by BJ Wane
Chad Banks pulled the pickup rental into a parking space in front of the Willow Springs library and cut the engine, turning to his partner as Darren warned him for the umpteenth time, “Remember, don’t go off half-cocked so people will recall the two strangers in town after she disappears.”
Gritting his teeth, he snapped, “If you had listened to me in the first place, we wouldn’t have to make this desperate attempt to track her down and take her out. We could have planted evidence in her apartment right after she fled and led IA right to her.”
“So sue me. I never thought the bitch would have the guts to do anything with just a few suspicious files, let alone managing to attain more.” Opening the passenger side door, Darren slid out and looked up and down the quiet street with a sneer. “If she is here, or has been since getting that ticket, someone should have seen her. People in small towns like this are up in everybody’s business since there’s not a God damned thing else to do. Call or text me if you get a lead and then we’ll come up with a plan.”
Chad didn’t wince when Darren slammed the door in frustration and stomped into the small library in the town’s center square. As far as hubbubs went, his partner was right; the cobbled street and covered sidewalks running in front of the hundred-year-old buildings housing a mixture of city offices and small shops presented an idyllic picture of Hometown, USA. Like Darren, he would take the crowds, noise and traffic of the big city to this nauseating blast from the past of life back in the fifties. Yanking his coat around him, he stepped out into the cold bite of fresh mountain air he appreciated no more than he did Avery Pierce’s jeopardizing interference into their tidy, profitable enterprise.
Thirty minutes later, as the first soft snowflakes started falling, Chad left the mercantile no closer to subtly unearthing any knowledge of Avery than when he’d first started out. With his head tucked down against the damp weather, he trudged toward the corner diner, intending to text Darren as soon as he sat down. Thinking about getting something hot to eat and what plan B could be, he wasn’t paying attention and bumped into someone exiting a tea shop.
“Sorry.” He looked into a pair of blue eyes that showed an immediate spark of interest as a slow smile curled the attractive blonde’s full mouth.
“Oh, absolutely no problem, sir.” Cocking her head, she gave him an easy opening to pry for information. “You’re not from around here. Can I help you with something?”
“As a matter of fact, maybe you can,” he answered, tired of tiptoeing around people for information and getting nowhere. “I’m looking for my… sister,” he improvised on the fly. “She took off a few weeks ago after a fight with her boyfriend and my parents are worried sick about her. The last time I spoke with her, she mentioned staying in a small town outside of Billings.” Pulling out the only picture Darren had of him and Avery, Chad showed it to the young woman whose expression hardened as she looked at it.
Much to his delight, she proved to be lousy at hiding her knowledge of and animosity toward Avery. Fucking perfect, he thought with satisfaction as she answered with a calculated gleam replacing the friendly light in her gaze.
“She’s here. Works at the diner and lives above it.” She pointed right to where Chad had been heading to next. “I hope you find her. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see someone from home. She doesn’t fit in well around here. Sorry if that offends you.” Handing back the picture, her expression said she was anything but sorry.
Chad knew his smile revealed elation at her reply and didn’t care. “That doesn’t surprise me. Thanks for your help.”
Cassie watched the tall, good-looking stranger stroll toward the diner at a fast pace, delighted at the opportunity to rid herself of Master Grayson’s new interest. It was unlike her favorite Dom to spend so much monogamous time with one sub, and she’d never known him to be interested in such an inexperienced, naïve one. It had irritated the hell out of her when he’d turned his back on her desire to hook up with him again, and the more he did it, the more time and undivided attention he lavished on the mousy nerd, the more annoyed she’d become.
She never did take kindly to being told no. But now she’d gotten a little payback. She only wished the stupid interloper would know it was she who had informed Avery’s family about her whereabouts that with any luck, would result in her being hauled back home, where she belonged. Far away from here and out of Cassie’s way.
Chad was pulling out his phone as he neared the diner when he spotted an older sedan coming around from behind the building. Even from a distance, he recognized Avery’s pulled back hair and black-framed glasses. Fearing losing this chance, he snapped his phone shut and dashed back to the truck parked across the street. With no plan in mind, he hopped behind the wheel and whipped around to follow her, the thrill of a chase mingling with anger that had been festering inside him these past weeks.
The snow fell thicker now, but still soft enough not to cause problems on the roads yet as they both picked up speed once she hit the highway leading out of town. Wondering where she was headed and hoping for a chance to pull her over and snatch her, he set aside his frustration and stayed a safe distance behind for now.
Avery clutched the steering wheel tighter, her breath burning in her throat as dread clawed at her abdomen. She would never forget the instant, icy fear that had gripped her the moment she’d glanced out the diner’s front window and spotted Darren’s partner, Chad talking to Cassie, or the satisfaction etched on her nemesis’ face as she pointed toward the diner. The heartbreak over Cassie’s cruel words last night that she’d been struggling with all morning took a backseat to the sudden need for not only Grayson’s protection, but the comfort his nearness always seemed to envelop her in. She’d known last night her feelings went beyond sexual pleasure and had seeped into her soul, and the trust he’d been asking for is what gave her the nerve to flee back to him without a thought as soon as she’d seen Chad’s threatening presence.
His sexual interest in her might be temporary but she trusted in his friendship and offer of protection enough to believe he would set aside his irritation with her for not returning before the snow started as he’d instructed. She hadn’t counted on Chad seeing her and following. Jitters danced over her skin and nausea churned as she glanced in the rearview mirror again and saw the truck continuing to barrel down on her despite the snow now falling harder. As she neared the turnoff leading to Grayson’s house, she prayed she was wrong, and that wasn’t him, but when she chanced another quick look back, Avery knew with sickening clarity she was in trouble. With the truck now riding her bumper, she could clearly make out Chad’s cold, determined face.
“Oh, God,” she gasped, slowing only enough to make the turn before the jarring impact coming from behind sent her careening toward a stand of snow-blurred trees. A cry wrenched from her throat as she struggled to control the inevitable impact and prayed Grayson would once again prove to be her miracle out of another untenable position.
With a hard yank on the wheel, she side-swiped the trees instead of hitting them head-on, but the impact still threw her against the dash. Glass shattered and pain blossomed across her head before the blinding white filling her vision went black.
Chad slowed and pulled off the main road, stopping out of direct sight of any other vehicles passing by the turnoff. With a hard push, he opened his door against the increased wind and snow and trudged toward Avery’s car wedged against three trees, the engine sputtering and dying as he approached. He could make out her slumped form, see the bright red trail of blood running down the side of her face and that she wasn’t moving. He doubted she would have made this easy for him by dying on impact and refused to leave anything to chance. As he reached for the door handle on the passenger side, a low, menacing growl came from his right and froze his hand before he could grasp it.
A shiver of trepidation snaked down his spine as he turned his head and came almost eye to eye with a teeth-baring wolf the size of a very large dog. With the animal’s fur standing up along
the back of his nape, ears flattened and quivering body crouched, ready to attack, Chad didn’t dare move. Swearing under his breath, he stood rooted in place, wondering how long this stand-off would last. With no other option he could think of, he inched his hand down, intending to go for his gun tucked into the back of his pants.
Before he got halfway to his goal, Avery stirred and her cry of pain laced terror drew the wolf’s attention and incited his anger. With a snarling leap, he launched himself at Chad, his sharp teeth sinking into his arm, through his coat, breaking skin and drawing blood as Chad fell back with a shout against the animal’s attack.
Grayson stormed out of the house, letting his annoyance with Avery’s deliberate absence before the snow started to propel him with angry strides out to his SUV. He wouldn’t wait another minute for her to get over whatever had been bothering her since they left the club last night. Slamming into his vehicle, he turned around and headed down the drive thinking it had been a mistake not to pull answers from her before they parted company this morning. He knew her well enough to know a stubborn streak went along with her insecurities. When he tracked her down, they were going to iron out a few things, the least of which would be admitting their feelings for each other. Fucking A, if he could do it, so could she, damn it.
As he neared the end of the drive before reaching the highway, Lobo’s distinct howling growl rent the air followed by a sharp human cry, the unexpected sounds interrupting his thoughts and intentions. Worry over who had drawn the hybrid’s irritation sliced through him seconds before he stomped on the brakes upon spotting Avery’s wrecked car. Jumping out, fear for her wrangled with concern for the man Lobo had pinned down with a tight, vicious clamp on his arm. The fact the wolf drew blood showed he meant business and added to the frisson of alarm skating through Grayson. With regret, he pulled his rifle from the back of the SUV, praying the wild dog wouldn’t force him to use it. The need to see to both the man and Avery took precedence over his fondness for the animal he’d befriended since he was a pup.
“Lobo, back!” Grayson commanded, approaching with slow, cautious steps and then halting mid-stride as he recognized the pale man who had pulled his own gun out from under him. Lifting his rifle, fury unlike anything he’d experienced before filled him with an icy hot rage. “Drop your fucking gun, now!”
The man Grayson recognized as Chad Banks from the photos he’d pulled up of both him and Avery’s ex, Darren Lancaster gave him a pain-filled, incredulous look before snapping back, “Are you fucking kidding me?” and lifted his gun toward Lobo’s head.
“No!”
Both men and Lobo jerked toward Avery’s strident cry as she all but fell out of the wrecked car, the blood caking on her face sending another wave of fear and uncontrollable fury through Grayson. Knowing the history between the two, it didn’t take a genius to look at the vehicles and deduce what happened here.
Before his girl could do something else foolish, Grayson swung out with one booted foot, connecting with Banks’ gun-holding hand as Lobo let go of his arm and trotted over to Avery’s shaking, outstretched hand.
“What the hell?” Banks gaped, clutching his arm, his eyes skittering between Avery and Grayson as he rolled to his feet.
Unable to resist, Grayson sent him sprawling back onto the cold, snowy ground with a fist to his jaw. Pulling out handcuffs, he made short work of snapping them on with a low-voiced warning in the bastard’s ear, “No one harms my girl and gets away with it, you son of a bitch.”
Turning from him, Grayson’s heart clutched and his breath stalled in his throat as he saw Avery hugging Lobo, tears swimming behind her broken, askew glasses, her swelling, bruising forehead still oozing a trickle of bright red blood down her pale cheek. “Fucking A, sugar,” he rasped, reaching for her and petting Lobo before scooping up a handful of snow. Holding the frigid, damp wad against her injured forehead, he hauled her against him with his other arm. “If I didn’t love you so much I’d tan your ass right here and now for the scare you gave me.”
Startling disbelief followed by stunned joy enveloped Avery in a warm embrace that rivaled the feel of Grayson’s arms drawing her up and enfolding her against his solid, rock-hard body and dispelling her cold shivering. She heard Lobo huff and giggled; she listened to the rapid beat of his heart beneath her ear and breathed her first sigh of relief. When she’d roused, looked out the shattered window and saw Grayson’s face taut with fury and concern, her heart had rolled over. But it wasn’t until she watched him put together a mental picture of what had occurred and immediately rush to her defense that she let herself believe everything might be okay.
With his declaration ringing in her ears, she asked, “How did you know?”
“I didn’t, or hell, maybe I did. Who knows? I was coming to look for you after you didn’t return by one. Chad Banks, right?” He ran a light-fingered caress over her aching forehead, lingering rage and worry darkening his eyes.
“Yes.” She nodded against his chest, refusing to look at the man who tried to kill her. “But that’s not what I meant.” With a deep, fortifying breath, she peeked back up, her face heating as she clarified, “How do you know you… you love me?”
His tone turned as dry as the look on his face. “Sugar, when a virtual stranger knocks you for a loop the moment you meet and then she invades your thoughts twenty-four-seven, you know.”
“Oh, then that must mean I’ve been in love with you since I first heard your commands over the phone,” she admitted, this time without shying away from his probing stare.
Lobo’s low growling broke them apart and Grayson swore as he snapped at Chad, “Don’t take another step or I’ll let him have you.”
Chad halted halfway to his truck, hatred spewing from his eyes and coloring his voice as he ground out, “You’re aiding and abetting a criminal and I’m a Chicago cop. Do you really want to go down with her?” He jerked on his hands bound behind him with a nod toward Grayson’s police marked vehicle. “You might be with the force in this backwoods Podunk town, but you don’t stand a chance against me.”
Grayson pulled back his coat to reveal his badge hooked on his belt buckle as he pulled out his phone. “I am the head honcho of my force in my Podunk town and entire county, and I beg to differ.” Taking Avery’s arm, he led her to the cruiser while putting the phone to his ear and calling ahead to the clinic in Willow Springs. “Hang on while I get him secured in the back,” he told her after getting her ensconced in the front and flipping the heat on high. “I’m taking you to the clinic first where they can tend to both of you and then my deputy will meet me to escort him over to the jail. He can just stew there until you feel up to giving me a statement about what happened here.”
Avery gripped his arm before he shut the door. “If Chad’s here, Darren can’t be too far away. They stick together.”
“I’ve already alerted my deputies, and they have his picture. Sit tight.”
The shock, cold and mountain of events that had transpired in the last twenty minutes had kept Avery from feeling the pounding ache encompassing her head, but as she settled against the seat and warmth seeped into her bones, her vision blurred from the throbbing ache. At least the packed snow Grayson had applied worked to stop the bleeding and numb some of the stabbing pain. Closing her eyes, she willed an end to the chapter of her life that had sent her fleeing.
One month later
Giddy excitement prompted Avery to pop up out of her seat the moment the fasten your seatbelts sign clicked off. The early afternoon sun shining outside of the small airplane window brightened her mood even more as she grabbed her bag from the overhead compartment. Her week-long visit with Marci in Florida had gone a long way in easing the stress of the previous three weeks. She doubted her ability to have gotten through the grueling process of returning to Chicago to speak with IA without Grayson sticking like glue to her side the whole time. When he’d announced Dan would accompany them as her attorney, she’d broken down in tears of gratitud
e. The burden had still lain heavily on her shoulders given the years both Darren and Chad had been on the force, but when they factored in Chad’s attempt on her life, all suspicion had shifted to further investigation of the two cops.
By the time Grayson had dropped her off at the clinic and taken Chad into custody, his deputies had had Darren in handcuffs, having cornered him right on the street just a few feet from the police station. Upon hearing about his partner’s attempt on Avery’s life, Darren had clammed up, but his silence wouldn’t keep him out of jail. As for Cassie’s inadvertent part in putting Avery in jeopardy, all Grayson would tell her was he’d set her straight on her error and banned her from the club. But from his tone and look in his eyes, she’d experienced a stab of pity for the other woman whose jealousy had cost her everything.
Avery had gone to Florida without Grayson at his insistence and was glad he had seen, better than she, what she had needed by the time the department cut her loose from questioning. The time away from everything and everyone associated with the fear and stress of being on the run had helped clarify what she felt for Grayson wasn’t based on those emotions. Her determination not to make another error in judgment because she was a needy, lonely geek had paid off because she now knew for certain her happiness centered on hearing his voice, seeing him looking at her with that gleam in his gray/green gaze and embracing his hard-edged dominance.
Avery’s pulse spiked as she strode down the exit tunnel leading from the plane to the terminal, picking up her pace as she spotted a group of people waiting on passengers to disembark. She saw Grayson’s coal black head first and then, as she emerged into the Billings airport, her eyes widened upon seeing Sydney, Nan, Dan and the Dunbar brothers were also there for her. Surprise and pleasure caused her to stumble over someone’s bag, muttering, “Sheesh,” as Grayson caught her next to him with an amused chuckle.
