Davis: Blood Brotherhood (11 page)

“It’s going to be all right. We’re going to beat this. And we’ll get your brother back. I’m not sure what sort of shape he’ll be in, but we’ll get him back as soon as we can arrange it.” She looked up at him. “We have to do this if for no other reason than for your mom. She shouldn’t have to know what he’s going to do.”

“He’s dead. As far as Mom is concerned, he’s dead. I don’t want her to know that he’s done this to himself. We’ll tell her just what happened and that he’s dead. All right?” He nodded and kissed her nose. “I love you. And I love my mom. And you’re right, she would suffer, and I’d hate for her to think that he might be a monster that we have to kill sometime. And knowing Randall, that is just what we’ll have to do to his dumb ass.”

“And I love you. Very much. Let’s get this meeting over with and then get to bed. I need to be inside of you in the worst sort of way.” She took his hand and hurried him into the house. The sound of his laughter made her smile. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

~~~

They were getting nowhere with this. Not only that, but it seemed to Davis that they were going backwards. Hector kept saying they were his notes, but that he knew no one named Hank. Vicki leaned back, picking up one of the numerous notebooks.

“He said you might not remember him.” Hector looked sad. And as much as he hated to admit it, Davis was disappointed that the man wasn’t going to be helpful. “He told me just before I left that he was feeling it. I’m not sure what that means, and the date of January seventh. Does that help?”

It did. Hector paled considerably and fell into the chair behind him. Davis had a moment of worry that had it not been there, the man would have simply hit the floor. But as he and Vicki watched him, Hector looked at the notebooks again. This time Davis would bet he wasn’t seeing them but the man and the day.

“I met my wife that day. She was coming out of a store or something and I saw her. A man was with her; they were laughing and talking to each other, and I could tell that it was…they had been dating for a while, it seemed. I didn’t know his name for a long time, but he was her boyfriend and I guess lover. But when we saw each other, looked at each other from across the walk, I just knew that she was for me and she felt the same. She just walked away from him and came to stand by me, like she’d been waiting for me forever.” Hector smiled sadly at the memory. “I found out later his name was Hank. And he’d been set to ask her to marry him that night, my wife had thought, and I had cut him off. I was that close to…I met him later. He was at a meeting with me. We talked for a while, then parted. I never thought of him since. But his parting words to me were ‘I’m still feeling it. The pain of losing her to you, I’m still feeling it.’”

He stood up and set out the books. There were nine in all, and each of them were dated. Hector fussed with the books for ten minutes before he looked at them. Davis didn’t like that smile.

“There is one missing. As it should be. The middle one. He’d not want me to have all of them should I not be here, or had I turned bad like the other two. If he was any kind of suspicious, he would have taken the first and last one too, but I’m glad that he didn’t. I should like to work with him, if you are in agreement. He’s a good man, smart, and he could go a long way into helping me find a cure for this to help what is left of the people here and us.” Remy said that if he would work with Hank, then they would as well. “I thank you for that. He was…I think he was a chemist when he was with my wife. I do believe that he was fired at some point from the labs. It was about then that I was hired. If he’s gone back to work for them, then there would be a good reason. He never trusted Ward. He told my wife once that if there was anyone as sneaky as he was, he didn’t want to know them. For that alone, I think we can trust the man.”

For the next several hours they all went over the books. Hector stayed at the huge chalk board that had been brought in for him, as that was what he preferred to work with, and wrote notes that he was taking from a book or two. As they each took a book and began reading passages, he made notes on them as well. When Remy declared that it was time to stop, the board and the tables were full of notes, note pads, and sticky notes. There was a wall of them as well, just a word or two here and there, and what looked like a formula written on something else. If it would hold ink, it seemed that Hector would write on it. And Hector seemed pleased.

“It really is too bad we cannot find him now. We’re making such headway into this that his input would make it go quicker.” Remy cautioned him about jumping in too fast. “I know, I know, but it has been so long since I’ve felt that I am being helpful. And productive. I have been nothing more than a burden since being here. I feel alive for the…you think me silly.”

“No. I think you’re excited. But we have as much to lose as we do gain if this is a trap. I know that he said the right things. But for all we know, he could have hurt the man who you knew to tell him that, and he is awaiting us to come to him. At this time of the game, we need to be on our toes. Not to say this man isn’t what he says he is, but we have to be sure.”

“But we’re going?” Remy smiled at him and nodded. “Should we be afraid of you right now?”

“No, not you. But when we go, we go in force. We will not go alone, and we most certainly will not go unarmed. If it is a trap—and I’m not saying that it is, but if it is—then I would rather we be safe than sorry. Everyone will be ready to take to the skies. And those that cannot will be close to someone that can. We won’t engage and hurt ourselves, but leave at once. They will expect us to fight back. We won’t. I don’t want us to do what is expected of us, ever. I think that’s what has kept us alive all this time, or at least from getting badly hurt. I want to keep it that way too.”

Davis was glad for the large dining room later that night. Everyone, including Remy, sat around the table and talked. There was no talk of the malefactors or the upcoming meeting. Dolin or Ward were not mentioned, and neither was Randall. It was what they all needed, and Davis was glad for them. It was like when they’d been in the yard and practicing their flying. It was just a group of people getting together. Of course, they were tatted up and had wings, and not to forget that they were going to live forever, but it had been normal and that was what they all needed a great deal of now.

“We should do this more often.” Skylar laughed when someone said something back to her about needing to eat. “I mean, get together. And the fact that no one talked business was perfect. This room should be a safe zone. Never business in here. Ever. And we should be able to say or do what we want at the table. Like have a food fight should we want to.”

“I agree.” Remy stood up and held up his empty glass. “To my new friends and old ones. May we be friends for life, and our lives be longer than we hope. And I’d prefer that no food is thrown. I would have to explain to Ann why we tossed her no doubt delicious food around, and that would piss her off. Does anyone want to not eat? Yeah, I thought so. So no food fights.”

“And to each of us, I hope for love. And happiness as long as we live. And that, my dear friends, will be forever, and I’m thrilled to have you all in my lives for that long.” Davis added his glass to that of Skylar when she spoke.

“My grandmother was Irish, and she was forever quoting something. So this is for her.” Davis cleared his throat. “‘May love and laughter lighten your days and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam. May peace and plenty
bless your world with joy that long endures. May all life’s passing seasons bring the best to you and yours.’”

Everyone cheered and sat back down. Remy stood up before speaking again. Whatever it was, he didn’t look unhappy about it. When he looked around the table, Davis could see that he was emotional and that made him that way as well.

“On the day that Hector found me, I was ready to give up. I was…I was so close to death that I could feel it falling from me. I had lost so much, I thought. Too much for a single man to lose.” He looked at Skylar. “And now I have a love that I cannot imagine being without, friends that make me strive to be the best daily. Pains in the ass that make me want to murder nearly hourly, but through it all, I have happiness where I never thought there would be any again. I want to thank you all.”

“Who’s the pain in the ass?” Davis laughed when Remy looked at Hector. The other man blustered for several seconds, then nodded. “Remy, you’re a man of all men. A true friend and ally. One I am glad to call friend.”

They went to the command center soon after and began working on the plans to meet Hank. Hector, with no sense of what might happen should they jump the gun, wanted to go now, but Davis and Remy, and even Leo and the others to some extent, could see the value in waiting. And planning. It would do none of them any good if they were to go in there half blind.

It was nearly four in the morning when they retired. Davis was exhausted, and Vicki was nearly staggering up the stairs, so much so that he picked her up and carried her the last few feet. He knew she was tired too when she didn’t fuss at him. As soon as he put her on the bed, she rolled to her side and didn’t move. Davis smiled while he took off her shoes and clothing. Crawling in beside her, he felt wonderful when she rolled into him and curled around him. This was something that Davis thought he could get very used to. Closing his eyes, he let sleep take him under as well.

Chapter 11

Vicki didn’t like this. Not at all. It was too dark, and there were way too many things that someone could hide behind. She said as much to Remy, and he agreed. Then why, she wondered, were they still here? Hank was late. He was very late as far as she could tell.

The little boy came out of the shadows and didn’t move. He didn’t say anything either, which sort of creeped her out a bit. She’d been around Reuben long enough to know that they rarely, if ever, stayed still. And this kid was as still as the light pole he stood by.

Hector went out first. He was the one who would know the man, but since there wasn’t one, she supposed it was still best for him to be the first. Vicki moved closer to the two of them, keeping an eye out for anything that might be dangerous. Like this entire thing wasn’t already.

“Hello. I’m Hector. I was supposed to meet Hank here. Do you know him?” The boy did nothing. “What’s your name?”

“He’s dead.” Vicki felt her breath whoosh from her lungs. The voice did not match the kid. It sounded like…like one of those creepy movie voices of the possessed guy. “One of the malefactors got him. My dad is dead because of you.”

Hector nodded but didn’t turn to look at any of them. It was his signal that he wanted the fuck out of there now. Instead, he got down on one knee and nodded to the kid.

“Do you know where he is now?” No answer. “He was supposed to meet me. He has something of mine. Do you know where it might be? If you’d let me, I’ll have him buried in the way of our kind.”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said to you? He’s dead. He’s fucking dead. Don’t you even care that he’s gone because of you? You killed my daddy, and now I’m all alone.” Vicki felt the hair on her arms rise. There was something so very wrong about all of this. She looked at Skylar when she moved up beside her.

“He’s lying. And I know as well as Hector does that they cremate their dead, not bury them. He’s trying to trick the kid up.” Vicki wanted to ask her how she knew, but Skylar continued before she could. “He’s not his son but something else. Someone else. Now we just have to figure out what he’s doing and where Hank is.”

Vicki closed her eyes. She’d met the man, Hank, and thought of him. Something had happened to her the other day, and she wondered if she could make it work on Hank and finding him now.

Two days ago, just after she and Davis had parted in the house, she’d wondered where he was and was surprised when she felt him…knew that he was in the kitchen talking to Remy about something. And when he looked around as if he’d known she was seeing him, she stopped, and ever since she’d been playing with the trick to do it where no one knew. While she wasn’t perfect at it, she was getting a good deal more comfortable with using it.

“He’s still at the place…a building with large windows and a green front door.” Moving into the building, she could see him as clearly as if he were standing, or in this case sitting in front of her. “Someone has been beating him up. He’s strapped to a chair by his arms and legs. Hank is awake, but he’s pretending to be unconscious. His face is bloodied and his arm is broken. They want him to tell them where the book is. I can turn and see the man, but he’s deep in the shadows right now. This kid is not his, as you said.”

“Can you see the building again? Pull out or whatever you’re doing and have a look at it.” If Skylar was surprised by what she could do, she didn’t act like it. “Maybe you can get a number. Something else to go on. Or even a street sign. Look around like you did inside the building. Tell me everything you can see.”

Vicki moved out of the building; it was strange, but it was like she was floating around, not really walking. That was what had been the most fun in this new trick, moving like she was in a video game. It was a little disconcerting at first, but as she practiced, she got a lot better at that as well. The streets, of course, were dark, but there was a light near the end of the walk. Moving in that direction, she could see the street names, both of them.

“Main and Shipley. It’s about five…six buildings up from the corner. Across the street from it are two cars, one of them a long stretch and the other…I’m not sure. Something old and beat up.” Moving back into the building, she moved to each floor. “There are three floors. No one on the upper one, but there are two…no, three on the roof. They’re armed with guns. Body armor too. I’m not sure what kind it is, but it’s thick and dark.”

“Good. We’ll start there.” She opened her eyes and looked at Skylar. “Well, who else would go? You have a birdseye view of the place, so it’s not like we’re going to get hurt. And the men can handle what’s going on here. We’ll be in and out while this is going on here. Hank will be saved, and we’ll be all right with what you can do.”

“But this kid? What do we do about him?” Remy slid up beside them and kissed Skylar and nodded. Then he looked at her and winked. “We’re going alone? Do you think that’s a good idea? I mean, we can do this, but what if something goes wrong?”

“Yes, we’re going alone, but I’m not worried about it so long as you keep an eye out for the bad guys. And if we run into trouble, Remy or the others can be there in a few minutes. But you know that we’re going to be fine.” She moved back, and Vicki went with her. She wished now she’d just kept her mouth shut and her head where it belonged. Fuck, this was going to get them both hurt.

She and Skylar took to the skies. Vicki could take off well and could once in a while land well too, but she knew that as soon as she fell head over ass at the site, she was going to fuck them both up.

They landed on the street over from where they needed to be. She had thought they’d land on the building, take out the bad guys, and then go in and get Hank. But Skylar told her what if they got the wrong building? True. And when she didn’t mention that she might land wrong, Vicki was ever so grateful. This was why she was a nurse and not a strategist.

When they found the right building, Skylar went first and then Vicki followed. As they both put their feet down on the building right behind the guys with huge fucking guns, Vicki took off the first man’s head, then turned to the third man while Skylar killed her guy.

He was gone.

When he wrapped his arm around her neck, it was all she could do not to scream out in frustration. Skylar walked to both of them with the head of the guy she’d just killed still in her hand. After she lifted it up to make sure that the man saw it, Skylar tossed it behind her and lifted her sword again.

“You’re going to die, you know that, right?” The man just laughed, and Vicki could smell his putrid breath and gagged. “If you let her go now, I’ll just cut your fucking head off and not chop you to bits like I’m prone to do. I love it when a man is chopped up, don’t you? Especially when you get to his tiny little dick. It just makes my day when I can cut it off, then using tweezers and a little knife, cut it into nice earrings for me.” She winked at her.

“Yeah. Makes it easier to flush them too. However, his twig and berries you can leave alone. I can feel them, and they’re not worth the bother. Not even for earrings.” Skylar looked down at his waist, then frowned at them. “Trust me, not worth it at all.”

“Fucking cunt. I’ll show you just how fucking big I am.” He shoved her away from him and started for his pants. Skylar had his head off before he even got the button on his jeans open. For several seconds the women stared at each other, then burst out laughing.

“If he was the smartest one of the group, we’re not going to have any trouble. Men and their dicks...what is the big deal?”

They went to the door through the roof and moved down the stairs by flying down them so as not to make any noise. They were at the door when Skylar pointed to her eyes and then the door. Nodding, Vicki looked into the room with her special magic and could see it perfectly. She had noticed that the closer she was to where she looked, the better it was…the clearer, she supposed.

Five men. She put up her fingers to show Skylar, then touched Skylar’s arm to point to where they are. When Skylar stiffened, Vicki realized that she could see the room as Vicki was. Fuck, this shit was amazing. Vicki took her around the room with her. It was wide open, but there were large poles between them and Hank.

“We go in quick and kill fast. No fucking around this time.” Vicki wanted to point out that she’d not done the fucking around, the shit hole had, but nodded when she smiled. “Kill and move. Okay?”

Kill and move. She made it sound like she was telling her to pick an apple and eat it. But Vicki knew she was right. There were more of them than the two of them, and they had to hurry so they’d not get the chance to kill poor Hank while they were trying to get to him. As soon as the door opened, the hinges not making a single sound, they both hit the room flying.

It was over before she had thought it would be. All five men were dead, their heads laying a few feet from their bodies, and she and Skylar were standing in front of Hank. Skylar pulled out her phone and sent a text message. It simply said, “Done.” She knew that as soon as they got it on their end that things would go differently than the bad guys had hoped. They cut Hank loose, and Skylar picked him up when it looked as if he wasn’t going to be able to stand on his own.

The clinic wasn’t far away, and they took him there. As Skylar laid him on one of the gurneys, Vicki dressed to help. She had on her gloves just as Weston came into the room. Her mom was right behind him. This was going to go quickly.

He had three broken ribs, with lacerations to his face and chest. All of them required stitching up, so her mom did that while they worked on setting the rest of his wounds to rights. His left eye was swollen shut, and there was some bleeding from his ear that concerned Weston. It was several hours before they were ready to go back to the place where the boy was. But Remy texted and told them to wait.

“What’s going on?” Skylar shrugged. “Could it be a trick? I mean, that kid wasn’t human—could he have hurt one of them, taken the phone, and is messaging you?”

“You do have a vivid imagination, don’t you? No, I don’t think any of that, but thanks for planting it in my head.” Skylar looked at the sky, then back at her. “I suppose we should just go and check. Not get into it, but just do a fly by and see.”

She was all for that. As they took to the air, Vicki felt somewhat better about this. Not great, but better about being close. And as they neared the area, she could see that things were not as good as she and Skylar had had it.

~~~

Remy saw them above. Christ, this was out of hand. He was fighting for all he was worth, and it wasn’t nearly enough. Whoever this thing was, and he had no doubt that it wasn’t human, it had an army of things like him. The same creature that Davis had taken pictures of the other day was now overrunning them, and it wasn’t going to go well.

The kid had morphed. Hector had backed away once it was established that the kid wasn’t going to be helpful or forthcoming, and that pissed it off. His body changed so quickly, had Remy not been standing close to Hector, he might have gotten seriously hurt. As it was, the man was down and out, but was protected by them as best they could. Whatever these things were, they really wanted Hector.

The first blast of magic hit two of the creatures. He knew it was Vicki and was glad that they’d come back. Long ago he’d lost his phone in the fray, and now he wished that he and Skylar had another way to communicate. When her voice, suddenly sounding terrified, spoke right behind him, he nearly got himself stabbed looking.

I’m not behind you but over across…. How the hell am I talking to you
? Remy looked up.
There is some weird shit going on. You should see what Vicki can do with her mind. And she can share it. Mother goose balls, we’re an odd lot of beings
.

Mother goose balls
?
You know what, I don’t care where you got that. Have her kill this fucking bastard in front of me and I’ll gladly let her show me what she can do
. He laughed when the monster suddenly disappeared in a blast of light.
Thank her for me. And where is Hank
?
You didn’t bring him here, did you
?

No, he’s in the clinic. I told…where is your phone
? He told her he didn’t know.
Someone messaged me with it. If Vicki hadn’t gotten all paranoid, we’d still be back at the clinic awaiting your okay to come here
.

I’m glad. I’ll thank both of you a great deal later. Fuck, we’re outnumbered. Help
.

Skylar was suddenly right in front of him, and he used her like he’d done before, by pulling her body to his and putting their tats together to make a clean sweep of the things as they grew in number.

He hated to bring Skylar into this. More than anything, he didn’t want her hurt. But between him and Davis flying down and taking the monsters out by dropping them on the ground, they were going to need the extra help or they’d be dead by now. He’d not been able to leave Hector, and Davis was doing the best he could keeping the things from overpowering him. Leo was working at the other end, where the things were coming from, and he had no idea if the man had been hurt or not. Remy hadn’t seen him in ten minutes or more.

Within minutes of the women showing up, things were nearly manageable. Davis was pulling a body from in front of the door to one of the buildings, and Vicki was picking them up and dropping them several hundred feet to their deaths. Her magic was draining, he knew, so he wasn’t surprised to see her use it only when necessary. Davis made his way to her, and they, too, used their combined power to kill the bastards. As soon as the last monster was dead, Remy sat on the ground.