“I didn’t mean anything by it,” David said calmly. “I didn’t want to call and have them hear it if they were awake. We didn’t know which room you’d be in, so I just jumped up and took a peek. That’s all it was.”
“Get a hold on that temper,” Matthew said, standing slowly. “It’s not like you to be like that.”
“Don’t you get it?” she said, swinging around to face him. “It’s not just the girls. Something is very wrong. Papa will barely talk to me. How can you not sense it?”
“There’s nothing we can do,” David told her. He took a hesitant step closer. “Your grandfather runs everything. He calls the shots, with consultation of the elders. We can either submit, or leave the pack and live our own way. Isn’t that what you’ve been trying for weeks to get me to see? It’s better to stay with the pack?”
“He’s right,” Matthew said, also stepping closer. “That’s the way it has always been.”
“So I’m just new and stupid, right?” Evie grumbled.
“No,” Matthew said. “No. You’re adjusting, that’s all. And you’re learning at a tense time. We’ve had no problems for years and years.”
“Well we have them now.”
“There will always be problems,” David said. “Living in one place for so long, we’re lucky that it has taken this long for trouble to find us.”
“I know where you’re going with this,” Evie snapped. “If you think it’s so bad here, if you think my Papa has done such a bad job, why do you stay? You’re not happy unless you’re picking fights.”
“Easy,” Matthew said. He stood straight before his cousin, no longer willing to be submissive.
The dark wolf gave no answer. He turned away and started walking slowly up the trail.
Matthew, typically so lighthearted, gave Evie a glaring mad look. He went after David, catching him and walking at his side. “Don’t mind her,” he said quietly.
“She said nothing wrong,” he replied, walking steadily. “I’m going home to sleep.”
“You mean that?”
“I mean it. And she is right. After what happened. After the things I did. How can we play the night away?”
Matthew stopped and watched David picking his way listlessly along the trail. From behind him he heard Evie call, then felt her moving up to his side. David kept on going without a reply or even a glance back.
“I didn’t mean that,” Evie said. “I didn’t—”
“Let him be,” Matthew said. “I’ve known him all my life and I can tell he’s just going home. You can make nice with him tomorrow night when you get back from your trip.”
As Evie watched him going, she realized what she’d done. That feeling of rage, that desire to strike back when struck, was exactly the problem David had been wrestling with for weeks. She had done exactly what she’d been working to talk him out of doing, only instead of a hunter or a pack enemy, she’d vented on one of her own.
***
Lars opened his eyes in the pitch dark. The night was not over, but he was suddenly wide awake and fully alert. Holding his breath, listening, he could hear the small sound of dry leaves being disturbed. Reaching for the handgun under his pillow, he sat up slowly. The rustling ceased, and then what followed was the distinct sound of an animal scenting the air. Whatever it was, it was big.
He breathed in slowly, in a cautious manner, and looked down at the outline of the gun in his hand. You’re not dreaming, he told himself. That’s the right feeling of the grip in your hand, and that was the right sound of something big prowling about. Perhaps it’s one of the pack. The friendlies. But they’ve left me alone so far. I can’t move without letting it know that I’m awake. I suppose I’ll have to wait it out.
“I know you’re awake,” said a male voice in a low tone.
Lars stared at the tent zipper, trying to process which of the many pack members the voice belonged to. He was watching for any hint of movement that might cast a shadow over the tent. I should have left the screening in, he told himself. At least then I could see a little.
“Yeah,” he finally answered. “I’m awake. Who is it?”
“David Wilson.”
That’s the kid, he thought. What the hell does he want? God, don’t tell me he’s been out tangling with those hunters again.
“Is this a friendly visit?” he asked, holding the gun pointed straight ahead. “Or is there a problem?”
“No problem,” David said. “I’m sorry to bother you. I was passing by and—”
Lars leaned forward and unzipped the flap of the tent. Across the little clearing he could see the kid’s outline beside a tree. “You trying to give me a heart attack or what?” he asked, making an obvious show to place the gun on the tent floor.
“No,” David said. “I was just saying, I was on my way home and … I guess I thought I should thank you. For what you did. At the diner. You know.”
“That,” Lars exhaled. “I didn’t lose any sleep over it. You shouldn’t either.”
“Not just for me,” David said. “For Evie. And for all of us. You kept your head and dealt with it the right way. Better than I could have.”
“Look, kid,” Lars said. “It doesn’t matter where you go in this world, you’ll find an idiot or two like that anywhere and everywhere. Maybe I’ve just met a few more than you have.”
David said nothing.
“I wouldn’t blame you,” Lars said slowly. “I mean, if you were out for blood … After what happened … I could understand why. Hell, I would be.”
David remained silent.
“Running solo tonight?” Lars finally asked after searching for something to say. The kid was intense. He was making him nervous.
“Yeah,” David said with a small laugh. “I’m on my way home now. We’re a few places down from McCall’s.”
“Those two hunters,” Lars said. “Are they … still in town?”
“You mean, did I do anything to them?”
“Sure,” Lars said.
“No.”
“No. So, are they …?”
“They just left.”
“On their own?”
“Not entirely.”
Lars stared at him. It was too dark to read his face with any accuracy. “Well, I’ve heard no shots. I guess that’s a good sign, right?”
“If I wanted to kill them, I could have.”
“I know,” Lars said.
“I could have killed them both before they reached a gun. I could have killed one before the other was even awake.”
“I don’t doubt you,” Lars said, thinking, and I suppose you could’ve killed me too, just now, if you’d felt so inclined.
After a long silence David said, “I’m sorry I woke you, Mr. Olsen. This is your space. I won’t bother your camp again. I just came to thank you for your help. I’ll try not to put you on the spot like that again.”
Before Lars could respond, in a blink there was a great dark wolf staring back at him, and the words, “Hey, no big deal,” stuck in his throat as he held his breath. He did not exhale until the wolf took his eyes away. Swinging around toward the trail he’d come from, the magnificent animal stole away fluidly and silently. Lars watched him disappear into the shadows and thought, Well, feeling his heart thumping in response to the brief sighting, I guess that’s all the sleep I’ll be getting for the night.
***
Moon Rock seemed a desolate place to Evie as she climbed its slope. She sat down, Matthew at her side, and surveyed the wide view of her favorite landscape. The autumn colors were noticeable even in the dark to her wolf eyes.
“It feels heavy,” her cousin said. “Much heavier than it looks. The meeting was a somber one.”
“What’s going on?” Evie asked him.
“It’s obviously more than the cats and Emmy’s death and the deal with my sister. But I don’t know what it is.”
“I don’t want to leave tomorrow,” Evie said after a pause. “Everything feels terrible here, but I d
on’t want to be away.”
“My father says nothing to me,” Matthew said. “But I can tell he is feeling low. And you are right about Grandpa; he is not himself.”
“This must have been the way of their lives when Papa was young. This constant feeling of a threat. No peace. Constant struggle.”
“Hard way to live.”
“We will get used to it.”
“Yes,” Matthew said. “Or else we will leave.”
“No,” Evie said, turning to him sharply. “Don’t say that.”
“Sad but true. A century in one place is a long time for our kind. If I had to guess, I would say the elders are considering our options. It follows with our history.”
“I can’t imagine not being here.”
“I don’t want to.”
After a long silence Evie said, “Will David hold tonight against me long?”
“No. Not at all. I believe that if not for his parents, and for you, he would have left by now. The rest of us are small comfort to him now. He can’t seem to let go of what happened.”
“I’m so sorry,” Evie said, nuzzling her cousin’s shoulder as she whined.
“Stop,” he told her. “I hold no grudges. Neither does he.” After some thought he mentioned the bear hunters.
“What about them?” Evie asked.
“We paid them a visit earlier. Ran through their camp. Knocked the tent over on them. Growled and threw some stuff around. Harmless.”
“Wish I was there.”
“They screamed like girls.”
Evie sighed, still too heavy to laugh, but glad to imagine those two weekend warriors getting a taste of the animals fighting back.
“If it will set you at ease,” Matthew said, “we can run to the Wilsons’ and make sure he went home.”
“I’d feel better,” she answered.
“If we hurry, we’ll have time to check the hunters before sunup.”
“Yes,” Evie said, her eyes brightening, her tone rising above somber.
At that Matthew bolted down the hill, calling back, “Give me a head start.”
***
Just before sunrise Evie trotted out from the trail onto the mowed hayfield. She turned and faced her cousin.
“Feel better?” he asked her.
“I do.”
“Hunters are gone. David’s at home. And you got some miles in.”
“Thank you,” Evie said, pushing forward and nuzzling his scruff.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night with the moms.”
“I’ll really need a long run after all that flying.”
“See you then,” Matthew said, then turned and started for home.
~12~
Lars stepped from the diner just as the jet was lifting off from the airstrip. He watched it climbing, glinting in the sun, and then started walking leisurely to McCall’s. Look at that sky, he thought. This is what, day four or five of perfect weather? I wonder what form the punishment will take. We are always punished in some way for the good times.
“Shut up,” he said aloud. Don’t follow that mood. Now you can think clearly. Losing the sleep sure wasn’t what you needed, but now you’ve showered and eaten your fill of a good breakfast. No more excuses. No more distractions. This isn’t a camping trip, it’s a job.
In the driveway he went to his truck. His phone was on the charger. Opening the door and reaching, he noticed the alert light blinking in the top corner. Wouldn’t you know it, he thought. Leave it for thirty minutes and of course I’m wanted.
He unplugged the phone and unlocked the screen. The message was short and sweet:
Get to the house ASAP.
The timestamp was only a few minutes behind the clock.
Lars slid into the cab and fired up the old rig. His heart rate seemed to be climbing along with the revs of the old engine. Backing from the drive, in turning his head he noticed the old woman stepping through the doorway. She waved. Lars looked straight up the road. He was fully awake now, his vision narrowing with intense focus. Whatever McCall wanted would have to wait. He was in work mode now.
***
The door was ajar when Lars stepped up toward the oak house. He peered in briefly, then advanced. The old man and woman came out from the study. Joseph stopped in the doorway. Evelyn proceeded on to the stairs and climbed them slowly.
“Morning,” Lars said tentatively.
“Change of plans,” Joseph said, motioning him to the study. “Our guessing games are over.”
Lars said nothing as he entered the room. He stood waiting to be invited to sit. Joseph moved to his desk, took up a piece of paper, turned and handed it to him. It was a short note written by hand on a stationary pad.
Mr. Snow,
As The Grand Resort offers no heliport, I trust I can count on your accommodating my chopper tomorrow for an overnight stay. Please do me the honor of joining me for dinner in the private lounge. 5 sharp.
Best,
Rowan Merrill
“You’re kidding me,” Lars muttered. “Merrill? Snow?”
“Our old name,” Joseph said. “Look closely at the stationary.”
On closer inspection Lars noticed the faint logo stamped over the top of the paper. The color was a distressed tan, barely noticeable on the white paper. “Portland Diagnostics,” he read. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“Nor have I. But a quick search has shown it to be an actual lab. Small, privately funded, of course.”
The sound of Lester entering the house and stomping to the study halted their conversation. Lars extended the paper to him when he stepped into the room.
“What is this?” he barked. “An insult? Who dares assume our hospitality and then signs the name of Merrill?”
“Someone,” replied his father, “who wants us to know that they know exactly who we are. Someone, I presume, that is just as tired of the old games as we are.”
Lester turned to Lars. “Can your homemade rounds take a chopper out of the sky?”
“Sure,” Lars answered, a kneejerk reaction.
“Hold on now,” Joseph said. “We need to think this over from every angle, and we haven’t a lot of time.”
“What’s the date on the postmark?” Lars asked.
“There is none,” Joseph answered. “This was placed in the box sometime between yesterday morning and now. No doubt the arrival in question is today.”
Lester took an aggravated breath. Anger practically radiated from him.
“I can’t imagine it,” Lars said after a few seconds of thought. “This Merrill character would have to be a total fool to fly into your strip.”
“Fool or not, I can find nothing on the name so far,” Joseph said. “I’ve ordered my computer man to dig deeper than I know how. In the meantime, we have much else to consider.”
“It’s an outright challenge,” Lester said. He pointed to Lars. “They’ve thrown soldiers at us and come up with nothing. They’ve incited our rivals. This is the fight we’ve been sensing. We’re being called out, like a duel in older times.”
“They could be sending several helicopters,” Lars said. “Loaded with mercenaries.”
“Send what they will,” Joseph said. “They cannot acquire what they desire from us if we are all dead.”
Lars stepped closer to the couch. The tension in the room was rising quickly, and he wanted some space between himself and Lester.
“We should proceed with the plan,” Lester stated.
“I suppose you’re right,” his father said. “Paul and Earl are in the air today. You’ll have to get things started yourself.”
Lester turned and left without a word, stomping as he went. Lars waited until he’d heard the door close before attempting to speak.
“The plan,” Joseph said ahead of him, “is to prepare for an invasion.”
Lars cleared his throat.
“There is a cave beneath the hill we call Oak Hill,” Joseph explained. “It was a natural cave that we’ve modified for spa
ce and safety. It will house our most important valuables, as well as ourselves, if need be. All business will be shut down and everyone older than school age will be assisting.”
“I can help,” Lars said. It seemed the easiest thing to say. “Just give—”
“No. No, I need you here. Battles in the old days were one thing. Now, in this town, with other residents to consider …”
“We can come up with something,” Lars said. It was the most confident statement he’d made in days. It felt good leaving his lips. And it felt good to be operating within his realm of expertise.
***
The mercenary sat on the couch, leaning forward with his hands clasped together. After his bold statement, he found it difficult to condense his racing thoughts into a coherent statement.
“Would you prefer to be left alone?” Joseph finally asked.
“No,” Lars answered, looking up at him. He knew that the old man was feeling less than at ease, but he admired how well he managed to compose himself in the face of such a serious threat. “Typically, yes, I do my best thinking alone. But I’m not alone in this. I need your input and approval.”
“Approval?”
“I’ve given this a lot of thought but haven’t dared to bring it up just yet. Now we’re pressed, so I’ll just ask. How do you feel about fighting in your human form?”
Joseph leaned back in his chair. “Conflicted,” he answered after some time. “As you might guess, there is a level of resistance in our nature to such an act. Some might label it as dishonorable.”
Lars nodded slowly.
“But,” the old man continued. “I’m willing to hear you out.”
“Maybe Lester is right,” the mercenary said. “A few rounds fired by a man that doesn’t exist could end this quickly.”
“Or it could set off a firestorm,” the old man said.
“Right. Well. My idea was … regarding the fighting tactics of your pack. If it comes to a fight, that is. How do you feel about the possibility of fighting in your human forms?”
Seasons of Wither (The Great North Woods Pack Book 3) Page 12
