Dreaming of a Wolf (Snowdonia Wolves) (4 page)

The shopkeeper frowned as he stared at my phone. “I remember him. Welsh lad?”

Relief made me dizzy for a second. “Yes.”

“I think he ordered a jewelry box. One moment.” His fingers flew across the keys of the laptop by his side, and then he smiled. “Your name would be…?”

“Olivia. I’m Olivia Tanner.”

“I only finished it a few days ago. I left a voicemail for him to call me back, but I guess he didn’t get it.” The jeweler turned from the counter, and examined a shelf of items, before selecting a small white box. “This is it.” He placed it on the counter. “Let me show you.”

He opened the box and extracted the contents—a tissue wrapped item not much bigger than my cellphone. We all leaned forward.

“Oh.” The breath caught in my throat. On the palm of his hand sat a tiny, shallow box, with a colored glass top. More of Monet’s water lilies, in delicate shades of blue and green.
Olivia
was written in a curling script in one corner. “It’s beautiful.” My heart stuttered.

We
had
to find him.

Luce cleared her throat. “Well, at least we know he was here. Did he say anything about where he was going? I know it was ages ago, but do you remember anything? Please?”

The guy looked surprised. “Let’s see. He was in here for about half an hour, while we looked through all the options and styles. He told me about his beautiful girlfriend, and how he hoped to persuade her to marry him soon.” He slid the box onto my hand, and I gazed at it, dumbfounded. “It’s yours,” he said, “you should take it. It’s fully paid for.”

He looked back at Luce. “You said he’s gone missing?” She nodded. “He said he was going to meet his girlfriend. I don’t remember him mentioning anything else. I’m sorry.”

We thanked him and headed outside, with the beautiful little box shoved deep inside my coat pocket. Had he planned it for a Christmas present?

Standing on the doorstep, my back to the driving rain, I realized I had no plan for what to do next.

Luce did. “Let’s ask the other local shops, in case anyone saw him.”

The little café next door was first. We had to wait a few minutes to be served, but as soon as we showed the waitress Alun’s picture, she recognized him.

“It’s him,” she squealed. Her black apron was embroidered with the name Molly. “I was doing the bank-run, the morning takings, and I was mugged halfway up the street.”

What?

“I don’t understand.” Tom sounded as confused as I felt.

The girl’s mouth dropped open, and then she snorted with laughter. “No, no, he wasn’t the mugger.
God
, no.” She held her hands to her cheeks. “It gave me such a fright. No. He chased the thief down the street, while I called the police.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Chasing a mugger. That sounded like something Alun would do. “That’s my boyfriend. Did he catch him?” My voice was faint.

“I don’t know. I last saw him running up toward Kingsway. You know, the Holborn road,” she added.

Holborn again. On the train line to Bethnal Green.

“Alun is missing, and you might be the last person to have seen him.” Luce joined in, calm and confident. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”

“We got the takings back. We were so lucky. There was a copper on patrol, who gave chase, and he found the bag snagged on a fence, just outside the old entrance to the tramway. They must have dropped it.”

“Where’s that?” Luce asked. “The tramway.”

The waitress glanced at her colleagues, who’d gathered round. “It’s not Newton Street, is it?” She snapped her fingers. “No, it’s Parker Street. Right at the end. There’s a disused tram tunnel that runs under the Kingsway road. It’s not supposed to be accessible, but dossers and druggies hang out there, because it’s dry and out of the cold.”

I shivered, and closed my fingers around the box in my pocket. An underground tunnel sounded like the last place I wanted to go, but if Alun had gone there, we needed to follow. “Could you take us there, please? Can you spare the time?”

“Sure.” She grabbed a jacket, and we set off. “He was ever so brave, your boyfriend. I hope he’s okay.”

I did too. Every time I thought of last night’s dream, I felt cold with dread. Alun had been so different from every other dream, and I couldn’t shake the fear that time was running out for him. We
had
to find him.

Molly led us through a maze of busy streets, to a narrow alley between two blocks. Around a corner, the alley narrowed further, and I saw broken metal rails in the remains of a cobbled street, the stones wet and shiny in the rain. The road sloped down to a set of tall wooden gates set in a high fence, surrounded with scrubby grass and weeds growing wild. The paintwork was blistered and peeling, with heavy chains looped through a rusted padlock.

It screamed,
keep out
.

How odd that we were just steps away from a typical London street, and yet at the same time, somewhere so remote.

“This is it.” The girl pointed to the gates. “Our takings bag was there.”

“You say people go in there?” I heard the disbelief in Tom’s voice.

“Yeah. If you push the gates, they open enough to let you through.” The girl shoved her hands in her pockets. “This place gives me the creeps. It’s supposed to be haunted, even without the druggies. I’d better get back. I hope you find him.” She spun on her toe, and hurried away.

I looked at Tom and Luce, and they both nodded. “Do we really think he went down there?” I hated how scared I sounded.

“We’re here,” said Tom. “We may as well take a look. And then, if we find anything, we can go to the police.”

Sure enough, the wooden gates flexed when he shoved one side, and opened enough for a person to slip through. He held it open, and Luce went first, with me second. Just before I squeezed through the gap, I paused. Something glinted in the long grass by Tom’s feet.

“Hang on.” I bent down and picked up a broken iPhone. The screen was smashed beyond repair, and the back cover cracked, the guts of the phone hanging out.

There was enough of the cover left for me to see the image, though. An obscure Finnish rock band. A band Alun had seen on tour in England. He was the only person I’d ever known with that phone cover.

“This is Alun’s phone.”

Tom squeezed through the gate, just as the rain intensified. Icy droplets hammered down on us, and Luce ran for cover, dragging me with her. The tramlines sloped even further into a dark tunnel.

I dug my heels in. “I can’t.” My heart raced. “I can’t go down there. I never liked being underground anyway, but since the bombing…”

Luce caught me by the shoulders. “I know you’re scared, but you can do this. We’re with you. And we’re all here to find Alun. The trail leads here, and we might find something.”

I swallowed hard, fear pounding a rhythm in my blood. “Does anyone have a light?”

“On our key rings.” Tom and Luce both lifted sets of keys, each with a tiny LED light. “And on our phones,” Luce added.

The tunnel entrance loomed. I could put it off no longer. I nodded, and we set off, Tom and Luce in front.

The track dropped steeply, and we picked our way across the cobblestones with care. They were dry, but our shoes were wet. It wasn’t as dark as I’d feared. Strips of light leaked in from the ceiling, enough to show cobwebs, graffiti on the stone walls, and piles of garbage strewn along the floor. Empty beer cans and bottles, fast food wrappers, and black plastic bags littered our path.

It smelled of unwashed bodies, and the coppery tang of blood. Unease prickled up and down my spine, and I had to work hard to keep my breathing steady.

Shards of shattered glass sparkled with the broken tips of needles. I took care to step over those.

Up ahead, the tunnel opened out, and I could see more light, flickering like candles. I tugged Luce’s sleeve, but she’d seen it too. “I think we’ve found someone. Let’s go talk to them,” she murmured.

We had to be crazy. Alun wouldn’t be here. What did we think we’d find?

I found his phone.

Every step farther into the abyss made me more anxious. Would the people here be able to help? It had to be worth a try.

Four people shrouded in blankets huddled around a cluster of candles on the ground. They watched us approach but didn’t move, and didn’t speak. I couldn’t tell how old they were, or even if they were all men.

Tom broke the silence. “Hey. I’m sorry to interrupt, but we’re looking for a friend of ours. We think he might have come down here. If I show you his picture, would you please take a look?”

I noted the way he phrased his request, as though Alun was a runaway or an addict. These strangers might be more sympathetic to us.

The guy closest to us grunted, and then stood. “It’ll cost you.”

“Sure. How much?” Tom sounded as though he was ready for that.

“Rich kids like you? Twenty notes each.”

Jesus
. Sixty quid just to look at a picture? We weren’t in a position to bargain, though.

Tom dug into a pocket, and produced his wallet.

“And a bottle of Scotch.”

Tom paused. “Don’t have that, but I’ll throw in an extra ten.”

“Deal.” The man held out a filthy hand, and Tom counted out the money, before slapping it onto the man’s palm.

I held up my phone. “This is our friend.”  My voice trembled. “He went missing about a month ago.”

The guy stared at Alun’s smiling face, forever captured on my screen. “I’ve seen him before. Can’t remember where.” He smelled disgustingly of mildew and wet earth, overlaid with the sour stink of someone who hadn’t seen soap for days, if not weeks. I tried not to grimace when he leaned closer. He was younger than I’d thought, not much older than me, but he looked as though he’d lived rough for some time.

“I might need my memory jogged.” He grabbed my wrist, and I squealed. His fingers dug in, the nails scraping my skin. “Your phone will do nicely,” he said.

“Let go of her.” Tom lunged forward, and the guy twisted my arm sharply and pushed it up my back, turning me around at the same time.

A shockwave of sudden pain flew up to my shoulder, and I whimpered.

“Give me your phones. All of you.”

Luce spun on her toe, and I realized we were surrounded. More people appeared from the shadows. Four—no, five more guys.

My heart crashed inside my chest, and I tried hard to shake myself free. “Let go of me,
please
.”

Tom and Luce took positions back to back, and I tried again to reason with the man. “I just want to find my boyfriend. We’re asking for your help.”

The thug pulled me against his body, and I felt his breath on my neck. I wanted to throw up.

“Trouble, bro?” One of the new arrivals spoke, his voice gruff and heavily accented.

“They’re after the pig. Chances are, they’re the filth too.”

What?
I didn’t get it.

Tom understood. “We’re not the police. And Alun—our friend—he’s not, either.”

“He brought the fucking pigs down here with him.” The man holding me dug his nails in tighter. The stink pouring off him made my stomach churn.

“He was chasing a mugger. The police showed up, because the café he stole from called them.” Tom’s voice was tight. “Now please let my friend go. We’ll walk out of here, and leave you alone.”

“Nu huh.” He shook his head. “Your pretty little friend is going to wait here with me, while you go and find the nearest bank. Five hundred will see her right. I’ll have your phones, and I’m warning you, if you even
think
of calling in the filth, you’ll regret it. I’ll mark her for life.”

My stomach plummeted, and I swayed on my feet. Every instinct told me to run, but he could break my arm easily from this angle. I was also surrounded. It hurt to draw breath into my lungs, and spots danced before my eyes.

Luce made a growling noise, and Tom grabbed her arm. “What guarantee do I have that you won’t hurt her?” He snarled the words. Dear God, he wasn’t going to leave me here, was he?

“Tom?” My mouth was so dry, I couldn’t say anything else.

His gaze searched my face, and then he dug into a pocket and produced his phone. “Luce, your phone as well.” She hesitated, and then handed it over.

“We’ll be fifteen minutes. No more.” Tom held out the two phones, and one of the other men snatched them.

Holy fuck. They were going to leave me. The guy holding me chuckled and curled his free arm around my waist, hugging me to him. Bile rose in my throat. I begged Tom with my gaze, but he didn’t say anything. He just took Luce’s hand, and then shoved his way through the small circle of men.

They
wouldn’t
leave me. Tom had to have a plan. 

I hoped he had a plan.

Tears sprang to my eyes, but I refused to acknowledge them. I wouldn’t give these bastards the satisfaction of seeing me cry. My chest hurt with the effort of breathing, and my lungs grew tighter with every passing second. The men gathered in front of me, laughing, and jostling each other. Arguing over who would have me first. I blinked my tears back, and stared at the floor. At the cluster of burning candles. Could I kick them over? Create a distraction?

The man holding me squeezed me hard, his hand creeping up toward my chest.

I would
not
let him grope me.

Breathe. And again.

I went wild in his arms. If I dislocated my shoulder, I’d have to deal with it; I’d get free somehow. I wriggled, and tried to jerk out of his grasp. I caught him by surprise. His grip loosened a fraction. I kicked out. My foot swung woefully short of the candles.

“
Bitch
.” He yanked my arm so hard, I thought he’d drag it out of its socket.

Pain roared across my shoulders in a burning torrent. And then I saw something odd.

Up ahead, where the tunnel curved around to the entrance, was a shimmering, glittering haze. I blinked, and it was gone. Where had I seen that before?

“Feisty,” sneered one of the men, as he reached for my face.

“Let
go
of me.” I jerked my head back, but he closed his fingers in my hair and tugged hard. My eyes watered, and he laughed.

I was trapped. Pinned like a butterfly to a board. Dear God, would I get out of here? Or would I vanish into the same place Alun had? My teeth chattered with fear, and I braced myself for another touch from the hand on my chest.

A growling noise sounded close by. The man holding my hair paused. “What was that?”

Another growl answered, rising to a roar.

The world went crazy. Two huge dogs charged, jaws snapping, and teeth flashing. The guy hanging onto my hair let go. He stumbled back, and was knocked to the floor. Men scattered, shouting, feet slapping on the cobbles.

My knees gave way, and I dropped to the floor in a heap. Breathless and dizzy, I realized the dogs weren’t interested in me. They leapt up at the man who’d held me. He screamed, but the dogs didn’t back off. They snatched at his arms, and dragged him to the floor.

They weren’t dogs. They were wolves.

I rubbed my eyes, and pushed to my feet to stand there, swaying. Was this a dream? Realization hit me.
The same shimmering light as when Alun morphed into a wolf.

Luce had mentioned Alun being my
Mate
.

Tom and Luce were
a little bit psychic
.

They had the same bright eyes as these wolves.

In the seconds since the wolves arrived, the men had run away, apart from the one now lying face down, his arms over his head. The larger wolf stood on the man’s back, the smaller inches from his terrified face, snarling.

The disgusting thug was whimpering, and begging me to help him.

I hauled in a shaky breath. Swallowed hard. Found my voice. “They’re my dogs. You want me to call them back?”

“
Get the fuckers off me.”

The wolves gazed at me, familiar blue eyes gleaming in the reflected candlelight. This was beyond weird.

The large wolf, a sleek black beast, growled deep in his throat and swiped his paw at the phones lying on the ground, where they’d been dropped.

I forced myself to move. On unsteady feet, I stumbled forward, picked up the phones, and clutched them in my hand. “I want something in return. I need to know what happened to Alun, and I want the cash back. The money you just took from my friend.”

The guy opened his fist, and released the notes, and I stooped to pick them up.

“What happened to my boyfriend? He chased a mugger in here. You recognized his face.”

The wolves snarled, their teeth close to the man’s neck. He whimpered. I felt nothing except a savage anger.

“Tell me what happened,” I yelled at the top of my voice, and he went silent. “What did you do to my boyfriend?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Try again.” I paused, an icy calm settling over me. “Or I walk away and leave them here.”

“
Okay
. It was Paulie. He screwed up.” His voice was high and frightened, and I was glad. I wanted him to be scared. His words poured out in a torrent. “We sent him off to do a job, a simple grab-n-dash, and he fucked up and nearly got caught. Next thing, the cops are pouring down here with your boyfriend. Paulie didn’t even have the goods; the stupid fucker dropped ’em.”

“And?” I prompted.

“And yeah. Someone jumped your boyfriend. Paulie snatched his backpack, took the wallet, and ran for home, and I went the other way. I haven’t seen Paulie since. I found your boy’s pack, though. Paulie must have dumped it.”

The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle were fitting together in my mind. “You said Paulie was going home. Where was that?”

“He lives near Bethnal Green. Did he get nicked?”

No, he got blown up. I couldn’t bring myself to care about him. The wolves growled again, and I shook myself.
Focus, Olivia.
“And Alun? What happened to Alun?”

“Fuck knows. I left him here. He was gone when I came back.”

My knees shook, and I sank to a crouch on the dirty floor. “You
left
him here. Was he hurt?”

“He wasn’t moving. I thought he was one of the pigs,” he whined, as though that would make any difference.

“You’re the pig,” My vision blurred, and I closed my eyes for a second. Sweet relief made me dizzy. Alun hadn’t been on the train at all. A thought struck me. “What did you do with his backpack?”

“Sold it. Guy in the pub.”

We needed the police. Not only to arrest this arsehole, but to tell us what happened that day. They had to have found Alun.

With shaking hands, I sifted through the phones for mine, only to find there was no signal.
Duh
. We were underground. “I’m going to call the police,” I told the wolves. Would they understand me? The smaller one walked to my side, and nudged my leg.

“What?” The guy sounded panicky. “You can’t leave me here. You said you’d let me go.”

I took two steps toward the entrance, and then paused. I stared at him over my shoulder. “I lied.”