Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Hard Thing

Nera

The delicious sting to my ass lingered as I showered the next morning. That had been unexpected slap, and I couldn't help but smile. I'd lost so much weight being held by the bastards, but I still had some meat on my butt at least. Enough for him to slap I guessed, which was good. It was weird how much I liked it. It felt personal and possessive at the same time.

I quickly dressed in the last set of clean clothes I had from that duffel bag and made a mental note to ask where the laundry facilities were or if I needed to find a laundromat in town. I still had some of the tees and shorts from the tourist shop but those were more like hang-around-the-house type clothes—not that I did much else. I could probably convince him to buy some more today.

I could get used to being spoiled like that. I didn't want to know how Psycho and his cronies made their money, but something told me it wasn't legal, but I wasn't going to ask.

After I was as ready as I'd be, I went to the infirmary.

"How's our patient?" I asked Charlie, who sat by his bed reading a paperback novel.

She sighed and set the book down. "He's the same. Hasn't even so much as stirred."

I checked his IV port to see it looked good, and the IV bag was half full. I quickly checked his vitals and was happy to hear his pulse seemed quicker. I laid my head on his chest to listen to his heart, and it pounded very slowly. Then, I tested his reflexes but they weren't responding. I peeked under the blanket to see someone had set a shallow bowl between his legs, and a good amount of urine pooled there. I looked around the room to see there was an adjoining bathroom so I quickly emptied the bowl and then replaced it.

Charlie said, "Thanks for doing that. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to, or what."

"Just empty it when it gets about half full. We don't want him startling awake and spilling it. A catheter would be easier, but of course we'll make do."

"I understand," she said. "Thanks again."

"Text Psycho if anything changes. I'll be with him today, we're going into town."

"I will," Charlie replied.

I made my way outside the clubhouse and didn't have to wait long because Psycho and a few other guys pulled up in the SUV. Menace was driving and told me to hop in.

That guy was nice enough but wow did he make you want to look away. I would never get up the nerve to ask him how he got that scar on his face and if his dual-colored eyes was something he was born with. The rest of him was just fine. He was nicely built and tall, had nice teeth and lips, and cared about his hair.

"Where to, boss?" he asked as I piled into the backseat with Chaos and Wizard.

They nodded their hellos to me.

"What phone plan do you have?" Psycho asked me, turning around from the front seat and piercing me with his chocolate brown eyes.

"You can just get me a pay-as-you-go phone," I said. "Seriously, I don't need a new plan or anything. I was joking about the bells and whistles. I'll just get something when I get back home."

"Verizon? T-Mobile? What?"

Stubborn ass. "Verizon." I sighed.

He looked at Menace. "Verizon store."

"And after that, a Target or something. I need some more clothes and some personal products, please," I said.

"You got it," Menace said.

It was easier than I thought to get my phone replaced, and now I had a brand-new iPhone—yes, with all the bells and whistles. I logged into the cloud and cringed at all the notifications I had. It almost gave me an anxiety attack so I slipped it into my pocket and decided I'd deal with it all later. At least my Apple Pay account was full of funds I could use to pay for stuff since I still didn't have a bank card, or a damn driver's license for that matter.

We pulled into Target where I bought a small purse, a few changes of clothes, some makeup, toiletries, and feminine hygiene products. I never realized how much I used this stuff until I didn't have it. My periods during the time the bastards had me had been hell. Using TP to catch everything because they refused to give us basic needs and being so scared the vamps could smell it… I shuddered, trying not to think about it.

As soon as I saw Menace take the I-10 West toward Biloxi, I got nervous. I just wanted to put that whole thing behind me and forget it ever happened, but that was irresponsible of me. I was a strong witch and had always been, so it was my duty to help these wolves—who didn't have to do this at all—catch these bastards and end them. I had seen my fair share of violence in my life being a supe, so if the Bayou Wolves chopped off heads and burned them in the sun, I was equipped to handle it. In fact, I looked forward to it.

But to get there, I had to do the hard thing.

Except the closer we crept toward the city, the more anxious I got. My heart raced and I discreetly took my pulse to see my resting heartrate was pushing 90. That was not good. I took some deep breaths and closed my eyes, willing myself to calm down. These guys were going to take care of it. They wouldn't put me in harm's way. Still, I fought back tears at how trauma-inducing this was. I opened my eyes and stared at the massive men surrounding me.

I'll be okay.

But they had put Charlie in harm's way, hadn't they? And she was just a mere human, hardly able to defend herself. Though I hadn't been with these guys very long, I felt like I knew them. Or perhaps I just knew their type. I'd be the first to admit that they were nothing like a motorcycle gang I'd envisioned in my head. And they weren't the disgusting, violent werewolves I'd been born and bred to hate.

Calm down, Nera, I told myself.

"Do you remember how far it was to the bus station from the house?" Psycho asked when Menace pulled off the first exit, which was a residential street.

I tried to think. I didn't remember walking too far before I hitchhiked, but it wasn't just around the corner either. "A few minutes, maybe? It wasn't hours or anything."

"Street names?" Menace asked, looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"Even just part of a street name would help," Wizard said, holding his trusty electronic tablet.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember. I turn left when I get out of the house, seeing that to the right is a cul-de-sac with no exit.

"The street's on a cul-de-sac," I said, opening my eyes.

I look back at the house to make sure nobody had followed me.

"The house is yellow with a red door. Or it might be brown," I finished.

"That's good. Keep trying to remember," Wizard said.

Menace pulled the Escalade into the mostly empty lot of a strip mall that had a dollar store and a check cashing place.

I closed my eyes again. I'm reaching the end of the street. Should I go right or left? I look right and see a long road. I look left and see commercial buildings. I head toward the commercial buildings. Behind those is a big field of weeds. I run through them and reach the front of the commercial buildings. I whirl around to see a main road. I have no idea where I'm going but this looks like a busy street, perhaps a main thoroughfare through the city. I look back at the commercial buildings. Popeyes chicken. Red beans and rice sounds so good but I have to get out of here.

"Popeyes," I said, opening my eyes.

"You're hungry?" Psycho asked.

"Yes, but no, that's a landmark I recognize."

"On it," Wizard said. He swiped the screen and quickly said, "There's one point-six miles from here."

"Step on it," Psycho tells Menace, and he does.

It took us two tries, as there were only two Popeyes in the city, but I definitely recognized the second. Menace pulled the SUV into the parking lot.

"What now?"

I gazed at the weedy lot behind and slowly lifted my hand. "Through there. That's from where I ran."

"We can't drive through there, we have to go around," Psycho commented.

"Let me go grab a street name." Wizard hopped out of the car and I watched as his lithe body ran effortlessly through the lot and the weeds. He returned a minute later.

"East 4th Street," he said, hopping in and putting it into his tablet. "Turn right out of the lot."

Once we reached the street, I was able to show them the cul-de-sac street. My heart leapt in my chest when I immediately identified the yellow house. "There," I whispered.

Menace parked the SUV a few doors down and across the street.

"What's your plan?" I asked Psycho.

He looked at Menace, Chaos, and Wizard, then back to me. "Kicking in doors is all I got."

"I'm not opposed to that," Menace said with a wicked gleam in his freakish eyes.

"I'll stay in the car with Nera," Wizard offered. "Let you know if I see anybody go in or out."

"Perfect." Psycho looked at Chaos and Menace. "I'll take the back, each of you take a side." He looked at me. "What can you tell us about the layout of the house?"

I tried to remember. "Front door leads to a living room. Behind that is a dining room I had to run through that leads to a back room where they were keeping us. To the left when you walk in the front door is a hallway leading to bedrooms. I think that's where the vamps sleep."

"No basement?" Menace asked.

"No," Wizard said. "Hacked into the county website. Here's the layout." He turned the tablet around showing us the address and the house's specs.

"Seems simple enough. Let's go." Psycho twirled a dagger in his fist that he seemed to produce from nowhere. Menace and Chaos held handguns and I noticed a few other things strapped to Menace's belt.

Is that a hand grenade?

I yanked on the sleeve of Psycho's black tee that barely fit around his biceps. "Please be careful? They're so fast."

"They are weak during the day. The sun lulls them to sleep," Wizard commented.

"Good. Godspeed," I said as they exited the SUV, chewing my lip in stress.

They sped across the street and I watched as the three of them branched off around the house.

"Wish I had time to put cameras in there," Wizard muttered.

"Oh, I'm sure they have some," I commented.

He looked at me and snapped his fingers before pushing his glasses up his face. "Good call. Let me check the Wi-Fi, see if I can't access any local cameras on the network."

I smiled at his nerdiness. Or perhaps it was genius.

"How long have you been with the Bayou Wolves?" I asked him while I watched the house.

"Only a couple of years," he answered, his eyes on the tablet as he tapped away on it.

"And you're a werewolf too?" I asked.

He nodded. "Unfortunately."

I wanted to ask him to elaborate when I saw the guys coming out of the house, weapons in hand, but walking slowly.

They got into the SUV.

"Fucking empty," Psycho snarled.

My eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Menace spit a wad of chew out onto the street before he closed the door. "Yup. All cleared out, no furniture, nothin'. Not even a sign they were there. Just the faint scent of bleach, blood, and vampire."

"Fuck," I groaned. "They got away."

And they probably punished the girls left behind, and it's all my fault. I fought tears. "The girls…" I whimpered.

"We'll find them," Psycho promised. "I've made it my mission to do so."

I furrowed my brow. I wasn't too confident they'd be found now. The bastards were in the wind.