Blood Empire Reborn, page 19
“Lover boy wants to make some smoochie calls.” Pablo shuffled in and yawned, rubbing his eyes. His hair looked disheveled as if he’d packed a week’s worth of bedhead into a single short sleep.
Luke started a coffee for him. He didn’t refute the comment, even if he’d never refer to it in those terms. He missed Maggie and Gwen. They’d worked their way into his heart and without them around, he felt incomplete and slightly off balance. He’d often felt like he moved through life with pieces missing, leaving them scattered throughout history. Some he knew intimately and would never be able to fill—the three wives he’d spent their lifetimes with and some of the amazing friends he’d made over the centuries, all who he’d outlived and buried.
He didn’t like being away from the people who’d chosen to inject themselves into his life, like Gwen and Maggie, but he appreciated having people worth missing. He felt less hollow and more connected with the world of the living. Pablo, Sam, and Delilah were part of that connection, but he didn’t have to miss them since he’d brought them with him.
“Thinking about Maggie?” Sam asked, drawing Luke out of his silence.
“And Gwen, and how it’s weird I have people in my life to miss. I’d consigned my life to having no one in it, and now I have a lot of people in it. Multiple packs of werewolves, including some very special wolves, like you and Maggie and Gwen.”
“And Pablo?” Sam asked, a smirk on her face as she eyed Pablo out of the corner of her eye.
“Nah. Not Pablo.”
Pablo took a sip of his coffee, pinky up, and gave Luke a haughty look. “Hmph. I’ll go where I’m appreciated.”
Luke laughed. “You know I love you, Pablo. I just don’t often get an opportunity to return the teasing you always give me.”
Pablo smiled. “I know you do. I love you too.”
Luke’s phone buzzed. Picking it up, he was disappointed to see it wasn’t Maggie. “The doctor is here. He speaks English. Sam, if you could escort him to the room we set up, that would be appreciated. I’ll gather the kids.”
Luke headed outside to find Simone. Since she had history with several of the kids, it’d be easier to enlist her help. Delilah and Simone, holding hands under the table, didn’t hear Luke walking up behind them until he scuffed his feet and cleared his throat to alert them. They dropped each other’s hands.
Luke did his best to hide the smile tugging at his lips. “Simone, would you help me get the children? The doctor is here.”
Simone nodded and called her brother over to help. Together, they convinced the kids playing outside to follow them inside. Simone stayed with them while the doctor examined them. Luke went upstairs to gather the children who still hadn’t emerged from their rooms yet.
While the doctor examined them, Anne-Marie brought in clothes and sorted them by size so the kids could pick what would work for them. The house was a hub of activity as children milled about and the caretaker’s people set about making food for everyone.
This was not how Luke thought this trip would go. So far, he’d seen very little action. Even though Belgium was the place of his birth, it wasn’t quite his home anymore and hadn’t been for a long time, except for brief stays. Now he had to find a proverbial needle in a haystack in two countries. Multiple needles in multiple haystacks as he fought Le Mousquetaire and tried to find the leak in Pieter’s pack.
Waiting on the two Flemish kids, Luke mulled over the questions he planned to ask. He had no idea how much they knew about the larger machinations that resulted in them being held hostage by vampires in a pit with a bunch of French kids. When the brothers emerged from the exam room, Luke took them to get beverages and a snack, then out to the patio where they could sit in the open and enjoy the sun and the sound of nature.
“I don’t think we’ve had a chance to be formally introduced,” Luke said in Flemish Dutch. “My name is Luke.”
“Hugo,” replied the oldest, nudging his brother lightly after he sat silent for a while.
“Noah.”
“I’m guessing you’re both Belgian. Where are you from?”
“Ghent,” replied the older brother.
“How did you end up in that house in France?” Luke asked.
The younger brother, getting fidgety, looked away from Luke and tugged his brother’s sleeve. “I want to go play.”
“Can he go play? I’ll answer your questions. You don’t need him,” Hugo said.
“Of course he can go.” Luke turned to the little boy. “Go have fun, OK?”
Noah nodded and took off at a run toward a few kids who’d found a soccer ball that Anne-Marie had brought with the clothes.
“What was your question?” the boy asked.
“How did you end up in that house?” Luke asked again.
“People came into our house at night and took us.” Hugo focused his attention in the middle of the table, not making eye contact with Luke.
“Did you see them?”
“No. They put bags on our heads,” the boy said.
“How long were you in there?” Luke leaned forward a little, trying to look relaxed.
“What day is it now?” When Luke provided the current date, the boy replied, “About six weeks.”
“Do you know what happened to your parents?”
The boy shook his head.
“Did you hear them shouting when you were taken?”
“No. I just heard the men taking us,” Hugo said.
“Did they speak French?”
“No. Flemish,” the boy replied.
Luke exhaled heavily. “Do you know which dialect they used?”
Hugo nodded. “I think Antwerp.”
Luke switched to an Antwerp dialect instead of the more neutral one he was using and rattled off a few sentences before going back. “Like that?”
Hugo nodded nervously. “Yes.”
“Do you remember what they were saying?” Luke asked.
The boy nodded, resting his elbows on the table while looking between his hands. “The one giving the orders told someone to take us to Lille. He said his friend there would put us to good use.”
“Anything else?”
“Just some more orders or questions. Was the house under control? Was the car ready for us? Check for an attic. That kind of stuff.”
Luke leaned forward, trying not to look too intense. “Ok. I need you to think about this. Do you think if you heard the voice again, you’d recognize it?”
The boy looked up at Luke finally, nodding his head. “Yes, I think so.”
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Luke and the team sat in the sitting room claimed as their evening sanctuary, a fire crackling. Pablo’d just returned with a tray full of beers. The kids were all in their rooms with TVs or sleep to occupy them.
Sam took a drink of the Chimay Red Pablo had brought for her. “Dang, Luke. You’re going to turn me into a beer drinker.”
Pablo, the owner of the pack’s brewpub, looked shocked. “You cut me deep, Sam. Real deep.”
Luke, smiling, could tell his friend wanted to dramatically flounce away from Sam, but he couldn’t with the rest of the beers still to distribute. As was becoming usual, Delilah and Simone snuggled under a blanket on the love seat. Luke slightly narrowed his eyes at Delilah, a twinkle in them drawing the corner of one side of his mouth up in a quirk. Delilah, noticing his gaze, raised an eyebrow in challenge. Luke smiled and looked to his beer when Pablo dropped it off.
“So he can probably recognize who was speaking?” Sam asked, picking up where they’d left off their conversation when Pablo went for refills.
“He says so,” Luke replied.
“Now the trick is to get him in the right place with the right voice without endangering him,” Delilah said.
“That is the trick, thought that’s probably only a last resort. I’m going to need to talk to Pieter, but beyond him, I’m trusting no one from the Flanders Pack until we can cross them off the list as a suspect.” Luke sniffed his beer, then took a drink.
“Still haven’t heard from Pieter yet?” Delilah asked.
Luke shook his head. “No. And that’s worrying. I’ve tried calling a few times. I’d have thought he would have wanted to talk after we missed the opportunity to free his father. I hope he’s OK.”
“Do you suspect someone on the pack’s leadership council?” Pablo asked.
“I don’t know, but the kids and the leaks have to be related. There’s some kind of alliance between the vamp called Le Mousquetaire and a rogue element in Pieter’s pack,” Luke said, taking a drink of his beer, then letting out a satisfied sigh.
“Do you know if you can trust this Pieter?” Simone asked.
The young woman was usually fairly quiet during discussions as a probationary member of the team and as the least experienced. Also, she still hadn’t fully shed the pack subservience forced on her from her former pack.
“That’s a fair question,” Luke replied. “We’ve worked with him in dangerous circumstances. He’s earned my trust for now, but I’ll be cautious.”
Simone seemed grateful to have her opinion heard and taken seriously. If they could get her trained on weapons, she’d make a fine addition to their squad. She’d held her own against vampires and werewolves in their raid in Cambrai.
“I think I have an idea how to maybe smoke out our traitor, but I want to go over it with Pieter first, so I can get the information I need. We’ll have a few days to iron out any kinks in the plan, unless something new crops up. We can’t do anything really until we get our folks here to help with the kids.” Luke’s phone vibrated. “Speaking of which.”
Luke picked up his phone and saw Maggie’s name on the screen. He answered. “Hey Maggie. Can I call you back in a bit? We’re expecting a call from Holly regarding the situation here.”
“I’m the call, Luke,” Maggie replied.
“OK. So what’s the plan?”
“I have a small team ready to go as soon as you give us our destination,” Maggie said.
Happy to hear Maggie’s voice, he smiled. “I’ve been thinking about that. I don’t want anyone near Paris or Brussels. Frankfurt is the best option. Everyone can take the train to Cologne; I’ll pick the team up there. You can give them my description if they’ve not met me before.”
“I don’t think the team will have a problem picking you out. I’ll be leading them,” Maggie replied.
“You’re coming to Belgium?” Luke asked.
“I lived in France for twenty years after the war. I’m fluent in French, and Holly wanted, and I agree, for you to have medical staff on hand since you’re isolated. Don’t worry about Gwen, Zel is going to watch her while I’m gone. She’s sad she can’t come, though.”
Luke chuckled, excited to see Maggie sooner than he’d expected. “I bet she is. Let her know I’ll bring her for a vacation when we can.”
“I will. Is there anything else we need to know?”
“Not that I can think of,” Luke replied. “If I think of anything, I’ll message you.”
“I’d like to finalize plans so I can get our tickets. Once I have them, I’ll give you our ETA.”
“Sounds good, Maggie. I’m looking forward to seeing you.”
“Me too. Take care, Luke.”
“See you soon.” Luke hung up. “Maggie is leading the team over. Should probably know when they’re arriving by tomorrow when we wake up.”
Simone looked at Delilah. “Who is Maggie?”
“Luke’s girlfriend,” Delilah replied.
“I’m going to need a volunteer to come with me to Cologne. I’m guessing we’ll have more people and luggage than is probably convenient for just the BMW.” Luke looked around the room.
“I should stay with the kids,” Simone said.
Delilah’s eyes flicked to Simone. “I’ll stay and help with the kids as well.”
Luke looked to Sam. “Sam, you in?”
“No. I think I’ll stay and relax.”
“Looks like it’s just you and me, buddy. But I ain’t driving that bus,” Pablo said.
Luke nodded. “You can have the beemer. Want to go a day early? I’ll show you around one of the great beer cities of the world.”
“I’ve always wanted to do a beer city tour of Europe. The city of Kölsch is a great place to start. Plus, it’s not that far if we have to hustle back for any reason.
“Good. I’ll get us a hotel,” Luke replied. “But before that…”
He tried Pieter one more time. When the call went directly to voicemail one more time, the knot in his stomach tightened. “Damn it.”
“Still not picking up?” Sam asked.
Luke exhaled sharply and pursed his lips. “No.”
It had been a few years since Luke had been to Cologne, but between his memory, his map app, and taxis, he was able to take Pablo to several major bars operated by the various breweries of Cologne. They ended the evening at a cool little bar operated by Früh. Luke rarely got to spend non-vampire time with Pablo, but showing him around Cologne and getting to talk beer with his brewery-owning friend had been a rare joy.
As they chatted about the different Kölsch beers they’d tried, Pablo pulled out a notebook to take some notes on ideas he had for a Kölsch-style beer to brew when he got home. The server dropped off another round of .25cl stanges of Früh and marked two more hash marks on the coaster on the table.
Pablo picked up the cylindrical glass and admired it in the candlelight glowing in the center of the table. “I need to find someone who can make these glasses. Don’t you think they’d look good with the Howling Moon logo on them?”
“It’d look pretty great.” Luke knew Pablo wanted to do more beer activities in Belgium, but he’d been a good sport. Fortunately, they’d started their foray into southern Belgium with a visit to the Chimay monastery, and Pablo seemed happy with the beer selection Luke had provided at the cottage. Luke, letting Pablo admire the glass and beer, sent a message to the caretaker to pick up a few different beers from the local market or distributor.
Luke sipped his beer, relaxing and letting his mind wander.
The server cleared his throat to get Luke’s attention. “Excuse me, sir. There’s a lady who says she’s a friend and would like to join you for a round of beers, on her.”
Luke and Pablo exchanged a look. Luke turned to the server. “Certainly. We’d be more than glad to share our table.”
The server nodded and disappeared, returning a minute later with a tall, blonde woman in a gray business suit. The server gestured toward the table then disappeared. Pablo stood.
“I don’t recall having a friend in Cologne,” Luke said, rising to join Pablo.
“You always have friends among those who aren’t friendly to the vampir,” the tall woman replied.
Luke gestured toward the table. “Please. Join us.”
They sat down. The server returned with three stanges of Kölsch, then disappeared again.
“How should we call you?” Luke asked.
“I’m Heidi Sauerwein, the beta of the Rhein Pack, and you are the Centurion Immortal,” Heidi said.
“I see you’re well informed,” Luke replied. “I’m known as Luke in this time and place. This is my friend Pablo.”
Pablo nodded. “Pablo Sandoval, second of the North Portland Pack.”
Luke looked at his friend, raising an eyebrow.
Pablo shrugged. “Werewolf pack protocol. She gave me her name and position. It’s considered poor manners to withhold the same information.”
“Ah. I see. When we get a moment, you’ll have to update me on werewolf protocol, since I’m on the council now.” Luke lifted his glass. “It’s nice to meet you, Heidi. I’m Luke Irontree. The Centurion Immortal and recent addition to the North Portland Pack council. I guess I’m their war leader.”
Heidi tapped the bottom of her glass against Luke’s and Pablo’s. “It’s a pleasure.” She took a hearty drink. “So what brings you to Köln?”
“We’re simply enjoying your city’s beers, and then in the morning, picking up some packmates from the train station. We’ll be out of your territory before the end of day tomorrow,” Pablo said.
Heidi waved off Pablo’s concerns. “There’s no need to worry about that. We assume most American wolves moving through our territory are tourists. I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t brought a myth into my city.”
“How did you know who I was?” Luke asked.
“We’ve been paying attention to what’s going on in the United States and in Belgium. Some of our pack were at the EDM festival in Liège. We’ve also got contacts within the Flanders Pack. We keep well informed. Until recently, we believed you to be a legend from the past, but you’ve been shaking the vampire world pretty hard. And the werewolf world as well.”
“Luke does get around.” Pablo chuckled.
Heidi fixed an intense gaze on Luke. “Are you intending to bring your war to the vampires in our territory?”
Luke shook his head. “No. We’re currently engaged elsewhere and not available to expand this far east.”
“That’s too bad. The vampir are growing thick in the city, more than I’ve ever seen. More are filtering in by the night. They’re going to great lengths to keep themselves concealed and out of trouble.” She picked up her glass and took a drink.
“Are they feeding here?” Luke asked, leaning on the table and peering at Heidi.
Heidi nodded. “They have been very careful to cause no lasting harm, only feeding a little then releasing their victims largely unharmed.”
“Catch and release,” Pablo murmured.
“Hmm?” Heidi, eyes curious, turned to Pablo.
“It’s a term commonly used by fishers who catch a fish, then release it—it’s mostly for the sport of it,” Luke explained.
“Ah, that makes sense.” Heidi smiled at Luke, looking him up and down.
“Have your people had any run-ins with the uninvited guests?” Luke asked.
Heidi thought about it for a moment. “No. We’ve had a few close encounters reported. A vampir stalking one of our people but probably discovering they were a wolf and not a human.”
