by Linda Palmer
"I came here to be beta, not alpha. Mike has not cleared this with me."
"He doesn't have to."
"He can't afford to get hurt. He's got family."
"Who gives a shit?"
Some of the guys laughed. One glance at Mike told me my objections had embarrassed him. He was going with the usual wolf way to save face.
My father stood. Taking his cue, everyone else began to walk toward double doors that I figured opened onto a patio. The outside light had been off all night, so I hadn't paid much attention to it before. Now illuminated was a wooden deck with nice outdoor furniture. Steps led down to a sprawling, but beautifully maintained yard with flower beds, trees, and meticulously trimmed hedges. Oddly, I thought the dark woods that lay beyond it were much more inviting.
I'd broken out in a nervous sweat by then. The winter air chilled me, but more chilling was the excitement of the Weres who encircled us. Mike and I undressed and shifted under the watchful eye of JT, who stood emotionless on his patio. "To the death?"
All the guys cheered.
I heard Mike's warning growl. With chagrin, I gave in to the inevitable. As wolves, we circled each other. His snarls menaced. I could tell he'd shoved all fear aside and was now in the moment—a life and death moment. We came together in a fury of fangs and claws. Intense pain and gushing blood meant this was no show. Mike wanted to live.
But then, so did I.
Younger than he, I had more stamina, but he had years' of experience on me. As our wolf selves continued circling, lunging, and snapping, the others egged us on. Every time I managed to pin my opponent, I silently begged him to give up. He never took my cue, choosing instead to reassert and attack again. The backyard floodlight illuminated the blood-flecked ground, black against snow that hadn't quite melted.
He hurt me, but I hurt him, too. Would JT really let us fight to the death? JT, the wolf I despised. JT, the wolf I should be charging. Instead, I'd been manipulated into fighting a man I actually respected.
A blur of motion to my right distracted me. A Were onlooker had shifted into his wolf. I sensed the vibe had altered. Others were shifting, too. A low howl and then a second raised the hackles on my back.
Somehow they'd surrounded us. A Canis lupus perimeter that slowly tightened.
What the hell?
A magnificent white broke through the ring. I knew those blue eyes, so like mine. But unlike mine, they were intense, furious, and deadly.
Energy pulsed through the group. A toss of the white's head sicced them on us.
No, not us. Mike.
They tore at Mike.
And the white, well, he charged me.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Lily
I wasn't sure what the climate would be at breakfast on the first day of a brand new year. Sunrise had a way of turning last night's bright ideas into not-so-good ones. But Theo seemed focused.
"I know where to start I guess, but Lily, this isn't going to happen today, and maybe not tomorrow. So I need you to stay calm, okay? Don't do anything rash. You could get all three of us in trouble. I don't want you two involved in this."
Neecy didn't like that one bit. "But I already am, and glad of it. If the two people I love most in this world are struggling, then I want to help."
Theo's answer was to hug her, but he caught my eye while he did it. I got his silent entreaty to leave her out of my mess. I could guess his reasons. As with me, love was the only thing tying her to this craziness.
Love?
That word again. I tried to think of a pivotal moment when my feelings had deepened from curiosity, to like, and to maybe love. I decided Christmas had probably tipped me over the edge, and I'd been on a downhill slide straight into enthralled ever since.
So…love?
Of course.
"You each know what you're supposed to do?"
"Yes," said Neecy, her tone flat. "Stay out of it."
He turned to me. "Lily?"
"Nothing until Ben has our backs." My tone was just as flat.
"Good. Excellent." He glanced at his watch. "I've got to show a house."
That surprised me. "But it's a holiday. You'll miss all the bowl games."
"Won't be gone that long." Just a few minutes later, he left us still sitting at the bar. Neecy looked at me; I looked at her.
"Are you going to mind him?" she asked.
"What do you think?"
"I want to help."
"I know. What are you doing today?"
"I promised Theo I'd bake bread. I think he only asked me so he'd be sure I stayed home. But a promise is a promise, and he doesn't ask for much. You?"
I considered my options. "Maybe I'll drive around."
"Looking for Cade all by yourself? Absolutely not. You're going to help me with the bread."
I could tell she'd be hurt if I did anything without her, not that I had a real plan. I so did not, which is why it was easy to agree to help with her baking.
Hunter would surely tell Cade I was worried about him. And then Cade would surely call to let me know he was fine.
*****
On Friday, it was back to business, with me still in the dark about Cade. My common sense told me that my panic was based on assumptions. What did I really know?
Just a few things, I realized. One, some kind of meeting was being held at Mara's house over the holiday. Two, Cade had gone to some kind of meeting, too. Three, she'd seen wolves on their property. Did one plus two plus three add up to any solid clues?
Not so much.
A look at the shop appointment book confirmed I had one massage booked that morning. The rest of my day was free, which meant hours of helping whoever needed it. The good thing? Thinking time. The bad? Thinking time. I was at the Ah Spa in spirit only, something clients picked up on.
"Are you in love?" asked Kat, one of Neecy's young regulars who worked for a lawyer. I was washing her hair.
I'm sure I blushed. "What a question. Do I look like I am?" I kept my tone light and teasing.
"As a matter of fact, you do. Is it that babe who came in here to see you the other day?"
Oh God. She'd been there.
I hooted. "As if."
Kat didn't believe me. "If it doesn't work out, give him my number, would you? College towns, no matter how small, are great places to live because of the students. But the ratio of single girls to single guys totally sucks."
I sympathized and changed the subject.
Honestly, I thought the day would never end. When it finally did, I left closing up to my cousin and went straight to my car. The drive to Cade's apartment took fifteen minutes but only because I got behind some granny driving an older model Cadillac. Spotting his red car with a couple of others parked under the huge oak tree in the front yard, I slowed mine to a crawl and then turned into the drive to get off the narrow street. So he'd gotten home in one piece.
Only then did I realize how hard I was clutching the steering wheel. My knuckles were white with the pressure.
Big whew!
Fear melted into fury. The least he could've done was called. I mean, he knew that I knew that he… Dammit. I suddenly wanted to park, walk up the sidewalk, and boldly knock on the door.
I resisted by keeping the motor running. Cade ended whatever we'd had—I was still cloudy on our relationship's actual status—which made it his job to reconnect us. My running after him was not acceptable. I was a modern girl, independent and proud of it.
But I was also angry and, I admitted, hurt—two perfectly good reasons to be there.
At that moment, a truck mounted on enormous wheels pulled up beside me, his tailgate slightly blocking my exit. I recognized the guy getting out of it—Rocky.
"Hey, hey, hey." He strutted toward me. The coral skies of impending sundown were such a bright backdrop that he was just a dark silhouette with features impossible to make out.
I locked my doors, wincing at the loud confirmation clicks, and rolled up my window u
ntil there was only an inch of open air.
He sniggered. "Don't be scared Lil-eee. I'm gentle with flowers."
How'd he know my name?
By then he stood right next to my window. Shadowing my eyes, I confirmed his identity. Then I tried to think of something clever to say. "Hello, Rocky. How's life been treating you since that night you tried to pick up Angie? Security threw you out, as I recall."
He abruptly tested the door, a movement so quick it startled me. I fell back with a gasp. He smirked.
I revved the engine. "You're blocking my exit."
Rocky flicked a glance at his monster truck before zoning in on me. "Why are you here?"
"I know a couple of guys that live in there. Looks like they're not home." I shifted my gaze to the vehicles parked under the tree, hoping he'd assume I wanted to see the owner of one that wasn't there.
"Forget them." He dangled his key ring under my nose, much like he'd done with Angie. "Come on. I'll let you in, show you my room."
"No. I'm leaving. Move your truck."
"Not happening. You're gonna come in and hang out with me tonight. The bed's narrow, but we can buddy up and fit just fine." He made kissy noises through his pursed lips and cupped the crotch of his jeans, worn way too low on his hips. "You won't regret it."
Yeah. Cruder than an Adam Sandler movie. I wanted to puke.
Although I knew I was safe in my car, I still felt a shiver of fear. Rocky's eyes frightened me. Dull and lifeless, they could've belonged to a zombie, if they'd existed.
Oh God.
Did they exist?
Without a word of warning, I put my car in reverse. Rocky reflexively jerked away. I edged back until I'd nudged his truck. That got his attention. "Move it." I nudged his ride again, an action that might scratch his chrome bumper…if I was lucky. Actually bumping into him would annihilate my car, not that slick ride of his.
He had to know this, but with a growl of irritation, he did what I'd desperately hoped he would—move his new truck. I shot out of the driveway and left rubber when I took off down the road. Afraid he'd follow, I glanced anxiously at the rear view mirror for several blocks. But there was no one behind me.
What now? I still needed confirmation that Cade had returned unharmed. Where was it Hunter worked? Oh yeah—the lumber yard. And where was that? I snatched up my cell phone and began an online search for it.
It was almost seven-thirty and totally dark by the time I got there. Closing hours had been a nice surprise—eight. I saw Hunter's truck and a couple others parked as far from the main building as possible. I pulled in beside him to wait. It was just over a half hour later that I saw him heading toward what was probably the employee's parking area.
Hunter was almost to his ride before he saw me and skidded to a stop. I got out of my car and approached him. He grabbed my wrist and pulled us under a tree that still supplied shade during the day and now kept us in night shadow.
"Is Angie hurt? Because that's the only good reason you could possibly have for being here."
I yanked my arm free. "She's fine. I'm here for an update on Cade."
"Don't have one."
"Because…?"
"They're not back."
I sucked in a startled breath. "They're still at that meeting?" That was almost three days.
"I guess."
We were getting nowhere fast. "Do these get-togethers usually last this long?"
"You're asking the wrong guy, okay? Some of the others might know. Most have been in this pack for years."
I stood there in the dark for a long moment, completely at a loss. Were all my assumptions true? Did Cade now need saving?
Hunter broke the strained silence. "The meeting didn't even start until midnight, so I'm guessing they're still at it. I mean, they only get together like this once a year. There's bound to be a lot of stuff to discuss, plus Cowboy's asked to be Mike's second. "
"What!"
"He wants to be Mike's second. That'll require a vote or whatever it is they do to get stuff like that done."
I couldn't even speak.
Hunter thought I didn't understand. "That's like a vice president or —"
"I know what a second is. What I don't know is why Cade would want that job."
Hunter scraped the frozen ground with the toe of his boot. "Look, he's bound to come home later tonight or maybe tomorrow. I'll have him call. You can yell at him all you want, even if he's not your boyfriend anymore and doesn't really owe you any explanations."
I ignored that. "Promise?"
"I promise I'll tell him to call. I ain't promising he'll do it."
"Thank you." I gave him a spontaneous hug that clearly shocked him.
With a brisk nod, he freed himself and practically ran to his truck. I was still standing in the shadows when he sped out of the gravel lot. I stayed there for several minutes after, thinking.
Although Cade had left me guessing about his reasons for ignoring Ben's order to leave Missouri, I truly believed he thought his dad would be at that summit.. Was applying to be Mike's second a tactical move? A legit reason to attend that summit he was so curious about?
And if he finally did face down his dad, what would happen? He'd be a nobody—new, alone, and outnumbered. Almost as worrisome was my predicament. Nobody would let me know if something happened to Cade. I mean, why should they?
What if hours stretched into days, and days, into weeks?
How would I survive with no news?
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Cade
My human eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, but I could only see shadows within shadows and didn't have the strength to explore the room in which I found myself.
I wondered about Mike. If he was with me, I didn't know it. If fact, I could be sure of only one thing—JT hadn't believed for a second my lies about wanting to join him. That's undoubtedly why he'd sicced the others on us. I could only hope that Mike hadn't been a casualty of my duplicity.
My mind felt blurry, only clearing when a stab of pain roused me. During those moments, I thought I heard things.
Thumps. Bumps. Muffled voices.
I realized I was naked. My body felt damp. Sweat? No. The smell told me it was blood.
Fresh blood.
My blood…and not just on my body. The dirt beneath me felt sticky with it. No wonder my head swam.
I wondered how long I had before I bled out.
Chapter Forty
Lily
Friday night, we had spaghetti and some of the homemade bread Neecy and I had baked New Year's Day. It was delicious. Theo shamelessly ate way too many pieces. Unfortunately, I had no appetite. While I managed to get down half a slice, my spaghetti lay untouched on my plate. I saw Theo and Neecy exchange telling looks. I knew they were worried about me, but neither could help, and I didn't feel like pretending they could.
Saturday at the shop was shockingly dull. In fact, Neecy, Mandy, and I were the only ones there and Mandy left the moment she finished up her customer. An after-holiday slow down, I guessed, plus most of my other coworkers had purposefully scheduled time off.
When I could stand the silence no longer, I spoke up. "Want to drive out to Mara's?"
Neecy stopped dusting to look at me. "I thought she was out of town."
"She is."
Her lips slowly stretched into a smile. "Why don't I close up? I doubt anyone will even notice."
A flip of a sign and the light switch got us out of there. Since she'd tried in the past to see the house, she knew where it was. We headed out around noon in my SUV. I should've enjoyed the drive through snow-covered hills and valleys, but today I was oblivious to beauty. I had no idea what waited for us at Mara's beyond my certainty that it wouldn't be her.
Neecy finally pointed to a driveway. I turned left and headed down the narrow asphalt lane that took us through an open gate to the biggest house I'd ever seen. We parked in the circle, which was otherwise empty. We both ducked to get a good look at th
e house before we got out. It was two stories high and wider than the Branson Walmart.
"Geez," she murmured. "No wonder she brags."
"Yeah." Gulp. I saw a three-car garage with the doors down. Glancing all around, I looked for security guards. I saw lots of surveillance cameras and concluded that someone, somewhere was undoubtedly watching us.
My cell phone rang just then, a sound that made both of us jump. I saw that it was Theo calling. I showed Neecy and then put him on speaker. "Hello."
"Hey. Just wanted to let you know that I've talked to Ben DeLuca. He's pretty pissed that Cade is 'acting out'—his words, not mine. He's even more pissed that you've gotten involved. He told me to stop interfering. If we don't, we're on our own, and apparently that ain't good."
"He's abandoning Cade?"
"Trying to teach him a lesson, is more like it, I think."
"Well, screw him! We don't need his help."
"I disagree," Theo said. "We can't do this alone, Lils,"
"So call the other guy. What was his name?"
"Levi? I'll see what I can do. Meanwhile, you and Neecy do what the man said and stay out of it."
I killed the call and turned to my cousin. "If this goes south, Theo's going to kill us."
"Not if someone else already has."
We both burst into nervous laughter, so it was a few seconds before I could talk. "This whole thing is ridiculous. I mean, you know that, right?"
"Better than you do, I think."
"That's because I saw it, Neecy. Right before my eyes, a wolf turned into a guy. My guy. And now he's gone missing. At least, I think he has."
"And if he has, you have to save him. I get it. I do. That's why I brought the gun." She opened her purse so I could see into it.
My heart flip-flopped in my chest. "It stays right there unless something goes horribly wrong, okay?"
"Okay."
"I don't say it enough, but I love you."
She nodded, her expression as serious as mine. "Love you right back."
With our final words out of the way, we got out of the car and headed up the sidewalk to the porch. I rang the bell. We waited. I was just about to ring it again when a shadow darkened the stained glass window of the door. It clicked open and swung inward.
