and Prue knocked lightly on the conference room door as we stepped in.  Victor and I stood on either side of the door as the rest continued to the conference table where a ruggedly handsome man, in a suit that must have cost thousands, sat on the edge of the table.  He wore a pair of stylish mirrored aviation glasses.

Prue said with her eyes lowered submissively, “Sir.  This is Mayor Fleming.  And her security detail.”  I noted that a heavily armed man stood in each corner of the room as well as another suit sitting near the head of the table.  Then she finished as she looked at the mayor with her eyes still lowered.  “Madame Mayor, this is Mister Alister Slater and his lead counsel, Brent Wells.”

The other suit stood at that.  Slater offered his hand to the Mayor though his head was turned to her side as he studied Maireni.  “It is a pleasure to meet you Mayor Fleming.  Please call me Alister.”

Fleming said, “Then by all means Alister, call me Beatrice.”  Slater adjusted his grip and as smoothly and naturally as if he had been born to do it. He bent his head and gently kissed her knuckles and released her hand with a smile, finally turning his head away from Maireni.

As the lawyer shook her hand, Mari made a show of inhaling deeply through her nose and mouth then she leaned in to the mayor and said, “Wolves,”  She kept her gaze on the men.

Slater smiled and stepped into Maireni's personal space with his back toward O'Neil and me, looming over her and took his glasses off as he gazed down at her.  He tilted his head and said, “So this is the famed Red Hood?  Funny, I thought you'd be bigger.”  Then added in what I assume was Romanian in an amused condescending tone, “Vanatorul de lupi.”

Red smiled, showing her almost-fangs and replied without blinking. “Am crezut ca ai sa puti mai putin.”  At that, I could feel that familiar vibration starting in my feet.  One or both of them was growling.  I saw Slater's guards tighten their grips on their  rifles and both Victor and my hands drifted closer to our sidearms.

The mayor rolled her eyes and looked at Slater and Maireni. “For God's sake you two.  You can figure out who has the bigger dick later.  We have business to discuss.”

Slater put his glasses back on and laughed a genuinely amused belly laugh and pointed at the Mayor. “I like you Beatrice.  I thought you'd be all stuffy like Wells here, being a contract lawyer before you dabbled in politics.”  I almost rolled my eyes this time at his subtle prompt that he had done his homework on her.  Then he smiled and said, “Please, sit, let us discuss what brings you to my humble business.”

She sat and Wells and Slater followed, Red stood directly behind and to the left of the mayor.  Then Slater looked at Prue. “Sabina, please bring refreshments for our guest.”  He looked at the mayor.  “Wine, coffee?”  I swear the way Prue's head dropped when he spoke to her looked almost like a bow.

I could tell by the subtle shift in Beatrice's body language that she didn't like that either, but nothing showed on her well-practiced politician's face as she reached for a glass and the glass pitcher of water in front of her.  “Nothing for me thank you, water is fine.”

Slater nodded then motioned his eyes down to the chair beside him, Prue couldn't sit down fast enough.  Then I swear he looked at me, it was hard to tell with those glasses on, but I caught the quivering of a smile. Or maybe a dare, at the corners of his mouth as he laid a hand possessively over hers where she had hers clasped on the table.  He said, “Thank you dear.”

Then he turned to the mayor again and was all business. “The city of Seattle has expressed concerns about the silver production and availability recently?”  I couldn't tear my eyes from Prue as she started taking notes, just ignoring my presence.  My thoughts drifted to Red saying she was under compulsion and my gut tightened in determination.  That meant she was right and Marcus was somewhere nearby, and I would know him when I saw him, I'd know those eyes.

The rest of the day was spent with Slater explaining how almost every silver mine in North America had been played out and the shortage was not engineered.  That in the Pacific Northwest his mines were barely able to mine a metric ton a day combined.  That Slater Mining has had to ration out the silver bullion to all of the walled cities that have standing orders and the price of the silver is skyrocketing  because of the cost of engineers and test drilling trying to locate new veins.

We already knew that there were less than eight hundred thousand metric tons of silver in existence, with less being mined every day.

When the mayor mentioned the walled mines overseas that haven't decreased in production, he said  that they were fortunate and that he was negotiating with them to obtain their mining rights so that he could offer more silver to cities in need like Seattle.

Maireni had explained all of that to me before and I thought I understood the implications of Slater's attempts at the silver monopoly, but suddenly full comprehension came crashing down on me.  Whoever controlled the silver, controlled the world.  It was a power grab and if it were successful, it would leave Slater as the most powerful man in the world, hell he may already be.  And if he were being controlled by Marcus like Red believed, then he could ultimately shut down the production of new silver bullion, leaving the Clean Bloods ultimately vulnerable to extinction and open to control by Marcus.

My blood began to boil now that I truly understood what she was trying to tell me. Then that seething anger doubled when I realized that if Prue were under compulsion, then it was Marcus that did it to her. 
That fucking wolf has to die!

We retired to the lodge for dinner an hour and a half before sundown.  Slater was a gracious host and he had Prue running around like a scullery maid, serving everyone.  He kept smiling at me like he was having fun making her do it and that he knew I was her sister somehow.  Maybe she told him after the meeting.  But he had that same smarmy smirk there too.

I wasn't looking forward to the next day, it was going to be all the negotiation and financials.  We retired to our rooms before sunset in preparation for the full moon.  After getting the Mayor secured in the silvered wolf panic room attached to her rustic quarters at the far end of the hall, Victor and I shared a room next door that had its own little silver lined panic room attached, that was little bigger than a closet with a couple cots inside.  Red was in the adjoining room.

We heard the familiar sound of FMBs sliding down to shutter the lodge fifteen minutes before sunset.  I shuddered, not comfortable being basically locked into a building at full moon, with a staff and Slater, who were all about to change into werewolves.  I felt uneasy knowing they would be prowling the halls just on the other side of our panic rooms.

We heard a scream down the hall and we were instantly grabbing our weapons and unlocking our panic room door. We slung the heavy silver plated steel door wide as we started running through our room just to stop dead as our door flung open.  The mayor was pushed through our door with Alister behind her holding a gun to her temple.  I noted her arm was bleeding.

I could hear mighty crashes from Red's room, like someone were throwing themselves against a door.  Prue, Mrs. Reminton, and a couple armed guards stepped in behind them.  Alister looked over toward the banging when I did, then smiled at us.  I had my gun trained on Slater and Victor had his swinging from guard to guard.  Slater said to me as I glanced toward the banging again, “Oh don't worry, the Red Hood won't be joining us.  It seems the locks on her panic room appear to have malfunctioned.

He locked eyes with me and my blood ran cold.  I knew those eyes and now I know why he wore those mirrored glasses today so I wouldn't see them.  They belonged to... “Marcus,” I murmured.

His gun swung from the Mayor to me then back to Beatrice, and he hissed, “How do you know that name?”  It all clicked together.  Marcus wasn't controlling Slater, he was Slater.  And he was shutting down the silver mining industry so his wolves could overrun the walled cities.  He already had more power than any man, but he was greedy and wanted more, he wanted total power over all mankind.  We had the 'what' correct, just not the 'who'.

Then he said, “It doesn't matter.  I haven't heard that name uttered in hundreds of years.”  Then he looked at me and my sister.  And he waggled the gun at me before training it back on the Mayor.  “This was almost perfect.  I couldn't believe my luck when I was informed you would be accompanying the mayor on the negotiations.  Your God forsaken family has been a thorn in my side for decades.  You have been even more of a pain in the ass than your father was.  You never leave the goddamn city!”

I finished speaking for him, “So you staged a breach last month to what?  Kill me? Infect me?  Why?  For a piece of worthless land?”  I kept glancing between the gun he had trained on the Mayor, Prue, who was just standing there looking terrified, and the connecting door where the banging was intensifying.

He said, “Worthless?  It has one of the few silver veins I don't control.  You parents wouldn't sell, saying it was an investment in their children's future.  So I engineered a breach to destroy their family so I could obtain the land, only you got into the panic cage too quickly.  I infected your bitch of a sister here as insurance.  If I could kill you, I'd just compel her to sign the land over.”

Then I saw the anger of a predator, whose prey had escaped, in his eyes. “I have had three humans attempt to kill you in Seattle over the years, but you are quite resilient and have become quite the fighter.  So I chanced another breach to finish you off, but again you survived.”  There have been attempts on my life?  Well, I guess that almost everyone I have ever arrested has tried to kill me.

I suddenly realized why he was so chatty, he was stalling for sunset so he and his wolves could finish us off or infect us.

He saw the realization in my eyes and he smiled then hissed, “Now put down your weapons detectives or your little mayor here is going to have one too many holes in her head.”  I took aim and Victor settled his aim on one of the two goons.  Slater growled out in frustration and just quickly whipped his gun toward Prue and squeezed the trigger.

I screamed in anger and disbelief as Prue fell to the ground, grasping her stomach as blood flowed out between her fingers.  He looked at Victor and I and said as he lazily looped his gun around Beatrice's temple, “Now drop your weapons or I finish her and the lovely mayor here.”  He made a show of putting pressure on his trigger.

I exchanged glances with Victor and I could see the defeat and determination in his eyes and we simultaneously lowered our guns.  Victor made a shooing motion with his pistol and we dropped them and kicked them away and his men picked them up.  He chuckled in victory then said, “Detective McQueen, you have been such a pain, death is too easy.  I may just turn you then loan you out to my men whenever you are in heat like I do with your sister.”

He smiled like that was the best idea he had ever had and I blanched, he was handing Prue over to his men?  I felt bile in my throat, but I forced it down.  Then he looked down. “Get up you stupid bitch.”  Prue stood up, I heard a bullet clatter to the ground and I could see her stomach wasn't bleeding anymore.  Oh God, I had forgotten that she was cursed, a bullet wouldn't kill her, she'd heal quickly.  Fucking Slater... no Marcus played us.

He said, “I grow bored of this.”  Then he did something unexpected and stepped out from behind the Mayor and handed her his weapon.  Then said nonchalantly like he was asking the time, “Be a dear and kill Detective O'Neil, please?”

I watched on in horror as she looked to be fighting herself as she shakily raised the gun toward Victor as tears flowed down her cheeks.  She whispered, “I'm sorry, I can't stop myself.”  As she pulled the trigger and Victor's head snapped back as the bullet struck between his eyes.  I screamed and fell beside him looking into his dead eyes.

I spun toward the Mayor.  How?  Then my eyes snapped to her arm and the bloodstain on her shirt.  She'd been bitten?  She was under compulsion, but it was daylight, I murmured, “How?”

Marcus smiled and pulled a necklace out from below his shirt, “I forced a vrajitoare tiganeasca... a gypsy witch, to infuse this moonstone talisman with the power of the moon.  I can do limited transformation away from a full moon with it.”  To punctuate it, his jaw elongated and he snarled and snapped wolf fangs toward me then his half-wolf face dissolved back to human and he staggered a bit, he couldn't hold it long.  But long enough to bite someone.

The banging in the next room stopped suddenly and the moaning sound of bending and tearing metal screeched out.  Marcus looked at one of the men. “Check that out.  Kill her if she is getting out.  I wanted to have more fun with the Red Hood, but things are getting too messy tonight.”

One of the big men ducked through the connecting door and I heard the menacing growl of a wolf and a thud. The man came flying back out of the door and tumbled across the room to impact the far wall and he laid there with his head at an impossible angle.  His neck was snapped, but he was still blinking.  Only silver or complete incineration can kill an infected, wolf or not.

Red stepped into the room, her blue eyes were almost glowing with rage.  She looked more animal than human.  The other thug swung his weapon toward her as Marcus took the gun from the Mayor faster than I could follow.  He growled and locked eyes with Maireni, a low rumble returned.  She glanced around and I saw a little relief and a bit of humanity return to her eyes when she saw me.

Marcus said, “Your cloak may stop fangs, but I seriously doubt it can stop bullets Hood.” He motioned his gun toward me.  She moved with only the sound of her rustling cloak to crouch at my side.  She embraced me as she looked at Victor.  She looked at the mayor then drew in air through her nose and mouth, tasting the air.  There was a genuine look of sorrow as she realized that Beatrice was infected.  Her quick eyes darting around taking in the entire situation and I could see it in her face as she put it all together.

Marcus looked at Mari and I and then a cruel smile played on his face as he handed his weapon to Prue and said to Maireni, “You care for the Detective?  Oh, I have a better use for her now.  A means to inflict more pain on you and Sabine here.”  Then he looked at Prue. “Sabina, make yourself useful and kill your sister, please.”

Prue raised the weapon toward me shakily, tears staining her cheek as she fought it.  Just as the barrel was pointing toward me, I gave her a look to let her know that it was ok and I loved her.  Before she could pull the trigger, she, Beatrice, the other thug and Mrs. Remington all doubled over and cried out in pain.  Marcus had a pained look on his face as he slowly dropped to all fours.  It was sunset, they were changing!  My sister was sprouting snow white fur.

Red was in motion, we had about fifteen seconds.  She grabbed the  rifle from the man against the wall who was growing fur and tossed it to me.  Marcus was already almost done with his change, she grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the way as he leaped.  The little girl inside of me, who was still stuck in the panic cage watching my family be slaughtered, recognized the wolf.  I knew it already because of his eyes, but this was the beast of my nightmares.

His momentum carried him past us to where I had been.  Maireni yanked me through the connecting room door and slammed it.  I heard the crash of a huge body against it and the snarling of a wolf as it splintered a little.

Red was looking into my eyes, I was still back in that panic cage, I couldn't do anything.  She was repeating my name and I finally locked eyes with her.  “Daria, stay with me.  We need to get out of here now!”  I blinked at her and she shook her head and then slapped me.  I blinked and that brought me back to the present.  I looked down at the  rifle and took a deep breath and chambered a round and nodded.

She smiled. “That 'my' girl.”  The way she said 'my' was so possessive and I knew it was true, I was hers and she was mine.  If we survived this, I would show her.  We charged out into the hall, shutting the door behind us, and I opened fire on three men who had come up the stairs but had dropped in pain as they changed.  We heard the connecting door give way as Mari finished the men off with a silver blade she was suddenly wielding.  We dashed down the stairs and heard snarling as the door to Red's room splintered.

Then we were at the front door.  I punched in the emergency override code I was assigned by Homeland Lupine Defense and the FMBs slid up and we bolted outside as I heard the thrumming of paws on wood behind us. I opened up on full auto on Marcus as he leapt toward the door.  Normal bullets won't kill a wolf, but they will certainly put the hurt on them.

The deluge of rounds striking him knocked him back.  He yelped then snarled as I slammed my hand on the red panic button outside the door and the FMBs slid back down.  He lunged at them and his flesh sizzled on contact but he didn't move back.  I looked into his human looking eyes and he just studied me while his fur and skin burned where it touched the bars.

Red started to raise her crossbow as he suddenly threw his head back and howled.  The sound was incredible and as it washed over me I could feel the power laced in the sound-waves.  I felt the need to come to him and took half a step before Mari grabbed my arm and knocked me out of it and I backpedaled.

From all around us, dozens of answering howls responded as Marcus disappeared into the darkness of the lodge.  Then hundreds, then... thousands of werewolf howls responded to the call, rapidly approaching.  He had an army on the property!  My blood ran cold.