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I always thought the solitude and emptiness I felt when I was a child was the way that it should be. It wasn’t until the three of them came into my life, in voice only, that I realized I wasn’t alone. They had their parts to play and different lessons to teach me about life, and they encouraged questions, but I thought I was losing my mind. I could never imagine the voices manifesting into flesh and blood.
The emergency door was an impersonal gray, almost clinical, which made sense considering what lay beyond it. It was cracked open and I could smell the antiseptic. Hearing the wheels of the janitor’s cart caused me to delay my entrance.
Staying quiet was paramount and there was no telling where the next threat was going to come from. It would be easy for them to infiltrate the hospital by looking like one of the staff. I wouldn’t put it past them to station those of like mind in various positions ready to strike at a moment’s notice. It was all about watching for the signs, including what they wore on their feet, which sometimes went unnoticed by those not looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Attention to detail gave me an unfair advantage. I knew those little things which would catch my eye and I was going to be on the lookout for them. Nobody could fault them for playing dirty when the stakes were high. It didn’t make sense not to cover their bases, making failure something of a foreign concept.
Natalie had tried to ingratiate herself into my life by becoming my friend on the surface. Behind her back, there was most likely a knife poised to strike when she felt all the pieces were in place.
I was about to go inside when I heard a commotion and loud voices. One was very familiar. Wesley had been captured and was being forcibly detained.
Chapter Twenty-six
I certainly couldn’t pass for one of the mercenaries and there was no point in trying. The metal of the door was scratched by my fingernails with nervous energy surrounding me. I couldn’t stay mad at Wesley when he thought he was doing the right thing for everybody. The right course of action would have been staying together to become a united force. He wasn’t usually ruled by emotions but letting down his brothers was his Achilles heel.
The warm air from inside was the first thing I felt when the door opened. I had no choice and waiting was a terrible position to put me in. They were underneath my skin and I couldn’t imagine life without them. We had been through some trials to test the strength of our love and had weathered them amazingly well, considering the circumstances. I wasn’t even sure I was capable of love until they overwhelmed me with their physical presence. Facing a moral dilemma was easier said than done when everything inside of me was telling me to tear through whatever stood between me and Wesley. It would be counterproductive and make things worse by going in without a plan of action.
Stopping and reassessing my situation wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. I worked my way down the hall using the blind spots and shadows to prevent anybody from seeing me before I was willing to be noticed.
“I want to know where the rest of them are and don’t try to tell me you came alone. This is the reason why I came here, to stop you from learning the truth. Nothing good ever comes from pulling back the curtain to see what is behind it. I’m sorry to trick you like this and make you think we were friends. I’m a big believer about keeping my friends close and my enemies even closer. In another life, we might’ve been real friends but how can I possibly forgive what your kind did to me. You had everything and I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel.” Natalie was making a big speech, getting things off her chest, and the anchor of anger around her neck was lessening significantly.
I could actually hear in her tone how it was therapeutic. She was able to say what was on her mind finally, giving it a voice instead of letting it fester inside of her. Nobody could dispute how she had suffered needlessly but the fault was squarely on the shoulders of her mother. There was no way she was going to have a disparaging word to say about the woman who raised her with venom dripping off of every word coming out of her mouth.
“You should have come to us and explained everything. The old ways are never going to be forgotten but we have evolved. Progressive thinking is the only way we’re going to start down a road of recovery and prosperity for the wolf community. Some might cock an eyebrow and turn their backs but it doesn’t mean the rest of us share the same sentiment.” Wesley said, without getting angry, keeping his tone of voice neutral to avoid getting into a shouting match.
I had to commend him for using his words in a desperate attempt to reach her before it was too late. I could almost sense Crosby and Callan near but in hiding. Closing my eyes made it easier to hear the faint beating of their hearts synchronized as one.
“What do you know about it? My mother was a saint and she made the best out of a bad situation by working her fingers to the bone. It was the only way to keep a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs. She told me stories which, frankly, sickened me, to think that I could be shunned because of my gender. I grew up hating my brothers and grateful for my mother. I don’t have the same animal tendencies bu
t I have these inane tracking abilities. I also had a benefactor, who has remained nameless, funding my expedition to see you suffer.” Natalie was revealing a lot more than I expected but she had a captive audience and wasn’t going to let an opportunity like that slip through her fingers.
“You have been blinded by rage to see what is right in front of you. This benefactor is using you for his own agenda. Don’t tell me you can’t see it. His methods are questionable and he is determined to see you do his dirty work. I’m guessing the only communication you’ve had with your benefactor is anonymous. You’re taking things at face value when you should be asking the tough questions. I see it as clear as the nose on your face and you have the same blood running through your veins,” Wesley concluded and waited patiently to see how she was going to respond.
I turned the corner and there was a door opened at the end of a hallway. Two guards rigidly stood at attention. They were bigger than life with huge muscles and a poker face which would have left people around the table shaking their heads. It was clear to see they weren’t going to be reasoned with. Saying anything would only bring about retaliation in the most extreme way possible. I was going to have to resort to underhanded tactics.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m well versed in many forms of combat including deflection. The reading material my mother provided gave me insight into an analytical mind. Her death rocked me to my very foundation. I lost my lifeline but my purpose came with watching her being lowered into the ground. She left instructions after her death. The files were quite informative with an extensive biography on all of you. She had photographs and was watching you from afar for years.” Natalie was having a bit of fun at Wesley’s expense, obvious by how she was snickering underneath her breath.
There was only one direction and they had staked the place out with a tactical display of force. Nobody was going to be able to get close unless they were willing to sacrifice everything. The dim lighting would give me a few seconds before they could recognize the danger on the horizon. She wanted a confrontation and the love she had for her mother had been exchanged for the burning hatred running through her veins, corrupting her mind and body. Her mother’s death was the trigger and her benefactor had swept down like a vulture when he knew that she was at her most vulnerable.
“She sounds like an amazing woman and you were lucky to get to know her. We never had that chance and I would love to go back to change things but there’s nothing we can do. We have to move on and think of the future without letting the past define us. We learn by making mistakes and then picking ourselves back up to face another day. It doesn’t have to be this way and we would gladly welcome you into the fold with open arms. Let it go and release yourself from these chains before they drag you down,” Wesley persuaded and I really wanted his words to strike a chord within her.
“I’m not going to listen to this nonsense. This wasn’t the plan but having you all in one place isn’t something I can ignore. I want you to die but I want you to watch those that you care about fall one by one. You are the worst of them all. Living this life of leisure and mental calmness is simply astonishing. Nothing makes you lose control, unless your family is being threatened. It’s all here in your file. These psychological profiles have made it easy to treat you all like lab rats underneath a microscope. I was able to manipulate you and what better way than to convince you that you were my equal when it couldn’t be further from the truth,” Natalie spoke and everybody listened, including those hidden in plain sight.
The janitor was no longer the same spindly old man clinging to the last vestige of his humanity. The figure was bent over pushing the cart down the hall in the opposite way of where he came from. I instinctively knew it was Callan hiding in plain sight. He probably got the idea by watching them and decided to turn the tables.
“I respect you for everything you have accomplished. Nobody works harder than you. Being the first one in and the last one to leave shows what kind of dedication you have. Why ruin everything you have built by listening to some anonymous voice? I thought you were better than that. Being independent is something you stress vehemently to others. Don’t you think you should be taking your own advice and thinking for yourself,” Wesley suggested and the silence to follow was deafening.
The squeaking of the janitor’s cart went unnoticed. They really did believe they had all their bases covered, leaving nothing to chance. Getting close to the room where the man was currently recovering was a headache.
I noticed Natalie was wearing a nurse’s outfit in fuchsia. Somehow she had gotten ahold of some scrubs to make her blend into her surroundings. It was about looking like you belong without anybody questioning the reason why you were there. Security was lax beyond the threshold of the emergency doors. Once inside, they had a run of the place but they still had to be careful about attracting unwanted attention.
“I have a job to do and I don’t need you in my head. In fact, I don’t want to listen to another word out of your mouth and you should have kept quiet.” She motioned for one of the men and he came forward to gag him with his hands bound behind his back. “I will return after I take care of some pressing business. It’s not like you are going anywhere. I have suppressed the wolf inside of you with a needle filled with a very potent blend of natural ingredients. I got the recipe when my mother died. It’s very effective on those of your kind.” She walked past me and I could smell the heavy aroma of her perfume wafting in the air.
I was debating on what to do, until it became quite clear my job was to follow her. Callan was in a perfect position and he didn’t need me messing things up. There was no telling when Crosby was going to make his presence known but I had a feeling he was already doing that by eliminating pieces from the chessboard one at a time. I had the best of all three of them from their teachings but some of their advice would clash from time to time, making it necessary for me to choose carefully which one to listen to.
I adapted quite quickly by grabbing a stethoscope and white jacket hanging over a basket of laundry. Staying a few steps behind and turning when she glanced over her shoulder was a risk. Losing her was a possibility but I was able to pick up her scent in the air like this permanent footprint to follow.
The clipboard in her hands flipped with the pages turning not really paying attention to where she was going. The security guard stationed at the man’s door was constantly tapping his watch impatiently and looking toward the elevator.
