Chapter 64Chapter 64
I chose to lean against a nearby wall. “Can’t wait.”
“No,” Ken agreed. “We can’t.”
He took a deep breath but before he could say anything I remembered something. Something important. Something important that I’d left behind. “Oh, no. The bag!” I didn’t wait. I turned wolf, turned tail, and ran, as fast as I could.
Wolves can run fast to begin with, but werewolves are faster. I left the shouting far behind me in short order. However, I wasn’t alone.
“What are you doing?” Ralph was panting a little, but he was right next to me.
“What are you doing? You weren’t supposed to change, per the doctors.”
“You’re not supposed to act insane and then race off without warning or backup.”
“Whatever.” I hadn’t seen that memo.
“What are we doing and why?”
“I’m going after the stuff we took from Cotton’s pawn shop. The things that Tomio left and Jack selected. I just hope we’re not too late.” I sped up. Jack might have forgotten them, too, what with all that had been going on, but if it had dawned on me, then it was likely to have dawned on him. So the only thing our side had going for it was that he might not have realized where the bag of stuff had ended up.
As we ran like Hell was on our tails, I filled Ralph in on what was in said bag. “Wonderful,” he growled as we reached the OLOC. “So Gods and Monsters knows what is in the hands of the Prince’s minions.”
“Not yet. I hope.” We raced alongside the moving sidewalk – we were going faster than it could ever hope to move. Just before we reached the doorway I changed back to human. Ralph followed suit. Only, in his case, it was more like birthday suit. “Whoa!” I didn’t know whether to look or not. But, you know, I looked. I mean, it was there, on full display. Full, impressive display.
“Whoa what?” It was cute, he was confused.
“You never told me you went commando. Back to wolf! Back to wolf!” I couldn’t help it, I wasn’t looking at his face. I was looking at his naked body. All of it, and then specifically one part of it.
“What? Why?”
“Ralph, the special werewolf suits, that you’re not wearing? The ones that change with us so we’re never butt-naked if we go human…that you’re not wearing!”
I managed to wrench my eyes up. He was turning bright red. “They itch,” he muttered.
“Poor baby. Back to wolf!”
“Sorry.”
I snorted. “Trust me. You have nothing to apologize for. However, any straight women or gay men who see you like this will ensure that you’re not spending any time fighting evil tonight, okay?” Nurse Nancy had not overstated Ralph’s endowment. I was managing not to drool only because time was truly of the essence. Okay, maybe a little drool.
He shifted and I could breathe somewhat freely again. “Sorry.” He sounded ready to kill himself.
“Ah, Ralph? Let’s just say that next time you should listen to Maurice and let it go at that. I’m not repulsed or horrified. But we’re in the middle of a situation, so now isn’t the time for me to realize the fantasies are true and all. Let’s get this handled, then get back to Enforcement Headquarters and get you some appropriate clothing.”
“I didn’t mean to flash you.”
“Ralph, really. Apologize to me later. Like, after you go to human again but before you put on the special suit.” My mind raced off and suggested Ralph change in my bedroom. I wrenched it back to the present. “Right now, though, we have to hurry.”
I took off, Ralph next to me, rounded the corner to the parking lot and, to my relief, the unmarked sedan was there, seeming unmolested. I took a careful look around. If we were being watched, I couldn’t tell.
“Sniff for bombs or whatever.”
“Why me?” Ralph asked. “You can sniff, too, you know.”
“Yeah, but you’re all set up for it. Be Mommy’s precious puppy and act like a K-9 cop.”
“Why?”
“Because there are humans around and I don’t know if we’re being watched.”
Ralph gave me a grumbling growl but trotted over and started sniffing. He wagged the “all clear” and I opened the driver’s door. To my total lack of surprise, the keys weren’t in the ignition. “Bite me.”
“Happily, but I thought we were waiting for a better time.”
“Ralph, you have hidden depths.”
“Supposedly. Where’s what we’re looking for?”
“I’ll get it. I was hoping to take this car with us, though.”
“Why?”
I didn’t have a great answer. Sentimental value. Prosaic City P.D. property. I didn’t want Jack to get it. “I don’t want Jack to get it.”
“Remind me to run if we break up. Uh, are we actually dating?”
“You are so cute. To think I’ve missed it all these years. I don’t know, do that growl-thing again.” He did. Didn’t change a thing that he was in wolf form while doing it. I was ready to go, in any form requested. “Yeah, if we live through this, we’re dating.”
I popped the trunk and got out of the car. Ralph trotted around back with me. “You know, the growl-thing, as you call it, is part of the overall werewolf mating ritual and dates back to the first known werewolves –”
“Ralph, honey, did Maurice suggest this topic as the way to go in the ‘getting to know you on an intimate level’ chit-chat category?”
“No. He said to shut up.”
“Listen to Maurice. He is your friend.” I breathed a sigh of relief. The bag was right where I’d stuffed it. I pulled it out and took a quick look. Bunch of scrolls, whacked out pseudo-guitar, a book, a knife, bag of marbles, an ancient record player complete with vinyl only a desperate DJ could love? Check. Hideous little statue that still made me shudder? Double check. “It’s all here.” And someone needed to help me figure out what this stuff was for and why it was important. “Can you hotwire a car?”
“Yeah, but I have to go to human form to do it.”
“Okay. Make it so.” I went back to the driver’s door and held it open.
“What part of I’ll be naked didn’t you catch?”
“None of it. I’ll cover you, so to speak. Sure, I’ll be staring at you the entire time, but I promise, I won’t let anyone else see.” I was kind of jealous that way.
“How would you manage that?”
“Big bag, I’ll hover so I don’t miss anything, and so on. Hurry up, I want to miss the minions, if you know what I mean.”
“I thought you said humans were around.”
He had a point. “Okay. In boy!”
Ralph glared at me, but jumped into the car. “Now what?”
“Hunker down, do the change, hotwire the car. Really, are you sure you’re Special Ops?” I got another glare as he did as requested. I got in, put the bag on the seat between us, and closed the door. “You know, you have a great butt.”
“I’d be flattered if you were telling me this when I didn’t have my face right by where everyone’s feet have been.”
“Why’s that?”
“I can still smell him.” The way he said “him” – snarling and with fangs clearly bared – I knew who he meant.
I sniffed. “I can too, but it’s faint.” I sniffed again. The scent was getting stronger. “Ralph, hurry up.”
“I am, but why?”
“You’re not smelling him from the car.” I looked around but I couldn’t spot where Jack was. However, the scent of him – him mingled with the Adversary – was getting stronger.
This being a police vehicle, it didn’t have power windows. While Ralph did the slowest hotwire ever, I made sure they were all rolled up and I locked the doors. This was absolutely no protection against anything determined to get us, let alone a major minion, but, like hiding under the covers, it made me feel better.
Right when I was going to suggest running like crazy the car caught. I flipped it into reverse so fast Ralph’s head slammed into my lap. “Go to wolf form.” It was all I could do to keep both hands on the wheel. That growl-thing was worth its sound in gold. Plus he had cool hair. And a truly awesome butt. But I needed my eyes on the road.
Ralph grumbled as our tires screeched and I got us out of there. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw a big SUV pull around the corner just before I turned a different corner. “I think they saw us.”
“I hope they didn’t see me naked.”
“Don’t whine to me. You’re the one who’s gone commando all these centuries.”
“It’s not funny.” He nudged the bag with a paw. “What are these things?”
“No idea. At all. But we’re going to go where I hope someone can figure them out.”
“Enforcement Headquarters?”
“Despite your needing an official, itchy, werewolf uniform, no. I don’t think we’ll find who we need there.”
“Sanctuary Center?”
“Much as I’d like the comfort of seeing Jude, no. I think we’re going to be there soon enough. No, we need those beings who live to figure things out.”
Ralph heaved the big canine sigh. “And we couldn’t get there by going through Necropolis?”
“No. I think we need to get there through the Estates.”
“Vic, that’s crazy. The minions are running the Estates. Us sliding to the University from there means any one of them could get these things from us. You know, whatever these things are.”
I hit my wrist-com. “Monty.”
“Here Vic. What’s up? Where are you and Ralph? Why did you run off like a rabid dog?”
“Only the canine side of the undead house gets to make the dog-jokes in times of great stress and danger, Monty.”
“Sorry. What’s going on?”
“I need Dirt Corps, in a very real and very immediate way.”
Monty and Ralph spoke together. “Why?”
“Because we’re going to war.”