Page 37 of Blinded
"Of course." Kurt smiled.
"As for the tutoring, I'd like that. I'd need someone there to keep an eye on the students and read things for me, but I think I could still write and show them how to work problems and figure things out. I wouldn't mind that, as long as it's at the pack house where I know there are others around," Brett said. "If we don't find a donor, or this surgery doesn't work, then I'll need to learn braille and look into other options, but I'm still holding onto hope that surgery will be a success if we find a donor." Brett smiled at me. "It would give me something to do besides sit around and feel helpless."
"You're hardly helpless." I frowned.
"I know that, but there really isn't much I can do alone. If I can at least feel like I'm doing something useful, it will help. Besides, it would give you a chance to get back to your life and stop having to babysit me." Brett gave my leg a squeeze. "Before you say anything. I know you aren't babysitting me, but it's hard to need someone to help me get around. I know you have things to do. As much as I hate the thought of us spending any time apart, we're going to have to. It's the only way I'm going to learn how to deal with being blind. I need prepare for the chance we won't get a donor or surgery won't be successful."
I wanted to object, but I knew that it was what needed to happen. I couldn't protect Brett and do everything for him. He had to adapt and learn, or he'd never be happy. "Doesn't mean I have to like it." I leaned in and kissed his cheek.
"I'll talk to Carrie and we can go from there. I should be able to let you know more by Friday when you do the pack ceremony," Josh told him.
I felt a wave of shock come through my link with Brett, then a second later, I smelled it too. I gripped his hand. "Kurt, the scent, I smell it. The person is close. It's not very strong, but I can smell it."
Brett stood.
"Easy, we should go slow. Let's walk around the bar once and see if we can trace it. We need to be careful. If the person knows about us, he knows who you are." I gripped his hand again and stood beside him. "Let's head toward the bathrooms."
"No, it's stronger toward the front." Brett tugged me.
I had no choice but to lead him toward the front doors, slowly moving through crowds, pausing to smell what or who was around us. He was right. The smell did get stronger as we headed for the door. "They're outside." I pulled him closer as we walked out.
"To the right." Brett turned and started to walk, but stumbled on a small step.
"Easy, I smell it." I moved so he didn't trip as we headed toward the parking lot.
We got to the center of the lot and stopped, the smell strong, but not moving from close to where we were.
"Do you see anyone?" Brett asked.
"No, no one. Whoever it was had to have gotten into a car and left." I glanced around, not surprised to see Kurt and Josh headed our way.
"Lose them?" Kurt asked.
"I think so. Can you smell it?" I hoped he could tell better than I could where exactly the scent was strongest. I looked around the parking lot, taking in the trucks and cars parked on either side of us.
"Yeah, I smell it, but you're right. It ends right here. The car wasn't parked in a stall. It's like someone picked him up. It's male for sure, human. Faint scent of marijuana. It's mixed with several other scents. My guess is someone picked up a small group. Let's head inside. I think Bruce has cameras out here. We might see something." Kurt turned, leading us back in.
Once there, we all waited as Kurt talked to the bar owner. Bruce was a pack member, and I was sure would do whatever he could to help us find whoever was attacking wolves. It took only a few whispered words for Bruce to gesture for us all to follow him into his office in the back.
I led Brett, careful of the chairs and other things in our path. He was tense and quiet, and through our link, I sensed a mix of anger and fear. There was nothing I could do to help him other than be by his side. I understood his fear. This was someone who had nearly killed him, had killed one of his friends. Nothing I said or did would reassure him that he was safe. Only when the person was brought to justice would he be able to really move on with his life without fear of being attacked again.
Bruce shut the door, giving us privacy before moving to the large desk with a computer monitor on it. "I have two cameras outside, but it will depend on where the vehicle was located as to what kind of view we can get of the people getting into it. I focus mostly on the front of the building and the back, near the delivery doors." His fingers worked over the keyboard. "Here's the last twenty minutes of the first camera that focuses on the front." He hit play.
We all stood around the desk watching as a couple cars came and went. "So far there are just a few cars coming and going. Look like single occupants. Not who we are looking for," I told Brett since he couldn't see.
"Look." Josh pointed as three men walked out. They were in the shadows and it was impossible to make out their faces from where they were, but hopefully, if one of them was the guy we wanted, then he would have to move to get to the place he'd been picked up.
"It can't be those guys." Kurt shook his head. "We would have caught the scent stronger in here. They came from inside the bar. There's no way whoever this was came in and we didn't notice."
Brett nodded. "The scent was faint when I first caught it. It could have easily carried in an air vent or through the front doors. It wasn't strong enough for whoever it was to be in here for any amount of time. We'd have noticed."
I stared at the screen, praying for a break.
About five minutes later, a two-door car pulled up and parked right where we had traced the scent to. It stopped, and two men got out, allowing the three men who'd just left the bar to get into the back seat before the other two men got back in the front and the car pulled off.
"That has to be him. One of those men in the front seat. Can you play it back?" I asked.
"What did you see?" Brett gripped my arm.
