Fox Afield (Madison Wolves) (15 page)

We stilled,
each opening our eyes at the same time, looking at each other. She still held my hands over my head. I struggled to free them, but Lara chuckled. "Oh, I don't think so, Little Fox. I am not remotely done with you."

* * * *

It was sometime later when, lying on my stomach, pinned in place, drenched with sweat, limp, I said, "No more, Lara."

She immediately lay down next to me, stretching out, and pulled me into her arms. I curled into her and felt one final orgasm slip through me. She smiled a gloating smile.

"I don't think I can move," I told her. "I hope you're pleased with yourself."

"I am very pleased with myself," she said, helping me to drape over her. "And with you, Little Fox.
"

The door downstairs opened, and Elisabeth said her name before stepping in and closing the door.

"Elisabeth is downstairs."

"Are you two finally done?" she asked in a conversational tone. Lara couldn't have heard her, but I did.

"She wants to know if we're done."

Lara laughed.

"Leland's staff has dinner ready," Elisabeth said.

"Oh my god, Lara, we've been in here all afternoon!"

"What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon," Lara said. "Hungry?"

At the thought of food, my stomach grumbled its desires.

Lara slipped away from me and padded across the bedroom to the door. She opened it and said, "Sister, if the fox can still move, we'll be down in a few minutes."

"Don't rush on my account," Elisabeth replied. "I'm up fifty bucks."

"What did you bet on?"

"What you'd make her scream next, how long she would scream, whether she'd get you to scream loudly enough for us to hear."

"Elisabeth!" I yelled.

"Hey," she said. "We were bored. We had to pass the time somehow."

I didn't realize it that afternoon, but that was the last time Lara and I would make love on our honeymoon.

* * * *

By the time we'd been there a week and a half, we were all doing quite well on the climbs. We were climbing ascents that many humans couldn't do, although Brooke and Simone cautioned us that our technique left something to be desired. "Don't go without us," was the overall message.

In the evening, with three days left of our trip, I checked my voicemail messages. I had gotten one from Bree Callahan. I hadn't talked to Bree in months. When I listened to the message, all I heard was sobbing.

Lara was watching me, and there must have been something in my expression. "What is it?"

"It's Bree," I said.

"Who?" asked Elisabeth.

"The girl I saved," I said. "In Ashland. Something is wrong."

I tried calling her back, but got voicemail. "Bree, it's Michaela. What's wrong? Call me back."

I tried twice more that
evening, leaving one more message, then turned to Elisabeth. "I think something is wrong. Is there any way to find out?"

"Gia?" Elisabeth asked.

"I'm on it," she said, and she ran to her cabin. She returned ten minutes later with her laptop and soon had her nose buried in it. The rest of us sat quietly. I had been cuddled into Lara, but I was nervous.

Then
Gia looked up, staring right at me. She rotated her screen until Elisabeth could read it.

"Gia, tell me." I started to feel the panic in my voice. "Gia!"

"It's her mother. She's been kidnapped."

I stared at Gia. "Virginia?" Gia nodded. "When?"

"Two days ago."

I grabbed my phone and started to call Bree again. Lara put her hand over my phone. "Either she'll call again or she won't."

"We have to help."

"Gia, are the police involved?"

"I don't know," she said. "I don't like breaking into the police department computers. They tend to get testy if they catch you. Or so I understand."

Lara dug her own phone from her pocket and hit speed dial. There was a pause, and then she said, "Greg. We have a problem." She paused. "No, we're all fine. A human friend. Virginia-"

"Callahan," I said. "From Ashland."

"Virginia Callahan from Ashland, Wisconsin has been kidnapped. I would like to hire your services immediately."

There was a pause.

"That's generous," she said. "Thank you. Please find out whatever you can in the next fifteen minutes and call me back. If the FBI is already involved, we probably should stay out of it."
She hung up.

"Brooke," Lara asked. "What is the nearest airport we can fly out of?"

"There are small airports nearby, but by the time you arrange to get a plane into them at night, you may as well drive to Boulder."

"Elisabeth, find out if the charter company is able to get us from Boulder in seven hours. If not, find someone who can. Don't commit to anything until we hear from Greg."

She nodded and began making phone calls.

Lara turned to Gia. "How did you find it?"

"I hacked her father's email," she said. "That's how the kidnappers are communicating. It was the last thing I was going to try."

"Is there a ransom?" Lara asked.

"I didn't see one. They're demanding he remain uninvolved in some political debate going on."

"Any proof of life?"

"None in the email I read," she said.

"Can you trace it?" Lara asked.

"It's a google mail account," Gia said. "I haven't gotten anywhere so far. Honestly, I don't think I'm going to. Greg's people might."

Greg Freund called back. "We can't find any evidence," he said to Lara. "Are you sure?"

"I want you to talk to Gia," Lara told him, passing over the phone. Gia and Greg talked for several minutes with me listening in.

"Oh, I see," he said. There was a pause. "Let me talk to the alpha."

Gia passed her phone back.

"Can you trace it?"

"We can try," he said. "I don't know."

"I'm calling Robert," I said. Lara nodded, so I called Bree's father. There was no answer on his cell, so I tried the
home number.

"Hello?" I didn't recognize the female voice, but she sounded strained.

"Hi," I said. "This is Michaela Redfur." I used my maiden name, as Bree wouldn't have recognized my new name, Burns. "I wouldn't suppose Bree, Robert or Virginia are available?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "Now isn't a good time."

"Before you hang up on me," I said. "I am the woman who interrupted a rather unpleasant incident Bree was experiencing about eight years ago. I really think one of them will want to talk to me."

The woman paused. "Now is not a good time," she said.

"I know what's going on," I told her.

She was silent. "I rather doubt that."

"You will either allow me to talk to one of the three of them," I said, "or my next phone call is to the FBI reporting a suspected kidnapping."

"No!" she screamed. "They told us no police!"

"Let me talk to Robert or Bree. Right now," I said.

"I'll get Robert," she said.

"It's true," I said, trying not to cry. "These people treated me well, the first people to have done so since my parents died, Lara!"

"I know, honey," she said. "Elisabeth, get us an airplane."

"I have one, seven hours, Boulder airport."

There was noise, it sounded like someone was taking a shower. Then
Robert's voice came on the phone. "Michaela?"

"Robert," I said. "My situation has changed dramatically since last we talked. I now have some exceedingly powerful friends. Has Virginia been kidnapped?"

"Michaela," he said, his voice cracking. "They said no police."

"They aren't police," I said. "They are pretty much the opposite of police."

"M-mob?" he asked.

I laughed. "No. The mob runs scared from these people. Robert, we are on our way. We'll be there by-" I looked at Elisabeth.

"Before noon," she said. "I'm not sure by how much."

"By noon," I said, "probably sooner. You're at the big house?"

He started to cry.

"Robert, talk to me."

"Yes, we're at the house. You can't bring a lot of people. They said they're watching us."

"All right," I told him. "I am going to hand you to the second scariest person I know, and you're going to answer any questions she asks."

I handed the phone to Elisabeth, and she talked to him for several minutes before handing the phone back to me.

"Who is the scariest?" he asked me.

"My wife is. We'll be there by noon, Robert. Hold it together. Tell Bree I love her, and we're going to save Virginia." I hung up and looked at Lara. "Please tell me I didn't just lie."

"Greg is going to get us everything he can. We'll have it by the time we land."

"The plane is all set," Elisabeth said. "I'll call the compound and get the rest of the enforcers up there with cars for us."

"How will we get in?" I asked. "They said no police. If we show up in a bunch of SUVs, it's going to look like police."

"How well do you trust these people, Michaela?" Lara asked me.

"As much as anyone," I said.

"Then I think the dog walker is going to stop by with a bunch of very large dogs." Lara said, grinning.

We were on the road ten minutes later.

Greg Freund met us at the airport along with a bunch of his team. "We'll operate o
ut of the compound," he said. "We have had no luck tracing the emails yet. I am bringing a surveillance team and a liaison with the computer experts."

I pulled him into a hug.

I turned to Brooke. "Thank you," I told her.

"Don't thank me yet," she said. "I'm coming with."

"This isn't your fight," I told her.

"She's coming with," Lara said.

"Thank you," I told her.

There was a noise of a fast-traveling car, and then an SUV came around the corner and pulled to a stop. Daniel Bancroft hopped out surrounded by several enforcers. Glenn wasn't with him. He grabbed a garment bag and suitcase from the back and crossed to us. He thrust the things he was carrying into Karen's arms and said, "These are Brooke's." He pulled his daughter into a hug. "Be safe," he told her.

"Thank you, Daniel," Lara said, when he turned to us. "Up until last night, we had an amazing time."

"I hope our two packs can be friends," he said, shaking hands with her.

"I think that is established."

"My daughter is not to be involved in any assault teams," he said. "That being said, she never listens to me, and I know if there is an assault, she will be helping to lead the charge."

I threw myself into Daniels arms and hugged him. "Thank you," I said. "I hope we'll see each other again soon."

"Get going," he said. "Keep me posted, Brooke."

"Yes, Alpha.

The jet that was waiting for us was slightly larger than the
one we'd flown in on. "This is not a wolf-friendly flight," Elisabeth said. "Nor would it be safe to mention what is going on. Family emergency, leave it at that."

We all nodded and climbed aboard. Lara immediately turned into the cockpit and said, "Can this land at Ashland, Wisconsin?"

"Yes," came the male voice. "We have filed a flight plan, and we're ready to depart as soon as you strap in."

"We'll get out of your way."

Lara got us into our seats. There was clanking, and Gia announced, "They've got our luggage, we should be good to go." There was no flight attendant this time. The captain gave us our briefing, and showed the enforcers where to find refreshments once we were in the air. He checked we were secure before heading for the cockpit.

We were in the air ten minutes later.

At cruising altitude, Gia asked, "So, who are we rescuing?"

I heard the struggle from three blocks away. It started with a woman's voice saying loudly, "Get the fuck away from me!" and went downhill from there. My ears told me the rest, and I didn't even think. Still, it took time to run three blocks.

I already knew the score before I turned into the nearly deserted park and saw them. There were three of them. They were trying to drag a
teenage girl a little younger than Angel's age into the bushes. Her shirt was torn and she was crying, but she hadn't stopped struggling. One of them had his hand over her mouth, muffling her screams of anger.

I didn't hesitate nor did I give them any warning.

The girl saw me before the assholes did. Her wild eyes settled on mine as I ran in. I can only imagine what she saw: a diminutive woman with wild, stringy, unkempt hair, dirty, with stolen, filthy clothes. I hadn't bathed in several days, and a wolf would have smelled me long before I had arrived.

I didn't have a home, after all. I was, and looked like, a homeless person. The only real difference was that I ate better. The forest provides, after all.

I was silent. The assholes were not. One of them was behind the girl, his arm wrapped around her chest and his hand over her mouth. The other two had one struggling leg each. I ran for the one to my left, leapt, and delivered an elbow to the side of his head. I knocked him away from the girl, then continued through, passing along the left, and slammed my other elbow into the nose of the one at the girl's head. He fell backwards and I followed up with a kick to the side of his knee, giving him everything I had. I heard bones snap. He went down with a howl, the girl landing on his lap.

The third one, the one on the girl's other leg, dropped the girl and came after me with a snarl. He got a fist in his solar plexus, and I hit a lot harder than he thought such a small woman could hit.
He doubled over, and I used the opportunity to dislocate a shoulder.

By now the first one was back on his feet, and he threw his arms around me. I don't know what he intended, but I wasn't having it. I shifted my hips and grabbed him by the balls and squeezed. He released me immediately and grabbed my wrist, trying to yank my hand away. I used my other hand and broke one wrist, then
spun and gave a flurry of punches to his stomach and neck, avoiding hitting anything too firm. I didn't want to break my hands. More hands are broken by a fist to the jaw than jaws are broken.

He
dropped to his knees but held his good hand out, warding me off. I broke his other arm and backed away.

The girl was screaming and sobbing at the same time. I went to her and pulled her away from the men. She turned to me and clutched at me desperately.

"They wanted-" she said. "They wanted-"

"I know what they wanted," I said, panting around the words. Adrenalin was pumping through my body, but I held her gently as she sobbed against me. The men were down and weren't going anywhere.

I held her while she cried, drawing her slowly away from the men. They didn't even try to get up and leave. They were all lucky I hadn't killed them.

That's when I heard the sirens, and I could tell immediately they were converging on our location. Someone had called the cops.

"Hey," I said, trying to pull away from the girl. "I need to go."

"Don't leave me!" she wailed. "Oh god, don't leave me!"

I think I would have had to hurt her to get her to release me. I knew I was in trouble, but I pulled her into my arms and held her, rocking and making soothing sounds.

The police arrived, their flashing lights and loud sirens disorienting. The
y came at us from multiple directions, their guns drawn. They took in the scene; three badly damaged men, a sobbing woman, and a crazy-looking homeless person.

It took two cops to
pull the girl off of me. They got enough out of her to have a pretty good idea what happened.

I was quiet while they arrested me
, pinned me to the ground, put handcuffs on me, and threw me into the back of a cruiser. But they were gentle. One of the cops whispered to me, "I'm sorry." I nodded but kept my mouth shut.

But I was scared.

They kept me in that squad car for a long time. Ambulances came, and I watched as the assholes were hauled away to the hospital. More police arrived as well as what passed for the local press. Somehow I went unnoticed and avoided having my photo taken. A man and woman arrived and rushed to the girl. From their reactions, I could tell these was her parents.

The girl talked to police before she was helped into an ambulance along with her mother. The man stayed behind, but his eyes crossed to the squad car, and his look was one of gratitude. He yelled at the cops; I could hear every word.

"We don't have a choice," one of them finally said. "She messed them up pretty badly."

They argued, but the police kept repeating they didn't have a choice. Finally the man pulled
out his phone and made a call then walked over to the squad car. The cops actually let him talk to me. He sat in the front seat and turned around.

"My name is Robert Callahan," he said. "Thank you for saving my daughter."

I didn't say a thing.

"Good," he said. "You know how to keep your mouth shut. You are legally required to give them your name and address."

"I don't have an address," I replied.

He looked at me sharply, just taking in my appearance. He nodded once. "Don't worry about that, then. Give them your name, don't say anything else, and don't fight them. My lawyer will get you out."

I didn't have an answer to that, and he turned around and started to climb back out of the car.

"What's her name?" I asked him.

"Bree," he said. "Her name is Bree. She is fourteen." He looked back at me. I felt a tear crawling down my face.

"I should have run. After," I said. "What is going to happen to me?"

"What is your name?" he asked gently.

I considered lying. I think he read it on my face.

"You haven't done anything illegal yet," he said. "But if you give a false name to the cops, that's illegal. If you lie, that's also illegal. Do you understand?"

"Michaela," I told him. "My name is Michaela Redfur."

"Thank you for saving my daughter, Michaela," he said gently. "My lawyer is Annette Peters."

"I can't afford a lawyer," I said.

"You won't have to," he said. "Remember, your name and nothing else. Trust the lawyer."

I nodded. "I hope Bree will be all right. I stopped it before-"

"I know," he said. The look he gave me told me, no matter what happened next, I had done the right thing. "Thank you."

I nodded.

He climbed out of the car, and five minutes later I was on my way to the police station.

* * * *

The cops were gentle, and I didn't resist. Two of them pulled me from the car and walked me into the police station. They led me into an interview room. Then one held me while the other released my handcuffs, but they cuffed me to a hook in the table.

"I'm sorry," he said while he did it.

I nodded.

They left me alone for thirty minutes. I was immediately bored and scared, very
, very scared.

I wondered what they would do. I really didn't know. It's not like I had any experience with human laws or police procedures. Everyone thinks everyone knows what the police do, but I didn't. I had never watched television or gone to the movies, so I hadn't been inundated with cop shows or any of that. I didn't know about my rights or anything else. I didn't know if they would hurt me or what kind of cage they were going to put me in.

But if I saw a chance to escape, I was going to take it.

Finally, two cops came in. One was a woman.

"We're sorry," she said.

I didn't answer her. Robert
had told me to keep my mouth shut, and it sounded like good advice to me.

They introduced themselves. I didn't bother learning their names. But I asked them, "What are you going to do to me?"

"We're going to ask some questions," the woman said. "First we need to read your rights."

"They did that," I said.

"We're going to do it again," she said. And she pulled out a little piece of paper and read it to me. She asked if I understood, and I said yes.

"What is your name?" the man asked. I told him. Then he asked for my address.

"I don't have one," I said.

The woman spoke kindly. She explained I was legally required to give this type of information.

"I don't have an address," I said. "Do I look like someone who lives in a nice house?"

"Where do you sleep?" she asked.

I looked at her, considering. This felt like a safe question. Sleeping in the woods wasn't illegal. "Usually the woods," I told her.

The two of them looked at each other then at me.

"Social security number?" the man asked.

I stared at him blankly.

"We have to ask," he said. "Social security number?"

"I don't know what that is," I admitted.

My answer frustrated them, and they didn't believe me.

"You aren't required to answer our other questions," the woman said eventually. "But you need to tell us who you are."

"I did," I said. "My name is Michaela Redfur. I sleep in the woods. I don't know what a social security number is. I am pretty sure that means I don't have one."

The two left for a few minutes then came back in.

"Look," the woman said. "We can figure out what happened. Those guys are known assholes. Miss Callahan told us what they tried to do. And she told us you kicked their asses. We are trying desperately to find any excuse to let you go. But you aren't making it easy."

I stared at her. "I told you what I can. Do you want me to lie? I can make up an address. I can make up a social security number if you tell me what it is. I don't have one, or if I do, I don't know what it is. Redfur isn't a common last name. Can't you do a computer search?"

She sighed. "What happened tonight?"

I didn't answer her. The two of them tried multiple times to get me to talk to them. I stared at my hands. The cuffs weren't a problem, now that my hands were in front of me. I could slip right out of them by shifting. But I thought getting out of the room might be trickier. I wasn't sure if I was locked in, but I thought I probably was.

They tried asking me harmless questions. "Where were you born?"

I looked up. "I don't know if I am required to answer that or not," I said. "I have given you my name. I would give you an address and a social security number if I had either of them. I don't think I have to answer any other questions without a lawyer."

"It doesn't need to get down to lawyers," the man said. "Just tell us what happened so we can let you go."

The woman gave the man a hard look. I decided she was on my side.

"I think I'll wait for a lawyer," I told him.

They left me alone.

I was bored, bored, bored, and I really wished they would come back and ask more questions. Concentrating on not answering them was better than sitting in that room alone.

Finally, the door opened and a woman walked in.
I looked up at her. She stopped in the doorway, staring at me for a moment before stepping forward. The door closed behind her.

"You are Michaela Redfur?" she asked.

I studied her. She was average height, maybe five-five or so. If I were standing, I would have to look up at her, but I had to look up to almost everyone. She was dressed casually and looked like she had been pulled out of bed, but her clothes were expensive. I guessed her age to be mid-forties.

"Yes," I finally told her.

"I am Annette Peters. Robert Callahan has asked me to help you."

"You're a lawyer?"

She nodded. "I can not represent you without your permission. Do you want me to represent you?"

"I can't pay you," I said. "And how do I know this isn't some sort of trick?"

She studied me for a moment. "Would you trust Robert?"

I thought about it. "I don't know. I guess if he told me you were a lawyer, I would."

She smiled, pulled out her phone, and made a call. "Robert," she said. "Ms. Redfur is justifiably skeptic I am here to help her. I am putting you on speakerphone."

She set the phone down on the table.

"Michaela," came Robert's voice. "Annette is the lawyer I told you about. You may tell her everything, and she is not allowed to tell anyone else without your permission."

"You told me not to say anything to anyone."

"You can trust Annette," he said. "I promise."

I stared at the phone then stared at the woman now seated across the table from me.

"Is she a good lawyer?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "She is very, very good."