Chapter Six

 

 

 

Alex couldn’t even lift his head any longer but that didn’t stop the sadistic shifters from pummeling his face.

He hurt everywhere. He was pretty sure several of his bones and ribs were broken and he was losing blood at an alarming rate.

To his horror, he’d been right before, when he’d thought whoever had him were the same men who had taken Kieran and Jackson so many years ago. So he knew this was just the beginning. He had seen the scars over Jackson’s body when they worked out together. Alex had known things had been bad, but experiencing them was a whole different matter.

It took a lot to get a Walker or shifter to scar. Most of the time the healing ability would take care of the marks, but a body, even a paranormal, could only take so much.

He heard the door open and a couple of new footsteps join them, but he was past caring how many people were present for his torture.

“This is the Walker?”

Alex didn’t recognize the voice, but that didn’t mean the guy hadn’t been responsible for beating on him. His neck was jerked back by a hand in his hair and he grunted.

“I don’t think he’ll last as long as the other two we had all those years ago. It’ll do for now, but don’t forget you promised to get me back the ones I lost.”

This time Alex knew it was the man everyone called Doc speaking. He’d told him with each new torment how Jackson and Kieran had responded. Alex didn’t claim to be as strong as the other two Walkers. He wished he hadn’t even felt a sliver of what they had.

The doctor and the newcomer both crouched in front of him.

“Pity, this one won’t make it,” the newcomer said, slapping Alex’s face hard a couple of times. “I always love to see you work with the vampires. And I know what I promised you.”

Alex wanted to snarl and say he wasn’t a vampire, but he didn’t have the energy. What did it matter what this madman called him? The doctor was right—he wasn’t going to last as long as Jackson or Kieran had. He already wanted his pain to end.

“Do you know who I am?” the newcomer asked Alex.

He blinked in reply.

“No?” The laugh was chilling. “Your boss didn’t tell you about his old friend Bradley who he spent so much time with? How about Kieran? Did he mention me?”

Fuck, fuck, fuck. He knew that name. In front of him was the shifter every Organization agent was after. Jackson had given Kieran access to all the files they had on this guy.

He had lost his mind some years ago and was convinced he could find out what made the Walkers live longer than shifters. Both had extended years of life compared to humans, but apparently Bradley wasn’t happy with the time he’d been given.

“Ah.” Bradley smiled. “So you do know me. My feelings were about to be hurt. I’ve just arrived, plane delayed, but I do hope you’ll be a little more entertaining than the shifters I’ve been getting videos of. Doc enjoys his work so much, but this time around I think we are wasting our time with the shifters. I thought it might be worth seeing the difference between your species and mine, but I was mistaken. The animals here just can’t stand this kind of experiment. Weaklings, all of them. I should have taken an Alpha.”

“You’re sick,” Alex mumbled. His words were slurred, but he hoped he got his disgust across.

“Possibly,” Bradley replied. Then he turned toward the doctor. “Please proceed. I’d like a show before I hit the town.”

The doctor’s eyes lit up. “I’ve been saving this part for you.” He disappeared out of Alex’s sight for a moment, but when he returned he held pliers in one hand and a bottle of blood in the other.

“No!” Alex groaned. He knew what was going to happen. Jackson had told him stories about this.

“Oh yes,” the doctor said as he waved the bottle of blood under Alex’s nose.

He tried. He closed his eyes, turned his head, bucked in his seat, but the smell of the blood was too strong. His fangs dropped down and his mouth was wrenched open.

The doctor placed the pliers in his mouth. “Smile pretty!”

Alex screamed as his left fang was ripped from his gums. Blood filled his mouth and he wondered if he would choke on it. His vision started to darken and he didn’t fight it. Maybe if he passed out, they would leave him alone.

Tears were running down his face as the doctor latched on to his right fang.

“I love to see them suffer,” Bradley said just as the doctor pulled.

He’d never felt pain like that before in his life. He’d been shot, stabbed, burned, but never had he felt this…this agony.

 

* * * *

 

Four hours of sleep. That was all Kieran had managed, but he was thinking it would be enough. It was probably more than Jackson was getting too. The events of the day were almost a guarantee they wouldn’t be sleeping easy for some time. He was going to have to decide what to do about his insomnia, but he had bigger worries at the moment.

In just a few short hours, they’d be going back out to the Red Rocks and Kieran had a feeling they were going to find what they were looking for and more. The thought filled him with just as much dread as it did relief. He wanted to find Alex and the others, but he wasn’t looking forward to seeing what had been done to them.

It would all be worth it in the end if they could catch these bastards this time. But Kieran doubted that was going to be possible. Every other operation that had them close to tracking down Bradley and his group had ended up with them arriving just days or even hours after the place had been abandoned. It was one of the reasons he’d almost agreed with Jackson earlier about going right away.

But he’d seen the exhaustion and strain on his friend’s face and knew no one in the room was ready.

He couldn’t risk Dakota, Remy or any of them in a fight as big as this. He needed to feed and knew Jackson had to as well. Hopefully his friend was taking advantage of the donors he kept on staff. Jackson had offered them to Kieran, but he always preferred to hunt for his own dinner.

That was why he was dressed in all black as he snuck out of the bedroom. Dakota probably wouldn’t say anything if she knew what he planned, but he hadn’t wanted to risk it. Her first instinct would always be to offer herself and Kieran avoided that conversation as much as he could.

He hated that he had to take someone’s blood. That the disease inside him that gave him his unique traits also kept him reliant on another. It was part of his life and he accepted what he had to do, but he didn’t want to involve Dakota.

Kieran strolled over to his laptop for a quick check before he headed out. There were several new emails, but the last one had him sitting down and pulling the computer closer. It was from Caspar and the subject line said BE CAREFUL.

He double-clicked on the message.

 

We tracked Bradley to Vegas. He was on a private flight that landed earlier this evening. We lost him at the airport. He knows you and Jackson are there. I’m on my way. Don’t do anything without me.

 

Kieran forwarded the email to Jackson with his own message.

 

We’re still on for dawn.

 

He was warning his friend, but he knew Jackson wouldn’t want to wait any longer than Kieran did.

Caspar shouldn’t be in the fight in the first place. If they could catch Bradley before Caspar arrived, then his boss would remain safe. He would have to digest the information about Bradley knowing where he was. It really should have dawned on him earlier that Bradley would be able to find Jackson easily enough. Jackson didn’t hide himself and was well-known around the world for the hotels and casinos he’d built.

If anyone was watching Jackson, then Kieran would have been found as well.

It just hadn’t crossed his mind that he’d put himself and Dakota at risk. True, he’d figured on Bradley being on the run, but Kieran should have known better.

He needed to get out of there.

Kieran stood, ignoring the rest of the emails. He would check them once he got back, but he had to go now. The need to run, to hunt was burning inside him with the rage of just hearing Bradley’s name. He strolled through the living room and out of the door. His fangs had already dropped and he was going to find someone who deserved to be on the bad side of him tonight.

The elevator took too damn long and Kieran fidgeted until the doors opened. He practically ran out. The casino was a lot quieter this time of morning than usual but still no one bothered him as his long strides took him across the lobby and to the doors.

The lights remained bright in the valet area, but he didn’t head to get his pickup or his motorcycle. Instead he strolled casually around the hotel building that would lead him onto the Strip. There were lots of alleys he could hunt in until someone deserved his attention.

It was actually quite a walk through the large parking area of the hotel until he reached the sidewalk. By the time he hit the street, he’d already calmed down. He still wanted to hunt, but his fangs had gone back inside his gums and he was once again in control.

“Going for a walk?”

Kieran shook his head before turning around. “You should be in bed.”

Jackson laughed. “Really? I’d be there alone. You have a sexy little shifter warming your spot.”

Kieran growled at him.

“Hey,” Jackson shrugged. “I’m just pointing out the facts.”

“How’d you know I left?” Kieran asked.

“You walked right past me. I figured I had better follow you to make sure you didn’t get yourself in trouble. If you hadn’t seen me, you wouldn’t have seen an attack either.”

“No one was going to attack me inside.”

“After the email you just sent me I wouldn’t be so sure. Bradley is just crazy enough to try to take one of us from my place,” Jackson pointed out.

Kieran blew out a breath, frustrated that Jackson was right.

“So where are we headed?” Jackson asked.

“You’re going back into the hotel and trying to get some sleep.” Kieran pointed behind Jackson. “I’m going hunting.”

Jackson rubbed his hands together. “I haven’t hunted in years.”

“And you’re not going to tonight.”

“Well, I’m not letting you go alone.”

“You don’t hunt anymore. Your face is too recognizable. If someone spotted you, your secret would be out.”

“I can handle it,” Jackson insisted. “Besides, it might do me some good to get my hands dirty. I miss the adrenaline rush. It’s not the same as paying someone to feed from.”

“You can’t kill anyone,” Kieran ordered. He didn’t kill anymore and couldn’t let Jackson do so. He was an agent, after all. Plus, Dakota wouldn’t like it.

“I know.” Jackson waved him off. “We’ve both gone legit.”

Kieran snorted. He might have cleaned up his act some, but he was still far from legit. “Let’s go.”

Jackson nodded before falling into step with Kieran. They were both dressed in dark clothing and both were big guys. No one smart would attempt to target them for a mugging or anything, so they’d have to find someone already committing a crime.

As Kieran led Jackson away from tourists and into the darker part of town, the city noises were muted, making it easier for them to hear for a couple of blocks.

“You do this often?” Jackson asked quietly.

Kieran glanced over to his friend. “Not as much as I used to.”

“Because of Dakota?”

“Not the only reason, but she’s probably a big part,” Kieran admitted. “Even after all she’s seen being with the Organization, she still believes in people. Sees the good in the world. I try to keep her away from the dark places. Even if that’s where I’m most comfortable.”

“From everything I’ve heard and seen, she’s a very capable agent.”

Kieran shrugged. “I guess I just don’t want her to see me in that environment.”

“I can understand that. That kid tonight, Mitch, the one who works in my IT.”

“Yeah?”

“He has to be the most innocent kid I’ve ever met,” Jackson said. “He’d been kicked around the foster system. Dragged from one group home to another. Never in one spot for long, and no family would take a teenager.”

“How’d you come across him?”

“He hacked into one of my arcade games in the kids’ area.” Jackson laughed. “Fixed it up so he could stay inside all night and play. It’d been snowing for days and he didn’t have anywhere to sleep.”

Kieran smiled. “So you found him a job.”

“Some food, a shower and a soft bed. He’d been feeding on small animals. Thought he’d lose control and kill a human if he bit them.”

“No one ever showed him how to feed?” Kieran asked, shocked.

“No,” Jackson answered. “He actually thought he was a vampire. His fangs would drop down and he’d find a stray cat or dog. He said he never killed them and would nurse them back to health when he could. At one of the group homes, he’d refused to go outside because he thought he’d burst into flames. They beat him and threw him into the yard. Mitch found out the sun didn’t hurt him, but it confused him even more.”

“Fuck, that had to be rough.”

“Yeah, but I come across him playing vintage Pac Man and he didn’t try to attack or anything. Just dropped his head and apologized. When I offered him food and a bed, he thought I was trying to buy him,” Jackson shared. “It took me hours to convince him I didn’t want sex in trade. He hadn’t done that yet, but knew boys who had. With the weather so bad, it was a thought he’d been having.”

“Good thing you found him when you did,” Kieran said and meant it. It sounded like Mitch had had as bad a childhood as Kieran’s adult life. At least he’d had his family until he was eighteen.

“As soon as I showed him I was a Walker too, he asked about a thousand questions. I had to bring in Alex just so I could get a break,” Jackson continued. “He hasn’t left our side since. Alex found out he was a genius, a real one, and we put him in school.”

“I’d say it worked out for all involved. If Dean was impressed, then the kid knows his shit.”

“And still he is innocent. He asked me if we were going to kill Bradley and the others that took Alex.”

“If luck is on our side,” Kieran commented.

“That’s what I said,” Jackson replied. “I thought he’d want to hear that the people responsible for taking Alex would be punished.”

“He doesn’t?” Kieran asked surprised.

“Oh he wants them caught, but he asked me if we could just hurt them a little.”

“He said that?” Kieran was now amused.

“Yeah,” Jackson replied. “We want them to pay but…” He shook his head. “Christ, man, I didn’t know what to tell him. If I get my hands on Bradley or the doctor, or anyone really, I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold back.”

“I know,” Kieran agreed. He’d had the same thought earlier. He didn’t think Dakota or Remy would try to stop him. They knew what he’d suffered, but that didn’t mean he wanted them to see how he would handle them.

“The kid…” Jackson laughed. “He’s a good guy.”

“You’ve done right by him. Got him educated and given him a family. You’re like a father to him.”

“Oh please,” Jackson griped. “Now you sound like Alex.”

Kieran laughed but stopped when a scream filled the air.

They both turned toward the west, where the sound had come from.

“It looks like it’s dinner time,” Kieran observed.

“Yep,” Jackson agreed. “Let’s go.”

They raced off toward what sounded like a scuffle. As they got closer, Kieran could almost hear the entire conversation. The woman begging for whoever had cornered her to just take her money and let her go. She had a son she needed to get home to.

Kieran made it into the alley just as one of the guys threw her down. She cried out as another, a tall skinny blond, stalked toward her.

“Please,” she begged.

“Well, what do we have here?” Kieran asked

The woman gasped and started to cry harder as the blond kid and the dark-haired guy took up defensive stances.

“She’s ours,” the blond said. “Go find your own fun.”

“Oh no,” Jackson replied. “This looks like something we’ll want a part of.” He strolled forward and Kieran wasn’t surprised when the younger guys backed off.

They were human and might not recognize them as being Walkers, but their build was much larger than the attackers’.

“Let me help you, ma’am,” Jackson reached down and lifted the woman to her feet. “Now I want you to run as fast and far away from here as you can. Do you understand me?”

“Yes.” She wiped her face. “Yes.”

“Go now,” Jackson ordered.

Kieran stalked forward, ignoring the woman and keeping his eyes on the two guys. They’d picked a good spot for their attempted assault. There was no way out of the alley.

“So you like to pick on women?” Kieran asked the blond.

“It was none of your business,” Blondie replied.

“Maybe not,” Kieran said. “But I made it mine.” He lunged at the blond and had him off his feet in a matter of seconds. Beside him, he heard Jackson punch the dark-haired guy.

“Hey, man, it’s cool,” the blond told him. “We didn’t mean any harm.”

“And what would you have done to her if we hadn’t come by?” Kieran asked.

“Nothing,” Blondie said. “Really.”

He was lying and they both knew it. Kieran slammed Blondie against the old brick building, twice. “What’s your name?”

“What?”

“I asked what your name is,” Kieran repeated. “And if you lie to me, I’ll know.”

“Du…Dustin,” Blondie responded shakily.

Kieran reached around and pulled the wallet from Blondie’s back pocket. He flipped it open. Dustin Evers. Kieran memorized his address.

“Now I know your name, face and address,” Kieran told him. “If you even think about doing something like this again, I will find you and you won’t get off so easy next time.”

Dustin nodded. “Promise!”

“Good,” Kieran praised. “Not that you’re going to get off too easy this time.”

Dustin’s eyes widened before Kieran threw him across the alley. Dustin hit the sidewalk and rolled. Kieran leapt after him and by the time Dustin stopped, he had his hand back around Dustin’s thick neck.

“You’ll learn your lesson,” Kieran told him.

“Yes! Yes!” Dustin yelled.

Kieran drew his hand back and delivered three hard punches to the side of Dustin’s face. Once he was unconscious, Kieran picked up Dustin’s limp wrist and bit down.

The blood flooded his mouth and he swallowed. Immediately his body warmed. That was the danger when he drank. Not that he would lose control, but that he wouldn’t stop, because there was never a time when he was as warm as when he drank blood.

He kept his eyes open and on Dustin. The kid might be a creep, but he wasn’t going to die that night.

After half a dozen gulps of blood, Kieran dropped Dustin’s wrist back down to the ground.

Not only would Dustin wake up with several bruises and possibly a fractured jaw, but he would be sick for the next several days from Kieran’s bite. He straightened up and glanced to the side, where the dark-haired kid was braced against the wall. Jackson finished his phone call then turned to Kieran.

“A couple of my guys are going to come down here and wait until they wake up,” Jackson told him. “Scare them a little more before taking them home.”

“I usually just leave them.”

“I figured,” Jackson said. “But I don’t want them back in this neighborhood. We both know what they would have done to that woman. She had a uniform on, cleaning outfit for one of the other hotels around here. She should be able to walk to and from work without being bothered.”

Kieran just grinned. Jackson couldn’t help but to try to save everyone. Even when Kieran had been giving up after living years in captivity, Jackson had managed to make him care again, make him want to survive.

“So how did it feel?” Kieran asked him.

Jackson grinned. “Better than I remembered.”

With a laugh, they started out of the alley. Kieran would trust Jackson’s guys to take care of the two humans and they had only a few hours before the sun would come up.

“We should get back to the hotel,” Jackson commented.

Kieran paused at the mouth of the alley. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and the feeling of darkness surrounded him. “Jackson,” he whispered.

“I sense it too.” Jackson moved until they were back to back.

Kieran scanned the surrounding area but didn’t pick up anyone or anything. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” Jackson admitted.

The sudden cackle was loud and almost brought Kieran to his knees. He knew that sound.

“Well, well, well.” Bradley stepped out of the shadows. He had his arm around the neck of the woman they’d saved earlier. “My two favorite pets together again.”

Looking at the man who was responsible for their years of torment, Kieran felt like that scared eighteen-year-old kid again. He began to shake, but Jackson was there, pressing the back of his hand to Kieran’s.

“Now, Kieran,” Bradley said silkily. “I thought I taught you not to feed in public. Wasn’t that how I found you the first time?”

Kieran refused to let his mind wander back into memories.

“Pretty ballsy, coming out here by yourself,” Kieran taunted. “I also remember you being quite the coward. Never getting your own hands dirty.”

Bradley snarled at him. “Am I supposed to fear you?” he asked Kieran. “I’m surprised you’re not pissing yourself.”

So was Kieran, but Bradley didn’t need to know that. He snorted in response.

“Why don’t you let the woman go and we’ll talk this out, just the three of us,” Jackson suggested.

Bradley glanced at the woman he held and blinked in surprise. Like he’d forgotten she was even there. Her quiet pleading wasn’t doing anything to persuade him to release her. “This thing?” Bradley asked, shaking her roughly. “I couldn’t care less about her. But it seems you still see yourself as a hero.” Bradley laughed before he threw the woman down the street. With his shifter strength, she flew through the air before landing with a hard thud.

“What do you want?” Kieran asked.

Bradley turned his attention back to Kieran. “You, of course.”

“I don’t think so,” Kieran snapped. “You must be even crazier than you used to be.”

“Not even to save your friend’s boy?” Bradley asked glancing between them. “He doesn’t take to pain like you did. I don’t think he’ll make it another twenty-four hours.”

“I’m going to kill you,” Jackson spat.

“You’ll try,” Bradley said. “But, like all the others, you’ll fail. Now if you don’t mind, I’m trying to talk to Kieran. It’s rude to interrupt.”

Kieran couldn’t believe this was happening. “And if I agree to go with you, you’ll let Alex and the shifters go?” He had no intention of giving into this madman, but he wanted to know Bradley’s plan.

“Wouldn’t you rather I kept the shifters and let you play with them?” Bradley asked sweetly. “Oh no! That’s right, you’ve taken a liking to a shifter. I could always bring her with you.”

Kieran saw red, rage filling him. He took a step forward with his hands clenched. Jackson grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.

Bradley let his amusement show by clapping.

“Oh my! What a reaction,” Bradley taunted. “Maybe you’ve taken more than just a liking to the jaguar. That could prove very entertaining.”

“You won’t get your hands on her,” Jackson declared.

“I could also take the wolf you like to hang out with,” Bradley told him. “I’ve been watching you for a very long time. It seems you made yourself a little family. I would hate to break it up.”

“You’re messing with a whole lot more than just some terrified kid this time,” Kieran warned.

“Oh, pish posh,” Bradley waved his hand around. “The Organization? I’ve been outwitting them for years. You think Caspar is going to come to your rescue again? Trust me, he won’t even make it here.”

Cold dread traveled up Kieran’s spine. “What did you do?”

Bradley’s smiled was predatory. “Let’s just say not everyone on his team is loyal to him. He’ll be finding that out very shortly.”

Kieran had had enough. He growled and crouched.

“Let’s not fight,” Bradley held up his hands. “Come with me and all your little friends will be safe. I can’t say the same about Caspar, though. He’s been a thorn in my side for way too long. He’s the reason I lost you in the first place.”

“Sure,” Kieran said. “I’ll come with you. I’ll deliver your dead body to your men.”

Kieran launched himself through the air and closed the distance between them. Bradley scrambled back and whistled.

Snarling, growling and snapping sounds came all around him. In the time Bradley had distracted them, he’d been able to move his shifters in close. Kieran couldn’t worry about him though. He only had eyes for Bradley. He was going to tear out his throat.

Before Kieran could tackle Bradley like he had planned, a large weight knocked him out of the air. Kieran landed and rolled and was immediately back on his feet. In front of him was a huge black bear. The bear stood up on his hind legs and roared.

If Bradley didn’t think he and Jackson could take care of six shifters, Kieran was going to have to believe the man had gotten crazier over time. Kieran darted forward and punched the bear in the stomach as hard as he could. The bear shifter tumbled away, only to be replaced by a tiger and coyote shifter. Kieran didn’t waste any time going after them.

The shifters were good fighters, better than Kieran was used to, but still no match for a Walker. Once all his opponents were laid out, he turned and checked in on Jackson, who was laying the last of his adversaries flat.

Kieran turned back toward where Bradley had been, but he wasn’t there any longer.

“Over here!”

He whirled around and saw Bradley two blocks away. He’d undressed and Kieran couldn’t believe he was about to lose this fucker. He took off in a sprint, but before he’d even closed half the distance, Bradley had shifted.

Kieran leapt up and reached out as Bradley took flight, but there was no catching the eagle shifter.

“Fuck!” Kieran yelled out his frustration.