"You don't think..." Cadence asked, just a few seconds before she had confirmed for Elliott that Aaron must be with Eliza.
"Yes, I do," Elliott nodded, asking the bartender to refill his drink.
Though the thought had crossed her mind when Elliott had first said Aaron wasn't answering the IAC, she had said it out of snarkiness more than anything else. Now that he confirmed her initial reaction, she felt like she was going to be sick. "Surely not," she said. She was standing now and grabbed him rather forcefully by the arm.
"Kid, listen, Eliza has a little talent of her own," he explained.
Cadence's eyebrows furrowed, and she sat back down. "Please don't get too graphic," she replied, not sure where he was going with this.
He shook his head. "Like I would know that," he muttered. "No, she's a siren, of sorts. She's a temptress."
Cadence's eyes widened. "What?"
He was nodding. "Yep. Now, most of us who know her well are pretty much immune at this point. But that's how she got him in the first place. As upset as I assume he was, he probably couldn't fight her off."
The bartender brought Elliott's drink, and just as he was about to pick it up, Cadence grabbed it and gulped it down. "Why did I not know this?" she asked, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, her shock profuse enough that she didn't notice Elliott's dismay at having lost another drink to her.
As he ordered yet another drink, he said, "No reason for you to know, I guess. It wouldn't work on you."
"Still... this whole time I've been wondering how come Aaron dates such annoying women, wondering what that says about me, and it turns out he didn't have a choice."
"Oh, I wouldn't say he didn't have a choice. I mean, it's not like he doesn't know. The problem is, he's a loyal, standup guy. He wants to do what he thinks is right. So, once she got him where she wanted him, he didn't just want to walk away from her. He tried to make it work. But it did not work. Not even a little bit." This time, he snatched his drink out of the barkeep’s hand and drank most of it before Cadence could steal it.
"So, do you think he'll stay together with her this time?" she asked.
"For the love of God, I hope not," Elliott replied, finishing his drink.
"Unbelievable," Cadence said, tossing her head back down on top of her folded arms.
"I'm so sorry, kid," Elliott said, patting her on the back. "It'll be all right. If the two of you are meant to be together, nothing can keep that from happening, not even that conniving little bitch."
"And what if we're not?" Cadence asked, the reality of what she was saying beginning to pull the tears loose from her eyes once again.
"I'll find a way, kid," he said, smoothing her hair and causing her to look at him. "I think you are meant to be together. It'll happen--if it's the last thing I do."
Cadence smiled. "While I appreciate the sentiment, considering you're going to live well beyond me, that's not much of an assurance."
He returned the smile. "I don't think it'll take that long. We'll figure it out. Now, come on; let's go kill some Vampires."
* * *
Being that it was Christmas Eve, there were not a lot of LIGHTS team members willing to go out. However, Cadence and Elliott were joined by another Hunter Cadence only vaguely knew from the gym by the name of Aurora, and Paxton and Smith, two Guardians she had worked with previously. She had not been impressed with either of them.
Nevertheless, the way she was feeling, she didn't need any help at all. Aurora was a super tall strawberry-blond muscular woman. She had a pretty face but did not remind Cadence of the princess from Sleeping Beauty. She seemed to be all business, and Cadence was excited to have the opportunity to work with her. Paxton was a short, scrawny Guardian with a spikey faux-hock and Smith looked like a reject from Space Camp, with his thick glasses and blemished complexion.
They were assembled across the street from a one-story brick bungalow, their black clothes about the only cover they could find except for some shrubbery in near the street. There was a residence about 20 yards behind them, but Elliott had scoped it out earlier and knew that the woman who lived there was old and hard of hearing. He was hopeful she wouldn't notice the small party taking refuge in her boxwoods.
"All right, the mark's name is Ray. He's a newbie, so, young and stupid. He lives in the basement of his brother's house--that one there across the street," he said pointing at the brick structure. "He lived there for years before he was Resurrected, which was only a few months ago. He's been warned several times and hasn't gotten his shit together, so we're taking him out."
They were in Blue Springs, a suburb of Kansas City, and this particular residential neighborhood was not that busy. Still, even as he was speaking, a car drove by, and they hunkered deeper down below the sight line of the bushes. "Who else lives there?" Aurora asked, peering out across the top of the shrubs.
"Good question," Elliott replied. He had run his fair share of jobs over the years, but it had been a while, so he was thankful for pertinent questions. "Ray's brother and his family occupy the main floor. He has two kids. Their bedrooms are in the back of the house with what could potentially be called the master bedroom right there in the front," he said gesturing to the right side of the house.
"I suggest we gain entry via the basement windows. He should be fairly easy to take down, but I would prefer it if we could avoid gunfire. It would be much simpler if we were in and out without waking the neighborhood."
The rest of the team nodded in confirmation. "Where are you positioning us?" Cadence asked. She didn't know who he was planning to pair her with, but either way she knew she would be on her own. Neither Paxton nor Smith would be able to keep up with her.
"I want Aurora and Smith to go around to the right and see where you can get in. Cadence, you and Paxton can take the left. I'll call the shots from the roof of Mrs. Turquette's house over here," he said with a quick nod at the house behind them.
"Are we sure he's home?" Aurora asked. Since Ray lived in the basement, it wasn't as simple to gain visuals or pick up on a heat signature.
"I believe so," Elliott confirmed. "We had visual confirmation of him entering the residence at 9:30 PM, about two hours ago, and no word that he has left the premises."
"All right then, let's go," Cadence said, ready to get on with it.
"Any other questions?" Elliott asked. There were none, so the team started to move.
Cadence didn't wait for Paxton. She took off across the street and around to the left side of the house while he trailed her. She was carrying only a Glock this time, deciding to lighten her equipment. She was dressed in skin-tight leather in a deep purple. While it looked constraining, it was actually quite comfortable, and she could move in it unrestricted.
As she approached the house, she could see that the basement appeared to be the full length of the house. There were four ground-level windows along the left side. She assumed that the right side would be the same. Judging the age of the house and the neighborhood, she was fairly certain she wouldn't need to worry about setting any alarms off.
She dropped to her knees to inspect the first window. Immediately, she was certain that the mark was home; a fluttering sensation in her stomach confirmed for her that he was nearby. She attempted to peer into the basement through the dirt-streaked second window, but there were no lights on, and she had to switch over to her night vision. While the basement was full-sized, it was also unfinished. Most of it seemed to be filled with boxes and other displaced household items. She could see a makeshift bed toward the back of the house, near a stairwell. A heat signature was coming from a small heater, which must have been the only source of heat for Ray, though, as a Vampire he wouldn't really need one. She could see a washer and dryer and a shower and toilet back in the corner. "Nice digs," she muttered actually beginning to feel a little sorry that anyone had to live here, whether he was actually alive or not.
There was still one small problem; she still didn't have a visual on Ray. He was clearly not in the bed. As she continued to stare into the darkness, she saw a small movement across the length of the house, just an instantaneous flutter, and realized he was standing in the far corner near the shower, a secondary brick wall hiding him from her line of sight. "Are you ready?" she asked Aurora.
"I'm still waiting on Smith," came the reply.
"Well, I see the mark. I'm going in," Cadence answered. Before Aurora had the opportunity to come back to her, Cadence lifted the flimsy glass panel and screen, tossed them behind her, grabbed the top of the window jam, and propelled her body through the narrow opening.
