Lucy's Wolverine (Lilly Town Shifters)

by Bobbie Palmer

  Lucy's Wolverine

  By Bobbie Palmer

  Copyright 2014

  by Bobbie Palmer

  This book is dedicated to my best friend, Lex. You have been there for me since the day we met and have helped shape me into the writer and person I am today. Thank you for everything.

  Chapter 1

  “Lexi, I’m not really in the mood to go to the bar,” Lucy said, as she was dragged out of the house.

  “You need to get out more. You’re always in front of your computer; you’re going to go cross-eyed. When was the last time you were out?” Lexi asked, pushing Lucy into the car.

  “I went to the diner yesterday and the store the day before that,” Lucy said as she buckled herself in.

  “Those don’t count and you know it. You need to be around people. You don’t want to be a hermit do you?”

  “I like being a hermit. I like being in the world of my books.”

  “It’s a good thing I’m here then. How do you expect to get laid if you never leave the house?” Lucy couldn’t think of anything to say to that. Lexi had a point.

  “I can’t stay out too late, I have a deadline. My editor wants this book soon and I’ve barely started it.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll have you back early,” Lexi said with a smile.

  “Thank you.”

  “Definitely before midnight.”

  “Lexi, a little fact about me. I’m normally in bed by ten. I’m not like you. I’m a morning person. I’m the one who wakes with the Sun, not goes to sleep with it.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with staying up all night,” her sister answered. She sounded offended, but Lucy knew better.

  “No there isn’t, not in Manhattan. In Lilly Town there is. It’s a small town. Everyone is ready for bed by eleven.” Lilly Town was the perfect place to live: it was quiet and people stayed out of your business, but they were always nice. It was the perfect place for Lucy to live. It was heaven.

  “Yeah, I never understood why you moved here,” Lexi said.

  “Because Manhattan was too crowded. I like the small town life.”

  “But there’s no nightlife. There’s nothing to do.”

  “Lexi, I don’t need a nightlife. I’ve never had one. The only time I did was when I went with you and I’m sorry to say, I don’t miss it.”

  “Really? How could you not? The guys, the dancing, the partying, the guys,” Lexi said as she pulled into Bill’s Bar’s parking lot.

  “Because that isn’t something that’s fun to me. I like curling up on the couch with a good book, or writing.”

  “You’re weird. Sometimes I wonder if I was adopted.”

  “You mean Mom and Dad haven’t told you yet?” she asked with feigned surprise.

  “You suck,” Lexi said.

  ***

  Mike was wiping some condensation off the bar when he heard the door open. Normally he wouldn’t bother to look up; he would wait for them to come to the bar, and that’s what they always did. But something told him to look up. Two women had walked in. One was tall and looked like she could be a model. The other… he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. To some she might look plain, but to him she was the most beautiful thing in the world with her bright brown eyes and chocolate hair. She wasn’t a stick; she had a little meat on her bones and her skin almost shimmered. He’d never seen anyone like her before.

  “Hey Mike, can I get a beer?” Frank asked from down the bar.

  “Sure,” he said, and filled a glass from the tap.

  “It’s a little busy tonight,” he said. Mike guessed Frank was in a talkative mood. He didn’t want to talk. He liked serving drinks and getting his tips.

  “Yeah.”

  “I hope you don’t have any trouble,” and Frank kept talking. If Mike didn’t at least pretend to listen, he might not get much of a tip, so he wiped up another spot and half listened.

  “Excuse me, can I get a Gin Martini and a Gin and Tonic?” a female voice asked. He looked up and saw it was the woman who had come in with the beautiful brunette.

  “Sure, I’ll bring them over to your table.” He wanted to get a closer look at her friend to see if she was as wonderful up close as she was from across the room.

  “Thanks,” she said, and walked back to her table with a little bounce in her step. Mike mixed the drinks and was taking them over to the table when a fight broke out right next to him, pushing him and causing the glasses to fall to the table and break. He heard the beautiful woman curse, but he had to break up the fight. He couldn’t risk anyone else getting hurt. Grabbing the two men by their shirts, he waited for his boss, Bill, to open the door so he could throw them out. They could fight outside. They could kill each other for all he cared.

  When he got back to the table to check on the women, he heard the one who’d ordered the drink say, “Excuse me, my sister got cut. Do you have some towels and a First Aid kit?”

  ***

  “Paul, I’ve been hearing some rumors about a wolverine spotted in a small town in Delaware. I want you to check it out quietly,” he said.

  “Yes sir,” Paul answered.

  “I want this to be kept quiet, and I don’t just mean in Delaware.”

  “Because it’s a wolverine?”

  “Yes,” he ground out between clenched teeth. There shouldn’t be any wolverines out there. He had the last two in existence.

  “It’s probably just a small bear. You know the young ones can be mistaken for wolverines. I’m sure you didn’t miss anything.”

  “I hope you’re right,” he said, dismissing Paul and going back to work at his desk.

  Chapter 2

  “Let me see,” Mike said. The woman hesitated at first, but then showed him her arm. One of the shards must have cut her when the glasses broke. “I’m sorry you got hurt.”

  “It was an accident. Are you okay… from breaking up the fight?” she asked. She sounded like she really cared if he had been hurt.

  “I’m fine,” he said, as he wiped some of the blood away with a napkin. It really didn’t look too bad. “I’m Mike, Mike Talon, by the way.”

  “Lucy Kartright. You don’t have to do this for me. I’m fine.”

  “I don’t mind. Let me take you to the back room and get you patched up,” he said, standing up.

  “Do you think she should go to the hospital?” her sister asked.

  “Lexi, I’m fine. It’s not that bad.” She looked down at her arm and showed it to her sister. “See, it’s barely bleeding.”

  “I just want to make sure you’re okay. A scar would suck. Anyone can see it there,” she said, looking at Lucy’s arm.

  “I’m lucky it wasn’t any lower on my arm. It would be hard to write like that,” she said with a sigh.

  “Come on, let’s get you bandaged,” Mike said, as he wiped a little more blood off.

  They walked to the back of the bar and into their storage room. Mike pulled down one of the extra chairs Bill kept in the back. “I’ll be right back,” he said, and walked into the bathroom to get the First Aid kit.

  “Mike?” Bill yelled. Mike walked back into the main room and saw Bill standing behind the bar. He was getting slammed.

  “Bill, I’ll be back in a few. I’m patching up one of the customers. She got hurt in the fight.”

  “Is she okay? I don’t want to deal with another insurance claim.”

  “Yeah, she’s fine. I’ll be right back,” Mike said with a little laugh. The man was all growl and no bite.

  “Everything okay?” Lucy asked when she saw him walking back.

  “Yeah, Bill’s just getting a little busy,” he said, opening the kit.

  �
�I’m fine. If he needs help, go,” she said, reaching for a bandage.

  “Nope, I need to make sure you’re okay,” he said, wiping at the cut.

  “Fine,” she said with a huff, and sat back.

  Mike chuckled to himself. The woman was stubborn. “So what do you do?” he asked her, trying to distract her from the alcohol wipe he was about to use.

  “I’m a writer,” she said with a smile.

  Okay, that wasn’t what he was expecting. “A writer? Do you actually make any money?” he asked.

  “Yes, I do. I mean, I’m not a millionaire or anything, but I’m doing well.” She sounded like she was getting mad.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you. I’ve just heard a lot of people say they’re actors and singers, but what they’re really doing is sending in tapes and head shots while working at the local Walmart or something.”

  “I understand. But I have one question for you,” she said, sounding a little confused. The woman could change moods like nothing he’d ever seen.

  “What’s that?” Mike asked.

  “Why aren’t they singing here to get an audience?” she asked with her face screwed up in thought, trying to figure it all out.

  “Did you hear the music when you came in?”

  “It was too loud to hear anything,” she answered.

  “We don’t have music most nights. We do when it’s slow, but what’s the point when no one can hear it anyway? It’s the same with the TVs: they only come on during games, and that’s if no one is fighting, and that doesn’t happen often.” He pulled out some antibiotic cream and started smearing it on her arm.

  “You make the bar sound like it’s full of lowlifes.”

  “No, I love the bar. The problem is that it’s a small town and this is the hangout spot. This is also where people like to bring their problems. You get someone who’s having a shitty day and who’s drunk, and the shit hits the fan.”

  “Oh… you still make it sound like a bad place,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Maybe I’ve just had a shitty day,” he mumbled.

  “Talk to me about it. How has your day been shitty?” She sounded like she was genuinely trying to help. That wasn’t what he expected. Most people would just let the comment slide and move on.

  “I had to break up a fight and in the process I hurt a beautiful woman. Then to top it off, I insulted her.”

  “I guess that would do it,” she said with a small smile. “My day hasn’t been that great either. I got stuck on my book and I was dragged into a bar where I ended up bleeding all over a nice guy.”

  “Thanks,” he said with a smile.

  She looked confused again. “For what?”

  “For making me feel better.”

  “I did? I’m glad I could help.” She sounded like she didn’t believe she had.

  She’s such an odd creature, Mike thought to himself. “Okay, let me get you back to your sister before Bill comes looking for me. Drinks are on the house tonight, and I’m really sorry about what happened.” She nodded and followed Mike out.

  “She okay?” Bill asked as they walked by. Mike nodded.

  ***

  “Lucy, are you okay? You were back there for a while,” Lexi said when Lucy sat down. Lucy looked around when she saw movement and wasn’t surprised to see her sister shooing away a crowd of men. Lexi looked and sometimes acted like a model, so it was normal for that to happen.

  “I’m fine. I didn’t mean to worry you. I was just talking to Mike.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay? That whole fight scared me.”

  “Lexi, you see fights all the time. You like seeing men fight over you. It didn’t scare you,” Lucy said. Her sister gave her a droll stare. She wanted attention and pretending to be scared was an easy way to get it.

  A tall, bald man came over and put a Gin and Tonic and a Martini on the table. “I’m sorry about what happened and I’m glad you’re okay. Mike said this is what you ordered. It’s on the house,” the man said before ambling away.

  “He’s hot,” Lexi said, taking her drink.

  “Really? He looks like a bear of a man. Did you see the tattoos?” Lucy asked.

  “I think he’s hot in a rugged biker way,” she said with a smile around her glass.

  “Okay,” Lucy said, and took a sip of her drink. A really good drink; the best she’d ever had. She glanced over at Mike and saw him staring at her. She smiled at him and he nodded with a slight smile.

  “Lucy, would you mind if we head back? I’m bored,” Lexi said.

  “Sure,” Lucy said, looking around. The bald man was at the bar, giving all the men within ten feet of them the evil eye. She thought maybe he wanted to make sure no one went near them, but she had a feeling it had something to do with Lexi. That would be why she was getting bored – no men to flirt with.

  ***

  Mike spent the night watching Lucy to make sure no one bothered her and saw that no one was getting close to the table. He looked over at Bill and saw why. He was glaring at everyone in the room who so much as thought of talking to the women. Looking back at the table, Mike saw them leaving and knew why.

  “Bill, what are you doing?” Mike asked.

  “I don’t want anyone messing with her,” he said with a shrug.

  “Lucy’s fine. I don’t think anyone’s going to mess with her.”

  “Not her,” Bill said.

  “Who the hell are you talking about then?”

  “The woman with Lucy. She’s gorgeous.”

  “Lexi?” Mike asked.

  “Is that her name?” Bill sounded like a love-drunk fool. He never thought he’d hear anything like that coming from his boss.

  “She’s Lucy’s sister and your glaring has scared them off,” Mike said, nodding to the two of them leaving.

  “What? No it didn’t,” Bill grumbled. Mike could see the disappointment on Bill’s face. He seemed to really like her. He didn’t know why: he’d barely spoken to the woman, and knowing Bill, he hadn’t given her a chance to say two words.

  “Well, hopefully they’ll be back,” Mike said.

  “I hope you’re right,” Bill said under his breath.

  Chapter 3

  Paul had been walking around the woods continuously since early the previous night, but hadn’t seen any sign of a wolverine. Not so much as a footprint. No sign of any bears either. He was starting to think someone had made the whole thing up. Either that, or his boss was sending him on a wild goose chase.

  “Fuck,” he said when he tripped over a branch for the hundredth time. He was military trained and knew how to move swiftly and quietly, but he was tired and had been searching for so long. He was fed up. He stopped. There was a rustling coming from the south. He almost didn’t move to see what it was. It was probably what it had been the other fifty times he’d heard rustling – a rabbit.

  As he moved forward, he saw dark brown fur out of the corner of his eye. He had to see what it was before it saw or smelled him. He couldn’t risk being seen. It was comfortable now, but if it knew Hunters were there, it would put up its guard and possibly attack. He liked his head where it was. Paul quietly snuck around and saw a large male wolverine following a path. It was too big to be wild and Delaware wasn’t known to have wolverines. There was no way it was a natural animal. It had to be a shifter.

  When he was on his first mission, he was so amazed a man could turn into such a magnificent creature, but he learned. He learned they were animals that killed for no reason other than to taste blood. He’d watched as a close friend was mauled by a man who turned into a bear. They all had to die.

  Paul pulled out his phone and took a picture of the wolverine before he quietly left. There was no way he was going to let it kill him. He had to kill them all or die trying, and today was not the day.

  Moving far away from it, Paul pulled up the picture and sent it to his boss. Now all he needed to do was wait for instructions. He couldn’t wait to go hunting.

  ***


  “And why are we going back to the bar? You said you were bored last night,” Lucy said as she got into her car.

  “Because I think that guy was glaring because of you getting hurt. He wanted to make sure no one bothered you. Plus I think that Mark guy likes you. You should say hi to him or something.”

  “His name is Mike and I have a lot of work to do. I don’t think I should be going. I know I should be sitting in front of my computer figuring this out. I’ve lost a lot of writing time and I can’t afford to lose any more.”

  “You’ve told me that sometimes it’s better to get away from the computer and take your mind off of it. Then you go back with a fresh mind and rock it,” Lexi said as she drove toward the bar.

  “Fine, but I don’t want to stay long,” Lucy said, crossing her arms over her chest. She hated it when Lexi was right.

  “Okay, I can live with that,” Lexi said with a conspiratorial smile.

  They walked into the crowded bar and looked around. There weren’t many tables, but Lucy was not sitting at the bar. She didn’t want to be that close to Mike. She liked him, but was he just being nice and doing his job, or did he really like her? No, she couldn’t sit at the bar and watch him work.

  “Why don’t you get our drinks and I’ll get a table?” Lexi said loudly. Lucy didn’t get a chance to say no before Lexi was gone, probably charming the pants off some guy so he’d let them have the table. Walking up to the bar, she saw Mike pouring something into a glass. Why couldn’t the bald man be the one serving drinks?

  “Hi Lucy,” Mike said when he saw her. He had a warm smile and looked like he was happy to see her, but she still couldn’t get it out of her mind that it was just his job to be nice.

  “Hi Mike, can I get…”

  “A Gin and Tonic for you and a Gin Martini for your sister,” Mike interrupted.

  “Yes, thanks,” Lucy said in surprise. How would he remember that? He probably takes tons of orders every night.

  “Is your day any better than yesterday?” he asked.

  “Not really. I’m still stuck on my book,” she said with a sigh.