Sheeple Ch. 07

"So, do I play dumb? Or let them know I talked to you?"

"That's up to you. They have their own ways of knowing things and second guessing them is a pain."

"Are you going to let them talk to Kate?"

"I wish I didn't have to, but they will want to talk to her and probably most of the family. We made the papers, so it isn't like we can just disappear." Eric had been rather upset when he had seen the papers. Nothing too graphic, but there was a small two column article in the local papers about a break-in and Eric's appearance at the gas station.

"Yeah. No pictures at least. Those wolves in your dining room would be enough to give the ranchers all they need to start lobbying the capital for new hunting laws."

Eric smiled. James was trying to be humorous, which was a good sign. He hadn't gotten too twitchy about all of this. "James, do you have any ideas on how we can get 'Max' home?"

"Quiet would be best. Ronny doesn't know does he? About you?" James was suddenly aware that this could get out of hand if the wrong people started running their mouths.

"No, I don't think so. Ronny is a bit odd, but I think if he had figured it out, he'd have said something. Kate is as close as he has to family and anything that dealt with her would be talked about."

"You're probably right." James set down his empty cup. He was about to say something when his pager went off. Looking at the number, he excused himself and went out to his blazer.

Eric watched him go and wondered if their time was up. He realized that they had been talking for nearly three hours. He collected their bills and went to pay at the front desk. James was still talking when Eric walked up next to the vehicle. James acknowledged him and made a wait motion. Eric stood by the fender.

"Sure. Be there in a few minutes. Okay. Yes. Marcy, I said I'd be there in a few minutes. Bye." James closed his cell phone. "Darn dispatcher doesn't trust that I'll head into the office. Drives me nuts."

"Marcy? About 4ft nothing and lots of beehive hairdo?"

"Yes. Seems that some men are tap dancing on her desk and wondering where I am. Sounds like company is here already."

Eric nodded. "Guess I ought to head home then. They may want me soon too."

"Alright. Hope that this is short and fast. I'm going to just let them talk and not volunteer anything. Oh, and thanks for paying the tab. I'll treat you to lunch next time." James climbed into his blazer. "And before I forget. Want a job? I need a deputy."

"What?" Eric stood there with his mouth open not sure he heard James correctly.

"Do you want a job? Hell, I'd even employ Max if I could figure out the budget line." He smiled as the blazer backed out of the parking spot.

"Umm... Could I think about this? Are you serious?"

"Yes. Been thinking about it for about the last forty minutes. I don't have enough officers. I don't have enough search and rescue men either. It also might be a way to keep your buddies out of your life. Give it a thought and let me know." James finished and then pulled out of the parking lot.

Eric watched him go and ran his hand through his hair absentmindedly. Deputy eh? James might just be right. Being part of the local sheriff's department might be just enough to keep the Ops guys out of his life. Another thing to talk to Kate about after he got home. Home! Eric suddenly remembered that Kate might have visitors by now, and the last thing he wanted was for her to talk to them alone.

*

Eric made it home in record time. He pulled up in the drive to find no extra vehicles. That made him feel a bit better, but he was still on edge. Mike hadn't said who exactly was coming, but made it clear that Eric had better be available. Mike normally didn't talk like that. Eric locked the Subaru and bounded up the stairs. Gretchen and Luna were barking when he reached the door. "Kate! I'm home! Any company yet?" he called as he waked into the kitchen.

Kate came into the kitchen from the hall. She had been in the back of the house. "No, but Marcy called here looking for James. Did she find him?"

"Yes. How does that woman do it? I called James privately." Eric was wondering just how the dispatcher had tracked James to the house or the family.

"I don't know. She's always been like that. Never could win if she played hide and seek." Kate wondered if Marcy had some talent or was just so much of a gossip that she just knew too much of anyone's business.

"Well, James was heading to the jail to talk to some people."

"How did he take it?"

Eric smiled. "He did pretty well. Almost wore his coffee a few times, but on the whole, did okay. It isn't every day that you get told such a fantastic story."

"No, have to agree with you on that. Do you think you'll have to shift for him to believe all of it?"

"Maybe. Then again, he saw 'Max' after the fight and my arms have bite marks in the same spots." He held out his arms that were poking out of rolled up sleeves. Scratches, bites and bruises covered his arms in no set pattern. "Then again, maybe not. He offered me a job."

"What?"

"You heard me. He asked if I wanted to be a deputy. Or, failing that, search and rescue. Even said he'd hire Max." Eric had a smile on his face.

"You're teasing me!"

"No. Really... He said if he could figure out how to put Max on the payroll, he would." Eric was smiling at Kate.

Kate just shook her head. She walked over to Eric and wrapped her arms around him. Putting her head on his chest, she just stood there holding him.

*

Forty minutes later, the front door bell rang. Gretchen and Luna started barking like it was the mail man. Kate and Eric both headed for the door. Kate to intercept the dogs and Eric to answer it. Kate had shut the dogs in Andy's room and turned around to see Eric letting four men in suits into the living room. She walked in and stood by Eric, waiting to be introduced.

"Sorry about the dogs. They've been a bit on edge what with everything going on," Eric said as he walked further into the room and motioned for the men to sit down.

"I understand," said one of the men

"You know why we are here Eric. Are you two the only ones home right now?" said another man.

Eric nodded. "This is Kate."

"Hello," Kate said, waiting to learn their names or at least some way of identifying the men.

"Hello Ms. Ratkovich. I'm Mr. Greene, and this is Mr. Davis, Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Farr." Greene pointed to each man in turn.

Kate nodded and looked to each man as they were introduced. She wondered if these were their real names or if they were aliases. She'd didn't really care. She sat down next to Eric who sat facing the men on the couch.

"Eric, we've talked to the Sheriff and some of the deputies and such that were here that morning. As far as they understand, there was nothing more going on here than some mercenary group trying to settle an old score with you," said Greene. "They've agreed to write it up as a break-in and leave it at that."

"Alright, so what do you want from us?" Eric asked.

"We're here to extend an apology from the government and their thanks. You did us a service that can't be acknowledged nor spoken of to anyone. We need you to understand that this officially never happened. Those men didn't exist and that you are just an average citizen who had your house burglarized." Greene sat back a bit as he finished.

Ortiz moved forward calmly taking some paperwork out of a briefcase at his feet. "We'd like you to sign some disclaimers and forms insuring that you won't discuss this with the press or write about it forty years from now."

"I don't think those are necessary. If the local police are going to write it off, I don't see any reason for there to be a paperwork trail leading back to me over an incident that never occurred."

"Now Nic," Mr. Farr started.

"I go by Eric here. Nic is dead." Eric had a bit of an edge in his voice.

Farr blinked, and took a deep breath. "Sorry. Eric, I don't see why you'd object to complying to this arrangement. It's standard practice."

"That is exactly why I object. I have never been in the military. Nic was. I am just a citizen who had a run-in with some thugs. No, no paperwork. No disclosure papers, nothing. I agreed to talk to you men. I agreed to let you talk to Kate. That's it. If you don't like it, I'm sorry." Eric put his arm around Kate as he noticed Davis moving to the balls of his feet even though he was still seated. "I'd appreciate it if you would stand down Mr. Davis."

Davis looked taken aback. "I... I wasn't doing anything."

Eric looked at him like he would one of the boys when they were lying. "I am just a bit on edge to be honest, and your body posturing is sending every nerve on alert. As a fellow shifter, you aught to know just how intense this situation was. The scent markers are still rather pungent in here. Please have some respect." Eric's voice was taking on a sub vocal growl.

"Please gentlemen, we've had a very rough time. We said we'd talk with you. We've delayed our time set aside to heal and get past this to do so. Can we please get on with this interview?" Kate asked, trying to diffuse the tension filling the room. She was very glad of Eric's arm around her.

Greene cleared his throat, and glanced around at the other men. "Ma'am, You are right. We did come here to talk and apologize. I am sorry we lost our perspective. Now, would each of you give us your version of the events?"

Eric took a breath, and started with the Sargent and worked through to his arrival home. Then it was Kate's turn. She gave a much shorter version of events. Both of them edited out details they had agreed on in advance. They were doing their best to cover up any evidence that either Zach or Kate had any shifter talent. An hour passed.

"I think that about answers all of our questions," said Greene. He had taken over leading the interview and was now wrapping it up. "You still won't entertain the offer to come to work for us?"

"No. I've had more than my sufficiency of the military and the type of work done by your branch." Eric's voice was still gruff.

"You know, if you'd stuck around, there might not have been an incident like this to clean up in the first place," Davis said rather defensively.

Eric felt the muscles in his shoulders twitch. Davis had pushed his buttons once too often. He felt Kate's hand rest rather heavy on his shoulder.

"Mr. Davis, Eric doesn't need you antagonizing him. Nothing short of a firing squad would have stopped the men who attacked us in our home. Better yet, a training program that deprogrammed soldiers would certainly have been a better idea than just letting them loose." It was Kate's turn to let just a bit of heat creep into her voice. Her hand still gripped Eric's shoulder.

"Besides, I have a perfectly good job here working at the local hospital. On top of that, I have been offered a job with the sheriff's department." Eric was trying to calm down.

"You? At the sheriff's department? What as? A search and rescue dog?" Farr said with a sneer in his voice.

Eric came to his feet dragging Kate with him as she tried to stop him. Farr stood too, and Davis was balancing on the edge of the seat.

"Enough!" Greene said in a voice loud enough to make the dogs start to bark down the hall. He moved between Farr and Eric.

"Enough is exactly right. Mr. Greene, you and your men have worn out your welcome. I hope you got what you needed as I can't see either Eric or myself talking to you in the future." Kate picked up the pile of papers on the coffee table and shoved them into Ortiz's hands. She then moved towards the door and opened it with the express desire that they leave as quickly as possible.

Farr and Davis were out the door before Eric could reach Kate's side. Ortiz was mumbling apologies for everyone as he cleared the steps. Greene stood at the door for a moment.

"Kate, Eric, I apologize for that. Farr was out of line. So was Davis. In future, I will not have them on my team." He dug in his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. "I meant to keep this as a last ditch attempt to get you to join our efforts to work with the military and shifters. However, I realize I was wrong. You have a life here and deserve to enjoy it without our interference. If you ever do need us again, please contact me." He handed Eric the envelope and headed down the steps.

Kate closed the door and turned to Eric who was looking in the envelope.

"What's in there?"

"You wouldn't believe me. Look for yourself," Eric said as he handed her the envelope.

Kate took it and looked. Her eyes went wide, and she pulled a check out of the envelope. Pinned to it was a note explaining that it was for damages done to the property as well as compensation for their time and personal injuries.

"Eric, this can't be for real."

"No, it's real. I cashed way too many of those in my time to be mistaken."

"But... " Kate looked at it again to make sure she wasn't misreading it. "This is a check for $25,000. How..."

"Don't ask, just accept it and hope they never show back up." Eric went to get his coat and the car keys. "Shall we go deposit this?"

Kate nodded as they headed out the door.

*

After depositing the check, they had grabbed their bags, and loaded up the car. It was too late to head out, so they climbed into bed to sleep for a bit. Kate woke up at dawn and the two of them showered quietly. After a quick bite to eat, it was time to go. They gave Zach and Anne some last minute instructions, and headed out of town.

Eric was behind the wheel of the Subaru, and they were headed up into the hills at last. Kate was laying back in the seat, something she normally didn't do. Her eyes were closed and she was almost asleep. Yesterday had been the final straw for both of them. It was time to get away from everyone and everything. Eric glanced over at Kate and smiled as he realized she was snoring ever so softly. He went back to concentrating on his driving. They stopped for gas a few times and were back on the road quickly. A stop for lunch afforded him a chance for a brief nap. Kate read or dozed the rest of the trip.

It was dark with just a trace of moonlight as Eric pulled into the hotel parking lot. They had chosen the place because it was so off the beaten track. There were no street lights, just the main light over the entrance.

"Kate, Sweetie... Wake up. We're here."

Kate yawned and stretched. She looked around and then at Eric. "We're here already?"

Eric nodded. He started to unload the car and headed towards the front entrance. "Come on Kate, let's get checked in. I don't know about you, but I want to crawl into a bath and then bed."

"I'm coming!" she called after him. Kate grabbed her bag and the backpack she had her clothes in. Both she and Eric packed light. Following him into the entrance, the first thing she noticed was a large sign. It read, 'Pets Welcome'. It brought a smile to her face, especially as she knew Eric had planned to go hunting. Eric was talking to a gentleman at the desk.

"Yes, we'll be just fine with that arrangement," Eric said.

"Ah, this must be your lovely wife," the man said.

"Hi, my name is Kate." She held out her hand.

"I'm Henry. Glad to meet you." His handshake was firm and yet oddly familiar. She took a better look at him, but didn't have a clue as to what was tweaking her senses.

"Our room is up this way." Eric pointed as they took the key and headed out of the lobby. Kate picked up her backpack and followed.

*

Their room was almost at the end of the hall. Eric slid the key into the slot and opened the door. Neither of them really needed the light on as moonlight flooded the room. However, Kate flipped on the light which was soft and easy on the eyes. She looked around and was surprised at the layout of the room.

"Wow."

"Yeah, I thought you'd like it. When I saw it online, I figured it was the place to go." Eric smiled as he put his stuff down on the bed.

Kate looked around. There was a low queen sized bed, a love seat, desk, chair and a huge sliding glass door. She walked over and looked outside. There was a patio area and an open meadow that was skirted by the woods. She looked down at the corner and started to giggle. There in the corner were two empty animal dishes.

"Gee, they think of everything." She giggled.

"Well, umm... Kate, it did say pets were welcome."

"Yeah, but I honestly didn't expect those." She turned to unpack. "Oh, that reminds me. Did you notice anything odd when you shook Henry's hand?"

Eric looked at her, and smiled. "No. Nothing odd at all."

"What are you smiling about?"

Eric walked up and went to kiss her cheek. His lips were almost to hers when his tongue flicked out and caught her on the end of the nose. He smiled.

"Eric!" Kate dried her nose off with the back of her hand. She looked at him trying to figure out what had brought on his sudden playfulness. Then it struck her. "Oh... Eric, is he a..."

Eric nodded. "Yes. This hotel is a shifter's haven so to speak. No one will bother you, and if you forget to dress, there are robes by the back door."

"I don't believe you."

"Go look for yourself." He opened the sliding glass door. Kate stuck her head out and looked to the left. There on the wall in a cubby were two generic robes. She giggled.

"Oh my. How on Earth did you find this place?" Kate turned back to putting clothes away.

"Well, you could say that I have a few connections left."

"So, if you knew that there were shifters in this part of the state, why didn't you head here in the first place?" Kate was rather confused by this point.

"I didn't know that they were here. I found this place after a comment my cousin made when she called to check on my a month or so ago."

"And you didn't say anything to me?" Kate was puzzled, as Eric was usually so forthright.

"I was hoping to save it as a surprise until our anniversary."

"Our anniversary? Oh Eric, and then all this happened." Kate left off putting stuff in drawers and walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. He bent to kiss her, their lips meeting as their hands caressed. Kate was the first to break away. "Eric, we have too many clothes on." A wry smile crossed her face.

"Oh yes." His voice went all husky. His clothes were dropping to the floor as fast as he could undo them. Kate was down to her panties when Eric pounced and knocked her back on the bed. He was kissing his way down her stomach and when he got to the panties he grabbed them with his teeth and growled.

"Eric! Wait a minute!" Kate was trying to get him to stop long enough to shimmy out of them. There was a tearing noise and then they slid down her hips and were off. "You are just too damn rough on clothes some days Eric!" Kate said in a chiding tone.

Eric just smiled, his canines showing rather predominantly. He lowered his lips to her knees and started kissing his way up. Kate scooted farther up on the bed when he grabbed her leg and held her still. His kisses moved up and in until his lips caressed the curls her panties had hidden.

"Oh, Eric." Kate moaned as his tongue teased her lips. His fingers followed and soon Kate was wriggling under him. Her fingers ran through his hair which had come loose of it's leather band. The curly hair twined in her fingers as she tried to pull his head closer to her. Eric concentrated on licking and kissing Kate until she couldn't talk as orgasms began to wash over her. She arched and then collapsed on the bed. Eric brought his head up and smiled at Kate as she lay there with a silly grin on her face. He laid down beside her.

Kate rolled on her side and started to run her fingertips over his skin. That cinnamon chocolate smell drifted off of his skin. She stuck her nose up against his ear and inhaled. The scent seemed to tickle down her throat and heat her up straight down to her crotch. Kate kissed his ear and Eric couldn't hold still any longer. His fingers went for her ribs and that sweet spot that she both loved and hated to have scritched.