Page 2 of Starting Over (D.O.A. DRAGO #1)

Jude watched as the young man got out of the car and made his way to the passenger seat. Turning, he said, “Name.”

“Rain. Rain Sterling.”

“Okay, Rain Sterling, tell me why you’re hiding in the back of my car, and exactly what the hell that was you shifted into, because I have to tell you, as cute as fuck as it might be, it’s got to be the strangest creature I’ve ever seen,” Jude said.

Rain turned an adorable shade of pink, answering, “My other half is an elephant shrew. We are not in any way related to a mouse or any rodents and I’m hidden in the back of your car because I’m in danger and needed to get as far away from Ontario as I could.

I’d gotten as far as Montreal with what little money I had, but then I ran out and… ”

“You saw me and decided to hitch a ride,” Jude finished for him. “Do you know how fucking dangerous that was? I could have been a serial killer for all you knew.”

Snorting, Rain replied, “You really don’t look like that. To me you looked safe and my animal felt you were safe, so I waited until you went inside, then got in your car.”

“Have you never heard of people like Ted Bundy? Jeffery Dahmer? Hell, John Wayne Gacy was a beloved clown in his own town and even served as a precinct captain for the democratic party, and they still found like thirty-three boys buried under his house,” Jude snapped.

Seeing Rain paling as Jude spoke, he let out a deep breath, saying, “My point is, you can’t just go around trusting people like that on looks. Sometimes monsters come in really pretty packages. Now, why do you think you’re in danger?”

“I don’t think it, I know it. Six years ago I gave testimony against Danny Houdon and had him put away for over forty years. He and a buddy of his escaped prison a week ago and I know they’re coming for me,” Rain explained.

“Who is Danny Houdon and how do you even know he’s coming for you?” Jude asked.

“Danny Houdon is a big time drug dealer. I was at a party given by a friend of mine… well, not really a friend, but a work colleague, when Danny and a couple of others crashed the party. It seems my co-worker was using the flower shop I worked in to sell drugs.” Rain gave him a hard glare, “And no, I had no clue he was doing it. Anyway, Ben must have gotten stupid and thought he was going to take over Danny’s territory or some shit, I’m not real sure, but Danny didn’t take kindly to it, so he crashed the party and started shooting up the place.

I’d just gone outside for some fresh air and contemplate how to make a polite exit when I heard the shots.

I shifted and hid, but the people that were outside didn’t have the gift of being ‘other’ like I did, and Danny proceeded to kill all of them as well.

By the time he’d left, twenty-eight people were dead, twelve were injured, and I was left unscathed. ”

“Damn,” Jude murmured.

Rain ignored Jude’s interruption, continuing on, “Someone heard the gunshots… I mean, who wouldn’t when the dumbass didn’t bother with silencers, and called the cops, but their stupid asses came racing in sirens blaring, and Danny and his buddies were able to get away.

When it was safe I shifted back and made sure to hide behind the bushes, so when the cops got there they found me in a hiding spot.

When it came time for trial, the prosecutor called the injured in as witnesses, but one by one they started dying until all but me pulled out of testifying. ”

“And your testimony alone got this Danny guy and his friends convicted?” Jude asked.

Shaking his head, “No. See, Ben had asked me to film his party for him. I’ve done a lot of jobs in my fifty years, and although Ben didn’t know I was a shifter, he knew I had experience in filming.

We’d talked about it a few times when we were working.

I’d set up some cameras all over the place because I can’t be everywhere, and if I was going to make him a good memory clip, I needed as many angles as possible. ”

“So, you caught it all on video,” Jude said in understanding.

Nodding, Rain said, “Yeah. Between my videos and testimony he was put away.”

“Why didn’t Danny go after you instead of the injured?” Jude asked. “I mean, if it was me, I’d take out the one that could do me most harm, and that would be you.”

“Yeah, but when the first two people… both of which were under police guard, were killed, I knew that he had to have someone on the inside, so I took off. Being a shifter, it was easy to live in my shifted form for the most part until it was time for the trial.”

Jude smirked, “That was smart.”

“Thanks, but honestly, as much as I hate to say it, if I knew then what I do now, I might have just shifted and took off. They would have had no clue I saw anything and I wouldn’t be in this situation now,” Rain said.

Jude raised a brow. “You’d have let him get away with killing twenty-eight people?”

Rain looked ashamed, but turned to look out the window, softly saying, “I’m so tired of being scared.”

Jude heard the fear and shame in the man’s words and wondered whether he’d feel the same way if the tables were turned, so he instead, asked, “And how do you know he’s coming for you?”

Rain turned to look at Jude, answering, “When the trial was over the police gave me a different identity.

I watch a lot of crime television and they say you should keep as close to the name you had in order to be able to answer when someone calls your name out.

So I kept Rain and changed my last name from Stanley to Sterling.

I changed provinces and started in a new job that had nothing to do with flowers…

and let me tell you, that sucked big time because I was finally living my dream and that fucker took it away.

“Your dream job was working at a flower shop?” Jude asked.

Rain pursed his lips, practically growling, “Yes! You have a problem with that? Flowers are beautiful, smell nice, and bring people joy… even in the darkest times. People might buy flowers for a funeral, but it makes them feel better about the loss they are experiencing, and feel as if they’re doing something for the person closest to them, even if it’s only buying flowers.

I also get to be creative; I get to be a part of special occasions like weddings and other celebrations and there’s always new ones that we discover… flowers are great.”

Jude held up his hand. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t judging.

I just never thought about flowers other than when it’s Mother’s Day or some other holiday I need to get them for my mom.

However, this doesn’t explain how you know that this Danny is coming for you.

You said he escaped from prison. I’d think he’d be taking off to someplace he wouldn’t be known and risk being seen and turned in to the cops. ”

“I was lying low, trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life, since I couldn’t work at another flower shop because I knew he could find me like that.

So, I was doing simple retail. I was in the back gathering more product when I was called to the front.

The closer I got to the front, the more my shrew was screaming danger.

” Rain gave Jude a fierce glare, “I always listen to my animal.”

Nodding, Jude said, “Lex said the same thing, and I think I heard Hank say it a time or two.”

Rain looked at Jude in confusion, but continued speaking anyway, not bothering to ask him to clarify, “I was passing the dressing room so I went inside the one used to store things and shifted. It was the best way I could think of to see why my shrew was so wary. I’m glad I did because standing at the front were two of the men and they reeked of Danny…

and trust me, that man’s scent is something I will never forget. ”

Jude sat looking at Rain. He didn’t usually take things at face value, but Jude also knew that the man was genuinely scared. So, now he had to figure out what to do and decided there was only one thing he could do.

Picking up his phone, Jude tapped in the number he needed and waited.

“What are you doing? Please, I’ll leave. I’m sorry I stowed away in your car I’ll…”

Jude held up his hand stopping Rain from continuing his panicked blabbering, then he hit another button, listening until he heard Bren on the other end. “Hey, you there already?”

“No. I need you to do something for me,” Jude said.

“Okay, what is it?” Bren asked without question.

“I need information on a Danny Houdon,” Jude said.

“Let me get with Wiz and…”

“No. I need you or Ry to do this. Don’t say shit to any of the guys, they’ll only tell Casper and then I’ll be screwed and not in the make me scream for my mama kinda way,” Jude said.

Bren was quiet for a moment, but then Jude and Rain heard him calling for Rylee.

“What’s up?” Rylee said from what sounded like a distance.

“Is your investigator guy still available?” Bren asked.

“Of course. Just because I’m moving doesn’t mean Dream isn’t going to still be working for me. Why?” Rylee asked.

Jude jumped in, saying, “Because I need a name looked up fast. Danny Houdon.”

Rylee said nothing for a few and then they heard him saying, “Hey, Dream, can you do a quick search on a Danny Houdon? Thanks.”

Jude loved his brothers from other mothers. They had been best friends since damn near diapers, and when Bren’s parents kicked him to the curb and Rylee’s parents died, he and his mom had taken them both in without question.

No one could ask for better people to have his back than Bren and Rylee. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for him and never a question about doing it.

Okay, maybe a question or two, but only when Jude was up to some shit or another. However, something like this, there weren’t tons of questions and no actions. It was going to be action and then questioning him until he wanted to slit his own wrists.

“Hold on a minute, Dream. I’m going to put you on speaker,” Rylee said, then called out, “Okay, go ahead.”