Page 98 of Forbidden Moon
Chapter 38
FRIDAY, THREE P.M.
North Bluff Grocery was a hopping place on Friday afternoons with the start of busy weekend shopping. Dominic, worn out before starting the day, anticipated the end of his shift in thirty minutes. First, he needed to dig through the backroom for another shelf to finish the endcap he’d been working on. A thorough search turned up nothing, and he decided to raid the emergency stash tucked in the back corner of the receiving area.
During past renovations, the space above the manager’s office became a storage area, accessed by a narrow metal staircase. Dominic disliked it back here, as it reminded him of the cramped, seedy alleys he’d used in the past for drug deals.
Dark and shielded from view by stacked palettes of product, he carefully climbed the steps and stepped over onto the reinforced office ceiling. He found the needed shelf and turned to go when the office door closed. He heard Russell’s voice through the return air vent.
“I tried calling three times last night. Where the hell were you? ..... All right, quit flapping your gums and listen. The core group is meeting at my place tonight. Be there at six o’clock. .....Well, cancel it! We finally got the goods on the monsters at the Preserve, and I want to go over the plan together before we make our move. .....
“No, this time we caught one of them shapeshifting! ..... Yeah, full-on wolf. He messed up a couple of the guys, but they’ll be OK. ..... That’s right. Those animals are going down Sunday morning, and the Michigan Foresters will be all over the news. ..... Good. See you tonight.”
Shocked and afraid, Dominic’s sweaty hands lost their grip on the shelf, and it landed with a soft thud on the office ceiling. Shit! Russell would know someone was up here, and he couldn’t get back down to the floor without using the stairs. Dominic held his breath. Russell must be YooperTrooper, after all! Did it have to be him? What should he do?
The office door closed with a click, and he heard the sound of footsteps walking away. Dominic
sagged with relief. Now all he had to do was get back to work for a few minutes and then go home where he could think straight. He picked up the shelf, holding it in front of him down the narrow steps to the concrete floor. When he set it down, Russell Hook stood before him, arms crossed over a powerful chest. Dominic flinched.
“SurprisedBirdman? Yeah, I figured it out. Unlike you, we got the evidence up close and personal, and we’re going hunting this weekend.”
Dominic’s eyes widened with horror.
“They aren’t hurting anybody. Why can’t you leave those people alone?”
Russell’s face twisted with disgust.
“Hypocrite! It wasyouridea to expose them to the world. What did you think would happen?”
Dominic attempted to move past the man, only to be thrown against the cinder block wall. Russell grabbed him around the throat and squeezed, fetid breath gusting in Dominic’s terrified face.
“Listen, you mealy-mouthed shit stain, I’m not going to let you ruin my plans. You’re in this thing up to your scrawny ass, and unless you cooperate, I’ll see to it you go back to prison. Yeah, I know about that, too. Are you comfy at the Delta Avenue Apartments? Did you know the people working on your building are from the Preserve? Right under your damn nose the whole time!
“It’d be easier to put a bullet in your worthless head, but I have a job for you. When I give the word, you’re going to reveal the whole thing on your blog. The worthless ex-con will have some claim to fame, but I’ll own you, Bluett. Make no mistake. Understand?”
Dominic managed a strangled “yes” before Russell released him. He choked, trying to fill his lungs with air, even as his guts clenched with roiling nausea. Russell added one more thing before he walked away.
“And if you ever think of crossing me, you’ll have a front-row seat while I bury what’s left of your precious Aunt Carol Jo.”
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DOMINIC REACHED THEapartment building in record time, overheated and mumbling to himself. He’d known Russell Hook was a dangerous man, but he’d proved himself far worse than the slimy characters Dominic used to run with. Thanks to his revelation about the construction crew, even his home wasn’t the safe haven Dominic needed, especially right now. Getting to his apartment without meeting any of the workers would be difficult, but he had to try.
He unlocked the entry door and peeked inside. He heard pounding and other noises from the new office area though he didn’t see anyone. So far, so good. He made a beeline for the stairs, hoping the rest of them were busy elsewhere. As Dominic rounded the corner from level one to level two, his body bounced off something warm, solid, and muscular, knocking him on his ass. He looked up at the concerned face of... the refrigerator guy! He must be one of them!
“Hey, are you all right? Sorry, but you were moving pretty fast.”
Dominic nearly wet himself and ignored the man’s offer to help him up, flying out of there like a bat out of hell and up the steps two at a time. At the top, he focused on making it to the warped, discolored door of his apartment, fumbling with keys to get it open and dash inside. Safe! Well,saferperhaps, but he was finally alone and able to face the shit storm.
His abused stomach had other ideas, and Dominic barely made it to the kitchen sink before vomiting. Abdominal muscles cramped again and again until he heaved only bile, shaking like a leaf and drenched in sweat. Once it stopped, he rinsed the sink and his mouth of the vile stuff and paused to catch a breath.
