Page 68 of Shifting Years
A single door knock got my attention. The leather, gun oil, and spicy aftershave announced the sheriff. I opened the door, and he stepped back, out of Alpha-Omega politeness. For seconds, he stared down into my eyes and sighed.
"Yeah… ah, hell. Let's go."
"Seriously?"
"You aren't staying, Mike and if we went, you'd just follow. At least this way, I can keep an eye on you."
Mary and Penny stared back. Penny figured it was men's work, and Mary was Alpha and would go if asked. I couldn't destroy another family.
Saying goodbye, implied a bad future, so I gave my thanks for everything. Quickly, I grabbed random spice vials from my kitchen, which felt useful, and then hurried to the truck.
Several minutes later into the drive, the sheriff spoke. "It'll take a while to get up there, and the corpses will be cleared out soon. So, no bodies to smell, except blood and sweat."
"He's building a nest," I said to the unasked question.
The sheriff raised an eyebrow.
"Just feels right. I don't know if he's still Henry, but he wants what's his. He doesn't want to be chased, and he's making a stand. That's why he killed the families. They wereinhiscampground." I blinked. "Wait! I'm the bait." It wasn't a question.
He paused a second before nodding.
"You're an Omega and aren't built for combat, but we need a way to draw him out."
I thought about it for a moment. He'd let me out if asked. I'd be safe, doing nothing, or I could fight, not like John Kennedy, Doctor King, or Todd, but like a 'Mike' should. Fingernails pushed into my fist. "Whatever it takes."
We drove in silence as evening crept in around us. The campground signs showed paintings of happy families before my mind overlaid them with the news report. They couldn't show the mutilations, but my imagination filled the rest.
He flipped the CB radio and an electronic squawk followed. "You and me first, and our boys will follow." He paused. "Yousurehe can't see?"
"I don't think so. He sucked in air, like tasting or smelling his surroundings." I gestured to ten small spice bottles slung across my chest, making me look like an old-style gunfighter. Instead of gunpowder, it had garlic, black pepper, and other spices I felt I'd need.
The sheriff's white, shiny truck coasted to a stop over the dirt road. From the camp came an old copper smell. The sickly-sweet rot meant decaying flesh was in the area. According to the news, body parts were missing.And it's all my fault.
"Why didn't you tell?" I asked.
"About the wishing? It's not wise to inspire folks that way. Nearly a million times out of a million it won't work. You need the right combination of fear, hate, and will, to make it happen."
"It being those dead families," I whispered.
The sheriff's dark-green eyes stayed fixed ahead, searching for the new Henry. "No, but it wouldn't have happened without you wishing or him attacking you. You're someone who sent their husband out for groceries, thinking nothing of it, and they got in an auto accident."
My quick smile conveyed appreciation, even if I didn't believe it. "I thought being a thinker would solve my problems, but Todd went out anddidwhat needed to be done. Me? I asked others to solve everything for me."
"I don't think that's true. So, what did Tina and Dawn charge?"
"Books with lovers' stories. Supposedly, Todd and I were to fill them out, starting in the eighties, but he's well, you know. They asked… told us to make scrapbooks of Alpha and Omegas who need help."
He paused, thinking. "Not a bad price. My boy Wyatt should have his Omega by then."
It seemedthere was something to say, but I couldn't remember.Am I under a spell like when Henry didn't know about Angel?
Seconds ticked by and he already told me what I needed to do.
"I'm going out there," I said. Other men searched and Todd went to Vietnam. I was done with reading about fighters. I had my own story.
The faint dusty concern wafted from him. Not as strong as I'd smell from a mate but still appreciated. With a deep exhale, I unlocked the door and slid out of the vinyl seat. Gooseflesh instantly rose and Bobby's smiling face popped back into my head.
My old friend said he'd get a tingle when he was in the wrong part of LA, or wrong forhim. If he stayed, a police car would roll along, with an officer asking about his business. Can't say if it were the same, but I knew if I ran back to the truck, everything would be okay.Well, as much as it can without my Angel.
