Wolf Mountain Peak Complete Series, page 80
part #1 of Wolf Mountain Peak Series
“You said my brother’s unfit,” Dean assumed a cold, businesslike tone. “You know what you have to do, if you think you’d be better. But first, you’ll have to go through me. If you can’t beat an Alpha’s lieutenant, you stand no chance against the Alpha himself. Come on,” he beckoned. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“Yes,” Jimmy growled, as he rolled his fingers into fists. Dean watched, as the scout burst towards him, his face as hard as stone. Three shifters stepped aside, as he sprinted across the diner. By rights, Dean should have been concerned. His opponent was an experienced warrior, and very close to his own size. Spurred on by his higher motive though, he remained focused on him, keeping his cool, as Jimmy closed in on him. Jimmy jerked his right arm back to punch him, as one more of his cries resounded through the diner. Dean thrust his hand up in the air, not taking his eyes off him. His rival’s fist sent waves of pain, rippling across his skin, as his knuckles crashed into his palm. Without wasting any time, Dean wrapped his fingers around Jimmy’s fist, his breath getting heavier, as he took a short step towards him. The scout let out a pain-ridden moan, shutting his eyes, as Dean gripped him tighter. But, the Alpha’s brother was not going to let him get away with a simple bruise. The sound of Jimmy’s fingers, cracking under pressure, forced an even louder cry of agony, as Dean made a fist with his free hand. Flexing his arm muscles, he laid a thundering punch in the scout’s stomach, causing him to fold in two. In a quick move, Dean released Jimmy’s hand, and then landed one more, tremendous blow to Jimmy’s jaw, sending him reeling back towards the nearest table. Glasses and mugs were thrown across the floor, as his body knocked it down. The two shifters at it jumped from their seats, staring down at their unfortunate comrade.
“Stay down, Jimmy,” Dean commanded, pursing his lips. “Stay down, or you’re going to lose a lot more than just a couple of fingers. That’s a promise. Does anybody else have any cute ideas I should know of?” He asked, as his gaze shot up to meet his comrades’. Sweeping the room, he tried to control his fast breath, as a few of his kind helped Jimmy up. The pack’s silence set his concern at ease. Indeed, none of them would utter a word. Instead, they kept glancing at one another. “Good,” he gave a satisfied nod. “What happened to Helena messed us all up inside. She’s been like an angel on our shoulder. It’s not been twenty-four hours since that goddamn incident, and I already miss her. It’s going to be tough without her. She always tipped us off on any dangers that lay ahead. She’s fought all of our wars. However…” he paused. “We can’t give up now. Not just because we have too much to lose, but also, because that is exactly what Damian and his bloodsuckers would want: for us to lose our spirit. They’d love to see us tear each other apart. We can’t allow that. We can’t let what they did to Helena go unpunished. So, let’s find those bastards. Let’s give them a taste of what punishment really feels like. Ok, you may say ‘we don’t have any leads.’ I agree. We don’t have much to go on, but we have learned a few things about them. Tell me, what do we know so far?”
“They’re not all that different from us,” Olivia interjected, raising her hand in the air. “They consider their Alpha their friend, not their tyrant.”
“They must be based in New York,” Martin concluded, stepping over a fallen chair, as he sauntered towards him. “Helena’s told us that clans are nomadic. They prefer small towns in the continental U.S., because the wilderness helps them hide. But, they can’t stay in one place for long. Sooner or later, someone will notice that they don’t age. What’s better than New York? They can easily blend in, and it’s so huge that they can keep moving from one district to another, without anybody noticing. I mean, they can live in Brooklyn for a few years, and then move to Queens, or Chinatown. Hell, they’re spoiled for choice. Dean, where’s the club Kate was attacked in again?”
“Downtown Manhattan,” he replied, his curiosity piqued within him. “Why?”
“I think they live close by,” Martin assumed a bass-deep voice, as he glanced up at one brother, and then the other; “maybe not within a one-mile radius of the club, but definitely within Manhattan. Think about it. Saunders attacks your girl at about 2am. He doesn’t report back to Damian. He takes the hint. Next thing we know, he’s up on Wolf Mountain. Cliff saw him there at 7:15 that morning. Within five hours or so, he figured out his goon had screwed up, and drove from wherever the hell he lives all the way to Shandaken. That’s pretty tight if you ask me.”
“It’s not a bad theory, but you seem to be forgetting that there are like four million humans, living in Manhattan,” Dean pointed out, maintaining a firm tone. “If they were preying on them, we’d have heard something.”
“They don’t,” Raul finally spoke what was on his mind, his baritone drawing everybody’s attention. “I don’t know how they can resist, or what they’re using to replace human blood, but they’re not interested in humans. Otherwise, they’d be in Shandaken. I like your theory, Martin. Saddle up, everybody. We’re going to Manhattan. We need to check ‘Tommy’s Pit’ for any strange scents. Then, we fan out in pairs, scour the area. If you locate any of them, call me. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Martin nodded, as Kate’s car skidded across the parking lot. For an instant, Dean caught himself wondering how her appointment had gone. Yet, as Helena’s image, lying helpless on the ground popped into his mind, he abandoned that thought. His mate probably had what she wanted. Any details were of no significance to him, especially with the threat that loomed over his town. Nevertheless, as he noticed her waving a piece of paper in front of her, and her somewhat hesitant smile, he was intrigued. A glance down at Julia told him that she didn’t share her friend’s excitement. On the contrary, Ray’s mate was unusually serious. Baffled by their behavior, he pushed Jimmy aside, as he swaggered out of the diner. One by one, his comrades walked out of the hall, as he descended the stairs. Kate ceased waving the piece of paper, and used both hands to hold it up in the air, as his steady footsteps led him closer to her. It was a check. Still, as he focused his gaze on the upper right corner, he felt shockwaves, running down his spine.
“A hundred grand?” he croaked, unable to believe his eyes; “for real?”
Kate didn’t dignify his question with an answer. Instead, she shoved the check back into the pocket of her coat, and then wrapped her arms around him. Dean was so stunned that he didn’t hug her back, or close his eyes. He even caught a glimpse of Julia, behind his mate and to the left, shaking her head in disapproval, just before Ray bent towards her to kiss her.
“Yes, for real,” Kate affirmed, squeezing him in her embrace. “It’s a signing bonus. I was pretty shocked, too, when they told me about it.”
“Don’t,” Julia silently mouthed to him, as he eased back out of his mate’s arms.
“That’s wonderful,” he commented, as a big smile lit up his face. “Look, I’d love to hear all the details, but I have to run. We’re going to Manhattan; we think we’re onto something. Don’t go to bed until I come back, alright?”
“You got it,” Kate chirped, planting a short kiss on his lips. “Be careful out there.”
An act: that’s what he had to resort to, in order to prevent himself from discussing this weird situation with the woman he loved. Dean would also be leaving Paxton in a few minutes, but, under any other circumstances, a departure would not deter him from voicing his concern.
“Kate, get back to the car, will you?” Julia requested, lightly pressing her hand onto her forearm. “I need to talk to them, see if I can join in on this.”
Dean’s gaze followed his mate, as she indulged her friend. Ray turned his back to Kate’s car, blocking her view, adding to his brother’s tension.
“Ok, what are you guys not telling me?” Dean wondered, lowering his tone.
“You mean besides the crazy signing bonus?” Julia squinted up at him. “Everything’s weird about that Alstead guy. First of all, he’s young. He can’t be more than thirty, thirty-two years old, and he’s running a multi-billion dollar corporation, for God’s sake. Second, he couldn’t take his eyes off your girl. He gave me a compliment, too, but that was as far as it went. Thirdly, he was way too nice with her. I mean, he even said they could start recording at her convenience. Excuse me, but if I had just invested a hundred thousand in someone, I’d try to get my money back, as soon as I could. Dean: signing bonuses were common practice, back in the eighties. Big names in the music industry could switch record labels, and get insane sums of money. Back then, though, the music industry was booming. It was nothing like it is today. I think that douche bag wants something more from her.”
“Thanks a lot, Julia,” Dean gave an appraising nod, feeling his heartbeat escalate. “I can’t deal with this right now, though. Would it be too much if I asked you to keep an eye on her?”
“No, not at all,” Julia’s response came fast, even faster than he anticipated. “Actually, I was thinking about that on our way back. I’m not letting her go anywhere alone.”
“That’s good to hear,” Dean sighed, averting his gaze from her to look up at his brother. “Come on, kid. Let’s go.”
A human’s lust had come as no surprise to him. By then, he had a very good idea about what they were capable of. Certainly, it was very peculiar for a man with Alstead’s stature to offer so much money to an up and coming singer like Kate, but it was nothing more than just typical human behavior. They would go to extreme lengths to satisfy their most primal urges; why would a wealthy man like him be an exception? If needed, Dean would have to teach him some manners, but first, he had to go out searching for the clan that had been plaguing his birthplace, hoping that the pack would at last find a clue as to where the vampires had been hiding.
Chapter Twelve
For the first time ever, almost the entire Paxton pack left their town behind, leaving only a handful of shifters to watch over the borders. As daylight slowly faded away, a convoy of ten vehicles rushed out onto I-87 S. In Dean’s mind, this quest had little chance of success. Even if they did catch any vampire scents in or around “Tommy’s Pit”, following them sounded more like a Herculean feat simply because the infinite number of smells in downtown Manhattan would not allow them to do so. Although a vampire’s scent was extremely pungent, he doubted whether they could track it for longer than a few seconds. Furthermore, if by some miracle the smells hadn’t vanished altogether, they couldn’t have privacy. They couldn’t just start fighting against their enemies in the middle of the street. In essence, the pack’s only duty was to reconnoiter the area. Anything else that could give away their presence, such as shouting or engaging anybody was not an option.
The night had long cast its veil upon New York as Dean and Raul crossed the city limits. Predictably, his new surroundings had a profound effect on him. Long traffic jams, excessive noise, foul smells in the air, and people swearing at one another, sent his senses into overdrive, testing his patience. However, Dean had been through this before and more than once. He couldn’t say he was getting used to it – after all, getting used to all this insanity was next to impossible – but, just like the first time he visited New York, Dean Bradford had a higher motive, one that could help him endure the pain. Back then, he desired to listen to his Siren sing. Now, he was seeking clues about Damian’s clan.
All the same as Raul’s truck rolled closer to their destination, disappointment spread like dark ink in his chest. The blue, neon sign over the entrance of “Tommy’s Pit” was turned off. The entrance to the parking lot to the right was blocked off as well. In spite of that though, the lights that were in it were on. Dean was more than thirty yards away from the building, but he could see the change of color on the road outside as well as the reflection of the light, landing on the side of bypassing cars.
“Don’t pull over just yet,” he urged his brother as he gripped the door handle. “Pass it first. I want to see who is inside.”
“Okay,” Raul muttered, easing on the brakes as they neared the glass façade. A quick peek gave him the answer to his question. Every light in the club was lit, including the two chandeliers on the ceiling. An elderly man in a gray, janitor’s uniform emerged from the hallway to the left, just before Raul drove past the building. Spotting an empty space on the right side of the road, the Alpha pulled over as their younger brother followed behind them. Dean stepped out of the vehicle, finding himself in an awkward position. Their objective was to check the interior, too, yet, they could not. Still, before he could consult his brothers, the sight of a patrol car, parking, froze the blood in his veins. Its siren was off, but that was not enough to appease him. Nevertheless as the driver closed the door behind him, Dean’s eyes scanned across a familiar face. It was Cliff with a shotgun in his grasp.
“Why didn’t you boys tell me you were going out on a hunting trip?” he complained as his quick strides closed the distance between them.
“Because you punched me in the face this morning, you idiot!” grumbled Raul, his eyes blazing with pure anger. “Did you honestly think you were going to get an invitation after that?”
“He also called us ‘freaks,’” Dean added as Cliff jogged ahead of Ray and Martin.
“Look, I’m sorry about that, alright?” Cliff said, thrusting both arms out to the side. “I was sad about Helena. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Hey, Raul: what about us? What you want us to do?” Ray posed the question as he brushed past Helena’s boyfriend.
“Stick to the plan,” the Alpha continued using a firm tone. “Fan out. Give me a call if you find anything.”
“Cliff, I like you, man, truly I do,” Dean confessed as he started towards him. “But, you can’t fight on our side, and then bitch at us for what happened to Helena, you understand? You knew what you were getting yourself into, when you decided to return to Paxton. This is our world. You can either accept it, or walk away.”
“Point taken,” Cliff affirmed with a nod. “Now, what are you boys doing here?”
“First of all, this isn’t a hunting trip,” Raul stated, gazing out at the sea of headlights in front of him. “My brother’s girl was attacked by a vampire in that club behind you, a few days ago. We’re looking for leads. Scents, traces, blood…” he paused; “anything that might come in handy.”
“I can understand why a janitor would want to turn on the lights in the main room, but…” Cliff faltered as he turned his head to the right. “Can someone explain to me why that light down there is on?” He raised his arm to point over at a dim light, emanating from a small window located in the dark alley that ran down the side of the building.
“That’s the light in Kate’s dressing room,” Dean informed them all as a wave of cold sweat washed over him. “Come on.”
A shot of adrenaline rushed into his veins as he quietly jogged off towards the alley. His mate never let anyone near her private room. Her personal space was not to be disturbed, not even by a cleaning crew. She kept a number of pictures in there, along with a small wardrobe. The light in question flickered once, forcing him to quicken his pace. Dean wouldn’t tell anybody, but, should he find a vampire in Kate’s room once more, he wouldn’t hesitate to engage him. Why shouldn’t he? It was a confined space, hidden from any humans’ prying eyes. More importantly, though, his frustration had started gnawing away at him. He couldn’t wait to punish the ones responsible for Helena’s suffering. Approaching the frame of the window, he bent his knees, and then ducked under it. He turned to the left to face it as his brother and Cliff halted a few paces away from him. Craning his neck, he caught a glimpse of a tall, thin man, holding a large picture in his right hand, with his side turned to the window.
“There’s someone in there,” Dean whispered, tossing a swift glance up at Raul. “He’s looking at a picture of Helena and Kate. Who…?”
Kate’s mate didn’t have enough time to finish his sentence. With a snap of his fingers, the man in question vanished into thin air, leaving him in shock and disbelief. His brows shot up as he stared into the empty room.
“Talk to me, Dean,” Raul urged with a whisper. “What’s he like?”
“He’s gone,” Dean spoke through gritted teeth, his chest heaving as he realized who had violated Kate’s dressing room. It was the wizard who had joined forces with Damian’s clan. “The son of a bitch is gone.”
“Shit!” Raul groaned, cocking his head in a spasm of frustration.
“Gone?” Cliff raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean ‘gone’?”
“He’s a wizard,” Dean responded in an emphatic tone of voice as he arose to his imposing, 6’3” stature. “That fucker blinded Helena.”
“Did you get a good look at him?” Raul asked harshly in a voice filled with tension as he leaned over towards Dean.
“Six two; six three maybe: short, brown hair. Damn…” he heaved a long, deep sigh. “We were too late.”
“I don’t think so,” Cliff disagreed, grasping his shotgun with both hands as he spun around. “Follow me.”
“Where the hell are you going?” Dean wondered, watching as he practically marched along the alley.
“We need a name,” Cliff spoke in a stiff tone as he approached the service exit of the club. “There’s only one man here who can give it to us.”
“What are you going to do, break in?” Raul interjected one more question.
“Nope,” Cliff replied, turning to face the exit as he cocked his shotgun. “He’s a janitor. He’s going to have to take out the trash sometime. Stay out of this, boys. Remember: I’m the only one with a badge around here.”
Dean exhaled hard, cursing his lack as he ran his hand through his hair. He wouldn’t speak. He had done what he could; now, they had to rely on Cliff.
“When I came back from work, she told me it couldn’t have been an accident,” Cliff lowered his voice as he pulled a flashlight out of the pocket of his coat. “Who told you, guys?”
