65. Leviathan
LEVIATHAN
My phone rang while I was making a sandwich for lunch. I picked it up and saw June’s name on the screen. Unable to help myself, I smiled as I answered.
“Hello, this is Levi.”
“No way, I thought it was Santa Claus,” she said with a laugh. “Who else would be answering your phone? You live by yourself in that tiny house.”
I grinned to myself and said, “Well, how do you know I’m not here having a poker game with my buddies?”
“Levi, the only buddy you have is Rainier, and he’s in Hidden Grove.”
“Okay, stop busting my balls. What’s up?”
“How would you feel about taking a little field trip this evening?” she asked, a hopeful lilt to her voice.
Frowning, I leaned against the counter. “What do you have in mind?”
“Remember how I was able to trigger that vision with Winston’s watch?”
“I do.”
“Well, I found Elmer Meyers’s last living relative.
His grandson, Keenan Meyers, mated outside the pack and joined the Black Creek pack about ten years ago.
I was thinking we should head out that way and find the guy.
I thought he might have a souvenir or something that belonged to Elmer, so I could try get a vision from it. What do you think?”
Even if the plan had sounded dumb, which it didn’t, I would have said yes. Anything to spend some time with her again.
“That sounds like an amazing idea,” I said. “When do you want to leave?”
“I’m working at the store until five because Gran took Grandpa to his doctor’s appointment. I could meet you when we close, or is that too late?”
“No,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too eager. “That works fine. I’ll see you then?”
“Okay. See you this evening. Bye.”
“Bye.”
We hung up, and I sat down, eating my sandwich and feeling as giddy as a schoolboy.
By the time five o’clock rolled around, I was stressed and excited.
Stressed because I wanted to make sure this trip and my interaction with June went well, and excited because I couldn’t wait to see her again.
The longer I was in town, the more I was drawn to her.
I’d told Rainier I was here to do nothing but find Naphele’s incarnation, but as soon as I saw June again, the old feelings surged back powerfully.
I walked up as June was locking the door to the store.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Shit!” she yelped and spun around.
I held my hands up in surrender. “Whoa, sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
She put a hand to her chest and heaved a sigh. “No. Sorry. Just been a little jumpy.”
Something in her tone piqued my interest. Eyeing her, I thought I could sense some internal stress that made her shoulders lift in tension, and her face appeared drawn and pinched as though she was worrying about something.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking a step toward her.
Instead of answering, she nodded toward a car parked on the curb. “That’s mine. Hop in.”
“Don’t you want to run?” I said, staring at the car with unadulterated disdain.
“It’s supposed to rain,” she said. “Plus, Black Creek is thirty miles away. I really don’t want to get home at midnight.”
“Fine,” I grumbled as I got into the car.
I’d never been a fan of cars. Back when I’d fled into the forests, most cars had been loud and slow rumbling machines.
Over the years, and from a distance, I’d seen them become sleeker and faster.
Sometimes I would even go out to a spot at the most western portion of my forest that overlooked the interstate and wonder at the big machines that flew by with wicked speed.
Don’t even get me started on airplanes. I preferred the old-fashioned shifter way of getting around.
Though, June was right that traveling on four legs would take longer than four tires.
June finally answered my question once she’d started the car and pulled away from the curb.
“I had dinner with Anders’s mom last night,” she said.
Just hearing that asshole’s name sent an irritated spike of jealousy through me.
“Oh, yeah?” I said.
“Yeah. I think we’re on to something here. With the murder case, I mean.”
That was not what I’d expected. I’d assumed she’d launch into some banal story about hanging out with her soon-to-be mother-in-law, but this sounded a bit more interesting.
“Did you find out anything?” I said, straightening in my seat.
“She started acting weird when I mentioned you and I were trying to solve Naphele’s murder. She warned me off it and even told me not to trust you. It was strange.”
“I wonder why. Neither she nor Anders has any skin in the game at this point.”
“That’s what I thought. She mentioned that old crimes tended to leave lasting wounds in shifter communities, which is true, but this felt stranger than that.”
“I guess we’ll see what we can find out on this trip. Maybe we should look into Rafe next,” I said.
“Yeah.”
Rafe. I still remembered the good times we’d shared when we were friends, before Naphele’s death.
We used to hunt deer together in our wolf forms, sit on the bank of the river as we fished and drank moonshine.
He’d stood beside me at my mating ceremony.
The idea that he’d had something to do with Naphele’s murder made my heart ache miserably.
Perhaps he’d known something and kept it quiet?
He’d become the pack alpha after I’d run away.
Could he have allowed that? Let everyone think I’d killed her, and hid the truth to take over the pack?
That thought was almost as bad as him killing Naphele himself.
My plan to have a calm and relaxed conversation with June fell apart as I spiraled into a pit of sadness and despair.
The rest of the drive went by in relative silence, with only the music on the radio filling in the quiet.
At one point, I lost track of myself and put my hand over hers where it rested on the gear shift, tracing her knuckles with my fingertip.
I was finally brought out of my reverie by the sound of June’s breathing. I glanced over to find her glancing from the road to my hand. Snapping out of my daze, I yanked my hand away.
“Shit,” I hissed. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t have touched you. I apologize.”
“It’s…” She cleared her throat as she focused back on the road, a pink tinge creeping into her cheeks. “It’s okay. It… it felt good. That’s why I didn’t pull away. But don’t do it again. Okay?”
I nodded once, that old sadness welling up within me again. “Yeah. Sure. Got it.”
When we arrived at the Meyers house a little before six, June approached the door first.
“I managed to get the guy’s phone number,” June explained as she rang the doorbell. “I let him know we wanted to come by and talk. I figured that was better than showing up unannounced.”
“Good idea,” I said, stepping back a bit so June was in front. There was no reason for the guy to open the door to a hulking alpha. We weren’t here to intimidate.
The door opened, and the guy inside bore a striking resemblance to Elmer Meyers. I had to blink a few times to be sure it wasn’t actually Elmer himself. The man was in his late sixties and had a deeply lined face.
“You that lady who called me?” he asked, his voice deep and scratchy.
“I am, yes,” June said. “You’re Keenan Meyers, correct? May we come inside?”
“No.” The man stared at her.
June fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and bit her lip as she glanced at me. Taking the lead, I stepped forward.
“Good evening, Mr. Meyers. My name is Leviathan Cross, and I’d like to—”
“The goddamned Demon Wolf?” The man said, taking a step back, eyes going wide. “You stay back. I don’t want no trouble.”
I gave him a predatory grin. If this man was anything like his grandfather, he’d be hard-pressed to give us anything we need without a little persuasion. If people had turned me into some legendary monster, why not play that up?
“Listen, Keenan,” I said, my voice low and menacing. “We aren’t here to cause any trouble, unless…” I narrowed my eyes and put one foot on the threshold to ensure he couldn’t slam the door shut. “You actually do want trouble?”
Kennan was already shaking his head before I’d finished talking. “No. No, man. No trouble. What do you need?”
“Thank you for your willingness to help,” I said, and behind me, June tried to muffle a laugh. “All we’re looking for is something that belonged to your grandfather, Elmer Meyers. Do you have anything like that?”
Keenan swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing visibly, then licked his lips. “If I get you something, will you leave me alone?”
“Depends on how fast we get what we came for, Keenan,” I said. “Clock’s ticking.”
The man nodded, eyes still wide with fear. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.” He tried to close the door, but my boot was in the way.
“Nah, leave it open,” I said. “We’ll wait.”
Without another word, the man hurried away.
“You came on a little strong,” June whispered, but her lips were twitching, and there was a gleam in her eye.
“I’m a monster,” I said with a shrug. “At least, that guy thinks so. They say you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but you know what?”
“What?”
“Flies also really like shit, and sometimes that works too.” I winked at her.
This time she wasn’t able to stifle the laugh. She managed to bring herself under control by the time Keenan’s returning footsteps echoed from inside the house. He appeared with a battered shoebox that looked like it was being held together with duct tape and hope.
“This is all that’s left,” he said, holding the box out with shaking hands. “What do you want?”
A weather-beaten wallet, an old steelworker’s union pin, a tarnished silver eagle dollar coin with a triangular hole punched out of the middle, and a few other odds and ends. June pointed at the wallet.
“What about that?” she asked.
I shook my head and pointed at the coin. “No. That.”
Memories harkened back, and I could see Elmer standing on the front porch of the old Idlewild General Store, men sitting around playing checkers outside, and him sipping on a Coke with one hand, flipping that coin in the other.
His lucky piece. I couldn’t recall a time Elmer hadn’t been flipping that coin or dancing it along his knuckles.
“That’s what we want,” I said, snatching the coin. Keenan flinched and almost dropped the box.
Holding the coin up, I looked through the hole cut in the center. “Thank you for your time,” I said, taking a step back.
“Yeah,” Keenan said, his voice sharp and irritated now. “You got what you wanted, now get the fuck out of here.”
I pointed at him, my finger level with his chest. “Watch your fucking mouth around the lady, boy,” I said in a dangerous tone.
He may have looked older than me, but he was nothing but a boy.
I’d fought and killed bigger wolves than him before he’d even been born.
I allowed my alpha aura to surge outward, and the fear returned to his face. This man was as bad as his grandfather.
Keenan lowered his gaze, unable to make eye contact with me. “I didn’t mean nothing by it. I just want to be left alone.”
“Apologize to the lady,” I said. “Now.”
Keenan lifted his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
June, barely suppressing a smile, nodded solemnly. “Apology accepted. Thank you.”
I nodded once and snapped my fingers under Keenan’s nose. “Get your ass inside and remember your manners next time.”
“Yes, sir,” he mumbled and hurried in, slamming the door and locking it behind him.
“You really have a way with people,” June said dryly.
“It’s his own fault for being a dick,” I muttered as we climbed into the car. “I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome, but he should have at least invited us in.”
“True. He sounded a bit prickish on the phone. I guess I shouldn’t have expected any better in person,” June said, and started the car.
“When do you want to try this?” I lifted the silver dollar up.
“Tomorrow,” she said. “I don’t think I have the mental capacity to do it tonight.”
I slipped the dollar into my pocket. “Sounds good.”
The ride back was more pleasant than the ride out.
June and I were able to talk to each other in a way we hadn’t been able to even in Hidden Grove.
I even got the sense that we were friends—true friends who enjoyed each other’s company.
She laughed at my jokes, and I laughed at hers.
Something had changed between us, and I loved it.
A few miles from her house, the conversation veered toward movies, which I had little experience with, but June loved them.
“What about westerns?” she asked. “Were those big back when you left?”
“Westerns? Like cowboys?” I said, frowning.
“Yeah. You know, John Wayne? Clint Eastwood?”
“I don’t know those guys. Were they the real cowboys or actors?”
“Oh my gosh.” She laughed, slapping her hand on the steering wheel. “They’re actors.”
I shrugged helplessly. “No clue. I did see Nosferatu once in Minneapolis. That was creepy as shit.”
“Okay,” she said. “That’s it. Before you go back to Hidden Grove, we’re getting you to a modern theater. Wait until you see a movie with actual sound. Let me guess, some old guy played an organ while you watched.”
“Well, yeah. How else would you have music?”
She laughed again, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with her. By the time we pulled up at the curb of the store again, I was walking on clouds.
“Do you want to come up for a drink or anything?” June asked as we got out of the car.
I saw the hopeful glint in her eye, and it made me want to say yes, but I knew where that would lead. I wasn’t sure I could control myself; in fact, I knew I couldn’t, and that was a dangerous path to go down. She was tied to someone else now, and I wouldn’t ruin her life because I couldn’t say no.
I patted the top of the car once. “Another raincheck?”
She smiled, but there was disappointment in her eyes as she nodded. “You’re starting to rack those up. I’m gonna call them in one day.”
“Understood,” I said, and took a few steps down the street. “See you tomorrow?”
She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and winked. “Tomorrow.”
I watched until she was safely inside upstairs, then I walked back to the rental house.
The silver dollar sat heavily in my pocket, and I hoped the next day would prove fruitful.
Deep down, what I really hoped was that time would go by faster so I could be near June again.
I kept declining offers to spend time with her because I thought I was doing the honorable thing by giving her space to start her new life.
In reality, all I wanted was to be near her, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep saying no.