Chapter 10

Doug sped up slightly. This was just a warm up for him—a chance to stretch his legs. There was just something completely blissful about feeling his sneakers pistoning against the asphalt and the air rushing in and out of his lungs. It was the best high he could ever get. He never had minded that raw feeling in the back of his throat after a few miles. He could feel the generally soft breeze sailing across his face, buffeting back his short dark hair and cooling the sweat beginning to bead across his forehead.

He'd been right about Grady. Muscled and slow. Sure, he did all right for a regular person, but he was supposed to be a werewolf hunter. Grady kept right behind Doug until they reached the end of Sparkling Heights. His footsteps began to fall behind then. They'd jogged a mile through town now and judging by the sound of Grady's thumping feet in the background, he was nearly out of sight.

Nearly just wasn't good enough. The foreign thumps were extra buzz in the back of his head. Doug found he couldn't tune them out. They were as irritating as the person who made them. Only when he was truly alone could he lull himself into a thoughtful state and be able to create a way out of this predicament.

It's all psychological, Doug thought with frustration. He used to jog with Jamie all the time. The soft patter of her feet had never prevented him from daydreaming before. In fact, the sound of her feet had only served to help the process. But Grady's thumps were more like an invasion on Doug's privacy.

He doubled his pace in hopes that he would lose the guy. For the next ten minutes, he was acutely aware that his back was exposed to Grady's sight. His heart began to thunder with the extra burst of speed. He knew he was outdoing himself. He instinctively knew he could keep up the pace for very long.

He throat no longer felt plain raw—it felt completely parched. He rounded a Burger King and dove down a silent street. The few shops that spanned the block were all closed for the day. Nothing stayed open late in Lampton Hill. A check at Doug's watch told him that it was after seven. The sun was starting to dip in the sky—which was a good thing because Doug never could have handled a run like this at midday.

He swerved down another street just as Grady rounded the previous corner. Doug kept this up for another hour until Grady's footprints had faded into the distance. Bursting out of a lonely alley, Doug slowed to a stop. He doubled over, his hands cupping his knees through the fabric and breathing hard.

It took a full minute for his heart beat and breathing to return to normal. It was then that he got a good look at his surroundings. He was on a residential street that looked strangely familiar. Doug scanned the stucco homes which appeared to be identical except for the varying colors. They would have been considered top-notch retail ten years ago. They were still in pretty good shape—nothing to balk at. Most lawns were nicely tended with carefully placed shrubbery and flower gardens. The sun had just slipped beneath one dark-shingled roof, casting a rosy glow about the periphery of the house.

Doug moved along the street, trying to remember why it was so familiar to him. It was when he caught sight of the white stucco house with a girl standing in front, her back to him, that the connection was made in his brain.

Werewolf. The alert went off in his brain and his muscles tensed involuntarily. His feet moved slightly apart to allow unrestricted movement.

The girl hadn't noticed him yet. She stood uncertainly, surveying the house. Her straight black hair fell across her back, slightly obscuring the view of her leather jacket. Below the jacket, her hips stood out nicely in a pair of snug jeans. She was curved in all the right places, but not too much so. Her build would still be considered fairly small but this did not calm the alert flashing in Doug's head. Small or not, he could count on hundreds of perfectly coordinated muscles sitting just below the skin. Like all 'wolves, she be a formidable enemy.

Doug pulled her name from his memory. Leigh. He savored the word for a few minutes, unmoving. He didn't know what he was doing, still standing there. If she turned around, she might recognize him. He doubted it, but it was always a possibility. He'd kept surveillance on her and her friends for a couple weeks, keeping as hidden as possible. And he hadn't been present when they'd fought the Colonel—he'd run after Jamie. Chances were Leigh wouldn't even recognize him.

Despite this, he should move on. He didn't want to attract attention. But she didn't appear to be moving in any direction. She just stood there, looking apprehensive. He began to walk forward, watching her out of the corner of his eye as began to move past her property—his feet barely making a sound as he stepped.

She stiffened and whirled to face him. Not quiet enough, apparently. Leigh surveyed him quickly with troubled blue eyes, as blue as a sparkling pool on a summer's day. Her expression changed slightly, as though there was something familiar about him but she couldn't figure out what it was.

Doug continued to saunter in the direction he'd begun. He slowly released the breath that he'd stoppered in his lungs. He tried to appear nonchalant. He peeled the front of his shirt away from his chest slightly, realizing that it was damp with sweat.

It was then that the sound of thudding feet rose in the background. Doug gritted his teeth, taking a glance behind him. Grady wasn't in sight yet. How had the idiot followed him through all those twists and turns anyway? It must have been a fluke. But it was Grady, all right. He would know that footfall anywhere after it had just bugged him for the past hour and a half.

No doubt the idiot still had the gun bulging in his pocket, just waiting for the whole world to take notice. And he probably had pictures of all the targets. Rollson wouldn't send him without some sort of reference.

Doug eyed Leigh again, stopping in his tracks. She had lost interest in him and was looking back at the house. She looked so small and helpless with that troubled look marring her features. Almost fragile. A worm of guilt wiggled its way through him. How could he let Grady hurt her? Because he would. Grady had made it clear that he would take every chance her could to use his gun—like a boy with his toy.

Doug sighed as the footsteps came closer. He didn't have time to think about Leigh right now. He had to worry about his sister. She was what was really important. He knew that arguing with himself was pointless. A part of Doug was determined to help her—no matter what the consequences.

He took a quick glance around for things that he could use. The sun was gone now, leaving the world in early twilight. The shadows were lengthening by the moment and the stars were winking into existence. Along the side of Leigh's house a waist-high line of well-trimmed bushes. If his eyes weren't deceiving him then there was a two-foot wedge between the side of the house and the leafy branches. Doug sincerely hoped he was correct because by the sound of Grady's feet, he was about to turn the corner. Then Doug, the street, and Leigh would be in sight.

Doug dove for the girl. She tensed just as he reached her, totally caught by surprise. He wrapped her form in a tight hold and jumped backward onto the bushes. His body rolled over the prickly surface, barely touching them before they fell—Leigh beneath him. He jutted his elbows passed her rigid form to take the brunt of the landing. It was all he could do not to make a sound as the hard-packed dirt hit his elbows. Pain lanced up his arms.

He didn't stop there or all that he'd been working for wood have been ruined. He gripped both her wrists behind her back in a tight grip. This stopped her from turning 'wolf on him because she would have broken her shoulder bones. He placed another hand over her mouth to keep her from making a sound. He felt her warm breath on the palm of his hand.

Her legs tensed then. He knew instinctively that she was preparing to kick him off. Unable to free his hands he wrapped his own legs around hers to keep her in place. She bucked hard. Dang she was strong.

He wished he could tell her that he didn't mean any harm, but Grady was in earshot now. If he said anything—even the barest whisper—they'd be caught. He just held on as tightly as he could and did his best to muffle her struggling with bated breath.

Her blue eyes shone up at him with pure feral fury. He tried to show apology through his expression but he didn't think the message made it because she was still looking daggers at him.

Grady's footsteps pounded closer until he had reached the sidewalk right in front of Leigh's house. In Doug's heightened, adrenaline-run, state, the feet sounded like gunshots. He strained with all his might as Leigh struggled. She managed to free one leg and kneed him in the balls.

He couldn't help the small hiss of pain. He caught hold of her leg again.

Dang, he was probably going about this the wrong way. But he couldn't think of a better alternative.

The sound of pounding feet stopped and instead, the sound of hard breathing caught Doug's ears. He cursed mentally. Grady couldn't have heard the sound, could he?
Leigh was trying to call for help beneath his palm. Now was definitely not the time. He pinched her nose shut so that the noise wouldn't escape from there. Still her voice was reaching his ears—softly, but still reaching them. He felt rising unease in the pit of his stomach. He really wasn't prepared to kill Grady right now, but he would if he had to. He was afraid it would ruin what little plans he had.

For some reason, Grady wasn't moving toward them. He just stood in the same spot, panting loudly. Doug glanced to the side, trying to get a look at Grady, but he bushes were too thick.

As Grady's breathing slowed, his footsteps began again. He sauntered off at a mole's pace—too slow for Doug's liking. After a good ten minutes, Grady's footfalls fell away into the distance. Along with his footsteps, Leigh's muffled calls died away too.

She was trying to call to Grady for help, Doug thought with irony.

He was fully prepared to let her go now but before he got the chance, he felt a sharp pain on his palm. It took him a moment to comprehend and then fury burst through him, mingled with fear and revulsion.

Leigh bit him!