by Jianne Carlo
“Some.” Gray opened the door. “There’s an electric fence around the property. Not high. If we head straight up to the top, we’ll be able to see the barn.”
“Any response from your mom?” Mike exited the vehicle, hit the lock, and pocketed the remote.
“The cell signal in the casino is always bad. Drake wouldn’t let anything happen to them.”
Mike knew that, but it didn’t cut his concern one iota and he hated having to turn off his phone, but silence and stealth were necessary for the next little while.
Gray shot him a glance Mike recognized—the you-fucking-sorry-assed-messed-up-alpha-who-met-his-mate expression Drake had started to wear with alarming frequency as of late.
They crested the hill in no time at all.
The bitter aroma of charred hair and singed flesh coated the thick air. Smoke puffs floated from what was left of the stables and the mansion. Swaths of the virulent stench of black wolf swelled on a faint breeze. The charcoaled log remnants of the long, narrow building hissed steam in trickles. Thick plumes wrapped around supporting walls withered by flames.
Jim Balden and Sheriff Pincer stood to the left of the stables mired deep in conversation.
Mike gritted his teeth. His nose told him all he needed to know. Horse flesh. No human had been burned.
As Mike and Gray watched, Doc G. emerged from the stable ruins. He wore gloves smothered in blood and approached the sheriff and Jim.
“Verdict?” The question came from Balden.
Doc G. shook his head. “The remains of at least four horses near as I can tell. But it will take DNA to ID the dead horses.”
“When did the fire start?” Pincer directed his question to Jim.
“Around ten. We got most of the horses out right away. They’re herded in a field north of the house. Whisper’s missing, so are two other mares in foal. And a stud from Willowby. Arrived last week to service another mare. That mare’s gone too. We always separate the studs and mares in foal. They were in the back of the barn.” Jim dragged a hand over his buzz cut.
“They didn’t save the main house.” Doc G. angled his head to the left, and Mike caught a glimpse of what was left of the smoke-smudged brick walls of the mansion Augustus Balden had built decades ago.
Mike studied the trampled earth. Boyd and insurance. Whisper and her foal and insurance. Who had insured the mill, the Balden house, the horse, and her foal?
He hadn’t heard from Drake or Melanie, but then again, he had turned off his cell. Mike dragged the phone from his jacket pocket, switched it on, and checked the screen. A message from Drake. He listened to the three cryptic phrases. On our way. All safe. Have answers. Mike rolled his eyes. He called Drake and left his own terse question—On your way where?
His peripheral vision caught a flurry of motion. Mike glanced down at the scene below. Balden had disappeared. Mike quirked a brow and turned to meet Gray’s gaze.
“Went to make a few calls. The tractor garage wasn’t damaged, and Jim Balden got the all clear.” Gray answered his unspoken query.
Pincer and Doc G. faced each other.
Doc G. shook his head. “Anyone hurt?”
“Two workers are missing. Don’t know if they found them.”
Doc G. held up his bloodied, gloved hands. “I need to clean up. Not much more I can do now.”
“Do I need to reiterate the need for a speedy report? The media’s going to be hounding me for an update, and the new mayor has the balls of a mouse.”
“I understand.”
“Thanks, Doc. Appreciate your cooperation.”
Not a man of many words, Sheriff Pincer. Mike waited until Doc G. and Pincer vanished from view and hooked a thumb over his shoulder.
Gray nodded his understanding, and the two men spun about and began the return trek to the pickup. Mike retrieved his phone and activated it as they approached the vehicle. Voicemail. He listened to Drake’s message.
“They’re on the way to the clinic.”
“Melanie’s going after the insurance information.”
That’s what Mike figured too. “We’ll head that way. Want to call Drake for me and let him know to park in the Caboose’s back lot?”
“Sure.”
They were on the move in minutes.
When they reached the last bend down the mountain, Gray’s cell dinged, he answered, “Yeah? Okay. I’ll let him know. Your brother’s answer is ‘duh-uh.’”
Mike shrugged. “Never hurts to be careful.”
“Do you really need to dog Drake’s every move?”
He checked Gray’s even features. “Is that how he sees it?”
“It’s the way I’d look at it. It’s not easy being the youngest.”
“It’s not easy being the alpha. But you’re not the youngest. Susie is.”
“Yeah, but I have Lizzie and Melanie ahead of me, and those two are take-charge women. Believe me, it hasn’t been easy hanging around and letting Melanie run everything the last few years. But I figured she’d fall apart if she couldn’t feel in control and my focus was getting my mother back on her feet and the family financially to the point where I could move them somewhere else. That’s why I went to the AFL. Guaranteed income and I could still live in the area and be at home regularly.”
Mike grunted in empathy. It had been Gray’s duty as an alpha to take care of his family, in all arenas, financial, emotional, and otherwise. “Have you always known about Melanie?”
“She’s always picked up the wounded. Not just animals, but people who’re dented. Like Brinda. Her daughter Yvonne.” Gray blew out a long sigh.
“She told me about Yvonne and the bullying. Brinda roped in Drake too. You two might want to team up.” Mike figured cooperating on a project might actually alleviate the testosterone posturing between the two male wolves. And cement the beginnings of a pack.
“Yvonne and I’ve already met. Poor kid, she’s between a rock and a hard place.”
Mike decided not to go down that rabbit hole. “Tell me what you know of the black wolves.”
“Not much. I know my father and grandfather were both tracking them. I can recognize the stench of a black wolf kill, but that’s about it. It’s fucking frustrating. Shuman refused to let any of the alphas mentor me. Even after I put my tail between my legs and went to the council. About the only male members of the tribe who I have had contact with were Freddy Pawath and Eddie Mato.”
The anger in Gray’s voice couldn’t be missed, and Mike understood how much it must have cost the young wolf to ask for assistance. “Freddy couldn’t help?”
“He figured Shuman would throw him and us out if he did. And we needed a place to live more than I needed a mentor.”
“You should know why Eddie befriended you.” Mike explained that he’d hired Eddie to oversee the Laroque building repairs on the condition that he fix up the White cottage and hire Gray.
“Don’t do me any favors. I don’t need you finding work for me.”
“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Melanie. For my mate. And when you find yours, you’ll understand. Until then, suck it up. We don’t have time for any alpha shit. I agree with you that Drake and I are the catalyst. But every gut instinct tells me that Melanie’s in danger. And if she is, so is the rest of your family. I need to know everything you’ve held back.”
“The first killing happened five months ago. Melanie was beside herself. I found her crying in the shed near midnight on a Wednesday. She had decided to go look for the cub. Alone.” Gray shook his head. “I set up trip alarms after that.”
Five months ago, Mike had found Melanie at the Dorland Gazebo. Five months ago, she had decided to forget him. Five months ago, his mom had decided to move back to Chabegawn. No way was that a fucking coincidence.
“Good for you. What about this business with Cherise Bookman?”
“Yvonne. When I met with her at the gym recently, she was full of information. Apparently a while back, she started taking calculus lesso
ns with Cherise. Long story short, Yvonne found out that the guy Cherise was living with went away on a business trip and a week later leaves her a voice mail indicating that he’s not coming back. She got the message while she was tutoring Yvonne and fell apart.” Gray shrugged.
“Living with? Melanie told me they were married.”
“According to Yvonne, Cherise and this guy moved here because of his work. Weren’t supposed to be here long and they were supposed to go to Vegas and get married the week after she got a job as a countywide substitute teacher. They couldn’t go to Vegas because she had to work. It’s a small town. Everyone assumed they were married…”
“What’s this asshole’s name and occupation?” Mike arched his neck against the sudden tension in his muscles.
“Lance Douglas. Electrical engineer. You know the rest. The cat, her call to me, yada yada.”
“You think Pincer’s onto something?”
“I don’t understand where the sheriff’s coming from with this one.”
“There they are.” Mike pulled into a shady spot next to Drake’s truck and rolled the window down. Mrs. White sat in the passenger seat; Susie and Melanie occupied the rear. “Afternoon all. What’s up?”
“You need to speak to Melanie. Alone.”
Drake’s gritty tone had all Mike’s senses on full-scale alert. Melanie didn’t have that shadowed look that always seemed to accompany one of her visions. Mike narrowed his eyes and studied her intently. She didn’t seem perturbed at all. Mike had never seen his mate so calm, so confident.
What the fuck?
Melanie unbuckled her seat belt. “We need to go to the clinic, Mike.”
“I know. It’s near one. Drake, Gray, why don’t you take Mrs. White and her daughter to lunch at the Caboose? Gray, perhaps you and Drake can discuss how to deal with the girl who’s bullying Yvonne.” Mike hurried out of the vehicle and then helped the other two women out of the truck. When Melanie climbed out, he led her to the rear of the pickup, walked quickly to the tree line, and pulled her behind a thick beech trunk. “What’s wrong, babe?”
“Waquini didn’t die in the mill fire. He killed Shuman, the bears and cubs, Eddie, George, and Augustus Balden. All of them. And he intends to frame Jim Balden for the murders.” Melanie set her palms on his chest. “And he planned to use me to cinch the whole thing.”
“How do you know this?”
“There are only a few people who know of my ability to hear a last call aside from my family. Virgil, Brinda, and Doc G. I didn’t realize until Drake mentioned it, but it seems that whoever’s killing everyone and the bears intends to involve me and Gray in the murders. Maybe, as Drake suspects, just for a diversion, maybe to actually see us both go to jail.” The sadness had claimed her dark eyes once more. “Doc G.’s not Season Glancing; he’s Shuman’s son, Waquini. The one He Who Sees With Eagle Eyes said would turn to the black wolves. Now take me to the clinic. I need to get Whisper and her foal’s file. If Doc G. gets there first, I don’t know how we can stop everything.”
“Doc G.? He’s the one?” He would’ve bet the house Doc G. was a good guy. Mike’s gut instinct about people had never failed him, until now. “No. That can’t be. Waquini and Sam Millar are one and the same person. And he died in the fire.”
“No he didn’t. Drake found all the information on the server. He’ll tell you about it later. Come on, we have to hurry.”
Mike didn’t hesitate, not for a millisecond.
Not a single person populated Sagwash Street. The quiet, the stillness, the absolute absence of movement throbbed like an ulcer about to burst.
Mike set his mate on her feet at the front door of the clinic. Held her waist while she steadied, nuzzled her neck, and smelled the unmistakable aroma of her blossoming fertility. Mike groaned as his cock responded and reared insistently.
“What’s wrong?” She twisted to see him, and her brows winged, the slight arching somehow mysteriously arousing. “Mike, you can’t be thinking of that now.”
“You’re coming into heat. I can’t help it.”
She shoved him. “Tell your magnificent cock to take a hike. Business first.”
Happiness washed over him. Magnificent cock. How could he not adore every inch of her?
He adjusted his aching stones as she opened the door. Locked it behind her as she hurried into the examination room.
“I should’ve known when Doc G. asked to see the forms. I should’ve checked them again. Jim’s a trainer, not a breeder, and though he and his father didn’t get along, he came home to do his duty and pay off his father’s debts. Though Jim signed over the ranch to Willowby, that didn’t pay off the balance of the loan Old Man Balden owed. When Whisper caught, Jim signed over the insurance on her and the foal to Willowby.” Melanie took three files out of the cabinet and set them on the desk.
“I don’t get it.” Mike refrained, but only just so, from lifting Melanie’s skirt and baring her sweet rump as she bent over the file folders.
Melanie glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. “Are you going to be thinking with your other head from now on?”
“Until you catch,” he growled. “Like Whisper. I want to mount you from behind.”
“Mike.” Her tone brooked no argument and no more mention of heat or sex.
“How’re we going to prove Doc G. tampered with that?” Mike pointed at the document she’d laid on the table.
“Drake can tell if a document’s been changed and reprinted. That’s how we discovered Waquini wasn’t Shuman’s only son. He had twins, and his wife died giving birth. Shuman sent Waquini to a tribe whose healer claimed to be able to kill the spirit of the black wolf after Gramps told Shuman of his vision. The twin left behind, the one who died in the mill fire, Shuman raised as Waquini. He wanted to prove my grandfather wrong.”
Mike cupped a hand over her mouth. “Someone’s approaching the clinic. I can hear a vehicle.”
Melanie’s eyes widened. She shook his hand off, folded the form, and stuck it in her purse. Hastily, her fingers shaking, she replaced the files. “Take us back to the Caboose.”
He obeyed instantly. They made it back to the old beech tree in the Caboose’s back parking lot in mere minutes. Sliding her down his body, Mike held her mound to his rigid erection and then used every ounce of control to set her away from him.
“Stop that. When the news flashed across the screen in the casino, I couldn’t believe it. I’d felt nothing.” She stared up at him. “So many souls lost. But not today.”
Mike shook his head. “I scented burned horse flesh.”
“No souls called to me today. I’m positive. Whisper and her foal are still alive. Not a single horse died.”
“I’m telling you, Melanie, I smelled singed horse flesh.”
“Not a single horse died, Mike. I would’ve known.”
“You didn’t hear Eddie’s death or his brother’s.” He kept his tone gentle.
“That’s true.” She frowned, and then shook her head. “Whisper would’ve called to me. I just know it.”
A horrible notion occurred to him. “They don’t do what they do with mass-produced chicken with horses, do they?”
“What’re you talking about?”
“Chicken feed is often made with chicken parts.” He regretted saying the words when she greened.
“I doubt it. Not with a valuable horse like Whisper. And I’m telling you for the last time. Whisper didn’t die today.” She narrowed her eyes and stabbed a finger into his chest.
“Okay, she’s alive. Do you know where she is?”
Chapter Fifteen
“No. I wish I did.” Melanie met Mike’s gaze. “But Whisper hasn’t called to me. And she hasn’t had the foal as yet.”
“Why did you want to come back to the Caboose, babe?” Mike cupped her shoulders.
“Because Doc G. can’t suspect that I know. I have to act normal. And my normal reaction would be to come to check on Whisper. Which means I have to go t
o the clinic and wait for him.” Melanie shivered. “I can’t believe I never suspected.”
“We have a problem then, because I don’t want you anywhere near the bastard. Not unless I’m around.” Mike shook his head. “Are you sure? I never picked up on anything with Season.”
“No one else knows about me for sure. Brinda suspects, and we’ve danced around the subject, but Doc G. and I’ve actually talked about it. I can’t fathom the murderer being either Brinda or Virgil. Can you?”
“No. But Doc G. doesn’t ring right with me either. Still it’s logical. Did he plan to steal Whisper? Fake the deaths?”
“I hadn’t thought about that, but it makes sense. Whatever—Doc G. can’t for a minute suspect that we’re onto him.” Melanie had to convince Mike. “Drake agrees with me.”
“You don’t have to worry about Doc G. coming to the clinic.”
“Why?”
Mike recounted what he and Gray had seen and heard.
“It doesn’t make any sense. I would’ve known if five horses had died tonight.” She met his stare.
“What we need to do is sit down and pool our knowledge.” Mike caught Melanie’s hands and kissed her fingertips. “That includes my mother.”
A wave of nausea lodged thick and viscous in Melanie’s throat. She had so dreaded finally facing Mike’s mom. “I know. Everything has to come out. All the secrets.”
“We’re mates, Melanie. Nothing can tear us apart.”
That wasn’t what scared her voiceless and had her knees buckling. Melanie knew she couldn’t choose between her family and Mike. Could he? Would he have to?
“Ready?” He cupped her jaw.
She nodded.
He linked their hands and shortened his stride to match hers as they slowly strolled back to the Caboose. “It seems too pat. Too easy. Did Doc G. know you knew the insurance money was signed over to Willowby?”
Melanie screeched to a halt. “Of course. I do all the filing—”
