by Bethany Shaw
“You’ll feel better once you get in some clean clothes and a hot shower.”
Sarah smiled and took his offered arm, hobbling along beside him. “If they sold hot showers here, I would definitely buy one.”
“You and me both.”
Vincent led the way into the store and grabbed a cart. They grabbed a few necessities—toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap—to get themselves cleaned up before heading to the clothing area. He quickly chose a new pair of jeans, a package of boxers, some socks, a ball cap, new sneakers, and a black tee before they headed over to the women’s section. He leaned against a shelf as Sarah started thumbing through the bras.
“I’ve always been partial to lace,” he joked. He picked up a lacy, mulberry bra that would compliment her creamy ivory skin nicely.
Sarah snatched the bra out of his hand and held it out in front of her as if she were critically inspecting it.
“Take a good look at it now, you won’t be seeing it again,” she grinned as she picked up a pair of matching panties.
Vincent swallowed thickly. She wasn’t challenging him was she? Sarah spun on her heel and walked across the aisle to the clothes. He watched as she began to thumb through the sea of hanging pants.
“You’re not one of those women who takes a year to find an outfit are you?” he questioned as he leaned against a stand, watching her.
“Maybe you can pick out an outfit in five seconds, but I can’t. You should know better than to bring a woman clothes shopping,” she smiled.
Please find something quickly. He opened his mouth to protest when she picked up a purple tank top and black sweat pants. Without a word, she turned to another shelf and snatched a hoodie from the hanger. “I’m ready.”
“You taking pity on me?” he teased.
“Only on your credit card.”
Vincent laughed and she chuckled, too. “I think I’m rubbing off on you,” he replied.
She was definitely rubbing off on him. He wasn’t ready to go home. Although this time with her had been crazy, he wouldn’t change it. He’d gotten to know her a little bit when they’d worked together at The Cookie Jar, but relying on someone like this was completely different. Sarah was special and, despite his growing attraction to her, he was determined not to mess this up. She deserved someone better than him and he wouldn’t be the one to drag her down.
***
Sarah stared at the bus schedule. It had been a long day and even though it was only a little after eight, her heavy eyes were having a hard time focusing on the words. She closed her eyes for a second and then forced them open again.
There was a route into Dallas that wouldn’t leave until tomorrow morning. She chewed on her lower lip wondering if they should wait that long. It was anyone’s guess how long they had until the Lunas discovered them. They had abandoned the pickup at the store and walked the quarter mile to the bus station. If the Lunas were smart, they would put two and two together, but maybe it would give them some reprieve—at least until they were safe on the bus. Staying at the bus station for any length of time was dangerous.
Her stomach churned and she balled her fists up. If the Lunas found the truck, though, they would quickly put together that she and Vincent were going into the Dallas station and could easily pick them off. Their only option to avoid capture would be to call for help. Sarah sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
“What is it?” Vincent asked.
“They’re going to know we took the Dallas bus. We’re going to lead them right to Abilene,” she growled as she sat down on the wooden bench.
Vincent pointed to the corner. “It’s okay. We’ll use the payphone and call Dev as soon as it’s available,” Vincent comforted.
Sarah looked at the two archaic phones. An elderly gentleman occupied one, while a large “Out of Order” sign covered the other.
“But the Lunas focus isn’t on our family right now. Right now, they want us,” she whispered as she looked back down at the schedule in her hands. Tears pooled in her eyes; she blinked, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She cleared her throat and sighed. “If we bring them there, they could team up with Malakai. They still have more manpower than us. I want to get home, but I don’t want to put everyone there in danger.”
“We only know what we overheard in the stream the other day, actually, I’m not sure how many days ago that was, but their plans could’ve changed,” Vincent pointed out.
“I know, but if the Lunas come to Abilene, they could decide to go after us before Malakai. Emma was the Alpha’s wife or the Alpha’s son’s wife, I’m not sure—but anyway, we took his kids and wife. He’s going to want them back. He’ll already be there. Bringing more enemies into our territory isn’t safe.”
“They might not follow us. It’s possible they could leave it up to Malakai to collect us.”
“Vincent, they got a girl’s body to show Lark and Devon we were dead. They’ve chased us incessantly. They aren’t going to just let us go. They need us—whether to negotiate a trade for Emma or something else, I don’t know—but you don’t put forth that kind of effort without a motive.”
“What are you suggesting?” Vincent asked, taking a seat next to her.
Sarah looked around the lobby. There were a few people there at this hour, but it was mostly empty. Still, she scooted closer to him so they wouldn’t be overheard, causing their arms to graze against each other. She ignored the tingling sensation from the innocent touch and focused on the conversation.
“I don’t want anyone else to die, if we can help it. Bringing them there will more than likely start an altercation. You didn’t see Emma when we first went into the house. She was petrified. I don’t want to be the reason she ends up back there,” she stated, shivering. If she didn’t want that life, she certainly wouldn’t subject someone else to it. “We need to go someplace else and make sure they know we didn’t return to Texas without giving away our actual location.”
Vincent peered over her shoulder; as he did, his warm breath puffed against her neck, causing her to shiver. He ducked back down, leaning in to her. Vincent tapped on the paper and said, “We could go to Oklahoma City and then find a way into Guymon. We’d even have a place to stay. There’s even a bus leaving tonight. It would get us out of here sooner and be to Oklahoma by morning and Guymon midday.”
“Your home?” she asked, turning to meet his eyes. She swallowed, realizing how close he had gotten to her. Their faces were a mere inch apart. Her heart pattered against her ribs as she lowered her gaze to his lips.
“Yeah,” he answered, clearing his throat. He shifted his gaze back to the schedule.
“Is it safe?” she asked, blinking. She needed to focus.
“I heard my mom talking about selling the place. The land belongs to the McKinleys—my mom. The Lunas and Juarezes might be all about conquering packs, but they aren’t going to hang around there and draw attention to themselves. The last thing our kind needs is humans poking around and finding out about us,” Vincent said, his eyes darting around the lobby.
“But what about all the packs that they’ve attacked like The Bayou Pack? What do they do with the property?” Sarah questioned, frowning.
“They burn it. It removes evidence of our kind and with a hot enough fire, the bodies of fallen wolves are completely destroyed. They make it look like a tragic accident. They’re really good about cleaning up after themselves. I’m guessing the only reason my home is still intact is because my mom, the Alpha, is still alive,” Vincent explained.
He stared down at the schedule again. “Look, here is a bus leaving for Las Vegas, Nevada about the same time as Oklahoma—and another leaving for Colorado Springs, too. Assuming they have the local police working with them, we just need to make sure the camera sees us going out to one of these two other buses and then we sneak onto the one we want.”
“It’d be easy to get lost in Vegas,” Sarah thought aloud. “There are so many people and hotels there. It’d be next t
o impossible for Luna and his men to find us there.”
“Yeah, but I want to go to Guymon,” Vincent said, squinting.
“Why?”
“I have an idea. You were talking about the rift between the Lunas and Malakai. I think we can use that to our advantage. Come on, let’s go buy our tickets.” Vincent stood up and pulled her up with him. “My dad had all of Juarez’s contact info in his office. And my dad and Charles Luna were friends. I bet we can find something incriminating in his safe. I say we enlighten Malakai about the Lunas.”
“Put them against each other.” Sarah grinned.
“Exactly. Why don’t you call Lark and I’ll buy our tickets. We’ll get tickets to Vegas and board at that area and then sneak onto the Oklahoma bus,” he suggested.
Sarah glanced at the black and silver phone. Her stomach twisted and a fine sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead. “If we call them, they’re going to want to come get us.” Her bottom lip trembled. “Our plan is risky. They’ve already buried us and think we’re dead. They’ve moved on, hell, Lark and Devon are probably married. Lark has done so much for me the past few years. I want to repay the favor. She deserves her happiness and I’d hate for something to happen to her or Devon because of our plan. Even if we do this on our own, if we call them and fail, they have to mourn us all over again. I think we should wait until we’re done to call. It will keep everyone safer.”
Vincent regarded her for a long moment with a frown before finally nodding his head in agreement. “Let’s buy those tickets.”
Chapter Eight
Abilene, Texas
Lark walked to the cemetery, three bunches of flowers in her hand. The pale moonlight did little to illuminate the dreary scene. Her heart ached with the knowledge her baby sister was laid to rest here. It was bad enough she’d lost her parents, now her sister was gone, too. She set yellow sunflowers—Sarah’s favorites—down on the ground. She glanced up at the tiny cross as tears welled in her eyes. It still hadn’t sunk in—maybe because she still didn’t fully believe it to be true.
A nagging feeling tugged at her conscience. Something wasn’t right or maybe she was just crazy or in denial. Am I holding onto false hope? She shook her head, still unsure, as she shuffled the other flowers in her hand, a set of white roses for both Preston and Rick.
Leaves crunched behind Lark and she turned around, curiously. She instantly recognized Claire. Her graying brownish hair fell loosely around her face, accentuating her swollen, red eyes.
“I didn’t realize anyone else would be out here; I thought you came in the mornings,” Claire stated, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Lark offered the elder wolf a small, sad smile as Claire shifted back and forth, seemingly frazzled by Lark’s presence.
“I do, usually. I got some flowers.” She held up the remaining bouquets.
Claire blinked and, with a sigh, continued forward. “I’m not used to anyone else being in the cemetery. It’s nice to see someone else here.”
“It’s hard on everyone. We all deal with loss in our own way,” Lark replied honestly. Devon didn’t want to visit the graves and she understood. When her parents passed, she didn’t go very often at first either. It had been too painful.
Tears welled in her eyes at the memory and she willed them away. She knew death was a part of life, but hated how everyone around her passed away so tragically and young. Her gaze shifted to Rick and Preston. They had been family, too, even if not by blood. Lark separated the two remaining bouquets and set the flowers over Rick and Preston’s gravesites.
“It’s nice that you do this,” Claire observed.
Lark reached into her purse and pulled out a muffin she had wrapped in a napkin. “I brought something for Vincent, too. He loved the chocolate chip muffins. Vincent always joked about it being the way to his heart.”
Claire stared at her blankly. What is she thinking? Lark wondered as she chewed on her lower lip.
“I thought he would appreciate it more than flowers,” Lark explained, trying to fill the air to end the awkward silence that stretched between them.
When Claire still said nothing, Lark walked forward, unwrapping the muffin and setting it down on the ground by Vincent’s marker. She stood up and swallowed as she met Claire’s gaze. The elder woman remained quiet, her eyes vacant. Lark wondered if she should just leave Claire by herself or if she should try to comfort her.
“I called the credit card company today,” Claire said out of the blue.
“Oh?” Lark asked, frowning in confusion. What does that have to do with anything?
“I gave Vincent a pre-paid card a few days before he, Devon, and Emily left Guymon. I had a plan to get Emily out. But I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to put my plan into motion without Emmett noticing. I knew Emmett never thought Vincent was capable of doing much—he didn’t watch him. And I knew Vincent would do what I asked without question. He didn’t even inquire about the card when I handed it over to him,” Claire’s voice shook, her bottom lip quivering with each word.
Lark moved toward Claire, still unsure of where this was going, but gave her her undivided attention. Whatever she was trying to say, it meant something to her.
“I never got to put my plan into action. I didn’t get the card back either,” she said quietly, as if she were in a state of shock.
Lark nodded, encouraging Claire to continue.
“I called the company to check on the card to see if it had been used. Maybe I’m foolish to think he could still be—that they could be alive. There was a substantial amount of money on it and they said the card had been active the past twenty-four hours. It was used at a retail store and a bus station in New Mexico earlier this evening.” She looked up at Lark with a hint of a hopeful smile, but then stated, “I think the charges are fraudulent. He would have called to tell us he was well when he got the chance,” Claire’s voice broke, and she buried her face in her hands. “For a moment, I thought my baby was alive.”
“You think Luna’s men are using his card?” Lark asked in an attempt to clarify. Her brain raced as she tried to process what Claire was telling her. Something was definitely going on.
“Or someone stole it,” Claire muttered. “I shut the card off. I won’t be financing any of their plans.
Lark’s heart thumped painfully in her chest as that nagging feeling returned. What if it really is Vincent? If he is alive, then Sarah could be, too. And if Claire shuts the card off, then they will have no money. But why not call for help? There has to be a reason.
“I just want him to be at peace. It’s bad enough they refuse to send us Vincent and Sarah’s bodies,” Claire cried, her shoulders shaking as violent sobs wracked her body. “My baby’s gone and now this. It’s too much.”
Lark hurried to Claire and pulled her into a tight embrace. She rubbed soothing circles into the other woman’s back, hoping it offered her some solace.
Meanwhile, her mind spun as she thought about what Claire had said. She considered sharing her opinion with Claire, but thought better of it. The last thing the elder woman needed was more pain. But she would speak to Devon and get his thoughts on the scenario.
***
New Mexico
Sarah adjusted the ball cap on her head and let out a long, nervous breath. They only had one chance to get this right. She closed her eyes and prayed something would go their way. Vincent held out his hand, which she accepted, entwining her shaking fingers with his.
In order for their plan to work, they would need to be seen getting on the bus to Vegas, sneak off, and then board the Oklahoma route undetected. So much was riding on this part of their plan; they couldn’t afford any mistakes.
Vincent squeezed her hand, as if sensing her unease.
“Ready?” he asked.
“I think.”
“Remember, cameras are by the door. We want our faces visible, but we don’t want them to know we are purposefully being obvious,” he reminded.
W
ell, when he put it like that, it seemed so simple, she mused to herself. Maybe she was overcomplicating things.
“We got this,” he grinned. “Ready to board?”
Sarah nodded, not trusting her voice to come out evenly.
“Come here,” Vincent said, playfully tugging her closer, and wrapping his arm around her.
Together, they started toward the gate. Sarah blinked her eyes, forcing her frazzled nerves to calm.
“Lean in closer,” Vincent instructed.
She tilted her head and inhaled his musky scent. He smelled good, a blend of trees and rain. His embrace was safe and her muscles loosened slightly at the realization.
“Look up now!”
Sarah glanced up, meeting the cameras red beam for a split second. She ducked back down and rested her head on Vincent’s shoulder.
Vincent kept his hand wrapped around her as he handed the tickets to the doorman.
“I’m sorry. You’ve got the Vegas bus. Oklahoma is over there,” the man stated, pointing.
“Oh, my bad,” Vincent said with a groan. He turned, his chin grazing over her head. “My girl’s feeling a bit under the weather. I’d hate to have to wait in line again. Would it be possible to get through here?”
His girl? She knew Vincent hadn’t meant anything by it, but the idea of it wasn’t completely awful. In fact, she was curious what he’d be like. No! I’m not dating again. It hurts too much. Why am I even thinking about this?
“Thank you. I really appreciate it,” Vincent replied, pulling her along through the gate.
Sarah stumbled slightly at the unexpected movement. Clearly, she needed to pay better attention. She’d just missed half the conversation between Vincent and the station worker.
“Our bus is this way.” Vincent pointed. “Take the hat and sweater off. Just in case there are more cameras out here.” When he pulled away, she instantly missed the contact.
Flustered by her body’s reaction, Sarah took the cap off with a huff and quickly let her locks down. She whipped the sweater over her head and tucked it in the crook of her arm.
