The Werewolf Whisperer (The Werewolf Whisperer Series Book 1) (13 page)

Without
warning something whizzed by Xochitl's head, just missing the captain.

"¡Híjole!
They're throwing shit now?" Xochi had to duck again as a shoe flew past
her.

Burch
pushed Xochitl to the pavement and yelled through his bullhorn, "Disperse
now, or be fired upon!" But the crowd continued to push and throw objects
at the line of officers.

Officer
Gorski slammed himself down onto the steps to avoid being hit by a glass soda
bottle.

"On
your feet, Gorski!" Burch yelled. "Fire a warning shot. Rubber
bullets only."

Gorski
pushed himself up, his legs wobbling. His hands trembled as he unstrapped his
37 mm gas gun and loaded a round in the chamber.

Looks like Papa's shotgun, except for the
crazy big barrel.
Man, I miss that
gun. Papa taught me to shoot with that gun.

Gorski
fired a warning shot. The random thoughts dropped away and instinct took over. Xochitl
ducked and covered her head with her hands.

It
was chaos. People everywhere were scrambling for cover and dropping to the
ground.

I'm
in a full-blown riot. Awesome.

Captain
Burch signaled for the riot police to begin their advance on the crowd. They
pushed their way toward the back of the mob, subduing protestors in their path.
Each line of advance seemed to extinguish the riot's flame.

Might just make it outta here in one
piece.

From
somewhere in the back of the mob someone screamed, "WEREBEAST!"

Xochi
looked up from the cold steps where she was huddled to see a massive wave of
people rushing toward the police line, breaking it easily.

"¡Hijo
de puta!" she cried.

Parting
the tsunami of protestors, a giant Werebeast tore through bodies, using its long,
muscular legs to close the gap between it and the station.

Xochitl
rolled to her side and stumbled to her feet.

Captain
Burch barked orders to his officers, "Fall back! Open fire! Do not let it
get inside!"

Horrified,
Xochitl couldn't believe her eyes.

That
thing's gotta be close to seven feet!

Its
eyes were like the glowing embers of a fire and wild with rage. It roared and
howled as it ripped apart the fleeing people.

This
is a nightmare. I gotta get the hell out of here or die.

But
she couldn't move. She was petrified with fear.

Racing
for cover, the riot police swarmed back up into their building, leaving the
crowd to fend for themselves. The pop of erratic gunfire pierced through the
tormented cries of the monster's victims.

¡Carajo!
Either that Werebeast thing eats me or I get riddled with bullets. What do I
do?

Someone
shouted, "Move your ass! NOW!" She realized with a jolt, she was the
one yelling. Regaining her wits, she kicked off her pumps and began to run. She
didn't care what direction she was headed so long as she got as far away from
the Beast as she could.

After
she'd put enough distance between her and the police station, Xochitl came to a
stop and doubled over. She hadn't run that fast since anchoring the relay team
at school.

"¡Híjole!
I'm out of shape." She panted and looked down at her feet. She'd forgotten
she'd run barefoot the whole way. "Crap, I guess I owe Jess a new pair of
shoes." Xochi examined the bottom of her feet; they were scraped up but
okay.

Across
the street a giant pagoda-shaped building,
adorned with
red and gold spires, glinted in the midday sun.

Looks like a temple out of one of those
Hong Kong, chop sake movies me and Miguel used to watch.

"Chinatown...huh."
Xochitl rubbed her dirty hands on her skirt. "Well, at least I can get
some good food."

Feeling
her sore feet now, she hobbled to a nearby restaurant advertising
Lunch
Buffet $5.99
in the window.

Xochi
knew she had to return to the one place she should never go — home.

But
before that, one last meal?

Chapter 9

The California
Wildlife Service is charged with the alleviation of damage and other problems
caused by or related to the presence of Ferals and Werebeasts in the Santa
Monica Mountains. The purpose of this Environmental Assessment is to analyze
the effects of Feral and Werebeast activity. Ferals and Werebeasts are
non-indigenous wildlife who have recently claimed habitats designated for
coyotes, wild dogs and foxes. The impact of Feral and Werebeast predation on
livestock and human population and the frequency and number of slayings force
the conclusion that a need exists for effective reduction of predation
associated with Ferals and Werebeasts. The California Wildlife Service suggests
immediate culling and stricter controls moving ahead.

-thesis of the California
Wildlife Service Environmental Assessment for the Management of Ferals and
Werebeasts in the Santa Monica Mountains

Lucy
sized up Bob Tanner. A man clearly used to being in charge, Xochi's friend
struggled for composure; he kept looking back at his wife.

"Simon
Kwan and John Rollins are my guys," Bob said. "They know Travis well.
They know the area." He held out a hand to stop an Asian man carrying a
tranquilizer rifle from rushing toward him. "Simon, go inside and get
another one for Lucy." Bob looked at Xochitl. "Why don't you keep
your shotgun, kiddo. Just in case."

Xochitl
looked ill, and she nodded in silent acquiescence. Lucy knew what hung in the
air between them. Bob would never be able to shoot his own son, but if worse
came to worst, he counted on Xochitl to take necessary measures. Lucy wondered
if Bob really saw Xochitl, or if in some way he saw Xochi's dad when he looked
at her. Xochitl seemed to shoulder her father's legacy with singular
adroitness.

In
less than a minute, Bob's man returned with two tranquilizer rifles. Lucy
figured the mansion had an armory directly inside of the front entrance.

"Rollins
went ahead, Bob." The man inclined his head toward Lucy and Xochitl. "Simon,"
Simon Kwan said by way of introduction and planted himself next to Bob.

A
white SUV pulled into the driveway. A young woman with blond curls jumped out
and wrapped her arms around Helen.

"Lizzy's
here." Bob gave a curt nod. "Sometimes I think my daughter is the
only one able to keep Helen balanced," he said diplomatically, sounding
lost. He hurried in the direction of Helen and Lizzy.

Watching
mother and daughter hugging and crying together made Lucy feel an empty chasm
open up in her chest. Sadness pounded through her, and she became almost too
focused on her own heartbeat. But instead of giving in to the fixation, she
straightened her shoulders and turned away from Bob and his family.

Simon
Kwan was taller than Lucy and looked like he spent most of his waking hours in
the gym. He wore obligatory security blacks, including a nylon
Tanner &
Associates
windbreaker.

Simon
handed Lucy a tranquilizer rifle matching his own and pointed to the side gate
leading from the mansion's backyard to a private road winding up a terraced
hill.

"Where
does that road go?" Lucy asked while following him along the side of the
house. She was curious to why Simon beelined toward the gate without even
looking around first.

"Kid
likes to go up to the helicopter pad. Used to skate up there before..."
Simon paused briefly, considering his words. "When he gets out, that's
where we usually find him."

Lucy
and Xochitl exchanged sharp looks, neither liking the notion of Travis "getting
out" with frequency.

"We
wanted to ask Bob to put a tracker on Travis, but Helen won't have it. Truth,
Travis has nearly escaped the property a few times." Simon shrugged. "Bob's
the man, but Helen's the boss. And she doesn't see things real clear when it
comes to the kid."

They
wound through the resort-like backyard and around a stunning lagoon; it had to
be the largest pool Lucy had ever seen or imagined. A waterfall splashed from a
high outcropping, drawing a curtain of water in front of what looked to Lucy
like a long bar with in-water stools.

"Fancy,"
Xochitl said.

"Wouldn't
he hide in there?" Lucy asked Simon.

The
man shook his head. "He hates water more than lightning." Lucy took
in that tidbit of information.

"There
are the tracks!" Lucy pointed to several large impressions where the lawn
was soft with mud. They led to the other end of the yard. "Look, he didn't
go toward the gate. He went that way!"

Ahead,
tall pines reached for the sky. The early evening sun touched the tips of the
trees as it started its downward descent into the west. Through the pines and
over a very high, ornate fence lay the vast canyon.

"If
Travis were to cross the canyon, where would he end up?" Lucy asked and
pushed past the pines. "The fence isn't electric, is it?"

"No,"
Simon answered. "We'd talked about that, but..." He looked across the
hilly canyon. "Las Virgenes Road is due west, if he makes it that far."

"Wait,
are we right across from the Bark Park?" Lucy asked, remembering a dog
adoption she had once worked with Gabe in a beautiful dog park next to Las
Virgenes Middle School.

Simon
nodded.

"Could
Travis be heading there?" Lucy pried.

Simon
instantly looked guilty.

"Did
you pendejos take him to the park?" Xochitl snapped, just in time for a
tall man wearing another black
Tanner & Associates
jacket to arrive
by the fence. He carried a massive tranquilizer gun with a CO2 cylinder and a
pressure gauge.

Momentarily,
Lucy experienced dart projector envy.

"He's
just a kid," the man, obviously John Rollins, said with what sounded to
Lucy like a South African accent. He turned to Simon, clearly upset. "Not
at the helipad. Tracks lead—"

"Into
the canyon," Lucy finished his sentence. "We're wasting time."

Simon
Kwan and John Rollins cared about Travis, Lucy was sure of it, and not just
because it was their job. When speaking about Travis, they both had the same
fierce protectiveness and quiet desperation she had noted in Bob.

The
two men guided her and Xochitl through the fire clearance gate at the back of
Bob's property. They scrambled down a well-worn footpath into the heart of the
canyon.

"We
used to take Travis out on jogs. When he was himself, he'd have all this
energy," Rollins spoke slowly and with a tight jaw. Lucy didn't say
anything but heard Xochitl curse softly under her breath.

"He
had better control, when he worked out and was tired," Simon added by way
of explanation.

The
golden hour was settling in all around, creating a play of shadows and light
that turned the brush and skeletal trees into unpredictable obstacles.

Lucy
tripped a few times on the way down, scratching her palms and scuffing her
knees. Xochitl seemed to fare much better, mostly because Simon had taken on
the job of steadying her descent.

Rollins
took out a high-power flashlight, which would help them follow the rough path
as everything around them grew darker.

"Let's
not get separated," Lucy said.

"Hey,
Simon?" Xochitl asked in a flirty tone. "Do you have another
flashlight?" Simon, caught like a fish on a hook, couldn't fulfill her
wishes fast enough. He dug through his pack and came up with a small LED
flashlight.

"Oh,
tiny monster," Xochitl cooed at the powerful spotlight brightening the
way. "Give it to Lucy." Xochitl cut the cute act as abruptly as it
had started.

Lucy
watched as Simon stood dumbfounded by Xochitl's fluid change from natural
flirty charm to hard-as-nails brusqueness.

"She's
a mix between Shakira and Tommy Lee Jones," Lucy said, accepting the
flashlight from Simon. "Don't take it personally."

"My
ass!" Xochitl hissed, tapped the flashlight app on her phone and directed
the beam right into Lucy's eyes. "Serves you right," she said when
Lucy yelped.

"If
you are done playing," Rollins said, "we have a decision to make."
He pointed to a hill.

"This
is where we usually turn around on our runs," Simon supplied.

"So,
question is," Lucy jumped in, "will Travis continue west into
unfamiliar territory or will he double back home?"

"Why
don't you guys spill about the trips to the dog park before we go any farther,"
Xochitl said, digging the granola bar from her vest pocket. She broke off a
piece and handed it to Lucy.

"The
last six months were hard," Rollins spoke quietly, as if he were afraid
Bob could hear him through the canyon. "Bob wasn't around a lot, and Helen
was on a Valium vacation half the time."

"The
kid wanted to be around others like him," Simon went on. "My niece
Jae turned Hound a while back. My aunt takes her to the Silver Lake dog park.
It's closest to Koreatown. Jae got more docile being around other Hounds."

"We
thought it would help Travis too, so I checked out the Bark Park After Dark
program," Rollins said. "They allow Hounds and their owners to use
the park after sunset."

"But
Travis isn't a Hound," Xochitl interjected.

"Hound,
Feral, Beast, whatever. We used to take him when he wasn't turned," Rollins
cut in. "We thought if the kid could be around others of his kind...It
would be fun for him. And it was."

"He
made some buddies. The Hounds loved being around him in his human shape," Simon
continued unapologetically. "Even had a little girlfriend that would come
to the park out from the canyon. She didn't belong to anyone. A stray. We
called her Marley."

"About
a week ago, Marley stopped showing up at the park. That's when it got harder to
keep Travis human. And when he was human, all he could talk about was finding
her. He said he wanted to go live in the canyon. Helen had a meltdown. That's how
come he turned and tore through the cage tonight."

"That's
just great." Xochitl was close to losing her temper. "Beast-eo and
Feralet by William Fucking Shakespeare."

"You
guys have to fess up to Bob when we get back with the kid," Lucy said more
calmly than she felt.

They
had been standing around in the ravine long enough for the sun to set, leaving
only the faintest glow to see by.

The
temperature dropped without warning, and a cold breeze cut through Lucy's
clothes. She zipped up her bomber jacket.

The
sounds of evening had given to night, exchanging bird song for the distant
hooting of owls, and the rustling of the occasional lizard for the sharp flap
of little bat wings.

Scrambling
over the crest of the hill in front of them, a large figure came into view.
Xochitl spotted it first and pointed up vigorously.

"Travis,"
Rollins whispered.

The
shape rose to its full height, which was considerable, stretched its massive
arms to the sky and let out a bone-chilling howl.

Guns
at the ready, Lucy, Xochitl, Rollins and Simon spread out, forming a semicircle
at the base of the hill.

Before
they could make a move toward Travis, however, a female figure appeared at the
crest.

Her
ghostly silhouette positioned itself next to Travis in his Werebeast form. The
figure looked diminutive and very thin — female. In the moonlight, her
long tresses shone like silver. She used
her elongated fingers to gather the unruly hair and fasten it in a ponytail.
The gesture struck Lucy as entirely human.

"That's
the Feral girlfriend," Rollins whispered. "Marley."

Marley
shuddered and reached out to steady herself against Travis.

"Move!"
Xochitl poked Lucy in the back, taking one hand off her shotgun.

"Travis,"
Lucy called. "Come!" She still had her rifle slung over her shoulder,
trusting Simon and Rollins to use their tranquilizers on Travis if necessary.

Travis
responded to Lucy's voice and took a few steps down toward her. Lucy started climbing
up the hill to get closer.

"Marley,"
she tried. "Come here. Good girl."

The
small Feral rocked back and forth, as if deciding, then spun and ran back down
the other side of the hill.

Travis
took his cue from Marley and sprinted after her, away from Lucy and the path
back to Bob's house.

"After
them," Simon called out. The man was an impressive runner, and even going
uphill, he passed Lucy easily despite her small lead.

Rollins and Xochitl scrambled behind them.
Glancing back, Lucy saw Xochitl give up on the shotgun, sling it back in place,
and point her cell phone flashlight toward the escaping kids.

At
the crest, Lucy directed her impressive new spotlight over the small vale on
the other side of the hill. She could see Travis and Marley ducking in and out
of the dense high brush.

"We're
going to lose them." Rollins prepared to shoot from his vantage, but abandoned
the idea, apparently knowing he didn't have the range.