I huddled in the dark corner of the alley, pulling my jacket closer to myself as the chilly wind whipped past me. It was in the evening hours, so the cold was more cutting than during the day. A shiver ran down my spine as I scanned the thinning crowds, most stumbled around drunk, stumbling into casinos; wasting their money away hoping for the next big break. I wrinkled my nose, holding in a sneeze as a particularly rank man stumbled by me, pausing only to puke next to the trashcan I was standing behind. He glanced up at me but it was clear from his dazed expression that he didn't see me through the drunken haze. He spit, wiped his mouth, then stumbled on in an interesting weaving pattern. I turned my attention from him, obviously, he wasn't a threat to me and put it back on the streets in front of me. Carefully sniffing the air in an attempt to both not overwhelm myself with the smells of trash, body odor, decay, and human despair, but at the same time trying to pick through the mess of scents to find a single one that I needed.
We had been tracking this particular target for a few weeks, learning her patterns and what she did everyday. I already seemed to know more about this girl than she did about herself. That's the reason I was now in this alley. In LA. Which I hated. But she had valuable information on a gang of rogues that I had been tracking for the past eight months to no avail. I hoped with everything in me that she would be the one to finally shed some light... Any light, on who I needed to hunt next.
I glanced down the street, the bright lights from the casinos blindingly bright in the dark of the night, I shifted my weight and looked up at the sky, I couldn't see any of the stars... My eyes trailed back down, scanning the alleyways and curbs in my vision to find the one thing that I actually cared about. It took only a couple minutes to spot Ty, he was slightly tucked away in an alley, casually leaning against the wall. He was dressed casually in jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black leather jacket. Waiting. The perfect bait for our prey.
My wolf growled slightly, she hadn't been totally on board with making him be the bait but I had finally argued her into at least semi-agreeing with me on it. Our target was a prostitute and every single Thursday she would work this street corner. So we both waited; Ty as the bait, me as the backup. Her shifts were semi-random and because of that, we had no clue when she would show. I checked my watch, we had been waiting for an hour now and my wolf was growing restless with each passing second.
Patience. I muttered to her
No, this is taking too long. We should have just cornered her last time we saw her. She bit out each word, anger rising. I shifted, changed my breathing to counteract her rage, and counted to ten before responding.
We've discussed this twelve times now, we couldn't do that because she would have seen us coming and she would have run and it was in a public place! Despite the counting I still snapped my response back at her. She growled but finally settled down, although her agitation was clear to me. I shrugged it off and went back to scanning the streets. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Thirty. I sighed while I once again moved a bit to keep my limbs from freezing up. Stamping my feet and stretching my arms. I flexed each one of my fingers, impatiently rubbing the knuckles and picking at my nails. I looked again at my watch, another hour had passed. I sighed again and lightly banged my head against the wall behind me.
If we had been in the woods I would have been happily chilling in a tree or something for hours with no problem. I'd done it hundreds of times before. But the city, the smell, the crowds, lights... They were all getting to me, slowly chafing at my nerves until they were ready to snap. I swore to myself that after this mission was over I was taking a long vacation in the mountains where no one would bother me.
I let myself linger on that thought, cool breezes and endless tracts of land that were yet to be explored by most. The chances of running into another being slim to none. I leaned back and closed my eyes, trying to imagine the crisp clean scent of the air despite my nostrils being clouded by the smog of the cursed place I was in. One by one my muscles released their tension and let me relax, only when each one had given up did I open my eyes and find Ty again. He was staring at me with one brow slightly raised, his pinky placed on his temple. I shrugged off the last of my fantasies and opened up my mind to him.
You were imagining the mountains again, weren't you? He asked. I shrugged, he knew me well enough to know exactly what I was thinking about. We had only been working together for six years, he had plenty of time to figure me out. Well, in your hurry to run there don't forget to bring me along. Otherwise, I will constantly torment you when you get back.
I won't forget, but it will be on you to keep up. He laughed out loud for a brief moment before snapping to attention. I pulled back farther into the shadows while scanning for what he had seen. It took a moment but I finally spotted her. Her outfits for her night job made her almost unrecognizable but her scent was very distinct. Distinct enough to make me swear that she was the only one who bathed in this unholy dung heap. At least the only one from the poorer regions who did.
Ty waited for a few moments before taking out his cell phone and walking down the street, having a fake conversation with someone. I forced myself not to track his movements instead focusing on our target, Tamara, I said to myself. Shifting slightly to get a better look at her. Ty was gradually getting louder and louder, attracting her attention to him. His obvious frustration with his caller piquing her curiosity. He finally angrily hung up, standing still with his hands on his hips before stalking over to the group of three hookers that had formed. They talked in low tones that were impossible to hear over the lights and sounds of the city but whatever he said had worked well enough. Tamara broke away from the group and left with him. I waited a few moments more before pushing away from the wall and following at a distance.
Ty and I had already picked out where he would take her long before, a place close enough to her spot that she would be willing to go there but which also had bribed employees who would give us a specific room that would make it difficult for her to call for help. I didn't want to take on a pack of werewolves at the time, it would get too messy to get the information we needed. It took only a few minutes to arrive at the spot, I stood back as Ty and Tamara disappeared into the building, waiting to give them time to get to the room so I wouldn't be spotted. As a general rule, it is much harder to stalk people in a building than anywhere else. So, I waited, counting to one-hundred before allowing myself to go in after them. I felt Ty brush against my mind, comforting me. He opened his mind so I could listen while making my way to their room.
"-what you like?" She was saying.
"I just like seeing where it ends up," He responded. I arrived outside the door, waiting for the moment to enter the room.
"I like it," She said with a laugh. My wolf gagged and I silently agreed. That wasn't necessarily a normal response for a hooker. But she wasn't normal.
"Did you lock the door?" Ty asked, "Wouldn't want anyone walking in on us."
"Yes, of course." I silently thanked him and took a step back from the barrier, fishing in my pocket for the duplicate key we had made earlier. The chain lock having had it's screws removed and replaced with children's glue for easy access. Still, I waited. Waited until it went mostly silent and all I could hear was quiet moans that were definitely not Ty's. I gagged this time. Soon I heard a muffled scream. Now, Ty sent. I stuck my key in the lock shoving my knee into the door at the same time I turned the handle. The glue easily snapped off the wall and I quickly slipped inside, closing the door behind me. Ty already having placed one hand over Tamara's mouth with the other tucked right under her heart with a blade slightly pressing into it.
Her eyes widened as I entered and held up one hand. "Please don't change to wolf form, we just want to have a friendly chat with you." She glared at me. "I'll have my associate remove his blade if you promise that you'll be quiet and not scream." More glares. "Or I could just have him kill you right now and find someone else to answer my questions..." I trailed off, starting to make a motion to tell Ty to end her before she finally gave one short nod in agreement. I smiled, "I'm glad that you chose that option." I nodded at Ty and he took a step back from her, leaving her fuming in the middle of the floor, shaking with fury and hate.
"What do you want?" She spat. I shrugged.
"Just some information on your employer," I answered sweetly while removing a small knife from my pocket and examining its blade. I looked up from it and at her pointedly. "I mean, we aren't asking for all that much." She growled quietly and I clicked my tongue. "No need for that, we just want their names and where we can find them." I stepped towards her when she remained silent. "Do we really need to discuss what will happen to you if you remain silent?" I snarled. "Or do you not know who I am and what I've already done to Rogues like you?" She answered my question with more silence and more glaring. I sighed, shifting my weight back slightly and again started picking at the knife. I wasn't a fan of having to resort to torture, I really just preferred killing them quickly, but if I had to I would cut her up a bit to get the information I needed. "Is that your final answer" I prompted.
"She apparently doesn't know who you are, Rogue Slayer." I looked behind her to Ty, the amusement at my nickname dancing through his eyes. I was glad that Tamara happened to be facing away from him and was, therefore, unable to see his mirth. Even though I shared in it, it wouldn't look good for both of us to start cracking up while trying to interrogate someone.
Or it would be even more terrifying to see. My wolf yawned. But get on with it, we aren't cats, we don't play with our kill. I stamped down the urge to roll my eyes at her, instead focusing back to the task at hand. I looked away from Ty and back at Tamara who was shaking less with rage and a bit more with a terror that she couldn't keep from her eyes.
"Please." She whimpered.
"Just answer our questions." I prodded. The inflated stories and the fiasco with my former mate had heightened every Rogues fear of me to levels that made no sense. I was pretty sure I was now a threat to little kids who wouldn't go to sleep but that had yet to be confirmed. I was only semi-thankful for this, the fear of my name made some Rogues meltdown and tremble, while others just got more irritating, hoping to be the ones to take me down. It was a double-edged sword when we brought it up, not knowing whether our captive would fight harder or become as docile as a sheep.
"Their names are Marianne and Lou, daughter and father. Nobody knows where to find them." I narrowed my eyes and she raised her hands. "I swear! They always keep their location secret to everyone but the ones closest to them!" I sighed.
"Can we track them down?" She continued shaking as she looked from me to Ty.
"Please, that's all I know." I advanced towards her, repeating my question.
"Is there any way to track them down?" I spoke each word calmly and firmly. Her eyes widened at me and she shrank slightly to the ground.
"M-Marianne goes to the casinos a lot. She likes to gamble. She's a redhead but I swear that's all I know!" I stared at her, searching her face for any sign of her lying but she seemed to be telling the truth. "Please don't hurt me." She whispered, staring intently at the floor.
"You're a Rogue." I responded. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't kill you." She stared at me, eyes wide.
"I didn't choose this. Please don't tell them it was me who told you." She whispered. "Please protect my family."
"What?" I asked. Her words freezing me.
"Take care of my family. They'll kill them when they find out it was me." She had gone eerily calm, her words clearly spoken. "You'll find where they are on my phone. The passcode is 4225. Don't let Marianne hurt them." Before I could react she grabbed the necklace around her neck and bit down on the pendant, the glass shattering and breaking into the pill that was tucked inside. I cursed and lunged towards her already knowing that it was too late. Foam spilled out of her mouth and onto the dirty carpet as she convulsed violently before she stiffened and died.
Ty and I stood frozen with shock, staring down at the open-eyed corpse in front of us, her last words still ringing in my ears. Don't let Marianne hurt them. I looked up at Ty, slowly regaining command of my limbs. "Well..." I stammered slightly, searching for words to say.
"That was new." He supplied. I nodded. We had been expecting to kill her, that was our job. But we certainly hadn't expected a suicide. That had never happened. Rogues were usually too proud to kill themselves.
"Yeah," I breathed out. "We should clean up." After that it was automatic. I removed my backpack and Ty helped me take out the plastic inside of it and lay it under Tamara's body. He pulled out a vial and was about to sprinkle it over her when I stopped him. He looked up at me quizzically while I searched her pockets, pulling out her phone. I stared at it for a moment, protect my family, I closed my eyes and tucked it into my pocket. I stared at her face, eyes open but the determined look that she had still frozen on her features. I reached out, hand hovering over her face before I slowly closed her eyes.
My insides twisted as I nodded at Ty and he sprinkled the black powder over her corpse. It made soft popping noises as it began to work, dissolving into her skin, shortly after her skin seemed to start to melt off. For some reason I made myself watch the entire process, I usually turned away, but I could only stare at the girl in front of me. Desperate for me to understand that I needed to find her family. The phone in my pocket seemed to gain weight as she finished dissolving into a puddle. We were silent as we finished cleaning up. Moving her remains into my bag to be disposed of later. I moved to put it on but Ty took it from me, shaking his head.
"I got it." He shouldered the bag and we both straightened, surveying the room one last time before exiting out the fire escape. While I had been staring, Ty had fixed the chain lock on the door, putting the screws back in it and making sure all of room was back to the way we had found it. Once certain that there was no evidence that we had been there we left through the fire escape, jumping from the last rung down onto the street.
"We should bury her," I said, surprising myself. Ty looked at me out of the corner of his eye.
"If you want to-?" I nodded, more certain of my decision.
"Eaton Canyon is only about a forty-five-minute run away from here." I didn't want to bury her out of the woods, she was a 'wolf, she deserved better than a city or desert. Ty nodded and we headed towards the city limits, waiting until we were a good enough distance away to turn wolf and start running. It didn't take us long to bury her remains. We stood silently over the small grave before turning back to the city and taking off.
It didn't take us long to get back to the run down motel we were staying at. Ty jumped in the shower first while I pulled out my phone and dialed Titus. On the last ring before it went to voicemail a groggy voice came on the line.
"Hello?" The word was thick with sleep.
"Hey, did I wake you up?" I asked.
"Oh, Jaz... No... I'm always awake at..." Something crashed in the background and a slew of delirious curse words came through the line. "Four a.m.."
"Oops." I forgot about the time difference.
"You don't sound sorry." He mumbled, obviously halfway back to sleep already.
"I need you to research something for me." Silence answered. "Titus?"
"Now?" He sighed.
"Depends, are you awake now?"
"No." The answer was blunt.
"Okay, I'll text you the information that I need, call me as soon as you have it."
"Okay," He muttered.
"Stay on the line until you have it, don't open the message until you're awake, though." He made a sound that seemed to be saying he understood so I removed the phone from my ear and sent him what little information we had on Marianne and her dad, Lou. Bits and scraps that we had discovered over the past few months. I paused before I hit send. I felt the phone in my back pocket and pulled it out. Taking a deep breath I typed in the passcode and the phone unlocked. Quickly scrolling through the contacts until I found the parents that were listed. I added their names and numbers to the text marking them as a lower priority but to get me what he could on them. I tapped send and put the phone back to my ear and listened. It took a few moments but eventually I heard Titus pull his phone away from his ear.
"Got it." He muttered and the line went dead. I pulled my phone away and looked at the screen.
"Well, goodbye to you too." At that moment Ty walked out of the bathroom, vigorously rubbing a towel over his hair. He looked at me, then at the phone, then at me.
"Forgot about the time difference again I see?" He chirped cheerily. It took all that I had in me not to chuck the phone at his head but I managed to control myself. Barely. "Anyways, even though it's like seven a.m. and perfectly reasonable to be awake, I am going to bed." He said this as he dramatically collapsed onto the mattress. The bed groaned under his weight.
"Careful! You might break it!" He threw his towel at me and pulled the blanket over himself as I caught it. "I'm going to go take a shower," I said, tilting my head as I studied him to see if he was even awake.
"Go to bed once you're done," He murmured. "Time will go faster..." I sighed and agreed to go to bed so he wouldn't try to argue with me. I kept my shower short and when I got out Ty was already fast asleep. I carefully slipped under the covers next to him, trying to not wake him up. After all, both of us had been getting little to no sleep the past few weeks and now we had to wait for more information anyways, so it was the perfect time to rest.
Despite my efforts to not disturb him, he still rolled over and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. "Love you." He mumbled into my hair. I'm not sure if I was able to answer before I slipped into blessed darkness.
.