Accession of the Stone Born: The Vigiles Urbani Chronicles (23 page)

Several minutes later they waved me through, telling me to keep my speed under fifteen miles per hour and not to deviate from my destination. To ensure that I not only understood their directions but followed them, one of the officers escorted me to my destination. Lucky me! I pulled down the long cobblestone drive that stretched the length of the property and parked in front of the garage.

A shiver ran up my spine as I shut off the engine. A giant oak blocked the view of the second story from where I sat. Opening the door, goose flesh ran up my arms and back. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and my gut twisted.

I wanted to grab the duffel bag out of the back seat and strap on the armor, but the NOPD officer that parked at the end of the drive was keeping watch. Pulling the key out of my pocket, I headed for the back door a good hundred feet away. As I slipped the key into the lock I thought I heard something above me. Twisting the key, I pushed the door open and stepped back to get a look. For a split second I thought I saw Brad, but then my world went white.

Fire enveloped my body, the world sounded like it was being torn apart, and the shockwave lifted me off my feet and sent me sprawling. Instinctively I threw my arms in front of my face as glass, wood, and brick pelted my body. The sickening feeling of freefalling through the air out of control caused my stomach to lurch into my chest. Then the massive nine-foot hedge lining the neighbor’s yard slowed my descent as I crashed through it and landed with a heavy thud, tearing a large swath of grass out of their perfectly manicured lawn.

I hurt and it took me several seconds to take full inventory of my body parts. My hands, face, and arms were cut, scratched, and bruised, but I’d live. Thankfully the long sleeved shirt that George made me had taken most of the abuse. Things would’ve been better if I hadn’t rolled up my sleeves earlier, but that was being absolutely ungrateful. Standing, I stumbled back through the hedge, nearly colliding with the NOPD officer who’d run down the drive to check on me.

He looked me over and pointed at the ground. “Take a seat, son.” He clicked the radio on his shoulder. “Dispatch, we have a survivor.” He looked at me oddly and then clicked it again. “He appears to be disoriented…tell them to step on it!”

The funny thing was the closer I got to the house the better I felt. Looking down at my arms, I saw that the majority of the cuts were closing. I wanted to get inside but that was impossible. The fire may have started out magically, but now the house itself was on fire. While I might be immune to the source of ignition, actual flames would still hurt like hell, and given the opportunity would kill me. Whatever magic was in the air quickly faded, leaving me scraped and bruised but otherwise okay.

The officer put a hand on my shoulder. “Sir, I’d appreciate it if you’d take a seat.” He pointed at the ground again. “I’ve got a job to do.”

The fire truck arrived in record time, but there wasn’t any hope of putting it out before the house collapsed on itself. Now it was a matter of making sure the neighbors’ houses didn’t burn down with it. As for me, the EMT’s were insisting that I go to the hospital. I, on the other hand, wasn’t listening. Instead, I sat there for two hours until they cleared my car and let me pull out and head back to Andrew’s.

According to the firemen they were guessing it was a gas leak, and when I’d opened the door it had ignited. I’d dealt with explosions, a lot of them, and this wasn’t gas. Someone had set the fire using magic, intending to kill someone, and I was betting it wasn’t me they were after. Andrew needed to beef up security, and do it quickly.

Chapter 16

It was around noon when I pulled through the gate, locking it behind me before backing into the garage. The large oak tree that prevented me from seeing Martha’s house had protected the Tucker from the flying debris when the place exploded. I wasn’t sure what type of insurance Andrew had, but I was fairly certain they wouldn’t be pleased with me destroying it on my second trip out.

Once inside the house I took the stairs two at a time, landing on the third from the top and causing a loud creak. Pushing the door open, I found Andrew and Isidore at the desk going over paperwork.

Isidore pulled a face as he sniffed the air, and he looked at me with enormous disgust. “What in the hell have you been burning?”

Andrew looked up from his paperwork, his eyes flicking across me and settling on my arms, face, and neck. He laid down his pen and leaned back in his seat. His voice was steady, calm, and full of concern. “What happened?”

Glancing at my arms, I shrugged at him haplessly. “Martha’s house blew up before burning to the ground. Sorry about that. The ‘official report’ thus far is a gas leak.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow as he studied me. “But you think otherwise.”

I wanted nothing more than to grab a shower and change, but this had to be handled first. “I’ve dealt with a lot of explosions over the years, and I can assure you this wasn’t gas.” Stepping closer, I held up my forearm to show them a long jagged gash that was rapidly healing. “I was pretty cut up from the explosion, but as you can see I’m left with mostly brush burns and a few bruises.”

Andrew leaned forward, taking in the information. “It was magical in nature then.”

Keeping my gaze fixed on Andrew, I continued. “That’s the theory I’m working under at the moment. I’m fairly certain, however, that I wasn’t the target.”

Isidore snapped his head up immediately, understanding the implication. “Who do you think they were after?”

Cutting my eyes at Isidore, I quickly returned my full attention to Andrew. “Well, I was driving the Tucker, and let’s face it, there aren’t many people who’d be visiting Martha’s now that she’s passed away.”

“You mean murdered!” Andrew growled.

My gaze never wavered. “Murdered.” Letting the word sink in, I said, “If you think it through you’ll come to the same conclusion I did.”

Andrew took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. “Me.”

Standing at parade rest, I waited for the reality of it to truly hit home. “While I respect the fact that you’re a powerful person in your own right, and that you’ve enlisted Isidore’s round the clock assistance, I’d strongly advise finding a few trustworthy individuals to beef up security.”

Andrew wanted to argue with me, but he could tell that I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He looked over at Isidore and nodded. “Could you give Alexander a call for me? Tell him I’m in need of his services.”

Isidore got to his feet and pulled a mobile out of his pocket. “I’ll take care of it.”

Isidore was out the door and down the stairs before I could say anything. Looking back at my uncle, I eyed him curiously. “You can trust this Alexander?”

Andrew leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands, mumbling, “Without question.”

“You’re sure about that?” I asked again.

Andrew raised his head, closing his eyes slowly. “He feels indebted to me.” He shifted in his seat. “Alexander and his clan have sworn a blood oath to protect me,” he mumbled more to himself than me.

For a split second I thought about inquiring but decided against it. Waving a hand at myself, I thumbed back at my room. “I’m going to get cleaned up and put on some fresh clothes before I head back out.”

Clean up took a bit longer than normal due to the fact I was sore and bruised from head to toe. My back had taken the brunt of the impact when I tore a large section out of the grass. It was still scraped and I had a really nice black and purple bruise from my shoulder blades to the top of my ass.

After dressing I gingerly made my way back to the living room, where I found Isidore and Andrew at the table. “Afternoon, gentlemen.”

Isidore winced at the sight of me trying to walk. “You going to be okay?”

Raising my hands in a what-choice-do-I-have manner, I meandered over. “I’ll be fine in a day or so. I’m just a little sore.”

Isidore snorted. “Most people would be a little more upset.”

Trying to sit made me flinch in pain. “This isn’t the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last, especially considering the job.” Trying to make myself comfortable and failing, I finally turned my attention to Andrew. “You’ve got everything handled here?”

Andrew’s demeanor was easy to read. He wasn’t happy with the arrangements and that was putting it mildly. “Alexander and his people will be here within the hour.”

With more than a little effort I turned to Isidore. “You know this Alexander?”

Isidore looked confused when he answered. “Very well.”

“He can be trusted?” I asked.

Isidore scoffed. “Absolutely!”

Keeping my eyes fixated on his, I said, “I’ll hold you to that.”

Isidore blanched. “I promise you have nothing to worry about.”

“Good….” Grunting, I turned back to Andrew. “Considering my best two leads have either died or burned to the ground, I need to work on finding new leads.” Putting a hand on the arm of the chair, I started to push myself up. “Let Alexander know I’ll be back before sundown.”

Andrew held up a hand for me to stay put. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Giving him one of those you-have-to-be-kidding looks, I got to my feet. “I’ve still got work to do.”

Andrew let out a breath. “I think you should stay put until things calm down.”

Leaning over, I stared down at Andrew. “And just how’s that going to happen? It isn’t like someone else is going to handle it.” Groaning, I pushed myself upright. “You’ve got our roles mixed up, Governor. You’re the one that needs to stay put, and I need to go out there and find the bad guys.” Softening my features, I tried to appear sympathetic. “Please let me do my job.” Before he could mount a suitable offense, I waved and headed for the door. “Have a good afternoon.”

After plugging Walter’s address into the phone’s navigator, I pulled out onto 4th Street. Twenty minutes later I was on Lake Avenue enjoying the cool breeze coming off the lake. Massive houses of every conceivable shape and size littered the street, with no sort of rhyme or reason to their designs. Everything was mismatched as each owner tried to be more outlandish than the next. My destination was no different.

It was a pretentious and gaudy expansive white cement stucco building made up mostly of one floor. I say mostly because the main entrance, such as it was, made up a second story. The monstrosity stretched out for nearly an entire city block. The equally massive muted U shaped drive centered on the entrance was made out of a stark white cement that created a nasty glare in the afternoon sun. White marble statues stood in the tiny lawn near the street, while their massive counterparts stood like Atlas against the walls of the home, holding up the flat roof.

The intent was obviously to impress, intimidate, and belittle visitors. I, however, felt sad that someone needed to spend so much cash in an effort to compensate for what I had to assume were their own shortcomings. Walter shouldn’t have bothered…much like his frail and twisted form, Mother Nature would have her way with this eyesore as well. Mold would creep into the stucco, causing it to chip and crumble. The flat roof would collect water, eventually caving in under its own weight, and finally the wind would tear it apart bit by bit.

I brought the Tucker to a stop at the apex of the drive, about thirty feet from the double oak doors that led into the home proper. Leaning over the seat, I grabbed the duffle bag and dropped it next to me. I strapped on the leather armor before securing the gladius and wakizashi at the waist. This was my first official house call as
vigiles
…I might as well look the part.

Striding up to the front door, I found it slightly ajar, and with a gentle push it silently swung open. Cautiously, I stuck my head through only to find the foyer empty, and when I say empty, I mean four walls and a floor kind of empty. Taking a deep breath, I focused, dialing up my senses and preparing for any unseen danger before taking the first full step inside. The following three rooms were equally barren. The next room held the first and only piece of furniture…a small, round dinner table at its center. From where I stood I saw a cavernous room that was meant to be a den and should contain sofas, chairs, and people. The massive double french doors framed a picturesque lawn and a view of the lake.

Approaching the table, I caught sight of an old flip phone laying there. It began to ring about the time I noticed the camera at the far end of the room. With a smile and a wave, I picked up the phone. Flipping it open, I placed the receiver to my ear, strolling towards the electronic eye.

“Hello.”

I recognized Walter’s voice instantly. It was raspy, winded, and genuinely intrigued. “Good afternoon.” He paused as he took in a long ragged breath. “Gavin, isn’t it?”

Stopping a few feet from the wall, I looked up at the camera as I nodded. “Good job, Walter.”

He tittered, which caused him to wheeze and cough. “You’re smarter than I’ve been told.”

Raising an eyebrow at the lens, I smirked. “That’s normally the case.”

I could hear him shifting in the background. I imagined he was leaning closer to the monitor. “I’m curious…do you mind if I ask you a few questions while I have your undivided attention?”

Wagging my finger at the camera, I shook my head. “Not unless you want to answer a few of mine. A sort of tit for tat type of thing.”

The shifting in the background continued, and I heard the whir of oxygen being pumped into a tube followed by a chunky, chest rattling cough. “I’ll go first.”

Of course he would. Asshole. I raised an impatient hand at the camera. “All right, shoot.”

His ragged voice grated through the receiver. “I’ve got to know. Are you a disgusting human, or one of those filthy werebeasts?”

Cocking my head to the side, I snorted. “That’s just rude.”

His voice became hard and angry. “That wasn’t an answer!”

With my free hand I pulled the wakizashi, swinging it high and cutting the camera in two, causing it to spark as the lens crashed to the floor. “It’s a question I don’t feel is worthy of an answer!”

He croaked and groaned, and I heard something slamming against the floor in the background. “You’re one to talk about rudeness after invading my home and then destroying my equipment!”

“I don’t like being watched. Especially by an old man that is constantly doing the heavy breathing thing in my ear.”

He coughed and wheezed again. “Too bad we can’t continue our conversation, but you’ve been a very bad man.” He paused for just a moment and snorted. “I’m surprised that Andrew would employ someone of your nature.”

Jerking the phone away from my head, I glared down at the thing before putting it back to my ear. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

His laughter was dry and rattled around in his chest like it was going to break something. “I hope you’ve made peace with God, son. You’re going to meet him very soon.”

The line went dead, the room went unnaturally dark, and I felt a tingling throughout my body. Looking down at my hands, I watched as cuts and bruises healed and vanished. It didn’t take long for me to feel normal again as the inky blackness poured into the room, trying to blot out every last bit of light. The power wrapped itself around me, coursing through my veins, and I felt an odd sensation creeping through me. The darkness engulfed me, wrapping itself around me ever tighter, and I felt my body begin to change and morph into something new.

My skin tingled, and I lifted my left hand. I watched as it began to glow, elongate, and turn into something less flesh and blood and more akin to living blue flames. Looking over at the right hand that held the wakizashi, I saw that the flesh had turned into an armored onyx glove. In the light of my left hand I saw the gray black long flowing robes enveloping my body. The sight of it chilled my heart as the spectrum of my vision changed.

There in the darkness stood a dozen souls. I don’t mean that figuratively. I could see the glowing orange outline of Chan and Timothy standing out amongst the other mortal souls in shades of blue and gray. The one thing they all had in common was the fact they’d all died at my hand in the last month. Frankly, I was surprised that there weren’t more of them.

The little girl at the front of the spectral horde was no more than ten years old. She had a hole about the size of my pinky on her left temple, and another about the size of a grapefruit at the back of her head where the bullet had torn through. She’d been the first to die twenty-one days ago. I’d pulled the trigger and splattered her brains all over her friends that stood nearby, just before the IED (improvised explosive device) that she was wearing blew up, causing a chain reaction that leveled an entire city block. Now she and the others were here for their pound of flesh.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at them and shook my head. “Please don’t.”