Chapter 50
TJ felt that please to his marrow. He looked again, then went into automatic mode. “IV first. Fluids. Pain meds. Stabilize that leg. He needs an orthopedic surgeon if we’re to have a ghost of a chance to save that leg. There’s a shifter that specializes in orthopedic trauma near Cheyenne. I’ll need transportation there on the double.”
Men stepped out of the way. A couple plucked out cell phones and made calls. TJ grabbed supplies in a hurry, jammed in an IV, and attached a bag of fluids. The guy would need blood, but that wasn’t something he kept at his clinic. Fluids, to stabilize first. He unlocked a cabinet, pulled some medication out, drew it up into a syringe, and injected it into the patient’s upper arm. “What’s his name?”
“Trent.”
“Wolf?” TJ inquired.
“Yes.” The other man’s voice broke on the word.
TJ peered over at him. He recognized him, but couldn’t recall his name.
“He’s my son. Was out in the woods. Some bastard shot him.”
TJ’s gut twisted. “Hunting rifle?”
“Same bullets,” Jonah answered.
“Shit. I thought it was just some crazy bear hunter. Thought he’d given up on my lands since there was no further sign. And I’ve been checking.”
“Me, too. Just the one episode,” Jonah agreed.
“Seems he moved from your area into ours.” A burly man shook his head. Miller, a mountain lion shifter, addressed the situation. “He took a pot shot at a couple of my people a few days back. We tracked him, but he’d disappeared.”
Jonah turned to him. “Why weren’t we notified? We have to stick together if we’re to survive these kinds of threats.”
Miller sheepishly lowered his eyes. “We thought it was some idiot human just trying to kill a mountain lion for the fun of it.”
TJ commiserated. “We’re just as guilty. Presumably the same man shot at us a while back and we didn’t report it.” He looked over at Jonah, without blame.
“Now we know. We have a human out there hunting shifters.” Another man, Rigby, also a wolf, replied. “A true hunter goes after one kind of prey. He’s after bears, mountain lions, and now, wolves. All shifters. None of the wildlife have been found dead.” He met everyone’s gaze. “He’s human. His scent is that of a human. Not another shifter.”
Acid boiled up in TJ’s stomach. Not just for the injured shifter but for the rest of them. They’d been added to list of highly sought targets. For some reason. “How can a human identify shifters?”
“Fuck, do they know about us now?” A frightened younger man asked. TJ didn’t know him.
“That’s what we’d like to know,” Jonah said.
“My pack is tracking. The best are all on his trail,” Rigby replied. “They’ll find him.” His words sounded confident.
TJ knew better. If Jonah couldn’t find the bastard, no one else could. He returned to tending Trent, impatient for the ambulance to arrive. The sooner Trent got to Cheyenne and into surgery, the better.
“Why in the hell would he use .450 ammo for a wolf?” Rigby asked.
“Simple. He’s not looking for a trophy to mount on the wall. He’s out to destroy. Completely obliterate,” Jonah answered.
“Or terrify.” TJ rubbed his chin before working to wrap Trent’s leg in dampened gauze bandages and towels for the impending trip. The others helped him by lifting Trent’s injured leg. Thankfully, the pain medication had kicked in so Trent didn’t seem to notice the motion.
“He’s such a bad shot, he needs a buffalo gun and ammo?” Miller scratched at his chin.
“Shifters are damn hard to kill,” Rigby pointed out.
“Unless this is his game. Intimidation. The cat playing with the mouse before he actually kills it.” Jonah’s calm voice carried through the room. “But only in the woods and open areas. Not in town.”
“He’d stand out too much.” Trent’s father spared them a glance from wiping the hair from his son’s face. “Easier to hide in the woods.”
“So, we’re safe as long as we’re in civilization with the other humans?” one of the guys TJ didn’t know posed the question.
“Maybe. For right now.” Jonah stepped closer.
“Meaning?” Rigby turned to him.
Jonah shrugged. “I don’t have a fucking clue. But I’m going to find out.” He swiveled toward the front door. “Your ride is here.”
TJ nodded. “Let’s get him loaded. I’ll call Winston on the way in. He’ll meet us at the hospital.”
A pair of paramedics, both shifters, entered the clinic.
“Watch the leg, boys. We need to get to Cheyenne fast.”
“Yes, sir.” They lifted Trent onto the cart, and loaded him into the ambulance. TJ carrying the IV bag, climbed in after him. Trent’s father took the seat opposite TJ.