Harley~
Rae pokes me from the inside. 'Something doesn't feel right to me, Harley. I don't think this is just a case of allergies or migraines. We need to see a werewolf doctor.'
'Ow, don't do that! You say that every time I get sick, there is nothing wrong with my doctor. It's just a couple of shots; you'll be fine, big baby.'
For the first time in my life, I hope my wolf is wrong. I can only imagine how the crow will taste going down or coming back up. Since I was already in the bathroom, I washed my hands and splashed my face with cool water before returning to bed and to my sweet dreams.
Now my gut decides to sing the song of its people, so I haul myself up once again and trudge to the kitchen, opening the fridge to get out my pre-made breakfast. It may growl, but my stomach turns at the thought of consuming the egg, sausage, and cheese.
My hand retracts as if the biscuit were a venomous rattlesnake. Instead, I grab a cold can of ginger ale and close the door, popping open the can. I sip it as I retreat down the hall, set the can on the nightstand, and sit down.
'Harley, you must eat something,' Rae insisted with a low growl.
'Tell that to my insides, Rae; it will be over soon. It doesn't take long for the shots to kick in.'
At least I am not a liar. It was over soon, right before I could get to the good part of my recurring dream about my wolfman that led to me needing a shower. I'm rudely torn away from him as my eyes open with the alarm clock crowing at me.
It's mornings like these that I regret setting a cock as my alarm sound. My hand finds the snooze as I moan from the sudden movement. After the episode of nausea subsides, I roll out of bed, make it to the kitchen, and turn on the coffeemaker while I get dressed.
The warm scent fills the apartment, beckoning me as I serve myself a cup, and that's where the magic ends. As I raise the cup to my mouth to take a sip of the brew, I gag. Not even my hazelnut blend is sitting right this morning. I fill my thermos cup anyway and head out the door. Even the damn sunlight is making me a little nauseous.
'Maybe you are turning into a vampire?' Rae teases me.
'Shut it, Rae!' I shoot back.
As I pull into the station parking lot, I see Sheila is just arriving as well. I have been avoiding being alone with her; she was one of the many witnesses who saw me flee into the night with a strange man. She headed straight for me; my eyes rolled as I braced myself.
She wasted no time. "Mystery man, spill!" Shelia gushed with a twinkle in her eye.
My purse straps go over my shoulder, and I head towards the building. "It was nothing; we just talked for a while." I lied like a rug! It was everything I had ever wanted!
Shelia eyed me suspiciously. "So where did he go?"
"I don't know." We enter the sliding glass doors, and I move away from Shelia toward my desk.
Before I can sit, Captain Howard comes through the squad room like a whirlwind and barks at me. "Gibson, in my office now!"
He never breaks his stride, and I follow him. We enter, and he closes the door behind us before moving to his desk and gesturing for me to sit. Howard leveled me with a stare and exhaled, which gave me a bad feeling about what was to come. Just as another piercing pain shot across my forehead, I braced myself.
"Harley, the brass has called the FBI in on the Stalker."
I tried to focus on his words instead of the jackhammer assaulting my brain. "Why? We are making progress."
"Apparently not enough. It's out of my hands now. Their liaison will be here this afternoon, and you are to work with the agent."
"Captain, I do not do partners."
"You do now, Harley; it isn't a choice."
"How long before the agent gets here?" My mouth is so dry I could spit a sweater!
"I don't know, maybe within the hour."
My fight-or-flight kicked into overdrive. "We have not yet searched the impound lots." I stood too fast, and my head spun. I braced on his desk. Thankfully, he didn't notice. "I will get on it."
"Wait until the agent gets here; he has additional evidence you need to look at."
I sank back down, defeated, as the captain's desk phone rang. He answered. "Yeah, okay. " He put down the receiver. "He just checked in downstairs."
A few moments later, I can't believe my nose, my wolfman is here! Captain Howard rises from his desk and extends his hand to the man who has entered his office. I follow his movements and look up into his dark, dreamy eyes. He doesn't look surprised to see me. However, I am wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the sight of him.
"Agent Reins, this is Detective Gibson."
He extended his hand to me, and out of sheer stupidity, I accepted it. His touch was akin to sticking a fork into an electrical outlet. I jerked my hand away. "It's nice to meet you." I wasn't sure if the words had even left my mouth.
Nick sat beside me, placed the file in his hand on the table, and refocused on Captain Howard. "You have some new information, Agent Reins?"
"I do, Captain." Nick opened the file and slid it between us. "This is Lenorad Luccese." He pointed to the picture on the front page. "Big time player in the Italian mafia."
"I know who he is," Howard says with a huff. "How does he fit in?"
"A reliable source tells us he is the man calling the shots behind your murderers."
My eyes focus on the photo, and my brain kicks into hyperdrive. At least I am sitting down this time. I have seen this man before in my father's pack. I gasped. Now both are staring holes through me. I am going to be sick!