"Can I help, ladies and gentlemen?" I announced as I rushed down like a torrent.

The three cops nervously glanced at the brute who still held Agnieszka in a very uncomfortable position.

"Don't get involved, sir," one tried to discourage me, "we are detaining a dangerous individual."

"But that woman doesn't seem to be dangerous."

The three visibly sighed in relief, hoping that my interruption would calm the situation. They looked at their boss with anticipation.

The sub-ensign rightfully assessed me as a potential threat and decided to react proactively.

But before that, he jerked Agnieszka's wrist. That would hurt anyone. An ordinary person, a werewolf like me, or a vampire.

I felt a dark wave of anger rising within me. I had learned to control it, never letting it take over. I never let it roam free. We killed only when we were attacked, when it was necessary.

Three decades in special forces strengthened my self-control. We helped those in need, eliminated the worst scumbags. We were paid for it, and many people admired us. We couldn't meet the fate of those who fought monsters for too long and eventually became them. We made sure of that.

I launched a direct jab, but at the last moment, I softened the blow. I didn't want to kill him.

He used the slowdown in my attack to retaliate; his fist grazed the head I had pressed against my left shoulder. However, I was too close for another full punch.

He tried to clinch me. Before he succeeded, I extended my left elbow from the side to his jaw.

The snap of the bone sounded like a dry branch breaking.

He froze and slowly began to collapse. I grabbed him by the trapezius with one hand, the belt with the other, and tossed him against the short-haired guy, who was trying to pull his service weapon from the holster.

They ended up in a tangle far in the bushes.

Blondie swung a tonfa at me like a baton, to his misfortune, he forgot everything they taught him in self-defense.

I let him swing through, routinely grabbed his attacking arm by the wrist, assisted the rotation, and before letting go, pulled a bit. I didn't follow his somersault.

"Drop the weapon..." I managed to say to the fourth cop, but since he didn't look like he'd comply, I pushed off and kicked him in the chest just above the belt buckle.

Almost considerately, he ended up on the ground only with the wind knocked out of him. He handed me the pistol without further resistance.

I disarmed the others, checking them in the process. The sub-ensign was in the worst shape, but I didn't pity him. The blond guy and his colleague looked relatively okay.

Agnieszka positioned herself to keep an eye on all of them, ensuring nobody was behind her. It seemed she didn't want to get involved and was waiting to see what I would do.

I threw the confiscated pistols into the police car and closed the doors, so they wouldn't tempt anyone to do something foolish.

"What were you going to do with her?" I barked at the blond guy; he seemed like the weakest link, and the involuntary somersault had definitely rattled him. "Drag her into the bushes and beat her?"

That hit a nerve.

"No! We just had to deal with anyone who would inquire about those families..."

"Shut up!" the short-haired one almost shouted.

During the scuffle, he lost his cap, and now he put it back on. He was really buzz-cut. Until now, he had distanced himself from the whole situation, and I didn't expect this reaction from him.

Blondie halted.

"Do you know what would have happened otherwise?" his colleague reminded him.

He clearly knew because suddenly they all shut their mouths. It was evident at first glance.

The phone vibrated. I described Evelyn's location. She estimated she would be there in five minutes.

"You should have let them take her and followed them," she added before ending the call.

Maybe, but the reaction of our adversaries was so flawless and prompt that it scared me.

I knelt beside the sub-ensign. He glared at me with hatred and held his jaw, determined not to move it at any cost.

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I gently tapped his hand; even that must have hurt like hell.

"What were you supposed to do with her?" I asked only him this time.

I knew the pain he was feeling now was a hint of what might happen next.

The fabric rustled, the sound of impact, a grunt, the fall of a body. I turned. The short-haired guy was again without his cap. It lay in a puddle of water along the edge of the forest path; he was two meters away on the gravel with his hand pressed against his stomach. Agnieszka stood with her left foot slightly forward, having used the paralyzer a short distance from the tip of her boot after the kick.

"You're the one we were supposed to find," he gasped. "A reward's been posted for you!"

"Who?" I wanted to know.

At the last moment, he hesitated in his response.

I didn't know what to do with them. They were obviously real police officers, but it seemed they were doing dirty work for someone. The question was how dirty. And they genuinely feared their employers.

I turned back to the sub-ensign. The gleam in his eyes had dimmed. Maybe he still had some hidden weapon and was planning to use it. He didn't dare, though, as long as I paid him full attention.

"What were you supposed to do with her? Scare her? Drag her into the bushes, beat her, possibly rape her, and then advise her to disappear?"

He just shook his head, although I saw that he would enjoy some of the things I listed.

"We were just supposed to detain her and hand her over to other investigators," he grunted contentedly.

It seemed he was telling the truth. Other investigators? Probably also from the police. However, his sudden calm surprised me. Were they approaching?

I concentrated for a moment, and among the ordinary sounds of the forest, I recognized the sound of an engine. It came from the opposite direction than they did. I knew I couldn't get all four out of the way in time so that no one would see us. I decided to simply wait. I was glad that everything had gone without shooting and killing. If I killed four police officers, I would have to disappear from the country because I would become target number one. This way, there was still a chance that everything would simply settle. Perhaps not easily, but just settle.

A Volkswagen van in off-road modification appeared on the road. The driver's window was dark; it wasn't possible to see who and how many people were sitting in the cab.

From the expressions on the faces of the police officers, I recognized that they knew the vehicle and knew who was inside. I wanted to inform Evelyn about the change in the situation, but I didn't want to reveal to the newcomers that there were more of us.

I regretted throwing the confiscated service weapons into the car. My own remained a few meters higher on the slope. I had no idea about Agnieszka's condition.

"Stay on the ground, or I'll break your bones," I whispered as the men started moving too much. I positioned myself so that I could quickly lift one of them and use him as a shield.

The vehicle stopped, doors on both the left and right sides opened, only the driver's doors remained closed. A four-door front cabin; it could easily accommodate six guys; more could be in the cargo space.

Only three got out. Dark trousers, almost funeral jackets, gray shirts, and conservative ties underneath. No uniforms, but they looked a lot like them. Shiny shoes. Slightly sturdier than I would have expected given their clothing.

I assumed some verbal comment on the situation; it's not very common for four police officers to lie on the ground. But the trio remained silent. Their leader, the one who sat next to the driver, briefly surveyed the situation, chose the most comfortable path not to soil his shoes with the winding streams of water flowing through gravel and moss, and cautiously walked toward us. Cautiously due to his attire, not because he feared us. There was not a milligram of fear or respect in him.

I inhaled, thanks to the adrenaline rush, I could distinguish the individual scents in the air much more distinctly. A black squirrel stopped on an overhanging spruce branch, observing the drama below with rodent curiosity.

"Are they vampires?" I whispered to Agnieszka.

"I don't know; it's possible," she shook her head. "I've never seen them."

The scent in the air told me they were indeed vampires. I had sensed it in Afghanistan, then much weaker in the presence of Mohandas Bagh, and now again. I had learned to recognize it. Perhaps it was the scent of the older vampires only. If that was true, I was in for a tough fight.

I folded my hands on my chest in a gesture of false sovereignty. I used it to hold one push knife in each hand, the blade sticking forward between my index and middle fingers. Blades so sharp that I didn't like touching them with bare fingers. Also covered with a Teflon-based fabric to reduce friction when penetrating an opponent's protective gear.

I thought he would rush at me directly from his steady pace, but he stopped in front of the stream crossing the path a short distance in front of me. Perhaps he realized he would dirty his trousers.

"Are you Geoffrey Robertson?" he asked me. "Former SAS lieutenant?"

They had very accurate information. I didn't feel like answering him, but if I could start a conversation, I might learn something.

"That's me, indeed," I confirmed.

His two guides stopped three steps behind him; he thus formed the attacking tip of the imaginary triangle. Agnieszka withdrew to the side of her car and was at the level of the guides. If a fight broke out, she would attack them, and the leader would stay on me. Where was Evelyn? The phone remained silent.

"And you are Alexey Ris."

"I see you have really good information," I nodded.

It meant only one thing – they knew everything about our small pack, from beginning to end. That spoke of thorough preparation.

"We can settle this peacefully. Just get into the car, I'll take you to my boss, and you'll answer a few questions. It's all a misunderstanding."

He spoke English with an Italian accent. Italians?

Too bad I didn't believe a word he said; it would have been so easy.

"Where are my people?" I responded with a question.

"That will be explained," he nodded.

"I want answers. Here and now."

I didn't expect to get any. I was preparing for the impending confrontation, thoughts swirling in my head. They are terrifyingly fast, strong, but at the same time, they don't weigh more than a person of their size. I had to use that, along with my natural ability to endure considerable... damage. Even though it damn well hurt.

But I didn't see flying bullets, that I really didn't.

He shifted the tip of his foot to get better support in the uneven terrain while lightening the front foot. He was getting ready for a kick, but he stood too far away. Or did he? He wasn't a human, after all...

I leaned forward to gain better support and position. I knew what he would do, but I couldn't react to it.

He pushed off, and he was so fast that my senses refused to accept it.