His face broke into a smile. He quickly stepped down from the porch and stood on the road. She must have seen him because he saw the bicycle increase in speed. Few moments later, she got to him. She dismounted from the bicycle, dumped the bags she had brought with her to the floor and flung into his outstretched arms. He held her close, thinking how lovely and doll-like she was in his arms.
After a while, he pulled away from her and stared into her face. In the darkness of the night, with only a dull moon above them, her violet eyes shone at him like expensive rocks. He could smell her, her acidic feminine odor, and the woman of her. He kissed her on her lips hungrily, drawing the sweetness from her mouth into his. After a while, they both pulled away.
“I thought I was gonna go crazy, baby! It’s felt like months.” she panted, gripping his lean, hard body.
“I know, I know!” He said breathlessly. “If you hadn’t come today…….” He couldn’t finish the words but she understood perfectly what he had wanted to say and she nodded, grinning into his face. She pulled his head down to her mouth, forcing her lips into his mouth. She kissed him hard and fast, and they were like that straining to each other, then Victor broke away from her, pushing her back a little. His face was dazed with desire for her.
“You are so sweet,” he said between his teeth. “Let’s go in.” he grabbed her hand and the bags on the floor and they both went into the cabin. He sat on the bed and led her down beside him, his arms around her. In the hard bright light, he looked her over. She was wearing a white chiffon blouse, short black skirts with black pump loafers. The clothes fitted her perfectly well. On the front of her blouse, right above her breast, he saw a tag with an insignia. He peered at it.
Selena Charlton Sales Representative Lionel Williamson HandyMan Clothing Store Lionel Williamson, he thought. The name had a strong effect on it. Remember, he was part of the people that killed your family, he grunted and dragged his eyes to Selena.
“Hey, are you doing okay?”he asked.
She inclined her head.
“I’m fine. Let me get your stuff.” she got up from his knees and went to the bag she had brought with her. She took out some canned food items, fruits, a pack of cigarettes, a radio and a newspaper. She thrust the radio to him. When Victor saw the miniature pocket radio his face lit up.
“Good gracious, I so much needed this. Thanks so much” he said, eyeing the small radio in his massive hands. It was a Sony brand. “This must have cost a lot right?”
She shrugged indifferently.
“Not really. Anyway it doesn’t matter whether it’s cost or not. I figured how lonely it must be for you here especially when you don’t know what’s happening in town. This would come in handy,”
“I should give you money for this, Violet. I’ve got some money saved while working for Dvorak.”
“No, Victor. I want you to save your money. You are a wanted man. You will need money incase if you need to get away quickly from here. Please, keep your money. I’m not complaining,”
Victor grinned genuinely at her, thinking how thoughtful she was. He got to his feet and pecked her on her cheeks. He stared into her face.
“Thank you, Violet. Someday, I’ll make it up to you,” and he picked up the newspaper and, sitting on a chair, he scanned the headlines and its contents. There was nothing new there. Everything in the newspapers had been relayed to him by Selena. He looked at Selena who was on her knees, arranging the food items and groceries into the small fridge. Her beauty and compact features moved him. Even with the fact that the whole town was filled with those damned Fur Hunters who were monitoring everywhere, she had managed to show up. Especially now that it was dangerous for her to be seen with him. A wanted man! She had been through hell for him. And he felt emotions well up in him for her and he stood up, came over to her and picked her up and sat her on his knees. She took his hands in both of hers.
“I’m still worried, baby. Why did Caesar call you a werewolf?”
Victor felt his heart give a lurch.
“For Pete’s sake, I explained to you all about the last time we spoke on the phone, Caesar’s nuts. He's a crazy man. And crazy people say and do crazy stuff. He knows the whole situation would be tense, when he refers to me as a werewolf. And look at the bounty reward; $20,000,” he scoffed. “I’m a dead man walking. Any hunter who sees me first would shoot before asking questions later, that’s what he wants and right now, that’s how things are gonna be. Every greedy man is on the hunt for me,” He shook his head and grimaced. “I’m not a werewolf, Selena. You’ve got to believe me,” even as he said this, his mouth felt so dry and the inside of him felt clenched and tight.
Selena’s face became white and set.
“I can’t stand werewolves, Victor. I can’t stand ‘em. I would rather die than get involved with one. I know I’m not good with guns or knives, none of that stuff. But if there’s someone I know, a friend, neighbor or family, whatever it might be, and that person is a werewolf with everything I have, I will fix that person! I swear on my life, I will fix that person dead!”
Victor was studying Selena as she was talking. She’s no bluffer, he was thinking. He didn’t even doubt her for a second. He had felt her inner strength and he knew what she was capable of. If she says she was going to kill a werewolf if the chance presented itself, then that’s what she’s going to do.
“You do what you’ve got to do, Violet. But I ain’t a werewolf,” he said evenly.
Selena was silent for a long moment. He searched her face for any signs of doubt or distrust, but all he saw was her loving, caring face staring down at him. A moment later, she said;
“I’ve got something to tell. It’s about Sam and I. I don't want to hide anything from you anymore,”
“Well, bring it on,” he said, staring at her.
Sitting bolt right on his knees, she told him of Sam’s visit, the gory story about Fur Rivers and Sam's suspicions about him. Victor listened to his face hard, his eyes smoldering with fury. So Jack had been right. Those Fur Elders had masterminded the massacre of their families and lineages. They had wiped them out. It was only Jack and the few rest of them that had survived the onslaught. But he wasn’t to let Selena know all what was going on in his mind, so he controlled the rage that was going through him.
“Those blasted Fur Elders are responsible for all these werewolves attacks!” He growled. “Even Caesar’s hands are soiled. Whether he was young or not, he had hands in the death of those people. And yet, he dared place a bounty on me on the basis of some bullshit his sister told him,” He paused as his conscience fired back at him; we both know those bullshit ain’t lies. They are true. He pushed the thoughts away and went on. “All those old bastards are the cause of all this war. Most of the innocent people in Fur Rivers don’t know why the hell they are being attacked by werewolves. They don’t know any of this stuff you told me. They don’t know the secrets those damned Fur Elders had kept to themselves for decades. They thought this a war to show who is supreme between man and beasts. They don’t even know what the hell they are fighting for or why the hell they are fighting,” he paused, and went on. “But Sam, Sam! Why Sam? You shouldn’t have been any part of this damned racket!” He looked at her. “When was the last time you saw him?”
“Oh, father’s doing fine. I’m sure he’s getting along. I just don’t wanna see him. Ever!” She spat out.
Victor thought about this for a moment but said nothing. Then he remembered Dvorak.
“Seen Dvorak around?”he asked her.
She stared at him puzzled, then her face brightened.
“Yes, yes. Oh! I could have forgotten about that,” She hit her temple gently with a clenched fist. “He came to the store. Wanted some pairs of gloves and working boots. We talked. He told me he heard about the failed wedding between Caesar and I. Then he talked about you. I guess the town had quickly filled him in about why I had run out of the church,” she shrugged indifferently. “I don’t care about what they say. Anyways, the way he kept on talking about you, I have a feeling he knew that it was you I was staring at inside the church. He knew it was you, all right. Then I suspected there were other things he wanted to say……” Victor injected in.
“Things like what?” He asked.
“Things about you. A lotta stuff but then he didn’t say anything again. He just huh…..smiled at me, paid for the stuff he bought and went out. If you ask me, the whole thing was odd.” Selena finished, screwing up her face.
Victor digested all these. He called Dvorak thrice at different times in the past few weeks but the hay seller didn’t return his call. Then he stiffened as a wild thought came to his mind. Has Dvorak seen the wanted poster of him? If yes, then that explained why he hasn’t returned his call. The man wouldn’t want anything with him. More so, he had been accused of being a werewolf. That would definitely make it worse. A werewolf killed Dvorak’s wife and children. The poster had said he was a wanted werewolf. Surely, Dvorak by now would be regretting and wished he hadn’t had anything to do with him. Christ! Everything just keeps getting worse and worse. Won’t he ever get a breaker?. He made a movement of exasperation, picked Selena off his knees to the bed, then stood up and began to pace up and down the small room.
“What’s the problem?” She said bewildered.
He turned to look at her. She had leaned back on her elbows and looked fixedly at him. The white silk blouse pulled hard across her breasts, and her dark thick hair fell away from her face and neck, revealing the white column of her throat.
“Nothing! I’m fine,” he said, not paying attention to what he was saying. The sight of her like that had got him going. She was so disturbing-looking. He cleared his throat. “How's it going in that store of yours?” He said to keep his mind away from the thoughts going on in his mind. “Does that old fool Lionel come there?”
Selena nodded her head.
“Yes! He drops in once in a while. He doesn’t stay long.” she answered “Well if i were you I would watch him.” he said solemnly.
“But why?” She asked, her eyes questioning.
“Given all that Sam said about the Fur Elders. I wouldn’t give any one of them a benefit of doubt. Old habits die hard. Lionel raped those women too. He was part of them. Old men like that, nasty habits never leave them.”
“Surely you are not saying……..”She began but he interrupted.
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. When you are with him, you better watch him and watch him good. I will rather trust a snake than trust men like him.” Victor grunted, thinking that he was going to murder anyone who lays his hands on her. All she had to do was just say the word and he would go into the town, Caesar or no Caesar, Fur Hunters or no Fur Hunters, and kill anyone that touches her. He turned his eyes to her and found her eyes on him. He suddenly realized how beautiful she was. The worry in her violet eyes, her beautifully-shaped face gave his heart a jolt and he felt an urgent need to hold her close and kiss her. He came over to the bed “Come here, Violet,” and he lay back across it, then pulling her with him, he began to kiss her lips, soft and gentle then fiercely.