Alpha's Mission

Chapter 2-2

Charlie

I find Frangelico in Tucson, of all places.

It seems a strange coincidence since the pack of wolves I followed last month are headquartered in Tucson. I’m not really the kind of guy who believes in the universe guiding your moves or anything, but it does scream an opportunity.

I could go and talk to Jared about what I am.

But even as I think it, I reject the idea. I’m not the kind of guy who asks for help from others, and I definitely don’t want to align myself with these people—creatures—whatever they are. They’re into questionable legal activity—cage fighting and who knows what else.

Do I want to know what happens when the moon is full? Do they hunt and kill like I did? And is their prey something far more significant than a rabbit? These are questions I’m not sure I want the answers to, not when I can barely accept what I am—what I’ve become.

Then again, keeping myself in the dark seems like a particularly stupid move, too.

Frangelico booked a room in a resort on the west side of town—Marriott Starr Pass. I head up there and swipe a key card from a housekeeping cart to get into his room.

Bugging the place is easy work but probably not that useful. I drop devices into the hem of his clothing and under the inner sole of his shoe. Really, though, I need to get the guy’s phone. That’s the best place for a bug and the most difficult to get.

Hearing a keycard slide into the lock, I slip out onto the balcony and press my back against the wall. It’s my dumb luck, he comes straight my way. Maybe he saw the curtain move, maybe he just wants fresh air. Either way, I need to disappear. I drop over the side of the balcony, hanging by my fingertips as he stands there, sniffing.

Yeah, I can hear him sniff. My hearing has amplified since I first shifted under Jared’s command last month.

I draw in a breath through my nose, picking up his scent as well. My sense of smell has increased, too. Frangelico smells odd—not at all like a person. More like a cold, earthy smell. It’s... wrong.

I walk my hands quietly around the corner of the balcony and drop softly onto the balcony directly below. I sense rather than see Frangelico leaning over the side like he heard my movement, but I dart back into the shadows.

The guy is definitely on high alert. I jimmy the lock on the balcony door and slip out through the room below. I need a better plan to get to this guy, and I’d better think it through. He may not be surrounded by security, but the guy is cautious, maybe even paranoid. Which means he’s definitely into something illegal.

I move quickly through the halls of the hotel and down to the front desk. Using one of my many fake IDs, I book a room for the night—right down the hall from his.