His cell phone rang, startling him from his anxious thoughts. He recognized the number.
“Sally, are you in danger?” His heart beat hard in his chest, breath ragged.
“No. I’m just…”
Oscar understood from her tone. “Alone.”
“Yeah.”
Pain zinged in his soul. “I’m so sorry, cariña. My own heart hungers for you as well. I can barely stand the thought of you out there.”
“It’s not so bad. I kinda found some food.”
He realized she was trying to assuage his guilt, even in the middle of her own misery. “You are stronger and more resourceful than you give yourself credit for.”
“Maybe. I’m just… lost.”
“I will find you.”
“No, I mean. With you. What’s going to happen to us?”
“I pledge on my honor that we will be together soon.”
Elathan Blood, with word that he had succeeded in destroying Thorn, would be at his most active—and vulnerable. Oscar had to get to him before he slipped away. He made his preparations as he talked on the phone. First, he had to shuck the detectives’ scrutiny. Given that most of his career was with human problems, skip-tracing, missing persons, divorce work and so forth, he knew how to toss them a red herring.
“I want to be together. I’ve never felt like this before,” Sally said.
“Nor I. I feel that you have not captured my wild heart, but that you hold it gently in your hands. Why the stars would bring a prideful, sinful man like me into the arms of an angel, I cannot say. It must be because we are destined to be together. I will fight tooth and nail for our destiny.”
“It just feels like I’m walking into a trap. You’re so incredible, so impossibly beautiful, that it can’t be real. Am I an idiot for falling for you? Am I going to get hurt?”
“I feel nothing but agony for leaving you in the wilds. No, Sally, I will not, cannot, hurt you. Once I clear your name, we can go on without danger hanging over our heads.”
First, he had a man to hunt. In a few moments, he undressed. In a backpack, he packed a camouflaged jogging suit, his cell phone and the air pistol in a shoulder rig.
“But for how long will we go on? I’m not a raving beauty, and beautiful women flock to you.”
“Let them flock, they are only sheep. You are so much more, Sally. Your wit, your shyness, oh, they tease the cat in me. For the wildness of your hair and the blue of your eyes belay the sensual woman you try to hide. I will always seek to uncover what you try to hide.”
He raced up the stairs to the rooftop. Oscar had no doubt the building and his Lincoln were under surveillance. He would make this an advantage.
“Holy cow, the way you say it, I almost believe it.”
“Believe it, Sally. Believe me. Stay strong. I will save you, no matter what it takes.”
Time was short. Oscar said his goodbyes. He tossed the bag to the garden three stories below. The space was sheltered from prying eyes. There was no easy way from the top of the building to the ground. For a human.
At the edge of the roof, Oscar shifted, muscles, bones and tendons singing, a coat of black fur with subtle rosettes covering, claws and fangs sprouting. Feline eyes surveyed the span between buildings. Two stories down on the facing structure was the roof of a porch. The jaguar leapt, landing lightly. He waited for a moment, listening. No one stirred in the building. From there, it was an easy jump to the ground.
In seconds, he dressed and headed through a narrow alley. Oscar eyed the street. Heightened senses detected no stakeout on the street one block away. He took no chances, jogging deeper into downtown. Pulling up his Uber app, he ordered a car. One already waited at the art museum.
He clambered into the back seat of the sedan.
“Going to the airport?” the driver asked. She was a middle-aged woman, gray-streaked hair in a ponytail.
“Sí, to the airport. SeaTac.”
She frowned at him. “You want me to drive you all the way to Seattle?”
“Indeed, no. I wish for you to drive to Seattle without me.” He fished out his billfold, jammed with money from his safe. “Here is your tip in advance, extra money should you wish to stay the night, some money for gas.”
Her eyes locked on the bills. “That’s five hundred bucks.”
“Plus your standard fare, and another tip.”
Steely eyes locked on his. “You must be in some kinda trouble, Mister.”
“This is true. I would also like to drive very slowly through Portland. Make certain you are followed.”
“You know, I don’t think—”
One by one, Oscar drew hundred dollar bills from the wallet until the woman’s eyes went wide.
“Okay, I’m not driving you to Seattle. How much trouble am I going to be in?”
Oscar shrugged and handed over another bill.
“Fine, whatever.”
Quickly tapping in the new destination, Oscar paid for the ride and leapt out of the car. From the shadows of an alley, he watched an unmarked police car circle the block and head off after the Uber. When the prowler continued to follow instead of pulling the driver over, Oscar smiled and hurried away.
Five minutes later, he found cabs waiting outside the Dossier Hotel on Alder Street. He slipped inside one.
“Where to, sir?” A Middle Eastern man in a baseball cap and denim jacket asked through the Plexiglas screen.
“Unofficially, Gresham.”
“What does that mean, sir?”
Oscar shoved a Benjamin at the driver. “That means start driving east. You can tell the dispatcher Gresham. After we get there, I’ll give you the final destination.”
“You are in some kind of trouble, sir?”
He nodded, and pressed a second C-note against the screen. “Yes, with a woman’s husband. I am in a hurry.”
Dark eyes assessed him. “Very well, sir.” The driver called in a Gresham destination, a chain diner. Oscar’s eyes swept the rain-dampened streets as the taxi left the curb. While the cab was roomy enough, he felt confined. Oscar liked to drive himself. But there was nothing for it now. He sank into the back seat and thought.
During this whole investigation, there was only one place Oscar had scented his prey. Although the presence was long diminished, it was the only place to begin the hunt. With Thorn dead and the police tracking down Sally, Elathan Blood would make his move soon. Oscar could only hope that he would make it before the cops caught up with Sally. Or before they threw Oscar in jail.
As the structures of civilization dropped to a progression of wilder landscapes, he considered his next move. The sheriff’s detectives might get a line on the taxi. Oscar couldn’t risk them questioning the driver, and finding his final destination. He ordered the driver to Highway 26 instead of the direct route on 224. In the end, it mattered little. There was nothing but wilderness and mountains around for miles.
“Find a place to turn around.” They were nearing Little Crater Lake, bringing thoughts of the mysterious Vet to mind. Oscar determined that he was as close to Ripple as he could get without driving into the tiny town itself. It was maybe ten miles over the mountainous forest. It would take some time on foot, but it was his best chance.
“But sir, there’s nothing out here. It is very cold for camping.”
The sign for the Clear Lake Campgrounds appeared in the headlights. “Take me to the other side of the lake.”
“This doesn’t seem—”
Oscar dug out another C-note and pressed it to the divider. “I’ve got a ride there.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Forestry Service road was well maintained. They didn’t spot a single car as the cabbie slowly circled the shore. Oscar determined they had reached the part farthest southwest and stopped the driver. The cabbie’s eyes widened at the darkness, the surrounding trees, the black, still surface of the water.
“I don’t think I should leave you here.”
Oscar shouldered his pack.
“Better, you should forget you brought me in the first place. Buenos noches, señor.”
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Chapter Twenty
“I’ll try to stay strong.” Sally’s heart fluttered in her chest. She heard the stress in Oscar’s voice, yet his words soothed her. She had to let him work.
“I know you will. There is so much to explore beneath your demure veneer that I can spend a lifetime doing it.”
Sally couldn’t help herself. “Oh, I know you like doing it.”
“Doing it with you. To you. My lips hunger for yours, starve to taste your pale skin.” He chuckled. “Just you wait, you sexy creature. I have not yet begun doing it to you.”
She felt sparks of desire ignite. “Hurry up and save me, then. I’ll grind against you for hours for your reward.”
“Your heat will compel me to end this adventure. I will devour you.”
“I’ll devour you back!”
He growled. “With that thought, I must leave you. Don’t do anything foolish, Sally. I love you.”
Sally took a deep breath. “I—”but the phone went dead.
He loves me, she thought.
Even tuned into her bear senses, Sally couldn’t avoid running into a low hanging branch over the dark path. She ripped Oscar’s trench coat on something as she stumbled. Ran her face through icky spider webs.
Don’t do anything foolish. Sure.
Putting aside her giddy feelings, she stumbled on down the path. It seemed to take forever, but finally, Sally found the road. Blacktop glistening with mist endlessly wound through the forest. Only the light of the waning moon revealed her remote surroundings. Any half-formed plans dissolved with the reality of her situation. She was in the middle of nowhere, miles from shelter or pizza delivery. Walking was her only option, and it would take her all night to get anywhere.
Maybe she should stick with the woods.
Glancing into the blackness between the trunks, she shuddered. She’d had enough of roughing it. Even her bear was weary of the great outdoors. For a moment, Sally found this off-hand connection with her inner animal interesting. The bear liked a soft bed and a gooey pizza as much as she did. Ultimately, this didn’t solve getting to a soft bed and a gooey pizza, so she started hoofing.
In the back of her mind, animal instincts formed a rough map. Home was that way. She couldn’t go home, but she felt she needed to get close to home. And then? Not a clue.
Miles later, her junk food energy ebbed. She felt no closer to anywhere. Resigned, she trudged along the twisting road, hoping that no patrol cars were out here looking for her. Considering she hadn’t seen any kind of vehicle, she felt fairly safe in this regard.
As if in response, she heard a distant rumble. Sally stepped as far off the road as she could. Lights of a truck swept around the bend. She hid in the shadows of trees until the semi swept by with a roar. Breath held, Sally waited for the machine to disappear. Fear gnawed her guts as the hiss and squeal of brakes echoed.
“Hey, you need a lift?”
A voice, rough but feminine, rose over the idling truck.
Sally stepped back onto the road. “No, I’m good,” she shouted.
After a long pause, a hand shot out of the cab, beckoning. “C’mon, I ain’t got all night.”
Too embarrassed to refuse, she headed for the waiting semi. The passenger door opened and a heavyset face scowled down at her. “Car break down?”
“No.” Sally shook her head. “I’m fine. Thanks, though.”
The big woman’s head angled from side to side as she studied Sally. “You better get in. There’s nothing out here for miles, kid. How’d you get out here?”
Sally decided to deploy a trick she had subtly learned from Oscar. A little truth—but just a little—seemed to go a long way. “A guy left me out here.”
“Way the hell out here?”
Sally shrugged.
“Men are such assholes. Climb on up. I know a place you can go.”
Thinking that it would beat walking, Sally levered herself up into the cab. She nearly sighed out loud at the warmth, not realizing how cold it was outside. “Thanks.”
The woman gunned the engine and started down the road. “Looks like the sonofabitch did a number on you, kid.”
Sally realized she probably looked a little beat up from her night hike. “Uh, no. I’m just clumsy.”
“Right,” the driver dragged the word out. “Say no more. I know what it’s like. I’m Frieda.”
“Sally.”
“Place we’re going ain’t the Ritz, but it’s safe enough. I know the night manager.”
Sally wanted to ask if there was delivery to this safe place, but kept her thoughts to herself. She could sort things out in time. The truck rambled through the woods, country music on the radio. They moved northwest up to 224. A few moments later, Ripple came into view. Sally worried that Frieda was taking her to the bed and breakfast run by the Shoats. But the truck rolled on. She saw the lights of the bar were on, a few vehicles in the lot. Her staff was keeping the Squirrels Nuts open.
She appreciated the gesture, but considering where her life was heading, Sally wondered if it made any difference. Maybe they could put out a tip jar for her legal defense. How much would she end up owing Iwalani? Money hadn’t come up. Best not to think about certain things while you were on the lam.
“I hate truck stops. Full of hobos and prostitutes. That’s how I know about some of these places,” Frieda said. “This is a tough route. I need places to crash.”
Sally thought it best not to comment on the choice of words. The highway wound tortuously through woods and hills. Frieda, the trucker, had the hammer down, as the old song said. Vehicles appeared on the road. They were nearing more populated spaces.
Frieda guided the truck into the lot of a small shopping center. Sally shopped at this supermarket when she couldn’t find what she needed at the general store in Ripple. She’d never noticed the motel shoved into a corner of the lot. The presence of a couple chain restaurants nearly made her drool. Yes, there was pizza here.
The parked truck took up about twenty empty spaces. Frieda jumped down from the cab much more lithely than her large frame suggested. Sally followed her to the motel office. Behind the glass, a chubby young man, skin plagued by acne, gazed at his cell phone. He didn’t look up when Frieda pressed the call button.
“Damn it, Martha’s usually working the night shift. Her son’s a lazy sonofabitch.” She leaned on the buzzer.
Sally sized up the situation. She thought about what Oscar would do if the proprietor was a woman. Quickly, she unbuttoned the top of her plaid shirt, showing some cleavage. When Frieda pounded on the window, the man’s eyes darted to the glass, and instantly dropped to Sally’s chest.
“Where’s your mother, Billy?”
Billy addressed Sally’s boobs. “Sleeping. It’s her day off.”
“I got a lady here with man trouble. She’ll be needing a room on the QT.”
“Y’know, I gotta have a driver’s license and a credit card to rent a room,” Billy said to Sally’s boobs.
“I have a little cash,” Sally said.
Frieda bent closer. “Either rent her a room, or wake up your ma. When your ma wakes up, she will rent Sally here a room, and then you’ll never hear the end of it.”
Eyes now wary continued to linger on her bosom. “I don’t know, Frieda.”
Sally moved in closer, giving him an eyeful. “Please, I just need a room for the night. I’m in trouble. I’ll be out first thing in the morning.”
“Or we wake up Martha.” Frieda held up her cell phone. “I got her number.”
Shoulders slumped and Billy sighed. “All right, fine. That’ll be seventy-eight dollars.”
Sally pulled a hundred dollar bill from the money clip and passed it through the window. Billy handed back enough change for a pizza. Sometimes Sally had to wonder at her one-track mind. But troubled times called f
or extra cheese and sausage. And cleavage, apparently.
Frieda handed her a card. “If you got no place to go come morning, call me. I know some good shelters that’ll get you back on your feet.”
“I really appreciate this, Frieda.”
“Think nothing of it. Us girls gotta stick together. Men are such assholes.” She threw a hard scowl at Billy. He ignored it, once again engrossed in his cell phone.
Sally watched the semi roar to life and glide out of the parking lot. She felt a little bad letting Frieda believe she was a battered girlfriend. Even if she’d never said as much. Sally let herself in, finding a menu for the pizza shop. Even if she couldn’t solve all her problems, she could at least get herself fed.
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Chapter Twenty-One
By the time Oscar reached the outskirts of Ripple, the moon had set. No matter, his feline vision had plenty of light from the stars. His animal sense of direction stopped him. He was close enough to his goal. Stripping down, he assumed a shape as dark as the night. A jaguar was on the prowl in the wilds of central Oregon.
As he approached, Oscar kept downwind. While he couldn’t scent his prey just yet, he did not want to give himself away. Finally, he came within sight. It filled him with dread.
Even though he had been here when the bomb went off in the crumbling sawmill, what remained sent a shiver through him. A crater now dipped where a structure once stood. Trees all around were singed and broken. Yellow crime scene tape fluttered in the light wind. Oscar moved closer, sensing no human presence.
What he could smell was bear. The odor was faint, yet prevalent. It sent him into the branches of an undamaged tree. The dilapidated sawmill was the one and only time he caught scent of Elathan Blood’s bear form. With thousands of square miles of forest and mountain to hide in, Oscar’s only hope lay in the fact that his quarry had spent time here.
Time passed slowly as he staked out the site. It could be that the bear-shifter had only come here to lay his deathtrap. If so, all might be lost. Keeping Sally safe hinged on bringing Elathan Blood to justice.
The Apex Shifter Complete Set: Books 1 - 3 Page 25
