Homecoming by Heath Stallcup Page B

though. Getting his ass handed to him by a timber wolf will do that.”
    Jennifer shook her head slowly. “Everywhere I go, all I do is hurt people.”
    “That’s not true. You’re here and you haven’t hurt anybody.” Laura glanced around them at the few people on the darkening beach. “Not yet anyway.”
    “No, but I’m about to.”
    Laura paused and gave her a puzzled look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “It’s too late to stop it,” Jennifer said as she slowly began to stand.
    “Too late to stop what?”
    Jennifer pointed behind her. “Them.”
    Laura turned and saw four burly men approaching her. All four wore ski masks in the tropical heat. One was carrying a large bag while the others had other items in their hands, difficult to make out in the dwindling light.
    “Oh crap…a trap.” Laura began to backpedal in the soft sand, trying to make her way back to pool area.
    “They’re my father’s men,” Jennifer said as she followed her. “They won’t be stopped. They’re wolves.”
     
    *****
     
    Mark watched Dr. Peters working in his laboratory for some time. The man seemed to be nervously going through every nook and cranny until he had worked himself into a frenzy. Mark slowly approached and stepped up onto the platform that was the base for the lab. “Problem, Doctor?”
    Evan spun so quickly that Mark hardly saw him. His eyes were nearly wild with panic for just a moment before he immediately composed himself. “What? Uh, no. Not…well, maybe.”
    “You’re not setting my mind at ease, Doc.” Tufo stepped inside the lab, careful not to touch anything. “What’s the problem?”
    Evan paused for just a moment, notebooks in each hand. He seemed to be trying to figure out where to start. Finally he collapsed into his roll-away chair and set the notebooks on the workbench. “Maybe nothing.” He turned and faced Tufo. “Maybe everything.”
    “Again, Doc, you’re not setting my mind at ease.” Tufo stepped closer and leaned against the counter. “Why don’t you start at the beginning?”
    Evan inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “Remember before we left for Nevada? Thorn was here and he was…helping me?”
    “Yes. What of it?”
    Evan picked up a notebook and held it out to Tufo. “We went through my preliminary drawings. My diagrams. My technical drawings.”
    Mark shook his head in confusion. “Okay. And?”
    Evan slumped in his chair and ran a hand though his hair. “You’re not following me.” He picked up a notebook again, turning through the pages. “Designs, tons of designs…all weapons. Lots of weapons. In each notebook.”
    “Okay, Doc, I gotcha. So your notebooks should probably be classified or something. But I still don’t—”
    “One is missing!” Evan stood and began pacing. “And not just any one, but a very important one.”
    Tufo pushed off the counter and crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. “Go on.”
    “When we were discussing how to deal with the Sicarii, there was one weapon that Mr. Thorn was very interested in. I talked him out of it. At least, I think I did.” Evan began babbling, “I mean, we didn’t go with that weapon, so in essence, I suppose I did talk him out of it. But he seemed so dead set on using it and I—”
    “Doc!” Tufo snapped his fingers to get his attention. “Focus here.”
    “Oh yeah, sorry.” Evan strode back toward Mark and placed a notebook down in front of him. “From front to back, these are filled with designs. But there was one design that Mr. Thorn was really interested in. It targeted a natural enzyme that all natural born supernatural creatures carried.”
    “I’m not following you, Doc.” Tufo tried to connect the dots, but Doc just wasn’t making any sense.
    Evan paused and took a deep cleansing breath. “There is an enzyme that occurs naturally in all natural born vampires. Are you following me?” Tufo nodded. “This same enzyme is also present in natural born wolves. Still with