“Oh Mom,” Daniella replied. “I really am sorry.”
“Yes, right. Very nice Daniella.” Her mother said. “Well, you need to call the poor man and at least set up a time for the two of you to get together. What in the world is going on with you anyway?”
“What?” Daniella replied. “Nothing, Mom. I just forgot about it. Don’t you ever forget anything?”
“Daniella,” her mother replied. “This is not about me. Now call Harold and apologize to him right away.”
“I can’t right now but I promise I will.” Daniella replied.
“Why can’t you?”
“I’m busy, that’s all.”
“Well, okay, but please don’t let this go on any longer.”
“I won’t, Mom. I promise.” Daniella said. “Anything else?”
“No, dear…” her mom said. “Are you sure everything is alright?”
“Yes, Mom.” Daniella replied. “Don’t you think I would tell you if that wasn’t the case?”
“I’d like to think so but the past week or so I haven’t heard from you at all.” Her mom began. “That and the fact that you completely forgot about Harold… I’m just concerned.”
“Well, don’t be Mom.” Daniella said as she pulled into her apartment complex and parked. “There’s nothing to be concerned about. Is there anything else? I just got home and I’ve got things to do.”
“No sweetie.” She replied. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mom.” Daniella replied. “I’ll talk to you later.”
After she hung up, Daniella rushed upstairs to grab a quick shower and change before she headed back to Owen’s cabin.
***
After about an hour, Daniella exited her apartment with a small overnight bag in hand. She closed the door and as she turned to lock it, a voice from behind said, “Going out of town?”
“Yes, Billy, I am…” she began as she turned around to face Sergeant Holder. “That’s not against the law. Is it?”
Billy leaned against the opposite wall. He chuckled a bit and took one last drag on his cigarette before he crushed it out with his foot.
“Nice,” Daniella said. “This is a non-smoking building by the way.”
“Call the police,” he said with a smirk as he walked towards her. “How’s things Daniella? Been a while since we talked, hasn’t it?”
In the past, Billy’s machismo had never been anything other than mildly humorous to her. It was a tolerable personality quirk. It was much more preferable to the one he’d kept hidden from her since the day of Jett’s arrest. Now, he was little more than a common liar… and a bad one no less.
“What do you want, Billy? I’m in a hurry.”
“Oh yeah? Where are you headed?”
“I don’t see how it concerns you.”
“Judge says it does…” he began. He gestured towards the parked sedan across the street. “That car sitting there says it does so it seems to me it does concern me after all.”
“I don’t know where he is, Billy. If that’s what you are driving at.”
God she wanted to curse him out. With each second that ticked by, she grew more disgusted with his very presence.
“Did I say you did?” He replied. “All I asked is where you are headed. See I just need to make sure my officers have enough of a fuel stipend to follow you.”
“Follow me?”
“Yes, is that… a problem?”
“Yes, Billy!” She exclaimed. “When this all happened, you promised me this ‘surveillance’ was temporary and now, here we are going on six plus weeks later and I’m still being watched day and night. That is a problem in my book.”
“Well,” Billy shrugged. “All you have to do is tell me where he is. You do that and all of this…” he said as he pointed towards the undercover car, “it stops.”
Daniella exhaled. “I don’t know where he is, Billy.” She said. “How many more times do I have to say it?”
“And I happen to think you do…” he replied.
“So what are you saying… that I am lying to you?”
“In so many words, yeah.”
“You’d know all about being a liar, wouldn’t you?” She muttered.
“What?” He said. “What was that?”
“Nothing,” she replied. She reached down to grab for her bag. “Look, I have to go so just do whatever you need to do but get out of my way.”
Billy inserted himself between her and the bag. “I’ll get it.”
“No, thank you!”
He grabbed her forearm as she reached for it. “I insist.”
“Fine…” she said as she yanked her arm from his grasp.
As he lifted her bag, she walked away from him and began to head down the stairs. From behind, she could hear his footsteps.
“I’m only doing my job, Daniella.” He said as she increased the length of her stride. His tone had a conciliatory ring to it.
Still, Daniella’s blood boiled.
“What the hell kind of detective work is this anyway?” She said as she reached her car. “As far as I can tell, the only thing you guys have done is follow me everywhere I go hoping against hope you’ll find something. I mean, you are even staking out his parents’ house for God’s sake!”
Billy nodded. “That’s true but how would you…” he said. His voice trailed off.
A sudden breeze caused Daniella’s hair to cover her face. She shook her head and did her best to pull it out of the way.
“What Billy?” She said as she battled with it. “How did I what?”
“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing…” he replied. He cocked his head to the side, placed her bag on the ground and nodded, “You know… you’re right, Daniella. You are absolutely right.”
A confused look came over Daniella’s face. “I am?” She said. “What about?”
“The surveillance… here,” he replied. “I’ll take my men off detail for a while. Would that make you happy?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I guess so.” She said with incredulity in her voice. “I don’t understand… Just like that? You are going to just stop looking for him?”
“No,” Billy replied. “I didn’t say that. I just said I’d take my men off the surveillance detail here. That’s… what you wanted, wasn’t it?”
Daniella shrugged. “Well, yeah, but why the sudden change of heart?”
Billy smiled and slipped another cigarette between his lips. “Just something you said,” he replied as he lit it. “Something you said…”
He turned and started to walk away.
“What did I say?” Daniella called out. He continued to walk without a reply.
“Billy!”
She stood by her car and looked as he crossed the street and headed towards the parked sedan. As he neared it, he motioned for one of the nighttime guys, Mitchell, to roll down the window. She chewed on her lower lip as the men chatted. After a couple of minutes, Billy slapped the roof of the vehicle and the car sped away. Billy turned back towards Daniella, flicked his cigarette and waved at her. As she lifted her hand to return the gesture, he climbed into his patrol car and drove off.
What the hell was that all about?
Dumbfounded by the chain of events, Daniella shrugged and tossed her bag into her car. It was still a good drive to the cabin and she knew the last thing she and Jett needed to do was cover the distance of the trail at night.
***
Daniella pulled her car up to the area which picked up the trail to Owen’s cabin. As she drove up, the early evening sky was a mix of orange and pink. Jett stood at the trail and waited for her with a big smile on his face. On either side of him, Max and Amigo stood ready to make the trek. The moment she saw them together, all the annoyances of the past week seemed to fade away.
As she parked, he came up to the car and opened the door. Daniella jumped out and with a squeal, leapt into his arms. As she did, the dogs barked with excitement. She collided with him so forcefully, he nearly fell ov
er but at the last instant, he steadied himself. For several seconds, they kissed until she broke free.
“Did you miss me?” She said with her legs still locked around his torso.
“What do you think?” He smiled. “I was counting the seconds…”
“Me too!” She shrieked as she lowered herself back to a standing position.
Unable to control themselves any longer, Max and Amigo licked Daniella like she was a steak dinner.
“Okay, okay…” she said as they lapped away at her face. “I missed you too!”
“Well,” he began. “Let’s get going. It’s gonna be dark before too long and you know we’ll get an earful from Owen if we’re still out.”
“I know,” she replied as she reached in the car and grabbed her bag.
“I got it.” Jett said.
While they got her things, the dogs wandered into the woods. Jett looked around and whistled as he flung Daniella’s bag over his shoulder.
“Max! Amigo!” he yelled.
The dogs appeared from the trees and trotted past them back up towards the trail.
“Alright,” Jett said. “Let’s go. Dinner will be ready by the time we get back.”
“Thank God,” Daniella said. “I’m starving.”
As they walked along the trail, Daniella recapped what happened to her during the week. For the most part, Jett listened in silence and asked a question here or there. That is, until she mentioned her run in with Billy just before the drive up to the cabin.
“So he was outside your door waiting for you?” Jett asked.
“Yeah, it was bizarre.”
“What did he want?”
“He thinks I know where you are.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing…” she said. “But something kind of strange happened just before he left.”
“What?”
“Well, he told the guys in the surveillance vehicle they could leave.”
“That is strange,” Jett replied. “Any idea why he would have done that? Maybe something you said?”
Only about nine zillion things preoccupied Daniella’s mind when Billy showed up. The truth was she scarcely recalled anything about their conversation but she gave it some more thought as they walked along the trail. In the distance, she saw the glow of lights from the inside of Owen’s cabin.
“Honestly, Jett,” Daniella sighed. “I can’t remember if there was something I said to him or not.”
“Well, try not to worry too much about it,” Jett began. “Maybe it will come back to you later on.”
“Maybe…” Daniella replied as the trail spilled them out in front of Owen’s cabin.
***
As she and Jett entered, Daniella saw Owen in the kitchen. The aroma in the air was delightful. Even though Owen didn’t seem to consider himself much of a cook, Daniella did. She thought he was crazy to be so dismissive of his culinary talent.
“Hey Owen,” she chirped.
The old man turned and looked at her over his shoulder.
“Well…” he replied. “Look who’s back.”
Daniella smiled. “Yep and just in time for dinner too!”
A few minutes later, they all sat down to the table and started to eat. After they made a bit of small talk, Daniella asked about Jett’s instruction.
“How’s it coming along?” She said.
Owen finished a bite of his meal and replied, “Fair. Overall, I’m pleased with how things are going.”
Daniella glanced at Jett for a response. Instead, Jett shook his head and gestured in Owen’s direction with his fork. “Hey, don’t look at me. He’s the one in charge. If Owen says it’s going well, then I guess it’s going well.”
“There, you see?” Owen said with a chuckle. “The first rule in training is that the teacher is always the one with the answers. Took him a day or so to get that but once he did, things took off.”
Daniella laughed a little as she took another bite.
“So, can you shift now?” Daniella asked as she looked at Jett. “Like, I mean, whenever you want?”
“With Owen’s help, yeah, I can…” he replied. “More or less.”
“More or less?” Daniella asked. “What does that mean?”
“Well,” Jett began. “Sometimes I can straight away, without any problems. Then, there’s other times when I get stuck, in a partial shift.”
“You mean like the time at Dr. Mallory’s office?”
“Yeah, it’s similar.” He replied. “The only difference now, of course, is that I am actively doing it but it’s not as easy as you might think.”
Owen chuckled. “Yes, Jett here is still a bit of a broken bear but we’ll fix him up.”
As he finished his thought, he stood from the table and said, “I only hope there’s enough time.”
“Time?” Daniella replied. “Time for what?”
“Our plan to work…” Jett interrupted.
“Plan?” Daniella said.
Owen turned to face her and said, “Well, you’ve got to have a plan. Kane isn’t just going to waltz through the front door of my cabin and give up.”
Daniella nodded. “I know that I just… I guess it never occurred to me.”
All of a sudden, Daniella felt a surge of nerves rush through her body. For some reason, she’d simply blocked out the idea that well, all of this preparation was for a reason. And now that time was upon them whether she was ready for it or not.
“So what is the plan?” She asked.
“In essence,” Owen began. “We need to get Kane in a position where he is forced to fight. Although it will require the both of us to do it, defeating him is possible but only if Jett can fully shift and maintain it in battle.”
“Oh,” Daniella replied with concern in her tone. “Jett, are you ready to do this?”
Jett leaned back in his chair. “I…”
“No, he isn’t,” Owen interrupted, “but he has no choice.”
“Why?” Daniella asked.
“Because I’ve fully shifted, now.” Jett replied.
“So?” She replied. “What does that matter?”
Owen returned to the table and sat down. “Let me think of the easiest way to explain this to you,” he began. “You see, the first time someone like Jett shifts under their own control, other shifters know it.”
“I don’t understand.” She said. “How do they know? Do they smell him or something?”
“No…” Owen replied, “well, yes, but not right away. To understand what happens before that, imagine an earthquake.”
“What do you mean?”
“Here, I’ll show you…” Owen began. He reached across to the kitchen counter grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. Next, he placed the paper down in front of Daniella and drew a small circle in the middle of the page.
“Okay,” he said. “Think of that small circle there as the place where the earthquake starts.”
“Alright.” She replied.
“Now…” he continued. As he spoke, he drew a second, larger circle around the first followed by a third, a fourth and fifth. “When an earthquake happens, even if you are all the way out on the fifth circle, you can still feel the tremor from it. And in much the same way, other bear shifters for hundreds of miles are struck with vibration. It’s similar to the experience you have when you get a chill all of a sudden. Do you know what I mean?”
“Yes, of course.” She replied.
“The only difference is that it lasts for a minute, sometimes longer.” He said. “And there’s no mistaking it. The clan members will know what has happened but they won’t have any way to identify him… yet.”
“Oh, is that what you meant by ‘smelling’ him?”
“Yes,” Owen replied. “Except we refer to it as ‘scenting’ but it’s the same thing. That is a far worse scenario than the one I just described.”
“Why?”
“Well, sensing a shift is a non-specific thing.” He replied. “The only
thing any other shifter would know is that a shift occurred but not anything about who it was. But Jett’s scent, like mine, is unique, much like a fingerprint. Once another shifter knows you and your scent, they will always know you and be able to detect you for miles and miles, even if you are in human form. The only exception to that is if you live at higher elevations, like I do. Most shifters never venture up to this altitude. That’s how I’ve managed to keep to myself for all these years. Do you understand so far?”
“Yes, I… I think so.” Daniella said. “So what happens now?”
“Simple,” Owen replied. “We will travel to Fesser’s Grove in our human form. Kane will scent me, of course, and Jett as well. And even though Jett’s scent will be unfamiliar, I wouldn’t imagine it will take long before the clan’s enforcers swoop in and take us to him. I’m quite sure he’ll be interested to see me.”
“Wait, so you want to get caught?” Daniella asked.
“Yes.”
“Why?” She said. “That seems completely crazy to me!”
Owen leaned back in his chair and chuckled. “Because…” he began. But, just as he started to speak, he looked at Jett, nodded and said, “You heard that didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” he replied. As he spoke, Max and Amigo began to growl.
“Shh…” Owen said as he pointed at the dogs. They quieted down right away but remained on high alert.
“I don’t hear anything.” Daniella said.
“Daniella,” Jett said as he raised his hand in the air. “Be quiet for a second…”
***
Owen stood from the table. He made his way around the cabin with incredible speed and closed all the curtains. He paused for a second and looked out of the last window before he drew the curtain closed. The silence in the air started to make Daniella nervous.
“What is it?” She said as Owen returned to the table. “Is it an animal snooping around or something?”
“No,” Owen replied. “Wouldn’t be that… That wouldn’t get the dogs on an alert.”
“Someone’s out there.” Jett replied. “There… There it is again. Closer this time. You heard it, right?”
“Yep,” Owen said. “Get up right now… Both of you.”
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