Chapter Nine
The blaring speakers on the wall of Howlers were giving Greer a migraine. She wasn’t drinking tonight, and had only come out because she didn’t want Jill to get into trouble. Drinking with somebody watching your back was one thing, but hitting a bar alone was stupid.
But the way the local band’s lead guitarist was relishing his solo was seriously giving her ideas about bailing.
“Are you having fun?” Jill asked, practically screaming over the music.
“Oh sure.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” she slurred. Jill had already downed six long necks, all courtesy of a couple of local boys who thought Jill was wild enough to take them both on.
By the way Jill’s eye had already begun to stray, Greer had a feeling they were going to be incredibly disappointed.
“Holy sex on a stick, who is that?”
Greer followed her gaze to a tall, dark skinned man with high, gorgeous cheekbones and short black hair.
“Never seen him before.”
“Well, I’m about to wheel out the welcome wagon.” Jill downed the rest of her beer and set the glass bottle down on the bar with a clink. “Wish me luck.”
“Hey, don’t you leave this bar until I get a picture of his photo ID and his blood type!”
“Yes, mom,” Jill sang as she sailed through the crowd.
Greer shook her head, keeping one eye on Jill as she introduced herself to the tall, handsome stranger. With the other, Greer scanned the crowd. She recognized most of the people in the room; from high school, local businesses.
And then a familiar blond head came through the door and Greer caught her breath.
Xander stood a head taller than most of the men in the room. His blonde hair just brushed the collar of his leather jacket and his blue eyes were bright even under the fluorescent lights.
When he caught her gaze, her stomach actually fluttered, stopped, then belly-flopped. Especially when he made a beeline for her, his full lips tilting up.
“Hi,” she murmured as he stopped in front of her.
“Hey. Glad to see you looking well and vertical.”
“What can I say? Sometimes you just got to get out of the house and party.”
He nodded to her empty hands. “Doesn’t look like you’re hitting it too hard.”
“Can’t mix alcohol with my pain meds.”
“What are you doing here, then?”
Greer waved toward Jill. “Just being a good wing woman. Making sure Jill doesn’t get herself in trouble.”
He didn’t even glance Jill’s way. His gaze was thoroughly focused on her and it made her knees weak.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Looking for a couple of old friends. By the way, I was sorry to hear about yours. Are you doing okay?”
Greer’s stomach knotted up as she thought about vivacious Kelsey, her life snuffed out by a wild animal. It made Greer think about her encounter with the wolf and she couldn’t believe how careless she’d been. Taking for granted the fact that just because she hadn’t ever seen any large predators didn’t mean they were around, lurking right out of sight.
“Thank you. We were more like acquaintances, but she was great. She didn’t deserve to go out like that.”
“Nobody does,” he murmured.
Desperate to get off the subject she smiled and reached into her purse. “Buy you a beer?”
“Naw, I’m good. Why is this place called Howlers?”
Greer grinned. “Cause tonight your howling at the moon and tomorrow, you’re scowling at the room.”
“You’re not serious?” he said.
“No.”
“Funny.”
“I like to think so,” she said.
“Well, I guess I should take off.”
He didn’t look like he wanted to leave and she really wished he would stay. “Right, you said you were meeting friends. What do they look like? Maybe I’ve seen them.”
“One’s a young woman about five foot nine with red hair and hazel eyes and the other is a tall Native American man with a tribal tattoo on his left bicep.”
Greer cocked her head, amused. “That’s a pretty clinical description, but Jill’s talking to a guy that sounds like your friend.”
Xander whipped away from her, turning his head frantically. “Where?”
“Well, they were right…” she trailed off when she realized that they had disappeared. “Crap, I lost her. Damn it, this is so typical. I told her not to run off without telling me…hey, where are you going?”
Xander was pushing his way toward the front of Howlers, and Greer followed behind.
“Xander, what is going on?”
He didn’t answer as he launched out the door. Once she was outside, the cold air blasted her face and arms, but she didn’t have time to go back inside for her jacket. She stepped through a cloud of cigarette smoke before she caught up with him rounding the corner. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him to a stop, but he just dragged her along.
“You’re scaring me! I thought the guy was your friend?”
“I lied, okay? He’s a bad dude and if we don’t find Jill, there’s going to be another dead body in the morning.”
“What?” she choked.
He looked like he was going to say more, but a blood-curdling scream ripped through the night.
It was Jill.