Some Were In Time (20 page)

"Did the Vampyre blood affect you? Do you feel different?" I asked as he followed me to the kitchen and watched me rummage through the cabinets for something to eat. We'd used up an enormous amount of calories and I was starving.

After a long pause he sighed. "I do feel strange. The murderous streak I felt in the battle was disconcerting. I couldn't quite control it—it felt like it was controlling me. My need to kill verged on psychotic."

"How does Dwayne handle that?" I asked as I gave up on finding anything edible in a Vampyre's kitchen.

"He's three hundred years old," Hank reminded me. "He's had time to rein it in… or he has some secret serial killer life we don't know about."

I considered the possibility for a moment. It was a surprise to me how much property he owned. However, the thought of Dwayne going out on pleasure murders was ludicrous. Was Dwayne just different from other Vamps? The thought of owing a favor to a bloodsucker who didn't have his shit together like Dwayne did give me pause.

"I couldn't let Dwayne take all the responsibility for Granny's safety," I said quietly. The ramifications of what I'd done by taking on the responsibility of the debt to the Vamps was starting to really sink in.

"You were correct. As much as I don't like owing Vamps, we take care of our own."

"Maybe it won't be too bad," I said in a cheery tone that didn't fool either of us.

"Uh huh," Hank shot back with a small shudder. "Let's just go with that one until we find out differently."

"Deal. Wanna go find food?" I asked, happy to change the subject.

"Drive thru or sit down?" he asked as he played with my post sex messy curls.

"I don't know," I said. "Either. Why?"

"Sit down—we have to change." He smirked like a dude who'd gotten majorly laid as he glanced down at his shredded shirt. "Drive thru—we can go looking like we've just had sex for several hours."

Looking down at my wrinkled and torn dress, I grinned. "I'm hungry. I'm not changing."

"Then drive thru it is." He chuckled as he grabbed my hand and we ran out of the front door.

***

"I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact I just ate ten tacos. I'm pretty sure I have a food baby," I muttered as I patted my full stomach.

"That's nothing," Hank bragged. "I ate seventeen. I have food quadruplets."

I giggled as I slurped on my soda and tried to keep my eyes open. It had been a long couple of days and sleep hadn't been a priority. We were parked outside a local taco joint because neither of us could wait to eat until we got home. The fabulous Mustang we'd found the keys for got a few envious glances, but I didn't care. It drove like a dream. I scented only humans and was relieved we were probably safe from danger at least for the evening.

"So do we have a plan for tomorrow?" I asked as I tried to tamp down my gluttonous need for more cheap Mexican food. Thank god Werewolf metabolism was fast.

"We call on the burner phone and we meet up."

"Let's do it in a public place. How about on Clark by Wrigley Field?"

"I was thinking the Lincoln Park Zoo in case we have to shift," he countered.

"Damn, you're good. The Dragon drinks the serum before we get into any logistics." I looked away from the mound of empty taco wrappers so I could pretend I hadn't eaten quite as much as I had.

"Excellent. We'll say we'll meet by the Red Wolf area, but we'll stay in the shadows until we know they're alone," Hank suggested.

"We call and give them eight minutes to get there. That's enough time from the office if they run. Leave a note at the Wolf cage and then tell them to proceed to the monkeys. At the monkey cage, leave a note to send them to the reptiles, and if we think they're clean by then—we talk. If we think they're being followed or they brought anyone else to the party, we disappear."

"God, you're hot when you go all agent," Hank said with a whistle and a quick peck to my lips.

"Wait, one more twist. Have them start at Wrigley and then we call them with the burner and start the maze at the zoo."

"Just when I thought you couldn't get any hotter… "

"I'm good like that," I said with a giggle.

We sat back in our seats and basked in our smart plan and full stomachs.

"If you put a pin in me I'd pop," Hank said with a groan.

"Good thing we had sex before we ate our own weight in tacos," I said as I seriously contemplated going through the drive thru one more time.

"True," Hank agreed and then laughed. "You wanna get a few more?"

"Oh my god, you are so the man for me."

And we went back through the drive thru… two more times.

Chapter 14

"You armed and ready?" Hank asked quietly as we walked into the zoo.

"Yep. Locked and loaded."

The morning had dawned sunny and beautiful—not a cloud in the sky. The breeze floated playfully through the trees in the park. Sadly, I felt anything but playful. It was early and not many people were in the zoo. I was thankful for that. There was the potential for things to go very wrong with a Dragon involved. I still didn't trust my boss for pairing us with a species that had tried to kill me twice in the last month alone. Whatever. I was sure she had her reasons.

We'd placed the notes where they were certain to find them and we found an excellent hiding spot in the bushes outside the reptile house. Our greenish brown fatigues blended right in. My adrenaline was pumping and the Vampyre blood in my system itched for a bloody fight. Not to mention my inner wolf was rattling her cage like a crazy person. Tamping both instincts down took effort, but I succeeded. I was only going Rambo if I had to.

"You wanna make the call?" Hank asked with a grin that belied the tension I could feel coming off of him.

"I most certainly do," I answered as I rolled my neck and popped my sternum.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Hank asked as he winced at the sound of my bones popping.

"Dude, we turn into Wolves. How can my popping my sternum freak you out?"

"Point," he conceded with a chuckle.

I stared at the phone for a long moment. The same one I had talked to Dwayne on only an hour ago. They were in the process of moving Granny to Michigan and so far things were going as expected. Dwayne was cautiously optimistic. However, the Cows were downright ecstatic at the thought of feeding and coddling Granny. The girls had no doubt whatsoever that she would wake up in a week. I wasn't as sure, but I wanted to believe it so badly my heart hurt.

"What are you waiting for?" Hank asked as he watched me closely. "Do you want me to make the call?"

"Nope," I said with a sigh. "It's just when I make the call there's no turning back. The ball will start rolling and there is no way in hell to stop it."

"The ball is already rolling," Hank said logically and without emotion. "We're going to stop it and obliterate it. The call is just a small piece of a puzzle already halfway put together. Lose the feelings you have for everyone but me. Use your training and let instinct guide you."

"My instinct says to let my Wolf and Vamp out and kill shit," I told him with a rueful smile.

"Well, then… listen."

He was correct. The time for introspective thought was over. It was time to trust no one but Hank and myself. I would proceed with caution and with my eyes and ears wide open. I felt for my Glock and the knives and squirt gun filled with the solution Dima would have to drink. It would prohibit her shift and potentially elongate my life and Hank's.

Everything was in place as much as Hank or I could manage. It was time to call my boss.

I dialed and held my breath.

"Angela… dude, how's it hanging?" I said breezily as she picked up her phone and grunted what barely passed for a greeting.

"
Where in the hell have you been
?" she shouted as I yanked the phone away from my ear. "
And what phone number are you calling from
?"

"Had to get a new phone plan since I haven't seen my paycheck this month," I explained with a touch of sarcasm in my tone. "You sound like you ran out of whiskey."

"
It's in your mailbox at the apartment you haven't been back to
," she snapped. "
And for your information, I've been through several bottles in the last few days, thinking you were dead.
"

"Now why on earth would you think I was dead?" I asked coldly. I most certainly could have been dead if the Dragons or the Wolves had succeeded, but did she know that?

"
Because you're two days late and I haven't heard from you or Hank or Dwayne or Bobby Sue
," she screeched. "
I have no more hair on the right side of my head. I could skin you alive right now, Essie
."

"Yeah, well, get in line," I muttered.

Her demeanor was the same as it always was. She'd threatened to kill me at least three times a week for the past year and never made good on it. The maddest I ever saw her was when she realized I'd used the company card for a spa day and dinner at Ruth Chris. The front row seats to a Coldplay concert for Dwayne and me also hadn’t helped. I had been fairly sure that day was going to be my last on earth, but I was still kicking. I needed to be careful not to read too much into anything.

"
Get your ass down to headquarters. We have situations in the making and I have no more time for lazy agents who can't make deadlines,
" she grumbled.

There was that word again… dead. Why it kept popping out at me was an irony. Angela was no different than she always had been.

"No can do, hot mamma. I'm in no mood for a clusterhump today," I replied calmly.

Her silence was unexpected. Was it the "no can do" or the "hot mamma" or the "clusterhump" that threw her off her yelling game? My lack of respect for authority was nothing new.

"
I do believe my statement was a direct order
," she ground out.

I heard a rustling in the background and I was positive she was searching for her booze.

"I
do believe
we are off the grid and you are not giving the orders," I countered in a tone I rarely used. "Is the Dragon with you?"

"
Um, yes
," she stuttered, not quite as sure of herself.

"That's wonderfully sucktastic," I yelled. Her yelp of pain amused me and I decided to yell the rest of the conversation. "You have exactly eight minutes from the time we hang up to get the Dragon and your half-bald Wolf ass to the front entrance of Wrigley Field. If you fail your mission we'll be gone."

"
What the hell? There's too much traffic to make it there in eight minutes. This is ridiculous
."

She was pissed.

"Nope, not ridiculous at all. You're correct about the traffic. I'd suggest running. If you sprint you can make it. If you need a hit I'd suggest a flask. A bottle would be messy if you dropped it on your run. No flunkies or we disappear."

"
I should fire your ass
," she muttered angrily.

"Is that a threat or a promise?" I shot back.

"
Neither
," she snapped. "
If you weren't so damned valuable I wouldn't put up with this shit
."

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," I cooed.

I could hear her breathing and I felt her blood pressure rise through the phone. I knew I was treading on thin ice if I wanted to actually keep my job, but being a WTF agent had become extremely unappealing in the last month. Defending my life on a semi-daily basis was not what I had signed up for. My dream had been to defend my entire race… not just myself.

"Does the Dragon know she'll be drinking the formula?" I asked.

Angela's ginormous pause answered the question. "
Not exactly
," she hedged.

"Well, I'd suggest you get the fire breather up to speed on your run. She doesn't drink—we have nothing to say or do with her… or you," I said tightly.

Hank tensed beside me. I knew he wanted to rip the phone from my hand and let Angela have it. Out of respect for me he stayed still.

"
You really want to leave her defenseless
?" she asked with disgust.

"After my week—yes. Yes, I do."

"
What the hell does that mean
?" she demanded, completely exasperated.

"If you don't already know, I might let you in on it when I see you," I informed her cryptically. "You have eight minutes. Starting now."

As I hung up the phone I heard her screaming a string of obscenities that made me cringe. To say she was pissed was an understatement, but I didn't care. I wasn't sure who the bad guy was anymore and I was taking no chances.