London Growl Read online

He had me there. Most of the upperclass were the ones in on nefarious ventures. They didn’t often inform on each other, either, especially since they all had far too much dirt to spread around.

  “Fair enough.”

  We arrived at McDonald’s and found a number of customers walking in and out.

  “Want anything, Chief?”

  “No, thank you,” I answered as we all stepped inside. “I’m careful as to what I put into my body.”

  “That’s not what Serena said,” Harvey stated. Then he blinked a few times. “Oh, you mean food?”

  It was becoming more and more trying to deal with my new partner.

  “Just go eat, will you? And be quick about it.”

  He nodded and got in line.

  I turned to spot Leland speaking with a middle-aged woman who was not exactly what you’d call a looker. She had straggly hair, tired eyes, and was rather plump. Still, there was a certain cuteness about her that I found somewhat appealing, but I had a tendency to find something intoxicating in every woman I met. Ladies just did it for me. Big, small, plain, extravagant…there was always a bit of oomph in every type.

  I moved over to Leland, but he gave me a look that said, “Stay back, I’m working.”

  So I took the table next to them and listened in.

  “I know I wasn’t feeling randy the other day, love,” he said, “but you must understand that mine is a trying business.”

  “That’s what you said then, yeah? Didn’t help my situation though, now did it?”

  He cleared his throat.

  “My dear, you must imagine how wonderful things will be now that I have an hour of free time and am feeling rested and ready.”

  An hour? I didn’t want to wait another hour.

  “Excuse me,” I said, tapping her on the shoulder, “but do you know anything about the disappearance of an Officer Rachel Cress?”

  “What are you doing, Mr. Dex?” Leland said with dark eyes. “This is my informant.”

  “An hour is too long, Leland,” I replied. “If she knows information, I can get it out of her in thirty seconds.”

  She scoffed at my proclamation. “I don’t know who you are, mister, but I’m not just going to give up information I know without a bit of—”

  I reached out again and touched her arm, allowing a flow of amalgamite energy to enter her body.

  Her eyes grew wide for a moment as her mouth formed the words, “Oh, my God.” Within seconds, she was shuddering and making cooing sounds. Fifteen seconds in, the entirety of McDonald’s was staring at her as she melted in the throes of passion.

  With a final, “Ahhhh!,” I let go of her arm and gave Leland a look so full of smugness that he sat back in shock.

  “That guy,” the woman said through ragged breaths as she pointed at a young man who was seated near the exit.

  He was staring in our direction.

  Of course, so was everyone else.

  But I pinned him instantly as being a werewolf.

  “He knows where she is,” the woman said again, sounding both exhausted and thoroughly satisfied.

  I stood up, but she grabbed my arm.

  “Come back anytime, lover,” she said. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

  “Me, too,” said an old lady who was sitting at the next table.

  I gently pushed her arm away from me while smiling at the two women.

  When I looked back up, I saw that our werewolf pal was exiting the joint at full burn.

  “Harvey,” I called out, “we’ve got a runner.”

  “But my food, Chief.”

  “Let’s go!”

  “Damn it!”

  Chapter 12

  We bolted toward the door, but there were a couple of older folks coming in who were in our way.

  I smiled anxiously at them until they finally got past the entrance.

  The old man said, “Many thanks, young fellow. It’s not often that people take the time to help the elderly these days, you know?”

  “It’s no problem, sir,” I said, desperately wanting to get out of the building.

  “When I was a youth, we were taught proper manners.” He leaned in with a serious look. “You respected your elders back then or you got your hide tanned.”

  “I would imagine so, yes.”

  He shook his head while looking off into the distance. “Ah, but the youth of today are nothing but a bunch of dodgy twits.”

  “Yes,” I said, feeling certain that I’d lost my chance to catch up to the werewolf at this point. “I’m sure they are. Listen, I’m sorry, but I really need to—”

  “Most of them should be at Her Majesty’s Pleasure, if you catch my meaning.”

  “Not really, no.”

  That’s when I sensed something was off. The old woman hadn’t moved and she appeared to be blocking the exit on the other side.

  I gave both of them a deeper look.

  Werewolves.

  “Damn it,” I said, pushing past the old bullshitters and out onto the sidewalk, turning on the jets in the process.

  Unfortunately, I slammed into a person walking in the other direction.

  We both hit the ground.

  “Hey,” the guy said while dusting off his suit, “watch where you’re going, will you? This suit is worth more than…” He paused and looked at me just as I was looking at him. “Ian Dex?” he said, rubbing his eyes as he got to his feet.

  “Simon Strong?” I looked up and saw another man standing there. “Montague?”

  “Officer Dex,” Montague replied with a short nod. “Always a pleasure.”

  “Thanks,” I said while pushing myself back up. “What are you guys doing here?”

  Simon waved a dismissive hand. “Mages summoning demons, making a power play to destabilize the balance. You?”

  “Rachel got herself kidnapped by werewolves.”

  “Shit,” said Simon. “Wish we could help, but you know how it is with mages and demons.”

  “Never ends, does it?”

  “No.”

  “Pardon me,” said Montague, “but there was a fellow who sped by us about thirty seconds ago.” He glanced back. “I still see him running towards the square. Is he the one you’re after?”

  “Actually, yeah,” I said.

  Montague gestured and formed a silvery orb. With a word, he released it. It raced through the crowded street until it crashed into the back of the fleeing man, causing him to spasm and fall to the ground.

  “He’ll be down for a few minutes,” Montague said with a nod.

  “Thanks, man,” I said. “You’re a lifesaver.”

  “Say, Dex,” Simon said, “I don’t mean to pry, but you have James Bond and an industrial version of Sherlock Holmes standing behind you.”

  I gave him a look that said “help me” and then said, “I know.”

  Simon stepped around me and nodded. “Great seeing you, Ian.” He then glanced at his watch. “Well, we have a lot of destruction to do and not a lot of time to do it. Good seeing you again.”

  “Good seeing you again,” I said in agreement. “Thanks again for the help, Montague.”

  “Think nothing of it.”

  We took off to catch our werewolf pal before he woke up from whatever it was that Montague had cast on him. It certainly made me think that I’d have been wiser to bring along one of the mages rather than a werebear. Another glance at Harvey in his silly outfit solidified that thought even further.

  I dragged the runner to his feet as he mumbled something incoherent. Obviously Montague’s spell had knocked the shit out of him.

  We moved to the wall and I told Harvey and Leland to keep watch.

  “This is my case, Mr. Dex,” Leland said sternly. “It should be me who is questioning this fellow.”

  “You can do that when I’m done,” I replied before smacking the werewolf. “Unless you want to end up in an early grave, pal,” I said to the dazed guy, “you’d better tell me what you know about the dis
appearance of Rachel Cress.”

  “Ouch,” he answered, rubbing his cheek. “No reason to hit me.”

  “Americans,” Leland grunted. “So uncivilized.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “May I?” Leland said, motioning toward the werewolf.

  I didn’t know why, but I backed away.

  “Listen, old chap,” said Leland as he helped straighten up the man’s outfit, “we Brits need to stick together. Do you agree?”

  He continued rubbing his jaw. “I guess so.”

  “We’ve a duty to Queen and Country, I’d say,” Leland continued. “Our national pride is at stake on a daily basis. If we don’t keep our guard up, we’ll be at the mercy of countries like my new friend’s here in no time.”

  “That makes sense,” the werewolf said, looking unsure. “Where are you going with all of this?”

  “It’s simple, really. You provide me the details on the whereabouts of Officer Cress and I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you, my fellow countryman, so that they are lenient on your sentencing.”

  The guy gave Leland a hard stare, then glanced at me, then up at Harvey, and finally back at Leland.

  “And who’s going to stop the Werewolves of London Clan from tearing me to shreds when I get out of prison?” His look was laced with expectancy. “Assuming they don’t just have me done in while I’m jailed, that is.”

  “I’m sure we can work something out,” Leland said after a moment of hesitation.

  So much for his patriotism play.

  “Yeah, I don’t think so,” the werewolf said.

  “Hmmm.” Leland pursed his lips. “Do it for the Queen?”

  “No.”

  I pulled out Boomy and stuck it on the guy’s forehead.

  With a dark look, I growled, “Do it to avoid having parts of your head littering the street?”

  “Okay, okay,” he said, swallowing hard as his eyes crossed in an effort to study the Desert Eagle that was threatening to ruin his day. “I’ll take you to her.”

  I left Boomy pressed against his head for another few moments and then pushed it a little harder before letting go.

  “If there are any tricks,” I stated in a tight voice, “I’ll shoot you more than once.”

  Chapter 13

  We took a brisk walk down Northumberland Avenue. I didn’t know where our new pal was taking us, mostly because I wasn’t familiar with the area, but Boomy was at the ready, just in case it was some kind of nefarious play on his part.

  Buses and cars were zipping by this way and that as the bustle of people who were going about their everyday lives seemed bent on impeding our progress.

  Again, I had to remind myself that Rachel would be fine until the demands came in. Hopefully, anyway. My gut churned at the thought that she may be tortured, though.

  That only hardened my resolve.

  “Keep moving,” I said, sticking Boomy into the guy’s back.

  He grunted in reply but picked up his pace.

  “It’s that way,” he said as we neared an intersection. “The alley right between The Sherlock Holmes and Thai Square Spa.”

  “Hey, Chief,” Harvey said with excitement while pointing at The Sherlock Holmes restaurant, “you think we could—”

  “No,” I interrupted before he could finish.

  “Aw, come on, Chief.”

  I stopped and turned on my partner.

  “Look, Harvey, this isn’t some vacation that we’re on here. My partner—”

  “Ex-partner,” Leland corrected.

  “—has been kidnapped by werewolves. If she gets hurt in any way, that would be pretty awful, don’t you think?”

  “Of course, Chief.”

  “And every moment that we’re wasting, stopping to play dress-up and looking for ways to stuff our faces with fast-food, is another moment that Rachel could be suffering through some kind of torture.” I stopped while staring at the large man. “Do you really want that on your conscience?”

  The werewolf began edging away from us, but I spotted him doing so out of the corner of my eye.

  I raised Boomy in his direction while keeping my gaze on Harvey.

  Mr. Werewolf froze in place.

  “All right, Chief,” Harvey said like a kid who’d just been routed for getting a failing grade in math. “You’re right. I’ve been acting like a fool.”

  He moved to take off his hat, but Leland stopped him.

  “Nonsense,” the James Bond wannabe stated. “You are following in the tradition of a fellow who has solved more intricate cases than any sleuth in the history of crime. Who are we if not those we wish to be?”

  My eyebrows uncontrollably squeezed together.

  “What?”

  “You, Mr. Dex, are obviously a stickler for rules, and that—”

  “I’m really not,” I stated, interrupting him this time.

  “Well, you sure are on this day.”

  “My partner—your partner—is in trouble, Leland.” I smacked myself on the side of my head as I lowered Boomy. “Doesn’t that bother you in the least?”

  He looked quite offended at my remark.

  “Of course it does,” he said. “What gentleman would feel less than concerned over the current disposition of a delicate flower such as Rachel Cress?”

  I blinked and shook my head as if someone had just thrown a bucket of freezing water on me.

  “Are we talking about the same Rachel Cress?”

  Leland rolled his eyes. “I speak of the female form in generalities, Mr. Dex. Police work is a man’s world.”

  “Wow,” I nearly choked in reply. “That’s probably not something you want the ‘delicate’ Rachel Cress to ever hear you say. She’ll end up kicking you right in your double-oh-sevens.”

  He cleared his throat and scanned the area as if she may have been close enough to have heard him. His hands even moved to protect himself. Obviously, he had been through this before.

  “Yes, I’m aware of her feelings on the matter.”

  “Uh, Chief?”

  “What, Harvey?”

  “The guy’s gone.”

  I spun to where our werewolf pal had been standing a moment before. Sure enough, he’d split.

  “Fucking fuck, fuck,” I spat.

  While I didn’t want to point fingers at either Harvey or Leland, it was their goddamned fault that the guy got away. Technically, I suppose it was my fault for letting them take my focus off the matter at hand.

  I glared at them both.

  “All right, you two,” I said through gritted teeth, “this stops here. You’re going to quit with this charade and help me find Rachel or you’re going to get the hell out of my hair. One way or the other.”

  Harvey went to take off his hat again.

  “I don’t care about the outfit, Harvey. What I do care about is the lack of professionalism. Interfere with my progress once more and I swear I’ll send your ass straight back to Vegas.” I met his eyes. “Got it?”

  He gulped. “Got it.”

  “As for you, Leland, I can’t dictate what you do or do not do, but if you impede my progress toward finding Rachel again, you can expect a really nice shoe to be buried in your arse.” I said that last word in his manner of speaking, to drive the point home. “Are we clear?”

  He merely harrumphed, never taking his eyes away from mine.

  I had to give him his due there. It wasn’t often that a person would dare stand toe to toe with me on such a threat. I could look very menacing when I wanted to, after all.

  “There he is, Chief,” Harvey said, pointing to the alley by The Sherlock Holmes restaurant.

  We ran out into the street, dodging cars as their drivers laid on their horns.

  I made sure to grab Harvey’s arm as we sped by the restaurant that was the namesake of his current getup. Patrons in the windows were pointing and laughing at him as we padded on by. It was probably the highlight of their day, especially if there were any tourists in there.
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br />   We got through the little alley and chased our werewolf pal on Craven until he jumped down a set of stairs by one of the buildings.

  It was a null zone.

  “Trap,” I said, holding back Bond and Holmes before they could jump in after our prey. “Get your weapons out.”

  Harvey pulled out his Desert Eagle. Leland unveiled a Walther PPK.

  While officers didn’t go about flaunting the fact that they carried weapons, the PPD didn’t follow any standard societal rules. We did our best to keep things under wraps, of course, but our job required the use of guns and other weaponry in order to subdue supernatural perps.

  “Nice gun,” I said with a genuine nod at Leland. It wasn’t a commonly used weapon in the PPD, but it had a certain level of class to it. “I’m impressed.”

  “Authenticity, Mr. Dex.”

  “Right.” I checked Boomy to make sure he was fully loaded.

  Then he looked at Boomy with wide eyes. “Is your gun big enough?”

  I wanted to make a juvenile wisecrack in response, but it was too easy.

  “Best gun I’ve ever owned,” I replied proudly. Then I pointed at his PPK. “I’m assuming you’re using standard breaker bullets?”

  “No,” he answered. “We received a new line of breakers that are multi-infused. Some pixie in America put the plans up and everything has been altered accordingly.”

  “That pixie works for me,” I stated proudly. “Now, am I to assume you know how to use your PPK as well as your famous James Bond?”

  “Let’s just say that I rarely miss.”

  “Good enough for me.”

  We jumped into the null zone.

  Chapter 14

  The area was dark and damp, but it was also a lot more roomy than I’d expected.

  I reached out to feel the area and wasn’t all that happy with what I was sensing.

  Werewolves.

  If my radar was right, there were about fifteen of them, including the guy who’d led us down here.

  He’d be the first to die.

  “Welcome, Mr. Dex,” said Mr. Werewolf as he stepped out into the light. I held my trigger finger back. “I have to say that I didn’t expect you’d actually follow me into a null zone, but I was hoping you would.”

  “Where’s Rachel?” was all I cared to say in response.