Chapter Six

As the new day dawned, the witch still had a funny feeling over the night before. On one hand, she was proud of herself for acquiring at least some information about the case, simply by hearing Cliff out. On the other hand, however, she had left some unfinished business with him. In any case, Helena reached a decision, long before she woke up that morning. She wouldn’t attempt anything like the stunt she tried to pull the previous night. It was filled with peril, unpredictability, and, most importantly, temptation: sweet, delicious temptation, in the form of a young, handsome man, but the wrong man altogether. He remained an adversary that could wreak havoc on her birthplace, ruining the family she loved more than anything else in this world. Helena would not jeopardize what she had worked so hard to build for anybody, especially not for a stranger like him.

Nevertheless, she had to let everybody know about what had transpired between her and Cliff, particularly the Bradford brothers, who, up until then, had no clue about her endeavors. Therefore, she grabbed her staff, closing her eyes, as she pictured the place she wanted to be in that morning. Cold air and moisture struck her in the face, as she found herself in their front yard, just outside their workshop. The noises of a hammer being banged onto a metal surface, along with an impact drill were in the atmosphere, as she felt raindrops, soaking the top of her hood and the skin on her hands. Without much thought, she swung the wooden door open. Dean had bent down behind a silver motorcycle, operating the drill to punch a hole into the rear bumper, whereas Ray was working on an exhaust pipe, placed on the counter in front of him. Sadly though, there was no sign of Raul.

“Where is your brother?” Helena cried, instantly drawing their attention.

“Damn!” Ray chuckled, tossing his hammer across the counter, as Dean pressed the “off” button on his drill. “Not even a ‘good morning’? What’s the matter with you?”

“Pardon my manners, Ray,” she sighed, as she pulled her hood back from her head. “I really need to speak with him. Where is he?”

“The same place he’s been the past five days,” Dean interjected, as his lazy footsteps led him closer to her. “He’s down at the town hall, recruiting members to the pack. Is it me, or are you starting to forget things? I mean, you were there when he said he’d use the town hall to that end.”

“Certain events of late have distracted me,” she rebutted, using a more firm tone. “When is he coming back?”

“He won’t be home for at least another couple of hours,” Dean replied, as the corners of his eyes tightened. “You can tell us, Helena. You know that. Get it off your chest. We have something to say to you, too.”

“Fine,” Helena said with a nod. “Yesterday, I saw two SUV’s stop outside the science facility my brother and niece had been keeping Ray. It turns out the FBI has taken an interest in the case. I talked to one of the agents and I gave him my opinion of what had happened. His name is Cliff Daniels. I discussed the situation with the girls. Monica said – and I agreed with her – that the bodies must have provided them with enough evidence to start an investigation. Kate suggested I get closer to the agent I spoke to. I met him last night at his hotel. He was so drunk that he gave up a few details in no time. His brother worked at the facility. Cliff told me he died of a heart attack.”

“Let’s go back to that ‘get closer’ part,” Dean suggested, his voice picking up volume. “What do you mean by that?”

“That’s what you want to know? The lengths I would reach?” Helena squinted up at him, as her own voice turned into a high-pitched squeal. “I just told you the man’s brother is dead. He’s seeking justice for him. And, you know very well what it means. For your information, I’m not doing it again. I felt like a dirty whore. Thank God we didn’t get to that.”

“I think I know who you’re talking about,” Dean stated, his voice resuming a calm tone, as he put his hands on his waist. “There was this guy, standing in the hallway, when we barged in. He was petrified. He just…” he paused; “dropped to the floor, put his hands over his heart. He looked like he couldn’t breathe. We didn’t touch him; we didn’t have to. Anyway, don’t worry about that fed.”

“Why?” She inquired, the peace in his expression and his confidence adding to her already immense frustration.

“Because he’s not going to find anything,” Dean insisted, intensifying his stare, as he leaned towards her. “We destroyed everything: Hard drives, test tubes, microscopes, security cameras… His brother’s cause of death is just a clue. He’s got no traces, no fingerprints, no DNA. He doesn’t even have motive. He can look all he wants. He’ll still come up empty.”

“We got bigger fish to fry than the feds, Helena,” Ray interjected, a wave of tension washing over his face, as he moved around the counter. “Martin and Jimmy ran across a bloodsucker in the woods last night. Those two had a tough time bringing that son of a bitch down. He roughed them up pretty bad, but they got to him. Before they ripped his head off, he said something like: ‘The Redfield clan will avenge Darryl Lockhart. You’ll all die.’”

“A clan?” whispered Helena, feeling shockwaves coursing through her body, as she stared at Ray in disbelief. “How big is it?”

“We don’t know yet,” Dean murmured, pursing his lips. “Now, you see why I don’t care about the feds?”

“A vampire clan is a bigger threat,” the witch admitted, slightly raising her tone. “But, we can’t take the FBI threat lightly, boys. We need to find a way to pull the plug on that investigation, before it’s too late.”

“We’ll talk to Raul about it,” Ray replied in a mellow tone, smiling down at her, “after our little hunting trip tonight.”

“Yeah, the three of us will scour the area where Martin and Jimmy found that vampire,” Dean added to his brother’s words, taking a short step towards her. “Feel free to tag along.”

For an instant, Helena felt anger, brushing across her senses. Their knowledge on vampires was very limited, and yet, they had decided to go searching for them, without even consulting with her. Still, she quickly came to put that feeling aside. Too preoccupied with Cliff, she had been unreachable over the past twenty-four hours, and the Bradford’s were simply trying to protect their hometown. Going after their enemies was only natural.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Name the time and place,” she stated, as a big smile formed on her face. “Just remember to follow my instructions. You are way too ignorant when it comes to vampires. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dean saluted her, turning her smile into a grin of amusement; “Ten p.m., at the western edge of the woods, near ‘Joe’s’ diner.”

The prospect of seeking vampires in the forest somewhat scared her. They were very strong, unpredictable creatures, who had no regard for life; human or shifter. Still, this would be a good chance to meet with Raul, and inform him on the progress she had made, assuming that his brothers didn’t speak to him first. Helena’s hope was that they would get rid of the vampire threat quickly, so that they could focus on retrieving the evidence from the FBI. She was determined to do everything in her power to accomplish that task.