Blue Moon

Chapter 16

Carson watched as Adley skulked in the shadows, always observing the entrance. He was keeping a low profile, mostly remaining under a large tree that shadowed the majority of the land around him. Bushes sat at his waistline, and if someone got too close, he'd drop to his knees.

The legion remained at the entrance, watching the surroundings. Carson found it intriguing that they didn't roam or couldn't sense that one of their own was so close. Werewolves were always supposed to have a keen sense of smell, yet Adley had not been found.

A thought struck Carson as he looked between Adley and the members of the legion standing outside the entrance. It was entirely possible that they were there to stop unwanted people but not actively search and protect the place. If that were the case, then who was responsible for that duty? Carson feared that there was a third player in this nightmare, and he hoped it wasn't the case.

With a vow to remain vigilant, Carson returned to the view of Adley. Every so often, he'd look up the street. Curious, Carson did the same. Following the street line, he found a familiar face sitting in a car by herself. Not unusual, but given the situation, he knew what she was. She was the driver for a werewolf that would struggle to drive a car.

Carefully he slipped into the shadows and called over one of the troops.

"Sir,"

"Do you see the red sports car halfway up the road with the woman behind the wheel?"

"Yes, sir."

"Slash the tyres and do not be seen. Return quickly."

The vampire nodded and slipped into the darkness. Carson turned his gaze to the two men who were crouched on the other side of the dumpster, frantically working on a serum.

"Gentlemen, how are we fairing?"

"Good," One said as he stood. "The instructions are not in metric, so it's taken us a little longer as we've had to convert the measurements. We have estimated his weight based on what we can see."

"And that is?"

"Two hundred and fifty pounds."

Carson huffed a short and sharp sigh, glancing at Adley.

"Having been up close to Adley, I would suggest that you increase it to three hundred to be safe."

"Yes, sir."

Turning to the gunman, Carson moved in beside him and looked through the scope.

"Best to get him near the shrubs to soften the fall and hide him from view."

"Yes, sir."

Cold metal pressed to the side of Carson's head; a soft click echoed in the quiet alley.

"I'm not in the mood for games. I am a tired woman, and I want my daughter back. I'm sick of this vampire shit, so you and your little posse of scientists and gunman can step away from my baby and get the hell out of here."

Carefully Carson turned to the desperate mother that looked more tired than she should. The pain and suffering were obvious, and he wanted to help, but no one went against the boss. He'd rather take the bullet to the head than face an angry vampire when he returned with grim news.

"Lyla, I know that you're tired, and you're fed up with everyone involved in this situation, but you must understand that we have to do things right."

"Funny, Lennon said that too."

The vampire looked around and noticed that she was alone.

"And where would he be?"

"Doing as he promised. See, we all have our part in this situation, as you call it and mine is to ensure that you and your men don't take Adley down. Your man that's gone off to slash those tyres don't fret for him. He's just bound and gagged in the bushes. Now, let's do this the right way, shall we?"

"We were,"

"No, no." Lyla interrupted with a smile. "You were only after one goal, and it does not suit the welfare of my daughter. Gentlemen, if you will."

The gunman and scientists stood, glancing at Carson for guidance. He was the team leader in this mission, yet he had his hands up, obeying what the human told him to do.

"Do you even know how to use the gun, Lyla?"

She smiled, offering a hint of a laugh.

"I know that I'm not the person that I was a week ago, but my mind still functions well. I'm surprised that you haven't done any research into me, considering you're planning on abducting my daughter for your bosses perverted delights. Go on, take a guess at what I do for a living."

"Cop."

"No, but a wise choice. You're done. How about your friends?"

Lyla nodded her head at one of the scientists. He shrugged.

"I uh, don't know. Maybe army?"

"Interesting, but no. Taker number three?"

The second scientist looked to Carson again, getting nothing but a cold, hard stare directed at Lyla. Like his counterpart, he stammered and struggled to figure it out.

"I don't know either."

"I do." the gunman offered.

All eyes swung to him as he grimaced.

"How's it going, Lyla?"

"Shit."

He nodded and turned to Carson.

"She's Special Ops for the human government."

Carson saw the reluctance on his face because he could see that these two knew each other.

"And she's the one that trained me when I was human."

"So that means that you're as good as her, right?"

"No, it means that she's better. Trainers always have years of experience. Otherwise, they wouldn't be in a teaching role. Besides, I've got a rifle mounted to a tripod, set low to the ground, nowhere near me. Lyla's got a handgun in her hand with her finger on the trigger. I'd wager there's a bullet for each of us and a whole lot more in her pockets in case we think we can run. The odds are not in our favour."

"Well, then you can explain that to the boss when we return without what he demanded."

"All that I want is my daughter. You can have the other part of the equation. Do we have a deal or not, vampire?"