The Frenzy War (38 page)

“Let's get everyone a map of Newark and its surrounding areas,” Mace said.

An enlarged fingerprint filled the screen.

“This is the print Hector lifted off the hand at the scene,” Landry said. “We're running it through international databases.”

“Maybe I can expedite that search,” Norton said in a frosty tone.

“That would be helpful.” Landry turned to Mace. “A secretary from the Vatican got back to me. According to him, Monsignor Delecarte purchased that broken half of the Blade of Salvation from Terrence Glenzer two years ago. It was a personal purchase and wasn't made on behalf of the Vatican. But when Delecarte dies, all his property becomes the property of the church—and he just suffered a severe stroke. At the moment, he can't communicate.”

Mace grunted. “Was your contact able to confirm if that Blade is still in Delecarte's possession?”

“No, he didn't have an inventory.”

“What else?”

No one spoke up.

“Okay. Willy and Karol, I want you to go back to the funeral home and keep an eye on it. With Raphael lying low, Gabriel is still the Torquemadans' only target that we know about. Now that the governor's called in the National Guard again, we'll see how that impacts our investigation.”

As everyone cleared out, Mace went into his office and closed the door. Sitting at his desk, he took out his cell phone.

Riding alone in the backseat of Micah's taxi, Gabriel felt his cell phone vibrating. Checking the phone's display, he saw Mace's name.

“This is Gabriel,” he said into the phone.

“You pulled a disappearing act on me last night.”

“It was a necessary precaution. I need to keep my location a secret and can't afford to be followed.”

In the front seat, Micah glanced at Gabriel in the rearview mirror, then returned his attention to the road.

“Tell your people they're wasting their time in Manhattan,” Mace said. “We have strong evidence that suggests the Torquemadans are holed up in New Jersey, possibly Newark. There are at least three more besides the guy who turned to toast last night.”

Gabriel raised his eyebrows. “Thank you for the information.”

“I gave it to you in good faith. If you find them, call me.”

“I can't promise cooperation from anyone but myself.”

“Understood.”

Gabriel hung up on Mace. Scratching one thigh, he called Raphael.

“What is it?” Raphael sounded tense. “Where are you?”

“Where do you think? I'm hunting the enemy.”

“What if I told you the Torquemadans aren't in Manhattan?”

Raphael paused. “I'd tell you to consider the source of
your information carefully.”

“And if I narrowed your search perimeter?”

“Why would you do that?”

“I want them caught as badly as you do. I just don't want the whole pack exposed and endangered in the process.”

“Where are they?”

Gabriel looked out the window at the buildings they passed. “Swear to me that if you find them based on my information, you'll contact me with their exact location and allow me to try my method first.”

“We could lose them …”

“I know you won't allow that to happen. You're only to get involved if there's no other option.”

Gabriel heard Raphael draw in his breath and exhale. “All right, I swear.”

“They're in Jersey. Start your search in Newark.”

Raphael wasted no time hanging up on him.

“Can I say something?” Micah said.

“Please.”
You're the only confidant I have at the moment.

“I've already heard mutterings about this situation with Raphael. I don't like it. He's calling everyone to join him. I don't know if anyone's agreed, but the pack can't afford to fracture right now.”

Gabriel sighed. “You're afraid divisions will form because Wolves perceive me as being weak.”

“Let's just say there's a feeling out there that Raphael's doing something while you're running in circles. If he finds the Torquemadans and kills them, you're handing him the victory he needs to challenge your leadership.”

He's not there yet, even with Elias coaxing him along.
“Thank you for your candor. Raphael's still my brother. He's served me well. I have faith in his loyalty.”

“I hope you're right,” Micah said without conviction. “I've got your back no matter what.”

“I appreciate that.” Gabriel's phone vibrated, and he saw that he had received a text from Karol Williams:
Start looking in Newark.
He closed his hands around the phone. Mace's entire team must have known the general vicinity of the Torquemadans' base. At least he knew Mace wasn't trying to distract him with a wild-goose chase.

“M
om, when will we be there?”

Melissa looked over her shoulder at Damien. “Soon, if we don't get lost.”

“We're not getting lost,” Arick said behind the wheel.

Gareth sat up and blinked. “Wow.”

Deep forest unspoiled on either side of the highway.

It's so beautiful,
Melissa thought. She and Arick had spelled each other at the wheel, stopping for meals, bathroom breaks, and an occasional view of the Ontario, Canada, scenery.

“Are you guys hungry?” she said.

“We just ate,” Gareth said. “That's what made me nap.”

“She wants you to nap again,” Damien said.

A sign appeared in the distance.

“Hudson Bay,” Arick said. “We should be only ten minutes away.”

And then what? Melissa wondered. How long would she and the boys have to stay with Angela before Gabriel summoned them home?

Arick got off at an exit and took a side road on the left. The trees grew denser.

“Mom, does Aunt Angela have cable?” Damien said.

“I don't know. I don't even know if she has a television.”

“What?”
the boys said in unison.

“How are we going to play our video games?” Gareth said.

“Be glad you brought your handheld games,” Arick said. “But I hope you brought a lot of batteries.”

Damien slapped his forehead. “I never want to leave New York again …”

“It's beautiful here,” Melissa said. “This will be good for both of you; I can feel it.”

Arick slowed to a stop. A wooden gate for a driveway had been left open with a piece of paper tied to it. “Wait here.” He got out, untied the string around the paper, read the note, and returned to the car.

“What does the note say?” Melissa said.

“To shut the gate.” He pulled forward, got out, swung the gate closed, latched it, and got back in.

“Why did you have to do that?” Gareth said.

“Because Aunt Angela likes her privacy,” Melissa said as the car rolled forward.

Melissa had always liked Angela, even though she disapproved of her breaking the pack's rules and mating with the human John Stalk. She had found Angela's unofficial excommunication from the pack a harsh punishment, though
she understood why Angus and then Gabriel had found it necessary to be harder on their own blood than they would have been on unrelated pack members; appearances meant everything in politics. After Stalk had been murdered by a rogue Wolf, Angela had turned her back on the pack and its rules. Now Melissa had to impose on her to take them in.

For the safety of the children,
she thought.

The road grew steep, and they moved uphill. The boys looked around in wonder.

“Does Aunt Angela own
all
this land?” Damien said.

“I don't know,” Melissa said.

A cabin appeared at the top of the hill. Then another and another after that. When they reached the top, she counted six in all.

“Some kind of closed down camp,” Arick said. “There's smoke rising from that chimney.”

He drove them toward the farthest cabin. A black truck sat parked in the dirt driveway. They got out, and Melissa peered at the blue haze in the distance, rising from the lake beyond the trees.

The cabin's front door opened, and a woman stepped out. She wore hiking boots, faded blue jeans, and a red flannel shirt, her dark hair short.

“Looking for me?” Angela said.

Standing outside the loading bay, Valeria watched Angelo drive off in the SUV with Tudoro beside him. “I don't think I'll ever see him again.”

“You mean you didn't buy his story about summoning us to duty again?” Michael said.

“I don't know.” She turned to him. “What do you have planned? Even if we had more time, law enforcement agencies have got to be closing in on us.”

“You're right. It's different here than it is in Italy, France, or Germany. Everything in New York is so … concentrated. It may have been a mistake for Tudoro to send us here just because this is where the largest pack roams.”

“What will we do?”

“I'm not going to leave the status quo in place. We need to make a big move, something that will expose the beasts for what they are. Then the Americans can fight them while we regroup.”

“I'm nervous about fighting with the apprentices,” Valeria said.

“They aren't apprentices anymore. And don't forget you were one not long ago.”

“They haven't seen any action before, and there are three of them. One half of our number …”

“I know. We'll have to pair up with them.”

A droning sound overhead caused them to look up. A helicopter soared in the distance, a searchlight sweeping the area.

“Let's park the vehicles in less conspicuous places,” Michael said.

Rhonda sat in the corner of her cell, flexing the muscles that had grown back in her severed arm. Every time she assumed
Wolf Shape and the longer she remained in that form, the more her stump grew. She wondered how long it would be before the Torquemadans noticed. They had not visited her since the night before when they had tranquilized her and removed the body parts of the woman she had killed and her Blade of Salvation. Perhaps they feared her now.

Good.

She wanted to kill them all, and she hoped she got her chance, but she suspected time was running out for her, and she wondered how her enemies would seek to destroy her. She had enjoyed killing the woman and feasting on her. Her belly remained full, so she did not care that they hadn't fed her yet today.

Hopefully she would feed again soon enough …