Tasha stopped short. She knew him. The tingle in her gut was buzzing uncontrollably the nearer she got to him. “You are the one who has the location spell on me.”
He nodded once. “Dah.” He stood. He wore sweat pants that rode high above his ankles and a hooded jacket with sleeves that hit him above his wrists. He was barefoot. “You are my Natasha.” It was not a question.
She nodded dumbly. “Natasha,” her mother was choking with tears. “This is your papa.”
She nodded again, unable to speak. She knew who he was. She saw his resemblance in her mirror every day.
The tall man took her in his arms. It was the best hug she’d ever had. “I, I thought you were dead,” she finally managed, muffled, as her face was pressed closely to his chest.
“Dah, me too. It is long story, but while in prison I met a guard. He was known to me. He helped me escape from the prison, but he was killed in process. He is big man, like me, with the dark hair. I am pretending to be him when officials come. They say I am dead, so I let it be. I ran and hid for time, then decided to come to America, to find my family. But before I can come, this crazy bounty hunter, he is looking for me. He is bad man. He is also part fae. Not a lot, just enough fae in him to make him crazy good hunter. I decide that I am going to look for him, to kill him before he kills me but he vanished.
“I fear he is looking for you, so I come quick to America. I search for years, but Anna is good at hiding. So I do spell that my Mother taught to me. You are mine and I am yours, so the spell of the location will work. But it does not work for long time. Then, all of a sudden, I feel your pull, like the light is turning on.”
“Momma’s spell blocked yours.”
“Dah. But I find you. I also find that the crazy hunter man is tracking you.”
“The man with the gray hair?” Jake asked.
“Just so,” Yuri answered. “I am wondering why you do not know this one?”
There was a tone of accusation in Yuri’s voice.
Jake shrugged. “I never saw him, had no idea he was tracking Tasha as well.”
Yuri sat in quiet contemplation for a moment his narrowed gaze directed at Jake. Finally, he nodded his assent, but the narrowed gaze remained. “Dah, he is very clever, as I have said. But I am more clever that he, because gray haired bounty hunter does not know that I am on his trail. I wait before I take down the gray man, because there is another man with him.”
“Roberts.” Tasha said.
“So you say. I know you are with this wolf, and your mother is allowing this, so I figure you are safe for time. I decide to lay back, to bide time.”
“What happened to the gray man?” Jake asked.
Yuri smiled a feral smile. “Police will find him, eventually. He had terrible accident while running away. He fall off tall wall, break his neck.”
Jake smiled his feral smile in return. “What a shame.”
####
The three wereleopards were seated on a comfortable sofa, that was situated with other sofas and chairs around a large circular fireplace that was tucked into a semi-secluded corner of Burly’s pub, allowing Tasha and Yuri to get to know each other, Anna content in observing them. Jake smiled from the bar. He looked up as the pub’s door was opened and Avery stepped through the doorway.
“Well, you’re not gonna believe this,” Avery said loudly as he walked through the door, Gil close on his heals. He stopped short when he saw Yuri talking animatedly with Tasha and Anna. “Hey, who’s the new guy?”
“That story that can wait. Now, what am I not going to believe?”
“That guy that called Tasha out into the woods? Yeah, turns out he was the killer, or at least with the killer anyway. We won’t know for sure until all of the evidence is in.”
“You don’t say.”
“CSI unit went through his van. Found traces of blood from all three victims in there.”
“Imagine that.”
“Yes, and that Richard Roberts fellow is screamin about how he didn’t do the actual killing, but some other guy with gray hair. Even if he didn’t do the actually killing, he’s still going to be charged as an accessory as well as kidnapping.”
“Oh, I’m sure. So, what’s with the other guy?” Jake asked one eyebrow raised.
“Well, you’re not going to believe this either, but when we went through that truck we found these crazy claw like things that fit on your hands like gloves but with blades comin out of the knuckles. And what do you know? There were traces of all three of the victims’ blood on ‘em.”
“Do tell. And what in heaven’s name was the motive?”
“Well,” Gil drawled sarcastically as he accepted a bottle of beer from Burly, “As far as we can tell, that Roberts guy was the master mind and the gray haired guy was the muscle. Their whole scheme was to expose an actual factual werewolf and then charge everyone money from television networks to newspapers to see this lycanthrope. Ol’ Gray Hair wanted his pay off now, before the heat for the murders got too hot and when he didn’t get it, he turned on Roberts, shot him with a crossbow and took the supposed werewolf from him. It’s a shame really.” Gil grinned his big goofy, infectious grin and took a long pull on the bottle.
Jake became serious. “Any idea why Roberts narrowed in on Tasha? And why he was thinking she was a werewolf?”
Avery nodded all seriousness, took a drink and said, “It was all that gray haired guy. He told Richards that his name was Bartholomew Verone, a master bounty hunter from Europe.”
Jake indicated Yuri with a tilt of his head. “Yuri said he was quite good.”
“Richards wasn’t impressed. He said Verone made him do all the dirty work, except the killin part,” Gil amended.
“Anyway, it would appear that Verone had been snoopin in the area for quite a while before he contacted Richards,” Avery said.
“Really?” Burly grunted. “He must have been very good to not even leave a hint of what he was doing here.”
“Roberts said that Verone was drawn here,” Gil said skeptically.
“It’s possible. This area is a haven of sorts and Yuri said he has a bit of faery in him,” Jake said, shrugging.
Avery nodded, “That makes as much sense as anything else. Well, he just happened to see Tasha down at the Recorders office one day and I guess that’s when the real hunt began.” He glanced over at the three wereleopards sitting in the corner. His brow creased in a frown.
Jake chuckled. “That’s Tasha’s dad. He said this Verone guy has been tracking him for years.”
“Well, that’s the missing part then. He saw Tasha, saw the resemblance to her dad. Anyway, Verone searched out Richards and told Richards he had a line on a wereleopard but needed help capturing her.”
“I thought Richards was looking for a werewolf, not leopard,” Jake reminded them.
“Yeah, cuz Richards said there was no such thing as a wereleopard,” Gil snorted. “So, he agreed to help Verone out only of pity because Verone didn’t know what he was talking about. Verone led Richards straight to Tasha. Richards was stakin the place out when he witnessed one of your meat deliveries, Jake. That settled it as far a Richards was concerned. So, he began tracking Tasha in earnest.”
“What was he waiting for? I mean, if he had her in his sights, why did he do all the killing first?” Burly asked incredulously.
“That was all for your friend over there I’m guessing,” Gil said, using his bear bottle to point to Yuri. “Verone told Richards that he didn’t want just Tasha, but her pack as well. They needed to find everyone she had changed.”
Jake snorted. “So why was he killing those people then?”
Avery shook his head, “Richards told him that those three were part of Tasha’s pack, and that was how they’d draw her and the rest of her pack out. They knew we were there at the park, Jake. They were counting on us being there.”
Jake stared at Avery. “No way. I supposed Richards was willing to take us all
on?”
“Richards was thinking if he had the alpha, the rest of us would fall in line. However, I don’t think he counted on there being so many of us.”
Jake shook his head.
Gil began to laugh. “You should have seen him when he came to. He was already upset, but when I identified myself as the police, he just about peed himself. When Avery and I began to question him, he was afraid of us. He actually thought we were both werewolves and he cooperated just so we wouldn’t change him.”
“So,” Burly interrupted, “Verone killed those three people just to lead Richards on?”
Gil and Avery both nodded. “Evidently,” Avery answered.
“What a waste.” Burly ground out. “And he was probably going to use Tasha to get Yuri.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure he didn’t want Richards in on that,” Gil said, “because then he’d have to share the bounty.”
“Meanwhile, what’s going to happen to Richards? I mean, he can’t possibly begin to hope that using a werewolf defense is going to help his cause any?”
Avery shook his head, “Don’t know. Captain says his attorney will probably try an insanity plea, because, come on, everyone knows there’s no such thing as werewolves,” he smiled at Jake.
Jake raised his bottle in salute.
“Jake, I think I’m going to retire.” Tasha called out from the sofa.
“Good. I don’t think I can handle you being in on any further investigations. You simply cause too much trouble, girl. I’ll want your resignation letter on my desk by tomorrow. Well, today.”
Tasha frowned. “You serious?”
“Yep. No more for you.”
“But Jake, I was joking. I can’t leave you.”
“Good, you don’t have to.”
“I’m hired back?”
“Nope.” Jake took a long pull from his beer. He looked down at the bottle, swirling it absently, causing the dark amber liquid to slosh up the sides. He sat the beer down and faced Tasha, all seriousness. “Tasha, I thought I lost you tonight. I’m not going to let one more day go by without asking you to be my wife.”
Tasha sat, stunned. A smile slowly crept over her face. Her father looked at her with wide eyes then narrowed those eyes as he turned his attention to Jake.
“If it’s okay with your folks, that is,” Jake amended.
Yuri looked at Anna. She smiled up at him. “Wolf boy is being okay. There is not being with the funny business,” Anna soothed her husband.
“Jake, I, are you serious?”
“I am,”
“Girl, why you taking so long?” asked Avery, “We all know you love him.”
“I do,” Tasha agreed. “Yes, I do love him. However only on one condition, Jake Wolf.” She said as she stood and slowly stalked over to him.
“No, no conditions.” Jake smiled.
“You can’t fire me. Ever.” Tasha took the lapels of his jacket in both hands.
“I don’t know if I can promise that,” Jake was serious, “but we can talk about it.”
“What?” Tasha cried indignantly.
“I said, I don’t know if I can promise to never fire you. But you will be with me for the rest of my days. Or yours, or whatever.” He grinned down at her.
“Alright then. I can agree to that.”
They kissed.
The end.
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