Chapter 7: Let's Start

The whole next day, all day, I was itching to get to the Silver Bullet. Not only was this the only lead I had in this case, but the sooner it was done, the sooner I wouldn’t have to see Wade Markham ever again.

I rummaged around in my office all day, trying to put up new adds on the computer to garner more business. There I would be, focused on the task at hand and I would blink, and a flash of emerald would cross my vision. He had to go.

Finally, around six as he said I made my way to Midtown and to the Silver Bullet, I wasn’t sure if there was some sort of dress code or actual code to get but I hoped Markham would get here before I had to worry about it. The Silver Bullet was a small bar in the middle of the block, the doors were black with fake silver handles, and the windows were large, but you couldn’t see inside of them. I frowned as I leaned toward the glass seeing my own dismal expression staring back at me.

I walked away from the bar and moved to lean on a parking meter, putting my steel toe boot up on a bike that was leaning there. No chain, I frowned. That was weird. I shook my head and pretended to tie my shoe, and then slipped my flip phone out of my pants. No calls from Ollie. I was hoping that he would be able to come up with something else to use on Markham and have it ready for me. I still wasn’t sure whether I believed him. Sure, he didn’t seem like a murderer, but did any of them? I heard Ted Bundy was supposedly a peach.

I put my boot down and checked the time on my phone again, 6:15, still no Markham. The familiar heat and color rose to my cheeks as I began to walk around the block. I could not risk standing in front of the bar too long without arousing suspicion. Where the hell is he? I frowned and walked shoving my hands deep into my leather jacket and knocking into people as I moved past. The autumn wind was whipping the leaves around in circles, making mini leaf cyclones in the street.

I made my way back around and checked my phone again, 6:20. That’s it. I looked at myself in the window studying the fact that was staring back at me. I tried to make myself look more menacing, but the face seemed more constipated. I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked towards the doors. If he wasn’t going to be on time than I was not going to bother waiting for him.

I shoved opened the door and walked in and the smell of sandalwood, mixed with blood and raw meat hit me at once and I almost gagged. The floors were completely hard wood, and I could feel it in the creaks as I took steps forward. The walls had portraits, I imagined they were important Lycan leaders of the past or something. In the middle of the room hanging above the bar was a portrait of a wolf, it almost looked like Markham. There were slight differences, where Markham’s fur was lush and full this portrait showed short dark hair. The bar was a shiny mahogany the bartender was glaring right into my eyes.

Every other bar patron was also glaring as well. I didn’t put on my scent masking perfume; it only would have drawn more attention to me. Even though I am a human, and they hate that I am here there isn’t much they can do about it.

I walked over to the bar and all eyes remained on me, so I leaned into it. I walked over and sat in the stool, looking around and seeing the tables in the four corners of the room. There were Lycans in all these booths and they stared at me too. I had known this was going to happen. I could hear Markham whispering I told you so in my ear. As if it happened, I felt a small tingle in my ear lobe, but I ignored it because the bartender was coming over.

He was short, and bald but his muscles made up for it. His eyes were a shiny blue green and like any other Lycan you could see the intensity in them. You could see the monster lingering just barely underneath.

“What can I get you?” he said in an annoyed voice. He clearly didn’t want to see me, and it made me want to laugh out loud, but given that I was alone it was probably a good idea.

“Mead. And could you let me know when Lonnie gets here?”

He made a low growl and huffed, leaning against the bar, pushing his arms forward “How do you know I am not Lonnie?”

I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the chair, folding my arms across my chest. “Because I know Lonnie.”

He narrowed his eyes at me and then pushed off the bar and poured a glass of the amber liquid I loved so much and handed it over to me without saying anything and walking away to other patrons who were still staring at me. I stared back and gulped down my mead in one shot and they looked down. Witches Mead is a tough drink, your run of the mill human couldn’t stomach it. The bartender walked around the bar and through the back and I watched the rest of them as I waited.

A different bartender came out and I liked this one more already. He was tall and dark skinned, and his eyes shined yellow. He was clearly a Lycan, but the difference was at least he was smiling, everyone in here looked like they wanted to tear me apart instead of the meat from his place. At least he looked like he would be somewhat nice. As he walked over to me a gold hoop in his ear shined and he leaned forward on the bar, pushing a slip of paper towards me as he spoke.

“Hey! I have not seen you in a while. Start going to a different bar?” his eyes glanced down towards the paper and back at me.

“I would never go to see anyone but you Lonnie.” I said with a grin, pulling the paper towards me slowly and then opened the paper on my lap. It said, “Are you here to help Wade?”

I put the paper down and looked at him nodding and he nodded as well putting out his hand and pulling up the paper and shoving it inside his pocket before pulling a slip from his other pocket. He was prepared. Was Markham here somewhere hiding? I looked around and saw nothing just the same angry faces.

“Let me know if you need more mead. I know just how you like it.” He grinned and slipped the new piece of paper over to me

“I will take one right now” I grinned at him and pulled the slip towards myself as he went to pour my drink. I opened the slip on my lap and glanced down at it. “Vincent Ferrer” I frowned. Who the hell was Vincent Ferrer? I assumed it was important, but before I could even ponder it one of the guys who was sitting in the middle of the bar jumped up.

“I saw him! I saw him! He handed her something, something is going on here. This human B*ch is up to something”

I closed my eyes. Just when things were going well. Lonnie was still grinning as he looked over at the man “You saw me do what? Sit down and shut up before we decide to not be as accommodating as we have been.”

The man growled and I could feel the tension in the air increasing by the minute. The people in the corners were now looking at the bar with keen interest eyes glowing in the dark.

Lonnie looked out at me out of the corner of his eye, and I stood, I had my silver stakes in my jacket and if I needed to, I would use them but there was no chance I could take everyone in this bar, the seeds of anxiety were forming in my belly.

The man turned toward me and pointed “You are here for something. It doesn’t matter though. You won’t be leaving.”

I grinned at him “You will be though, In a body bag.” I stood back and looked at him as his skin rippled and then shred to pieces a large reddish-brown wolf with bright yellow eyes stared at me growling.

I gulped as more Lycans stood, some of them baring their teeth.

“You didn’t start a fight without me, did you?”

I whipped around at the new voice and felt immediately relief. Markham.