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He gave her a hard look because she sounded overly confident. She needed to be vigilant for danger. It was best not to underestimate it. He was a damned good fighter, but he was aware that it was possible that he could be beaten. Females especially needed to be careful because beaten and killed were not the limits to what could be done to them. Those bastards were sick and needed to be taken out whenever possible. Tyne had shown him some pictures of females that had been attacked, and it had sickened him. Males should protect females and not abuse them in that way or any other way, for that matter. It reminded him of his father and the way he had treated his mother, which was not a pleasant thing to recall.

It was late and time for them all to turn in and get some sleep. In the morning, he would begin training Terri. From what Sally had said, she was already well trained and just needed to learn about any differences between the way things were done in Missouri and the way things were done here. They shouldn't need to work together for more than a few hours. He might keep her for a whole day just to show her a little bit about the location and any possible places to eat, which were few, and discuss with her the dangers that this area had. She seemed likable enough, so it shouldn't be too hard a task for him. He headed to his room, took his shower, then went to bed.

First thing in the morning, he grabbed breakfast, got his list from Sally, and headed out the door to check the truck. He found that Terri had already checked the equipment, but he rechecked it anyway. It was good to see that it was fine. They headed out, and he took them to the first place. Usually, he would go to the furthest location first, but this time, he went to the closest one. That was just in case he decided to cut her loose early. There wasn't anything to worry about at this first location, so they set up their equipment and got to work. He was glad to see that she was doing a good job and seemed to know what she was doing. Mostly, what she needed to do was adjust to the location and understand the dangers that were present.

Something about the second place seemed off to him, so he left Terri in the truck and went to the house alone to investigate. That may not have been the best thing because the door was open, and he headed in. There didn't seem to be anyone in the house, but when he got to the bathroom, he found the homeowner tied up in the bathtub. He quickly untied her and had her call the police. Xantos told her to lock all the doors, and he headed back to the truck to see if they had attacked his partner. They had, but she had surprised them with her Taser,and she had laid three of them out, and the fourth had run away. Apparently, the lessons on how to use the Taser were very effective. He restrained the three attackers who were lying on the ground, and he and his partner went in and began to work on their job. It was too important to get these things done to just slack off and wait for the cops because there was no telling how long it would take them to arrive.

It was good that they had gone ahead and got on with their job because they were done before the police arrived. They didn't take long to load the three criminals into the back of the police car and instruct them to submit their statements to headquarters. The police here were very understanding and helpful. They also knew about these people and considered them terrorists. Things would not go well for those who were captured, and yet they seem to find more to sign up all the time. It was hard to understand how they could see so many crazy people when they knew what would happen if they were caught. They moved on to their next job and had three more to complete before the end of the day. Because of the issues with this job, he would keep her for the rest of the day and hope that they will have no more problems. Xantos hated to leave someone alone when there were issues like this, and that made him worry about Sally, who was left to cover the office alone.

He couldn't say for sure that she wasn't working out in the field for a few jobs as well. The demand here was surprising, and the list was long. Their business was flourishing, and they needed all the help they could get. Tyne was a remarkable businessman, and he realized that the company that had previously been in business was going out of business, leaving a hole that needed to be filled. It was a shame that they were short on help with so much business. A new person would be arriving tomorrow, and with Terri on her own, he would be set to trainthem. She had said she didn't like to work with a partner, but if the trouble got to be too much, at least there was a partner that they could put with her.

They finished up their work and headed back to the office. He immediately knew something was wrong because a window was broken out. When they entered the office, it was evident that there had been an attack, but Sally seemed to be fine.

“What happened here?” He asked.

“I was attacked by four of them. It was fortunate that I had two Tasers, and I was able to subdue them and restrain them. I called the police, and they came swiftly. They were taken away and charged as terrorists, so we shouldn't see them again. I called Moe and let her know. I believe Harry will be here in the morning. She will be strengthening the security, so maybe this won't happen again.”

Xantos said nothing, but he did notice that Sally seemed to have a little more knowledge of exactly what Harry was. Maybe she just knew about witches and didn't realize that other kinds were also supernatural. Terri listened but said nothing. Most paranormal knew not to say anything that gave their kind away. It was a problem that, in these offices, with all the danger around, it was often given away anyway. It would be good to know exactly what Sally knew, but he was sure that she wasn't going to tell him. All they could do for now was eat supper and get ready for bed. They would worry about what would happen tomorrow with all of them on their own, except he would have a trainee who probably knew nothing and might not even be able to fight well.

The next morning, their new person arrived, and this time, it was a guy. Xantos was unhappy because it was a very good-looking and charming male. This one wasn't a wolf, but he wassome kind of supernatural, and he was sure that he would figure out precisely what he was in time. Sally seemed to like him well enough, but that was no surprise. The guy also seemed to like Sally well enough, and again, no surprise. He was happy when he was able to take the guy out to the truck and get ready for what might be a hard day.

“I wanted to warn you that Terri and I were attacked yesterday. Those crazy terrorists have made it to our area, and I cannot assure you that we will be safe. If I clear you to work on your own tomorrow, you may be partnered with Terri to ensure that both of you are safe.”

“What of you? Are you some kind of Lone Ranger that needs no assistance?” Randy asked.

“I am more experienced than most, and I have worked alone even when these crazy terrorists were attacking us. Protecting a female is an important job.” Xantos observed.

“I understand that, but I am just trying to get a feel for what you think. You might be surprised at how experienced I am. That was one of the reasons that Tyne talked me into taking this job for six months. That doesn't matter because I will do what you suggest.”

He noticed that the man had said 'suggest' rather than 'direct' or 'order.' It didn't really matter as long as he was willing to do as he was told. Terri probably wouldn't be happy either because she had already told him that she liked to work alone as well. Having too many lone wolves was not beneficial because when they were attacked regularly, it was advantageous to have a partner. Someone else would be arriving tomorrow, possibly two people. They may be easier to deal with and not want to work alone. He should have asked Sally more about the people who were arriving because he hadn't bothered, and nowhe knew nothing about them. This guy talked like he was very experienced and wouldn't need the training that he was getting today. That was alright because if he saw that he was already well-trained, he would cut him loose and have him work with Terri.

Xantos certainly hoped it was the case because he would have someone to train tomorrow, and Sally might as well. Generally, only one person was trained by a manager at a time.

Chapter 2

Terrorists

Sally got up in the morning and fixed breakfast for everyone. Then she loaded the crockpots that she had so they would have something for lunch and supper. She made up the list, checked it twice, and pulled down a couple locations for herself as well since they were supposed to get two people today. It was smart to be prepared for anything, as there was no telling what would happen on any given day. Xantos made it downstairs and headed to the food. He fixed himself a plate and then thanked her before he tore into the food. Terri came in next and did the same to make Sally suspect she might be a wolf.

There was a knock on the door, and then it opened, and a couple came in. She'd not expected that, but they hadn't been getting much information on their new people until they arrived. That was unfortunate, but they could work with it. The couple would be split up for their training. She would go with the lady, while Xantos would take on the guy. Terri would be working with Randy due to the increased terrorist activity. The crew would be safer working in pairs. That was something that had been proven true in the past.

The new couple accepted the offer of breakfast, and after they had eaten, everyone headed out, including her. She locked up the office even though it was unlikely anyone would come out this far. Once they headed to the truck, she was glad to see that Dolores, the new female, helped make sure that the truck was loaded correctly. They hurried down the road, and she had taken two locations that were neither close nor far. That would give them a little time together for her to learn more about their new girl and show her more about the area. Since her nose wasnot sensitive enough, she had no idea if Dolores was paranormal and, if so, what kind.

"Some criminals are working in the area, so we need to take appropriate precautions," Sally explained.

Dolores didn't look worried or surprised. They may have already been filled in before they had headed this way.

“Here is our first location, and I will go in to check it out and come back for you if it is safe," Sally explained.

It turned out to be safe. She went back to get Dolores, and then they grabbed the necessary equipment and quickly finished the job. Her new worker seemed to know what she was doing, and she would be working on her own after the next job, provided nothing went wrong. Those were famous last words, and as soon as they got close to the location, she knew something was wrong. Not because it was isolated but because the road had obviously not been driven down for a long time until recently. It was evident with the tall weeds that had been crushed by the passage of a vehicle. Additionally, the house did not appear to be livable. The roof was holey and probably leaked like a sieve.

“I'll go first, so keep the radio close by because I believe there's going to be trouble here," Sally admitted.

Dolores nodded and watched her as she walked away. Once she got close to the house, she tried to peek through the windows, but whoever was inside had covered them well. She could hear hushed talking, but she couldn't make out a word. There was little choice but to knock on the door and see what was going on. That was what she did, and in seconds, someone answered. This guy both looked and smelled bad. He was bald on top but had grown the rest of his hair long. It was greasy, with chunks of something in it. It was not a good look for anyone, and it was probably part of the reason he smelled so bad. Hisshirt was dirty and unbuttoned down to his navel, revealing that he was in poor physical shape. The man had a rounded belly that made him look as if he were expecting, even though it was apparent he was a male.

He grinned at her as he opened the door. “Come on in. We've been expecting you.”

She could see that there were other guys also waiting, and she wondered how much damage she could do with two Tasers. Sally knew she was about to find out. There was no point in waiting for them to attack first, and she immediately began firing at them. Four were down with two to go, but she thought she was out of power now. Sally kicked one in the balls, and he fell to the ground, writhing and moaning. That left one guy who had moved closer to her as if he were considering trying to take her down but was afraid to try.