Lucy's Wolverine (Lilly Town Shifters) (2 page)

Chapter 3

              Paul had been walking around the woods continuously since early the previous night, but hadn’t seen any sign of a wolverine. Not so much as a footprint. No sign of any bears either. He was starting to think someone had made the whole thing up. Either that, or his boss was sending him on a wild goose chase.

             
“Fuck,” he said when he tripped over a branch for the hundredth time. He was military trained and knew how to move swiftly and quietly, but he was tired and had been searching for so long. He was fed up. He stopped. There was a rustling coming from the south. He almost didn’t move to see what it was. It was probably what it had been the other fifty times he’d heard rustling – a rabbit.

             
As he moved forward, he saw dark brown fur out of the corner of his eye. He had to see what it was before it saw or smelled him. He couldn’t risk being seen. It was comfortable now, but if it knew Hunters were there, it would put up its guard and possibly attack. He liked his head where it was. Paul quietly snuck around and saw a large male wolverine following a path. It was too big to be wild and Delaware wasn’t known to have wolverines. There was no way it was a natural animal. It had to be a shifter.

             
When he was on his first mission, he was so amazed a man could turn into such a magnificent creature, but he learned. He learned they were animals that killed for no reason other than to taste blood. He’d watched as a close friend was mauled by a man who turned into a bear. They all had to die.

             
Paul pulled out his phone and took a picture of the wolverine before he quietly left. There was no way he was going to let it kill him. He had to kill them all or die trying, and today was not the day.

             
Moving far away from it, Paul pulled up the picture and sent it to his boss. Now all he needed to do was wait for instructions. He couldn’t wait to go hunting.

***

              “And why are we going back to the bar? You said you were bored last night,” Lucy said as she got into her car.

             
“Because I think that guy was glaring because of you getting hurt. He wanted to make sure no one bothered you. Plus I think that Mark guy likes you. You should say hi to him or something.”

             
“His name is Mike and I have a lot of work to do. I don’t think I should be going. I know I should be sitting in front of my computer figuring this out. I’ve lost a lot of writing time and I can’t afford to lose any more.”

             
“You’ve told me that sometimes it’s better to get away from the computer and take your mind off of it. Then you go back with a fresh mind and rock it,” Lexi said as she drove toward the bar.

             
“Fine, but I don’t want to stay long,” Lucy said, crossing her arms over her chest. She hated it when Lexi was right.

             
“Okay, I can live with that,” Lexi said with a conspiratorial smile.

             
They walked into the crowded bar and looked around. There weren’t many tables, but Lucy was not sitting at the bar. She didn’t want to be that close to Mike. She liked him, but was he just being nice and doing his job, or did he really like her? No, she couldn’t sit at the bar and watch him work.

             
“Why don’t you get our drinks and I’ll get a table?” Lexi said loudly. Lucy didn’t get a chance to say no before Lexi was gone, probably charming the pants off some guy so he’d let them have the table. Walking up to the bar, she saw Mike pouring something into a glass. Why couldn’t the bald man be the one serving drinks?

             
“Hi Lucy,” Mike said when he saw her. He had a warm smile and looked like he was happy to see her, but she still couldn’t get it out of her mind that it was just his job to be nice.

             
“Hi Mike, can I get…”

             
“A Gin and Tonic for you and a Gin Martini for your sister,” Mike interrupted.

             
“Yes, thanks,” Lucy said in surprise. How would he remember that? He probably takes tons of orders every night.

             
“Is your day any better than yesterday?” he asked.

             
“Not really. I’m still stuck on my book,” she said with a sigh.

             
“I don’t know much about writing, but keep at it. It’ll come to you,” he said as he mixed the drinks.

             
“I know it will; it’s just frustrating. I know what I want, but getting there is proving to be difficult, and I want to see the characters get there.”

             
“You’ll get it. You know, I looked you up today,” he said with a small smile.

             
“You did?” she asked incredulously.

             
“Yeah. I wanted to read one of your books.”

             
She was shocked. “So you’re into teen angst?”

             
“No. I wanted to read something you wrote.”

             
“Well, I hope you like it,” she said, taking the drinks and going to find Lexi.

             
“What’s wrong? You look confused,” Lexi said when Lucy sat down at the table.

             
“Mike wants to read one of my books,” Lucy said, and took a sip of her drink.

             
“So? Isn’t that a good thing?”

             
“Well, they’re meant for teen girls. I mean, I know adults read them, but not grown brooding men.”

             
“I don’t think he broods, and I’m thinking it’s more along the lines of him wanting to read something you’ve written. I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Lexi said, looking around the room.

             
“I guess not. But maybe it’s been too long since I’ve been in the dating game. He’s just trying to impress me, right?”

             
“Lucy, the man looks like he’s crazy about you, and you guys have barely talked. He just wants to get to know you. Why don’t you give him a copy of one of your books? You know you have tons of them.”

             
“I guess you’re right,” Lucy said with a sigh.

             
“I know I am. I’m always right,” Lexi said with a smile. Lucy gave her sister a disbelieving look. “Okay, I’m right about guys.”

             
“Brat,” Lucy said with a smile.

***

              “Mike, right?” Mike heard a woman say behind him. He turned around and was surprised to see Lucy’s sister.

             
“Yeah. You’re Lexi?”

             
She nodded. “I hate to ask you this, but a few guys were telling me about this club in Dover and I wanted to check it out. Is there any way you can take Lucy home for me?”

             
“Sure, but why don’t you take her on your way? I mean, I’m a complete stranger,” he said.

             
“Because she likes you and it’s a way to force her to talk to you. When I go back home, she’s going to turn into a hermit again and I’d like to prevent that if I can.”

             
Wow, she was very blunt! “No problem. Just tell her to let me know when she’s ready,” he said, wiping the counter down.

             
“I’m not telling her I’m leaving. I’m sorry, but if I tell her, she’ll insist I take her home or that she goes with me. The whole plan is to make her get to know you.”

             
“Okay, but are you sure? You don’t know me. How do you know I’m not going to hurt her? I could be some wild beast setting out to prey on innocent women,” he said with a small smile.

             
“Because you asked that. People who intend to hurt someone would never ask; they’d just act.”

             
“Okay, I’ll make sure she gets home safe. And Lexi, thanks,” he said with a big smile. Mike really liked Lucy and this was a great opportunity to get to know her a little. Maybe he’d get the nerve to ask her out to dinner or something.

***

              Bill watched Lexi as he listened to her talking to Mike. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, but she looked like she would be a handful. She was all over the place, what with going to a club with strangers, whom he planned to talk to in order to make sure she came back safely. And to top it off, she was standing there trying to fix up Mike and Lucy. He just didn’t think he could handle her right now. He needed to wait until she calmed down a little and grew up. He was a bear: he liked things uncomplicated, and that was something she was not. He waited until Lexi had been gone for a few minutes before he talked to Mike.

             
“Go, take your girl home. I don’t think she’s going to be too happy when she finds out her sister abandoned her.”

             
“Thanks Bill, I’ll be back,” Mike said, patting him on the back.

             
“Mike, just be careful with her. From what I’ve heard, she’s a really sweet girl, but a little out there. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

             
“Don’t worry, I’m a stubborn man – it’s in my nature,” he said with a smile and walked over to Lucy’s table. Bill wanted something like that. He wanted to feel the butterflies in his stomach, but he never found the right girl. Maybe one day he would, now that he knew she was out there.

Chapter 4

             
Paul was sitting in his hotel room, still waiting for a response about the picture he’d sent his boss that afternoon. He knew he wasn’t exactly tech savvy, but he thought he could handle a picture being sent to his phone. Was it that hard? His cell finally rang with his boss’s name on the screen.

             
“Sir, did you get the picture?” he asked.

             
“Yes, thank you. I guess the reports were right.”

             
“I’m sorry sir,” he said sadly. He knew how much this would hurt his boss, knowing something he had prided himself in for years wasn’t true.

             
“Thank you for getting this to me so quickly.”

             
“No problem. I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to find it.”

             
“Do you know who it is?” he asked.

             
“No, I didn’t see it shift. I wanted to get the picture and get out of there before it smelled me.”

             
“I understand. Better to not let it know we’re onto it.”

             
“Do you want me to kill it?” Paul asked.

             
“No, wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”

             
“Yes sir. I’ll see you soon,” Paul said and hit the end button. He relaxed back onto the bed. It was odd that he didn’t want to have him just kill it. Isn’t it better to eliminate the monsters while you can? They kill people; they all need to die.

***

              Lucy was looking around for Lexi everywhere. Maybe she’d gone to the bathroom, but she surely wouldn’t be in there for ten minutes? There was no way. Unless she was sick. Maybe she should go check on her. This wasn’t like her sister.

             
“Lucy? Are you okay?” she heard someone ask.

             
“I’m fine. Have you seen Lexi?” she asked, starting to panic. What if something had happened to her? What if she was being raped out back or something? Or was dead? What if someone had killed her and thrown her in the dumpster? Damn her imagination! Lexi was probably off charming someone.

             
“She left…”

             
“She left!” Lucy repeated as soon as the words left Mike’s lips.

             
“Yeah. She asked me to take you home.”

             
“What?! She asked a stranger to take me home? You could be some serial killer or something!” she said hysterically.

             
“I said the same thing… well, minus the serial killer part.”

             
“And she’s trusting you to take me home?” What the hell was her sister thinking? She’d talked to Mike for all of five minutes the night before. She didn’t know him, and Lexi was trusting him with her safety?

             
“I’m not going to hurt you.”

             
“Okay,” she said, with all her fight leaving her. Honestly, she was faced with either walking home in the dark or getting a ride with a stranger. “What was her excuse?”

             
“She went to a club and asked me to drive you home.”

             
“I can walk,” she said, holding her head high. She knew she wouldn’t; she would call a cab or something. Hell, she didn’t know what she would do.

             
“I know you haven’t lived here for very long and it seems like a nice quiet town, but you can’t walk through the streets this late at night. It’s not safe.”

             
“And yet it’s safer for me to ride home with someone I don’t know?”

             
“Yes, because I won’t hurt you. And you can ask me anything you want. That way you can get to know me some,” he said with a smile.

             
“Fine! Have you ever been arrested?” she asked. She thought he looked like the type to have been. Something about the big man with all the muscles.

             
“Yes.”

             
Okay, she didn’t think he’d actually tell her. “For what?”

             
“I broke someone’s jaw a few years back because they started a fight. He did press charges, but I think he realized it was better for me to have broken his jaw than for the other guy to have killed him, so he dropped them.”

             
“Oh.”

             
“Anything else you want to ask?” Mike asked her.

             
“Family?”

             
“No,” he said sadly.

             
“I’m so sorry. That must be hard. I don’t know what I would do without Lexi or our parents.”

             
“It happened a long time ago,” he said, looking at his shoes. It seemed like something he didn’t really want to talk about.

             
“Okay, you can take me home.”

             
“Really? Two questions and you trust me?” he asked.

             
“You seem sincere… and I can’t think of anything else to ask you,” she said sheepishly.

             
“Okay, come on,” he said with a small smile.

***

              Mike opened the door to his truck for Lucy and watched as she attempted to climb in. His truck was just a little too high for her short legs. And to top it off, she was wearing a jean skirt. He could tell she was trying not to flash him or anyone else, which made it even harder for her.

             
“Let me help,” he said with a little laugh. He’d been enjoying watching her struggle, but decided to take pity on her.

             
“Thanks,” she mumbled under her breath and stood.

             
He picked her up around her waist and put her in the seat. She didn’t seem too happy about that. But then he figured that if he put her in the seat, he should be a gentleman and buckle her up as well. Reaching up, Mike grabbed the seat belt and pulled it across her chest, unable to stop himself admiring how perfect her jugs were. They would fit perfectly in his hand.

             
“Give me that and stop looking at my boobs,” Lucy said, and took the seat belt from him.

             
“Sorry,” he said. He could feel his face heating up with embarrassment. He didn’t realize he was being that noticeable, but maybe he shouldn’t have just stood there staring. He climbed into the driver’s side and started the truck. “So, tell me about your writing.”

             
“What do you want to know?” she asked.

             
“What are you working on now?”

             
“Well, um, let me give you directions to my house first, then I’ll tell you a little about it.”

             
“Yeah, I guess I might need them,” he said, backing out of the parking space.

             
“I’m on Rose Street, the fifth house on the right.”

             
“Got it. Now tell me about the book.”

             
“I’m only about half way through it, but a girl finds out she’s part Fey and goes to Fairy to learn how to control her powers. She finds out she’s Fey when she starts getting sick. When she’s in Fairy, she meets an evil prince, and then she falls for the good prince she met when she first went to Fairy.”

             
“Interesting. I hope you write better than that, though,” he said with a laugh.

             
“Yes, I write much better than I speak. But it sucks that I’m stuck, so it might not turn into anything if I can’t figure this out,” she said, a little frustrated.

             
“Take a deep breath and clear your mind,” he said.

             
“What?” she asked.

             
He looked over at her and saw her looking at him like he was crazy. “Trust me.”

             
“Fine,” she said and closed her eyes.

***

              Lucy did as Mike instructed and took a deep breath, slowly exhaling. She concentrated on her breathing and the sounds of the road, the feel of the seat under her, the sound of the truck; just clearing away the thoughts of her book, her sister getting ready to leave, the E-mails waiting for her, everything. It was just her and the sounds of the road.

             
It came to her. Fighting, seeing the evil prince, trickery – it was all so simple. She didn’t know how she’d never thought of it before now. “How did you know?” she asked Mike.

             
“When you over-think something, you can never come up with a solution, but when you clear your mind, it comes to you. Well, most of the time.”

             
“Where did you learn that?” she asked.

             
“My mom. She used to tell me to do that all the time when I’d get stuck on homework or something.”

             
“She’s a smart woman. I’m sorry for your loss,” she said sadly, and she meant it. It was always a shame when someone lost a parent, especially one as good as Mike’s seemed to be.

             
“Thanks,” he said, gripping the steering wheel so hard his hands were turning white.

             
Lucy looked out the window, unsure of what to say. She didn’t realize they were that close to her house until she saw him turning onto her street. “It’s right up there,” she told Mike, pointing to a brick cape cod.

             
“Okay,” he said, and pulled into the driveway.

             
“Wait here for a minute?” she asked him as she opened the door.

             
“Sure,” he said, and put the truck in park.

             
She climbed out of the truck and walked inside quickly, then grabbed one of her books. She scribbled a little note for him in it and walked quickly back out to the truck. Mike opened his door and stepped down when she got close to the truck.

             
“Here,” she said, handing him the book.

             
“What’s this?” he asked.

             
“One of my books. You said you wanted to read one, so here you go.”

             
“Thank you,” he said with a smile. By the way he was acting, she was starting to wonder if he had ever gotten a gift before. He was holding it so carefully, making sure not to push it too hard or bend a page by accident. It was a little strange, but endearing. Books don’t break that easily, unless you start ripping the pages out.

             
“No problem. Thanks for the ride,” she said, and walked back toward the house.

             
Mike watched as Lucy walked back into her house. He wanted to make sure she got back in okay. That was only part of the truth; he wanted to see her for just a little longer. There was something about her that made him not want to leave. He watched as a light turned on in her house and decided he should leave before she called the cops, thinking he was a stalker. But first he wanted to look at the book she had given him. He opened it to find a note inside. “Mike, thanks for everything. You saved my sanity. Lucy.”

             
Yeah, he really needed to see her again, and he had a feeling that, if she didn’t want to see him again, he wouldn’t be holding the book in his hands. Closing it, he carefully put it down on the passenger seat and backed out of her driveway.