Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,192

two more speed loaders in the storeroom. The darn room still held enough weapons to hold off an army—or supply an army—and she didn’t know what to do about that. She carried the speed loaders and two boxes of ammunition to her desk, then went back for a shotgun and a box of shells.

She hadn’t found any vests. Either they weren’t standard issue here or the cops who had lived in Bennett had been wearing them when the Elders swept in and killed everyone. Either way, she hadn’t found anything she could use as protection in a gunfight.

When she headed for the storeroom again, Virgil said, “How can you run fast if you’re carrying all those things? And how can you use any of them when you’re carrying all of them?”

“I thought I could hide a couple of them or … something.” Jana closed her eyes. The idea of having hidden stashes of guns had been alluring—and more like a frontier-story shootout—until she considered the one thing that had never been in those stories. “Some of the men we’re going to be fighting are Intuits and experienced fighters. If they ‘sense’ things in a fight, they might have a feeling of where they could find extra weapons.”

“Yes.” Virgil studied the weapons that filled the top of her desk. He pointed at the boxes of ammunition. “These are the danger. Without them, this”—he pointed at the shotgun—“is a metal club. It can hurt, even kill, but the enemy has to be close enough to hit with it or throw it. And if the enemy is that close, he’s close enough for fangs and claws to kill him.” He considered the weapons for another minute. “You should have a knife.”

She reached down, pulled the switchblade out of her boot, and held it up for him to see. “I’ve got one.”

She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but she could guess. “I know this is my first fight, but I won’t let you down. I’m not going to choke or freeze or … whatever.”

Virgil smiled. “I don’t care what Tolya says, I still think one of your ancestors mated with a Wolverine and somehow had some young.”

She wasn’t sure if that was meant as an insult or a compliment.

His smile faded. “Once John and I shift to Wolf form, we won’t be able to talk to you.”

She nodded. The Wolves would be able to communicate with each other and the rest of the terra indigene, reporting the enemies’ positions. None of them would be carrying mobile phones—and none of them would be able to afford the seconds needed to shift into a form that could talk to her.

A sudden breeze ruffled Virgil’s hair.

“I can deliver messages to Deputy Jana,” Air said, taking shape near the office door. “The Elementals agreed to help if we’re asked.”

“Then I’m asking.” Virgil turned to Jana. “If you need to tell us anything, you call for Air. And if I need you to go somewhere, she’ll tell you. Understood?”

As soon as Jana nodded, Air disappeared—or was no longer visible.

“We need to hide the ammunition,” Jana said. “You’re right that, without bullets, the long guns are nothing more than metal clubs and the handguns can’t do any more damage than a rock.”

Virgil started to say something, then shook his head. “No time. The Blackstone humans are gathering in the square to challenge Tolya.” He stripped out of his clothes and shifted so fast she had a weird flash image of his naked human body that left her unsure of having actually seen him.

She tucked two of the speed loaders in the special pouch on her duty belt, picked up the shotgun and a handful of shells, then followed Virgil out the door.

* * *

* * *

“Mom, I’ll say it again. I don’t feel easy about you being in a gunfight.”

Jesse glanced at Tobias, who had been driving at a recklessly high speed ever since he picked her up at her house. “Son, I’m not easy about you being in this fight either, but we have just as much at stake as the people living in Bennett.” And you’re not driving this fast to protect the Sanguinati or the Wolves.

“You think our two guns will make a difference?”

Not their guns, but their presence, would alter the fight. She could feel it.

Jesse closed her eyes as her right hand closed over her left wrist. “Yes. We’ll make a difference.”

* * *

* * *

Parlan settled the two revolvers into their holsters before