Target (21 page)

"Mom, I'll come with you and Dad," Ashe said.

"I'll ride with Ashe and his parents," Dori offered. Rides to Corpus Christi were sorted out quickly. The afternoon was spent either in the pool or lounging on the O'Neill's deck with snacks and soft drinks. Jeremy had finally settled down, after a few serious glares from Marcus and Marco. He knew better than to push the Packmaster or his oldest son.

* * *

"Ready?" Aedan asked as he slid into the driver's seat of his SUV.

"This is a nice ride, Mr. Evans," Jackson Pruitt ran a hand over the leather seat in the back.

"Thank you, Jackson. Now, did anyone forget anything?" Aedan asked.

"I think we're good, Dad," Ashe replied. He was squeezed into the back seat of Aedan's SUV between Dori and Jackson. Aedan put the vehicle in gear and backed out of the driveway.

Parking was nearly impossible to find. Aedan ended up leaving the SUV in the parking lot of a bait shop about a quarter mile away. Lawn chairs were carried and unfolded at a good spot. People were everywhere, making Ashe feel slightly agoraphobic. Aedan, too, watched the crowd carefully. Ashe realized his father had done that always, he just hadn't noticed it so much until he was older. He also knew his father's sense of smell was nearly as keen as any werewolf's.

"Here you are," Marco, Cori and the others found Ashe's small group and began unfolding lawn chairs. The night was beautiful and clear, with a quarter moon hanging low over the waters of Corpus Christi Bay. The air was thick with moisture, but nobody seemed to mind.

"I haven't seen fireworks in a long time," Nathan said, standing on the opposite end of the small group from Star Cove. Ashe realized that Nathan stood at one end, Aedan at the other, and Marcus was behind, taking up that position. Marco, too, stood at the front, just off center so he wouldn't block Cori's view.

"Why didn't I see that before?" Ashe breathed.

"See what?" Dori had sat beside Ashe.

"I'll tell you later," Ashe patted Dori's arm. The fireworks began shortly afterward and Ashe couldn't have said exactly when it happened, but by the last fierce display, when it seemed the sky was lit with all colors of bursting rockets and falling stardust, Dori's hand was clasped firmly in his.

* * *

"Ashe, what are you doing?" Adele walked onto the back deck Saturday morning. Sali was in a deck chair, shirtless and wearing only sunglasses and a frayed pair of cutoffs. He watched Ashe while grinning hugely. Ashe, sitting cross-legged on the deck, tipped a glass of milk so Dori, in her ocelot form, could drink from it.

"Dori climbed over the fence. She's thirsty," Ashe said, watching Dori lap the milk. Her ocelot was beautiful, with stripes and spots evenly distributed over fawn-colored fur.

"Dorilou, what are you doing?" Lavonna Anderson was looking over the fence to see where her youngest had gone.

"She's having milk, I think," Adele frowned at Ashe, who shrugged amiably. Dori licked her whiskers, growled softly in thanks and leapt from the deck to the top of the fence before jumping down into the adjoining yard.

Ashe heard the back door of the Anderson's home open and close. Sali snickered. "I still have half a glass of milk here, wanna wear it, dude?" Ashe turned to Sali.

"Do not point the deadly Dori-contaminated milk in my direction," Sali laughed. Ashe was standing in a blink. Sali was over the fence and in his yard seconds later while Ashe flapped after him as the bumblebee bat. "Oooh, I'm so scared," Sali was waving his arms and doing a creditable imitation of Principal Billings.

"Ashe Aedan Evans, stop that this instant," Adele had to hide her laugh as Sali now ran around the DeLuca's yard, flapping his arms wildly while the tiny bat fluttered over his head.

"This is too good," Marco was outside the DeLuca's house and recording the incident on his cell phone.

"Salidar, what are you doing?" Marcus was now standing behind Marco, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Oh, my gosh," Denise walked out of the house and started laughing.

"Sweetheart, don't laugh, it just encourages him," Marcus said dryly, and then began laughing as well.

"Hello?" Dawn and Randy Smith joined Marcus, Denise and Marco on the deck. "Is that Ashe?" Randy asked, watching Sali run around the yard, still flapping his arms in mock fear of the tiny bat.

"Yep. Welcome home, bro," Marco slapped Randy on the back.

"I've missed this," Randy sighed, settling into a deck chair. "Land of the free, home of the weird."

* * *

"So, working for a Chicago newspaper, huh?" Ashe asked later. Ashe had come over to the DeLuca's home to talk with Sali, Randy and Marco.

"It's not glamorous, by any means," Randy sighed, stretching his legs out on the ottoman inside the media room. "I get the assignments nobody else wants. Like going down to the abandoned narrow gauge rail tunnels beneath the city and checking out dead rats. Some people are worried that the tunnels may be flooding, and that's not a good thing. That's caused problems in the past."

"Man, I thought rats were good swimmers," Ashe said.

"They are. That's why everybody is so upset. They've got experts doing rat autopsies, to see if they drowned," Randy said. "If they drowned, that means the tunnels were full of water. Repairs could cost a lot."

"Dead rats aren't a bad thing. Maybe they shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth," Sali shuddered. "I hate slimy rats."

"Sali, they're not slimy. Not all the time," Ashe teased. "Besides, don't those wolves in Alaska eat rats?"

"Those are wolf-wolves, not werewolves," Sali tossed a corn chip at Ashe.

"Oh.
Now
I get it," Ashe rolled his eyes.

"This is the best stuff, and I can't ever write a damn thing about it," Randy grumbled.

"You know it will get us killed," Marco said softly.

"Yeah. I know that for sure. You think I'd take chances with my mother's life? I won't ever say anything. Or write anything. Been down that road before, remember?"

"How's Trajan?" Marcus sat on the sofa next to Ashe.

"Fine. Up and around the second day like nothing happened. Back to slave driving in the weight room on the third day."

"You lifting weights?" Sali stared at Ashe.

"Yeah. Trajan thinks I'm too skinny, so he's determined to build me up."

"Ashe is running three miles a day with me," Marco nodded. "Trajan's orders. We work in the weight room first, and then go for a run before breakfast. I think Ashe is looking better."

"But Sali's always been the pretty one," Ashe grinned. Sali threw more corn chips.

"Marcus," Denise walked into the media room where all of them had gathered. Ashe jerked his head around—his skin was suddenly tingling. Denise sounded frightened.

"Denise, what is it?" Marcus was on his feet already.

"Ben Billings is outside and he's issuing a challenge." Denise was twisting her fingers nervously.

"He can't go to wolf if it's not the full moon; he has to fight as a human."

"I think he knows that, Marcus. He has a gun."

Ashe muttered a word that might upset his mother.
Mr. DeLuca, I'll get the gun
,
you get Principal Billings
, Ashe sent. Marcus gave the briefest of nods. Everybody else was up and following Marcus from the room when Ashe turned to mist and went straight through the roof.

Micah Rocklin, Marcus' Second, was already out in the DeLuca's yard, attempting to reason with Billings. The werewolf Principal was waiting just off the front porch, pointing a pistol at the door of the DeLuca home.

"Don't try to talk me out of it, Micah. I deserve to be Packmaster. Should have done this a long time ago," Billings was hissing, spittle flying from his mouth. Ashe had never seen the Principal like this before. He sounded crazy, and that wasn't like him. Angry and biased, yes. Crazy—no.

Coming down now
, Ashe sent to Marcus. He zipped down and only forming hands, snatched the gun right out of Billings' hands just as Marcus stepped outside the door. Hovering overhead, then, Ashe watched as Billings stared first at his empty hands and then at Marcus. Billings growled.

"I don't know what kind of tricks you're up to now, DeLuca, but your time is over," Principal Billings snapped.

"Ben, you don't want to fight me. Not like this. Go home. If you still want to challenge, we'll do it on the full moon, all right?" Marcus had his hands out in a placating gesture.

Billings cursed. Ashe was shocked—he'd never heard the Principal say words that foul. "I'll fight you here and now, Marcus. You're just scared to fight me—admit it. Whenever there's an execution, you let me take it. You're weak and you don't want to get your hands dirty."

"Ben, go home. Think about this. We'll settle it on the full moon," Marcus repeated his warning. Ashe, from his high vantage point, watched Marcus' hands. They were prepared to strike. The yard and the street beyond were filling up with people—mostly werewolves, Ashe realized. This was Pack business. Marco held Sali in a tight grip on the front porch and Micah was standing next to both boys. Greta, Micah's wife, was there with them, too. Denise DeLuca went to stand beside Greta, who put an arm around the Packmaster's wife. Among those gathered, Ashe saw Chad Hollis and Jeremy Booth, talking softly together. Ashe couldn't make out what they were saying. Dawn Smith was also there and surprisingly, Randy had gone to stand beside her.

"I'm not backing away or going home with my tail tucked between my legs, Marcus. This is going to be finished today. Then I'll have a few words with the Grand Master and this will be a wolf only community. Like it should have been in the beginning." Billings was putting up his fists.

"Ben, for the last time, go home. Now. As your Packmaster, I'm telling you to wait for the full moon to shine on a challenge." Marcus carefully observed every move Billings made. Benjamin Billings, Ph. D., werewolf, Principal, lunged at Marcus. His blows never landed. Marcus had his opponent's neck snapped in a blink—Ashe heard the bones breaking from overhead. Billings fell in a heap to the grass and Ashe, feeling ill, flew straight to his father's bunker, dumped the gun in the floor and then went to heave in the bathroom inside his bedroom.

* * *

"I take it you saw that," Marcus was inside Adele's kitchen later, talking to Ashe. "Where's the gun now, Son?" Marcus might have wanted to touch Ashe, but he was worried that Ashe might not want it.

"It's in Dad's bunker," Ashe muttered, letting his head drop into his arms at the kitchen island. Adele stood nearby, wearing a worried frown.

"Only the ones inside the house knew about the gun, Adele," Marcus turned to Ashe's mother. "So we won't have much damage control for Aedan and Nathan. I've already told the others to keep quiet about this. Denise and Marco won't be a problem, they knew already. Micah and Greta know. The rest we'll deal with later. Ashe, if I'm challenged outside the full moon, the fight is human. You're allowed weapons, but you have to give your opponent fair warning. At least two days. That wasn't fair warning, and he had plenty of opportunity to back away and meet me later. He chose not to do that."

"I know," Ashe whispered, lifting his head and staring at Marcus.

* * *

"Ashe?" Aedan knocked on Ashe's bedroom door before walking in. Ashe was sitting in his favorite spot on his bed; his back pressed to the headboard; short, white socks on his feet. Ashe had chosen to wear a pair of cargo shorts that morning. He didn't think he'd ever wear them again without remembering what happened that afternoon.

"Dad?" Ashe looked up as Aedan Evans walked in and sat on the end of Ashe's bed.

"I gave the pistol to Marcus, then Nathan and I took care of a few things. It wasn't much. You did right, Son. Marcus would have been killed in an unfair fight and the Grand Master would have been forced to come and sort everything out. I can't believe that old werewolf went crazy like that."

"That's just what I thought. He wasn't acting normal. I don't know what caused that, but it was scary."

"He didn't suffer. Marcus was trained to kill quickly and cleanly by the military. He was Special Ops, but he doesn't like killing. That's why he allowed Billings or one of the others to take executions when necessary. That doesn't mean he won't fight if he must. He holds his position because he can."

"I'm not questioning that. I just feel that Billings might have been pushed into this, somehow. Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense." Ashe picked at his comforter.

"I'm not going to argue with you on this. I know what happened the last time." Aedan stood. "But if ye need to talk, or just to be with somebody, I'll be up all night, and your mam won't be doin' much in the way of sleepin' either." Aedan's accent had come through. Ashe liked the lilting speech when his father used it.

"I know, dad. I think this is something that has to go away on its own, but I'll let you know."

"Good. You're me baby boy, Ashe, and don't ye be forgettin' it." Aedan stole from the room.

Ashe's cell rang half an hour later. Winkler was calling. "You all right, Ashe?" Winkler asked.

"Yeah. It was just a shock, that's all."