Wren and the Werebear Read Online Free PDF Page B

down."
    "Are the locals involved?"
    "No. Everybody is plainclothes. And we recovered Chief's body without anyone finding out. This one's clean, Wren."
    "I'll try not to dirty it up."
    "The city you're going to is Maugham. It's a small coastal town just north of San Francisco. The PO box has been shuttered, obviously. We have the tracker's video transmission before he was killed. It will be transmitted to this cell phone tonight at midnight."
    "Thanks.” Wren swallowed. “I—I’m sorry about Chief."
    "Me too. This guy's dangerous, Wren. Be careful. And Wren?"
    "Yeah?"
    "Kick this monster's ass for me, will you?"
    "Copy that," Wren said. "I'll talk to you later." She hung up just as the taxi pulled into the airport. Soon she'd be in sunny California. But first, she had a layover in Chicago.
    Wren smiled weakly. It had been too long since she'd seen her dad.

Chapter Six
    If Wren thought early spring in Washington was bad, she quickly forgot it as soon as she landed in Chicago. Here, the world had apparently forgotten that winter was supposed to be over, and her jacket was no match for the chilly air. Frost crunched under her feet as she stopped and looked up at the sign that read South Side General Hospital.
    A chill ran through her body, but it wasn't due to the cold. She took a deep breath and stepped inside, tugging her suitcase behind her.
    "Dad?"
    The nurse had pointed her down the hall to the last room. Her dad lay inside on the hospital bed. Both of his thin wrists were connected to IV drips. His hair, mostly gray the last time she'd seen him, had turned almost white. Wren's heart fluttered.
    "Dad?" Wren stepped into the doorway and closed the door just as her dad lifted his head from the hospital pillow. His green eyes lit up when he saw her.
    "Wren! My baby girl!"
    "Hey dad," Wren said, clutching her hands in front of her as she stepped forward. She didn't know how to react. "Mom said you would be awake."
    "She just went out to get dinner for us. But she should be back before you have to leave. You do have to leave soon, right?"
    "Yeah. Of course." Wren had spent the good majority of her life running around from one assignment to the next. There was never any time for her to settle down. Not that she wanted to, particularly. Just like her dad, she was all about the work. The CSE had sent her from one state to the next, from one assignment to the next. Every shifter to put down meant a new move. And if she never made any friends, well, that was all the better. This line of work didn’t leave too much time for friends or family.
    But her dad knew all about that.
    "How are you feeling?" she asked
    "Eh, you know me," her dad said, waving one hand carelessly in the air. The IV tube waved with it. "All this nonsense."
    "What happened?"
    "Some fluid buildup again in my lower back. Damn thing got infected. They've got me all hopped up on every antibiotic under the sun trying to figure it out. If it were up to me, I'd just walk out of here. But of course..."
    He slapped at his useless legs.
    "Sometimes I wish the damned wolf had swiped my head off instead," he said, chuckling mirthlessly.
    "Don't say that, dad," Wren said automatically. Her eyes ran over his arms, his wrinkled face. He looked so much older than the last time she'd seen him.
    "Oh, Wren. My little darling. Tell me all about what's going on with you. I thought you were done with assignments for now?"
    "I was. I am. It's just this one shifter. They can't find anyone who can put him down." Wren sat down on the chair near the hospital bed.
    "So it has to be you." Wren's dad crossed his arms over his chest, but she could see a glint of approval in his eyes. He was proud at how quickly she'd risen in the ranks at the CSE. And he was equally supportive when she decided to take a break from the work.
    "You remember Tommy Laredo?"
    "Of course. Tommy. What did he go by at the Center?"
    "Chief," Wren said, her mouth suddenly dry.
    "That's right." Her dad closed his eyes