Hero Rising (8 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Harold was obviously uncomfortable as Tommy and I thought about this for a moment. The hostel was being guarded, but that wasn’t much of a problem. It just meant that we wouldn’t have the element of surprise.

However, I had another problem, perhaps one that my nemesis hadn’t thought of either. I pulled out the hundred and fifty dollars and handed the bills to Harold.

“Good job,” I said lightly. “I really appreciate all that you’ve done for me.”

“Thanks, man,” Harold said gratefully as he took the money and smashed it into his pocket without counting it. He took another look around the hotel room, this time a little suspiciously.

“Can I go now?” he asked, a cheek muscle twitching. By now, he knew he was way out of his league and that we were not anyone to fuck with, but I had another idea for him.

“Harold, of course you can leave if you want to. But, if you’ll let me talk with my friend here, maybe just step outside in the hallway for a few minutes while we talk, I might have another job for you, one that will be much easier.”

“What do I do in the hallway?”

“I don’t know. Look at the paintings. It will only be for a minute. I need to discuss something with my friend and then we will talk to you about it. Okay?”

“Actually, I need some air. Maybe I’ll just wait on the patio,” Harold said.

“Fine with me,” I said.

“You two aren’t trying to pull something over on me, right?”

“Of course not. It’s up to you what happens next. If you want the job, stay in the hallway. If not, like I said…you are welcome to go your own way.”

Harold wanted to get the hell out of here, I could tell. However, as he counted the money, he seemed to reconsider. “All right,” he said and he let himself out and closed the sliding glass door after himself. He was careful not to let in any light, and I thought to myself that he was either really considerate or he understood a little more about my physiology than he was letting on.

“Tommy,” I said. “If we’re going to get these bastards tonight, we’re going to need a little more than what we have going for us.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know yet, but I sense something, a change in the plan is about to reveal itself.”

“Yeah, right.”

Funny how things worked out. Just then, another knock came at the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but the voice on the other side of the door said, “Delivery.”

I motioned for Tommy to again get behind the door while I went to answer it. I looked through the peephole and saw what looked like a bellhop.

“I’m not expecting a delivery,” I said cautiously. “Show it to me.”

The bellhop looked a little confused but held up the package. It was a small box, no larger than a box of business cards.
Probably too small to be a bomb or anything
like that
, I thought, and I opened the door.

The bellhop held out the box to me, but he noticed the curtains drawn closed and the bedspreads strewn over them. “Rough night?” he asked in a friendly way.

“I guess you could say that,” I answered, taking the small package. I pulled a few bucks out of my pocket for a tip. “Thank you,” I said.

“You know, a Bloody Mary really works well for a hangover.”

I thought Tommy was going to bust a gut behind the door. He was trying to hold in his laughter.

“We’re not hung over, but thanks for the offer,” I said and closed the door before he could reply.

Tommy came out of the shadows as I laid the box on the table. I was aware that the kid, Harold, was waiting outside, but he would have to wait a little while longer.

“Open it,” Tommy said.

Carefully, I unwrapped the packaging and opened the box. Something was carefully wrapped in deep red velvet and stashed underneath a piece of paper that was folded in half. I picked up the paper and saw that it was in Sion’s handwriting.

“Friends,”
it read,
“I’ve come up with something that one of you might use. I hope it’s not too late to help. I’m sure you can figure it out, but if you can’t, this is something that should help quench your appetites and help with the challenges before you. Yours in service always,

S

Relieved that it wasn’t some kind of sabotage, I opened the velvet wrapping as Tommy watched.

Four silver shells and a pair of strange-looking gloves popped out onto the table. I drew back at the sight of the silver, as did Tommy. We both studied them from a few feet away.

“Sion must have sent the gloves so we could handle them,” Tommy remarked.

Nodding, I put the gloves on. Immediately, my nausea and weakness eased, and I picked up one of the shells. They were all curiously shaped, and I was trying to figure out what they were for when Tommy said, “Holy crap! Give me your gloves!”

Still trying to figure out what in heaven’s name they were, I handed Tommy the gloves and he put them on. He hissed as he picked up one of the silver shells. “They’re for me,” he said, “but I can only use them when I’m a werewolf.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Don’t you see?” he asked me. I could tell he was really excited. “They’re longer fangs! Prosthetic fangs! Man, I’ve got to try them on. Help me, Josiah.”

Now, I could see what Tommy was talking about. There were four silver shells, and they did look like they could fit onto fangs. Not human fangs, but wolf fangs.

Tommy looked around, as he always did before he transformed into his werewolf self. “You’ll have to use the gloves to put them on me,” he said. “I won’t have any fingers but you can do it. I won’t bite.”

Tommy didn’t even wait for my reply. It was always so breathtaking to watch him transform from a handsome man into a wild and vicious werewolf. His mane was full and thick and he was huge, but he was one werewolf who maintained logical thinking while in his werewolf form, which was a rare skill among werewolves.

Another thing about Tommy in his werewolf form was that he could telepathically communicate with me while in that state. He opened his huge jaws and said to me silently,
Put them on. Use the gloves.

I put on the gloves and despite a mild case of nausea from the proximity of the silver, I was able to insert the shells onto his giant wolf fangs. They fit perfectly. He bared his teeth at me, not savagely, but to show off his new grille.

I actually laughed. “You look like a gangsta!” I teased him.

This was one hell of a weapon that those vampire outcasts would never count on. A werewolf with fangs long enough to pierce a vampire all the way through the neck was a formidable foe.

Also, the fact that they were silver fangs would be an easy kill against a werewolf, too. One sleek silver stake through the heart was one of many ways to kill the werewolf.

The tooth covers didn’t seem to bother Tommy at all and he pranced around the room, making a huge ruckus. He was as “diva” as an animal could look, strutting around stiff-legged and snarling at nothing. His mane was even standing up, as was the ridge of fur along his spine. Tommy was so funny sometimes. He came across as this fierce, no-nonsense dude, but underneath that entire cocky exterior was a drama dork who was just dying to act out.

I couldn’t help myself, I decided to wrestle and have fun with him. I transformed into my werewolf state and tackled him. We had wrestled a lot back when I’d first learned I had the werewolf gift. Tommy and would train together and we even had practically fought to the death one time in MMA. Tommy had taught me just about all he had learned from being a werewolf for as many years as I had. He lunged at me playfully and we were suddenly falling on the floor, trying to get each other pinned down as if we were in a wrestling match.

He snarled and I did it back.

He feinted biting me and I gave him a wallop on his nose at about half-strength that made him sneeze all over me.

“Ewww!” I said. “Gross! You got werewolf snot on me!”

It was then that we heard the cry from above us. We both froze and looked up to where the cry had come from and saw Harold—poor Harold—peeking in through the patio door, which was partially open.

We instantly stopped and transformed back into our human forms.

“Whoops!” I said. Tommy started moaning as he still had the fangs on and I tried to talk Harold down as I pulled the silver shells off of Tommy’s fangs and gave him a good scratch behind the ears, like he liked it.

“You guys are weird!” he said. “Really weird! I don’t know if I should hurl or scream.”

“Harold, please don’t be scared,” I said. “And don’t hurl.”

“Fuckin’ A, dude, let me out of here!” Harold was trapped between us and the door to the hall. That was good, in a way. I didn’t want to scare him more than I had to, but now that he knew, I had to get a handle on him.

“Wait a minute,” I said, holding my hand out in peace. “We’re not going to hurt you, I promise. Believe me, you’ve done us a huge favor. I would never harm you. Or my friend here.”

“Right,” was all Tommy could say. Tommy was so happy to have a customized weapon just for himself; he was still in ecstasy over it.

“Okay, okay.” Harold was shaking and ready to lose his mind.

“It is okay,” I said.

“I gotta go, man.”

“Hang on. Please let me explain all this.” I had adrenaline in my veins but I needed to calm myself in order to calm this kid. I never meant to let him know who I was. It was my mistake; probably the pressure of worrying about Hector made me want to cut loose a little and grapple on the floor with Tommy to release some tension. But now, I had Harold to deal with as well. I thought about it, and decided the truth was always the best option.

“Harold, do you watch Youtube?” I asked.

Harold looked up at me like this was the craziest question in the world. “Of course,” he answered. “Who doesn’t?”

“Good. Well, there’s something you should know. I’m the Superhero,” I told him. I could only hope that was enough information for him to trust me.

Chapter Seventeen

Harold looked at me with disbelief. “You’re the Superhero?” he asked. “The one on all the YouTube videos?”

“I am,” I said as I went to my belongings and pulled out the red wrestling mask. I put it on and, trying to make him believe me, I threw a few air punches and acted tough.

“Wow,” he said. “You’ve got professional MMA moves.” I could tell he was dumbfounded.

“Yes, I do. So,” I said, “now you know. But I need this to stay confidential, if you know what I mean.”

Harold was in awe of my presence. And he only knew that I was the media’s Superhero, he didn’t know I was the Chosen One or anything about the supernatural wars I had won before all of this.

“I’m trying to help a friend,” I told him. “He’s at the hostel I asked you to stay at. And I still need a little help, if you’re willing.”

Harold was excited. He seemed to have a sense of purpose and I could see a glimmer in his eye. “Sure,” he said enthusiastically. “Whatever you need.”

“Thank you. I need for you to go to the nearest department store and get some stuff, maybe at a Macy’s or someplace like that…”

“You’re going to pay me, to shop at Macy’s?”

“Yes, if you would…”

***

Within a couple of hours, Harold came back to our hotel room with two large suitcases and a nice duffle bag. By now, he was so excited that he could barely contain himself. However, he had sworn an oath of secrecy that I bound him to, and I was fairly sure he hadn’t told anyone he was in contact with me. Maybe I leveraged my powers a little to get him to do exactly what I wanted.

“Now, all we have to do is wait,” I said, checking out the suitcases. I didn’t know exactly how much money Hector had altogether, but I hoped it would all fit into the suitcases. My plan was to withdraw the money from each bank with the duffle bag, and then stuff it all into the two suitcases. Not for a moment did I think the kidnappers would really get this money, but I had to play along. I had to go through the motions and make it look like they were all there, waiting for my reckoning.

“What are we waiting for?” Harold asked. He was still there, and now he didn’t want to leave. He knew he was into something big.

I sighed, and thought about it. I didn’t really want Harold to be a part of this. He was really an innocent bystander, after all. My heart always told me to never involve innocent people in my crazy affairs, but Harold had helped me out, and he wanted to stay.

“I have some business to take care of after dark,” I explained mysteriously. “Then my friend and I are going to free someone from The Main Stay hostel.”

“Free someone? What do you mean?”

“He’s being held against his will.”

“Oh, wow. That’s what all of this is about? A kidnapping?” He whistled long and low.

“Yes. A kidnapping. And, Harold, I think that you would be in more danger than you could imagine if you stayed with us.” As I took out another hundred dollars for the errands, he ran to get me the suitcases.

“Take this and leave,” I said. It was a command, and although he didn’t know exactly who I was, he was obliged to obey me.

Harold took the money, even though he wanted to stay now and watch what was going to go down. He was really wound up about having met the new Superhero, and I understood that I had a friend in him now. Perhaps I would never need his allegiance again, but I was grateful for it.

“I’m here for you… if you ever need me for anything,” Harold confirmed. “I just wanted you to know.”

I gave the old man a quick hug and showed him to the door. “Also, Harold. It goes both ways. If you ever need anything from me, I’ve got your back, kiddo,” I said. “Just look me up on Facebook.”

Harold looked up at me as if I was the son he had never had; it almost broke my heart.

“I will,” he said. “Everyone’s on Facebook,” he said, fading out.