by Jane Jamison
She clung to him and did as he told her.
Stepping toward the edge, he took one last look down. “This might hurt a bit.”
She clung to him even more. “I don’t care. Just hurry up and do it.”
“Okay. Then hold on tight.” He wrapped his arms around her, braced himself, then jumped.
He landed on his feet and rolled, letting the impact pummel through his body. They hit the ground hard and somehow he still managed to keep her on top of him to protect her body as best he could. To her credit, she didn’t cry out.
They came to a stop and still he held her. “Are you okay?”
“I–I think so.”
“Good. Now can you stop digging your fingernails into my ass? I think you’re drawing blood.”
“Oh!” She turned him loose and scrambled to her feet. “Are you hurt?”
“Only my ego.” He glanced up at his room. “You’d better hightail it to the RV while you can. Tell Harry you went for a walk.”
She planted a kiss on his cheek. “I owe you one.”
“That you do. Now get going.”
She’d just rounded the corner of the house when he saw the curtains in his room move and the tip of Harry’s head peek out. Shifting, Joe dashed toward the barn using the shadows of the night to cover his four-legged retreat.
* * * *
“So how’s it going, Harry?”
Casey gave Joe an incredulous look. They’d decided to ease into the conversation about the gang, but Joe was taking it a little too slow for his taste. The three of them had already ridden for the past thirty minutes, barely speaking, and that was the best Joe could come up with?
Harry shrugged, his attention on the ground in front of his horse. He’d seen a snake earlier that had spooked his horse enough to give him a scare. “Okay, I guess.”
Casey let his body relax. Harry hadn’t mentioned anything about his mother, much less about anything about her nocturnal activity of the night before. Which meant the kid hadn’t caught on that she’d been Joe’s room. They’d dodged a major bullet. From the way Joe’s body slumped in the saddle, his brother was thinking the same thing.
“Do you like living in Forever?” Casey laughed at himself. His question wasn’t much better than Joe’s. “I know it’s a change from the city and living in the RV can’t be much fun. But it’s a good town with good people.”
“Yeah.”
Getting a teenager to talk was harder than putting horseshoes on a skunk. Casey let his horse take the lead. Their mounts would stick together without any urging from them.
“Still, it’s got to be rough.”
Harry glanced up at him. “What?”
It was the opening Casey had wanted. “Growing up as a werewolf without your father to show you the ropes.”
Damn. He’s back to staring at the ground.
Joe jumped in to help. “And being part werewolf makes it that much harder. At least, I’d think so.”
“Maybe.”
Casey figured that was almost a declaration of help coming from a teenager. “We just want you to know that we’re here to help you.”
Joe took up the slack, setting up a tag team situation with Casey. “Yeah. I can see how it’d be easy to fall into hanging out with anyone who claims to be your friend.”
Casey could see Harry tense up. Hell, he could even smell the tension on him. But he couldn’t let that stop him. They had one shot and he had to make the most of it. If Bonnie left, then he and his brother would live lonely lives.
“We know you’ve been hanging out with that teen pack.”
Casey winced and wished Joe hadn’t jumped to that part of their talk so fast. What happened to taking it slow? Not that it mattered now. “Yeah. And we know what they’ve been up to.”
Defiance—and fear—covered Harry’s face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It’s okay, Harry,” urged Casey. “We’re not going to bust your balls about what happened.”
“You’re not?” Harry relaxed, but only a little.
“Naw. But we do want to talk to you about your future.”
Damn, Joe, way to take the talk straight into Adult Talking to a Child Land.
“What Joe means to say is this.” Casey reined in his horse, bringing Joe and Harry to a halt, too. “You’re at the point in your life when you have to decide what kind of man, what kind of werewolf you want to be. Do you want to have people’s respect or their fear? Because, trust me, there’s a big difference.”
Harry clutched his saddle horn and kept his head bowed. At least he appeared to still be paying attention.
“Listen to Casey, man. It doesn’t matter to us or anyone else in Forever that you’re only part werewolf. You don’t have to worry because to us, you’re a hundred percent a part of our pack. You and your mom are one of us now. And believe me when I tell you that being part of this town and a part of our pack is a damn good thing.”
Casey couldn’t help but smile as Joe continued.
“Those teens you’re running with don’t get it. I don’t know their family situations, but I do know they’re not doing you any favors. Let me ask you. Did you feel good when you treated your mom like she was nothing? Did that make you feel powerful? Or did it make you feel sick? Even weak?”
Harry nodded, and Casey took that at face value. “I’m betting you felt lower than a worm hooked in a fish’s mouth. I know I would. A man, especially a werewolf male, knows that he needs to respect a woman. A woman, whether it’s your mother or someone else, deserves every bit of honor you can show her. Sure, males are tough and physically bigger, but let me tell you, there’s nothing stronger than a woman whether she’s human or werewolf.”
“Yeah, Harry. And when she’s a woman like your mom? One who is the best of the best and will do anything she can to make your life better? Man, you should thank her for every breath you take. Without her, your life would really suck.”
Casey glanced at Joe. They weren’t getting much of a response, but at least he wasn’t arguing with them.
“You know your mom loves you and would do anything for you, right?” Casey paused, and when Harry didn’t answer, he went on. “And I hope you know that we’re here for you, too.”
Harry jerked his head up. The snarl on his face showed that his inner werewolf was close to the surface. “Bullshit. You’re just saying this crap because you want to fuck my mother.”
Joe had hold of Harry’s collar before Casey had time to think. But he didn’t blame Joe one bit.
“Let go of me!”
Joe held on, not hurting the kid, but not letting him get free either. “Okay, listen up. We’ve tried to be real nice about this, but if you’re going to act like an idiot, we’re going to treat you like one. We love your mother, and we’d do anything for her. Including knocking you upside your head to cram some sense in that thick skull of yours.”
“Take it easy, Joe.” Yet he knew his brother would never strike a child.
But his brother was on a roll. “Look, kid, Casey and I like you. And we can even see us calling you our kid, if you ever want that. But you’re almost an adult now, and you need to start acting like one. Be a real werewolf. Be a man. Not some punk running around with other punks. Do you get my meaning?”
Joe turned Harry loose. Casey waited as Harry seemed to have frozen in place. He got ready for anything, but he was still unprepared for Harry’s reaction.
The boy lifted his head, took one look at Joe then turned and gave Casey every ounce of attitude he had. “Are you through lecturing me? You’re not my father, you know.”
Not yet. But I could be.
“We’re only trying to help you, Harry.” He’d almost let the word son slip out.
“I don’t need your help.”
Casey’s heart plummeted. Had they blown their last chance with Harry? With Bonnie? “Maybe not. Just remember what we said. We’re here for your mother and for you, too.”
A sneer lift
ed Harry’s lip as the amber filled his eyes. “Yeah, right.” His tone dripped with sarcasm.
“It’s true, Harry,” added Joe. “As far as we’re concerned, you and your mom are part of our family now. We’d do anything for her and the same goes for you.”
“Bullshit.”
Casey gritted his teeth and fought to control his rising temper. Getting angry wouldn’t help. “Harry, come—”
But Casey didn’t have time to finish his sentence. Harry kicked his mount into a gallop and took off. Casey’s and Joe’s horses pranced, eager to follow, but they held them back.
“Well, hell. That blew chunks.”
Casey drew in a long, hard breath. “You can say that again.”
“Should we go after him?”
“And do what? Actually whack him upside his head?”
“I wouldn’t hurt.”
“And it wouldn’t help, either. Naw, let him alone. His horse will bring him back home.”
* * * *
Bonnie hadn’t pushed for answers when Casey and Joe came back alone. Their expressions told her that their talk with Harry hadn’t gone as they’d hoped. Instead, she’d thanked them and then declined their offer to take her to dinner. Excusing themselves, they took the pickup into town to meet with Jackson Carr and discuss what to do about the teen werewolf pack.
Harry had arrived back at the barn not long after the men had gone into town. Although she tried once again to get him to talk, he’d taken care of the horse as Casey had shown him then dashed off across the pasture. Ignoring her orders to come back, he’d disappeared before she could catch up to him.
That had been over two hours ago, and she hadn’t heard a word from either the Colter brothers or her son. She sat on the back steps of the men’s home and did the only thing she could do. She waited.
I’ve lost him.
She hung her head. She’d lost her son to a gang as surely as if he’d grown up on the hard streets of the city. More, she’d lost him not only to a gang, but to a pack of teen werewolves. As soon as he came home, she vowed she’d start up the RV and drive away.
But where will we go?
She couldn’t go back to Dallas and Dirk. Plus, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she belonged in Forever with the men who had taken her heart. But her son was her responsibility, and if it took losing Casey and Joe to help him, she’d do it.
A sound from inside the Colter home jolted her out of her misery. She stood and searched the interior, but the lights were off.
Had the men come home? Yet she hadn’t heard their pickup and they would’ve turned on a light.
She went up the steps, pressed her face to the window and peered inside. Harry hadn’t come back and she doubted he’d go looking for her in the house without checking the RV first. Hell, she doubted he’d go looking for her at all. So had she really heard a sound? Or was it a matter of rattled nerves?
“Mom?”
Bonnie whirled around to find Harry standing at the bottom of the steps. Horror hit her when she took in his face. “Oh, my God, Harry, what happened?”
Chapter Eleven
Bonnie hurried down the steps toward Harry. She took him by the arms, gave him a hard hug, then held him back to look at him. One of his eyes was swollen, its puffy flesh colored with an angry blue-black bruise. Dried blood crusted a jagged red line from the corner of his mouth down to the tip of his chin. He was covered in dirt and held his arm as though it pained him. “What happened?”
His voice broke. “Mom, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”
“Hurt me? You’re the one who’s hurt. Who did this to you?”
“I told them I didn’t want to be part of their pack any longer, but they wouldn’t let me go. They said they’d come after you if I didn’t do what they said.”
She peered into his eyes and saw the pain that had nothing to do with his injuries. “You’re talking about those teens, aren’t you?”
He dropped his gaze, shame covering his face. “Yeah. I told them I wanted out and they just laughed. And when I tried to leave, Dirk—”
“Dirk? What’s he got to do with this?” Yet, even as she asked the question, she knew the answer.
“He’s the one that controls them.” Harry trembled. “He got them together before we left Dallas. I wasn’t with them then, but when they came here, I thought it was because they really wanted me. That Dirk really wanted us.”
How could she not have known? Flashes of memory struck through her. How many times had he told her that he and Dirk were helping teenagers in the community? She’d thought it was wonderful that he was contributing and serving others. But all that time, all the weekends he’d spent with “the kids who need me” he’d actually been helping Dirk form a teen pack.
“Dirk started the pack back then, but he never tried to make me be a part of it.” Harry wiped away the blood on his chin. “He told me I couldn’t join because of you.”
Fury swirled inside her. “Which made you angry at me even before leaving Dallas. And it made you want to join the pack as soon as they showed up here.”
Dirk had planned the whole thing. He just hadn’t planned on her leaving Dallas, and yet, once she had, he’d brought his pack along when he’d followed her.
“Mom, I’m sorry. That night when they showed up outside the RV, I knew who they were, but I couldn’t tell you. Dirk made me promise not to.”
She put her palm against his cheek. She could see the man he’d become in his face, but the little boy who had held her hand to cross the street was still there. And he needed her more than ever. “Don’t worry, honey. It’s over now. You told them you were out, and that’s all that matters. We’ll call the Colter brothers and Jackson Carr. They’ll take care of them and Dirk, too.”
“I don’t think so, babe.”
Her breath caught in her throat. She pivoted with Harry to find Dirk striding across the yard between the house and the barn. The gang of teenage werewolves followed behind him.
“Hey, Harreeeey. Did you get a boo-boo? Is Mommy going to kiss it and make it better?” The tat boy, his hair dirty and stringy, sneered at them.
“Go fuck yourself, Bradleeey,” taunted Harry.
Bradley’s eyes erupted in a blaze of amber. “You’d better watch out, asshole.”
Dirk held up his hand, silencing the grumbles and growls from the others. “Now, now, everyone. Let’s try and get along.” He smiled, yet the warmth was false. “After all, we’re family.”
“We’re not your family.” Bonnie pulled her son closer. “Like my son told your dog, go fuck yourself.”
Dirk’s benevolent smile soured. “Bonnie, babe, such language. Remember, there are children present.”
“They’re children you’ve warped with your sickness. Get out of here, Dirk.” She stood tall, but it was all for show. She couldn’t force him to leave and he knew it.
“Bonnie, I’m here to give you one more chance. You and the boy drive back to Dallas with me and I’ll forget all your nonsense with these Colter animals.”
“Don’t call them animals. You’re the real beast.” She spit out her words. “And that’s not because you’re a werewolf.”
“Bonnie.” He reached out his hand, palm up, beckoning her to take his. “Come here.”
She shook her head and heard Harry growl. “You can’t order me around. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
The evil on Dirk’s face shocked her. He’d grown hard and cold before she’d left Dallas, but this was worse. Was she seeing the real him for the first time?
Dirk and the pack moved between them and the RV, their advances threatening. She had no choice but to flee into the house. Pulling Harry along with her, she rushed up the steps and into the kitchen then slammed the door behind her.
Dirk and his pack stayed where they were, making no attempt to stop her. She bit her lower lip and pushed Harry farther into the kitchen. “Get on the phone and call Milly’s diner. My cell’s in the RV. Joe and Casey le
ft a pad with a list of numbers on it by the phone.”
Dirk turned to the gang and gave an order she couldn’t hear. Several of the teens split from the pack, each group going in opposite directions around the house.
“Harry, help me check the windows and lock the doors.”
Harry put the receiver back onto the hook before he could make the call and dashed toward the front of the house. She locked the back door then checked the windows to make sure they were secure.
Bonnie glanced out the window again. Dirk had stayed where he was, his hands fisted on his hips, a scowl on his face.
“Bonnie, you’d better get back out here. Come on, babe, let’s talk about this like reasonable adults.”
She lifted her hand in a middle-finger salute.
“Aw, now. How childish of you.” He let out a sigh. “If you won’t listen to reason, then I’ll have to make you listen.”
She knew him well enough to know he didn’t make idle threats.
Keeping his hard gaze on her, he threw out his arm and snapped his fingers. “Do it.”
She heard the crash of the window and smelled the smoke before she saw the fire. Harry ran into the kitchen and grabbed her, then pointed toward the row of windows that spanned the front of the house. Stones broke through a second and then a third window, followed by flaming torches. Carpet and drapes ignited, fueling the swiftly growing fire.
“Mom, what are we going to do?”
She reached for the phone and frantically searched the pad for the number of Milly’s Coffee Spot. But having the number wouldn’t have mattered. There was no dial tone. She slammed the phone back onto the hook, then lifted it to her ear again. Again, no dial tone.
“They’ve cut the phone line.”
“Mom.”
She turned toward Harry just in time to see two teens, a boy with red hair and a girl with long, dirty-blonde hair lift their arms, ready to throw large stones through the kitchen windows.
“Bonnie, come back out.” Dirk tilted his head at the boy with the stone. “If you don’t, they’ll break the windows and add to the fire. If you stay inside, your precious son will die.”
