by Bethany Shaw
“You ready?” Vincent asked interrupting her thoughts as he stood up. He took a twenty out of his pocket and set it on the table.
Sarah nodded as she got up. She slipped her sweater on and looked up at Vincent who was waiting for her. He wrapped an arm around her as he led the way out of the restaurant. She smiled inwardly and instinctively leaned into him.
“I’ve been thinking some more about what we should do,” he said, opening her door for her.
“Yeah?” Sarah climbed in. Vincent shut the door and jogged around to the other side of the car.
“If we are going to do something with Talia, then he’s probably going to want the word of an Alpha, which means we would need to have Gene or Devon speak to Malakai. Besides, it’s not right to involve her without her knowledge.”
Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but Vincent held up his free hand as he started the car with the other. “I know you don’t want Dev and Lark involved. I agree that having more people in on this will complicate things and potentially even escalate the situation with Malakai. We don’t want him to feel threatened. And we don’t want any more people in danger.”
“What are you proposing?” Sarah asked, still not following his train of thought.
“We still do this on our own, but we at least let Talia know about the plan. This way, if we fail, they have a heads up to keep her safe,” Vincent explained.
“You’re right,” Sarah agreed. A part of her was relieved they were going to try to keep Lark and Devon out of this. The other part just wanted to hear her sister’s melodic voice. But keeping Lark safe was her first priority. She’d see her soon enough if all went according to plan. And it would be safe. They wouldn’t have to worry about abduction or a life of imprisonment.
“I need to make a trip into the next town over, then we’ll hit the grocery store before going home. After we get home, we’ll start the planning phase. I’m not going to negotiate with Malakai in regards to Natalia without her consent. We need to call Talia and with Gene and Talia’s permission, we’ll call Malakai,” Vincent suggested.
“Sounds like a good start,” Sarah replied. “Where are we going?” she asked as a familiar song came on the radio.
Sarah reached for the dial and turned up the music, moving her head in tune to the beat. “I love this song,” she gushed as she whispered the words under her breath. “Stay” by Rhianna was one of her favorite songs.
“It’s good,” Vincent agreed. “I kind of had you pegged as a country girl.”
“Nope,” Sarah shook her head. “I listen to it every now and again, but I like rock and R&B. What about you?”
“A little bit of everything. Not a big fan of rap though.”
“Me neither.”
“I used to want to be a singer when I was kid. When American Idol first came on, I begged my parents to take me to the auditions in Austin,” Sarah smiled. She closed her eyes as an image of her parents came to her mind.
“Did they?”
“No. I was just a kid then. My parents signed me up for choir. It was fun, but I got over it pretty quickly,” Sarah explained.
“So, you’re not a singer. What do you want to do?” Vincent asked curiously.
“I haven’t really made up my mind yet.”
“And that’s okay,” Vincent added, playfully. “The school guidance counselor told me that my senior year. I think he saw I wasn’t going to college anywhere and didn’t feel like bothering.”
“How come you didn’t go to college? Emily did online school, right?” Sarah asked, twisting so she could see him better.
“My dad would never pay for it. He didn’t think I was serious enough. I did only have a C average and I had no idea what I wanted to study—still don’t. I wasn’t allowed to play sports since I am a werewolf and my agility, speed, and strength is far superior to a human. It wasn’t safe. So I didn’t have a chance to get a scholarship. And my dad put me to work guarding the property at night. It was a stable income at least,” he explained.
Vincent turned the car into a tiny parking lot; she paused, seeing the barred windows of the shop. “Where are we?” she asked with a frown.
Vincent thrust the car into park and turned it off. “I’m not letting you anywhere near Malakai without a proper weapon. We’re going gun shopping.”
She opened and closed her mouth in surprise. He was getting her another gun.
“Just promise not to shoot me. I hear that hurts,” Vincent grinned.
“I won’t shoot you,” she promised.
***
Vincent eyed Sarah from the tree line as she unloaded her gun into a target. After they’d arrived home from their errands, he’d needed to shift. His wolf needed to be released at least once a day. While he’d been running, Sarah had taken the opportunity to practice with her new guns. Vincent felt better knowing she had a weapon to protect herself. Vincent wanted her to be well prepared, so he bought her two handguns and a long-range rifle. He’d even insisted she practice with them, too. The more comfortable she was with the weapons, the better he felt.
They had divided the yard to ensure there were no accidents while he was going for his run. He chuckled as he recalled their earlier conversation.
A few minutes prior
“Is this really necessary?” Sarah asked skeptically, cocking her brow at him as he set up targets for her.
“Target practice? Of course it is. I need to know you’re safe. These are new weapons. Aren’t guns different?” he asked as he joined her.
Sarah lifted the gun and aimed, nailing the target in the middle. “You were saying?” She smirked at him.
“Beginner’s luck,” he teased.
Sarah laughed and positioned herself aiming at the target again. The gun popped and he looked at the target. She’d hit the exact same spot from what he could tell.
Sarah lowered the gun and turned to him. “We’re just wasting ammo right now. Besides, I chose guns that I am already familiar with.”
“I’m pretty sure we bought over a thousand bullets. I would really like to think we could spare at least a few dozen.” He pointed to the woods. “Besides, it will give you something to do while I shift.”
“Well, have fun frolicking in the woods,” Sarah grinned, turning back to the targets.
“I’m going to stay on that side of the yard,” he pointed, to the opposite end.
“Worried I’ll shoot you?” she joked.
“No,” he tensed. If he was being honest with himself, guns frightened him a bit.
Sarah frowned and looked at him. “You know I won’t shoot you, right?”
“I know,” he answered honestly. “Guns just aren’t my thing. It’s a wolf issue.”
“I understand,” she gave him a small smile. “Just stay on your end and I’ll stay right here. And don’t sneak up on me either.”
“Wasn’t planning on it,” he said, backing away.
“Have a good run,” she called over her shoulder.
“Happy shooting.”
The loud bang of the gun drew him from his thoughts. He had to admit she looked sexy with the weapon in her hands. Sarah stood with her feet spread, shoulders squared and arms raised. Her toned body glistened under the fall sun and he licked his lips as he flexed his paws. It took all his strength to keep from running to her and claiming her again.
She released another round of shots before glancing over the gun and tucking it into the brown leather holster she’d picked out. Taking her cleanup as his cue to transition, Vincent closed his eyes and willed the transformation to begin. His bones snapped and ground against each other as they realigned themselves into his human form.
Fully transformed, he opened his eyes and stared down at the crisp, green grass. The run had done little to alleviate his need to claim Sarah. He needed to stop thinking like that—she wasn’t his. Slowly, he stood up, stretching his freshly changed muscles.
“I always wondered how that worked,” Sarah said.
Vi
ncent jumped to his feet, startled by her closeness. No one ever snuck up on him and yet she’d done it twice now in one day. His scent still clung to her and he’d noticed she was light on her feet. But he still couldn’t believe he hadn’t heard her.
Sarah’s lips parted and her gaze drifted down his body before returning to his eyes. Vincent drew in a deep breath, watching her chest heave as she took in his naked form again. She was beautiful, and he needed her right now. He took a step toward her and she met him halfway crushing her lips against his.
“And what did you think, watching me change?” Vincent mumbled against her lips. He couldn’t help but wonder if it weirded her out. To him it was a turn on.
“It was kind of neat,” she whispered. Her tongue darted out, licking his lips.
“Like you want to watch again?” he asked curiously, deepening the kiss.
Sarah groaned as she pulled away. “I don’t mind the view.” Her eyes dropped again and his length hardened. God, I want her.
All the sexual energy from the day flowed through him into this moment. She moaned beneath his touch as he lowered her to the ground. He had no idea what was happening between them, but he didn’t want it to stop.
***
Sarah burrowed back into the pillows. She wasn’t entirely sure how they’d gotten into Vincent’s room. The afternoon was a frenzied blur to her and they were finally coming down from their sex-induced high.
Vincent groaned next to her, propping himself up on the pillows. “How are you feeling?”
“Good,” she grinned as her cheeks heated. She still couldn’t figure out why he had such an effect on her.
“That was a great way to spend the afternoon,” he said, eyeing her like he was ready to go again.
Her core throbbed at the thought.
“We are procrastinating, though,” he said, trying to keep her mind from wandering too far.
“I know,” she sighed. Sarah rolled over and picked up the prepaid phone they’d purchased earlier. Now, she just needed to call Gene. She knew his number by heart and just needed to type in the numbers, but couldn’t quite bring herself to do it yet. The overwhelming emotions and lecture to come made her hesitant to place the call.
“You’re stalling,” Vincent said, nudging her. “You sure you don’t want me to call?”
“No, it should be me. He’s like my big brother.”
“Then do it. You’ll feel better after you talk to him,” he reasoned.
Sarah nodded; her fingers shook as she skimmed them over the digits. She should have called the first chance she had. Inhaling sharply, she closed her eyes and placed the phone to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Gene,” she whispered, her voice hoarse with emotion.
“Sarah?” his tone was pure shock.
“It’s me.”
“Where are you? What happened?” he yelled a hint of surprise and fear in his voice.
“I’m safe for the moment. We got held up back at Luna’s and by the time we made it to the road...Lark and everyone else had left,” she sobbed. “Vincent and I, we’ve—”
“The two of you are together?”
“Yeah. We’ve been running nonstop and only just caught a break. Is everyone okay? Is...Lark okay?” she asked breathlessly as a tear slid down her cheek. She wiped at her eyes and clutched the phone tighter, waiting for his response.
“She’s fine. Everyone is fine.”
Sarah let out a long breath and relaxed into the pillows. She met Vincent’s eyes as their hands entwined.
“Lark will be here any minute. She’d love to talk to you,” Gene explained.
“No.”
“Sarah?” Gene asked confused.
“Vincent and I have a plan, but it’s dangerous. I don’t want Lark to know in case things go south, Gene. And I know she’ll insist on coming to help. She’s happy with Devon and has her whole life to look forward to. I don’t want to risk her happily ever after. She’s spent the past five years looking out for me, now I’m doing it for her. This is our choice, Gene. Vincent and I have talked about it. We have something that can pit Malakai and the Lunas against each other,” Sarah explained. She chewed on her lower lip as she waited for Gene to reply. Hopefully, he would understand.
“What did you have in mind?” Gene asked intrigued.
Sarah closed her eyes and sighed, allowing some of the tension leaving her body. “We have Emmett’s journals and in them, he admits to planning a takeover with Charles Luna. We want to set up a meeting with Malakai and give him the evidence. And...” she trailed off meeting Vincent’s eyes. Her stomach lurched. How do you tell a man you want to use his mate for your plan?
“Sarah?”
“It involves Talia. We wanted you to know—”
“No. I see where this is going,” Gene interrupted, his voice coming out grittier than before. “I’m not putting Talia in that type of danger.”
“Gene,” Sarah started. She knew he was only trying to protect the woman he loved. “I was planning to talk to Talia, too.”
Sarah cringed as the phone crackled on the other end. She and Gene both knew if she did speak with Natalia there wouldn’t be any negotiating—the she-wolf would do it. She wanted the war over more than any of them and had already put herself on the line once to end it.
Gene sighed, heavily into the phone. “I don’t like it, but I know her and if it helps to take out the remaining members of the Gulf Packs...she’ll be okay with it. Lark and Devon just got here. I don’t like keeping this from Lark and you should know that Lark especially hasn’t given up on you. She still has faith, but I do know how much it would crush her if she found out and then lost you again. Check in with me often,” he said, quickly. “And please be safe. I don’t want to lose you again either.”
“We will be. Thanks. I love you, Gene,” she whispered.
“Come home. I love you too, but I do need to go.”
“Bye.”
The line clicked and she pulled the phone away, setting it down on the nightstand. Sarah sniffled as tears welled in her eyes. She couldn’t let Gene down. They had to make it back home.
“Hey,” Vincent said, drawing her to him. She melted against him. He rubbed her back gently, and she closed her eyes, finding comfort in his embrace.
***
They slept for a few hours after her emotional phone call with Gene, but the day had quickly dwindled away and they still had more work to do. The time for lounging around was over. It was time to put their plan into action; which is how they found themselves back in Emmett’s office.
His office had a PC and a laptop she and Vincent could use simultaneously, while downloading important files from the hard drive. They needed to find a good meeting place; however, finding a well-populated place was turning out to be more difficult than they’d anticipated.
“Find anything yet?” Vincent asked, peering over at her screen.
“Nothing’s big enough,” she sighed. “We need to meet him and then be able to get lost in the crowd; I don’t want any chance of someone following us.”
“I’m having the same problem. We need some place heavily populated,” Vincent replied, running a hand through his hair.
“You know,” Sarah started as an idea began to materialize. “It isn’t close by, but the Six Flags in Dallas is huge. I think they do stuff in the fall for Halloween.”
“An amusement park?” Vincent said, mulling the idea over. “We could definitely get lost there.”
“Ever been?” Sarah asked.
“No. You?”
“Yeah, we went every few years when I was a kid.”
“In that case, you can show me the best rollercoaster to ride.”
“Have you ever ridden on a coaster before?” she asked quietly. Did his family go on vacations? She didn’t think so, but couldn’t bring herself to come straight out and ask.
“No.”
“I’ll choose something that will get your blood pumping,” she promised.
He would more than likely like an exhilarating upside down ride. “We should research the area and find local hotels and businesses. I don’t want to be anywhere that isn’t well populated.” And I’ll look into the coasters they have, she thought to herself.
“I was also thinking...we got a few guns, could you teach me to shoot?” Vincent asked, seriously.
Sarah paused and met his eyes. “I thought you didn’t like guns,” she whispered, startled by his question. What is he thinking we’ll do that would involve him using a gun?
“I don’t. But I had an idea. I think we can ensure this ends with Malakai, Charles Luna, and his eldest son.”
“How?” she asked.
“We follow them back to New Mexico and, when they’re all together, we take them out.”
Sarah bit her lip as she thought about his idea. It was risky, but then again, everything they were doing was dangerous. If they took out the leaders then they would end the war. There wouldn’t be anyone to come after them. “I think it could work. Have you ever shot a crossbow or dart gun...anything like that?”
“No.”
“Well, then we are going to have some work,” Sarah grinned. “I hope you’re a quick study.”
“With you as my teacher...”
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and she looked away from him as warmth flooded her. Why does he have to be so likeable? The more time they spent together, the harder it was to resist him. If they made it home, she was going to have to re-evaluate their relationship. That is, if he still wanted more—maybe she was just another fling. Her heart twisted painfully at the thought. She needed to stop thinking about them and just live in the moment, she reaffirmed.
Chapter Thirteen
Sarah chewed her fingernails as Vincent logged onto Skype. He assured her they were only using the phone option and Malakai would not be able to see them. She didn’t like the idea at all, but understood Vincent knew what he was doing. And if using the computer would keep their location secure, she wasn’t going to argue about it. She was enjoying the reprieve.
“I’ll leave it on speaker so you can hear, but don’t say anything. He views you as an inferior and won’t see me as his equal if I listen to you,” Vincent explained.
