Visionary Wolf

Chapter 5

“There we are.” From the driver’s seat beside Rosa, Liam pointed just ahead along one of the town’s main streets. Sure enough, a familiar large neon sign that resembled those in lots of other locations jutted over the sidewalk: Fastest Foods.

“Yes,” Rosa agreed, trying to sound excited. And to her surprise, she was—a little.

A stop for a meal?

After all that had gone on today, Rosa wasn’t really hungry, but the stop would give her a little more time in Liam’s presence. Despite being in the same places a lot that day, they really hadn’t spent much time together.

On the other hand, she barely knew the guy. Plus he happened to be a shifter. Not that she disliked shifters.

Quite the contrary...but she certainly couldn’t be attracted to one, no matter how caring and sympathetic he happened to be about his commanding officer’s medical—or whatever—problem.

The restaurant stood alone in the middle of a sizable parking lot that also had a drive-through line. “Are we going to go through there?” Rosa pointed toward the stream of cars slowly inching forward.

“No, we’ll go inside, though we’ll order takeout.”

He fortunately found a parking spot right away in the busy lot and opened his door. Rosa opened hers, too, and hopped out. “I assume you’ll roll down the back windows a bit for Chase,” she said, looking into the back seat at the wolflike dog, who was now sitting up, panting a bit. Fortunately, the outside air was cool.

“No need,” Liam said. “He’ll come in with us.”

“Into the restaurant? Is that allowed?”

“Of course. He’s a soldier dog—and he’s also kind of my service dog.” Liam’s grin, as he stood beside her near the car on the black paved surface of the lot, seemed proud.

“Oh. Okay.” Rosa loved dogs, and other animals, enough that she wished they were all allowed into all restaurants and other places that served people.

Of course, shapeshifters were allowed anywhere—as long as they were in human form, as Liam was now.

And Rosa realized it was okay to bring Chase, too, when they walked in the door of the crowded, noisy restaurant and Liam was greeted right away by the people who seemed in charge.

A guy who’d been behind the service counter came out the door beside it and hustled toward Liam. They shook hands, then hugged each other. Was he a relative? The guy was about Liam’s height, with similarly dark hair and angular features. He wasn’t in a camo uniform, of course, but a blue denim shirt and jeans, with a white apron on top.

He looked down then and grinned at Chase, leashed beside Liam. “Can’t pet him, bro, though I know he’s family. You know that’s why we keep our Louper out back, too, when he’s here.”

“Right. Not sanitary when you’re on duty. But let me introduce you to someone.” Liam turned toward Rosa and gestured for her to join them.

As she did, a woman who’d been cleaning tables in the busy place dashed over. She was dressed similarly to the man who’d hugged Liam. She was slender, with long, silver-blond hair pulled into a clip at the back of her head, a very attractive woman—who also hugged Liam.

Rosa knew she shouldn’t feel jealous about that—especially when she looked down and saw a ring on the woman’s finger.

“So good to see you, Liam,” the woman said.

“I’ll say,” said the man.

Liam once more looked at Rosa. “I want to introduce you both to someone I’ll bet you’ll be very happy to know one of these days. This is Dr. Rosa Jontay, one of the town’s veterinarians. Rosa, this is my brother, Chuck, and his wife, Carleen. They own this place now—and they’re also owned by Louper, a dog who stays either in the enclosed backyard behind this place, or at home. He’s home today with a dog walker visiting him. Louper resembles Chase.”

Liam looked at her and grinned, and she read in his look the fact that these two people were also shifters who happened to have a cover dog, even though they weren’t military.

“Very nice to meet you.” She shook hands first with Carleen, then Chuck. “And I would be delighted to meet your dog sometime when he’s here or otherwise, though I hope he has no need of a vet.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Carleen said. “Now, you two come over here and sit down, and we’ll get you something to eat.”

“Oh, but—” Rosa began, but fortunately, Liam took over.

“We just need some takeout right now,” he said. “Rosa’s going to get some extra stuff for some of her veterinary staff, and she needs to get back to her clinic.”

“Great,” Carleen said. “We’ll get our staff moving on it right away. Just let them know at the counter what you want.”

There were several people ahead of them in the line, and Rosa didn’t want to butt in. “We’ll take our time,” she said. “But thanks.”

Liam nodded his agreement, though he said, “It helps to be related to the owners when you’re in a hurry. I agree with being polite to their customers, though. And if you don’t mind standing here a few minutes to hold our place, I’d appreciate it. I’ve something to ask Chuck.”

“Fine,” Rosa said, and agreed to keep Chase with her. She watched Liam talking to his brother by the wall nearest the door into the order area and kitchen. It was one of the few times she wished she had a shifter’s abilities—not to shift, but to hear things better than a normal person. The two brothers seemed to be talking animatedly, and she was curious about what they were saying.

The teenage guy at the front of the line stepped aside after placing his order. Rosa was glad to move ahead a little, particularly for the sake of the animals that might be needing her care back at the clinic.

Including, perhaps, Drew. She’d at least check on him, no matter what Melanie and the Alpha Force guy who’d taken over for Liam said about how he was doing—though she’d be absolutely delighted if he’d changed back during their absence.

Unlikely, though, or Melanie would have called her.

At least now there were only three more people ahead of her in line, and two appeared to be a couple. Rosa bent and patted Chase’s head. The dog was definitely behaving well, leashed at her side.

Liam rejoined her. “Everything okay?” she asked.

“Real good,” he responded, without more detail. In fact, he was quiet for a while.

“How long have your relatives owned this place?” Rosa asked finally, to make conversation. Besides, she was interested in his answer. “Did they follow you to Mary Glen?”

And did they want to become members of Alpha Force? she wondered. She figured that a lot of shifters might want to do so if they knew of the reality of Alpha Force, and its special elixir. With their relative, Liam, now a member, she had no doubt that Chuck and Carleen were well aware of the nature of that military unit.

She’d ask Liam more about them later, as she couldn’t here, in public.

“They’ve been here about four months,” Liam said. “They bought this franchise from the former owners and just took over. And yes, they followed me here.”

“Got it.” She looked around again. The restaurant was filled with customers—and with the aroma of grilled meat. Even she could smell it, and she figured it must be many times stronger to Liam, even in his human form. Or at least that’s what she’d heard from shifters in her past—and now. They all had enhanced senses.

And of course Chase stuck his nose in the air and sniffed, off and on.

The next person moved out of their way in line. As they started to edge forward a woman rushed out the door from the kitchen and threw herself against Liam, giving him a huge hug. “Liam, so glad to see you,” she exclaimed.

“Good to see you, too, Valerie,” he said, although his not-so-inviting expression, and the way he moved back, suggested he was fibbing a bit.

Somehow, that made Rosa feel a bit better about the woman’s highly effusive greeting. But who was Valerie?

She found out right away as Liam introduced them. “Rosa, this is Carleen’s sister, Valerie. And Valerie, Rosa’s one of Mary Glen’s wonderful veterinarians.”

Carleen’s sister—a sort of sister-in-law to Liam. That made Rosa feel somewhat better, although since they weren’t related by blood that connection wouldn’t keep Liam from getting into a relationship with her.

But that wasn’t Rosa’s business, though he hadn’t appeared to care about Valerie in that way.

Valerie resembled Carleen. Her silvery blond hair was shorter, though, and loose. She had deep brown eyes like her sister.

“Welcome to town,” Rosa said, to be polite. “Do you work here, too?” She gestured around the restaurant.

“I do right now,” the other woman said. “Look, you go ahead and place your orders, and then we can talk.”

She must have said that because Liam and Rosa had finally reached the front of their line. But Rosa didn’t want to take the time to talk to Valerie, and hoped Liam felt the same way.

Fortunately, Valerie disappeared, heading back into the kitchen—but then reappeared behind the counter, next to the guy who’d begun taking their order. She was the one to start entering things on the computer, and her counterpart, a twentysomething guy with a scruffy beard, didn’t look exactly thrilled about the help.

Rosa wasn’t surprised that Liam’s order consisted of a double burger, rare—lots of red meat. She asked for several sandwiches, including burgers and a couple containing chicken. The one with the most beef she intended to provide to Drew in his canine form.

When they were done ordering, Rosa immediately handed her credit card to Valerie over the counter. She’d already gotten it out and didn’t want to argue with Liam about it. She didn’t even look at him and was glad when Valerie took it from her and began to ring up their order.

“I’ll pay you back,” Liam growled from beside her. She just waved in a neutral gesture. This was another thing not to get into a discussion about here.

Valerie soon handed them the plastic bags containing their food. “Come back anytime, Rosa,” she said. “Bye, Chase. And Liam—when are we all getting together again? You know I’m only planning on being here for a fairly short while, so I’d really like us to see each other as often as possible while I’m in town.”

“I’ll talk to Chuck about it,” Liam said.

“Talk to Chuck about what?” said a voice from behind Rosa. Liam’s brother was there, maybe to say goodbye.

“Having a family get-together,” Valerie replied. “Soon, I hope.”

“Sounds good to me,” Chuck responded. “We’ll invite you over to our condo soon, bro. You, too, Rosa.”

She couldn’t help but cast a sideways glance toward Valerie to see what she thought about that invitation. Carleen’s sister remained smiling, and it didn’t appear forced.

Maybe Rosa was wrong about this woman flirting with her kind-of brother-in-law. Maybe she just intended to keep the family in contact as long as she did stay in town.

“Thanks,” Rosa said, not committing to anything.

But somehow the idea of spending more friendly time with Liam, not related to veterinary or Alpha Force issues, sounded good.

For now, though, she was glad when Liam said goodbye to Chuck, then Carleen, who also joined them, and waved to Valerie behind the counter.

Time for them to get busy with everything they each needed to do for the rest of the day.

Liam refused to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable about the attention Valerie had leveled on him. The woman was attractive, sure. She was also a shifter, like her sister. She’d made it seem that flirting with him was second nature to her, though he had never encouraged it.

But he always remained friendly toward her. She was, after all, a member of his family.

“Nice people,” Rosa said from beside him in the car. Behind them, Chase shifted in his seat, clearly wanting to get into the bags of food that sat on the floor near Rosa’s feet.

“Of course they are,” Liam said. “They’re family.”

“Like Chase?” Rosa wasn’t exactly jesting. She’d told him she considered pet dogs to be family, and she assumed the relationship between a shifter and his cover dog had to be strong.

“Yeah, kind of. Chase and I are pretty damn close these days.” Hearing his name, Chase sat back on the seat and made a low sound that made Liam laugh. “Glad you agree,” he said.

As they continued on, Liam thought a bit about his brief discussion with Chuck. Yes, both he and Carleen had loved the way their shift went. Yes, the Alpha Force person who’d acted as their aide for the night had been just great: Sergeant Kristine Parran. The elixir had been amazing. As far as he knew, all had gone well from Alpha Force’s perspective. And, yes, both Carleen and he would love to do it again. Soon.

Almost as if she read his thoughts, Rosa asked, “Are your brother and sister-in-law shifters, too?”

“Yes,” he acknowledged.

“Do they get to use your elixir?”

Good and appropriate question, he thought. Without saying too much, he told her they were involved in an experiment being conducted by Alpha Force, in which they could be given occasional doses of the elixir on nights of a full moon.

He was glad that Rosa and he had reached the vet clinic, since he didn’t want to answer any further questions she might have. Liam parked along the street. He intended not to just let Rosa out of the car. He planned to go inside and check with Denny about how things were going. And most especially, he wanted to see for himself how Drew was doing.

He opened his car door at the same time Rosa opened hers. Her expression seemed to register surprise as she turned back to look at him. “I thought you were just dropping me off so you could get to work.”

“Not till I check on Drew. Besides, we can wolf down our sandwiches together.” He grinned at his own pun, and she laughed.

“Fair enough.” She bent down to get the bags as Liam got out to leash Chase and let him out of the back seat.

As Rosa headed toward the clinic’s rear door, bags in hand, Liam let his dog sniff the curb and driveway, and when he was ready, hurried him to the entrance.

The street had been fairly well lined with cars, so Liam wasn’t surprised, as he entered the waiting room, to see a lot of people there with their pets—everything from an English sheepdog to a couple mewing kittens in carriers.

They all carried scents of their own.

Since he didn’t see Rosa there, he figured he’d better let the receptionist behind the desk know he needed to catch up with the vet. But Susie, whom he’d met before, smiled and motioned Chase and him through the inner door.

Rosa approached him from down the hall. “I just put our food in the break room, but let’s go check on Drew.”

“Great.” Liam followed her to the room where he had last seen his superior officer. Rosa opened the door, but motioned for him to enter first, which he did, Chase right behind him.

The place looked the same as before, with wolfen Drew sitting on the towel-covered top of the lowered table. With him, on one of the chairs against the wall, sat Staff Sergeant Noel Chuma, who was an aide to whichever Alpha Force shifter needed him.

And no one needed help now more than Drew.

Noel wasn’t a big guy, but he was strong, smart and dedicated to Alpha Force. He rose, and the expression on his deep-toned face worried Liam.

He couldn’t ask detailed questions now, though. Not in front of Drew.

“So, how’s our patient doing?” Rosa asked. She approached Drew, who regarded her with stony eyes that, on some canines—whether shifters or not—would have made Liam worry that he was about to attack.

He knew Drew wouldn’t do that. But Drew’s expression did indicate that he wasn’t happy.

That he probably didn’t have a sense he’d be shifting back anytime soon—and it was getting to be late afternoon on the day he should have retaken his human form early in the morning.

“He’s mostly been resting,” Noel answered for him. “We’ve been for a couple of walks and he seemed happy enough to be out of this room, but, well—happy isn’t the best word. I think he’s really frustrated.”

“Understandably,” Liam said.

Drew made a growling sound that didn’t seem threatening, but might’ve connoted frustration. It was enough to get Chase, who had sat beside Liam, to stand again and watch his sort-of counterpart.

“Tell you what,” Liam said. “Drew, are you okay with being here on your own for a few minutes? Dr. Rosa and I brought lunch back and we need to sort it out, but one of us is going to bring you a really good burger very soon.”