Never Die

by N. L. Hoffmann

  Stepping out into the heat, I gasped for air. It was so muggy outside, sweat was already forming all over my body. Groaning in displeasure, I climbed into my car, which was even hotter. “Damn!” My hands burned on the steering wheel. Quickly, I shoved the key into the ignition and started it up. Hot air blasted from the vents as I put the car in reverse to leave the parking lot. I glanced across the street and frowned, stopping the car. Luke was waiting in his truck. He used two fingers, pointed to his eyes, and then pointed them at me.

  I waved, smiling over at him, which only made him scowl in return. He had better things to do than watch me, I was sure. Losing him was going to be difficult with it being such a small town, however. Boring him to death was the best way to get him off my tail. Once he realized I wasn’t going to do something dangerous, he would go off on his merry way. At least I hoped that would be the case. He was a stubborn man, and seemed to know me better than I thought he should.

  As I was driving down the road, I noticed that the bar was pretty busy for the middle of the day. There were a lot of work trucks from a local construction site. The motel was probably going to be pretty packed, I decided as I pulled into the parking lot. I didn’t really feel up to going to the bar, but Luke was following close behind, trying to make a point. How long was he going to continue following me around?

  Parking, I climbed out of the car, groaning when he did the same thing and was coming in my direction. I took a moment to drool over his sexy walk, hands placed on his hips and a determined look on his face. The man was on a mission, but I knew for a fact he would be unsuccessful. He wasn’t going to run me out of town, no matter how hard he tried.

  “Riley, what are you doing?” he asked, boots scrapping over the gravel of the parking lot.

  Taking a deep breath of his cologne, I shrugged my shoulders, glancing over to the bar. Someone came out, noise emanating from inside as the door slowly shut. “Nothing.” I couldn’t come up with anything creative to say, so the less information I gave him, the better. Only he raised his eyebrows in suspicion, apparently not believing my answer.

  “I know you didn’t plan on coming to this bar. What are you really up to?” I pretended to be insulted, but he shook his head to stop me from saying anything. “Lance told me you stopped out at his place. I think you—” A radio on his hip started to squawk about a domestic dispute. He swore, grabbing it. “On my way,” he said to the dispatcher.

  When he turned around to head to his truck, I grinned. “See you later, Lukey!”

  He paused, hand resting on the door handle of the truck. “You know what? I’ll let Hank handle this one.”

  “No! I mean—no, don’t let me stop you from doing your job.” I laughed nervously, clenching my fists. He was so close to leaving, but he was coming back in my direction with a large smile. Bastard!

  Luke’s phone started to ring and he swore, irritated with getting interrupted. He stopped halfway between us to answer it. “What do you mean she has a gun? Since when does Hannah own any guns? That woman is afraid of a fly.”

  Swearing some more, he hung up the phone and headed back to the truck. “This isn’t over, Riley. If I catch you outside of town, I will put you in jail for interfering with police work.”

  “That’s not legal. How the hell is that interfering with police work?” I demanded, stomping after him.

  “No one’s going to stop me from putting you in jail. It’s my town, my rules.” He hopped up into the truck and then looked down at me, his hair falling forward. “Don’t make me be the one to tell Annie that she’s alone because her last living relative was murdered by a Pack of crazy wolves.”

  “A Pack?”

  He pressed his lips together, refusing to say more. “Just mind your own damn business,” he snarled, pulling the door shut.

  I stepped back, not sure what to do. The longer I stayed in the town, the angrier he was getting. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t his choice. My new job was to save Jenny and Alex, but I honestly had no idea how to accomplish that if I had to take on a whole damn Pack.

  My phone went off to let me know I had a text message. Digging it out from my back pocket, I lit up the screen to take a look. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a vice. In the message was a picture of Alex, gagged and strapped in a chair.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Freaking out, I swung open my car door, ready to take off. My heart was pounding, and fear was beginning to consume me. I didn’t know if I could function. My hands were shaking as I tried to put the keys into the ignition. What was I supposed to do? Alex was in trouble. I had to focus and try to think of a plan, but my brain wouldn’t cooperate.

  My phone started to ring, but I didn’t really pay attention to it. When it stopped ringing, I glanced over, watching it blink red for a missed call. My next step would have to be to get the girl. I would figure out the rest after that.

  Squeezing my eyes shut, I pressed my forehead to the steering wheel. My stomach was starting to feel unsettled from my nerves. “Maybe Luke will help me,” I said to myself. Only I knew that wouldn’t be true. Luke would put his brother and Jenny first. Alex meant nothing to him.

  Again, my phone started ringing. Sighing, I reached over and glanced at the screen. Alex’s phone was calling me. Maybe it was a demand for ransom, or a reminder that he would go free once they had the little girl. Taking a deep breath, I answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Riley! Oh, my God. I’m such a fucking idiot. Holy shit, I can’t believe I did that.”

  Confused, I sat staring through the windshield. “Alex?”

  “I didn’t mean to send you that picture. That was for someone else.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? That was a fetish picture to your dominatrix?”

  As I was yelling, people were walking by, staring at me with alarmed expressions on their faces. Yeah, I was screaming about a dominatrix in public. That didn’t happen every day. I didn’t know what else to say. Alex kept surprising me more and more every day. Was this becoming a problem? Did he need therapy? Shit like this wasn’t supposed to happen to best friends. There was a line you just didn’t cross.

  “I clicked on the wrong contact.”

  “Alex, I thought they kidnapped you.” I didn’t know if I should have felt relieved or freaked out.

  There was silence on the other end, but finally he spoke. “You have to delete that picture.”

  “I won’t. Maybe that will be a lesson for you. Don’t send dirty pictures to your dominatrix.” I felt a single tear spill over and down my cheek.

  “No one is going to kidnap me. I’m actually on a plane to Washington.”

  “D.C.?”

  “Yup.”

  “What for?”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “Why the fuck not? Is it for work?”

  “Yeah.”

  Realizing he wasn’t going to spill any details, I closed the car door and turned the key. “You’re a damn security guard, what could you possibly do that is so top secret? Or is this a fetish thing? Did your dominatrix send you on a mission?”

  “Please don’t talk about her. It’s weird,” he groaned.

  “You know what’s weird? Getting a fetish picture from your best friend of him gagged in a chair.”

  “Good point. Anyway, I have to go.”

  Shaking my head, I put the phone on the passenger seat. Alex was going to send me into cardiac arrest if he kept this shit up. Deciding I would wait over at the Sheriff’s department, I placed my hand on the shifter to move the car. When I glanced up in my rearview mirror, someone was standing behind the car. He was wearing all black, with a matching ski mask.

  My first reaction was to slam the car in reverse and run the bastard over, but he was already moving, swinging a bat at my car. My back window splintered in several directions as the object met forcefully with the glass. I screamed, reaching for my gun. He was now on the driver’s side, swinging the bat again. The glass cracked
and he swung again. When it shattered, it went flying at my face. He reached through, grabbing my hair in his fist.

  “Get the girl, bitch!”

  “I—What...what do you want with me?”

  Growling, his face came so close to mine, I could see his eyes glowing. “Just do it.”

  Someone came out of the bar, yelling at the man. He released my hair, taking off into the direction of the woods. The guy was so fast, the person who came out of the bar looked around in confusion. “Where did he go?” she asked, coming up to the car.

  My gun finally came out of the holster. The woman looked down at my hand and her eyes widened. “I must have had too many damn pills. That guy shot out of here faster than one of those monsters on TV. Why didn’t you shoot him?”

  “My gun wouldn’t come out,” I replied, still stunned by what happened.

  “You want me to call Sheriff Thatcher?” she asked, looking up as if she saw something in the distance. “Oh, wait, never mind. He’s already here.”

  Shoving my gun back into the holster, I scrambled out of the car. How the hell was I going to explain what just happened? It would only make him want to lock me up even more. Things were not going the way I wanted them to. When did they ever? I should have refused the case when Fake Mary told me where she wanted me to go. The rule has always been to follow your instincts, yet I constantly went against mine here.

  The woman looked at me, her gray hair falling out of its bun. “Looks like the glass got you in the face. You have some blood on your cheek.” She licked her thumb and started coming toward my face.

  I widened my eyes and backed up. “No, that’s okay. I’ll get it myself.”

  “What the fuck happened here, Riley?” Luke demanded, gesturing wildly at my car.

  “Yes, I’m okay. Thanks for your concern.”

  Luke stopped, realizing how insensitive he was being. “Are you okay? What happened?” Concern now etched his voice.

  “Some asshole smashed my windows with a bat.” I said, running a hand through my hair. That was all he needed to know. The other information I could keep to myself. If he found out what I had to do, then he would probably drive me back to Chicago himself.

  “The man was fast. He took off like a bat out of hell.” The woman explained.

  I wanted to slap her and tell her to shut up, but I maintained my control, stiffening up as she told the story. She even said his eyes glowed, which I hadn’t realized she had seen. After she was finished, Luke stared at me, face absent of all emotion.

  “Thanks, Cathy. I’ll take it from here.” Luke placed a hand on her back and then directed her to a beat-up blue car. They talked for a few minutes, looking in my direction. It was irritating, but again, I stayed where I was until they finished.

  The sun was incredibly hot, the humidity in the air making my clothes stick to my skin. I always became pissy when I got too hot. My irritation was growing by the second. When Luke started heading in my direction, I braced myself for his words. He grabbed my arm, pulling me in the direction of his truck. I yanked back on my arm, but he had a good hold, dragging me across the parking lot. “Hey! You’re getting dirt on my pants!”

  “No, you are. Maybe you should try walking instead of fighting me the whole damn way.”

  I stumbled forward, nearly falling on my face. “Stop! Can we just talk? Quit trying to manhandle me like a caveman.”

  “Woman! If you’d listen, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have to worry all the damn time about you. I can’t function and do my job, because all I keep thinking about is, what if someone kills you? What if you get into trouble, and I can’t get you out of it?” Luke had both hands over his hair, clutching it. When he pulled his hands away, it was sticking out in all directions. “You’re driving me insane!”

  “No one asked you to worry about me. I can handle myself.”

  “Like just now? You could have been killed! You are no match for another wolf. You’re inexperienced, and not made for this kind of world. You chase cheating spouses, not criminals. Especially not supernatural ones.” He grabbed my arm again. “I’m taking you to the damn airport.”

  Deciding I’ve had enough, I jerked my arm back. “You have no right to do what you’re doing. I’m a grown-ass woman. I’m here as a private investigator, and I’m allowed to do my job.”

  “Oh, right, your fake case. The one where you were hired by the fake Mary.” He rolled his eyes, hooking thumbs into his pockets. “You’re right, it’s not my place to do this, but someone needs to. You obviously have no idea what you’re doing here.”

  I poked him in the chest as I took a step forward. “And you know what’s best for me?”

  “I’m the law. What I say goes.”

  “You can shove the law up your ass.” I spun around, heading back to my car.

  Luke hurried after me. “Let me call a tow truck.”

  “My car runs just fine.”

  “There’s glass all over it. And you need someone to look at the wounds on your face.”

  “I’ll drive it over to the glass place in the next town. From there I’ll call the car rental place and have them drive a car over to me.”

  “I can drive you around,” he suggested.

  No, that would make everything easier on him. Then he would be able to keep an eye on me, twenty-four seven. Though, that would mean I could spend more time with him. Part of me hesitated, but I opened my car door, using my sleeve to brush out the glass. “I’m fine, Luke. You wanted me out of your hair. This is me not trying to get in your pants anymore. Find another damsel in distress.”

  “You need protection.” He continued to bother me, leaning against the car.

  “My gun is all the protection I need.”

  “A lot of good it did you when that wolf was here.”

  A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as I continued to stay bent over to get the glass out. He was getting on my last nerve. As much as I wanted to jump his bones, I wanted to slug him in the face more. Always trying to control what I was doing, but liked to pretend that I didn’t mean anything to him. He was in denial, and it was the most frustrating thing I’ve ever encountered. Well, other than Alex’s new hidden fetish. I didn’t know if I could ever get past that.

  “Go away,” I grumbled, picking pieces of glass out of the cracks of my seat. When I turned to look in his direction, he was gone. Luke was already climbing into his truck to leave. I was somewhat disappointed and a little hurt, but he was resolute to keep distance between us.

  *

  Shoving chips into my mouth, I scouted the Sheriff’s department for Hank. He arrived only an hour ago, then sat at his desk, looking at his phone. Didn’t he have paperwork to fill out or maybe some inmates to harass?

  I wasn’t sure where Luke was. I hadn’t seen him since he left me at the bar. It was bothering me that I didn’t have a clue about what was going on with the challenge Lance received. There had to be something I could do, but what? Maybe saving Jenny was the way to go, but not handing her over put Alex in harm’s way.

  Shifting uncomfortably, I played with the radio to find a better station. The rental car was a little more expensive than I wanted to spend. When I dropped off my car at the shop, the guy wasn’t there. He had his emergency number listed on the outside of the door, so I had to call him. The man showed up thirty minutes later to pull my car into his garage. He said it would take him a day or two to fix the damage. It was a little faster than I expected.

  My eyes were starting to hurt as tiredness crept up on me. How much longer would Hank be at his desk for? Maybe he wasn’t going to watch Jenny today. The thought stressed me out so much that I looked in the direction of the bar, debating if I should go get drunk instead. Then from the corner of my eye, I saw something. Hank was on the move.

  Relieved, I watched as he climbed into his cruiser, moving slower than I had patience for. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, stopping to gesture wildly for him to go faster. As i
f he could see me. I rolled my eyes when he decided to light up a cigarette and sit in the car. I didn’t think they could smoke in police cars, but whatever. It wasn’t like some out-of-towners came in to inspect the place. Everyone knew that, considering the freak show Lance was allowed to run.

  Finally, Hank opened his car door to stomp out his cigarette. He started the cruiser and began to head up the road in the direction of Lance’s house. I followed a second later, making sure to keep a discreet distance between us. I hate following people in the dark, but a lot of times, that’s when most of the action happened. Plus, it was easier with less traffic. There were fewer people trying to cut you off, and not as many obstacles to overcome. Living in the city made my job difficult at times, but I became such a pro maneuvering around cars, it’d become second nature.

  We traveled for about fifteen minutes, taking a couple of dirt roads into the woods. My rental car hated the gravel we started to travel on; it was deep and dense with rocks. The roads were narrow, and only had enough room for one car. If I weren’t careful, Hank would know that I was following him.

  Hank started to slow down for a driveway and I waited behind him, passing so that it looked like I was just a neighbor getting through. I found a small driveway that stopped at a gate for entry into a field. Parking the car, I climbed out and then started to head into the woods, cringing at the thought that ticks and spiders could be waiting for me there. Taking deep breaths, I plunged through, making a little noise. Then I had a better thought. I could travel as a wolf.

  Going back to the car, I started stripping, throwing my clothes inside until I was completely nude. Shivering because I was now exposed, I started to think about what it was like to be a wolf. First, I imagined running through the woods in wolf form. My tongue hanging out as the wind blew through my fur. Of course, my tongue was hanging out. Shaking my head to clear the image, I began to picture myself changing into a wolf, sprouting fur along my skin as my hands and feet turned into claws. Just as those thoughts passed through my mind, I was on my knees, back bowing as bones began to reshape.