Chapter Forty Five

Maybe this was a bad idea, I thought as another car drove past. I flinched as the headlights lit up the parking lot, and me along with it. It only lasted a second, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen if somebody noticed me. It had only been a few days since an innocent five year old had been killed by a huge dog, which had gone on a rampage through town later that same day. I didn’t let myself believe that nobody had noticed the slaughtered G-Nomes. They wouldn’t write that off as gang violence, unless gang members typically bit their rivals open and ate them. They would connect the dots, and realize that the dog had struck again.

Maybe this is how urban legends get started, I thought wryly.

Jokes aside, I was still worried. If somebody were to see me and call the police, what would Wrogan and the others do? I could just imagine their explanation.

“Evening, officer. We were just using our giant dog to catch another giant dog. Why no, of course our dog hasn’t killed anybody! What a silly question. Please don’t ask again.”

Another car drove past, and I flinched again. This late at night the cars were few and far between, which I guess was good. At least there wasn’t anyone out walking the streets. If I just laid down like this, I kept telling myself, hopefully they’ll think just I’m a stray dog spending the night in the parking lot.

How long was Wrogan going to make me stay out here? It had been over and hour since they’d disappeared into the shadows, and there hadn’t been any sign of Stark. Would they make lay here all night? It was cold, even with my thick fur, and the idea of lying on the hard asphalt until sunrise didn’t sound appealing in the slightest. I didn’t have much choice, though. Even if Stark wasn’t going to show up, I couldn’t tell them that without also revealing that I’d been the one who spilled the beans. Now that would be an interesting conversation.

“Hey guys, can we just go home? The Silverblood isn’t going to show up. Why? Because I told him you were setting a trap. He bought me a hamburger, okay? So, how are we going to get my mom back? Oh, we’re not? And I can’t keep any of the cool stuff either? Okay…”

Seeing as how I didn’t care for the taste of foot, I decided it was best to keep my mouth shut.

I yawned. Even knowing what could happen tonight, I was starting to get bored. The peanut butter sandwiches and milk I’d shared with Kimberly were making me sleepy, and I blinked my eyes, struggling to stay awake. Under the circumstances, I felt like it was probably safe to fall asleep, but I didn’t want to take any chances.

What would happen if he showed up, anyway? I had no idea what Mr. Wrogan was capable of, but I’d seen Dex, Ed, and Victor in action. Between my mom getting kidnapped, my house collapsing, and my being taken to Majestic, I hadn’t been impressed. They might be able to provide a distraction if Stark were in the mood for a laugh, but I figured any fighting would have to come from Wrogan’s end. He was a big guy— massive. Maybe he could catch the Silverblood just by sitting on him.

Then again, I remembered how I had felt when I’d first seen Stark. He was like a spring, ready to snap into action at the twitch of an eye. Maybe he would actually be a match for the Majestic director.

My eyelids were growing even heavier, and I laid my head down, crossing my paws under my chin. Stark was smart. He was probably in the next state by now. It would be fine if I just took a little…

A pebble skittered across the parking lot, striking me on the side of the head. I sat upright, alert in an instant, and looked around.

“Stay awake!” Dex’s voice hissed out of the shadows, just loud enough for me to hear.

I didn’t lay back down again. Instead, for a few minutes I sat there, like a dog waiting at the door for its master. My ears were cocked up, twitching at every noise, but there was still no trace of another werewolf.

There was, however, a possum hidden in the bushes at the edge of the parking lot. I could smell it, and the scent made me turn my head to look for it. My stomach growled, suddenly hungry again. Peanut butter and milk were fine for a human, but I was a wolf now. Wolves need meat, and that possum smelled awesome.

Go get it, already! my furry side urged me. I stood up and started towards the bush, but stopped when a chorus of urgent whispers came from behind me.

Oh, right… Stark.

Growling with irritation, I turned and went back to the place where I’d been before. I didn’t lay back down, though. Now that I was up, I wanted to be active. I knew I couldn’t leave, and the parking lot didn’t give me much room to move, so I started pacing up and down the area Wrogan had told me to be in. I heard the possum run away, and growled in disappointment. Maybe when we were done here, I’d go out into the woods a hunt a little before going home. I thought about the rabbits and squirrels living out there, and licked my chops in anticipation.

I looked in the direction I knew Mr. Wrogan and the others were hiding and sniffed the air. I could just barely pick up their scent. It smelled like they hadn’t been here for hours. Whatever those pocket dimensions were, they were doing their job.

But none of that mattered, I reminded myself, because Stark was not going to…

A growl came from behind me, making the fur on my back rise. I froze, my paws stuck to the asphalt as my heart pounded like a drum inside my chest. I turned around, and there he was, exactly the way I remembered him from that night at the funeral home.

No! I thought, horrified. You knew what was happening. Why did you come?

But here he was all the same. Stark had come to spring Majestic’s trap.