“Don’t thank me, thank the hospital.”
Gary was a bit gruff; he didn’t like being the bearer of bad tidings.
“Where is Fletch?”
Shannon looked around the room. Everyone was there except Fletch. At least she could move around.
“Kenney, is he coming in?”
Kenney couldn’t look at her and finally went outside. He couldn’t stand there any longer without saying something he might regret.
“Gary?” Shannon looked to her boss.
“Sorry, Shannon, Fletch didn’t come back. They didn’t kill the wolf and he has gone after him.”
“Nooo.” Tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to spill. “Why?”
“He told Kenney that he assumed he was fired and wanted to spend time with his bear. We think he has actually gone after Weston.”
“With his bear?”
Shannon didn’t know Fletch was a shifter. She picked up her water bottle and threw it against the wall. It hit with such force; the bottle exploded. Shannon’s tears fell unchecked. No one said a word. Stan handed her a box of tissues. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She didn't look up.
“I think I’d like to go to bed. Stan, would you mind?”
Stan quietly wheeled her out of the room. When he got to the stairs, he picked her up, leaving the chair where it was, and carried her upstairs to her room.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Just hand me the t-shirt that’s on the back of the door. I think I can do the rest.”
“Shannon.” He wanted to explain.
She held up her hand.
“Don’t,” was all she said.
Stan left, closing the door behind him. He didn’t leave, he just stood there; he could hear Shannon crying alone in her room. There was nothing he could do and finally went downstairs.
*****
“How is she?” Gary asked when Stan returned.
“Not good. She didn’t know Fletch was a bear, did she?”
“No.”
“Why did you drop it on her like that?”
Stan was pissed at his boss and long-time friend.
“She would have found out sooner or later.”
“You’re a cold son-of-a-bitch.”
Stan walked out and slammed the door behind him.
Gary went ahead and fixed dinner, even though he’d be eating alone. He knew Kenney and Stan would come and eat later after they cooled down. He thought about everything that happened and he regretted some of the things he had said and done. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had forgotten Shannon didn’t know about Fletcher’s bear. The one thing he feared everyone else would do, he did himself. He let the secret slip.
Stan went looking for Kenney. He found him out back, tying down one of the helicopters.
“Kenney, do you want to talk?”
“Not really.”
“You know he could have fired both of you.”
Kenney slammed a toolbox shut.
“I wish he had. At least I could be out there watching his back. It didn’t even occur to me that he would go after that maniac alone. I like Fletch. I know I was indifferent towards him at first, but he’s become my friend and I’m worried about him.”
“So am I, but what can we do?”
The two of them sat on the back steps.
“He told Shannon that Fletch was a bear. He dropped it on her like a bomb. She didn’t know.”
“That bastard. I knew he could be cold, but that was uncalled for. Life might have dealt him a lousy hand, but does he have to take it out on a sweet kid like Shannon.”
Gary was coming to tell them dinner was ready and stopped when he heard them talking. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop; he couldn’t help it. He quietly retraced his steps and said nothing. He left the meal in the oven for now and went to his office. He unlocked the bottom desk drawer and opened it. He had a bottle of whiskey that he seldom touched. Next to the bottle lay a picture of a woman and child.
He placed his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands, and silently cried. He never touched the bottle or the picture. It was late when he finally closed the drawer and locked it. He went to the break room and found that everything had been put away. He decided he would look in on Shannon before he retired for the night. He found her sitting up in bed.
“Shannon, you’re awake, are you alright?”
She didn’t answer, she just stared at the wall. Tears still ran down her cheeks. He went to her and sat on the side of the bed. He pulled her into his arms and let her cry. Neither of them spoke a single word. It was some time before Shannon fell asleep with her head on his shoulder. He gently laid her down and pulled the covers over her. He kissed her forehead and went to bed.
Chapter 28
Shannon awoke early and hobbled about her room. She was hungry and needed to relieve herself. She made her way to the bathroom and took care of business. She wanted to take a shower but washed herself with a cloth instead. She had been told to refrain from taking a bath or shower until the stitches in her leg where removed. She was on her way back to her room when Stan met her in the hall.
“You look exhausted.”
“I am.”
She stumbled and almost fell. Stan scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to her bed.
“You stay in bed and I’ll fetch you some breakfast. Would you like tea or coffee?”
“Coffee, please,” she said in a weak voice. Talking made her head throb.
“I’ll be back in a jiffy; you stay in bed.”
“Don't worry, I’ll stay in bed. I don’t have enough energy to get up again.”
Shannon pulled the covers up to her chin and dozed while she waited for Stan to return. When he did, she was sound asleep. He left a sweet roll and a cup of coffee on her nightstand and left, letting her sleep.
When he returned to the kitchen, Kenney and Gary were there. They sat in silence while they ate their breakfast. Stan wasn’t ready to have a conversation with his boss. He poured himself a cup of coffee and started to leave when Gary asked him to stay.
“I’m sorry.”
Gary took a deep breath.
“I know everyone is pissed off at me and I don’t blame you. What I did to Shannon was wrong. To be honest, I forgot that she didn’t know about Fletcher’s bear, I was caught up in the moment. I broke my own rule, I let it slip.”
“I’ll say,” Stan remarked. “You know, you can be a real asshole sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” Kenney added. “He’s an asshole all the time.”
“You’re right,” Gary chuckled, “I really can be. All joking aside, I really am sorry.”
“Well, do you have any idea how you’re going to fix things between Fletch and Shannon?” Stan asked. “She’s going to hate him.”
Gary shook his head. He hadn’t thought about that.
“So, what are we going to do about Fletch? We need to find him,” Kenney asked.
“I don’t know,” was the reply. “Where do we start?”
“What about that friend of his, Charles McCormack?” Stan asked.
“I don’t know if he can help, but I should let him know what has happened,” Gary got up. “In fact, I’d better give him a call right now. Stan, is Shannon awake?”
“She was, but she went back to sleep.”
“Good, let her sleep, she was up most of the night. I’ll make that call.”
Gary went to his office. He opened the top drawer and pulled out the file that Bradley Fletcher had left with him. He hoped Charles McCormack was one of his emergency contacts and he was. He dialed the number and while he waited for someone to answer, he picked up the locket that was in the drawer for safe keeping. He ran his thumb over the beautifully engraved rose. There was something odd about that locket. Finally, someone picked up the phone at the other end.
*****
“I would like to speak to Charles McCormack.”
“This is Charles McCormack,” h
e answered.
“Charles, my name is Gary Morris from Idaho Air Rescue. I'm calling about Bradley Fletcher. I'm afraid we've had a bit of a situation here.”
“Yes, I'm aware, I spoke with Fletch and Captain Miller two days ago. I believe you were there. Have you found Dr. Stevens?”
“Fletch was able to locate and rescue Stevens. She's a little worse for ware, but she's home safe. I'm afraid we have another problem. Fletch has gone after the wolf.”
“By himself?”
“I'm afraid so.”
“And you let him go?”
“I had to take Shannon to the hospital. I thought the wolf was dead. Fletch left while we were gone.”
“Do you have any idea where he was going?”
Charles sounded worried. He didn't like the idea of Fletch going after this psychopath alone.
“Weston Cruz was taking Shannon to her parent’s cabin near Flathead Lake. He might be headed there.”
“Alright Morris, I'll notify the proper authorities and take it from here. You and your team stay put. I'll keep you informed.
“Charles, I'm sorry, I'm afraid this is my fault. He took one of his helicopters before it was certified. I told him he was fired for endangering another crew member.”
“He's a big boy, Morris, he knew the risk.”
“Please, if you hear from him, tell him I’m sorry. We all want him to come back. I especially want him to come back. Shannon is devastated. She has regained her memory and she needs him. I'm afraid she won't recover without him.”
“Does she know he's a shifter?”
“That is part of the problem. I'm afraid I let that slip. I had forgotten that she didn't know. I'm afraid we kept it from her.”
“Yes, Fletch told me. Don't worry, it will straighten itself out in the end. Thank you for letting me know. I'll call if I have any news.”
They said goodbye and hung up.
*****
Gary put the locket and file back in the drawer and locked it.
With that out of the way, he decided to look in on Shannon. The cup on the nightstand was empty and the sweet roll was gone. She appeared to be asleep when he picked up the dishes and turned to leave.
“Have you had any word from Fletch?” she asked in a whisper but didn't move.
“No, nothing yet,” he replied quietly.
“Will you let me know when you do?”
“Yes, as soon as we have any word.”
“Thank you for being here last night.”
She closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Gary left it at that and took her dishes away.
No sooner had he returned to the kitchen, the alarm blared, and he headed for the helicopter. Kenney and Stan came running after grabbing their gear. By the time they climbed aboard, the chopper was outside and ready to take off.
Gary waited before taking off.
“What’s up boss?” Stan asked.
“Did you make sure all the doors were locked?”
“Yup, double checked them all.” He patted Gary on the shoulder. “We’re good to go.”
Chapter 29
Fletch followed Weston Cruz for the better part of three days. He thought they were going in circles when he realized they were headed back to Caldwell.
“You're not going to give up, are you?” Fletch commented to himself. “You are going back for Shannon.”
Fletch pulled out his phone and turned it on. The phone was a gift from the FBI, it could get a signal from anywhere. The problem was, it used up almost all that was left of the battery in the process. He was kicking himself for not charging it. He quickly called Charles.
“Where the hell are you,” Charles roared over the phone. “What were you thinking.”
“Charles, calm down,” he said in a whisper, he knew his voice would carry a long distance, “I don't have much time. I've been following Weston Cruz. I think he's headed back for Shannon. Charles, he's going to try again. This time he won't waste time trying to abduct her; he'll kill her.”
“Where are you?”
“I'm in the middle of fucking Nowhere, Idaho. Charles, I can't keep up with him. I don't dare shift, I'll get shot by a hunter, they're everywhere.”
“Alright Fletch, we have to get you out of there; keep your head down. I think Agent Adams can track your location via your phone.”
“Tell him to hurry, the battery in my phone is almost dead. What about Shannon?”
“I'll turn everything over to Luke; he'll know what to do.” Charles hung up.
Fletch looked at his phone, the battery was down to almost nothing.
“Hurry Charles,” he remarked to himself, “I'm running out of time.”
Fletch gave up trying to stay with the wolf. He decided to keep walking until he found an open area large enough for a helicopter to land, or at least drop him a line. It wasn't going to be easy, so far everything was mountainous or heavily forested.
He found a small runoff stream and decided to take a break. He was thirsty. He dug around in his backpack for a collapsible cup he always carried. As he was about to scoop up some water, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Someone or something was watching him and was very close by. He scooped up some water and took a sip.
“Ahh, that tastes good.”
He scooped again, filling his cup, and stood up.
“Hello! You may as well show yourself.”
He looked as far as he could into the woods.
“I can't see you, but I know you're there. You may as well come forward. Weston, is that you, come out, let's talk.”
If it was Weston, he'd let him make the first move. He didn't have time to undress, and if he shifted now, he wouldn't have anything to wear, other than the sweatpants he had loaned Kenney.
“Fine, suit yourself.”
Fletch sat on a fallen tree and dug through his pack. He took all his survival training seriously and always carried certain items. He exaggerated digging through his pack until he found some beef jerky. He tried to see into the woods but still couldn't see anyone. Maybe it wasn't Weston after all, he was beginning to feel silly.
A twig snapped. Fletch held perfectly still, listening. He watched the leaves shimmy on a bush. He was just about to jump up when a small wolf cub slowly crawled out from under the bush, whimpering.
“Hey there, little one.”
The pup limped towards him.
“What’s happened to you?”
“Arh, Arh, Arh-Wooooo,” a wolf howled nearby.
The wolf pup ran to Fletch and tried to hide behind his legs.
“Hey, there.”
He reached down to pet the cub, but it yelped. When Fletch looked at his hand, there was blood.
“I guess that big bad wolf doesn't care who he hurts. Where's your momma, little one?”
The pup whimpered again. Fletch suddenly had a bad feeling. He had let his guard down. Weston Cruz was standing just beyond the tree line.
“Aww, isn't that sweet. A big bad bear caring for a little wolf pup. Well, he'll be dead soon, just like the rest of them. I must admit, I enjoyed having sex as a wolf, the female put up a good fight.”
“What do you want, Cruz?”
Fletch knew Cruz had gone completely off the deep end, shifters never interacted with real animals.
“What do you think? I want my fiancé.”
“So you can kill her?”
“What happens between me and Dr. Stevens is none of your business, but since you asked; I'm fed up with her games. She promised not to run away. She lied; she needs to be punished.”
Fletch watched the man. Charles said he was a psycho. Weston Cruz passed beyond psycho long ago.
“Did she lie to you the first time you tried to kill her?”
“The first time?”
“Yes, in New York.”
Fletch was very careful to keep his distance.
“I tried to help her. I watched over her at the hospital. So many people tried to stop me from taking care of
her. I had to remove them.”
“You had to removed them? Kill them, you mean.”
“They wouldn't listen to me, I had to keep them away from Donna. I wanted to take her home and care for her, but they wouldn't let me. They tried to arrest me!” he screamed.
The phone in Fletch's pocket vibrated and stopped. Then it did it again, and again.
“I'm tired of talking. It's time to eliminate you and that little bitch between your feet.”
“Come on, Weston, you're not going to kill me.”
“Oh, no? Why not?”
“Because you're dead.”
Fletch wasn’t about to let the bastard get away this time. If he had to fight him, one of them was going to die.
Weston shifted, but before he could leap towards Fletch, the snap of a rifle bolt was all he heard. It was the only thing he would hear from a rifle equipped with a silencer. Weston dropped dead where he stood.
“I swear, you can get yourself into more trouble.”
Fletch spun around to find Cane Black from the FBI, standing behind him.
“Where the hell did you come from?” The men embraced. “God, it's good to see you. How did you get here so fast?”
“Just happened to be in the neighborhood. We were on our way to a meeting when Charles McCormack called. We were only a few miles from here. We homed in on your tracking beacon.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Didn't you trace my phone?”
“Fuck no. Your battery was too weak. You should have felt it vibrate just before it went dead. Check your backpack. I think you'll find the tracking beacon. Your teammate dropped it into your pack just before you two split up.”
“You’re shitting me.”
He went to look in the pack.
“Nope. I can’t make this crap up.” Cane started to laugh. “I wish you could have seen your face; that was priceless.”
As Fletch knelt down to look through his pack, the little wolf cub tried to snuggle up to his leg.
“What have you got there?” Cane asked.
“An injured wolf cub. I guess Weston killed its mother and litter mates. He tried to kill this one, but it got away.”
“Well, set him out here and I’ll put it out of its misery.”
Haunted by the Wolf- Shannon Page 15