Chapter 3

"Hank, I'm glad I caught you." Nick spoke into his phone. "I just got home and the place is destroyed."

"What happened? Is Juliette OK?" Hank's voice answered back.

"Juliette had a visit from Adelind."

"Adelind!?"

"Yah, it looks like she's back in town. Juliette doesn't know what she was after, they kind of started fighting right away."

"Juliette fought Adelind? How bad did she get beat up." Hank was worried.

"From the sounds of it Juliette won." Nick said proudly.

"How is that possible. Adelind is a Hexenbiest, and a pretty strong one at that. I helped you clean up after you went a round or two with her before."

"I'll fill you in when I come get you. First of all we need to find Adelind. The only reason that she would come back to Portland is to look for Diana, and I doubt that she came alone." Nick kissed Juliette on the forehead and headed out the door. "We have to assume that she has help from the Royal family. I don't think that the Royals would just let her go while the baby is still out there." Nick opened his car door and looked up and down the street to make sure no one was watching him before closing the door. "I will see you in a minute."

"All right I will reach out to my contacts and see if anyone has seen anything that could be considered 'Royal'. It shouldn't be too hard to find them in Portland. Hurry up." Hank hung up and Nick sped down the street.

Vlad pulled a thick three foot piece of rope out of his pocket while he watched across the street at the hotel where Adelind was staying. Next he pulled ten heavy metal nuts from another pocket and slid five onto each end of the rope. The hole in the nut was just barely big enough to allow the rope to pass through but too tight to allow the nuts to slide up or down. The guy at the hardware store asked him why he didn't buy any bolts to go with the nuts. Vlad just laughed it off as though it was a joke and the man didn't ask again, if he only knew. Next he tied a knot into each end of the rope to keep the nuts from sliding off when he swung it. A pass of his lighter on the knot to melt the synthetic fibers in place and his weapon was finished. A rope was a silent killer but lacked punch, with a pound of steel nuts on each end, a hard swing would allow him to generate enough force to cave in a skull or break an arm. He remembered a physics class way back in high school about angular velocity and mass times acceleration or something like that. He was not sure how to calculate what kind of force the rope weapon could generate but experience told him it was considerable.

Vlad knew he would be out numbered, the prince was bound to have bodyguards, but if he was lucky some of them would be Verat. That would allow him to get close. He had a few friends in the Verat, none who meant more to him than his family had, regardless, he hoped he wouldn't have to kill a friend. He checked the knife in his belt, it was a nice heavy blade, 5 inches, and sharp as a razor. Vlad felt confident with his little killing kit, and all available at the hardware store down the street. Who needed an arms dealer, with a little know how all you really needed was arms.

A black sedan pulled up to the front of the hotel. The valet hurried to open the rear passenger door and a slim blonde woman got out. Adelind Schade looked pretty beat up. She was holding a cloth to the side of her mouth and a swelling was growing over her cheekbone that looked like it would turn into a really impressive bruise. She should put some ice on that Vlad thought to himself, then chuckled to himself as he thought about how useless that would be. She would be dead before it could matter. Adelind kept her head down as she hurried through the front doors and disappeared from sight. The doorman and the valet had a look at each other in silet aknowledgement of how beat up she looked. I must not be all that common at this hotel for patrons to ge the crap beat out of them. Most of the places he had stayed at in his career it was the norm.

Vlad got up from where he had been sitting and headed for the service entrance. He had scouted it out earlier and discovered that there was only one camera on that entrance and there was a blind spot behind a white panel truck that had been parked there all day. Vlad slipped inside and headed up the back stairs. He knew that Adelind's room was on the eight floor, doormen will tell you anything for fifty bucks. He made it to the seventh floor before he saw anyone. There were two of them, too bad, one was a friend.

"Hey Bruce how are you doing" Vlad tried to sound relaxed but his adrenaline was flowing, it always made his jittery.

"Vlad. I didn't know you were on this assignement. Last I heard you were taking some personal time after the funeral. You sure you are OK to be back in the field?" Bruce sounded genuinly concerned. That would make it harder, not impossible, but harder.

"Thanks for that, I think I'm OK. But I had to get out and do something, I just needed some purpose in life."

"I understand. So what is your assignment with this" Bruce didn't get to finish his question as Vlad swung the rope as hard as he could, aiming for the left side of Bruce's face. He didn't miss. There was a sick wet crack as Bruce's face exploded with bits of skin and blood. The Verat behind Bruce Woged into a Hundjager and sprang into action, Vlad didn't know this one, like it would matter anyway. The Hundjager reached for a silenced pistol from under his left arm, but Vlad was ready. Vlad charged at the Hundjager bringing his knee up into his midsection trapping his arm tight into his body, preventing him from pulling the gun from its holster. Vlad didn't stop, using his momentum he kept going until they both slammed into the stairway railing. Vlad wrapped the rope around the Hundjager's neck and pushed the ends of the rope backwards over the railing. It was such an unexpected move that the Hundjager didn't realize that he had already lost. Vlad slipped his foot behind the Hundjagers ankle and kicked back as he kept pushing with the rope. The railing made a perfect lever point in the small of the Hundjagers back, he went over easy. He was still trying to get his gun out when his feet came up over his head and he started to fall. Vlad held tightly to the rope and waited. The jolt in his arms was incredible, and the snap of the Hundjager's neck was satisfying. Vlad let go of one end of the rope and it unwrapped it's self as the body fell away. Vlad started up the stairs, one more floor and Adelind would die.

Suddenly the door above him swung open, it was another Hundjager Varat. He was only just woged when Vlad's thrown knife struck him in the stomach. The wound would prove fatal eventually but it would take days for the man to die. He reached behind his back for his gun just as Vlads rope curled around his ankle. A quick pull from Vlad and the man was on his back sliding down the stairs. Vlad jumped on chest, pinning him back and wrenched his head to the side as he clammed his hand to the man's mouth, stiffling a scream. Vlad kept his hand clamped tight on the man's mouth as he reached down with his other hand, pulled the knife from his stomach and plunged it deep into the soft flesh above the collar bone, where the neck meets the shoulder. A few twitches and the form beneith him went still. Vlad pulled the knife from the Hundjager's neck, wiped it on his shoulder, and returned it to it's shieth. Leaving the bloody scene behind him he pushed open the door to the eighth floor. He was so close now.

Hank was out of the car before Nick could bring it to a full stop in front of the hotel. Flashing badges at the valet they rushed in through the front doors before the doorman could perform his service, just as well it was unlikely that the two police officers would tip.

"My contact said that Adelind is on the eighth floor, room 809" Hank yelled over his shoulder as he dashed for the elevator.

"Well let's not waste any time, I haven't seen Adelind for a long time and I think that we have some catching up to do." Nick was remembering everything that Adelind had done to him and Juliette. He was ready for this to be a short conversation with Adelind and a long explaination with the coroner.

"What do we do if she is with the Prince, Victor, or whatever his name is? We can't just kill him too." Hank asked as the elevator doors closed and he pressed the number eight.

"I hope that his people have the good sense to get out of the way." Nick pulled his gun from it's holster and chambered a round. "He is the captain's cousin after all."

Hank chuckled as he checked his own weapon. They both leveled their guns and took a crouching stance as the doors slide open. They were ready for what ever was in that hallway. Ready to blast their way into Adelind's room and finish the Hexenbiest once and for all. They were not ready for an empty hallway, there was no one there, no guard, no look out, nothing. Cautiously they advanced towards 809, checking behind them with every few steps. They expected a trap. Standing in front of the door to room 809 they looked at each other and shrugged. Nick kicked the door hard near the handle. Wood splintered as the door swung in and both men rushed into the room. It was empty, and futhermore it looked like it had been empty for a while. Adelind had never stayed in this room, it was a decoy. They hurried back into the hallway just as Vlad pushed through the stairway door.

The mistake was only natural. Vlad saw two men with guns standing in the open door of the room where his target waited. He had to assume they were Adelind's men. He would have to be quick to kill both of them. Vlad woged into his Hundjager form and sprinted down the hall, swinging the metal ended rope over his head as he went. Nick didn't hesitate, he leveled his gun and put two quick bullets into Vlad's chest. Vlad skidded to a stop not feet from where Nick was standing, the rope flying harmlessly into the wall. Nick bent down and turned Vlad's hand palm up, exposing the Verat tattoo.

"Verat, and a Hundjager verat at that."

"Yah I saw that one. I am still not all together used to being charged at by dog men. I am glad you got him, it looks like he meant business." Hank said as he put his gun away under his coat. "Verat means that the Prince and Adelind were here sometime. Looks like we missed them. Do you think that he was here to kill us?"

"Probably. I bet Adelind is still here somewhere, just not on this floor. Let's get looking." Nick headed for the stairs from where Vlad had come. The two bodies in the stairs and one more at the bottom of the stairwell confused him. Who killed those three? They searched the hotel but Adelind was no where to be found.

Back on the eighth floor Vlad lay in a growing pool of blood. He couldn't belive what had happened. How could a Grimm have been there. Why would Adelind or the Prince have a Grimm protecting them. Anyone but a Grimm and he was sure he could have got to them in time. He was sure he would have heard if a Grimm was employed by the Prince and everything that he knew of Adelind told him that the only way a Grimm would get close to her was to kill her. Something didn't feel right, he couldn't think, everything was harder. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, he was dying. He didn't need anyone to tell him, a man that aquanted with death just knew. It was growing dark and quiet. Everyone was gone. He lay face down on the carpet, alone, dying. Then within the darkness a small light began to grow. It rushed closer too him with infinite speed but at the same time seeming not to move at all. suddenly it was upon him and all that was dark was gone, and in that light a voice.

"Daddy. Daddy is that you?"

"Lisle!" Vlad screamed. "Lisle where are you?"

"Right here daddy. Look up."

Vlad looked up and saw Lisle standing over him, smiling just like she had the last time he had held her in his arms. He suddenly realized that he could move, and breathe, and the awful pain in his chest was gone. He jumped up and grabbed Lisle and swung her in his arms. "Lisle! Lisle! I missed you. Oh I missed you so much my little Lisle."

"I missed you too daddy. Do you want to go and see mommy, she is waiting for you?"

Tears formed in Vlad's eyes. "More than anything my darling Lisle, more than anything."

The white panel truck that had been parked at the service entrance pulled away and turned right down the alley. In the back, sitting on a crate of something smelling like oranges, sat Adelind Schade. Beside her was the Prince's body guard. "It looks like you were right Miss Schade, the Grimm did come for revenge."

"I knew that the police were likely to have a contact in the Hotel. All I had to do was mention that I was staying in 809 in front of the doorman and the information was sure to get back to them." Adelind smiled. She was happy she was not dead.

"Then why did you leave those three men behind? You came straight to the truck after you got to the hotel. Once they went up the elevator you didn't need to keep the ruse going anymore, they were useless."

"I was hoping that they would kill the Grimm for me. His luck can't last forever." She shifted on her seat as the truck hit a bump "One of us is going to have to die, soon, and I would rather it be him than me." The truck lumbered on towards the airport where the Prince and his plane were waiting. Next time, she would have to get him next time.