ROWAN
“That son of a bitch!” I snarl out loud.
They know each other, they just have to.
I remember seeing the man approach Louis with surprise and Louis reacting to him before Turning away.
But the man kept tagging along, speaking to him but Louis never turned back.
He didn’t turn back because he knew I was at the control room.
“Damn it!” I snap as I get to my feet, ready to confront him but before I reach the door, a knock sound on it before swinging open and Alden walks in.
“Alden!” I exclaim. “You are here. Good, just the man I needed to see,” I say beige heading back to my desk.
“Is there a problem, Guia?” he Al’s as he approaches me.
“I don’t know yet,” I answer as I get a pen and paper and begin scribbling on it. “But I need you to head back to two and meet Lincoln, our contact. Do you remember him?”
“Yes, he was the one who got you into the security control room,” he answers.
“Exactly. Give him this. Tell him it is urgent,” I say as I hand him the paper.
“Right away,” he says as she turns to leave.
“Wait. You came here for something, what is it?”
“It can wait.”
“Tell me.”
“It is just… that man, the one who found Jhnelle…”
“What about him?”
“I saw him with Louis. In the restrooms,” he finishes.
“The restrooms? Of the mall?”
“Yes.”
Huh.
I thought they had parted ways before he vanished out of sight.
“What about it?” I ask, not ready to give voice to my suspicions, especially to a subordinate.
“It was… suspicious.”
“How so?”
“I had trailed after him, Louis, for a while, and though he didn’t use any of the stalls, he was in there for a while and I could hear them talking.”
“What did they say?”
“I didn’t hear them, but when I confronted him about it, he claimed he didn’t know the man. He said they had met and the man was curious as to what he was looking for.”
Same thing Louis said.
“So, what was suspicious about that?”
“Nothing really… it’s just… I can’t get it out of my mind. They seemed… comfortable… with each other. Does that make sense?”
“Maybe. I will keep what you said in mind, thank you Alden.”
He nods before turning to leave.
With any luck, Lincoln would be able to get more footage on them being together or at least if the man’s movement.
Who is he?
And what are their plans?
Too high strung to remain seated, I head out of the office.
It is way past seven now, so dinner must be ready, or at least almost ready and so I head towards the kitchen, where I can hear noise coming from.
As I walk in, the fittest thing I notice is Louis at the counter, working in tandem with the cook, covered in flour and Jhenelle laughing as she hangs on his arm.
Lisa and Rina are in one set of dining chairs while other members of the settlement are milling about, waiting for the meal.
“Rowan!” Rina calls with a wave upon sighting me.
From the corner of my eye, I see Louis’s head snap up to my direction but I don’t acknowledge him
I nod my head at the many greetings of Guia as I pass before selling myself beside Rina.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“Did you know Louis could cook?” she asks. “Jhenelle swears he is really good.”
“Hmm, he is alright.”
“You have tasted his food?” Lisa asks with surprise. “When?”
“Today, actually. Just before we got the message about the wolves in town.”
“And how was it?”
“Good.”
“Why do I feel you are intentionally downplaying his prowess?” Rina wonders.
“You are free to think whatever you want, darling. I don’t care.”
“Wow. You are in a mood. What happened?” Lisa asks.
“Nothing. I just don’t like being made a fool of,” I answer.
“No one does. What happened?”
“Was it the wolves?” Rina asks. “I heard you didn’t catch them.”
“Hmm, you can say that,” I reply, my gaze trained on Louis.
“Did he do something? I heard he went above and beyond in searching for Jhenelle.”
“He was helpful,” I agree.
“It was surprising to hear, really,”Lisa remarks. “How many men would worry over another man’s child especially when it comes to their mate?”
“He is… intriguing. I will give him that”
“Wh-”
“Food is ready!” Jhnelle’s excited announcement brings a close to the conversation and spurs the people around to get to their places.
In an organized manner, everyone heads to their seat while designated wolves head over to the counter to get the pots for each table.
Normally, for our table, Rina is the one to do that, but she remains in her seat while Louis brings the pot over with Jhenelle tagging after him like a loyal follower.
“Ladies,” he says as he places the ceramic pot in the center. “Enjoy.”
“Oh, I most certainly will,” Lisa says as eh3 pulls the pot closer. “This smells divine. What is it?”
“Chicken parmesan,” he answers before plating it.
He hands me one and my stomach, literally constructs in hunger at the sight.
It is a golden-brown chicken cutlet with its surface crisscrossed and well done crust with juices pooling around it. The sauce that envelops the chicken is a vibrant red sea that licks at the edges and the melted cheese over it just makes it a feast for my eyes.
As well as my stomach.
Rina’s eyes are wide as she stares at her plate.
“Holy mother of-”
“AAARGH.”
The scream rips through the amazed crowd, bringing us back to reality.
Without hesitation, I am out of my seat and heading to the door only to see lots already ahead of me.
He is fast.
I arrive outside just in time to see one of the female wolves falling off the balcony.
There is no way we are going to catch her in time.
In horror, I watch as she hurtles to the ground only for the biggest wolf I had ever seen, bar my own block my view and crouch beneath her, breaking her fall.
A wolf I have never seen before.
It takes me a few seconds to realize that it is Louis.
“Um, I don’t know about you,” Lisa whispers to me. “But there is now way that is an ordinary wolf.”
I agree.