Since my car was the latest street sculpture to grace the city we had to borrow a car from Thorn. We were told he had returned to his personal quarters to find Claudia. She had disappeared shortly after the action had picked up and he hoped she was okay. When we found the two it was apparent she was fine, they stood in the middle of a hallway obviously arguing but trying to keep their voices civil. We paused just around the corner from them, I normally don’t go for the more cloak-and-dagger stuff but in this situation, any information could prove useful to my and others’ survival.
“I could use some support out there, Claudia, you can’t just reap the benefits of being the Alpha’s mate and not put in any of the work.”
“Maybe if you listened to my advice more often we wouldn’t find ourselves under siege and harboring a fugitive A fugitive, may I remind you, who has dedicated his life to eradicating you, me, and our entire pack! ” She threw her hands up in frustration. “This is why I wanted to start my own pack, the way you run things has much no structure, no discipline.”
“I know, and we are working on getting the council to allow female alphas but it will take time. We both agreed this was the best solution to the situation till then but now is not the time to push this. We’re in the middle of a crisis here, our people are in danger. Quint is dead and he likely won’t be the last the way things are going.”
“Then hand the Hunter to them.” Claudia’s voice was cold. She sounded like if she could hold the executioner’s axe over my neck herself she would. “It may not be important to you that he kills our kind but his being here is killing more of us. Send him out the front gate with a note saying happy birthday, and you might as well throw your little lap dog Mara there with him. Show the norms that we are on their side in this.”
I felt Mara tense next to me as she tried to walk past me. I put a hand on her shoulder and got the angriest glare I had ever seen from a woman… and I had been to divorce court. I shook my head no, I wanted to hear this out.
“His anger is born of pain and misunderstanding, letting him die so we can live is the wrong message to send. That’s not the way I want people to see us. I am not going to encourage people to participate in mob justice. Actions should be decided rationally, not by some emotion in the heat of the moment. If you can’t understand that…”
“What I don’t understand is sacrificing our pack…our family for the good of someone who hates us.” Claudia retreated farther into their quarters.
“He doesn’t hate us; he hates an idea of us that he learned before he could learn better. I can see in his eyes there’s a good man in there somewhere.”
“Than perhaps you you see if you can share his bed tonight. See how good a man he is as he parades your head around the mansion” I heard the door slam and guessed that she had ended the conversation. I counted off thirty seconds before Mara and I came loudly around the corner to see him, thumping my cane on the ground with every step.
“Thorn!” I called out when he saw us. “We may have a lead, we need a car so we can go check it out.”
“Sure thing, Hunter, let me just get you the keys to the jag, try not to get any torches or pitchforks in it on your way out.”
“We’ll get past them first, obviously,” Mara drawled, sparing a glance at the cane I leaned on. “But I’m pretty sure Limpy McCrippleton here wouldn’t last for the walk back to the city.”
“Fine, I’ve got a few cars stashed in town, I can get you an app for your phone to unlock it. Even think I got the perfect car for you, just a couple miles from here.”
“Perfect, huh? What kind of vehicle are we talking about getting in the werewolf version of Zipcar?”
“Oh, it’s a classic. Definitely don’t make them like this anymore. Get you where you’re going in style.” I had the distinct feeling there was something he wasn’t telling us.
~ * ~
We waited till nightfall to make our move. Fenris had agreed to try to draw as much attention to the front of the compound while we tried to slip out the back. He and a group of his finest warriors strode to the front gate just before midnight. Most of the protesters had gone to sleep or were eating in spotted campsites we could see through the woods. When they were within ten feet of the gate a bright spotlight switched on and illuminated them.
“Halt!” A voice boomed over some sort of loudspeaker. “In order for the protection of individuals both inside and outside this compound, we have been ordered to open fire on anyone trying to cross the property’s border.”
“We want to talk! Our Alpha wishes to make a statement to the press.” Fenris shouted nearly as loud as the ARC trooper without the need for any amplifier. “We can work this out amicably, come to some kind of agreement!” The wolves took a few more steps forward, their hands out to their sides.
“Stop! If you don’t we will be forced to open fire!” The speakers amplified the fear in the man’s voice. It was suddenly much less authoritative than a moment ago, making the unseen operative younger to my ears. “Please… please just stop there.”
Fenris took another step forward. “We aren’t here to cause trouble, we want to-” The night was split by the sound of gunfire, most of the bullets ricocheted off the driveway at their feet but one of the wild shots hit Fenris in the leg. It was probably some scared kid firing, another misunderstanding this new world brought about, but now it was far too late to take it back. Fenris and his men separated, quickly scattering to the trees nearby. With the flick of one of their wrists, the light vanished with the sound of breaking glass. I felt Mara’s hand grab my shoulder.
“C’mon Hunter, you can watch or we can make use of the distraction. We need to go.” Together we dashed to the fence at the rear of the compound, scaling it almost as quickly, my cane lying forgotten on the ground. I landed on the ground on the far side of the security fence, somewhat surprised at the lack of pain I was experiencing. Then again, I always did heal quickly and I suppose the doctors might know a thing or two about their business. Gunfire continued to sound as we landed on the soft ground beyond. I looked back at the ruckus we left behind, only then realizing I had dropped the cane in my rush to clamber over the fence. I tested my weight on my leg and it held, it would have to be good enough, there wasn’t enough time to go back. Mara paused to sniff the air.
“Too many people all through here to get a clear impression. Some are close, for sure but if we move we might get lucky.” We had barely made it fifty yards before running into a group of eight men, each dressed in ARC tactical gear.
“I knew waiting here would get interesting eventually.” Said the man out front. They all were armed with assault rifles, likely with rounds given to them just for this hunt. “And you said putting the rook in charge of the front gate would miss us out on all the fun.”
They lifted the muzzles of their guns but Mara and I were already moving. We each drew our weapons as we dove for cover behind the trees. Bullets peppered the trunks as the soldiers opened fire. I fired blindly in their direction, knowing any hits I made wouldn’t make it through their body armor but the impact should take most down for a while in any case. Mara rose and fired a few shots before being driven back into hiding under a shower of wood bits. We were caught out in the open with no way to advance and nowhere to retreat to. As bad off as the situation was my gut always looked for how it could be worse. Staccato bursts of fire tore through the tree I was leaning on before a pause to focus on Mara.
“They aren’t firing enough!” I yelled, taking the few shots I could between barrages.
“Seem to be doing a damn fine job if you ask me!” Mara called, pulling a magazine from her jacket to reload. “Maybe you want to head over there and offer them some shooting lessons?”
“Eight full-auto rifles should be sending a hell of a lot more lead our way than they have been.” I scanned the woods around us quickly and spotted two of the soldiers maneuvering their way through the trees. “Crap! They’re trying to flank us, watch your sides!”
To her credit, Mara reacted the time it took to blink, rolling to the side firing as she went. She popped up quickly behind some more cover and reloaded her weapon before firing at one of the guys coming up alongside of her. I unloaded at the two coming up beside me fast but only managed to make them dive into cover of their own. We simply didn’t have the ammunition for a drawn-out fight right here and they knew it. Once our guns ran dry they would rush us and it would be over. What I wouldn’t give right now for an RPG or a nice big Harrier jet… The wood inches from my head exploded into splinters. One of the agents flanking me was making a move. I snapped off a pair of shots into the side of his helmet, the impact driving his head backward into a tree with enough force to all but guarantee he would be eating through a straw for a while. Serves him right for interrupting a man’s dream of heavy artillery.
I dropped out the dry magazine and slapped a fresh one home. This was the last time I let someone convince me to travel light to make better time. I can deal with moving a little slower if I have a nice shotgun by my side. Either way, staying in one place was a quick path to getting killed so I started moving. As I tried to draw a bead on the main group firing on us I heard the hollow sound of a canister launch. I pulled my jacket up over my face and ran towards the other man on my side. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw smoke obscuring the area, not around us, but around the four stationary men giving their friends what cover fire they could. Sounds of a struggle could be heard in the smoke, apparently, we had gained reinforcements from somewhere.
I decided to press the advantage the surprise would give us and charged the flanking agent as he looked to the rest of his squad under attack. He realized I was coming too late as my hand grabbed his throat. The man’s eyes widened in fear as I dropped my gun and tore off his helmet. I heard behind me Mara’s cry as she hit the ground and let reflex take over. I spun around the man, still holding him by his neck, and pulled the trigger on his gun. Bullets tore into the agent advancing on Mara even as she swept his legs out from under him. I slammed the butt of my new rifle into the chin of its previous owner and let him slide to the ground. I retrieved my gun from where I had left it and replaced it in its holster. Mara got back to her feet and met my gaze with a curt nod. A small grin crossed my face as we both advanced towards the smoke.
The wind had picked up and I could just about make out the forms of two agents taking cover from our new friend. She was a young woman, probably in her early twenties with caramel skin and a blonde bob cut that served to give her an exotic look. Adding to that was a pair of tattoos on her face, one a square framing her left eye and just below it a star. She wore what appeared to be a hunting outfit of some kind and carried a crossbow of all things. She turned to smile at me, her green eyes lighting up. I saw what had remained of the agents, one had been pinned to a tree with a crossbow bolt through the throat, another with one through the eye.
I opened fire on where the last two agents had sought cover making them hunker back even farther. Mara from across the way fired on them as well. Realizing they were no longer in control of the situation the two men threw out their weapons and raised their hands in surrender. Our new arrival sprung up and quickly drew a nasty-looking silver curved blade. She crossed to the defeated men and lifted one by the front of the shirt, ready to end him.
“No!” I called out. “They gave up, let them live.”
The girl shrugged uncaring and reversed her blade knocking the men
unconscious with the same efficiency I was sure she would have executed them. She quickly retrieved her weapons, adding a few from among the fallen.
“Unc said ya might be needin’ an assist out here.” She hoisted the bow up to her shoulder as Mara caught up to us. “Though he bet me twenty that you wouldn’t be dumb enough to just make a run for it. Maybes he don’t know you quite as good as he lets on.”
“And you’re uncle would be?”
“Tony, yer boss.” She looked around at the scattered ARC agents on the forest floor. “Though I suppose that definition may be up for debate now. Ya know most peeps just send in a letter of resignation.”
“Yeah, well they never should have fired on us if they didn’t expect us to fight back. Much as I would love to sit down and catch up over tea I doubt these fellows will be the only agents patrolling out here.” Mara said, grabbing one of the agent’s rifles. “We should get going.”
“Knew I’d like ya. Pragmatism in action.” The girl winked at Mara. “Name’s Lisa, I read up on both of ya. So, you got a plan to get out of here or just planning’ on hoofing it the whole way?”
“We have a car waiting out near Lewis Morris Park, we just have to make it that far.” Mara stripped off any extra mags she could find, all the while subtlety checking on the men’s vitals. Guess it’s tough to stop being a cop, even in extreme circumstances and vengeance and anger only take you so far. She stood and tossed me half the magazines she had found and I tucked them away.
“Unc said to pull your fat out the fryer, didn’t mention not to take any measures. Hope I didn’t misread the situation.” She looked from Mara to me and back again.
“No, they would have taken us out just as quick as they could” Mara stood up with a look of grim determination. “Doesn’t mean we get to act cold once the fight’s over.”
The three of us headed through the woods, each covering each other’s backs and we managed to get through without attracting any more ARC attention. Between Lisa’s scouting ability and Mara’s talent for literally smelling trouble before it could find us had us out of the forest and heading towards the park. Mara offered to commandeer us a vehicle with her police creds but I thought that would leave too big a trail for someone to follow. Besides which, I was starting to feel like a brand new man, and the mile or so walk flew by.
Once we stepped into the commuter lot Thorn had given us directions to there was little doubt in any of our minds which car he was lending us. One look at the only vehicle left in the lot also cleared any ambiguity that I may have had as to the Alpha’s feelings toward me. The three of us found ourselves staring at a late seventies model Pacer that looked more like a glass bubble with wheels than an actual transport. It was red with several decals showing the flag all over it. He was right, it was a classic, and I’m sure to some collector somewhere it might have even been worth some money but as rides went… well there was nothing to be gained by thinking about it so we all crammed ourselves into the seats and started the drive back to Manhattan.
“Holly, you there?”
“Oh, he does this, talking to people who aren’t there and all,” Mara answered Lisa’s questioning gaze from the backseat. I gave her a glare that she simply smiled at.
“Right here, boss man, how can I prove my superiority over lesser beings today?”
“Dig up what you can on Ronald Everts, we’re on our way to see him and I’d rather not go in blind.”
“I’ll put a rush on it just for you.”
I grimaced to myself as we pulled out of the lot onto the road. “Don’t hurry, seems like we’ll have plenty of time.” I was going to kill Thorne for this…
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.