by Terry Spear
I want to bring them here. I do! I don’t chance bringing the kids home. Sheridan said he wants no more kids and he’s happy with our arrangement. What can I do but go along with it because I hopelessly love him. He keeps saying when the time is right, we’ll announce we’re mating, but not before then.
Jenna read the rest of the diary, but Ritka didn’t say another thing about the kids. Only about Sheridan coming to see her when he could and hoping that no one would get suspicious.
Jenna wondered how that had worked out for them. She couldn’t imagine keeping something like that secret from a pack. Wolves were too curious by nature. Yet from everyone’s shock from learning about this, at least among those who were there tonight, she assumed Sheridan and Ritka had pulled it off.
She bookmarked the section about the kids with a piece of paper from her notepad. Should she tell Sarandon now or wait until morning? He said he wanted to know if she learned anything tonight. How would she feel if he didn’t tell her what she’d wanted to learn right away?
She sighed and crawled out of bed, grabbing the diary and heading for the door. She hoped the news was important enough for her to wake Sarandon. For her, it would have been. Maybe he wasn’t sound asleep yet.
When she opened the bedroom door, he called out from the living room. “Did you learn anything important?”
Glad she had decided to tell him, she joined him in the living room where he’d turned on one of the lamps and patted the couch for her to sit down and tell him the news.
Since the couch was made up for bed, she felt she was joining him in bed. Why did that appeal?
He actually wrapped his arm around her shoulders and said, “So what’s the news?”
She read him the passage.
“Okay, so it sounds like Alex could have some family issues. If he ever learned that not only did his ‘mother and father’ give him up to another couple, but they were really his aunt and uncle, and his real mother had given him up. Not because she wanted to, but because she wanted to stay with Sheridan more than she wanted to be with her kids.”
“That’s all I found in the diary. Nothing in the one I was reading. I’m getting some water. Want some?”
“Thanks, no. You’d better get to sleep too. Darien’s orders.”
She smiled. “Good thing I don’t belong to the pack.”
When she didn’t get up right away, he said, “You heard my sob story. Do you have one? I feel I’ve bared my soul to the world tonight, confiding in you.”
“And you need me to reciprocate, or you’ll feel you’ve revealed too much about yourself?”
“Something like that. It can cause terrible anxiety, sleeplessness…”
“I hate to mention it, but other than my father being shot and surviving it, I don’t really have any dark secrets to share.”
“Only some you don’t want to share.”
“True.” She didn’t want to discuss her dead mate and babies any further. “Darien’s orders.” She patted Sarandon on the chest. “Get to sleep. You’re driving first thing.” Then she left the couch to get some water.
“You don’t think you’ll come up with some ideas in the middle of the night and need to bounce them off me, do you?”
“Why do you ask? Do you think it would be better if you joined me in your bed?”
“You wouldn’t have to go so far to tell them to me.”
She laughed and got a glass of water. “Night, Sarandon. We have a long drive ahead of us. I hope everything goes fine and your name is cleared and you don’t land yourself in jail.”
Then she went to bed, but she kept worrying that the Colorado Springs police would arrest Sarandon because he looked so similar to the other man. She just hoped the witness statements and his fingerprints would be sufficient to clear him, and he wasn’t incarcerated for any length of time.
Chapter 10
Despite the late hour when they finally went to sleep, Sarandon hated to admit he couldn’t have slept any later this morning if he’d wanted to. He wanted to get on the road as early as possible so they could prove to the police that they were looking for the wrong man.
Wearing only his boxer briefs while cooking breakfast, he realized he should have brought out a set of clean clothes before Jenna had gone to sleep last night. He’d have to dress after he woke her this morning.
He made scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, and coffee, hoping the delightful aroma of the food cooking would wake Jenna enough to rouse her, and she could eat and then go back to sleep in the car for a while as he took the wheel for the first few hours. What he hadn’t expected was for a wolf to bound through the wolf door—a beautiful gray wolf with white facial hairs and a gray and black mask that gave her an elegant look. He smelled her scent—a mixture of peach, fresh air, her own feminine allure, and the piney woods—and smiled, never having heard her leave this morning. He must have been sleeping more soundly than he’d imagined.
He shook his head. “Here I thought I’d wake you while cooking breakfast. I never heard you sneak out at all.”
She wagged her tail as if delighted she’d slipped out without waking him, woofed, and ran back into the bedroom. A few minutes later, she came out wearing black cargo pants, a different black fugitive recovery agent T-shirt, and black hiking boots. She looked like she was ready to conduct official business, and he wondered then what she’d look like in something soft and feminine and huggable. Deep down, he had to admit that what she wore didn’t really matter. All he had to do was look into her vivid blue eyes, and he was lost.
“You should have woken me, and I would have gone for a run with you.” He started dishing up the eggs, hoping she was fine with what he’d fixed.
“I tried to wake you. I licked your face even. You just smiled.” She sipped from a coffee mug.
He looked up from serving up the sausage links. “Really?” He couldn’t believe she’d been teasing him with her wolf’s tongue and he’d missed it completely. That he hadn’t left the couch, stripped out of his boxer briefs, shifted, and licked her right back, telling her in no uncertain terms this was only the beginning between them.
“Yeah. I waited, figuring you would get up, but you must have just been dreaming about being with a wolf and getting wolf kisses.” She smiled. “I tugged at the comforter you had pulled over your waist. Licked your bare chest even.”
He laughed. “Hell, now that you mention it, I was dreaming about being with you as a wolf. And you were stealing my covers. No wonder. I just incorporated your wolf kisses into my dream. You should have tried harder.”
She carried the plates to the table. “You were really tired and needed the extra sleep. Are you going to make it all right with driving first? Or do you want me to drive?”
“I’ll be fine. I never fall asleep at the wheel. We can always switch off later if I get sleepy and vice versa.”
“Wow, great breakfast. I usually just grab some cereal.”
“We’ve got a long drive ahead of us. I figured we needed some real food before we hit the road.”
“Well, this is great.”
He was glad she liked it. Anything to make the point that he was a good catch.
After they ate and packed the car, they headed out. She curled up in the back with a pillow and a patchwork quilt. “I don’t really know if I can sleep.”
“Just try, and if you can’t, I’ll stop for gas in an hour and you can ride up front with me.”
“Or drive.”
* * *
For an hour, they drove down the interstate, and Sarandon swore a black SUV was following him. Though he’d known other drivers to follow him, slowing down when he did and speeding up in the same way, as if they were mesmerized by the car in front of them. He wanted to stop and get gas so they could fill up, but also to see if the black SUV drove on past or pulled into the station too.
When he pulled up next to one of the pumps, Jenna was sound asleep. Glad she was getting some sleep, Sarandon pumped the gas and watched the SUV continue on down the road. He breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t catch sight of its license plate so he could have CJ run a check on it—in case he wasn’t being paranoid.
Then he went inside to use the restroom. When he returned to the car, Jenna was gone. He felt a bit of a panic, then told himself she must have run inside too.
He went back inside to get them cups of coffee, and she came out of the restroom and smiled at him. “Thanks for letting me sleep. I really didn’t think I’d be able to.”
“I’m glad you got some. Hey, if you’re not busy and you don’t mind the long drive from your place to Eric’s pack’s location, he and his wife are having a Spring Fling in about three weeks, and I’d like to take you to it.”
“If I don’t have a case.”
He paid for the coffee. “That’s a yes?”
“A maybe. There are a lot of variables,” she said, walking back out to her car with Sarandon. “Like whether or not you’re still free.”
“I’m not dating anyone.”
She laughed and took the wheel this time. “You haven’t been jailed.”
“Not happening.”
“And if you’re not taking a bunch of people on one of your excursions.”
“Not that weekend.”
“And I’m not chasing down a fugitive.”
“Okay, so it’s a definite yes, if you’re free.”
She smiled and pulled out of the gas station. “I never expected that the man I was trying to apprehend would want to date me.”
“Are you kidding? You’re the most exciting she-wolf I’ve ever met.”
“I bet you didn’t think that when I was ordering you to put down your weapon and get on the ground.”
“Oh yeah. That was just the beginning.”
“I have to say, when I realized you were a wolf, the situation got a whole lot more complicated.”
He laughed. That’s what made her so fascinating. “You’re wearing your gun, badge, and bulletproof vest on you, aren’t you?” Sarandon still wasn’t sure about the black SUV. Then again, there were tons of black SUVs, so he could have spied different ones at different times and thought they were the same one.
“I’m not wearing the vest right now. I only wore it to apprehend you in case you were armed and dangerous. Why do you ask?”
“I’m not positive, but a black SUV that I saw shortly after we drove out of Silver Town could be following us. I could be mistaken. There are a lot of them on the road.”
“Okay.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “I don’t see any cars.”
“He passed us and kept going when we stopped at the service station.”
“So he can’t be following us.”
“Maybe not.”
“You sound like your gut instinct is telling you he’s someone to be concerned about. I always listen to my gut instinct. Why don’t we pull off and wait for him to see if he returns? If he suspects you know he’s following us, he might have driven on past, then pulled in up ahead to wait for us. If he doesn’t return, we’ll continue on our way, and we’ll both keep an eye out for him.”
“Sounds like a good idea. If we don’t see him, it will prove I’m just being paranoid.”
“If you’re right, we’ll have to do something about it.”
“Hell yeah. What about parking right up there?” Sarandon motioned to a church.
Jenna pulled off onto a side road and parked in the church’s parking lot. A few cars were there, along with a sign announcing that the preschool graduation date was coming up. What appeared to be three- and four-year-old boys and girls were outside playing on a playground, a couple of women watching them. The other cars would give them some cover as they watched the main road for any sign of the black SUV returning.
The problem was they saw several: one with a couple and two kids, and then another, a woman driving it. Then what looked like a teen driving a third black SUV.
“Maybe we should head out. I must have been mistaken. There are tons of them on the road. He couldn’t wait this long to follow us, or he’d risk losing us completely,” Sarandon said.
“You know, he probably figured where you’re headed by the route you’re taking. If it’s Alex or his friend following us.”
“True. So he could just meet up with us at some other juncture. Why would he be following us?”
“If someone is keeping an eye on you, I’d lay odds it’s either Alex or his friend.”
“I can’t imagine anyone else tailing me.”
“Unless it’s an undercover cop?” Jenna asked.
“He would have pulled us over, checked my ID, and learned who I was, don’t you think?”
She sighed. “Yeah, I agree. Why in the world would the identity thief follow you? Wait, what about that black SUV headed toward us? It’s going way faster than the speed limit in this little town.”
“Yeah, where’s a cop when you need one?”
The vehicle approached them and drove on past, never seeing Jenna’s car sitting in the church parking lot. Jenna quickly wrote down the license plate, then called it in to someone. “Yeah, we think he’s tailing us.” She glanced at Sarandon. “Uh, yeah, I’m bringing him in. I told you already, he’s not our suspect. The real suspect is still on the run. Sarandon’s just coming in to clear his name… Uh, let me ask him.” She paused. “Thanks, Mom.” Jenna ended the call and said, “Okay, my mom wants us to go to their house and have dinner after we clear everything up for you.”
“What if I end up in jail?”
“She’ll get you a lawyer to make up for sending me after you, armed to the teeth. Um, she said she got a call from Lelandi.”
“What?” He couldn’t imagine why Lelandi would call Jenna’s mom. Maybe to tell her in no uncertain terms that he was innocent, and if they had to prove it, the whole pack would show up.
“Yeah, surprised me too. Lelandi just wanted to make sure Mom knew your wolf pack was trying to run down the suspect as they spoke. And that—of course—you’re innocent. So my mom wants to make it up to you. At least I didn’t tase you.”
“You didn’t because you thought I was too hot and sexy.”
She chuckled and pulled out of the church’s parking lot. “Good to know you’re not modest. I was just in shock to learn you were a wolf and knew the trouble that could mean for me.”
“I was shocked to learn you were one too. And intrigued. Not often does a beautiful she-wolf point her rifle at me, commanding me to give up my weapons and allow her to take me prisoner.”
“I have to admit you were funny. I almost felt sorry for you when you thought I might be your brothers’ idea of a joke. I did consider that was just playacting on your part though.”
“I’m not much of an actor. What you see is what you get.”
“Same with me. Mom said she wants to put you up for the night at their home before you fly back to Silver Town.”
“I still have two weeks before my next outdoor tour takes place. In the meantime, I have every intention of helping you take down this guy.”
“Good. So, Mom and Dad want you to stay with them,” she repeated.
Sarandon swore the tone of Jenna’s voice indicated she wanted him to decline and stay with her. At least that’s how he was taking it. He didn’t think she was hoping he’d stay with them in an attempt to make a good impression. “They’re probably worried you’ll offer to put me up at your house and have to fight off the big, bad wolf.”
She smiled broadly. “They’re probably worried I’m not being nice enough to you after coming for you like I did.”
“Well, you’ll have to let them know that with great regret, I’ll have to decline their generous offer so you can make it u
p to me.”
“Oh, I will, will I?”
“Yeah, I insist.”
She got back on her phone. “We’re coming over for dinner, as long as Sarandon isn’t jailed before then. About the bed arrangements, he wants to stay at my place. I’m afraid he thinks staying at your place might mean you’re thinking he might be my forever mate and Dad might bring out his shotgun to ensure this goes the way it should.”
Sarandon raised his brows.
Jenna cast a self-satisfied smile at him. “I’ll tell him. I’ll call when we get to the police station, and then after we get this cleared up, I hope, I’ll let you know we’re on our way over to your place for dinner. Did you get anything back on the SUV’s license?” She paused. “It’s registered to a Burt Dreyfus? Okay, thanks. Talk to you later, Mom. Bye.” When she hung up, she asked Sarandon, “Do you know a Burt Dreyfus?”
“No. Guess it was just a random black SUV. Let me touch base with CJ, just in case.” When Sarandon reached his brother on the Bluetooth, he said, “We’re still headed for Colorado Springs, but someone appeared to be following us. Jenna gave her mom the license tag number, and she ran the plates. The owner of the black SUV is Burt Dreyfus. Do you recognize the name?”
“Hell, that’s Stanton Wernicke’s regular cameraman’s name.”
It was way too much of a coincidence that the guy was working around Silver Town and was now driving in the same area where Sarandon was traveling. “I didn’t know his last name and hadn’t remembered his first until you mentioned it. I saw him in the tavern while Eric and I were having a meal. Stanton was giving him grief for leaving and not getting permission to take off for an emergency. Stanton had to hire another cameraman to substitute for him.”
“I’ll check with Stanton to see how long Burt has worked for him and exactly when he missed work. I’ll also learn where he is now and get back with you.”
