by Terry Spear
Carrying his laptop and another bag, Holly descended the stairs after him. “He will be, but their cabin is at the end of the row. He’s at the opposite end. They’re closer to the entrance. They’ll have a head start.”
“Good. Keep my phone. They’ve got my number and can let you know if they make it out okay, right?”
“Yes. I’m sure Ronald will think they’re heading to Seattle if he hears them leave. If they go to the airport, he’ll be clueless. We could even have a chance to pack a few things at our homes.”
“Right, and I can have some of our men pick up their vehicles and deliver them wherever they want. To my place or somewhere else, their choice.” He paused at the front door where more bags were stacked.
“I can’t believe Jared did this.” She ran her hand over Aidan’s arm.
“He must have followed your trail here. He looked surprised to see Nick, though if he had followed your trail, he should have known Nick and Greg were here too. I’m sure that pissed him off even more.”
“He might have realized Greg and I ran with you last night too, when we pretended it was just the two of us. I’m sure he was furious.”
Nick shook his head. “Serves him right.”
She agreed. If Jared and his brother had been decent, she wouldn’t have needed to look for Nick, and as long as Aidan and his men weren’t doing anything illegal or causing trouble for their pack, Ronald and Jared should have been at least civil to them. Especially after they rescued Joey!
They packed up the car, and Aidan swept Holly off her feet so she wouldn’t have to walk in the snow since she was only wearing a pair of socks, no snow boots. Greg ran lickety-split to the car, not about to have anyone carry him. That was just for girls. Greg sat in the far back seat with Nick.
“That’s one way to get the adrenaline pumping,” Nick said as everyone buckled their seat belts, “but Jared sure ticks me off. I was enjoying the comfort of that nice bed.”
“We’ll have you on the plane soon, and you can make the chairs recline like a bed,” Aidan said.
“It still won’t be like a real bed.”
Holly was sitting on pins and needles, concerned about the rest of her family as Aidan wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She called her mom.
“We’re on our way,” her mom said before Holly could tell them to go to the airport.
“Go to the private airport near there.”
“Eddie, turn around. We need to head to the private airport… Yes, yes, surely they know what they’re doing.”
“Aidan’s got a plane waiting, and he can fly us to the airport near our house. We’ll have a head start and can pick up some things from our homes.”
“We won’t have any transportation from the airport,” her mother said.
Mike was on his phone calling someone. “Okay, bring two cars. There will be…” He turned to Holly. “How many are we transporting to the Grays’ homes in Seattle?”
“All of us.” Then Holly said to her mom, “Mike’s getting us transportation so we can grab stuff from our homes. We’ll return to the airport and take a flight out.” She looked at Aidan to confirm, putting the phone on speaker.
“Yes, or if they want, they can take one of the vehicles with their things and go to my house in the Klamath Mountains. They can just stay there until we figure out what to do next.”
“What did you want to do, Mom? Drive all the way to California, or fly down there?”
“Fly. If Aidan can get us another vehicle to use while we’re down there—”
“Chauffeured even, if they’d like,” Aidan said.
“Cool,” Greg said in the back. He and Nick had taken pillows and blankets with them, and he sounded half-asleep.
“Okay, Mom?”
“Yes, so far so good. Jared didn’t howl his distress. It bought us a little time. No one’s come after us, but if they did, they’d probably head the wrong way. There wouldn’t be any reason for us to go in this direction, which would be out of our way.”
“Okay, good. Is Dad okay with this?”
“We were all asleep. I don’t think this is the time to talk about how we’re feeling.”
“Okay, I’ll ask later. Just let me know if you run into any trouble. We’ll probably be behind you soon, the way Ted is tearing down the road.”
Ted nodded. “You better believe it. If we get stopped, at least we can keep Ronald and the others from delaying your parents and sister.”
“Great,” Nick said. “I can see me ending up back in the wilderness again.”
“That’s not happening,” Aidan said.
“I’ll let you go for now,” Holly said. “Oh, wait, I think I see your taillights. Apply your brakes.”
The car’s brake lights flashed.
“Good, it’s just us closing in on you.”
“That’s good news. Your dad was driving like a maniac. You can slow down, dear. It’s just your daughter, Greg, and their friends.” She said to Holly, “We’ll talk soon.”
“Okay, love you.” Holly ended the call with her mother.
“I don’t know how you could live under that controlling SOB,” Nick said. “I put up with it because Millicent wanted to stay with the pack. After she died, I didn’t know where to go.”
“I understand,” Holly said. “It’s been difficult, more so of late. It’s important to help our kind, whether the wolves are part of our pack or not. I’ve always had issues with Ronald, but I put up with him so I could provide medical care for our pack. One time, he didn’t want me to take care of a sick family passing through Seattle. I ignored him and assisted them anyway.
“The mother had pneumonia, and the rest of the family was sick with the flu. Once they were on the road to recovery, Ronald lectured me big time. I was never to disobey him and go behind his back. I told him if he wanted me to stay with the pack and continue to provide medical assistance, he would have to allow me to assist any sick or injured wolf who came through our territory. Naturally, he didn’t like that.
“After that, I never saw anyone else who needed my attention who wasn’t part of our pack. It could be that no one else ever needed my assistance, or they didn’t know a wolf doctor lived in the Seattle area.”
“Or Ronald made sure to steer them out of Seattle so you would never know about it,” Aidan said.
“Yes, my thought too. His policy of excluding any fresh blood is one of my greatest concerns.”
“You’d think people would leave the pack.”
“Some do. Some love the Seattle area and have always lived there, so they don’t want to leave. You can’t live there unless you’re a member of the pack. Some feel loyal to the group as a whole and don’t want to leave friends and family behind. Others hate change too much. Finding another pack that suits them… Well, you know the old saying ‘The grass is greener on the other side of the fence’? Some were afraid they’d end up in another pack that was just as restrictive or even worse. And finding one that would accept new wolves could be an issue too.
“No one is strong enough to fight the leader and his brother and the four enforcers we have in the pack. That means six aggressive males to fight to have any change. After other packs tried to take us over without success, those who might have thought they had an inkling of a chance don’t even try. And no one has shown any interest in being a leader. Then again, without a chance to become the leader, no one has expressed any interest in taking over. Anyone who hinted at it would probably be a dead wolf.”
“Sounds as though you need some leadership changes,” Aidan said.
“Are you applying for the job, Doc?” Mike asked, leaning back in his seat.
Aidan smiled. “No.”
Holly considered that Aidan could be their pack leader. He had fought Jared well. He was caring and protective. Not that he had any interest in doing
anything else but his research, yet she kept thinking how great it would be to have another doctor in the pack. Leading it. Allowing them to grow and have a say. Bringing Nick back into the pack—if he could be convinced to return.
“That could work,” she said, smiling at Aidan. “You could encourage others to join. Allow me to treat any wolf who came into the area. Convince Nick to return to the pack.”
Aidan and his men laughed.
“You’d have to take a mate too.” Ted winked.
“I’d help remove the bad leadership,” Mike said.
“Not without me, you wouldn’t,” Ted said.
“You guys are already looking for a new job?” Aidan sounded amused.
“We’re in the business of protecting people, and if Holly’s pack needs a protector or two, I’d certainly be willing to do it,” Ted said.
“You’re supposed to be protecting me, which means I’d have to lead the group,” Aidan said.
“Seriously?” Mike asked.
“Hell yeah. Maybe someone would step up to the plate to lead the pack. But with more democratic rules,” Aidan said.
“There are six of them,” Holly warned. “And you’re supposed to be helping Nick get to Montana.”
“Yeah,” Nick said.
“And my family to your house,” Holly added.
“If his house has a hot tub, I’m all for hanging out there,” Greg said.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“No, the conversation is too interesting.”
“I have a hot tub and a heated swimming pool.”
“Even better,” Greg said.
“All right, we go ahead with this plan, then after Christmas, we can see about helping your pack make a change in leadership, if they want it.” Aidan kissed her head. “We can see if anyone else my brother usually hires for missions like this would be willing to assist. Ousting Ronald and his men will only work if the pack agrees to have new leaders. What if the majority want the leadership to stand as it is? What if someone else takes over, and everyone’s as unhappy as before? If they’re unhappy now, that is.”
“You’re right, of course.” Holly settled back against her seat. “Some secretly speak out against Ronald and his men, but others are quiet. I don’t know if the vast majority would welcome change or not. I would. My family would, especially now, I believe. I’m not one hundred percent sure about the rest of the pack. You know how some can bad-mouth a situation, but when you tell them to put up or shut up, they melt into the background.”
“That’s all too true.”
“What are we going to do, Doc?” Mike asked.
“We’ll go to my place first, unless the Grays want to stop in Seattle and gather some more belongings. Sorry, Nick.”
“I can deal with it. Anything is better than being out in the cold and snow for another night. I kept thinking I’d get used to it, but I was getting tired of it awfully quick.”
“I’m glad you’re good with being with us.” Aidan said to Mike, “Then after that, we’ll take Nick to Montana. I’ll let the Cunningham pack know we’ll be arriving later in the day.”
* * *
When they reached the private airport, they saw a plane’s engines running, and Holly was relieved.
“Okay, that’s it. Let’s go,” Aidan said.
They drove up to the hangar, and everyone piled out of the two cars. Holly hurried to hug her parents and her sister, tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry about all of this.”
“Why? Jared’s the ass.” Nick carried some of his camping gear onto the plane.
Greg had his arms full of stuff, but he paused to get a hug from his parents and sister. “We’ve got to hurry.”
“Yes.” Her mom sighed and began carrying bags to the plane. Holly was surprised they’d packed up that quickly.
Dressed in a white shirt and epaulets that looked like an airliner uniform, a dark-haired, dark-eyed pilot welcomed them. “I’m Cesar Alvarez, your pilot, and eager to get you to where you need to be.”
“Thanks, Cesar. He’s been flying for us for years,” Aidan said.
Everyone else thanked him too.
The guys helped with Holly’s family’s stuff and got the rest of the gear on board. Then everyone climbed into the craft, found seats, and buckled themselves in. “We grabbed your things too,” her mom said.
“Oh, good,” Greg said.
“Thanks, Mom, Dad, Marianne.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Gray, did you want to stop off at your place near Seattle and get some more of your things?” Aidan asked.
“Please call us Margaret and Eddie. Can we do that? Would we have enough time?”
“We should be able to,” Aidan said. “Ronald or his men would take at least an hour and a half to drive there. Maybe longer. They might go to my cabin first to take care of us and be even longer.”
“Yes, then let’s do that.” Her mom relaxed a little, but everyone looked worn out.
Holly told Cesar which airport to fly to and he taxied until they were airborne and on their way.
“We need to drop by my house,” Holly said. “I need to grab my computer, more clothes, and other essentials.”
“And our Christmas presents,” Greg said. “Can’t forget those. Unless you think we’re going to return here before Christmas.”
“I doubt it,” Margaret said.
“I have another idea. We could have your vehicles driven to my place now. They’ll get there in a couple of days. The drivers can load up whatever you want to take, once you decide what that is. I still prefer you riding in the plane,” Aidan said.
They all agreed.
“Here we are,” Cesar said thirty minutes later as they approached the private airport near their homes.
As soon as they landed, one of Rafe’s drivers met them there.
“Cesar, take a break for a while, and we’ll see you in a bit,” Aidan said. Nick had crashed on one of the reclining seats on the plane. “He can stay here with you.”
Everyone climbed into the stretch limousine, and Greg and Marianne were sliding on the long seats. “Wow, a party bus. Too cool,” Greg said.
They rode the short distance to Holly’s parents’ home, and Mike and Ted stayed to help them pack. The chauffeur, who also served as a bodyguard, went with Aidan and Holly to her home, which was about half a mile away.
“Are we going to have enough drivers to take my car and my mom’s car too?”
“Yeah, the drivers will be arriving soon.” Aidan went inside Holly’s place and looked at all the Christmas decorations. A seven-foot tree decorated in red poinsettias, red and gold balls, and red-and-green-plaid bows, the scent of Christmas cinnamon spice, and a large collection of Santas sitting on top of her bookshelves and fireplace mantel made her home warm and inviting for Christmas. Aidan was visualizing where she could put them in his house, if they became mated wolves. He’d never had any interest in decorating for the holidays. Until now. She would definitely make his house a home.
Holly stopped to see what he was looking at. “That part’s kind of sad. But I wasn’t going to be here for Christmas anyway.” She sighed, then went into her office and began gathering her computer. Aidan hurried to carry it for her.
“I’ll get this. Just tell us what you want us to grab, and then you can pack whatever else you need.”
“All right. Just all that and the files in the top drawer. I’ll be right back.” She’d gotten a call and, worried that the others were in trouble, had pulled out Aidan’s phone and nearly dropped it. She returned to her office. “Ronald’s calling.”
Aidan took the phone. She wanted to hear what was being said, but more than that, she wanted to change into her own clothes and pack her things so they could be out of the area as soon as possible. So she left to let Aidan handle it.
Chapter 21
“This is Dr. Denali. What can I do for you, Ronald?” Aidan asked the pack leader on his cell, glad Holly and her family were safe with him now. Holly had chosen sides, and Aidan hoped the wolf leader and his brother would be man enough to give her a break, but he was afraid—if their history was any indication—they’d be hardheaded about this.
“Where are they? The Grays? They had no reason to run off in the middle of the night. What did you tell them? That I’d make them pay for what you did to my brother?”
“Jared came to my cabin and attacked one of my men. If we did that at your place, you’d have every right to defend yourself.” Aidan wasn’t about to explain the Grays’ actions or concerns with Ronald.
“You’ve taken the woman who’s to be his mate,” Ronald growled.
“Not according to either of them. Apparently, that’s only your idea.”
“Like hell it is. What about the rest of the family?”
“They left?” Aidan smiled.
“You know they did. I want them returned at once.”
“Maybe you didn’t know this, but as a pack leader, you can’t dictate your people’s lives. You can ask them to keep in touch with you, but you’re running a dictatorship. It’s up to them to decide what they want to do. Leave, stay, or return home.”
Ronald hung up on him.
“How’d it go?” Holly rolled two bags out of her bedroom. She had changed out of his sweats and socks and was wearing a pair of her own jeans—formfitting, sexy—a sweater, a parka, and high-heeled boots that accentuated her long, shapely legs.
He was glad she was able to dress in her own clothes again, though she’d made his sweats look damn sexy. “He wants all of you returned at once.”
“Forget it. Don’t tell my folks what Ronald said. I don’t want them changing their minds, and I’d be afraid Ronald would try to use them to get at me. Unless Jared and Ronald are no longer in charge, I’m not going back to stay. I care about my people, but I can’t live under the pack leader’s rules any longer.”
Aidan got another call. “It’s your dad.” They hauled the rest of the stuff out to Holly’s car. “Yes, sir. Is everything going all right over there?”
