Part 3

Part 3

*          *            *

            Today was different.

            Kenneth Irons did not know why, but he knew something had changed as he gazed blindly at the New York skyline.  The sun was bright on this November morning reflecting off the glass buildings but that went unnoticed.

            Yes…something was different.

            He had found his wielder and she was more then he had hoped.  The only thing that concerned him was her self-righteous attitude.  However, if Sara Pezzini proved immune to manipulation, he had another woman more than willing to do his bidding.

            Hunter.

            She was strong and confident, but still young and foolish.  He would find what drove her and then she would be his—just another ornament on his mantle.  He knew the game that Hunter played as well as he knew his own and he always came out the victor.  Few women could resist his combination of power, money, and charm. 

            In his nirvana, he would have them both.

            Nevertheless, if Hunter showed her intentions to be other than stated, she could easily be removed from the picture.  But, for now, he would enjoy her company and distraction from the Witchblade.

*          *            *

            Ian held his position as he observed the 11th Precinct.  Sara had arrived that morning without incident and now he watched as she and her partner left on an assignment.  Nottingham slipped into his car, pulled away from the curb, and followed.  He glanced into his rearview mirror and noticed a silver Boxster following him.

            Ian's searches, last night, regarding Hunter's past were fruitless, though, finding her full name had been easy.  He had had no reservations about searching through her personal affects while she was readying herself for her dinner with Irons.  The only things he had found, so far, were her school records and her obvious connection to Irons—money.  Other than that, she had no police record or other financial trouble, but there were still her parents.  Ian would be patient and bide his time in this case.  Everyone made mistakes and when Hunter slipped, he would be there to watch her fall.

            He turned his attention back to Sara as they approached the crime scene.  Ian kept his guard up as he stepped out of his car and surveyed his surroundings.  This was dangerous territory for Lady Sara to be in without the proper protection.  Ghosts from his past haunted these buildings ready to strike at him or those he watched.

            Nottingham cast his dark eyes to the shadows of a building as if locking gazes with someone.  ~I know you are here.~  Ian said in his mind, giving warning to those shades of black that held presence here.

            He silently made his way to the roof of a warehouse giving him a birds-eye view of the area.  This made keeping an eye on his charge easy as he looked around.  He then, focused on the movement below as Sara and Danny approached the body.  The body, which he had laid there several days ago.

*          *            *

            "The victim was male, caucasian, in his mid thirties, six foot, and roughly one hundred and eighty pounds."  A beat cop explained when Danny and Sara walked towards him.  "We found this on him."  The officer held up an evidence bag containing a glock 9mm.

            "Cause of death?"  Sara asked putting on latex gloves and squatting down next to the body, examining the area closely.

            "As far as we can tell a broken neck."  The man answered, and then motioned around him.  "There was a struggle.  We have identified at least three different sets of footprints."

            "Do we have an ID on this guy."  Danny questioned taking in the whole scene.

            "Not yet, Detective."  The officer replied.

            "Any witnesses?"

            "None have come forward."

            Sara followed the footprints with her eyes, studying them carefully.  The Witchblade's eye glowed brightly, an internal fire raging.  ~A stand off?~  She thought.  ~Two against one, yet the single man was hunting the two.~

            "Find something, Pez."  Danny inquired as he walked to where she stood examining the tracks.

            "It appears that one man was chasing the other two."  Sara explained.  Danny gave her a curious look.  She moved a little further away from the body and motioned with her hands as she continued.  "The first two pairs are running side by side with the third pair following.  See how these are positioned."  Sara pointed at the ground.  "These two stopped to face their attacker.  One was killed and the other fled."

            "Hey, Morgonson!"  Danny called over his shoulder at one of the cops on the scene.  "Search the area and see if another body turns up."

            "Yes, sir."

*          *            *

            Ian dropped from his fire escape perch like a cat.  He moved to his car using the shadows of dusk to mask his movements.  Sara had left a few minutes before and Ian knew that his vigilance was over, for now.  With the setting sun, he would return to Irons and report.  Then, he would escort him to the estate and wait for further instructions.  That could be anything from remaining at home to keeping an eye on Sara if she got into mischief.  Ian, though, would prefer to stay at home this evening.  There were many questions that needed answers and things would never get done if he spent all his time watching his Lady.

            Miss Hunter Müller was an addition to an already complex equation.  Ian knew that she was a threat to Sara, but she was also a distraction for Irons.  In a way, this was a good thing.  It kept Irons from gaining more control over the Wielder; however, one thing could cause difficulties farther down the road.  If Hunter was true to her word and helped Irons, they could prove a force that Sara might not be able to stand against.  In that situation, Ian would have to define where his loyalties lie.

            Ian let his thoughts settle as he pulled into Vorschlag.  The rest of the day had been uneventful.  After Sara and her partner left the first crime scene, they returned to the office and started to work on past cases.  Not a very exciting day in Ian's opinion, but he had spent it watching Sara and that made up for it.  He also had some news on Irons' houseguest that would probably not make Hunter very happy.  Ian let a glimpse of a smile cross his stern features as he entered the private elevator that would take him to the top floor.

*          *            *

            Hunter closed the door behind her silently and locked it.  ~Home, sweet, home.~  She thought as she moved across the main room of her apartment.  Hunter tossed her shopping bags on the couch as she walked by heading for the table.  The air in the room was chilly and she shivered a little then took a sip of her triple shot espresso as she sat down.  Hunter pulled her laptop close to her, flipped up the lid, and booted it up.

            ~Now to take care of some things without Irons or Nottingham looking over my shoulder.~  She thought and felt a shiver travel down her spine, this time it was not from the cold.  Hunter banished the image of the imposing man from her mind as she settled to business.

            The Witchblade had been an interest of hers as far back as she could remember.  That started when her grandmother told her stories of the objects de puissance that Hitler collected during World War II and grew it from there.  She was the one who encouraged Hunter to get her degree in ancient history and pursue little know artifacts.

            Several sites and hours later, Hunter stood up stretching.  She looked out the window and noticed that night had fallen over the city.  Covering her mouth with the back of her hand as she yawned, Hunter walked over to the counter to make coffee.  Then, with a mug of steaming java in her hands, she meandered back towards the table.

            As she did, Hunter absently looked around.  There was not much of anything in the two rooms that she had rented four months ago.  That was because she had not planned to live here for very long.  She came to New York with the intention of living with Kenneth Irons in order to get to the Witchblade.  However, her plans were disturbed slightly when she found that the Gauntlet was on display in a museum and then ended up on Sara Pezzini's wrist.  That would soon change.

            Hunter let out a sigh as she settled back down in front of her laptop.  The curser blinked at her expectantly until finally, she typed in "Kenneth Irons"…

*          *            *