Rise to Live, page 13
part #7 of Rise of the Changelings Series
“So this is about money?” Frisk asked, repulsed that a person would use another being for monetary gain.
“It’s always about money,” the man replied. “The war will be over just as soon as the Rebellions hit Washington. The nation is going to have to rebuild. I would rather be sitting on top than groveling to get by.”
“You’re despicable,” Frisk spat.
“Why, thank you,” the leader said, as if Frisk were handing him a compliment.
“He was insulting you, idiot,” Isabelle interjected.
“All depends on how you look at it.” The leader moved back and the two goons with him laughed. Frisk could take one of them down, but not all three. He also knew the assholes would use Isabelle to subdue Frisk. He couldn’t chance her and the baby.
Too bad no one had seen the men come into Isabelle’s room. Frisk had been in there playing with EJ when the back of the closet had opened and the three men had entered the bedroom.
Frisk kept an eye on the man’s knife as he tried to figure a way out of this. They only way to escape was to head back down the tunnel to the cabin. The coyotes were blocking the way that would lead them to the woods.
“I say we tie them up, take them to our truck, and then come back for more,” one of the other idiots said.
“But we don’t know who all is in the cabin,” the leader replied. “We have to go at this logically.”
Frisk doubted if they had a logical bone between the three. He could tell kidnapping and holding someone for ransom was not their day job. But even though the three looked uncertain, that didn’t mean they weren’t deadly. Frisk was not going to make that mistake.
And tying him up wasn’t going to happen. If Frisk could prevent it, he wasn’t going to let them touch him.
“All right,” the leader finally said as he gripped his knife tight in his hand. “Get up and start moving.”
Helping Isabelle to her feet, Frisk tried his best to walk beside her, but the tunnel wasn’t built wide. Instead, he walked behind her, making sure none of the scumbags touched her. Walking slowly, he tried to work a plan out in his mind.
The tunnel began to dip down a little and the air became cooler.
He could feel the coolness skimming along his skin. He hadn’t had a jacket on when he was forced into the tunnel.
“You’re making a big mistake,” Isabelle argued as she walked along. “You have no idea what Edward is going to do to you when he finds out you’ve taken us.”
Frisk wasn’t fooled by her words. They had no idea what Isabelle would do to them if given the opportunity. But she had EJ, so fighting was out of the question. Frisk wasn’t sure what options he had. He was outnumbered and heading toward the exit. If these men managed to get them out of there, the Rebellion group would have one hell of a time finding them.
And where were the bears that were supposed to be guarding the surrounding area? Knowing the three coyotes had gotten past them told Frisk that these men were more dangerous than he first thought.
If they had managed to do away with the bear changelings, then they were capable of gathering everyone in the house and taking them away.
All the changelings were either female or underage—except Phillip. There were humans there as well, but Frisk knew a human didn’t stand a chance against coyotes. Not only were they strong, but underhanded as well.
“Speed it up,” the coyote behind him said as he shoved a hand into Frisk’s shoulder, pushing him.
“Leave him alone,” Isabelle argued. “You already have us. There’s no need to shove him around.”
Frisk wanted to tell her he was a male changeling who didn’t need anyone to speak for him, but he kept quiet, unwilling to bring any more harm to them. He had to think of Isabelle and EJ.
Walking along, Frisk heard a low yowl from off in the distance.
The dirt walls ate any noise beyond them, no echoes heard. But he heard the warning yowl.
Boston was trailing them. The guy may be a teenager, but he was changeling. That would make it two against three.
Frisk began to slow even further, trying to give the kid a chance to catch up. He couldn’t allow them to leave the tunnels.
“Did you hear that?” one of the coyotes asked. Frisk could see the man glancing behind them. “I heard something.”
He hoped they let it go. Frisk knew Boston had given the call to let him know the teenager was hot on their trail. But an attack by surprise was their only bet right now.
“I didn’t hear anything,” the leader said as he stopped and looked behind the small group. “We need to get moving if we are going to come back and take the rest.” He pivoted on his heel and began to walk again.
Frisk had to think fast. He pretended to fall, hitting the dirt-packed floor hard.
“Get up,” one of the two goons said as he reached down and grabbed Frisk roughly by this arm. “I know you can see perfectly well down here. Stop being a klutz.”
As Frisk was pulled to his feet, he saw the green eyes of the cat pursuing them, stalking the men. And then he saw another set of eyes.
They were smaller and blue-grey in color. Sammy.
Sasha would kill Frisk if anything happened to his kids. But if the two didn’t interfere, Frisk and Isabelle didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of escaping.
EJ began to wiggle in Isabelle’s arms, and Frisk knew the young pup smelled his playmates. Frisk was surprised the coyotes couldn’t scent the two leopards behind them. He tripped and fell again.
“What in the hell is your problem?” the coyote said in irritation.
“What are you, a little slow in the head?”
Frisk grabbed Isabelle’s ankle and gave it a tug. She quickly dropped down as Frisk shifted into his wererat form, attacking the man who tried to pull him up again.
“Son of a bitch!” the changeling shouted when Frisk bit down into his hand.
Boston and Sammy attacked, fighting the other two coyotes. Frisk could hear distant shouting and knew the men in the cabin weren’t too far away. They must have followed the two leopards.
“Damn you!” the coyote shouted as he punched Frisk in the head.
“Get the hell off of me.” Just as he said the last word, the man shifted into his coyote form. Frisk risked a quick glance and saw that Isabelle had gotten up and was hurrying back down the tunnel, a small human toddler in her arms.
About damn time EJ shifted.
“Help!” Isabelle shouted. “Down here!”
Frisk raced away from the coyote when a shot was heard and the beast he was fighting went down. Two more shots and the three bandits were lying on the dirt-covered floor.
“You all right?” Dad asked as he knelt beside Frisk. “Are you hurt, son?”
Frisk shook his head no. He was shook up now that the life-and-death situation was over, but he was no worse for the wear.
“Let’s get you guys back to the cabin,” Howard, Dorian’s father, said. “We have some injured bears, but they seem to be alive. I’m going to have one of them down here watching the entrance once they feel better.”
Frisk needed a serious vacation.
“Just wait, Edward,” Rick said as he grabbed his brother-in-law’s arm. “Call Phillip back and find out what’s going on. I can’t believe anything bad has happened with as many people watching over them.”
“He doesn’t know where my mate and son are!” Edward argued as he shoved Rick away.
“Call him back,” Rick said again. “If no one answers, or they’re in trouble, we’ll all head that way.”
It was his family up there as well. Rick would send a message over the wire that the fight was postponed if they needed to go back to the cabin. There was no way he was going to let anything happen to anyone there.
Edward didn’t look convinced, but he dialed anyway. There was a fine tic in the man’s jaw as he waited. As they both waited.
“Edward?”
“What’s going on, Phillip?”
Rick stood there and listened to the conversation, his stomach of a tight knot.
“There were these coyotes that found the tunnel entrance…” Rick listened as Phillip recounted what had happened. He could see Edward’s incisors lengthening when his nephew told him about Isabelle and EJ being taken.
“But they’re dead now,” Phillip said as he began to wind down his story. “Dad and Howard put one of the bears on the entrance down below. I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble.”
Rick was proud of Frisk for keeping a cool head. He was also proud of Boston and Sammy for tracking the bandits down and fighting to keep the others safe. It showed him the juveniles were stepping up to the plate and taking care of their family.
It was a daunting task for ones so young. But times had changed.
Responsibilities that shouldn’t have fallen to their shoulders just yet were now all around them.
“EJ shifted,” Phillip said. “He shifted in the tunnel.”
Rick could see the happiness and regret in Edward’s eyes. The man should have been there for that moment. The war had taken so much from them. Rick hated that his brother-in-law had missed out on something so precious.
“Put Isabelle on the phone,” Edward said, his voice thick with emotion. Rick left his side, giving the guy some privacy as he sought out Dorian.
“Everything okay?” his mate asked.
“It is now,” Rick replied as he slipped his arm around Dorian’s neck. “Just another thing fate is trying to throw our way to slow us down.”
“Do you really think that?” Dorian asked. “Do you believe that maybe going to Washington is a bad idea?”
“No,” Rick answered honestly. “But I do believe life as we know it will no longer exist. There are changes coming, Dorian, changes that will hopefully benefit us all.” Rick could feel something in his gut. There was a feeling he had in the center of his chest that told him things were going to change forever once they reached the White House.
He just wasn’t sure what that change was going to be. The only thing Rick could do was throw up a prayer that the winds would finally shift in their favor.
“Well, if the crisis has been averted, I think we need to get moving.” Just as Dorian spoke the words, Rick watched as Brooke pulled up. He could see Pappy sitting in the front seat, Deluca in the back.
Another car was behind them, Mason driving. “It’s about damn time,” Rick mumbled as he walked over to greet them. “What took you men so long?” Rick asked as he leaned his arm on the open driver’s window.
“Had to take a few detours to avoid the locals,” Brooke replied. “I have a feeling our trip is no longer a secret. Not only are the changelings gathering in numbers, but so are our enemies. I spotted the biggest convoy I’ve seen since this war started back in Indiana.”
Rick knew he wouldn’t be able to keep their journey under wraps forever. Just like the changelings had been waiting on Rick’s call, so had everyone else. It only meant they were going to get hit harder by Breed Hunters, mercenaries, and militant men.
“Then I suggest we not linger around here.” Rick tapped the side of the truck and then headed toward his own vehicle. They were heading east, halfway through Pennsylvania, but it felt like they had another twenty states between them.
The ride was going to be long, tough, and filled with obstacles, but Rick was determined to reach his goal. As they pulled from the parking spot they had been resting at, Rick heard the distant sound of helicopters, and the sound was growing closer.
Chapter Sixteen
Special Naval Warfare Captain O’Hanlon walked into the restaurant and spotted Admiral James right away. The man was sitting toward the back, his dinner already lying out in front of him on the table.
“Captain,” Admiral James said as O’Hanlon approached the table. “Have a seat.”
He could tell by the admiral’s tone that the guy already knew trouble was heading their way in mass numbers. Secret Intelligence was reporting that there was a large movement in northern Pennsylvania, and one person had confirmed that Enrique Marcelo was with the Rebellion group.
“I told you that if it came down to it, you were going to take the fall for this. Your incompetence has not only allowed that animal to live, but now he’s heading our way,” Admiral James said in a quiet rage. “There is no fixing this. I have dispatched the troops to take out Enrique and his group.”
“And you think the troops can take down Enrique Marcelo when even the Death Squad failed at the task?” O’Hanlon was tired of fucking around with Admiral James. The man was a constant thorn in his side.
Just as he had taken care of Vice Admiral Harrington, O’Hanlon knew Admiral James had to be silenced. He wasn’t taking the fall for any of this. He had been extremely careful to stay as distant as he could.
The only person who knew his true intention was Lieutenant Commander John Freedman. But since the man was an enemy of the state, it was O’Hanlon’s words against the Lieutenant’s. Too bad killing the man hadn’t panned out.
“Your Death Squad was a joke.”
“They were the finest men we have trained,” O’Hanlon pointed out. “Do not forget we are dealing with animals here. They were pitted against freaks of nature.”
Admiral James wiped his mouth and then set the napkin on the table, sitting back when the waiter brought a fresh cup of coffee and placed it in front of the Admiral. Once they were alone again, James leaned forward, his eyes calculating. “Let’s cut the bullshit, David.
We both know what your stakes are in this. You fathered an animal and are now trying to erase that evidence. Both of our hands are dirty.
If the president—”
“He’ll never know,” O’Hanlon stated with pure confidence.
Admiral James picked his coffee up and took a sip, staring at O’Hanlon over the brim. “How are you so sure he doesn’t already know about both of us? Someone went to a great extent to silence Harrington. I’m willing to bet you know something about his death.”
And the admiral would be correct. But O’Hanlon kept that to himself. He wasn’t one to brag about his dirty little secrets. He had a feeling Admiral James would eventually find out about his relationship to Enrique. It was only a matter of time.
“And you have blood on your hands, Admiral. Your sister’s death was such a tragic loss for you.”
“It still is,” Admiral James said as if he weren’t the one who executed her and her mate. “Such a shame.”
“So, you asked me here to tell me I’m taking the fall for all of this?” O’Hanlon asked calmly.
“No,” Admiral James said as he drank his coffee. “I asked you here to find out if you have buried our names deep enough. The Rebellions are coming. If they get past our troops, they’ll be here by Friday at the latest. We need to take counteractive measures to ensure our names are not associated with the biggest scandal that Washington has ever bared witness to.”
O’Hanlon ran the tip of his finger around the rim of the glass sitting in front of him. It was the admiral’s water. He wiped the moisture between his fingers and then smiled at Admiral James.
“Trust me. You won’t face your accusers. I promise.”
O’Hanlon stood just as Admiral James began to choke on his own breath. His face was turning a dusky blue and he was grabbing at his throat.
Stepping outside into the cool night air, O’Hanlon began to walk to his car. He spotted the waiter who had brought the admiral his poison-laced coffee waiting for him in the shadows. Instead of paying the young man, O’Hanlon pulled out his gun, silencer attached, and shot the shadow just beyond the trees.
Climbing into his car, O’Hanlon passed the scenic river, stopped, and tossed the gun.
No, Admiral James was not going to face his accusers, just his maker.
Salvador Santos Almeida walked the land with silent grace. Every step he took was measured, exact. He and his mates had driven Kraven to the edge of the Northwest Territories and were tracking him east. They were as far away from the war as they could get.
It was cold as shit up here, too. But Salvador was not going to let Kraven get away. If he did, then the Soul Reapers would cause such havoc that mankind would never be safe. No, the only way to control the soulless creatures was to either kill the vampire or confine him.
“If we weren’t hunting down a crazy-ass vampire, this would be a picturesque place to vacation,” Freedman said as he stood there looking all around. “It’s simply beautiful.”
“Just as long as we don’t get eaten by a polar bear,” Omar said as he held on tight to his backpack. “That would be a horrible way to die.”
Indeed it would, but Salvador knew he could keep the bears away.
They were the least of their problems. It was growing quite clear in his mind that Kraven had picked up a few nasty powers and was using them to his advantage. Never before had Salvador had a hard time pursuing someone.
Not only did Kraven have the ability to mask his mind, but he also knew how to evade Salvador. It was starting to piss Salvador off. He had never been thwarted before and he found he did not like it.
One way or another, he was going to catch up to Kraven. And when he did, the bastard was going to disappear.
“What’s that sound?” Remus asked as he glanced through the window of the truck they were in. He searched all around, but he didn’t see another soul in sight. The roads were clear and their drive since leaving the shabby motel had been uneventful.
“Helicopters,” Bryson said as his hands tightened on the steering wheel. “It seems the government knows the changelings are coming.”
Remus knew they were close to their meeting point with Rick, but damn, helicopters? How where they supposed to evade those things?
