by Cara Adams
Knowing the fucking SUV was likely bugged was also increasing his annoyance level. He had to escape from any pursuers or watchers before they debugged it, but their escape and even the debugging had to seem natural. Yeah, Gustav wasn’t an idiot and he might guess they were onto his games, but they couldn’t give him any hard evidence he could accept as proof. They had to able to deny liability. He’d found an old dirt road that would do for removing anything stuck onto the chassis of the car and he intended to hit some potholes good and hard so the sound of stones would be recorded on any listening devices, but he still needed to be far enough ahead of anyone chasing them that he could devote time to debugging the car without worrying that the pursuers would catch them up and actually see them doing it.
And all while Josie was sitting innocently in the backseat. Not that he expected anyone to start shooting, but who knew how stupid or dedicated these people would prove to be. And only then could they begin the real job of hunting the missing pack. He had half a mind to tell the pack to stay missing until the crock of shit that would surely explode in werewolf Europe was over and done with, but likely they would want to be watching the packs themselves. Assuming those pictures were of members of the missing pack. He was willing to bet the man photographed three different times was a member of the missing pack. He’d sent that picture back to the Alpha for him to search their own databases for any sight of him.
He’d made his way onto the autobahn, the freeway, and there were three exits leading in the direction he needed to take. His plan was to wait until the last possible moment to change lanes to take the third exit off the autobahn and hope that anyone following them would have to go around and come back via side roads, by which time they’d have lost the tracker he was sure was hidden in the SUV and be on their way. Meanwhile he got into the fast lane and planted his foot, going as fast as everyone else which was a good twenty kilometers more than the posted speed advisory of one hundred thirty kilometers an hour, about eighty miles an hour. So likely he as only going a bit over ninety miles an hour and the car was a good one. He’d find out what its responses were like shortly and how tough its suspension was a bit after that. It was an SUV so he was confident it should be able to take what he was planning to subject it to. He just wished he could warn Josie. Fortunately, she was damn smart. He noticed she was wearing her seatbelt.
The first exit flashed past so quickly he really could have genuinely missed it. He was more aware of the second one and had plotted the way he’d change lanes ready for the third. He accelerated in front of the vehicle in the middle lane, and cut across the painted lines on the road which no one was supposed to cross to get in front of the vehicle in the right lane, then dived down the off ramp just as the barrier loomed across his windshield.
“Have you considered slowing down?” Josie’s voice was a little terse.
“I’m sorry. I almost missed the turnoff.” He wasn’t at all sorry, but anyone listening in would expect him to comment. He did slow down a bit, too, needing to find the road he was looking for. Once again he left his turn until the last possible moment, then accelerated up the one-lane road and didn’t slow down when the bitumen ended and the gravel began. He made a point of hitting several potholes, hoping any listening device would be recording that, then swung into the first side road there was, leaving the door open and the engine running.
Steve jumped out with him, and began running the bug finder along the chassis, starting with each wheel well, then underneath the trunk and the engine. Zed popped the trunk and unloaded all their luggage, so when Steve was up to that section he easily ran the device over the well, without finding anything.
Zed had just reloaded the luggage and as quietly as possible shut the trunk when Steve handed him a tiny bug. Zed smiled and took it into the middle of the road, leaving it in a pothole, Steve crawled right under the vehicle checking farther then kneeled on the ground checking under all the seats. It was only on his second time over the chassis he found another bug, giving it to Zed then jumping back in the car.
Zed threw the second bug into the bushes at the side of the road, and slammed the car into drive, roaring away as fast as possible. He was pleased neither of them said anything. Surely there would be no more eavesdroppers but he wanted to take longer to check them out even more thoroughly later on.
He worked his way back to the autobahn and rejoined it, driving for another hour before turning into a large town. As they passed a hire car agency, Josie said firmly, “Stop here.”
She was usually very work focused, but he couldn’t imagine what she wanted now. However she jumped out of the car and hurried into the building. Steve was right behind her and Zed followed trying to imagine what she planned.
Josie was standing in front of a confused-looking young man, in the middle of a tirade about black being the devil’s color and that her spirit was totally crushed traveling in a black car. “Have you got a white SUV we could swap it for? White is the angels’ color. I’m sure my spirit would revive in a white SUV. Or even blue. Blue would do if you don’t have white.”
The young man hurried out back and pointed to a green SUV.
“Oh, all right. I suppose green will do. Anything other than black. I can’t sit in a black car for one more minute.” Josie stomped over to the green SUV, opened the back door, and sat down.
Steve said quietly, “I’ll get the luggage.” Zed was certain the human was trying hard not to laugh.
He shrugged. “I guess we’ll take that one. Can you send the black one back to the airport for us, please?”
“It’ll cost you fifty Euros but it’s better not to upset the lady. Those angels and demons, you don’t want to anger them, you know,” said the salesman.
“Exactly.”
By the time Zed had transferred the paperwork Steve was sitting in the new car with Josie. Zed joined them and drove away. At the speed limit, no faster.
“Angels? Demons? Satan’s color?” Steve started laughing.
“And you could have thought of a better story that might even have been believed?” Josie asked.
“Probably not.” Zed laughed too. Suddenly everything didn’t seem so bad. At least they could talk freely, now. Even the most astute worker for Gustav could never have predicted that dramatic scene from Josie.
* * * *
It only took a couple of hours to reach Budapest, so they stayed out of the city and kept on the autobahn heading for Belgrade in Serbia. Steve really enjoyed the travel, finally able to speak without fear of being overheard, and to share his thoughts and ideas with Josie. Josie hadn’t ever traveled in this area before, and even Zed had spent most of his time in the big cities, so Steve enjoyed watching them discover some of the more scenic byways. Well, byways as visible from highways that was.
He also loved it as more signs appeared in the Cyrillic alphabet. It’d been years since he’d been anywhere near these language groups, and he loved the memories it brought back to him.
“Which way do you plan to go tomorrow, Zed? Into Romania to check out the Carpathian Mountains or farther south to Sofia in Bulgaria?” he asked.
“The Carpathians. They’re less developed, so it’d be easier for werewolves to stay hidden there.”
That made sense to Steve. Being hidden was what had presumably kept them safe until now.
“What I’d like to know is why they’ve only just made themselves known. If they’ve been managing okay for many years, why suddenly come out of hiding now. They’d even figured out how to solve the lack of females problem which we in America are only just starting to address,” said Josie.
“The world is changing. Everyone needs documentation for everything and likely they lack that paperwork, or are having to figure out how to develop it for themselves,” said Zed.
“I spent some time trying to work out how they funded themselves and wondered if they had a private zoo. That would give the wolves the opportunity to shift whenever they wanted to, and also bring in an income,
and employ their people usefully,” Steve said. He wondered if the others had been thinking along the same sort of lines as he had.
“I thought of a private bank. Like you, I was looking for something that gives employment and income and a bank is also something that would have stood the test of many years,” said Zed.
“I like both those ideas. I haven’t thought of anything like that. I’m still trying to work out what Gustav’s role is in all of this. Is he simply trying to lock in himself as the Supreme’s successor or has he a deeper, darker purpose?” asked Josie.
They talked for a while longer, and how wonderful it was to be able to talk freely at last with no worries about what might be overheard. He did have a bit of a problem when Zed insisted on booking their rooms at the hotel for the night, and the staff at reception weren’t used to tourists arriving without a guide. Once he started translating though, they assumed he was some kind of local and the trouble blew over.
After their meal they drove to the botanic gardens and walked around. Now they were a bit farther south the weather was warmer and the days were longer. Of course that would all change again once they were in the mountains, but for now it was very pleasant indeed.
He wasn’t sure what plans Zed had in mind for sex that night, but the rooms were tiny, the walls paper thin, and staff loitered in the hallways all the time. Josie kissed each of them good night and closed her door firmly. End of story. At least if anything went wrong, all she’d need to do was scream. They’d both be certain to hear her.
The next week was just as frustrating for Steve and for all of them. He could see Zed getting more and more tense, and Josie becoming ever more thoughtful. He wondered if they were needing to transform and couldn’t even do that. Well, they could, but only in the safety of their own bedrooms.
They began by staying in larger towns, collecting bundles of tourist brochures and looking for anything that a wolf pack might run as a business. Then they went farther off the beaten track driving into national parks and forests, looking for less developed areas where an entire pack might hide itself away.
Steve wore his most casual clothing and sat in beer gardens and coffee shops, nursing a drink, pretending to be a German who wanted to practice his Romanian. The locals were more than happy to talk, and by and large he enjoyed himself, but he didn’t learn anything at all helpful for their job.
“This is just a waste of time. Tomorrow we’ll have a day off in Bucharest, then the next day we’ll head south into Bulgaria,” said Zed.
A day off sounded good to Steve. Maybe it would involve a long and sexy session with the three of them in bed together. It’d be wonderful to take their time, stretch out, and make a little noise.
He had to be truthful though. Although Zed was still demanding and bossy, he had been scrupulously fair in sharing Josie. They’d done everything together in bed. He hadn’t been left feeling like a third wheel or an afterthought in any way. But what he’d really like to do was stay in a hotel with a bed big enough that they could sleep together all night. Somewhere the staff wasn’t watching them all the time to make sure they returned to their own rooms at a reasonable hour.
* * * *
Josie was really tired of having to sneak around hotel rooms silently. She was almost certain most of the staff who seemed to lurk in hallways assumed she was a call girl and that the two men were clients. She supposed she should have been grateful the local working girls hadn’t attacked her for stealing their customers. Especially for Steve who’d been pretending to be German lately to try to learn more about the missing wolves.
Not that any of them had found even the smallest of leads. Either these wolves were incredibly well hidden or else they were much deeper in the mountains. Josie supposed that would be the next step. Actually hiring camping equipment and going deep into the mountains. And they’d need to do it soon too, before the weather started getting cold. The higher up the mountains they went, the colder it would be, even though it was very pleasant indeed still in the foothills.
When they’d been concerned about being overheard she’d had a lot of time to think. As well as thinking about the task they’d been set, she’d also spent a lot of time thinking about her two men. Realistically, they’d behaved much better than she’d expected. Yes, Zed had been bossy, but that was partly just his nature. He was extremely fit, very intelligent and used to leading. She imagined he’d been the boss of his grade since kindergarten and likely nothing had changed. However, he had been very fair. He hadn’t tried to push Steve away. She suspected that was not necessarily because Zed wanted Steve there, but because as the team leader he believed in acting equitably. Whatever. It worked.
Steve, of course, was a much milder personality. Yet in his own way he was just as determined as Zed. He didn’t say much, nor did he ever make a fuss. He simply was always there, always ready to help, or participate, or even watch. But not one to be easily sidelined or deterred. She liked that about him. She liked that they were all so completely different personality-wise.
Josie herself had a tendency to be a fraction tenacious and determined, so it was just as well one of them could remain calm and focused on the big picture. They’d been together almost two weeks now, but Josie didn’t think Zed was committed to an ongoing triad. That was the only system she’d accept. She knew Steve would agree to it. But Zed? No, she didn’t think he’d come that far as yet. Tomorrow she might just push their boundaries a tad. Meanwhile tonight, they could find a big anonymous hotel and have a decent night together again. She’d never slept the entire night with them and they really needed to do that.
They were almost at Bucharest and the traffic was starting to get heavier. While Zed and Steve worried about that, she pulled out her cell phone and started checking. Reception dropped out for a while, but as soon as it came back she said, “There’s a Hilton Hotel in Bucharest and it has executive suites. I think we deserve some luxury tonight. There’s also a gym, a heated swimming pool, and a whirlpool. I’m guessing that means a hot tub. Plus in-room Internet so we can catch up on our communications tomorrow.”
“That sounds good to me. But what will the bean counters say? They already made us fly cattle class.”
Josie laughed. “So that still rankles, does it? No one has said anything about the charges we’ve been running up on the credit card, so I suspect it’s all good at least for now. Besides, it’s only for one night, and then we can go back to ordinary rooms.”
She was more focused on later that night. First they’d fuck. Then they’d all cuddle up and actually sleep together. Then, after that, they could talk and she’d be able to judge whether they were progressing toward becoming a genuine trio or not.
Thinking about it made her realize the sense in that euphemism for sex, “sleeping together.” Yeah, sure, she’d had sex with both the men quite a few times now. But they’d never had the opportunity to sleep together yet. And while fucking was excellent, it was the sleeping together that would bond them together, draw them into a united little family. And that was missing so far. “Sleeping together” really meant far more than fucking. It described intimacy, and she wanted that intimacy for her, Steve, and Zed.
The Athenee Palace Hilton was a grand old white building built in 1914, and situated in the heart of the city, so they’d be able to walk everywhere tomorrow and see the sights. The staff was helpful but not intrusive, and their suite was plenty spacious enough for whatever games they wanted to play. Josie dumped her suitcase with a sigh and stretched her arms and neck thoroughly.
“I’m going to have a swim.”
“I’d rather use the gym. How about we meet in the hot tub, sorry, the whirlpool, in an hour?” asked Zed.
“I might go up and look at the gardens, but I’ll join you in an hour.” Steve wandered out of the room. Josie grabbed her swimming things and disappeared into the nearer of the two bathrooms, leaving Zed to change in the bedroom or the other bathroom, whichever he wanted.
He’d left
when she came out, so she tucked the room keycard into her ponytail, checked which level of the hotel the pool was on, and left as well. After all the endless sitting, plus some walking, swimming was a nice change for her. Back at Wolf Central where she lived and worked, they had a lap pool, and many weeks that had been pretty much the only exercise she got apart from a small amount of running up and down the stairs. She tried never to use the elevator at work simply because she got so little other exercise. But now she found she missed the swimming. She shrugged. Too much time for thinking. If she wanted to think it should be about finding this missing wolf pack.
* * * *
Zed spent his time on the exercise bike planning a sexy BDSM scene for the evening. The extra space was going to be wonderful and just for once the bathroom in the hotel was big enough for all three of them to be in it simultaneously.
He really had expected the missing wolf pack to be in the Carpathian Mountains but either they were hidden much deeper in them than he’d expected or else he was wrong. Well, they all needed some luxury and free time so this twenty-four hours would provide that, then they needed to start looking a little farther south, in Bulgaria. It just niggled at him that an entire pack could remain invisible. They had to be hidden in plain sight to access all the conveniences of society. So why had none of them found a decent clue? All the leads they thought they had found in the Supreme’s files had only given them this general area. Unless Gustav had hidden the important files, of course. Was that it? That they’d been sent here without the key information they needed? Or was he just being impatient. A week in Bulgaria might answer that question.
