Grim and Bear It
Chapter Twenty-Nine

Jake

One-hundred-and-seven minutes and forty-eight seconds later, we touched down in Hayvenwood, in a clearing with a spray-painted runway coated in dead leaves and light snow. I groaned. "I forgot winter has basically started here." I shivered, my thin long-sleeve shirt doing nothing to stop the wind.

Paris shook her head. "You knew we were coming to the UP."

"I forgot for a moment I lived in Michigan," I admitted. "I did get shot today."

"Flesh wound," she teased, even though her eyes were serious. She opened my duffle and grabbed a fleece. "Luckily, Sebastian thought ahead."

I smiled tightly. "Guess I'm going to have to be nice to him now."

A black SUV stopped in front of us, and a man with a tight buzz cut stepped out and nodded toward us. I gestured for Paris to take the lead. I was moving much slower.

"I'm Loren," he said.

Paris introduced herself, then me.

"Jake." I shook his hand. "Thank you for agreeing to help."

"I made my living out of hunting down impossible and terrible creatures. Anything I can do to help a fellow agent, I'm in." Loren gestured to the truck. "Get in. We'll meet the crew and go over the plan. My sister-in-law is going to try to feed you." He gestured to my leg. "She also makes a great pain-relieving cream with witch hazel. I'll grab you some."

"I'd appreciate that." Normally I hated when people gave me unsolicited advice for my chronic pain-no amount of yoga, kale, or meditation would help despite how many people suggested it but Loren was former HQ. He'd no doubt known pain and seen his share of terrible injuries.

"Sorry if I overstepped. I know getting random suggestions must piss you off."

I lifted a shoulder. "Figured no one leaves HQ completely intact."

He gave a single laugh. "That's the truth."

I pulled myself into the passenger side and looked around the cab. "This was a SHAP vehicle, wasn't it?"

Loren nodded. "My brothers and I invested in it when we retired. We might be out of the hunting business, but that never stopped trouble from showing up on our doorstep."

He navigated the truck through a tiny downtown that was decorated for Halloween. Leaves hovered in the air and people waved at Loren from the sidewalk, as if we were in a romantic comedy instead of a rescue mission.

"Is it overstepping to ask why you retired?" I asked.

He glanced over and me, then back to the road. "It's a story you already know too well. Spent every waking minute of my life doing missions to the detriment of myself and my family."

I nodded. I knew it all too well.

"Family trouble came here, I followed, reconnected with siblings and Raine-my now wife and decided to stay. Don't regret my decision for a second."

He turned into the parking lot of a restaurant called Billy's Blues & BBQ. "My brothers and I bought this place and made a new life here." He pulled along the front curb and put the truck into park. "Now, I choose what missions I go on. For SHAP family, especially if there's a suspected internal leak? I'm all in. Let's catch these bastards."

He opened the truck door and climbed out. We followed, meeting him in front of a set of doors with a CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT sign taped to the glass.

"This place will be our headquarters. We've already booked you rooms at the motel down the street, too," he explained as we followed him inside.

The bar was made of dark wood with bottles lining glass shelves behind it. The floor was large black and white tiles that led to a small stage with a baby grand piano. Flat-screen televisions hung over the bar and the walls held photos of the town in different seasons.

A buffet had been set up on top of the bar while a collection of people ladened with laptops and maps milled around pushed-together tables. Everyone looked at Loren when he walked in, straightening and hurriedly finishing sentences. It was clear he was the leader in this group, a roll he'd earned, not demanded.

A woman with white-blonde hair that faded to blue on the ends walked over, as gracefully as a dancer. Loren lit up from the inside out, and I knew she was his wife before she even said her name. "Hi, I'm Raine."

After we all exchanged names, Loren put his arm around her waist and kissed the side of her head.

We went deeper into the restaurant, meeting two men that were clearly Loren's brothers, Grayson and Fenton, and their wives, identical twins Hazel and Romi. The sisters both had dark hair with a silver streak-Hazel's was long and Romi's was shoulder length-and purple eyes. Hazel had a cherry blossom tattoo across her chest, making it easier to tell them apart.

Romi studied me for a long moment, then took one of my hands in both of hers. "You've touched death."

It wasn't a question, but an irrevocably true statement. "Yes."

"Rom, you're being freaky again," her twin said.

Romi blinked and released my hand. She laughed at herself and smiled, shaking her head. "Sorry. I was dead for a while. I get weird sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Hazel teased, but gave her a side hug, then turned to me. "You seem like the kind of person who can roll with weird."

"My roommate is the ghost of a Duke who died in the 1800s. I can roll with weird."

Hazel clapped once. "Excellent. Now sit and eat."

I looked at Paris. "We have a special diet in our group."

Fenton, Romi's partner, overheard and stuck his head out of the kitchen. "I can make almost anything." His blonde curls bounced with his enthusiasm and it was impossible not to be instantly charmed by him.

Paris bit her bottom lip, but then approached Fenton to speak to him. She handed him a sheet of paper and they started discussing meal options. I made a mental note to get a copy of the list.

"So," Grayson started, tucking his dark hair into a small low bun, then rotating his shoulders, ready to get down to business. "I hear you know a hybrid vampire?"

I nodded. "The daughter of the woman who ran Thinner."

"Is it true the venom can heal the body? Even as a hybrid?"

"Carma, the hybrid, fell off a ladder last week and broke her arm. She was completely healed twenty-four hours later."

Grayson let out a low whistle and shot Loren a look. "I can see why people are willing to die for this. Not full immortality, just enough to live your best human life."

Loren crossed his arms and looked down at his work boots for a long moment. "The moral implications are huge. Not just recreationally, but politically."

No one spoke for a long moment, taking in his words. I'd been so wrapped up in the minutia of the case, I hadn't dwelled on the big picture implications. "Which explains why we think this is a set up." Loren's gray eyes moved to me. "So Paris mentioned." He gestured to the table. "Let's eat and talk details."

Fenton set a plate down in front of Paris, reviewing all the ingredients with her, and then joined the group as we filled our own plates. Paris and I shared everything we had learned about the warehouse and that we suspected someone inside SHAP to be involved. Once he finished eating, Loren lowered a large retractable screen and plugged in a laptop. "The closest theater is fifteen miles away, so we watch a lot of movies here,” he explained.

I looked over at Paris, who was staring down at her half-eaten food. "Everything okay?" I asked.

She nodded, cleared her throat, then looked at Fenton. "I'm used to very bland food. This is wonderful, thanks."

I smiled. "Email me a list of foods you're allergic to, please. Just in case."

She blinked at me. "In case of what?"

"I dunno. Just feels like something I should have as a partner."

She nodded.

After a few more rounds of compliments to Fenton, who was an incredible cook, we focused on the screen. "This is an entire view of the town," Loren explained. "Can you think of any criteria to narrow it down?"

Paris held up a finger. "In the last month, our team has captured two dozen dealers and four distributors, along with nearly fifteen pounds combined of venom serum and a new venom powder we call Vixen. You only need about an ounce of venom to make a hybrid, which on average, an adult vampire below twenty-five years dead can produce three times a day. I estimate there would need to be ten vampires in or around the facility, plus the equipment to extract the venom and produce the powder. It would likely be a twenty-four-hour operation."

"Okay," Loren said. "Let's rule out campus housing, co-ops, freestanding retail stores, and restaurants that are currently operating." He began typing, and transparent gray boxes covered several areas over the town.

Paris leaned close and whispered, "Is it possible to have a crush on technology?"

"Are you blushing?" I teased, her cheeks going even darker at my comment.

"I just really enjoy algorithms, leave me alone," she shot back.

Loren finished inputting data and turned to us. "Anything else?"

"I'll double check," I offered, as I opened my phone and navigated to Carma's detailed report on the SHAP database. "Carma stated her mom had to replace a 'new source' last January, which she suspects meant new lab. Assuming a lab would take about a year to get up and running, I'd say look for property that sold within the last three to four years to start."

"I'm on it," Grayson said, typing into another laptop. "Hayvenwood's small. We don't do a lot of land sales here." He clicked a few more buttons, then looked at his brother. "Coordinates incoming."

Loren's computer pinged, and he started typing again. "Okay, the yellow highlights are the properties in question."

Fifteen yellow highlights appeared on the map. We could rule out six of them, as they fell within the gray boxes. "Okay, down to nine," I said. "Can we narrow down any further?" Romi tapped her chin. "Building temp?"

Paris nodded. "Yes. The labs are probably running hot. Can we cross check energy bills?"

The sounds of fingers flying over the keys filled me with hope. Were we really making headway? Could we get ahead of Fletcher?

Grayson clapped and let out a cheer. "These two properties have triple the amount of utilities used compared to the other seven. Incoming, bro."

Loren's computer dinged and he inputted the information. Two properties came up. He split his screen, then brought up street-level views. "Two's a good start."

Paris leaned forward. "Which utilities are they using more?"

Grayson checked his screen. "Left one, more electricity, right one more gas."

She nodded. "Start with the one using more gas. I bet the electricity one is a licensed grower." She gestured to the screen. "See? It's all fields, which would let them expand if they needed. The gas-high property is located along the tree line, offering more seclusion."

"That is why I picked you as my new partner," I said, matter-of-factly.

Her cheeks turned pink, but she smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

Loren stood. "Okay, let's get the drone out first and see if we can get a lay of the land before we move in."

Paris bit her lip at the word drone and practically hopped out of her chair. "I need to hear more about this drone."

My laugh turned into a sigh as I shifted my leg. I'd been sitting upright too long and would kill for a recliner.

"I have something that'll help with your pain," Hazel promised.

"Only your physical pain, though," Romi added.

Hazel turned to face her. "Creepy. Again."

She smiled at me sadly. "I do hope I'm wrong."

I stared at her, all humor gone. "Me, too."