by Mac Flynn
“This is Becky! Why would he have a picture of her?” she asked them.
Nick picked up the other article on the bed, a typed note, and his eyes swept over the contents. “Because the Hunter has taken her ransom,” he replied.
“What? This isn’t some cheap bad guy movie! She’s my friend!” Lenore protested.
“That’s exactly why Becky was taken,” Nick told her. “The note says he’s taken Becky to the park on the far side of the city, and to meet him there at midnight tonight to exchange her life for that of his Hunter friend-” he pulled down the note and glanced at Lenore, “-and ours.”
Stan scoffed. “The only thing he’ll do with them is take them,” he quipped.
“No doubt, but we must be there at midnight or Becky will not see another sunrise,” Nick insisted.
“I don’t trust this guy to let any of us see another sunrise, so we’re not going there without a plan,” Stan argued.
“We can’t go there with guns blazing. We’ll wake up the whole town,” Lenore pointed out.
“Nor should we arrive at the destination without weapons. Our speed is very fast, but we cannot outrace bullets,” Nick commented.
Stan grinned. “I have just the plan,” he told them.
Three hours later at ten minutes to midnight found Nick and Lenore in Stan’s truck and headed toward the park. Between them was the unconscious Hunter with a hard knock on his head to guarantee he wouldn’t wake up at the worst possible moment. Lenore glanced over her shoulder through the rear window and looked at the tarp that covered the back.
“You think this is going to work?” she whispered to Nick.
“I heard that,” came a muffled voice from the tarp.
“Quiet. Tarps don’t talk,” she snapped.
“But they can get angry, and you don’t want to see a tarp when it’s angry,” the muffled voice argued.
Nick chuckled. “I believe I finally see why you two squabble at the worst possible times,” he commented.
Lenore turned back to him and raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” she wondered.
“It’s a defense mechanism you two share. When you are in a tense situation you lash out at each other,” he explained.
Lenore shrugged. “I guess. This is certainly a tense situation.”
“If all goes well it will be finished quite quickly,” he encouraged her.
She slumped down in her seat and frowned. “That’s a big ‘if’” she argued.
“Have faith and follow the plan,” he advised.
They rattled into the parking lot of the small park where Lenore and Nick had met in their wolf forms. A red van sat in one of the farthest parking spots. The pair noticed two figures at the far end of the park near the tree line. Becky was seated in a chair with their arms bound with rope and her mouth covered with a handkerchief, and the Hunter stood beside her with a gun in his hand and a smirk on his face. Rather than stopping at the edge of the parking lot, Nick pressed on the gas and jumped the truck over the short concrete barriers. The truck flew onto the grass and sped across the park trampling plants under tire.
Nick slammed on the brake twenty yards from the opposing pair and the truck fish-tailed so the passenger side faced Becky and the Hunter. Lenore and Nick stepped out, and she dragged their captive foe beside her as they made their way onto the lawn.
When they were twenty yards away Nick held up his hand and arrested Lenore’s walking. “We would like an even trade. Your man for our friend,” he called to the Hunter.
The Hunter laughed and Becky cringed. Lenore narrowed her eyes and growled, but Nick placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her.
“No deal, monster,” the Hunter yelled back. He lifted his gun and pressed the barrel against Becky’s temple. Tears sprang to her eyes and choked sobs escaped the handkerchief. “It would be a shame to kill your little friend. She doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
“Then let her go,” Nick argued.
The Hunter shook his head. “I can’t do that. You’re just too dangerous to let go, and you’re holding all the cards but this one.” He tapped Becky on the shoulder. The man paused and glanced between Lenore and Nick. “Where’s your other friend? The one that was snooping around the motel?” he asked them.
Nick smiled and jerked his head backward toward the truck. “He’s hiding in the bed there. Go ahead and look if you want,” Nick invited the man.
The Hunter frowned and glanced at the vehicle. Lenore could see the opposing thoughts spinning around the mouse wheel in his brain. The Hunter sneered and again pressed his gun to Becky’s temple. “I won’t fall for your tricks. There’s no one in there,” he argued.
“Except me,” Stan called out. He sat up in the bed of the pickup and pulled aside the tarp. In his hands was the weapon used by the first Hunter which he pointed at the second. “I wouldn’t move if I were you. I’m not too bad a shot. Just ask Nick there,” he warned the Hunter.
Nick chuckled. “It’s true. His aim is quite good,” he agreed.
The Hunter’s face reddened with anger and he whipped his head from one werewolf to the other. “God damn you,” he growled.
“God damns only sinners, and the only two sinners here are your friend and yourself,” Nick argued.
The Hunter ground his teeth and tightened his grip on the trigger. Stan fired off a shot that tore a hole through the barrel of his foe’s gun, rendering it useless. The Hunter swore, dropped that gun, and pulled out a pistol from his waist. Stan shot off another bullet, and that hit the Hunter in the wrist. He dropped that gun and the bullet damage ensured he wouldn’t be picking up another one.
Lenore dropped their captive, and both she and Nick hurried forward. She took hold of Becky and tore off the handkerchief. All the flood of words stuck in her mouth poured out. “What the hell is going on? Who the hell is he?” she babbled.
“A very sick man,” Lenore replied.
Nick strode up to the Hunter, grabbed him by the wounded wrist and pinned the Hunter’s arms behind his back. “The only monster here is you,” Nick whispered to the man. The Hunter sneered, but said nothing.
Stan jumped out of the bed and walked over to the group with a smile on his face and the gun in his hand. He paused at their captive, who was awakening, to knock the butt of his weapon on the man’s already-bruised head. The Hunter slumped back down to the ground and Stan joined the others at the chair. He looked to the Hunter in Nick’s grasp.
“You know, if you would’ve believed Nick here you might have won,” he told the Hunter.
“I’ll never believe a monster,” the Hunter spat out.
“And that sort of talk is what’s going to land you in the insane asylum,” Stan replied.
Lenore freed Becky from her bindings and helped her up. “Could we get out of here?” Becky pleaded. “And then could somebody please tell me what’s going on?”
“Yes and yes,” Lenore promised.
Chapter 20
The bindings were used to tie up their new captive, and they stowed Hunters safely in the bed. Nick glanced at the red van, and then turned to his companions. “I’ll take that vehicle and follow you to the police station,” he told them.
“Need some company?” Lenore wondered.
Nick smiled. “If it is as pleasurable as your own then I will gladly accept it.”
Stan and Becky climbed into his truck, and Lenore and Nick into the van after they procured the keys from their latest captive. Nick waited beside the rear of the van for Stan to drive off. Lenore glanced between the disappearing vehicle and Nick.
“Are we going to follow them or not?” she asked him.
“We are, but not yet,” he replied. He opened the rear doors and revealed suitcases and electronics. There was a plastic tub of burned disks near the rear, and a small box of the same on top of it. Nick rummaged through the box and pulled out a disk that he held up to the light of the moon.
“Incriminating video you don’t want me to see?” she teased.
Nick smiled. “Yes, but for you. They witnessed a part of your transformation. We need to destroy the disk,” he explained to her.
Lenore cringed. “Please do. I’d rather not be driven out of town by pitchfork-wielding villagers,” she replied. Nick snapped the disk in two and stuffed the pieces into his pocket. He climbed into the rear of the van and rummaged through more of the boxes. Lenore leaned up against one of the doors and watched him dig and examine the entire contents of the vehicle. “Want me to help you search for the treasure?” she asked him.
“I am looking for any evidence they have that I am a werewolf,” he told her. He browsed through another box of disks and frowned. “Unfortunately, they may be cunning enough to have hid the evidence.”
Lenore pointed at a box at his feet. “What about that one with ‘Connor Werewolf’ written on the side?”
Nick paused and glanced down at his feet. He grinned and chuckled. “As always, it seems stepping back from the situation is the best plan,” he commented.
“Like where I’m standing?” she teased.
“Precisely.” Nick opened the container and rummaged through the disks, papers, and folders. “These gentlemen were certainly thorough. They have tracked my whereabouts for several years.”
Lenore cringed. “Creepy,” she commented.
“Yes, creepy indeed,” he agreed. He shut the case, stepped through the van and hopped to the ground beside Lenore. “I will bury this evidence and come back for it later,” he told her.
Nick hurried out to the trees at the far end of the park, dug a hole with his lengthened claws, and buried the small box. He returned to the car where Lenore waited for him. She had a pensive expression on her face.
“You said Hunters came after you ever few years, so that means we’re going to be dealing with this again? My friends and brother getting into trouble because of me?” she wondered.
Nick shook his head. “No. These Hunters were far more dangerous than the average ones. If any others show up I’m sure we’ll have an easier time dealing with them.” He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist to press her against himself. “And in that time I will make sure you are ready for them with vigorous training.”
Lenore snorted. “You mean vigorous training in bed?” she teased.
Nick chuckled. “It does stretch all the muscles,” he pointed out.
“Uh-huh. How about we stretch your foot muscle and take ourselves to the police station? I’m sure Stan’s standing outside with his foot tapping against the sidewalk,” she replied.
In a few minutes, and with Lenore’s instructions, they made their way to the police station. Stan was in the exact posture Lenore described with the added outrage of his arms across over his chest.
“Couldn’t you two have waited until we dropped these guys off to some fun?” Stan scolded them.
Lenore rolled her eyes. “We didn’t use the van like that,” she protested.
Nick walked over to the pickup bed and saw the two men still neatly tied atop the tarp. “Let us hurry these two inside,” he instructed them.
Becky peeked out the window of the truck cab. “Did you guys need any help?” she wondered. Nick took hold of the ropes and dragged both men out of the bed. “Or not,” she added.
“Just stay in there, Becky. We’ll get you home in a few minutes,” Lenore promised as she followed the men inside.
The group surprised the two officers in the office by dragging in the two bound men. The officer on duty at the desk and his partner behind him at another desk stood and gawked at the captives.
“What’s going on, Stan? Get into another bar brawl?” the officer at the desk asked his acquaintance.
“I wish. These two crazies tried to kill Mr. Connor here, Brian, and kidnapped Becky Stout,” Stan explained. “They’ve been babbling something about him being a werewolf.” Their captives sullenly glared at the officers, but didn’t raise any objections in their defense.
The officer snorted. “Werewolves? Somebody actually believes in that crap?” he wondered.
“These two believe it enough to stalk Connor by hacking into the security systems of the town,” Stan told him.
Officer Brian’s eyes widened. “Really? These are the guys?”
“Yep, and we’d be glad if you could find them an uncomfortable spot in your cell until later today when we press charges,” Stan requested.
“And you said they kidnapped Becky Stout?” Officer Brian questioned them.
“Yeah. She’s outside in my truck if you want to talk to her,” Stan offered.
The officer furrowed his brow. “We’ll need a statement from her before you leave, but do you have any proof to these other allegations?” he wondered.
Stan tossed the officer a gun used by one of the Hunters. “That has silver bullets inside.”
“And there is a van outside owned by these men and with recordings taken from the security cameras,” Nick added.
“And you’re willing to swear to this?” Officer Brian asked them.
“In court if we have to, but don’t ask me to wear a suit,” Stan replied.
Officer Brian jerked his head backward over his shoulder. “All right, lead them back here and we’ll get through this.”
The formalities of arresting someone were handled, the other officer took Becky’s statement, and the group was asked to return the next day after they had a look at the contents of the van.
“Now don’t be skipping out or anything,” Officer Brian ordered them as the four of them climbed into Stan’s vehicle.
Stan snorted. “And let you get away with owing me forty bucks for that last night of poker? No way.” Stan started the truck and drove down the road. The first stop was Lenore’s place. Becky would be staying over for the night.
The former captive shook her head. “This has been one wild night. I can’t believe those crazies thought you were a werewolf,” she commented to Nick.
Nick smiled. “I’m sure the men will receive the proper care after their trials,” he replied.
“And to grab me straight out of the back room in the store? That guy must have been really desperate,” Becky added.
“I’m really sorry I dragged you into this,” Lenore apologized.
Becky shook her head. “It’s not your fault those guys need a brain transplant. Besides, I’m okay. Just some rubbing on my arms from those ropes,” her friend argued.
“You are very brave to brush off the experience so easily,” Nick complimented her.
Becky puffed up at the compliment. “I am, aren’t I? And it was pretty exciting. Remember how a few days ago I was saying this place was boring? I guess I was wrong,” she commented, addressing Lenore.
“You couldn’t have been more wrong,” Lenore agreed.
They arrived at Lenore’s house, and the girls stepped out to walk to the door. Nick followed them as escort, but with an alterior motive. Lenore unlocked the house and let Becky inside, but Nick gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him.
“I also must apologize for dragging you into this world,” he whispered to her.
Lenore rolled her eyes. “We’ve already been through this. Apology accepted and all that,” she replied.
“I feel as though I need to make amends,” he insisted.
“Then how about a nice dinner at the most expensive restaurant in town and a tub of Rocky Road ice cream?” she suggested. Nick chuckled and leaned down. He captured her lips in a searing kiss that swept down to her toes and back up to her head. She pulled away and her eyes held a dazed look. “Or you could do that,” she murmured.
“I will remember to do that when I feel the need to apologize,” he promised.
“Or any time you like,” she invited. She grinned, wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her nose against his. “After all, we have a lot of time left together, and at least it won’t be boring.”
“Yes. A lot of time and many moons,” he agreed.
“I think
I’m going to enjoy this whole werewolf life,” Lenore laughed.
And she did, for many, many years.
For all books by Mac Flynn visit her Smashwords author’s page
or visit Mac Flynn’s website.
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