Rico put his arm around my shoulder. “Hey, let’s not speculate. Joseph will do his exam as soon as he can get to the morgue. If that body was picked up before the storm hit, there will probably be plenty of evidence on it to help us track down the killer. Or killers.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not good to think about the possibilities. I hope the roads are clear enough to drive on tomorrow.” It was going to be a long day.
***
“I know her!” I yelled out as I pointed to the screen. Later that evening, after dinner, we were all watching the news update regarding the missing girls.
“She came into our shop a couple of times before she went missing.” I was mesmerized by her high school graduation photo the newscaster was showing.
Our local newsman, Trey Davis, was wearing his signature three piece suit and bowtie. I always liked his reports. Of all of the people on the news, he seemed the most genuine when he read the teleprompter.
“Melissa was a straight A student who graduated at the top of her class. She came from a small town in Wyoming. She planned to study Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism so she could return home to help her parents turn their small ranch into a working dude ranch. Her parents have not heard from her in over a month. The last time she phoned home, she sounded despondent. Her boyfriend had broken up with her via text message while she was in class.”
“As soon as they heard about the hurricane they began calling her cell, which had been turned off, and reached out to Melissa’s roommate. This was when they discovered their only daughter had gone missing. Melissa’s roommate stated she left school just about two weeks ago.” The image changed to a group of young women, one of which was a smiling Melissa.
“If you have seen Melissa, please call your local police or sheriffs’ department. Stay tuned for more about Hurricane Gerttie and her path of destruction.” Trey Davis said something about commercials, but I was too shocked to pay attention.
“Poor Melissa! She was so sweet. When she first came to the shop, she wanted to try a love potion to get her boyfriend back. When it didn’t work, she wanted revenge. He had met another freshman. It seemed he was a senior who liked to hook up with as many new girls as he could.” I remembered her sad, green eyes when she came in both times.
“I wonder if she chose to become an acolyte. Would a vamp use her breakup to lure her in?” My unfocused eyes stared at a blank wall.
“It’s possible. We will begin looking for all of the girls tomorrow. I must warn you, if they chose to live with the vamps, we can’t do anything for them. We can’t even let their families know they are still alive. It’s better to let them assume the girls died. They never leave the vampires once they choose that life. It’s a lifelong commitment, no matter how short their lives may be.” Joseph really knew how to cheer up a room.
Everyone looked at the ground, a few sighed. All were quiet until Rico broke the silence.
“I say it’s time we have some fun. Let’s get a video game competition going. Who wants to challenge me to Mario Cart?” Rico stood up rubbing his hands together.
A few people laughed.
Kyrie said, “Rico, you suck at video games.”
“I know, but it’s still fun. This gives you all a chance to beat me at something, for a change.” Rico winked at me.
“I’ll challenge you!” I stood up smiling, relishing a chance to cream him!
Chapter 9
Rico
“Knock, knock.” It was early the next day, and the roads were clear.
I knew the girls needed to get back to their store and start cleaning so they could open up again. Plus, I wanted to get into town with Joseph to see what we could find out about the two bodies in the morgue.
“What? Can’t we sleep a bit longer?” Indie moaned.
“The roads are clear. Didn’t you want to get home and start cleaning your shop?” I knew that would get them up. After their music, their shop was the second most important thing to them.
“Yes, we’ll be up and ready in five minutes. Does ReeAnna need help with breakfast? Or is that bacon and coffee I smell?” Kat didn’t know it, but I held a cup of fresh coffee and two pieces of hot bacon in my hands.
I had learned over the past couple of days, these were the two things that could get them moving in the morning. The promise of a hot cup ‘o joe and our fresh bacon. We slaughtered our own pigs, so our bacon was fresher than anything you could get in the city. It also tasted much better.
Our butcher knew how to cure pork as well as how to cut the perfect slices for bacon. Not to mention we fed our pigs healthier slop than most pig farms.
“It’s fresh bacon, coffee, and if you hurry, you can still get some waffles too.” I heard rustling on the other side of the door.
Apparently, they liked waffles. Good to know.
I watched as four sets of droopy eyes began to open when they all sipped their first cup of coffee.
“Mmm, this is just what I needed.” Sam closed her eyes and continued to sip her coffee in between bites of bacon and waffles.
“How much time do we have before you want to leave, Rico?” Indie asked.
“Can you be ready to go in thirty minutes?”
All four heads bobbed while they gobbled up their breakfast. At least they could eat without help today. I had to stifle my laugh as I recalled their first breakfast here two days ago, when they could barely move.
In hindsight, it was stupid of me to expect them to keep up with shifters. I just want them in fighting shape as fast as possible. It could mean the difference between surviving an attack…or not.
If anything happened to any of them, I would never forgive myself. They were family now. I knew most of my pack felt the same.
Most of my guys, and even a few of the women, volunteered to patrol near the Voodoo Doll House. Every night a different team would patrol the city looking for any paranormals who needed to be dealt with. They also paid close attention to Jenna and her sisters, making sure they were safe.
For the most part, everyone followed the rules. With vampires, we usually had a few come through town wanting to sample the local flavors without permission. Those we were able to dispose of without getting into any trouble.
Since I met the Dolls, I have had this overwhelming sense of protectiveness for them. Several of the guys in my pack have crushes on the girls, and all who met them liked them instantly. It was hard not to like the girls. They were very nice and could even be funny at times.
Anyone who had the pleasure of seeing them perform in concert immediately wanted their CD’s. Whenever we provided security for their gigs, the guys would all volunteer for that job. I doubted there was anyone in my pack who didn’t like their music.
“Alright, I’ll see you outside by the vans in thirty minutes. We can pack up and head to your store. Once we have you unloaded, I’ll go with Joseph to the morgue and see what we can find out.” I stood up carrying a fresh cup ‘o joe and headed out to load up their instruments.
It was still raining outside, so I used a tarp to cover the equipment, while a few of us loaded it all up.
“At least it’s a light rain today. Hopefully, it’ll stop soon.” Joseph loaded a guitar case covered in plastic, in the back of the van.
“Here’s my suitcases. We have a few more inside to get. It’s too bad we didn’t have any free time to make up more voodoo dolls. We’ll have to spend the next few evenings working on our inventory.” Kat handed me two suitcases before she turned around and went back inside.
Indie walked out with two cases in her hands, but she wasn’t wearing a jacket. The heavens opened up the moment she walked out and she was drenched before she even made it to the van.
“Ugh! Just my luck! Here, take my bags. I have to help Kat with the rest. Hopefully, I can find my jacket somewhere.” Indie shook herself off like a wolf before she walked back inside.
I couldn’t help but laugh. Her hair was stuck to her head, and her bangs were poking her
in the eyes. That poor thing looked like a wet dog, but at least she didn’t smell like one, yet.
Right after she walked inside, the rain subsided. I wondered if she had annoyed Mother Nature recently or something. I knew she believed she had mad voodoo skills. Could she have been trying something new? Maybe it was just her bad luck?
Jenna came out dressed for the weather. She had on a rain coat with the hood up over her bun. Even without makeup on, she was beautiful. I almost killed Joseph for interrupting us the other day. If he had waited just two minutes, I think she might have kissed me. That moment better come again and soon.
“Here, let me take that. Why don’t you get inside before the rain kicks back up.” I took the suitcases from her hands and put them inside the van Joseph was going to be driving.
Everyone else came out carrying bags and boxes we had brought with us a few days ago. My guys were really great when it came to helping.
“Hey, boss. I can come into town and help the girls unpack, if you don’t need me here for anything.” Kyrie had been spending a lot of time with Sam since they’d arrived.
“Sure. Hop in with Joseph. You’ll have to stay in town until we’re ready to leave, which probably won’t be until late. You good with that?” I knew the public transportation wouldn’t be up today.
I also wanted to make sure the girls were settled before the end of the day. Tomorrow, life would start going back to normal. Or at least as much as it could. Their store would open back up and tourists, as well as locals, would most likely be visiting them again.
“Yup, Sam needs me to kick her butt again in Call of Duty. If we get the store put back together in time, I wanted to show her a couple of my more infamous moves.” Kyrie needed to show her some moves alright, but video game moves shouldn’t be on the top of his to-do list.
“Just make sure they don’t go out after dark alone. These conditions are ripe for vampires to be out looking for a quick feed.” I closed the back of the van door and nodded to the guys in the other van.
“ReeAnna gave us a box of fresh food. We’ll be making dinner tonight. If you guys are still in town, feel free to join us. She gave us enough for a week of home-cooked meals.” Indie said when she stepped into the back seat.
“Sounds like a plan. I doubt any restaurants will be open tonight anyway.” I opened the driver’s side door and jumped in.
Chapter 10
Jenna
“Breaking news.” I caught the red banner which went across the TV screen indication something big was going on.
We had just finished putting the store back together.
“Turn up the TV. I want to hear what they have to say. I hope it’s news about the missing girls.” Kat went into the kitchen and grabbed a few Diet Cokes for everyone.
Normally, we didn’t drink diet sodas because of Indie and her healthy habits. However, Diet Coke was one of the few items she didn’t seem to mind. We all have our vices, this just happens to one of ours.
Sadly, the flooring in our shop would need some work. It looked like about an inch of water had gotten inside the store. I could see mildew starting to form on the bottom of the walls. We could clean most of it up, but the floor had seen several floods now, so it was time to replace it.
“This just in. Local authorities have confirmed two more local university girls have gone missing. Lisa and Gina were both last seen preparing to leave before the hurricane. They were supposed to join their dormmates at a predetermined evacuation facility, but they never made it. Neither girl knew the other one, as far as the university knows. Both wanted to drive their own cars packed with their gear to the evacuation center, and neither showed up.
“Local officials are working closely with the Red Cross to determine if they made it to a different site instead. Rest assured, everyone is working very hard to locate the missing girls. If you have any information, please contact your local police department. Here are the most recent photos of the missing girls.”
On the screen, all of the girls who were currently listed as missing were shown. There were no similarities to any of them, other than being local UNO freshmen.
Gina was a pretty blonde girl, couldn’t be any older than eighteen or nineteen. She had blue eyes and a sweet smile. She looked like the type of girl who helped people. Her eyes had a softness to them, she probably had lots of people who felt comfortable in her presence.
Lisa had beautiful auburn hair. Her green eyes sparkled, even in a picture. She looked to be about average height and the type of girl who did yoga. She was in yoga pants and flexing her arms in one of the images they showed on the news. Her face had a healthy glow to it, like she ate right and exercised. Too bad healthy habits couldn’t save her.
Five of the girls were white, but even they all had different color hair and features. Then there were two black girls, and one looked to be Native American. None of these girls were tied to each other. It didn’t make any sense.
“Kat, do you think it’s the local vamps recruiting?” I opened my soda and after the fizz settled down I took a drink.
“If so, they are really drawing attention to themselves.” Kat shook her head and looked at me.
Kyrie walked into the room, he had been setting up the video game system with Sam in her room. “It’s probably a group of rogues, unless the local vampire queen is recruiting for the upcoming war. Although, if she is, she’s in for a world of trouble. This is too obvious.”
“What do you mean?” Sam was right behind Kyrie.
“Well, when the queen recruits, she usually picks people from various parts of the region. Most of the new recruits are usually acolytes who have earned the right to be changed. Then she’ll send out some of her trusted vamps to get new recruits. They rarely grab two people from the same city.” Kyrie went into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle.
“If the war is coming, would she break tradition and grab as many girls as she could from here? Would the hurricane make it easier for her to get away with it?” Something didn’t seem right. I doubted the queen would do this. Could it be something else was going on?
Without knocking, Rico walked in. “You really should keep your door locked at all times. You never know who might enter.” He carried two big, brown take-out bags.
“Obviously, riff-raff will come in off the street if we don’t keep the door locked. Thanks for the reminder.” I shook my head and chuckled. I knew he was coming soon, which was why I had unlocked the door only five minutes ago.
“Whatcha got in the bag?” Indie bounced off the sofa and ran to grab the bags from Rico’s hand.
“Uncle Wong’s opened back up. He called to tell me he had a special order for us. Since most of my pack are still cleaning up the debris back home, I thought I’d bring it all over here and any wolves who do make it into town for patrol tonight could come by here. If that’s alright with you?” Rico could be very generous, but there was no need to bring all of the food here. The wolves could just as easily head to Jimmie’s to eat. He was up to something.
“Sure, but as you so kindly reminded me, the door will be locked.” I walked over to the door and turned the deadbolt and put the chain on the door. “You never know who might try to barge in on us.”
Rico chuckled, and something inside of me warmed. I loved it when he laughed and smiled at me. Stop thinking about him like that! He’s just a friend.
“Rico, your pack are always welcome here. Also, I think we will be just fine tonight. You don’t need to send over any babysitters.” Kat knew exactly what he was up to.
While I suspected, I wouldn’t have called him out so blatantly, but Kat would. I had to laugh. She could always be depended on to say what was on her mind.
“Listen, after what happened with Jenna the other night, I’m going to be overprotective of you all. I would do the same with anyone in my pack. It’s just who I am. Please, let me send over guys to keep an eye out for the next week. The vampires are always up to no good after a hurricane.” Rico tur
ned on his puppy dog eyes and pouted.
He was such a good manipulator. At least he used his charms for the right reasons.
“Fine, just make sure no one gets in our way. We have to work hard the rest of the week building back up our stock of voodoo dolls. After a big storm, there’s always an influx of scorned women and even a few men. Something about the rains and the winds cause people to break up for the stupidest things and then want revenge.” Indie held up a doll she had started working on.
It looked similar to one of her ex-boyfriends. These dolls sold the best, and we had a very hard time keeping them in stock.
“Is that Brian?” Rico pointed to the doll in question.
“Yup, he’s my best seller. Looks rather like him too, even if I do say so myself. What do you think, Jenna?”
“Indie, you always get the face right. I can pick up any doll you make and name the ex you fashioned it after.” Sometimes, we played a game where the dolls would get mixed up and put together. We would take turns pulling one out and naming the ex. It was kinda fun, when we were bored.
“Who do you think will be your next ex? Have we met him yet, Indie?” My money was on Joseph. He had the right look, and he even seemed interested in her.
“I don’t know yet. I’m still considering all of my options at the moment. It’s kinda fun just flirting and receiving all of the attention of an entire pack of hunky shifters right now.” Indie always was a big flirt. I’m surprised she had agreed to be exclusive with so many guys already. I guess that’s why she had so many exe’s.
“I think we could all use a break from the drama of boyfriends right now.” Kat sent me a pointed look.
I guess that was my queue to stay away from Rico. Message received. A boyfriend just wasn’t something I had time for. With the storm and our music, we were going to be very busy for the next few weeks.
“When is our next gig, Kat?” We hadn’t had a gig for a while and I was looking forward to the next one.
Kat was in talks with some of the local clubs to get us scheduled before Mardi Gras. Hopefully, we could get a few Mardi Gras gigs as well! Those always paid the best, and we sold out of our CD’s whenever we performed during the holidays.
Hurricane of Magic Page 5
