***
Ryan’s heart was pounding in his chest as he pulled up to the warehouse at 4197 Mockingbird, but not because the building was full of monsters or because he was about to meet the first werewolf since the one that had tried to kill him. Instead, his face was flushed and the blood roared in his ears because somewhere inside that building was Evelyn. He had been thinking about her almost constantly since he had left the warehouse and the prospect of seeing her again made his knees weak.
He had replayed the conversation with Vanessa over in his head throughout the drive. Ryan wasn’t proud of the way he had handled anything in the last few days, but everything had somehow managed to turn out alright. He was happy with where he had left things with Vanessa, but he now added her to his mental list of things he needed to make up for. As he pulled up to the curb in front of 4197 he tried to put those thoughts out of his mind. Now more than ever, he knew he needed to focus.
The clouds had broken and pale yellow sunlight shone through onto the wet, splotchy asphalt. The breeze off the sea stung his nose and cheeks, but the day itself was unseasonably warm. The wind whipped up the collar of his jacket, but died down as he made his way from the Cherokee to the warehouse door.
Mrs. White didn’t look up as he entered, nor did she respond to his hesitant greeting. Instead, she punched a button and a loud clank sounded within the heavy steel door. The aging woman flipped a page on her paperback and released the hammer on the shotgun.