Rebel Wolf

by Lowe, Anna

  Chase believed him, but somehow, the blind faith he’d always had in his brothers wasn’t kicking in.

  Dell leaned in. “Hey, man. It’s hard, but you’ll figure it out. Trust me, you will.” Then he, too, stepped away, leaving Chase alone.

  Chase spent the next few minutes staring out at the sea without seeing anything at all. Just thinking of the long, winding road that had brought him to where he was and the foggy landscape ahead — not to mention all those balls he was trying to juggle. They were bound to come crashing down somewhere, sometime.

  Then he gave himself a little shake and stood quickly, downing the remainder of his drink. He’d leave dragon troubles to dragons, at least until a more concrete threat arose. And as for his home pack — well, he wouldn’t be much use to them if he was preoccupied with Sophie. That meant he had to bring clarity to Sophie’s case, and soon.

  Soon, a deep, earthy voice whispered in his mind. Before it is too late.

  Chase shivered as he hurried for the door. Was that the voice of fate? And too late — too late for whom? Sophie? His wolf brethren? Joey?

  He forced himself to take a deep breath and approach things one step at a time. Which would be a hell of a lot easier if he could ignore the sound of a ticking clock in his mind.

  Not a clock, his wolf grumbled. A time bomb.

  His colleagues from the Lucky Devil waved goodbye, but Chase barely registered the motion. He had to get to Sophie, pronto, even if it was just to keep himself sane. After that…

  He struggled to fill in that blank, but his wolf had no such trouble.

  Hold her. Claim her. Make her mine.

  Chapter Eight

  “One tropical swirl and a Molokini Special, please.”

  Sophie nodded to her customers and started loading up the blenders. It was crazy how quickly everything had moved in the past few hours. The smoothie truck that Mr. Lee had ordered in arrived thirty minutes earlier than expected, and she was already back to work. Mr. Lee had stood glaring from the shade of a nearby palm tree, waiting for her to slip up. She hadn’t, and when he stomped in to check the register sometime later, he’d let a begrudging nod slip. Sales had been good — much better than they would ever be on a weekday at Makena Beach. That, and he’d seemed genuinely surprised at the number of regulars who stopped by. Sophie was too. The smoothie business was mostly geared toward tourists, but she’d developed quite a following, it seemed.

  “Back in the saddle again, huh, darling?” the captain who ran fishing charters out of the marina drawled.

  “Good to see you back, sweetheart,” said the kind old gent who worked the bar at the Pioneer Inn.

  “I’ll have the usual, please,” said the kind woman who worked in the nearby library.

  “Your pick. I know it will be good,” said the woman who put a smile on Sophie’s face every time she dropped in. She never drank the smoothies herself. She just carried them over to one of the homeless people resting in the park and stopped to chat for a while.

  Mr. Lee frowned. “You know all these people?”

  Sophie warmed. Yes, she did. If not by name, then by disposition and habits. The bartender walked with a slight limp. The charter captain was trying to quit smoking. The librarian loved Jane Austen, and the woman who sat with the homeless had the most beautiful sparkling eyes. Every one of them seemed genuinely glad to see Sophie back at work that day.

  Sophie bit her lip. Maybe the quiet girl behind the smoothie counter didn’t go unnoticed, after all.

  Smoothies sold at a brisk pace, and her tip jar filled quickly. That was great, because it meant more money for the animal shelter she donated her tips to. Mr. Lee finally drove off, leaving her in peace. From that point on, the afternoon passed as if it were just another ordinary day. Shadows in the park grew longer, and pedestrians ambled happily on their way.

  Every once in a while, though, a chill would run down Sophie’s spine. And every time a dog barked, no matter how near or far, she would whip her head around. She even circled the truck a few times, checking that everything was all right.

  Which was silly, right? Her regulars had proven that the world was full of kind, caring faces. There was no reason to let herself get shaken up.

  Until she did.

  During a lull in business, she leaned down to rearrange supplies in the lower cabinets. When she stood again, she yelped in shock at the man standing at the order window of the truck. He seemed to have materialized out of nowhere.

  “Surprise,” he grinned, pleased to have made a grand entrance.

  She covered her chest with one hand and took a few deep breaths. Had he purposely snuck up? She’d looked around just seconds earlier. Where on earth had he come from?

  Then she looked closer — past the scruffy beard, the longer-than-usual hair, and the ball cap — and all but shrieked. “David?”

  He grinned. “Hiya, Sophie.”

  Her heart hammered, and her cheeks flushed. “Hi.”

  “That happy to see me, huh?” His smile didn’t fade; it just grew more malicious.

  “No. I mean yes. I mean — you surprised me,” she stammered. Damn it. Why did she let David Orren fluster her every time?

  Probably because he’d hounded her all the way across Maine and over to Vermont after she’d tried cutting her ties to home. First, he’d begged her to come back. Then he’d threatened her if she didn’t. And just when she thought he’d given up on her at last, he’d sent her that message.

  Heya, Sophie. I’m visiting Maui. We really need to get together. So much to catch up on.

  She stood perfectly still, studying every detail for some clue. What was he really in Maui for? And was he the same old David, or had he changed?

  He was wearing the same type of checkered flannel she’d always seen him in, the usual cargo pants, and his customary combat boots. The same stars-and-stripes cap pulled low, making his eyes hard to read.

  “You surprised me,” he insisted. Typical David — turning the tables, keeping the upper hand. “Moving all the way out here and all.”

  He watched her the way a hawk studied its prey. Circling, planning. Plotting away.

  “Yes, well,” she stammered. “I needed a change. But what about you? You hate leaving home.”

  Of all the kids she’d grown up with, David was the one who’d always declared he would rather die than leave Maine. To put it more precisely, he’d always insisted he would die defending their home turf.

  Sophie shook her head, remembering the conversation they’d had as teens.

  We’re not exactly being invaded, she’d pointed out.

  That’s what they want you to believe, he’d replied with a totally straight face.

  It always amazed her how two kids who’d grown up in the same small community could see the world so differently. Then again, she was the only one who’d seen things differently. Everyone else bought into the paranoid mind-set her stepfather had spread. David most of all.

  She’d left home the day she turned eighteen in search of a new start. David, on the other hand, had stayed, throwing himself into the training exercises and boot camps her stepfather had run, all designed to prepare their community for the worst. Judging by the muscle David had packed on since she’d last seen him, he’d been taking those exercises very seriously, indeed.

  He studied her closely. Really closely, making her skin crawl and sending crazy, panicked thoughts through her mind. What if he was responsible for the explosion?

  She tried dismissing the notion, but somehow, she couldn’t. David might mean trouble, but he would never threaten her life. Would he?

  “Of course I wasn’t kidding about coming. Whatever I say, I mean,” he said in a way that might have been a joke or a threat. “What I don’t get is why you’re still here.”

  Still? Had he expected her to give up and come running back home? Sophie stiffened.

  “Oh, you know,” she said. David had a knack for turning every conversation into an interrogation, but th
is time, she was determined to keep her cool. “My aunt Camille lived here. I came out to visit and ended up staying.”

  He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I heard about her.”

  Sophie gripped the counter a little harder. Exactly how much did he know?

  “Your mom was real upset when she died,” David said without the slightest note of sympathy in his voice.

  I was really upset too, Sophie nearly replied.

  “Your mom was real upset about the inheritance, as a matter of fact,” David went on, studying her reaction closely. “You know, that her sister had gone and left all that money to someone else.”

  Sophie did her best not to give anything away, but her cheeks heated. “Well, people can do anything they want with what’s theirs.”

  David made a face. “That money would go a long way toward our cause, you know.”

  Your cause, she wanted to say. I escaped that nuthouse years ago.

  Then she caught herself. She’d grown up with David. Shouldn’t she give him the benefit of the doubt?

  No, a little voice warned.

  “I was sorry to hear about your father,” she said.

  He shrugged. “Well, you know. When it’s time, it’s time.”

  Her jaw dropped. He was talking about his father, for goodness’ sake. Worse still, his father had been one of the more moderate voices in their group.

  “Who’s leading things now?” she ventured.

  His smile stretched. “My uncle Roy.”

  She blanched. So much for moderate.

  “Oh. And how is Barbara?” She’d heard David had started dating, which would mean she was off the hook, right?

  But he just shrugged, uninterested. “She’s fine, I guess. I don’t see her much any more. Not seeing anyone, in fact.” He grinned with a glint in his eye.

  Sophie held perfectly still. Did David even realize he’d done something wrong when he’d forced a kiss on her, way back when?

  Come on, you know you want it. He’d grinned before sweeping his tongue over her lips for a second time. If someone hadn’t walked past at that very moment, who knew how far he might have gone?

  Her stomach churned as she relived all the occasions she’d avoided him after that, and the time she’d finally worked up the nerve to say she wasn’t interested.

  Oh, I get it. You want to take it slow, he’d said, nodding along.

  No, she didn’t want to take it slow. She didn’t want him at all.

  David was one reason she’d left Maine. But he’d followed at intervals, never quite giving up on her. He’d tracked her to the Vermont farm where she’d found work — and some semblance of peace — and several times since then. The last time she’d seen him was two years previously, and she’d thought she’d finally shaken him.

  But now David was back — and creepier than ever.

  Her hand strayed to her locket, and as she toyed with it, the feeling of looming danger grew.

  “How have you been?” she asked, buying time.

  He grimaced. “Oh, you know. Working hard. Fighting hard. Watching the world go to shit all around us.”

  And off he went on his usual litany of complaints.

  “Those fools in the statehouse — not to mention Washington…”

  His list started there and went on and on. The government was not to be trusted. Conspiracies were everywhere. Industrial giants were plotting against ordinary guys like him. The tax system was riddled with corruption, and unions were working their usual devilry.

  Sophie’s pulse rose. So many conspiracies. So many perceived dangers. And David, as usual, was full of overly simple solutions to complex problems he hadn’t taken the time to truly understand.

  He gestured as he talked, and she caught sight of the necklace that swung briefly into view. Was that a bear claw? Her stomach turned. Wearing animal parts like trophies was bad enough. But that bear claw represented so much more.

  “So, as soon as you get home…” he continued.

  Sophie had tuned out for a moment, but whoa. What had he just said?

  “Home?” She stared at him, confused. Maui was home now.

  “Of course, home.” He motioned to the singed ground. “I heard what happened. It’s not safe for you here.”

  His words had a cutting edge, and the cloud of fear threatening to sweep over Sophie loomed closer. She hugged herself, determined not to succumb to its gloom. Fear was a powerful emotion and easy to cower from. But there was joy too. Trust. Faith.

  She touched the locket at her neck for reassurance.

  Trust this. Trust yourself. Trust love, her aunt had once said.

  It was comforting, somehow. Like a compass, helping her follow the right path.

  “Honestly, I’m fine,” she insisted. The old Sophie — the one David knew — would have let him steamroll over her and have his way. But the new Sophie — the one she was working so hard to become — could think for herself.

  David snorted. “You call this fine? An explosion? You could have been killed.”

  No kidding, she nearly said. “The police said there’s no evidence of foul play.”

  “Oh, come on.” He rolled his eyes. “They only say that to cover something up.”

  More conspiracies. Sophie didn’t know what to say.

  Deathly silence stretched between them, and her anxiety grew. Which was weird — around Chase, she didn’t mind silence. It just meant he needed time to think or find words, and she loved watching him search for them almost as much as she loved hearing what he had to say. David’s silences, on the other hand, came loaded like so many weapons, all armed and ready to blast away. Especially now that she caught him staring at her locket with far too much interest.

  “That’s new,” he murmured.

  She covered it with her hand. The locket had no real value, but it had been a gift from her aunt. Just having David look at it made her feel violated.

  She looked around and put on her best I mean business expression. “Look, my boss could come back any time, and I can’t have him see me chatting on the job.”

  “So get me something,” David snapped. His eyes darkened to stormy gray, and he banged the counter with a fist.

  Sophie held perfectly still. Maybe she wasn’t the only one creating a new identity for herself. David had always been intense, but he’d never lost his cool. Never before, at least.

  “Sure.” She waved to the menu, glad he couldn’t see the tremble in her knees. “What would you like?”

  For a split second, he glared as if commanding her to drop to her knees and beg his forgiveness. But Sophie held her ground. This was her turf, damn it. Not his.

  David’s nostrils went wide, but finally, his eyes flicked over to the menu.

  “Fuck, they’re expensive. Who the hell buys a drink for seven dollars?”

  She shrugged. “Maui is expensive.”

  “No kidding,” he grumbled. Then he paused, clearly waiting for her to offer him a discount, or better yet, a freebie.

  Sophie wasn’t above handing out the occasional freebie when it was deserved. The little girl who’d fallen and scraped her knee got a freebie, as did the police officer who’d come by one day looking absolutely bushed. She’d also given a free smoothie to the woman whose husband had made an awful scene about something before driving off and leaving the woman alone.

  But for David? She kept her lips sealed in a firm line.

  “Forget it,” he grunted. “Like I said. It’s not safe for you here.”

  She crossed her arms. “Why do you say that?”

  “The explosion, for one thing. The people, for another.”

  Her eyebrows flew up. “The…what?”

  David waved around, as annoyed as a man surrounded by a swarm of bees. “The people here. They’re a bad influence. The heat makes them lazy. Complacent.”

  “Lazy? Complacent?”

  People in Maui had their priorities straight. Love, happiness, and ohana — family — came first.

 
David frowned. “You need to keep your guard up all the time.”

  She was about to tell him how much happier she’d become since letting her guard down, when he went on.

  “Then there’s that guy.” David’s voice dropped to the bass he reserved for communists, terrorists, and anyone who conspired against the Constitution — whoever that might be.

  “What guy?” she asked, stiffening.

  “You know, that guy. The one who’s hanging around you all the time.”

  She stared. Did David mean Chase? “Have you been watching me or something?”

  David flapped a hand. “Of course I have.”

  “What?” Her blood pressure skyrocketed.

  “Any soldier worth his salt knows to study a situation before putting himself in the line of fire.”

  Sophie didn’t know where to start. Line of fire? And soldier — in what army?

  “What situation?” she hissed.

  He shook his head like she was the crazy one. “The explosion. That guy. He’s former Special Forces. Did you know that?”

  “How is any of that your business?” she demanded.

  But David went on as if he hadn’t heard. “He and his buddies know all about explosives. Detonators. Top secret technology that can’t be traced.”

  She couldn’t believe her ears. If it weren’t for Chase, she could be dead. And if it weren’t for the support of his friends, she would have lost the job she loved.

  “He could be using you, you know,” David went on in a gritty whisper.

  Her jaw dropped. Chase? The most undemanding man she’d ever met? “For what?”

  David scoffed. “For your aunt’s money. What else?”

  She fumed. “How dare you?” She tried to control herself, but she finally snapped, tired of being the one under fire. “Whatever — I don’t care. Seriously, David. Have you come all the way to Maui just to deliver unsolicited advice?”

  David gave her a confused look that said, What happened to the Sophie I knew?

  That pushover is gone, she wanted to say. Which wasn’t entirely the truth but, heck. She was doing her best.

  “I’ve got business in Maui,” David said, without offering any details. “Then I heard about the explosion, so I came to check it out for myself.”