The Frenzy War (22 page)

“Thanks. I'll see you later.”

“Yeah.” Willy shut down his phone.

“What's going on?” Karol said.

“Somebody roasted Rhonda's house. Her parents, Soares and Cato, a PO—no one made it out alive.”

“My God,” she said, lowering her voice. “We're going, right?”

“Tony says no. He wants us rested for tomorrow.” Climbing back into bed and under the covers, he raised the blanket for her.

She got in beside him, and they held each other without speaking.

Mace lived two miles away from the Wilsons' neighborhood, and he parked a block from the fire scene. Three fire engines, several squad cars, and a pair of ambulances occupied the street, and multiple news crews recorded the inferno, which had spread to the houses on each side of the Wilson home. Uniformed officers held the crowd back while firefighters hosed the houses.

As Mace showed his ID to a PO and ducked beneath the safety tape, he felt the heat from the flames on his face. White-hot embers rose to the sky on thick, billowy smoke. Standing between two fire trucks with his hands in his coat pockets, he watched the ruins of the middle house smolder. He spotted some Brooklyn DATF detectives and several clean-cut men in suits.

FBI? Homeland Security?

He wondered if they would discover the charred carcasses of decapitated Wolves inside the wreckage.

“This is a hell of a first day, isn't it?” Norton said behind him.

Turning, he saw Shelly beside Norton. “Yeah, so much for getting a jump on things,” Mace said. He surveyed the walking suits. “Yours?”

“Some of them,” Norton said. “There are a lot of agencies here. The preliminary suspicion is that an RPG was used to blow up the house. We're checking satellite surveillance.”

Jesus,
Mace thought. “What a game changer.”

“You can say that again,” Shelly said. “Every antiterrorism unit with jurisdiction will be working overtime on this.”

“So will every cop in the city, with three men down. So much for our secret war.”

“Why did you come alone?”

“There's nothing for my people to do here. I'd rather let them get some rest.”

“After you met with them without us.”

Are you following me?
“I have a relationship with most of those people. They needed certain reassurances.”

“We're part of this team too. From now on, we want to be included in every briefing, even if it's over drinks.”

He saw no point in angering them. “Fair enough.”

“I don't think there's anything any of us can do here. Why don't we all go home and get some sleep?”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

As they approached the crime scene tape, Mace saw reporters and cameramen bunching together, forming a
gauntlet. He recognized several of the faces but not all of them.

“Captain Mace!”

Ducking beneath the yellow tape, Mace raised it for Norton and Shelly.

“Why are you back in the field, Captain?”

“Does the NYPD believe that drug lords destroyed this house?”

Steeling himself, Mace faced the reporters. “I have no comment.”

Gabriel shook his sleeping wife's shoulder.

Melissa woke with a start, blinking at him in the glare of the bedside lamp. “What is it?”

“Marshal and Deidre were killed.”

Sucking in her breath, Melissa sat up.

“The Torquemadans blew up their house, taking three police with them. Things are going from bad to worse fast.”

“I don't want to leave.”

“You have to think of the children. You have to protect them.”

“You
should be protecting them.”

Gabriel caressed her cheek. “You know I wish I could.”

She glanced at the alarm clock—1:30 A
M.
“Can't we leave in the morning?”

“No. Take a quick shower while I pack the car.”

She kissed him, and he watched her go into the bathroom and close the door. Then he walked downstairs and helped Arick load the luggage into Melissa's maroon
Subaru. Members of the security detail stood on the sidewalk, scanning the trees and buildings.

When Arick closed the hatchback, Gabriel clasped his shoulder. “I'm trusting you with my family. Don't let me down.”

“I won't, but I wish I was staying here. I don't like the rumblings of dissent I'm hearing.”

He didn't ask what rumblings Arick meant. “I'll be fine. Don't worry about me.”

“Can you tell me where I'm going at least?”

“Just get to the Canadian border. Melissa will take it from there.”

Arick smiled. “You'll never change.”

Melissa appeared in the doorway, carrying Damien. To Gabriel's surprise, Elias appeared behind them, carrying Gareth. Gabriel opened the rear passenger door and held out his hands. Melissa passed the sleeping boy into his arms. He considered allowing him to sleep but decided instead to shake him awake. “Damien …”

Damien opened his eyes.

“You and your brother are leaving with your mother and Arick now. I want you to do what your mother says. Do you understand?”

Rubbing his eyes, Damien nodded.

“And take care of your brother. You're the oldest.” Gabriel kissed him on the forehead, then set the boy on the booster seat inside the car and fastened a seat belt around him. Damien went limp almost immediately. Turning back, Gabriel took Gareth into his arms. The boy, already half awake, blinked at him.

“Are you ready for your trip?”

Gareth nodded without much enthusiasm.

“Behave.”

“I will.”

Gabriel kissed him and seated him next to Damien. Closing the door, he shook Arick's hand.

“May I come straight back?” Arick said.

“No, but I hope to see you soon.”

Arick nodded, glanced at Elias, them circled the car and got in behind the steering wheel.

Melissa moved before Gabriel, her eyes shiny even in the streetlight. “The boys and I can make the trip alone. Arick should stay here with you.”

He cupped her face. “It's better this way. I'll worry less.”

“But I won't.”

He kissed her lips, then held her.

Melissa looked into his eyes. “Settle this fast. I want us back together as soon as possible.”

“I intend to.”

They kissed again, then Gabriel opened the front passenger door for her and she got in. He closed the door, and Arick drove off. The vehicle grew smaller, then disappeared into the city.

“I never married,” Elias said beside him. “I have no children.”

Gabriel glanced at his companion. “Then what are you fighting for?”

Elias seemed to consider the question. “For our species, but I value my own life as well.”

Offering him a slight smile, Gabriel returned to the safe house.

Mace found Cheryl sitting in the living room with Manhattan Minute News playing on TV.

“What are you doing up?” He already knew the answer.

“You just missed yourself,” she said. “‘No comment.' I bet it felt good to say that again.”

“It didn't feel good under the circumstances.”

“The story made the other local channels as well. They actually interrupted infomercials for the news. Are we under attack by terrorists? Or is it still drug dealers?”

He pulled off his tie. “No comment.”

Tony
…

“I'm going to bed.”

Cheryl followed him. “‘Captain Mace,'” she said in a low voice. “‘Why are you back in the field, Captain?'”

In the bedroom, he peeled away his clothes.

“‘Does the NYPD believe that drug lords destroyed this house?'”

Mace climbed under the covers. “Good night.”

She got in beside him and pressed her body against his for warmth. “Did you know the men who were killed?”

He searched his memory. “I don't think so.”

She didn't say anything else.

W
lly opened his eyes just after 5:30 A
M,
with Karol sleeping half on top of him. It had been a good night for him beyond the sex. He knew that Karol's concerns about their working partnership were valid, but now that his promotion had come through, he would be transferred out of Homicide soon enough. Then they wouldn't have to worry about potential conflict—as long as they both survived the insane assignment Mace had thrust upon them. Gazing at her sleeping features, he promised himself he would not allow Karol to put herself in danger.

Sliding out from beneath the covers, he shivered. In the bathroom, he noted scented soaps with pastel colors. He gargled with mouthwash, then returned to the bedroom and slipped into his slacks, taking care to be quiet.

Karol's eyes fluttered open anyway. “Running out the -back door?”

He zipped his fly. “You've only got one door.”

She raised herself up on one elbow, supporting her head with her palm. “What's your hurry?”

“I need to go to my place to change my clothes. It wouldn't look good if I reported for duty wearing the same threads I had on yesterday, would it?”

“Why not? Everyone knows you're a dog.”

Willy sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on his socks. “I'm no dog. And if I was, I'm not now.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

“I don't need any convincing.” He stood. “You want to come with me? I'll wait for you to shower. Then you can wait for me to shower at my place and we can get some breakfast.”

“I don't think I'm ready to go home with you.”

“Oh, but I can come all the way over here?”

Karol laid her head back on her pillow. “That's right.”

“Okay, whatever you say.” Leaning across the bed, he kissed her. “I'll see you at our new HQ.”

“Later … Lieutenant.”

Grinning, he picked up his shirt and left the bedroom.

Rhonda awoke in human form on the straw-covered floor. She had been unable to sleep for hours, worried about her parents, but had finally managed to drift into a restless state of unconsciousness. She had no way of knowing the time of day. The tranquilizers had induced so much sleep that she no longer trusted her internal clock.