Homecoming (27 page)

“To say I told ya so?”

“Naw, that comes after. For now, I’m here to help you get buried enough in the situation that saying ‘I told ya so’ will have more meaning.”

“You’re all heart.”

“Yes, I am, aren’t I?”

“Remind me to return the favor someday.” Matt smirked as he turned to leave.

“No way, buddy.” Mark shook his head. “You couldn’t pay me enough to get sucked up into your supernatural soap opera.”

“Like I said, all heart.”

Matt turned to go but Mark stopped him. “I need to ask you something. I know you’re distracted with this deal with Laura and the Simmons woman, but…” he paused to consider how best to approach the subject. He knew that Apollo was the senior squad leader and one of Matt’s favored operators. “Have you noticed anything different with Apollo?”

“You mean lately or…?”

“Yeah, lately. I know he had a rough time getting over Maria’s death and some of the psych guys have even questioned if he should be in the field, much less being a Team Leader. But his behavior over the last week has just been strange.”

Matt stepped back into the office and shut the door. “How so?”

“Well, he came to me about one of the new recruits. He had reservations about the guy. Said he was ‘too efficient’ at killing, or some such. Then he was one of the first to volunteer to help Jack, but just a little while ago when I asked him about it, he said he was going to stay back and help out here because things get wonky on the full moon.” Tufo scratched at the stubble on his chin and shook his head. “Doesn’t that sound a little off to you?”

Matt considered what Tufo was telling him. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit that with everything going on, personal problems with Apollo were a minor inconvenience and he didn’t really want to consider the possibility. But what Mark was describing sounded minor considering what the guy had gone through in the past six months.

“I really don’t know, Mark. All things considered, his losing Maria, Dom being kidnapped, the battle in the desert, making vampires our allies…I can see how that paradigm shift could change anybody.”

“No, I realize that. I’m not saying we haven’t all seen some pretty drastic changes. I’m talking just recently. Like in the past few weeks?”

Matt had to be honest. “I haven’t noticed.” He lowered his eyes in shame. “But then, I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve been distracted.”

“That’s understandable, too.” Mark went back to his desk and plopped into his chair, rubbing hard at his eyes. “Maybe it’s fatigue, maybe I’m getting worked up over nothing, maybe…” he shrugged. “Maybe I’m just worrying about nothing.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far.” Matt leaned against his desk and picked up the autographed baseball from its stand. “I’ve come to trust your gut feelings. If you think something is off with him, maybe we ought to have him check in with the docs?”

Mark reached around him and plucked the ball from his hand. “That’s a team autographed, 2004 World Series Red Sox baseball, thank you.”

“Pfft.” Matt waved him off. “I’d understand your concern if it was a Yankees ball.” Matt had no interest whatsoever in baseball, but he knew it would send Mark’s blood pressure through the roof to even mention the ‘damned Yankees’. Especially after having touched his coveted baseball.

“Out!” Mark shoved him from the corner of his desk. “Out, out, out, out…now. Before I chop off something that won’t grow back.”

Matt laughed under his breath as he was physically pushed out of the office. “Don’t forget about Apollo,” he muttered to the slamming door.

*****

Jack went through the dual-purpose tactical uniforms that he’d had developed. Once he’d taken over as commander of the Lycan forces, he knew that they would need something other than simply their skin to operate in. Lycans are formidable warriors, but even the best warriors could use lightweight body armor.

Jack had worked with the same textile manufacturers that developed A4 and a new material that was heavier, but with more stretch was tested. Although slightly loose on a human frame, once that person shifted to their Halfling form, the material became very much like a form fitting body suit. Molded leather and Kevlar gave the ‘uniform’ a bit of an armor effect to help deflect blows, knife attacks and small caliber weapons fire.

By attaching reinforcements at the hands and feet, the body suit was guaranteed not to ride up the arms and legs and helped disguise those wolves with lighter colored Halfling forms. The first time Jack saw it in action he had to stifle a laugh. The words, ‘Werewolf Ninja’ came to mind, but he didn’t dare say it aloud or his men wouldn’t adjust to it.

Now that he would be required to escort Rufus and his dimwitted brother to Geneva on the full moon, Jack intended to make full use of the body suit. He donned the uniform and tried it on under a loose fitting tear away suit. Pulling on the suit and then shifting allowed him to see just how restrictive the body suit might be. He was pleasantly surprised that the leather and Kevlar armor plates fit well under street clothes and molded to his Halfling form quite nicely. He tested his range of motion and found that he had more than enough mobility.

Satisfied with his dry run, he shifted back to human form and began packing away the body suit until it would be needed. He wished he knew of a way to fit weaponry to the suit, but there would be no way to conceal it, nor could he guarantee that his Halfling form could handle them properly. He had always counted on brute strength while a Halfling.

A knock at the door caught his attention and he quickly answered it. Mueller stood just outside in the hallway and Jack opened the door wide to allow him into his and Nadia’s private quarters. “I was just trying the body suit. It felt pretty good.”

“Glad to hear that. We spent a lot of time testing it.”

“Yeah, but I never tried one on. I just wanted to get a feel for it before leaving out for Geneva.”

“Yeah, speaking of Geneva…” Robert trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Jack tossed his things into a go bag and turned to the younger man. “Something on your mind, Bob?”

“Why are you leaving me behind, boss? I thought I was your Second?”

Jack tossed the bag into the corner and began pulling on his BDU uniform. “You are my Second, Bob. That’s why I need you here.”

“No, you don’t need me here. Anybody could run this place while you’re gone. Nothing ever happens here.”

Jack paused and gave him a serious look. “You don’t get it, do you? We’re walking into the Lion’s den there, Bob. There’s a very good chance that they’re setting a trap for us that even I can’t second guess. We might not be walking out of there. I need you here to carry on if I don’t make it.”

“If you don’t make it, then Thorn doesn’t make it. I’m still not needed here.”

Jack’s mouth formed a tight line. “You and I are Thorn’s people now. If they decide to take him out, they may not stop there. They may well take out everybody associated with him. That’s me, you…Barbara. Do you really want to leave her and Bobby’s fate to the Lycans if something should happen to both of us?”

Robert considered the possibilities and shook his head. “No, I guess not.”

“I didn’t think so.” Jack finished pulling on his boots and laced them. “That’s why I need you here. If we’re lucky, nothing happens, we meet with the council, they see things our way and we come home. Easy-peasy.” Jack finished dressing and stood up, meeting Robert’s gaze. “But if I’m wrong and the shit hits the fan? You’re going to
want
to be here. For your family if nothing else.” He pulled Robert close and lowered his voice. “If we don’t check in at the appointed times, you pack up the family and get the fuck out of here, you read me?”

“Roger that.”

“I’m serious, Bob. No heroics over a pile of rocks on a sandy island. It’s not worth it. Order an evac and get as many people out of here as you can.”

“Where would we go that they couldn’t find us? I mean, you’re talking about the council here.”

Jack shrugged. “I’ll be dead, I won’t care. Go back to the squads and tell them what happened. You know Colonel Mitchell would love to have you back.”

“I guess we could.” Robert scratched at his chin then finally smiled.

“What are you grinning at?”

“Nothing. I just…well, I was afraid you’d lost confidence in me.”

Jack gave him a wide eyed stare. “Wow, Barbara’s right. You really
are
dense.”

“Thanks, boss.”

*****

Jay Wolf walked from the shop back to his house and paused at the rear door.
I wonder if…
He stepped to the corner of the house and peered past the bushes that lined the fence. He couldn’t see the dark sedan that had been so out of place earlier. Satisfied that the vehicle was gone, he tried to shake off the peculiar feeling that he was being watched.

He went back to the rear door of the house and stepped into the kitchen. “Hi, home, I’m honey.” His booming voice reverberated through the empty rooms. He looked around the dim kitchen and was rather shocked that none of the kids or Lisa yelled at him for being so loud. “Well ain’t that just a hell of a thing.”

He marched into the living room to see why the house seemed so silent and was stopped dead in his tracks. His wife was bound and gagged, her eyes wide with fear. None of the children were to be seen but two large men dressed all in black and wearing balaclavas stood on either side of her, weapons drawn and held on her. “What the hell is—”

“Mr. Wolf,” the voice came from his side and Jay fought the urge to snap his head around, his eyes glued to Lisa’s frightened form. Slowly he turned his head and found a third gunman standing in the hallway. “As long as you cooperate, your family won’t be harmed.”

“Exactly why am I supposed to believe you?” Jay hissed through clenched teeth.

The third gunman slowly strode down the hallway, a short barreled rifle pointed at Jay’s middle. “You can believe me or you don’t. Cooperate and you all live. Don’t cooperate…” The black clad man shrugged.

Jay looked to Lisa who shook her head, defiance raging in her eyes. The rage swelled in him and he was about to seal their fate when one of his kids called out. “Daddy?”

Jay looked to the man in the hallway. All he could see were a beady pair of eyes staring back at him. “There’s nobody in there. Yet.”

Jay shook with frustration. He stared up at the ceiling and prayed a silent prayer. “It’s okay, baby, go back to bed. I’ll be there in a moment.”

It was a tense few moments as both parents waited to see if the child listened. Luckily, nobody entered the hallway. Finally Jay turned to the intruder. “What do you want?”

He could almost see the man smile behind the mask. “I need you to escort some of my associates back out to your shop, disarm the alarm system and then simply stand aside until we are through.”

“There’s nothing out there but some ammunition. You’re risking all of this for—”

“Then you have nothing to fear, correct?” The man waved the short barreled rifle at him. “I believe your shop is that direction, yes?”

Jay blew a nervous breath out then turned slowly and headed back for the door. “Don’t try to be a hero, Mr. Wolf. Heroes only exist in the movies.”

Jay paused at the doorknob and shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. They’re on the streets of every city, wearing a uniform of one kind or another. They answer their nation’s call and—”

“Yes, yes, that’s all nice. “Apple pie, mom, God, and country. I get it.” He shoved Jay into the back door. “Disable the alarm now, or your children may wake up orphans.”

Jay squared his shoulders and slowly turned to face the man. “I think I could live with that.”

The man flicked the safety off his rifle. “Fine, then maybe I’ll up the ante. The entire Wolf clan ends here, tonight. Is that enough to motivate you? Because I assure you, our employer has no qualms with us removing children along with their troublesome parents.”

Jay ground his teeth together so hard that he feared they’d crack. He turned and opened the door and headed back across the yard. As he approached the shop, four more black clad men appeared from the shadows and stood on either side of his shop door. “Fucking ninja wanna-bes.”

“The alarm, Mr. Wolf.”

“Yeah, yeah. Give me a second.”

“And, we are monitoring the police bands, so if you try to trip the alarm, we’ll know it.”

Jay paused mid-keystroke, then hit the reset button. He entered the correct code and an audible click sounded as the door unlocked. The man with the gun pulled him aside as his associates entered the shop. Moments later the men exited carrying cases of silver tipped ammunition.

Jay turned and stared at the black clad thief. “Silver? You’re doing this for the silver?”

“In today’s economy, any precious metal is worth its weight in…well, in this case, silver.” The man chuckled at his own joke.

Jay stood to the side and visibly shook with rage. How could anybody have known that he even
had
the silver? He knew that his employees wouldn’t say anything. Mitchell shipped it to him in ammo cans, so it wasn’t marked. The bullion came directly to his house and not the shop so nobody knew exactly how much he had except Lisa, himself and the squad administration.