KnightForce Damian: La Patron's KNightForce, #4

Chapter 1

The dark sky grumbled as though issuing a warning to the unwary. Damian looked at the thick, black clouds and shook his head. No one had mentioned the random thunderstorms that plagued South Florida before he moved here for his assignment. The great beaches eluded him and the mosquitoes ate him alive. So far, the tropical paradise he’d envisioned hadn't materialized.

Tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, he peered through heavy sheets of rain drumming without mercy on the windshield of the SUV. Lightning danced across the sky, followed by the boom of thunder.

Think they'll try tonight? Raoul, Damian's office manager, asked. His normally sky blue eyes were much darker in the interior of the car.

Yeah. Bad weather didn't last long and most humans avoided venturing out in this type of weather, but it was perfect for a band of rogue full-bloods.

A little moonlight would help, Raoul said, looking through the window.

Damian didn't bother responding; instead he listened hard for anything that would indicate they weren't alone in the defunct strip mall designated for demolition. Informants had relayed that the rogues used this location as a meeting place before and after breaking into nearby warehouses. Because of the rogues’ stealth, they'd successfully stolen a quarter of a million dollars in merchandise from area merchants. The human police were stumped, but pack detectives who worked with the humans had called it in to Alpha Bartholomew. Yesterday the Alpha received a call from a pack member who worked for one of the warehouses with his suspicions, and now Damian sat in a brutal thunderstorm hoping to catch the assholes.

Want one? Raoul held up a bottle of water.

Damian shook his head and continued straining to see into the darkness.

Five minutes passed; nothing happened.

Maybe they aren't working tonight, Raoul said into the silence.

Damian bit back a sharp response and continued watching. The rain wouldn't last much longer, which would provide a perfect opportunity for criminals to work. He didn't feel the need to explain any of this to Raoul, especially since the man had insisted on coming along.

Lightning splits the sky again, but this time without thunder. The rain continued, not as hard, but with constant intent to nourish the ground.

Maybe we should come back tomorrow, Raoul suggested.

Maybe you should've stayed at the house, Damian growled, and glanced at his roommate. I have a job to do tonight and that's what I plan to do, he snapped.

Understood, but why would I stay at the house? Russell and Eugene aren't here. You don't allow any local pack to visit or hang out with us, so I don't get what you mean.

I don't need you here complaining about a little bit of rain. Nor do I need the other KnightForce agents. Who I allow in my place is my business. If you have a problem with that you can leave, Damian said, meeting Raoul's blue gaze. I can do my job.

No one said you can't or couldn't, but pack... pack work together.

Wasn't raised in a pack.

Don't mean you don't need pack, you're still a wolf. Raoul released a breath. We need each other, that's the way the Goddess created us.

Damian snorted and turned on the windshield wipers now that the rain slowed to a smattering stream.

Seriously, ask your sire.

Damian shook his head and didn't respond. Hawke, his sire, had been raised in a laboratory, just as Damian had; neither of them was raised within a pack structure. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an engine and the splash of tires on the watery pavement. Headlights dimmed, two cars drove slowly into the parking lot.

He could see better now, and tried to get an accurate head count. The informant suspected four full-bloods were involved but hadn't been sure. A van pulled in behind the two cars. Raoul wrote down the plate as three men got out of the cars and quickly got in the van, which immediately pulled out.

Damian inhaled. Full-bloods.

When the van reached the edge of the parking lot, Damian pulled out and stopped behind the two parked cars. Within seconds he’d placed trackers behind the license plates of each, and then took off after the van. With the rain and high levels of water on the road, it didn't take long to catch the rogues and keep them in view as they traveled north on the turnpike to Hialeah.

Raindrops hit the windshield, and then quickly slid away as it slowed to a drizzling nuisance. Few headlights lent their brightness at the tail end of the storm. Intermittent lamp posts appeared as smudges of light against the dark backdrop of the sky. Damian's thoughts raced ahead of his conquest, capturing the rogues and securing them in Alpha Bartholomew's detainment center in Homestead. So far he'd been successful with his KnightForce assignments despite his earlier problems with rebels.

The van veered right and took an exit ramp. Damian drove a few cars behind and followed the van to a dark industrial park where only a few lamp posts illuminated small patches of asphalt. He drove past the van, drove a few more blocks, parked, grabbed his bag, and they both took off running toward the building. Wearing dark attire, moving as quickly as they could on the wet surface, Damian and Raoul clung to the shadows, avoiding the few street lights until they reached the lot where the van was parked.

It was empty.

Inhaling, he picked up their scent. Taking a few steps, he ran and leapt over the chained gate.

Dressed similarly, Raoul had lost his black cap at some point since leaving the SUV. Dim light glinted off his blond strands as he landed nearby. In silence they tracked the full-bloods to a large, metal building. The faint sound of mechanical devices, the soft hiss of an opening door, and muffled footsteps running in the opposite direction, identified the rogues as professionals who wasted little time. Per Alpha Bartholomew's orders, he couldn't follow them into any structure owned by humans. Disappointed, he hadn't stopped them from breaking into the building, he moved away to set up a nice reception.

Moving at a fast clip, he and Raoul jumped the fence again and searched the van. They found a bag containing some rudimentary tools, screwdriver, hammer, but nothing else. Damian pierced two tires with his blade, and waved Raoul back into the darkness to wait. Ten minutes later, another car drove slowly into the parking lot, windows down, searching the area. Damian pushed Raoul behind him and moved further into the dark shadows. If these were full-bloods, they'd find them quickly, but he couldn't get a good scent on the occupants inside. They pulled alongside the van, got out, and looked at the flat tires.

Humans, Raoul whispered, and stood to Damian’s left.

"Mind speak," Damian reminded him. Just because they were humans didn't mean they didn't have access to equipment that would amplify anything said.

He nodded.

The two humans held up their pistols and scanned the dark area surrounding the parking lot. Sidestepping puddles of water, they spread out, searching. Damian and Raoul remained still as one of the men looked in their direction, took a few steps, and fired. Damian ducked and sprinted forward, slamming his shoulder into the shooter, knocking him forward. He hit the ground hard and remained still. Raoul zipped out of the shadows, and hit the other man who'd been too startled over Damian's actions to fire his weapon. Within seconds, both men were disarmed and lay on the ground, unconscious.

"Bring that one and his weapon over here." Damian dragged his opponent further into the dark. He removed the ammunition from the firearm and tossed it in a different direction than he tossed the weapon. Raoul did the same with his captive.

"What are they doing here?" Raoul asked.

Watching the building for his primary targets, Damian reached down and patted the pockets of the shooter until he felt the small stiff patch. He pulled out a wallet and looked at the driver’s license. The name Kent Melon meant nothing, but the security company identification sucked. No doubt the business owners had gotten smart and hired extra help to stop the thefts. Damian heard sounds coming from the warehouse and slid the wallet back in place.

He eased forward; glad the moon continued to hide behind the clouds and hoped the wind wouldn't change directions, not yet.

Four full-bloods, arms filled with plastic bags of stolen goods, walked toward the van in silence. Noses tilted up, their steps slowed and then stopped a good distance away from their transportation.

They're going to run! The realization slammed into Damian the moment he placed his bag across his shoulders and raced toward them. In concert, their heads whipped toward him and then back at the smaller car. They tossed their bounty to the ground and spread out. Damian changed direction slightly and headed for the largest one in the group and slammed into his chest. The sound boomed across the lot as the full-blood flew backward, slammed into the locked gate, bounced off and hit the ground. He didn't get up.

The other three jumped on Damian's back. Grateful for the cover of night, Damian morphed to his hybrid size and picked them off one at a time and threw them onto the unforgiving asphalt. Cracking bones and horrific screams filled the air. Damian looked up and saw Raoul break the arm of the full-blood near the gate. Aware the security company may send someone to check on their men; Damian lifted two men by their collars, removed iron cuffs from his bag and placed them on their wrists. He motioned for Raoul to get the other one, and then cuffed him as well. Leaving the goods behind, carrying and dragging all four captives, they moved quickly to the SUV, ignoring the moaning complaints of the full-bloods.

Inhaling the sweet smell of rain-cleansed air, Damian placed the rogues in the back seats with one warning. If you do anything to cause problems, I will kill you. He morphed into his largest size. Pleased with the smell of fear and urine from his captives, he normalized and locked their feet in iron cuffs he'd had installed in the car.

"Still impressive," Raoul said, passing him on the way to the passenger side.

Damian ignored him and turned to face the four behind him. You've committed a crime in Alpha Bartholomew's territory, I am one of three KnightForce agents who serve and protect this area. By stealing from humans you've placed the secret of our nation in jeopardy and will be judged accordingly. As such you have no rights, no recourse, and live by the mercy of your Alpha and La Patron, who have questions for you. Do you understand?

Three nodded.

Damian and the larger one locked gazes for a few seconds. He pulled off the highway onto a feeder road and drove until he saw a sign designating a local park. Pulling into the empty parking lot, Damian stopped and unlocked the one who hadn't agreed.

Who is that? What's going on? Raoul asked, opening his door to get out.

"No, stay with the others, I need to teach this one a few things about accepting mercy when it is presented."

"Oh. Raoul closed the door, and craned his neck to watch. Who is that guy?" he asked the three in the back.

British, one of the men said and lapsed into silence.

"His name's British," Raoul told Damian, who had his hand on the larger man's neck as they walked toward a baseball field.

The moment they arrived in the field, Damian realized the rain had turned it into a muddied playground. He didn't have time to change directions before British elbowed him in the gut breaking contact and then hit him beneath the chin knocking him on his ass.

Get up you pussy bastard. KnightForce my ass. He kicked Damian as he tried to stand, but slipped in the mud and slid a few feet. This was going to be dirty. British quickly got up and walked over, lifted his foot over Damian's face.

Damian grabbed the foot and squeezed. Few people knew the bones in his arms and legs were replaced with titanium steel, it had given him an advantage over the others in his training class. British hopped on one foot and fell with a loud shout. Without releasing the foot, Damian twisted it sharp right. British flipped to his side but didn't cry out.

What'd you say about KnightForce? Damian pushed up while avoiding British’s other foot and now stood over the man.

Fuck you and all the others. I serve no Alpha.

You are a rogue in truth then? A rebel? Unimpressed by the man’s attempts to break free or his vile vocabulary, Damian braced his legs apart and avoided a kick.

Not a rebel, not a rogue, just someone who wants no part of your world.

So you steal from the humans? Why? So they can catch you, put you in their prisons, and then what? You start a rebellion in prison by healing fast, being quicker than the humans? What happens to your wolf when you cannot shift? Or do you plan to shift so they know wolves live next door to them?

I don't have to explain to you. If you want to kill me, then do it.

Damian dropped the leg, grabbed British by his shirt, lifting him from the ground, and punched him in the gut, knocking the breath out of him. British staggered a few steps and hadn't yet recovered when Damian hit him beneath his chin so hard his head snapped back as he flew through the air a few feet and landed hard in the mud.

British raised his arm, and then dropped it with a plop onto the mud. Taking small steps so he wouldn't fall, Damian reached British and stared down at him. I serve Alpha Bartholomew and La Patron as KnightForce, and your words are treason. How do you plead?

Coughing, British didn't speak immediately. He tried to rise and fell back onto the ground. He’d need to shift to heal, but that was forbidden in the open like this. He turned his neck to Damian, who accepted his surrender.

Chapter 2

Damian walked out the shower drying his hair and headed toward the kitchen. At the warehouse, darkness had devoured all signs of light. Now the sun peeked over the horizon, banishing clouds as if doling out favors. Leaning against the counter in the kitchen, a bottle of water in hand, Damian watched the battle between the dark and light as sun rays pierced the sky. The sight eased him, reminded him of the balance of life, nature.

"Angus?" There was no immediate response.

"It's too early," Angus said, his voice groggy through their mind speak.

My apologies. I will contact you later, what is a good time?

Now, since you woke me. What happened?

Damian filled him in on last night's activities.

British changed his mind?

Yes, he preferred to live rather than die in the mud.

Angus chuckled. "They are in detention? For how long?"

Until Alpha Bart deals with them. He may send his Beta, I'm not sure.

Have you met his Beta?

"Not yet. I haven't done much socializing since I've been here. Raoul does enough for both of us." He told Angus about Raoul's revolving bedroom door.

"That was you when you lived here in the compound. I don't think you left any of the lab techs untouched."

Damian tossed the bottle into the trash and headed to his bedroom for a nap. "That was before I took this job. I can't allow anyone to get between me and work. I'm pledged to La Patron remember?"

Not to be a monk, Angus said and then snorted. Our beasts need other wolves; you need to meet others who are just as committed to Silas and Bart and build friendships. This strengthens the pack and will make your work better. Lone wolves don't function well; I know we covered that in training

Frowning, Damian closed the door and stretched across the bed. But that dealt with other teammates, I'm supposed to reach out to other agents right?

Yes, but there are packs within packs. Right now you are a member of the Florida pack because you live there. All wolves in that state serve Alpha Bart and you're all pack mates. All wolves in the country are a member of the national pack and serve La Patron; he's the Alpha of everyone.

Damian rubbed his eyes. "I know, that was made clear in training." He paused, thinking of Raoul's comment in the car and his insistence on going on that mission. What I don't understand is what's expected of me as a pack member, that wasn't in training.

After a few seconds, Angus spoke. No, it wasn't, because pack life is learned when you're a pup. Your situation is different and we didn't take that into account. Asia's your Captain, I'm just filling in until she and Hawke get back later today from their trip. I'll talk to her about this; see what we can do to help you merge into the pack because it's really important. The wolf community will help with your investigations; over time you'll be able to tell when something’s wrong or right by the attitude of the pack. In order to be more effective to Alpha Bart, you'll need to be sensitive to the needs and emotions of the community.

Damian didn't deny what Angus said. On an intellectual level, it made sense. He just had no idea how to go forward with it. Hanging around people he didn't know or have much in common with seemed odd, but Raoul did it all the time. "Okay, let me know what you come up with, anything that can help is appreciated."

Angus disconnected.

Damian rested his forearm over his eyes and tried to get his mind to settle, to rest. The events of this morning rolled, tossed and turned in his thoughts. What could he have done differently to prevent the three from entering the building? Arrived sooner? Parked closer? He didn't know. It had been pitch dark in the area he'd fought the rogues; morphing to his hybrid in the open held its own risks of exposure. He hadn't sensed cameras or any other equipment nearby but with current technology there was always a chance of being caught on film from a distance. He'd mention it to Asia later to see how she'd like him to proceed.

His thoughts drifted to Angus and his comments on community and pack. Raoul mentioned something along those lines earlier but Damian hadn't been listening. Having Raoul along last night was beneficial. Not that Damian couldn't take down the four full-bloods, he could have, but it would've been harder and messier. What if he asked Raoul to teach him about being in a pack? No. The idea of Raoul teaching him anything didn't sit right. Maybe they could have casual conversations about it, or long planned talks where Damian asked questions.

He could see Raoul's smug face now.

Rolling onto his side, he pulled the pillow beneath him, wishing it was a warm, willing female. He yawned, banishing thoughts of pack life and decided he'd take Raoul up on the offer to meet the female's friend. It couldn't hurt.

Eyes closed, he accepted he couldn't have done much differently on the job with the rogues and drifted asleep.

"Damian? KnightForce Damian?" Alpha Bart called through mind speak.

"Sir?" He didn't bother opening his eyes since he planned to remain in bed longer.

"Good work on bringing in the rogues last night. The local police commissioner is pack. He’d realized the robberies weren't done by humans and contacted me. With all the tourists in that area, we must be vigilant our secrets remain in place."

Damian covered his yawn. "Yes, Sir."

Have you given thought how you plan to do that?

He opened one eye and looked at the clock. 7:15AM. "A specific plan to keep humans ignorant of our existence?"

No, that's not your job. What I meant was set a system in place so that no one's tempted to break our laws, like last night.

"I enforce the laws, Sir." Creating rules wasn't his job either.

Yes, yes I know. But... what I'm thinking is this - KnightForce is a new position in our world. It's great and much appreciated, but pack doesn't know what it means or does. I get all kinds of calls for assistance, more now than before since your team is here. Pack members ask for KnightForce to do things, like settle disputes between mates, or pick up pups from school, things you don't do.

Damian rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling. Pick up pups? "I assure you La Patron didn't have 75 Alpha trained leaders attend a week of training to settle domestic disputes. Perhaps they have confused us with human police. KnightForce is an extension of La Patron's hand sent to assist State Alphas with increased criminal activity."

Yes, I read the memo and understand your function, but my pack doesn't.

Damian didn't say anything because that problem didn't concern him.

Never mind, we'll talk about it later. Here's something I need you to check out in your area. There's an outbreak with several cases of a weird itch.

Itch?

Yes, I received a call from Anna Morgan, Health Administrator for that area. Ten cases of full-bloods developing some type of itch and nothing we have fixes it. All ten are in the hospital, miserable with this outbreak.

Damian had no idea what he could do about itching.

"I've got a call into La Patron to see if there are any threats on the national front or if it's just here."

Okay. Is there something you'd like me to do?

Yes, find out what started this.

"What?" None of his training had prepared him to trace itching skin.

"According to Anna, the itch isn't normal. It's some kind of virus that doesn't impact humans, just full-bloods, even half-breeds are immune. The nails on the wolf can't be cut short enough to prevent them from ripping their skin to shreds. Three full-bloods, all hard working pack members with large dens, have torn off patches of skin. Doctors