“And you’re sure they could ID you?”
“Um, yeah. I was pretty pissed off when I took him out. I know at least a few people there heard me say my name when I took blood.” He cocked his fingers like a gun and pointed. “One in the balls, two in the brain.”
Dewi rubbed at her forehead. “Is the family in Mexico safe? The girl’s parents?”
“Doubtful, but Ramirez was going to guard and relocate them as soon as he could after the funeral. They were obviously distraught. She was their oldest of three daughters.”
Ramirez was another Enforcer in the area. He covered the northern half of Mexico and Baja California. Most of the wolves in that region had moved out in the late 70s and early 80s when the economy tanked and drug crime soared. The Targhee pack had relocated most of them to the US or Canada, depending on their circumstances and family connections.
But there were still a few wolves in Central and South America, enough that they needed to keep an Enforcer presence in the region. They were actually descendants from the Targhee pack, originally from the US territories when the pack’s forefathers came over from Europe and what was now the UK.
Dewi pinched the bridge of her nose, a tension headache threatening. “So who is covering your region now that you’re not?”
“Peyton said he’s going to pull Alvarez from Rio for right now. Things have been quiet there since the World Cup ended.”
“Shit.”
Nami had been listening quietly, but now she interrupted. “Wait. Rio de Janeiro? Brazil?”
“Yeah,” Dewi wearily said. “We’re worldwide. Well, not our pack. There are wolves worldwide. We’re the largest pack in the western hemisphere, third largest in the world. My grandfather allowed expansion territories. None of them have grown large enough, except here in Tampa, to require an expanded pack council. But we’ve got Enforcers scattered all over.”
Dewi worried if Beck’s voice grew any lower or growlier that he might pop a blood vessel in his forehead. “Why not just send you to Rio?” he said to Joaquin.
“The Segura Cartel has a lot of pull all over Central and South America,” Joaquin said. “Again, I didn’t realize who the asshat was at the time. I called Ramirez after I did it, when I went on the run so he knew what was going on, and that’s when he told me who the guy was. I was so focused on tracking the fucker right after I found her body, not letting the guy’s scent get away from me or losing him, that I didn’t look into his background before I took blood.”
“You’re thirty-nine, Joaquin,” Dewi said. “I shouldn’t have to tell you how to do your damn job, but you screwed up your damn job.”
“I know I did,” he said. “I’ll take whatever sanctions you and Peyton dish out.”
He let out a bone-weary sigh. “I haven’t had to deal with any shit like this in a while. I forgot how horrible it is. I’ve basically been little more than a glorified social director, keeping wolves in touch with one another, for the past few years. Or helping families out after natural disasters. The most serious enforcement issue I’ve had to deal with was settling a family quarrel between two brothers over a farking herd of cows, if you can believe it.”
Ken spoke up, his comment directed to Dewi. “Stupid question, but do you want me to fire up the laptop and see if I can get him a ticket on our flight?”
“Yeah,” Dewi said. “Thanks. His personal info is in the Enforcer personnel database.”
Ken took his mug of coffee and headed to the office.
Dewi stared at the wolf in front of her. Now that she was more awake and actually processing what was going on, she realized Joaquin did appear exhausted, weary. Mentally and physically. Probably emotionally, too. She’d had to deal with more than her fair share of horrible humans and wolves since being named Head Enforcer when she was only twelve.
It sucked to say she was used to it, because that was the cold, hard truth. It didn’t mean atrocities no longer shocked or impacted her, because they did.
She was apparently far better at compartmentalizing those horrors than this wolf was.
All this, on top of her wedding the following Saturday on the autumnal equinox, meant an even crazier week ahead of her when they reached Idaho.
As if reading Dewi’s mind, Nami spoke up. “If you think this is getting you out of your wedding, think again, kiddo.”
“Dammit,” Dewi muttered.
Chapter Two
No one went back to bed. Not when they had to be up soon anyway.
Joaquin started over and walked Dewi through the longer, detailed version of the events as daylight finally drifted across their property.
Badger and Ken cooked breakfast while Nami went upstairs with Beck, finishing the last-minute packing of her and Dewi’s formal dresses. She didn’t want them squished any longer than necessary, and they’d be heading out for Tampa International in less than two hours. Nami’s sisters, who’d stand as bridesmaids for both women, would bring their dresses with them.
Ken had managed to get Joaquin a ticket on their flight to Spokane without any special Prime powers needed, so that was one less worry. Nami’s brother, sisters, brother-in-law, and toddler niece were flying out to Spokane the next morning. Nami’s brother, Da’von, had college classes today. Sisters Lu’ana and Malyah had to work today, as did Lu’ana’s husband, Reggie.
The extra lead time would also give Ken and Nami a chance to settle in at the pack compound and get their feet under them there before Nami’s totally clueless human family arrived.
Nami’s family was unaware of the existence of wolf shifters.
Everyone knew it would be best to keep it that way. With a couple extra months of experience with wolves, Ken felt Nami’s anxiety over this. At least he didn’t have any family he had to worry about hiding this secret from.
Dewi’s family now was his family.
“The good news,” Ken told Dewi as he flipped pancakes in the electric skillet, “is that you probably won’t have to use your Prime juju on me to make the flight easier. I’m so exhausted I’ll likely fall asleep.”
As the sole “grazer” vegetarian in the bunch, Ken usually took on cooking the non-meat dishes during meals.
“I’m sorry,” she said, wrapping her arms around him from behind and laying her head against his back. “This caught me by surprise, too.”
“I know, sweetheart. Just trying to find the silver lining and all that.”
Joaquin sat at the counter. He’d grabbed a shower and changed clothes. His dirty clothes were currently finishing a cycle in the drier so he could repack.
Dewi glanced over at him. “What about your apartment in Mexico?”
“Peyton said they’ll deal with it. Once it’s safe, Ramirez will go grab my stuff for me and ship it to Idaho. I don’t really have a lot that I need. All my family pictures are scanned onto my laptop, with backups in the cloud and on a spare drive in my backpack. I have a few books I’d like to get back, but I’ve made a habit of living light and traveling lighter. I had my backpack with me. Always do. Grabbed it when I had to leave my car behind in Mexico.”
Badger, who was in charge of cooking the proteins for the wolf-heavy breakfast crowd, was frying thick ham steaks on the stove. “Well, at least that’s somethin’ ye did right, lad.”
“It’s going to look weird if you fly without any checked bags after getting a ticket at the last minute,” Dewi said. “Especially since you just returned from overseas. From Colombia, no less. We can stop at that Walmart down by the interstate on our way to the airport and get you a suitcase and new clothes and stuff.”
The wolf frowned, but nodded. “Okay, fine. I’m too exhausted to argue.”
“Hey, I’ll put it on the pack’s corporate card, if that’s any consolation.”
“Oh, heh, guess I can’t take weapons with me, can I?” He dug into his backpack and removed a 9mm handgun, two extra magazines for them, a couple of knives, and what looked like a collapsible baton.
“Uh, nooo,” D
ewi said. “You can’t. How’d you get those on the plane?”
“Cargo flight. Like I said, I knew a guy. Friend of my dad’s from when they lived down there. Told him the basics of the story and he snuck me on board as crew.”
“The basics?” Dewi asked.
“He’s a non-shifter from non-shifter parents. Told him I was an Enforcer running from a drug cartel, which was the truth. And US Customs inbound on regular cargo flights, what a joke. They’re usually only checking crews for drugs, not weapons. And I was in a FedEx uniform. The drug dog passed me right over.”
He smiled, but it looked exhausted and didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s irony, I do believe.”
“So where’d the bike come from?” Dewi asked.
“In front of a bar not far from Miami International,” he said. “I knew if I looked long enough, I’d find one I could boost. I didn’t want to rent a car in case the Seguras somehow tracked me to Miami.”
Dewi let out an annoyed huff. “Great. A stolen motorcycle to deal with. You do remember the part of your Enforcer training where staying under the radar as much as possible is crucial, right?”
Badger spoke up. “It’s safe for now, Dewi. We’ll take care of it when we get home. No use worryin’ about it.”
“You know, we could—”
Badger spun around, brandishing the large fork he’d been poking the ham steaks with. “We’re not doin’ anythin’ about it now! I spoke my piece, and I meant it. Yer not gettin’ out of this froufrou weddin’ if I have to bundle ye up in a suitcase and ship ye cargo meself!”
“Okay, fine,” she grumbled, her grip around Ken’s waist tightening a little.
Ken tried—and failed—to hide his smile. Badger had raised Dewi after the murder of her parents when she was six months old. The Prime Alpha wolf looked like he was in his early sixties but was actually three hundred and ten.
Badger had wild, curly red hair liberally threaded with grey, and his stocky, grizzled face was crossed by a scar that started above his missing left eye and descended almost all the way to his chin. His remaining blue eye looked crystal clear and full of energy.
Rodney “Badger” Williams appeared ferocious, and he very well could be when needed. But his love for Dewi, and the way Badger had welcomed Ken into their family after Dewi claimed Ken, had cemented Badger’s place in Ken’s heart as an adopted father.
It was Dewi’s two older brothers, Peyton and Trent, who wanted the wedding far more than Dewi did. Dewi had been their parents’ miracle baby, the precious girl their mom had always dreamed about having and had wanted after being told she’d never have any more kids.
Peyton and Trent were going to make tomboy Dewi have a formal wedding—complete with froufrou dress—whether she liked it or not.
And she most decidedly did not like it.
Badger shook the fork in Ken’s direction. “Keep yer mate in line, lad,” he said. “She’ll listen to ye if to no one else.”
“What I am dying to know, while we’re on the subject,” Joaquin said, “is how a Prime Alpha wolf ended up mated to a grazer?”
“Long story,” Dewi, Badger, and Ken all said in unison.
* * * *
Ken didn’t need to be a wolf to sense the waves of animosity flowing from Beck toward Joaquin. Nami had already opted to be the friendly, welcoming voice of reason and corralled her stubborn wolf mate into quieting down during the ride to the airport.
She’d also scolded Beck to be nice to Joaquin, since he’d basically done his job despite the outcome. And she reminded Beck that Dewi had saved Malyah’s life by taking the lives of the rapist thugs who would have put Malyah through a similar fate.
Ken could tell Beck wasn’t happy about logic being used against him, but the Alpha wolf proved putty in his mate’s hands and quieted down.
Badger stayed out in the van with Beck and Nami while Dewi and Ken went inside the store with Joaquin. He needed everything from toiletries to a couple of pairs of shoes and miscellaneous clothes. Thirty minutes later, they were back on the road again, with Joaquin’s purchases neatly packed in his new suitcase—including the clothes from his backpack—and ready to check for the flight.
They passed through check-in and security with ease and were sitting at the airside gate nearly an hour before their flight was scheduled to leave.
Ken tried deep, slow breathing to calm his nerves, but the fact that he was about to fly still terrified him.
Dewi gently squeezed his hand. “Ready for Prime juju?”
He shook his head. “Believe it or not, I want to see if I can do this on my own.” He leaned in and kissed her. “But I’ll keep the option open.”
Beck’s dark glare would have killed Joaquin a thousand times over by now had he the power to do so.
Nami poked her mate in the shoulder. “Be. Nice. The boy’s not hurting you, and he’s not making eyes at me or Dewi.”
Joaquin held up his hands. “Oh, I’m no idiot, believe me. The last thing I’d do is interfere with someone’s mate.”
Beck huffed. “No, just their little sister.”
“She was way over eighteen, Dawson Beckett,” Badger said, keeping his voice low. “And yer about a breath away from getting Primed yerself if ye don’t settle down about it.”
Dewi let out a weighty sigh. “Guys, please.”
Ken worried about how weary she sounded. He knew it was due to far more than just the unexpected and too-early wake-up. Dewi’s Prime Alpha status meant she had the stamina and strength to easily outlast them all.
That she appeared so exhausted concerned him.
Ken slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Beck,” he gently said. “Please, let it go for now.”
“You don’t have three little sisters,” Beck shot back.
“An’ they were all well over legal age, too,” Badger reminded Beck. “They ‘re all older than Joaquin, if ye’ll recall.”
“Jacie’s his age,” Dawson said.
Dewi’s whisper cut through their banter. “Stop.” Ken looked at her. She’d pulled Prime.
She pointed a finger at Beck. “Until we’re off the plane in Spokane, you will not grumble about Joaquin. Got it?”
Beck nodded, still glaring at Joaquin. Beck was forty-nine and Dewi only twenty-five, but her Prime Alpha status meant she could easily overpower him.
Not that she needed the mental powers. Ken had witnessed her fling Beck into a wall as if he weighed nothing, and she’d held her own in a battle against the much older Prime Alpha wolf who’d killed her parents and injured her so many years ago.
“Well,” Badger said, settling back in his seat as he crossed his enormous arms over his chest. “Ye bloody well went and did it. I warned ye.”
* * * *
Fortunately, the flight was open seating. Badger opted to board with Joaquin ahead of the rest of them and sat in back, ensuring they were seated far enough apart from the other four to keep Joaquin out of Beck’s line of sight.
No use in poking the wolf, Dewi thought.
She felt badly about having to Prime Beck, but exhaustion had set in, she felt nervous, she was already stressed to the max by the wedding, and now…this.
A pissing contest between two Alpha wolf men, especially two Enforcers under her command, would not be tolerated.
As she and Ken settled into their seats, Ken by the window, Dewi laced fingers with him and gave him a smile. “This’ll be okay. If you change your mind and want me to Prime you, let me know.”
He squeezed her hand. “I appreciate it, babe. I want to try it on my own first. Maybe it won’t be as bad as I worried it might.”
Poor Ken. He didn’t fly. He hadn’t driven much, either, when she’d met him a few months earlier, because his stupid step-brother had “borrowed” and wrecked his car. He’d been down to riding a bicycle for transportation.
Ken had gone through a lot of changes since they’d mated. All of them positive, as far as Dewi could tell.
Considering
he’d had the strength of will to disobey a direct order she’d given him to not pick up a gun, and then he’d shot and killed another Prime Alpha wolf trying to kill her and him both, and then he’d marked her…
Yeeeaaah.
Dr. Heathcliff McKenzie Ethelbert might look like a harmless geek to someone who didn’t know him, but Dewi knew the truth. So did Badger and Beck. She trusted Ken, knew he bore an inner furnace few would ever see, one that burned bright and strong when need be, even if he didn’t yet feel sure about it himself.
And boy, did she love the hell out of him.
Ken did okay on the takeoff, relaxing once they were out over the Gulf of Mexico. Their flight had a stop in Denver to take on fuel and passengers but they wouldn’t have to deplane.
“See?” she gently said. “Piece of cake.”
Nami reached over the back of Ken’s seat and patted him on the shoulder. “You’re doin’ real good there, hon.”
“I didn’t think you’d flown much before,” he said to Nami.
“I haven’t, but mostly because of economics, not because I was scared to. I’ve flown a couple of times in my life.”
Now that the seatbelt sign had been turned off, Nami wanted to talk Dewi’s ear off about the wedding preparations that still needed to be finalized. Peyton and Trent’s mates had been helping Nami arrange things long-distance on their end, but Nami wanted things just right.
Apparently, Peyton and Trent had instructed their mates to do whatever Nami asked. If it meant they got the wedding they wanted for their little sister, the brothers would make sure it happened regardless of the cost.
Dewi wasn’t happy with it but knew resistance was futile. She didn’t want the additional humiliation of Peyton Priming her, as both her big brother and as the pack’s Alpha, into going along with this.
She had a modicum of dignity remaining.
If left up to her, she and Ken would have been married already by a clerk of the court at the county courthouse.
A Bleacke Wind (Bleacke Shifters Book 3) Page 2
