Chapter 4
Identify
Andi stood there waiting after the stalker took off running while the state patrol came to the door. Tyne arrived before the cop had taken her whole statement and he had pictures. The guy was big like shifters generally where. There was no doubt in her mind he was a shifter of some kind. How could she protect herself against someone like that?
Once the officer took her statement and he had a picture in hand, he spoke quietly to Tyne for a few minutes then left. Tyne came back to her giving her a supportive hug. Tyne’s mate, Moe, was her cousin, a cousin she was close to. One of the few she saw several times a month no matter how busy she was. They talked on the phone weekly as well.
“I’m sending this picture to all the local alphas. They’ll be on the watch for him. Paranormals have a better chance to catch someone like this. That officer is one of Ariel’s wolves, but most of the state patrol are human. None of the human ones would even know what to do with a paranormal. Keep your alarm on and Scott, the officer, will be driving by as often as he can. I believe you’ll be safe for tonight. The guy is an amateur and he was thrown off by the alarm and Scott arriving.”
“I never expected I’d have a stalker. Now that I know he’s real, it’s scary.”
“If he does come back, use your panic button.” Tyne advised. “All the white wolf clients have them even though they rarely used them. Most of them think they were so unnecessary, they forget to use them when they finally do need them. Don’t forget, Andi.”
“I won’t. I’ll get it out of the drawer.” She saw Tyne make a sour face. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him she’d put it away. Now that she had a stalker, having the device did make her feel better.
“I’m going to head home. Moe is sleeping, if I’d woke her she would have come and I worry about her.”
“How far along is she now?”
Tyne lit up. “She’s only six weeks along, but it seems longer because we found out right away. The doc said he could tell us the sex last time we saw him, but Moe wants to be surprised.”
“I can’t wait to see my new cousin. We’re having a baby shower in a few weeks. Any suggestion about what you need? Everyone’s been asking.”
“Moe already has all the big things. She got the furniture, it’s been in the family a while. Her mom sent her a stack of quilts with a box of baby clothes. My mate’s also been online looking for unique items. It’ll be hard to find something she doesn’t already have.”
“I bet I manage,” Andi boasted.
“I won’t take that bet,” Tyne declared.
Andi was well known for being creative besides, she knew Moe well so she would be able to find something she liked. Tyne left quickly, he was probably in a hurry to get back to his mate, in case she woke finding him gone. That might cause her worry, something Tyne would try to avoid. Moe was one lucky girl, but she deserved all her good luck.
Andi had planned to go to bed when she arrived home, but that plan wouldn’t work now. The adrenaline her scare had caused needed to be worked out of her system. She got to work, doing what she loved best. There was a birthday arrangement for a ten-year-old girl who loved princesses. The whole arrangement would be around a glass figurine of a princess. Many keepsake items would go into the arrangement like some fun jewelry that the little girl could keep.
This would be a memory maker for someone that they would cherish forever. The keepsake items would remind her of the special birthday her parents planned for her. What could be better? Andi loved that she was a part of it which made making this arrangement special to her. An hour later, she was done and finally ready to get to sleep. Tomorrow, she would talk to Ariel as well as anyone else that could help or might need to know about the danger present. That would be unmated white wolves because there was nothing else in Andi’s life that would cause her to be a target for abduction.
Now that she was calm, she turned off all the lights heading up the stairs where she made sure her panic button was on the nightstand next to her. She stripped, sleeping naked as was her custom. Sleep came slowly, but once it did, it was deep and restful. Andi woke to her alarm instantly.
She was ready to seize the day refusing to allow someone to ruin her life. Her intentions were to do whatever was necessary to stop this guy from continuing to stalk her. It wasn’t like she was alone, she had her whole clan to help her. White wolves pulled together, she was also willing to help any that ran afoul of kidnappers. She’d closed her store a few times to go out helping to hunt for abductees or to comfort or aid one of her cousins who’d run afoul of the pure blooders.
That was one of the things that defined the white wolf clan, one for all and all for one. She would get through this, but she wouldn’t have to do it alone. Ariel would get that picture out to everyone. They all needed to be aware of what he looked like in case he was targeting others too. There would be no place in this area he could hide. Even the woods had white wolf forest rangers who hiked through them.
Andi resolved there would be no place this male could hide from the long arm of white wolves now after him. Dressing, she got ready for a full day. She fixed herself a frozen breakfast burrito, yuck! It was filling, but not that tasty. It was sad because she was a good cook that never cooked anymore. Once it was heated, she carried it downstairs where she put on a pot of coffee then ate her food.
Pouring herself a mug of coffee, she took it, hurrying onto her workroom. Setting up her table, she took a moment to pull any orders off so she could start on those. There was also a clipboard of orders made over the phone or in person. She needed to find some time to shop to fill her gift area. That was when she could find a gift for Moe too.
Her sisters might fill in for her a couple days at the shop. Hers was a quirky family. Her mother was artsy with the eccentric behavior some artists had. Her sisters were Candice and Sandra. That sounded alright, didn’t it? But with their nicknames they were Sandi, Candi, and Andi. Her real name was Andrea, but no one ever used it. Mom had thought she was quite clever.
Sandi was the baby of the family. She’d just started her dream job as a forest ranger. Candi, the third one with that name in the white wolf clan locally, was the oldest at nearly thirty. She owned as well as ran a huge salvage yard not far from Blue Eye. It was down a dead-end dirt road in the middle of nowhere so it wouldn’t bother anyone. Twenty acres of cars, trucks, and SUVS. There was also an area for scrap metal. Her house was just out of sight of the business and she had a total of around a hundred acres, all told.
The girl was a sharp business person with some lake front acreage where she ran a spot people could camp or fish. They could also put boats in there. She might never get rich, but she had a couple of employees and she made a fair living. Her business was closed Sundays and Mondays so she had free time, unlike Andi. Candi also had two days off a week, pus vacation days.
Once in a while, they didn’t mind helping her out. Candi actually had a flair for arrangements while Sandi liked talking to people. Whenever they stepped in to help her, they divided the work up easily. In exchange, the next holiday that came up, Andi would take care of their gifts for Mom or let them come into the shop and pick one themselves. It was easy peasy, making them all happy. She would call them later in the day once they were off work. That generally meant after five for Sandi and after six for Candi.
Right now, she tried to stop thinking about her troubles so she could get back to work. There was plenty to do before Harry came in for the day. Two congratulation bouquets, both to the same address, three get wells, plus a happy anniversary sweetheart got her caught up to start the day as Harry came in, getting a cup of coffee then setting a box of donuts on the counter.
“Grab you some, Andi. I’m getting tired of donuts so they’ll go to waste,” he admitted.
“Still no luck?”
“I don’t know if I would have any luck or not because I can’t find any nerve,” Harry chuckled.
“Why don’t you let me send her a bouquet to say what you find so hard to say in person?”
“If I can’t do it soon, I may take you up on it.”
It seemed Harry’s arrival set off a chain reaction as customers flooded the store. Most seemed to be curious about what happened last night. Poor Harry had no idea. Andi would have to tell him if the store ever cleared out. That was a small-town issue, news traveled fast, whether you wanted people to know or not. Some were just chatty Cathys wanting to know what had happened so they had something to talk about. Others were genuinely concerned while a few were curious.
It was after lunchtime before the store cleared out. It seemed scary events were good for business. Many of the arrangements, single roses, as well as the flowers in vases had been sold since they were the excuse many used to be in the store. Since Harry had known nothing, he’d had no news to tell them.
“No one is in the store right now so get in here quick so you can tell me what’s going on,” Harry declared.
“Someone tried to break into the store last night. I got the door locked before he got in and set the alarm off so help would come. Tyne called the State Trooper on patrol who happened to be nearby. He came by in minutes with Tyne right behind him. I’ll admit I was terrified. The guy was huge, he was the scariest man I’ve ever seen.”
“Andi, you should have called me. Do they know what he was after?”
“Probably the money in the cash register or anything else of value,” Andi explained. She knew better than to tell the truth.
Harry wasn’t a gossip, but when hammered with questions, he would share the story she’d told him. That was just what she intended him to do. It wasn’t like it wouldn’t be in the newspaper anyway. “Will they be driving by here more, at least for a while?” He asked.
“They will. The trooper was nice, saying they would make a note of the danger until the man gets caught. Now that I’m thinking of it, Tyne pulled a picture of him off the security camera. We have a few copies here. You can show it to anyone that asks. Maybe we’ll help the police find this guy.”
Harry smiled. “Let’s see this dangerous guy.”
Andi handed him the picture. “Damn, he is big. Mean looking too, no doubt he’s a criminal. I’ll get the word out, I’ll show the picture around too. We’ll get hit by a second wave soon.”
Harry was right. She no sooner got the cooler filled, then the next group hit. The flowers were almost sold out so she put in an order for more. They would arrive first thing in the morning. She’d need them to make the special arrangement she had on order for a retirement party. The afternoon was crazy causing her to sell out of roses, daisies, and carnations. The jump in sales almost made up for the negative emotional impact of the scary event.
Now that the store was closed, she finally found time to make some calls, starting with Ariel, who already knew everything that had happened. “I was waiting for you to call,” Ariel noted.
“Apparently, criminal activity spikes sales,” Andi replied. “I’ve never been so busy without a holiday to cause it.”
“People want to know. Some for the good, others not so much, but at least it helped you.”
“True. I guess Tyne already filled you in?”
“He did. How are you holding up?”
“Being busy helped. I’ve not had time to worry.”
“Tyne gave me the picture which I immediately sent out to all white wolves with a warning. I also sent a copy to all alphas with only a general statement. There was no way you would want your name known. So, it wasn’t included. Right away I got calls and emails from worried boyfriends and admirers. Even one that asked about you.”
Andi laughed. “You must be joking.”
“I’m serious. You must have made quite the impression.”
“Who was it?” Andi wondered.
“The lion king, Sebastian Hunter.”
“I’ve only seen him once. Well, he did call in an order too.” Ariel started laughing. “What’s so funny?”
“The male runs a huge company. He has an assistant that calls in orders. He never does that personally.”
“What does that mean?”
“Sebastian likes you,” Ariel said in a sing song voice.
“If he does, he hid it well.”
“He’s an alpha. Of course, he hid it.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. He’s busy and I’m busy. No time for fun.”
“Oh, Sweetheart. You always need to make room for fun or life means nothing.”
“I’ll have time as soon as the place is paid for. I’m running a little ahead of schedule now. Another attempted break in, and I might be a couple months ahead.”
“Let’s hope we nip this in the bud. Regardless of who he works for, this guy is dangerous. Be extra careful because once he knows he’s being looked for, he’ll try something. Desperation makes the dangerous even more so.”
“Tyne reminded me about my panic button. I’ve been keeping it nearby. I’ll also be careful after hours. That’s when the danger will be greatest.”
Once they hung up, she felt better. The male would be found with the word spread so wide. Sebastian Hunter, she didn’t know what to think of him. He’d already been on her mind far too much. It seemed she was on his mind too. Too bad he wasn’t in her plan. The guy would be taken long before she was ready to find romance.
It was time to call Sandi now. She answered on the third ring out of breath. “Hello?”
“Hey, Sis. How’s it hanging?”
“To the right and tight. How about with you?”
“Pretty much the same. I was wondering if you had a free day soon.”
“Needing some help in the shop?”
“Actually, I need a day off. Moe is having a baby shower. I need to find a gift for her. I also need to stock up my gift section.”
“You’ll need Candi too. Call her to let her know, then we’ll get together to work it out. We could meet up at Sara’s for supper one night soon.”
“That sounds nice. We’ve not had a sisters’ night in a while. Maybe we can figure things out so we can meet tomorrow night?”
“Okay. Are you really not going to tell me about the attempted break in? I gave you a chance but you didn’t say a word.”
“I don’t like to worry you guys. I guess Candi already knows too?”
“I’ve not talked to her, but I bet she does,” Sandi guessed.
“That’s just craptastic. I was hoping to keep Mom from finding out.”
“Good luck with that.”
“She must not know yet. She hasn’t called.”
“If you’re smart, you won’t make her. Give her little jingle and tell her before she finds out on her own,” Sandi advised.
“Yeah, I know you’re right. I’ll call Candi first. See you soon.” They hung up and Andi called Candi quickly.
“Hey?” Candi answered.
“Sis? This is Andi. I was hoping you and Sandi would find the time to cover for me for a day.”
“Sure. I can get with her.”
“Sandi thought we could just meet up at Sara’s tomorrow night for supper. How about seven?”
“Yeah, you’ll have deliveries and I’m open until six. That will work. You okay?”
“You heard about the break in?”
“Yeah, everyone has,” Candi admitted.
“I’d better go to call Mom. You want to call Sandi and tell her about tomorrow?”
“Why not? Good luck with Mom.”
“Yeah, I’ll need it.” Andi knew it was true as she hung up her phone. Before she took the time to think, she hit her mom’s number.
“Andrea Devine Smith? That better be you,” her mom said. Who had a middle name like Devine? She did, that’s who.
“It’s me. Mom, just wanted to let you know I had a little incident yesterday. Everything is alright and there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Apparently, I’m the last to know.”
“That’s not true, Mom. I didn’t want to call you last night. I couldn’t call you earlier today because business was booming. As soon as possible, I’m calling you.”
“Not nearly soon enough,” her mom said with a snort. She was annoyed which was no surprise, but at least she wasn’t angry. Andi would take that as a win. “So, when am I going to see you? You never come to visit.”
“Mom, you know how important my business is to me right now.”
“More important than family?”
“I don’t mean that. If I lose my business, it would ruin me.”
She could hear her mother sigh. “We miss you. There has to be a balance in life. You’re letting one part of it take everything.”
“It won’t be much longer. I need to go, Mom.”
“Come by as soon as you can.”
Andi was relieved. It hadn’t been nearly as bad as she’d expected to be. Now that she thought about that, it worried her. Her mom was up to something. She never gave up that easily. It was hard to imagine what her mom could be planning, but Andi would try to watch for any surprises. Most of the surprises she’d had in life had been bad, so she tended not to like them.
Now that she’d gotten her calls done, she was ready to get her work done. It was hard to make arrangements with such limited choices. She had a large order of flowers coming in tomorrow morning, but right now she had limited choices to work with. Rising to the challenge, she managed to make three arrangements that she thought would sell.
Once she got everything put away, she cleaned up then headed upstairs. A hot shower relaxed her so she could sleep. All she wanted was to be left alone in peace so her business could be successful. Why did her bloodline make her a hunted commodity? It wasn’t fair, but she was aware life often wasn’t fair. If only that guy would get caught, she wouldn’t be trying to sleep with nervous tension ratcheting through her body. Was it worry or was it her gut telling her something was wrong?
Andi wanted to be prepared for anything. Opening her drawer, she pulled out her bodyguard model handgun. She checked the clip and took off the safety. Placing the gun on the edge of the nightstand, it was within easy reach. Turning off the light, she closed her eyes so she could go to sleep. How much time had passed was hard to say when she suddenly woke.
Listening for a moment, she heard a stair squeak. Those close to her would know better than to sneak up on her. They all knew she was armed just like she knew they were. It was a wise decision for a white wolf to make. Grabbing her gun, Andi tried to breathe deeply as she waited to see who would enter her room. There was a silhouette in the doorway to her room from the light coming through the window.
Whoever it was, they were big. Eyes glowed gold as the figure approached. “Stop or I’ll shoot.”
The person laughed, the sound dangerous. They stepped forward so she aimed low shooting into each leg. She switched on her light shielding her eyes so she wouldn’t be completely blind. It was the male that had tried to break in before. He was already up and moving forward again. Andi shot each shoulder.
“I’m about to go for your heart or your head.” She warned as she aimed between his eyes. “I know you can’t heal that.”
He glared at her and she was certain he was weighing the decision he had to make. She must have looked serious because he turned and ran away. Andi grabbed her phone calling Tyne. It was easy to see blood on the floor from near her bed all the way as far as she could see. Tyne wouldn’t be happy. He trained them to shoot to kill but she wasn’t prepared to take a life unless there was no choice.
Tyne arrived ten minutes later. It helped that he only lived five minutes away. “What happened?” Tyne asked as she opened the door to let him in.
“Somehow, he got around the alarm. He made it to the doorway of my bedroom. I shot both his legs, but he recovered quickly. The shots in his arm barely bothered him. When I said his head was next, he ran away.”
“You’re trained to shoot to kill,” Tyne ground out.
“I’m not ready to kill someone unless there’s no choice.”
“Next time, he may manage to take you down. Think about that.”
“Can you test his blood? There’s a trail of it upstairs.”
“Lead the way,” Tyne said as he trailed after her.
He got down on the floor sniffing the blood. “He’s a wolf. No surprise there. Odds were he would be. I’ll call someone in to take samples. We’ll leave the police out of this for now. Maybe we’ll be able to track him by the blood. I have a solid scent to follow. I’ll have Moe come stay with you. Just until daylight. That’s only a couple hours away. The guy clearly prefers doing his work after dark.”
She had to agree with Tyne. He seemed to have the guy pegged. Andi also had to admit Moe staying with her would make her feel better, more than anything else would. “Why me?”
“That’s what people always wonder,” Tyne replied.
“Yes, but in this case, I live in an area full of white wolves. I’m not even on the list. There isn’t anything that makes me stand out. I have none of the powers Ariel does, at least not that have ever shown up. How did they find me to target me?”
“I don’t know. I doubt we’ll find out until we have the guy or any of those behind this. This guy is a follower. Someone else is calling the shots.”
“Great. Now it’s a team effort.”
“Listen! Stay calm. Moe’s on her way and so is someone to take a sample. I’m on the hunt. If I find anything, I’ll let you know. Are you okay?” Tyne asked.
“Yes, I’ll be okay until Moe makes it.”
“Good girl.”
“Happy hunting.”
“Don’t you know it,” Tyne said just before he disappeared. The male was fast.
He was gone then headlights appeared and Moe was there. She got out of the car running up the steps. “Andi! Are you okay? Let me get good look at you.”
“I’m fine.”
“A little birdy told me someone didn’t shoot to kill.”
“A wolf bird?” Andi giggled.
“Are you in shock?” Moe asked looking concerned.
“No, I was merely hinting that Tyne was the birdie that told you. Now you took all the fun out of it.”
“He wasn’t the one. It was Jamison who is getting the blood sample. I asked him why there was blood instead of a body. I wondered if you missed. He said you didn’t attempt a killing shot,” Moe admitted.
“I thought it was Tyne because he lectured me.”
“As well he should. If it’s your life or an attacker’s, you need to take deadly aim.”
“He ran.”
“Yes, but what stops him from coming back? Next time, he may get the drop on you. What then?”
“I can only deal with now, Moe. Right now, I’m safe.”
“Hopefully, Tyne will catch him. That still won’t stop it, not until the mastermind is taken out,” Moe observed.
“You didn’t just say mastermind? It sounds like an epic struggle. I’m just a simple girl, nothing special. Maybe they managed to confuse me with someone else.”
“I think they know exactly who and what you are.”
“I doubt it. I’m nothing special like the others were. Most of them were also already chosen mates, even if they hadn’t gone through the mating ritual. I’m no one’s mate.”
“Maybe you are, but you don’t know it yet. It may just be that they’ve found a way to match future mates.”
“That’s a thing from science fiction. Unless, is there a way to determine that?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. If there is, I can’t even imagine what it would be. They’d have to have access to personal information, wouldn’t they? Unless it’s a witch or a soothsayer.”
“Is there even such a thing?”
“We know certain white wolves have foretelling dreams. What’s the difference?”
“Now I have to watch out for a fortune teller?” Andi scoffed.
“We should always be careful about what we rule out.”
“I know. I didn’t believe in shape shifters just a few years ago, now they are everywhere.”
“Witches and vampires, too.”
“Among others, you are right. With so much to worry about, how can we even have any kind of life?”
“We do what we must. There are challenges in every life. Ours are just supernatural,” Moe observed.
They sat and talked, even though Andi knew she would be exhausted in the morning. Tyne came back to get Moe and update Andi. “It seems your assailant was no longer of use to his master. I found his body in the woods. Maybe we’ll get a break before he finds another to continue his work.”
“Are you sure they won’t give up?” Andi asked. Tyne sent her an incredulous look. Her life was getting entirely out of hand.
Moe and Tyne left after they talked a few more minutes. She could try to get a bit more sleep since there was nothing else to be done for now. Andi headed upstairs, noting someone had cleaned up the blood. Setting the alarm, she was sure she’d be up with no trouble.
She woke to a pounding on the door downstairs about the time the alarm went off. Since she’d fallen into bed dressed, Andi hurried downstairs catching the man just as he turned to leave. It was her flower delivery man. Helping him carry her flowers in, she was grateful she had been able to wake when he knocked. He’d come early, but he had a full day of deliveries.
Now that the flowers were in the coolers, she went back upstairs to fix breakfast. A quick bowl of cereal then she was back to work. Harry was in just a bit early. There were more donuts. This time he had cream filled ones. Those were her favorite kind.
“Anything happen last night?” Harry asked.
“Tyne and Moe came for a visit.”
“How’s Moe doing? I don’t remember how far along she is.”
“She seems to be doing well. Moe is six weeks or so along. She’s not even showing, well maybe a tiny bump.”
“Does she know what she’s having?”
“No, they don’t.”
“I’m not sure I’d want to know. I bet she’s excited,” He observed wistfully. She was sure he’d not asked the girl out again.
“She and Tyne are beside themselves. There’s a baby shower coming up. I’m not sure what to get her.”
They discussed different gifts for a while, but nothing definite came to her. If she saw the right gift, she would know. Andi suddenly remembered she was meeting her sisters at Sara’s tonight. She needed to get her work done and make some early deliveries.
The bell jingled as a customer came in and she made her escape. She began to work quickly to get her needed work done. Checking her website, she had several orders to do. Business was up in general so maybe she was finding a higher level of success. If only she didn’t have the extra worries of stalkers or abductors to deal with, things would be good right now.
The bell jingled often throughout the morning. Andi had forgotten to tell Harry her stalker had been found dead. She went out to the sales area to let Harry go to lunch. “By the way, my stalker?”
“What about him?” Harry asked, interest lighting up his face.
“He was found dead.”
“Do they know what happened?”
“They suspect a dispute with another criminal.”
“At least you’ll be safe now,” Harry observed.
Yeah, right.
Oh well, this was a good time to call Ariel, even though the danger was done. She pushed the button for Ariel. “Hello, Andi. Why do you always call me last?”
“Not last, but you know how crazy it gets for us working women. The guy who tried to break in, came back to attempt to abduct me. I shot him, then he ran. Oh, and now he’s dead. It’s all over now.”
“Sweetie, do you truly believe that? Tyne will keep an eye on you, but you be watchful too.” They talked a few minutes more, but work called both of them. At least she’d called her. She usually got side tracked and the calls never happened.