Bad Situation (Wolf Investigations and Securities Inc. #6)

Chapter 1

The Job

Even with Jenna having a full-time job, she would still have time to help in the garden with the herbs her grandma raised and take care of her little daughter. Oh, no! She could see Grant as he headed her way. Why did he have to ruin her day? Jenna would run and hide, but there was nowhere to go. The look on his face told her it would not be a good visit.

“We were attacked," Grant said.

“We?”

“Trixie called me because she was concerned. Robert didn't come back as planned. I was nearby, so I hurried over just in time to catch them trying to attack her. Robert was tied up in the house. He had been beaten. No homeowner was around, so I assume they picked an empty house. I called the police, and they arrived and took the guys away. They were pure blooders, there is no doubt. You need to be careful because they know where the office is," Grant suggested.

“I'll be careful, but you guys must be especially careful out in the field. I have a panic button and two guns as well as a stunner.”

“Have you been trained to use them?”

She knew he was just asking because he was concerned. “I have, and I am very good with them.”

He should have realized that he would train her well if Tyne wanted her to be an office manager. Not all the field personnel were trained as well as she was, but they were usually paired up with someone who was. The problem was that many of the field personnel right now were new and human. Jenna was not a racist. She was a realist. Many of the humans didn't have the strength that the paranormal personnel did. She was half paranormal and didn't have the strength that a full blood did.

Pure blooders should want a little paranormal blood because it gives them better senses, speed, and more strength. They were a silly group, and she wasn't even sure that most of them believed in what they were spouting. Those who had come here mostly seemed to be the ones who wanted to hurt somebody and make money doing it. Hurting someone seemed to be at the top of their list, and the more they hurt people, the more money they made. That was not a good person and not someone most humans would want as part of their race.

Jenna noticed that Grant’s face had taken a bit of a pounding. She was sure that he had given out more than he had received. It still made her feel bad for him because she was sure that it hurt. Tomorrow, it would look like it had never happened. That was an advantage of being paranormal and especially a shifter. She wasn't sure what to say, and he didn't say anything. Grant just dropped on the couch in the office and brooded.

Why did the world have to be filled with people like that? Their lives would be so much easier now if those people didn't exist. Instead, they would have to deal with them and do their best.

“What did the boss say to do?” Jenna asked,

“Be careful, tie them up and call the cops, and take any cash they had for the inconvenience they were giving us. We will figure out what to do with it later.” Grant explained.

That was exactly what they had been doing in Wilde—at least, they had after it was obvious these people were not going to leave them alone. If others got hurt, Tyne often split the money with them so they would get remuneration for whatever happened to them or anything that might have gotten destroyed. Money was often not enough to fix what had occurred. Females, in particular, got the tough end of things.

She'd come close to being taken advantage of a few times, but her partners had always helped get her out of trouble. It made her feel bad for the human females that were attacked and had no protection. Jenna was normally a sweet natured girl, but some of the things these people had done made her want to see them injured or even killed. That evil should not be left alive. And they had the nerve to say that there was something wrong with paranormals when they acted like they did.

Jenna could do magic, but only some basic spells. Harry had helped her improve the few spells she could do to some that would be worthwhile and could protect her. Magic was a funny thing. When she was growing up, there were no signs that she had any. After she had gotten away from her grandmother and come to Alaska, it started to show in small ways. She'd not been able to work with Harry much, but the little bit that she had showed great results. Jenna hid it because she was not foolish enough to think that those around her would appreciate that she was a witch, even a mild one.

The way that they reacted had been obvious with other witches and especially with Harry when she was around. Harry had saved many of them, but they still looked at her with suspicion and fear. Harry was such a funny and sweet person. So, if they could look at her like that, they would look at Jenna with even more contempt. She wouldn't say that she might not have to use her magic. She would just say that it would be the last resort. There was no way her coworkers would ever look at her the same way if they saw her cast a spell.

Magic was just one more thing to hide among many things that she was hiding. That didn't bother her because she was pretty sure there wasn't anyone working in her group that wasn't hiding something. Her secrets might just be the biggest ones of all. After the attack, they'd had a couple of slow days. It had been a relief, but she wasn't stupid enough to think something more wasn't coming.

Today was quiet, with just a few calls for service. They were starting to catch up, and that was a relief. Everyone was in the field, and she was alone in the office. Customers did not generally come to the office. Tyne didn't advertise the address, and it wasn't easy to find. So, when a guy entered the office, she was immediately suspicious.

“Is this Wolf Security?” He asked.

“We only make appointments by phone.” She replied.

The guy grinned at her, showing off his black and green teeth. They were barely nubs, and many were missing altogether. "That's okay. I'm not looking for an appointment." He pulled out some cash. "How much for a bowl of stew? I heard it was the best around."

She wondered how he would know that. Jenna slipped her stunner where he wouldn't see it, just in case. "That's five bucks with a piece of bread."

He handed her the money, and she put it in her other pocket before moving to fill his plate. She saw he was moving behind the counter, so she turned. "You can't come back here."

“I’m just going to take my food and eat quickly on the couch.”

“I’ll bring it to you. Company rules.” Jenna explained.

He stopped, so she continued. The guy looked like an average guy. He didn't look like he worked hard with his hands, so maybe he worked in an office. She had the food on a tray and set it on the table before him when he made his move. Jenna immediately pulled the stunner out and used it. She felt no pity as she watched him thrashing on the floor.

"Who are you? Why did you come here?" She asked.

He couldn't talk at first, so she waited for him to calm down. "You're a dog lover," he accused.

She slapped on some handcuffs before he recovered too much and tied his legs together. Then she left him on the floor as she moved his food to the counter and began to eat it.

“Hey, that’s mine!” he yelled.

“They’ll feed you where you’re going.”

After she finished eating, she searched his pockets and found some money and a paper with a list of names on it.

“Who are these people?” He refused to say anything. “Did you like being stunned?” She held the stun gun out for him to see.

“You’re a girl. You won’t do it with me tied up.” He said confidently.

"Suit yourself," Jenna said, then shot him a look.

As soon as he could talk, he began to cuss. "Hey, I warned you. Now tell me who these names are."

“They are my crew. They are all out there right now taking down dog lovers or even dogs.”

“Who are they going after?”

“Everyone, and they probably won't make it out alive," he cackled.

“So, you don't mind going to jail for murder?”

“They are dogs and people that are dog lovers. No one will convict us.”

“They may think you're crazy if you tell them that story, but you will still be put away for a very long time in a mental institution.”

The only thing Jenna could do was to call the police and report the guy she had captured and what he had said. If his people had attacked, whatever had happened was done. Either her people had survived or perished. It was funny that the one she felt the worst about was Grant. Since he was alone, he would have no help. Of course, she knew that he was the strongest and the most likely to make it out of any of their field personnel. Some of the others she should probably be worried about more. For some reason, she decided to call Tyne first.

“Wolf security, Moe speaking.”

“I have a situation. This is Jenna speaking. A guy tried to attack me. I have him restrained. I thought I would call you before I called the cops.”

“Don't call the cops. I'm sending Harry your way. She will take him out of your hands. We need to deal more proactively with these people. If one of their people disappears and they have no idea where they went, they might be a little more reluctant to attack.”

“He says that they have attacked all of our field personnel. If they did, it's already done, and we’ll have to pick up the pieces," Jenna explained.

“Have you tried to get in touch with any of them?”

“I haven't. I didn't want to distract them if they were in the middle of an issue. Usually, they contact me if something occurs. I've not heard from anyone.”

“Okay, I'm not sure what to do either. I'm sending Harry your way, and she will help you figure this out," Moe observed.

Jenna suddenly jumped as Harry appeared right next to her. She'd known she was coming, but it hadn't made any difference. She'd still been surprised.

Harry kicked the bad guy lying on the floor. “Are you sure he came alone?”

“He came in alone. I think they tend to believe women can't handle themselves. Maybe you should turn him into a toad for easier transportation?” Jenna asked.

Now, the guy looked scared and started sweating. “Is this the toad Princess?” He asked.

“You know she works for us. So, you shouldn't be surprised. What's the matter? Don't you like being a toad?”

Harry started laughing so hard that she snorted. “I told you I was famous. Let me take care of him, and I'll be right back. Wait a minute! Do I smell food?”

“It's stew. You can finish the pot, and he'll pay for it. I'll just take the money he had in his pocket to cover it," Jenna offered.

“You don't know what a big help that is. You are the best friend ever.”

Harry always said that when someone gave her food. Jenna realized how important it was to keep Harry well fed so she could do the magic that made all the difference. Harry sat down, and Jenna got her one bowl after the other until all the food was gone. She also got her some of the bread she had baked. Harry really liked it.

“You cooked all of this by yourself?”

“I did. Since it is in a crock pot, I turned it on before work, and it cooks all day. Even out here, you can sometimes get a good deal on a fresh kill. That's where I get most of my meat. The other stuff comes in on a schedule. Hey, I have a pie in the refrigerator. I made it with some local berries I bought from a kid," Jenna explained.

“Boy, you've gone native.”

“That's the only way to survive around here. Everything else is just too darned expensive.”

Harry finished up the last of the pie. Jenna was glad she had one more in the refrigerator. Now, Harry should be in good shape for the flight back. She magicked the prisoner. He stood next to her, and away they went. It was just seconds before Harry popped back. Jenna counted out some of the guy’s money to pay for the rest of the food and the pie. Jenna quickly loaded the crock pot with more food while she talked to Harry.

“Are you done yet?” Harry asked

“I am. What do you want to do now?”

“Let's start checking on your field crews. Do you have the address for them?”

“I do. Let's check on Robert and Trixie first. They're the most likely to need help," Jenna explained.

Harry took her hand, and they were gone in a flash, instantly arriving at the precise address. That kind of travel always made Jenna nervous. She wasn't sure how magic knew addresses, but it must have because it took them straight there, and it was obvious there was an issue.

They snuck up on the house and peeked in the windows. They saw Trixie being passed around between several guys. They were trying to take her clothes off. Robert lay on the ground, completely unresponsive.

When they entered, Harry immediately turned all of the bad guys into frogs. These were real frogs and not the toads that Harry used to do. Harry went to Trixie, while Jenna went to Robert. He was in really bad shape. Jenna put her hands on him and tried to wish him well. He seemed a little bit better, getting some of his color back. Jenna couldn't think of anything else to do for him, so Harry grabbed him and whisked him away. He would get the help he needed at their main office.

Trixie was now Jenna's problem. The girl was hysterical. Jenna got her a glass of water and made her drink it. Thankfully, she began to calm down.

"How many of them were there?” Jenna asked.

“Five, I saw five. They attacked us as soon as we entered. They hurt Robert bad. Then they started messing with me. They were passing me back and forth and trying to rip off my clothing. Those are some mean guys, and I hope they go to jail forever.”

“Help me so we can look to see if there are any homeowners here.”

“Oh, my God. Do you think they hurt someone else?” Trixie asked.

“Let's check out the closets in the other rooms, and we'll see. If anyone else is hurt, they will need help.”

Jenna walked to the back of the house and started checking the rooms. She checked every closet and every place someone could be hidden. So far, she found no one. It looked like they had picked an empty house and set up a trap for her people. She felt better that no one else had been harmed, but she was tired of these people doing these things.

She went back to join Trixie, who had also found nothing. About that time, Harry made it back.

“No one else is here, so the owner was not there when they set this up. I believe it was a vacant house," Jenna explained. “How will we get Trixie out of here?”

“You drive her back, and I will check on another team. Just give me an address and go.” Harry suggested.

Jenna gave Harry an address, and then she and Trixie loaded the little they had brought into the house and headed back to the office as fast as they could. Once they returned, she had Trixie shower and change clothes. Then they sat and talked as they waited for Harry to return.

“We didn't get to stop for lunch. Is there anything here to eat?” Trixie asked.

There was a microwave, and Jenna had some emergency meals she had put back. She pulled one of those meals out and put them in the microwave for 10 minutes. Jenna went to the cash register and pulled out some of the money she had taken from the pure blooder.

“Here you go.” Jenna set the meal down in front of her.

“Should I pay for this?”

“No, I was attacked earlier and managed to restrain him. I'm using some of his money to pay for your meal and Harry's. It's the least he can do.”

Trixie began to laugh uncontrollably. It was obvious she was in shock. “I've never had something like this happen to me before. These people are violent, and I don't know if I can deal with that. You weren't even safe in the office.”

“I'm so sorry that happened to you and glad that we came before it was worse. Harry will be back soon, and we'll find out how Robert is," Jenna explained.