Richard, or what had been Richard, stepped out of his tattered clothing and shook.

Kate’s lip trembled, her eyes filled with moisture.

He was the exact image of her nightmares.

He was the black wolf.

Unable to hold herself up, Kate slumped down to the couch.

Richard’s words came back to her. “There are things about me you don’t know.” Max and Richard headed out the door of the garage at a run. Afraid to move, Kate closed her eyes and listened. Remembering the surveillance, she opened them and watched as they ran across the grounds and toward the gate. There, lights of a vehicle shined in. Both wolves scaled the wall and jumped into the waiting car.

Time stood still in those minutes following the shock of a lifetime. She knew the Ritters had secrets, but turning into animals wasn’t something she expected. It would have been easier if they said they were part of some big mafia, she thought.

Could Richard turn to a wolf at any time? Was the wolf in the restaurant like him? She ran her fingers through her hair and tried to clear her mind.

They lied to her, all of them. Janet, Max, James, and Richard. Now the question was what to do about it? She glanced at her watch.

After turning off the set and monitors, Kate rushed to the stairs as silently as she could.

Chapter Fifteen

Richard scrambled into the unmarked car and waited for Devon to pull away. It took effort to filter out the unwanted noise and listen to the cop’s words.

Once he did, he wasn’t happy with what he heard.

“We have a problem,” Devon said as he drove.

Unable to communicate back, Richard only stared.

“A call came through with a tip. The thing is we don’t know if it’s a hoax,” he explained. “The caller said a hold up like the one last month would take place within the hour in Porter Ranch. If it’s a hoax then our man might be trying to lure us away from your place, Max.”

Devon pulled off the road just outside Max’s estate.

Son of a bitch! Richard said to his brother.

He’s hiding something. Max nodded toward their trusted friend.

Yeah, I think so too. Damn does he know we can talk like this?

No, it’s the only secret we keep from those who aren’t like us. Except for family.

You never told me.

You never asked!

“I think you two should split up. One of you should stay here and keep an eye on things. I have an officer stationed behind the pool house and another by the gate.” Devon told them.

Both of them would want to stay close to home.

Max pawed at the door. I’ll stay. Something

doesn’t smell right anyway.

Watch your back, Richard yelled inside his head.

Devon opened the door, Max jumped free of the car. “We’ll check out the lead, if Richard doesn’t sense anything, well head straight back,” Devon told them both.

Max ran from the car back toward the house.

Richard sat back and waited for Devon to drive him away.

****

Kate silently packed her bags and tiptoed around Joey’s room collecting his things. She glanced at her watch. Twenty more minutes and she would walk outside, as planned, knowing the cop she spoke with earlier watched.

It was a risk she had to take. The man or wolf or whatever it was that stalked her would have to come out of hiding eventually. She called Officer Moore, and suggested a set up to catch the man who shot her. He was more than happy to go along with the plan. He did ask that she tell no one, especially Richard. Did he know what Richard was?

What was he exactly?

Kate brushed the thoughts from her mind and checked her watch again.

Ten more minutes.

She sat down and waited.

With a small knife hidden in the palm of her hand, Kate disabled the chime on the door and walked through the threshold.

A full moon peeked through the white clouds that shone down on her. Fear of what was coming threatened to engulf her.

Taking one hesitant step after the other, she listened to every sound of the night. Santa Ana winds were forecasted for later that night, but already the wind started to blow. The muffled sounds of the night floated away with them.

Five minutes alone in the dark felt like five hours. A squeak of wood had her neck stiffen and pulse speed up.

If the dog or man showed up, Officer Moore told her to retreat to the safety of the house and lock the doors.

She tried to act normal, but knew she failed miserably. The moon caught her eye again. It was fully a month ago when she was shot. Her mind wrapped around the fact but couldn’t place its importance. Her eyes squeezed together in thought.

Like a name or a word on the tip of your tongue, her frustration mounted. Why is the moon important?

Then she went perfectly still.

Her eyes shifted to her right. There he stood, on all fours. The wolf from the restaurant watched her every move.

Somehow, while she watched the moon, she’d moved closer to the rail and farther from the door.

Could she reach it in time? Without losing sight of the wolf, she took one hesitant step away.

He growled.

She moved fast, but he moved faster. With one jump, he placed himself between her and safety.

Behind her, another growl came from the shadows. Her body tensed, afraid to move. Was there more than one wolf? Was it Richard or Max? Would they harm her?

A third noise came from another direction, but Kate wouldn’t take her eyes from the wolf in front of her. Sweat pearled on her face, her hands clenched at her side. She felt the blade of the knife as it nicked her skin. She lifted her hand up bringing the knife before her eyes. It was only slightly larger than the fangs of the animal.

A gush of air escaped her lungs in a nervous laugh.

Her hands shook. “Back!” she yelled at the beast. “Get back!”

He moved forward.

She stepped away.

Then, from the east of the porch, a voice yelled out. “Hey!”

There, a uniformed cop stood with his gun drawn.

Ahh, come to the rescue, huh, hero? L.J. shifted his gaze from his prey to his foe.

You don’t stand a chance in my home, ass wipe.

You might as well leave now.

So, you’re the big brother. I noticed lil’ bro walking behind you on the way out. Together the two of you don’t stand a chance against me. L.J. lifted his ass off the ground and licked his chops in confidence.

Maybe when I’m done with this one, I’ll claim yours for me as well.

L.J. bit back a bark when Max’s hair stood on end. Kate stood staring at him, terror stricken on her face. This was going to be easy.

****

Devon’s cell phone rang. Devon’s body tensed. “Dammit,” he cursed turning the car around.