Damned and Cursed (Book 2): Witch's Kurse (50 page)

Sean shoved the phone away as he opened Marie Johnson's file on his laptop.
 
He didn't know how long she'd been on the organization's radar, and he didn't care.
 
Nearly every single photo taken of her had been done by Rob.
 
There were shots of her in her apartment, walking to the woods, going to the grocery store.
 
Rob was right; she was a beautiful woman.

There was a game he liked to play during the preparation phase of each hunt.
 
He liked to guess how old they were.
 
He was almost never near the mark, but he kept trying.
 
Marie looked like a thirty-year-old woman, but that obviously wasn't true.

Sean guessed she was still in a human age range, probably younger than ninety.
 
One time he tracked and killed a puppy three hundred years old.
 
That dog just had a certain look to him, the way he moved and watched the world.
 
Marie didn't have that look.
 
She still had a youthfulness to her, and he could easily imagine his brother flirting with her nonstop.

"Hey Sean," Nolan said.
 
"Rob's up here on the left, right?"

Sean looked up from the laptop, seeing Sandy Cliffs for the first time.
 
Typical town, no different than any other small town they hunted in.
 
Not much activity on the sidewalks, very little traffic.
 
The entire town was surrounded by green.
 
There were more woods than actual town.
 
Hopefully the hunt would be quick and clean, and they could get back to that break they were planning.
 
They had to be ready for anything, be dynamic and willing to change everything in an instant.
 
They knew Marie, but didn't know her pack.
 
Perhaps they'd take her hostage, draw them out.
 
Or torture her into revealing their location.
 
Maybe Rob could use that charm of his to convince her it was in her best interest to talk.

"Yeah, that's it.
 
First left, building 802."

He thought nothing of it when he saw the ambulance parked outside.
 
Two men carried a stretcher out the front door.
 
They walked with care, but without urgency.
 
The white sheet covered whoever was on the stretcher from head to toe, and Sean realized they were carrying a dead man.

They were leaving building 802.

Sean felt tight in his chest.
 
A small crowd was starting to gather, as residents from the other buildings milled about on the grass.
 
There were police cars next to the ambulance he didn't see before, and two cops passed the ambulance on the way to the door.

"Park," Sean said.
 
"Now."

He jumped out of the car before Nolan completely stopped.
 
Pushing two bystanders aside, he walked straight for the paramedics.
 
They were caught by surprise and froze as Sean approached them.
 
He threw the sheet back, drawing startled shouts and anger from the paramedics.
 

Sean didn't hear them.
 
He wasn't aware of anything happening around him as he looked into the face of his brother.

Rob's face was black and blue, the result of a beating.
 
His throat was a bloody mess, gore and fluid all over the shirt Sean had gotten him for his birthday.

He was vaguely aware of his surroundings.
 
Nolan was grabbing him by the shoulder, pulling him away from the stretcher.
 
He argued with one of the paramedics and offered an apology to the police and bystanders nearby.
 
Sean nearly stumbled twice, and Nolan gripped his shoulders to keep him upright.

Sean had seen much in his time as a wolf killer.
 
He'd seen two wolves having sex, an image he'd never unsee.
 
He witnessed a single werewolf decimate some of the organization's best men, all because they'd gotten careless.
 
Once he saw an actual vampire, who inadvertently lent a hand in one of the hunts.

He'd seen much death and violence.
 
It still didn't prepare him for seeing his brother on a stretcher.

Nolan was talking.
 
Sean only heard the last part.

"…okay, Sean?"

He fell to one knee.

"Congratulations, little brother.
 
You're in."

Nolan's brow furrowed as he knelt in front of Sean.
 
"What's that again?"

Sean went through the rest of his prepared words.

"The organization thinks you'll be a great fit, and so do I.
 
You'll see and learn about things few people get the chance to.
 
But they think you're a bit of a wild-card, so you'll be in my unit.
 
We're going to do great things, little brother."

Nolan said nothing, simply patting Sean on the shoulder.
 
The ambulance left, but the police stayed behind, moving in and out of the building.
 
The crowd broke up, with only a few staying behind to gawk.

"That didn't look like a puppy attack," Nolan said.

Sean struggled to gather his thoughts.

"No, it didn't.
 
That doesn't mean it wasn't one, though.
 
We can't rule anything out.
 
It could be entirely unrelated to our little puppy, or it could have everything to do with her."

"I'm behind you, Sean.
 
Whatever you say, we'll do."

Sean pulled himself to his feet with Nolan's help.

"We do what we came here for.
 
We go wolf hunting."

Jack sat in the chair in the corner of Charlie's bedroom.
 
He hadn't slept since leaving the pocket-watch at home, so his body had no sense of time.
 
He was too lazy to check his cell phone, but guessed it was maybe one in the morning.

Charlie slept soundly in bed, oblivious to the day's events.
 
He was unaware that Jack had dissected his life, rigged up the patio door to not lock.
 
Jack watched every move Charlie made after he came home from the garage.
 
Charlie took a quick shower, made a microwave dinner, and watched television.
 
Before bed he went to the dresser and pulled out the photo album, thumbing through the pages with a sad smile on his face.

Jack fought the urge to break in and kill him then.

He wasn't sure why he hadn't killed Charlie yet.
 
He constantly thought of Erica, their brief time together, her harsh words when they ended their relationship.
 
Jack could almost see what happened as he watched Charlie snore.
 
Charlie, ever the quiet, shy mechanic, watched Erica from a distance.
 
He felt he was a part of her life, protecting her.
 
One day, he raised the courage to talk to her, probably a manufactured accidental encounter while she toured Sandy Cliffs on foot.
 
She rejected him, and he responded in the only violent way he knew.

"I've given you more time and thought than most mortals."

Charlie sat upright in bed, alarm and panic in his eyes.
 
He ran a hand through his thinning hair and reached for the lamp next to the bed.
 
A soft glow flooded across the room, but Jack still remained in shadows.

"You know, I blamed myself at first," Jack said.
 
"And then I actually blamed her, for coming out here.
 
But we have to put the blame where it really belongs.
 
With you."

"Who are you?
 
What do you want?
 
Look, I don't have any money."

"What do I want?" Jack said, mulling the question over.
 
"Hmm, I'm not sure.
 
I'm still trying to figure that out myself.
 
I'm not here for your pocket change.
 
I'm here for Erica Hernandez."

Recognition flashed through Charlie's eyes.
 
He sat up in bed, calmly, scooting to the center.

"Erica…."

"I already moved the bat from under the bed, and the knife from the nightstand.
 
I almost didn't.
 
It's not like they'd do anything to me, anyway.
 
But I wanted to talk with you without you thinking you were going to make some crazy heroic stand."

"I…didn't mean to hurt her.
 
I just wanted to talk to her.
 
She wouldn't even look at me.
 
And I just…I don't know.
 
I got mad.
 
People have been treating me bad my whole life.
 
I just couldn't take it anymore.
 
My own father—"

"Yeah, I know.
 
Blah blah," Jack said.
 
"Your father left when you were young.
 
Your own mother molested you.
 
I'm afraid I don't care."

"H-How did you know—?"

"The only thing that concerns me is you've taken someone I used to care for out of this world.
 
Normally, I would have already killed you by now.
 
But you caught me on a good day.
 
I don't
need
to kill you.
 
You're not a threat to me or the few loved ones I have.
 
Killing you…it's not something Tiffany would do.
 
I don't even think Erica would.
 
But you do have to pay a price.
 
I'm giving you a choice."

"What's that?"

"I take you to the police station.
 
You confess everything, accept whatever punishment the mortals think is necessary."

"Why do you keep saying mortals—?"

"Or I kill you, despite what I just said.
 
Very slowly."

Charlie let out a breath and rested his hands on his thighs.
 
He laughed and shrugged.

"It's not really much of a choice, is it?"

"One more thing.
 
If you don't get that smile off your face, I'll cut your jaw off."

Jack gave him time to get dressed, and left the apartment with him.
 
He waited for Charlie to do something foolish.
 
Mortals couldn't seem to resist foolishness.
 
A wild, direction-less run.
 
An errant cry for help.
 
Charlie did nothing but march where Jack directed, to the rental car.

"Buckle your seatbelt, now," Jack said.
 
"We wouldn't want you getting hurt."

The ride through town was quiet.
 
The roads and sidewalks were deserted.
 
The traffic lights all flashed yellow and red.
 
Charlie folded his hands in his lap.
 
Jack didn't want to know what was going through the man's mind.

"I loved her the moment I first saw her," Charlie said.
 
"I looked out my window and saw her moving in, carrying box after box.
 
It was like watching an angel.
 
I asked her if she needed any help.
 
She told me no, but there was something in her eyes.
 
She didn't know it, but she was attracted to me."

"She didn't know she was attracted to you?
 
Wow, what insight.
 
How many times did your mom drop you on your head?"

"I used to lay on my couch at night, and think she was doing the same right above me."

"Charlie, the smartest thing you could do right now is keep your mouth shut."

"We used to pass each other on the stairs, and she'd smile at me, but then she'd look down.
 
She thought she was better than me."

"She
was
better than you.
 
The dog shit I stepped in earlier is better than you."

"You should have seen her working at the bar.
 
She was amazing.
 
Attentive to everyone.
 
Gorgeous.
 
Everyone loved her.
 
But she wouldn't even talk to me.
 
She used to like going for walks after her shift was done.
 
So, I tried coming up and talking to her."
 
Charlie grew agitated.
 
"I just wanted to
talk
to her!"

"Charlie—"

"She tried to get away.
 
I would have done anything for her.
 
She started screaming.
 
Why would she scream at me?
 
So, I put my knife in her.
 
I showed her she wasn't better than me.
 
I killed her, just like I killed my mother.
 
The only thing I regret is I wish I'd left her alive a little longer.
 
Then I really could have taught her…."

He went quiet when Jack drove past the police station.

"Hey, dumbass.
 
You just passed the cops."

"I know."

Charlie's jaw fell open when his limited intellect caught up to what was happening.

"But, you said—"

"Sometimes plans change.
 
We're off to the woods.
 
I hear it's a great place for hiding bodies."

Charlie lunged for the seatbelt release, just like Jack expected.
 
He grabbed Charlie's wrist and twisted, and took his other hand off the wheel just long enough to poke him in the eye.
 
Charlie cried out and covered his face with his free hand.
 
Jack released his grip and chopped Charlie in his throat, a move he actually saw Victoria perform over a century ago.
 
Charlie coughed uncontrollably and leaned over in the seat, hacking and drooling.