Witch Wolf by Winter Pennington

reverse, backing out of the parking lot slowly. He put the car in drive and then hit the gas. I hit the back of my seat with a loud thud and made a grab for the oh-shit handle.
    Rupert laughed. "Now that was worth taking a picture of."

    "You shithead," I said, but I couldn't help but laugh with him. "What is this thing for? Soccer moms with road rage?"
    "Something like that." He leaned back in his seat. "I've got something for you." He grabbed a black duffel bag and threw it into my lap. I made a small hmph sound when it landed.
    "It's in the bag," he said.
    I opened the bag and widened my eyes. "Holy shit, since when do you need this many weapons?" There were two guns, a small collection of knives, and what looked like a large hunting knife. I pushed them aside to find a holster. I waited.
    Rupert's blue eyes flicked to me and then back to the road. "It's for the Pro .40," he said.
    "Oh!" I exclaimed. Gee, sometimes I'm slow. "How did you know I didn't have a holster for it?"
    "Everything you've bought in the past few years has been from me, right?"
    "Right."
    He smiled flashing straight white teeth. "I remember what all of my customers buy, Kassandra.
    It's part of my job."
    "Rupert, sometimes you're just plain creepy."
    "You have no idea."
    "That's my line," I said as I unfastened my seat belt. I unbuckled my black leather belt and slipped it through the holster. The Pro .40 fit perfectly. "Thanks, by the way."
    "You're welcome."
    There were a few moments of silence before he said, "Have you figured out where I live yet?"
    "Crud, I totally forgot about the bet."
    "How could you forget about the bet?" he asked with a look of disbelief.
    "I've had a lot going on the past few days."
    He nodded. "Start from the beginning," he said. "Tell me about the crime scene the police called you in on, and what we're going up against. Then get to the rest."
    I told him what I'd seen at the crime scene and what I'd told the police. I explained what had happened with Rosalin Walker and the case she'd brought to me. Rupert kept his eyes intently on the road, but I knew he was listening to every single word I spoke.

    *
    There was a small area at the edge of the woods where Rupert was able to safely navigate and park the van between two large trees. There were tire marks on the ground where cars before us had parked in the same spot. No doubt the tracks were left behind by people who had been doing something more nefarious than what we were about.
    Rupert unbuckled his seat belt and began checking his weapons.
    "I can never figure out how you manage to hide that much firepower," I said, watching him.
    "Practice," he said, and then asked, "Do you have a map?"
    "No, there wasn't a map available. It's the boonies," I said, adding, "literally."
    "So what's the plan?" He pulled a gun out from under the seat. It had a scope on it. "Night vision," he said as if it explained everything.
    "I don't need it," I said. "We need to stay close together. We need to mask our scents, in case the werewolf is still out here." I handed him the bottle of patchouli oil. I could tell he wasn't wearing cologne, as I had requested. Perfume and cologne will give your presence away really fast around a bunch of lycanthropes. When you're doing surveillance work, the obvious goal is to remain hidden while gathering information.
    He dabbed the oil on lightly.
    "I want to get a feel for the area, see if there are any other clues the cops missed." I stepped out of the car and shut the door quietly.
    "Aren't you afraid of getting lost?" he asked.
    I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair before securing it in a long ponytail. "No.
    There's a horse farm a few miles away. In a place like this there are going to be trails. Are you ready?"
    The look in his eyes was cold as he smiled darkly. "What do you think?"
    "Great," I said, "try and keep up." I smiled wickedly before throwing myself into the woods. I had to force myself to keep to a pace that Rupert could keep up