If you're going to die, at least die brave. It pisses your enemies off.
"Can we put our hands down now?" I asked.
"No," Titus said.
My left arm was beginning to throb. If that was the most painful thing that happened to me tonight, I'd be ahead of the game.
Aikensen went first. Richard next with the dark-haired man and his calm eyes at his back. The bearded man. Then me. Titus. Edward. Grey Hair and his rifle next. Kaspar brought up the rear. It was a parade.
The stairs led into a natural cavern below the house. It was about sixty by thirty feet, with a ceiling that wasn't higher than twelve feet. A tunnel led out the far wall. Electric lights gave a harsh yellow glow to everything. Two cages were set into the granite walls. In the far cage Jason was huddled into a fetal ball. He didn't move as we all trooped in.
"What have you done to him?" Richard said.
"Tried to get him to change for us," Titus said. "Birdie here said he'd be an easy mark."
Kaspar looked uncomfortable. Whether it was the Birdie remark or Jason's stubbornness, it was hard to tell. "He will change for us."
"So you say," Grey Hair said.
Kaspar frowned at him.
Aikensen opened the empty cage. His nose was still bleeding. He had a wad of Kleenex held to it, but it wasn't helping much. The Kleenexes were crimson.
"In ya go, Wolfie," Titus said.
Richard hesitated.
"Mr. Carmichael, the boy, if you please."
Dark Hair put up his 9mm, and got out a .22 from his waistband. He pointed it at Jason's huddled form.
"We'd been discussing putting a bullet in him anyway. See if it would help persuade him to change for us. Now get in the cage."
Richard stood there.
Carmichael pointed the gun through the bars, sighting down his arm.
"Don't," Richard said. "I'll do it." He walked into the cage.
"Now you, Blondie."
Edward didn't argue. He just walked in. He was taking this a lot better than I thought he would.
Aikensen shut the door. He locked the door, then walked across to the second cage. He didn't unlock it. He waited with the soggy Kleenex pressed to his nose. A drop of blood fell to the floor.
"You get to share accommodations with our young friend."
Richard gripped the bars of his cage. "You can't put her in there. When he changes, he'll need to feed."
"Two things help the change happen," Kaspar said, "sex and blood. I saw how much Jason likes your lady friend."
"Don't do this, Kaspar."
"Too late," he said.
If I went in the cage, I was going to end up eaten alive. That was actually one of my top five ways not to die. I wasn't going in the cage. I'd make them shoot me first.
"Aikensen is going to open the cage, then you step inside, Ms. Blake."
"No," I said.
Titus looked at me. "Ms. Blake, Mr. Fienstien here will shoot you, won't you Mr. Fienstien?"
The bearded man, uncertain eyes and all, pointed a 9mm Beretta at me. A nice gun, if you didn't insist on buying American. The barrel looked very big, and solid from the wrong end.
"Fine, shoot me."
"Ms. Blake, we are not joking."
"Neither am I. My choices are being eaten alive or being shot. So shoot me."
"Mr. Carmichael, if you will point your .22 over here." Carmichael did. "We can wound you, Ms. Blake. Put a bullet in your leg and then shove you in that cage."
I looked into his beady little eyes and knew he would do it. I didn't want to go into the cage, but I really didn't want to go in wounded.
"I'm going to count to five, Ms. Blake, then Carmichael here is going to wound you and we will drag you into that cage. One ... two ... three ... four ... "
"All right, all right, damn you. Unlock the damn door."
Aikensen did. I walked in. The door clanged shut behind me. I stood there near the door. Jason was shivering as if he had a fever, but he never moved otherwise.
The men outside seemed disappointed. "We paid good money to hunt a werewolf," Grey Hair said. "We are not getting our money's worth."
"We've got all night, gentlemen. He won't resist this luscious tidbit forever," Kaspar said.
I didn't like being called a tidbit. Luscious or otherwise. "I called Garroway before we drove up here. I told him about his deputies getting ambushed. I told him it was Aikensen."
"Liar."
I looked straight at Titus. "You think I'm lying."
"Maybe we'll just shoot all of you now, and flee, Ms. Blake."
"You going to give these gentlemen their money back?"
"We want a hunt, Titus." The three armed men didn't look like leaving before the fun was an option. "The police don't know about the birdman's involvement," Carmichael of the .22 said. "He can stay upstairs. If they come asking questions, he can answer them."