When Cal eased the gate to the site open, Joseph slipped thorough with Cal right behind him. Seconds later Joseph stripped and shifted. Cal picked up his clothes, then, as they had planned, he moved silently through the semi-darkness to one of the supply sheds, hunkering down in the deep shadows behind it to wait, his pistol tucked in the waistband of his jeans.
Joseph knew Cal had wanted to accompany him, but as he'd pointed out, sneaking up on the vandals would be much harder for him with Cal in tow. "The idea is to surprise them in the act, not run them off without having any proof that's why they're at the site. If one of them is someone who works for us, they could just claim they were doing what we are, trying to stop any more vandalism."
With Cal safely out of sight, Joseph opened all his shifter senses as he crept inch by inch toward the apartment building. He heard the usual sounds of the city. Cars moving on the streets even though it was well after midnight. People talking, walking, as they left a bar two blocks away, some sounding happy, others not. The smells were varied, earth, wood, paint, the scents of the chemicals used on the site, the remnants of mold and mildew still clinging to the building.
I'll have to remember to tell the men where there's still some mold, the shifter thought before he got back to the business at hand.
His black fur melded into the darkness surrounding the building and into the shadows when he stealthily crept up the stairs to the third balcony. From there he could survey the area in front of the building, his sharp eyes looking for signs of movement from anything larger than the rats that came out after the site was closed up for the night.
Nothing moved, and he smelled nothing human on that side. In the next instant he had teleported to the roof. It was something he rarely did, seeing no necessity to in the normal course of things. In this case however, it quickly got him up where he would have a total view of his surroundings.
He paced the rear side of the roof, searching for intruders. Seeing none at the moment, he settled on his haunches, ready to wait until dawn if necessary. Every instinct told him it wouldn't be if the man, or men, planned to escalate their sabotage. They'd be fools not to strike while the iron was hot, before Cal has a chance to hire armed guards to patrol the place.
It was a good two hours later, close to four am, when he finally heard what he'd been waiting for, the sound of furtive footsteps on the gravel beside the short side of the L-shaped building.
Creeping forward, he looked over the edge. Three stories below him, two foreshortened dark shapes were huddled together talking in whispers, one pointing to the back corner of the building. He heard him say, "The pile of lumber's in back".
So at least one of them was not part of our crew if he didn't know that. He tried to determine who the speaker was, but the man was whispering. So he sniffed, hoping to pick up his scent. Instead the odor of gasoline met his nostrils.
Even as he realized what they probably had in mind, the men were on the move. He raced to the back side of the roof, certain what he would see. The gasoline odor intensified moments later and he watched as they emptied the contents of the large can over lumber piled within a foot or so of the back wall.
As one of the men took something from his pocket, Joseph left the roof, landing beside him before the man could flick the lighter he held to start the lumber on fire. Strong jaws clamped on the man's arm, fangs piercing skin down to the bone. The man screamed in pain and terror.
His companion stared in disbelief, then, stupidly in Joseph's opinion, bent to retrieve the fallen lighter. He didn't have a chance to complete the action. Joseph was on him swiftly, knocking him to the ground. Massive paws on his shoulders held him there, fangs flashing when he lowered his head toward the man's throat.
"No!" Cal shouted when he rounded the corner. "Don't kill him!"
For an instant Joseph was tempted to ignore the order, aware of who the man was. Then he lifted his head, still holding the man supine on the ground.
As Cal came closer, he swore softly but vehemently. "Steve? What the hell! Why?" He pointed the pistol at him then moved it quickly to cover the second man who was attempting to crawl away, despite the damage to his arm. "Another inch and you lose your balls," he growled. The man froze where he was.
Once again Cal asked, "Why, Steve? I thought you believed in what we were doing."
"Get this animal off me and I'll tell you."
Joseph growled low in his throat, casting a quick glance at Cal. Cal shook his head. "He stays until you talk," he told Steve, moving to stand over him while keeping a weather eye on the second man.
"Money, Cal. Money. I have debts, gambling debts, and they need paying off. So when I was approached to help shut down the work here, well, I didn't have much choice in the matter."
"Oh, Steve. Damn it." Cal sighed sadly. "Why didn't you come to me? We could have figured something out."
Joseph moved back then, standing with his hackles raised, his tail erect, his legs stiff, and a snarl on his lips which revealed his sharp fangs as he focused all his attention on Steve.
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