Guardian Bears: Karl (2 page)

T
he heat was enough
to make her wilt as she headed outside for lunch. Normally Allison might have eaten at her desk, but she was feeling cooped up inside despite the cooler air. Sitting in the shade of the building eating her sandwich, she could at least feel free.

It was a silly notion, but something inside her felt better out under the sky, despite the sun’s punishing glare. Everything in the light looked too bright, dazzling her. By comparison the shadows were black as night, hiding everything in them from her light-adapted eyes.

She looked up at the dark rocks of the mountains that loomed over the town. It was a bit painful to look at them, but also soothing. Something about them called to her, made her want to take off in that direction and never come back, leaving the town and its mysteries behind her.

Don’t be ridiculous
, she told herself firmly.
A hike can be fun, but not in this weather. And I don’t fancy living wild like some kind of cave woman!
Still, she felt a yearning need to go. The mountains had always called to her, and the feeling was getting stronger by the day.

Before she could analyze that feeling any further, she was interrupted by the arrival of a black SUV pulling into the parking lot. Not a local’s car, she knew no one around Mayfair drove anything like that. Curious, she stood and brushed off her hands, watching from the shadow of the building as the driver got out and stretched.

She couldn’t help staring. The man was tall, well over six feet, and massive. His blond hair was so pale it looked almost white in the sunlight. He was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt which was stretched tight across his broad chest, and his bare arms were as muscular as any she’d ever seen. He positively gleamed in the sunlight. It was almost painful to look at him, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

He moved with an easy grace as he loosened up his muscles, stretching and shifting and moving. It was like he was performing some kind of slow dance in the shadow of his car, and it was mesmerizing. Allison stared, enthralled by the man and his movements.

Finished with his stretches he headed for the office door, walking with a confident stride that devoured the distance. It was only when he was nearly at the door that she remembered her job – she should be inside to greet him, but she’d been too busy watching him to think of that. Hurriedly, she stuffed what was left of her sandwich into her lunch box and stood up.

The movement caught his eye and he stopped, fixing her with a stare. She realized then that he wouldn’t have been able to see her in the shadows, not with his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sun. He’d thought he was alone while he did his stretch routine.

Blushing, she stepped forward to greet him. She’d rather have had her desk to hide behind, but the only way she’d be able to reach it would be to ignore him and walk on in, and that would be too rude.

“Uh, hi,” she said. “I’m sorry, you caught me at lunch.”

He looked down at her, and Allison felt her heart speed up. His strong, stubbled jaw and piercing dark eyes made him look rather imposing, and the way his gaze flicked down over her and back up made her embarrassingly aware of the fact that she wasn’t wearing much in this heat. She didn’t like how much of her curves the thin, sleeveless top she wore showed off, but it had been a choice between that and boiling to death.

The man didn’t seem to mind, though he didn’t stare either. At least, not at her figure. When their eyes met, he looked unblinkingly into her, and she felt as though he was reading her very soul.

She felt very small in front of this mountain of a man, small and vulnerable.
That’s crazy, even if he does try something, the sheriff’s office is
right here
. All I need to do is shout.

And she didn’t think he was going to try anything, even with that hungry look in his eyes.

“I’m Karl Werner,” the man said after what felt like an age, though Allison was sure it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds at most. His voice was low, pleasant, but somehow hungry in a way that she couldn’t quite place. “Pleased to meet you, miss. If you work here, I’m looking for some information? I’d rather talk inside, though, especially if you have air conditioning in there.”

“Of course,” she said, turning away and blushing a little at her reaction. “Come on in and cool off.”

She didn’t feel comfortable leading him inside, almost as though she didn’t want him on her territory. Which was ridiculous, of course – her entire job was to speak to people here, and it wasn’t her territory at all. It belonged to the sheriff and his deputies, and she just worked there.

He was right behind her, and she was very aware of his presence. Not afraid, exactly, but nervous, as though part of her thought she
should
be afraid. And part of her couldn’t help replaying the memory of him bending and stretching in her mind’s eye. She’d never been this close to a man so hot!

The reception area was cool and dark after the baking heat outside, and both of them sighed with relief. Allison slipped back behind her desk, glad to have a barrier between her and Karl, and looked up at him again.

“There we are; now how can I help?”

Karl looked around, his dark eyes sweeping the room as though he was memorizing everything. He didn’t answer straight away, finishing his assessment of the office with its old and out of date posters, the ancient decor, and battered furniture before he spoke.

Finally, his gaze came back to her and her desk. He looked down at the nameplate in front of her and then back at her, and for a moment she wondered if he’d forgotten what he wanted to ask about. Then he smiled, and the sight of it knocked the breath from her.

“Well, Allison, I’m here looking into the monster attacks,” he said while she recovered from the impact of that stunningly attractive grin. It took her a moment to recover enough to process what she’d heard.

Oh crap.

* * *

K
arl didn’t know
what to make of the look the receptionist gave him at that. He was used to his smile knocking women senseless, but Allison’s reaction was more worried than he was used to. He was too busy trying to fight down his other responses to focus, though. The moment he’d seen her in the shadows, he’d wanted to know more about her, and damn the werewolf he was here to hunt.

But that wasn’t professional, and he’d have time to look her up after the job was done. It was difficult to keep that in mind, though, as he looked at her. She was short and curvy, her thin top showed off her curves in ways that made it hard for him to keep his eyes from wandering. She had her dark hair tied back in a ponytail and out of her face, and her green eyes looked into him as he gazed into her.

His bear stirred inside him as soon as she did that – it woke whenever someone met his eyes, an animal’s instinctive response to the challenge that carried. But instead of a territorial reaction, this time his bear was interested in her. He could feel it, peeking out through his eyes, looking at her with him.

He had to admit that she was well worth the look, and if he’d had time he’d have certainly been interested.
But I don’t, so focus,
he told himself sternly.
I’ve got a job to do
. Putting on his most charming expression he showed her his ID.

“Hello, ma’am,” he said, hearing a low growling note in his voice and inwardly cursing his bear. “I’m sorry to interrupt your lunch. I’ve just got a few questions and then I’ll leave you be.”

She eyed the ID uncertainly.
Probably don’t get many private investigators out this way,
he thought.
Might be her first time looking at ID like this.
It was one of the advantages of working with an agency like the Guardian Bears – there was a paperwork trail to check that they were legit. Sometimes that meant local law enforcement would help, sometimes it annoyed them, and this time it looked like it might confuse things instead.

“I’m not sure I can help you, Mister…” she peered at the ID, then looked back up at him. “Mr. Werner, is it? But ask away.”

“I hear there have been some odd occurrences around town lately,” he said, keeping his smile despite the suspicious note in her voice. “I’m supposed to look into them, and I hoped you could give me a few more details.”

Her face closed up instantly. Karl made an effort not to show his surprise – he couldn’t think why
that
would be the thing that would make her back off. It was the kind of thing most places treated as a casual amusement, something they’d often be more willing to help with than an actual crime or missing person case. But apparently not in Mayfair.

So either there’s something that the sheriff doesn’t want known tied up in this, or it’s more serious than I thought. Or both. Has the werewolf killed someone?
That would do it, if the sheriff was trying to keep it quiet.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you there,” she told him. “We don’t discuss open cases.”

“I’m going to have to look into this anyway, Allison,” he said. “If you can give me a few pointers, I’d be able to get things done quicker and be done sooner.”

And then I can ask you out for a drink,
he thought. It didn’t seem like the time to say it out loud, though. Better not to mix business and pleasure, tempting as it was. Right now she didn’t look too receptive anyway, the way she was frowning up at him. That wasn’t usual either, and he had to admit he was intrigued.

“Why are you investigating?” she asked after a moment’s pause. “I wouldn’t have thought that there’d be anyone in a small town like this who’d hire you.”

“My client’s name and reasons are confidential,” he said. It was true, of course, but it was also better than trying to explain to someone that there was a rogue and untrained wolf shifter behind the incidents. Or that another wolf shifter from out of town had hired him to sort out the mess. That was not an answer that would be likely to get cooperation from law enforcement – more likely it would convince people to try and lock him up, or simply dismiss him as a crazy.

“They don’t matter, anyway,” he continued. “Look, I don’t need to know much, and I certainly don’t want you to tell me anything confidential. I just want to know things that anyone in town knows already, like where the incidents happened. With the TV crew around, I’m sure that’ll all come out soon anyway.”

Her face was like stone, if stone could look angry. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but he knew that he wasn’t going to get any information out of her. He couldn’t blame her – really, she
shouldn’t
pass out information like that, but he often managed to learn something anyway. Not every law enforcement agency had people who cared.

Just his luck to run into one who did.

“You can wait and see it on TV then,” she said, crossing her arms and looking up at him. “And if they come and ask here, they’ll get the same answer from me.”

Karl found himself admiring her determination. There was something about the intensity of the glare she gave him that made him want to smile again, though he was sure that would only irritate her more.

“Fair enough,” he said, “I’ll find my answers elsewhere. But if there is anything you can tell me, or anything you want to discuss, here’s my card. Get in touch anytime.”

He wasn’t sure she’d take it, and for a minute she just stared at it as though he was offering her a venomous snake. At last, she nodded and snatched the card from his fingers.

As he left, Karl could feel her gaze on his back, intense and powerful. It took an effort not to look back, not to meet her deep green eyes.
What’s she thinking?
He couldn’t tell, and that annoyed him more than it should.

It doesn’t matter, not now. I have a job to do, and mysterious green-eyed Allison can wait till I’m done. For now, let’s find the next most likely place to get answers.

A
llison couldn’t stop thinking
of the big man and his attitude for the rest of the afternoon. Fortunately, there wasn’t much work to do, or she’d have been too distracted to focus on it. As it was, she filed a few reports and looked out the window at the sunbaked landscape, wondering about him.

Who does he work for,
she wondered,
and why is anyone interested in what happens in Mayfair?
It was a small town on the edge of nowhere, and no one cared what went on there usually. She couldn’t imagine who would hire a private investigator to look into some rumors out here.

It wasn’t just that holding her attention, though. It was his attitude, too, the cocky confidence that he’d charm her. The look on his face when she’d told him
no
and meant it had been more satisfying than it should have been. But there was some part of her that wanted to know more about the giant despite that attitude.

Not the time, Allison
, she told herself firmly.
Sure he’s hot – but he’s a pain in the ass, he’s looking into things you don’t want anyone to know about, and he’s not going to be around long enough to get to know.

The rebellious part of her mind wasn’t sure that last bit was a problem. Was there anything wrong with a bit of fun with a guy like that? It was tempting to say that there wasn’t. She couldn’t help imagining him, trying to picture him with that shirt off…

Stop that!
She put down her mental foot, firmly.
He’s trouble, Allison. And you have more important things to do, like working out what happened last night.

With both a private investigator and a TV crew looking into what was going on, she needed to get a start on that before someone else did. She might not know what had happened, but she was damned if she was going to let someone else figure it out first!

First thing after work, she headed to the Blackrock Bar. She didn’t spend much time there, hadn’t for years. Partly because Jeremy was there most nights, and she’d rather avoid him, but mostly she’d just gotten tired of it. Always the same guys, always someone hitting on her, and she’d never felt comfortable there.

It looked like nothing had changed since the last time she’d visited, though the place was busier than she’d expected. Rick, behind the bar, looked up and smiled at her as she blinked in the doorway, adjusting to the dimmer light inside.

“Hey, Allison, long time no see! What brings you back here?”

She smiled back at him. Rick might not run a great bar, but he was a friendly guy and had always been nice to her.
At least he doesn’t think I was here last night, and he’d know
, she thought.
Though I guess that just makes it all more mysterious – what happened?

“Hi Rick,” she said, ignoring her thoughts and stepping over to the bar. “No real reason. Just thought I’d look in and say hello.”

“Sure,” he said, grinning wider. “And it’s got nothing to do with the fact that Jeremy got mauled by someone here last night, I bet?”

Allison felt her smile vanish, and Rick looked crestfallen at the sight. “Oh, hey, I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that’s why everyone seems to be popping in today.”

She waved off his apologies. “Don’t worry about it, Rick. It’s just, you know, he may be a pain but I don’t think he deserved to get attacked.”

“Maybe,” Rick said, sounding unconvinced. “He’s given you enough hassle over the years, though. I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

If she was honest, Allison would have to admit that maybe she did like the sound of it – Jeremy had been enough of a pain to her over the years that she wouldn’t cry any tears over him. But that wasn’t the kind of thing that she could say out loud.

“What happened?” she asked instead.

“Honestly, I didn’t see much,” Rick admitted. “Don’t tell the TV folks that, though. I’m looking forward to seeing myself on the screen.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you have your big moment,” she assured him. “I’m just glad no one was seriously hurt?”

She put a little question in that last sentence, hoping he’d rise to it. He did, nodding. “Yeah, Jeremy got shook up and he needed some stitches, but that’s all. And no one else got hurt at all. Just Jeremy, and all the mirrors in the ladies’ restroom.”

Allison was about to ask for more details, not that Rick seemed to know anything, when she heard cars pull up outside. Something warned her to be careful, to not attract too much attention. She couldn’t tell where the feeling came from, but it was there, and she trusted it somehow. There was a feeling of danger in the air, suddenly, and she looked around to see who was coming in.

The people entering were strangers who looked quite out of place in Mayfair. Partly it was the attitude, partly the coldness of their eyes, but the main thing that marked them as unusual was that one of them carried a video camera. Rick’s sharp intake of breath drew their attention as Allison sidled away nervously.

I just don’t want to be on film
, she told herself. But there was something more to it. Something about the strangers marked them as dangerous to her, in a way she couldn’t quite understand. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise, and her heart speed up. A strong urge to run away came over her, an urge to put distance between her and the camera crew as quickly as possible.

One of the men looked around the room, taking a look at everyone in the bar. Allison dropped her gaze as he tried to catch her eyes, afraid of what she might see in him. Or perhaps what he might see in her.

* * *

K
arl had spent
most of his afternoon fruitlessly chasing leads. There were plenty of people in town who’d tell him something about the Mayfair Monster, but none of it added up to much of a lead. Some animals had been attacked, the man behind the counter in the general store told him. The man at the gas station told him all about the sightings of a furry creature, but they were fanciful enough that he was sure they were mostly fictional. And so it went on – everyone was sure there was something out there, but there was frustratingly little detail to go on.

It’s late enough that I can try the bar now,
he told himself. There wouldn’t have been much point earlier when the place would probably have been empty, but now people might be gathering there. On the one hand, that meant stories which would grow in the retelling, but on the other, at least he’d have a lot of people in one place. Anyone might know something useful.

The sign proclaimed it the Blackrock Bar, and it looked like a dump. It did look busy, though, the parking lot full of cars including a few he recognized from the motel. At least he could get something cold to drink, as well as some answers. Karl needed that, he could feel the evening sun beating down on him as he walked to the door.
I’m really not built for this weather.

The change in light as he stepped inside was enough to leave him almost blind as he adjusted. Leaving the sunlight and entering the shadows didn’t do much for the heat though. The room was still boiling, the hot air stirred listlessly by a ceiling fan that didn’t seem to make any difference.

Karl blinked, letting his eyes adjust, trying to take in the bar. It didn’t look much better inside – beaten up furniture, a smell of stale beer, and cracked flooring made it clear that no one had taken good care of the place.

“… it was right over here,” someone was saying, excitement in his voice. “I saw the creature, plain as day – it was fast, so damned fast. Huge thing, covered in black fur, with glowing red eyes like they were on fire!”

The camera crew was here, of course. They weren’t quite what he’d been expecting, though he hadn’t really known what to expect at all. The woman interviewing the barman was tall and thin, her blonde hair perfect and face so artfully made up that she looked more like a sculpture than a real person. Filming the bartender as he told her about his experience with the werewolf was a fit looking cameraman, tall and lean. The kind of build that Karl was familiar with from his time in the Army – lots of Rangers ended up looking like that. He had a deadly air about him, the calm cold focus of someone who could stay focused on a mission no matter what.

And standing back a little from them was another man, just as tall but broader shouldered, solidly muscled, and eerily still. He watched the room with cold eyes, measuring other people’s reactions to the story the barman was telling. Something about him made Karl wary, an undefinable air of menace which didn’t fit someone working in television.

The other thing that Karl’s trained eyes spotted was that they were all armed. Each of them had a pistol concealed under their clothing, even the interviewer.

He stepped around the camera man and settled at the bar, trying not to draw attention to himself. Usually that wasn’t easy for a man his size, especially when he was a stranger in town. Right now, though, all attention was on the barman and his story about a wolf-monster that walked like a man. Almost all, anyway: the largest of the three looked at him with cold eyes, measuring and assessing him.

Karl met the man’s gaze. For a moment they stared at each other, and Karl was impressed. Not many people could hold his eyes like that, most would back down quickly. His bear was awake, angry at the challenge in the other man’s gaze, but that didn’t seem to faze the stranger.

He walked up as Karl sat at the bar, keeping eye contact the whole time. “I saw you at the hotel, I think,” he said. His voice was as hard and unfriendly as his gaze, like steel. “What brings you to Mayfair?”

Karl smiled, trying to look friendly. Sometimes an awkward meeting could lead to making a good contact. He doubted this was one of those times, but it never hurt to try.

“I’m Karl Werner,” he said, extending a hand. “I’m here on business. You making a film or something?”

“Damian Hughes,” the other man replied, gripping his hand and squeezing. His grip was impressive, and as Karl squeezed back he saw a spark of surprise in Damian’s eyes.
Doubt he’s used to someone being able to push back
. “The cameraman is Thomas Peck and the lovely lady handling the interviews is Megan Cole. We’re doing a documentary on the local werewolf.”

“Marty mentioned something about that, back at the motel,” Karl said. “You think there’s anything to the stories?”

“Oh, yes. Definitely. And we’re going to find it, film it, and shoot it,” Damian said, a sadistic light in his gaze. “Not necessarily in that order.”

This is not good
, Karl thought. The man and his crew – Karl had no doubt that Damian was in charge – weren’t just amateurs with a camera. He looked competent, capable, and determined to hunt his prey.

And the fact that he said he was hunting a werewolf meant he knew more than he should already.