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Dante found Rick’s silence on the ride disconcerting. If his new partner gave up now – or worse, took offense at the evaluation and quit – Dante would be quite irritated with Charles. His former partner blamed himself for Wes’s death as much as Dante did, but no amount of insistence on Dante's part could convince the director that it was affecting his decision making. It had taken them eight months to agree on Rick McCoy as a replacement, and even that was with significant reluctance on Charles's part. Rick was adapting quicker than average, quicker than Charles himself had, but that meant nothing to Charles beyond the fact that Rick wasn't field tested yet. Dante suspected Charles would even rather sideline both Rick and Dante than risk a repeat of Wes or Gilles.
They pulled into the Silver Spring neighborhood where Amara Zanotti's parents lived, only to see several people gathered on the front lawn. Dante groaned. Joey Vizzini and Giuceppe Ciccarelli were flanked by half a dozen werewolf enforcers, nearly nose to nose as they screamed at each other.
“If you say a word about me staying in the car I will punch you myself.” Rick didn’t even look at Dante as he parked in the street in front of the house and opened his door.
“Your werewolf killed her, Giuceppe, because you were jealous.” Joey’s face was red and his eyes were bright with tears.
“If I was jealous enough to kill, I’d’a killed you rather than her, you glorified gigolo.” Ciccarelli pushed Vizzini back with his hands on his shoulders, causing the trio of men standing behind Vizzini to step forward threateningly.
Dante stepped between the feuding groups, placed a gloved hand on the chest of each of the young men, and pushed them apart.
"Mind your own business, Brand." Vizzini shoved him instead. "Me and my boys are gonna make this murdering scumbag pay."
"Ciccarelli and Wharton’s alibi is being checked." Dante brushed invisible dirt from his lapels where Vizzini had touched him. "This isn’t going to help anyone."
"I don’t agree." Vizzini motioned to the men behind him. "Ordering my dogs to take out those two will help a lot of people."
At the word "dogs," all three of the men behind him started to transform into werewolves.
"Your dogs will have to get through ours first." Wharton snarled as the three men flanking him followed.
# # # # # 🔥
When the first enforcer turned into a wolf, Rick’s hand went for his gun immediately – a trembling hand, with his feet rooted in place by sheer will. The man’s face contorted into a muzzle and fangs while his hands and feet turned into clawed paws. His partner followed suit, leaving Joey and Wharton flanked by snarling wolves in the remains of human clothing.
Giuceppe swore loudly. “I have my own, Joey. You can’t make accusations like that and get away with it.” He snapped his fingers, and the three enforcers behind him turned into wolves as well.
Rick’s legs felt weak. He’d convinced himself that all Dante’s talk about ‘dogs’ had just been trained attack dogs, but the reality of werewolves stood right in front of him. The director’s threat to sideline him rang in the background of his brain. If he passed out now, he may as well skip the evaluation dinner and go straight to IKEA for a comfortable desk chair. He gritted his teeth, spread his legs, and took his gun in both hands. Lord, help me stand even when I don’t understand.
I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
“Vizzini, Ciccarelli, order your dogs to stand down before I arrest both of you.” Dante threatened mildly, clearly not fazed by the men who turned into animals right next to him.
“Butt out, Bird Brain,” Ciccarelli snapped. “Nobody asked for your involvement. Ciccarellis can handle themselves.”
“Yeah, Vizzinis, too.” Vizzini echoed. “We have this handled. Back off.”
“I will not ask again.” Dante started to pull his fingers free of his right glove.
“You won't get the chance.” Wharton pointed at Dante. "Anthony, Jethro, David, take him out, then get his partner!"
Three werewolves lunged at Dante, knocking him off his feet before he could get his gloves off.
For a moment, Rick froze, his normal training to avoid hitting the victim taking the fore. Then he remembered the wounds on Zanotti's body and Dante’s resurrections earlier. His partner was dead if he didn’t take the shot, and would resurrect even if he missed.
He hoped. Lord, make him resurrect. Praying for something he'd have sworn was theologically impossible a week ago made him very uncomfortable, but nothing about this whole thing made him comfortable.
Dante wasn't moving, and the wound in his throat clearly was the reason why. With Dante dead, the werewolves turned their attention to Rick.
"Forget the human. Tear out the phoenix's heart." Wharton roared. "Let's see him resurrect then."
Rick snapped off three shots, anger at Wharton’s command overriding his uncertainty. All three wolves fell.
"Nico, Leroy, and Tim, take care of the phoenix before he can resurrect!" Wharton screamed at Vizzini's werewolves. "The human is–"
Furious at Wharton’s orders, and the upending of his own reality, Rick punched him in the face before he got out another word.
Wharton staggered back in shock, his hands clutching his bleeding nose.
Rick aimed his gun at the remaining werewolves as he pulled his cuffs out for Wharton. "Heel, or I'll end you all."
The trio whimpered, laid their heads on their front paws, and tucked their tails between their legs as Dante's resurrection fire illuminated the whole yard.
"You two idiots sit down with your hands behind your heads." Rick gestured with his gun at the two feuding lovers. Satisfied that Dante was at no risk of dying again, Rick grabbed Wharton by the arms and started to read him his rights.
# # # # # 🔥
Dante resurrected with a gasp, scrambling to collect his situational awareness to protect himself and his partner. Werewolves. He grimly realized that Charles had gotten Rick his trial after all.
“You have the right to remain silent.” Rick was reading Wharton his rights as he harshly pulled the enforcer's arms behind his back and cuffed him. Blood streamed from Wharton’s nose and a dark circle ringed his left eye.
Pushing aside his concern about his lack of clothes, Dante scooped up his gloves and scanned the yard. Vizzini and Ciccarelli sat in the grass, fingers woven behind their heads, glaring at each other. Three inert masses of singed fur lay at the edge of his resurrection circle, and the three remaining werewolves lay on their front paws in submission at Rick's feet. Dante knelt to examine the nearest body. Surely Wharton's pack wasn't so foolish as to stay in his resurrection radius long enough to be killed. All three had bullet wounds to the brain.
He sat back on his heels and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Rick glared at him as he shoved Wharton into the back of his SUV.
“Charles need not have worried so much. Anyone who can take out three werewolves with one shot each, subdue three more, and arrest their alpha – all before I resurrect – is more than qualified for the job.” Dante looked down at himself in chagrin. “Speaking of the job...”
His bag hit him in the side before he could finish.
“Hm. Thank you.” Dante quickly began to dress, acutely aware that the Zanottis and their neighbors were beginning to stare curiously at the scene. As he buttoned his pants, he looked his partner over critically. “You are unharmed? How did you manage that? Wharton is not an easy foe.”
“I... may have punched him in the face while he was freaking out about me shooting his dogs.” Rick rubbed the back of his neck as his face grew red. “He ordered his pack to tear out your heart to see if you could resurrect without it. I took out the dogs, then punched him in the face when he ordered the other three to fulfill his order before you woke.”
Dante laughed. "I told you I chose you because I needed someone willing to punch a mythic in the nose for killing me. You didn't believe me."
"I still don't believe any of this." Rick grumbled. "I'm calling for backup to take care of these morons. You finish getting dressed so we can interview the family.”
Dante shook his head with a grin as he shrugged on his shirt. He was feeling much better about Rick's evaluation tonight.