He had his back to Rick and was currently addressing two snarling wolves as if he knew they were people in wolf form and not wild animals. Rick almost fell backward when the brown wolf bolted past the huge man and put its furry body between Rick and apparent danger. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, but I need Ricky's help." "Jordan?" Rick asked the wolf at his feet, needing to understand why the werewolf was here and not in Lupinville, and why he and his companion considered the man on his porch a threat. The man finally turned around and Rick narrowed his eyes when he realized who he was looking at. "You're Adrian Alateeka," he said. "Why on Earth would you want my help?" The man's surprised reaction wasn't all that unexpected. They'd never met, but when Rick's dad had described Adrian to him, and explained the reason the man had been looking for him—because Rick had created a rather powerful computer algorithm they apparently wanted—Rick had been curious enough to look the guy up. He'd been keeping as close an eye on Alateeka Protection Services as they apparently were on him.
