Wild Keepers

by Dee Bridgnorth

  If only he could shift into a cockroach, he thought, grimly. Then he could get out of this godforsaken place that smelled of desperation and despair, and find out what had happened to her. Go to the hospital and insist that he see her. He would fight all of them just to sit at her side and hold her hand.

  The door opened.

  “This way,” said a police officer, his face impassive.

  He was taken to an interview room, where a stout, balding detective awaited him.

  “Sit down,” said the detective, indicating the seat opposite.

  Caleb sat, his lips thinning. He didn’t want to be here, doing this, but he knew that he had to. The quicker that he dealt with it all, the sooner he would be released, and he could get to Allie’s side. He just hoped that he wasn’t too late.

  “How is Allie?” he asked, staring at the detective.

  “That’s none of your concern,” growled the detective, staring back at him. “What I want to know is how you were in that laboratory, after hours, with a woman suffering from a gunshot wound in your arms.”

  Caleb ran his hands through his hair, leaning against the table. “I’ve already told you this. We were in there to test the samples. Then Dr. Morgan came in, threatening us with a gun. I tried to talk him down, but he wouldn’t listen. I tried to get the gun out of his hands, and it fired.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm his breathing. “I secured him. I didn’t realise at first that Allie had been shot.”

  The detective leaned back in his chair, staring at him through narrowed eyes. “You are trying to tell me that Dr. Timothy Morgan, the director of that facility, suddenly came through the door threatening you both with a gun?” He sighed. “Now why would he do that?”

  “He was involved,” said Caleb, drumming his fingers on the table impatiently. “He was the one who did it. And he didn’t want us to find out.”

  The detective frowned. “Oh, yes,” he said, leaning over the table and picking up a piece of paper. He read through it quickly. “You claim that Dr. Morgan cultivated an amoeba that he put into the city water supply, causing the outbreak of illness which we are now dealing with. What motivation could the good doctor have had for wanting to kill people he doesn’t even know in this way? A respected doctor, whose reputation is impeccable?”

  The detective tossed the paper back on the table. “It’s farfetched, you must admit. Whereas you, Mr. Stone…” he trailed off, staring at Caleb intently. “There are questions about you. You suddenly appear out of nowhere, assigned to this team. We have checked your background, and I am afraid it doesn’t add up. You don’t work at the university that you claim to. And we cannot find any information on a Caleb Stone.”

  Caleb sighed, impatiently. “This is wasting time,” he said quickly. “You must have looked for fingerprints on the gun. Dr. Morgan’s would be all over them. I never even touched it.”

  The detective blinked. “Never mind that. That’s not your concern, either. We are doing our job on that score, and that’s all you need to know. I am more interested in who you are, Mr. Stone. And who you claim to be.” He stared at him intently. “Let’s get serious. What’s your real name?”

  “I am Caleb Stone,” he said, through gritted teeth. “Have you sent for the lawyer that I requested? Because I’m not answering any more questions until he comes.”

  The detective scoffed. “No fancy lawyer is going to get you out of this,” he hissed. “You are facing two charges of attempted murder—one for Miss Holloway, and the other for Dr. Morgan. It’s in your best interests to talk, Mr. Stone.”

  Caleb was silent, staring at the wall.

  “And there could be a third,” said the detective slowly. “The security guard on duty tonight claims that he was drugged so that you and Miss Holloway could get in. He claims that you both tried to gain access earlier that day and were refused.” He took a deep breath. “He is being tested, and if we find traces of anything in his bloodstream of an amount that could have killed him, you are the one who will be held responsible.”

  Caleb blinked rapidly. He wasn’t going to talk anymore. This stupid detective had a bee in his bonnet that he was responsible, and nothing was going to shift it. He would just have to wait it out, for Evan to appear, claiming to be his lawyer. And then for the fingerprint testing on the gun, which would exonerate him.

  Allie was in the hospital, clinging to life, for all he knew. He strangled a sigh of rage. He had to get out of here!

  The door to the interview room opened, and the same police officer who had led him here stared at them.

  “The lawyer’s here,” he said. “And he wants to speak to him alone.”

  The detective stood up. “Be my guest,” he drawled, staring at Caleb. “Think about what I have said, Mr. Stone. Or whatever your name is. We’ll get to the bottom of this, don’t you worry.”

  He swept out of the room. And then, Evan walked in. He was dressed in a suit and tie and carried a briefcase. He looks good posing as a lawyer, thought Caleb briefly, staring at him.

  “You have to get me out of here,” he said, staring at his shifter brother. “Allie has been shot, and I still have to get the results of those samples to the hospital and stop this mess once and for all.”

  ***

  Caleb walked into the warehouse, feeling like he was a thousand years old. Evan walked slightly behind him, his face grim. If it hadn’t been for Evan insisting that he come here, and report what had happened, he would be at the hospital now.

  The others were all up, waiting for him. He could see Thad pacing the floor, frowning. As soon as the alpha leader saw him, he strode towards him. Caleb could see the veins in his neck bulging.

  “So, it went okay?” he barked, looking from Caleb to Evan in turn.

  Evan sighed, tossing his briefcase down. “For the moment,” he answered crisply. “I had to bail him out. The detective they’ve got working the case is hellbent on Caleb as the culprit, though.”

  Thad cursed, running his hands through his hair. “This complicates things,” he said slowly. “They might still charge you.”

  Caleb sighed. His leg was aching, and he didn’t want to be here. He had important stuff to do. He had to get to the hospital and check on Allie. And he still had to get those samples where they had to go. They were evidence of what was causing the outbreak, and the sooner the hospitals were aware, the sooner they could find a cure.

  “They can’t charge me,” he drawled, collapsing onto the sofa. “As soon as they match the fingerprints on the gun to Dr. Morgan, they will have to face the truth.”

  “Maybe,” said Thad, still frowning. “At least for Allie.”

  “They want to charge him with attempted murder on the doctor, as well,” Evan grimly said. “He knocked him out, and he hit his head against the corner of a table as he was falling. He’s still unconscious, apparently.”

  “I had no choice!” said Caleb. “I had to get to Allie. She was bleeding, and I had no other way to secure him.”

  Thad shook his head, slowly. “It’s a mess,” he said. “What I want to know is why the Vilgath sent him alone. They could have dealt with you both much more efficiently.”

  “Because they wanted to set him up,” said Caleb. “Dr. Morgan had played his role, and they wanted him out of the way.” He sighed. “I don’t have time for this, Thad. I must get those samples with the amoeba to the hospitals, so they know. And I have to check on Allie.”

  Thad stared at him. “Caleb, you can’t go anywhere,” he said. “If you are picked up again, then I don’t think we’ll be able to get you out. They will be watching at the hospital and at the lab. If you make one move, they will pounce.”

  Caleb felt his fists clenching and unclenching. “You’re telling me that I have to just sit here?”

  Thad nodded. “I’m afraid so. Allie will be watched, as I said. You can’t do anything for her now.” He stared at Caleb. “You probably saved her life, Caleb, if that’s any consolation.”

  Caleb ga
zed at him. “It’s no consolation,” he said through gritted teeth. “I shouldn’t have let her come. I should have tested those samples alone. She was already traumatised from the Vilgath attack the previous night, and I let her step back into the lion’s den.”

  “It’s too late now,” said Shay, staring at him. “It’s done, Caleb. I can go and check on her, get some information on her condition for you, if you want.”

  Thad nodded. “Great idea. That will make it easier for him to lay low, if he knows, at least.”

  Caleb frowned, resisting the idea. As much as he appreciated Shay’s offer, he wanted to go himself. He needed to see her, to set his mind at rest. Even if he knew how she was doing, he knew that he couldn’t just sit here, twiddling his thumbs.

  “What about the samples?” he said, staring at them all.

  Thad frowned again. “Did the police take them, when they got there?”

  Caleb thought hard. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I didn’t mention them, and they were busy with other stuff, obviously.”

  Thad thought for a moment then nodded decisively. “I’ll go and get them. They’ll have a police guard there, but I can get through it.”

  “I should be going myself,” growled Caleb.

  Thad sighed. “Caleb, you’ve done enough for today,” he said. “This is just grunt work now. You were the one that found the amoeba and have solved this. Let us take care of the rest, and you lay low.” He stared at him. “You should be proud of yourself. You’ve solved the case. The city should thank you for what you have done, but that probably won’t happen. So, we’re thanking you instead. Well done, brother.”

  Caleb frowned. He should be feeling good. It was true what Thad said.

  But he hadn’t been the only one who had done it. Allie had been by his side, every step of the way. Allie, who was now lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life. She was the one paying the price for it all.

  His heart thudded painfully. No, it didn’t feel good. He didn’t feel proud. Not without Allie by his side.

  And he would probably never see her again, whether she lived or died.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Allie’s eyelids flickered but didn’t open. She tossed her head from side to side on the hospital pillow. Beside her, the drip attached to her arm slowly fed medicine into her veins. The only sound was the faint beeping of the monitors next to her bed.

  She was dreaming. But she had no awareness that it was a dream; that she was in an unconscious state and not standing in the real world with her eyes open. The dream slipped from one thing to another, almost seamlessly.

  She was standing beside the warehouse that she had seen Caleb walk into. It was night; a single street lamp illuminated her path. In her mind, the warehouse looked even worse than it really was. Almost like a house of mirrors from a carnival. It loomed large, as if it were about to fall and crumble, overtaking her entirely.

  She saw him then. Almost exactly as she had seen him that night. He was walking towards the door. She could hear his footsteps on the ground and see his breath fogging as it left his body.

  She called out his name, but he didn’t hear her. He just kept walking.

  Suddenly, she watched as he started writhing, as if he were in great pain. His body was transforming. Her eyes widened in shock. She could almost hear his bones and muscles stretching, as if they were being torn apart.

  The wolf was standing there, where Caleb had once been. She could see every strand of its black fur waving in the wind. It turned its head slowly and stared at her.

  Caleb’s eyes stared out of its face. Those green eyes that she would recognise anywhere. They shone like polished emeralds, almost iridescent in the darkness.

  She reached out a hand towards it, beckoning it. Her heart surged with love. She knew, but she didn’t know. That they were one and the same. Inexplicably bound. That the heart that beat in Caleb’s chest was the same that beat within the animal.

  The wolf pricked its ears, staring at her. But it didn’t move. Instead, it crouched down on its haunches, and started growling. She could see that its eyes had shifted to a spot just beyond her.

  The skin on the back of her neck started prickling. She could sense that something was there. The wind grew colder, and the wolf’s growl got louder.

  She tried to turn her head around, to see. But her neck refused to obey her mind. She simply couldn’t. She knew that whatever it was that had caused the wolf to start growling was approaching rapidly.

  She tried to move. To run. To flee from it. But her legs refused to obey, as well. She was frozen to the ground, as if she had been glued there. As if she were a miniature figure on plyboard, stuck haphazardly by a child.

  It was coming. She could feel it, in every molecule of her being. The evil.

  “Caleb!” she screamed. “Where are you?”

  The wolf crouched lower and suddenly leapt into the air. She watched it flying as if in slow motion. She could see every sinew and tendon in its body flexed for battle. And then it landed beyond her.

  She strained to turn. To look. But nothing would work.

  The wolf was gone.

  And she was afraid. So very afraid. She was in the dark, underneath a street lamp, alone. The warehouse loomed back and forth in her vision, menacingly.

  The face was inches away from her own. The face that she would carry within her forever. The face of the demon. Grey and leathery. Those black eyes that seemed to stare down into the bottom of her very soul.

  The face of evil.

  She screamed, over and over, but she knew that she made no sound. It was as if her vocal chords had been frozen, too.

  “He cannot save you,” it said.

  Somehow, she found strength. She reached out and pushed it with all her might. But it was as if she were pushing a mountain. She couldn’t hope to budge it.

  The demon started laughing. A long, slow laugh that seemed to go on forever.

  “You could never win,” it said suddenly.

  It was getting closer. She couldn’t back away. It wasn’t in any hurry; it knew that she couldn’t move. It was going to kill her, once and for all.

  And nothing could save her….

  The heart monitor jumped and twisted beside her, its rhythm askew. But still, her eyelids didn’t open. In the dark room, the only light was the flickering of the machines, fighting for her life.

  ***

  Shay stared down at the unconscious woman, watching her head move from side to side rapidly. Was she dreaming?

  He picked up the chart, staring at it. He didn’t have long. He had stolen into the hospital room, and they would be checking on her very soon. Apparently, she had just come out of surgery and was heavily sedated. They had managed to extract the bullet and stitch her up. But she had lost a lot of blood.

  He put back the chart and stared at her again. So, this was Allie, the woman that Caleb had talked about so much. The scientist trying to figure out a cure for the illness.

  Shay could see that she was beautiful, even underneath the pallor of her skin, which was like wax. Her long blonde hair was scrapped back from her face, making her look vulnerable. Almost childlike.

  Shay straightened, staring around the room. A million machines keeping her alive. She was in a serious, but stable, condition. At least that was what it had said on her chart.

  It would put Caleb’s mind at rest to know that she was still alive. Battling for life, but alive, nonetheless. He had been grateful that Shay was finding out, but Shay had known that he wanted to come here himself. See her. Hold her hand?

  Shay smiled. Yes, he was sure of it. Caleb had been smitten by this woman, and even though he kept saying that it wasn’t like that, Shay had put two and two together.

  The intense way that he spoke of her. The night that he had not come home and had gotten angry when they had asked where he had been. The look in his eyes when he mentioned her name. All those things gave him away.

  Poor old Caleb. He ne
ver wanted to get involved with women; his Uncle Rich, who had been part of the Wild Keepers before him, had drummed that into him. Well and truly. And Shay knew that Caleb was competitive and still seeking to prove himself. He wanted to stay with the Wild Keepers. He didn’t want to fall in love.

  Shay crept out of the room and walked briskly down the darkened hospital corridor. It seemed that Caleb had fallen in love, against his will. He mightn’t have admitted it to himself yet, but Shay knew it was true. And hell, he didn’t blame Caleb one little bit. She was a beauty, and smart, obviously. Just what Caleb liked. He probably hadn’t stood a chance against her.

  Shay sobered a bit, thinking of the wax-like figure in the hospital bed. That was if she survived. It didn’t look like Allie Holloway was out of the woods quite yet.

  ***

  Caleb jolted awake suddenly. How had he fallen asleep?

  His leg was throbbing, damnit. He needed more painkillers. He got up, gingerly, and walked to the water cooler, pouring himself a drink. Thad and Shay weren’t back yet. And he was here, feeling about as useful as mammary glands on a bull.

  Evan and Zach must have gone to bed, judging by the darkened state of the warehouse. He walked back to the sofa, trying to quell the frustration that had flared up again like a rash.

  He couldn’t just sit here, doing nothing. Not while Allie was battling for her life. He knew that he couldn’t do anything more to save her, but at least she could know that he was there. He could hold her hand and talk to her. Tell her how beautiful she was, and how special. Tell her that he was so very sorry that he had let her come with him into the lab.

  He gritted his teeth. He should have known that they wouldn’t let them do it without a fight. She had been attacked the night before when she had been testing the water. They would have been watching and waiting.

  He had no choice, of course. The samples had to be tested, and Dr. Morgan had blocked them from doing it in the conventional way. But he did have a choice where Allie was concerned. He could have told her she wasn’t coming with him, that he would handle it alone. Why hadn’t he?