Coming ine box set, p.65
Coming in Hot: Rescue Me Box Set, page 65
Caleb cleared his throat. “So you, er, think you might be able to use your... abilities to help me, as well as your knowledge?”
Anneke shrugged, and blew gently on the surface of her drink. “I don’t know for sure, unfortunately. When it comes to werewolves, my knowledge is purely academic. I have no practical experience. We’re going to have to rely solely on brains, common sense, and luck. Despite what you might suspect or believe, I rarely use my supernatural abilities. And when I do, it’s for small things like helping me to follow the right line of questioning when talking to clients, or settling them down if they start to get overwrought. I use them for... good causes, one might say. I’ve certainly never used them for any nefarious reasons. And since nobody ever knows I’m doing it, they’ve never resisted. I simply don’t know what will happen when I try to use mind control on a vicious, feral creature who wants to do the polar opposite of what I want him to do. A creature that will fight against me. It’s entirely possible I won’t be strong enough to do anything. But I’ve got to try.”
Nodding slowly, Caleb said, “So we need to ensure that that’s just one string to our bow. We secure the house, we choose a room, lock me into it, chain or tie me up, or whatever, and you hit me with your powers. But, hang on...” his face paled, “how close do you have to be to someone for your powers to work on them?”
The color seeped from Anneke’s own face as she grasped his meaning. “Er...” She exhaled heavily. “Shit. I haven’t got a clue. I’ve never really tested it. Like I said before, I hardly ever use my abilities, so even I don’t really know what I’m capable of, what works and what doesn’t. It’s always been face to face up until now. And I don’t much fancy getting up close and personal with a werewolf. But...” She brightened as a thought popped into her head. “I wonder if it would work through a window. So I can see you, still technically be face to face—just not in the same room. I don’t know your house, Caleb—is that a possibility?”
Bobbing his head thoughtfully, he met her gaze and said, “It is... but I don’t like it much.”
She frowned. “Why not?”
He put his mug down on the coffee table and got to his feet. “It’s probably easier if I just show you.”
“Okay.” She took a sip of her tea, then placed the mug next to his and stood up.
He led her out of the living room and back into the kitchen. There, he jerked his thumb over to the left-hand side of the space. She turned to see a door. The bottom half was wooden, and the top half had a glass panel set into it. It was see-through—which was exactly what they needed. Caleb strode over, her following him, and opened the door.
With a narrow-eyed glance at Caleb, Anneke stepped over the threshold and found herself in a utility room. It contained a washing machine, a tumble dryer, and shelves holding various household cleaning items. She turned to him with a smile. “Caleb, this is perfect! Why don’t you—”
He cut her off by pointing to the second door in the room, at right angles to the first. “Because that door leads into my garden. Which is just one fence jump or gate open from the outside world, and lots of potential... victims.” He shuddered.
Anneke walked over to the other door and rapped on it with her knuckles, then checked out the handle and locking mechanisms. She shrugged. “It seems pretty solid to me—certainly more solid than the internal door. We can always find a way to block it from the outside, too. Besides, I can’t help thinking that if I’m right on the other side of that glass, if your wolf did manage to get out of whatever we use to bind you, he’d be much more interested in me than trying to get outside. Don’t you think?”
Fixing her with a wry look, he replied, “If that was supposed to make me feel better, you failed miserably.”
“Sorry. Just being truthful. So, I’m guessing this is the only option if we’re attempting the face-to-face-without-being-in-the-same-room thing?”
Caleb nodded. “Yeah. Unless I start remodeling the house. Which, to be clear, I’m totally willing to do if it stops someone from getting hurt. It’s a small price to pay.”
Anneke’s heart clenched. He might be guilty of coming out with some stupid shit at times, but his priorities were definitely in order—basically he wasn’t too bothered about himself, as long as he didn’t hurt anyone else. She just hoped that the fact that he was a fundamentally decent person might come in useful when he was in animal form—it might even be possible to connect with the man inside the wolf and help him to fight for control. She cleared her throat. “Well, I think we should give this a go. We can clear all the small items out of the room, which doesn’t leave much you can do damage to. In fact, we can block both sides of the external door, can’t we? Use the washing machine and tumble dryer on the inside, and maybe your bins and whatever other heavy stuff you might have outside?”
She took another look. “I mean, it opens outwards, so blocking the inside is only going to slow you down if you try to get to the door. But it’s something.”
“There are way too many what-ifs in all this for my liking,” he replied darkly, his brow drawn low.
“I hear you, Caleb, and I agree. But we don’t have a choice, do we? We only have a few days to figure this out, and no option of a dress rehearsal. So, we’ve decided on this room, and we’re going to block the external door on both sides. Now, what can we use to restrain you?”
He pointed with his chin to the other door. “We’ll need to find a way to block that, too. That one is much flimsier and doesn’t have a lock. Most worryingly of all, you’ll be on the other side of it.”
With a gargantuan amount of effort, she gave him a sunny smile. “I’m flattered that you’re so concerned about me, but I’ll be just fine. I’ll be controlling your mind, remember? You won’t hurt me.”
Raising an eyebrow at her, he replied, “Anneke, you said yourself that you don’t know how strong your abilities are. It’s one thing giving a little gentle suggestion to get someone to open up to you, or to stop lying, or calm down, and another entirely to try to stop a raging werewolf from wanting to rip your head off.”
She flinched. “I know, all right! Trust me, I fucking know! But tell me this—if our roles were reversed, would you be able to simply walk away and leave me to it? Huh?” She prodded him roughly in the chest, wincing as the hard muscle she contacted bent the tip of her finger back and sent pain zinging through the digit.
In a move so fast she barely realized it was happening, Caleb grabbed her wrist and lifted her hand to his mouth, then kissed the tip of the injured finger before letting her go. “No,” he said softly, “of course I wouldn’t be able to walk away. I’d want to do everything I possibly could to help.”
“Well, there you go then,” she said sharply, fighting hard to ignore the effect his kissing her finger had had. Her heart had other ideas, however, and skipped madly in her chest, making her a little lightheaded. “Now can we stop wasting time arguing about this shit, and do something useful?”
“Yes, of course we can.” He paused for a moment, then said, “I think chains would be better than ropes—the heavier, the better. I could get some kind of bracket and fix it to the wall—with really long screws, right into the brick. Then wrap the chains around the bracket, attach shackles to the chains, and the shackles to me. Then use really hardcore padlocks to keep everything secured. This door,” he pointed to the one leading into the kitchen, “opens outwards, so we can put stuff on your side of it. I could put a bolt on it, too, just as an extra precaution, though I would have thought if I was throwing my weight against the door, a bolt wouldn’t make all that much difference.”
“It won’t be particularly attractive, but you could get one of those hefty outdoor bolts, rather than one you’d normally use indoors, and use really long screws to attach it to the wall.”
“True. Not like I ever have visitors, anyway. Nobody to see the mess I’ve made of the place.” He shrugged. Then he suddenly snapped his gaze to her face. “Hey, you’re a doctor.”
Wondering if thinking too hard had overtaxed his brain and given him some kind of amnesia, she said tentatively, “Ye-es...”
“Are we overlooking the most obvious solution here? You can get hold of drugs. Can’t you drug me, too? Still do all the other stuff we’ve talked about, but sedate me as well? Knock me the fuck out. I could sleep through the entire full moon and you wouldn’t have to worry about a damn thing! And if it works, I wouldn’t even need babysitting going forward. I’d just stock up on tablets. Also,” he added, his eyes wide and gleaming with excitement, “do you know anyone that could get hold of a tranquilizer gun? If all of those precautions failed and I turned and went feral, you could zap me with a tranq dart, couldn’t you? Keep zapping me, if necessary, all night, until I’m no longer a danger.”
Anneke stared at him. This was beginning to sound way too much like a cheesy horror film for her liking. She shook her head. “I’m not zapping you with a bloody tranquilizer dart.”
“Why not?” he demanded. “It’s not going to kill me.”
“How do you know?”
“Because vets tranquilize large animals all of the time to safely treat them. I’ve watched documentaries. They dart horses, zebras, giraffes—elephants, for God’s sake! If it works on an elephant, it’ll work on a wolf, surely?”
“Vets are trained professionals.”
“You’re a trained professional.”
“Not for animals! Besides, sedation isn’t just a random thing. In those documentaries, the vets know about the physical makeup of the animal in question, and have at least a rough idea how much it weighs, so they know how much of the drug to administer. We have no way of finding out that information when it comes to a supernatural creature that the vast majority of the world doesn’t even believe exists. If we don’t give you enough sedation, you could wake up too soon, and if we give you too much, you could fucking die!”
“Can’t hurt anyone if I’m dead, can I?” he said quietly.
Anneke’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.”
“I can, and I am. To put your mind at rest, we’ll err on the side of caution. We get the DNA makeup and weight details from information about the regular type of wolf, and apply it to me. I won’t need to be darted to start with anyway, remember? Before I change, I can just take a sleeping tablet or two, can’t I? I’ll be drugged, chained, and locked and barricaded into a room. The tranq gun will be like a backup of the backup of the backup! And then there’s your powers. I’ll be safer than the gold bullion inside Fort Knox.” He grinned and put a hand on her arm. “You know what—I think we’ve got this covered, Anneke. I really think we have.”
She thought for a moment, filtering through all the plans and information that had been thrown out since she’d arrived at Caleb’s house. Deliberately trying to poke holes in the ideas, trying to find weak points. Points a feral creature could take advantage of. But she found nothing. She blew out a breath, then reached up and placed her hand over his, returning his smile. “I think, barring any freakish behavior from your wolf, you’re right. We have got it covered.”
“Thanks to you.”
“Thanks to both of us.” The area where their skin contacted was growing warmer by the second, and her heart was doing that stupid skipping thing again. She cursed it internally. Give it up. It can’t happen. She removed her hand in what she hoped was a casual manner, with Caleb following suit.
“Shall we go and finish our tea before it goes cold?” he asked.
She nodded. “It probably has already, but I’m not bothered. I’ll drink it anyway.”
“I can make you a fresh cup—it’s not a problem,” he said as they returned to the living room.
Anneke sat back in the armchair and picked up the mug. Caleb mirrored her actions with his own drink. “It’s all right... I should get going, anyway. Leave you in peace.” More like get out of here as soon as possible, before you jump on him again. She sipped at the lukewarm liquid.
A flicker of hurt passed behind Caleb’s eyes, but he quickly turned it into amusement. “Desperate to get away from me, are you?”
“No, not at all. I just thought after such a... full-on evening, you might want some time to yourself, to digest everything. This can’t be easy for you—going from worried about your mental health to worried about turning into a wolf at the full moon and killing someone within the space of a couple of weeks. It’s quite the head-fuck.”
“Yes,” he replied shortly, putting down his mug, which he’d drained while she’d been speaking. “It is a head-fuck. Which is why I could actually... do with talking about it with someone, not sitting here by myself, thinking about it. Worrying. So, unless you have other plans, or any strong objections, I’d really love it if you’d stay for a while. It’d be nice to get to know you, too, get to know the brave woman who’s making such a huge sacrifice for a total stranger. I’ll walk you home later, or pay for a taxi.”
The look on his face was so hopeful that, in spite of her common sense warning her that staying any longer was a monumentally bad idea, she found herself smiling and saying, “Yeah, all right.” She checked her watch. 9:15. “Though I can’t stay too late, as I’ve got an early start in the morning. My first appointment is at 8:00.”
Caleb snorted. “That’s not an early start,” he said good-naturedly. “I’m seeing my first client at 6:30.”
“Bloody hell. Remind me never to hire a personal trainer.”
He chuckled. “Client’s choice, not mine. He wants to get a session in before work.”
“Hardcore.”
“Yep.” He gestured to her mug. “Want another one, then? Or do you think we deserve something a bit more... alcoholic? Just the one, though, since we’ve both got early starts.” He tipped her a mocking wink.
She stuck out her tongue in response. “No, I think I’ll stick with tea, thanks. Any more booze on an empty stomach and it will go straight to my head.” She finished the last of the tea.
He gasped and clapped a hand to his belly. “Shit. That shows how distracted I’ve been this evening—I’d forgotten all about food. I never do that. Wanna get a takeaway?”
Anneke smirked. “For saying you’re a personal trainer, you seem to be quite keen on alcohol and unhealthy food.”
“How do you know I wasn’t going to say we get a salad takeaway?” he shot back, pursing his lips.
“What the hell kind of takeaway sells salad?” she spluttered.
“Fucked if I know,” he said with a shrug. “Some of them probably do, but I’ve never looked at that part of the menu—certainly never ordered from it. If I’m ordering something bad, I’m going whole hog. So,” he quirked an eyebrow, “pizza, Chinese, or Indian?”
“Given we both have to deal with the public tomorrow, I think pizza is the safest bet. Least danger of bad breath that way. No amount of teeth brushing, flossing, and mouthwash can get rid of the smell of garlic.”
“Ooh, sexy.” He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows theatrically, then straightened his face. “But practical.” Pointing to her hands, which cradled the empty mug, he asked, “You done with that?” She nodded, and they both leaned forward so he could take it from her. “Sure you don’t want something different? I mean non-alcoholic. I have no idea what I’ve got in, though. I’ll go and get the pizza menu first, and we’ll order, then I’ll sort out drinks. Now you’ve put the idea of food in my head, I’m suddenly ravenous.”
She smiled. “Fine by me, but don’t worry about finding something else on my account. Another cup of tea is perfect.”
“No problem. Be right back.”
Chapter Five
“Phew!” Caleb said, slumping back into his chair with a huff of satisfaction. He rubbed his stomach. “That was delicious, but I am so full. I’m going to have to work my client extra hard in the morning to make up for it. He won’t know what hit him.”
Anneke laughed. “Poor guy—you’ll be punishing him for your misdemeanor.”
“True, but he pays good money to be punished, so he’ll be happy about it.”
She blinked and shook her head. “Takes all sorts, I suppose. Anyway,” she shuffled forward in her seat, now-empty plate in her hands, “let me help you clear this all up, and then I’ll be on my way. And I need to give you some money for the food.”
Caleb struggled to his feet, then bent and started stacking the empty pizza and side order boxes on the table. “I can live with the first part—though it’s only a case of dumping the boxes in the bin, and the plates and cups in the dishwasher. The second part, we’ll discuss. The third, absolutely not. Not in a million years. You’ve helped me figure out a problem I didn’t even know I had, and are consenting to putting yourself in harm’s way in a few days’ time for my sake. If you think I’m going to take a penny off you, you’re sorely mistaken. Though a measly pizza doesn’t even scratch the surface of my gratitude.”
Having picked up Caleb’s plate, put it on top of hers, then grabbed their mugs—Caleb had stuck to tea in the end, too—and stood up, Anneke replied, “It wasn’t just pizza. It was potato wedges, cheesy dough balls, and chicken wings, too.”
He shot her a sharp look. “Hardly the point.”
She smirked and headed for the kitchen. “I know. I’m teasing you.”
Following her, he replied, “Suppose I should be getting used to that by now.”
They’d spent the evening jumping between talking about Caleb’s werewolf status—which he now seemed entirely convinced of—and his feelings about it, and discussing lighter matters. From what Anneke could tell, it had been a really good way of him getting everything off his chest without the atmosphere becoming too serious or depressing. It also meant they now knew a great deal more about each other outside of the reason they had met in the first place.
“Yeah,” she said, her smirk widening to a grin, “you should. But you’re just as bad.” She put the crockery down on the worktop above the dishwasher, opened the door, then started loading the items into it.
