“I won’t,” she said. “No more running. I promise.”
Her phone buzzed again. She took it out of her pocket. “It’s Jake,” she said.
“You should talk to him. Maybe he has more news about what’s happening with those reporters.”
As soon as she answered the call, Jake was rambling. “Have you been called by a woman named Jillian Meyer? She called me to say she wanted to contact you. Has she called?”
Mia remembered the previous call, the number she didn’t recognize. “Maybe. I didn’t answer. Why? What’s happening?”
“Oh my god, Mia, you have to answer her call. She’s calling from the Hart show. They want you to be a guest and tell them about the wolfman photo.”
Mia sighed. Her career dream was about to come true, only now it was no longer a dream, it was a nightmare.
“Mia, did you hear me? Marilyn Hart wants you on her show!”
“Yeah, I heard you, Jake.”
“So why aren’t you excited? This is what you always wanted, what you always dreamed about.”
What could she tell him? He wasn’t going to understand that she couldn’t betray Carter and the town of Belladonna Falls to get on the show. Jake believed that the story came before anything else.
Not too long ago, she had believed that herself.
But not anymore.
Some things were more important than breaking a story to the media.
Mia wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she sat on Marilyn Hart’s sofa and told this story to America.
“I have to go, Jake.”
“But you’ll talk with Jillian Meyer, right?”
She ended the call, cutting him off.
“What is it?” Carter asked.
“They want me to be on the Hart show and tell my story,” she said. “As a journalist, it’s all I ever dreamed of. And now that I actually have the chance, I don’t want to do it.”
Carter looked over at the broken window and the night beyond, as if it would help him think. Finally, he said, “If it means that much to you, you should do it.”
She shook her head. “No, it used to mean everything to me, but now there are things that mean much more.”
“Still, I don’t want you to regret not taking this chance. You’ll always wonder what would have happened if you hadn’t thrown your dream away at the last moment.”
“No, I won’t, Carter. I’ll be happy knowing that I kept the town safe.” She knew what he meant, though. Would she always be wondering “what if?”
And if she didn’t tell the media something, how long would she be hounded and how long would it be before they tracked her to Belladonna Falls?
If only there was a way to keep the town safe and also break her big story. But that was impossible; the town was the story.
She thought about it for a moment and then got an idea.
She ran the possibilities through her head and couldn’t see a weakness in her plan.
Finding the number that had called her in her phone’s missed call list, she jabbed it with her thumb to call it back.
A woman answered.
“Is this Jillian Meyer?” Mia asked.
“Yes, it is.”
“Hi, I’m Mia King and I believe you were trying to call me.”
“Mia,” the woman said as if she had known Mia all her life. “I’m glad you called. I work for the production company that produces Hart and we were wondering if you would like to come and tell us the story of your intriguing werewolf picture.”
“Yes, I would,” Mia said.
Carter looked at her questioningly.
“I want to tell you everything,” she said to Jillian. “When should I come to your studio?”
“Well, we can shuffle a few things around and get you on tomorrow’s show. All of America is waiting with baited breath to hear from you. Is tomorrow too soon?”
“No, it’s fine,” Mia said. She took the details from Jillian and then ended the call.
“So you’re going to go on the show,” Carter said. He tried to hide it but Mia could see that he was heartbroken. He was probably trying to figure out how to tell everyone in town that their cover had been blown.
“Yes, I am,” Mia said. “But you don’t have to worry about anything. Belladonna Falls will be as safe as it’s always been.”
He frowned. “I don’t understand.”
She grinned at him and said, “Trust me.”
13
Mia stepped out of the terminal at LaGuardia airport and into the heat of a sunny New York day. Jake was waiting for her, a huge grin on his face.
“Here she is, the star of the show,” he said. “I got a rental so I can drive us to the studio.”
“Let’s hope we don’t have any accidents this time,” Mia said as they walked toward the parking lot.
“By the way how is my van?” he asked.
“It’s fine,” she said.
“Listen, Jake,” she said, speaking louder so she could be heard over the engines of a plane taking off, “when we go on air, I need you to go along with whatever story I tell Marilyn Hart, okay?”
He frowned. “Okay. What have you got in mind? You’re going to tell her about the werewolf, right?”
“Yes, I’m going to tell her about the werewolf, but if I change any of the details, just go with it.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Okay.”
“Don’t worry, Jake, we’re still going to be famous.”
He pumped his fist and yelled, “Woohoo!”
* * *
An hour later, they were being ushered into the green room at the TV studio by a young man wearing a headset and microphone. “We’ll be on air in three minutes,” he said before leaving the room.
A TV on the wall was tuned into the station that showed Hart. At the moment, commercials were running before the show started. Jake sat on a chair in front of the TV, looking nervous.
“Don’t worry,” Mia said. “You’ll be fine.”
He smiled but it looked forced. “I hope so.”
The show started on the TV, the familiar music filling the green room. The titles faded to show Marilyn Hart sitting on her famous sofa. Behind her, a fake window showed a fake New York backdrop.
Marilyn looked immaculate with her perfectly coifed blonde hair and expertly-applied make-up. She looked into the camera and said, “Monsters. We’ve all been told tales of things that go bump in the night, but we know they’re not real right? Well, my next guests took this photo of what seems to be a werewolf and it has been certified genuine by experts.” The photo that Mia had taken in the alley appeared on the screen.
The green room door opened and the young man in headphones appeared. “Let’s go, people,” he said.
Mia and Jake followed him to the stage and sat on the sofa next to Marilyn while she was still delivering her introduction to the camera.
Mia looked at the big lens that was focused on Marilyn. In a moment, that lens would be focused on her and millions of Americans would be listening to her story. She swallowed nervously.
Marilyn said, “And with me today is freelance journalist Mia King and her cameraman Jake Simpson, the people who took this incredible photo.” Turning to them, she said, “Welcome to Hart.”
The camera pulled back slightly and Mia realized that she was now in the shot. She was on live TV in front of millions.
Don’t think about the millions, she told herself. Just think of the one person who really matters. On the other side of that camera lens, Carter was sitting in his house in Belladonna Falls watching the show. That thought chased away Mia’s nervousness.
“Thanks, Marilyn,” she said.
“So tell us,” Marilyn said, “how you came to get this photo. A photo that has been verified genuine by experts,” she reminded the viewers.
“We were following a lead,” Mia said. “We’d heard that there had been a sighting of a strange creature in Broken Rock, Montana. So we drove up there to check it out.”
“And what did you discover there?” Marilyn asked Jake.
“Nothing,” he said.
Marilyn looked confused.
“Nothing at first,” Mia said. “But then we were driving on a road just outside of the town and we saw a huge wolf-like creature. Jake swerved to avoid hitting it and we ran into a tree. And the creature began pounding on the side of the van, damaging it further, so we forced to stay in town a little longer than we had expected because the van had to be repaired.”
“It’s still being repaired,” Jake said.
“And it was in Broken Rock where you took this amazing photo?” Marilyn asked.
“Yes,” Mia replied. “After Jake flew home, I stayed in town to wait for the van to be fixed. I was in an alley one day and I saw the creature. I took a photo of it and sent it to Jake so he could get it verified.”
She looked at Jake out of the corner of her eye. He was obviously confused about why Mia was saying the photo had been taken in Broken Rock instead of Belladonna Falls but he remained tight-lipped.
“Well actually,” Marilyn said, “we learned that you were in Broken Rock from one of our sources so we sent our reporter Lloyd Jackson to the town to get a reaction from the residents there as we break this story. Lloyd, where are you right now?”
A screen on the wall flickered to life and showed Lloyd, microphone in hand, standing in front of a crowd of people. “I’m at Broken Rock, Marilyn, and the residents here are very excited at the news that the photo was taken here.” He pushed the microphone toward a young woman and said, “What is your reaction to the news?”
“It’s like we always said, there’s a monster here,” she told Lloyd. “Just take a walk down Main Street and you’ll see all the gift shops. Even our diner is called the Monster Diner.”
Marilyn turned to Mia. “So these people were right all along and there is a monster in their town.”
“That’s right,” Mia said. This interview was going to do wonders for the tourist industry at Broken Rock. And it was going to divert everyone’s attention away from Belladonna Falls.
Lloyd said, “Marilyn, is it right that the van that the monster beat on is still in town here?”
“Yes, that’s right, Lloyd,” Marilyn said.
He asked the woman where the local garage was and she pointed along the street.
“I’m going to go take a look in the garage,” Lloyd said. “We should be able to see the marks that the creature left on the vehicle.” He began walking along the street, followed by the camera crew.
Jake looked at Mia with wide eyes. She knew what he was thinking: the van is in Belladonna Falls, not Broken Rock. She felt panic rise in her and tried to think of what she was going to say to Marilyn when Lloyd discovered that the van wasn’t in Broken Rock.
“This is so exciting,” Marilyn said. “We’ll be able to show our viewers the van that you were in when you were attacked by the beast. How did you feel when you were inside and the monster was pounding on the side to get at you?”
“It was terrifying,” Mia said. On the screen, Lloyd was approaching a garage where an old bearded man in a dark blue boiler suit stood by a closed set of doors.
“Hello, Sir,” Lloyd said as they approached. “We understand you are the only mechanic in town, is that right?”
“That’s right,” the man said, looking into the camera. “My name’s Joe O’Connor and this here is my garage, O’Connor’s Auto. Only place in town for new tires and mufflers and body repairs.”
“And do you have any vehicles in there being repaired right now?” Lloyd asked.
“Sure do. I got a Chrysler with a with a faulty transmission, Mrs Johnson’s Honda is in there cos it needs an oil change…”
“It’s the van we’d like to see,” Lloyd said.
Mia felt herself go cold. She had no idea how she was going to explain the van’s absence.
“The van?” Joe asked.
“Yes, the van,” Lloyd confirmed.
Joe walked over to the doors and said, “Sure thing.” He pulled the doors open and there in the workshop were the Chrysler, the Honda, and Jake’s van.
Mia’s heart leapt. How the hell had that happened? She leaned forward slightly to better see the van. It was definitely Jake’s; the side was almost destroyed where the rogue wolf shifter had been beating on it.
Lloyd pointed out the damage for the camera. “We can see here where the monster attacked the vehicle, Marilyn. This damage was caused by the creature that supposedly lives in the area of Broken Rock.”
Mia stared at the screen with the same dumbfounded look that she was sure was on Jake’s face. Then the camera shifted slightly and she saw faces in the crowd that she recognized. Carter, Cole, and Dani were standing among the residents of Broken Rock, watching and listening to Lloyd Jackson.
Somehow, Carter had known they would check on the van and he had moved it from Belladonna Falls to Broken Rock.
“Thank you, Lloyd,” Marilyn said. The screen went blank. She turned to Mia and Jake. “And thank you both for sharing your incredible story with us.”
Mia smiled, feeling overwhelming relief as Marilyn announced to the camera that they were going to a commercial break.
“I have to go,” she said to Marilyn as she got to her feet.
“Oh, won’t you stay on the sofa for the rest of the show? That’s the way we usually do things,” Marilyn said.
“I know it is but I have to go,” Mia said. “Jake can stay for the rest of the show if he wants to.”
“No, I’m coming with you,” he said, seemingly relieved to be able to leave. Then he turned to Marilyn and said, “I have to drive her to the airport. And we have to catch a plane home.”
Mia led him out of the studio and along the corridor, following the exit signs.
“How the hell did my van end up in Broken Rock?” he whispered to her, as if they might be overheard.
“The police chief moved it there. He must have guessed that Marilyn’s team would go snooping around looking for it.”
“Did you know he was going to do that?”
“No. I told him that I was going to say we saw the werewolf in Broken Rock but I didn’t know he’d get the idea to move the van there.”
“So why are we saying we saw the monster in Broken Rock and not Belladonna Falls? What’s the deal?” he asked.
“It’s simple. Broken Rock needs the attention and the dollars from the tourists this will attract. Belladonna Falls doesn’t need that attention. We’re going to be approached by newspapers and magazines to do interviews, and we have to stick to our story, okay?”
Jake shrugged. “Sure, it’s all the same to me.”
“Now let’s get to the airport,” Mia said.
“Yeah, I can’t wait to get home,” he said. “I don’t think a career in TV is for me. Are you looking forward to getting back to Washington?”
“I’m not going to Washington,” she said. “I’m flying back to Montana and going back to Belladonna Falls. And yes, I’m looking forward to getting back there.”
She was looking forward to seeing Carter again more than anything in the world.
14
She was exhausted when she landed at Bozeman Airport. It was almost ten o’ clock at night when she managed to get out of the terminal and the sky was filled with stars, the moon waning and pale.
She was wondering if she should get a rental car and drive to Belladonna Falls but deciding that she was way too tired to drive when a voice said, “Hey, you need a lift?”
Mia turned to see Carter waiting for her, hands in his jeans pockets and a grin on his face.
She rushed to him and threw herself into his arms. She had never been so glad to see anyone in her life.
“You drove all this way to see me”
“Of course. I figured you’d be tired after your trip to New York so I have brought my trusty steed to take you home.”
With her face still pressed against his muscular che
st, Mia realized that he had referred to Belladonna Falls as her home. She liked that. She grinned and nestled against him.
“I’m very tired,” she said. “And I’m glad you came. Thank you.”
He led her to the parking lot, taking her hand in his.
“How did you know to move the van to Broken Rock?” she asked as they walked beneath the stars and the twinkling lights of planes overhead. “I nearly had a heart attack on national television when they opened that garage door.”
He grinned. “I know what you journalist types are like. You can’t stop snooping around. So when you said you were going to tell them that you saw the werewolf in Broken Rock, I got Jim O’Connor, our town mechanic, to tow the van to the mechanic in Broken Rock and tell him about our little deception.
“That was easy because Joe O’Connor, the mechanic at Broken Rock is the brother of Jim O’Connor, the mechanic at Belladonna Falls. There’s an O’Connor’s Auto in both towns. Jim and Joe are wolf shifters so they want to protect our town just as much as anyone.”
They found the Land Rover and got in. Mia turned to Carter as he started engine. “I just have one question for you.”
“Oh, what’s that?”
“When are you going to claim me as your mate.”
“Just as soon as you’re sure it’s what you want,” he said.
She looked into his eyes. “It is what I want, Carter. More than anything.”
“Then we can do it anytime.”
“How about tonight?”
He smiled. “You’re too tired to do it tonight. There’s no rush.”
“But I want to do it tonight,” she said. He was right, though; she was too tired to even keep her eyes open.
And when they drove out of the airport and onto the highway, the rhythmic thrumming of the engine made Mia even more tired.
After a while, her eyelids grew heavy and she closed them.
A few seconds later, she was asleep.
McClintock Bears Box Set Page 27
