As he drove through town, Dorian ignored the phone call and text from Avery. He couldn't explain his whereabouts to her since he left the diner if he tried, not without revealing things he didn't want her to know... at least yet. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel to keep the uneasiness at bay; couldn't push away the feeling that his entire world would fall apart if he didn't stop Julian Lock. It had to be him behind the killings and everything else that had gone awry in Pineridge in recent months. Avery had shared her encounter with Lock up on the mountainside yesterday, and he had witnessed it too, watching from afar. He also wanted to talk her out of the dangerous plot she had her mind set on, but he felt he had little chance of accomplishing that.
Dorian didn't know how Avery planned on luring the wolf—and her hero out of hiding—which meant he didn't know where this tempting of fate would take place. But he had an idea where it might go down.
A text message made his phone vibrate. It was from Avery.
I think you should know that I had another run in with that Julian Lock guy. After you left the diner, he showed up at your Jeep on the side of road. The way he talked scared me. Since you're not answering your phone or responding to texts, I thought I should let it all out and ask the obvious question. Where were you when the bus went over the guardrail? Thankfully, the hero saved the day again. Seems to always show up when needed. I'm betting he will tonight, too.
Wagging his head, Dorian tossed the phone in the passenger seat and took a left off the main drag through town. Based on her encounters, Julian Lock seemed to follow Avery everywhere she went. There were two incidents in the last two days and another that came across most obvious to Dorian... the wolf that showed up on Avery's back doorstep. If Lock was the wolf, a.k.a. the wolf that was terrorizing Pineridge, then it made sense to stick close to Avery and wait for the predator to reveal himself.
He drove toward the foothills of the surrounding mountains toward Avery's duplex apartment, which sat nestled against the backdrop of the dark, dense forest. Of course, he knew where she lived. His job was that of an investigator and hunter of the supernatural kind, which meant he had certain skills. When he passed by her place, he kept going, noticing she wasn't home yet. Of course, she wouldn't be. It was still early afternoon.
A good way down the road, he found a dirt path that led back into a clearing, one he knew loggers had used in the past. He parked, armed himself with a weapon from his stainless-steel case, and hiked back toward the area of woods behind Avery's apartment, keeping the handgun tucked in the back of his jeans. With the sun beaming down, a few lucky rays bounced and prodded their way through the overhead canopy of branches and provided some light on the floor of pine straw. He noticed the disrupted needles and cones, broken twigs and small limbs. This was where the battle with the wolf had taken place the other night. This is where he believed Avery would try her luck, right in her own backyard.
Dorian was scoping out a spot to take up surveillance once the sun went down, when a rush of wind from behind him scattered the pine needles even more. He whirled around to find Julian Lock staring at him.
"What's your game, Julian?"
Lock sauntered closer. "To make your life miserable, of course."
"Whatever sick and twisted plot you're up to, you need to leave Avery Lane out of it. If you have any quarrel, take it up with me."
Lock huffed, an amused look creeping across his face. "I wonder what she'll think of you when she finds out who you really are. Or should I say, what you are?"
"Obviously, something has changed you." Dorian stepped forward, not backing down, peering into Lock's unseemly dark eyes. "Did it happen on our last hunt or sometime afterward?"
Lock's gaze hardened. "We had her cornered, but you let her slip past you. Then she came after me. In that abandoned warehouse, with all those crates stacked to the high heavens, at night, there were a lot of places to hide... and to get caught by surprise." Lock's eyes flashed yellow for an ominous moment and then returned to their normal, dark orbs.
"But you killed her? Vespa?"
Lock's head tilted in obvious thought, apparently delighted with the conversation. "She morphed and bit me. Kinda changes things."
"So, that's your secret?"
"I'm not the only one who has a secret." Lock let a wolfish grin slide across his face. "You may not be aware of it, although I don't know how you couldn't see it, but there's more than one wolf in Pineridge. In fact, there's an alpha who has it out for you."
"And who would that be?" Dorian raised his chin, looking down his nose at Lock. "You?"
Another pleasurable laugh. "Oh no. I'm more like you, a lone wolf."
"I'm nothing like you."
"He moved into Pineridge a few months back... after he found a mate." Lock squinted at Dorian, invading his personal space. "He's been here under your nose, and you haven't even taken notice. Your noble pursuits must have preoccupied you. It shouldn't come as a surprise since you're smitten with that newspaper reporter who loves to write about the wolf and her hero."
"Who's the alpha?" Dorian asked. "I have a silver bullet with his name on it."
"Taking the easy way out? With The Bureau's advanced weaponry?"
"Who is he?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out. Although, I find all the love triangles amusing, especially seeing they'll eventually come to a head. Someone's going to die, my good friend. And it might happen tonight."
"What do you know about tonight?"
"Last night at your house," Lock replied. "You had your front door open. I could hear everything Miss Avery Lane said through that glass door. Such a romantic evening, dinner by firelight."
With that comment, Lock pointed behind Dorian and made him look. And just like that, in a flash, he vanished among the trees.
Dorian exhaled, feeling the weight of tension rising as he considered everything Lock had told him. Given what Avery wanted to do, he knew it would all go down right here behind her apartment. Even though he didn't think he could change her mind, his encounter with Julian Lock made him want to try one more time, especially with the mention of an alpha who had moved into town in the last few months. And the news this alpha had found a mate; he hoped it wasn't Avery.
A werewolf imprinting on a human.
He sighed. He knew that was possible... for obvious reasons, which meant he had to convince Avery to abort her plan, at least make an attempt. With that determination, Dorian returned to his Jeep Gladiator and headed back into town to talk to her one more time. He pulled around to the backside of the Pineridge Inquirer building and parked on the curb to be as inconspicuous as possible. He wanted to catch her by surprise so she wouldn't have time to think of reasons to object; maybe he could sway her if his appearance came across as sudden and desperate. After hurrying down the side of the building, he stopped before turning the corner because he heard someone exiting the front door. That person was Avery, but she was on the phone, walking away from him, heading towards her Ford Bronco.
"I just thought you could meet me at my apartment at around seven tonight," she said to the person on the other end of the line. "For backup, if needed. You're always willing to help when I need you. What do you think?" Avery opened her car door, slung her purse inside, phone pinned between her shoulder and ear. "Good. Bring your gun but come in your personal vehicle. I don't want to bring attention to us."
Dorian's eyes widened. He could only wonder who she was talking to, someone she knew and trusted. Someone who had helped her before, someone who packed heat. Maybe someone in law enforcement. Seemed like he had heard her mention a certain deputy she liked to use to help her gather information. That's the last thing they needed was to bring another person into this, someone who could be the wolf's next victim. An innocent life.
Avery got in the Bronco, shut the door, and drove off.
On the way back to the Jeep, Dorian pondered how he would handle tonight. So many things could go wrong, but more than anything, he had to protect Avery, no matter the costs. With that in mind, he sped home to prepare for what lay ahead. After that, he took a route that didn't take him by her apartment back to the clearing that had been a logging site. With the sun setting and the moon rising, dressed in all black, T-shirt and jeans, he found a spot behind a huge pine tree and waited for Avery's plan to unfold.