BK 4 - Chapter 26 - Hunters
"What's his name?" Lisa asked as she began to stand up. Dustin stopped her.
"Travis, but don't approach him. First, we need to find out what he's doing here." He said. Lisa would typically argue because she wasn't the waiting type. However, when she saw the look on Dustin's face, she sat back down.
"What do you mean when you say he hunts shifters?" Jayce asked, glancing at the short, stocky man with light brown hair.
"He hunts them for sport. We've heard that he will kidnap them and then have people pay to hunt them." Dustin replied. He wondered why Travis was at Roger's memorial. Roger wouldn't have tolerated a man like him around the family.
"Jayce, let's go visit with Grandma Janel and Grandpa Thatcher." Lisa pulled him up, not giving him much of a choice. He was getting used to her doing that. Sometimes he felt like he was just along for the ride with her being so strong and independent, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
Lisa plastered a fake smile on her face and walked up to her grandparents, hugging them as though she didn't see the man they were talking to. Both of them could tell something was bothering her.
"Lisa and Jayce, this is Travis. He said he used to work for the police department with Roger," Thatcher said with a smile. He and Janel had been trying to figure the man out. There was something about him that didn't sit well with them. He was too interested in their family. Also, no one other than family was supposed to be at the memorial, so why was he there?
"I don't remember Grandpa Roger talking about you. Why are you here? This is for family only, and you're clearly not part of the family." Lisa crossed her arms and glared at Travis. She saw the flash of anger cross his face, but he chuckled and tried to play it off.
"You're a feisty one. I didn't mean to intrude; I just wanted to pay my respects. I'll leave now. Please tell Valerie I'm sorry for her loss." Travis walked away without another word.
He had been there to try and get an inventory of the shifters in Roger's family. Every hunter in the area knew the werelion family had a mixture of shifters prime for hunting. Roger had seen through him when he tried to talk to him several months ago, so he thought he'd take a chance and go to his funeral. When he'd heard about a memorial, he followed the family. He got tired of waiting outside, so he snuck in, but those damn vampires sniffed him out before he could get all the way into the backyard. Travis got in his truck and drove down the street. He was pissed at how the lioness had talked to him. She would be one of the first he would take to be hunted. He might even hunt her himself.
"I don't trust him," Lisa said, watching Travis leave.
"We didn't either. That's why we stopped him before he could get any further. He was trying to ask about the different species here. He kept telling us he knew about shifters and vampires and wanted to learn more about them." Thatcher said, hugging Lisa. He loved his granddaughter, and she had good instincts when it came to people, but he was worried she would say the wrong thing to the wrong person one of these days.
"Dustin said he hunts shifters. If he was here, that means he knows every one of us is a shifter. What if he tries to kidnap one or all of us?" Lisa asked, looking at her grandparents.
"We won't let that happen. Let's have everyone go inside, and we'll have a family meeting to warn them. It will also be useful to have Dustin share what he knows." Thatcher replied as they all headed toward the other side of the yard where the rest of the family was.
"Grandpa Roger told Alex and me we needed to be careful about who we trust. He even mentioned to watch out for some close to the family. I doubt he was talking about Travis, but having him show up reminded me that we need to be cautious." Lisa said as they reached the others.
"Can everyone please go inside? We have something we need to discuss," Thatcher said loud enough that everyone could hear him. No one questioned him as they went into the house.
"What's going on?" Trey asked, putting his arm around Cat. Something told him that he wasn't going to like what Thatcher was going to say. Once everyone was settled, Thatcher began speaking.
"A man named Travis just stopped by. He said he came to pay his respects to Roger's family for their loss. He also said that he used to work with Roger. However, based on when Roger retired and the age of the man, I find that hard to believe. Something made us uneasy about him, and he left when Lisa put him on the spot. She said you might have something to share about him, Dustin." Everyone looked toward Dustin and Breanne as they walked over to where Thatcher stood.
"I was working with a team in the bureau back east that caught serial killers. When I left, they were looking into Travis. We suspected he might be involved in several murders, but there's no hard evidence. The rest of the team didn't realize that the people killed were all shifters. We think he kidnaps them, takes them to a remote location, and lets them go for others to hunt. I believe they would shift into their animal, and that's what they were actually hunting, but I couldn't say anything. No one there knows about us except other shifters who also work at the bureau." Dustin felt the heartache of everyone in the room.
"How could you let him walk away?" Lisa asked angrily.
"He's already being followed. We don't have anything to arrest him for yet; we need something solid. If he's coming around here, then he knows about all of you. I'll let the team know that I saw him and who I think he may be targeting next," Everyone glanced at Lisa, and she smirked.
"Let him try, and Ali will tear him to pieces. How about you use me as bait? I don't need him trying to interfere in what we're doing, and getting kidnapped would put a damper on things," Lisa said matter-of-factly. Despite the seriousness of the situation, everyone couldn't help laughing.
"I don't think we should get ahead of ourselves. Let me talk to the team that's following him and see what their plan is." Dustin said, trying to slow Lisa down without pissing her off. She turned toward him, and he held his breath until he saw her nod.
"Just let me know if you need me to help trap the bastard." When several people gasped in disbelief, Lisa shrugged. "I'm not stupid. I know when to leave something to the professionals."
"Well, that's a first," Wesley regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth, but Lisa just smiled.
"I won't put myself or others in unnecessary danger. That doesn't mean he'll walk away if I come face to face with him." She said, leaning against Jayce. Dustin stepped into the other room with Breanne so he could make a call.
"Hello." The woman on the other line answered.
"Hey Wendy, it's Dustin."
"What happened? Did you get to Sacramento and miss me already? I told you I'd wait for you," Breanne stepped closer when she heard the sultry voice on the other line.
"Sorry, Wendy, I'm already taken. I've met the love of my life since coming out here," Dustin pulled Breanne closer and kissed her forehead.
"You've been there less than a week; it can't be that serious. Let me know when you decide to dump her, and I'll come out and make it all better." Breanne was ready to take the phone and smash it until she heard what Dustin said.
"Just like I told you when I worked there, you're not my type, and I have no interest in you like that. Now I'm calling for a reason. I'm at a memorial service, and I saw Travis Henley. He was showing a lot of interest in a young woman here, and I believe he may target her next." Dustin couldn't stand Wendy. He fully supported a woman getting ahead in their career, but Wendy did it by getting under the right desks. She had no clue how to be an agent, yet she was now a lead agent over a unit that hunts serial killers.
"You may have moved across the country, but you'll see I'll get what I want eventually. Regarding Travis, I'll let the agents out there know and have them contact you. Now, when are you going to invite me out to California?" Dustin hung up before she could finish.
"Wow, you never gave in to her?" Breanne asked nervously.
"Absolutely not. Wendy was my team's lead agent. She slept with every man she could to get there. I didn't give her the time of day, so she set her sights on me. No matter what she tried, I never gave in to her." Dustin kissed Breanne's forehead and tried to lead her back to the others, but she didn't move.
"What did she try?" She asked. Was this woman going to be a problem later?
"She cornered me and tried to pull my pants down to suck me, but I shoved her off. She tried to put something in my drink to trick me into bed with her, but Nelo smelled the drug before we drank it. She's done other small things, but each time, I was able to stop her." Dustin wrapped his arms around Breanne. He could tell she was upset about what Wendy had said, but she had nothing to worry about.
"You don't think she'll try to cause problems with us later, do you? She sounds pretty persistent." Breanne felt sick thinking of that woman trying to put her hands on Dustin.
"Look at me. I want you and only you. No one or nothing is going to change that." He leaned down and put his mouth to hers. Breanne froze. She'd never been kissed before. Dustin moved his mouth against hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. She opened her lips, letting their tongues meet. She pulled away when she needed air.
"Well, that was one way to convince me. That was my first kiss." Breanne said, and Dustin smiled.
"Mine too. I needed to show you that I'm yours and you're mine." He took her hand, and they walked into the other room.
"The lead agent said she'll have the agents out here get in contact with me. If anyone sees Travis, let me know immediately." Dustin was speaking to everyone but looking at Lisa. She gave him a slight nod that she understood. He just hoped she did what he asked.
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Outside parked in his truck down the street, Travis waited. He wanted to follow Lisa and see where she was living so he could get his hands on her as soon as possible. A couple of hours later, when the sun started to go down, he finally saw her leave with Jayce and another couple.
Travis slumped down in his seat and waited for them to pass. He then started following them. He stopped just down the road when they pulled up to a large house with a gate. Travis was too far away to see the code they punched in, and there was no way he would try to sneak in behind them.
The neighborhood was too nice for him to sit on the street and go unnoticed, so Travis took a few pictures of the house with his phone. He would come back and find a way to get her somehow. Lisa was going to be a fun one for him to hunt. Maybe he would let her live for a while if she played nice.
