She flicked the projector on, and the screen opened to a huge outline of information that we had all helped build. In the middle was the words Wolf Hunter in big bold letters. I stared at the screen, knowing where this conversation was heading.
We had been debriefing about them for almost two years now. All of us had worked hard, training and striving to do ourbest, because we had seen firsthand what they could accomplish. We’d seen photos and the crime scene. We’d watched videos from victims’ cameras, and Kaleb and I had personally spoken to a hunter. It was short before he grabbed a knife and slit his throat, gurgling that he would never tell us where everyone was.
The organization had been tracking this group for years before us. It began with a minor crime, the scene appearing to be an accident. But soon dots started connecting. Bite marks appeared more often, and the people were all shifters.
A shiver ran down my spine thinking about the hunter we had brought in. Kaleb and I were only maybe a month into our roles. We had been walking down the hallway and stopped when we neared the window. A small man sat there. His arms were cuffed behind him, and he held a mischievous smile on his face.
And then his fangs poked out. He looked like a cold-blooded killer.
Another group had been interrogating him. They had beaten him, starved him, and tried to offer him anything to get information. The organization was on high alert since he was the first to be caught. But he didn’t give anything away.
“This again,” Asher asked, sounding irritated suddenly. I snapped my attention back to the meeting. “Didn’t we have a meeting about this last week?” he added, leaning back in his chair.
Chelsey glared at him. “We have new information as another crime scene arrived.”
She clicked to the next screen, and we all stared at a crime photo. It was of a kitchen, blood was splattered all over the tile floor and up the cream colored walls. There was a woman’s body that lay on the ground, bruises covered her neck and down her arms. You could tell she had fought but still lost in the end.Dishes were shattered on the floor, and a knife sat next to her hands.
A bite mark was on one side of her neck, and a chunk of her neck was removed from the other. I swallowed, clenching my teeth.
“Who was she?” Kaleb asked, tapping his fingers on the table. A sign that he was uncomfortable.
“Rose Paulson. She was an accountant for a firm. She never arrived at work, and a friend went over and found her like this.”
“Fuck,” Westley said, shaking his head. “That’s a nightmare to see.”
“Why the blood splatter?” Asher asked as he waved a hand. “These are vampires, so why the waste?”
“Different killers,” I said, turning to Asher. “Two bites.” I tapped my neck on each side. “One bite to suck blood, and the other bite to rip the neck out.”
“Brandon is correct.” She clicked her clicker, and the photo changed to two mug shots. A woman and a man. I scowled.
“This is Vivian and Vicker. They are a married couple that we have identified as part of the group. We know that each person generally moves alone, but they work together. We’ve had a few crimes with them, but they are becoming more frequent.”
“Do we have a number on how large this group is yet?” I asked.
Chelsey frowned, sadness flickering over her face. “We don’t know.”
“How the hell do we not know?” Westley asked. “We’ve been dealing with this for two fucking years.”
“Because they don’t move together as a group, Westley. And they are growing. They are becoming bolder, and we have intel they are planning to make their first big win.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
Chelsey clicked, flipping the photos to a town. My entire body froze, and Kaleb’s eyes widened. “They want to make a base camp.”
“Where is this?” Asher asked, waving a hand.
Kaleb shook his head, slamming his hand down onto the table. “No!” he snapped, swinging out of his chair. “What the fuck is this?”
“You all know Agent Reece has been working hard to get intel and has an in. He overheard a member saying that they were ready to move into a location that suited their needs. This is the location they chose.”
Kaleb threw his hands through his hair, and Asher and Westley looked at me, confused. “We know this is pretty shitty news, but why the sudden emotions? It’s not as if it’s going to happen. We’ve stopped a lot from happening.”
Chelsey’s face pinched together. “It could. They have the upper hand, and since we don’t know their numbers…anything can happen. Which is why I’m sending you guys.”
“Are you serious right now?” Kaleb turned, snapping at Chelsey. I curled my hands into fists as I stared at the picture.
“Kaleb, walk,” I snapped, pointing toward the door. Kaleb stood frozen for a moment before storming out, slamming the door behind him. Asher and Westley looked at me.
