Satyr Play 02 Pt. 01

Ikehorn contacted their teammate guarding the back door. "Heathlane."

"Yes?"

"We have two unknown men infiltrating the house from the front and one waiting in their vehicle. Any activity in the back?"

"All quiet."

Ikehorn moved to the back door of the van as Deslin checked his gun and spare clips. "I prefer using magic," the Fae grumbled, and Ikehorn scowled at him as he touched his mic.

"Heathlane, watch the back door. Don't let them get by you."

"Right."

Ikehorn looked to Deslin who nodded his readiness. The mission leader picked up a small puck-like disk. "I'm going to put a stunner on their truck. That should take care of the driver but if not, be ready."

Activating his glamor, he chose the plumber disguise to match their van. Deslin did the same then they exited the back door.

The driver of the waiting SUV saw two older gentlemen walking up the sidewalk carrying tool boxes. He watched them for a bit, but they seemed harmless.

As they reached the side of the SUV, Ikehorn activated the stunner's magnet and tossed it against the driver's door. The waiting driver had his hand on the window's edge and took the shock through his body as the SUV stalled. He slumped forward. Ikehorn trotted up the stairs to the front door as Deslin kept an eye on the unconscious brute behind the wheel. Then he joined Ikehorn at the top. They peeked in the door's window, but the coast appeared clear.

They shared a look then slipped inside, dropping their glamors. There was no need to hide their identities inside.

-=-

"Shit! Roy's not going to join us. He's sending some of his people instead. He's dealing with a potential sleeper agent in his team who knows about Henry," Sigrid said as she read the text.

Camila frowned, but she understood that Roy needed to deal with that issue first. She wished she'd had time to recharge from Henry. But he was healing so...

Her frown deepened as she realized just how much she'd come to rely on his energy. Never before in her life had one source of food taken on this much significance! Sigrid had questioned her before about her appetite for Henry. Maybe she was right. Maybe she was addicted to his energy. She'd have to hit a nightclub to ensure Human sources still worked for her. That was a worrying thought.

"It'll be ok. I didn't use too much energy last night," Sigrid said, misinterpreting her friend's expression.

Camila forced the frown from her face and smiled at Sigrid.

They rode on in silence until they arrived at the small apartment building.

Sigrid came out of her daze with a guilty smile. "So, what's the plan? How do we explain chasing Nate over here?"

Camila smiled. "The truth, or a piece of it. One of the two people reported having been after Nate is on the loose and we heard he was upset when he left the office. We'll offer them both a safe place to be until they find Chantelle."

Sigrid's eyebrows went up. "Where is this safe place?"

Camila shrugged. "With us to begin. That's what I was hoping Roy would be able to offer."

"Do we wait for the security team?" Sigrid asked.

Camila shook her head. "No. Let's go."

As they walked towards the front door, Sigrid scanned the rooftops and alleys for signs of attack.

Camila knew her friend was vigilant, so she concentrated on what she was going to say to convince the Human to leave her home without raising any questions.

She hoped she was in a reasonable mood.

-=-

"Where the hell were you?!?" Jo yelled at Nate.

He stood helplessly in front of his friend, worried about her current state of mind. She wasn't acting like herself at all, and he was terrified she'd been harmed. Physically, she showed no signs of injury, aside from slightly puffy eyes from crying. No bruises or abrasions on her petite, curvy body. It was the absence of her usual sunny disposition that was worrisome. He understood she'd been frightened, but his assurances and apologies seemed to be falling on deaf ears. Again, not like her.

Everything he'd heard about this council made him suspect they'd hurt his friend mentally. There was also the possibility that the one who 'collected her' hurt her. He was trying to get Jo to tell him what happened to her the previous night but all she wanted was information on him.

"I told you. I met this girl at a club, and she said she had a lead on a job so I went to speak with them but then I heard about Oletha so I-"

"You couldn't call?" she blurted angrily.

He blinked at her interruption. "I- I told you, I lost my cell. I was trying to make a good impress-"

There was a firm knock on the door, and Nate caught Jo's twitch and the slightly haunted look in her eyes. He went to the door. "Who is it?"

"Camila Villamor and Sigrid Gunderan."

Nate opened the door to stare in surprise at the two women standing in the hall. Sigrid was scanning both ends of the hall with her eyes. The hair on the back of his neck stood up to see her on guard in a place he thought of as a haven.

"What- what are you doing here?" he asked.

"May we come in?" Camila asked.

He nodded then stepped back turning to look at Jo who was staring wide-eyed at the two beautiful women entering her apartment. She immediately wiped at her eyes and tried to neaten her hair.

Nate locked the door and made the introductions. "Jo, these are the women who have a lead on the job for me, Camila Villamor and Sigrid Gunderan." She nodded with a jerky movement.

"Why are they here?" Jo asked nervously, her eyes flickering back to Nate.

Sigrid gave the petite woman a gentle smile and spoke before Camila could. "Our apologies for intruding. Nate made a great impression with us during the interview. When we heard about his troubles with this artist Oletha, we wanted to help. It's our understanding Oletha's partner is still at large-"

"CHANTELLE!" Jo blurted loudly, and her eyes rolled back as she began to fall.

Camila blurred across the distance to catch her and gently eased her down on the couch. She scented the woman's breath. "Someone drugged her, more than one substance." She gently touched her temples and closed her eyes. A frown crossed her lips. "Someone also pushed a suppression compulsion on her mind. Not too gently."

Nate snarled, but his anger swung to dread. "Did they damage her?"

Camila smiled and shook her head. "No, I can fix this. The drugs will have to work their way through her system. They will completely flush in a day or two." She closed her eyes again and began to ease the compulsion from the woman's mind.

"This Chantelle terrified her in some way," Sigrid said.

"She's still alive?" Nate asked.

Sigrid held his eyes and spoke quietly. "There is a good chance of that. A good deal of Henry's blood was on her mouth. You understand how Siobhan changed when you and she were together? Chantelle may have experienced a larger change. Or she might have drowned, but we have reason to believe that didn't happen.

Nate looked anxiously back to Jo. "So, why are you two here?"

"We'd like to move the two of you to a more secure location," she answered.

Nate's eyes widened. "Which is?"

"With us, until we can get an answer from Roy, who's dealing with some fallout from last night," Sigrid concluded.

"I'm going to bring her back to the surface. It was safer for me to remove the blockage and dull the intensity of the memories so they'll feel hazy and like a bad dream. I don't want to do more until I hear from her what she recalls from before being drugged. I can blank the memories if her mind can't find a rationalization to help her accept them but I'd rather not, as a gap often causes obsessive reactions," Camila explained.

Nate looked at her with surprise. "Am I going to be able to do that?"

Camila smirked. "Incubi talents are more... coercive." She stood and gestured for Nate to take her spot. "She'll need the familiar when she wakes."

He sat on the couch with Jo's head on his lap while Camila rejoined Sigrid. "Stroke her hair. That will bring her back to awareness," she said.

He ran his fingers through her hair, and she began to stir. Nate smiled as one slowly appeared on his friend's lips.

"Mmmm... Bev?"

Nate's smile faded as he heard her sigh the name. Bev. The woman Jo should have married and grown old with. Instead, Jo pushed her aside to follow Nate's pattern of one night stands.

It was like a sudden slap in the face. It was clear to him now. He may not have warped Jo's personality with a physical relationship, but he could no longer deny the truth of how he'd poisoned his best friend's attitude towards relationships because he needed her. For purely selfish reasons. He'd watched her throw away the one thing he now knew he would never have. He wondered if it was too late.

"Nate? What- what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Jo asked as she looked up at him.

He just shook his head and wiped his eyes as he couldn't begin to express his remorse for what he'd done to her. He would make it up to her somehow.

Jo sat up and jolted when she saw the two women standing before them. Then the memories slipped back to the surface. "What happened? Did I faint?"

"It's ok. It happens. You've been through a shock? Can you recall what happened to you last night?" Camila asked, prompting her to think back.

Jo frowned. "I got home last night. Someone was waiting on the stairs. Chantelle! The hot model from the art gallery last year! I- she-" A deeper frown appeared. "She grabbed my arm. It hurt! Then she-" Her hand went to the side of her neck. "She stuck a needle in me!" She looked around her apartment. "I- woke up on the couch. The TV was on, and the news was showing the story of that artist and how she was dead on a yacht."

Sigrid stepped forward and knelt before Jo and held her eyes with compassion showing in hers. "As Chantelle hasn't shown up on the police's radar yet, we'd like to put you up in a safer place. You should pack clothes for a few days in a suitcase. Your toiletry items too," Sigrid suggested as she glanced at the late afternoon rays of sunlight coming in the windows. They needed to get moving. She also wanted to get back to Henry.

Jo looked at Nate, and he nodded to her. She carefully got to her feet and made her way into her bedroom to pack.

Nate stood to do the same in his bedroom but paused when Camila touched his hand.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"We'll talk later," he said and moved to the bedroom.

Camila watched him go with a sad little frown. She looked to Sigrid who was standing at the window. She saw her friend wave to someone outside and give a thumbs up.

Sigrid looked to her. "The security team is here." She pulled her cell out to quickly check in with Meixiu to see how Henry was doing. She hit send and watched the screen with a smile. Meixiu got such a thrill from receiving them and always responded instantly- except this time. Her smile dimmed. The second text failed to get a response, so she tried calling her cell. No answer. Odd. Very odd.

She called her home number, and no one answered. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up. "Something's wrong at home." Camila gave her a questioning look. "Meixiu isn't answering texts or the phones. That doesn't happen."

Camila took out her cell and pulled up Roy's number. Henry's immediate safety took precedence over chasing down a leak in his department.

She stared at Sigrid as a sudden thought struck. What if- what if Roy's leak was involved with what was happening at Sigrid's? "Get that security team up here. They can take Nate and Jo to the Four Seasons in Manhattan. I'll book them adjoining rooms, and our security team can watch over them there. We need to get back to your place now!" Sigrid nodded and left the apartment.

"Nate!" Camila called out.

He stepped out of his bedroom immediately. "What? What's happened?"

Camila shook her head as Jo poked her head out of the door to her room. "Nothing. Sigrid is bringing the security team upstairs. She and I have to go. The team will take you two to the Four Seasons in Manhattan. I'll book you rooms there until the police settle the issue with Chantelle."

He blinked at her in surprise. "Oh! Ok." He traded a glance with Jo who was staring at him as if he'd just announced being the winner of the Power Ball Lottery. "Ok with you?"

"Yes!" she blurted.

Camila nodded and went to the door when she heard a knock. "Who's there?"

"Sigrid."

She opened the door and entered with one of the security team. The other two were in the hallway keeping watch.

Sigrid made the introductions. "Nate, Jo, this is Allan. He and his friends in the hall will take you to the hotel." They nodded to the large man.

Camila stepped forward. "My apologies for not taking you there ourselves but feel free to order room service and enjoy the amenities the hotel has to offer."

With a final nod, Camila and Sigrid headed out. Camila immediately called the hotel and booked two adjoining rooms on VRL's account. They rushed across the yard and jumped into the back of their waiting SUV. They pulled away from the curb.

A dark blue van pulled out and followed, unseen.

In the tailing vehicle, Chantelle smiled. She knew if she staked out the little blond bitch's apartment the Incubus would show up. She'd planned on making him name the bitches responsible for Oletha's death. She hadn't expected them to show up too! When the Succubus and the Valkyrie rushed out of the building, she had a choice. Stay and deal with the three Werewolves before killing the Incubus or follow the departing SUV and see where it took her. Maybe she could get the brute who changed her too.

Not that she minded her new Were-form. It was significantly stronger and much deadlier.

No, the problem was, in the change she'd lost her glamor. She'd had to resort to physically changing to her Human-form. That was something glamors made redundant for Were-beings. Physically transitioning between the two forms was excruciatingly painful! She hadn't had to do it since she was a child during her emergency training drills. God, she'd hated those!

Worse, switching from Human to Were required an immediate meal to compensate for the energies lost in the transition.

She heard whimpering from the back of the van and looked over her shoulder at the van's owner, bound and gagged.

Her meal for when she became a Werepanther again.

Soon.

Chapter 22

Roy was struggling to contain his frustration. He and Rick had arrived to find Billy's house surrounded by police cars. That didn't bode well for them being able to have a quiet talk with the man.

The quiet neighborhood had drawn a crowd of gawkers. As he walked closer to the police line, Roy overheard a few residents complaining that this is what happens when a house is rented out instead of lived in by the owner. He figured Billy had been renting as owning one of these small homes was probably beyond his means- unless he was also collecting a paycheck from someone else.

They spoke to one of the officers at the police tape and were guided over to speak to a detective. The large man in a dark blue suit turned to look at them with a frown. The expression froze when he saw it was Roy.

"Good afternoon, Detective Harmon. It's been a while," Roy said watching the man's left eye tick. He'd lost weight, but it didn't look good on him. In general, he wasn't looking too healthy. Roy picked up the scent of alcohol, rum maybe. Another bad sign for another victim of the witch's manipulation. He knew Camila had tried her best to limit the damage, but the shocks must have gone too deep into his mind.

"What- how are you involved in this?" Harmon struggled to say calmly.

"Billy Cooper worked for me at VRL. He quit this morning, but I never had a chance to make an exit interview. We came to speak to him."

Harmon swallowed and looked away. "Well, you're out of luck. He won't be giving any more interviews."

Roy frowned. "He's dead?"

Harmon looked Roy in the eye, then as quickly looked away. "Happens when you're strung up like he was."

"He hung himself? I wouldn't have taken him for the type to commit suicide," Roy said softly.

The detective looked at Roy sharply. "It's a fucking mess in there. That was NO suicide!"

"Easy detective," Roy said gently.

"NO! DON'T! YOU... PEOPLE... AT VRL, DON'T-"

"HARMON! What the FUCK!"

They turned to see an older detective storming up to them, red-faced.

"Get back to the station! I knew it was a mistake taking you back out into the field," the gruff man scolded then looked to Roy as Harmon walked stiffly back to his car. Roy saw Harmon's hands tremble and felt sorry for him.

"Who the hell are you?" the detective asked.

"Roy Duncan. Billy worked for me as in-house security at VRL Investments. Until this morning, when he quit," he said quietly

"You're here now because?" the old man growled as he scribbled in his pad.

"Billy never gave an exit interview."

The detective snorted. "Listen, if we have any questions we'll come find you. For now, the investigation is ongoing, and this is an active crime scene. Get behind the police tape."

Roy nodded and led Rick back to the tape and they ducked under it. Roy sighed and looked to the other man. "You live nearby, don't you?"

That drew a smile from Rick as his boss had remembered. "Just a few blocks west of here."

Roy nodded. "Why don't you head home. Take the rest of the day off. Don't worry. I won't tell the boss."

Rick grinned. "Thanks!" He turned and walked away before Roy changed his mind.

An older woman approached and plucked at Roy's sleeve. He turned to look at her. He immediately picked up the scent of tea, shortbread cookies, and a cat- maybe more than one. She was maybe in her early seventies and dressed like a suburban grand-mom.

"Dearie, did that man say it was suicide?" she asked and his ears picked up the subtle Scottish accent. He smiled as he shook his head. She took this as permission to ramble on. "Well, there was a suicide not a week ago just three doors down! A police officer shot himself in front of his wife! The Carstens. Such a nice couple! She's a policewoman! I heard some officers saying Jeff confronted Mary and her lover. The officers who came to investigate all thought it was murder, but there's no way Mary would do such a thing. You can tell about people! You can see in their eyes if they're capable of such evil-"

"Did you know the young fella who lived here?" Roy jumped in, and she smiled at his accent as well.

"I only saw him come and go. The two who visited him today were frightening. They looked the type to have murder in their hearts," the woman said.

"Tell me more!" Roy said with a smile. He needed to ensure the woman didn't offer this information to the detective. If he could distract her long enough, then the shitty detective would be on his way.

The woman's eyes twinkled in delight. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"That sounds delightful! Lead on," he said with a smile.

The woman paused. "Do you like cats?"

"I love them... but, they never seem too fond of me," he gave her an unhappy look, and she patted his arm to comfort him.

"Cats are most mysterious creatures. Their whims are not for the likes of us to discern," the woman said with a smile as she led him across the street to the house two doors over.

Mary Carsten watched them leave from where she'd stood, resting back comfortably against a tree. Helen was such a busybody but otherwise, a sweet old woman.

When the detective had identified the big man was from VRL, she started paying attention. She'd learned Henry Gable also worked at VRL. They'd gotten him out of jail the night she of her suspension. She saw the paperwork before she left.

Now here they were in her neighborhood once more.