Rescued By the Mothman (Monster Bounty Hunters #1)

Chapter 2

Clarissa

“I’m just saying, I think he’s doing something rude in that booth.”

I turned from my anxious colleague and looked over at the individual reading booths running along the back wall of the library. Usually used by students wanting to study in peace, occasionally a suspicious-looking man went in there and draped his coat across his chair at a weird angle to hide his lap. She might be right.

“Have you approached him?” I asked.

Delilah shook her head, dark hair bobbing around her face. She looked apologetic, but I knew there was no way in hell she was going over there and confronting a potential creep. She was too shy. As the only other staff member in, it was down to me. I took a deep breath, had a sip of coffee, and strode over, aiming for a combination of friendly but no nonsense.

“Excuse me, sir?”

As the words came out, my eyes fell to see the man rubbing at his gross looking little cock. He looked up at me, eyes wide. Then, to my horror, he smiled. Angry heat flooded me.

“Absolutely fucking not!”

Without thinking, I dumped the rest of my coffee directly in his lap. He leaped up shrieking, cock dangling and dripping, now exposed to the entire library. Every single face turned towards us.

“You’ve scalded me!”

Admittedly, I hadn’t stopped to think about how hot the coffee still was. But it was drinking temperature, so I figured he was being overdramatic.

“Please put away your disgusting, tiny little friend and leave. If you ever come back, I’ll be boiling up some fresh tea for you.”

“You’ve injured me. I might be scarred! I could sue you!”

I looked down. His floppy member seemed red and shriveled, but I didn’t think that was because of the coffee.

“You’re right. How terrible of me! Shall we call the police and let them decide who’s in the wrong? You can see if they’ll arrest me.”

He stuttered, eyes bulging with rage, and then he suddenly seemed to come to his senses, finally tucking himself away.

“No. No, that's fine.”

It was a wise decision. My uncle was a police officer with the shifter branch and if he turned up, he was likely to flay this man alive. I stared him down until he grabbed up his coat and speed-walked out of the building. My shoulders sagged with relief as I headed back to the main desk.

“Jesus, Clarissa. You chucked your coffee over him.”

“Yeah, I didn’t even think. It was just a knee jerk reaction.”

Delilah looked up at me, shocked.

“It wasn’t even that hot, Delly. Anyway, he deserved it.”

“Are you going to call the police?”

“I’ll text Uncle Rez and tell him. I’m not sure they have the resources for minor perverts at the moment. But it’s best they know.”

Delilah nodded. We both knew that our little Appalachian town of Graybury had been struggling since a western prison had a breakout. We were far enough out not to have been affected by the full force of hundreds of escaped monsters. But enough had traveled this far that it had stretched our small police force. The shifters were a combination of police backup, mountain rescue and firefighters. That’s how small the town was. Extra criminals looking for food or trouble were becoming a problem.

Most of the library patrons had gone back to their browsing or reading, so I poured myself a fresh coffee and fired off a text to my uncle. When I looked up from my phone, the small shape of our neighborhood gossip, Doris, was on her way over to me.

“Of course,” I murmured.

“Afternoon dear. Well, that was a commotion, wasn’t it?”

The old lady peered at me through her glasses as she dumped a pile of books on the desk.

“Yes. What a creep. Do you know who he is, Doris?”

If anyone knew, it would be her.

“I think he’s just passing through. I imagine after getting a lap full of coffee, he’ll carry on his way quickly enough.”

“Let's hope so.”

“Have you told your uncle?”

“Yes, I just messaged him now.”

“How is he feeling about your brother being back? I know they’ve had their fallouts. “

My stomach sank.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Your brother. I saw him yesterday at the grocery store. He didn’t look well.”

It was the first I’d heard of my older brother being back in town. He’d left a couple of years ago after a family argument, and none of us had heard from him since. My brain scrambled for a way to deflect her.

“Oh, you know. Working as a prison guard is tough work. He needs a good rest and he’ll be fine.”

“Yes, Carla from the bakery said she’d heard he was at that prison that had that riot.”

I blinked and tried to hide my surprise. I’d thought he was still working somewhere in the south.

“Yes, a terrible business.”

I scanned her books and handed them back to her.

“Enjoy these, Doris.”

She eyed me for a moment and then seemed to realize she wouldn’t get any more out of me. As soon as she was out of earshot, I grabbed my phone and, before I could talk myself out of it, dialed my brother’s number.