Once dressed, Sarah hopped back in her car. The running path was located in a forested area of a National Park that was full of wildlife and waterfalls. She’d debated asking Statler for a weapon in case she met up with an unwanted animal, but then decided against it. He’d probably fear she’d turn the gun on one of the guards. While tempted, she wouldn’t be that stupid. Russ had mentioned that werewolves only died if the bullet was packed with a certain kind of poison and that regular guns only slowed them down. At present, she had no idea how to get ahold of that poison.
She rolled down her car window to enjoy the late afternoon glow and warm breeze along the seven-mile deserted stretch of road. When she arrived at the Park’s lot, there weren’t any other cars, which further relaxed her.
Keeping an eye on her surroundings, she started with a slow jog then increased her speed for the next couple of miles. The tranquility of the summer day, along with the pine-scented forest lulled her into a dreamlike state. Just for fun, she pictured herself naked, entwined between both Jay and Riley, mentally changing positions, but then gave up trying to decide who would be the better lover. Would Jay take her from behind or would it be Riley? If it was the latter, she bet he’d be determined to keep his emotional distance, but the lovemaking would be so intense that he couldn’t help return for more.
Her panties turned damp from all her prurient thoughts. Get real. She didn’t have time for wild, passionate sex. She had an evil man to take down—with the help of her two superheroes, of course. Sarah suddenly cracked up at the image of the men dressed in flapping capes.
I’m losing it. Get a grip.
She immediately sobered. With the sun threatening to set, she turned around and headed back. By the time she reached her car, her stomach had grumbled more times than she could count.
Not in the mood to cook, she stopped off at a small diner located in a gas station. Despite the unusual setting, the food was homemade and rather tasty, and as much as she wanted to stay away from home, she needed shower, and sleep. Five o’clock came around really early.
Once home, she headed straight to the shower. It wasn’t until she’d cleaned up, done a load of laundry and read two chapters of a book, that Amy finally returned looking more tired than usual.
“You look beat. Something happen at the warehouse?” Sarah asked. “Oh, no, is it Nancy? Has she taken a turn for the worse?”
“No. She’s about the same, but she needs some antibiotics fast.”
Sarah wanted to confide in her, but she didn’t dare. “If you find any, let me know.”
Amy nodded, but her shoulders remained slumped. She tossed her thin jacket on the back of the sofa and set down her purse. “Michelle didn’t show up for her shift, so I stayed for as long as I could to cover for her.”
They hadn’t been at the warehouse long enough to have established a pattern, but so far, no one had dared miss even a minute of their required time. Statler was highly unpredictable, and she wouldn’t put it past him to order someone’s execution for crossing him. “Did you call her?”
“Yes, but her cell went to voicemail. That’s not all. Darnell didn’t show up to his shift either. Russ is staying with Wendell a little bit longer, too.”
Sarah tried to remember if she’d witnessed any exchange between Michelle and Darnell. “Could they be doing something together for Statler?”
Amy chewed on a nail, one that was already bitten to the quick. “I don’t think so, but it’s Russ I’m worried about. He wants to tell Statler about Darnell going AWOL. You know how volatile our boss is. It could end up badly for Russ.”
That was an understatement. She wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that conversation. “Maybe they’ll show up tomorrow. I hope. I’m going to head on into bed.”
It was time to send a text. She prayed Statler hadn’t employed someone to hack into her messages. If so, she’d end up in a grave before she could call for help.
* * *
At eleven o’clock at night, Statler’s phone rang and his claws immediately extended at the interruption. No one dared call him at this uncivilized hour.
The gorgeous blonde next to him in bed rolled over, her naked breasts enticing him. “Are you going to answer that?” she asked as she grabbed his hard cock.
With a glorious woman so close, he sure as fuck didn’t want to, but he couldn’t chance missing a call from his buyer. Keeping his hands under the sheet, he focused on retracting his claws. The last thing he needed was for a human to run out of the apartment screaming bloody murder.
“Give me a sec.” He dragged his now fully human hand over her luscious breasts then pinched the tip.