Chapter 3 opens with everything readers love about a Station U crew scene — Freddy the zombie chef serving up seafood chowder, good-natured ribbing about Dean and Jaz still not having gone on a honeymoon, and Barry’s running joke about finding stray zombie body parts in his food. It’s warm, funny, and grounding, and it does real work too: the crew’s casual conversation reveals that Verity’s case isn’t isolated. Other shifts have treated similar Unusual trafficking victims recently, including a Merrow — an Irish sea fae — hinting at a wider pattern Dean can’t ignore.

That pattern-building matters, because it turns a single disturbing call into a full mystery: someone may be running a trafficking operation targeting rare water-based Unusuals in Elk City, a city that should be far too dangerous for that kind of operation given how many supernatural-aware residents and responders live there.

Then the chapter turns on a dime. Walking to his truck after dinner, Dean is blindsided in the dark parking lot by Manton — now revealed as a werepanther enforcer connected to a werecat cartel — in a genuinely frightening ambush that leaves Dean gasping on the pavement. The rescue, when it comes, is pure series payoff: Brynne, Dean’s former training officer and now a vampire, arrives in a blur of speed to drive Manton off in a brutal, fast-moving fight. It’s a chapter that swings confidently between comfort and danger, and ends with a reminder of exactly how much muscle backs up Station U’s paramedics when things go wrong.

📖 Start Dean’s next case — get The Paramedic’s Amazon on Jamie Davis’s site:

jamiedavisbooks.com/books/the-paramedics-amazon/

 

The Paramedic’s Amazon — Chapter 3

Back at Station U, tucked away back in a nondescript industrial park on the edge of town, Dean and Barry got the ambulance parked and restocked just in time for Bill and Lynne to arrive and take over for the next shift.

As Dean entered the crew quarters, a wonderful smell struck him and saliva flowed into his mouth from whatever Freddy had going in the kitchen.

“Freddy, you culinary genius, what glorious thing have you come up with for dinner?”

A shuffling gray form walked out of the small duty kitchen at the far side of the room. “I got some fresh mussels in from Kristof over at Sabatani’s. He had some extras in the shipment he just got in, so he called over to see if I wanted them. I said sure. It’s a good excuse to make you all a seafood chowder.”

Dean gave Freddy a gentle high five. He had to be careful, so he didn’t knock anything loose. Freddy was the station’s resident cook. He also was a homeless zombie who traded his pre-death skills as a top international chef for a place to live.

“That sounds awesome, my man. Can you put some in a container for me to take home? Jaz just got back from her trip and I’d like to take some dinner home to enjoy with her.”

Bill laughed from where he sat at the computer terminal, checking in with the daily reports. “What’s wrong with the rest of us? You too good to eat with us heathens?”

“Leave him alone, Bill,” Lynne said. “The two of them are still technically honeymooners.”

“It doesn’t count if the two of them haven’t actually gone on a honeymoon,” Bill countered. “Dean can’t seem to get his act in gear to plan one.”

“Hey, I’m working on it. I’ve just got to find a time when Jaz is in town for longer than a few days and when I can get off work.” Dean wasn’t lying, nor was he trying to evade Bill’s point. He’d been working through a few ideas on where to take Jaz for a real, honest to God honeymoon. He didn’t need his coworkers to remind him they hadn’t been able to go away together yet.

Barry came in from the ambulance bay and let out a sigh. “I’m hungry enough to eat an entire hog. I hope you made a lot of whatever it is I smell, Freddy.”

“I did, don’t worry. I’ll have it on the table in a few minutes.”

“Don’t forget to check for missing bits before you serve it,” Barry cautioned. “I found your pinky finger in my salad last week.”

Dean laughed. That had been hilarious, even if he’d almost had to Heimlich his partner to clear the choking zombie finger from his throat.

“It’s not funny when it’s in your food, believe me,” Barry chided all of them. “I could have died and then what would you have done?”

Dean waved off Barry’s comment. “We’d have saved you just like we do for everyone else. Stop complaining. You can’t expect food this good for free and not have some trade-offs.” Dean turned to check himself out of the shift on the computer.

Bill finished what he was doing on the other terminal and turned to Dean. “Anything interesting on your shift today?”

“There was our most recent call. It seemed like we’d stumbled on a woman who’d been a victim of human trafficking or something like it.” Dean related the events of the last call of the day and what he’d done at the hospital to report it. “I hope she takes the help she’s offered.”

Lynne shook her head. “I was in that same class as you were, Dean. You heard what the instructor said about the percentages who were rescued and those who opted to remain under the control of their captors. It has conditioned a lot of them to think no one will help them.”

Bill said, “Didn’t Brynne say something about a few similar calls being reported recently by some of the other shifts? I seem to remember seeing it here in one of her daily updates.”

“If she did, I must have glossed over it,” Dean said. He’d have to go back and check his email for that notice. “Where is Brynne? Isn’t she on as supervisor tonight?”

Lynne nodded. “She’ll be here later. She texted me she had a meeting to attend with the Chief before he went home for the night. The paramedic class just graduated, and I think she has her eye on at least one of them for Station U.”

Brynne had been Dean’s training officer until she’d nearly died from a gunshot wound. Only a last-minute save by her vampire boyfriend had saved her, sort of. Now she was back at work, but she could only work night shifts after sundown, and that limited her contact with the rest of the human fire department leadership who worked during the day.

“What did her email about trafficking say, Bill?” Dean asked.

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the fact that the other station U staff might have had similar ambulance calls told Dean that Verity’s plight wasn’t an isolated one.

“What are you thinking, partner?” Barry asked. “You think there’s some sort of ring operating here?

“I don’t know, but if there were, why bring them here where more people know about Unusuals,” Dean said. “I could see a regular human trafficking ring setting up shop here. Putting one in place dealing in Unusuals here seems like they’re asking for a run in with us or our police counterparts.”

“Maybe you should ask Jaz that question,” Lynne suggested. “With her connections both here and abroad, she might be able to find out something.”

“I’ll mention it to her. I know she’d want to help out. That’s not something she has much patience with at all.” Dean scanned down through his old emails but didn’t see the one to which his colleague was referring. “Bill, I can’t find the message.”

“I remember it was a Merrow girl they found. She was in pretty bad shape when the crew got to her. I’m not sure if she survived or not. She had numerous health issues when they brought her in.” Bill had turned back to the computer. He scrolled down the screen and pointed at one entry. He must have found the email because he clicked on the reference link to open the actual patient report.

“Merrow?” Dean asked. “That’s an Irish sea fae, right?”

Lynne nodded. “They’re the classic mermaids and mermen you hear about in most sailor’s stories. They have tails and gills when in the water, but they can shift to human form to walk around on land if they want, at least for a limited time. There aren’t many of them ashore, though. They usually prefer their home waters and communities.”

“How did she get all the way over here, then?” Dean asked. “It’s strange. I can’t help but think there’s a connection of some sort between the two calls. Mine was a rare variety of water Unusual, too. This one was a Selkie, a seal-shifter.”

Bill shook his head. “They’re even rarer than the Merrow are. They come from the islands off the northern coast of Scotland if I remember my legends and lore correctly.”

Dean tried to pull the pieces together in his head. It felt like it was all connected, but he didn’t have enough pieces yet. “Let’s all keep our eyes open and check with the community when we get out and about. Maybe someone has heard something. I’ll get with Gibbie and the rest of the disaster CERT response team to follow up for us, too. They’ve been champing at the bit for a chance to get some action again. Maybe if between us we turn over enough rocks, we’ll kick something loose to see the connection.”

The others nodded. Dean knew their informal paramedic community in the station would keep an eye out for similar patients and situations. Hopefully, they’d see something else that would lead to a clue.

Freddy came from the kitchen again, carrying a large Dutch oven to the break room table where he set it down next to a bowl of salad and a basket of rolls. He smiled at the assembled paramedics with a snaggle-toothed grin. “Dinner’s ready. Get it while it’s hot.”

“Hand check,” Barry called.

Everyone laughed as Freddy held up his hands, displaying all ten fingers, mostly intact. Dean had reattached the detached pinky finger the previous week using some super glue.

Freddy pointed back to the kitchen. “Dean, I have a plastic container back in the kitchen so you can take some home to have with Jaz. I added some dinner rolls and the salad, too. They’re in a reusable nylon bag next to the container. Don’t forget to bring back the bag and the containers, please.”

“Thanks, Freddy. I’ll remember. I know Jaz’ll appreciate it.” Dean stood up and said, “I think I’ll get going. I’ll follow up later with you all if I find out anything from my wife.”

“I’ll start an email chain with the different shifts so we can bring Brook and Tammy, along with the backup shift, into the conversation.”

Dean nodded and walked over to the kitchen to grab the food Freddie had packed up for him.

Barry, Lynne, and Bill had changed subjects and were grilling Barry about a recent date. Dean chuckled to himself as he headed out to the parking lot. The crews of Station U were a close-knit group. There were very few secrets between them.

As he walked towards his pickup truck, he realized how oddly dark it was. A glance back at the Station told him why. The light on the pole by the building was out. It usually lit up the parking area bright as day. Dean shook his head. He’d have to tell Brynne about it. She’d report it to the industrial park’s owners and get it fixed.

Dean turned back towards his truck and set the food containers on the hood so he could reach his keys. He grunted in surprise and pain as something slammed into him. The force knocked him down so hard he skidded on his chest across the asphalt for several feet. It took the wind out of him and he struggled to catch his breath.

Trying to gather his wits while getting up onto his hands and knees, Dean turned his head to see what had hit him. Expecting to see a vehicle, it surprised him to see a dark form stalking his way, red eyes glowing in the blackness of the parking area.

A ripping snarl followed by a guttural voice came from the figure. “You shouldn’t have interfered with Verity, human. She was mine to do with as I pleased.”

The dark form had gotten close enough now that Dean made out the humanoid form of a werepanther, the cat-like features blending with Manton’s human face.

Dean pushed upward, trying to rise to his feet.

Manton took two steps towards the struggling paramedic, kicking Dean in the gut as he rose.

The air whooshed from Dean’s lungs as the powerful blow lifted him from the ground and rolled him over and over until he came to rest against the curb beside Barry’s SUV.

He put out a hand to use the vehicle to help get to his feet so he could defend himself. Dean didn’t have too much hope to hold off an attack by an enraged shifter of any type for long. Still, if he were on his feet, he could make a dash for the station door. Help was there if he could reach it.

Gasping to catch his breath, Dean tried to call out for help. The building was pretty well insulated. He wasn’t sure they’d hear him inside or not, but he had to try.

Manton stalked forward; his clawed hands extended towards Dean.

“H-help.” He still hadn’t caught his breath. The croaking rasp of Dean’s voice had little volume, certainly not enough for the other medics inside to hear him. He worked to draw in a deeper breath to call out again.

Dean got to his feet, swaying as he stood. He propped his back against the SUV’s rear door to steady himself and let out another pitifully weak call for help.

The shifter came closer and Dean lifted his fists, ready to defend himself as best he could, even if it seemed like a futile gesture.

Manton had almost reached him when a shadow streaked by, coming out of nowhere. It knocked Manton from his feet and sent the shifter rolling across the parking area.

Dean stared into the night, trying to see who or what had rescued him. The shadow moved to his right and he tried to pierce the darkness to see who it was.

“You alright, Dean?” Brynne asked.

He let out a sigh of relief at hearing his former partner’s voice. “Yeah, I am now that you’re here.”

The vampire turned towards the werepanther who had regained his feet. A low snarl came from Manton’s throat as he readied himself for a fight.

Brynne rushed forward, moving so fast, she was little more than a blur. She charged the shifter, colliding with Manton at full speed.

This time he was ready for her and took the hit without getting knocked down. For a while, the two of them were an indistinguishable swirling mass of battling darkness in the middle of the parking lot.

Dean considered running for the station door to get more help, but the fight ended before he took a step.

Brynne knocked Manton to the ground. Before he could rise, she kicked him so hard he flew over twenty feet across the parking lot to slam into the wooden telephone pole beside the building.

The werepanther rolled away from the pole and climbed back to his feet. From the way he carried himself, Brynne had injured him, perhaps seriously.

Before she could move in to follow up on her attack, Manton completed his shift to full panther form. The big cat, black as night, ran off into the darkness behind the Station U building.

Brynne stared after the cat, peering into the murky darkness around them. She glanced at Dean. “He’s gone. Are you okay?”

“I am now. Thank you for saving me.”

“You’ll always be my probie, Dean. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you on my watch. Who was that guy? Did you know him?”

“He was the companion of a patient we had earlier. We thought she might be caught up in a human trafficking thing and separated them long enough to get her some help. Ashley was the charge nurse tonight and said she’d take care of it. It looks like she was successful separating them based on what that guy said when he attacked me.”

Dean took a step towards his truck and groaned, clutching his ribs. He didn’t think they were broken, but he’d be sore for the next few days.

“You’re hurt. Come on inside so we can check you over.”

Dean shook his head. “No, I’m okay. I’ll get Jaz to help me manage the scrapes and bruises when I get home.”

Brynne looked like she was about to order him to come inside, but she changed her mind. “Call in when you get home and if it gets worse, get yourself to the ER. Don’t be a hero. Got me?”

“Me, a hero? You know me better than that. I’ll be fine. I promise.”

“I’m serious. Either tell me you’ll do as I say, or I’ll pick you up and carry you inside right now.”

Dean held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll call, I promise.”

Brynne nodded. Dean picked up his keys from the ground by the pickup truck. He unlocked the doors and put the food inside on the seat, pushing it over to the passenger side as he climbed in.

A glance out the window as he backed out showed Brynn standing there with her arms crossed, lit by the taillights from his truck. He waved before he pulled onto the street and headed home.