by Bianca D'Arc
One by one, they woke and got ready. Trisha went around, knocking on doors, acting as hall mother for the morning, telling them what time to meet for breakfast. They all converged in the hallway about the same time and walked downstairs as a group.
Steve met them at the foot of the stairs, making a show of wishing them all a good morning and then leading them to the dining room. A few of the girls stopped dead in their tracks when they got a look at the handsome men and equally stunning women who were already seated around the big room in various stages of breaking their fast. There were really only a few werewolves there, but they sure did make an impression.
Trisha recognized a few faces from that first night. Sure enough, the big guy who’d been flirting with Molly at the bar came across the room to meet them. He smiled at Molly and Trisha saw the way her shy friend’s pale features flamed with a betraying blush even as she smiled back at him. There was definitely some mutual attraction going on there.
“Some of you may remember Jed from the other night. He and his friends were chatting with you when the problems started at that bar.” Steve frowned and some of the girls looked away from the handsome werewolf to listen to Steve. The rest seemed fixated on the good-looking young men all around them. “He helped bring you all here.”
“Thank you, Mr. uh…” Molly uncharacteristically stepped forward to offer her hand. The big werewolf took her small hand in his and smiled at her. Molly just about swooned, but Trisha understood. The man made an impact, even when his charm wasn’t aimed directly at you.
“Robinson. But please, call me Jed. You’re Molly, right?” He asked as if he already knew the answer and Trisha saw the way Molly reacted to the fact that the hunkalicious werewolf remembered her name.
Sadly, Molly was usually forgotten among the rest of the girls because she was the shyest of them all. She wasn’t bad looking, but she didn’t really dress to bring out her best features, and her quiet nature sometimes got overwhelmed by some of the more forceful personalities in their little group. It was good to see her basking in the attention of a handsome man. She seemed to blossom before their eyes and it gave Trisha a warm feeling to see her friend so happy.
Jed took Molly’s hand and led her, and by default the rest of the gang, toward a long table. They had come downstairs ready to go, so everyone dumped their purses and bags on chairs and went to sample the buffet. Molly was escorted everywhere by Jed and he didn’t seem to want to let her out of his reach.
“You think maybe something’s going on there?” Trisha whispered to Steve when he came up beside her at the end of the food line. She nodded toward Molly and her admirer.
“Could be. He’s definitely interested and I’ve never really seen him so intense in his pursuit of a human before.” Steve watched the couple as he seemed to consider the werewolf’s body language. “I wonder if Little Miss Muffet is ready to handle the Big Bad Wolf?”
“I think you’re mixing up your fairytales. It’s Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.” She chuckled and handed him one of the plates that were stacked at the end of the table. Steve shrugged and gave her a set of silverware wrapped in a cloth napkin. It was then that she noticed the fineness of the china and the quality of the table linens. “Do you guys always go this fancy for meals, or is this special for my friends’ benefit?”
Steve looked around and shrugged again. “I don’t eat here all that often, but I think this is pretty standard for the Pack house. We make a lot of money building things. Why not enjoy it?”
Trisha considered his words and realized he was right. She also realized that Redstone Construction probably paid their employees really well. The sheer amount and variety of food available surprised her. It was a banquet fit for a king and the quantities the werewolves were putting on their plates was kind of amazing. Steve too, when it came his turn, filled the big plate with heaping helpings of eggs, meat and only a little toast on the side. No doubt about it. He was definitely a carnivore.
Trisha took a much smaller portion, as did her friends, who mostly went for the fruits and bread selections. When they got back to the table, some newcomers were already there. One was seated right next to Trisha and she wasn’t too surprised to find it was her brother. The human one. Deke.
“So you’re staying then?” She went on the attack rather than wait for his disapproval. She knew Deke wasn’t happy about her hooking up with his friend, but he was going to have to learn to live with it.
“Dad thought it would be best if one of us stuck with your group, just in case. Plus…” He paused uncharacteristically. “I owe you both an apology. I’m sorry, sis. Sorry, man.” He held out his hand for Steve to shake and the two men nodded at each other very seriously. Deke looked around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping as he pitched his voice a little lower. “I had a long talk with Grif about shifters and cougars in particular. If even half what he said is true—and I’ve never doubted Grif’s word on anything—then Red is going to make you very happy. And if you’re happy, I’m happy, Trish. I just wanted the best for you and it took some convincing—particularly because I didn’t know the full story about who or what you were, Red—but I’m convinced now and I wish you both nothing but the best.”
Trisha leaned in and hugged her big brother, emotion choking her throat for a moment. Instead, she hugged him tight, feeling the safety of his arms the way she had since she was a little girl. Only, she had grown up now. She could take care of herself for the most part. And anything she couldn’t handle, she now had Steve to rely on.
Their relationship as siblings would change from here on out, but it was good to know that they would have a relationship. A good one from all indications. She sent a prayer of thanks up to the Goddess for helping Deke understand.
“I love you, Deke.”
“I love you too, Squirt.” He rocked her from side-to-side once more before letting her go. She stood away and realized everyone at the table was looking at them.
“Hey, guys.” She managed to control her blush at being the center of attention, caught in an emotional moment. “Do you all know my big brother Deke?”
She was saved further embarrassment by the need to make a few introductions, and by the time everyone had met everyone else, they were all seated and digging into their breakfasts. Steve had introduced Jeremy Newmar, who Trisha knew was the son of the Pack Alpha. He’d helped get them to the Pack house that terrible night they’d been drugged, but he acted as if he’d never seen them before, knowing none of the women—except Lynda, who was keeping mum—would recognize him. They’d all been unconscious before he’d helped carry them into the house.
Jed introduced a few more of the guys who’d been flirting with her friends at the bar and she was glad to finally put names with the faces. One was Jed’s brother, Paul. Another was a friend who worked on the same crew, he said. She assumed he meant a work crew of some kind since they all worked for Redstone Construction.
After a leisurely breakfast at which she ate entirely too much, Trisha and the rest of the gang—including her brother and Jed—piled into SUVs and were driven to a helipad behind the Redstone Construction headquarters building. As they pulled around the edge of the building, she saw the giant helicopter waiting for them.
It was way larger than anything she’d expected. She’d been wondering how all of them were going to fit inside a single helicopter, but when she saw this behemoth, she didn’t have to wonder. It would fit a small army inside.
She walked toward it with the rest of them but Steve tugged her toward the front. She didn’t understand why at first, but then she realized he was going to fly the big machine. And Deke was already strapping into the co-pilot’s seat.
When Steve had asked if she trusted him to fly her and her friends around, she hadn’t realized he actually meant he’d be the one flying the helicopter. And she’d had no idea her big brother knew how to fly one of these things. Yet Deke looked very competent going through the pre-flight checklist. As if h
e’d done this a million times before.
“Is this a military helicopter?”
Steve grinned. “It does have some similarity to a certain troop transport your brother and I might have piloted in places we can’t mention.” He had that cat-who-swallowed-the-canary look on his face that made her want to laugh.
Oh yeah, boys and their toys. Steve was like her brothers in that respect. He clearly loved getting the chance to operate the big machine again.
He gave her a headset and then showed her how to flip the channels so she could talk to him—and Deke—privately. The pilots were on a different channel than the passengers, but he wanted her to be able to talk to him if she wanted. She liked his thoughtfulness.
He also gave her the seat nearest the cockpit so she could look out the front as well as the side windows if she wished. Everybody else arranged themselves around the cabin and Jed even acted as bartender, making drinks at the wet bar while Deke and Steve went through their checks prior to takeoff.
By the time they were airborne, Trisha’s nerves were calmed. Steve and Deke wouldn’t let them fall out of the sky. They were battle tested and competent. She trusted both of them with her life.
That thought firmly in mind, she began to look out the windows, enjoying the novel view. Jed acted as an impromptu tour guide, pointing out different features as they flew past. The girls were really enjoying themselves, and before she even realized it, a couple of hours had passed. Steve surprised them by bringing the helicopter in for a landing in the middle of a small stretch of green in the desert. It was an oasis of sorts. And she could easily see the resort that had been built around it.
The guys were securing the helicopter while everyone took off their headsets. The noise from the propellers was dissipating enough to be able to speak and hear without the help of the headsets.
“Time for lunch,” Jed announced, much to the delight of the women in the group. They’d gotten a late start after lingering over breakfast and it was definitely lunch time.
“You planned this?” Trisha looked at Steve, smiling as he shrugged.
“It’s not often we get to treat a group of ladies to a pleasant afternoon. I figured this would make the party memorable after the bad start you all had. Make some good memories to replace the bad.”
She reached up and kissed him, not caring who saw. “You’re terrific.” And she meant it. What a great guy. She laid one on him even as he smiled at her words.
A wolf whistle broke them apart a moment later and she realized she’d sort of forgotten they were in the middle of a helipad surrounded by her friends. Trisha blushed a bit. She could feel the heat of it in her cheeks, but she didn’t move away from Steve. No. She was staking her claim on him and it felt good.
They walked up the path to the resort to find a private room waiting for them. This time, the resort’s efficient staff waited on them hand and foot as they consumed a lovely luncheon. Steve had been right. The girls would remember this luxury as a highlight of the trip. Especially Molly, who was being looked after by the big werewolf who seemed very, very interested in her.
On the way back, the helicopter rocked a bit unexpectedly. Trisha looked forward into the cockpit and hastily turned the controls on the headset so she could hear what Steve and her brother were talking about.
“—definitely shooting at us,” she heard Deke say. “Sniper nest on that rise over there.”
She squinted, but try as she might, she couldn’t see what her brother pointed to. Then again, she didn’t really know what she was looking for.
“Buzz low over him. I’m jumping out. Circle around and pick me up only if it’s safe. Otherwise, I’ll leg it back after I deal with him.” Steve was already unbuttoning his shirt and leaving some of his possessions behind. She took that to mean he intended to shapeshift.
The big helicopter had a passenger door on the side of the main cabin, where they’d boarded, but now she could see there were access doors on either side of the cockpit. She didn’t know if such a thing was standard equipment or maybe something the Redstones had added to their chopper, but it was clear Steve intended to use the hinged panel right next to him to take a nosedive out of a perfectly good helicopter.
Her friends didn’t seem to think anything was wrong, looking out the windows and enjoying the view. Only Trisha had access to the pilots’ channel on her headset and only she knew exactly what was going on. The others probably just thought they’d hit a bit of turbulence or something when the chopper bounced again.
Deke was in control of the craft while Steve unlatched the locks on the door panel. He really was going to do it. Trisha’s heart beat fast, her pulse nearly choking her with anxiety. Was he crazy? She had to stop him.
“Don’t you dare jump!” she shouted over the pilots’ channel. Deke winced, but Steve turned to her with a serious expression.
“Honey, this is what I do. I can’t let someone shoot at you without at least trying to rip him to shreds. I’ll do anything it takes to keep you safe, and right now someone is shooting at this helicopter.”
“Shooting?” She was alarmed. She hadn’t seen any shots.
“It’s bullet proof, Trish,” Deke told her. Including the glass. See?” He pointed to a star-like pattern in the glass next to him and she realized it had been made by a bullet. She sucked in a breath.
“You could have been killed!” For a minute, fear threatened to overwhelm her.
“Nah, Squirt. Bullet proof, remember?” He had the nerve to smile at her. She wanted to shake him. “But this definitely means we didn’t get them all on the Strip. There’s at least one that I can see and he’s shooting at us. Because of our flight pattern and the sightseeing we’re doing, we have to go over him again, so we might as well take the opportunity to take him out. Don’t worry about Red. He could do this in his sleep.”
“I’m touched that you’re worried about me, sweetheart,” Steve added. “But really, I have to do this. Deke can fly you to safety and Jed is a qualified pilot as well. You’ll be okay. Just trust me to do this. I can’t leave a threat to you out there running around free to shoot at us any old time.”
He smiled at her and she knew she had to let him go. It might be the hardest thing she’d ever had to do, but she knew she couldn’t interfere and make him deny his instincts and training.
“You be smart and come back to me in one piece, Redstone. Do you hear me?” She was fighting tears, but she had to be strong.
He smiled and winked. “I will always come back to you, love.”
A moment later, Deke swooped downward with the helicopter and Steve jumped. She tried to watch where he’d gone, but they were moving too fast.
“What’s happening?”
“It’s cool,” Deke said, moving the chopper around so he could get a better vantage. “He landed right on the guy. Didn’t even have to go furry or anything. He’s got the man and is tying him up. Just one shooter.”
A tug on her sleeve made Trisha look back into the cabin where the rest of her friends were watching her with varying degrees of alarm and concern. She hastily switched the headset back to their frequency.
It was Marcia who spoke first.
“Did your boyfriend just jump out of the helicopter?”
Hearing it put that way, in such an outraged tone made Trisha laugh. She was close to hysterics, but she had to remain strong.
“Somebody was shooting at us,” she explained. “Red is just taking care of the problem.” She couldn’t believe that was her voice. She sounded so calm when she was really anything but.
The women started talking excitedly, but she switched back to the pilot frequency to talk to her brother.
“Red’s going to use the prisoner’s vehicle to transport them both back to base,” Deke reported. “It’s under control.”
“You’re just going to leave him there?” She was outraged.
“He’s got backup on the way and the prisoner is secure. The guy wet his pants when he saw Red jump
out of the helicopter.” She heard the amusement in her brother’s voice, but she didn’t think it was funny at all. Not when they were leaving Steve alone in the desert with someone who had been trying to kill them all.
They argued some more, but eventually Deke brought them safely back to Redstone Construction headquarters. Everyone was still talking excitedly about what Steve had done, and Trisha bit her lip and worried, waiting for Steve. She needed to see him in person, to know he was all right.
They’d been ushered into a conference room where refreshments were waiting. Nobody was going anywhere until they figured out who had been shooting and why. Trisha paced by the window, watching the road until she saw him.
She rushed out of the conference room toward the front doors. She flew into his arms the moment he stepped into the building. She’d been so worried.
She knew she was trembling, but she couldn’t help it. Steve soothed her, stroking her hair and holding her body close to his, offering his comfort and strength. She honestly didn’t know what she’d have done if something had happened to him.
“Hey, Red, what’s the sit rep?”
Trisha heard her brother’s voice from behind her and she could have cursed him for his bad timing. She’d just needed another moment in her lover’s arms. Then maybe she could let him go easily. As it was, she had to drag herself away from his embrace to turn and find Deke wasn’t the only one watching them, waiting to learn what Steve had to say.
“Come on, love. Everybody needs to hear this.” Steve took her elbow and ushered her into the big conference room.
Everyone sat, stood or perched around the room according to their moods, waiting to hear Steve’s report. He didn’t make them wait long.
