Crimson Wedding

By Carl Michaelsen

It is a time of relative peace and safety in the embattled Empire City.  Protecting the city from the shadows is The Wolf, the violent vigilante who savagely fought back against the reign of terror that plagued the city.  His methods, however extreme,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Boxhead Books
• Release date: Dec 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781088076859

Book preview

A Novel by Carl Michaelsen 

Cover Designs by Taylor Piggott 

Published by Boxhead Books

Proofread by Kathy Michaelsen

Author's Note

When I finished writing A Love Story, a sequel seemed like the next logical step.  And fortunately for me, I had already written multiple short stories that continued the adventures of The Wolf.  These three stories were about 75-100 pages in length.  So, in a moment of presumed genius, I combined all three stories, made some overall edits to make them flow together as one.  In about two weeks, I had ‘finished’ an entire book.  I was super excited about having gotten it done so fast, but little did I know I was far from being done with this book.  

Due to my college schedule and my mom’s work schedule, we didn’t get to sit down and edit Crimson Wedding until months after I had finished it.  During this time, I wrote The Last of A Dying Breed and was working on some other projects as well.  Crimson Wedding slowly started to fall down the list of my priorities.  And then the editing process began.  It turns out, combining three stories into one was not the best idea.  The original manuscript was jumbled, clunky, and lacked the central vision of A Love Story.  It was all over the place and just not a good enough sequel to put out, in my opinion.  My mom was incredibly helpful in this process and I cannot thank her enough.  

It’s taken a long time, but I’m very excited to finally release Crimson Wedding.  This is a classic revenge tale, like an old western set in the near-future.  I do have plans to continue with these characters, but at this time, there is no distinct time table.  But, for those who enjoyed A Love Story, just know that this is not the end.  The Wolf will be back.  

I want to thank my publisher, Tyler, for his continued support of my work.  He’s always let me just write and I appreciate that.  Special thank you to my cover artist, Taylor.  Her work on all of my books has been incredible and I think she absolutely nailed this cover.  It fits the tone of the story perfectly and I’ve loved it since I first saw it.  Lastly, as I already mentioned, my mom was a huge help with this.  From editing, to brainstorming, and having many conversations about this book, I couldn’t have done it without her.  

I hope everyone enjoys this book and is as excited as I am to see where The Wolf’s Empire will continue.  

Until then, 

Carl Michaelsen

"Three is the number of those who do Holy work… 

Two is the number of those who do Lovers work… 

One is the number of those who do perfect evil or perfect good…" 

-Clive Barker

1

Empire City, USA

The rain had mercifully let up, long enough for Freddie Walker and Lito DiBenedetti to feel comfortable stepping out of their expensive cars.  As was always the case, they were flanked by two armed bodyguards.  Both Freddie and Lito carried weapons on them, but the armed muscle was just a good precaution; especially for someone in their profession.  They were drug dealers.  While they didn’t personally sell the drugs, they each ran a respected section of the Empire City drug trade.  And in the last few months, their territory had increased exponentially.  It came as a shock to both men when Terry Peterson and Paul Haynes, Empire City’s top two crime kingpins, died.  With the death of Terry and Paul, their territory became open season.  Fortunately for Freddie and Lito, this gave them the freedom to retake a lot of the territory they had lost to Terry and Paul.   

For a while, everything was running smoothly.  Freddie and Lito continued to get richer and richer by the day, knowing the cops were far too busy cleaning up their own mess to deal with them.  It was the worst kept secret that the Empire City Police Precinct had more leaks in it than an old boat.  The cops were only now starting to turn on each other.  Each day more and more corrupt cops were fired or arrested, depending on the severity of their crimes.  Still, Freddie and Lito’s businesses were barely affected by this.  Most of the cops were still a little wary to interfere on the sacred territory of Terry Peterson.     

I haven’t seen anything, Freddie’s lead bodyguard, Danny, muttered to himself.  There was a grumble of agreement among the other bodyguards, all of whom were soaked from the rain.     

He’ll be here, Fredie said firmly, looking to Lito for approval.  Lito nodded.  He’s never late,

Never late, Lito echoed.  He looked at his own watch.  But then again, there’s a first time for everything,   

I’m never late, a voice said from up above the group.  The infamous Wolf of Empire City jumped down from a fire escape, landing behind the four men.  He was dressed in thick black cargo pants, which were tucked into black combat boots.  His signature Springfield XDM .45 handguns were holstered on each of his muscular thighs, various other weapons and equipment were situated on his belt.  He wore a black leather jacket over a gray armored shirt, made of bulletproof Kevlar.  Over his head, he wore the iconic black motorcycle helmet; the helmet was adorned with a design of a full moon and a werewolf, hence how he got the moniker, ‘The Wolf’.   

Good to see you, Freddie let a small smile crack through his hard exterior.  The Wolf shook his hand.  As long as The Wolf had been active in Empire City, he had aligned himself with Freddie and Lito.  While they were still technically criminals, The Wolf recognized the necessity of solid intelligence from the city’s underworld.  Freddie and Lito provided him with invaluable information that continually led to the arrest or death of men far worse than either of them.  In exchange for their cooperation, The Wolf had done a fantastic job of keeping the cops off of their case, letting them move their drugs throughout the city with no problem.  While Paul and Terry had dealt with anyone and everyone, Freddie and Lito were much more particular about the clientele they sold drugs to.  Unlike the former, Freddie and Lito wouldn’t deal to anyone under the age of 21 and tried only to deal with the rich, knowing they could get a much better price.    Instead, they focused most of their attention on trafficking drugs in and out of Empire City.     

What’s the deal? The Wolf asked.  You made it seem urgent, 

Freddie handed him his phone and The Wolf started swiping through a series of pictures.  

There’s a new player in Empire.  A woman by the name of Keeli Harrison and she’s been making some serious moves from the looks of it.  I think she might’ve been involved with Terry’s business at some point in time.  Anyway, she’s been moving large shipments in and out of the city.  Not exactly sure what, but every shipment is heavily guarded, Freddie said, using the pictures for reference.  The photos showed a group of well-armed men standing guard as an assortment of semi trucks were being loaded and unloaded.

Well… That didn’t take long, The Wolf sighed.  Do you know anything else about this Harrison lady? 

No, not really.  I’ve got a couple of my guys trying to find out more and keeping their eyes to the streets.  I’ll let you know if I get anything solid, Freddie offered, wishing he had more to give The Wolf.    

Good, The Wolf nodded.  Is this affecting our revenue at all? 

Not yet, but I’m afraid it might.  They’re not dealing anything as far as I can tell.  It’s almost like they’re stockpiling, Freddie observed.  They’ve got a couple of warehouses down by the Wharf, I can get you exact addresses if you wanted to do some snooping around, 

Alright, I’m definitely gonna look into that.  Let me know if you hear anything about a shipment and try to find out what it is.  Send the warehouse address to my phone.  There’s a good chance it’s not going to be any of our concern, but better to be safe than sorry.  If it turns out to just be some lowlifes, I’ll give it to McKnight and we’ll be good to go, 

You got it, Freddie nodded, cracking a sly grin.  How is the Detective these days? 

Expecting her second kid, The Wolf answered, smiling under the helmet.

Over the last two years, Detective Emily McKnight had worked very closely with The Wolf with the common goal of eliminating every last piece of Terry and Paul’s criminal empire.  For the most part, they’d done a thorough job.  

Isn’t that happy? Lito commented, getting a snicker out of Freddie.  

We better use her while we can, Freddie said.  I can’t expect her to be anxious to return to chasing thugs down after a second kid.  Hell, she might call it quits and take the stay-at-home-mom route, 

I wouldn’t count on it, The Wolf chuckled, knowing Emily would never take the badge off.  

The concussive blast of a sniper rifle shattered the otherwise peaceful atmosphere and a half second later, one of Freddie’s bodyguards dropped dead, collapsing into a puddle of rainwater.      

Sniper! Lito yelled, throwing his body against the building.  He drew his pistol and looked around for where the shots were coming from.  Freddie ducked behind the bus stop as his remaining bodyguards whipped out their own weapons.  A second gunshot rang out and one of the bodyguards toppled over, a bullet through his heart.  

Jerry!  You see him? Freddie asked, pulling out a submachine gun from his jacket.  

Yeah, I see him!  He’s moving now, going roof to roof, Jerry pointed to a series of buildings a block away from them.  

Alright, get the trucks, Freddie ordered.  We’re going after this motherfucker, 

Don’t bother, The Wolf growled, checking both of his handguns.  

Hey, we can help… Freddie protested.    

Get out of here, The Wolf snarled.  I’ll handle this, 

The Wolf grabbed a hold of the fire escape and darted up, reaching the roof in no time.  The sniper was moving fast, leaping across the rooftops with ease.  A large rifle was slung across his back, the moonlight reflecting off the black matte steel.  Wasting no time, The Wolf took off after the sniper, expertly jumping off the rooftop onto the adjacent building.  The man was fast, but The Wolf’s skill was unmatched.  His boots barely touched the roofs of the buildings as he gained ground on the sniper, running and jumping fluidly.  Still running, The Wolf drew one of his XDM’s and blasted off four rounds, trying to hit the sniper’s legs or feet.  The bullets ricocheted off the roof, missing the sniper by a few feet.  

Slowing down slightly, the sniper drew his own pistol and returned fire, but the rounds sailed harmlessly over the head of The Wolf.  Both men kept running, realizing it was futile to try and have a gunfight across the street from each other.  They were almost parallel to each other and The Wolf was still gaining ground rapidly.  No matter how fast or skilled someone was, The Wolf knew these rooftops like the back of his hand.  They were his hunting grounds and he was staunchly protective of them.  Another hunter on his ground was not welcome, not at all.  

I got you now, The Wolf said to himself, seeing an opportunity.  He turned abruptly and jumped as far as he could across the street.  His body soared through the air and he landed on the building, directly in front of the sniper.  

The Wolf drew his pistols, aiming them calmly at the man who was standing less than six feet away.  The sniper was dressed in black jeans and a black sweatshirt, a black ski mask completed the theme.        

Drop the rifle, The Wolf said.  And I don’t have to shoot you where you stand,

The sniper didn’t move; he kept his gaze trained on the expressionless helmet of the vigilante of Empire City.  The Wolf stepped closer to him, raising the pistols a little higher.    

I said drop the rifle, he repeated.

I heard you, the sniper spoke for the first time.  His voice sent a chill down The Wolf’s spine.  The man sounded strikingly familiar, but The Wolf couldn’t place where he’d heard the voice before; there was an eerie calmness to the way he spoke and articulated his words.  Something about the sniper was so familiar to The Wolf.  He reminded him of Brandon Moreaux, a sniper for hire that had worked with The Wolf to take down Paul Haynes and Terry Peterson two years prior.  But The Wolf had watched Brandon die on the Imperial Bridge.  The infamous Wolf.  I have to admit, I am a fan of your work,

Always a pleasure to meet a fan, The Wolf snapped.  Last chance or I drop you where you stand,

Well, you gotta do what you gotta do.  Right? the sniper shrugged.  But I have to ask, you think Tori knows how much danger she’s in?  I mean just by being associated with someone you, 

What… Did you just say? The Wolf lowered his guns slightly.  He was relieved the helmet concealed the panic spreading across his face.  If this guy knew about Tori, then chances were more than likely he knew that Todd Carver was the man under the helmet.  

You know if I were you, I would’ve made sure I always had someone making sure she was ok.  After all, you never know what can happen in this city, the man stepped closer to The Wolf until they were less than a foot apart.  And before you even think about shooting me while I walk away, take a look over there, 

The Wolf turned to see where the sniper was pointing.  Up on the roof of a much taller building was a second sniper, his rifle aimed directly at The Wolf.  The red dot from the second sniper’s laser popped up on The Wolf’s jacket.  He had him dead to rights.

What did you do to Tori? The Wolf snarled.  The sniper chuckled and clapped The Wolf on the shoulder.  

Why don’t you give her a call and find out? the sniper said, walking past The Wolf, bumping him as he did.  I’ll be seeing you…Todd,

Underneath his helmet, The Wolf’s face fell.  The sniper walked away and disappeared as he dropped into the alley, leaving The Wolf speechless.  How could this man know who he was?  The only people who knew he was The Wolf were his sister, his fiancee, and Paul Haynes; the latter of which was six feet in the dirt.  

There was only one thought in his mind at the moment.  Tori Daniels, his fiancee.  His hands were shaking as he pulled out his phone and dialed Tori’s number.  

Come on, come on, he whispered as the phone began ringing.  After the sixth ring, there was finally an answer.  

Hello? Tori’s bubbly voice answered.  

Thank Christ, The Wolf exhaled in relief.  Tori, where are you? 

Just leaving work… 

Ok, go straight home.  When you get there leave the back door open for me.  See you soon, The Wolf cut the call and climbed down to the street.  

He ran a block in the opposite direction to where he’d stashed his brand new motorcycle, a matte black Ducati Panigale V4 supersport bike.  The Wolf had been forced to get a new motorcycle after his last bike had been impounded by the ECPD following a deadly gunfight along the Imperial Bridge.  As hard as Emily McKnight had tried, she’d been unable to have the bike released into her custody.  

Leaping on the bike, The Wolf flipped the killswitch and twisted the throttle; the bike screamed to life.  Kicking off from the curb, The Wolf rocketed down the road towards Tori’s house, his mind racing a million miles an hour.       

2

French Quarter, Empire City

As soon as she’d gotten home from work, Tori Daniels unlocked the back door to her new apartment and went to shower her day off.  She owned and operated a rather large interior design firm based in Empire City, T. Daniels and Associates, and they were in the middle of a large job at a new hotel going up in Empire City.  It was getting to be tedious and annoying, with the upper management and owners of the hotel not being able to make a decision on anything in terms of an aesthetic for the interior.  

After a hot and relaxing shower, she got dressed in baggy Pink sweatpants and an old motorcycle sweatshirt.  Although she wasn’t positive, she figured it had belonged to Todd Carver at some point.  To say their relationship was unique would’ve been an understatement.  Todd spent almost every night prowling the rooftops of Empire City, taking down every last criminal associated with Terry Peterson and Paul Haynes.  He had promised Tori once the job was finally done, he would hang up the helmet and they could start their life together.  For the time being, Tori was content with their arrangement.  

After all, they were still engaged.  But starting to plan a wedding by yourself, especially when your other half is off fighting crime and supposedly dead, turned out to not be very fun.  Things that the couple normally did together were left for Tori to do, alone.  Aside from Tori Daniels, the only other person who knew Todd Carver was still alive and The Wolf was his sister Kristina.  Tori was glad that she and Kristina were still friends, they both found comfort in each other and could confide in one another about Todd.  The truth was, as happy as Tori was to finally be with Todd, she knew deep down that she’d never get 100% of his attention.  Until he finished his mission, there would always be a part of him out on the rooftops of Empire City.        

After getting dressed, Tori walked downstairs, scrolling through her Instagram feed.  It had been a few days since she’d even seen Todd, much less had a conversation with him.  Her regular schedule didn’t exactly align with the night owl life of the Empire City vigilante.  She tried her hardest not to worry too much, but it was definitely getting harder.       

Tori walked into the kitchen to see The Wolf was already there, sitting at the head of her kitchen table.  She froze when she saw him; it always freaked her out how he could come into her home without making a sound.  Even though she knew it was only Todd Carver, the visual of him sitting there with his helmet and guns was an unsettling sight.  Everytime she looked at him as The Wolf, Tori understood why most of the criminals in Empire City were so terrified of him.     

Do you want any coffee? she asked, smiling at him.    

Black, please, The Wolf answered.  He unsnapped the buckle under his chin and slowly pulled off the helmet, setting it down on the table.    

Todd Carver was tired.  Tired and unwilling to admit it.  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept a full night and certainly hadn’t taken a day off in the two years since he first came back to Empire City as The Wolf.  The constant stress of his new job, combined with the lack of sleep and the physically demanding nature, was starting to take a toll.  Todd’s entire body ached something awful; he wasn’t indestructible by any means and a punch to the head or a kick to the ribcage hurt, no matter who he was fighting.

You look tired, Tori commented, waiting for the coffee to start brewing.  Todd chuckled and rubbed his forehead with his hand.  

I am tired, he groaned, propping his foot on his knee.  I need to sleep for like a year, 

Hopefully soon, you can, Tori offered, trying to keep the mood light.    

Tori returned to the table, setting a steaming hot cup of coffee in front of him.  She leaned over and kissed his cheek gently, but felt bad instantly when he winced.  His scars all over his face looked more severe than the last time Tori had laid eyes on him; there were a few new ones from what she could tell, especially a large gash on the left side of his neck.  

What happened there? she asked, brushing the wound gently. Todd winced again as she touched it, but didn’t pull away.  

Knife attack.  Armor protected me for the most part; should be fine in a week or two, Todd shrugged off Tori’s concern.  He grabbed Tori’s hand and held it.  It’s nice to see you, I’m sorry I’ve been so absent recently,

It’s nice to see you too, babe, Tori smiled.  I’ve been worried about you, 

Please don’t worry, Todd hung his head.  I’m really ok, trust me.  These clowns I’m going after aren’t any kind of a threat to me.  We’re just cleaning up at this point,

Alright, alright, Tori shrugged, sitting down.  She opened up her laptop and turned it slightly for Todd to see.  The website for a fancy banquet hall in the North End of Empire City was on the screen.  I found this venue in the city, I booked an appointment for us to go see what it’ll look like for an actual wedding, 

Ok, Todd said, rubbing his eyes and trying to focus.  If he was being honest, he didn’t care where the wedding took place.  As long as he was marrying Tori, that was all that mattered.  

What do you think? Tori asked, showing him a few different pictures of the dining rooms, ballrooms, and balconies.  Oh, and I also have lunch set up with a possible photographer.  You remember my friend Kelsey from college?  She does weddings now,

The venue looks great, Todd said quickly, forcing himself to smile.  And yeah, let me know when lunch is, I’ll be there,  

Is everything ok? Tori asked, studying Todd.  She could see in his eyes that there was something he wasn’t telling her, something bothering him.  She knew him well enough to know when he was putting on a smile and trying to not upset her.  Todd looked into her eyes, it was hard to not be transfixed by her beauty and elegant manner.  Every time he looked at her, he was reminded just how crazy about her he was.   

Honestly, Tori, no.  It’s not, Todd shook his head, taking another sip of the warm coffee.  Do you remember when you were going to stay in Arizona for a while until things calmed down here? 

Well, yeah.  Of course I do.  Why?  

Because… Tori, I need you to trust me.  You have to leave town for a while; go stay in Arizona until it’s safe to come back, Todd muttered.  And I’m not just saying that, seriously, it’s not safe for you here, 

Excuse me? Tori was taken aback at the request.  Why?  What’s going on? 

I’m not sure yet, but you are in danger… That much I do know.  Please, I’m just trying to keep you safe, 

Todd.  Details.  Now, Tori demanded.  I mean come on, all of the sudden you’re gonna send me away?  You and I are engaged, Todd.  We’re supposed to be planning a wedding! 

Todd lowered his head and sighed.  He felt horrible, knowing that Tori was more than ready to get married.  The unfortunate reality of the situation was that Todd had not thought the entire proposal through.  First off, he was legally dead and that would make any legal marriage difficult to say the least.  Secondly, he needed to focus on being The Wolf right now.  He was so close to finishing up what he started, he couldn’t just stop now.  

I met with Freddie tonight.  A sniper took a shot at us and killed a few of his boys.  I went after him and… 

And what? Tori prodded after Todd paused for longer than she expected. Todd looked at her with fear in his dark eyes.  

The guy, whoever he was, he knew about you.  He asked me if I knew how much danger you were in because of your affiliation with me.  He knew you by name, Tori.  And he knew me by name… He called me ‘Todd’.  Do you understand what that means, Tori? 

But… How?  How could anyone know about you? Tori asked, shocked at what Todd was telling her.   

Well, Kristina knows and you know.  Paul knew… Todd muttered.  I can’t believe I was so careless, Todd slammed his hand down on the table.  If he knows who I am, then I lose my advantage over this whole city, 

"Todd, I don’t understand.  How