Chapter Twenty-Three
Monsters and Mind Games
Elliot
I hate that Sam made me swing by my apartment to get supplies first. That’s another hour Nicholas and Matt are missing. It’s been almost twelve hours since they left that stupid building this morning.
“Calm down, El. I’m sure they just got the guy and had to take him to some super-secret Bureau prison. He’ll call back soon, and we’ll laugh about how freaked out we were,” Sam says as he drives through the annoying traffic.
I’m one second away from rolling the window down and screaming at the stupid traffic light to fucking turn green already.
“Are you sure you don’t want to give Nick’s friends a call?” Sam asks hesitantly.
I sigh. “You know I can’t. We’re not supposed to know any of this. I called Oliver again, and he said no one would tell him anything. What makes you think they’ll be okay with me knowing everything?”
Sam nods, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. The steady rhythm only irritates me more. I tamp it down. It’s not Sam’s fault. He’s just trying to help.
It’s all on me.
No wait, it’s all on Nicholas. And his stupid need to do everything himself.
Why the fuck didn’t he call me? When he said we’ll work on Raymond’s case together after this, I thought we were finally a team.
That he trusts me. But of course he still doesn’t.
If that stupid man got himself into trouble playing the hero, I’m going to kill him myself.
Or maybe Sam is right. Nicholas is just busy with his work, and I’m freaking out over nothing.
That thought immediately goes out the window as soon as Sam turns onto a deserted street with a long stretch of forest on both sides. It’s eerily quiet. No birds. No rustling leaves. Nothing. Like all the wildlife just packed up and left.
As we close in on the destination, my body grows colder. The hairs on my arms stand straight up. I feel an acute sense of wrongness.
“Stop here,” I say, my voice cutting through the heavy silence in the car.
Sam hits the brakes. “But we’re still five minutes out.”
I snatch my bag from the backseat and start strategically placing weapons under my clothes.
A knife goes under my sock, a tiny gun in the other one.
Two lethal injections in my pocket and my taser under my belt, covered by my oversized T-shirt.
Then I face Sam. “You’re staying here. If we’re dealing with werewolves, they’ll scent you if you go any farther. ”
Sam starts to protest, but my glare stops him. “Fine. But you’re wearing your tracker, and I’ll be on the call, so I know what’s going on.”
I’m honestly surprised he gave up so easily with his new penchant for taking danger head-on. I agree easily. Taking out the tiny tracker Sam created, I pin it safely to my ankle.
Cool air hits me as soon as I open the car door. When it closes behind me, the sound rings like gunfire.
I don’t linger. With a final glance at Sam safely leaning back in his seat, I start walking. I don’t want to waste any more time. The old road is dark despite it being six pm. The pink dot on my screen tells me I’m getting closer, but there’s still no sign of a building.
Then I spot it. Matt’s truck, just a few feet away, right in front of a large warehouse structure.
So, they never left. It couldn’t have taken them twelve hours to take one man into custody. My best hope here is they’re still inside.
It doesn’t look like anyone has used the place in a long time. The walls are gray and covered in dirt. The glass window above is dark and cracked. I walk carefully toward the wide-open steel door.
Taking a long breath, I step around the truck and into the darkness. The air inside is colder, carrying the smell of dust and damp concrete. I turn on my phone’s flashlight and take small steps down a narrow hallway that ends at another door. This one is smaller. Cleaner.
“Talk to me, El,” Sam says into my ears.
Fuck, I forgot he was here. I wait for my heart to calm down before attempting to form sentences. “I’m in a warehouse. Matt’s truck was outside.” I don’t bother whispering. What will be the point?
I swing the flashlight on the walls, all covered in dirt. As I get closer to the door, my heart attempts to drill a deeper hole into my chest. “I’m going in,” I whisper as my fingers touch the cold metal doorknob. It turns easily.
Some light streams through the large windows in the wall in front of me, making the room slightly brighter. I can’t see much through the narrow opening, so I push the door open.
Empty. As far as I can see. The room is massive, stretching forward before opening up into two long sections on either side. Both ends disappear around corners, leaving me unable to see where they lead.
Keeping the flashlight on, I walk into the room. The door slams shut behind me. The harsh sound travels through my bones.
I slither along the left wall, gun raised in my hand. Keeping my steps slow and quiet, I press my shoulder close to the concrete as I move toward the section of the room that wasn’t visible from the door.
I stop at the edge of the wall and lean forward just enough to peek around the corner. Empty.
Pausing for a few seconds, I listen for anything that doesn’t belong. A footstep. A breath. The slightest movement. Nothing. But I don’t relax. Not yet.
Taking a deep breath, I move along the opposite side. My gun is trained ahead while I clear each section of the room. Every few steps, I stop and look.
When I reach the end of the wall, I press myself against the corner and slowly turn.
“Nicholas,” I yell, running towards him when I spot him in the corner. He’s partially shifted, slumped across the wall. I recognize the partially shifted wolf next to him as Matt. Their hands and legs are chained like animals.
I lean down to check for damage. Cupping his face, I shake him. “Nicholas? Baby? I’ve got you. You’ll be—”
“Ah, you’re here.”
The world stops. My body forgets how to move. How to breathe.
No.
No, no, no. This can’t be happening.
“Took you long enough, Eli boy.”
I turn my head slowly, like if I’m careful, I can still hide. He stands there. Older than I remember. Just as strong. Tall. Like a monster from all my worst nightmares. That smile still pasted across his face. He was happiest when he knew he was the most powerful person in the room.
“Now we can play.” His voice is just as cruel. More growl than anything else.
I can’t move. Every part of me wants to run away. But I can’t. Not when Nicholas is here. I’m not leaving him alone with this monster. Not for a second.
He tilts his head, his smile getting broader. He knows he’s already won. Whatever sick game he’s playing, he has all the control. “Stand up.”
Like I have strings tied to my limbs, I spring up.
“Good boy.” A shiver runs down my spine. “Now, give me all your weapons. Make it quick before I get bored. You know what happens when I’m bored.” He turns to look at someone. I can’t take my eyes off him, or he’ll pounce. “Go help him.”
I stand there, unable to move. Then someone is there, right in my face. It takes me a second to tear my eyes away from Raymond to look at the new guy. “Adrian?” My voice is barely a whisper. Of course, he’s here. Why wouldn’t he be?
He takes the gun and my phone first. I forgot I had them. Then pats me down, collecting all my weapons, dropping them on the ground before kicking them away.
When he kicks the injections towards The Werewolf, he laughs. The noise startles me. “Valmeron and Myocardian. So clever, Eli Boy. I was so proud of you, you know. Until you decided to stop, all because of this werewolf, wasn't it?” He points to Nicholas.
I shake my head, my breath coming in fast. No no no no.
Adrian frowns at me in confusion.
I can’t let him kill Nicholas. No, he can’t have him. Not him.
“Aidy, be a doll and tie him, will you?” he says to Adrian.
I don’t do anything as Adrian guides me towards the wall a little distance away from Nicholas and zip-ties my hands behind my back. Then he kneels to tie my legs together. No iron manacles for me. Because I’m weak.
Of course, I am. I had a gun in my hand, and I couldn’t do anything.
And now I have landed Nicholas in danger. All because I wanted revenge. When I had the chance, I couldn’t even raise my hand far enough to point a gun at the man who destroyed my life. And will now kill the only man I’ve ever loved before finishing me off, as he was always going to.
If the Bureau hadn’t stepped in, he’d have done away with me decades ago.
Adrian pushes me down until I’m sitting on the floor with my legs stretched out in front of me.
Then he walks away to stand behind his father.
“Why are you pretending to be scared?” He asks.
I flick my gaze away from Raymond to look at Adrian again.
“You've been murdering innocent werewolves with that self-proclaimed Werewolf Regulation Bureau for years, and this is what scares you?”
I frown. “I don’t—”
An ear-splitting alarm fills the room. I try to cover my ears, but my wrists are securely tied. Then everything goes silent.
My ears are still ringing, but I don’t miss Raymond’s chilling words.
“We have guests. How fun.”