11

he screen on Nicholas’ computer displayed a list of information about a certain Jason Randall Martin. He had waded through the other possible subjects, hitting on three more with the same name. But this Jason had to be the right one. Out of the list of past known residence, Las Vegas was one of them. The man wasn’t too smart. Telling Jayda his real name was the first clue to this fact. Another was that he was still living in the same apartment. Mixed in with the other information was a list of previous crimes, the greatest one being an assault on an officer.
A playful thought entered Nicholas’ mind; Would anyone really miss this guy?
The cell phone on the desk vibrated into life. Still looking at the screen, Nicholas reached for the phone and answered it. On the other end a familiar voice began speaking, his tone friendly but concerned. This was the call Nicholas had been waiting for.
He listened to the man’s torrent of words and replied with his prepared answer. “The scene was compromised.” Another quick response from the man followed. Nicholas sat back in his chair, ignoring the man’s gracious tone and pleas.
“I trust myself foremost,” Nicholas said, voice firm. “I don’t care how secure you believed it to be. You are free to hire someone else.”
With a sigh, the man gave a cordial reply.
“I understand,” said Nicholas.
With one last response from the man, the call was ended. Nicholas tossed his phone onto the desk and leaned forward, his hands wiping away the worry from his face. He cleared the hurdle, and the man on the other end, though disappointed in the refusal, didn’t seem too frustrated by his choice. If they were truly planning to capture them, then why sever contact without a fuss?
Nicholas dropped his hands onto the desk as a new thought formed out of this mess. Was Lori telling the truth? She expressed concern about this Brotherhood coming after them, yet she hadn’t relinquished any more information. His skepticism about this woman’s story was becoming too heavy to ignore.
Seeing a new hurdle presenting itself to him, Nicholas left the study and headed for Lori’s room. He gave the door a few strong knocks. Lori answered, her hair wet from a shower and wearing one of Arden’s black shirts. She looked him over as she crossed her arms and spoke. “Figured you’d come to visit me sooner or later.”
“Tell me again about this Brotherhood,” he demanded.
Lori shrugged at the broad request. “That you can’t fight them, you can’t smoke them out, and they’re always one step ahead.”
“Not that. How did they capture you?”
There was a subtle change in her composure. This wasn’t the time to play coy. “I use to frequent this club near LA. Nothing mainstream or posh. It was the kind of place the Marquis de Sade would call home. On the surface it was a place for humans, but it also attracted vampires and the occasional werewolf, all passing themselves off as humans. The Brotherhood must’ve been watching the place for awhile. A few of the regulars—vampires, that is—started going missing. The disappearances were spaced weeks apart. I don’t know when they started noticing me, but I made certain I appeared human to everyone, even going out in the sunlight more than I wanted to. Only a few humans knew about me—one too many, actually. And after a long weekend at the club, I headed out to breakfast with one of these humans. As went to his car, this van pulled out in front of us and my supposed friend jabbed the syringe into my arm. I woke up hours later, shackled and on the way to my new home.”
“Why do you think they’re after us?”
“They were there and you were there. I’ve seen them use this same strategy before. They hire hunters, either werewolf or vampire, and lure them into their tests. They want to see if their worthy of their ‘program’.”
“Why not take us after we finished the first job for them?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps they wanted to test you further or use that night as the perfect time to strike. You were out of your element and off guard.”
“Then the ball is in their court. I’m no longer working for them.”
“When did you talk to them? Did you happen to catch any names?”
Nicholas shook his head. “No names. Never any names. And I just got off the phone with them. Let’s say you’re right and they’re testing us. What would they do now?”
Lori looked away as she played out the possible scenarios in her mind. “I think it’s safe to say that they believe they’re still in control. This would be the time to decided if you two are worth the trouble. But I doubt they would know where to find you. You’re too careful to lead anyone here.” Her eyes returned to him as she added, “You didn’t take anything from them, did you?”
A grim expression settled on Nicholas’ face. In an abrupt turn, he headed back to the study and kneeled before several stacks of books. Lori followed him into the room and watched as he moved the books to the side, revealing a small safe placed underneath the mess. After dialing in the combination, he opened the door and removed a black canvas case. He then stood beside his desk and slid the zipper open.
Lori eyed the stack of money Nicolas’ laid out on the desk. The bills, bundled by a standard band, were in pristine condition, looking as though they fell off the back of an armored bank truck. She picked up one stack and flipped through it, inhaling the freshness of the notes.
“Wow,” she remarked. “They sure pay well.”
Nicholas ripped open one bundle and looked for any signs of a tracking device. When the money checked out clean, he picked up the bag it came in, searching inside and out for anything suspicious. He then ran his fingers along the seams and edges of the zipper, but everything appeared normal. Dropping the bag onto the desk, Nicholas slumped into his chair, a look of relief washing over him.
“What are you really doing here?” he asked, the frustration with her returning.
Lori had no other answer for him. Picking up the bag, she began to inspect it for herself. The device that was once in her arm was tinier than she imagined it to be. What if this device was even smaller? Lori moved her fingers over the edges of the zipper where it was sewn into the canvas. “Do you have a knife or scissors?” she asked.
Nicolas retrieved a pair of scissors from his desk and handed it to her. Lori then began cutting away the seams along the zipper. The first side revealed nothing, but as she made her way onto the other side, the scissors struck a hard object. Lori sat the scissors down and worked the small object loose with her fingers. Like removing a large splinter, the tiny cylinder object slid free. She held it up to gain a better look.
“This is it,” she confirmed.
Taking the device from her, Nicholas looked it over, judging it for himself. This was it, this tiny thing? He placed it on the desk and grabbed a thick, glass paperweight.
Lori’s eyes widened as she saw him lift the glass object. “Don’t!”
The heavy paperweight continued its descent onto the tracking device, crushing it like a defenseless bug.
“You idiot!” yelled Lori. “Now they know you found it!”
Nicholas sounded less concerned. “Then let them come here.”
“This isn’t worth it,” she muttered. Shaking her head in disbelief, Lori left the study and hurried back to her room. Nicholas followed her this time and stood in the doorway, watching her move around the room, frantically redressing into her own clothes.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Leaving. I’m not going to be here when they show up.”
“If they show up.”
“Oh, they’ll show. They don’t leave loose ends. The tracking device has been destroyed and they’ll want to know how.” Lori finished redressing and checked for the coin in her front pocket. Finding it safely tucked inside, she continued speaking. “It’s dark out so I can assume you have no issue with me leaving now?”
Nicholas answered by stepping to the side of the doorway. “The nearest town is southwest of here.”
Lori moved past him and into the hall. As she neared Jayda’s room, she saw the girl peering out. “Where are you going?” she whispered.
With her eyes dropping to the floor, Lori didn’t reply. She had forgotten her promise, and in the moment of remembering, she felt a sting of selfishness resurface. Thinking back on it now, it was wrong to promise her something she couldn’t fulfill.
As Jayda heard Lori run up the stairs and outside, her fragile spirit began to buckle.
“Is she leaving for good?” she wondered out loud.
“It looks that way,” replied Nicholas. Letting out a sigh, he returned to the study.
Jayda glanced up and down the hall. If she worked fast enough, she could catch up with Lori and they both could leave this place together. But one remaining fact loomed over the quick plan; Arden was somewhere out there, and running from him wasn’t an option.

The paved road didn’t appear to Lori like some great escape route. She would’ve felt more at home traveling through the woods this night, but the road offered her a chance to hitchhike to town. Perhaps a frightening choice to some, she never worried about the possibility of running into someone out on their own hunt.
Minutes into walking, Lori realized that the country road wouldn’t offer much in the way of traffic. Hitchhiking was becoming more of wishful thinking than reality. She mentally cursed the long walk ahead. It’s your fault, she scolded herself. You should’ve left that day with Jayda.
A chill ran down Lori’s spine and over her arms and legs. The sudden change was one she knew well. Someone was following her.
“I’m not going back,” she said without looking to see who it was. She didn’t need to confirm her assumption. “Your reckless puppy just made a huge mistake, and I’m not waiting around to see what happens.”
Her follower didn’t answer.
“Like I can really explain this to you.” Walking a few more strides she finally stopped to look at him. Arden stopped walking as well.
“Why follow me out here?” she asked. “You’re getting your wish. You don’t have to put up with me anymore.”
Arden looked beyond her and down the road, then headed into the woods, vanishing in the dark brush. Lori saw the bright lights of a car as it rounded the bend and approached. The vehicle slowed to a stop with its side window rolling down.
“Do you need a lift,” the man asked.
Lori glanced in the direction of Nicholas’ house before answering. “No, I’m fine. I’m looking for my dog, actually. Stupid thing like to run off from time to time.”
“What kind of dog is he?”
“A mutt. Scraggily, grey, and dumb as a stump. Answers to the name of ‘Nicky’.”
The man politely nodded. “Well, I’ll keep an eye out for him.”
Lori gave a smile. “Thank you.”
“You be careful out here. Plenty of bears have been spotted in this area over the years. They’re mostly active at night.”
Giving him another smile, she replied, “I will.”
“Good luck finding your dog.”
Lori watched as the car’s red taillights disappeared around the bend, then waited until the sound of the engine faded. The man was no threat. He was a simple human, living a simple life. Taking in a deep breath she headed off the road and into the woods. She saw no way to shake Arden from her trail, but if she could talk to him or order him to let her go…
Where is he? He couldn’t have gone that far.
She stopped and listened for any sound or rustling leaves or footsteps, but only the slight breeze swaying the treetops could be heard.
“I don’t have time for this,” she called out.
From her side, a few trees away, she heard Arden’s voice. “Why are you running?”
Lori turned and saw him leaning against the large trunk of a fallen tree. Crossing her arms, she made no attempt to hide her defensive mood. “Why are you following me?” she demanded.
“For answers,” he said, the familiar lack of emotion absent from his words.
“I told you everything already. I have nothing else to hide.”
“What is really driving you?”
Lori felt her hands tighten into fists as she replied, “I don’t want them to harm an innocent person. I don’t want them to go through what I went through.”
“This isn’t about them. You’re after an individual.”
The statement sliced through Lori’s calloused facade. “What makes you say that?”
“You’re biding your time, staying in the shadows. You’re searching for a single target. And now you’re running to place distance between yourself and this place. You want to watch from the sidelines like always, searching for that one target.”
She gave a painful laugh. “Believe me, if it weren’t for him, I would be as far away from anything linking itself to The Brotherhood.”
“Then why not let it go? Forget about him.”
The casualness in Arden’s voice sent Lori’s anger in a tailspin. “Because it’s maggots like him that taste the best,” she fumed. “He believed he as some connection to me, like we were meant to be together forever.” Another painful laugh left her. “I may be childish for taking it personally, but I belong to only one soul in this fucked-up world. And I’m going to deliver this prick to him with a bow atop his head.”
“If that is your only interest here, then why play your games?”
“Games?”
“I’m not blind nor easily swayed. I know you have other intentions besides revenge.”
Lori dropped her arms to her sides, hands relaxing. “I had to test Nicholas. I had to see… He’s a pureblood who detests wearing his fur unless pushed over the edge. He’s prideful of what he is, yet ashamed. The house was built as a den but he’s the only werewolf for miles.”
There was a subtle change in Arden’s voice as he answered. “He is the only werewolf in this county. He was the son of an alpha. The pack was at least forty-strong. His mother was killed by a vampire. The vicious attack was carried out before her husband’s eyes. Richard, Nicholas’ father, used her death to fuel his hatred toward vampires. He began capturing them to torture and eventually kill. He didn’t capture me, but rather purchased me through another. I had been betrayed by my own kind. It took twenty of them to land the stake in my heart. Richard had hoped that I was the one responsible for his wife’s death, even said that I looked like the one responsible. But it was my silence that kept me alive. Nicholas eventually had enough of his father’s new hobby and released his prisoners. And it was I who released Nicholas. Richard was far too damaged to be saved. I showed mercy on Nicholas and gave his father a quick death.”
“And he harbored no anger or revenge for what his father did?”
“What would it have solved? Revenge is an action based in vanity. Holding on to an anger created by Richard’s actions gives the beast its power. The basic rule of any guardian is to ignore the emotions of vanity. You should know this.”
“Sadly, I do.”
Arden tilted his head at the vague reply.
“Why did you follow me out here?” Lori repeated.
“As I said, answers.”
“Now that you have them, I’ll be on my way.” As she turned for the road, she heard the rustling of leaves and felt a strong hand on her upper arm, stopping her. Lori faced him. “You can’t force me to stay.”
“I cannot leave him and I cannot allow you to travel alone.”
Reading beyond his words, she realized her plan had backfired. “Shit,” she cursed herself, “I knew I should’ve kept my big mouth shut.” Testing his grip, Arden continued to hold strong. “You don’t have to protect me,” she said. “I’m not your charge.”
“You belong to an elder. I must protect you.”
“Forget what I told you. I don’t need a babysitter. I’ve gone a hundred years without someone watching over me.”
Arden released her arm. “I’m not ordering you.”
“But you’re not asking me, either.” Lori watched in confusion as he stepped away from her. “You’re letting me go?”
“I have no wish to fight you.”
She found herself laughing at his abrupt change. “So I spill my big secret and that silences you? I liked you better when you wanted to rip my head off.”
“How else would you have pulled me onto your side?”
“There’s no reason for that now. Things have changed.”
“For you, perhaps, but I will stay where I’m needed. I do not turn my back on those who need me.”
Lori rolled her eyes. “I don’t like it when people try that whole guilt trip thing on me. It’s the most transparent form of manipulation out there, so don’t even try it.”
Watching her for a moment, Arden gave no reply as he walked away from her, heading deeper into the woods. Lori shook her head at the whole conversation. If this was his attempt to keep her from leaving, then he did a lousy job.
Back on the road, Lori continued walking. There was no doubt in her mind that The Brotherhood would show. The real question was when. Waiting and watching from the outside, as safe as it was, gave Arden and Nicholas no chance to walk away. And what of Jayda? If they knew about her gift…
Lori stopped in her tracks and cursed at herself once more. “When in the hell did I grow a conscience?” she grumbled. Turning on her heels, she began the long walk back to the house.