by Bethany Shaw
“To stay out of sight.”
“Then why were you spotted?” Fernando glowered.
“It was an accident, sir.”
“An accident,” Fernando chuckled, darkly. He shoved the man and took a step back, reining his anger in. “We are at war. Accidents cannot happen.”
“I understand. It won’t happen again.”
“No, it won’t.” Fernando turned to his grandson. “Make an example of him. I want the other’s to know what happens when they don’t follow my orders. The men have gotten relaxed after our victory in New Orleans; they need to be reminded who we are. And above all that orders must be followed to a tee.”
“But sir, we need every man,” the man pleaded for his life, his hands clutching at Malakai’s firm grip.
“And how many men did we lose tonight because of your incompetence?” Fernando asked.
“Twenty-three,” he said, resigned.
“Twenty-three,” Fernando repeated. “It will soon be twenty-four. If you cannot obey my orders, then you are no longer of use to me. See that he is taken care of, Malakai.”
Malakai nodded dragging the screaming man from the room. Slamming the door shut behind them, Fernando sat back down on the bed. He turned his gaze to his book, with a snarl; he threw it across the room. The book hit the wall and fell to the floor with a thump. Why couldn’t people just do what they were told?
***
Lark walked into Gene’s office shutting the door behind her. The three alphas looked up at her, and Devon pulled out a chair for her to sit in.
“How is Sarah?” Devon asked, entwining his fingers with hers as she sat.
“Angry.”
“That’s an improvement,” Gene replied. “It means she’s fighting—moving on. I was beginning to get worried she’d stay in her slump indefinitely.”
“Me too,” Lark sighed. As glad as she was that Sarah was snapping out of her depression there were other important matters to discuss. “What happened tonight?”
“We think it was just a group who was doing recon,” Gene said. “There were too few of them for it to be any kind of an organized attack. We’ve done a good job training our men. They were far enough out I’m surprised they spotted them at all.”
“How many were there?” Lark asked.
“A few dozen, we have twenty-three bodies and at least one person got away,” Devon said, leaning back in his chair.
“At least that’s twenty-three less at Juarez’s camp,” Lark mumbled.
Natalia shook her head. “He can always call in more men.”
“From our estimates he already has several hundred. I’m not sure how many more he can fit at that motel before it is overrun,” Devon said.
“Maybe the motel is only temporary. I can’t believe he will attack until his numbers far outweigh ours,” Natalia said, turning to Gene. “With all of our new recruits we have over two hundred men. He will double that number maybe even triple it before attacking.”
“And we know from,” Gene paused, sighing. “Preston.” He cleared his throat. “And Vincent’s mission a month ago that most the packs in our vicinity are in his pocket. Derek Stiles is our only ally nearby. His group had slightly better results the further west they went, but not much. They stand at just under a hundred members.”
“Maybe we’re looking at this all wrong,” Lark said.
“What do you mean?” Gene asked.
“We’re at war. We know where our enemies are currently and that he doesn’t have the numbers he wants to attack. We stop him from obtaining those numbers by attacking and taking out his army,” Lark suggested, looking around the room.
“But then we forfeit some of our numbers here, making us more vulnerable,” Devon argued. “Even if we sent out fifty men we would be weaker here. With the Bayou pack here now too, we have over thirty women and children ripe for the taking. We have a target on our back.”
“What are we supposed to do? Sit back twiddling our thumbs and wait for him to attack us?” Lark asked.
“No,” Natalia shook her head. “We can’t. She is right we need to take this to them.”
“What if we don’t take all men?” Lark questioned.
“What do you mean?” Gene asked.
“Leave the men here and take some of the women. I know April ran off into the fight tonight. She has the will to fight and a reason to. I could go too. With my gun and a few good fighters, we could do a lot.”
“Absolutely not, Lark. Juarez has taken a particular interest in you,” Devon snapped.
“I’m not scared of him. And I’m not going to let him rule what I do. If he continues to build his army here, we’ll become prisoners on the ranch. How long until it’s not safe for me to go to The Cookie Jar? Or, for your mother to go to the grocery store? What if Sarah decides she wants to go to school winter semester and she can’t because it’s not safe? People are beginning to notice the posse at the shop. It’s obvious they don’t work there. Eventually, it could deter business. We can’t live like this Devon!” Lark argued sitting up straighter in her chair. Her hands gripped the armrest as she met his icy stare.
Gene pulled a drawer out and shuffled through some papers before pulling out a yellow notepad. “This is the list I started making based on Talia’s memory and what Vincent and Preston learned while on the road. The closest enemy pack is six hours from here. If Juarez is keeping men anywhere, I imagine he would keep them at his closest pack,” Gene replied. “If we plan accordingly we could be in and out—back here in a day or two’s time. If we go, I want to leave enough time to scope out the area. The last thing I want to do is hurt innocent people. They could have women and children there too. We need to know what we are getting into.”
“If they’re with Juarez none of our guys are going to get close enough to get a good vibe of the situation,” Lark said, biting her lip. But she could easily get onto the property without raising too many red flags.
Devon banged his fist down on the top of the desk. He looked to Gene then back to Lark. “I don’t want you to go, Lark.”
“I worried about you, Gene, and the rest of the pack the entire time you were gone tonight. I don’t want to go. I don’t want anyone to go.” Lark shook her head, tears pricking her eyes. “If we are ever going to be free, then we’re going to have to fight for it.”
“I’m going with you,” Devon growled after a long moment.
“You know we both can’t leave, Dev. Not for something this far away—this dangerous,” Gene spoke.
Devon nodded. “You and Talia stay here. We’ll ask April, and come up with a list of a few other’s to take. We’ll plan to head out in a few days.”
Gene opened his mouth to say more, but the baby monitor crackled and a loud wail echoed through it.
“It’s getting late. We’ll reconvene later and sort out all the details later,” Gene said, standing up. He offered his hand to Natalia and pulled her up and into his side. “Good night.”
“Night,” Lark smiled.
“See you tomorrow.” Devon laced his fingers through Larks and stood up. “I love you, Lark. But, I absolutely hate your plans,” he murmured bending down to kiss her.
Lark sighed into his mouth as his hands cupped her face and his lips met hers. She knew he disapproved of her putting herself in danger, but this moment right now—this is what she was fighting for. For their future.
Chapter Nine
Nora flopped down on her bed. Her fingers went to her sore shoulder, gently massaging the tender muscles. She had been surprised when Lark had knocked on her door this morning offering to teach her how to shoot. With no class work to do on a Sunday morning, she’d agreed. Though the blonde had warned her about the kickback from the rifle, Nora hadn’t expected the throbbing ache in her collarbone.
She had done well though—well, sort of. She’d hit a few targets, just not where Lark had wanted. I’ll get better.
Nora closed her eyes as she burrowed further into the pillow. Maybe a
nap wouldn’t be so bad, she told herself. Her exhausted body quickly began to drift off. In between sleep and awareness, Nora almost didn’t notice the hard knock on her door.
Her heavy eyes squinted open, and she slowly sat up. Pushing off the bed, she stumbled to the door, throwing it open. Her heart leapt up into her throat and her eyes widened. Daniel stood before her.
“Hi,” she squeaked, now fully awake.
“Were you sleeping? I’m sorry, I can come back,” he said, backing away.
“No, it’s fine.” Nora smiled, leaning against the doorframe.
Daniel looked down, jamming his hands into the pockets of the sweater, he wore, leaving only his thumbs on the outside. “I was just wondering if you still felt like doing something today?”
“Sure. As long as it’s not training. I went out shooting with Lark earlier. My shoulder’s a bit sore,” she explained, rubbing it again.
“Oh. I’m sure we can find something to do.”
“Let me grab a sweater. It’s kind of chilly out there today.” Nora opened her door all the way as she rummaged through the closet to find a sweater she liked. A thought ran through her head, but she was almost sure he wouldn’t be game for it.
“Yeah, it’s unseasonably cold,” Daniel replied, still standing in the hallway. “I heard it’s supposed to warm back up again.”
Deciding on a beige hoodie, Nora closed the closet. “Hopefully it does warm back up. I only have jeans and t-shirts.” While Nora was thankful for everything the Harris’ had given to her, the seasons were changing and the clothes she had been provided wouldn’t be warm enough. “I might have to talk to April about rounding up a group of guys for a trip to the mall.”
“We could go there today, you know, if you wanted,” Daniel offered. “They have a movie theater there too.”
“Is it safe?” Nora asked. “I mean, no one’s going to run us off the road or anything, right?”
“I had patrol last night. The area’s been cleared and there are no signs of Juarez or his men. We also have patrols running the roads to and from town and there hasn’t been any issues yet. I’ll drive just to be safe,” Daniel offered. “Once we get to the mall it will be so packed with people, even Juarez would be a fool to do anything. We should be back before dark just to be safe.”
“Okay.”
They walked in silence out of the house and he led her around back and down a long line of cars before stopping in front of a blue Camaro.
“Is this yours?” Nora asked, staring at the sports car.
“Yeah.” Daniel opened the door and climbed inside. “It’s one of the only things me and my dad ever agreed on. A guy should have a nice, fast car.”
“So your parents bought this for you?” Nora asked, thinking back to her beat up Cavalier that she’d had to scrounge every penny for. She missed her car. It was a shame it had been trashed on their way here.
Daniel shrugged.
“Must be nice,” Nora commented, rolling her eyes as she climbed in.
“It may have been given to me, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t pay for it in other ways,” Daniel stated, ominously.
“I’m sorry,” Nora frowned, tugging on a lock of hair.
“Don’t be,” Daniel said, his voice harsh.
Nora sucked in a deep breath as she looked out the window. Daniel started the car, and the engine roared to life. He adjusted the gearshift, then backed them up. The car shook as it drove over the uneven grass. Once on the gravel drive, rocks pinged the bottom of the car.
“Any particular store you’re interested in?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t usually go to the fancier shops. I work...I used to work at the bar down the street from my apartment. Nowhere fancy, since I’m now jobless, I definitely need to conserve my money.” And make sure I have enough money to buy my medicine until I do start getting a steady income again. Will I even be able to get a job here?
“I’ve only been to the mall once with my mom and that was to pick up things for Adrian just after he was born. I’m not really sure what stores are there, but it’s pretty big.”
“I’m sure I’ll find something,” Nora smiled. “Maybe we could see a movie too.”
“I can’t remember the last time I went to the movies,” Daniel commented.
“Then we should go. It will be fun.”
“All right.”
***
Daniel carried the few bags down the escalator as he and Nora left the movie theater. Nora stood ahead of him. Her long copper locks fell in soft waves over her right shoulder. The tank top she wore exposed the soft creamy skin of her collarbone, and Daniel imagined what it would be like to place kisses in the crook of her neck. She was stunning. The green top and dark jeans she wore fit her curves in all the right places. She is only a friend. He reminded himself.
“So what did you think?” Nora asked. She skipped off the last step, whirling around to face him.
“I liked it,” Daniel replied, smiling.
“I can’t believe you’ve never seen a Marvel movie before. We’re going to have to get on my Netflix account and have a marathon of all the movies,” Nora said.
Daniel quirked a brow at her. He’d never just sat back and watched movies. He’d never been allowed to relax or go out with friends. With his father, it had always been one thing or another. This was his chance at a fresh start.
“You want to get something to eat before heading back?” Daniel asked.
“Have you tried that Chinese restaurant down by Macy’s? It smelled really good when we walked by it earlier,” Nora noted.
“No. We can go there,” Daniel offered.
“I feel like some beef lo mein,” Nora commented as they veered toward the restaurant. Her shoulder grazed against his and Daniel caught a whiff of her intoxicating strawberry scent. She grinned, staying close enough that their arms continued to brush together. “Me and April used to have Chinese Friday’s. We’d order five or six different things and then eat as much as we could while having a movie marathon. Then of course, we’d have to hit the gym first thing Saturday morning. It was so worth it, though.”
“I could probably eat three of their dinner sized meals myself some days,” Daniel said, opening the door to the restaurant.
The restaurant was dimly lit. A black half-wall lined the restaurant cutting it in two. Tables sat on both sides of the wall, each with a single white candle in the middle.
“I would love to have your metabolism.”
Daniel shrugged. “The only bad thing about it is I’m hungry all the time.”
“I’d eat all the wrong things then. I have a bit of a sweet tooth. I try to eat healthy most of the time. Got to stay heart healthy,” she said, jokingly, but there was a hint of something else in her voice.
“I’m sure all the junk I eat will catch up to me someday. But with the way things are now, and as active as I am, it won’t be anytime soon,” Daniel replied. They stopped in front of a sign and waited for the hostess to return. Daniel held up two fingers as she approached. The woman quickly grabbed the menus and led them to a small booth in the far corner of the restaurant. The setting was private—intimate.
“Do you have watch again tonight?” Nora asked opening the menu.
“Yeah. Every night this week. Gene keeps us on a rotation so no one is kept on the same shift indefinitely. It makes it fair.”
“That’s considerate of him.”
“He’s a good alpha. A fair alpha. I’m glad to be a part of his pack.” Daniel stared down at the black calligraphy, trying to decide what he should order.
“Can I ask why you aren’t a part of your brothers? I’m just curious is all,” Nora asked, peering up at him.
“Dev and I don’t get along.”
“What about the rest of your siblings?” Nora asked her voice just above a whisper.
“Vincent and I, we uh, talk and stuff, but we’re not close. And Em, she’s always been closer to Dev. They’re still my family, and I know t
hey’d do anything for me, but I’m not close to them. Not like they are with each other anyway. My dad spent a lot of time with me, preparing me to be a leader. While they got to go out and do things together I was stuck in alpha training,” he explained, running a hand through his hair.
“But you’re not an alpha?” Nora questioned.
“It’s Devon’s right by birth. My dad wasn’t an alpha, he just happened to take over after Devon’s father passed away. It’s in Devon’s blood not mine. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure I ever wanted to be an alpha. It’s a lot of responsibility and I wouldn’t want to...” he trailed off and tapped his knuckles against the white tablecloth. “I wouldn’t want to end up like my father. He was a tyrant. You couldn’t reason with him. It was his way or no way—and if you still refused then you suffered the consequences.”
Nora was quiet and Daniel couldn’t help but wonder if he’d said too much. He hoped not. It was nice to talk to someone. His siblings thought he’d had it easy, that he was the favorite. If anything, they were the ones who got away easy.
The waiter came to their table, a wide smile on her too red lips. Daniel motioned for Nora to order first. He then ordered a large portion of the beef broccoli.
Nora licked her lips and looked up at Daniel. Her eyes met his and he swallowed seeing a raw intensity in them.
“You know,” she started, clearing her throat. “When I was a kid my parents were always in and out. I thought it was my fault that there was something wrong with me. It took me a really long time to realize the problem was with them—not me. I guess I’m trying to say that we don’t have to follow in our parents footsteps. We can make our own way—we just have to want to do better.”
Nora gave him a small smile and Daniel relaxed back into the booth. She understood where he was coming from. For the first time since he could remember, he had found someone who was reaching out to him—someone who understood him. I can’t screw this up.
***
Nora shifted in the leather seat as they sped down the road toward the ranch. The sun hung on the horizon, painting a beautiful purplish-pink across the sky.
“Thank you for taking me out today. It was nice to get out and relax,” Nora said, turning to him. She picked up her milk shake from the cup holder and took a sip. She closed her eyes savoring the cool chocolate drink. They’d picked the treat up on the way home and it had been the perfect way to end their little date. It might not be a date, she reminded herself.
