Page 28 of Shift of Destiny
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Lawrence Witzer barely kept from swearing out loud when the cuff of his pants tore on the loose board hanging off a picket fence he was moving past. Some might call it skulking, but traversing dark alleys at two in the morning carrying a wolf tranquilizer gun, regardless of the city, called for stealth. The sound of children laughing and a swimming pool splash motivated him to move faster.
He’d wanted to leave hours ago, but one damned thing after another skewed his plans. He suspected destiny was putting him through trials to see if he was truly worthy, and it pissed him off. He’d paid his dues—not to mention, paid greedy sorcerers and Pruhon’s company—and he deserved results.
First, Pruhon’s pack had caught his moronic sons on the outskirts of Kotoyeesinay, headed west into the high country. Lawrence hadn’t for a second believed their lame story of coincidentally visiting the exclusive casino, but he didn’t have time to get the truth out of them. He ordered Pruhon to lock them up for later.
Second, they lost the main containment area, which they’d dressed up as an alien landing site. Pruhon’s operatives set it up in the narrow park as planned, and when he and Pruhon had checked on it an hour later, it was gone, along with the psychics they’d collected and twenty spacesuit-wearing, military-trained men.
They’d lost another landing site right after he’d visited it. Two little old ladies had approached him outside the convenience store where he’d stopped to use the restroom. They said their crystal ball told them he was the person to ask about meeting the aliens, which they both had always dreamed of. He’d given them a ride in his limo to the smaller site near the mobile home park. He wasn’t supposed to be part of the sweeper operation, but it would be stupid to turn away destiny’s gifts.
When he’d walked them to the theatrically glowing fence, they’d become quite animated.
“I hope they’re big and blue, and never wear their shirts… Oh, Jane, look at that spaceship! It’s even better than that movie, you know, the one with the music.”
In the better light of the security perimeter, Lawrence noticed both women wore 1950s-style housedresses and had conservatively coiffed but brilliant blue hair that would put his pathetic son’s green-tipped hair to shame.
“I know the one,” agreed Jane, “With that guy, and the mashed potatoes.” She waved toward the “ship” partially hidden with a manufactured fog. “This one looks a lot smaller.”
Bertha turned to Lawrence with a wide-eyed gaze. “Do you think they’d let us have a look inside?”
Lawrence hid a smile. “It couldn’t hurt to ask.” He pointed to the spacesuit-wearing alien near the disguised truck. Just like taking candy from a baby.
When he went back twenty minutes later, that site was gone, too.
Psychics had been harder to find after that. Pruhon’s pack had to use precious time in tracking down home addresses, since most of the shops had closed early. That, Lawrence put down to the psychics using their talents. He couldn’t explain why Pruhon’s operatives steadily dwindled in numbers, to where by midnight, they had less than thirty experienced, armed mercenaries to control the town.
Pruhon became angrier as the night wore on, especially after some of his pack disappeared along with the mercenaries. He growled about being able to locate them, but not access them, whatever that meant. In the relatively small confines of the limo, Pruhon smelled like roadkill, and became increasingly antsy. Around two o-clock, Witzer finally ordered Pruhon out to go find his wolves, because otherwise, there would be no putting up with him. Lawrence wished he hadn’t watched the man as he’d shifted. “Never” would be too soon to see the man’s ugly junk again. Or his furry ass, for that matter.
Lawrence’s finely-honed self-preservation instincts said he needed to leave, but he had one more card to play. His horribly expensive sorcerer had come through with a home address for where Moira Graham was staying. All he needed to do was slip into the house, tranq her, and carry her out to his limo waiting out front.
Even if the other psychics slipped through his grasp, he wanted the destiny he came for.
