“I’m here,” I said dropping to my knees to hug them. My shaking remained. Emmitt stayed by the door.
Jim stood and picked something out of my hair. When I looked at him questioningly over the boys’ heads, he showed me a piece of cardigan. My mouth popped open in a quiet “oh” as he strode to Nana’s bathroom. He came out carrying a robe and went to the hallway.
I hadn’t thought about Nana Wini’s clothes. It was a good thing he had.
“Are they gone?” Liam asked, his face still buried in my hair.
“Yeah, buddy. Nana chased them away.”
A few moments later, Nana strode in, unharmed. I assumed she chased them off, but her next words worried me.
“Chasing away those dogs gave me an idea,” she said looking at the boys with a calm smile. “You haven’t yet met Jim and Emmitt’s parents. They live with several other families in a house bigger than this one. Paul and Henry live there, as do some much nicer dogs. So, I think we should take a vacation and visit them. In fact, we should make it an adventure and go tonight. Should we let Jim come with us?”
They both nodded, but didn’t let go of me.
“Should we have Jim and Emmitt race to see who can pack first?”
This time Aden pulled away a little, slightly interested. I wondered what he thought of Nana’s sudden appearance in a robe.
“To make this fair, we’ll have Emmitt pack for your sister and Liam. Jim, you go pack for Aden and grab all personal affects.”
Aden cheered in approval and began telling Jim where his things were so he could win.
Nana met Jim and Emmitt’s gaze for a moment then they both walked out of the apartment, leaving the door open. Silent communication. My anxiety grew. We were running. Again. A wave of panic almost pulled me down.
“Michelle, let’s take the boys into the bathroom and wash them up before we leave. It’s a long trip.”
She closed the three of us in the bathroom, saying she’d pack for herself while we waited.
I went through the normal motions but didn’t open the door when we finished. Instead, I sat on the toilet lid and asked Aden and Liam about their time with Paul and Henry. Liam, for a change, didn’t say much and let Aden do most of the talking.
Emmitt opened the door a few minutes later.
“It was a tie,” he said to the boys. “Ready to go?”
We all nodded. Emmitt met my gaze over the boys’ heads and sent them out to Jim and Nana.
He held out a hand. “You’re not alone this time,” he said.
A bit of the tension eased. He understood. I wrapped my fingers around his, and he pulled me into a quick tight hug before we joined the others.
In the living room, Jim already had Aden up in his arms. Emmitt scooped Liam up in a way that flipped him in the air, eliciting a shocked squeal and bringing a smile to his small, and otherwise serious, face.
Jim and Emmitt carried my brothers out on the pretense that they didn’t have shoes on. They buckled the boys into the back seat of Nana’s car while Nana stood near me.
After closing the back doors, Emmitt took my hand and led me to the truck. He held the door for me, waiting until I buckled. I heard Liam quietly tell Nana Wini she had something in her hair. I didn’t look up to see what it was, but I hoped it wasn’t blood. Emmitt closed the door on her response.
I kept my eyes on the trees lining the driveway while Emmitt drove out. What once seemed so quiet and peaceful now menaced. I imagined Frank and his friend watching us from the shadows. How long before Blake joined them?
Leaving the driveway, Emmitt turned north. Jim, driving Nana’s car, followed. I knew we were heading to Canada and the mysterious Compound of Emmitt’s childhood. The thought of going to a place with even more werewolves churned my stomach. What would we find there?
“You’re killing me,” Emmitt said, pulling my attention from the trees.
“Excuse me?”
“Your fear. I can smell it. Even when you were facing down David in the parking lot of that diner, it wasn’t this bad.” He reached across the seat and wrapped his hand around mine. “It will be okay. I promise. There is no need for this fear.”
“No need?” I said in soft disbelief. “Werewolves are real. One of them kept me locked away for four years and wants me back. The infallible laws, which your people can’t ignore, no longer seem to work. After all, Richard’s murderer hasn’t stepped forward.
“I’m heading to an unknown place filled with an unknown number of werewolves who will think I smell delicious and may or may not treat me like Blake has. If I don’t want to go, my only other option is to run again, zigzagging scent trails across the North America Continent, waiting to be stumbled upon. How exactly am I supposed to get rid of my fear?”