Danville Horror: A Pat Wyatt Novel (The Pat Wyatt Series Book 3) (3 page)

“Pretty gnarly, huh?” I tried to play my pain off. “Could you get the small bag? I think there are more bandages in there.”

He stood looking at the top of my stomach in horror. The wound was still bleeding a little, and as I glanced down, I could see that it looked a lot angrier than it did before. When Mike in his werewolf form was on top of me, he had clawed the shit out of my stomach, and the marks went from high on my right ribcage down to just above my left hip.

“That doesn’t look like you were in any kinda car accident, Pat,” Bobby responded after a moment of observing the wounds. “That looks like—” he stopped himself, and I could see some sort of emotion pass over his eyes.

“Looks like, what?” I asked, suddenly very intrigued. Sleep could wait, especially when someone acted the way Bobby had. As long as I live, the investigative journalist would always win over sleeping.

Picking the small bag up off the floor, Bobby handed it to me in silence. As I took it from him, he wouldn’t look me in the eyes. And when I opened it, I saw that Samuel had indeed packed the bandages very neatly inside. I silently thanked whatever god would listen. Finally, I managed to get the gauze wrap out of the bag. I was having a hell of a time putting on the ointment and trying to wrap myself up like a mummy at the same time. “Don’t just stand there,” I huffed, grimacing. I was very out of breath. “Help me.”

Bobby shook himself out of his stupor. “Right. Sorry.” He moved quickly and began to bandage my wound expertly.

“Have you done this before?”

Bob nodded solemnly. “Yeah, a couple of times,” he paused. “Damn, Pat. It looks like you were mauled by some kinda animal.” I laughed awkwardly with a stitch in my side, but he went on without noticing. “It looks as though you were attacked by a…” his voice faded away, and he busied himself with getting some medical tape from the bag.

Something inside told me that he knew exactly what had attacked me, so I decided to test him a little. Not too much so he would think I was crazy, but just enough that if he knew what I was talking about it would be obvious to him. “As though I was attacked by what?” I asked, trying to sound innocent. “As if I was attacked by, oh say, a wolf or maybe even a werewolf?” I laughed, but when he looked up, he blanched.

“Werewolves don’t exist,” he said, voice cracking. And as he taped me up, he wouldn’t keep eye contact.

I nodded. “Right. I mean, that would be insane.”

“Right,” he agreed, “insane.” He patted my side gently. “Well, you’re done. I’ll see you later, okay?”

Bobby began to leave, but I needed to know what he knew about it all. I wouldn’t be able to rest if I didn’t. “Bob?” I called after him, and he turned around again. “What if there were such things as werewolves? Hypothetically, of course.”

“Hypothetically?” he repeated, and I nodded. “Then I’d say you were lucky to get away alive.”

I closed my eyes, realizing that he actually did know
all
about it. “Bobby,” I sighed, sitting back down and leaning against the headboard, “how do you—”

“I saw a lot of things overseas,” he interrupted me. “Some things just couldn’t be explained.”

“What happened?” I asked, and he looked at his feet. “That bad, huh?”

“Worse,” he replied with a frown.

“Tell me.”

And he did.

chapter

THREE

“It was about a year and a half ago now,” Bobby began after I made him shut the door so no one would hear the unusual conversation. He sat next to me on the bed, looking down at his lap. “I was in Iraq on a mission—” I opened my mouth, but he shook his head. “And no, I can’t tell you what I was doing.” I frowned, but he went on. “It was late at night, and we were driving on a dark road when the driver, Jeff, started screaming. The next thing we all knew he’d hit something, and we all jumped a mile. We thought it was an IED, but nothing exploded. So, of course, we all got out to investigate. Human nature, right? To be curious?” he asked, looking for some support, and I nodded in agreement. I knew about that type of curiosity all too well, and I understood that it could bite people in the ass if they weren’t careful. “But when we walked to the front of the Humvee, we saw this thing. It looked like some sort of animal, and when Jeff moved closer to it, it jumped up and bit him. We shot at it, but it just took every bullet we had. The beast was indestructible. It tore the shit outta the Humvee, leaving almost the same marks you have on your torso. It was nuts.” He stopped talking for a moment, but I knew what was coming next.

“The next full moon, Jeff felt sick. He said it was like something was trying to crawl out of his skin. Then he changed in front of my eyes. It was the most sickening thing I’d ever seen. He ran away from our camp, and the next morning…” he paused, shaking his head, “he came back with blood on him. Apparently, he killed a rabbit or something because we found the bones by the camp.” He laughed. “After that, he was the best tracker we had in the unit. The only person who knew about his condition was me, and I made sure to find someplace to lock him up every full moon. Jeff has a nice comfy desk job now, and no one messes with him. He gets a little scary when he’s mad.”

I laughed at that. I knew all too well the yellow eyes and sharpened teeth of a werewolf when they grew angry. “Yeah, they sure do.”

“So…” he paused, looking up at me, “Mike is—”

“Yes, he is,” I interrupted him before he could say the word.

“And he did that to you?”

“Yes, he did.”

He shook his head. “I’m going to fuckin’ kill him.”

“This is not half as bad as when you threw me into the rocks.” I remembered the time we had gone hiking when we were on spring break from our first year of college, and instead of helping me over the rocks, he picked me up and dropped me. I broke my right leg, and it left me bruised for months.

He chuckled, shaking his head again. “Hey,
that
was an accident.”

“Sure, it was.” I nudged him, and he laughed a little louder.

“So, what happened?” he asked, growing very serious.

I cocked a brow at him. “Do you really want to know?”

He nodded. “I sure do.”

“Okay,” I sighed and began the very long story from the beginning. I told him about Samuel being the vampire and Mike being the werewolf, and everything in between.

He just sat there, asked a few questions, and when I was done, he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Holy shit,” he said on the exhale. “You’ve been busy.”

I placed my head in my hands in frustration and embarrassment. “I know, right?”

He hugged me sideways. “Well, it’s good you’re taking a break from him and all that. You need some time, Patty Melt.”

“Yes, I do,” I agreed, taking my hands away from my face, hugging him back.

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?” he asked, and I shook my head. “Okay, well, I think I should let you sleep.”

“Good idea.”

Bobby broke the hug, getting off the bed. Then he leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “Night, Pat.”

“Night,” I replied, trying to smile, and with that, he was gone.

I wiggled out of my bra, putting my shirt back on. Then I sighed to myself, figuring it was time to take my pants off. I couldn’t believe that I just had an entire conversation about the things I was getting away from in my bra and bandages. And that wasn’t even the worst part. Bobby knew about, and was friends with, a werewolf. He also
now
knew about vampires thanks to me and, to his credit, he had taken it all in stride. Probably due to the fact that Bobby always had a bit of a crush on me since we were kids. Actually, he was my second after James, but those kind of thoughts were for a different time. After all, I’d had enough flashbacks for one day, and I wasn’t certain my brain could handle much more. So I made up my mind to get ready for bed. It took me no time at all to get into my pajamas. And after I passed on brushing my teeth, I curled up under the soft covers, closed my eyes, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

What seemed like minutes later, my cell rang, waking me out of my bliss. I fumbled for my handbag that I had put on the floor by the bed before I had fallen asleep, and I answered it. “Hello,” I rasped, rolling over onto my back.

“Hey,” Mike’s deep, southern voice came from the other end, and my body stiffened in response. “Sorry, I didn’t realize how late it was. But I gotta tell ya somethin’, Pat.” He was silent for a second and I yawned, waiting for him to continue. “Is someone there with ya?”

“No,” I breathed, “I was just yawning. What did you want to tell me?”

“They made me Alpha,” he answered, and I could hear the pride in his voice.

I, on the other hand, was stunned into silence.

“Pat?” he breathed. “You still there?”

I nodded. “Yes, I’m here. That’s great. I’m so happy for you.” Mike was meant to be Alpha from the beginning, but he left to become a vampire’s lawyer. So I’m sure after they found out that Stag was dead, the pack just voted for Mike to take his rightful place.

“They just appointed me,” he said, excited. “I can’t believe I actually get a second chance to do this. But there’s somethin’ I gotta talk to you about, and I can’t do it over the phone. Can I come there?”

I could feel the blood drain from my face, and I was happy he wasn’t there to see it. “Not a good idea right now. Especially since we’re supposed to be taking a break. I don’t think I could handle what you have to say and this wedding all at once. Sorry.”

“Oh.” He sounded sad, and I had a feeling he was rubbing his tan neck. “You’re right. I’m so sorry, bébé. It’ll keep for now.” Someone called him. “Yeah, I’ll be right there,” he yelled back and then returned to our conversation. “I gotta go.”

“Okay,” I sighed, a little relieved.

“Oh, and before I forget, Sam called and asked me to tell you to call him as soon as possible. He said that you asked him to do a thing for you, and he wants to talk ya about it.” He paused for a minute. “What thing did ya ask ‘em to do?”

“It’s nothing,” I comforted him, but it was most certainly
not
nothing. “You should go.”

“Yeah,” he let out in a breath, “you’re right. You’re always right. I love you.”

“Me too,” I managed to say, but all I could think of was getting ahold of Samuel. “I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.”

“Bye,” he said, sounding despondent, and then he hung up.

I shook my head, exhausted, and looked at my phone’s clock. It was one-thirty in the morning. He would be up, but I really didn’t want to talk to him. “You have to,” I scolded myself. I then bit the bullet and called the house. Chloe, the cook and resident witch in the Hamptons house of dread and debauchery, was the one to answer.

“Hello,” she said in her French accent, “Mr. Satané’s residents. How may I help you?”

“Hi, Chloe, is he in?”

“Mrs. Satané?”

“Ms. Wyatt now,” I corrected.

“So sorry, Ms. Wyatt.
Oui
, he is in. Would you like to…” she paused for a second. “He wants to speak to you.”

“I figured he would.”

“Patricia,” Samuel’s deep voice sent shivers down my spine, “to what do I owe this honor?”

“Cut the crap, Samuel. What the hell happened to Tina?” I had entrusted him with one job, erasing my best friend’s, Christina Iglesias’, memory of all vampire and werewolf stuff. But it seemed as though he couldn’t even do that right.

“She persuaded me that you would be better off having a friend who understood what you were going through, and I agreed. After all,” he almost cooed, “I am always looking out for your best interest.”

“Bullshit,” I hissed. “You just didn’t want to do the job because our truce is over.”

“I assure you, I—”

“You know what, Samuel?” I interrupted him. “I don’t care what you have to say. You lie through your fangs anyway. Goodbye!” I hung up, throwing my phone back in my bag. So much for keeping my best friend safe. Now she was going to be pulled into this mess, and it was all my fault. I felt like crying.

Someone knocked. “Patricia,” Cindy said from the other side, “is everything okay in there?”

I got up, opening the door to see her in her silk robe and slippers. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking, Cindy.” I truly meant it. It had been a long time since another human being had asked me if I was okay, and it felt good.

“You’re welcome,” she responded with a slight smile. “If you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask.”

I smiled back. “Thanks. Oh, and Cindy?” She had begun to walk away but turned back around when I called to her. “Thank you for keeping my room like this. It means so much to me.”

“You’re very welcome. And I hope one day that we can become friends.”

I looked at her for a second, seeing something I hadn’t seen before. She was not a bimbo after all, but a kind, gentle, and genuine person. Her eyes seemed to be so sincere that they shamed me. “Me too, Cindy,” I finally said. “Me too.” And I will remember the smile I’d brought to her face for the rest of my life.

chapter

FOUR

I tossed and turned the rest of the night. My body and mind just wouldn’t rest. All I kept thinking about was Tina being in danger, Mike being named Alpha, and what kind of dress Cindy was going to have me wear. So around five in the morning, I decided enough was enough, and I got up.

I pulled on a pair of gray sweats, which was the first thing on top in my green bag, and decided to go downstairs. As I walked out of my bedroom, the smell of the coffee hit me, and I knew Pops was up. Walking down the steps careful not to jostle my wounds, I made it to the last step and sighed, relieved that I didn’t fall flat on my face. Turning left, I made my way down the hall and through the arch into the kitchen/dining area. There Pops was, making his usual five in the morning breakfast and coffee before he headed off to work. I blinked back tears as I imaged my mother walking up behind him, giving him a hug. This was not the time to cry. Actually, the time to cry was never. That’s what Pops always taught me, but sticking to it was harder than I thought. I mean, there was a time I could do that, feel nothing, but that time had since past and, frankly, I really missed it.

“Hey, Pops,” I said, and he turned to face me, his blue eyes looking tired. In fact, if I was being honest, he looked exhausted. Even his silver hair looked almost white in the dim light. I stopped dead in my tracks, he had frightened me so. “What’s wrong?”

“Happy New Year to you too, baby girl,” he deflected with a harsh smile.

“Happy New Year,” I replied, not getting off the subject. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“Nothing’s wrong, baby girl,” he reassured me. “Absolutely nothing.”

I wasn’t buying it. “Could I have a cup?” I asked, walking up to the kitchen table and sitting down.

He nodded, getting a mug out of the cabinet above the median, which sort of separated the kitchen from the dining area. Pouring the coffee, he fully smiled at me, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Pops was only fifty-six, but suddenly he looked about twenty years older. When he was done pouring, he walked back over to the table, placing the mug in front of me while he sat.

“Thanks,” I said as I took a sip of the bitter, strong coffee. I always feel that people like their coffee to fit their personalities, and the coffee my father makes fits him to a T.

“You’re welcome, baby girl.”

When he looked down at his hands, I noticed that his olive skin looked a little gray. He was starting to worry me. “Pops, seriously, what’s wrong? You look like hell, and you’re frightening me.”

He shook his head. “You are so much like your mother. You always know when something’s wrong.” He took a deep breath, looking up at me. “Baby girl, I got something to tell you, and I don’t wantcha to get how you get.”

I understood what he meant, he didn’t want me to judge him. “I won’t, I promise. Now what’s wrong?”

“Well,” he paused for a second and then he dropped the bomb on me—

“What?” I blurted, and he shushed me.

“You promised.”

I took a deep breath and processed the news for a minute. “So, let me just wrap my head around this,” I paused, trying to keep calm. “Cindy is pregnant.” Those words set my teeth on edge, and I felt queasy for a second, but it passed. At that moment, a nervous breakdown sounded like the next logical step. “That’s…”
easy, Pat
, “great, Pops.”

“Really?” he sounded confused. “I’m not so sure.”

“Pops,” now it was my turn to sound confused, “how can you say that?”

He shook his head. “I’m old, Patricia. Too old to have a baby running around the house again. Besides, you and Jess will be old enough to be its mother. I don’t know if I can do it again, baby girl.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t imagine Jessica Lynn Wyatt, my sister, the fakest woman alive and my ex-husband’s lover, as a mother. “You’re not old, Pops,” I told him, placing my hand on his shoulder. “You can do it. You’re made of tough stuff. There’s pure iron in those veins.” I repeated the words he used to say to me when I would come home crying from middle school after a bully called me fat.

“More like rust,” he laughed, patting my cheek.

“Nope, it’s still iron,” I contradicted him firmly.

He shrugged. “If you say so.”

“I say so.”

“Okay, baby girl,” he finally agreed with a bright smile. We sat there for a minute in silence, me thinking about being a big sister, and Pops thinking about something else. I could see the wheels turning in his head. Then he took a deep breath and said, “What happened with that Mike person.”

I rolled my eyes. “Pops.”

“What?”

“Don’t call him ‘that’ Mike person. His name is Michael Wolf, all right?”

“All right,” he conceded. “What happened with Michael Wolf?”

“Nothing,” I sighed.

“Bullshit,” he laughed a little too loud, and it was my turn to hush him. “Sorry,” he whispered. “But what happened? I wanna know.”

I shrugged. “We just need some time off from each other. That’s all.”

Pops nodded. “And the baby?” he asked solemnly. “Michael told me that you were…” his voice faded away.

I frowned, looking down at my cooling coffee. “I was. But not anymore,” my voice cracked, but I took a deep breath to settle myself. “It just wasn’t meant to be,” I repeated what my mother’s spirit told me when I met her in limbo. I had only died for about two minutes or so, but it seemed like an eternity. And knowing that my mother was somewhere happy made feel glad that she was somewhere on my side. She had died of an aneurism four years ago, and since then I was a little lost. But after I saw her, I felt a little better about it all. Except, my heart still hurt about the baby I had lost. I don’t think anyone gets over a thing like that, and I was no exception.

“Baby girl,” Pops said, pulling me out of my stupor, “it’s gonna be all right. It may not seem like that now, but it will be.”

“I know,” I sighed. “But it’s taking it sweet time.”

“Life does that,” he agreed, leaning over and kissing me on the forehead. Pops got up and dumped the rest of his coffee in the sink. “Well, baby girl, I gotta run. Will you be okay here with Cindy?” I glared up at him. “Sorry,” he chuckled, “stupid question.”

“Have a good day at work, Pops,” I said, smiling up at him.

He walked past me but then tapped me on the shoulder. “Patricia.”

I turned to look at him. “Huh?”

“I missed you. And I’m sorry I did what I did, and said what I said. It was never your fault. It was no one’s fault.”

I nodded, understanding exactly what he was talking about, but I didn’t want to have that particular memory creeping up on me. So I just pushed it down. I could still do
that
very well. “I know, Pops. I know.”

He gave me a half smile. “I wish I had. Then maybe you would’ve talked to me about what was going on in your life.”

I shook my head. “No, I wouldn’t have.”

“
No
, you wouldn’t have.”

We both laughed, and he turned, walking to living room to get his coat off the rack by his chair. Then he put his keys in his pocket, walking to the front door. Finally, he turned to face me one last time. “Baby girl?”

“Yeah, Pops.”

“Tell Cindy that her hair looks nice,” he suggested. “She got it done yesterday before you got here. I think she wanted to make a good impression.”

“Will do, Pops. Will do.”

He smiled, winking at me as he went out the door.

I turned around, sitting there and drinking my coffee until I couldn’t stand the taste anymore. Then I got up to get some milk, hearing someone walk down the steps. As I looked around the fridge and down the hall, I saw Cindy walking toward the kitchen in her baby blue terrycloth robe, scratching her head. When I had gotten my milk and put it back, I went searching for the sugar.

“On the table,” Cindy pointed out as if she knew what I wanted. I cocked an eyebrow at her. “You’re drinking Richard’s coffee. You’re in desperate need of sugar. Happy New Year, by the way.” She smiled at me, taking the lid off the bowl in the middle of the table.

“Thanks. Happy New Year to you too,” I responded, smiling back as I put three heaping tablespoons of sugar in my now milky coffee.

“Sit,” she said as she walked behind the median. “I’ll get you a spoon.”

“Thank you.” I paused for a minute as she brought me a spoon, sitting down next to me. “Congratulations. Pops just told me the good news,” I managed to say without vomiting as I stirred my coffee.

Her blue eyes looked confused. “Huh?”

“The baby,” I prompted.

She lit up with realization. “Oh, the baby. Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise.”

“I can imagine,” I said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. Cindy did
not
deserve that, but I just found the situation a little annoying.

“I know that this is ridiculous,” she stated, doing that mind reading thing again. “I know I’m too young for your father and that it’s not fair since you…” her voice faded away, and she just looked at me for a second. I understood what she was trying to say, and I did feel a bit cheated with her having a baby and me losing mine, but the fact that she was so accurate and intuitive, scared me to no end. “But I love him, Patricia,” she continued. “I really do.”

“I can see that,” I replied sincerely. “It’s just—” I stopped talking, trying to think of the right words, “all at once,” I settled on, “you know?”

She nodded. “I do know. Listen,” she said, changing the subject, “we have some stuff to do today. And if my stomach behaves, and I hope it does, we are going to get fitted for our dresses and pick out the cake. If you’re up for it?”

I thought about it for a second, sipping my coffee. “I’m up for it. Just nothing too strenuous.”

“Eating cake is strenuous?”

I laughed. “I guess not.”

“Well,” she breathed, getting up out of the chair, “why don’t you go upstairs? I’ll make breakfast, and we can get an early start.”

I saluted her, getting up slowly. “Yes, ma’am.”

“What would you like to eat?” she laughed, and I saw that when she smiled little lines appeared around her eyes. They suited her.

“Anything.”

Her smile widened, and the lines grew deeper. “Anything it is.”

I turned to walk down the hall then I remembered what Pops had told me, so I stopped, facing her again. “Oh, by the way, I like your hair. It looks more natural than the red.”

“Thank you, Patricia.”

“Call me Pat.” I nodded, walking back through the hall and very carefully up the stairs. When I got to my room, my cell started ringing. Slowly, I walked over to the bed, picking up my purse. When I fished out my phone, I looked at the screen, and it was Tina.

“Christ,” I hissed and then answered. “Hello?”

“Patricia Anne Wyatt,” she screamed, her Brooklyn accent so prominent that I could barely understand her, “what the hell were you thinking?”

“Why am I in trouble now?” I asked, frustrated. What was this pick on Pat month?

“You had your ex-husband come to erase my mind! That’s why you’re in trouble.”

Right.
“You don’t understand.”

“Oh, I don’t?” she asked at a much better volume. I mean, she was still loud, but a little less shrill. “Please,”—I could imagine her placing her hand on her hip—“do explain.”

“This is the kind of world that you want nothing to do with, Tina. In this world mortals get hurt, and there is no going back. Understand? You will most likely be pulled in further, and God knows what’s going to happen to you when you do. Humans are not meant to know what goes on after dark, Christina. You will get hurt, and it will be my fault. You get it now?” I huffed.

She was quite for a minute, and I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. At last, she replied calmly, “Maybe I was a little harsh on you.”

“You think?”

“But I’m okay with knowing,” she insisted. “And besides, I’m a big girl, Pat. I can take care of myself.”

I sighed, grimacing a little. Just another reminder of how dangerous the supernatural world could be. “I get that. But I still worry.”

“And I worry about you, which is why I’m coming to Danville.”

“What?” I couldn’t have been more shocked if she’d hit me over the head. She was
not
a fan of this small town. Besides that, her and my father in the same house would cause major bloodshed.

“I know I said I would never go back there after what happened last time,” she admitted. It was true, she did. Tina had come with me to my mother’s funeral, and let’s just say it didn’t end well. “But I can’t leave you there by yourself, you’ll go nuts, and we both know it.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see it. “True.”

“So I’ll probably be there by tomorrow at the latest. It all depends on when I get off work tonight.”

“Okay,” I yawned. I was so tired. “I’ll see you when I see you.”

“You got it, babe. Oh and, Pat,” she added, and I could begin to hear the tears in her voice, “I’m glad you’re not dead.”

I blinked back tears myself. “Me too.”

“See ya. Happy New Year.”

“See you. Happy New Year to you too,” I replied, and I hung up. I plopped down on the bed, my feet dangling over the edge and I winced, forgetting about my severely damaged stomach. Thinking of Tina and the last time she was here, my mind went back to part of a day I wish I could forget.

Tina rubbed my shoulders gently. “Babe, we gotta go.”

“I don’t want to,” I said, looking down at my hands. I was all cried out, and the hardness started to set in.

“We have to,” she sniffed, and I could see that she was crying. Her dark brown hair was pulled away from her face while her big brown eyes were red from weeping. It was so strange because all I kept thinking was that Tina is the only person in the world who could look good in a long
-
sleeved, black, mourning dress.

There was a light knock on the door. “Christina,” Bobby’s voice came from the other side, “I got ‘er.”

“I don’t know,” she was reluctant.

“I got ‘er,” he repeated, and Tina nodded, leaving me alone with him. “Pat,” he said, closing the door after she left, “come on. It’s time.”