“Okay,” Dewi said. “Great.” She turned back to Nami. “What do we need to get for Malyah, then? A third cake?”
Nami nodded. “And a bouquet for her, and a proper wedding dress, not a bridesmaid’s dress, and now you’re gonna need a bridesmaid’s dress, and—”
“Whatever we need,” Dewi said, interrupting her, “you buy it. Whatever it costs. No matter how much. The pack is paying for it all. You get everything you need to give her the best damn wedding ever.”
Ten minutes later, Ken and Nami were in the little Honda, with Ken behind the wheel and speeding out of Peyton’s driveway. Away from Dewi’s direct Prime influence, Nami resumed her murderous muttering from the passenger seat.
“Swear to god, I will hurt that boy if he don’t treat her right! I swear I will!”
“He will take care of her, Nami.”
Ken realized they had less than half of a tank of gas. Even though it would delay them and take them a few minutes out of their way, he decided to stop and fill up at the station in the town outside the compound. Yes, they had enough to reach the interstate, where there were a couple of gas stations at the exit, but why risk it?
Twenty minutes later, Nami was still ranting when they pulled into the gas station.
When he got out to pump gas, Nami got out, too, and started pacing beside the little car.
“What the hell does Joaquin want with her, anyway?” she asked. “He’s older than her!”
Ken, on the other side of the argument, was doing his best not to smile or point out the fact that Beck was older than Nami.
And to not point out the fact that Nami had felt sorry for Joaquin…before she found out he’d secretly mated and claimed her little sister.
“Nami, please, stay calm.”
She pounded a fist against the rental car’s roof. “I am calm!”
Now Ken was wishing they’d given him one of the SUVs to drive instead of the little Honda. At this rate, he worried the small car might not survive Nami’s wrath all the way to Spokane and back.
Note to self, see about swinging through the rental car place in Spokane and swapping out vehicles before we return.
Then again, once he distracted Nami with shopping for all three weddings, they might need a larger vehicle anyway, to get all their purchases back to the compound.
After filling up the tank, he led Nami inside the convenience store, which also housed a restaurant, so he could get a coffee for the drive. The early wake-up, combined with the emotional stress he knew lay ahead of him dealing with Nami all day today, called for a far higher caffeine-to-blood ratio than his body currently possessed.
Nami followed him inside, still ranting about Joaquin.
* * * *
Two people entered the store. Manuel froze as he listened to the large black woman ranting to the skinny white guy she was with. He would have sworn he heard her say Joaquin.
Sure enough, she said it again.
And again.
She obviously wasn’t happy about Joaquin and whatever it was he’d done.
It couldn’t be a coincidence. Not in the middle of Nofuckingwhere, Idaho.
At that point, Jose looked at him, a question on his face.
So he heard it, too.
Manuel leaned in and whispered to him in Spanish. “Take Tomas, Miguel, and Aldo, and follow them. Stop them and question them. I want to know where that son of a bitch is. The rest of us will make our way into that property after we ask around here for information.”
Jose nodded and headed off to round up the three men.
Chapter Twenty-One
Webster Kent, the Alpha wolf running the convenience store’s cash register, was used to seeing strangers in town. As the owner of the only gas station in a twenty-mile radius, if there was a stranger in town, he was usually one of the first to encounter them. Especially around Musters, or during human events like hunting and fishing seasons.
With Dewi and Beck both returning and marrying their mates, they were expecting a good-sized crowd in town by that weekend, including many unfamiliar faces, due to the importance of the events.
Not every day the pack Alpha’s little sister, also the Head Enforcer, got married.
Peyton had called him on Friday and warned him to keep a watchful eye peeled for strangers, humans who didn’t seem to belong in the area and who didn’t appear to know anything about wolves. Especially anyone foreign. Particularly Hispanic.
And definitely anyone who might be angling for information about Joaquin Carlomarles.
Webster’s older son had gone to school with Joaquin when they were kids. He remembered when the Carlomarles family first arrived from Colombia to settle in Idaho in their town near the pack compound. His wife had become good friends with Aleana Carlomarles, Joaquin’s mother.
So far, while the eleven men had gassed up their three vehicles and purchased pre-made sandwiches and snacks to eat over in the restaurant side, they hadn’t asked any questions. Other than casually perusing the large rack of tourist brochures, which were heavily filled with local hunting, fishing, and hiking guide pamphlets, they appeared to not have an agenda.
Unfortunately, Webster’s Spanish wasn’t very good, so he couldn’t understand exactly what he was eavesdropping on with his acute wolf hearing.
Then, after Dewi’s and Beck’s mates gassed up, came in and bought some snacks and left again, four of the strangers followed them in one of their three vehicles, leaving seven of the men behind.
While Beck’s mate had been grumbling fairly loudly about Joaquin, Dewi’s mate appeared to be trying to placate her and calm her down. The general gist he picked up from that was Joaquin had apparently mated with the woman’s little sister.
It couldn’t be a coincidence. There weren’t many Joaquins in their pack, to the best of his knowledge, and only one currently in the area that he was aware of—
Joaquin Carlomarles.
Web had started to go for the phone to call Peyton when one of the Spanish-speaking strangers, apparently the leader, walked up to the counter with a soda and a candy bar in hand. Smiling broadly, he set the items on the counter before he pulled a fat money clip from his pocket, peeled a couple of twenties off of it, and casually tossed them onto the counter.
Web didn’t miss that the guy kept his money clip out and fully visible, a silent bribe.
“A friend of mine was telling me about the fishing in this area.” The man’s thick Spanish accent smoothly rolled off his tongue. “Joaquin Carlomarles. Said he was going to be in the area this week and told me to call him, but he is not answering his cell phone.”
“Don’t get good cell reception up in the mountains around here. Not away from town. They’re talking about putting another tower in, maybe next year. Got a land number for him?” Web hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the phone on the wall. “I’ll let you use the phone if your cell’s not got coverage.”
“No. I was hoping you knew him, or perhaps know where I can find him.”
Web made a show of thinking about it, then slowly shook his head as he rang the guy up and only took one of the twenties, quickly making change and placing it on top of the other twenty.
“I used to know a boy around here named Joaquin, years ago. I think that was his name. That was like fifteen, maybe twenty years ago. Seems like he was in a class with my son in school. Can’t remember what his last name was, though. That might have been it.”
Webster suspected if he completely lied that the guy wouldn’t believe him. He had obviously tracked Joaquin to the area somehow, and strongly suspected he’d find Joaquin here. Lying would possibly trigger a bad reaction. Better to play semi-clueless and let the stranger think he was the one playing Web.
Meanwhile, Web fought the urge to bare his canines at the man and throw him out of his store. He didn’t want to start a fight with mobsters. Not when there were clueless humans, as well as human mates, in close proximity.
But he needed to warn Peyton, and have Dew
i and Beck go after their mates to protect them.
And the clock was quickly ticking.
The stranger slowly nodded and finally reached out to take his change, including the second twenty. “Ah. Does Joaquin have family around here? Friends? Someone who might know where we could find him?”
Webster scratched his chin, summoning his best impression of a clueless hick. “Well. Hmm. If it’s the same kid, seems like his parents moved up to Canada, I think it was. Gosh, that was years ago, though. I haven’t heard my son talk about him, oh, since after he graduated high school.”
“Would your son perhaps know?”
Now Webster went for a lie he knew the stranger would buy. “He’s overseas working. Oil company. One of their field engineers. Calling him’s hard. I can try e-mailing him for you, but it might take him a day or so to get back to me. I can call my wife and ask her, if you’d like? If she doesn’t know, she might be able to find out for you.”
The stranger smiled, but it didn’t come anywhere close to touching his eyes. In fact, it looked cold, predatory.
Like a cat preparing to pounce on its prey. “That would be very nice of you. Thank you.”
Web smiled. “Sure, no problem. Hold on for a minute.” He walked over to the phone on the wall, picked it up, and hit the speed-dial direct to Peyton’s cell.
Of course they got cell coverage here. The pack owned the damned tower in town and the main part of the compound. You just had to be on the right network.
The pack-owned network.
Peyton answered on the second ring. “Web?”
“Yeah. Hey, honey? Got a quick question for you.”
“Honey?”
He prayed Peyton was fast on the uptake and not too distracted by whatever had happened that morning to upset Beck’s mate to catch on quickly. “Yeah, I got a guy here in the store, looking for a Joaquin Carlomarles. What was the name of that kid who went to school with Mark? Was that his name?”
“Shit. How many of them? Can you say, or is the guy right there?” He heard Peyton pull the phone away from his face and start yelling for someone.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. Well, I’d like to get an answer for him, because he’s standing right here. Didn’t Joaquin’s parents move up to Canada after the kids graduated? Or am I mixing them up with someone else?”
“Less than ten?”
“No, I couldn’t remember either.”
“More than ten?”
“Maybe that’s it. Oh, heck. You know, Dewi and Beck were just in a few minutes ago. I should have asked them. Could you try calling them for me?”
“Dewi and Beck? What are you talking about? They’re right here, they’re not—oh, fuck. Did some of them go after Ken and Nami? Beck and Dewi’s mates?”
“That’s right. They pulled out of here, anyway, I think. Didn’t see which way they were headed. And I don’t have their cell numbers to call them. Well, listen, if you’d call around for me real fast and see if anyone else might know where they are, or if Joaquin is in the area right now—hold on, just a minute, hon.”
Web spoke to the guy, making sure Peyton could still hear. “How long you think you’ll be here? A few more minutes, at least?”
The man nodded. Webster didn’t read any suspicion from him.
Yet.
But Web knew the longer he stalled, the more suspicious the guy would get.
“Probably,” the stranger said. “We could wait for a little while, if she wants to make some calls. We are in no hurry.”
“Hey, hon? Yeah, if you could call a couple of people real fast and call me back here, that’d be great. He said they’re not in a hurry and will hang around for a few. I don’t want to keep them waiting too long.”
“I’ve got people on the way,” Peyton said. It sounded like he was running now. “Try to clear any innocent clueless humans out of there, if you can. Put out calls to warn all the wolves in town. Spread the word that if we have to shake the tree, the pack’ll pay all damages.”
“Great, thank you. And love you, too, honey.” He hung up and smiled at the guy, the ache in his jaws as his canines fought to slide out making it difficult to keep up the act. “She said she’ll call me back in about ten minutes or so. You guys see the fishing guide brochures over there?”
The man looked in the direction Web pointed. From the expensive slacks and short-sleeved shirt the guy wore, to the gold chain around his neck, to the Cartier watch on his left wrist, to the expensive loafers on his feet, and his cologne and impeccable haircut, if the guy had ever fished a day in his life, Web would eat the goddamned brochure rack.
And now that Web allowed all his senses to come into play, he sniffed gun oil.
Not the brand he usually used.
Web walked around the counter and waved the guy over to the rack, where he started handing the man brochures in an attempt to keep him occupied and distracted.
“I either personally know, or know the reputations, of all these guides. They’re all good, and honest. I don’t get a kickback from them, either. You guys staying here in town, or do you have rooms yet?”
The man didn’t even pretend to look at the brochures as he took them. “We have not decided yet. We stayed in Spokane last night and drove over this morning.”
“Ah. Well, this is like a whole different country, right here,” Web said. “Much nicer here than Spokane, if I might say so. Not very fond of the city myself after all the years I’ve been here.”
Web played the hick act for all he was worth as he fought against his stubborn, aching canines. Never in his life had he ever wanted to shift and pounce more than he did at that moment.
Well, not counting his mating.
But as an Alpha, even though he was one hundred and seventeen, he only looked like he was in his early forties. And he was still no match for an unarmed human when evenly pitted against one.
He was not, however, bulletproof.
Last time he’d accidentally gotten himself shot by a human had been in the leg, and his wife had chewed him a new one for ruining a perfectly good pair of jeans.
It’d also stung like a motherfucker.
He waited for the guy to look down at the brochures before Web quickly scanned the building with his gaze. One wolf, a woman, over in the dairy section, grabbing a gallon of milk. One of his cousins, in fact, and wicked with a gun, if he needed to ask for her help.
No humans other than the strangers inside the building. His part-timer, Joe, had walked down to the post office to check his PO box five minutes ago. He wouldn’t be back for another twenty minutes, at least.
And Joe, while human, was the husband of a wolf.
And retired military.
Like Web, he was always carrying.
* * * *
“Besides all those things,” Nami railed at Ken, “how are we possibly going to explain to Da’von and Lu’ana and Reggie about Malyah just up and marrying this guy none of them have ever heard of before?”
Ken had already settled in for a hundred-mile rant fest all the way to Spokane. He only hoped Nami would expend the bulk of her ire before their return trip.
“The same way things were smoothed over with all of them about you marrying Beck. Dewi, Badger, and Peyton are Primes. They’ll simply put the suggestion in their minds that it’s okay.”
“Yeah, and Peyton told me Malyah has her memories back. So that’s not foolproof.”
“I don’t know, Nami. I don’t have all the answers.”
“Malyah just met him! How do we explain that? We fibbed, at least a little, and made it look like me and Beck had been dating for a while in secret.”
“Well, we can do the same thing with them about this. We can tell everyone you knew about it, but because Joaquin was overseas, Malyah wanted it kept quiet until they knew for sure they wanted to be together.”
She slowly shook her head at him. “That’s stupid.”
“It’s all I’ve got. We can worry about that later.”
<
br /> “We need to worry about it now. Malyah’s been dating. What about that poor guy? What’s she supposed to tell him when she gets home and she’s married? What about the people she works with?”
Ken hoped Joaquin wouldn’t eviscerate said poor guy before Dewi or Badger was able to tweak the man’s mind and make him think the break-up was his idea because he wanted to explore other options.
“Again, Dewi or Badger can talk to the guy for Malyah. He’ll likely walk away smiling.”
Ken caught a glimpse of a vehicle on the road some distance behind them, but lost it again as he rounded a turn. He thought he recognized it from the gas station, but he wasn’t sure.
“But what about her coworkers and friends? Dewi or Badger gonna glue themselves to Malyah’s hip and charm all of them, too?”
Ken loved Nami, but he wished she’d shut up so he could focus on driving and watching for the car behind them. “If they have to, yes.”
Something tingled at the base of his spine. An ugly, nasty, familiar feeling. Faint, but definitely there.
The same kind of feeling he’d gotten when Dave ambushed him at his apartment, and the same kind of feeling he’d had before Endquist attacked him and Dewi.
“I can see that going well,” Nami ranted. “I just don’t underst—”
“Nami. Do you feel like something’s off?”
“Oh, something’s off, all right,” she huffed. “That boy grabbin’ my sister like she’s just some two-bit—”
“No, Nami. Seriously. Be quiet for a moment. What’s your gut instinct telling you, right now? Right this instant.”
He hoped it worked the same way for her, the wolf stuff passing over to her from Beck the way Dewi had passed some to him through their mating. He desperately hoped it wasn’t just a Prime thing. Beck was a powerful Alpha. Surely there’d be…something? Ken also hoped she wasn’t too upset about Malyah and Joaquin to feel it, if she even could.
A Bleacke Wind (Bleacke Shifters Book 3) Page 19
