Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Know Thy Enemy

Psycho

I pulled up the camera from the front door and watched it again. Sure enough, there Nera was, entering the clubhouse a few hours ago. I watched as she disappeared from view, then came back about five minutes later with a large book that absolutely looked like something a witch would have, and sat at one of the loungers. I noticed she wore earbuds, something she must have bought earlier on her shopping trip. She didn't move a long time, reading and studying that book. Then, around 4:45, she looked at her phone, got up, went to her room, and then back out the front door, where the parking lot camera showed she took off in the Audi again.

It was now near 10 p.m. as I paced a hole in my living room floor. "Where are you?" I whispered.

Of course calling her phone was useless. It just rang, and she hadn't set up a voicemail. No return of my texts either. I picked up my phone.

Me: You up?

Wizard: Yeah

I dialed his number.

"What's up boss?" he answered.

"Are those tracker things on the cars still active?" I asked.

"They sure are. I haven't had to pull one up since I tested them, but I can now." I heard him typing. "Which vehicle?"

"The white Audi SUV."

"On it," he said. Then I heard a loud ding. He stopped typing. "Fuck," he muttered. "My Google alert for Penelope O'Shea just pinged." I heard a clicking noise, then voice. "Turn on your TV to the local news, boss."

I scrambled for the remote on my coffee table and popped the flat-screen on where a bubbly blonde in a pink shirt stood outside in the dark in front of a police station. Her words echoed in my ear as I was on the line with Wizard.

"…but New Orleans police say Penelope O'Shea showed up at the second district precinct claiming to be a missing person. A quick check showed that Ms. O'Shea was reported missing two months ago. But that's not the most bizarre part. She claims a former kidnapping victim she was held captive with but had escaped weeks ago was the one who rescued her. She only knows her by the name ‘Nera.'"

I slammed my hand down on the counter. "Fuck!"

"Police quickly concluded it was most likely Nera Kennedy, missing from Tampa, Florida, close to three months ago. Ms. O'Shea confirmed it was her by a photograph. The authorities are investigating this alleged human smuggling ring, and the strange twist of a victim coming back for another and then allegedly being captured herself. We will report as more developments come our way. This is Julie Carter, reporting—"

I turned the TV off.

"Goddamn it! I knew I should have put a tracker in her arm. Something told me to do it, whether she wanted to or not, but I just couldn't violate her that way."

"You could have just asked," Wizard suggested.

Like that was fucking helping.

"I know, but she'd been violated enough," I huffed.

"I hear you," he said. "What we can do is track the car. See where it's been. Let me do that now."

He typed furiously and I heard another ping, this one quieter. "Okay, it was driven to Lakeside Mall around five p.m. It sat there for about five minutes before it headed to and then stopped at the second precinct of the New Orleans police department."

"The one in the news report," I commented.

"Yes, and we know the rest," Wizard replied.

I was quiet for a few. "So, she somehow found out this Penelope girl would be there and tried to go get her, but something went wrong and Penelope drove the Audi to the police?"

Before he could answer, I had an incoming call.

"I'm getting a call," I said. "Hack her phone, find out what happened."

"On it," he replied.

I switched over. "Yeah?"

"This is Officer York the New Orleans police department looking for the owner of Dualistic, Inc."

"I'm Sheppard Madden, the owner."

"Do you own a white Audi Q5?" he asked.

"Yes, why?" I knew why.

"A kidnapping victim was driving it and we have a lot of questions. Can you come down to the station?"

"No, not right now, but I loaned that car to a friend. I need to know if she's okay." I hated lying but I had to play along.

"What's the friend's name?"

See, this was where I would have to lie and lie good. "Nera Kennedy."

"I see. Did you know Ms. Kennedy was a missing person?"

Not at first.

"No."

"Okay, well, she's missing again. We'd like your help in locating her."

I'll find her myself.

"I'll be by in the morning to pick up my car," I informed him.

"Okay, ask for my supervisor, Captain Helms. I work nights."

"Will do."

I ended the call and dialed Wizard. "That was the cops," I said after he answered. "Not surprisingly since they have my car. We're going to pick it up in the morning and you're coming with me."

"Sounds good. Here's what I got from the phone. It's either still inside the SUV or at the police station as of now. Facebook Messenger app was accessed about 4:40 p.m. today. Sorry, but I hacked into her account and found an exchange of her with the vampires through Poppy's account. I'm sending you screenshot."

I waited a second and a few popped in. I read them and because furious.

"Why the fuck would she take off alone? We could have easily taken them down."

"I'm sure it was the threats," he replied. "She was scared they'd hurt the girl if she didn't show up alone."

"And now she's in the goddamn wind again!"

"We'll find her," Wizard said. "I'm going to try a few more things. I'll get back to you."

I wanted to throw the phone across the room but I didn't. There was no way I was sleeping tonight. I wanted to hop on my bike and drive around until I found her, but that would be nothing but a waste of time. She could be anywhere.

She might not even be in Louisiana anymore. I could only assume the cops asked Poppy the location of where they were being held and already checked it out. Or maybe she didn't know, maybe she was blindfolded. Or drugged as they left.

Too many questions with no answers.

It was after 10 p.m. Should I call church and let everyone know what was going on? No, I'd wait until Wizard had worked more magic.

I'd somehow managed to crash on my couch for a few hours last night. Now, with coffee in hand, I stood in Rumble, waiting for the rest of the guys to show up. It was barely 9 a.m., so they weren't very happy about the early hour, but they'd get over it.

Once everyone was there, and I had just poured my second cup of black, tarry coffee from behind the bar, I set it on the podium and pounded the gavel.

"Not sure if anyone had seen the news, but Nera is missing. She apparently got a message online from one of the victims she had been held captive with. It was really the bloodsuckers messaging her, telling her to meet them. They had vaguely promised to release the captive, whose name is Poppy. When she arrived, Poppy escaped, but they got Nera."

I nodded at Wizard, who had hooked up his tablet to the multiple screens around the bar that usually showed sports games.

Wizard pointed the remote at the tablet. "I was up most of the night trying to hack into the cameras at the mall and the traffic cams. Here's what I've put together."

I watched the clips that I'd already watched ten times since they were sent to me at 6 a.m. and still felt sick. It showed Nera pulling up in the Audi, getting out, apparently delivering brain freezes or stings or whatever to the vamps, knocking two of them out cold with some kind of magic dust, and then dragging Poppy to the car. One got up and tried to take Nera, but she fought. She fought hard, but the vamp was too strong and too quick. She screamed something and the vamp dragged her to the black van they'd pulled up in. Poppy quickly slid over and put the car in drive and took off.

The video cut to the black van driving down the main road past the mall, where it turned onto a small street. That was where we'd head to next, not expecting to find them, but to see if we could find anything at all. Maybe a direction they were headed that would lead to a residential area. Anything to track that black van.

"The good news is," Wizard started, "that this is exactly what the police are doing. We're positive they would have pulled the cameras, got the license plate, and put out an APB on it. I was also able to—after hours of sharpening the image—get the plate from one of the traffic cams. I ran it and it belongs to an Adam Smith who lives in Metairie. Adam is ninety-one and lives in an elder home. I doubt this guy is a relative of these vamps, or even knows him, but I'm sure the police will be questioning him soon. So the van's either stolen and he just doesn't realize it, or the plates are. In the meantime, I'm going to be watching the traffic cams for the van."

"We need a team of guys posted up around the city, ready to act on a moment's notice if the van is spotted," I added. "But of course it'll have to be tonight when the vamps come back out.

"In the meantime, I need Trigger, Cutter, and Chaos to go with me to the witch's shop in the Quarter where Nera got her supplies. I'm gonna offer her an obscene amount of money to do a locator spell."

"Great idea," Cutter said. "I wish I could help, but I was never trained."

"I know, but it's about time you learned. That's why I'm bringing you."

"I do know you need something personal of hers," he said, nodding.

"That's right. Go to her room and grab a hairbrush or anything else you think she'll need," I instructed.

"On it," he replied.

"Menace, once it gets dark tonight, you and Charlie take a cager and go post up near the intersection we spotted the van on the camera, near the mall."

"You got it, boss," he replied.

Charlie stood and went with him.

I looked at Strife. "You take Metal and get with Wizard on what street you'll be patrolling tonight."

He and Metal stood and went to Wizard.

"The rest of you, be on standby. Meeting adjourned." I pounded the gavel.

"C'mon, let's head over to that street, see what we can find," I told Trigger.

"Sure, boss."

I downed the rest of my coffee and left the bar.

"Bikes or car?" Trigger asked as we walked out.

"Bikes. Cagers are too hard to park in the Quarter," I replied. "First we check out the van's last known."

"Sweet. Let's ride," he said with mischief in his eyes.

I was so glad to have him back. I didn't like to think what would have happened if he hadn't made it.

Trigger, Chaos, and I rode out of LaPlace and across the spillway bridge into the town of Metairie where the van had been last night, near the mall. We went to the intersection where the van had turned and drove slowly down the street, looking for any kind of signs. We weren't even sure what we were looking for. We knew we wouldn't spot the van on the streets—that was impossible unless they had a human driving it for them.

The street led deeper into a residential neighborhood and we spent about an hour driving around. A lot of the homes were older with no garages which helped us, knowing they couldn't hide the van in one.

The three of us stopped at the end of the street, lined up on our bikes. "No garages means no vampires. They rely on them to get in their vehicles in case of a daytime emergency," Trigger said.

"Absolutely true," Chaos agreed, raking his long hair back from his face. "They got that windowless van. It's perfect for vamps."

"Okay. Let's head to the Quarter."

They followed me the short drive to the witch's shop. We parked our bikes on Chartres Street and walked boldly into Agatha's Psychic Room. Most witches moonlighted as palm readers and psychics, but mostly it was a cover for a shop that catered to the paranormal, selling things only witches and sometimes other supes knew how to use.

"I'll be right out," a feminine voice called from the back somewhere.

We said nothing. I had to keep from holding my breath closed at the strong stench of incense and whatever else was stinking up the place. A young woman dressed like an old hippie came out through a beaded curtain and her smile fell when she saw us.

"Wolves…" She turned her head and regarded Cutter. "And a warlock. What do you want?"

"Agatha?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Ma'am, do you remember a witch named Nera who was here recently?" I asked.

"Of course. She called me yesterday asking if sleeping powder worked on vampires. Why?"

"She's missing. Kidnapped by vamps. We need you to do a locator spell. If you'd be so kind." I threw her a charming smile I knew wouldn't work, but I had to try anyway.

She pursed her lips and lifted a heavily jeweled finger to her lips. "They kidnapped her? I'm sad to hear she wasn't successful. I will help you, but you better be fast. Witch blood somehow tastes better than human blood to vamps."

I furrowed my brow. "Where did you hear that?"

She shook her head. "It's a well-known fact. You should know it, too."

Trigger made a face. "What about wolf blood?"

"Disgusting to them. You're safe." She smirked.

"I wasn't scared," he replied, narrowing his eyes.

She ignored him and looked at me. "Now, what do you have of hers that we can use for the spell?"

Cutter pulled her hairbrush and toothbrush from a small bag from his back pocket.

She took it and told us to follow her to the back room.

There was a large topographical map on a wooden table. She plucked hair from the brush and set it in the middle of the map, then opened a large book that looked like it weighed more than my Harley, and plopped it open.

My stomach turned over with nerves. Would she be able to locate Nera? I couldn't imagine what she was going through. If they kept her drugged, she'd be powerless to stop the assaults or use magic to escape. The thought of her being held captive by those filthy vamps made my blood boil. If any of them so much as looked at her the wrong way, that would be the end of all of them. I would tear any man or thing to pieces who touched her.

Agatha began chanting in what I assume was Latin, when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I didn't want to be disrespectful but I had to keep on top of all messages. I quietly slipped out into the front of the shop and checked the text.

Wizard: Just checking in. No traffic cams on side streets to check, which isn't a surprise. Hacked into the database, the van was reported stolen 5 yrs ago. Plate must have dropped off the APB.

Fuckers, they probably hypnotized a cop to get it taken off was more like it.

"Got it!" I heard Agatha say.

I walked in and saw her long fingernail pointing at the map. We all leaned in closer and saw she was pointing to the town of Gentilly, not far from here.

I furrowed my brow. "Can you be more specific?"

She shook her head. "No, but it's not a big town. I have faith you'll sniff her out." She pointed to her nose.

"Funny," I replied. That loosely worked in human form and we weren't transforming for another couple of weeks. That being said, I did have her scent memorized.

I took five one-hundred dollar bills and plunked them on the map.

"I wasn't going to charge you," she replied, folding the bills and shoving them into the pocket of her flowered dress. "I like Nera. She's been through a lot. But thank you."

I pointed at Cutter. "If you would be so kind to help out Ryan here. He needs some witchy lessons."

Cutter's face turned red to the roots of his hair and I bit back a smile.

"It's not his fault," I added. "He wasn't raised by witches, but he could use the help. For stuff like this." I pointed at the map.

"Yeah, I'll give him a crash course. The shop's quiet. Does now work?"

"Yeah, that'll work," Cutter replied.

"I'll leave you to it. Text when you're done and I'll let you know where to meet us," I said, leaving the shop with Trigger in tow.