Tales Of The Sazi 02 - Moon's Web (5 page)

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The Volkdom Hotel was built in a by-gone age when visitors flocked to the stockyards for livestock auctions. The name is a rough phonetic of the Russian words, "Wolf House." Shiny new fire escapes that had been installed to meet Fire Code requirements had been grafted onto a brick building that had obviously seen better days.

It was a six-block walk from the apartment to the lair. I stared at the building from across the street as we waited for traffic to clear. Bobby stomped and waved his arms wildly as he tried to keep his blood moving. He glanced at my open jacket and cursed lightly.

"At least have the decency to look cold, Giambrocco." He huddled further inside the heavy down jacket and stomped his feet again. I didn't have to be able to smell him to know he was annoyed.

"It's not exactly frigid, Bobby. It's only about twenty degrees out here." I'd been in worse. Hell, I've had to lie in wait for marks in blizzards for hours. At least the sun shone in the icy blue sky. Mind you, it didn't warm the air any and the reflection off the snow made my head feel like the inside of a kettle drum.

"Damn mammal," he muttered as he clumsily pulled down the furred flaps of his cap with thickly gloved hands. The adjustment only added a square inch more protection.

"Well, why the hell are you in Chicago if you can't stand a little snow?" I never had found out what Bobby wanted that was so important.

"I go where I'm assigned. I've been assigned to get you." That little bombshell caused me to miss the opening in traffic. I turned without asking, the question trembling on my lips, and walked toward the intersection. Bobby followed grudgingly. Snakes don't like to move much in the cold. But we might as well go across with the light if we hoped to get to the hotel today.

"Care to tell me why?" I asked as I pressed the button on the light pole. I tried to make the question casual, but he knew better.

He shook his head once. "I need to talk to Nikoli first. Just don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed before we have a chance to chat."

That was all right with me, since I had some things to discuss with the pack leader myself. The walk had done nothing to cool my fury with Nikoli for taking advantage of my mate. Still, Bobby's words brought something to the surface that had been bugging me since the kids left.

"Y'know, Bobby, I admit that I'm still figuring things out, but if you have to go through Nikoli before you tell me anything, why didn't you go there first?"

"I drove Sue back from Boulder. We didn't get to your place until after the bus was ready to leave and then the kids arrived. I could have followed, but I knew that Sue would have a hard time babysitting without another one of us there."

I picked up on his phrasing, as a couple walked past on the sidewalk. They were human. "Okay, but that raises another question— Denis is like us so why wasn't he on the bus with me?" He nodded without looking at me, keeping a careful eye on the flow of traffic. He kept his voice low and quiet, even though the humans had passed. "It's a fair question. All of the kids have potential, but not all of them will ever turn. Normally, a child has to reach puberty before the talent manifests. And it's generally a few months after that before they join the game. It's very unusual for a child of Denis's age to already have talent. It's only happened a few times. He'll definitely be a big dog. If Alek or Sonya had done the deed. I probably would have just pulled them off and scolded them. But as soon as we develop the talent, it's transmittable. Sonya will be on the bus soon, and since we know that she and Denis have both shown talent, the two of them have to be punished as if they'd already been to the first game."

Interesting how he phrased the words so that I would understand his meaning exactly, but no one overhearing would be able to interpret. Dr. Betty had already told me that game is a euphemism for hunting. He left me standing on the corner nodding as he sprinted through a sudden opening in traffic. I darted across the street after him, skidding to an abrupt halt in front of the hotel. I stared at the polished dark wood of the doors as a wave of… something coursed through me. Though the doors were closed I could faintly smell the scents of musk and fur. But it was more than that. It smelled, felt like… home. A small smile played across my lips and I felt the furrows in my brow soften. Total acceptance waited behind those doors. I'd been here multiple times in the past month but never felt this way before. I belonged here. Bobby noticed the change, as well.

"Remember why we're here, Joe." Not even Tony anymore. He'd learned his lesson. I reached for the polished brass door handle. It was a struggle to remember why I was here— why I was angry. As I pulled the door open my nostrils flared, saturating my nose once more with cinnamon-laced fur as we stepped inside.

For a hotel that's never had a single customer, Nikoli keeps up all the outward appearances. All the better to write off on his taxes. Bobby tensed beside me as we passed through the "doormen" posted on either side of the entrance. Several pack members stood and moved toward us. His tongue began to flick in and out of his mouth, licking his lip over and over as he scented the air around him.

Welcome home, Anton, said a honeyed baritone in my head. Remove the snake and be one with us. I shook my head and blinked my eyes. Why was there a snake in our lair? I couldn't remember. But he knew he was outnumbered. I couldn't smell his fear over the musk of the others, but he had to be afraid. I backed away from him to join my brothers and narrowed my eyes. A low growl rumbled my chest. My hand started to move to the small of my back. Of course I would remove the snake. He didn't belong in our home. That only made sense.

The snake looked at me sharply and let out a frustrated sigh. I felt a veil of magic disappear from the back of my mind. My mate woke in a flash of pain that cleared my brain. An aching throb began in my calf and the sharp edges of the migraine that the snake— that Bobby had eased— rushed back in all its glory. Damn it! I'd been tricked. It pissed me off. It shouldn't be that easy to get inside my mind. I shook my head and fought off the images of safety, pack and home. They were a lie. I was here for a reason and I would be damned if I was going to be hypnotized by Nikoli's voice and magic. I pulled my Taurus and pointed it at Bobby. He froze and looked at me strangely. I raised my brows a fraction. He took the hint. As I pulled the trigger he dropped and rolled. The bullet passed over where his shoulder had been. A tall man called Sergei dropped to the floor from a mid-air pounce with a scream. Blood poured from a wound in his arm. The flesh had charred edges. Sergei kept staring at the wound, expecting it to heal. It didn't. That's the nice part about silver. It's worth a few calloused fingers. It turns the Sazi into just normal folk.

The other men caught the scent. One of them tried to lash out at us with magic, keeping his distance, but I fired a shot just an inch above his head. We weren't here to kill people. He didn't know that though, so he ducked. It threw off his aim enough that his attack only caught me in the shoulder. The invisible missile dropped me to one knee and my shoulder went numb. I raised the revolver and scanned the group. Bongo drums were playing in my skull and it was hard to focus. I offered Bobby a hand up without taking my eyes from my pack mates.

"All of you— back off now or you'll be joining Sergei." Brave words, but truthfully, I was a little worried. There were five of them, and I only had three bullets left. I didn't know if I could reload before they pounced on us. I could only hope that Bobby would be able to hold them off if it came to that. Bobby and I stood back to back in the circle of growling wolves— human in form, but still wolves. And they were pissed. The room was awash with the scents of burning metal, burning water, and jalapeño peppers, hot and strong. One lone patch of hot and sour soup rose from Sergei.

"Thought I'd lost you there for a minute," Bobby said softly as we danced around in the ring of angry, growling men.

"You did," I acknowledged with squinted eyes. "Wish you would have found another way to break the spell, though. My head's ready to explode."

"Deal with it. I can't afford to protect you right now. I told you I need you alive. The same goes for me." I could feel Sue's agony in the background and knew that she needed help. I tried to put her out of my mind but I just couldn't. My mate was in pain.

"Let's just get the healer and get back, Bobbo. I can deal with Nikoli another time. Sue's really hurting." He gave a little bark of laughter. "Yeah right, Tony. Like we're going to make it out of here without seeing him. Look, I'll take care of the wolves. You just find Nikoli for me."

None of the wolves had made a move yet, but I could feel each of them twitching as they watched Sergei writhing on the floor. I struggled against a growing pain in my chest from seeing my pack mate hurting. I shook my head again as my gun started to waver. No! I was not going to give in.

"You'll heal," I said to him with bitter amusement. "Eventually." I kept the gun out and we backed through the lobby. The double doors to the conference room were closed, but my nose told me that Nikoli was behind them with two other wolves. In one fluid move I spun and kicked them open while Bobby used his magic to freeze the pack members in the lobby. The guards inside started forward in a liquid blur that wasn't even close to being too fast for my eyes. When they saw my weapon, they stopped short and glanced to the back of the room for instructions.

Nikoli Molotov sat in a high-backed, black leather chair on a slightly elevated platform. A table near his right elbow held three computers. Each screen showed different data but all the words were in Russian. To his left, another table was laden with liquor and platters of food. Something on one of the plates smelled really strange. Sort of a musty fish smell, like moldy lutefisk. It's a stretch to believe that cod soaked in lye can mold, but it was the best description I could think of.

Nikoli turned toward us as we entered. The chair creaked under his weight as he leaned back to glare at us. He steepled his fingers over his buttoned vest then gestured abruptly for the guard to back off. Gone was the relatively benign man from the bus last night. Nikoli sat in his lair, bathed in his own power and rage. It made me think of something Paul Keating once said. "He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." Nikoli has classic Russian features that American kids were taught to fear in the fifties. His square face has a high forehead framed with wild black hair that must take a gallon of gel to tame. His eyes are close together and seem small under heavy black brows. He appears full of malice even when he smiles. A thick muscular body and full beard complete the malevolent image he strives to project. He's a powerful, double-dealing megalomaniac who is always thinking one step ahead of everyone else. He's also well-spoken, intelligent and utterly dangerous.

I admired and respected those qualities, but I was not about to back down.

I took a deep breath, trying to get a "read" as to what he was feeling. Unfortunately, his natural scent is like hot Hungarian paprika, which is part of the pepper family. He always smells of deceit and anger, even when he's happy and being totally honest. I'll probably never trust him, but that doesn't mean I can't work with him. Assuming, of course, Bobby and I got out of this alive.

Nikoli gestured for the guards to leave. Since he and all the other pack leaders hold their positions with pure power, I was fairly sure he didn't need the guards anyway. Still, I wasn't sorry to see them go. As soon as the door swung closed Nikoli spoke directly into my mind.

You surprise me, Anton. I would not have thought you would bring a stranger— especially a snake— into our home. The pain in my head increased until each word seared through my brain. Power like fire raged across my skin, bending me nearly double. It took more effort than I would've liked, but I fought until I stood straight.

"Bobby is a friend. He's always welcome in my home." I intentionally said the words out loud. Head talking with my mate was one thing. I didn't particularly want that kind of a bond with Nikoli. I could feel Bobby's magic flow across my mind once more as he heard the effort it took me to speak. It made it easier to think through the pain— easier to block out Nikoli's smooth baritone. When Nikoli couldn't reach my mind, he spoke with annoyance. "Agent Mbutu is not welcome in my territory. He should leave before I tear him to pieces."

Bobby stepped forward and I could feel, could see, a blaze of power emanate from him. The light was too bright even for the sunglasses. I had to close my eyes and fight down a wave of nausea.

"Wolven travels where it's needed, Nikoli. We answer to no pack, as you well know. While you may not like me, you would like my replacement even less. But I'm sure that Fiona will attend to my duties if she must." Nikoli sat up straighter on his throne. I saw a brief flicker of what might have been fear in his eyes. A cautious breath confirmed it.

"You know how curious she is," Bobby continued in a voice that betrayed no emotion. "She might not be willing to investigate only the issues in my current case."

It was a thinly veiled threat, and a good one. From what I heard about Fiona Monier on the island she's a particularly nasty cougar who takes the concept of law and order very seriously. Bobby tends to let white-collar crime slide unless it's so blatant that it would be obvious to the human authorities. Something told me his boss wouldn't. Nikoli makes most of his money on the bare fringes of the law. He might not be able to afford the kind of full-blown investigation Ms. Monier would conduct. I watched my pack leader take a deep breath and glare at Bobby. Nikoli's method of calming himself reminded me of my old boss, Carmine Leone. He let his arms go limp and moved his head from side to side briefly, easing the tension. The scent of ozone struggled to ride over the burnt coffee anger. As best as I can figure it, ozone is the expulsion of adrenaline, sort of like blowing off steam. Yet, it was all twined around that paprika-like smell, so I didn't know whether it was all a lie.