The Wolves of London Book 2: The House of Striker

(Chapter song ‘White Wedding’ by Billy Idol)

ZEN – 5 YEARS AGO

‘Striker. What's your position?’

I hold my gun down at my thighs as I jog across a parking lot. I place my finger on my communicator to respond as I approach the grey metal door.

“West side. 400 block on Berkley street.”

I slow down and take cautious steps. I look around the large, closed factory then to the employee entrance door.

‘Do you have eyes on it?’

“It ran into a Heart Food’s building. I hit it. It’s bleeding out. If it’s not dead, it will be.” I lay my hand on the door handle and turn it. The door opens a crack and I ready my weapon.

‘Stay there. Wait for back up.’

“Too late.” I throw open the door and let my gun in first.

‘Striker! Wait for back up! You know what that thing could do to you?’

“You forget I wrote the book on these things. I got this.” I side step slowly down the dark hall of offices. I check each room as I go. My gun sight scans the room. As I get to the half way point, I see blue liquid dripping down the wall. I look down and see a puddle on the floor.

“Got ya.” I smirk and follow the blood drops of a monster I’ve been chasing for two weeks straight. It ends today.

‘Striker. Back up ETA 5 minutes.’

“Send clean up. I only need 3.” I respond.

‘You really are cocky, aren’t you?’

“Better believe it.” I smirk as I get to a door with blue blood smeared on the handle. I use my shirt and cover the handle as I open it. Don’t need to poison myself before I find it.

As I walk onto a factory floor, I search under and around the various machines. I follow the blood trail to the back. The machines turn to shelves of boxes and other things.

My phone rings as I check between the shelves with my gun in front of me. I press the ear bud in my other ear.

“Hello?” I whisper.

‘Esmerelda.’

“Mom? I can’t talk right now.” I check some dark offices at the back of the storage area.

As I turn into a large hall, I stop. I lost the trail. My brows cinch and I turn back. “I know half the invitations haven’t been returned… “You call them. They’re your friends…”

I scowl as I go back and pick up the trail. “Yes, I picked up the dress. Yes, I finalized the flowers… “No, I haven’t finalized the menu. I’m doing that tonight… “I don’t know if the tuxes are ready, that’s Avery’s department… “Well, text him again. I’m not his mother…”

I walk to a maintenance area and step around mop buckets and other cleaning supplies.

On the left, I see a door that has a sign on it. ‘Authorized personnel only’. I see a blue, bloody handprint on it. I’d say that makes me authorized.

“Look, mom. This is my day and you’re stressing me out. Stop. I have everything covered… “Whispering? I’m not whispering. It’s…a bad connection...”

I grab the handle of the door and it pulls open. “No, I’m not hunting! I'm talking with the minister. Why would you… I know you hate it... Yes, I know it was hell when dad was alive… Stop being dramatic! I told you I quit and I did! Avery's a different story. Don’t start…”

As I open the door, the stench of rotten fruit, death and blood come from the basement of this place. The low, threatening growl floats up to my ears as I step down the metal stairs.

“Look, mom. I have to go. The minister's…um…drooling… Bye!”

As she goes off in my ear, I hang up on her.

As I descend the stairs, a little smile creeps across my lips. In three days, I’ll be Mrs. Avery Kirkland. This is my last hunt then I’ll be tanning on the beaches of Aruba. That’s if I can get a hold of my irritating fiancé.

I hold my gun out and pull out my phone. I check my messages. There’s nothing but a weeks worth of ‘where are you?’ messages from me. I heave a sigh and stuff my phone back in my pocket.

I aim my gun and try to focus on the creature in the basement. Even though I’m worried sick. Avery went out on a hunt two weeks ago and his contact dropped off a week ago. It’s not like him.

We've sent out a search party which has turned up nothing. They assure me he’s fine and they will let me know when they find him. I know this happens a lot with hunters. You get caught up in a hunt and get yourself lost. It happens. But this feels different. It’s not usually this long before Avery contacts me again. The others tell me to give it a few more days.

I’d love to have him show up before the wedding, but if he shows up at the alter, I’ll forgive him for making me worry. So, I hang onto that. He wanted this more than I did. There’s no way he’s going to miss it. No hunt could keep him from marrying me. I have the best man in the world.

I step onto the concrete floor and walk through the steam filled halls filled with pipes, wires and bad lights. Figures it would come down here. Why can’t these things end up in the Ritz or something.

I step cautiously down the hall. “You can make this easy and show your face!” I yell to the steamy black in front of me.

“I don’t think so, meat sack.”

The demonic voice answers and I hold my gun tighter. “Come on! Do you even know how much shit I have to do? So, come out and let me bag you so I can get back to doing something more productive.”

I walk through a stream cloud and see a shadow move ahead of me.

“I won't go back.” The outline of the muscular body hobbles down another hall.

“You’re going back. But you’re getting cargo. I’m not springing for a first class tickets.” I arch a brow as I turn the corner quickly. I search the steam clouds and see movement.

“Humans. Think you’re so special. I’ve been in your minds. The hype is overrated.” He growls.

“Right and trapping humans in their most wanted desires and wishes is so special. You’re a murderer.” I scowl down the barrel of my gun.

“A guy's gotta eat. It’s not my fault your species is easily manipulated. Greed and jealousy makes my job easy.” He turns down another hall.

I look down at my feet and see that he's still dripping blood like a broken faucet. “Have you tried a vegan diet?” I suggest as I see his braid flip around his shoulders and he goes deeper into the hall.

“Vegans make the best wishes, but I prefer hunters. They add wishes to traumas. Makes their blood taste better. I can make your wish come true. Try me.” I see his blue eyes glow through the steam as I round the hall and realize it’s a dead end.

I stand with my gun out and my feet apart. “I only have one wish. Sending your ass back to Qatar.”

He stands with his hand on his bullet hole then steps through the steam.

I smirk as I look over the big, scary Djinn trying not to die from blood loss. He's not particularly scary looking. More like annoying. He has tanned skin. Black, thick lined tattoos cover his body and face and his head is shaved except the top where a long braid hangs down his back. His sharp features and pretty, dark eyes do little for me. He puffs his naked chest and I will have to admit. Seeing a man in flowing, cotton red pants can be pretty hot, but not when he wants me as a blood shake.

His blue blood drips down his side and his breath is slowly becoming labored.

I look him over. “Lambs blood bullet not agreeing? I can take it out, but you got to put the shackles on first.” I hang gold shackles from my finger and swing them with snark.

He narrows his cat eyes. “How about I bleed on you instead?”

“No thanks. Look, if you don’t want to come peacefully, I can end you right now. Your choice.” I stuff the shackles in my pocket and raise my gun to his head.

“I’m not going back! Do you know what they do to me over there?! I have no rights! I’m hunted because some idiot thinks I grant fucking wishes. When they find out I can’t, they try to kill me! I’m defending myself. What am I supposed to do?” He throws a hand out to me.

“Tell it to the UN, buddy. I’m just trying to earn a paycheck. You killed an entire village. The Saudi King wants you. Who am I to tell him no? You want rights, call a humanitarian. I’m not it. Now, are you coming or what?”

“NO!” He roars.

“Ok. The hard way.” I blurt then fire my weapon.

He demonic roar fills the hall as he leaps into the air toward the wall and the bullet ricochets off the pipes, making more steam whistle through the crack in the steel.

He sticks to the ceiling and I kneel on one knee as I fire at him. He bares his 6 pin like, 3 inch black fangs and crawls across the ceiling. My bullets spark as he crawls quickly away, then drops to the floor.

I go to chase him, but he turns and throws a handful of blood my way. I shield myself in my jacket and the blood splatters on the leather. I pull my jacket down and look at the mess. I glare at him. “Really?”

“Worth a shot.” He shrugs then runs off down the hallway.

“Dickhead!” I growl and run after him.

I turn the corner and almost get kicked in the head. I duck and fall back. He comes at me with punches and I block them. My gun hand throws his arms away and when I try to aim, he smacks it out of the way. He kicks, spins and throws blows as I back off down a metal walkway.

He grabs my head and slams it off the railing and I stumble back. “Asshole.” I shake my head and clear the bells. I raise my gun and fire. He leaps over the railing and drops to a lower level.

I throw my legs over and hang. I swing to the metal walkway under me and land with a thud. I turn, he tries to punch at me, but I grab his arm and slam it on my thigh. He screams and tries to pin my back against the railing. He tries bite me as he attempts to shove me over the side and I struggle to hold his fangs back. I look down to the clear covered vats mixing what smells like jam at the bottom pf a good 20 foot drop. Yep. That could hurt.

I push back harder and he growls as his fangs grow longer. “As fun as this is…” I grit as I push on his chin and he pulls on the railing. “I hate raspberry!!” I drop to my ass and because of the momentum of his pulling, he pulls himself over the railing. With a scream, he falls down to the vat. The clear cover smashes as his flailing body hits it and jam slashes up in big waves. The Djinn disappears in the red, sticky food and I stand.

I lean over the railing and watch the sloshing liquid. “I tried being nice.” I press my lips together.

His hands shoot up and his head breaches the surface. He gasps for air and tries to swim in the stuff.

I raise my gun. “I don’t know why I even try.” I shake my head and pull the trigger. The cursed bullet flies through the air and lands between his eyes. His body is thrown across the vat and he hits the wall. He slides down under the jam and his blood rises to the top, poisoning the entire batch.

“Oops.” I push off the railing snd holster my gun.

“Striker!”

I turn and feel the walkway shake as hunters run to join me. “Hey, Lonnie.” I glance at the jam covered body floating head down. “You guys are late.”

He looks over the railing and back at me. “You got it?” He motions his head to the railing. His long on top blonde hair bounces when he does. He directs four men in red suits to retrieve the body. They turn and jog off to find the stairs down.

I push past him and the blue blood smears on his red suit.

“Gross.” He pulls at his jacket to see the blue stain.

I look at the blood and meet his blue eyes. “And you call yourself a hunter.” I snort, lift my chin and walk up the catwalk.

He joins my side. “You were supposed to take him alive.”

“I know.” I shrug as I enter into the halls. “I gave him the choice and he chose. Once he started preaching about Djinn rights, I knew how it would go. I swear, they think they have a right to murder humans just because that’s what they eat. Buddy, buy a cow.” I scowl and climb the stairs out of the basement.

“What are we supposed to do now, Zen. We were suppose to deliver him next week. We can’t deliver that mess.” He says as I walk across the factory floor.

“That’s your problem, isn’t it? I’m supposed to be on vacation. You clean up the mess.” I snap my fingers and turn. “You might want to call the factory owners and tell them not to use that jam. Don’t need 10 million people in a coma thinking they won the lottery.” I grin and continue to walk.

“I’ll make the call.” He sighs. “You need to stop killing our targets. We have orders.”

“And I have a fitting.” I stop and pull out my buzzing phone. I open it to a text message.

MOM: I was just with the minister and he says he hasn’t seen you. Where are you?!

“Shit.” I stuff my phone in my pocket. “Care to hunt an obnoxious mother of the bride?”

He smiles. “Sorry. I don’t want to die before the wedding.”

My phone buzzes again and I open it up.

AVERY: Baby? I’m sorry. I haven’t had a chance to text back until now.

I blow out a breath of relief and thank the gods or whatever.

YOU: Where the hell have you been? I was worried sick! Do you even know what I was thinking?!

AVERY: I’ll make it up to you after the wedding. I promise. I was chasing a wendigo and he got me. I'm OK.

YOU: Oh my God. Are you sure you’re alright? When are you coming home?!

AVERY: Yes. I’m fine. I killed it. I’m jumping on a plane as we speak and I’ll be home soon. I just need to make a stop over and I’ll be at the house the day after tomorrow.

YOU: Cutting it close.

AVERY: I’ll be there, baby. There’s nothing I want more than to marry you. I love you.

I smile at my phone.

YOU: I love you, too.

AVERY: OK. I’ll talk to you after I land. See ya later, tough girl.

YOU: See ya, Rambo.

I chuckle, stuff my phone in my pocket and walk backwards. “Send your RVSP in or I’m filling your bed with slime snakes!” I point to him as I cross the lot.

“You wouldn’t.” His brows go up.

“Ask Travis what happens when you test me.” I tick my head and turn.

“ZEN!”

I cackle as I walk down the street and get in my rental car. I start my car and smile. “White Wedding… Here I come.”