Ghost Wolf: Paranormal Shifter Romance (ComeShift Series Book 1)

by Sky Winters

  Stevie appeared to be deeply impressed.

  “Hello, Stevie,” Doug said to him, smiling.

  Looking at him, Stevie pointed. “You have a tiger on your arm.”

  Doug chuckled. “That I do… What’s your favorite animal?”

  Stevie thought about it. “I like tigers,” he said. “Did you know that tigers are the largest member of the cat family? I used to think it was lions, but no.”

  Melanie grinned proudly and pet Stevie’s hair. She loved that her son was smart and had gotten away from her horrible ex-husband unscathed.

  “Hey, Stevie, have you ever been on a motorcycle?” Doug waggled his eyebrows.

  “No, of course not,” Melanie said. “He’s only two!”

  “Only two?!” Doug asked, pretending to be shocked. “I thought you were a graduate student!”

  They went outside to show Stevie the Harley and Melanie agreed to let Doug put him onto the bike – just to sit! – for a picture. “He’s a cool kid,” he said once Casey had taken Stevie back inside for his dinner. “I like him.”

  Melanie smiled up at him. “Well, I’m glad you approve.”

  They kissed and Doug soon rode off on his bike. He had a Stars and Stripes meeting to attend and she was not about to make him late. After all, his motorcycle club was made up of heroes.

  THE END

  OUTLAW BIKER

  Angelina stood looking at the beat up old Ford her father had owned since the mid-seventies. He had brought it new in 1974 and babied it for over forty years now. Well, he had until recently. Stepping out the front door of his house, the same one she had grown up in, she walked toward it and sighed heavily as the door creaked open. It had been years since she had driven his old truck. It had been years since she had driven anything, actually. Living in New York, having a car was more of a nuisance than a convenience.

  It seemed a bit surreal to even be back here. Angelina had left the small town in which she was born when she was eighteen and never looked back. She had attended college in New York and settled there. Being back here seemed about as foreign to her as the city once had when she first arrived there.

  The truck hadn’t barely been driven in a year, so she was surprised when it cranked right up. Her cousin had told her he stopped by every week to start it up and running it around the driveway to keep it from rotting, but it was still very old and sitting too long had a way of speeding the deterioration process.

  It was already nearly eight at night, so she got going. Around here, they began rolling up the streets after dark. All of the shops would close soon and that included the grocery store that she needed to get to. Her father’s farm was at least ten miles out from the little Save a Penny that sufficed for food purchases. Angelina was nearly halfway there when the truck suddenly began hitching and sputtering.

  “No! You piece of crap! I don’t have time for this!”

  Pulling the truck over to the side of the road, she looked over the warning gauges. Nothing was blinking red. She heard a loud pop and the truck shuttered to a complete shutdown. Cursing under her breath, she got out and looked around. Frustrated, she reached in her purse for her phone, growing more exasperated as she realized she had left it on her father’s kitchen table back at his house.

  It was unlikely that she was going to find anyone passing by at this hour way out here, so she grabbed her purse and the keys, heading closer into town. It was equal distance back to her Dad’s as it was there, but if memory served her correctly, there was a farm a couple of miles further down that belonged to the Andersons, old family friends. It would be quicker to get help from them than to go all the way back to her Dad’s place on foot.

  She was surprised when she the lights from an old restaurant called the Roadside Diner still on. They used to close at eight. Either they had extended their hours or maybe they were just still there cleaning up and hadn’t turned the lights off yet. Either way, she could get help there. She sped up her pace, hoping they didn’t shut down and leave before she made it that far.

  As the restaurant came closer into view, she realized it had been renamed “The Pit Stop” and the parking lot was chock full of motorcycles. She wasn’t thrilled about the hometown diner being turned into some sort of biker hangout or the fact that she was so desperate for assistance that she was going to have to go in there. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the parking lot and opened the door leading inside.

  Looking around, she saw nothing but bikers. It was definitely not her kind of place at all. She headed toward the bar, where she could see at least one woman working. There was something familiar about her that Angelina couldn’t quite place, but the woman seemed to know exactly who she was, smiling at her fondly.

  “Hey. Do you have a payphone?”

  “Payphone? Do those still even exist, Angelina?”

  “I guess not. Listen, my Dad’s truck broke down and my cell phone is at his house. I need to call a tow truck and someone to pick me up.”

  “You ain’t gonna get no tow until morning, hon. You can use the bar phone to call for a pick up though.”

  “Tow trucks don’t come out at night at all?”

  “Well, they do when they are able to, but if you look right over yonder in the corner, you’ll see that Bubba Henry is as drunk as a skunk. Since he owns the only towing place in town, I’d not recommend him not towing anything tonight.”

  “Good call . . . and crap, I don’t know anyone’s number. It’s all in my phone.”

  “Listen, I get off in about an hour. You know I just live down the road from your Dad’s. I can get you home and you can get the truck home in the morning.”

  “Look, I’m sorry. I haven’t been home in a long time and you look really familiar, but I can’t think to say your name.”

  “Why, it’s Holly Robinson, honey. We lived over by the bridge down from your house. You probably don’t remember me because I’m several years younger, but you probably remember my brother, Tommy.”

  “Oh, of course. Yes. Tommy was in my class. I’m sorry, Holly.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just grab you a stool or a table, if you can find one, and I’ll get you a drink. What would you like?”

  “Might as well. Tonight’s a bust and the sitter is still with Dad until morning. Jack and Coke will do.”

  “Coming right up. Sorry about your Dad, by the way, Mom told me he is really struggling with the Old Timer’s disease.”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  “Sure thing, honey.”

  Holly brought her a drink and then returned to the other end of the bar where a guy was calling for her to get him and his buddies some more beers. Looking around a bit anxiously, Angelina sipped her drink. A woman alone in a bar was always a target and it was only a matter of seconds before every loser in this one was offering her drinks and making suggestions that were best left unrepeated. One particularly loathsome creep put his hand on her knee and smiled at her with yellowed, crooked teeth.

  “How about you hop on the back of my bike and take a ride with me down to Shadow Lake. We can do the nasty under the stars.”

  “I have a better idea. How about you take your filthy hand off my knee and get out of my face.”

  “Now, is that any way for a broad to talk to a man that’s trying to get to know her better?”

  “Yes. Get lost!”

  Angelina flung his hand off her leg and turned around to face the bar. She wasn’t sure what happened next, but she heard a yelp behind her, followed by a deep voice telling him that he’d do well not to touch the lady or bother her again. She turned to find herself looking at a rather rugged, muscular guy wearing a leather biker’s vest. The emblem on it displayed what appeared to be the grim reaper, except the head was that of a coyote peering out from the dark hooded cloak around the otherwise human looking form. Beneath that it said, “President.”

  He looked back at her with piercing dark brown eyes, his hand still twisting the creep’s arm behind him. Pushing him away, he
continued to look at her wordlessly with eyes so dark they were almost black. His dark brown hair was shaggy, sticking out at odd angles in a haphazard style that was nothing less than dead sexy. Both arms were covered in tattoos. It didn’t take more than just a passing glance to know that he was trouble or that it excited her just a bit.

  “Don’t worry about him. He won’t bother you again.”

  “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that. I could have handled him.”

  “It wasn’t a problem. Name is Anson Hawthorne. I lead the Coyotes Motor Club.”

  “Angelina Thompson. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Do you mind if I sit with you?”

  Angelina wasn’t too sure that she wanted to be associated with the leader of a biker gang, but it might keep creeps like the one before away if they saw her with him.

  “Sure. Have a seat.”

  He smiled at her, flashing the most perfect white teeth she had ever seen. She noted a bit of a large tattoo peeking up from his shirt collar as he leaned forward before sitting back on his stool.

  “Pardon me for saying it, but you don’t seem like the sort to be hanging out in a biker bar, Angelina.”

  “I’m not. My father’s truck broke down about a mile or so down the road and I walked up here to get it towed.”

  Anson laughed. “Old Bubba won’t be towing nothing but the line when his old lady gets hold of him for drinking all night.”

  “Yeah, Holly told me I was out of luck. She’s going to take me back out to my father’s when she gets off work.””

  “Visiting then?”

  “For a while. He isn’t well, so I came home for a bit to take care of him.”

  “Sorry to hear that. What kind of truck does he have?”

  “1977 Ford F150.”

  “An oldie but a goodie.”

  “Not so good today.”

  “I tell you what. When old Bubba sobers up in the morning, I’ll get him to tow it to the shop and I’ll take a look at it for you.”

  “Oh, I appreciate it, but I can take care of it.”

  “How? Taking it over to Bubba’s rip off cousin? He’ll only overcharge you and leave behind more issues than before he worked on it.”

  “How do I know you won’t do the same?”

  “You don’t, but I doubt I’ll get you to go out for dinner with me if I don’t treat you and your Dad’s truck right.”

  “That was pretty smooth.”

  “Wasn’t it? Is that a yes?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Not smooth enough I guess.”

  “Take care of Dad’s truck and I will think about it.”

  “A woman who knows how to barter, I like that.”

  He turned toward Holly and signaled for her to bring them another round of drinks. She smiled broadly at Angelina as she did so. There was no doubt that Anson was probably quite the catch in this little Podunk town where he was the most exciting man around, but he was hardly her type. Still, she couldn’t deny that she found him attractive. She’d do well to watch herself with him.

  “I did learn a few things growing up here.”

  “Ah, so you aren’t just visiting. You are a native.”

  “Something like that. I’ve been gone for about seven years. I moved to New York right after high school.”

  “The big apple. I’ve been there a few times. I moved here from Detroit myself. Got a bit too rough up there for my taste.”

  “Detroit huh? Can’t really say I’ve ever been there.”

  “Trust me. You didn’t miss much, at least not in the hood I grew up in.”

  “Based on what I see on the news about Detroit here lately, I think I’ll pass on visiting.”

  “Good call.”

  They were interrupted by Holly, who was getting ready to go. She looked from one of them to the other with a raised eyebrow.

  “You still need a ride home?”

  “Yes, please. I appreciate it so much.”

  “Okay, I’ll be ready in about five minutes. Just let me cash out.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right here.”

  Angelina turned back toward Anson and sighed heavily. It had already been such a long day with the flight in, dealing with things at her Dad’s house and the truck breaking down. She couldn’t wait to get back to a warm bed and get some sleep.

  “Well, Anson. I guess I’m getting out of here.”

  “Looks that way. I could take you home if you’d like to stay longer.”

  “Thanks, but I’m pretty exhausted. I best be getting back.”

  “Good enough. If you want to just give me the truck key and your number, I will call you after I’ve gotten it towed in and have some news for you.”

  “Sounds good. I appreciate it.”

  She fished around in her purse for a pen and wrote her number on a dry drink coaster that sat nearby, handing it to him along with the truck keys.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow then.”

  “Talk to you then. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Angelina.”

  She noted how he said her name and the way he locked eyes with her as he did. There was no doubt that she needed to get far away from him and stay that way. He was exactly what she did not need in her life.

  “Ready to go?’ Holly asked as she rounded the end of the bar.

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Though Holly pressed her for details about her conversation with Anson, she blew it off as nothing, not wanting to start town gossip already. There was nothing to tell anyway. He was just helping her with her Dad’s truck. She was grateful when Holly dropped her off at her father’s so she had no more questions to answer.

  “Where have you been? I was beginning to get worried!”

  Angelina jumped, startled by Stephanie, her father’s caretaker’s voice in the darkness of the living room. She had not expected her to still be up with it being so late.

  “Dad’s truck broke down and I had to wait at some biker dive for a girl that lives nearby to bring me back. I never even made it to the store and couldn’t call anyone. All my numbers were in my phone, which I left here.”

  “Yes, I know. I tried to call you when you didn’t come back after a while and heard it ringing in the dining room.”

  “Is Dad okay?”

  Stephanie walked to the dining room as she spoke and retrieved her phone. There were no missed calls other than Stephanie’s. At least there was no bad news coming from anywhere else. That was always good.

  “Yes, he’s fine. He went to bed hours ago.”

  “Good. I really hate that you are leaving, Stephanie. Are you sure you don’t want to stay on?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. It’s been nice enough here taking care of your father, but I really want to get back to the city. This place is just a bit too remote for me. It was a nice break from the busy streets, but now I miss being able to just duck out and do what I want to at any hour.”

  “I know what you mean. It’s going to be quite an adjustment for me, as well.”

  “I’d imagine so. Do you need help with your father’s truck tomorrow? Did you have it towed somewhere?”

  “It is getting towed in the morning. I met a guy at the bar named Anson Hawthorne and he is going to look at it at his garage for me.”

  “Anson Hawthorne? As in the leader of the local MC? You best watch yourself with him, Angelina. He is bad news. He’s got a long list of felonies under his belt.”

  “Felonies? Like what?”

  “From what I hear, everything from gun dealing to grand theft auto. That’s why he came here from wherever it was he left. He couldn’t make a move without being watched by the authorities. Claims he came here to get himself right and run a legit business, but I seriously doubt he’s cleaned up his act at all. If you ask me, he moved to the perfect place to carry on as usual. No one out here watching him except old Pete down at station and you know how useless he is.”

  “Pete is still here? My God, he must be ninety by now!
”

  “Gotta be. Still the only cop in town.”

  “Wow. Well, thanks for the heads up. I’m going to head to bed now and I’ll see you in the morning before you leave.”

  “I think I’ll turn in too. I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I did.”

  “Thank you, Stephanie. Goodnight.”

  Stephanie said goodnight and made her way upstairs to the guest room across the hall from where Angelina’s father slept. He had moved up there after her mother died, into Angelina’s old room. He said it was less painful to sleep there than the bedroom he had shared with her mother for forty years. Angelina had moved into the master bedroom on her visits, finding a strange comfort that her father could not in being surrounded by her mother’s old things.

  The following morning, she climbed out of bed and showered before making her way to the kitchen to start breakfast. There wasn’t a lot to make it with. Groceries were very low. Hopefully, the truck wouldn’t be out of commission very long or she would have to get one of her cousins to take her into the nearest town to rent a car to get around in. It was tempting to do so anyway, but much more of an expense than she could afford with having given up her job to come take care of her father. His Alzheimer’s had gotten consistently worse and she felt it was time to be with him rather than leaving him to the care of strangers.

  She put on a fresh pot of coffee prior to scrambling the last of the eggs and country ham in the refrigerator. Popping some bread in to toast, she heard the sound so footsteps on the stairs and turned to see her father standing there in his pajamas still.

  “Rose! You look beautiful!”

  “No, Dad. It’s me, Stephanie.”

  “Stephanie? No, Stephanie left. She’s not here.”

  “Yes, Dad. Look at me. I’m Stephanie.”

  Her Dad puzzled at her face for a bit, shaking his head. There was no sign of recognition in his eyes as he looked at her solemnly before speaking again.

  “Stephanie left us. She didn’t like it here.”

  “Dad, that’s not true . . .,” she began to say, but he interrupted her with a wave of his hand.