Chapter 34
The wolves in the woods have sharp teeth and long claws, but it”s the wolf inside who will tear you apart. ~Jennifer Donnelly
Axel
“Woof, woof, woof…” My dog’s going to wake up the whole block. I should tell him to be quiet but for some reason, my mouth doesn’t work.
“So much blood. Lord have mercy.” Kneeling next to me, my lady cries and shouts for someone to call the police.
As she applies pressure to my shoulder, my perspective changes. Perhaps I’ve died because I’m floating above my body. Fucking Farid lies on the ground, not too far away. His shadow person watches, too. I guess we’re both not ready to move on. There is no way he should’ve been allowed back into our country. Facial recognition would’ve flagged him… unless somebody high up removed him from the no-fly list.
Wet tears plop on my face, suck me from the beyond, and return me to my corporeal form. I should feel pain. Instead, a numbing cold pulls me under.
“Dammit, Wulf, open your eyes, You are not dying, understood?” Insistent palms slap my cheeks until I lift my heavy lids.
“I love you.” Her gaze, a liquid chocolate abyss, holds me in a weird, suspended animation.
Love you, too, babe.
Sirens sound, and someone explains I was shot, which ought to be obvious, even to the most untrained person. A needle prick to the arm, and the next thing I know, I’m waking up in a hospital beside a mop of dark hair.
“Hey.” This is what I meant to say. Instead, a gorilla grunts.
The head turns, and this gorgeous, albeit sleepy smile appears on my woman’s face. “You’re awake.”
I attempt a grin, and my dry lips crack.
“Oh shit.” She puts a straw in my mouth, and after I suck, I swallow over a lump the size of a golf ball.
Finally, I manage a hoarse whisper. “How long?”
“Two days.” With tears dripping down her cheeks, she wheels the IV drip out of the way and places her forehead to mine. “Never scare me like that again. I thought I lost you.”
She wipes her eyes and stands when someone clears their throat in the doorway.
“No one ev-ah tell you to duck, mate?” Lucky punches my arm and leaves a stuffed koala bear on the windowsill.
I wiggle my bandaged shoulder, and the pain confirms my recollection. Yup. I was shot. “Farid? Is he dead?”
The Aussie nods. “Died of a heart attack which stymied the doctors. The guy was the epitome of health.”
“I don’t suppose the police found a Flash Gordon weapon nearby?”
“Funny you should ask. I heard they did, but the police turned all the evidence over to the FBI, and since then, no one’s said squat.” When he winks at his spouse, she shares a warm smile and kisses him.
A moment of jealousy hits me. I want what they have. A house, kids, and a wife who adores me.
My gaze drifts from Callie to Gwen. “Who’s watching Abbie?”
“My mom came up from Florida.” At the mention of family, I realize there is so much we need to learn about each other, but there will be time. Having almost died gives a man a new perspective. From this day forward, I will be more than my job.
Summoned by my thoughts, Trescher walks into the room. The wrinkled suit and the dark circles under his eyes tell of a man camped out for days in the hospital waiting room.
Compared to anyone else in the room, his voice booms. “Wulf, glad you finally decided to wake up.”
“Yes, sir. Unconsciousness is nowhere near as fun as the movies would have you believe.”
While I clasp his hand he turns to the others. “Can you give us a moment?”
After they leave, the deputy director scowls. “I fired Stillman. He and Congressman Rhinesmith facilitated the sale of RF weapons to Iran.”
I shake my head. “This is so fucked up.”
“Agreed. So, when you feel up to it, I want you to head up a new task force. We”re convinced there are other state secrets at risk and Ledbetter is still out there. It will come with a promotion and a pay raise.”
I think about the cost of housing and smile. “I’d like the option of working from home, at least part time.”
“Easily arranged.”
“And pick my own team.”
“Absolutely.”
“And hire an ex-military canine.”
“Don’t push your luck, son.”