Sharkbait Down Under Ch. 31-40

Fuck. I reached behind me, pulling out the Glock I'd taken earlier. I placed it on the table. "The Coven gave us these, but as tourists in possession of firearms, it's leverage for them too. One phone call to the police, or one checkpoint with a search, and we're spending twenty years in a Mexican prison."

Steven nodded. "They won't do anything against vampires anyway. Take the bag and hide it for now," he said. "The rest of you? Get some sleep. I'll have breakfast delivered here at eight, and we'll go over our plans for the day."

I stood up and grabbed a napkin, wiping my prints from the gun before holding it inside the folds. Walking over to the bag of guns in the corner of the room, I returned mine. The bag was heavy, but I pretended it wasn't as I left the room. I walked down the stairs to the garden area; the pool was empty at this time of night, and the only people were in the bars. Walking through the landscaped garden area, I noticed that most of the plants were in removable containers buried in the mulch. Walking through the area looking for a place hidden from any surveillance cameras, I picked my spot. Lifting out a thirty-inch diameter flowerpot, I used my hands to dig a hole in the sand underneath and buried the bag before putting the pot back. The flowerpot stuck out a little higher, but not noticeably so. I pushed the mulch around it and walked off, finding a towel by the pool to wipe off my hands before going back inside.

Sleep didn't come easy, but it finally came.

Ch. 33

Vicki Lawrence's POV

The van ride sucked; my body ached from being stuffed into the cage, but I dare not shift enough to contact the silver lining the top. Hard bumps in the road would jolt us, and we would touch the silver anyway. We bit back the screams. Our guards promised to sedate us if we didn't keep quiet, and we'd rather be awake for this.

I could hear a small plane taking off as we drove along a paved road and knew we were at an airport. The sound changed, along with the sound of an electric motor moving the door. "We're in a hangar," I whispered. The van came to a stop, and ten minutes later, the back doors opened.

I blinked a few times as I adjusted to the light. We were in a private airfield hangar, near where a twin-turboprop aircraft sat. It was the size of a small commuter aircraft, capable of moving a dozen people around while landing at smaller airfields. "Can you fly that," Amy whispered?

"I'll fly a jumbo jet if it gets us out of here," I whispered back. "I need a chance." With silver collars on our necks and multiple vampires around, that chance wasn't coming easily. Vampires were a challenge for experienced werewolf warriors; their speed, fangs, and venom-carrying claws made one-one-one a losing fight for us. We would need at least three-on-one to have a chance, and right now, it was six-on-four IF we could get free.

One of our guards came forward, pulling Noelani's cage forward. "We're going to let you go to the bathroom one at a time, and then we'll get you loaded on the plane. If you resist in any way, we'll stuff you in the cage and put you underneath with the cargo. Hopefully, you won't freeze to death before we get to Mexico City."

"We will cooperate," I told him. Now wasn't the time to fight.

The guard set Noelani's cage onto the concrete floor, and a guard unlocked the silver-coated padlock. She stood up and stepped out, moving stiffly. Another guard fixed shackles around her legs and cuffed her hands in front of her. They shuffled her to a bathroom, and she came out wearing an orange prisoner jumpsuit. The guard escorted her up the stairs to the plane as her twin went to the bathroom. I was the last one to go; when I got on board, the other five were in place on the seats. The guard pushed me into an open seat next to Amy before connecting a chain to both sets of shackles. The chain went to an eye bolt under the seat, attached to the airframe; I wasn't going anywhere.

The vampire pilot climbed up and closed the hatch, leaving only the two guards in the cabin with us. The better odds didn't matter, as we were held securely and silvered to prevent shifting. I looked out the small window as we pulled out of the hangar and onto the runway. The sign said, "Aeroclub Baca." Based on the sun and the open ocean to our north, we were on the Yucatan Peninsula's northern edge.

As we lifted off the runway, I felt our best chance at freedom slipping away. The vampires had left us no good options, and the police didn't stop us at the airport. Mexico City was a big city, with a Master Vampire over it and the entire region. They could hide us anywhere and keep us as long as we were useful to them. The guards ignored us, so we quietly talked as we flew west towards our prison. Noelani turned around in her seat. "Why does the Vampire Master want us?"

I looked at her. "Virgin Beta daughters." I looked up at where Carla and Fiona sat. "Warriors." To my right to Amy. "Beta." Then to myself. "Mantled Alpha. What did Master Alexander want? Werewolf blood," I said. "Drinking our blood makes them more powerful. Master Emily and Master Pontalba each wanted my blood to fend off challengers."

Amy thought about it for a moment. "Why all of us? Why not just you, since your blood is the strongest?"

It was a good question. "Remember what the vampire said when they took us from the hideout?"

"He talked about Master Emily being weak because she used you to kill Master Alexander and called Master Cyprian old and senile."

I nodded. "If the minions think that way, the Master does too. What do Emily and Cyprian have in common?"

She thought for a minute. "Emily used your blood to fend off challenges, and Cyprian allowed it."

"Exactly. Think about it from an outside perspective. For over a century, holding and harvesting of werewolf blood has been against the law. The Vampire-Werewolf Treaty makes it a capital offense to capture and hold us. Yet, here we are, captured and held. Why?"

Makani came up with the answer first. "The Master doesn't respect the authority of the Supreme Vampire anymore; once he started allowing the use of werewolf blood in challenges, the rules changed. If Emily gets to use werewolf blood, why can't he?"

She was close. "That would explain taking me, as I supplied the blood to both Emily and Cyprian. One could almost make a case that I am a voluntary source now. With my blood, he's stronger than Master Cyprian while keeping the Supreme Vampire away from a willing supplier. It doesn't explain taking six of us, though."

No one spoke for a few minutes until Amy's head came up. "The Master Vampire in Mexico City isn't planning to challenge Master Pontalba for his spot. He's building an army to take it by force."

"And he's going to harvest our blood to make that army invulnerable," I agreed. The thought of being used in a plot to overthrow my friends made my stomach roll. I fought back my nausea, but it was a losing battle. "I need a barf bag," I announced loudly. I could see one in the seatback in front of me, but with my hands shackled, I couldn't reach it.

"Help her. I don't want to smell vomit the rest of the trip," one of the guards said. The other got up from his seat, opening the bag just in time to catch the first wave. There wasn't a lot to come out since we hadn't eaten since yesterday, but my body tried anyway. When I finished dry heaving, he opened a water bottle for me. I rinsed my mouth and spat it back into the bag, thanking him as he rolled the bag closed and put it in the trash container.

"Are you all right?" Amy looked concerned as I leaned back and closed my eyes.

"This isn't my first kidnapping. I think my body is reacting to the idea of being locked up again." I was quiet for a bit, letting my stomach settle again. "What do you think is happening out there?"

"Our families are going nuts," I said.

"I almost feel sorry for the Master Vampire. The whole world is going to line up against him," Amy said as she looked out the window.

I wasn't so sure. "The Vampires stayed alive by staying in the background, plotting, and planning. The Vampire Master wouldn't take us unless he knew he could get away with it. That meant he was casting the blame on someone else. It could be Supreme Vampire Cyprian, or it could be the Council."

"The negotiations when the vampires arrived made it look like slave trading," Amy said. "Blaming it on humans is the safest play."

"I just hope our families see through it to figure out who took us, or we're dead," Makani said.

"As long as they can harvest our blood, we have value to them," I replied. "Don't do anything stupid to get yourself killed. We have to survive until our rescue." I had to believe a rescue was coming, for my sanity and to hold my Pack together. Without hope, we were no more than a blood bank.

To pass the time, I started talking about our last Cenote dive. Quiet discussions about the dive and the shots we could use for our show took our minds off our predicament, and I was glad the guards were ignoring us. When we descended for landing, I felt better about things.

We landed at Aeropuerto de Atizapán, which was on the northwest side of the Mexico City area from what I could see out the window. We taxied to a spot far from the buildings, and I smiled as I saw a Mexican Police cruiser approach along with a gray unmarked van.

I should have known better. Two officers got out and took up positions on either side of the ramp, as the guards inside the plane put on prison guard hats and windbreakers. One at a time, guards walked us off the plane and locked our shackles to welded steel rings in the prisoner transport van. To anyone looking, it was a prisoner transfer. No one got close enough to figure out the car was a fake, and the guards were all vampires.

Before we left, the guards put black hoods over our heads. Our sight was gone and our noses didn't help, as the smell of the city was overwhelming. Mexico City's pollution, overcrowding, and thin air made it uncomfortable for us. It was colder than I expected. "We've got to be over a mile up," Amy said as she focused on her breathing.

"Probably closer to eight thousand feet," I said. "We'll get used to it." We drove for over an hour through the city until the van stopped and turned off. When the doors opened, guards took us across a large interior space and down a stairway. When the hood came off, I was standing in a musty-smelling room with no doors or windows, hewn out of solid stone. A set of bars filled the opening, and I could sense the silver coating on them.

"Welcome home," the vampire guard said as he took my shackles off. The others were already free, lined up by the bunk beds, as guards with cattle prods watched them. "Rules are simple. Do what you are told, without hesitation, and keep the cell clean. If you resist or attempt to escape, punishment will swiftly follow. Your meal will be here soon, so make your beds and settle in." He walked away, and I could hear a gate slide shut, then a deadbolt on the door at the top of the stairway.

"Well, this is cozy," I said as I looked around. There were bunks along the back wall in two stacks of three, each with sheets and blanket folded up by the pillow. To the right, behind dividers, were the toilet, sink, and shower. The partitions were only shoulder-height, and the front was open to the cameras I could see in the top corners of the cell and outside. On the other side of the door was a small picnic-type table with two benches bolted to the floor.

"It's like camp," Amy said with a smile.

"We better make our beds before they get back," I said. "I have a feeling things could be a lot worse."

Ch. 34

Alpha Leo's POV

I was getting tired of airplanes.

After the LONG flight from Australia to Los Angeles, I sent Joseph and Nicholas on to Cancun to be closer to their missing mates. While waiting for my flight to Jamaica, I called up with my mate from a small office in the first-class lounge. None of the news was good; the girls were gone, and we didn't know where they were or who took them. We couldn't talk openly, but I understood that our earlier information on Lawrence Fenwick might not be right. The kidnappers might be working with Lawrence, or they were setting him up to take the fall.

Either way, I'd be there in six hours to look my friend in the eye and find out.

I called Tom and Janelle Cartwright before I boarded my flight. The couple worked for Volkov Construction, Tom as a finish carpenter and Janelle as a kitchen and bath designer. In the Pack, he was a warrior, while she was our best tracker. Adrienne had diverted them to Jamaica as soon as Lawrence's name had come up. As a young couple, they fit right in with the other tourists, and Janelle meant they could stay far away and not lose them. "How are our friends doing?"

Tom laughed. "I think he should hire a jet to fly home; it would be cheaper than paying all the extra luggage fees going commercial. He's finding cafes and bars near wherever his wife is shopping and reading a book while he waits. I swear that Lawrence is more pack mule than predator now."

"No indication he's made you?"

"None. We've been careful to stay downwind and cover our scent. I'm in a car two blocks away right now."

"No change to your orders. I'll be there in six hours, and one of you can pick me up at the airport." I gave him my flight information, then hung up.

I slept through most of my flight, waking when the plane landed. I felt a Pack member pushing into my mind. "Alpha? Did you see your phone messages?"

It was Janelle; she must be the one waiting for me. "No, I just woke up. What's going on?" I powered up my phone while I waited for an answer.

"Mr. Fenwick is dead," she answered.

"WHAT? How?"

"Lawrence was sitting at an outdoor table, drinking coffee at a café, when a car drove by and unloaded on him with an automatic weapon. He hit multiple times, one of them in the head. He never had a chance." I could tell by her send that she was shaken up by it. "There was nothing we could do, boss. We were too far away, and then the people panicked, and Tom couldn't get there with the car."

Shit. "Any leads on who was responsible?"

"Nothing certain. The shooter had training; this wasn't some gangster spraying and praying. The killer kept the rounds on target. He also deployed a tear gas grenade that cleared the area and prevented us from getting a scent or following the car. Jamaican police found it a few miles away, burning on the side of the road."

I thought about it as I walked off the plane and down the jetway towards Immigration. "What about his mate? Is she all right?"

"Tom followed her to the police station; she is still there. My mate is thinking about breaking into their hotel room while she is busy with the detectives. He could see if there is any evidence of a plot before the police think of searching it."

"No, don't do that; she will know if another wolf has been in their room. Tell Tom to keep an eye on her, and I'll handle it another way." We talked about what they had seen of Lawrence while I waited in line at Customs. He behaved like a retired man on vacation with his wife. "We saw no suspicious behavior from either of them," Janelle said.

"That doesn't mean that Lawrence is innocent in all this, Janelle. You weren't watching him the day the girls disappeared. It's easy enough to fly from here to Cancun and back in a day, especially with your mate covering for you."

"Do you believe it, Boss? I've met him, and I don't."

I let out a breath as I handed my passport over to the agent. "I pray to Luna he's innocent. Lawrence was my friend, and I don't want to find out that he betrayed us all."

A few minutes later, I was in the passenger seat of the rental car as Janelle drove us to the hotel. I checked in and hung my clothes up in my room when I got a send from Tom that they were on the way. I'd been thinking about the best way to proceed, and after running it past Adrienne, I made the call. "Stan, it's Leo Volkov. I just heard about what happened with Lawrence; I'm as shocked as you must be."

The Alpha of the White Mountain Pack sounded like he'd had a rough day. "It makes no sense at all, Leo. Lawrence was a retired lawyer; who would want him dead?"

"I don't know, Stan. So much is happening these days."

"Oh, shit! Leo, I'm sorry. You must be going nuts with your niece and her friends getting kidnapped."

No shit. "That's part of why I called you, Stan. Adrienne asked me to talk to Lawrence in person; you know he met with Vicki a few days ago, at the request of the Council."

"Yes, the Chairman wanted some documents delivered and asked me if I thought Lawrence would mind a free vacation. Naturally, I agreed, since he's known Sharkbait for a long time." There was a pause. "You don't think..."

"I don't know what to think, but I have to follow up. I just landed in Jamaica, and I'd like your permission to talk to Mary. I can help her settle affairs here and get her on a plane for back home."

"I would appreciate that. It isn't good for the newly widowed to be alone." All Alphas knew how unstable a wolf could get after losing its mate; suicides often followed, and no one could afford a feral wolf roaming around Jamaica.

"I'll bring Mary home," I promised. "I can't do anything except wait for news out of Cancun, and Adrienne is handling that. I owe it to Lawrence to keep his mate safe after all he did for me." We talked for a few more minutes before I hung up when Tom said they were pulling in.

I was waiting when Mary walked in, escorted by a police officer. "LEO," she said as she saw me. She fell to her knees, and I rushed to her side and pulled her head to my chest as she broke down crying.

"I've got this," I told the policeman, who was now joined by two detectives and more uniforms.

"We have a warrant to search her room," the lead detective said as I helped Mary to her feet.

"I can't go up there," Mary cried into my chest.

"I'll take care of everything, Mary. Give me your room key." I called Janelle over and asked her to take Mary to my room and stay with her.

I went with the police to their room. "Lawrence and Mary are old friends, and I flew in to meet with them today," I said in response to their questions. "I want to see his killer caught, but I also have to make sure Mary gets the support she needs until she can get Lawrence home."

The search didn't take very long, and the detectives took photographs of the papers in Lawrence's messenger bag instead of confiscating them. When they were gone, I switched places with Janelle. Mary couldn't bear to look at Lawrence's things or smell his scent, so I asked Janelle to pack their bags. I agreed to swap rooms, and Janelle stayed with her while she slept in my room.

It took two days to clear the paperwork to get his body released to us after the autopsy. Authorities had no leads on the killers. The baggage handlers loaded Lawrence's body into the aircraft as Mary broke down again. I sat with her in our first-class seats on the flight to Boston.

I'd gotten no answers from Lawrence, but I did get copies of what he left with Vicki that day. Even his death answered nothing; the kidnappers could be ridding themselves of a loose end, or killing him would make the false narrative more convincing. My next move was to confront Chairman Carver, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

If I had to burn down the werewolf world to get my Sharkbait back, I was ready to light the match.

Ch. 35

Vicki Lawrence's POV

It didn't take long to confirm that they were after our blood. We got our first meal delivered by a young vampire female; chicken enchiladas, refried beans, and rice. It tasted great, and I was famished. "Aren't you worried they drugged the food," Noelani asked as she looked at her plate while I vacuumed my food down.