by Terry Spear
“Hey, I’m just camping up here at one of my family’s cabins. I don’t have any intention of hurting you,” Sarandon said, trying to put the woman at ease, even if she was in the wrong. “This is private property.”
“Carefully, put the rifle down!” she commanded in an authoritative, no-nonsense way.
Well, this was bizarre. She was trespassing and pointing a rifle at him, and yet she was telling him to disarm himself when he belonged here? He considered her attire: black cargo pants, a black windbreaker, and boots. She didn’t look like a half-crazed criminal or a hunter either. He wasn’t afraid of her; he’d be much warier of a man holding a rifle on him than a woman. He just figured he’d spooked her.
“All right. All right. You don’t have to be afraid of me.” Being the nice wolf he was, Sarandon set his rifle on the ground, figuring the woman was going hiking, albeit on private property, and didn’t know privately owned cabins were located here, though signs were posted in the area. But the fact that she was carrying a rifle made him suspect something else might be going on. “I run photo-op tours, hiking, mountain climbing, and white-water rafting guided tours, one-on-one tours, and group tours.” He thought if he told her what he did, she would realize he was employed, not some mountain man living out here in the wilderness alone, and that his occupation meant he was one of the good guys who liked working with people. “Whatever customers might be interested in,” he continued.
She was someone he was interested in. If she was a wolf and would put the weapon down. Something about her straightforward and confrontational attitude appealed. He swore it was the wolf in him.
“Sarandon Silver?” she asked, her brow arched.
Learning that she knew his name surprised him. If she knew who he was, why was she pointing the rifle at him? Then he wondered if this had something to do with his brothers. Maybe they’d sent her as a plant, a way to get him to meet a new she-wolf, believing the standard boy-meets-girl routine wouldn’t cut it with him. Especially since he’d said he was trying to come up with an idea for a new adventure.
“Yeah, I’m Sarandon Silver. Do you want to tell me how you know me and why you’re still pointing a weapon at me?” She had to be his brothers’ idea, but he wondered where she was taking this.
If this was for real, he didn’t recall anything he’d done that would have aggravated anyone to the extent that she’d pull a weapon on him. He hadn’t taken a mate and pissed off her family. He hadn’t lost anyone on one of his excursions. His dad was the only one who’d ever committed any crimes in the family, and he’d paid for his sins with his life.
“Come this way, nice and slow,” she said, her voice firm and resolved.
He frowned at her. She sounded like a cop. He looked her over again, but her clothes didn’t indicate that. He couldn’t see what was underneath the jacket, though from the slight bulk underneath the material, it looked like she might have a sidearm holstered there. She hadn’t said she was a cop though. Plus, if she were, she wasn’t in her own jurisdiction. Her car was a silver Ford Expedition, with no indication it was a cop’s vehicle.
She was a beautiful brunette, her hair cut short and bouncy, her eyes a crystal-clear blue. If his brothers—and maybe his cousins—had put her up to this… Well, he didn’t want to appear as though he couldn’t take a joke. She’d share with them how growly he’d been, and they’d all have a good laugh over it—at his expense.
“Am I under arrest?” he asked with good humor, smiling a little. He couldn’t help it. He couldn’t take this seriously.
She narrowed her eyes, looking warier than before, as if his acting like her actions were funny made her think he believed he had the upper hand. “Yes, you’re under arrest, and I’m taking you in. I’m a fugitive recovery agent. Jenna St. James.”
“Fugitive?” Bounty hunter? No way.
She smiled, albeit sarcastically. “Recovery. Agent. Wow, you’re really good at this.”
“At this?” He began to walk toward her as she’d ordered him to. If she wasn’t a wolf, that would mean his brothers hadn’t put her up to this. And she was for real. He had to smell her scent, and the breeze wasn’t cooperating.
“Yeah—suave, polished, great at manipulation. If I hadn’t been doing this for a number of years, I might even think you weren’t the right guy, and you were innocent of any wrongdoing.”
“I am. Innocent of any wrongdoing.” Since she was still holding the rifle on him, he figured he should at least ask for her credentials. “Have you got some ID?”
“Hold it right there. Lie down on the ground and put your hands behind your head. I’ll show you my ID once your hands are secured.”
“You’re serious.” He still didn’t believe this was anything other than a joke. “You have to play by the rules. You show me a badge, and I’ll do whatever you ask of me.” He was certain she wouldn’t because she didn’t have a badge.
“Down. On. Your. Belly. Now.”
Every bit of his wolf nature rebelled at the idea that he’d get on his stomach for her or anyone else he didn’t know. Even if it was a joke. “Or what? Are you going to shoot me? You can’t. I’m unarmed, and I haven’t done anything threatening. So then you would be guilty of a crime.” Though he hoped it wouldn’t go that far. “By the way, what am I supposed to have done?”
“All right, I’ll play your game.”
His game?
“You weren’t supposed to leave the city. You removed your GPS ankle monitor. And you ran. As if you didn’t know, you’re wanted for identity theft and financial fraud.” She gave him a wide berth as she tried to move behind him. “Keep your eyes straight ahead.”
“I wasn’t supposed to leave Silver Town?” He knew if she said yes, it was just a gag.
“Don’t play dumb. You left Colorado Springs.”
“Colorado Springs? I haven’t been there in ages.” He turned to watch her. “No ID, no can do. I know my rights. You could be a dangerous criminal, looking to steal from me.”
As soon as the breeze caught her scent and carried it to him, he could smell her floral fragrance. And more. She was a wolf. He’d begun to worry that maybe this was a case of mistaken identity, and she was the real deal.
“I can tase you first, and then you’ll be compliant,” she warned, reaching for something around her neck, the object hidden by her T-shirt. When she pulled it out, he saw it was a Taser.
Okay, now she had him worried. For a second, he imagined her taking him down, but how would she be able to load him in her car? Still, he wouldn’t be able to fight back, and she could confine his wrists in the meantime.
He lunged forward and tackled her, taking her to the ground before she had time to react. If this was the game, he was ready to play. If she was for real, he couldn’t let her tase him and confine him. The fall knocked the breath out of her, but at least she hadn’t hit anything except for leafy bushes that cushioned her fall.
Eyes wide, she took a deep breath, smelling his scent like any good wolf would, and struggled to get out from underneath him. “You’re a wolf!” She sounded shocked.
What the hell was going on? If his brothers and cousins had put her up to it, she would have known just what he was. She wouldn’t play dumb.
“My brothers didn’t send you?” He breathed in her she-wolf fragrance, floral and woman, wolf and the woods. She could really spice up his life, if she wasn’t trying to arrest him. “You really are here to take me into custody?” He couldn’t believe it.
“Yes.” Still lying beneath him, she read him his rights from memory as if she were in charge.
Smiling a little, he got a kick out of her gutsy actions. No woman, wolf or otherwise, had ever attempted to take him down like this. Feeling her heat and soft curves pressed against him, he felt his wolfish male interest in her waken.
She felt it too. Her eyes rounded and she tried to dump him
off her, but he calculated the thrust with her pelvis and balanced himself to take the full brunt of her action so she didn’t win the round. All her wriggling around underneath him turned him on even more, when he was fighting damn hard to keep that part of his wolfishness at bay. Hell, even his pheromones had leaped to the forefront, telling her in no uncertain terms just how intrigued he was with her. She couldn’t deny that her own pheromones were reacting to his in the same fascinated way.
“Okay, so whoever the guy is you’re supposed to arrest, do you know if he’s a wolf?” The way she had reacted to learning Sarandon was one made him think she was clueless about that part. And that meant she had the wrong guy. Well, of course she had the wrong guy. He wasn’t the one she was looking for, no matter what she thought. He needed to get this cleared up.
“I haven’t met him—you—before.”
“Well, that’s for damn sure…about me. You would have known I’m not the one you’re looking for, if you’d met the guy you’re really after. You would know the difference in our scents, for one thing.”
“You look just like your picture, and you have the same name.”
“Which should tell you something right there. If I were on the lam, why would I be using the same name?”
“It’s your MO? You’re arrogant enough to believe you won’t get caught?”
She was cute in an exasperating way. “I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong man.” Damn glad too.
They heard something moving in the woods, and Sarandon turned his head to get a look at what it was, worried she might have backup and he’d really be in trouble. She took advantage of his distraction. Lifting her hip and grasping his shoulders with her hands, she flipped him onto his back, surprising him with her agility and strength.
She was seated on top of him, her hands holding his wrists against the ground, her jacket parted, her breasts close to his face in the formfitting black T-shirt. Her heart was racing, and he liked the way she was sitting on him, like she hoped to do more than just take him into custody. Which was why he didn’t flip her onto her back to take charge of the situation.
That’s when Sarandon saw Jake headed in their direction, camera bag slung over his shoulder, and Jake laughed. Hell, his cousin was supposed to come to his aid, not find humor in the situation. Though Sarandon had to admit if the roles had been reversed, he would have reacted in the same way.
Looking determined, Jenna pulled his arms forward to tie them. She wouldn’t be successful, not without his cooperation, and he wasn’t giving it. He flipped her onto her back again, straddling her.
“I didn’t know you’d be up here,” Jake said to Sarandon, smiling, watching.
“Lelandi told me you might come by,” Sarandon said to his cousin. “Great timing.”
Jake shook his head and joined them, looking down at the two of them. “I thought I might be interrupting something. I certainly never expected to see a she-wolf we don’t know out here with you. I’m Jake Silver. Sarandon’s my cousin. And you are?”
“I’m Jenna St. James, a fugitive recovery agent. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll help me talk some sense into Sarandon. He has to come back with me to face criminal charges. We have offered a reward for his apprehension. Everyone will be looking for him so they can turn him in for the reward money. If you don’t want to face tons of police and reporters and have to explain your own complicity in helping him to avoid being returned for trial, you’ll do what’s right.”
“Well, Jenna, if you’re not Sarandon’s brothers’ idea of a joke, you have to know that as a wolf, he can’t be taken to jail.” Jake folded his arms across his chest and smirked down at them. “He’s right though. You’ve got the wrong man. The whole pack will vouch for him.”
She scowled at Jake. “I knew there’d be a problem once I learned he’s a wolf. A pack? Sure. Protect a pack member who’s nothing more than a common thief.”
“Listen, we’ll take you to meet Darien and Lelandi Silver, the pack leaders. Darien’s my brother and Sarandon’s cousin. We’ll help you in any way we can to straighten out this mistake,” Jake said. “He’s not who you’re looking for, and if someone from our pack has committed a crime, he will do the time.”
As if Jake had any authority over Sarandon, Jenna said, “Tell him to get off me.”
Jake raised a brow at Sarandon, asking in his silent way if his cousin would agree.
Sarandon didn’t trust her one bit. They’d have to disarm the lady and put the plastic ties on her, or he wasn’t letting her up.
“She’s armed and dangerous,” Sarandon said, smiling. And she was one hot little firecracker of a she-wolf who had made the trip to Elk Horn cabin all the more worthwhile. As long as they cleared up this business of him being a fugitive.
Chapter 2
“I need to call my boss,” Jenna said as the two wolves walked her toward a cabin, the smoke curling up from its chimney. She and her sisters never referred to the bail bondswoman as their mother. They thought it might not sound professional. Jenna couldn’t believe the men had taken her hostage, or the bind she was in.
Once she realized Sarandon was a wolf, she should have known others in his pack could be lurking about. Were they all involved in the identity theft and financial crimes?
Even if they weren’t, she knew they wouldn’t offer him up to pay his debt to society. Not only because he was a wolf and going to jail could be problematic. Pack members often defended one another against outsiders. They took care of their own, including handling rogue wolves who were bad news for the pack and for humans.
The problem was that her mother would have to pay the $150,000 bond if Sarandon didn’t show up for court. He could be looking at a fifteen- to thirty-year sentence if found guilty. Jenna wasn’t going to allow the wolf to get away with this. At the very least, he’d have to pay the bond. Even if he did pay it, he’d still be a wanted man. Unless he could prove his innocence.
Wriggling her hands proved how futile it was to get rid of the ties on her own. She let out her breath in exasperation. She couldn’t believe she was disarmed and tied up with her own plastic ties. That was humiliating.
How was she going to get herself out of this predicament? She had to convince them she was right and they needed to go along with her plan. Once she located a fugitive, she could often use psychology to control the suspect. Not all suspects could be influenced that way, but many could. She hoped it would work here. But given what had already happened, she suspected it wasn’t going to be that easy. Not only did she have the problem with the two wolves, but she also had to deal with a whole wolf pack who would unite behind Sarandon.
Jake had taken her rifle, 9 mm pistol, and Taser, but they didn’t have her pepper spray or boot knife. They’d confiscated her driver’s license, badge, car keys, and phone too.
The fact that Sarandon was a wolf raised new questions. She needed to call her mom and ask more about him. Had her mom sent one of Jenna’s sisters to get the bail bond paperwork from him at the jail when he had been arrested and confined for a few hours? If so, then whoever went to see him would know what he smelled like, and Jenna would be assured he was the right man when she brought him in. But if her mom had received the information in an email or fax, none of them would know him by scent.
Mainly, she needed to know if the man who had been arrested was a wolf. Then again, if her mother had known he was, she would have told Jenna. If Jenna had known that, she would have been even warier when trying to arrest him.
Since her mother didn’t tell her the man was a wolf, that meant either he wasn’t a wolf and Jenna had the wrong guy, or this guy was the right one, and no one had met him in person.
The suspect was a mastermind at identity theft. What if he wasn’t Sarandon but had used Sarandon’s ID to claim his identity? She couldn’t have gone after the wrong man, could she?
“Is this really
necessary?” she asked, raising her hands to indicate the plastic ties.
“Once we’re at the cabin, we’ll release you,” Sarandon said. “And you can share everything you know with us.”
“That you don’t already know?”
“Absolutely. Because this is all news to me. In the business you’re in, haven’t you ever been tied up before?”
She smiled a little. Of course she had. So she could learn how to get herself out of a bind if this was done to her. Not that she’d ever had to. Until now.
“During your training? To know how it would feel to be the hostage? I mean, the captive suspect?” He smiled. Sarandon had the most devilishly disarming smile.
“No.”
“Not even to learn how to get out of the tie if a suspect turned the tables on you? Am I right?” Sarandon lifted his brows. When she didn’t answer him, he laughed. “Don’t play poker.”
She needed to school her expressions more. Or maybe he could read her so well because he was a wolf.
Jenna couldn’t believe Sarandon had taken her down. Suspects had punched, kicked, and knocked her out, but not once had the wanted suspect taken her to the ground and held her there, acting…well, interested in her.
To top that off, he’d become aroused, as if he had nothing to worry about as far as being arrested, and instead was just totally intrigued with her, which she attributed to them both being wolves. Even her attempt at overpowering him had seemed to be a turn-on. As far as her attraction to him, she couldn’t help that he was as attractive as sin. No suspect should be that good-looking. Then their pheromones were singing to each other, which had to do with a wolf’s biological need. She couldn’t believe it. As if her wolf was telling her that no matter who this was or what he had done, that wolf part of her was eager to mate with him. Physical attributes came in at a ten. Willingness to have offspring with him? Check. That was her wolf’s nature telling her what to do. Her human nature was in total conflict. Arrest him and turn him over to the police for their disposition. End of story.
