Life has been interesting. Work and responsibilities have changed, which has cut back on my writing time. I promised a new chapter of Luc and Meg. It’s full of Sneaky Bastard Bad Guys, albeit light on the sex. Hope you enjoy this story.
Five years have passed…
Luc’s head snapped up from the computer he was connecting in the lab on the first floor. Looking over, he saw a shadow cross the floor. Moving quickly, he crossed the thirty feet in about two seconds. He grabbed the intruder by the throat and hoisted him off of the floor at full arm extension. The man was dressed in a tee shirt, sweats and sneakers. Behind him, the door the man had jimmied clicked shut.
“What are you doing in my school?” Luc growled.
The man squeaked. He grabbed for the hand squeezing his jaw and tried to wriggle. I’d hold still if I were you.” Luc checked the man for weapons. When he found none, he turned his face back to the man. “Now, I’m going to let you down. You will explain yourself. If you do not do so sufficiently, I will put you back on the wall.”
The man sighed with relief as Luc lowered him to the floor. He swallowed a few times and then spoke in a semi strangled voice. “I… I’m a deputy sheriff. I was conducting a re-readiness and awareness raid on the school.”
“Are you crazy? School isn’t even in session. Did you inform the principal?”
“No.”
“The Sheriff?”
“No.”
“So, you just got the bright idea to pick the lock on the door of a school building before school, when there are no students here, no alarm system on and when no one knows you’re conducting your little exercise?
The deputy sheriff nodded.
“You are luck you aren’t dead.”
“You couldn’t have hurt me.”
“Who was hanging by his jaw not more than a minute ago?”
The deputy sheriff looked at him sullenly.
“I suggest you go and talk to your boss. Tell him what you did. Then I expect you to be back here to apologize to the principal. That’s Mr. Swanson. Now get the hell out of my school.” Luc’s voice rumbled with subvocals.
“Who the hell are you? And why do you think you can order me around?” The deputy was getting cocky.
“First off, I’m the man that ‘owned you less than three seconds after you broke into a school building. I’m Lucian Moreau, owner and chief IT tech for Alpha Wolf Tech, the hired contractors for the school. While I’m in this building, I am in charge. This building and anyone in it are mine to protect. This is also the school that my twins and their cousins will be attending in less than two weeks. Is that clear?”
The deputy stood like the words had parted his crew cut. He nodded, turned and walked towards the door. Luc followed him out and made sure the door was undamaged and closed securely. He came back around the corner to see Miss Perry standing there with a look of concern on her face.
“Did you just… stop him?”
“Yes.” Luc walked back towards the computers to finish his work.
“You… you had him by the throat. Would you have hurt him if he hadn’t co-operated?”
“Yes.” He took a deep breath and went back to installing updates on the new computer system.
“What if he’d had a gun?” She was still a little shocked from what she had seen and was processing verbally.
“Well, he would have been disarmed. If he persisted, he’d have been dead.”
“You wouldn’t have really killed him would you?”
“If necessary. That would not have been my first choice.”
“Would… would you have done the same thing if there had been kids in the building?”
“Yes. No one messes around my school.”
“But you’re only a contractor.”
“Yes, and as long as I work here, I consider this my property to protect. Plus, my niece and nephews as well as my twins attend this school. I am a very protective parent.” He moved on to the next computer.
“Oh. Okay.” She walked off, looking at Luc again. She turned back. “Um… you don’t look like you could lift someone up like that.”
“Adrenaline is a wonderful thing. Plus, I’m much stronger than I look.” He smiled at her as kindly as possible, trying to mellow out the situation, when what he really wanted to do is hunt down that stupid deputy and shred him.
“Alright. Well, I’m glad to know that you are so protective of the school.” She headed back to her classroom.
Luc sat down and took a deep breath. It was thirty minutes at least since he’d attacked the deputy. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out an energy bar. He felt like he’d burned every calorie in his body. The combo of adrenaline and trying not to shift had drained him.
“What’s up with you?” asked Charles.
“We just had an unscheduled, unsanctioned intrusion attack by a deputy that didn’t follow any of the protocols.”
Charles looked at Luc with a bit of suspicion. “What happened?”
“I got to him in about three seconds, hoisted him up by the jaw and then we had a little talk.”
“Ah.” He looked back at the lab. “Are we done here?”
“For the day. Let’s go back over to the Tech Lab and get ready for tomorrow.” Charles and Luc headed to the building one over from the elementary.
“Daddie! Daddie! Daddie!” Linsey and Elliot cried as Luc came through the door. Luc scooped them up and carried them towards the kitchen where Meg stood at the stove.
“How was work?” She turned to kiss him through the arms of the twins.
“Well, um… a little eventful.”
Meg put the spoon down and held out her hands to the twins. “You two go play until supper.”
They leaned towards their mom and then were set down on the ground. Linsey and Elliot were out of the kitchen in seconds.
“What happened.”
Luc sat down at the table and explained. Meg wasn’t happy, but then again, she’d rather him protect the school where the twins and the terrible trio attended. She had been relieved that he hadn’t shifted either.
“And then the big bad wolf huffed, and puffed, and blew the house down!” Luc read with all sorts of sound effects. It sent the twins straight into high pitched giggles. When they settled down, he finished the story, tucked them in bed and turned out the lights.
Meg met him at the bedroom door. “And will the big bad wolf be visiting me tonight?”
Luc smiled.
It hadn’t exactly been love at first sight, but Luc and Meg enjoyed a loving relationship. Their fifth anniversary wasn’t that long ago. He stood watching her as she stepped out of the shower. She’d regained her figure fairly soon after the twins were born, but her breasts were fuller. He moved forward to kiss and fondle them as she tried to dry off.
“Luc!”
“Yesh?” His tongue snaked out and licked a nipple into crinkling stiffness. His cock throbbed and bobbed. His hands moved to her waist, and he disregarded her protests as he picked her up and carried her to their bed. Laying Meg down, he moved between her thighs and began to lick and suck at her pussy. When his tongue grazed her clit, she arched up in anticipation of more pleasure. Luc repeated the tongue stroke and when she arched again, he slid two fingers inside.
“Oh…” she groaned. Meg moved up onto the bed, and pulled Luc up from where he was driving her wild. He moved up, letting his cock slide inside.
“Hhhyesh.” His hips met hers in rapid thrusts. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him against her tightly. Luc thrust in deeper until he felt himself bottom out.
Meg gasped and moaned. “Oh… oh… yes!” she cried out softly.
Luc increased his rhythm, feeling his body hit that partial shift, where endurance increased. He held her up off of the bed as they worked towards orgasm. Meg began to cry out as her body shuddered with pleasure. Her muscles clamped down on his cock as she came. Luc followed her a moment later, with a shuddering orgasm that left them both limp.
“Oh damn.”
“Uhrruh.” Luc’s jaw had shifted just enough to make speech slur.
“Too much work, stress and no playtime.”
Luc nodded and pulled Meg closer to him as they fell asleep.
Wolf got up in the middle of the night to check on the pups. When he was certain all was safe, he crawled back into bed with Soft One. Curling around her, he went to sleep.
(2)
Luc walked into the school the next morning to work on the computer lab where he’d been yesterday before the deputy had interrupted him. Everything was quiet and he checked the door for damage and to make sure it was still locked before he began working. He worked uninterrupted for nearly thirty minutes before Charles walked in.
“Um, Luc, about yesterday. You really did attack a deputy? And he didn’t arrest you?”
” Yes Charles. I protected my school. The person who works as a deputy was going against regulations. I asked him if we needed to go down to the sheriff’s office and file an assault report. He said no. That’s when I realized that he really was acting without orders.”
Charles looked at Luc. “Do… do you realize that you don’t look strong enough to hold anyone up by the throat?”
“I’m much stronger than I look. Now, do you have anything you want to know, or can we get on with the computer lab?”
“I… no, I guess not.” Charles turned and went back to pulling computers out of the storage room.
By lunch, the story had gotten around the school. The whisper-net was working well. Luc found himself being watched. He smiled and tried to ignore them while he worked. The principal, Mr. Swanson walked past and just smiled. Miss Perry waved as she headed into her classroom.
“Hey Luc,” Charles called as he entered the lab.
“Yes?”
“You know our favorite obstinate teacher?”
“Hunter?”
“Yeah. He’s decided that we should come in and fix his printers.”
Luc laughed. Mr. Hunter had been a pain in the ass. He’d chased the last IT guy out and refused to let any of the IT staff in to work on any of his computer. He and Charles had put the teacher on the bottom of the priority list after the guy had slammed the door in their faces.
“Oh? What changed his mind?”
“Apparently you did.”
“Ah, because I’ll huff and puff and blow all the bad guys away?”
Charles laughed and nodded. Luc joined in, and then went back to work. He smiled to himself at the joke he’d made. “Big bad Wolf indeed.”
David Hearns walked into the school. He was still laughing over the situation. Stupid deputy. He stopped at the office. “Hi, I’m Officer Hearns, and I’m looking for Luc Moreau.”
The secretary looked up. “He’s down in the computer lab on the first floor. Shall I call him for you?”
“Nah, I’ll find him. Thanks.” David walked down the hall the woman had pointed and found the lab where Luc and another man were working.
“Luc? Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Luc looked up. “Sure David.” Luc walked over to where David stood. “What can I do for you?”
“Tell me what happened the other day.”
“Are you here as a cousin or a cop?”
“Both.”
Luc gestured for David to follow him over to a corner of the lab. He explained what happened. When he finished, David was laughing so hard that tears were running down his face.
“Damn, Cuz. You should see his neck. Oh wait. Almost forgot. He’ll be down here to apologize This afternoon.”
“What? Why?” Luc was puzzled.
“He fucked up bad. Way bad. So bad that the Sheriff won’t even talk to him until he does.” David was holding his side to ease the pain from all the laughter.
Luc smiled. “I guess I’ll let him apologize.”
“Got to let you know too that he thinks you’re some kinda weird thing. ‘No normal guy could do that to me…’ kinda bullshit, so watch it.”
“Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate it.”
“So do I. Plus, I’ll let the cops know to make sure that they let the school know when an exercise it going on.”
“Good thing David. Too many combat vets in this school.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Been talking to the custodians. Most of the older ones are Vietnam era vets. Rangers, and a couple of others that I wouldn’t want to startle. Plus me.”
David smiled. “Yeah… can’t have fur flying now can we.”
Luc about choked. “No… We can just hope that the bad guys run into me and not Sara or her two henchmen.”
“Oh Damn! I forgot that they attend this school. Plus your twins are going to be here too? Does this school have a clue?”
“No, and I hope they never do.”
Charles walked over to the two men. “Luc, you have another visitor.” Charles pointed over to where a man in a sheriff’s uniform waited. Luc nodded. “See you later David.”
David waved and walked back down the hall.
(3)
Luc watched as the deputy sheriff walked over. He could smell the man’s fear, with an undertone of anger. He could also see the bruises that covered his neck like a cheap purple turtleneck.
“Mr. Moreau?”
“Yes.”
“I need to apologize for my actions the other day.”
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.”
“Yes, yes you are. You see, my boss, he won’t talk to me until I do. You’re first on the list and then Mr. Swanson. After that, I get to go back to work.”
Luc nodded. “Alright.”
“I apologize for running an illegal test.”
“Okay. I accept. In future remember that there are people out there who are better than you. They may not look it, but they are. For example, tasers don’t work on me either.”
“Oh? You some kinda superman?” The deputy’s voice was cocky.
“No. I work with electricity. I’ve been zapped so many times that my skin resistance is really high. Now, you’ll piss me off, but I won’t go down.”
The deputy got a weird look on his face. “Um… did you get mugged a few years ago? At a gas station?”
“Yes. Is your boss still showing the tape from the security camera?”
The deputy nodded. “You’re… you’re that guy?”
Luc nodded. “I’m also one of the ones who was part of a legal case about five years ago. Some idiot thought that I was a werewolf.”
The deputy went pale and then excused himself.
Charles smiled as he walked up to Luc. “You scared him. I swear I smelled piss.”
Luc laughed. “Yeah, but I’m not half as scary as Sara.”
Charles looked at Luc oddly for a minute. Then it dawned on him who Luc was talking about. He laughed. “Yeah, those three are, um… legendary at nine years old. Hope your twins are calmer than their cousins.”
“Maybe.” Luc walked back to the computer lab.
Meg relaxed against Luc as they caught their breath. The twins had gone to bed early as school started in the morning. His hand stole around her hip and down towards her clit. He began to stroke her gently until she arched up off of the bed and exploded in orgasm.
“Ohhh, yeah.”
Luc smiled and kissed her. “I love the way you wiggle your hips and moan, Mrs. Moreau.”
“You do eh? Then come here and see how much more you can make me moan.” She touched his cock which was stiffening once more.
“You are insatiable.”
Meg smiled. “Me? Oh no. That’s Ginny. She nearly made Patrick pass out. Me, I’ll just wear you to a nub.” She straddled Luc and began to rock back and forth as his cock buried itself deep inside.
“Yhhuo thake mhy ccontrohhl,” he groaned as his jaw shifted ever so slightly.
Meg smiled. His claws poked her skin as they rocked to another climax and then exploded. They spooned up and fell asleep waiting for the knot to relax.
Wolf sighed as he took in the scent of Soft One. She smelled so good. He slept for a bit and then heard one of the pups cry out in their sleep. He moved off of the bed and padded out into the hall to check. She-pup had lost her covers and was half out of bed. Wolf nudged her back onto the bed and pulled the covers up with his teeth. Then Wolf padded out to the front of the house. He headed outside and checked the property. He marked the corners of the property and headed back inside, secure in knowing that the pack was safe.
A week later, Luc was installing a number of computers and keyboards in the music room when an alarm went off in the high school. “What the hell?” he said softly.
“It’s probably just a lock down test run,” said the music teacher. “We need to lock the doors and hide.” She moved to lock one door and started to usher the students into one of the smaller offices used as a testing room. She’d almost finished as Luc ran over to the far door.
Just as Luc reached the door, it began to swing open. He grabbed a music stand pole and whirled it around like a sword.
“Intrud-” was as far as the police officer got before he was looking at the poll of a music stand an inch from the end of his nose. Luc had pulled his swing just in time. After a moment, the two men unfroze. Luc put down the pole and the cop tried to catch his breath.
“Um… Mr. Moreau, shall we just say that the door was locked?” The cop was totally flustered.
“Yes. We can talk after the event.”
The cop nodded, went back out the door and Luc locked it. Then he turned to see twenty band students staring at him through the glass of the small classroom. He smiled weakly and sat down by the door.
David and the cop from the music room found Luc after work in the tech office where Charles and Luc were going over the next day’s schedule.
“So, you nearly killed my officer with a music stand?”
Luc nodded. “David, you know I asked you to let the vets know about things like this. I’m just glad I was able to stop my reaction in time.” Luc tried to look sheepish, but it wasn’t working.
“Oh Lieutenant, he couldn’t have really hurt me. It was just an aluminum pole.” The cop was feeling chagrined at being caught and trying to act tough.
“No, he would have killed you. Luc and some of the family have been doing Kendo katana work for years.”
“David’s right. Plus, some of us play in the SCA. That’s the Society for Creative Anachronisms… In other words, they play at being knights in shining armor,” Luc added.
The cop went pale. “Oh.”
“Come on outside to where the tackle dummies are,” said Luc. He picked up a piece of steel conduit used to run wire in buildings and they headed outside. When they got to the practice dummies, Luc took a stance. He held his left hand up under his chin in a fist and his right held the pipe down his back, with elbow up. David and the cop stood off to one side.
“These are some of the strikes we learn.” Luc went through the movements slowly. The tackle dummy bounced a bit, but that was about it.
“I… I could have coped with that,” said the cop.
“Now at speed.” Luc whipped though a combination of strikes in less than thirty seconds. He sent the tackle dummy bouncing across the grass minus it’s ‘head.’
The cop stood there with his mouth open. David smiled while Luc found the ‘head’ and replaced it. Then they walked back to the building. The cop headed for his car while David and Luc stood and talked for a moment.
“You know, you have to play more gently with the humans.”
“David, I never go full tilt unless it is with family. Your little exercise caught me off guard though. Would you please at least text me and let me know? You do have a phone that texts don’t you?”
“Yeah, okay. I just didn’t know you’d be in the high school today, so I didn’t bother.”
“I’m in all the schools. The high school and elementary school are 100 yards apart. My office is in the high school. Give me a break. Okay?”
“Yeah. Can’t have the Big Bad Wolf eating the cops,” David teased and headed out to the parking lot.
Luc took the conduit back to the office just in time to head over and pick up Linsey and Elliot. He almost made it to the class room door before it opened and twenty five year olds poured out.
“Daddie!!” his twins cried at seeing him.
Luc picked up the twins and swung them around. “Let’s go home. Aunty Ginny and Uncle Patrick are coming for dinner.”
(4)
“You really need to learn to play nice,” teased Ginny. She was still laughing over the idea of a cop/terrorist taking out Luc.
“Why? You get to chew butt every day and no one stops you,” he answered back.
“She does not. I’ve chewed more ass lately than she has,” quipped Meg. “I’m the one handling the clients while she runs the office. As it is, the clients have been pains in the ass.”
“Oh? What haven’t you been telling me?” Luc asked.
Ginny and Meg looked at each other. Patrick cleared his throat and gave them both the crusty eyebrow look. “Fess up you two. What haven’t you been telling us?”
“Um… we hadn’t said much because we weren’t sure if what we were seeing was a one off thing or just coincidence.” Ginny ran her hand through her hair as she spoke.
Luc leaned forward. “Tell me,” he growled.
“About three weeks ago, we started having a run of damage repairs. We weren’t sure if it was actual wear and tear or if someone was deliberately damaging computer systems and the networks. A few clients had repeat issues and were blaming us for not fixing the problems. Then last week, Cal swore that he smelled the same aftershave at two different sites. Granted, it was Axe, which half the male population bathes in, but still,” Ginny said.
“Cal has a pretty good nose. Was it just the same ‘flavor’, or was it the same scent combined with Axe?” Patrick asked.
“Same scent. I started doing some analysis to see if there were any other patterns,” said Meg.
“What patterns did you find?” Luc was tapping his rapidly growing fingernails on the table.
“Stop that!” Ginny flicked her napkin at him. Luc stopped.
“What we discovered is that the repairs are all over the city. However, they are also all affiliated with anyone we’ve done business with in the last five years. That includes the newspapers that had to pay out damages in that court case,” said Meg.
Luc stood up and grabbed his phone off of his hip as he walked to the back porch. He shut the door behind him.
“Why didn’t you two say something earlier?” Patrick asked.
“We didn’t see the pattern. Didn’t think that we were being targeted. Plus, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s been just a bit busy, what with school starting, work and oh yeah… trying to get ready for a trip to Canada?” Ginny was beginning to get a little peeved.
“How about we clear the table and get some coffee?” Meg said. She knew that things were going to get a little tense, but she didn’t need everyone snarling at the dinner table. “Patrick, would you check on the kids?”
He nodded and headed for the front room where the children sat watching cartoons. Sara was sandwiched between Linsey and Elliot, with Joe and Ivan on either side of them. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, but who made Unky Wolfy huff and puff and growl?” asked Sara. The four other heads nodded.
“Well, we were discussing business, and Aunty Ginny and Mama Meg gave him some information that made him a little upset. You don’t need to worry.”
“Uhuh, yeah.” Sara gave him a look that told him she thought he was full of bull shit. She also knew better than to say anything else. “We’ll just watch TV. We sleepin’ here tonight?”
“I don’t know.”
“Okay. If you guys aren’t done talkin’ by 8pm, we’re gonna go to bed.” Sara then turned the sound back up and ignored Patrick.
Patrick walked into the kitchen as Ginny was pouring coffee. “You know, Sara is going to be one scary bitch when she is older.”
“What’s this when she’s older bullshit?” laughed Ginny. “From what Rose says, she’s the spitting image of her many great-grandmaman Celia. And from what I’ve heard, she was the Queen Bitch.”
Everyone in the kitchen laughed. “You have that right, from what we’ve read,” said Patrick. They sipped their coffee and waited for Luc to come back into the house.
Luc walked back into the house. Meg handed him a cup of coffee and the four adults sat down around the kitchen table. “I’ve talked to Cal, David, George, and Andrew. Cal confirmed what you said. Someone is trying to cause us trouble. On top of that, someone has been trying to feed Buttercup and Fezzik meat at night. Luckily, those two dogs are so spoiled, that they haven’t touched it.”
“Cal never mentioned the meat,” said Ginny.
“No. It happened twice, and he didn’t think about it until I asked if those two had been acting strangely. David said vandalism is up, but he hadn’t noticed any patterns. He’ll check things out from his end. George hasn’t had any trouble up at the Bed & Breakfast, and Andrew said there’d been a break in at the Mall, but put it down to kids. No issues at home.”
“So, what next?” asked Patrick. “The firm I work for hasn’t had any issues.”
“Unfortunately, all we can do is wait.” Luc drank his coffee and sighed.
“They keep fixing things faster than we can break them. What next?” asked the man as he walked in the door of the office in back of the shopping center.
“Well, they haven’t figured anything out yet, so we just keep attacking their clients. We have to do something to drive them out into the open. Make them react. Better yet, make them shift, so we can shoot them like the wild animals they are,” said the man at the computer.
“You know, I don’t think this is gonna work as easy as you thought. They been hiding for how many centuries?”
“Too damn long. Besides, I refuse to be humiliated by an animal.”
“We’re all animals.” said the first man.
“No, we are humans. We don’t turn into wolves and run around at night.”
“That reminds me. That Luc guy, he’s working for the school districts over in the Heights.”
The man at the computer turned. “How’d you find that out?”
“Well, my sister works as a substitute cook there. I was picking her up the other day and saw him. So, I asked if she knew who he was. Said he was some kinda computer tech, called Luke Moro. Took me a few minutes to realize she meant Luc Moreau. Same guy. He had two little kids with him. So, maybe he has kids in the school too?”
The man at the computer smiled.
(5)
Luc felt on edge as he walked the twins into their class. He chatted with their teacher, and then headed off to the computer lab. Charles was already there, and they had a list of ‘fires’ to put out.
“Why is it that Monday is the fire day?”
“I have no idea Charles. You’d think it would be Tuesday or Wednesday, but it is almost always Monday. What this time?”
“Two printers acting up, one desktop failed and I think Ms. Jones dropped her laptop and doesn’t want to admit it. She says it won’t even boot.”
“That is a brand new one.” Luc sighed. “I’ll go get it and see if we can figure out what happened.”
Charles nodded and the two of them headed out the door.
Leaning against her car, Meg was still stinging from the discussion last night. She knew she should have said something, but without seeing a clear pattern, it was difficult to pin down what was really going on. Ginny and Cal were doing a “sniff test” of the office. She watched the two of them walk a grid pattern around the office building and yard. Buttercup and Fezzik were whining in the back, wanting to see Cal. Those two dogs were in love with Cal and Peter.
Ginny walked up as Cal went back to the loading dock. “Nothing. Not a whiff. Hell, not even any mice. Which I guess is a good thing.”
Meg nodded. “Guess we ought to get to work and see what’s going on today.”
“Yes. I’ll be collating the repairs into categories. New clients versus older clients.” Ginny opened the door and walked in to hear the phone ringing. “Here we go!”
Meg grabbed the mail, did a quick sort and then headed back to the office.
Luc and Charles went to lunch at the Drive Inn. The conversation died to a lull as they ate. Charles pushed back his plate first. “I meant to tell you that you had someone checking on you today.”
“What do you mean?”
“Had someone call and ask if the tech position had been filled. When they were told yes, they asked who by. The secretary down at the office gave them your name and business address.”
“Okay.” Luc tried to keep a calm face. In light of the info Ginny and Meg had given him yesterday, he was not happy about this.
“Just thought you should know.”
“Thanks. Did the secretary get a name?”
“No. I can check if she logged the number if it is important to you.” Charles gave Luc a slightly worried look.
“If she can, that would be good. We’ve had some odd repair tickets at the shop and I was just wondering if the call was related.”
“Oh. Yeah. Um, I’ll see if she can pull up the number. When did you start having issues? Is it because you aren’t there? Or is it just the season to have breakages?”
“Charles, I’m not sure. However, you know we had that craziness a few years ago, when the papers were doing those werewolf stories, right?”
“I remember the court case. That was you?”
“Well, the family.”
“Oh. Is there anything you want to tell me?” Charles said with a silly grin on his face.
Luc laughed. “Yeah. Don’t piss me off around the full moon.”
Both men laughed and got up to pay their tickets.
“This is a coaxial (fiber)cable. Don’t cut it, but grab it with the padded pliers and give it a real hard bend and twist.”
“Why not just cut it?”
“Because a cut cable is easy to find. A crushed cable isn’t. We want them wasting time on the job. Then we want the people to complain about their service.”
“Yeah, but they are the best in town. Hell, that one guy is such a screw-up, that he gives them more business than ads.”
“I know.” The man growled under his voice and turned back to the computer. He hit the print command and when the job was done printing, he handed it to the other man. “Here is the list of jobs for you to do. Like I said, don’t do anything obvious. Loosen nuts and bolts. Crush wires. And leave panels open.”
“Okay. What if the cops catch me?” The man was nervous, and the last thing he wanted was to go back to jail for petty vandalism. If he hadn’t needed the money, he’d have never agreed to this crazy scheme.
“Well, don’t get caught. Do what I told you. Wear gloves, and dark clothing. Oh, and when you go to the Mall, don’t forget to go to the janitor’s closet and grab a cart and shirt.”
“Okay. Still not happy with this though.”
“You like the money.”
The man nodded and headed out the door with his list of jobs.
The other man smiled and went back to his computer. He was researching a number of websites, all of which dealt with ‘supernatural sightings’ and especially wolf or dog attacks that just didn’t make sense. He would expose this bunch of freaks if it was the last thing he did.”
Luc stopped by the office and was greeted at the door by the twins.
“Daddie! Daddie! Daddie!” they cried as he picked them up and twirled them around.
“And how are my favourite twins doing?”
“Jus fine Daddie.” Linsey kissed him.
“Uhuh!” murmured Eliot.
“Good. And do you like staying with Mommie and Aunty Ginny in the afternoons?”
Both children nodded. He put them down and walked over to Ginny’s desk. “How goes the day?”
“Busy. Two new clients, three repairs. Two calls for quotes on some jobs and three invoices that came in.” Ginny handed him the client paperwork. Luc looked them over, nodded and headed for Meg’s office around back.
“Hi Kevin, Sandy,” he said as he passed Kevin’s office. The two men greeted him and went back to what they’d been doing. Luc walked into Meg’s office quietly, as she was on the phone.
“Yes. Of course. No, that isn’t a problem. It’s just one of those months, and seems like everyone is having computer issues. You are scheduled for tomorrow morning at 10:30am. Thank you.” Meg hung up the phone and sighed.
“Sounds like things are not slowing down.” Luc sat across from Meg.
“No, they aren’t.” She handed him a pile of papers. “These are the jobs that we’ve done over the last few months. Color coded for previous or new customer. From there, they are divided into 5 years or less and whether or not they were part of the court case bunch.”
Luc took the paperwork and began to look at it. New clients were at the same rate they’d been for the last fifteen years. The 5 or younger and previous customer list of jobs was booming. Six to fifteen jobs a week, and most of them suspicious issues. “Damn.”
“Whoever is doing this has a real grudge against us.”
“I’m noticing that. Let Andrew know that this may slew his way at the Mall.”
“You think it will?”
“Yes. Look at the number of contacts. The only one not continually on the list is the Mall.”
“Could that be because Andrew is the only family and/or client there?”
“Yes Meg, it could. It could also mean that he may get hit harder.”
Meg picked up the phone and called Andrew at the Silver Lode.
(6)
Joey was unhappy. He needed the money, but part of him felt wrong about the damage and vandalism. He’d gone to jail before and didn’t want to go back there. He didn’t like being low man on the totem pole. He waited in the mall in the bathroom, sitting on a seat with his feet pulled up. He listened as people left. He listened to the rent-a-cops holler to each other as they sealed off sections of the Mall. Finally, he left the bathroom and walked over to the janitor’s closet he’d seen earlier. The door wasn’t locked, which meant they were cleaning. He found a spare shirt, got a broom and put a few garbage bags in his back pocket. He’d spent the afternoon watching the janitors work.
After pulling his cap down low, he started sweeping the floor. He turned left and headed for that shop the boss had told him about, the Silver Lode. He swept, and moved closer. He emptied a few trash cans and left the full bags next to them to pick up on his way back. He looked up at the Silver Lode. No lights on. As he got closer, he looked around. Propping the broom up against the door, he tried to pick the lock. No luck. Looking around, he didn’t see any other way to damage the shop. No wires, no way to break the glass without notice. Finally, he pulled the small can of spray paint out of his pocket and graffiti the side of the shop and across the front windows. He pocketed the can and then grabbing his broom, headed back the way he came.
“Andrew and Vivien will be here for dinner in about fifteen minutes.”
“Okay. Will you open the wine?” Meg asked as she checked on the last bits of dinner. “Why so long?”
“Andrew had to change a tire. Someone slashed it.”
“Just an accident, or do you think it is related to our mystery computer sabotager?”
“I don’t know. Figured I’d ask them when they got here.” Luc finished opening the wine and kissed Meg on the nose.
She kissed him back and headed out to the dining room to make sure the twins hadn’t ‘unset’ the table.
Andrew took the cake from Vivien and then helped her out of the car. “Careful.”
“Andrew, I’m not made out of glass.” Vivien took the cake pan from him and headed for the door where Luc and the twins waited.
“Hi Vivien, Andrew.”
“Hello Luc, Eliot and Linsey,” Vivien said with a smile. She slid past the crowd and headed for the kitchen. Once she put the cake down, she gave Meg a hug.
“How’s everything going here?”
“Just fine. And you?” Meg asked.
Vivien smiled. “Doing okay. Is dinner ready? I’m staving.”
Meg laughed. “Yes, it is. French onion soup, garlic bread, salad and roast beast, as Eliot says.”
“Smells heavenly.”
Andrew and Luc walked into the kitchen. Kisses and hugs were exchanged and then Meg shooed everyone out to the dining room. She brought out the bread and salads first. Luc helped with the soup and the meat. In less than five minutes, everyone was sitting down and eating. The twins sat at the end of the table in high booster chairs with Luc on one side and Meg on the other.
‘So, tell me about this computer repair spree,” said Andrew between bites.
“Well, it’s mainly older clients, those involved with the court case. Stupid things, that makes me think it is deliberate sabotage. Crushed wires, covers left open, that kind of thing. Oh, and a few missing parts.”
“Hmm… Who has a grudge against you Luc?” asked Vivien.
“I don’t know. We only noticed the pattern a few days ago. Meg and Ginny had noticed it, but hadn’t realized what they were seeing.”
“No notes? Phone calls? Dire threats in the news?”
“Not a damn thing Vivien. Only real clue we have is that one of the bas… um… bad guys wears Axe cologne.”
“Well, that doesn’t help. 90% of the male population under twenty-five wears that stuff.” Vivien took another bite of salad. “Andrew, do you want to tell them our news?”
Meg and Luc looked at the other couple. “Are you publishing another book? One of those fur rippling bodice rippers?” asked Luc.
“No,” Andrew said shaking his head. The smile on his face grew bigger and bigger.
“Well, tell us! Don’t keep us in suspense!” cried Meg.
Andrew and Vivien looked at each other and smiled. “Um… well… in about six months…” was as far as Vivien got.
“You’re pregnant?” Luc and Meg said at the same time.
Andrew smiled, and Vivien nodded. “It was the last thing I ever expected,” said Vivien. “I’d been feeling horrid. Couldn’t keep food down, I thought I had the flu. Finally, Andrew made me go see Jeff Hayes. Half way through the door to the exam room, he started laughing.”
“Laughing? Why?” asked Meg.
“Apparently Dr. Jeff could ‘smell’ that I was pregnant. The idea of Andrew being a dad gave him a serious fit of the giggles.”
“Yeah. Said I’d have to share my frisbees,” Andrew said softly. That made everyone at the table laugh, and the twins just looked at the adults.
“Have you told your sister?” asked Luc.
“No. You two are the first to know. I’ll be writing Rose an email tonight.”
“You only just found out?” asked Meg.
“Yes.” Vivien smiled. “Not sure about all of this, but I figured you’d have a clue or two.”
Meg looked at the twins. “I think so. Oh, Ginny is going to be so conflicted!”
“Why?” Vivien was puzzled. She knew that Ginny and Andrew had been lovers briefly, but wasn’t sure where Meg was going.
“She’ll want to laugh at Andrew and want to take you shopping all at the same time. She may not be able to have kids, but it doesn’t stop her from being the world’s greatest aunty.”
Vivien nodded.
After carrot cake and coffee, Luc and Andrew cleaned up the kitchen while Vivien and Meg put the twins to bed. It gave them a chance to talk without the women nearby.
“So, how serious do you think this threat is?
“I’m not sure Andrew. Right now it is centered on the business. However, we need to keep an eye on your shop and the B&B as well.”
“I see. Is David aware of this?”
“Yes. We had a bit of a run in with a stupid deputy at the school, just before it opened.”
“Oh?” Andrew paused in loading the dishwasher.
“Yeah…” Luc spent ten minutes explaining how he’d hoisted the deputy up by his throat. Then he explained about the other cop nearly losing his head.
“You know, working for the school district has really brought out the protective side of your nature.”
“Yeah… My school. My kids. All of them.”
Andrew smiled.
Joey got back to the janitor’s closet without being noticed. He dumped the trash and on the way back, stumbled upon a huge electrical panel. Opening it up, he realized it had a lot of that Cat 5 stuff his boss was always talking about. He found the list with all the shop names and with his pliers, damaged the wires he thought went to the Silver Lode. Then he closed up the panel and finished putting stuff back. Ten minutes later, he was out the back door and heading for his car. When he got in, he stripped off his gloves and threw them in the trash bag on the floor.
(7)
Andrew and Vivien were just saying good night when his cell phone rang. “Hello, yes, this is Andrew.” He listened for a moment. “Yes. I’ll be right there.” Andrew turned to Luc knowing he’d overheard the cell phone conversation. “Will you come with me?”
“Yes. Meg, you and Vivien have a nice long chat about being pregnant. We’ve got to go.” Luc kissed Meg and grabbed his jacket.
“Where are you going?” asked Vivien. She was not happy with the look on Andrew’s face.
“The Mall. The Silver Lode has been vandalized. You stay here.” His voice took on that subvocal growl that raised the hairs on both Vivien and Meg’s arms. Vivien nodded and kissed him goodbye.
“I’ll call as soon as I know something,” Luc said as they headed out the door.
“Well, do you want another cup of tea?” Meg asked as the two women headed back into the house.
“Might as well. I get the feeling we are not going home early tonight.” Vivien sighed and sat down at the kitchen table as Meg put water on for tea.
“Call Ginny,” Andrew said as he drove to the Mall.
“Why?”
“I want her and Patrick to go check my house. If they have attacked my shop, they may attack my home.”
“Right.” Luc called Ginny and explained what was going on. Next call he made was to Cal and Pete. He had them check the office. Last, but not least, he called George and explained what was going on. When he was done, they were nearly at the Mall.
“Like I told the officers, I came round the corner to head towards the office and saw the red paint all over the Silver Lode. It wasn’t there when I started the shift.” The janitor had repeated his story three times by now. First to the police, next to Andrew and now to the owners of the Mall.
Luc looked at the shop. “Werewolves are real.” “Some bitches are real Dogs!” “Thou shall not suffer a shifter to live!” “Fuckers are hiding right under your nose! Wake up!”
“You know, they are getting more creative,” Andrew said as a round man who’s tie looked too tight walked over to where they stood.
“I’ve given the security tapes to the police,” said the manager. “As soon as they are finished photographing the stuff, we’ll get it cleaned off. Is there anything else you want us to check?”
“Yes. Where is the nearest communications panel?” asked Luc.
“Umm… it’s round the corner next to the janitor’s office. Why?”
“We’ve had a number of clients with issues the last few weeks, and I want to make sure that there is no damage to the Silver Lode’s connection,” Luc explained.
“Sure… sure. Come this way.” The manager led the way, with a cop in tow. When they got to the panel, the cop checked it out first. There were fingerprints and some odd smudges. Then they opened the panel. Everything looked okay.
Luc stepped forward. He took a deep breath as he stood there tracing lines. He noted the scents and would talk to Andrew about them later. When he found the Silver Lode cable, he ran his fingers over it after the cop had dusted it. “Why am I not surprised?”
“What’s the matter Luc?” asked Andrew.
“The Cat-5 is crushed. Soft pliers so that the casing didn’t break, but the insides are damaged. Let me call Cal and have him bring me some cable.” And let him smell the scent that’s here.
“Can’t it wait until morning, Mr. Moreau?” asked the manager.
“If we don’t, Andrew here will have no service in the morning. Nor any security tonight. If this guy comes back, he could bust in and no one would be the wiser.”
“Oh. Um… yes, by all means. Call your man. Send us the bill.” The manager’s face grew redder.
Luc walked away and called Cal. He came back a moment later. “Cal can be here in about fifteen minutes. Don’t let anyone touch this panel.”
The manager nodded and then they all walked back to the Silver Lode. Andrew and Luc sat across from the shop in the chairs for the ice cream shop. They watched as the janitors began to scrub the paint off.
“Vivien, do you want to curl up on the couch?”
“Yeah. They are taking a long time. I’m exhausted.” Vivien stood, stretched and yawned.
Meg nodded and went to get a blanket. There were plenty of pillows on the couch. She came back to find Vivien taking off her shoes.
“Here’s a blanket. Do you need anything else?”
“Yeah. Some sanity. Between the latest book going to press, Andrew’s business perking up and now this, I’m just exhausted.”
“Don’t forget pregnant too.”
“Oh yeah… I can’t believe I didn’t twig to it. I felt so stupid when the doctor told me that I didn’t have the flu.”
“I know the feeling. We spend all this time as ‘enlightened women’ and then boom! Back to the dark ages where everything is a mystery.”
That made both women laugh. Meg hugged Vivien and then headed off to bed, leaving Vivien to get comfortable on the couch.
“Yeah. Same scent. Even the same undertones,” said Cal as he fixed the run of Cat-5. “The office was fine, but Buttercup and Fezzik were a little unsettled. Wasn’t sure if it was us coming by or if someone else had been there. Didn’t smell anyone, but that doesn’t help if they just drove by.”
Luc and Andrew nodded. They were talking softly as the repairs were made. Luc and Cal acting like it was more than just a crushed cable, while Andrew ‘observed’ and also watched the rest of the people. No one was acting suspicious.
“There. All finished.” Cal stood back and dusted his hands off before he began to pick up the scrap wire. “You need this for your case, Detective?” He held out the wire to a police detective.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Andrew, Luc and Cal packed up and said their goodbyes. They checked the cleanup on the shop and then headed towards Andrew’s house. They hadn’t heard from Ginny or Patrick and that had them all worried.
(8)
Joey wasn’t the only employee the man had working for him. Ted was new and didn’t know Joey existed. Nor would he ever. All he knew is that the man in the office was willing to pay him good money to destroy things. This appealed to Ted. He’d laughed at the orders he’d been given. Tonight he was suppose to feed the dogs the poisoned meat and then go break windows at this swank house in the suburbs. Oh, and he was suppose to pee on things. He’d had to wait to toss the meat over the fence of Alpha Wolf Tech. Somebody kept driving by, which made him late for the other job. He didn’t have time to make sure the dogs ate the meat. He just tossed it and drove.
The neighborhood was old and quiet. The big house had lots of windows. Ted started in the back, and while he could break and enter, that only led him to a back porch. He tried the inner door, but it was well locked. Ted bashed and broke as much stuff on the back porch as possible. Then he checked the outside. No one had noticed him, so he went to the front door. The lock wouldn’t jimmy. He tried slamming it with the hammer from the back porch. Nothing. Realizing that once he broke glass, that the neighbors might notice, he peed all over the front door and porch furniture. Taking one last look, he started at the corner of the porch and began breaking windows as he ran towards the back of the house. The big picture window, two side windows and a kitchen window. As he rounded the back, he took out another three windows across the back and headed down the side. He’d just reached the far side of the front porch when he heard someone pull up and start yelling. Ted headed back towards the back yard. He threw the hammer back in the last window he broke and then ran for the alley.
Ginny and Patrick pulled up, and as they got out of the car, they heard the sound of broken glass. “Ginny, call 911. I’m heading for the house.” The tone of Patrick’s voice would have frozen anyone else.
Ginny called 911. “I’m reporting vandalism and possible break in at…” She gave the address as she walked up to the front porch. The smell of piss filled her nose, and under it the note of fresh meat. Finishing off the call, she looked around as she called Pete. “Hey Pete. Check on Buttercup and Fezzik. Yes, I know that Cal just did. Do it. I have a bad feeling. No, but the person who just vandalized Andrew’s house also smelled of bloody meat.” She hung up and waited for either the police or Patrick to show up.
Ted ran down the alley. He was skinny and fast, but whoever was chasing him was good. He’d jumped a fence or two and the guy kept coming. He couldn’t see him in the gathering dark. All he could think of was reaching his car that was now over six blocks behind him.
Patrick could smell the bastard. Sweat, blood and fresh piss. No Axe aftershave, but no one said that there weren’t more than one. He let his body shift ever so slightly. It gave him the advantage of sight, nose and endurance. Up ahead, he watched the man jump a fence. He cleared the fence at a run, and realized that the man had started to cut back the way he came. A feral snarl curled Patrick’s lips.
Ginny saw the flashing lights and watched two cars pull up. David and his partner got out of the first car. “About time you got here.”
“Ginny, we’ve been busy. The Mall got hit.”
“Yeah David, and this is Andrew’s house. Someone’s busted windows and peed all over the front porch.”
David blinked. He looked around to see that his partner and the other cops were taking notes of the damage. “One of us?”
“No. Beer and cheap pizza, combined with beef blood.”
“That’s a weird mix.” David was scratching his head.
“Yes, unless you wanted to poison a few dogs.” Ginny watched as that sunk in.
“Have you called Pete? Cal’s with Luc and Andrew.”
“I’m waiting to hear back. Sara would kill anyone who hurt her babies.”
“Ginny, you know, I’m not sure who’s scarier. You or that little girl.”
“She will be.” Ginny gave David a look that sent shivers up his spine.
“Let’s go join the others. Oh, and where’s Patrick?”
“He’s chasing the guy.”
David took a deep breath. This evening was getting worse and worse.
Ted was beginning to run out of energy. The last jump over the fence had nearly broken his leg when he landed. The fucker with the computer was going to pay him double for the next job. If there was a next job. He could see his car off in the distance and began to run as fast as he could.
Patrick cleared the last fence with no problem. Half shifted, he had more than enough strength to clear it. Up ahead under the streetlights was his target. The scent of sweat was like a ribbon wafting in the breeze. Patrick noted that the guy was headed for a car. He also knew the guy would never reach it.
Ted ran. He was almost there. Fifty more feet. Then the world stopped as a ton of body slammed him to the ground. He tried to scream, but nothing came out. A hand clamped around his throat and then dragged him up. He wanted to scream again, as the face of his attacker was clear under the streetlight. Long canines, and eyes that radiated anger stared back at him. The hands around his throat kept him from doing more than squeak. Then he felt himself being dragged up the street. He’d have peed himself if he could.
Patrick dragged the man back to the front of the house. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down enough to face the police. He had no idea if any of them were going to be shifter friendly. By the time he reached Andrew’s house, he had it together for the most part. He was glad to see David and Seth standing next to Ginny. He walked up and threw the man hard enough to make him bounce at their feet. “Hherrrs the bashtarrrd,” he growled.
Ginny looked at Patrick and then back to where the other cops were working. “Settle down quickly,” she said softly.
David looked at the man on the ground. He could tell by scent that it was the same man. Now the real trick would be to get him to tell them who’d hired him. “What have you to say for yourself?”
“Wasn’t me,” the man gasped.
“Right. We have a hammer with nice fingerprints on it and… we know it was you that pissed on the door,” Seth said with a quiet whisper.
“How? No way. I want a lawyer! Hell, you haven’t even arrested me.” Ted was getting cocky.
Seth looked at David and then Patrick. The two men moved between the cops on the porch. Seth let his face shift just enough to show wolfish features. “I can smell you,” he said in a voice full of subvocals.
Ted screamed.
Andrew and Luc pulled up in front of Andrew’s house just in time to see a man being put into a cop car. David, Seth, Ginny and Patrick walked over to Luc’s car. Ginny’s phone rang and she turned to take the call.
“Whoever it is isn’t playing nice,” said Patrick.
“How much damage to the house?” asked Andrew.
“Just broken glass and pee on the front porch,” said Seth. “I’ve called the family clean up crew, and insurance company. You and Vivien should stay in a hotel for a night or two.”
“They’re staying with me,” growled Luc. “Any idea who’s doing this?”
“No, but the guy Ted is ready to sing. We’ll get his full story back at the station,” said David. “Patrick here ran him down, and then Seth persuaded him that we did know he was the cause of the damage.” He smiled and let a bit of fang show.
Andrew nodded. “Do any of us have an idea as to why?”
“No. But the bastard tried to get Buttercup and Fezzik again.” Ginny had finally joined the conversation. “That was Pete on the phone. More poisoned meat. Buttercup is okay, but Fezzik is at the vets. Vet says he’ll make it, but his days as a guard dog may be over.”
“I’ll contact that company we used before and get another dog,” said Luc. He walked off to make the call.
Andrew looked at the two cops. “Shall we follow you? Or is this strictly police business?”
“For now, stay here and deal with the clean up crew. Then go back and cuddle Vivien. I’ll call you if we find anything,” said David. Then he and Seth left with the other policemen to book and question Ted.
Vivien dreamed she was in the softest bed she’d every had. Warm, soft and very safe.
The wolves were protecting the red furred mate. Her pups would be safe. Her mate curled around her first, and the other two kept turns watching for danger. The biggest wolf of all paced from one room to the next. He moved from his pups to his mate and back. The pups were in a big pile. Two small pups and three bigger ones. His mate was restless. When he checked on his pack mates, the older wolf raised his head from his mates pillow. The two of them nodded. One went back to sleep while the other walked.
Deep in his office, the man sat at the computer. He was destroying files and getting ready to move. His police band radio had served him well. He knew that Joey had gotten away, while Ted had been captured. He’d have to make some new contacts and change a few plans. However, he still had everything in line for the next few weeks.
(9)
“Anything on the address the guy gave us?” Seth asked a cop that walked into his office.
“No. Someone has been there, but all they left were scrapes on the floor, ashes in a trash can and from what I can tell, they threw full strength Lysol over everything. Weird shit.”
“Thanks. I’ll send one of my guys over to see if he can find any prints.”
The cop nodded and left the room.
“Lysol?” David asked as he walked around the corner.
“Uhuh. He’s trying to burn out noses. So, he must know that we shift and have sensitive noses. Who around here is that kinda crazy?”
“I don’t know, Seth. Shall we go over and see if we can scent anything?”
Seth nodded. Grabbing jackets, they headed out.
An hour later, they had a slight hint of scent, but nothing to even make good on the promise of finishing the job.
“The guy’s good. No fingerprints, and that Lysol shit burns your nose.” Seth was wiping his face for the third time.
David nodded. “Have you checked the dumpsters down the alley?”
“What? You think this guy is stupid enough to throw stuff away from his office?”
“Yes.” The two men stood up and headed out the door.
He laughed. Using binoculars, he could watch the cops poke around from his new office. In many ways, this one was better than the old office. All he had to do was open a hatch and everything would fall into a chute headed straight for the incinerator. Plus, the homeless shelter was sending him two more workers. Tonight, there would be another series of incidents for the police to puzzle out.
“Hey David! Could this be anything?” Seth held up a bag of garbage.
David walked over and sniffed. There was a faint scent, but not enough. “No. Let’s go back and talk to Ted.” The two men headed back to their car.
Vivien woke up to find herself covered in wolves. Around the wolves were five little faces. “Umm… good morning.”
“Morning Aunty Twizzler. Are you hungry?”
“Yes Sara, I am. Is Aunty Meg cooking?”
“No. It’s Unky Wolfy cooking. Meg and Ginny went over to your house to get some things for you.”
Vivien sat up, moving Andrew’s head off of her leg. He weighed a ton. “And why are they doing that?”
“Because the mean guys hurt your house. Unky Wolfy says you can’t leave the house. And if you try, we’re to wake up Patrick and Andrew.” Sara pointed at the two big wolves.
“Gotcha. I’m in wolfy protective custody eh?”
“Yeah. Just like in Moonlit Wolf Passion.”
“Sara! You aren’t suppose to be reading those books!”
“We don. Bitty an ‘Solde were talkin’ about ’em.” Joe said softly.
“Oh. Good. Those are adult books,” said Vivien.
Ivan and Joe nodded. Sara just looked at Vivien. “Aunty Twizzler, when are you gonna write a book about us?”
“Maybe in a year or two. I’m going to be busy for a little while.”
“We knows! Twins! Just like Aunty Meg.” Sara looked superior as she spoke.
“Twins? Um… we don’t even know that yet.”
Sara smiled. “We do.”
Vivien didn’t know whether to believe the girl or not. She decided not to challenge the assumptions. “Well, I think I’ll go see what Unky Wolfy is cooking.” She dislodged Andrew and stepped over Patrick. She walked into a kitchen redolent with the smell of bacon and pancakes. “Luc, it smells wonderful.”
“Hope so. Things have been a little crazy.”
“Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I have the morning off. I’ll go in with the twins at noon.” He turned back to the bacon and pancakes cooking on the stove.
Vivien looked at the clock. It was barely 9am. “Okay. Everyone else trying to figure out what happened?”
“Yes. Most important thing is for you to stay here. Close to Ginny and Patrick. Meg’s going into work and so will I. Andrew is keeping you close. Sandy and a few others will be by during the day.”
“Alright.” Vivien sat down with a cup of tea and tried to figure out what she was going to do. She no sooner took her first sip, than Andrew and Patrick walked into the room.
“We sent the kids off to get ready for school,” said Patrick. “I called them in absent for the morning. Everything is quiet there, so don’t worry. Charles says he is taking care of things.”
“Yeah. I’ll still feel better when I get there.” Luc flipped food onto plates and handed them to people.
When Meg and Ginny returned, Patrick and Andrew went to see how the house was fairing. Luc took the kids to school and the three women relaxed. Sandy was in the living room and Cal had brought Fezzik over. The poor dog looked like someone had beaten him. He woofed hello and then curled up on a blanket and went to sleep.
“Doc says he’ll be okay. We have to treat him like an old man now. Easy on the food and exercise for a while. Oh, and let Luc know that the company we got Buttercup and Fezzik from are delivering two new dogs today.”
“Oh, and what are their names?” asked Ginny.
Cal smiled. “Val and Max.”
“Huh? No Princess Bride names?”
“Oh, you should rewatch the movie. Valerie is the wife of Miracle Max.”
That brought laughter from everyone.
“The owner said that Val and Max were a litter behind Buttercup and Fezzik,” said Cal.
“Will they be alright with our two dogs?” asked Ginny.
“He assured me that they would after a brief bit of adjustment time. I’ll be there when they come in. Should be interesting.” Cal smiled remembering when Buttercup and Fezzik first arrived. All gruff and nasty for about twenty seconds. Then they rolled on their backs and whined to be petted.
Dinner time was crowded. Most of the family in town was at Luc’s house by early afternoon. Meg brought food home to augment what Ginny and Vivien were cooking. When the kids came home, they cuddled Fezzik until the poor dog fell asleep as the kids watched cartoons. Andrew updated Vivien on the house and brought her her laptop. David and Seth were the last ones in. Andrew, Luc and Patrick pulled them over into a corner to talk.
“Any news?” asked Andrew.
“None. Ted gave us info, but it was a dead end. Lysol on everything and nothing left behind. Not even any good prints,” said Seth.
“The only real lead we have is that Ted was sleeping rough or in a homeless shelter. We’ve got a couple of guys working that angle,” explained David.
“That would make for interesting recruiting. Anyone you wanted to use could be discredited rather easily,” said Luc. Patrick and Andrew nodded. Most of the homeless shelters around town were filled with people who weren’t that picky about where their next dinner or dollar came from.
“Did you draw up a list of people who aren’t happy with shifters?” asked David.
“Yeah. I came up with the same ten groups. Not one of them has been active lately.” Luc sighed.
“We’ll find them.” Patrick said with a growl in his voice.
Joey got the plans from his sister. Said he wanted them so that he could study up to apply for a janitorial job. The man with the computer had been happy enough to give him a $50 bonus.
(10)
Buttercup bit Max and then growled at Val. Cal growled at Buttercup and within two minutes, all three dogs were on their backs waiting for belly rubs. Pete had put up netting across the top of the fences to discourage any more treats being lobbed over the fence.
“That was quick,” Luc said as he watched the three dogs begin to patrol the fence.
“Yeah. Buttercup is a real bitch, but she misses Fezzik.” Cal watched the dogs for a minute and then turned back to Luc. “Any leads?”
“No. David and Seth says it’s gone real quiet. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. Andrew and Vivien moved back into their house. Ginny, Patrick, the kids, Sandy and Jesse all went with them. Have to admit I’m looking forward to a bit of quiet tonight.”
“I bet. Elliot and Linsey are going to miss the three monsters though.”
“No, they went with Ginny. The women figured it would be easier to keep track of all the kids if they were under one roof. Andrew’s house is pretty big, what with that apartment upstairs.”
Cal thought about it for a second. “I guess you’re right. You going back to work?”
“Yes. I’ve got about ten minutes of my lunch hour left.” Luc took one last look at the dogs and headed to the schools.
Joey wasn’t sure he liked this latest idea of his boss. The money was good, but there were just things you didn’t do. When he voiced his concerns, the man gave him $100 and told him to get lost. Joey pocketed the money and went to get a few beers before he went home. His sister would be pissed, but he’d find a job tomorrow or the next day.
Three hours later, Joey walked out of the bar and wove his way to the nearest bus stop. Leaning up against the bench, he didn’t realize that anyone was behind him until the hands were on his head. There was a quick wrenching pain and then nothing.
The man at the computer told Derek to keep the $85 he’d taken from Joey’s pocket. Then he gave him the folder with information and explained what he needed done. Derek smiled, read through the stuff in the folder, took a few notes and then handed it back.
“Are you clear on what I want done?”
“Yeah. Easy. Did plenty of these in ‘Ghanistan. Tomorrow work for you?”
“Yes. Check back in when you’re finished.”
“Right.” Derek nodded, and then left.
The man smiled. “Nits breed lice” he thought as he typed information on his laptop.
“Notice anything?” Seth asked David as they examined the corpse.
“Yeah. Aftershave. Any bets this was our graffiti artist?”
“No, none. Look at the shoes.” Seth pointed to the edge of the sole.
“Damn. Red spray paint. Bigger question though. Was this random? Or did our real asshole have him killed?”
“You tell me?” Seth stood up and backed off so that the EMT’s could move the body.
“Tell you what. You go tell Luc that things just went weird, and I’ll head over to our local homeless shelter and see who got hired for a day job lately.”
Seth nodded. “See you in a bit.”
Vivien was laying down, trying to rest. Morning sickness was turning into afternoon sickness, and all the tension of the last few days was getting to her. Andrew had gone into work for a few hours while Ginny took the kids to the movies. Patrick was in the kitchen cooking when Seth walked in.
“How’s it going?”
“Not good. We have a new resident at the morgue. Smells of Axe, and has red spraypaint on his shoes.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Whoever this is has a real hard on for shifters, and is willing to kill to keep people quiet.”
“You think the guy behind all of this, had the guy killed?”
“Probably. Doesn’t make sense otherwise. As far as we know, the corpse is a minor player. Just bright enough to hold the door during a bank robbery. The station is hunting around to see if he has any kin in town.”
“Luc know?” Patrick stirred the meat and checked on the beans. It was taco night.
“Yes. Saw him first. What we can’t figure out is who the target is. Is it just shifters in general, or is it Andrew?”
Patrick nodded. “Ginny’s at Tinseltown with the kids. Will you go check on them?”
“Sure. What are they seeing?”
“Frozen. What else?”
The two men laughed. When Seth left, Patrick locked the door behind him. When he turned, he found Vivien in the doorway.
“I thought you were napping.”
“Heard voices.”
“How much did you hear?”
“Enough. Who is doing this?”
“I don’t know. Wish I did. That way, we could kill them and get on with life.” He walked over and gave Vivien a hug.
Andrew checked on the store, worked on an order for a client and then left the shop in Becky’s capable hands. He walked towards the movie theater where he knew Ginny and the kids should be finishing up with the movie. As he stood there waiting, Seth walked up.
“Everything alright at home?” Andrew asked a little anxiously.
“Yes. Just updated Patrick on the latest.” Seth then spent ten minutes bringing Andrew up to speed.
“Damn. Maybe, maybe we should move the kids. Take them up to George and Angie’s.”
“I’m not sure. I get the feeling that this whole thing is just about to hit the boiling point. What I can’t figure out is who is next.”
“Luc, Patrick and I tried to figure that out the other night. We couldn’t figure it out. Everyone is accounted for that has a screw loose.” Andrew scanned the crowd as people began to pour out of the theater. He waved at Ginny, who was herding the children with the help of ‘Solde. He pulled Ginny aside for a moment and explained what was going on. They decided to convoy home.
(11)
Derek tugged the coverall over his clothes. He was now a HVAC service technician named Bill. Picking up the tool box, he headed for the school entrance. Following the signs, he headed for the office. “Hi! I’m here to check on the HVAC system.”
The secretary looked up to see a smiling face. “Hi. Sign in here please. I didn’t know we had a service call in. Charles or Luc usually let us know.”
“Ah, Central office called me. Said we needed to do some sort of annual check. You know. Stupid stuff. ” He grinned at her.
“Yeah. HVAC room is just down that hall, across from the library.” She handed him a sticker that said ‘Visitor Pass’ on it.
“Thanks.” He put the sticker on his shirt, picked up his tool box and headed down the hall. He went into the HVAC room and poked around for a few minutes. Then he headed down the hall, checking out things as he went. Whenever anyone passed him, he smiled and then stared at the ceiling vents. It took him forty-five minutes to do a full circuit. The cameras went in quickly. Once he was done, he went back to the HVAC room. Hooking the cameras into the system was another twenty minutes and once he activated them, he smiled and left.
“See you later sweetheart!” he called as he headed past the office. The secretary waved and went back to her paperwork. When he got to the van, he carefully saved the visitor’s pass. Then he pulled out the cell phone that he’d been given and called.
The man at the computer answered the phone on the third ring. “Yes?”
“The cameras are installed,” said Derek.
“Good. Hold on a moment.” He turned to his computer and opened a program. He smiled as the cameras showed students moving through the halls. “I’ll have your money ready when you stop by.”
“See you in a bit.” Derek started his van and headed into town.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to take the kids up a week early?” asked Ginny.
“No. I know it sounds stupid, but I don’t want them to miss school.” Meg looked over at the kids playing on the grass.
Ginny nodded. “I understand. Letting Sara and the boys out of anything is never a good idea. I have enough trouble keeping them in line as it is. At least Andrew’s house is big enough for everyone.”
It was Meg’s turn to nod looking back at Andrew’s house. Vivien waved from the front porch. “I never thought we’d run out of room. Having half the pack there and shifted certainly made it feel crowded.”
“I agree. Now I understand why the family had all those big houses. Emergencies make for strange bedding arrangements.”
Meg giggled.
The two men were laughing. $50 a piece to go flatten some tires. They moved quietly down the alley as the women and children played on the front lawn. It took less than five minutes with the little tool the guy had given them. They threw the valve stems out onto the street as they walked away.
The wolves circled the house. The pups and mates were asleep. One wolf sniffed at the ground. He growled, and followed a trail that lead back between the buildings. The scent faded quickly. He huffed as he rejoined the other wolves.
(12)
Ginny scowled as she looked at the flat tires. Eight of them. She dialed Luc’s number as she headed back into the house. “Luc,” she said once he answered. “I’ve got flat tires. Yes, tires. Eight of them. Can you come pick up the kids on your way to work? Thanks.”
Patrick looked at Ginny as she thundered back into the kitchen. “What’s the matter?”
“Someone removed the valve stems from all the tires.”
“That explains what Jesse smelled last night.”
“Oh? And no one went to look?” Ginny was getting that ‘I’m going to kill something’ look on her face.
“Ginny, calm down. He did report it. I was going to look after the kids went to school.”
“Fine. Luc will be here to pick up the kids in about ten minutes.”
Patrick nodded and headed outside to look at the flat tires. Ginny called the local garage and arranged for them to come out and repair the tires.
The man at the computer watched the doorways to the classes. He smiled as he watched Luc come in with children in three different classes. He made screen shots of the kids as Luc left each set. Picking up the phone, he made a call.
“Luc!”
“Yes Sally?”
“I wanted to let you know that the kids weren’t marked late.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and the HVAC guy was here yesterday. Thought I’d let you know.”
“HVAC? We didn’t have any service tickets in to them.” Luc looked puzzled and then the hairs began to crawl on the back of his neck. “Did he say what they were doing?”
“Some sort of annual service check.”
“Okay. I’ll check with the company later and see if there are any updates.” Luc left the office and headed for the tech office. Charles was at his desk going through invoices. Luc came in, looked around the room and shut the door.
“Hi Luc.”
“Charles, did you ask the HVAC guys to come in for an annual service check?”
“No, why?”
“Sally says that a guy was here, did some work and left.”
“That sounds odd.”
“Did to me too. I’m going to check the network.” Luc sat down at his computer and logged into the system. After ten minutes, he turned to Charles. “Umm… we have some interesting traffic.”
Charles stood up, and came over to where Luc sat. “Yeah. There are eight new Mac addresses. What the hell?”
“Would you go check, while I monitor the system?”
“Sure Luc. This is just weird.” Charles grabbed his radio and headed for the HVAC room.
Luc kept an eye on the system and picked up his phone. He made two calls. One to Patrick and the second one to David.
David and Seth went down to the homeless shelter that had been mentioned by Ted. They spent ten minutes fighting the red tape in the office and gave up. As they left, a man smelling more like a vat of wine than human walked over.
“Yous guys lookin’ for the bossman?”
“Who?”
“The guy whats hires us bums. Gives us jobs and even pays.” The man belched and the fumes of cheap wine filled the room.
“Yeah. Here he’s real good to you guys.” David watched the wino while Seth moved to make sure the residential aide didn’t walk over and interfere.
“Sure nuff is. Gave me and George over there $50 to go pull a bunch of them stems outta tires.” The man smiled.
“Where can we find him?” David asked as nonchalantly as he could.
“Weez seen him at the church roun’ da corner. Seez ya after breakfast. Yous comes by then, an he be dere.” The wino nodded with authority.
“Thanks. Here’s a tenner for your trouble.” David handed the guy a bill and then motioned to Seth. The two of them left quickly.
Charles walked around the halls and checked a number of rooms. Then he headed back to the tech office. Once he got there, he motioned for Luc to come outside with him. When they were next to Charles’ truck, he put down the radio, his phone and then moved a little farther away. Luc left his phone on the tailgate too.
“What’s going on?”
“Luc, we have eight or ten cameras in place. All facing classrooms, including where your kids are. Slick job. I was afraid to say anything on the radio.”
“That explains this,” Luc said pointing to the pile of electronics on the tailgate.
“Yeah. It may be nothing, but hell, it makes me nervous.”
“Question is, who’s using the cameras.”
“I don’t know. They aren’t part of our normal surveillance system. That was the first thing I checked.”
Luc thought for a moment. “We need to break one and see who comes looking for it. Whoever did install the cameras isn’t going to move today. That gives us time.”
Charles nodded. “But what about the kids?”
“Hmm… we either have the kids move through the connecting bathrooms, or we pull the fire alarm. Which is it going to be?” Luc wanted to charge in right now and pull the kids out, but knew that wouldn’t be the right thing to do. They had to catch the guy.
“I… I don’t know.” Charles was nervous, but trying to think. “Umm… Sara and the boys have library time in a few minutes. I could move them out then. But what about the twins?”
“Connecting bathrooms. You go into the PreK room and talk to the teacher. She can get the kids. That way, whoever is watching won’t see me.”
They talked for a few more minutes and then began to move. Luc called Patrick and then Seth. Then he went into the HVAC room through the back door. Once inside, he checked the various connections the ‘tech’ had added. He pulled the mac address of the camera on the room near the twins. Then he went back out the way he’d come in. Once he was back in the office, he blocked the mac address of the one camera and watched the network. Sure enough, the ‘down’ camera was singing home. He smiled and waited. Then, ten minutes later, he flipped the switch on the Internet filter system. It triggered a lock down of the system. Luc then went to help Charles.
“Damn!” cursed the man at the computer. One minute, the system was up and running, the next it glitched. A few moments after that, the whole system locked up. He called Derek’s number. Derek arrived fifteen minutes later.
“What’s the matter?”
“Your system is borked up.”
Derek moved in to look at the displays on the computer. He flipped through a few web pages and then relaxed in the chair. “Don’t worry. Seems some 8th grader was trying to cruise porn and flipped all of the security protocols. Normal shit. Happens all the time. In fact, I’m surprised it took this long. But, to ease your mind, I’ll slip on the HVAC suit and go down for a hands on check. Anything you want me to do?”
“No. Just get it done.” The man was gritting his teeth.
(13)
Charles walked into the library and got the attention of the teacher. He explained that he needed Ivan, Joe and Sara to come with him. She nodded and sorted the three out as she sent students to different parts of the library. Charles thanked her and took the threesome with him out the back door and down a hall where he knew there were no cameras. Once they were back in the tech office, he explained that their uncle wanted them to wait quietly.
“Are there bad men in the school?” Sara asked.
Charles thought for a moment. “No, not at the moment, but your Uncle Luc is concerned. I need you to stay here while I go get the twins.” He started to leave when Sara stopped him.
“If there are bad guys, they will see you and Unky Wolfy. Seeing a kid won’t make them nervous.”
“You’ve got a point. But, they have cameras up and I’m not sure about this.”
Sara just sighed. “You need Elliot and Linsey. You going into the bathroom next door?”
“Yes.”
“They have music in a few minutes. It would be safer to get them out of the music room.”
Charles blinked. It stung a little to be out thought by a nine year old, but he had to admit that she was right. He started to speak.
“An I can get them faster.”
“Sara, I… I can’t let you do that.”
“Yes you can. It would be safer. No one looks at kids.”
Charles thought about it for a moment. He knew that Luc would be back from the HVAC room in a minute, and he was nervous about leaving the three alone. “No Sara, I can’t let you do that.”
“Let her do what?” asked Luc as he came into the room.
“Let her go get the twins,” said Charles. “I was worried about leaving these three to get the others.”
“Didn’t think about that.” Luc looked from Charles to Sara. “Sara, you really think you can get the twins?”
“Yes. Where are the cameras?”
Charles drew a quick sketch on the dry write board. “They are here, here and two there.”
Sara looked at the drawing. “They go right by them into the music room. We could get them in the music room. But Unky Wolfy, what about all the other kids? If the bad guys come, they will hurt the kids left behind.”
Luc looked at Charles. “Don’t you hate it when they’re right?”
Charles nodded. “What now?”
Derek smiled as he walked towards the school. He had put the visitor’s pass back on his coverall and walked in a side door. He smiled as he passed teachers and students on his way to the HVAC room. Once inside, he checked the camera. The Internet system was still down, but he knew that often took a few hours to reboot. The camera seemed to be working, but just in case, he figured he’d add a new camera. He stepped out the door and headed towards the dead camera.
David and Seth were heading to the school as fast as they could. No sirens, just lights. When they got close to the school, they cut those as well. Neither man dared trigger the response teams until they spoke to Luc.
Sally was walking back to the office when she she saw the HVAC repair man. She didn’t remember him coming in, but figured she’d check the log. When she got back to the office, she did just that and realized that he hadn’t checked out the other day, nor returned his pass. Cold icy fingers ran down her spine. It might be totally legit, but she was nervous. Looking around, she didn’t see anyone she could send down to the tech office. Checking the hall, she didn’t see the HVAC man, and walked quickly towards the tech Office. She opened the door to find three students and the two men talking quietly.
“Um, Luc?”
Luc looked up to see Sally. She looked pale and worried. “What’s wrong?”
“That… that HVAC guy is back, only he didn’t check into the office. I got nervous and none of the janitors or Mr. Swanson are around, so I came to get you.”
“Where was he?”
“Near the HVAC room.”
“Sally, you come with me back to the office. Two policemen will be heading this way. Direct them down the hall when they arrive.”
“Why are police men coming?” Sally was perplexed.
“Charles and I found extra cameras on the system, and we called the police.”
“Oh. Okay. Shouldn’t we call a lockdown?”
“That’s why we are going to the office. If things are okay, no. If they aren’t, yes. Do you understand?”
Sally nodded.
“If I don’t call you on the radio after I go to the HVAC room, you hit that button.”
“Okay Luc.”
Luc and Sally headed back to the office. When they got to the main hall, Luc headed towards the back door to the HVAC room. Sally went into the school office, and waited. Part of her thought that they should hit the panic button, and start a lockdown, but she didn’t want to do it if everything was legal. She didn’t want to panic the students either.
The man at the computer was getting frustrated. Derek had been gone for nearly an hour. That should have been plenty of time to get the camera checked and hopefully fix that Internet system. He drummed his fingers on the desk.
David and Seth walked into the school and headed for the office. The secretary looked scared, and yet relieved to see them. She checked their ID and then began to talk.
“Luc said to wait a minute or two before I triggered the lockdown,” she said.
“How long has it been?”
“About two or three minutes.”
David looked down the hall. “We’ll wait a minute longer.”
Luc opened the door softly. It was behind a few racks, so the man who entered a moment after he did never saw Luc. Luc moved forward until he was only a few feet from the man.
The man pulled out a cell phone and made a call. “Yeah, system is still down. What do you want me to do besides replace the camera? No, I don’t think so. Too many people in the building at the moment. No, I know which kids, I just don’t think this is the moment. Give it a day or so. Yeah, right. Look, it won’t hurt to wait a day. Besides, some of the kids are at the library, and… Yeah. Fine. Talk to you in an hour.” The man closed the cell phone. “Damn bastard. Do this, do that! Can’t wait a day or two to grab kids. Not this guy. Oh no,” he said to himself. Sitting down at the computer, he tried again to make the system work.
The man at the computer slammed his fist onto the desk. Derek would pay. He’d find someone else to do the snatch and grab. He opened a file and began looking down the list he had on the screen. Finding the name he wanted, he dialed the number.
Luc had enough. Moving out from the racks, he stepped up behind the man and clicked his radio. As the man reacted to the noise, he turned and half stood up. Luc grabbed the man by the throat and hoisted him up towards the ceiling. As the man tried to fight and get out of Luc’s grasp, Luc keyed the radio once more. “Sally, if David is there, send him down please.”
Sally startled when the radio squawked. She didn’t have time to pick it up, before David and Seth were heading quickly down the hall. “They’ll be there in a second, Luc,” she said when she finally picked up the radio.
Luc was growling and squeezing the man’s throat tighter when David and Seth entered the room.
“Luc, you can put him down.”
Luc looked at Seth and growled.
“Come on Luc. Can’t scare the kiddos,” David said softly.
Luc brought the man down slowly, but didn’t let go of his throat. The man tried to kick and swipe at Luc when the pressure lessened due to being closer to the ground. Luc reacted quickly, swinging the guy up high again, and gripping the throat tighter. David grabbed the guys feet and as they brought him down a second time, Seth cuffed him.
“Dhon’t mohve,” Luc growled. He let his shifted eyes be seen by the man. The man would have squeaked if his throat would have let enough air pass. “Cell phhone.”
Seth searched the man’s pockets and came up with a few bills, an ID saying he worked for an HVAC company that matched the shirt, a cell phone and two numbers. “Got it. Now how do we get him out of here without being noticed?”
Luc let go of the man’s throat and shook himself. He worked the shifted muscles back into place, and took a deep breath. “Go tell Sally that everything is okay. Then we go out this back door.” Luc pointed to the door he’d entered. “It leads to the back parking lot.”
The men nodded. David went to tell Sally that things were taken care of, while Seth and Luc escorted ‘Bill’ out. After stuffing ‘Bill’ into the police car, David and Seth spoke to Luc.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” David asked Luc.
“Yes. I’ll turn the camera back on, and the guy bankrolling this will think that ‘Bill’ here has fixed the problem. From the conversation I overheard, I don’t think ‘Bill’ would call the guy back. However, we now have a cell phone with numbers you can trace. In the mean time, you talk to this guy while I call the family.”
“What if he doesn’t want to talk?” asked Seth.
“Shift. Just enough.” Luc glared at the police car.
“Okay. Meet in an hour?”
“Yes.” Luc headed off to the tech office to let Charles know that things were okay. Plus, he wanted to send the threesome back to class. Luc knew that Sara would be better eyes and ears than those cameras.
The man at the computer smiled when the cameras came back up. Maybe Derek would work out after all. He watched the students file thought the halls, noting where certain ones went and made notes. In a few more days…
(14)
David called one of the detectives and had men sent down to watch the church near the homeless shelter to see if their guy turned up to hire any more homeless men. Then he went into the interrogation room where Seth and the guy from the school sat.
“I want a lawyer.”
“Fine.” Seth just glared at the man. “Your name?”
“Fuck you! I want a lawyer first. I know my rights.”
“Rights? Um… Seth, did you read him his rights?” David asked.
“You know, I think I forgot. What with finding a terrorist in a school computer room.”
Derek looked from one man to the next. Those three words, terrorist, school and computer, were rather damming. “I want a lawyer.”
David and Seth looked at each other and smiled. Seth turned back to the suspect. “Well, if I wanted, I could take on a new client, although that might be a conflict of interest.”
Derek looked from one man to the other. He was confused.
“I’m a lawyer as well as a policeman,” Seth said. “I’m also related to some of the people you and your employer have been hassling.” As he smiled, he let his canines show.
Derek screamed.
“Name?”
“DDDerek Jones.”
“Address?”
“The homeless shelter on 6th Street.”
“Employer?”
“Ain’t got none.” Sweat beaded on Derek’s forehead.
“Nhow, Ih Dhon’t Believh That,” Seth said, his jaw shifting a bit more and with heavy sub-vocals.
“I… I don’t know his name. Really! He pays me in cash. Met him at the shelter.”
“Description,” asked David.
“Average hheight. Um… brunette hair, brown eyes. He really hates shhifters.” Derek was getting more rattled by the moment.
“What did he pay you to do?”
“Yesh, an dohn’t lie. I can shmell lies.” Seth stared straight at Derek.
“Bug the school. Put cameras in. Ffind these kids and I was… um…”
“Yesh?”
“I was suppose to take them to him.”
“Anything else?” David asked.
Derek took a deep breath. “Nno.”
Seth noticed a change in scent. “Dohn’t lie.”
“Um… I umm…”
Seth growled.
“I killed a guy! Okay? I killed a drunk for him. Please don’t kill me!”
Seth growled again.
Derek pissed himself and passed out.
David looked at Seth. “Did you have to?”
Seth smiled, shook his shoulders to settle things back in place. “Yesh.” He looked back at Derek with a puzzled look on his face. “Reminds me of something, and I can’t figure it out.”
Davil laughed. “Don’t most drunks piss themselves when you growl at them?”
“Yes, but…” Seth shrugged and left the room.
“Hey David!” called a detective from across the room.
“Yeah?”
“I got a lead on that cell phone number.”
“What do you have?”
“Seems a job lot got stolen a few months ago up in Portland. Got a friend doing a GPS sorta low-jack search for you at the moment.”
“Good.” David took notes and then headed back to his desk.
Luc called Meg and Ginny to pick the kids up at the end of the day. He briefly explained and had to calm Ginny down, who was ready to rip out throats right then and there. When he was done with that, he called Sandy, Andrew, and Patrick, explaining to them what was going on. They would be at the school as soon as they could. While Luc waited for them to arrive, he and Charles worked on tracing the system that was operating the cameras.
The man at the computer was happy. Things were going to plan. Derek had done as he asked and the man he called was on his way. If all went right, by tomorrow, the children would be in his hands, Alpha Tech would be up in flames, and the shifters would be exposed for the dangerous creatures they were. He checked the cameras once more, and watched the targets.
Patrick walked in to find Luc, Charles, Andrew and Sandy looking at a map. “What are you looking at?”
“Co-ordinates of a GPS signal, the homeless shelter, the first office and ISP records,” said Luc.
“Oh? Is that where the bad guy or guys are?”
“We hope so. David and Seth are running down a few leads. Our HVAC guy spilled his guts. Unfortunately, this guy is good. Never gave names, always pays in cash. Half the time, he only talks to his workers by phone. Hell, even uses drunks out of the shelter,” said Charles.
“Um, Luc, can I talk to you for a second?” asked Patrick.
Luc stood up and the two of them walked over to one side of the room. “Yes?”
“Luc, does Charles know? About us?”
“Nope. Haven’t had a chance to have that little discussion.”
“Ah. Alright. Everyone else aware?”
Luc nodded. The two of them walked back over to the rest of the men. “We have a two mile square area that this guy could be in right?” Luc asked.
“That’s the way we see it. Just wish we had a better idea of what this guy looked like,” said Patrick.
“We all do,” chimed in Sandy. “I spent the afternoon with the drunks, and even they didn’t know much more than they told David and Seth.”
“Meg and Ginny picking up the kids?” asked Patrick.
“Vivien too. Wouldn’t leave her by herself,” said Andrew.
“Geeze Luc, you’re going to have half your family here,” said Charles.
Luc nodded.
Meg, Vivien and Ginny checked in at the office, and then waited for the school bell to ring. Parents were suppose to pick kids up in the cafeteria. They found seats and waited as each teacher brought their class down the hall.
“Aunty Twizzler!” cried three bodies hurtling through the crowds. Vivien barely had time to brace before she was mobbed.
“Hello you three.” She smiled as she received hugs.
Meg gathered the twins up and then the eight of them headed for the door and the two Subarus. Once they were all belted in, Meg locked the doors and then called Luc.
Luc’s cell phone rang just as the men were getting ready to head out. “Yes? Good. See you in a day or two. Love you.” He put his phone back in his pocket. “Meg and company are headed to George and Angie’s. We ready to do this?”
“I um.. Good luck? Or is this good hunting?” asked Charles.
“Good hunting. When this is all over, we need to have a long chat.” Luc shook Charles’ hand.
Charles nodded. He watched the men leave and then turned back to the computer and the network traffic. He was suppose to call Luc if there was a major change.
(15)
The man at the computer closed everything down. He dropped the trash down the incinerator chute and then changed clothes. He put what he’d been wearing in a bag, and hung it on a hook in the back room, behind some boxes. He put his computer in the bottom of a shredder basket, and covered it with shredded paper. Then he grabbed a bottle of cheap whiskey and drank a sip and spilled some on his clothes. The last thing he did was set the security system. His cell phone would chirp if anyone came in. Locking the door, he stuffed the key into a slit in his shoe. Then he headed outside and down the street. When he got to the homeless shelter, he stood in line with the rest of the men waiting for supper.
“Hey Bubba, you got some juice on yah?” one of the drunks next to him asked.
“Nah, drank the last. Mebbe tomorrow.”
“Youse get some work today?”
“A little.” He shuffled forward with the rest.
“Hmmm, mebe I’s go wif dat man, get some work.”
‘Bubba’ nodded. Head down, he smiled as they moved into the shelter for dinner and the chance to sleep inside.
Patrick and Sandy shifted. Luc, David, and Andrew ‘walked’ the big dogs. They were quartering the area, with the homeless shelter at the center. David had brought a wash cloth he’d had Derek rub on his body to collect scent. Derek had admitted that he had been to the office at least once, but he couldn’t remember an address. Just that there was a stairwell, and a door painted with some sort of gang signs. They all sniffed the rag, and then David pocketed it.
After thirty minutes, they struck a waft of scent. The five of them jogged along following the trace. Ten minutes later, they were at the bottom of a long fire escape, and at the top there was a door with ‘west side hos!’ written in green spray paint. Luc and David walked up the stairs slowly. When they reached the door, Luc checked it for traps, wires or alarms.
“Luc, is that a wire?” David pointed to a think piece of plastic that seemed to go between the door and frame.
“I think so. No camera, but it might be on the inside. Biggest issue is the locked door.”
“Let me fix that.” David took a credit card out of his wallet and slipped it in next to the door handle. A quick wiggle and the door clicked. “After you.”
Luc opened the door carefully, and followed the wire. It led them to a small office at the back of the building. There was a desk, chair and a window facing the homeless shelter. Luc found where the wire met a camera and sensor. He pulled the wire, and watched the light go out. “Deactivated. Now we can search. Don’t know how long we have though.”
David walked back to the door and called the rest up. When everyone was in the room, they began to search. There was the faint scent of Derek, ashes, another man and cheap whiskey. He and Luc checked out the chute, and found that it was an incinerator.
“Well, that’s convenient for getting rid of things,” remarked David.
The wolves sniffed the furniture and then made a beeline for a pile of boxes in another room. One whined and pawed at a box. The other one thumped his head against a plastic shape.
Andrew walked over to the box where Patrick was scrabbling. An oddly familiar scent hit his nose, but he couldn’t place it. “I’ve found some clothes. Anyone recognize the scent?” The others came over, but no one connected anyone with it. Then they walked over to where Sandy had dumped an old industrial shredder. At the bottom there was a Panasonic Toughbook. Luc opened it up and had the password cracked in less than a minute. Lots of files on the family and the icon that brought up the cameras at the school.
“Damn. Now what?” asked David.
Luc looked around. “Trash the place. No peeing. We take the clothes and the computer. Then, just before we leave, I’m going to adjust that little alarm system.”
The men trashed the place. They dropped the clothes down the incinerator, and a small box or two as well. Luc gave Andrew the computer and then he reset the alarm system, minus the chirper.
“How does that change things?” Andrew asked.
“When we come back, we’ll be able to open the door without him hearing us,” explained Luc.
“Ah.”
“And yes, I’ll be back tomorrow,” Luc growled. They left the door open and left.
As Bubba lay there in the dark, the phone alarm softly chirped a few times and then stopped. He looked around. No one had noticed the noise. He couldn’t leave either. The shelter had been locked for the night. No way in or out until morning. He sighed and realized that he’d have to wait to see what had happened.
“Youse gonna get a bottle t’day?”
“Mebe. I do, I’ll share.” Bubba shuffled out with the rest of the men and then ambled off in the direction of his office. Ten minutes later, he climbed the stairs to find the door open. “Shit.” he hissed under his breath. The office was trashed. There was a shoe and one sock left, but the rest of his clothes were gone, as was his computer. “Damn junkies.” He straightened his clothes the best he could, combed his hair and then headed out. There was a pawn shop two blocks away. That’s where he’d gotten the first laptop.
He was back, up and running in about an hour. Too late to watch the children come to school, but he still watched the halls. Around noon, the phone rang. “Yes? That will be fine. Thanks. I’ll have your money for you at the shelter. A drunk named Bubba will have it. No, he’s bought. Won’t take your money. Okay. Bye.” The man hung the phone up and went back to watching the computer screen.
Luc, Andrew and Patrick arrived in the alley just after 1pm. “I’ll go up first.”
“Luc, what are you going to do?” asked Patrick.
“Unless I miss my guess, we will have a body to move,” said Andrew.
“Guys,…”
“Patrick, this man threatens our families. Our lives. We know he’s not afraid to hire killers. He was going to take the children. What do you think I’m going to do?” asked Luc.
“Luc, this isn’t the old days, when Buster or Celia lived. Are you sure?” Patrick started.
“No, Luc is right Patrick,” said Andrew. “We can’t afford to let someone like this live. Even if we put him through the court system, we couldn’t keep him in jail. This kind of man would be put in a mental hospital for raving about werewolves and would be out in two years to do it all again. Or, he’d never go to jail. As much as I dislike the idea, I believe he needs to die.”
“How about we lock him up out at Dr. Jeff’s?” asked Patrick.
“Right. Like that isn’t cruel? This guy has a fear or hate of us. You want to stick him out with a bunch of shifters with issues? No, it would be far less cruel to just kill him now.” Luc sighed.
Patrick thought for a moment. “No, you’re right. This guy is some sort of psycho. Let’s get this over with.”
The three of them padded silently up the stairs. Andrew popped the door, and Luc was the first one in. He walked silently into the hall, just across from the room where the incinerator was. They could all smell the man. They could hear that he was talking on the phone. Luc motioned for Patrick to go right and Andrew to stay on his left. Luc shifted just enough to give himself more strength. He peered into the room. The man finished his phone call. He sat with his back to the door as he watched the computer. Luc could smell that it was the same man who left the clothes. He could see that the man was watching the school. Very specifically, the twins classroom. Just before Luc reached the man, he turned.
“You!” Luc cried as he saw who it was.
The man at the computer screamed and scrabbled away from Luc. He threw the laptop and Luc ducked. Then he picked up the chair and swung it at Luc. Luc kept advancing. Patrick came in from behind, and when he realized who it was, he moved closer. Luc stepped forward to try and grab him. It didn’t work. Patrick stepped in, and wrapped an arm around the man’s throat. His original intent was to incapacitate him. The man flailed, and kicked. Patrick applied more pressure, shoving the man’s neck over his arm and stretching him up and over.
Andrew walked into the room, saw who it was and growled. “Patrick, just do it. Or let me.”
Patrick sighed, and broke Eric Sunberry’s neck.
They stood there for a few minutes after Eric’s body stopped twitching. “What now?” asked Patrick. He’d been shocked to see who it was as were the others.
“We need to bury him,” said Andrew. “Somewhere that no one will find him. Not on family property.”
“We need a tarp. Something to wrap him in.” Luc strode off to look around the rest of the building. He was back in about five minutes with what looked like an old Persian carpet. “This will do.”
The men lifted the body and rolled up the carpet. They tied it with a chunk of rope. Luc dumped the computer and phone down the incinerator chute along with a few other bits and pieces. Then the three of them moved the bundle downstairs and into the back of Patrick’s truck. The three of them got in and drove off.
An hour later had them in a deserted field near an abandoned building. Patrick shoveled, while Luc had shifted and was digging fast. Andrew stood next to the truck, keeping a lookout. When the hole was deep enough, Luc leapt out and shifted back. “Let’s get this over with.”
They lifted the body and placed it in the bottom of the grave. The three of them filled it in and stamped down the dirt. They dragged some rocks, branches and boards from the house over the spot as well. Andrew stood there for a moment.
“What are you saying Andrew?”asked Patrick as he and Luc climbed into the truck
“Better luck next time round the wheel!” Andrew said. Then he walked back over to the truck and climbed in.
(16)
They stopped at a car wash when they got into town and cleaned the truck. Then they headed back to Alpha Tech’s office. As they pulled up, they saw fire trucks, police, Cal and Peter off to one side with the three watch dogs. The office was a smoking ruin. The men got out of the truck and ran over to Cal.
“What the hell happened?” asked Luc.
“We had an arsonist,” said Peter. “Almost trapped us. Kevin got burned a bit, but not bad. Dr. Jeff sent an ambulance.”
“Yeah,we were out in the yard. Buttercup and Val started howling. Asshole put a lock on the gate from the outside and then lit the building. He stood to watch us burn, but I got a pair of bolt cutters and cut the fence. Max went out first and grabbed him,” said Cal.
Luc patted the dogs on the head and then heard his name being called. A fireman and a couple of policemen were heading their way.
“Luc Moreau?” asked one.
“Yes.”
“Um, we need to talk to you about this arsonist. Got him over in the ambulance. Your dogs chewed him up pretty good.”
“So, he burned down my office.”
The fireman nodded. “Yeah, but we have to follow procedure.” The two of them walked over to the fire chief’s car where he stood talking to other firemen. “This is Mr. Moreau, Chief.”
The fire chief turned. “Sorry about the building. We got here as quick as we could, but he must have used a couple of gallons of home made napalm.”
Luc looked at the side of the building that was still smoldering under layers of foam. “Looks like it.”
“You been having issues lately? Who hates you bad enough to do something like this?” asked the chief.
“I have no idea. We have had some trouble the last few weeks, but nothing concrete enough to pin on anyone. What does our pyro have to say?” Luc pointed at the man on a gurney swathed in bandages.
“That piece of work says a guy called him and gave him a job. Suppose to pay him $1000 to burn out werewolves.”
Luc’s face screwed up in a look of incredulity. “What?”
“Yeah. And once he got the job done, he was suppose to take pictures and then go meet some bum at a homeless shelter to collect his money.”
“Wow. Um… Have you talked to the police? I know that one of our vandals had some contact at a homeless shelter too. Wonder if it is the same person.”
“I’ll let you know when I file the report. Are you filing charges?”
“Yes. Otherwise my insurance won’t pay up. I lost a lot of inventory here, not to mention the building and the business that will have to be postponed.” Luc stuck his hands in his pockets and sort of rocked back and forth on his feet.
The chief nodded. “Let’s get this paperwork done and you guys can go home. I don’t think there’s anything left in the building.” He pointed to the side and Luc as well as the rest of the men could see how the fire bloomed inside the building.
Cal walked up to Luc and the chief. “Boss, um… I’ve got enough gate and fence to pull across the gap. You want me to secure it?”
Luc nodded. “Do we have enough security to keep the dogs here?”
“Yes. Buttercup here deserves a medal, as does Max.”
Luc smiled. “Need some help?”
“No, Peter, Andrew and Patrick can help. Go do what you have to Boss.” Cal smiled and walked off.
“Buttercup? Max?” asked the fire chief.
“Yeah. The security company we use has a Princess Bride thing going.” Luc sighed and took the paperwork and began filling it out.
Kevin was wrapped in bandages and laying in bed when Luc and the rest of them walked in. “Did we lose the whole building?”
“Most of it. You going to be okay?” Luc tried not to think about what Kevin’s face looked like under the bandages.
“Yeah. Just not going to be such a pretty boy anymore. That damn stuff stuck to everything.”
“The fire chief said it was homemade napalm. Alcohol, rubber and something else. Nasty stuff.”
Kevin looked at the faces of the other men. “Okay, what happened.”
Patrick looked out the door and then closed it. The rest set down and then Luc began. “You have to keep this between just us guys.”
“Okay. Why? Ginny is going to be pissed if you don’t tell her who this is and why they are doing it.”
“Was. And Ginny may get to know. Maybe not.” Luc was quiet and serious.
Kevin looked at them again. “What happened.”
“It was Eric Sunberry, and he is dead.”
“Oh shit.”
Once they left Kevin, they stood outside in the parking lot and talked. Finally, Andrew pulled out his cell phone and called Vivien. He walked as he talked. “Hello. Yes, we are alright. Yes, we found the bastard and took care of the situation. Let Ginny and Meg know that we are all okay, but that the office is a charred ruin. We will all be on vacation for a bit. Yes. Yes. Okay. See you in a few days. Love you Vivien.” He hung up the phone. “That was uncomfortable.”
Luc nodded. Thirty seconds later, his phone rang. “Hello,…” He walked off as Patrick’s rang as well. Patrick hung up before Luc.
“I take it Ginny didn’t take the ‘we will talk about it in private’ easily?” asked Andrew.
“No. She didn’t. Not surprised though.” He looked off to where Luc was pacing and still talking on the phone. “Doesn’t look as if Meg is too happy either.”
Andrew shook his head. “I do not look forward to keeping secrets from Vivien.”
“No, it’s going to be dicy.” Patrick looked down at his shoes.
“Here’s hoping that he just disappeared off the radar and no one knows a thing.”
Patrick nodded.
Three days later, Patrick, Andrew, Luc and Fezzik drove up to the Bed and Breakfast. They’d called the clients they hadn’t been able to fit in to the abbreviated schedule and postponed the work. They’d also dealt with insurance agents, police, the fire department and two calls from the local newspapers trying to cash in on a possible story.
“Daddie!” cried Elliot and Linsey as they came running out of the front door of the bed and breakfast.
Luc scooped up his children and held them tight. Other small bodies wrapped around him. Sara, Ivan and Joe were hugging him too.
“We missed you Unky Luc!” cried the trio.
“Tell us a story Daddie!” said Elliot.
“In a bit. I’ll tell you a story.” He sat his children down on the ground to be hugged by Meg.
“He’ll huff and he’ll puff!” the children chanted as they ran back inside.
“So, are you going to fill us in, or do we have to wait until after the cubs are asleep?” Meg asked.
“It would be better if we waited.” Luc hugged her, happy that everyone was safe.
(17)
George closed the door to the dining room. Angie brought in coffee and Meg followed with a platter of peanut butter cookies. Everyone had found a place to sit. Andrew held Vivien in his arms on the couch, while Ginny paced.
“So, what happened?” Ginny nearly barked.
“We tracked the guy to a warehouse behind the homeless shelter,” Luc started. “He’d set up an office on the top floor.”
“Okay. So what grudge did he have against us, or did you forget to ask?” Ginny asked.
“We knew. It’s all part of that werewolf newspaper and dangerous beasts amongst us bunch,” said Patrick. He knew he was skirting the edge of the truth, but it was still true enough.
“So, did you buy him off?” asked Vivien. She remembered that had been one solution.
“No, we didn’t. When we found him, he was talking to an arsonist while watching the twin’s classroom,” Andrew said quietly. He was doing his best to keep his heartbeat steady.
“Then what happened?” asked Meg. She was watching the three men. She had a feeling that something was up, but not what.
“Well, there was a bit of a fight. I grabbed him, and during the struggle, he twisted and I… I broke his neck.” Patrick looked down at the floor, and took a deep breath. The room was silent.
Finally, Ginny broke the silence. “So, did you eat him?”
“What?” the three men said all at once.
“You heard me. What happened to the body? Did you call the police? Or, at least David and Seth? Or did you leave it somewhere?”
Luc took a sip of his coffee. “We… um… dumped it. The building had this incinerator unit. A dump all and it burns kinda thing. So we used it. Got rid of the computer, chair, his clothes and every trace of him.”
“So there is no body? Do you know who he really was?” asked Angie. She’d been watching the men too.
“There is no body. Everything burned. We checked. As to who he was, a guy named Bubba from the homeless shelter is all we knew. He wasn’t, but that was his cover. No real ID card or anything. Not even a drivers license.”
“And right after we left the warehouse, we found out that the arsonist had torched the office,” said Patrick.
“Kevin got burned, but Max chewed up the arsonist a bit,” Luc added.
“Are we going to have to worry about anything showing up? Vivien asked.
“No.” Luc shifted in his seat. “David and Seth are keeping an eye on things. As far as the cops are concerned, the arsonist was the guy doing everything.”
No one said a word after that. Angie used the break in conversation to pass out more coffee and cookies. The men got caught up on the happenings at the Bed & Breakfast. Ginny walked over to Luc. She said something softly, and then walked off.
“Anyone up for a run tonight?” asked George. He wanted to hear what else happened and knew from the looks on the three men that it wouldn’t be discussed in front of Meg, Vivien or Angie. Sometimes justice was a little rougher than most people expected.
Most of the men nodded. Andrew looked down at Vivien. “I think I’ll just cuddle with Vivien tonight.”
Vivien twisted to look at Andrew. “Go run. You know you’ll feel better. Besides, how often do you get to hunt up in the mountains?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. You can make mad passionate love to me after you shower.” She smiled and kissed him on the nose.
The wolves ran. Grass whispered under their feet. Trees flew by in the moonlit darkness. Rabbits scattered. A buck turned down the wrong path, and before it could change direction, it was dead. Neck broken by a leap that torqued the neck nearly 180 degrees. The wolves feasted. When they were done, they ran again. Through the stream, up the mountain until exhausted at last, they collapsed on a rock outcropping.
Ginny shifted first. She sat relaxed against a rock. She waited for the rest of them, wondering if they’d tell her the truth. George walked in next, followed by Luc and Patrick. Andrew was last and sat next to Ginny.
“So, what really happened? What wouldn’t you say in front of the others?”
Luc started, but Andrew raised a hand to silence him. After a second, he spoke. “We knew who it was. That’s why he’s dead. We didn’t burn the body, we buried him way out in the countryside.”
“Who was it?” asked George.
Luc, Patrick and Andrew looked at each other. Silent nods followed. Luc cleared his throat. “When we walked in, he knew us as well as we knew him. There was a fight. Patrick grabbed him and tried to hold on to him. When Andrew realized exactly who it was, he asked Patrick to kill him or said that he would.”
“And I couldn’t let Andrew do that. So I broke his neck.” Patrick took a deep breath.
“Would you three quit stalling!” Ginny was getting pissed. She wasn’t mad that the man had been killed, but that her mate and the other two were dancing around like their feet burned.
“Ginny, George, I have to ask you to never say who it was. Swear to me as the head of the family.” Luc stood and held out his hand face up.
Ginny blinked. She stood and covered his hand with hers. George stood as well, and his hand covered both hands. “I swear,” they both said.
“It was Eric Sunberry.”
“Fuck! No wonder you didn’t want to say.” Ginny was still swearing ten minutes later. George was simply dumbfounded.
“I couldn’t let him live,” said Andrew.
“And I couldn’t let him either.” Patrick’s tone was cold.
“Nor I. He was planning to kidnap all five children. What he did with them afterwards, who knows. However, he was one slick, sick bastard.” Luc wrapped his arms around his legs.
“Does anyone know he’s missing? Besides us?” asked Patrick. “Has Vivien’s parents called?”
“No. Not that I know of,” said Ginny. “She would have said something if they had.
“How likely is it that the body will be found?” George finally found his voice.
“We took it out pretty far. Unless there is some major event like a flash flood or fire, I doubt it will be soon. And when they do, we will be there for Vivien and hopefully enough time will have passed.” Andrew’s voice was tired.
“Shit. I’m glad the bastard is dead after everything he set into motion, but damn. What a mess.” Ginny gave Andrew a hug. He returned it.
“Just one last thing to do,” Andrew said as he stood. He walked out to the middle of the clearing. He raised his arms as if to gather the moon in his arms. The rest of them gathered around him. “We gather under the moon, in the woods and beneath open skies to remember a man who lost his mind and in doing so threatened family, pack and people we love. Eric Sunberry, you were a man bent on dishonoring your family. Bent on destruction. While you caused plenty of damage, in the end you lost. You paid the ultimate price. May the lessons you learned echo in your soul, and a reminder for you next time around the wheel.” Andrew lowered his arms, turned and shifted.
The wolves scruffed up the dirt where they’d stood a moment earlier and then ran. They ran across meadows and through trees until they reached the den where their mates slept. The biggest of them dropped his burden and nudged open a door. The rest followed him inside. Three wolves ran up the stairs, while another followed the first.
Wolf checked on his cubs. He snuffed and whiffled over them, taking in their scent. Assured that they were safe, he moved to the den where his mate slept. Jumping up on the bed, he turned three times and then settled next to her.
Meg put an arm over Luc, knowing that he’d stay shifted until morning.
Wolf sniffed the air. His mate was still awake. He let go of his form, and shifted. Andrew looked at Vivien. “I thought you’d be asleep.”
“I was. I woke up being kicked in the bladder.”
Andrew moved towards the bed. “Are they still kicking?” He reached a hand towards her belly.
“Yes.”
Andrew put a hand on Vivien’s belly and felt the slight movement. He smiled and then began to croon softly at the babies.
The two wolves raced towards the upper floor. They fell over each other as they entered the room. They scrambled to be quiet as they noticed three dark heads on the bed. The male nudged the female out of the room and down the hall. The male shifted and opened the door. The female shot through the opening and into the room.
“Bath?”
“Yes, and then hopefully, some sleep.” Patrick had finally relaxed and the strain of the last few days showed on his face.
“You going to be okay?” Ginny walked up and hugged her mate.
“Yes. As long as Vivien never finds out,” he said softly. “This has been too much like combat, and I have to admit I’m still jittery.”
Ginny looked into his eyes. “You are a good man. You did what needed done. I love you.” She reached up and kissed him. Patrick kissed her back as he walked them towards the bathroom.
Wolf checked his den. All of it. He headed back to the door and then shifted.
George picked up the haunch of deer meat and stuffed it in the fridge. He’d take care of it in the morning. Then he turned off the lights and headed down to his room. He was surprised to find Angie awake. He’d heard other conversations, so he knew she wasn’t the only one awake.
“Have a good run?”
“Yes. Needed.” He headed towards the shower. As the water ran over his body, he felt Angie move in behind him. Her hands on his body felt good.
“Anything you can tell me?”
“No. Vowed not to.”
“That bad?”
George nodded.
“I’m sorry. Are we, the family really safe?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s alright.” Angie hugged George, and they stood there under the water as he shuddered.
(18)
“So, it’s decided?” Meg asked. The family had spent almost a week relaxing and planning out what would be done.
“Yes. We’ll head home while the twins and terrors stay up here with Angie and George. That way we can supervise the reconstruction of the office and get the business up and running.” Luc leaned back in his chair.
George nodded and Angie smiled. They’d been enjoying the sounds of children running around the B & B.
“And we will be heading home to finish up the nursery and getting ready for the twins.” Andrew grinned at Vivien. She nodded.
“Do you want us to bring you anything back from Canada?” asked Patrick. He and Ginny were planning to meet up with Rose and go through more of the information on the family that was at her mother’s house.
Luc shook his head no, as did the rest. “Just lots of pictures and information. We still have some missing family to track down.” Luc pointed at the genealogy list in front of Ginny.
A phone rang and Vivien pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “Hi Mom!” she answered and began to walk off to talk privately. Andrew cocked his head so that an ear was facing Vivien on the far side of the kitchen.
“Oh shit,” Andrew said softly.
“What?” asked George.
“Just wait. She’ll tell us in a minute.” Andrew looked over at Vivien, who was pale. She walked over and sat down next to Andrew.
“That… that was my mom.”
“Yes? Is everything okay?”
“No, it isn’t. The out patient facility where Eric has been working with called to say that he was missing.”
“Missing?” asked Meg.
“Yes. He didn’t show up for his appointment this week, and when the facility manager went to check on him, his house was empty. No one had any idea of how long he’d been gone. The house was neat and tidy.”
“Didn’t… didn’t he have to check in once a week?” asked Andrew.
“No, it was twice a month,” Vivien answered. “Mom’s really upset and Dad was grousing in the background.”
“How do you feel Vivien?” asked Patrick.
She looked at him and sort of smiled. “I know this sounds wrong, but I’m almost not upset. I’m sad that he’s upset Mom and Dad, but if he decided to leave, it’s his problem. I mean, his wife divorced him and the kids don’t see him anymore. Does that make me a bad person?”
“No Vivien, it does not.” Ginny wrapped an arm around her.
“Good. I don’t want to worry about him. I want to go home and relax and get ready for the babies.”
Everyone nodded. The conversation trickled back to the upcoming trips when the B&B phone rang. George answered it wondering who it was. He walked off towards the reception desk, thinking it was a reservation. Ten minutes later, he came back in, his face pale and yet excited all at the same time.
“George, what is it?” Angie asked.
“That was Rose.”
“Yes?” asked Luc.
“She’s… she’s found Libellue!”