Wolf Of The Present

By A.D. McLain

Meg has a troubled past. In and out of foster homes, she is the survivor of a childhood tragedy.

In college she meets Mark, who wants to heal the pain he sees in Meg’s eyes. But Mark also has painful secrets in his past. Tormented by an unseen foe, he begins to lose his grip on reality. With Meg threatened by someone from her past, a friend in danger and a serial killer on the loose, their timing couldn’t be worse.

Soon, they must face their inner demons. But are their feelings for each other strong enough to overcome their fears?

This book contains adult content and is not recommended for readers under the age of 18.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Next Chapter
• Release date: Feb 12, 2022
• ISBN: 4867477907

Book preview

PROLOGUE

SINGER ORPHANAGE AND FOSTER CARE HOME SIXTEEN YEARS AGO

Meghan lowered herself until she was hanging upside down by her knees on the playground’s high bars. The sun-warmed metal burned her bare skin but she ignored it, closing her eyes and breathing through the discomfort. Eventually, her legs grew used to it. After all, it was just a little heat, she’d been through worse. Opening her eyes, she watched the other kids on the playground.

They didn’t notice her attention. Everyone else was either playing in or watching the basketball game. She sighed. No one invited her to play, but who wanted to play with all those stupid kids anyway? She would just as soon hang on her perch. Closing her eyes, she let her arms hang down, her fingers brushing the sand, and tried to block out the sounds of the game. Struggling to remember every tiny detail, she pictured the playground, minus the other kids. There was the basketball court and the bars. To her left was a merry-go-round and beside that were the slides and tunnels. They rested on grass and dirt. This playground didn’t have any of the wood chips she’d seen at the playground downtown, where the officer took her after the doctor cleaned her injuries, before she was brought here. The wood chips were supposed to be nicer, and they didn’t get muddy when it rained, but you couldn’t sculpt wood chips, and who cared about getting a little muddy, anyway? Meg picked up a handful of sand and let it fall slowly through her fingers. The playground was bordered on one side by the building where the children slept and ate. The other three sides were surrounded by a tall metal fence, blocking them from everyone outside the playground. Random flower bushes lined the fence, to keep kids from trying to climb it and get out. There were a few trees spread around, including the big one behind the bars. Kids jumped from that one sometimes. Meg had done it more than once. It was fun to jump past the mound of soft sand and laugh when the older kids were afraid to do the same. She listened as the wind moved the branches of the tree, rustling the leaves. If she tried, she could hear birds singing and the distant sounds of traffic. The birds and car horns joined in a strange symphony, adding their own music to the day. She smiled. This was so much better than playing some stupid game.

No! A small voice cried out, interrupting her thoughts. The protest was followed by laughter. Meg opened her eyes and turned her head in the direction of the sounds, over by the slides. She could make out three kids; two boys and a girl. The girl was a little younger than Meg, with brown hair and a sundress that was a little too big for her. The boys were older, probably five or six, and like Meg were dressed in jeans and plain white T-shirts. The boys were laughing as they threw an object back and forth over the girl’s head, just out of her reach. Meghan squinted but couldn’t make out what it was hanging upside down.

Give it back, the girl cried, her voice high-pitched and choked with emotion. It was obvious they weren’t playing a game, she looked and sounded upset. Meghan tried to spot an adult, or someone else to help the little girl, but everyone else was by the basketball court. No one was paying attention to what was going on by the slides, they were caught up in their game. It was up to her to help.

Pulling herself up, Meg swung down and walked quietly toward the slide. The boys were distracted by their game and didn’t notice her approaching. They laughed and continued to tease the girl, upsetting her more. As Meg got closer, she could see the object was a simple necklace with a stone attached. Patiently, Meg waited until they threw the necklace again and grabbed it out of the air, surprising both of both boys and the little girl.

Hey! one of the boys protested. His face reddened with anger, and his lips puffed out in a pout.

Hey, what? Meg threw back, standing her ground.

Obviously better with actions than words, the boy made a grab for the chain, but Meghan was ready for him. She shoved him back, hard and he fell to the ground with a thud. A cloud of dust flew up from his impact, covering him in dirt and eliciting a sneeze. His friend ran over to help him up and held him back when he started for Meg again. No, don’t do it! he cried out a warning, his skin flush with the excitement. That’s Meghan. You don’t want to mess with her.

The first boy looked at her with a sense of awe and dread. He stopped fighting his friend. She’s the one who beat up Tommy? His voice cracked at the question.

Yeah, I am, Meghan confirmed. So, maybe you want to stop bullying a little kid and go play basketball or something before I do the same to you.

They ran off without another word. Meghan grinned with satisfaction and handed the necklace to the little girl. She loved making bullies run away. Here you go.

Thank you. The little girl immediately put the necklace around her neck and threw herself onto Meghan for a hug, nearly sending them both tumbling to the ground with the unexpected action. Meghan stumbled back, barely holding her balance.

My name is Nicole, the little girl said with a sniffle. Despite the sniffling, she seemed to be feeling better, and even had a hesitant smile on her face. I’m three years old. Nicole held up two fingers and looked at them for a second before putting up a third.

Meghan took a step back, to put some distance between them, and plopped herself on the ground. The kid seemed nice enough, but a little too clingy for Meg’s taste. She didn’t like people trying to hug her, or even standing too close. It wasn’t a problem most of the time, people tended to leave her alone, and she liked it that way just fine. So, Nicole, what are you doing over here instead of being with everyone else?

It was too loud over there, Nicole replied, stepping forward and sitting down next to her. The noise hurt my ears. I want quiet to try remembering.

Remember what? Meg prompted when Nicole fell silent.

She didn’t respond at first, instead, she stared down at her necklace, gently rubbing her fingers over the stone. Anything, Nicole said softly. I was found by a nice couple and brought here, but I don’t remember anything else. I want my parents, but I don’t know if I have any. She broke off in a sob.

Meghan sat in silence for a moment, unsure what to do. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand and Nicole flung her sobbing body straight into her arms.

Meghan listened to the clip-clop of Nicole’s jellies padding across the pavement toward her and rolled her eyes. Ever since she helped get Nicole’s necklace back from those bullies a week ago, the kid had been dogging her steps like a devoted puppy. Not that it was that bad, it was kind of cool to have one person who wasn’t afraid of her.

Word about the fight with Tommy had spread quickly and reformed into some strange rumors. She’d only given him a black eye, after he made fun of her aversion to the plastic knives in the cafeteria. But Tommy had been adopted right after it happened, so some of the kids had made up stories that she’d put him in the hospital. No one knew what he’d said to set Meg off, so now everyone avoided her. Although she liked her privacy, it was nice to actually have someone who wanted to be around her, sometimes.

Nicole plopped down in front of Meg and held out her hand. Here, she said, opening it to reveal a bracelet made of thread. The blue, green and purple threads weaved to create a zigzag design running along the length of the bracelet. I made it for you. Nicole’s voice held a note of pride.

Why are you giving me this? Meghan eyed the bracelet speculatively. It was well made, the kid had put a lot of effort into it. She had every right to feel proud of her work.

Well, ’cause you’re my friend, the only one I have. Nicole smiled broadly.

I… thank you. Meghan took the bracelet hesitantly and tied it around her wrist. She smiled faintly. Thank you.

Nicole grabbed Meghan’s arm and pulled her toward the playground. Come on. Let’s go through the tunnels. They’re only fun with someone else.

Meghan laughed despite herself and allowed Nicole to drag her along. She was halfway through the second tunnel, near the intersection which would lead them to the small tower bubble room, when she lost sight of Nicole. She smiled. The kid sure was energetic. She glanced behind her and wished she hadn’t. The curve of the tunnel suddenly seemed very dark. She turned away quickly but looking forward again didn’t help. The intersection was up ahead. The one that was so close a moment earlier seemed to be receding. At the same time, she noticed how close all the walls were becoming. She touched the cold plastic beneath her hands and she could feel the plastic behind her back. The hairs on her neck and arms stood on end, practically touching the walls on all sides of her. There was so little space. If she could only stand up. Suddenly her knees ached to do exactly that, to stretch out. That’s what she needed to do. She needed to stand up. The tunnel darkened further, her breath escalating in short gasps. She sat against one wall, her knees to her chest, and closed her eyes. This wasn’t real, it couldn’t be real.

Meghan? A soft voice called through the haze she seemed caught in. Meghan tried to open her eyes, but it was taking all her concentration just to breath. Come on, you can follow me. I’ll lead the way. A soft hand grabbed hold of hers and pulled her to her knees. She let herself be pulled, unable to resist the gentle guidance. A breeze cooled the sweat on the back of her neck, and she opened her eyes to find she was at the end of the tunnel. Gratefully, she jumped out and took several deep breaths, taking the time to appreciate the sight of the dim sunlight, shining down through the clouds onto the sand at her feet.

Wanna go on the merry-go-round? Nicole asked cheerfully, completely unfazed.

Meg gave Nicole a grateful smile. Sure. You get on, and I’ll push. They took a few spins on the merry-go-round, enjoying the overcast afternoon and each other’s company. Then a rumble of thunder shook the air around them. They laughed at the shrieks from nearby children when it started to rain. The grown-ups ran around frantically, gathering the stray children, but Meg and Nicole shared an understanding smile and hid underneath the slides until everyone was inside.

Once it had been quiet for some time, they came out hesitantly, checking to confirm they were alone. Happy that everyone else had gone inside, they took turns on the slides.

Meghan smiled broadly. Who needed the other kids and grown-ups messing stuff up? Today, it was she and Nicole, alone in the rain, and she couldn’t be happier.

1

CONNECTICUT, PRESENT DAY

Meg closed her eyes and tipped her head back. Rain rushed down over her face and hair, soaking her clothes and school bag. She wondered absentmindedly if her books would be ruined, but didn’t care enough to move. The first rush of exhilaration faded and left a hard knot of nothing in her chest. No heart. No soul. No feeling or emotion. Nothing. She relinquished herself to an eternity of standing there, completely at the mercy of the torrential downpour. She laid one hand against the spot where her inner jacket pocket was, thinking of the note there. She didn’t have to read it to remember what it said.

---

The past never dies.

--Tammy Knight

---

Some yahoo left it under her front door, probably as a bad joke, several months ago – and yet it was still getting to her. She shouldn’t let it affect her so much, she chided herself. So what if someone found out that her mother had been put in a coma by some crazed boyfriend, who then tried to kill Meg? It had happened years ago. She was past it.

Meg sighed. She should have talked to Nicole about it, but didn’t want to make a big deal out of nothing. Besides, at the time Nicole had been busy trying to avoid getting killed by the psychotic, polluting, law breaking vice-president of Steagel and Company, as well as her crazy, shape-shifting uncle. She didn’t need to be bothered by some silly note. And Meg couldn’t talk to her now anyway, when Nicole was off enjoying her honeymoon with her hunk of a husband, David. It was for the best, she thought. Nicole deserved a break, and she and David were gloriously happy together. Meg was happy for Nicole, but she could use a friend to talk to right about now.

Unbidden, her thoughts turned to David’s friend, Mark Stevenson. She’d met him the night Nicole almost died in a building fire, and again at Nicole’s wedding. He was a police office, and not bad on the eyes, either. With dark brown hair and the hint of a muscular physique, he could easily turn a few heads. The night they’d met, his hazel eyes studied her with unabashed concern, as if he really cared what happened to her.

Meg forcefully pushed him from her thoughts. He was a stranger. She didn’t need to run off and tell some stranger her problems. It wasn’t in her nature to do such a thing. Besides, Nicole was the only person she ever confided in. There was no reason for that to change now, just because she was a little lonely and vulnerable

Meg pushed her fingers through her soaked tresses, and water sloshed off her red-brown hair. Let it rain, she thought. This weather suited her mood.

The wind picked up, blowing the rain in horizontal sheets of needle-like moisture. Still, she didn’t move. Thunder elicited shrieks from nearby students, who huddled under the covered walkways. Meg didn’t even flinch. She didn’t care about the potential for lightning, even though she stood ankle deep in dirty rainwater.

Somewhere in the distance, she heard the bell toll the hour and sighed. It was time for class. Opening her eyes, she headed to the psych building.

Mara pulled her cardigan tighter and closed the balcony doors. The rain was starting to dissipate after the midday monsoon a few minutes earlier. Strange, she thought to herself. Heavy rain wasn’t uncommon, but something about today’s weather seemed unnatural. Her thoughts turned instantly to the dark being she’d sensed influencing Artemis, Nicole’s uncle. He was powerful enough to evade her psychic probes, strong enough to be instigator of a complex set of events which stretched back at least two decades. She didn’t have any proof, but she was certain this being had been the reason Artemis killed Nicole’s parents when the girl was but three years old. Artemis had never been close with Richard, he’d always been jealous of his brother, but Mara never imagined things would turn so violent between them.

But that was neither here nor there currently. Artemis was a pawn. As powerful as he was in his own right – as was everyone in his family – Artemis was being manipulated by someone stronger than he was. Whoever the mysterious someone was, they’d killed couriers for the Council, in order to aid in Artemis’ escape.

Mara had only shared this bit of news with Mark. Nicole had suffered enough problems of late, and Mara hadn’t wanted to throw a shadow over Nicole and David’s wedding, but she would need to tell them, and soon. They needed to be prepared for the possibility of another attack.

Mara took a seat on the floor in the middle of the room and prepared to meditate. Across the room, candles lit in response to her burst of will. The rain had reduced to a drizzle, which left trails of water splintering in a hundred different directions on the patio doors and windows. She watched the movement dispassionately, letting it calm her thoughts and breathing. Taking a deep breath, Mara stretched out her senses, grasping for clues, information. She followed the thread of intense weather back to its source and sighed, relieved to discover it wasn’t malevolent. The source of the storm didn’t even know what she was doing. The currents of the weather had simply intensified and receded in response to the girl’s unstable emotional state.

Sensing something familiar in the girl, Mara stretched her senses further, seeking an identity. It was Meghan, Nicole’s friend. Many years ago, Mara would have been surprised by this discovery, but a long existence meant few things surprised her anymore. In all honesty, it made things fairly boring most of the time.

She was about to pull away when she recognized something else familiar in the girl. Mara tried to dismiss it and withdraw, not wishing to intrude farther, but some instinct wouldn’t let her back off. It was her own fault for indulging in this curiosity, Mara chastised herself. She hated to contact others, even without their knowledge, because there was something so deeply personal about it. Centuries ago, Mara had done so without any control, automatically sensing if there was another of her kind, anywhere within a thousand miles. The ability had progressed to the point where she could sense almost every one of her kind across the entire planet, without trying. It had been a disconcerting time. Thoughts and emotions inundated Mara constantly, on an almost daily basis. Many of the relatively inexperienced had felt her gentle touch and reached back instinctively. The older ones had already developed mental barriers to automatically repel any unwelcome contact. But the young ones, they’d almost destroyed her.

Consequently, she’d withdrawn again, believing it was the only course of action she could take. Any other path would lead to madness. Now, she only probed or interfered when she needed to, because she had no desire to return to the way things had been. Her mind couldn’t take the strain.

Fighting against herself and good sense, Mara delved into Meghan’s mind and found what had drawn her. Her eyes flew open. She’s his daughter, she announced softly to the empty room.

What ya doin? A melodic voice broke through the haze of Mark’s concentration. Across the room, the sounds of people talking, and phones ringing returned to his attention in full force.

Mark looked up to watch Susan sit down nonchalantly in the chair by his desk. Susan Anderson, the rising young star at the law offices in town, had helped Nicole tremendously during the entire Steagel fiasco. When the Smithsdale Environmental Society –SES for short – developed their pollution case against Steagel and Co., it was Susan who’d handled all the legal aspects of their investigation. To be fair, she was probably motivated almost as much by the SES’s work being a noble cause, as she was by her romantic relationship with John Markham, the current head of the organization. Regardless, she’d been a great help to the college kids who were part of the group, including Nicole. Nicole’s adoptive parents had founded the group, and Nicole’s investigation of Steagel had almost led to her death on several occasions.

But that was only one side of the Susan he knew. Being friends with several cops, she tended to show up at the bars and clubs the off-duty officers frequented. He saw her on many occasions, and she always tried to draw him away from his solitary corners, urging him to join the rest of the group. She was only ever moderately successful in the endeavor. Susan had meant well, but he eventually stopped socializing entirely. Despite this setback, Susan had remained a friendly, easygoing individual and for some reason, she counted him as a friend. Over the years, he’d started to feel the same way about her

Mark leaned back into the chair and gave her a pointed look. Is that any way for a lawyer to talk? he teased.

She grinned. Nope, but do I look like I care? Her long, brown hair was pulled back into an elegant clip, simple and efficient, and she wore a crisp, freshly-ironed suit. She looked the part of a high-powered attorney, ready to take on all the woes of the world. Her physical demeanor was the exact opposite, however, and completely casual. The juxtaposition of formal and relaxed should have appeared strange, but somehow, she pulled it off with finesse. Susan never pretended to be anything other than what she was. This was Susan Anderson, take it or leave it, and he respected her for it. You didn’t answer my question, she pointed out.

Mark shuffled through some paperwork and feigned a distracted tone. Working. Paperwork. You know how it is.

Good, she announced cheerfully.

He raised one, suspicious eyebrow. Good?

Yeah, you should work hard now, get everything done, so you’ll be free to go out and have some fun tonight.

Mark groaned, but before he could voice an argument, Susan launched a counterattack. It’s a celebration, so you can’t back out. I just got promoted, and I want everyone to join me for a drink or two to toast my continued professional escalation.

Mark gave a wry grin. Maybe.

Susan leaned in with one hand cupped to her ear. What was that? Was that a ‘maybe’ from our illustrious town recluse? She giggled and dropped her hand into her lap. At least it’s not a flat-out rejection. Speaking of… She rolled her eyes, her tone sobering slightly. I just got a new case to go with my promotion. It’s the Smithsdale Strangler case? She waited for Mark’s nod of recognition. The thing is, some of the information in the file doesn’t seem to add up. I’m finding inconsistencies everywhere. I called the officer on file, and I keep getting stonewalled. He and his partner won’t return my calls, and when I do get through to them, they give me half answers and some macho, ‘Hey, don’t challenge us, little girl’ blow off. She blew out a disgusted sigh, worrying at her inner cheek and staring thoughtfully at a spot on one of the floor tiles.

Mark considered Susan’s complaint. It wasn’t like those guys to behave like that, they usually tried to be as helpful as possible. It was one of the benefits of living in a pseudo-small town. It wasn’t small in the way that everyone knew everybody else, but they certainly acted like they did a lot of the time. Something about this situation didn’t feel right, these officers knew Susan and wouldn’t usually blow her off. Susan’s distracted foot-tapping and uncharacteristic fidgeting suggested she felt the same way. Do you want me to look into it?

Susan shook her head. No, that’s alright. It’s sink or swim time. I need to do this one on my own. I guess I just needed to vent a little, and I can’t talk about it anywhere else. I’m not close with any of my co-workers, and I try not to talk about open cases with John.

Are you sure? He didn’t like the sound of this situation, but it was Susan’s call. He wouldn’t step on her toes and ruin her credibility by getting involved. Besides, he’d learned a long time ago that people needed to solve their own problems most of the time. He couldn’t stick his nose into everyone else’s business.

Susan pushed herself up from the chair to go. Yes, for the time being, at least. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know. She bestowed a charming smile on him and leaned in slightly. Don’t forget about tonight.

Mark smiled as she walked away. She was persistent, he had to give her that.

Here. You take this stack, and I’ll grab the other one. John handed a pile of papers to Meghan and grabbed another dusty pile from the back of his car. Together, they walked into the small corner rental space off Green Street, the new home of the Smithsdale Environmental Society. Pushing her way through the front door, Meg walked across to an empty table and set down the stack of papers, a random collection of member lists, receipts, investigation paperwork and research studies regarding various environmental topics. In a fortuitous break for SES members, John often took work home with him. A few months earlier, an explosion had destroyed their old meeting hall. Because of John’s diligence, the majority of their supplies and paperwork remained intact. Otherwise, they’d have been starting over from scratch right now, instead of merely relocating to a new building.

John set his stack down next to Meg’s and walked past her into the back room. I’m just going to let Katie know we’re here, he told Meg.

Sighing, Meg dusted off her hands and perched on the edge of the desk. Katie was putting in a lot of hours to get the SES up and running again. Meg wouldn’t have suspected such devotion from her when they first met – Katie was the perfect image of a sorority cheerleader, right down to the blonde hair and floral ensembles she usually sported. She didn’t exactly evoke the image of a nose to the grindstone, workaholic type. But over the past couple of months, Katie had surprised everyone with her dedication, tenacity and intelligence. Taking charge of the office setup, she’d volunteered to scan all the paperwork into computer files, for easier storage and retrieval. She’d also been instrumental in finding the new premises and negotiating a fair rental price with the landlord. No one could figure out how she’d convinced the landlord to offer free electricity in addition to the low rent, but good looks go a long way, especially when the landlord is a middle-aged, overweight, balding man who was receiving attention from a pretty young woman. A properly timed smile and laugh worked wonders. At least, that was Meg’s theory regarding Katie’s success.

Meg shuddered, and a long shiver trickled down her spine. She glanced out