The Porch Wolf Ch. 11-20

Present Day

Waking before six, I put on running gear and went down to my home gym for the first time in years. The room was dark and dusty, and I pulled the cover off the treadmill before plugging it in. Turning on the stereo, I cranked some Pink Floyd while I ran.

I was breathing hard after ten minutes; I wasn't a young wolf anymore, and my fitness had deteriorated after Catherine's diagnosis. I pushed on, alternating between thirty seconds of sprints and sixty seconds of jogging until I couldn't take any more. I walked ten minutes as a cooldown, leaving the gym sore and feeling every one of my fifty-one years.

Today was thirty minutes; tomorrow would be better. I took a shower and ate breakfast, then watched the news as I thought about my day. I was hoping that Liv would contact me early with more questions; it would be even better if she came over with Vicki. While I waited, I had a lot to do.

My first call was to my in-laws, Larry and Donna. Larry picked up first. "Leo? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Dad," I said.

"Then what are you doing up at seven in the morning?" I heard Donna laughing in the background.

"I need to talk about a few things. Are the two of you alone?"

"Yes, let me put you on speaker."

"Good morning, Leo," Donna said. "Did you talk to your niece and her mother?"

"I did." I walked them through the whole night. I told them everything I did and said, and what their reactions were. "Other than running off to the bathroom, Liv handled it well."

"That was last night. Today, they'll realize that people shouldn't be turning into big, furry wolves. Liv and Vicki will be questioning everything you told them," Donna replied. "She won't do anything rash, at least I don't think she will. She'll focus on her daughter, that's what she's done for the last five years. It won't change now."

"I agree. You took a risk, Leo, but it's not in their interests to expose our kind."

I was glad they agreed with my actions. "While I wait for Liv to agree with me training Vicki, I wanted to verify what I have to do to form my own Pack. I haven't paid any attention to Pack politics lately."

Larry chuckled. "There's not much that has changed. You never lost your Alpha Mantle, so no one can question that you have the right to form a Pack. You need to meet the minimum size requirements and announce your Pack formation at the Alpha Summit. Once you are recognized, other Packs are required to respect your position and your boundaries."

"Who would join me?"

"The fastest thing would be to take over your old Pack. You still have the Mantle, and Alphas Todd and Susan are just Betas, punching above their weight. If you get yourself back in shape now that you have a reason to fight again, you could defeat him. Kick him out of the Pack this time."

"It could take months to regain my strength, and I don't have the time or the patience to go back. Todd did what was best for the Pack at the time. I said I'd never return, and I won't. He can keep it." I looked out my window. "I have my land, and I have enough room in my home that I could ask a few people to live here with me. Warriors, preferably, who can help train and protect Vicki as she grows up."

"Do you have a Beta in mind," Donna asked. "The Beta pair will be your protection at the Summit, so they must be strong enough to do so."

"I haven't the first idea who to ask," I said. "I haven't talked to a werewolf outside of you two since the banishment. I don't get out, and if I run across someone, we don't even exchange a 'how ya doing.' Who is going to want to leave a successful Pack for an old Alpha who gave up on his last one?"

"You lost your MATE, my daughter, after twenty-five years together," Donna said. "Few can survive that kind of grief and keep their wolf sane."

"I have an idea, but I have to talk to them first," Larry said. "I'll call you when I have an answer."

"Thanks, Dad. You guys have a good morning, I'll be fine."

"We love you, Leo. Thank you for letting us help." Donna hung up the phone, and I set it aside. Opening my laptop, I started searching for surveillance systems. I would have to rely on technology to provide some warning if someone came here after Vicki. I purchased a commercial surveillance system with wi-fi linked cameras and solar panels that I could use for the remote areas of my property, and hard-wired cameras for in closer. It had motion detection and alarms that could be used to give me valuable seconds to get them to safety.

I looked at my phone, but there were no texts or missed calls. I sent Liv a text. "Thanks for listening, call me if you want to talk." I went to my office as I waited for a response. Opening the gun safe, I pulled out a Smith and Wesson M&P9 Pro, the long-slide version of the popular pistol with tritium fiber-optic sights. I unloaded it, then moved over to the desk where I put a pad down to protect the wood. I stripped it, cleaning and lubricating it, then put it back together. I threaded a holster on, then slid it in place. I grabbed an ammo box of target ammo, tossing it in a range bag with a dozen targets, some cardboard, and a staple gun.

I put on a jacket and boots, then drove the ATV out to the range I'd made in the back of my property. It was a V-shaped ravine, and I could shoot between five and fifty yards at multiple targets. I started out simple; slow fire from five yards. I was rusty, but after running through a few magazines, I started to get my muscle memory back.

I moved back to ten yards, then started double-tapping targets from low ready, then drawing from the holster. It was like riding a bike; soon, I was running through shooting drills like the old days. When I noticed my accuracy was fading, I'd shoot at half speed and focus on making the transitions smooth. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast; I kept telling myself that until my body listened. You don't shoot faster by trying to be fast, and you don't shoot well when you hurry.

I spent about two hours out there, shooting until I couldn't feel my fingers anymore. I packed up and went back inside, starting to worry that I'd heard nothing from Liv. I cleaned the pistol and loaded it with hollow-point silver core ammunition, putting it back in the holster and pulling my outer shirt out to cover it. I was going to have to start carrying all the time if I was to protect her, so I might as well start now. Looking at my carry permit, I saw I'd have to renew it soon. I'd take the class with Liv and put in both our paperwork.

Tomorrow I would start on rifle shooting. I should alternate days until I was proficient again.

It was late afternoon, and I was hungry. Liv would be working tonight, but I didn't want to push her. Instead, I kept to my routine and headed to Red Wing and the St. James Hotel. The historic hotel had a dark and quiet restaurant in the basement that I could hide in for hours. With every mile, I was getting farther away from Vicki, and my wolf didn't like it.

I never made it to the hotel. I pulled over by the Dairy Queen into Johnny's Gyros, a tiny Chicago-style food place that made better hot Italian beef sandwiches than Portillo's. I grabbed two with fries, then got a big milkshake from Dairy Queen before heading back towards Hastings.

I was trying hard not to be that creepy guy, but my wolf didn't like his pup being vulnerable. I found a place to park within sight of the fourplex and got the paper towels ready. I didn't know what I was thinking; the messy dipped sandwich was the worst possible food to be eating in the cab of my truck. The peppers and onions would fall out, my hands got coated with the juices, and the peppers burned my mouth and stomach. The heat was the reason I got the large vanilla milkshake, to quell the fire in my belly.

It was dark just after four in the afternoon, so Vicki wasn't playing outside. When I cleaned up after my dinner, I pulled out binoculars and checked the windows. I could see the television, along with the back on Natalie's head. There were sharks on the screen, so Vicki must have been watching her shows.

"Raise your hands if you can hear my voice, Vicki," I sent to her. I saw two hands in the air, then she jumped up on the couch and started to look around. Her wolf wasn't able to send back yet, and she was looking for me. "Relax and watch your show. My wolf just needed to make sure you were all right."

She waved, still not seeing me, then she sat down to watch her show again. I stayed there for an hour until they left to go eat, then drove off to go to the grocery store. I drove by again on the way home, then continued on. I swung through the Wiederholt's parking lot, spotting Liv's car in the back row.

She hadn't called or texted me back, and she'd be busy working for another few hours. I couldn't barge in tonight, I had to let her come to me. Disappointed, I drove home.

I was surfing the web for supplies for my safe room when my phone buzzed. I picked it up, hoping for Liv and seeing Larry instead. "Hey, Dad," I said.

"Are you busy, son?"

"No, just doing some web surfing. Liv hasn't responded today, and I'm worried."

"Well, we'll be there in half an hour. Put some coffee on," Larry said, and then he hung up.

'Something is going on,' my wolf told me. I quickly cleaned up the kitchen and living room and fired up the coffeemaker, anticipating the first werewolves to be welcomed into my house since my banishment. I was waiting outside for them when they arrived. "Mike? Anita? What are you guys doing here?" Mike was the fifth child and third son of Larry and Donna; he and his mate were ten years younger than Catherine. I'd watched Mike grow from an eight-year-old Alpha's son into an impressive young man.

"I heard you needed a Beta," he said as he walked up, holding Anita's hand.

I hugged them both, then Larry and Donna. "Come on in," I said as I opened the door. We settled at the kitchen table as Donna took care of the coffee. I looked at Mike and Anita, realizing that Dad had set me up. "Why would you leave your brothers for me," I asked them.

"You're family, and you need help," he said. "My brothers have the Pack well in hand; I'm not fully utilized, just like Mom and Dad. We can do more with you. Building a Pack from the ground up would be fun."

"It could get dangerous," I said.

"Our niece needs us," Anita said. "Mike and I have been in charge of training the youth for fifteen years now. Vicki will need to learn to shift, then learn to be a wolf, and there isn't much time. John and Brenda have a son and a daughter. I called a friend in their Pack to ask her what she knew about John and his brother. She confided to me that the Alpha Mantle is not on either one of his children, and Brenda has kicked John out of their bedroom. He's sleeping in his office while she tries to find the bitch that took her mantle."

"He might know her name already if John told her," I said.

"They are looking for a girl named Olivia, who was a college student in 2014," Anita replied. "It's just a matter of time."

Ch. 12

The four left just before ten after I accepted Mike and Anita into my new Pack as my Betas. With Vicki, that left me one person short of the minimum number for recognition. Larry said he had some ideas for that.

In the meantime, they had to return home and pack up. I needed my Betas to stay at the house, which was fine with them since they were renting a small apartment. My home was sprawling walkout rambler; the main floor had the kitchen, living room, master bedroom, and two smaller bedrooms. I was using one of them as my office, the other was a guest room. They chose downstairs instead, a large bedroom with a door leading out to the pool deck and hot tub. The man cave and gym were nearby, and Anita liked one more feature of the room. "It's farther from your room, so you won't hear us," she said with a smile.

I watched them drive off, then went back inside. My wolf was restless; looking at the clock, I realized that Liz would be getting off work soon. She still hadn't responded to my text. I was trying really hard not to be that creepy stalker guy, but something told me to go to her. I poured the rest of the coffee into a travel mug, grabbed my keys, and went out to my truck.

It only took five minutes for me to drive to Wiederholt's and park on the side of the lot. I saw the silver Acura parked in the back; she would be there until her last tables left. I waited in the dark, my truck getting colder as I listened to classic rock on Sirius.

It was five minutes to eleven when the back door opened, and I saw Liv's blonde hair under her stocking cap as she walked out to her car. I waited until she unlocked her door, then started my truck. She let it warm up for a minute, then pulled out into the dark night.

I waited until she had exited the lot, then pulled out myself. I didn't need to spook her by following too close since I knew where she was going. I was a good half-mile behind her the whole way home.

I saw her turning left towards her grandmother's place. I slowed and turned myself, stopping on the road and turning off the truck. I would watch her go inside then go back home. My wolf was still on edge, and I didn't know why.

I sipped my coffee as I watched her park the car in her space and get out. She grabbed her purse and got out, walking to the door and unlocking it. The inside was dark, and when she closed the door, I started up the truck. I was about to put it in gear when the door opened again, and my heart dropped into my stomach.

A man was pushing Liv out the door, a gun held to her back as his hand gripped the top of her jacket. Her hands were handcuffed behind her. Behind him, a woman carried a struggling Vicki over her shoulder, also handcuffed. They didn't even bother to close the door as they moved across the lot. I had a choice; stop them or call for help.

I did both.

I got out of the truck and pulled my pistol out, moving quickly towards the turnoff to her parking lot along the ditch. As the van pulled out, I called 911 and put it on speakerphone. "911, what is your emergency," a woman's voice said.

"I have a child kidnapping in progress at 19087 190^th street, west of Highway 61 and south of Hastings," I said. "Two suspects, white male in his thirties with black hair, blonde female in thirties. Victims are a five-year-old girl and her mother. Both are handcuffed and are now in a white Ford cargo van."

"Units are responding, can you see a license plate?"

"Not yet. I have to go."

"Stay on the..." I hung up and left it in my pocket as I took a shooting position behind a tree, my pistol up and ready. The soft glow of the three dots allowed me to sight in the darkness as they approached.

The smart thing would be to wait for the cops; Hastings was only a few miles away, and it would be minutes until they got here. I couldn't take the chance that they would evade the police; I had promised to protect them, and that is what I was going to do. "Vicki, you and your mommy, lay down on the floor and stay down until I tell you it's all right," I told her. I prayed that they would listen, and I prayed that my aim would be true. As the van approached me, I took aim at the driver's side window. They were ten yards away when I squeezed the trigger.

The first shot punched a hole through the windshield at head height; two more shots quickly followed. The van veered to the left as it lost its driver, running into a snowbank and stopping. I was already moving, my pistol up and ready. I saw the woman moving up to the front, and two more shots went to the center of the windshield just before I reached the van. I kept going around to the back, pulling the door open and moving my pistol inside.

I looked past my two girls on the floor of the van as I focused on the woman. She was trying to pull the guy out of the driver's seat. "FREEZE," I yelled. She did. "Put your hands on your head and kneel down, facing the front."

"I can't lift my arm, you fucking shot me," she said.

"Marengo Pack?" Both of them were werewolves.

"Stillwater. There's a bounty out on the girl, and we needed the money."

I could hear the sirens approaching, I wouldn't get much more time before they arrived. "You're going to prison," I told the kidnapper as I held the gun on her. That was the worst thing for a wolf, being locked away from the Pack and the Moon.

"I can't go to prison," she said. "I won't." She twisted as she reached for the gun in the front seat, bringing it around as I sent two rounds into her chest. The third hit her in the left eye, and that was the end of that.

It was then I heard Vicki crying, Liv screaming, and sirens approaching over the ringing in my ears. "Don't tell them anything about Packs or werewolves," I said as I backed away. Not wanting to get shot, I moved a car length back from the van, leaving the gun on the ground underneath it, and got on my knees with my fingers interlocked on top of my head.

I was surrounded by police thirty seconds later; four covered me as another handcuffed me and pushed me face-down to the frozen pavement. Other officers were surrounding the van. "They're dead," I told them as they reached the back. A Sheriff's Deputy climbed up and removed their cuffs, then handed Vicki to a waiting Hastings policeman. Liv was helped out a few seconds later.

Vickie was asking for me, while Liv was yelling at the officer holding me down. "He's her uncle, he SAVED us," she shouted at him. They didn't care; the officer pulled her along to a waiting car.

"LEO, I wanna go to LEO," Vicki cried as she was carried away.

I sent to her over the bond. "It's going to be all right, Vicki. Help your mom, and don't say anything about wolves. I love you, and I'll always protect you."

Finally, a detective showed up. "Pick him up and put him in a car," he said.

They just finished standing me up when another officer approached from the direction of the apartments. "Detective, you need to see this. Another victim is in the apartment."

Fuck. Not Natalie. I should have known; they must have come during the evening, grabbing Vicki and waiting for Liv to get home. Natalie would be a loose end, and wolves didn't like leaving clues behind. "Olivia's grandmother was watching Vicki while she worked her shift at Wiederholt's," I said. "Is she dead?"

He wouldn't say; he didn't have to, his eyes said it for him. I looked over at the detective. "I saw Liv go inside, then they came back out with the kidnappers. I was the one who called it in."

"You shot them?"

"I have a carry permit in my wallet, and I fired in defense of others," I said. "I'll need to speak to my lawyer before I provide a statement."

The detective nodded at me. "You're being detained for questioning," he said. "Take him to the office and put him in an interview room." Two Deputies led me away to a waiting car, pushing me into the back seat. As we drove off, I could see Liv sitting in the back of an ambulance with Vicki in her lap, a blanket wrapped around them.

By the time I'd been processed and booked into custody, my story had checked out. They had my phone, which had dialed 911. Liv and Vicki's both said I saved them and shot the two as they were being taken away. I had a valid concealed carry permit and no record.

I still wanted a lawyer, but at least the Detective on the case took the cuffs off while I sat in the interview room. I made a phone call to Larry, and he made a few more calls. Thirty minutes later, a man with a nice suit entered my interview room and introduced himself as my lawyer. "There are no surveillance cameras or recordings allowed while I'm in here. This is a privileged conversation between you and your lawyer. Any other time, assume you're on Candid Camera," he said. "I need you to tell me exactly what happened." I went through the whole night with him, starting from how Vicki was my niece, and I was friends with her mother.