“Hmmm. Hungry are we?”
“Yeah a bit, or maybe a bite, but only for you, Love!” Before Darby knew what was happening, he twirled her in a fancy dance step and dipped her back, kissing her deeply.
“Yummy,” she said when he returned her to a standing position. “What’s for dessert?”
“Can’t tell you – it’s a secret!” he whispered.
“Speaking of bites, have you bitten any cute little red heads in the last week?”
“No, why do you ask?”
“It seems my employee, Allison, has mysteriously contracted two holes in her neck that she thinks are bug bites she got some time last week.”
“Hmmm. Oh boy! Telling you our trade secrets may get us into a little more trouble than I had anticipated, but truly, would you rather us biting guys?”
“Well, no...I...hmmm...I guess I hadn’t thought of that, but I’m also not to sure how I feel about you necking with people I know. I mean, after all, it is kind of an intimate thing, whether the girl knows it’s happening or not. Remember, we know all these people. I can’t imagine seeing old Mrs. Bennett with ‘bug bites’. And I really don’t think I’d like to see some hot looking girl walking around with what I knew was a calling card from you or Blake. Would it be a lot to ask if, say, you two took up dining on people Rowan and I might NOT run in to? Like say, in San Francisco or San Carlos, somewhere we don’t frequent. Think of it like this, how would you feel if I left bug bites on a bunch of sexy hot guys?”
He chuckled. “I think I see your point. I’ll talk to Blake. We’ve never lived in a community for any extended time, so it was never an issue before, but we could do what Uncle Dominic does and just have blood sent to us from the family doctor. That is, if you don’t mind our red cocktails every once in a while, or the bag of blood in the back of the fridge?”
“I don’t mind, but you might want to put the blood in the garage fridge, on the off chance that a guest might grab his or her own beer and freak about the bag of blood. Thanks, Sweetie. I appreciate it. Really, I do. I hope it’s not too confining for you.”
“No problem, Love. Many vampires sustain themselves this way and it is certainly less gruesome. I’ll make the arrangements with Dominic tomorrow.”
All the groceries were now put away and Darby grabbed a beer out of the fridge, “You want one?” she offered.
“Sure.”
“By the way, as far as I’m concerned, just grab anything you want out of the fridge. You and your brother are welcome to anything here, unless the giant green bean starts eating me out of house and home, then maybe chipping in would be appropriate.” She laughed and he joined in. “What I’m trying to say, is don’t be shy, you’re my family, and what is mine is yours.”
“You are too kind, Darby!” He kissed her again. “Same goes for me, everything I have is yours, including my heart!” After smooching a bit, they went to the living room.
“I went into the bookstore today to do payroll and stuff and brought home some books on werewolves. Thought it couldn’t hurt to read up on the folklore.”
Blake said, “You really think it’s an issue, huh?”
“I think we should be prepared. ” Darby took a swig of her beer and continued, “I also think that Blake and I should go to Colorado and try and find Benjamin Wolfe’s family and see if they would be willing to give us some first hand information.”
Devon and Rowan both protested in stereo.
Darby put her hands up to quiet them so she could explain. “I know you don’t want to admit this, but it makes the most sense. Devon,” she looked at him and continued, “You have a project that needs to be finished at work. I know you are ahead of schedule, but we don’t know what the future brings right now, so now may be a good time to complete some things.” She turned to Rowan, “You, my dear, have a foreign substance running around in your bloodstream, and I think you need to take it easy until we know how this is going to all play out.
“We’re not talking a week here, I figure we can get a lot done in a day or two, unless his family turns out to be harder to find than we expect. Maybe we can find a birth certificate for him – that would tell us the name of his parents and where he was born. We start in Colorado and go back in time from there. A credit report, maybe – that would list all his residences, spouses, if any, and his social security number. You two are software engineers, can’t you hack into something?”
Blake and Devon looked at each other and laughed. “Just because we are software engineers, doesn’t mean we hack into firewalls for fun – it’s not like the movies,” Devon said.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Blake admitted somewhat reluctantly. “Sorry, Devon, remember when I got that point against my driving record a couple of years ago, well I may have hacked into the DMV to cleverly discard the point. Come on, they were going to double my insurance on the car. I also might have slithered into the police database and expunged a few tickets from…”
“Please, Blake, don’t tell me anymore...I can’t believe you would take a risk like that again. You promised me you wouldn’t do that stuff anymore. You almost went to prison once for hacking into websites. Uncle Dominic may not be able to pull strings like last time, if you do this again. Don’t you realize, you could go to prison for that, for a very, very long time?” Devon shook his head.
“Only if you get caught,” Blake retorted.
“Great. Nice attitude, Blake.”
“So what you are saying is that you have a program that can hack into the police database?” Darby asked.
“Umm…it can be done.”
“That would simplify things,” Rowan said.
“And we could all go to jail with him,” Devon said.
Ignoring Devon’s comment, Darby said, “Blake, this program, can it cover its trail? I mean would the IP be traceable back to us? Say we do a search on this guy; it would show his record, his parents, maybe siblings or a spouse? That’s what…four, five moves in the database and two or three prints. As long as we don’t download to an IP, can it be traced?”
“Are you sure you’re not a software engineer?” Blake said then continued, “Basically, you just need a thumb drive or flash drive with Linux loaded on it. Aside from that, you need a laptop that can be booted from a thumb or flash drive. Then you go to your nearest public place, say a coffee shop or an airport, the bigger the better. Then log on to the internet using the facility’s Wi-Fi network. It would be very hard for anyone to trace it. The program I have would allow us one hundred and sixty seconds to browse around.”
“So, since you’ve been in the database before, you know right where to go and could feasibly jump in and out faster this time because you know where you are going.”
“Yeah, if they haven’t changed their formatting, it should be possible.”
“I can’t believe you are encouraging him, Darby! Why are you even suggesting such a thing?” Devon asked.
“I know it’s irresponsible of me, but this is my sister’s life we are talking about and this could give us a huge time advantage.”
“But, this a federal crime. Maybe worse. That’s long, hard time. I can’t allow him to do that. Personally, I can’t understand why you would even consider it. I thought you cared about him, me, all of us,” Devon argued.
“I do, Devon, I do very much. I guess, I just got a little over zealous! You’re right. Things are just getting a bit desperate here, but I shouldn’t have encouraged him,” Darby said dismissively, then continued, “Blake, have you come up with anything on the Wolfe Family in Colorado in your web searching? Some phone numbers or email addresses? The four of us can start calling and hopefully we’ll find a relative that way. If you haven’t yet, maybe we could search MySpace and Facebook too. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find someone.”
“Wow,” Blake said. “How do you know so much about the Internet?”
“The bookstore does most of its business online. You get to know a thing or two about the Internet, bei
ng a webmaster.”
“Cool, I’ll go grab my laptop,” said Blake.
When Darby and Devon were alone, Darby turned to Devon, who was livid. Although he’d said it was okay, she was sure that it was not. She thought to herself, that’s cool, if the shoe were on the other foot, I might be reacting the same way.
They were a lot alike in many ways. She’d try to make it up to him later when he’d had some time to cool off. In the meantime, she made dinner.
The four of them sat down to dinner together later that evening. Conversation was pleasant, but it was obvious to all Devon was still very angry. His comments were short and almost gruff when directed at Blake and he all but ignored any existence of Darby, but to Rowan he was his same sweet self. Darby knew that she had obviously crossed a line she ought not have crossed. She wanted to talk to him, but he took his leave, using work as an excuse, and left early that evening to go next door.
Darby tried several times to talk to him, to apologize, but either he wasn’t ready or he couldn’t forgive her for suggesting Blake’s involvement in something so wrong.
At first she thought he was overreacting, but after a conversation with Rowan she learned that Blake’s previous run in with the law was very serious. So serious, in fact, that he was looking at 5-10 years in prison. Dominic had been a key instrument in keeping Blake from doing any time, but Devon couldn’t be sure that Dominic could call on any more favors on Blake’s behalf if he were to be involved in something again.
If he were to get caught again, he’d probably get the maximum penalty. This news hit Darby hard and made Devon’s reaction more understandable. If she had known this during her conversation with Blake, she might have smacked him on the head herself.
Blake and Rowan had come up with some leads for finding Benjamin Wolfe’s family. The Facebook search turned up several possible Wolfe family members all in Colorado. Darby asked Blake if they should make plane reservations, or wait to talk things through with Devon. Blake didn’t think it was a big deal, and pushed Darby to go ahead with the plans. She wasn’t sure that was a good idea. She didn’t like leaving with things so uncomfortable between her and Devon. Blake pushed her hard, though, telling her she could deal with it when she got back. At the time, Darby hadn’t realized how desperate Blake was to lay this problem to rest, or she would have listened to her heart and put things off until things were worked out with Devon. Before she could even think straight, Blake had already made the reservation for the next afternoon.
Chapter 17
Darby lay in bed with Harry all night, wishing she could clear the air before leaving on Saturday. She was scared she had somehow destroyed something in their relationship that maybe she couldn’t fix. The tears came hard in her pillow. Harry tried to amuse her with his purring and cuteness, but there was nothing he could do to undo what she had done unintentionally. How could she have been so inconsiderate? She knew the responsibility Devon felt for Blake, because she too felt it for Rowan. She knew too in her heart, that she would have never let the giant string bean risk going to jail. It would have hit her in the night or later on, but she would have never let him do it. They were just talking ‘What If’s’ not reality, but how could Devon have known that? After all, they hadn’t known each other very long. He couldn’t possibly know.
She tried three times to talk to him in the morning before leaving. He wouldn’t take her calls and he wouldn’t answer the door. In a last ditch effort, she wrote him a letter. In it she apologized for suggesting any such thing, and said she never would have let Blake go through with it. She told him that they were family to her. She would never allow any of them to put themselves in danger. She had hoped he’d known that about her already, but she understood that he may not have. She spoke of the love she felt for him - how it was embedded in her bones, her soul, and in her very being. She hoped that they could talk when she and Blake came back. She also relayed that she didn’t feel right about leaving things this way, but all of this was so important to Blake and Rowan for their future together. She wanted to make things up to their family by doing this for Blake.
She gave the letter to Blake to take to Devon before they left.
“What is it?” Blake asked.
“Well, your brother won’t see me and he won’t take my calls so I wrote him a letter apologizing. I don’t feel right leaving without setting things straight between us and well, I felt this was my only option given his demeanor.”
“I think you are reading too much into this. He’ll cool off.”
“It’s important to me, Blake. Just, please, give it to him.”
“All right. If it’s that important to you.”
Blake headed to the house with all intentions of giving Devon the letter, but as he walked inside, his thoughts became cloudy and unsure as to whether he should. If he did, Devon would most likely call off this trip to Colorado or at least postpone it. This would be unacceptable. Blake had become obsessed with this problem. He didn’t realize how much so, until he went to his room to pack. He stared at the blue envelope for a long time, trying to decide what he should do. No – not what he SHOULD do, because that would be giving the letter to Devon, but what he WANTED to do. He wanted to make things right. Fix all of Rowan’s problems and go back to the way things were. The only way that was going to happen was if they went to Colorado. He needed Darby’s strength for this. He couldn’t do it on his own. It had to be done. He picked up the envelope and put in the top drawer of his dresser in the far back. He finished packing and grabbed his bag and left the house.
With Blake pushing her every step of the way, Darby reluctantly got in the car to head for the airport. She had a terrible feeling about all this, but what could she do? They were already out of the driveway and down the street.
Darby checked her phone for messages or texts. Nothing.
“You did give Devon the letter, right, Blake?”
“Of course I did. Why would you ask me such a thing?”
“I’m sorry. I just expected he’d respond. Did he say anything to you?”
“I didn’t hang out to watch him read it. I just handed it to him and left. Maybe he hasn’t read it yet; after all, he was working.”
“Right. That’s probably it.”
Blake talked non-stop all the way to the airport. He had a notebook of ideas, leads, and notes. The flight wasn’t very long to Denver and before they knew it they were there, renting a car, and booked in a hotel. She tried to stay focused, but Darby couldn’t help drifting back to thoughts about Devon. She tried to text him all through the day, but he wouldn’t respond to any of the pleas.
The first three leads were a bust. Darby felt that they had driven every inch of Denver and Boulder and most everywhere in between. She was exhausted, distracted, and more than anything, heartbroken. She had barely spoken all day, but Blake didn’t need her input, he was on autopilot going about five hundred miles per hour in his own little world. She just happened to be along for the ride. Even if she were to speak to him, he wouldn’t have heard her.
One day turned into two, then three, then a week. Lead after lead fell though the cracks. It was getting close to the full moon and Darby ached to get back home to set things right with Devon and to be with her sister through this scary time. But Blake pushed her to stay diligent to the task.
After a week passed with not so much as one lead panning out, she turned to Blake and asked him point blank why this was so important to him. He wouldn’t say exactly, only that he had to find a cure for her; he had to make things right.
She asked, “I know you are scared, Blake, and I am too. But, aside from her turning into a wolf a couple days of the month, what is so horrible about this? In some ways, it’s not all that different from being a vampire. Who knows, there may be no cure. Either way, Rowan is still Rowan, no matter what she is. Just like you and your brother may be vampires, but you’re also just Devon and Blake.”
He wouldn’t answer. He was angry and frustrated and
above all scared. He took off for a while, leaving Darby at the hotel. Darby didn’t know where he had gone, but she thought she would take this opportunity to text Devon again. Still nothing. She knew he was mad, but she thought she had explained things to him in the letter. She didn’t understand why he was still so mad. She decided to call Rowan. Maybe she could explain Blake’s behavior, or maybe she could just help her understand why Devon wouldn’t talk to her.
Rowan told her that she was surprised that she hadn’t seen Devon at all. She had knocked on the door a few times, but he either wasn’t there, or didn’t answer. Rowan had been helpful in explaining some things about Blake. He had tried not to make a big deal about it, but it was apparent to Rowan that the werewolf thing was an issue for him. She too wasn’t sure why, as he didn’t explain his reasons. Darby had asked how Rowan was feeling now that the moon was getting close to full. She had said that it was definitely affecting her and if Darby and Blake weren’t back in time, she had hoped that Devon would be there to help control her.
Darby tried not to tell Rowan just how heartbroken she had been about Devon’s behavior, nor could she bring herself to tell her how she had cried herself to sleep every night since she had been away from him. The big sister in her wouldn’t let her say just how much pain she was in. She figured though, as well as they knew each other, Rowan probably had an idea how badly Darby was feeling.
They said their goodnights and hung up. Darby lay in bed and cried herself to sleep once more.
The next morning, Darby woke up to a knock on her hotel door. It was Blake, in a hurry to go.
“I’ve got a lead on Benjamin’s brother, Dean. I’ve got an address here for the outskirts of a town called Longmont; that’s just about a half an hour from here. Come on, get your stuff, let’s go.”
“Yeah, okay! Where’d you come up with the lead?”
“Ummm…I was messing around on my computer and came across it.”
“Yeah? Where?”
“Ummmm. I….don’t exactly remember. Have you talked to Devon yet?” Blake said.
Blood of a Werewolf Page 15
