I got to my feet to show I understood, and we walked back to the quarry. Brittany moved as if she were exhausted. She stumbled several times. I could have gone on ahead, but I stayed at her side. I wasn’t letting her out of my sight.
We left the darkness of the trees and crossed the stony yard. As we neared the spot where the scuffle began, a low growl rumbled in my throat.
“He’s gone,” Brittany whispered. “Hank, or whatever his name is.”
I ran my gaze over the ridge. Starlight lit the crevices.
“Do you think Nadine came back for him? Are they waiting for us in the rocks?”
I walked to where I’d left Hank for dead. Nadine had indeed come back. Her scent was fresh. They went down the trail that led into the basin. Probably drove off in the Lexus. I sat down and looked at Brittany to signify all was clear.
“Here’s my phone.” She tossed down the leader’s pants. She punched numbers with her thumb. “Hello? Yes. My name is Brittany Meyer. I was run off the road and… What’s that—I was reported as kidnapped?” She looked at me. “Yes, that’s right. Two men and a woman. I’m in a clearing about a mile before the old quarry. Yes, ma’am. I’ll wait for the sheriff.” She pocketed the phone. “Apparently, your uncle got a hold of Gramps, seeing he has an in with Sheriff Brad. They’re already looking for me. We have to get back.”
I picked up a shoe and dropped it onto the pants. She frowned, then gathered the leader’s shoes and clothes and carried them with us.
When we got back to the courtyard, the leader was still out cold. Brittany lowered the barrier and approached him. She scattered his clothes around. Then she brought the cauldron down hard upon his head.
Lights flashed from the direction of the road. An amplified voice called from a police bullhorn, “Brittany. Brittany Meyer.”
“I’m here,” she shouted. Then she hugged my neck. “Thank you for saving me. Now go.”
I backed into the shadows. Boots tramped through the dry grass. Several deputies, spaced strategically apart, stepped from beneath the trees. Sheriff Brad came out. After a moment, he ordered the others to put away their guns.
Grandpa Earle hurried into the clearing. With a cry, Brittany ran to him. When I saw her safe in his arms, I walked away.
I was bruised and bitten and weary to the bone. I didn’t know if I would make it back home, didn’t know if I had a home any longer. That hurt more than I expected. I really liked Uncle Bob. I liked living in Loxahatchee. Where would I go if my uncle disowned me? The way my parents had.
I circled the edge of the clearing and came out onto the road. I saw three sheriff’s cars and an ambulance, lights flashing. By morning, the area would be crawling with deputies gathering evidence.
“Cody!” came a harsh whisper.
Uncle Bob rushed toward me along the side of his truck. I was so relieved, so happy to see him I shifted back into a boy on the spot.
He pulled me into a bear hug and said with a catch in his voice, “You scared the life out of me, son.”
I closed my eyes, smiling, feeling the pent-up tension dissipate and turn my muscles to jelly.
He took off his shirt and put it on me. It felt warm and comforting.
“Come on. Let’s get you home.”
THIRTY
I stepped into the sunny hospital room. Its silence warred with the bustle of the hallway. There were two beds. One was unoccupied. Brittany slept in the other. She wore a bandage across her brow and an IV line in her arm.
I winced, knowing how close I’d come to losing her. I might lose her still after she heard what I had to say.
Grandpa Earle slept in a chair, his head against the wall. I grabbed the remaining chair from across the room and carried it to Brittany’s bedside. As I settled in, she opened her eyes.
“Hi,” I said.
She yawned and stretched. “I thought you’d be in school.”
“Took the day off. Uncle Bob and I were up all night. Talking.”
“You two okay, then?”
“I think so. He’s downstairs waiting in the truck. He said to tell you he’s glad you’re all right.”
“He should come up.”
I shook my head. “I understand why he doesn’t want to. This place reeks.”
“I forgot about your sensitive nose. You won’t have to worry about that much longer.”
“Brittany, I—” I took her hand.
“Ooh, ow. Scorched fingers.”
“From the cauldron? I thought it was fiberglass.”
“It was hot toward the bottom.”
I leaned back. My shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. You’ve been through so much.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m fine. The doctor wouldn’t have admitted me if Mom hadn’t insisted.”
“Yeah. I thought she’d be here.”
“She went home to check on Butt Crack. I think she’s sending him to school.”
“So, she’ll be back? I don’t think she likes me very much.”
“Well—”
The sound of jingling pockets interrupted her reply. Sheriff Brad entered the room.
“Hello, Sheriff,” Brittany said.
Grandpa Earle snorted and woke. “Brad. ’Bout time.”
“I understand you’ll be released from the hospital later today,” the sheriff told Brittany. “I’m happy to hear it.”
“Thanks.”
“I came to tell you that your car has been retrieved and is in Eric’s Body Shop.”
“It’ll be fine.” Grandpa Earle patted her arm.
“I also wanted to reassure you that the perpetrator,” he checked a notebook, “Lonzo Pascal, is behind bars, awaiting arraignment.”
“Any sign of the other two people?” I asked.
“Not yet. A blue Lexus was reported stolen. It may be the vehicle you saw, Miss Meyer. We have a plate number. A search is ongoing.”
“They’re long gone,” Grandpa Earle said.
“Don’t stop looking,” said Brittany. She appeared anxious, like she thought they might come back for her.
“We’ll find them,” the sheriff said. “I know you’ve been through an ordeal. You did a fine job recounting everything for me last night. Unfortunately, I have to ask an additional question.”
“All right.”
“In our search of the area, we’ve come across animal prints. Did these people have dogs with them?”
“Yes,” Brittany said as if she’d just remembered. “There were two dogs. Huge things. They snapped at each other like they wanted to fight. The leader, Pascal, turned to settle them down, and that gave me the chance to hit him over the head with the cauldron.”
“Are you willing to testify to that in a court of law?”
“Absolutely.”
Sheriff Brad smiled. It was the first time I’d seen him do it.
“What are you saying?” Grandpa Earle sputtered. “Is this Pascal guy the one who murdered those women?”
“We suspect he ordered the dogs to kill them, and then he put their blood in that cauldron of his for whatever nefarious purpose.”
“And my granddaughter was next?”
“If not for her quick thinking.” Sheriff Brad nodded at Brittany. “And it was at that point the other two people fled?”
“Yes. I don’t know what happened to the dogs.”
“That does it,” said Grandpa Earle. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again. What were you doing by the old quarry anyway?”
“I told you, Grandpa. I planned to make a rock garden for Mom’s birthday.”
“At night?”
“It was the middle of the day when the whole thing started.”
“Come on, Earle. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee,” Sheriff Brad said. “You look like you could use one.” He clapped him on the shoulder as they left the room.
I gnawed my lip. “You’re really going to court over this?”
“Of course. I don’t want him to get away. He’s an evil man.” She sighed t
hen grinned. “But he did make a good guinea pig. He’ll never change into a wolf again. And now that we know the potion works, we can—”
“Here’s the thing,” I said. “I don’t want to use the potion. I want to stay like I am.”
She blinked. “A werewolf?”
“I just feel it’s who I’m supposed to be, you know? I understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore.”
“Please. Do you really think I’m that shallow? I’m not going to stop seeing you because you’re a little different.”
“But I don’t want to cause any—”
“If this is what you’ve decided, we’ll deal with it. Together.”
Relief washed over me. I leaned forward. “I love you.”
“You better,” she whispered.
Our lips barely met when someone cleared their throat. I looked toward the doorway. Brittany’s mother stood with her arms folded and her eyes narrowed.
“Oh, h-hello, ma’am,” I stammered. “We were just, um—”
Brittany laughed, and then pulled me close for another kiss.
ABOUT AUTHOR ROXANNE SMOLEN
Roxanne Smolen was born in Detroit, the eldest daughter of five children. She learned to read at an early age and read voraciously, be it classic novels, comic books, or cereal boxes. As a child, her summers were spent on a farm with her favorite aunt, a devout woman who encouraged her to read the Bible. Smolen became obsessed with Revelation and the apocalypse. She turned to science in an attempt to explain the phenomenon.
Along the way, she discovered science fiction. She was drawn to stories about the end of the world but soon branched off to outer space and a limitless future. She decided to become an astronaut. But reality intervened. She married right out of high school and started a family. When her children were school-aged, she enrolled in Wayne State University, intent on becoming a scientist. However, she took a course in creative writing, and it became her passion. She decided if she couldn’t visit the stars in person, she would do it page by page.
Yet again, life took another turn. Smolen was diagnosed with a genetic eye disease and lost her vision. Her husband gave her one year to mope and feel sorry for herself. Then he sent her to a local Lighthouse of the Blind to learn how to use a computer without looking. She has since written nine novels in the science fiction realm, ranging from sci-fi romance to horror. Her underlying themes are always the same. Believe in yourself and never give up.
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