Repercussion: The Clandestine Saga Book 3 (5 page)

              Giovani was shaking his head, feeling frustration starting to turn to anger, something that could happen rather quickly with him. "But Zabrina, I like that feeling--it excites me; it gets my adrenaline going. Let's go back. Let's face them--let's take them out!"

"No!" she insisted, her own fiery spirit igniting. "I'm not going to lose you to some fossil of a Vampire Hunter who is going to die in six months anyway. And Cadence..." she started, "she could crush us..."

              He was angry now. "Bullshit," he implored. "Crush us? She's nothing but an overrated, two-bit whore who earned her reputation by screwing that smug bastard McReynolds. She couldn't even..."

"She took out Barbarosa! She took out Sobi..." Zabrina reminded him, arms flailing now.

              "Those ancient bags of dust? Zabrina, we are young and powerful..."

              She looked at him in disbelief. "They were two of the most dominant Vampires to ever walk the Earth, Giovani, and you know it... you know it..."

              "They were washed up, past their prime..." he argued, the smirk on his face showing his disagreement.

              She hesitated only for a moment, knowing her words were formulated in anger and that she was bating him. Nevertheless, her loose tongue got the best of her. "Fine then. Let's say they were. What about Holland then, hmm? How did she get her?"

              Giovani's rage seemed to radiate from his steel gray eyes. He froze, his stare penetrating so deeply into her face for a moment it seemed he might lunge for her. "Don't," he growled, the warning stern and meaningful.

              Zabrina knew she had crossed a line. Part of her wanted to continue the argument, make him defend his insistence that Cadence Findley was not dangerous, yet the Hunter had somehow managed to take out the one Giovani worshipped above all others. She met his penetrating glare for only a moment before dropping her eyes in submission, realizing that she had made her point without continuing the argument. She was right, and he knew it, though he would never admit it. After a very lengthy, awkward silence, in a calm and even voice she said, "All I'm saying is I think it is far too dangerous to go back now. And I want to be with you--I don't care about anyone else. We have everything we need here. Plenty of animals to feed on. I know it's not the same, but it works. Let's not ruin it by playing Russian roulette with the world." He wasn't looking at her anymore, his eyes focused on his hands, folded in his lap. She knew he was attempting to calm himself. She slowly reached over and placed her hand on his thigh. "Giovani, I love you. I don't want to see anything happen to you. Please, just stay with me for a little longer, won't you?"

              Giovani didn't respond. She slid her hand higher up his leg, and then her other hand was caressing him as well. Even when he felt her lips against his neck, he did not acknowledge her. Finally, his anger turned to passion and he pulled her closer, meeting her quivering lips with a ferocious kiss that instantly took her breath away. Ultimately, it was his decision, and he would resurface when he chose to, whether Zabrina approved or not, with or without her.

***

              "I have some good news and some bad news," Laura explained to the rest of her team after hanging up the phone. After their conversation with Sharon, the band of renegades had decided to start making their way back west. Because they were aware they had been spotted at the airport upon landing in South Carolina, they determined it would be best to rent a car. After much negotiation, they agreed to head to Arizona. While it would make the most sense to hang out in Peru until Giovani reappeared, since that is where he was last seen, they knew LIGHTS had far reaching fingers and likely had their eyes all over the region since they were also searching for the same suspect. They had been successful at laying low near Tucson, and they knew Cadence was also in the area, so they decided to head that way. However, they had determined to take their time, meeting with other Hunters along the way whom they thought might be beneficial in weaving their web of deception.

              "What did your uncle say?" Cowboy Sam asked in his low, gravelly voice, not taking his eyes off of the highway. Laura sat beside him in the passenger seat, Flynn and Camilla in the back.

              Laura took a deep breath and tossed her shoulder length dirty blond hair around a bit before answering. "He said the order was ready. I gave him the address to ship it to, though I'm a little concerned about customs, what with the contents." She paused to see if Sam could offer any alleviation to her fears, but he only nodded in acknowledgement. "But he also said he got a phone call from LIGHTS this morning."

              "What?" Flynn chimed in, a look of disgust on his ruggedly handsome face. He was known as The Hippy because he had Transformed in the 1960s and his wardrobe never departed from that decade. Even now, he wore bell bottoms and button down shirt with odd earth-tone shading and patterns. Though he did occasionally wash his shaggy, sandy blond hair he allowed it to flow naturally, framing his otherwise appealing face. But he had a temper, and his fuse was always very close to the surface.

              Laura glanced back over her shoulder at him. Even though she'd been traveling with this party for several months now, she still hadn't gotten used to Flynn's intensity. "He said someone named Christian--I think I met him while I was there--called asking about the titanium amalgam bullets."

              "Well, that's just great!" Flynn exclaimed, slamming his hands into the back of Sam's seat. Sam glared at him in the rearview mirror, a warning that he better calm down. "How the hell did they figure out your source?" he continued, only slightly heeding the cowboy's glare.

              "I'm not sure," Laura admitted. "But Aaron always seems to know everything," she reminded them.

              "Always a step ahead," Sam growled.

              There was a moment of silence as they all considered the implications before Camilla, usually silent and introspective, finally spoke up. "So what are we going to do now?"

Her question was met with a question. "Did your uncle give 'em any info?" Sam asked, glancing at Laura sideways as he continued to steer the vehicle.

              "No," she replied emphatically. "He said he told them he had no idea what they were talking about. Of course, Christian continued to push, and I guess he finally admitted that he had heard of another company exploring the possibility of an amalgam bullet, but that he had nothing to do with it, and he hadn't spoken to me in years. He said he thought they bought it."

              Sam was shaking his head. "They won't buy it. They'll do whatever they can to trace that shipment."

Laura was a bit offended. "He said he thought Christian believed him," she insisted.

"Maybe," Sam conceded. "But the second he presents that information to his boss, he'll shoot holes right through it. It's one thing to trick some knucklehead lackey sent to make a phone call. It's somethin' else to pull one over on Aaron."

"Damn!" Flynn exclaimed, taking his frustration out on Sam's seat again.

              "Boy, you best stop hitting my seat," the cowboy warned with another sharp look in the mirror.

              There was another pause of consideration and then, again, it was Camilla who broke the silence. "All right, so hopefully they don't intercept the shipment, and we get what we are waiting for. But let's say they do get their hands on them, what does that really mean? Not too much, honestly."

              "What?" Flynn shouted. "It ruins everything."

              "No, it really doesn't," Camilla insisted, her willingness to stand up to Flynn unusual but a bit exhilarating. "If we decide to move forward with the plan we've been discussing, we can carry out much of it without those bullets. And Laura still has enough ammunition for us to accomplish what we need to. Sure, it would make it easier, but it isn't mandatory. We can get by."

"I don't want to just get by," Flynn asserted. "I don't want to take a knife to a shoot out."

              "Camilla has a point," Sam agreed, over the din of Flynn's protest. "Besides, it's not like we are anywhere ready to pull this off yet anyhow. Let's just get back to Arizona, see what info Sharon and the rest of these turncoats can get for us, and see what happens. If we get that shipment, we can figure out how to proceed. If not, we can bide our time a bit longer. Time is our ally now."

"Well, we need another ally," Laura reminded him. "And I will start working on that just as soon as we get settled."

              "I don't like it," Flynn exclaimed, crossing his arms. "I don't think your ally is going to be a help at all, and I think that going in anything less than fully cocked is a huge mistake."

              Sam's even tone was just a bit louder than normal. "Let's just simmer down," he interjected. "We'll let Laura try, see how it goes and proceed from there. I'm tellin' you boy, time is our friend. Time heals wounds--at least for the type of people we're pursuing."

"Hasn't done jack shit for me," Flynn mumbled.

              "That's because you're not the forgiving type," Camilla reminded him. "But Cadence and Aaron are."

              "And that's why we will use that to our advantage," Laura smiled.

Chapter Three

              Cadence hadn't slept well. That was nothing unusual. She hadn't slept well for quite some time, particularly since the night she had pointed a loaded gun at her ex-boyfriend and pulled the trigger. Even though Jack's death had been an accident, it still haunted her.

              She had been told eventually she wouldn't have to sleep as much as a human. Eight months into her Transformation, she was not there yet. She had been lagging all day from a lack of rest. For once in her life, she wished she were actually a coffee drinker.

              By the time the girls arrived at the address Cale had given them around midnight, she was ready to crawl back into bed. The warehouse was in one of the more rundown parts of town. Though it looked like some of the businesses nearby still operated here, this particular building could have been abandoned for quite sometime by the looks of it.

When Cadence dismounted from her F4CC, Aurora and Meaghan pulling in behind her, she was aware that Dr. Ryan had yet to arrive. "
Beginning to see a trend here,"
she shot over to her teammates. She was slightly annoyed, since punctuality was so critical to her, but she also realized that he was wearing a lot of hats and something like surgery could potentially throw everything off. Despite his heavy involvement in Vampire Hunting, Dr. Ryan was still, in fact, a practicing surgeon, and most of his patience were, in fact, human.

              Cadence's instincts told her instantly that there was nobody home--no Vampires anyway. Had there been a bloodsucker inside of the building, she would have known immediately. She began to survey the area, walking around the exterior of the building. Her team split up, knowing they could easily contact each other if necessary. She followed her instincts, letting them guide her. She noticed immediately that there were two doors on what was considered the front of the building. One of them was a normal pedestrian entrance, the other a large garage door where trucks could potentially pull-in, which seemed a little odd to her. She thought that would be located in the back. There were also a couple of windows. On the side of the building, there was another pedestrian entrance and a pair of windows. On the back of the building there were two more cargo-type doors, and another pedestrian entrance. There was also a row of windows at the top of the building, which appeared to be only two-stories tall, and a few on the bottom floor as well. A few of them were boarded over, another indicator that the building had been out of use for a while.

As she rounded the last corner, approaching the front of the building again, Cale caught up to her. She heard him before he actually reached her and knew instantly who it was. "So sorry I'm late," he apologized stepping up beside her.

Cadence's eyes glanced away from the building momentarily, falling on him for only a second, and then returned to the concrete structure before her. When she was in Hunter mode, it was very difficult to get her to break concentration. "It's okay," she replied, her mind beginning to calculate the risks and opportunities that lay before her.

              "I had an emergency appendectomy," he continued, "and well, I told the team to come on without me, but they wanted to wait." Cadence nodded as she moved toward the door on the front of the building. "They're in the back, with Aurora and Meaghan." He eyed her carefully before saying, "Are you planning to go in through that door?"

              Cadence gave the door a swift kick, which sent it swinging open, before the doctor continued. "Because we're not sure there's no one here."

"There's no one here," Cadence assured him as she made entry. Her night vision immediately amplified in the darkness, and she took in the layout of the first floor. There were several wooden crates and other containers located across the wide expanse of the bottom floor. Some of them appeared to be sealed shut while others looked to be empty. There were also pieces of smashed containers, office furniture, some electronics that must have been part of the day-to-day function of this business at one time, and more paper and files than she had ever seen strewn about in any one place. She saw a metal stairwell leading to the second story and a service elevator in the back of the room. The space was a good size. Cadence estimated the bottom floor to be at least 8,000 square feet, and the upstairs must have been equal. That was a lot of ground to cover.

              She crossed over to the back of the building, picking her way around and through the crates and other debris without so much as touching anything over the size of a piece of paper. Cale followed in silence, having caught on to the idea that Cadence didn't like to talk while she was working. She immediately approached one of the garage doors in the back. There was a space in front of the door that indicated that the Rogues had been pulling a vehicle inside. Though there was still rubbish on the ground here, it was smashed, and she could see tire marks on much of it. She nodded her head and approached the other door. It didn't appear to have been used recently. She compared the distance from this back door to the one in front, took in the barriers between the two and considered the possibility of driving in one way and out the other. It didn't seem feasible for most vehicles, but she decided to photograph the area anyway so that she could study it more closely later. She was able to do this through her IAC.

              After a few moments, she made her way to the staircase, Cale behind her, still silent. She bounded up the stairs, silently, in a few steps, and realized the top floor was nothing like the bottom. Here, most of the storage appeared to be cardboard boxes. They were stacked floor to ceiling in rows. Though there appeared to be some areas where the dominos had come tumbling down, for the most part, they were still in their original formation, with only a foot or two between where one could pass by. After Cadence made her way around the perimeter and began to track up and down the rows, Cale whispered, "We don't believe they are using this area."

              Cadence just nodded, still absorbing it all. She walked over to one of the windows that faced the front. She could see a few of Cale's team members standing outside. She assumed they'd already made similar inspections and didn't feel the need to come inside. She also heard footsteps on the floor below her and knew those were her own teammates. She had her IAC visuals turned on and could see everything Aurora and Meaghan were doing. Their walk was similar to her own except for the fact that they were speaking to each other and collaborating.

              She observed the view to the road from here, which was partially obscured by the large trees that surrounded the building on all sides. Though there were other buildings nearby, the trees blocked any kind of useful view. Not only was there no good way to observe the building from afar, anyone inside the building would also have a hard time detecting an outside threat, which could work in their favor.

              After several moments of silence, Cadence nodded her head slowly and made her way back down the stairs. Without saying a word, she passed by Aurora and Meaghan, who were talking quietly about their observations, and walked back outside.

              Cale caught up to her outside beneath an expansive oak tree. He hesitated to say anything, unsure whether or not she was still working. After a moment, he finally whispered, "So, what do you think?"

              Cadence smiled. "I think it's fine. I mean, I think it's doable." She was nodding, her hands on her hips. Glancing down momentarily, she realized she had collected some cobwebs on her black capris, and she absently swiped at them as she returned her attention to the doctor.

"Good," he smiled, still not quite sure exactly what that meant. He paused again, trying to get a read on exactly how she operated. After another long break, he asked, "So, do you think we can come up with a plan of attack, or..."

"Yes, absolutely!" Cadence agreed. She realized, suddenly, that he had no idea how to communicate with her when she was "in the zone" as she often referred to this mind set. She began to come back around and take on her typical disposition. "I'll want to consult with my girls, but I think it should be fairly simple, honestly. I mean, covering the exits on the ground floor is going to be our biggest concern. Of course, the windows on the top floor should all be considered exits as well. Vampires can easily leap from that height, no problem. What would you think about torching that upper floor so they can't use it?"

              Cale's eyes widened. "You mean, lighting it on fire?" He waited for her to nod before continuing. "Oh, wow, I hadn't thought about that. But, won't that alert the authorities? And there are so many trees around here. We could end up taking out another structure. Oh, gosh, Cadence, I don't really think that's a good idea at all."

Cadence was surprised to hear him disagree with her plan. "Don't you have someone to run interference?" she asked, referring to the job that Elliott typically did for the Kansas City team, which involved brainwashing any human who may come into contact with a member of one of the Ternions into believing that what they were witnessing was perfectly normal.

              "Sure," Cale admitted, crossing his arms across the light purple shirt he wore, clearly considering her recommendation. "That's Nick's job. But what does interference have to do with setting the building on fire?"

              "Well, I think the trees are far enough back that secondary structure damage isn't going to be an issue. If you have someone who is good at running interference, you don't need to worry about the firefighters or other emergency response personnel questioning how the fire began," she explained.

              He considered her words, rocking back and forth and taking it in. He held one hand to his chin, and shook his head from side to side slowly. Cadence couldn't help but notice he was somehow even more attractive when he was deep in thought. Finally, he said, "I don't know, Cadence. That seems sort of extreme for us. Do you think there's another way?"

              As he was speaking, Aurora and Meaghan approached. "Whatcha thinkin' girl?" Aurora asked, eyeing Cadence.

              "You tell me," Cadence replied, wondering if their thoughts were the same as hers.

              "Gotta match?" Meaghan asked, her hands on her hips. All three of them were dressed in black and only Aurora's bright red hair stood out in the darkness beneath the tree.

Cadence snickered and turned her attention to Cale, waiting for him to answer. His teammates began to wander over as well. She recognized Nick and Phoebe. There was also a tall, thin African American male and a tiny female that instantly reminded Cadence of a pixie. Even her bright blond hair was cut short like a fairy.

              The Reno Area Leader addressed his team before replying to Meaghan's question. "Well, guys, the ladies have finished their observation. What do y'all think about setting the top floor on fire?"

              "What?" Phoebe exclaimed. The rest of the team looked equally shocked, glancing at each other wide-eyed. "Why?"

"To eliminate the exit points," Meaghan explained. "Those windows are all means of escape."

              "Wouldn't it be less obvious if we just cover them from the ground?" the pixie asked, running thin fingers through her blond bangs.

"Less obvious but not as effective," Cadence replied. "We have other options," she offered, addressing all of them. "But as far as initial gut feeling, we all came up with the exact same thing. Set that top floor on fire so they can't use it to hide or to escape, cover that back vehicle exit, and the front cargo door, and load up on heavy weaponry to cover the pedestrian exits." She glanced around to see if they were still following her before continuing. "Personally, if it were just me, I'd put Meaghan in the front, Aurora in the back, and I would go in, guns a'blazing. I'd set that top floor on fire, and hopefully I'd get them all before they could get out one of the ground floor exits. But, if they managed to get out, I'd know my girls would catch them on the way."

"Leaving that top floor is giving them some distance. Leaping from there is gonna let them jump out over the top of whoever's on the ground, which will make it a lot harder. They could even get to one of our own vehicles," Aurora explained.

              "So we take the keys with us," the tall guy smirked. "Can you imagine the attention we would get if we set this place on fire?" He was appealing to his boss.

              Cale would have to play the middle man to keep the peace between his own team and the consultants. "All right, so let's just take that off the table for a moment," he said, ignoring the audible grunt that escaped Aurora's lips. "What were you saying about covering the front cargo exit?" he asked, going back to Cadence's plan.

"They could potentially get a vehicle through the back and out the front," she explained, sharing the picture she had taken with the rest of them, those she could access anyway. As she went through her IAC, she could see through Cale's that the other two team members’ names' were Archie and Nora. She quickly gave them access as well.

"There's a ton of furniture in the way," Archie pointed out.

              Keeping her tone even, Cadence replied, "I know. But if you have a Hummer, or another higher-end SUV or truck, you can make it through that. You might get a few scratches, but you'll make it through." She didn't miss the eye rolling and other expressions that seemed to indicate that the Reno team was not in agreement with her assertions.