by Riley Moreno
Sonya had been piecing together information, searching for every Wake in America and needless to say there were over thousands. She began looking for men who had lived in Albany in the late 70’s and come up with fifty men. Out of those fifty forty five were still alive. Sonya had been tracking them all down, and after a grueling process of elimination that had taken months she was down to one man.
Andrew Wake; owner of a general store in Poughkeepsie, was a Vietnam vet and was in Albany in 1979, the year Diesel was conceived. Sonya had his address and number burning a hole in her pocketbook but she hadn’t found the courage to call; what if Andrew Wake wasn’t Diesel’s father, what then? She had no more names to go to. And what if he was and not worth knowing? Would Diesel thank her for uniting him with a father he wasn’t even sure he wanted to know?
“I think what you’re doing is amazing,” Claus said, “It’s always a punch in the gut for a man if their father’s a jerk but at least you know where your good side comes from. Diesel’s mother abandoned him; that’s hard. He needs to know if his father was better.”
Claus had been born in to a family of Shifter’s. WereBoars, one and all, they had been embarrassed by Claus, the only WereFlamingo. His father took it as a personal insult, bullying him when he was a baby, insinuating that his mother had cuckolded him till he had sent Claus to the ER. His mother had picked him up when he was discharged and driven out of the beatnik Texas town, just the two of them, and moved to Shifter Grove.
“Or maybe he doesn’t,” Katherine shrugged. Katherine’s parents had abandoned her on a gas station in the middle of nowhere. She had just started showing signs of her WereBear nature and they hadn’t wanted one in the house. Katherine remembered her sisters screaming and pounding the windows as their parents sped away. Katherine missed her sisters’ sometimes, never her parents.
“I’m sure if he’s a jerk Sonya will know when she talks to him,” Samantha said. “It’s completely your call.”
Sonya sighed.
“I’ll regret it if I don’t,” she sighed, and held Katherine’s hand. “We’ve all had shitty parents but at least we know who they were. And I know Diesel often wonders about his dad but he’s too stung by his mother’s reaction to try and find him.”
Sonya stared at the number.
“I’ll call him tonight,” Sonya decided, crossing her fingers below the table.
Chapter Two
Call Me Trouble
Diesel Wake chewed his lip absentmindedly. His eyes were glazed. The blue glow of the computer screen made his face look pale and ghostly. He was sitting in the Sheriff’s office searching for the right crib and reading up on the first few months of a baby’s life.
It wasn’t hard being the Sheriff of Shifter Grove; after serving in the Navy SEAL Black Ops for over a decade this was a walk in the park, but even simpler. Nothing much happened in Shifter Grove except for disputes that occurred after a night of Shifting; it mostly involved the young ones who didn’t have much control over their shifting yet. Chicken coops invaded, attacks on barns.
For a community of Shifters it was a very peaceful place but the county rules still demanded that Shifter Grove needed at least two deputies. Kyle had retired six months ago and Diesel was looking for someone new. Only three people had applied; all three of them made up people by the trolling teenagers that plagued Diesel’s life.
Diesel ran a hand over his face, massaging his cheeks and jaw. His stomach rumbled when he heard the sound of a car pulling up in front of the office. Diesel cleared his desk in anticipation of the lunch he’d sent his deputy, Bill Hart, to grab from Pig Out.
“About damn time,” he said when the door opened but it wasn’t Bill.
A tall woman stood there. She had dark hair, alabaster skin and piercing green eyes. She was wearing a short skirt above leggings and a sweater that hugged every curve. She was small-waisted with big breasts and looked like a super model who’d just come off a runway somewhere in New York.
“Hi,” she said in a husky voice, “is this the Sheriff’s office? I’m looking for Sheriff Wake.”
“Y,” Diesel cleared his throat, “Yes. I’m Diesel. The Sheriff. How may I help you?”
“I’m Melanie Beal,” she said, her accent lilted slightly but Diesel couldn’t place it. “I moved to Shifter Grove about a week ago. I saw the ad in the paper, you’re looking for a deputy?”
“Yes,” Diesel said, strangely lost for words.
“Well I’d like to apply if the post is still open,” Melanie smiled, perfect dazzling teeth. “I was a police officer in Georgia. I have my CV here if you want,” she held a piece of paper out.
“Oh,” Diesel said.
Melanie looked at him with raised brows. Diesel made no move to take the piece of paper. He had been wondering if this was a daydream and was completely lost in thought when Bill walked in.
“Joe is a bastard,” Bill said looking at the floor to manage his steps. “But he’s a bastard who gives us extra fries. Well wow, hello?” Bill had placed the food on his desk and just caught sight of Melanie. “I’m Bill,” he said, the pimples on his chin turning redder as he blushed like a fool.
“Melanie,” she said. “But you can call me Mel.”
“Melanie’s applied for the post of deputy,” Diesel finally managed to say.
“That’s great!” Bill said and his excitement was palpable.
“So do I get the job?” Melanie asked.
“That depends; I need to know if you’re a Shifter.” Diesel said.
“Oh yes,” Melanie said as if they were talking about the weather, “I’m a WerePanther.”
“No way!” Bill squealed. “So is Diesel!”
“Really?” Melanie looked Diesel up and down and Diesel had to stop himself from blushing under her attention.
“Would you like to join us for lunch?” Bill asked. “Joe always gives us extra.”
“No thank you, I just ate,” Melanie said not looking at Bill. “When can I join?” she asked Diesel, her eyes never leaving his.
“Tomorrow work for you?” Diesel asked.
“It does,” Melanie said a flirty smile touching her lips. “Thank you so much. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She waved and left a cloud of perfume in her wake. Bill was staring after her unabashed, so was Diesel. Where had she come from? Here he was thinking of coercing Larry or Reed into doing a part time stint and here comes Melanie Beal, WerePanther and ex police officer with a sexy young body and an attitude to match to solve all his problems.
“Something tells me she’s going to be more trouble than she’s worth,” Bill said biting in to his hot dog, relish running down his chin.
Diesel couldn’t help but agree.
~*~
Diesel walked in through his front door. Everyone in Shifter Grove lived in cabins at least three to four miles apart. It made shifting easier and fewer tragedies occurred when you lived far away. Sonya had transformed his house ever since she moved in. The front door was painted a bright red, the gables turquoise, the living room was a burnished brown, the sofa upholstered Caribbean blue. There were framed pictures on the mantle above the fireplace, posters on the wall, comfy cushions on a rocking chair on the back porch and a fire roaring in the fireplace.
Eric Clapton was singing of love from the stereo.
Diesel remembered the hovel it had been and how inviting and warm it was now. He padded to the kitchen where Sonya was standing at the stove in just an oversized shirt stirring a sauce, her luscious hips swaying to the music. Diesel walked up to her, encircling her waist. He couldn’t get his arms around all the way, her belly had gotten so big. Diesel felt a nudge on his hand.
“Baby says hello,” Sonya crooned, kissing his jaw.
Diesel kissed her lips, tucking her caramel blonde hair behind her ear.
“And how’s the baby Mama?” he asked nuzzling in to her, inhaling her smell.
“Tired,” she said. “But fine.”
“Not too ti
red, I hope,” Diesel said cupping her breasts and Sonya chuckled.
“Never too tired for that,” she snuck a hand back and stroked his bulging erection.
Diesel reached out a hand and turned the stove off. The bubbling sauce simmering down as he slid his hands underneath the shirt pleased to find nothing below. Sonya moaned impatiently, taking his uniform off and sliding her lips on his stiff rod. Diesel loved the feel of her tongue on his shaft, her lips kissing the tip before opening up like a blooming flower.
He’d been afraid in the beginning, not sure if he’d hurt her or the baby if they continued to have sex the way they used to but Sonya had put his fears to rest, demanding more sex as her libido rose higher in the months after the nausea abated.
He loved watching her naked body. Her breasts, always big, were rounder and fuller than before; Diesel had watched, fascinated, as her nipples turned darker, her face glowing with an inner light when she slept with her hand firmly on her belly.
The love he had for this woman had eclipsed everything else in his life. He had never been sad, not really, a little lonely maybe, but it wasn’t till Sonya pulled in to his drive that he realized he had never been truly happy either.
They lazed on the sofa after making love, tucking in to the spaghetti Bolognese and watching an old movie on TV. Sonya’s feet were tucked under Diesel’s thighs, his weight providing her swollen feet some relief.
“She had feeds her cat tuna and almond milk and expects it to be a sprightly little thing,” Sonya was saying. “Who gives their cat almond milk?”
“Crazy cat ladies?” Diesel said.
“How was work?” Sonya asked. “Not too boring I hope.”
“We finally filled in the deputy post,” Diesel said sopping up the sauce with a dinner roll. “A new resident of Shifter Grove. Moved from Georgia, was a cop there.”
“What’s his Shit?” Sonya asked.
“Her,” Diesel corrected and Sonya lifted her brows in surprise. “She’s a WerePanther just like me.”
“That’s cool,” Sonya said. “What’s her name?”
“Melanie Beal,” Diesel said. “She’s staring work tomorrow.”
“Is she pretty?” Sonya teased.
“Yes,” Diesel said straight faced. “I thought she was a supermodel asking for directions.”
“Really?” Sonya asked dismayed. Diesel knew she hadn’t been feeling confident since the pregnancy had made her gain weight.
“Yup,” Diesel said. “She’ll be doing a number on the guys in town soon.”
Sonya didn’t respond to that, and Diesel saw that she was picking on her food. He placed his plate on the coffee table and pulled her close.
“But she’s got nothing on you,” he whispered in to her ear then kissed her lobe. She smiled uncertainly and he wanted to kick himself for playing with her feelings when she was so vulnerable. He knew that if she hadn’t been pregnant, with her hormones running wild, she’d have punched him in the face for looking at another woman funny. “I mean it!”
Sonya kissed him hard, her passion translating in to physical endearments because she seldom had words at her disposal. That’s another thing he loved about her. She never said what she could express through touch. For a man whose mother had stopped hugging him when he was three and ‘too old’ for hugs it was a welcome change that he hadn’t known he craved.
“I love you too,” Diesel said when they parted lips, their hot breath mingling in the cold.
Chapter Three
Dangerous Times
Sonya kissed Diesel goodbye. She had never liked the fact that Diesel had to work weekends but that was the nature of law enforcement and she made do with visiting him for lunch on Saturday and Sunday.
She pottered around the house for a bit, getting the laundry out of the way, during the house and fixing the bed. She pointedly ignored the phone in the living room. She whipped up some bread and baked a batch of cookies. When the dishes were cleaned and the cookies stored away she finally had nothing to do and sat down on the sofa staring at the number on her planner.
“Good help me,” she mumbled before closing her eyes and dialing the number. She bit on her nails as the phone rang once, twice, thrice. She decided to hang up after the fourth ring but a click told her it had been picked up.
“Hello,” the voice was deep, like Diesel’s. Sonya froze. Her panic was creeping up her throat choking her. “Hello?”
“He… hello,” Sonya said. “I’m looking for Andrew Wake. Is this his store?”
“Yes this is Wake and Son’s,” the man said. “Dad’s out for lunch. Can I take a message?”
Dad… Sonya shook her head. Of course he must have a family; what was Sonya expecting?
“No that won’t be necessary,” Sonya said. “I’ll call back this afternoon.”
She hung up before the man could say anything more. Her heart was beating wildly and she felt hot flashes suffuse her body. She picked up the cookies from the counter and got in her car. Sonya was in two minds about the whole thing. She felt guilty because every time they had talked about their parents Diesel had never expressed a desire to find his father, but Sonya was sure that she’d felt a need in him since she’d gotten pregnant.
And why not?
Sonya missed her father, and even considered calling her own mother just to have someone to share the news with, someone who could share their experience. But her mother was never the loving kind; she had left Sonya and her father when Sonya had been very young, saying Sonya was a mistake.
Sonya parked outside the Sheriff’s office. She didn’t bother locking her car. The office was warm and cluttered. Sonya cleaned it up every two months but it went back to being messy almost immediately.
“Hey Bill,” Sonya said and Bill grinned up at her.
“Cookies!” he said with glee. “You sure know how to spoil us.”
“Don’t eat them all,” Sonya warned. “Where’s Diesel?”
“Oh, he’s in the armory with Mel,” Bill said chomping in to the biggest cookie in the tin. “Giving her one of the Tasers.”
“Is she really as hot as all that?” Sonya asked.
“Why don’t you go find out?” Bill said scarfing down his second cookie.
Sonya flicked him on the forehead playfully and walked to the back of the office where the Sheriff’s office kept its armory. She heard laughter and playful tones from the room, when she walked in she saw a tall woman with the body of a runway model and the face of a goddess clutch her belly and lean on Diesel, she was laughing so hard.
Diesel was smiling like a goof, his I-didn’t-think-it-was-that-funny-but-okay face that Sonya knew so well. The woman, Mel, ran her hand on Diesel’s chest as she tried to stay on her feet, the gesture over familiar and Sonya knew that she would never like this woman.
“Oh God,” Mel had a husky voice, that low sexy tone that drove men mad. “Oh, you’re so funny!”
“What’s the joke?” Sonya asked pointedly and watched with growing anger as Diesel stiffened, his eyes big round orbs of surprise, and Melanie frowned at her, he hand still on Diesel’s chest as if it belonged there.
“Excuse me,” Melanie said pugnaciously, “Civilians aren’t allowed back here. Please wait in the front to lodge your complaint.”
“No, Mel,” Diesel said stepping away from her, taking her hand off of him gingerly. “That’s my girlfriend. Sonya this is Mel, I told you about her.”
“Yeah, sure,” Sonya said giving Melanie a stiff smile. “How are you Melanie? How do you like Shifter Grove so far?”
“Fine,” the woman said crossing her arms on her chest. She was looking at Sonya with narrow hooded eyes as if she wasn’t very impressed by Sonya’s status of girlfriend. “The place has its merits,” she said with a sly smile, glancing at Diesel and Sonya had to marvel at the woman’s obviousness.
Diesel shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the next.
“Lunch?” Diesel asked holding Sonya’s hand. “How about we go to t
hat new place in Waterville?”
“Won’t that take too long?” Sonya asked turning away from Melanie, guiding Diesel out of the room and in to the main office. “Don’t you have to be back in a few hours?”
“Nah,” Diesel said waving at Bill who was stuffing the last of the cookies in his mouth. “My deputies can handle things.”
“Yeah,” Bill said swallowing quickly, “Take the rest of the day off! Go on, I’m feeling generous today.”
Sonya laughed. Melanie came and sat on the edge of Diesel’s desk. Sonya could feel her gaze boring in to the back of her neck.
“You know what?” Sonya said. “I’m going to take you up on that offer, Bill.” She entwined her arm in Diesel’s. “I was hoping to get some shopping done for the baby and if we’re headed to Waterville we might as well make the trip worthwhile.”
“Don’t you work in Waterville?” Melanie asked suddenly and Sonya turned to regard her. “I mean you could get your shopping done any time.”
Sonya raised her eyebrows. Diesel and Bill were looking at Melanie quizzically.
“I’m just saying I find women who wait for their husbands or boyfriends to take them places are really taking feminism back,” Melanie said pleasantly.
“That’s not how our relationship works,” Sonya said. “I’d love to explain it to you but we’re running late for lunch.”
Sonya walked out and Diesel followed her. She didn’t say anything till they were a mile down the road.
“What a bitch!” Sonya spat. “What the hell is wrong with her?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Diesel said. “She was fine before you came.”
“Of course she was fine before I came,” Sonya muttered, “She had her hands all over you!”
“Hey,” Diesel protested, “Don’t you trust me?”
Sonya didn’t know what to say. She was fuming because Diesel had put her in this position. He was working with a bombshell who was obviously interested in him and she hadn’t seen him discouraging her. And even now he was making excuses for her!
“Well don’t you?” she could tell he was hurt, it was ringing clear as a bell in his voice.