“Fair enough.”
He tossed his head toward her handbag lying on the bed. An unmade bed. A bed that, apparently, he’d been sleeping in. She could tell. The whole room smelled of him—almond and a strong underlying manly scent. Two pairs of work boots and one duffle bag lay on the floor beside the bed. Was he living out of a motel? Why did he bring her here?
“Are you aware of the things he’s being accused of doing?”
“I can only imagine. He destroys everything he touches, including our tavern—my family’s business. He’s a monster and a selfish pig.”
He grabbed his duffle bag and threw it on top of the bed and then grabbed a flask. He splashed what looked like whiskey onto the open wound, cleaned it with a towel, and then bandaged it up with a white t-shirt he tore in half.
“You need to get that dressed properly. It’s going to get infected.”
“The wound will heal once I shift.”
Uneasiness rose up in her chest. She’d seen Cross City Pack members in wolf form before, but she’d never actually seen them shift. “And when will that be?”
“Soon as night falls,” he said. “You look a little nervous. Don’t worry. I won’t do it here in front of you.”
“You’re lucky that healing a wound is that easy for you. I’m glad,” she said. “When the rain stops, you can give me a ride to the bus stop.”
“I can?”
“You will. Won’t you?”
“Depends…”
“Look, I need to get out of here. Simon will be after me,” she told him.
“Not if he can’t scent you. This storm will help with that.”
“Um…so let me see if I understand this correctly. You saved me from being kidnapped so you can hold me here,” she asked, and then crossed her arms over her chest. “Wait a minute. You’re not going to really use me as bait, are you?”
He laughed. Actually laughed out loud. A full, hearty laugh. Deep and smooth, just like his voice. But the joke was on her and she didn’t find it funny.
“I should’ve known not to trust you or anyone,” she said.
“Hold your horses, I’m not going to use you as bait, but I’m not going to release you either until I know you’re safe.”
“I didn’t ask for your safety. I just needed to get away from the tavern.”
“From what you’re telling me, you’ll need help getting out of here. You can’t do that if you don’t have any money.”
He was right. She had less than forty dollars in her pocket and that would only get her so far. At this point, she couldn’t even afford another bus ticket. But she wasn’t going to just ask a stranger for money outright.
“In a day or two, I’ll have the money to buy another bus ticket. It’s been tough for me for the past few weeks. Simon took over all the tavern’s accounts and I lost complete access to them a few days ago. I can’t even view the balance or pay our vendors. I was going to use my dad’s savings from the safe to get a lawyer, and now that’s gone too.”
“And now she talks…” he said. “What gives Simon the right to deny you access to your money?”
She looked away at any and everything besides him. “He and I…uh…we…”
Garrett arched an eyebrow. “I’m all ears.”
“He now owns the tavern and…I was promised to him.”
“Promised to him by who?”
“My dad.”
“And so you’re running from an arranged mating made by your own flesh and blood—your father?”
“Simon's dad and my dad were good friends. He did it to save our business and to keep us from losing our home. I never wanted my first marriage to be this way and I’ve been trying to save up the funds to buy my way out of the contract. Just enough to buy our business back and get Simon to cancel the deal. I just couldn’t save enough. The bills just rolled in way too fast. Sometimes I wonder how my dad even managed, but then I remember all of the risky deals he made, including this arranged mating.” She sighed. “What I did have was enough to send my sister to college. I wasn’t able to leave this stupid city, but she has a better chance.”
“You gave your sister the money intended to free you from the contract?” he asked, confusion setting in on his face.
She nodded. “I didn’t even think twice about it. She’s my baby sister. Now, it’s too late for me. Ever since the Alpha’s death, Simon has been adamant about us sealing the deal right away. All of a sudden, he’s taken control of everything, leaving us with nothing.”
“Except for the Pack,” Garrett said.
“Excuse me?”
“Simon seems to be running around in circles trying to secure a very lucrative position within the Cross City Wolf Pack.”
“Oh, I know it. And he wants to get me involved in a hurry as part of some family ritual. I should have stopped this long before he got so powerful.”
“Has he marked you?” Garrett asked, suspiciously.
“Marked?”
“Have you fucked him?”
“Seriously?”
He waited as if asking a stranger about their sex life was the most natural thing in the world for him.
“No,” she said, shaking the vile image from her mind.
“Has he bitten you? Marked you in any way?”
She shrank back. “Of course not. Have you listened to a word I’ve said? I don’t want anything to do with him. I wouldn’t let him touch me that way.”
“If you ever let him bite or fuck you, you will carry his essence. And while the essence is there, he’ll be able to track you down just about anywhere.”
“That’s just ridiculous,” she said. “I’m not a shifter. I’m a human. I can’t carry a wolf’s essence, whatever that means.”
“If he’s claims you by biting you, you will. Essence transfers quite easily actually. That’s how most wolves claim others in the absence of a true mating if the natural imprinting hasn’t happened or won’t happen. If he physically claims you, all in his Pack will know that you’re his. Lack of a signature on a piece of paper won’t matter to wolves. Not even the law or the police will be able to help you. He’ll always be able to find you as long as his essence remains with you.”
She shook her head. “I won’t let him do that.”
“If he hasn’t already bitten you, he probably won’t. And it probably means that he’s not anxious to mark you just yet. I hate to say this, but I think he knows that you’d rather not leave that tavern behind. He knows you’re not going anywhere anytime soon,” he said.
Autumn knew it; it was the truth. She would do anything to protect her family name and keep the tavern, but things had gotten out of hand over the past couple weeks. She’d risk her life, but she couldn’t risk her sister’s life in the process.
“I won’t be used and I don’t want anything taken from me either,” she said, firmly. “The ownership of the tavern should have never been transferred completely to him. Before I knew he’d started the process, it was too late. He had the original agreement and the lawyers and courts did what was allowed by law.”
“Then my suggestion for you is to stay far away from him.”
“I’m trying to do that, hence why I tried to get out of this town,” she said. “It’s not that easy though. He’s taken something away from me. The tavern doesn’t belong to him. Do you know how many years it took us to build and grow that tavern?”
“I understand that you don’t want to let something like that go, but if you choose to stay here and fight for the tavern, Simon must be out of the picture.”
She swallowed and a shred of hope filled her heart. “Are you saying there’s a way to get Simon out of the picture?”
“You asked me for my story,” he replied. “I’m looking for Simon, the Cross City Beta. And when I see him again face to face, it won’t be good news for him.”
There was a knock at the door. The sound of it startled Autumn more than the treacherous thunderstorms outside.
Garrett turned towa
rd the door and then looked down at his phone.
“Who’s that?”
“My partner. I’m gonna step out and have a word with him.”
“In the storm?” She glanced at the windows, which were covered with curtains. Rain pounded consistently at the glass panes.
“Won’t be my first. I’ll be right back. You think you can hang?”
Autumn looked around the room. “I’d rather stay here than risk getting struck by lightning. Question is, will you be okay out in that storm?”
“The wounds aren’t healing quick enough.” He pointed to his midsection. “Would you rather me shift inside?”
“Do what you’ve gotta do. I’ll be here. And when you get back, we can talk more about this plan of yours to take down Simon and how it can help me too,” she said.
He grinned. “Are you always this demanding?”
She smiled. “Only with strangers.”
He paused for a moment to study her, but didn’t say a word. In fact, he didn’t make any moves to leave until his partner knocked a second time. He then stuffed his cell phone down into his back pocket and slipped outside, leaving her alone to thank God that she was still alive and out of Simon's grasp.
Chapter Seven
“Who is she?” Joshua asked.
Garrett had traveled in wolf form with Joshua to an abandoned bridge just under a mile from the motel. The rain had stopped, but the skies were still overcast which meant the storm was bigger than expected. The knife wound to his gut had partially healed, for the most part. What hadn’t gone away was his driving urge to hunt and kill.
“Her name’s Autumn. She was promised to the Cross City Beta by her father,” he said.
Joshua’s eyes widened. “Jeez man, do they still do that type of stuff around here?”
“Arranged pairings are becoming less frequent these days, now that our existence is out,” he said. “It’s still pretty common with higher ranking wolves though. It takes a lot more than just the title to run a Pack these days.”
Joshua nodded. “Kind of like what your brother Dane did with Trina to get his land back.”
“Yeah, kind of like that. The difference is my brother cared for Trina even before he found out that she was his true mate. This is a little different. I don’t suspect that any true mating will result from Simon and Autumn.”
“Have they…?”
“No. She bears no markings or imprints at all.”
“So once the storm lets up, she’ll take us to Simon then?”
Garrett shook his head. “She’s innocent, man. Truthfully, I don’t want her involved in this anymore than she already is.”
“You trust her?”
Garrett nodded.
“Seriously man? You just met her. What if this is all a front?”
“I know she’s not lying,” he said. “I saw her before I knew who she was. Simon is trying to force her into it. She knows about him and the things he’s done, and she’s been trying to flee him. Her and her sister.”
“Force her? But her father signed a contract. Didn’t she know about this?”
Garrett rubbed at his chin. “Her circumstances are complicated. There was more than her life on the line. That tavern back there belonged to her family before Simon took control of it. By the way, have you seen Edward? He hasn't reported in since the meeting with Benjamin Sr."
"Naw, but I can guess where he is right about now," Joshua replied. "He was getting pretty comfy with two of those chicks down by the strip joint. He goes there nightly to fuck one of them. Probably both of them."
Garrett shook his head. "This isn't the time for him to put his dipstick into every broad he sees."
"Right. But then again, the guy hasn't been on a road trip like this in over a month. He's probably gotten bored with the broads back home. I'll call him again and tell him to report in."
"If we don't hear anything from him, he's not getting his entire cut. And that’s my final word.”
“I hear ya. Did you talk to Dane?”
“Yeah, he says he’ll think about the old man’s offer.”
“The offer was certainly generous. Do you know how much we could grow with hundreds of miles of territory added to our Pack?”
“Yes. My dad understood the value when he talked about this with Benjamin all those years ago. But I understand Dane’s hesitation. He’d be inheriting an unstable Pack as well as the threat that is Simon.”
“Our Pack was just as unstable when Dane stepped in. He turned it all around. If it weren’t for a few select humans causing trouble in our town, we’d be living in peace,” Joshua said.
“Ain’t that the truth?” Garrett agreed. “It’s my brother’s call and I’ll leave it at that. But I already know one thing is certain. I’ve been paid to hand Simon over and anyone who has ever hired me knows that I always get the job done.”
“If you succeed, you’ll eliminate the real threat. Our Alpha will benefit, you’ll keep your perfect track record, and can go back to living your life on the road.”
Garrett pushed off of the brick wall. “It’s not a matter of if, but just a matter of when. The Pack’s livelihood isn’t the only thing that Simon has threatened.”
A flawless vision of Autumn came into view. It was a memory of her that first night when she walked out from the back of the tavern. Looking back on it now, he realized that her entrance had blinded him like a bright ray of sunshine. But then Simon's mere presence and existence had ruined that. He wanted to crush Simon for treating her like a secondhand ploy to escalate to the Alpha position and secure his wealth. She deserved better. Way better. A man with a better past—not a criminal one—and a brighter future.
And although Garrett wanted Autumn for himself, his own past was anything but squeaky clean.
Chapter Eight
“Oh my God! So that bastard tried to kidnap you?” Hope screamed into the phone.
Autumn paced the motel room floor clutching the cell phone in her palm. As soon as Garrett left the room, she quickly lost her shit again and panic set in again. The only person she could think to call was Hope, but she wasn’t helping with staying cool and calm in the least bit.
“Calm down, Hope. I’m okay. Tell Melisandra that I’m fine too. I don’t want you or her doing anything drastic. Definitely don’t come back here under any circumstances. Simon is a slick, dirty dog.”
“Did you find the old deed for the restaurant? The one that the Montagues altered?”
Her gaze swept over to her handbag where she had stuffed the legal documents. “I’ve got it. It looks like a photocopy though and not the original. And get this?”
“What?”
“The check from dad’s life insurance policy was gone.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I’m certain I left it in there last week when the mail guy brought it in,” Autumn said. “I was going to drive out to the bank to cash it before all this shit starting happening with the Alpha being found dead and all.”
“Well, it’s not like Simon will be able to cash it. It’s made out to you.”
Autumn groaned. “That’s the thing, Hope. The tavern’s checking account is in my name. What’s stopping Simon from depositing the check there into an account that he has full access to.”
“We’ll get through this. The greedier Simon gets, the more mistakes he makes. He’ll get what’s coming to him,” she said. “Who is this other guy anyway? The one that saved you.”
“His name is Garrett. He’s a shifter from Aspen Valley. His brother is the Alpha there.”
“But how do you know this Garrett person isn’t conspiring together with Simon?”
“I seriously doubt that. He’s a stranger, I know, but nothing is worse than being kidnapped by that self-righteous idiot. I told Simon to give me twenty-four hours before he came for me again and he reneged on that. I’m not sure who tipped him off that I was at the restaurant, but the men who grabbed me asked me where I thought I was going and said I wasn�
�t allowed to leave town.”
“So you think he knows you were planning to leave?”
“Maybe…”
“That bastard…I’ll send you some cash by Western Union and you can buy another ticket. Can you get to the convenience store across the street from Jackie’s Laundromat?”
“I’m going to stay put for now. Garrett offered his protection until I get out of town, so don’t worry about it. Simon is such a coward; it’s unlikely he’ll come when he knows what he’s up against. On top of that, the Cross City leaders are onto Simon. Garrett’s been hired to track him down. I might not have to run in the meantime.”
“So you’re betting on this guy, this shifter, to find Simon and turn him over before he gets to you? I don’t know, Autumn. This all sounds so risky. If the Cross City leaders believed that Simon could be stopped, why don’t they just stop him themselves, like right now?”
“Something tells me that they’ve tried that already,” she said. “Simon has turned more than half of the Pack against the Alpha family. Remember what Melisandra told us? If Simon steps into the position, there’ll be nothing stopping him from the unlimited resources of the Pack, including loads of money and a whole lot of property. He has a mass mob mentally. He just takes what he wants and damns everyone else.”
“So the Alpha family has called for outside help? This Garrett person…what’s in it for him anyway? And what does he want from the Alpha family in exchange for his help?”
“Money.”
“Money? What about you? What does he want in exchange for helping you? We can’t possibly pay him too.”
“He didn’t ask me for money,” Autumn said. “This job he’s on is ongoing and top secret. If this information gets out…”
“Right. I know. My lips are sealed. Besides, I’m halfway across the country and I’m not coming back. There’s nothing for me there now. Dad’s gone.”
“Dad may be gone physically, but what he lived for is still in Cross City. I don’t know about you, but I fear losing everything our family has build more than I fear an encounter with Simon again. Remember how we promised Dad that we’d keep up the restaurant no matter what? He did what he had to keep the business. I can’t hate him for it. And if I run, we won’t have a family business. Dad made a mistake and he died not knowing it. I have to fix this. I have to find a way out of this contract and a way to get our tavern back.”
Wolf Unbound: Aspen Valley Wolf Pack Page 5
