Darkness Sheds into Light {Watty 2012}

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Marc found himself fascinated as he watched Ariana. She was pumped and ready to go, she was literally bouncing on the balls of her feet with pent up energy only needing a target to go wild on. He had seen what she was capable of a few times now and it wasn’t any easier to swallow.

She wanted to storm the warehouse and get payback he had caught her dreaming of the few times she had been in his arms that week. The drive she carried scared him. She wanted what she wanted and Lord help the person who got in her way.

Jax had driven them to the location, he was a hell of a driver and made him the getaway man in all their adventures. Marc, Ariana, Kid, and Andrew were along for the ride. Marc left Christina and the young men back at the house. They hadn’t faced enough fights to go up against a hunter and the risk was too high to bring them along.

Ariana was the tactical one of the group and took lead as Jax parked hidden a mile down the street from the building. She addressed Andrew. “Give us a chance to get in position, Kid will ring your phone and shadow you from the roof. Anything fishy and he aims to kill. Marc and Jax will sneak through the back entrance while I entertain the monsters in green in the front.”

It was a good plan and Marc hated it because Ariana was leaving herself with no back up. He grabbed ahold of her wrist as they piled out of the van. “Please be careful.”

She smiled and he could swear he was falling in love with her all over again. “The objective is to get Shelby free and after that we’re out of here. What I want won’t be here.” Bradley Galvin and Hal Ellis’ heads on a platter.

Marc couldn’t shake the feeling he shouldn’t be leaving her alone but he had learned enough over the last week to know it didn’t matter what he said she was going to follow the plan and take care of herself. “Ok.” He kissed her and let that express everything his words couldn’t. A little sigh left her mouth as she stood closer to him, the softness of her breasts molding across the width of his chest. He cradled the back of her head and slanted his mouth to explore her deeper. The last shred of control he could grasp stopped him from pressed her up against the side of the van. “Be careful.”

Everyone went their separate ways.

Kid moved like Spiderman up the rain gutters of the tall twelve story building all the way to the roof. Next Andrew strolled up to the front gate and waited for Clive to show his slimy self.

The rogue was cocky as he stepped through the front door of the old warehouse and walked the short distance to the gate. “I didn’t think you’d show so easy.” Clive said.

“You have my cousin and you knew I’d do anything for her, that’s why you took her. Where is she?” Andrew was using every bit of control he had left to keep his hands at his side.

“Come in, let’s chat.” Clive said.

Ariana shook her head as she listened. It was always good when the bad guys played the part expected of them. Andrew’s wellbeing as in Kid’s hands now and the boy wouldn’t fail. She moved toward the two armed guards standing at the gate. The Union no longer ran day to day business out of the warehouse by their lackeys were sure patrolling the area. She knew deep in her bones the warehouse was going to led to Bradley and Hal one way or another.

The objective now was getting Shelby free, after that there’d be time to figure out the rest of the answers.

She snuck up behind the first guard and silenced him with her knife to his neck before the second guard could blink. Her speed was a blur as she moved within the shadows. Guard one crumbled to the floor and she was behind guard two before he could fully realize they were compromised.

She wiped the blade clean on her jeans before putting it back and pulling Ripper free. She needed the big blade now to protect her. She ran back up the pathway ready to slice anyone who got in the way.

Her boots slid to a stop just past the front entrance of the warehouse. Andrew was tearing Clive into pieces. Shit that wasn’t apart of the plan. “Where’s Shelby?” she called out, if Andrew went beast on Clive than anyone else in the warehouse knew they were there and stealth went to hell.

Andrew’s hands were dripping heavy amount of blood and bits of Clive’s intestines. “He wouldn’t say.” His eyes were all yellow, all beast on the verge of transforming.

“Come on we’ll find her. He would have her close.” They met up with Jax and Marc in the middle of the large open floor plan of the first floor of the warehouse. “Let’s split up and find Shelby. Marc you keep an eye on Andrew. Jax and I will take the top floors.” He was a second from losing all control and shifting, if that happened they’d have a loose pissed of werewolf running the streets.

Jax flanked her left as they ran up the metal staircase. The top floor had a few rooms, probably old offices for the hunters who used to shot call from this building.

She pulled the gun free from her back and handed it to Jax. “I don’t like you weaponless.” She didn’t like him here at all. She was scared for him and that was making her work double time trying to keep an eye out for treats and an eye out for him. She knew he could take care of himself but the worry she carried for him was bone deep. She didn’t remember much of their relationship but somewhere her soul did and would shatter if something happened to Jax on her watch.

He took the gun and asked no questions. Maybe he saw the borderline insanity in her eyes begging him not to push for answers she didn’t have. “I’ll take the right and you take the left.” He said after a minute of nothing but staring at each other.

“Yeah.” She was glad someone was thinking correctly.

There were three doors on the left. The first one was empty, the second one had a few pieces of furniture and the last one looked a lot like the second one except the filing cabinet wasn’t empty.

Ariana put Ripper away and started to search through the files, all of them had the Union’s logo at the top. Her muscles tightened with pain at memories shimmering too close to the top. She suffered hell behind that logo. It was branded into her memories with assaulting force.

Tears swam along her eyes as she moved fast to search the files and ignore the scarring memories. She gathered the stacks of paper with information she and Kid hadn’t been able to find. Across some of the papers she saw the name ‘Project I’ the test subject before her.

“Ariana!” Jax ran into the office. “Andrew found Shelby in a basement downstairs. They’re outside waiting for us.”

She let out a sigh of relief. “Thank god.” She stuffed the papers into her jacket and ran to join Jax in the hallway.

That’s when it happened for the second time that day; war. Clive had friends on the inside with him and they realized there was a breach in their fort.

“We can’t go down. Call Marc back and tell him to get out of here and Shelby home safe. We’ll be right behind them.” Ariana reached for Jax and started toward the fire escape she noted in the third office.

Getting out of there wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as she was hoping for.