50. Back Around Again

F oxx frowned as Harlow did an illegal U-turn, his gaze flicking back to the still entranced human buckled up and sitting in the back seat. "Are you sure, Tony?" Foxx asked.

Because even though the dhampir was now turning them around, he just had to ask. It would be dumb for them to have captured this man, and then to have him die without getting anything else from him.

"Yes, I'm sure. Don't take him to the cabin, bring him to Doc's. We've decided to use it as a base."

Based on the vampire only having one chair at his kitchen table, Foxx was sure Doc loved having all those people in his space.

"Is that where you are now?" Harlow grunted.

"Yes."

Yeah, he was not so sure if this was a good idea, but…it was not his decision to make, he supposed.

The dhampir sighed. "You sure Maverick doesn't know about your connection to Doc?"

"Maverick doesn't know shit about me. I never trusted the fucker. It was that bastard, Jake Dunt, who loved to use him on hunts. Speaking of that motherfucker, Jake's death was not much of a loss to our community. Some may have even celebrated it. Not me, of course."

Harlow chuckled. "It's possible you were so drunk you forgot about doing it. I, however, was sober enough for the both of us. I won't deny, it was a long time coming, that's for sure. Bastard was part of the decision that got Gabe killed… Elowen never recovered from that."

Gabe and Elowen? Maybe one day he'd get the man to tell him about his life before they met. While he wouldn't want to hear all of it, considering, in all likelihood, the man had killed innocent vampires and paranormals before. But the people he met…those he took down that deserved it… Foxx wouldn't mind hearing about that.

"She's doing better now…" Tony said soberly. "Either way, as I said, he doesn't know shit about my relationships, definitely not ones with paranormals. And I have had anti-tracking spells attached to my ass since meeting Sephira over forty years ago. So, they won't find Doc through me. Unless they are up my ass the whole time, which I would notice, and if they aren't… I can be tracked for a maximum of five minutes before the spell kicks in, and they instantly lose sight of me."

"What about us?" Foxx pointed out.

Tony went too silent.

"What did you do?" Harlow growled.

The human cleared his throat. "I may have put an anti-tracking spell on your vehicle when I first had that tracker installed."

"You fucker."

"Then why have you been worrying about us being tracked?!" Foxx huffed.

"Because I let the spell lapse like a year ago. Sephira just renewed it. Anyway, get your asses here with the fucking worthless piece of shit human, and the poison…" Tony hesitated before adding, "Maybe take the scenic route… Doc conked out as soon as he heard you had it. I'm guessing he plans to nap until you get here, since it's pointless to keep working trying to recreate something that he is about to get his hands on. See you soon!"

"Bastard," Harlow hissed as the man hung up.

"I mean, it's not like it was a bad idea."

"I'm not admitting that to him."

Foxx snorted. "How's your back?"

"Still can't feel it. Mostly."

That would change. Likely the moment the man ran out of pills.

Harlow groaned. "Why does it feel like we've been driving around in fucking circles all day?"

"It's because we are." Foxx sighed. "From the cabin area, to Doc's, to the cabin again and back. A constant bloody loop."

As his normal ringtone went off, Foxx slipped his secure phone in his pocket and pulled out his actual one, answering it without checking who it was.

"Foxx, where the bloody hell are you?!" Alastair snapped. "Do you know how long I have been waiting?! Daydric spilled everything except the juicy details. So, I waited and waited some more. But did you come home?! NO! I am still waiting! Get your ass home so we can talk!"

In light of the situation with Maverick, and…Santiago, just hearing Alastair's voice set off an avalanche of worry inside him. How long would it take for Maverick to realize that Foxx wasn't just Harlow's work partner?

How much more did he dare share? Even what he'd told the man before now had probably been too much…

"Alastair…could you…go to Daydric's? Things have…gotten worse."

The urge to hang up and call on his secure line, to demand Alastair to go to Doc's, rose up. Would it…be so bad to give his best friend the counteragent before anyone else even got an equal chance to be protected?

He hesitated and looked to Harlow. The man's face was grim as he shook his head.

"I…saw…" Alastair wisely said no more. "For how long?"

"I don't know the answer to that. Please…just go. I'll call you later tonight and tell you all about what happened with Daydric and the council, okay?"

"Okay. Love you, Foxx. Stay safe."

"Love you too, Alastair. Please, be careful."

He hung up with a curse before letting out a distressed whimper.

Harlow snagged hold of his free hand and squeezed it lightly before lacing their fingers together. "I know it's hard for you to not tell him."

"I just want him safe… To be honest, while I have other friends who I suppose I am worried about too…none of them compare to what I feel when I think of Alastair possibly getting poisoned. He was there with Daydric when I was saved. He was always there. From the beginning, he has always been by my side. The longest we were apart was the moment the world turned upside down. Daydric…refused to move either of us. Saying times were too dangerous to risk it."

"Daydric will keep him safe. Man is God-like existence-wise… Though, speaking of him…do you think the poison would work on him or any of his siblings?"

Foxx frowned. "That would…be a nightmare scenario…but…I doubt it. The originals are vampires…yet…they are above that."

"I did happen to notice he was out in the daylight without any covering."

"Yeah, they are vampires, yet daywalkers. And the religious shit doesn't work on them. I feel they are other . Like you are."

"Question, could Daydric track Maverick down for us? Like just poof to where he is at, grab him, and bring him to us?"

Foxx snorted. "The man's not a genie, Harlow. Daydric doesn't just know where everyone is. And unless he has an exact location, or the person calls his name, he can't just poof to them."

"Well…that's disappointing," the dhampir said, sounding as if he was actually let down by it not working that way.

Foxx rolled his eyes.

Stepping into the clinic with the human walking unblinking in front of them, they found Tony, Santiago, and Zane waiting for them with their arms crossed.

"All yours," Harlow drawled, his gaze flicking to Santiago and Zane as they stared at the human with pure unadulterated hatred.

Zane cracked his knuckles. "No worries, he will be well guarded and safe with us." The man smiled, baring bright white teeth and sharp canines.

Santiago snorted. "He will live."

The ‘for now' was unspoken yet audible.

Tony shrugged. "He will live for as long as we need him to live."

A grin started to slip onto his face, but he frowned at the sound of a sudden sharp inhale that he believed had come from one of the patient rooms in back.

"Sounds like Doc is awake," Tony said with head shake.

"The man is…an odd one…that's for sure," Zane mused.

"He's Scottish," Foxx laughed. As if the man being Scottish explained his weirdness. It didn't…but he was sure to Foxx it did. Or rather than making sense, Foxx likely just had fun riling the man up, as Doc seemed to like to harp on about the fact that the vampire was British.

"Zane, manners," Santiago snapped harshly, the words a growl of warning.

"Worry not, Santiago," the man himself said, yawning widely as he took a few stumbled steps out of the hallway. A tall black-haired werewolf, that may have been another of Santiago's relatives, seemed to be following hesitantly behind him, like he was prepared to catch the man if he fell.

"Maybe you should sleep a bit more," the unknown wolf suggested.

"Nonsense!" Doc huffed with a sniff. "Anyway, as I was saying, I take no offense. On the other hand, as for you, you British bastard, you can kiss my Scottish ass."

Foxx stuck his tongue out.

The other vampire snorted, before holding out his hand and demanding, "Well, give it to me!"

"Ah." Foxx held out the small trunk he was carrying. "We told him to take us to his car and cleared out his stash."

The wolf beside Doc grabbed the trunk from Foxx before the other vampire could. Doc huffed and rolled his eyes, but didn't try to take it from him.

"Santiago, your pack lands are contaminated with the poison," Harlow stated. "I had him tell us what his commands were, and basically all he did there. He sprayed each and every building, some twice, and any larger structure he found in the area. I don't know how long it will last…but your pack can't go back right now."

"I mean, you made it so we were all dead, right?" Santiago said with a slow sigh.

He nodded. "Yes. He convinced Maverick that we found them all dead. We now just need to fake a news story."

"That's going out soon," Tony informed them. "We will be vague, not mentioning any names. So that when it is safer, you can go back without having to deal with explaining it to your loved ones that are not in the pack."

Doc yawned loudly again, before saying, "By the time you can head back, it's likely the poison would have dissipated. Though, once I have a counteragent, we can inoculate your people so it won't matter anyway."

Santiago grimaced. "On thinking further about this plan…I worry that us going quiet will…after some time, cause some to investigate."

Tony cursed. "That is a concern. I will work on getting some sort of blockade in place before anyone is likely to start to worry."

"How long is he going to stay hypnotized?" Zane asked, derailing the conversation.

Doc glanced back. "Oh…no worries. He can stay hypnotized as long as we need him to be. I developed a concoction in the 60s that will force a human's mind into a trance-like state. It will allow any vampire to control them without worrying about the limits, or any of those pesky shields."

Tony's face pinched. "I didn't hear that."

"Of course not, my friend," the vampire doctor chuckled. "I'd never do something so obviously illegal."

The human sighed. "Just go back to work, you sleep deprived demon."

Doc just grinned in response. "Come, Felix. We have work to do." The man spun and almost toppled over.

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep for a few hours?" Felix gasped, the werewolf now holding the truck with one hand, using the other to keep the vampire steady as they wandered off into the back.

"Stubborn Scottish bastard," Foxx snorted.

"You two!" Tony snapped.

Harlow's gaze slipped to the human.

"Yes?" they both asked at once.

"Go the fuck home. Stay there a while. No more running around. For the love of the world, no more chaos for now!"

"I promise nothing," Foxx replied with zero shame.

Harlow smirked. "What he said."

Zane snorted. While Santiago had a small…very small smile on his face.

"LEAVE!" Tony barked.

"For that, I am going to cause trouble on purpose!" His vampire hmphed as he looped his arm through his and tugged Harlow towards the door.