As he’d suspected, there had been a few werewolves dispatched to keep an eye on the garage just in case he or Alex returned. They had all been in human form, but James knew them for what they were. It was in the way they watched and waited, patient and cunning. There had been some comings and goings throughout the day as various customers dropped by and left again with perplexed expressions on their faces. It was obvious something had happened, but it was a testament to the kind of neighborhood it was that nobody called the cops.
He’d been sitting here for almost twelve hours now and all but one of the watchers had gone. They’d left one behind skulking in the alleyway just beside the garage. James would have to take care of him first.
One slow inch at a time, he rose to his feet. Even though he’d been in one position for hours, there was no hesitation. All his concentration was on the task ahead. He had to dispose of the bodies from this morning’s fight, lock down the garage and head out of the city.
If all went according to plan, in less than twenty-four hours he’d be in Wolf Creek with Alex.
He swallowed hard as he eased the door to the roof open just enough to slide through, closing it gently behind him. Loping down the stairs, he tried not to think of his daughter. She was the light of his life and her safety was in the hands of another man. He didn’t like it, but he knew it was necessary. It was also time. He’d had Alex to himself for twenty-two years. It was time for her to spread her wings, find a mate and start a family of her own. Things would be different from now on regardless of what he wanted.
He moved silently down the stairs and out the back door of the building. He knew this neighborhood like the back of his hand, had prowled it for years. That gave him a distinct advantage over his pursuers. The sky was clear, the moon visible. It wasn’t full, not yet, but it was close. It hung in the sky like a beautiful yellow orb, beckoning to him, calling him to run wild and free. Soon, he promised himself. As soon as this was over he’d run long and hard.
The smell of the alley assaulted his nostrils as he stalked toward his prey. After all these years, he still hated the scent of garbage and human waste that seemed to permeate the city. It was also the reason he’d settled in this area. All these noxious odors buried his own distinct scent, throwing off any who came searching for him. And there had been a few over the years. This was the first time anyone had ever been successful though.
His boots made no sound on the loose gravel as he moved quickly and silently. He kept to the shadows, the action as natural to him as breathing. Narrowing his eyes, he sighted the young wolf peering out onto the street at the far end of the alley. He was one of the men who’d attacked them this morning.
Like a wraith, he covered the distance between them. His thick, muscled forearm went around the younger man’s neck and he gave a quick, hard twist. The crack sounded unusually loud in the hush of the alley. The man was dead before his mind even had a chance to register he was in trouble. He went limp and James caught him easily, dragging his body into the shadows. He’d deal with this one after he’d finished with the mess inside.
Keeping his eyes and ears open, he sniffed the air. All the usual smells were there, human sweat and garbage and the underlying odors of booze, drugs and desperation. The street looked as it always did this time of night. The bar at the far end of the street was doing a brisk business. The door slammed open and a drunken fool staggered out. A lone, rusty, beat-up car filled with young men cruised up and down the street looking for action. They yelled and hooted at a couple of women who were walking down the sidewalk as they passed by. All in all, it was a regular night in the neighborhood.
His spine tingled as he prowled toward the garage door. Someone was inside. Reaching beneath the tails of his shirt, he withdrew his gun, praying he wouldn’t have to use it. Not that the sound of gunshots was all that unusual, but he didn’t want to do anything that might attract unwanted attention to the place.
He placed his hand on the door handle, turning slowly. It wasn’t locked. Taking a deep breath, he released half of it and sprang into action.
Bending low, he went through the door fast, rolling behind the large metal toolbox that stood just inside the door. It was about four feet high, three feet wide and on wheels. He knew the metal was thick enough to give him some protection.
“I’ve got a gun.” The hoarse voice was familiar. It was also female.
“Divine?”
“James, that you?” He heard a scuffling sound at the other end of the room.
“Yeah, it’s me. You alone?” He could smell her now, sex and heavy perfume, overlaid with cheap whiskey. The scent of death also hung in the air, reminding him of the bodies still to be dealt with.
“I’m alone.” A dim light came on over the workbench. Divine stood there, her face pale beneath the thick coating of makeup, a snub-nosed revolver hanging from one hand. “What the hell happened, James? Where’s Alex?”
James stood, brushed off his jeans and tucked the Glock away again as he strode toward her. “Alex is safe.”
“I don’t understand.” Divine licked her lips, smearing her bright red lipstick. “Otto from the bakery came and got me this morning. I hadn’t even been to bed yet. I was still enjoying the coffee that Alex had given me and having a smoke while I read the paper to unwind after the night. I like to do that you know.” The last was said defensively as if she expected him to scoff or laugh at her.
“Go on.” he urged.
She raked her fingers through her bottle-blonde hair. “I’d just talked to Alex on the street, not a half hour before, when Otto comes running in saying he heard a gunshot at the garage. We came down to check it out and found the bodies. I told him to go back to work and I’d stay and wait. There were men watching the place, so Otto had his sons watching them all day. They all left several hours ago.”
“Not all of them left,” James muttered under his breath.
“Oh.” Divine’s eyes widened. She swallowed hard, not asking the obvious question. She already knew the answer. “What did they want? I know you’re not into anything illegal, James. You’ve been here too long for us not to know if you were.”
James sighed, needing to get rid of Divine so he could take care of the bodies. “I’m not who you think I am, Divine,” he began gently.
“This has something to do with that werewolf stuff, doesn’t it?” She nodded decisively.
James froze. “What do you mean?” What the hell did she know?
She shook her head and sighed. “James, did you honestly think you could live here for over twenty years and no one would ever find out? You and Alex were here about five years when I first saw you change. I’d been out late and you were just coming back to the garage. I have to say, you gave me quite the fright. I’d never seen a wolf before, except on television, let alone a werewolf. For a while I convinced myself I’d just had way too much to drink.” She laughed. “But there were other signs as well. You kept to yourself and were extremely protective of Alex.”
He was stunned. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
She shrugged, the strap of her dress falling down the curve of her upper arm. She pushed it up impatiently. “What was there to say? You’re a good man, a wonderful father and a heck of a great mechanic. You never judged me for what I am and you raised Alex to be the same. She’s a fine young woman, James. She treats me like I’m a real person, not just some cheap, drunken whore.”
“I don’t know what to say.” He truly was at a loss for words. Acceptance in the human world was rare for his kind and he’d never expected to find it here of all places.
“Nothing to say,” she continued briskly. “I know most folks think I’m crazy, but I know what I see out on the streets. I know there are werewolves, vampires and other creatures out there.”
James nodded. “You’re not crazy.”
She glanced toward the stairs at the back of the room. “The thing now is to worry about the bodies upstairs. I was hoping you’d show up,
but Otto and his sons are bringing some tarps and the bakery truck in a few minutes. We didn’t want to leave the bodies any longer. The smell is getting bad, even for this neighborhood.”
“Why would you do that?” James still couldn’t quite believe that, not only Divine, but also other people in the neighborhood were willing to help him. His eyes narrowed. “Does Otto know?”
“About the werewolf thing?” She didn’t wait for him to answer, but continued on. “I imagine so.” She cleared her throat. “Bill from the barbershop and Stanley from the bar also offered their help. I assume quite a few folks are aware that you’re different.” She paused. “What about Alex?”
James knew what she was asking and considering all she’d done for him he figured he at least owed her the truth. “Yeah.” Sighing, he ran his hand across his face, trying not to think about Alex. He longed to know where she was, to hold her in his arms to assure himself she was safe. “I’d hoped she’d be fully human, but there were signs. She’s reaching maturity as a female now. Somehow word got out that she existed and now single males from packs from all around all want to claim her, whether she wants it or not.”
Divine’s hand flew to her mouth. “That’s barbaric.”
James laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “That’s nature, Divine. Humans are no different. Thing is, the years haven’t been kind to the packs and their numbers are dwindling. They need females to reproduce and restore the population. The ironic thing is a hundred years or so ago they might have killed her because her bloodline is tainted because her mother was human. Now they all want her as a breeder.”
“That’s why you’re here and not with a pack?” Once again, Divine was proving to be an astute woman.
James nodded. “I wanted a different life for Alex.”
“Where is she, James?”
“Honesty, I don’t know. We split up this morning and I sent her off with the son of an old friend. He’s the only one I can trust until this mess is resolved.”
“What will you do?”
James reached out and stroked his fingers over Divine’s hair. “It’s best you don’t know but, rest assured, Alex will be taken care of.”
“I believe you.”
The sound of a truck pulling up in front of the garage had James whirling and moving in one motion.
“That should be Otto,” Divine yelled after him. He pulled out his gun and hid in the shadows, not willing to take any chances.
The door to the garage was opened enough for a truck to pull in. It wasn’t a large truck, but it had an enclosed box on the back with Bykowski’s Bakery stenciled on the side. Still, James waited in the shadows until the truck was inside and the door closed and bolted. Two younger men waited by the side of the truck while an older man opened the truck door and climbed down from the cab. “Divine,” he called. “You see any sign of James or Alex yet?”
“Hello, Otto.” He stepped from the shadows, shocking the three men who stood not four feet from him.
The older man was startled for a moment, but recovered quickly, rubbing his hand over his mostly balding head. “James.” He strode forward, hand extended. “Bad business up there,” he motioned upstairs with his free hand as he shook James’ hand with the other. “Bad business. We’ve got tarps in the back and me and my boys will make sure they get dumped in the lake far away from the neighborhood.”
“I appreciate it, Otto.” He hesitated. “I suppose you want to know what happened?”
Otto shook his head vehemently. “A man’s business is his own. You are one of us and that is all that matters.” Releasing James’ hand, he turned to his sons. “Come. We have work to do.” Both his sons were in their early twenties and were carbon copies of their father. They looked as if they were bursting with questions, but said nothing as they followed their father, tarps tucked beneath their arms.
James shook his head, feeling oddly out of control of the situation. If he hadn’t returned his neighbors would have taken care of the situation for him and he’d never have known. It was strangely humbling. He’d had no idea people felt this way about himself and Alex.
Divine started upstairs, but James put his hand on her arm, stopping her. “You don’t need to see this.”
She looked mildly surprised. “I’ve seen worse.”
“I know,” he gently replied. “But that doesn’t mean you need to see it again.”
A slow smile covered her face. This one was natural without the artifice she usually displayed. James was surprised to notice she was actually quite pretty beneath her façade. “That’s really sweet of you, James, but I want to help. I need to help.”
Nodding, he started up the stairs with her close behind him. Otto and his sons had already wrapped the two bodies in tarps. Someone had boarded the window shut. “Who did that?” James motioned to the window, noticing the glass had been swept away as well.
One of the younger men straightened. “I did. I didn’t want anyone sneaking in and stealing anything.”
“My Dominik is a good boy.” Otto beamed and his son blushed.
“Thank you.” James didn’t quite know what else to say. “Why?” He was at a loss as to understand their actions.
Otto walked over to him, his smile sad. “You think you are a loner, keeping to yourself. You think we do not know what you do. When my Anna needed medical care, there was an envelope of money left on the counter of my store with the name of a good doctor tucked inside. When Bill was having trouble with that gang that was trying to infiltrate the neighborhood, don’t think we didn’t all notice when they suddenly disappeared. This neighborhood might have its problems with petty drug dealers, but there is not the same amount of violence here. It is a good neighborhood, where decent people can make a home. Don’t think we don’t know it is because of you, James Riley.”
He’d had no idea. Over the years, he’d taken care of the neighborhood people as best he could without exposing himself or interfering in their lives too much. After all, they were human; he was not. But he was still an alpha male whether he wanted to be or not and the people around him had become his pack in a strange sort of way. He just hadn’t been aware of how much they’d known. No one had ever said anything until now.
“Thank you.”
“Bah,” Otto swiped his hand in front of him. “There is no need for thanks. My Anna is alive because of you. There is nothing my family will not do to help yours.” Motioning to his sons, they each picked up an end of one of the tarps and started back down the stairs. Otto and James took the other.
When both bodies were loaded in the back of the truck, James turned to Otto. “There’s one more in the alley to the left.”
He nodded. “We will stop outside and pick him up. They will be on the bottom of the lake within the hour and will trouble you no more.” Otto climbed into the driver’s seat while his sons opened the garage door. He eased the truck out of the building, stopping in front of the alley. As James closed and bolted the garage door, he could see both Dominik and Leon heading into the alley, tarp in hand.
“What will you do now?” Divine had come up to stand behind him.
“I have to go and meet Alex. Once I’m sure she’s safe, I’m not sure what I’ll do.”
“You’re not coming back, are you?”
Was he? “I honestly don’t know, Divine. Probably not.” He left her and went into the office. Digging through the file cabinets, he found what he was looking for. Picking up a pen, he scribbled across the page. When he was done, he went back into the garage only to find Divine heading for the door. “Wait.”
She turned back. “Is there something else you need?”
“No.” He shook his head. “This is something I want to do for you.” He handed her the papers.
“I don’t understand.” She squinted in the dim light to read them.
“That’s the deed to the garage. I own it free and clear. The apartment upstairs is yours to live in. Feel free to rent out the garage. Check with Otto’s son, Le
on. I saw the way he was eyeing the place. He might want to do something different with his life than work in his father’s bakery.”
“I can’t take this, James.” She thrust the papers back at him, but he wouldn’t take them.
“Yes, you can. All I ask is that you close out Alex’s apartment and store all her stuff here for her.” Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a set of keys. “The keys to the garage, the apartment upstairs and Alex’s place are all on here.” He removed several keys from the ring before handing it to her.
“But—”
“No.” He cut her off. “You didn’t have to do what you did today. None of you did. The men watching this place are dangerous and you knew it, but you did it anyway. I can never repay that. Besides.” He propped his hands on his hips and looked down at her. “Don’t you think it’s time to start taking care of yourself?” He softened his tone. “You’re still a relatively young woman, Divine. Beneath that hard shell, there’s a good woman. Give yourself a better life.”
Her lower lip trembled and she threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He gathered her close for a hug. She stepped back a moment later, swiping at her eye makeup and sniffing self-consciously. “I must look a mess.”
He smiled as she dug a tissue out of her pocket and tried to wipe the smudged mascara from her eyes. “Yeah, you do.” She laughed as he’d intended. “Just do me one favor and wait at least two weeks before you move in. Everything should be taken care of by then and there should be no danger to you or anyone else.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “We’ll just keep an eye on the place. As far as anyone is concerned, you’re on vacation.”
“You okay to get home on your own?”
Divine laughed. “Honey, I’m as safe on the streets as I am in my own bed.” She strutted to the door, papers and key ring clutched tightly in her hands. When she reached the door, she turned. “You take care of yourself, James Riley. And take care of that girl of yours. Alex is special.”
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