by T K Eldridge
“Beer is good.”
Sid handed me a beer, then went to sit in one of the two plush chairs in the part of the space that made a living room. She had tea and curled up with the mug while I sat in the other chair with my beer.
“Okay, sis. Spill.”
“I’ve been reading this really good book, and I got lost in it and forgot the time. Then you knocked. What do you think I was doing?”
“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it. You’ve not been by in over a week and even Ethan has noticed. He asked me if Auntie Siddie was mad at him.”
“Oh, that’s low, Sin,” Sid grumbled into her mug. “Now I need to get him a gift and come by just to see him.”
“Sis, I’m here for you. You know this. Is it the engagement? Having Grandma Queenie in our lives? The parents being back and acting different?” I leaned in to get her to look at me. “Is it Micah and Nico?”
Sid visibly flinched at the last two names and I sighed. “I suspected as much. Micah is a class one, grade A bag of dicks. Nico is an arrogant twat.”
“A sexy, arrogant twat,” Sid muttered.
“What have they been up to?” I asked.
“They’re here every day to eat Grandma’s food, leave their crap all over her house, then they go back to the trailer at night to sleep. Grams is working her ass off on the farm and taking care of them – and they don’t even ask if they can help or do anything on the farm. Micah knows better and even Mom won’t get in his face. She just says ‘he’s different now’ and changes the subject.”
“Has Grampa Walsh been by?”
“Once or twice. He doesn’t hang around like he used to.”
“Maybe we can talk to him and he can give them a lesson in how to participate.”
Sid chuckled. “Now, that I would pay to watch. I just don’t get it. What did they think would happen when they showed up here? Micah spends half the nights at Belle’s and the other half drinking in the trailer. Nico is always out in the forest around the farm, and mostly as a wolf.”
She leaned in and narrowed her eyes. “Do you know that he called me weak because I threatened him with a lightning ball instead of shifting?”
And there it was. Sid’s Achilles heel had been stabbed by the arrogant shithead and now I was going to have to go punch him in the face. Probably more than once.
“Sid, you’re not weak. You’ve made such huge progress in the past year alone with your shifting. He’s just an asshole.”
“Yeah, but it hurt,” Sid whispered.
“That’s because James Boudreau was a misogynistic prick who stunted you as a kid. You’ve grown so far past that now, and Grampa Walsh has helped you a lot. Don’t let the past gut you like this. It’s not fair to the present and gives the dead too much power over you.”
“I know, it’s just he was so smug about it. And he’s right, I could’ve shifted and dealt with it – instead magic came more easily.”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that. We’re twins, but we’re different, sis. You grab the magic and I shift – and together we make one hell of a team. It’s saved our bacon more than once, so don’t go questioning it now, okay? You’ve got nothing to prove to him.”
“Have you seen Nico shift, Sin? It’s so smooth and effortless. Even Benny is slower than Nico.”
“Speed isn’t everything, Sid.”
“That’s not what you told me. That’s not what Grampa Walsh told me. Speed is everything. The faster you shift, the more likely you are to survive.”
“The faster you react, the more likely you are to survive. Whether that’s a shift or a casting.”
“Tomato, tomahto. It still feels like a problem.”
“Only if you let it be, Sid.”
We said our goodnights and I left her place to walk home. I took my time and cut through the lavender field, then shifted into my wolf and ran. The run felt good and helped me clear my head so I could go back to Mira and get some sleep.
I never noticed the wolf that shadowed me, then sat outside my house and watched the lights go off, one by one.
Chapter Three
Sid
I had been at my desk, in my office, for about two hours when Stumpy tapped on the door.
“Come on in, Stum…er, Detective,” I stuttered. I was so used to calling him Stumpy – but here at work, I should at least try to be more professional.
“Hey Siddie. You got a minute? I brought lunch and thought maybe you’d be willing to give me some time if I fed you,” Stumpy, or Detective Patrick Clancy, said.
“Of course, come on in,” I replied and slid my laptop to the side, stacked up some files, and made room for food. I also noticed he shut the door behind him.
I kept my patience while he unpacked sandwiches, chips, soft drinks and cookies. I recognized the sandwiches as my favorites from the deli on the other side of town, and arched a brow in his direction.
“Suzy Lou’s sandwiches, and my favorite cookies? What kind of favor do you need?”
“Well, there’s been some trouble I’ve been hearing about, but it’s all being kept hushed up. I think it needs to be looked into, but it’s more the SPD’s jurisdiction and not mine,” Stumpy said as he set out a napkin and proceeded to unwrap his sandwich.
I took a bite of my sandwich, so proud of myself for not reaching for a pen to start making notes. Then again, this sandwich was pretty amazing. Crusty bread, soft in the middle, toasted just right with capicola and provolone, then stuffed with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, pickles and a little oil and vinegar. It was really good. Finally I took a sip of my soda and asked, “So, what is this trouble and why did I have to stop chewing to ask you to tell me what you came here to tell me?” Teasing was always the way to relax Stumpy.
“Huh. Smarty pants. Well, I ran into Benny at the hardware store a few days back. He said they’ve been having some trouble with someone putting up wildlife cameras around the pack grounds. They keep taking them down, but they can’t tell who’s been putting them up.”
“What the hell? That’s crazy,” I replied.
“Yeah, Benny and some of his pack were going to put up some fencing around where the little ones like to shift and play so they’d be safe, but it’s not their ideal solution.”
“No, fencing is anathema to a good run and shifters limit themselves enough already. It’s not healthy for a shifter mindset to feel constrained.”
“I told Benny I’d talk to you and Sin, and see if we could get a few folks together to help them patrol and catch whoever is doing this. I hope I didn’t overstep.”
“No, Stumpy. We owe Benny. He saved our lives when Grandfather James was going nuts. I’ll talk to Grampa Walsh, too. Can you see if you can get Benny to come to Fortin Farm? We’ll all gather, have dinner together and come up with a plan.”
“That sounds good to me. I’ll go by Benny’s when I’m done here with you and set it up with him.”
“So, I heard you went out on a date with Ella Mae from the front desk? How’d it go?”
“Child, I was dating before you were born. I’m not about to talk about my romantic assignations with you.”
I giggled as his face had flushed and he had a smile on his lips. We chatted and ate our lunch, then he got up and leaned over and kissed the top of my head.
“You be good, Siddie. I’ll see you tonight. Thank you.”
“Thank you for lunch, Stumpy. Love ya.”
“Love you too,” he replied as he headed out the door.
I called Grandma Fortin and let her know I’d be handling dinner tonight, and why, then called Sin and told him Stumpy needed us, so come over for dinner at Grandmas. I’d have to leave a little early to get dinner handled, so I packed up my laptop and files to work on at home and stopped by Grampa Walsh’s office.
“Commander, do you have a minute?” I asked as I tapped on his door. Grampa Walsh had reclaimed his position as head of the Supernatural Police Department after my other grandfather was remove
d from the position. Liam Walsh is actually my great-grandfather on my dad’s side of the family, and yes, he’s dating my grandmother on my mother’s side of the family. No, let’s not go there.
“Of course, Sid, what’s up?” Grampa replied.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside, then let it close behind me. “I need you to join us for dinner at Grandma’s tonight. Can you do that?”
“Sure, I can. I was going to take your Grandma to dinner anyway. Did you already call her?”
“Yeah, I did. I told her I’d handle dinner, since we’re going to have a few extra guests. See, Stumpy came by to talk to me over lunch today. He said Benny came to him with a problem, and I suggested we all gather at Gram’s to talk about possible solutions. I need your experience and wisdom on this, Grampa.”
“No need to flatter, little girl. Benny saved you and Sin. I owe him more than a lifetime’s worth of help.”
“That’s kind of how I feel,” I said. “Okay, food at seven. That should give everyone time to get there after work and such. Oh, and if Micah and Nico try to join in, can you please send them away? They are not part of this and I don’t want them involved.”
“You really don’t like Micah, do you?”
“No, Grampa, I don’t. Mostly because of how he’s abusing Grandma’s hospitality and doing absolutely nothing to help. Nico’s following his lead, and I’m fed up with them both.”
“I’ll make sure they don’t get in the way, and then I’ll take a stroll by the trailer and have a chat with them.”
“Take Sin with you, Grampa. I really don’t trust them right now. Not with everything that’s been going on.”
“I’ll do that, Sid. Or maybe bring Benny by to make sure Nico’s done his visitor meet and greet.”
“Ooh, that’s brilliant,” I grinned. Visiting shifters in a territory were supposed to present themselves to the Alpha of the local pack to let them know they were around and who they were with, and so on. It was basic respect and safety that all shifters were raised knowing.
“Should I bring anything for tonight?” Grampa asked.
“Soda or beer if you want. I’m going to swing by that new barbecue place on the way home and get a couple of racks of ribs and all the fixings.”
“Beer and soft drinks it is. I’ll see you around six-thirty. Go on, get going. I know you’ll be working later tonight, if that laptop and bulging bag are any clues. Stay safe out there.”
“I will, Grampa. You too,” I replied and edged around his desk to give him a kiss on the cheek before I headed out the door.
Chapter Four
Sin
I brought home a bucket of fried chicken and some sides to soften the blow that I had to skip dinner with Mira and Ethan. Mira asked me to try and be home before midnight, and Ethan was so distracted by the food, he didn’t slow down for more than a wave as I kissed them both and left.
All Sid had said was that Stumpy needed us and she’d be feeding us dinner at seven at Grandma’s. I had no idea what Stumpy needed, but after what he did? It didn’t matter. I was there.
I got to Grandma’s and Grampa Walsh was on the porch with Micah in his face and Nico standing nearby. Micah was yelling and Grampa Walsh was just standing there with his arms crossed. I saw Grandma at the screen door, watching from inside and Sid moving around behind her as she set the table.
I stood up next to Grampa and gave a shoulder a pat to let him know I was there.
“Great, now the precious boy-child that can do no wrong is here. I want to know how you think you have the right to keep me out of my Mama’s house?” Micah said.
“I have the rights that she gave me,” Grampa said. “Officer Boudreau, do you have your cuffs on you?”
“No, but I can get Sid’s,” I replied.
“Why don’t you do that, in case I have to arrest this mouthy little fucker for being rude and stupid.”
I almost snorted laughter. Almost.
“Sure, Commander. Be right back,” I said as I turned toward the door.
“Don’t bother. I’m leavin’,” Micah spat. “Boy? Get your ass in gear and let’s go. We’ll go get dinner in town. Probably better than whatever these pansy-ass excuses for supes are eating anyway.”
Nico sighed and moved to get in the driver’s side of the truck while Micah struggled with the rusted passenger door.
“At least we know how to work door handles,” I muttered.
Micah, not having shifter hearing, didn’t pick up on my words, but Nico looked up at me, chuckled, and gave me a thumbs up.
I kind of liked him a bit more for that.
Grampa didn’t move until the truck was out of sight and then he turned to me. “Thanks for the backup, Sin. Well played.” He moved past me into the house and put his arms out for a hug from Grandma.
“You handled him just fine, Liam. I don’t know what happened to my boy, but he’s not the one I raised. I’m worried about him and what he’s up to.”
“Well, we’ve got a lot to talk about then, Grandma,” Sid said as she set out coleslaw, corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, green beans with bacon, fried tomatoes, fried pickles, and two huge platters of ribs.
“This looks amazing, Sid. Did you skip out of work today to make all this?” I asked.
“No, I skipped out early and went to that new barbecue joint and got it all for carry-out.” Then she turned to Grampa. “I put the beer in the fridge. Didn’t know how long that little dance out there was going to take.”
“I’ll get the beer,” I said and ducked into the kitchen. I found Sid’s wallet with the receipt on the counter next to a bag, and tucked three twenties into the side of it to help out with the dinner cost.
By the time I’d got the beer and returned, Stumpy and Benny were being welcomed in. I handed out beers, helped Sid get drinks for those who didn’t want beer, and we all sat down. For a good ten minutes, nothing was said beyond “Pass the slaw,” “I’d like a piece of that corn bread,” and so on. Plates filled, mouths filled and after the first pangs of hunger were sated, Stumpy started to talk.
“Thanks, everyone, for coming together, and thank you, Sid, for setting out this excellent meal. I asked her to help me get you all gathered because of a problem in our community. Benny and I were talking, and he mentioned some issues the pack were having with harassment and violations of the pack lands and rules. Now, this is not something Benny is incapable of dealing with – he’s an excellent Alpha and handles the shifters in our region with strength and consideration,” Stumpy said.
Benny gave him a nod, a look of profound relief on his face.
“We know you’re the best possible Alpha, Benny,” Sin said. “No one has any reason to question that. But if you’ve got issues that we can help with, we’re all willing to do so. It takes a community to make a community.”
“I’m glad ta hear ya say that,” Benny said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “There’s been a lot of strange things goin’ on. Some, we chalked up to the fae landin’ on the isle. Some we figured was leftover purists tryin’ to cause trouble. But this is more on the regular now.”
“What kind of things are you talking about?” Grampa Walsh asked.
“Well, someone was puttin’ cameras around where the young pups like to hang out and where the littlest ones shift and play. We got the cameras down, thanks to Stumpy helpin’ us find them all, and then there were more, in different places. Got those ones down and put up a fence. So far, no more cameras, but it’s not right to fence in the young. They need to be able to run in the whole forest, not just a little part of it.”
“What else has happened? You said there were a lot of strange things going on,” Grampa Walsh asked.
“Well, Candace and Stefano had a break in at their coffee shop. No money was stolen, but urine was splashed all over the place, damaging the food and coffee beans. Insurance covered the damage, but it cost them three days of business to sterilize the shop and replace the supplies. Ther
e have been three trash can fires at the mechanic’s shop, but no obvious start to them. One of my guys said it smelled like magic,” Benny said.
“So, seemingly random events, but when you look at them as a whole, they’re clearly a pattern of malicious harassment,” Grampa said.
“I didn’t bring my notebook,” Benny said, “I’ve recorded all of the incidents. Well, we all have. Me, Sam, Angie, Timmy, have made note of anything we’ve seen, heard, or had told to us. It’s about eight pages just from the last three or four weeks.”
“Things picked up a lot in that time frame?” Sin asked.
“Yeah, it was just one or two a week, now it’s one or two each day.”
“Good goddess, Benny, why didn’t you come to us sooner?” Grandma asked.
“I’m the leader they all look up to, Alicia. I can’t give them any reason to doubt my ability to keep them safe,” Benny told Grams.
“I understand,” Grampa Walsh said to Benny. “Decisions when you’re the leader are never easy. They impact so many based on whether you lean left or jump right. Some of my stupid decisions we’re still figuring out how to fix.”
“Bullshit, Grampa. We’ve got things settled after the Purists and Grandpa James. You’re respected and admired now,” Sid said.
Auntie Sett came in from the back of the house just then, paused to wash up in the kitchen, then joined us at the table. “Sorry I’m late. Got caught up helping Becca clean up a mess at her Scentsations shop.”
Benny sighed, tossed his napkin on the table and asked, “What happened, Sett?”
“Someone smashed a bunch of the body wash and lotion bottles all over the floor and wrote ‘rabid beasts’ in red spray paint on the front windows. Insurance will cover the lost inventory, but she didn’t want it to be just her and her daughter, Bella, cleaning up alone. I scrubbed the paint off the windows and kept watch while they cleaned up inside. They’re both home now and the shop is locked up,” Sett said.