Incident 4: This Is Not the Dog You’re Looking For
You ever get a text from someone and sit there, and stare at it, and think, how the actual fuck am I supposed to respond?
Ross got a lot of those texts.He’d developed a sixth sense of when a text had a deeper meaning, as if it were the tip of the iceberg that went far, far deeper than it should.This one promised to be a doozey.
Maybe we should go look for him?
Ross sighed, letting his head sit in his hands.It was eight in the morning at this point; he’d been set to go to bed.Turned out you could be a night owlandan early bird if your sleep schedule was messed up enough.He was exhausted enough to consider ignoring the text.Something about running on zero sleep in twenty-six hours might have something to do with that compulsion.But this felt like it would bite him in the ass later.
Dammit.He liked for his mornings to be slow and quiet.He wanted the day to romance him a bit before it tried to fuck him.
He called Chloe.
“Oh, hi Ross,”Chloe greeted as if she hadn’t just sent a very cryptic and problematic text.
“Chloe,” Ross greeted in his best, calm service voice.“Do you mind telling me what you mean by that last text?”
“What text?Oh shit, I sent it to you by accident.I’m so sorry, you were sleeping, huh?”
“Not yet and I still want an explanation.Is there something up?”
“Uh…” The sound was drawn out, obviously a delaying tactic.“Well, uh, we kinda got a group text from Dunham?It was just this random group of letters.Like he kinda butt texted?But we tried calling and there’s no answer.”
Ross prayed for patience.It was slow in coming.“So, you think he’s in trouble—or potentially in trouble—but you didn’t inform me?”
“Well, we thought you were sleeping by now.”
Don’t pound your head against the wall, Ross cautioned himself.It would only put a dent in the wall and not help anything.“So, where is he?”
“That’s the thing, we don’t know.He mentioned something about going out and feeding some families, but that wouldn’t get him into trouble, would it?”
As far as Ross could tell, just breathing could get most of the clan into trouble.But he did see her point.Dunham was careful about feeding his families, and he normally knew the families’ routines.It was hard to see how he’d gotten into trouble doing that.“Is Keane still up?”
“I think so?”
“Okay.Keep calling Dunham and tell me if he picks up.”
“Should we go look for him?”
“Maybe, in a minute.I want to see if Keane can locate his phone.Could be Dunham’s driving or he just doesn’t hear it.Sit tight.”Ross hung up and called Keane, already reaching for the clothes he’d taken off two minutes ago.
The wizard answered on the third ring, sounding distracted.“Heya, Ross.”
“Keane.Dunham sent a weird text and now isn’t answering.I don’t know where he is.None of the werewolves seem to know either.”Ross switched the phone to the other ear with a smooth motion, tucking it in between ear and shoulder.“Can you track him for me?”
“Well now, that’s a problem fer sure.I can’t track the man himself—weres are beastly hard to track, what with them switching from man to beast, it throws havoc on the spell—but I can track his phone.”
“Do it.I’ll be at your place in five.”
“Sure thing.”
Ross stopped long enough to make a tall tumbler of coffee—as black as his soul, because it was clearly going to be a while before he could get back to bed.It was ridiculous, this whole week.Instead of being in a steady relationship with his pillow, he seemed to only have visiting rights.
Fortunately, Keane’s house wasn’t far away, just a walk across the street and one house down.He knocked on the man’s door, getting an immediate response.Keane opened it with one hand, shrugging into a jacket with the other.He looked bleary around the edges, hair standing up on end.Keane’s habit of all-night work binges made him resemble some mad scientist even at the best of times.He’d recently showered, though, so he didn’t smell like molding death.So there was that.“Ready?”
“Yeah.Want me to drive, you navigate?”
“Sure.It’ll be easier that way.”Keane led the way around the front and to his slightly beat-up Jeep.
