Croc's Return (15 page)

“That doesn’t mean jack shit, and you know it. You don’t think it’s kind of fishy that here’s a medical lab, screwing with shifter DNA, and suddenly we’re getting messed-up reports of giant lizards running amok?” Paranoia was a shifter’s best friend.

“It could still be a coincidence.” Said even if Caleb didn’t believe it. “Have you talked to anyone else about it?”

“Like who? Most folks in town are in Bittech’s back pocket, and those that aren’t ain’t interested in rocking the boat.”

Didn’t that sound familiar? Not so long ago, Caleb had been part of a group that knew something was fishy with their military unit. Everyone seemed to know something hinky was going on, and yet, they did nothing about it. And once they confirmed what was happening, it was too late.

I am not sitting back and watching anymore. I will take control of my destiny and like fuck am I letting anyone use me or the people I know.

“If I’m understanding you correctly, you think they’re doing more than research. You think they’re experimenting.” Making monsters.

Wes shrugged. “Damned if I know. Maybe I am just being a paranoid freak. Maybe they’re looking for a cure to the swamp fever. Or some kind of hair growth product for humans that they’ll sell for a fortune in the marketplace.”

“I still don’t get why you’re telling me. Of all the people to trust…” Caleb spread his hands. “Excuse me if I’m still a touch skeptical.”

The other man leaned forward and fixed him with a gaze, his mien serious. “Be skeptical, but be vigilant. Be informed, because what if I’m right? What if this is the start of something that could hurt us all?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve gone heroic?” The swamp would freeze over the day a Mercer turned into a knight for fairness, morality, and justice.

A moue twisted Wes’s lips. “Perish the fucking thought. This decision to figure out what the hell is happening is totally selfish because, if shit hits the fan, then my life might get difficult. I’d rather spend my life doing an easy job, going home to drink beer and banging pretty girls than constantly looking over my shoulder waiting for a silver bullet because someone outed us to the world.”

A valid fear they all shared. Since as far back as Caleb could remember, the anxiety of the humans finding out they existed was huge. No one seemed to doubt that the revelation of their secret would result in humans loading up on silver ammo and blood-thirsty outrage.

Yeah, that didn’t put a lot of faith in mankind. However, to test the theory, they’d have to admit werewolves and other creatures lived among them. No one was willing to risk possibly starting a genocide.

Which meant that, if Wes was on to something, then Caleb couldn’t walk away.

“What do you want me to do?” Caleb asked.

“First off, I want someone other than me to know.”

“Worried about getting taken out?”

“I don’t plan on rolling belly up in the bayou yet, but it never hurts to have someone else in on the secret. Second, start watching.”

“Watching what?”

“Bittech. The town. Anything really. I’m going to hire you so you can move around the institute legitimately. Something weird is going on, something that has my gator senses tingling. We’ve got to find out what’s happening and put a stop to it.”

“Sounds easy enough so long as we have the understanding that this does not mean we’re friends.”

Dark brows drew together as Wes frowned. “Never. Once this is over, we shall return to status quo.”

Excellent. Caleb did so have fun screwing with Wes. He’d learned some awesome pranks in the military.

“So are you in?” Wes asked.

“I’m in.
Boss.
” Caleb couldn’t hide the smirk as he said it.

“Actually, you will address me as Mr. Mercer.” Even bigger smirk volleyed back.

The things Caleb had to do… Funny thing was, a job working for Wes while investigating the gator’s gut feeling had an uplifting effect.
I’m employed.
Which was good for his new family. And he had a mystery to solve, which made him want to hum the theme from
Scooby Doo
—and eat a giant sandwich.

Damn that stupid pill he took to calm his nerves and halt any panic attacks. It totally fucked with his thought processes—and made him hungry, just like a certain weed he smoked in high school.

“When do I start?”

“Tonight. But not as a company man. I want us to do a sweep of the bayou by town.”

“What’s the swamp got to do with the stuff happening at the lab?” His eyes widened. “Are we looking for bodies?”
I hope not.
Nothing worse than coming across a corpse and having his croc go yum. Shudder.

“Looking for some of the missing folks is part of the reason. The other is that whatever screwed with Melanie is still out there. After dusk, I’ll start from my place on the west side and move toward you.”

“You want us to see if we can pinch that thing hiding out there.”

“Or find a trace. I’ve done some patrols on my own, but I could use a second set of eyes.”

“I can’t believe we’re going dinosaur hunting. Want me to keep an eye open for the wolfman, too?”

Wes didn’t even crack a smile when he said, “I see you’ve gotten a bit of a recap of what’s been sighted.”

“A story about a wolfman kidnapping folks? Yeah. I heard it from my brother. But I’m less worried about the guy with a hair problem than I am of this dino thing people keep talking about. It went after my son last night.” It still made Caleb’s blood boil and run cold at the same time, given how close Luke had come to being snatched.

“That fucking lizard bastard gets around.”

“You make it sound like you’ve encountered it before.”

“In a sense.” Swiveling in his seat, Wes turned to face a bank of monitors. “About a week ago, some of the institute’s smokers said they saw something in the bayou. I’ll be honest, since they were human”—because most shifters tended to shy from anything with flame and smoke—“I thought maybe they’d sniffed some swamp gasses. I mean, a walking lizard man? Sounds fucking crazy, except turns out it’s true. Check out what I spotted on one of the surveillance cameras.”

With a few rapid taps on a keyboard, a screen, showing a very boring white hallway, changed to another view. Given the greenish cast to the surroundings, it was easy to surmise the video was filmed at night. As to the setting, the empty concrete bay of a loading dock.

“This is so fascinating,” Caleb couldn’t resist saying.

“Fuck off and watch.” The time stamp zoomed ahead, and suddenly something lurched into view. Human eyes in an alien face stared into the camera a quick moment only before it loped away.

Dropped jaw, meet floor. Caleb couldn’t say a thing as Wes mumbled.

“Shit, I went too far. Hold on a second.” Wes rewound, and Caleb leaned forward, intent on confirming what he thought he’d seen.

Bare pavement, illuminated by a light above the bay door. A barren spot circled by darkness, a darkness that birthed motion.

At the edge of the circle of light, a body lumbered into view. Two legs, one thicker than the other, the skinny one pale and shod in a shoe, while the other was bare and definitely not sporting piggly little toes. The creature had a long torso, dark in color with two arms. A misshapen figure that loped close to the loading dock and paused for a moment to peek up, big eyes, human eyes, staring at the lens taping it.

Human eyes in a monstrous face.

“Holy fucking hell, it is a lizard man.”

Or to a child, a dinosaur since it walked upright and kept its arms tight to its sides.

Slowing the video, Wes took it frame by frame to the moment the ghastly visage stared at the camera. No mistaking the baleful glare in the eyes.

The frame froze.

“What the hell is that?” Caleb asked.

“A hybrid of some sort.”

“Well, duh. I get that, but how?” While the species could interbreed, with the exception of some big cat species, hybrid crosses just didn’t happen.

A bear and a wolf mated, the child was one or the other. A gator took up with a feline, the child, again, was one or the other. But this thing on the screen…

“It’s got a beak. And I think that this here”—Wes leaned forward and traced the outline of a shape over its shoulder—“is a wing.”

“Are you implying it’s a bloody dragon?” Caleb couldn’t help it, he laughed.

Wes scowled. “I don’t know what the fuck it is. Just like I don’t know where the fuck it lives. But I do know it’s screwing with the people in town.”

That was a sobering reminder. “Haven’t you been able to track it? It’s got a pretty distinctive scent.”

“A scent that disappears into thin air in the middle of the swamp. Not a tree in sight. Nothing. Not even a footprint in the mud.”

Caleb’s turn to frown. From a young age, everyone recognized the Mercers as some of the best trackers around. People whispered they had to know how to hunt in order to feed all those bastard mouths.

But even if they didn’t do it by necessity, the skill was inherent, and one that Caleb respected. Unlike the canine or feline breeds, reptiles like Wes and himself were at a disadvantage on land. While their eyesight and hearing were quite excellent, their sense of smell wasn’t as developed as, say, a wolf’s.

However, what the nose couldn’t smell, the eyes could see, and if Wes said the tracks stopped dead, Caleb had no reason to disbelieve him, even if it seemed farfetched.

“That’s why you want me to help you tonight. But surely you could have asked someone else.”

“I did.”

“And?” Caleb prodded.

“It didn’t end up well.” No mistaking the flash of pain in Wes’s eyes, a quick glimpse that transformed into anger.

This was personal for Wes. “Who else has gone looking for it?”

“A few of us. We’ve been keeping the news on the down low so we don’t scare people.”

“Who’s us?”

“Me, my brother. Daryl. There are a few others, but like I said, we’ve been keeping it on the down low.”

“Which seems like a stupid idea. I mean, if there’s something out there targeting shifters, shouldn’t we be letting the whole town know and forming a posse to go after it?”

“You’d think that would be a good plan.” A wry smile twisted Wes’s lips. “Except the fellow who tried to organize a town meeting went missing.”

“And you let that stop you?”

“No. I stopped when the second guy, my brother, went missing, too.”

“Your brother? Which one?”

“Gary.”

“He was two grades behind us, right?”

“Yeah. He disappeared on his way into town on his motorcycle. Hasn’t been seen since.”

“I’m sorry, dude.” Caleb truly was. No matter his issues with Wes, he wouldn’t wish that kind of loss on anyone.

“Yeah, well, Ma and my sisters took it hardest. I think the worst part is not knowing if he fucked off and said screw the town and its problems. Or if something happened to him.”

“What’s your gut say?”

“That he’s alive and in trouble.”

“If you think his disappearance is related to the shit happening, why not scream it from the rooftops? Why stay quiet?”

“Because I won’t risk my sisters or mother. If the town council is in on the disappearances, then I don’t want to tip my hand. As far as they know, I dropped the whole thing. Only me, your brother, and Daryl really know shit. And a few cousins, but they won’t say shit and report only to me.”

“And lucky me, I got invited to the party.” Caleb couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, don’t I feel warm and fuzzy. Hoping the town’s dino monster will get me, too?”

“I was hoping you’d get taken by crotch rot, but no such luck. But more seriously, I need your help. Anything that can take out my brother is dangerous to us all. More disturbing is the fact that, whatever is going on, someone is willing to go to extremes to keep it secret.”

Which meant it was up to them to figure it out.

And stop it.

It was ridiculous to be so excited about seeing Caleb pull into the front yard with her battered car. Chiding herself, though, didn’t stop the giddy thrill that made her pulse speed up as she focused her gaze on him.

Unlike Renny, Luke didn’t worry about appearing too eager to see Caleb. With his little legs pumping, he ran at Caleb, who swept him into his arms and flung him in the air.

Renny squeaked. Luke squealed. Caleb laughed.

“Got ya!” Caleb exclaimed, catching their son with ease. Never mind that Renny might have lost a few years off her life.

Get used to it. Daddies don’t do things the same as mommies.

With Luke secured on his hip, instead of at the mercy of gravity, Caleb approached.

Her pulse fluttered. Excited. Scared.

She couldn’t make up her mind.

Uncertainty still prevailed when it came to how she felt about the ease and speed Luke had taken to his father. The resentment she’d long harbored at Caleb’s apparent abandonment seemed to be having a hard time taking root. Anger, much like fine sand, slipped through her grasp. Its departure left a hole quickly filled by anticipation.

And let’s not forget heat.

Each time Renny ran into Caleb, the more difficult it became to remember the loneliness of life before he returned. He brought color into her world. Other than Luke, what did she have that made her want to smile for the simple joy of it?

He makes me happy.

Enjoying his presence, though, didn’t mean she took to orders very well, and she could see by the frown knitting his brow they were about to have words about it. Good. Because it was time he learned the ground rules. Her rules.

Rule number one, she wasn’t going to bow meekly.

Stopping a few feet from her, Caleb took in her appearance. Slightly grubby, given she’d spent the afternoon weeding the gardens while Luke played.

“Hi.” She went for cheerful. Maybe it would temper his glower.

“Don’t you hi me. What are you doing outside?” he demanded.

“Getting fresh air and exercise.” She bent a knee and did a lunge. She might be a few pounds heavy, but she remained limber.

He didn’t seem impressed. “I told you to stay in the house with Luke.”

Nothing could have stopped her snort. “I’d like to see you entertain an active four-year-old penned in a house with no toys or kids’ movies on a sunny day.”