Dirty Deeds (The Tulsa Pack Book 1)

by Crystal Dawn

  “The price and what was available determined what I could get for you. The back portion could be used for guests or even to rent out at your discretion. It was added as a mother-in-law suite to the main house. It’s a house all by itself. Either a two bedroom or a one bedroom with a large office.”

  “Would it be feasible to rent so far from the lake?” Dez questioned.

  “I wasn’t thinking of you renting it to tourists. There’s a shortage of rentals in this area. If you wanted to rent short term, I could send you wolves that are relocating to this area.”

  “Have someone in mind?”

  “I actually do. A family of three is moving here from Blake’s old pack.”

  “Okay. Give me a day to get used to the house then I’ll call you to let you know.”

  Ariel grinned. “I’ll be waiting for your call. There’s food in the fridge and some clothes in your bedroom. I assumed you would want the master.”

  “You really were expecting me, weren’t you?”

  “I was. Just remember, there’s nothing we can’t help you through. The clan takes care of its own.” With that mysterious comment, Ariel left. Dez watched her as she drove away.

  She turned back to begin checking out the house. Ariel had even turned all the utilities on. Everything looked so cool. It distracted her from her pain for a little while.

  Chapter 7

  She’s Gone

  JC didn’t feel right about letting her down, but he remembered his conversation with his guys. They had all gathered together to interfere in his love life. They’d met not long after he and Dez had first made love.

  “You look happy right now.” Tanner observed.

  “He must have gotten lucky last night.” Grant guessed.

  “She’s human so it must not be serious.” Jack suggested.

  “Why can’t it be serious? She’s a great girl.” JC offered.

  “She’s not wolf.” Harvey pointed out.

  “Isn’t he the same alpha that said only a she-wolf would be his alpha mate?” Cade questioned.

  “Things change.” JC explained.

  “Some things never change, like what’s best for the pack.” Tanner observed.

  “My wolf will go crazy if I lose her.” JC admitted.

  “You won’t know that until you try. If she presses, tell her it’s just sex. If your wolf goes nuts, you can always take her back.” Cade used his lawyer’s logic.

  “It’s for the good of the pack. She’s not what we need.” Tanner added.

  For the pack, his pack, he’d have to let her go, but not yet.

  His heart hurt so bad he could barely stand it. JC’s wolf had rolled up into a ball refusing to acknowledge his human half. There was no hunger, not laughter, no interest in anything. That’s what happened when a fool ignored his heart and soul.

  Unable to help himself a moment longer, JC took the stairs two at a time. He pounded on the door until it shook, but there was no answer. She was hurt, he understood. His key unlocked the door so he threw it open ready to stride in so he could grab his woman. As he looked in the room, he was stunned because there was nothing.

  No sign of Dez or any of her possessions. The room was empty like his heart. Deep down, he knew she was gone. Killing time in his office until Dez’s shift began, he was in for another surprise. Sheila was tending bar like an expert.

  “Where is she?” He demanded.

  “She went back home. Dez told me to take over since I’m trained now.” Sheila lifted her chin as if daring him to object.

  “I made a terrible mistake.” He whispered.

  “We can both agree on that.” She replied.

  There was no sympathy here for him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Mitzy slinking away. It was clear she didn’t want to talk to him so he ran her down. “Why did she leave?”

  “You’d know better than I would.” Mitzy answered.

  “I guess this is just what you wanted.”

  “No, I never wanted Dez hurt. I liked her. Maybe I should have warned her before she started seeing you. I even suggested she stay in case you saw the truth.”

  “What truth is that?” JC asked.

  “She’s your fated mate, but you’re a fool. How could you think you’d ever find anyone better?”

  “She’s not a she-wolf. The guys thought…”

  “No, the guys didn’t think. Not that it matters anymore, but she’s a white wolf, you damned fool.” Mitzy started to stomp off.

  He caught her by the arm. “Did she tell you that?”

  “Use your big head for a change. She’s known Ariel and Marissa all her life. Sheila called getting Ariel personally to make arrangements to visit their pack in a few weeks. The only number she had for Ariel is her personal line. She has a picture of her family with Ariel and Blake before they had children and Marissa and her twin before Marissa met Damon. She knows rules and benefits wolves have we don’t know ourselves. Give it some thought, Genius.” Mitzy stomped off not looking back.

  Could it be? He’d broke her heart because she wasn’t a wolf when she was so much more. He went back to Sheila. “I need Ariel’s private number.”

  Sheila shot him a cold look. “What makes you think I have it?”

  “Mitzy told me. I need it now.” He put a little alpha power into his request. Her head went down as she went to her purse to dig it out.

  He dialed the number and waited for Ariel to answer. “You took your sweet time.”

  “What?”

  “Are you slow at figuring things out too?”

  “Now wait a minute.”

  “You called me. She doesn’t want anything to do with you.”

  “I know I messed up, but how can I make it up to her if I can’t talk to her?”

  “Did you try calling her cell phone?” Ariel asked.

  “Um, no. I didn’t.”

  “Maybe you should do that first?”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  She hung up immediately. Hell, he knew the White Wolf was busy, she had several careers and helped Blake run the single most successful pack there was. It was growing at a big rate on both sides of the state line. She managed to find housing and jobs for all the wolves that came into the pack. He’d seen the numbers, the female was amazing.

  His hands shook as he dialed Dez’s number. It rang three times then went to messages. JC hung up, he had no idea what to say. Tanner was standing around by the bar. That wolf always seemed to know when something was up. He motioned for him to join him.

  “Hey Boss. Want the other guys too?”

  “Sure, why not? Let’s have a party.” JC said. He didn’t blame Tanner for not wanting to deal with the shit storm all by himself.

  Neither of them said a thing as Cade arrived followed by Harvey. A few moments later Jack who was followed by Grant. “Sorry, I had a patient to finish up with.”

  “That’s okay. We waited patiently.” JC observed. “You guys helped fuck up my life, now you can help straighten it out.”

  They all looked alarmed. “Is this about Dez?” Jack asked.

  “Yes, she left right after I admitted it was just sex, which really wasn’t true. I don’t think I could shift if my life depended on it. My wolf curled up in a ball refusing to respond to anything. I called Ariel, but she won’t tell me anything except call Dez’s phone which she won’t answer.”

  “A question, Boss. Why would you call the White Wolf about Dez?” Harvey asked.

  “I’m glad you asked. Because Dez is a white wolf too. You might be aware that they don’t publicize that. Now my wolf thinks I’m a moron who would be better off dead.”

  “I’m sure he doesn’t want you to die.” Jack said. The look JC sent him would curdle milk.

  “Maybe once she calms down she’ll answer the phone. You know how women are.” Cade soothed.

  “I don’t know and you guys don’t either because you never thought she’d leave.”

  “You’re right. We saw how Mitzy hung aro
und so we figured she’d do the same. We are all sorry that we weren’t right, but you didn’t know what she was either.“ Cade pointed out.

  “That doesn’t matter anymore. I want her back now!”

  “You may have to wait. She’s upset and needs to calm down.” Grant observed.

  “I don’t want to wait. I want my mate now.” His voice rumbled low and dangerous.

  Everyone shut up looking down at the floor. Finally they looked up to see he’d calmed himself. “Yes, Alpha.” They said in unison.

  JC had a bad feeling about things. She wasn’t going to just come back. With his males sitting there properly chastised, he called Tyne putting his phone on speaker. “I wondered when you’d call.” Tyne said.

  “Why does everyone say that?” JC asked.

  “It’s a small community around here. We all knew within a couple hours of her leaving Oklahoma.”

  “She called everyone?”

  “Of course not. She called Ariel then Ariel called those who needed to know.”

  “She won’t talk to me.”

  “Who, Ariel?” Tyne asked.

  “No, she talked to me, but won’t tell me where to find Dez.”

  “Dez doesn’t want you to know. No one around here will tell you anything. You messed up. That’s not easy to fix. She’s an exceptional woman, I guess it took her leaving to show you that.”

  “I’ll get help from the council if I have to.”

  “They won’t interfere.”

  “I’ll hire the other investigators.”

  “Seb won’t take the case once he finds out what it is.”

  “I’ll come up there to find her myself.”

  “Come on down. It’ll be fun, but you’ll never find her.”

  “Why not?”

  “She was already hiding from an ex-boyfriend. That’s why she went to stay with your pack. He tried to kill her. Ariel has her deep. There’ll be no bills and nothing in her name. The only way you might find her is if she goes somewhere and you see her. That’s not likely because she knows what’s at stake.” Tyne admitted.

  “I thought she was just getting over a love affair gone bad.”

  “It went bad alright. Her boyfriend was a criminal. When she found out, she went to the wardens. Cage is handling her case. It’s a huge one. Most of the local wardens have been pulled in on it. Her life is in danger every day until this is settled. I know it’s not easy, but my advice to you is let things be until the case is settled. Searching for her could put her at risk.”

  “I could protect her.”

  “That’s why I sent her to you. Look how that worked out.”

  “You didn’t tell me what was going on.”

  “JC, it really doesn’t matter anymore. For her wellbeing you need to leave her alone for a couple of months. You need to put her first.”

  “I do. I just don’t see how she can be looked after without me with her.”

  “She has cousins by blood and marriage in every part of local law enforcement. Ariel has put her somewhere as safe as any place can possibly be. There’s even a hidden safe room. The place is warded by cousins that are strong witches. Most people can’t even find it without an invitation. Everything she needs is delivered to her so she won’t be seen in public. Just work on your own problems for now, I’ll let you know when her problem is taken care of.”

  “Do you know what you’re asking me?”

  “Yes, I’m asking you to put her needs ahead of yours.” Tyne commented frankly.

  “How do I know that’s what’s best for her?”

  “It’s what she wants. Doesn’t that matter?”

  “And when this is done?”

  “I’ll help you get in touch with her, but I can’t guarantee she’ll want anything to do with you.” Tyne insisted.

  “In person?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “I guess I don’t have a choice. Call me as soon as you know something.”

  “I will.” Tyne hung up.

  A quiet hung over the room. “Did any of you guys know?” They all shook their heads.

  “Most of us only spoke to Dez in passing like we do the other employees.” Tanner explained.

  “I thought she was here on vacation. All the other employees were excited about visiting her home pack.” Grant stated.

  “Her home pack?

  “Yeah, she’s a member of Blake’s and Ariel’s pack. I figured a family member married in.” Grant observed.

  “We had all the information we needed to figure out who she was, but didn’t put it together.” JC lamented.

  “That would have been a big stretch.” Cade argued.

  “Really? She’s a member of the pack all the white wolves are in, but she’s human. She knows several white wolves personally. The woman is a born leader, smart, capable, and attractive. Dez practically radiated power, but it’s subtle so you’re drawn in without realizing it right away. Her knowledge of wolf law and rules are better than most wolves. The White Wolf herself is her neighbor who she’s known all her life and Ariel and Blake along with other well-known white wolves are in a picture of her family.”

  “Hey, who knew about the picture?” Jack asked.

  “Sheila and Mitzy, but it was displayed in her room. I should have noticed it as much time as I spent in there.” JC admitted.

  “Cut yourself some slack. You’ll have her back in no time. Just get ahead on your work so you’re ready to take off the second Tyne calls.” Grant advised.

  Chapter 8

  Oh, Baby!

  Dez was depressed all the time. Two weeks had passed quickly enough because she’d worked herself into the ground. Dropping into bed every night she was so tired she fell asleep instantly. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to keep working. Now she was getting sick. Dez rarely ever got sick so she was alarmed when it began to happen nearly every day at various times.

  To offset the nauseous and avoid the vomiting, she began to take a nap whenever she felt dizziness coming on. Moe visited her regularly up until the baby decided he was ready to come. Junior looked just like his proud daddy. Now Moe had her hands full with the little one who didn’t want to sleep much and was always hungry.

  It was okay because everyone seemed to feel bad for her. Ariel and Marissa even visited and she knew how busy those two were. Sometimes they brought the kids, sometimes they came alone. Company always made her feel better. Dez also wasn’t afraid to put them to work. This small forty acre ranchette was going to become a dream home. She’d already established two bee hives. The orchard was planted where several fruit trees already flourished.

  The garden spot had been quickly fenced in then prepared and planted using every available spot for something. In the back yard, not too close to the house, she had started dumping scraps so they could be used in compost. Dez loved gardening, it helped her relax. Her cousin had a fruit stand so it was easy to sell anything she had too much of.

  Her next project was to build a barn for the animals she planned to get. She already had a chicken shed. Her cousin Alfred had built it like a mini red barn. He’d fenced it in so the chickens had a fair space to walk around in, but nothing could get in to bother them. Raccoons and possums were notorious for getting in with the chickens and killing them all.

  It helped to keep busy and the sickness seemed to be easing. She was in good shape from all the exercise which included cutting wood for her fireplace. She’d probably overdone it. There was enough stacked for the coming winter with more cut down so it would dry out for next year.

  The house had a nice storm cellar where she could go in case of a tornado. It also had shelves for storing canned goods or the necessities one might like to have handy if they were stuck inside waiting out a storm. This storm cellar had been built more recently as had several of the upgrades like the garden shed. Someone had started to fix the place up, but either ran out of money or had the ultimate tragedy beset them.

  This place was nearly perfect, the only thing
lacking was someone to share it with. Not even necessarily a lover. Just someone close to her. Dez was playing with the idea of never marrying since her taste in males was so appalling. Maybe she should just adopt a child so she never had need of a male again. The troubles she’d been through lately trying to get a lover were just not worth it.

  Dez surveyed the stack of lumber that had been delivered for her to build a barn with. She’d played with the idea of using raw lumber, it weathered well. But she also liked the idea of a little red barn to match the chicken shed so she’d decided to get treated lumber. The plan was to take concrete up four feet on the sides. A cobblestone floor would be poured since she had access to the river. It was easy to get all the gravel she needed for any project.

  Digging out a spot in the river would also give her a swimming hole. She loved to swim, had loved it since she was a small child taking swimming lessons. The water didn’t scare her, but she had a healthy respect for it. When the river was up she didn’t go swimming. So far she hadn’t done much more than take a quick dip to cool off when she got hot after working in the garden or the yard.

  Her new home was a little piece of paradise. She’d already rescued a half grown puppy from the shelter. He’d been a mangy half-starved critter, but he already looked much better since she’d had him. Outside, he followed her everywhere. She’d bought him the mansion of dog houses which he seemed quite proud of. He also had half a dozen chew toys to play with. She’d wait until the barn was complete to get a cat for it. Dez loved animals of all kinds. It would be hard to imagine a life not surrounded by animals. That was something she’d missed with the Tulsa pack. Just thinking about her time there was upsetting.

  She heard a car in the driveway. It was Ariel and someone was with her. “Hello, Dez. This is Doc, I think you may have met him before.”

  Darn. Had she? She couldn’t remember. “We’ve not met.” He replied curtly.

  “He’s here to give you a checkup. Better safe than sorry.” Ariel said.

  “It’s been at least two weeks since I’ve had any issues.”

  “Well we’re here now.” Ariel insisted.