Terry Spear’s Wolf Bundle (60 page)

“Who says I’d be your mate?” Silva’s lips curved up a hint, her eyes sparkling.

He chuckled darkly, released her, and motioned to the door. “I’ll be right outside while you visit Carol.” He gave Lelandi a warning look, then stiffly walked out of the room and shut the door.

“As to your question, Silva, yes, I see glimpses of the future,” Carol said, smiling. “You won’t be getting a room.”

Silva frowned. “Meaning?”

“You two were some of the…pack members I saw in the woods that night.”

Lelandi laughed. “Good, that means Trevor’s out of the picture.”

“That one’s dangerous,” Carol warned.

“What do you mean?” Lelandi asked. “Do you see his complicity in all this?”

“Can’t you hear the threat in his voice? I wouldn’t trust him one iota.” Carol sipped some water. “Has he ever been treated as a suspect?”

“No.” But Carol’s comment made Lelandi think of Chester’s words. What if it was someone Darien trusted? Someone close to him. “I doubt Darien would suspect him of wrongdoing.”

“Was he ever noticeably absent when you needed help?” Carol set the empty cup on the table.

Lelandi refilled it. “When Darien fought Bruin’s brother. But my brother had tied him up at the jail cell to free my cousin, Ural. So Trevor was truly all tied up.”

“What about when you were shot? Was he with any of the search parties? Also, what about the shooter who killed the gunman? Was Trevor’s gun checked?”

“Trevor was taking care of mudslide victims on the highway. And…uhm, I was the shooter,” Silva explained.

Carol gave her a puzzled look.

“Long story,” Lelandi said. “Silva can tell you about it later. But Chester McKinley discovered another bullet and casing. He thought your bullet fell short, Silva.”

Silva’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

“He gave it to the sheriff to check out.”

Carol frowned. “I don’t remember reading about any mudslides on the highway in the
Silver Town Express.
The shooting was important and would make the headlines, but if anyone was injured in the mudslide, it would have been mentioned. What about when that maniac took you hostage? Was Trevor looking for you with the rest of the pack?” Carol asked.

“He was helping the sheriff watch my old pack at Hastings Bed and Breakfast,” Lelandi said. Although
he’d had perfectly good excuses every time, the feeling there was more to the story made her skin tingle.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t trust him.”

“Thanks for the warning, Carol. Believe me, I don’t.”

Silva didn’t say anything for several seconds, then she abruptly stood. “Will you two be all right? I’ll ask Nurse Grey when Carol can be released.”

“Sure.” Lelandi exchanged a look with Carol.

Silva gave one of her faked smiles, attempting to hide her anxiety and hurried out of the room. “Be right back, Sam.” She closed the door, and her boots clicked down the hall.

“Something’s wrong, don’t you think?” Carol asked.

“Yeah. Like Silva suddenly became suspicious of something.”

“Considering Trevor, right?”

Lelandi took a deep breath. “Since she’s had such a crush on him, I think so. She constantly kept tabs on him, until she switched her affections to the one who really counted.”

“Sam,” Carol said, dreamily. “She couldn’t do wrong by him. I have another question though.”

Lelandi figured she’d never hear the end of them, although she couldn’t blame her. She hadn’t even given Carol the spiel concerning the semi-immortal part. And she figured Carol wasn’t a virgin. But Lelandi had to warn Carol that she couldn’t have casual sexual relations with a
lupus garou.
That if one acted interested in her—and with shortages in most packs she’d have lots of interest—if she responded in the same way toward a male, she could be mated and it would be a done deal, for life. But this wasn’t the time or place to talk about it.

“The bullets that killed Doc Oliver and Ritka were silver, weren’t they?” Carol asked.

“Yes.”

“But how are werewolves able to work in the silver mine? I mean, they do, don’t they? Wouldn’t it kill them?”

“No. It’s only deadly if it strikes the heart or brain and isn’t removed immediately. Silver doesn’t bother us otherwise.”

“I’m sure you’re going to get tired of all my questions.”

“Carol, this is such a big change for you. Feel free to ask me anytime. Darien will want you to stay with a pack member until you adjust. The moon’s out and whenever it is, the pull to shapeshift can be strong. But since you’ve been only recently changed and are still injured, you might not experience it for a while.”

“Oh, I have to shapeshift then even if I don’t—”

“We’re here to see our daughter, Carol Wood,” a woman said beyond the hospital room door, sounding brusque and noticeably upset.

Lelandi patted Carol’s shoulder. “Will you be all right?”

Tears misting her eyes, Carol nodded. “Darien gave me a cover story.”

He would. Although Lelandi trusted Carol not to tell her parents what she’d become, she had to stay with them in the room until they left. But she was dying to see what Silva was up to. And she wanted in the worst way to question Angelina.

Sam opened the door and allowed Carol’s parents to enter. Their eyes widened when they saw Lelandi with Carol.

“Nurse Grey said you couldn’t be seen at first, and we thought you were really bad off. She told us we can’t visit for long.” Carol’s mother grasped her hand, her blonde hair as golden as her daughter’s, her eyes as blue. Her father towered over them, but didn’t say a word, his rail-thin body bent with weariness, his dark eyes worried.

“You’ll be all right, dear?” her mother asked.

Carol managed a small, tearful smile. “I’m fine, Mom. I’ll be out of here soon.” She motioned to Lelandi. “This is Lelandi. I’m sorry I don’t know your last name.”

“Silver,” Lelandi said.

Carol’s mouth gaped. “You married Darien?”

Her mother and father looked as shocked.

“When things aren’t so hectic, I’m sure he’ll make the announcement.” Lelandi hated that part of fitting in with human society. Their kind didn’t do the wedding bit. Their mating meant more than any kind of ceremony could mean. They stayed with their spouse until one died. Or at least that’s the way they normally lived their lives.

Finally finding her voice, Carol said, “Oh, sure, I knew it would happen sooner than later. I’m so very happy for you. This is my mother, Lori, and my father, Christopher Wood.”

“My pleasure,” Lelandi said.

“I don’t understand. Aren’t you the one who was shot a few days ago?” Mrs. Wood took a ragged breath. “Kidnappings, more shootings. And all of it revolves around you.” Running her hand over Carol’s hair, she said, “Nurse Grey told us a wild wolf bit Carol and it’s been destroyed. But why’s Deputy Sheriff Trevor
Osgood guarding her room? And Sam? What in the world is going on?”

Carol paled even further.

Lelandi realized living with a pack that didn’t associate with humans had its advantages. “They’re here because of me,” she lied.

Mrs. Wood’s eyes narrowed. “Then
you
shouldn’t be here. If danger follows you wherever you go, I want you out of here. Now.”

Mr. Wood cleared his throat. His wife looked sharply at him. “Honey, if Carol wants Mrs. Silver’s company, then don’t you think she should have her friendship? Mr. Silver
does
run the town, and Carol hasn’t made any friends since she returned home.”

Mrs. Wood looked like she could strangle him with her glare.

“Dad’s right. Lelandi made friends with me as soon as I met her.” Carol gave her a warm smile.

Lelandi wondered how Carol had ever gotten that notion, but she was glad to be her friend now.

“She’s even convinced Darien I should work at the hospital. You know how much I’ve wanted to.”

Great. Put me on the spot, why don’t you, Carol?

“I couldn’t have asked for a better friend,” Carol said. “We’re so much alike. I can’t even say how much so.”

Nurse Grey walked into the room. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask everyone to leave so I can change Miss Wood’s bandages. She’ll be released tomorrow afternoon.”

“Then…then it’s not as bad as we expected?” Mrs. Wood asked.

Nurse Grey checked Carol’s vital signs. “She’ll be fine, but she needs to rest.”

“Come back and see me soon,” Carol said to Lelandi, her expression mournful.

Lelandi gave her a cheerful smile. “I’ll be back later. Behave yourself until then.”

“As long as you take Trevor with you.”

“I will.” Lelandi left the room and snagged Sam’s arm, then walked him down to Doc’s office. “Tell Darien he needs to remove Trevor from guard duty for Carol.”

Sam folded his arms. “He’ll want to know a reason.”

“Carol’s a target, too. Darien knows the specifics as to why. She doesn’t feel safe around Trevor. Give her some peace of mind, okay? See if maybe Tom or Jake will watch her in the meantime. I’d do it, if Darien would let me.”

Sam gave a snort. “
You
are supposed to be guarded, not guarding others.”

“Right. Or otherwise I’d kick Trevor’s butt out of here.”

Sam shook his head. “You’d try, too.”

“Are you going to make an honest woman of Silva?”

A smile lit Sam’s face, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed Doc’s phone and made a call. “Darien? Sam here.”

Lelandi slipped into the hallway. As soon as she saw Peter guarding a room, she headed in his direction. “Who’s in here?”

The deputy quickly stood. “Angelina Mavery.”

Lelandi’s heart skipped a beat, the idea sinking in that whoever had tried to kill Angelina would try again and now she had to have a guard posted, too. “Do you mind if I see her? I won’t take long.”

I
F
P
ETER
DIDN
’
T
HURRY
AND
ALLOW
L
ELANDI
INTO
Angelina’s hospital room, any number of people—Darien, top of the list—would stop her. Peter looked down at his Stetson in his hands, and then his gaze rose again.

“Peter, please.”

“Jake told me you stuck up for me when I fell asleep on guard duty, ma’am.”

She wanted to tap her foot in impatience. Time was of the essence, and if Sam discovered she was not with him…“Yes, because you were pulling too many hours.”

“Trevor was supposed to have relieved me halfway through the night, but he never showed up.”

Ohmigod.
“Did you tell Jake?”

“Yes, ma’am. I didn’t want to get Trevor in trouble, but I couldn’t have Darien firing me for not protecting you.” Peter motioned with his head toward Angelina’s door. “The way I look at it, you deserve some answers. If Angelina had anything to do with my own sister’s death…” His eyes took on a menacing cast. “Go right in.”

Lelandi hesitated, then reached up and kissed Peter’s cheek. “Thanks. Darien will make you sheriff when his uncle wants to retire, if I have any say in it.”

Peter’s face turned crimson, but his lips turned up slightly. “Thank you, ma’am.”

She slipped into the room and closed the door.
Angelina’s face was bruised and bloodied, the skin around both eyes blackened—her gaze glowering at Lelandi. A bandage was secured across her forehead, a long, jagged line of blood tinting it red. Her neck was in a brace and her arm and leg were in a cast.

Lelandi started in on her. “You were blackmailing my sister, you bitch.”

Angelina cast her a simpering smile. “Your sister was a whore. Three men! Three men she was fooling around with that we know of, and Darien should never have mated with her.”

“Who else was in on this? You’re not clever enough to mastermind it. And since your two compatriots are dead and the fourth undoubtedly wants you the same way—”

“Think what you will.”

“Darien will discover you’re involved. Then what?”

“He’ll find his darling mate was depositing money in an account meant for her and her lover to make their getaway. Had nothing to do with me.” She jutted her chin out, her brown eyes black, a couple of stripped leaves sticking out of her muddy-colored hair.

“You’re saying Joe Kelly and Larissa pretended there was a blackmailing scheme?”

“They had the perfect motivation. Joe was stealing from the silver mine also.” Angelina shrugged and winced.

“No. You, Ritka, Hosstene, and the mastermind blackmailed my sister. Except Joe shot Ritka before you could pin the blackmailing crime on him. Seems ironic. Then the fourth person wanted both you and Hosstene dead.”

Angelina’s eyes misted.

“Why would he or she want to kill you if you had
nothing to do with the blackmail scheme and murdering my sister? Can he get to the money that all of you hid?”

Angelina’s mouth turned down even more.

“Now who should get out of town before you end up dead like your friends?” Lelandi asked, playing on Ritka’s words telling Lelandi to leave town before she ended up like her sister. “I normally don’t want to see people dead. But in your case, I’d make an exception.”

“Go to hell,” Angelina spat.

“Whoever your mastermind is
will
kill you. Seems a shame you’ll die and the murderer will get away with not only eliminating your spiteful hide, but abscond with the money.”

Angelina glowered at her, the flecks of gold in her amber eyes like burning embers.

“Who’s your accomplice? Who tried to kill you?”

Angelina crinkled the bed linens in her good hand. “I don’t know who it is. Ritka dealt with him.”

Lelandi’s heart missed a beat. “But it’s a he?”

“Yes. He orchestrated the whole setup. At least I’m pretty sure it’s a he.” Angelina glowered. “Your sister was despicably weak. We all knew it. She should
never
have been the pack leader’s bitch.”

Lelandi opened her mouth to retort, but Darien entered the room and shook his head at her, his look dark, but sympathetic. “Let my men and me question her, Lelandi.” He ran his hand over her shoulder and down her arm, taking hold of her hand and kissing it. “Silva wants to talk to you at the nurse’s station.”

Lelandi kissed Darien’s cheek, and quickly wiped away a tear rolling down hers. “She admitted to blackmailing Larissa. Another orchestrated the whole sorry
affair. She said Joe stole the silver from the mine.” Before she gave in to her darker wolf instincts and broke Angelina’s other arm for good measure, Lelandi stormed out of the room.

Standing beside Peter, Sam growled. “I was supposed to be watching you.”

“Peter had the job. I’m going to speak to Silva. Right down there. All right?” She glanced down the hall at Carol’s room. Tom guarded her now. “Where did Trevor go?”

“He’s helping the sheriff with the train derailment,” Sam said. “This town’s never going to be the same.”

“You didn’t get any flak, did you?” Lelandi asked Peter.

“No, ma’am.”

Sam ground his teeth. “I did, for not knowing where you were when I called Darien.”

Lelandi smiled at the rough and tumble bartender and patted his shoulder. “You can handle it.” Then she joined Silva at the unmanned nurse’s desk. “Did you find out anything?”

“Nurse Grey said no one was brought in for injuries sustained in a mudslide during the night of the shootings.”

“Which could mean none of the injuries were severe enough to require hospital care.”

“Right. So I checked with the
Silver Town Express
staff. None were aware of the mudslide, but because of the shootings they had concentrated on that news.”

“What about the guys who have to clear the roads during a storm?”

“My next thought exactly.” Silva waved a slip of paper, showing each of the points she’d checked off. “I
called the road-clearing crew supervisor. On the night the gunman shot you, no mudslides had been reported, but several of his crew were searching for you in the woods. All were on call, so if a mudslide had occurred, they would have been notified.”

“What about when Trevor was supposed to be with the sheriff at Hastings Bed and Breakfast and didn’t show up to help in the fight against my red pack?”

“One way to find out.” Silva grabbed the phone off the nurse’s desk and punched in some numbers. She handed the phone to Lelandi.

“Hastings Bed and Breakfast. This is Bertha Hastings. How may I help you?”

“Mrs. Hastings? This is Lelandi. Was Trevor there when the reds came to take me home?”

“The sheriff sent him on an errand. When he didn’t return, Sheridan left some men to watch the reds, and he searched for the deputy. He found him and had him guard the prisoner at the jailhouse.” Mrs. Hastings paused, then added, “Many thought Darien would take Trevor’s sister as his mate, but then he made it clear he was looking for someone outside the pack. Rumors began to circulate that Darien had a dream and the visions changed his mind. Trevor’s sister left Silver Town, joined another pack, and mated with a beta male. Too loyal to the pack, Trevor won’t leave, but he resented Larissa because his sister didn’t share the bed of the alpha pack leader. His position would have been elevated if Darien had taken his sister as his mate. Trevor figured he’d be sheriff when Sheridan retired.”

“Do you think he could have masterminded blackmailing my sister?”

“I doubt it. He might not like that your sister stole Darien’s affections, but he’s not that underhanded. He huffs and puffs and can be disagreeable, but that’s as far as it goes.”

“When the gunman shot Tom, Sam, and me, there had been no mudslide, no injured victims. He said he was taking care of that mess instead of searching for me.”

Mrs. Hastings took a deep breath and exhaled. “Obviously, he’s guilty of a dereliction of his duties. Ask him. Whatever I can do to shed any light on this, please, anytime, call me.”

“I will. Thanks.” Lelandi hung up the phone. “If Trevor was not doing his duty and tried to cover it up, what
was
he doing?”

The sound of footfalls headed in their direction and they turned. Darien stalked toward them with Jake at his side. Neither looked happy.

Darien slipped his hand around Lelandi’s arm, escorting her in the direction of the front doors while Jake shadowed them. “I’m taking you home.”

“What did Angelina say?”

“She doesn’t know who the mastermind is. Ritka knew, but wouldn’t say. Since Hosstene was my accountant at the factory, she cleared Larissa’s checks without a word to me.”

“If Ritka was the only one dealing with this guy, do you think they had sexual relations?”

“Doc Featherston conducted an autopsy and confirmed she wasn’t a virgin, yet officially, she’d never been mated.”

Lelandi let out her breath. “So he might have been her lover, too. But no male seems to be unduly upset at her
passing.” She glanced back at Silva, looking abandoned. “Can Silva come with us?”

“Later. I want her to stay with Carol for now and keep her company. She needs someone to talk to until she can settle into her new life.”

“
Hrumpf,
” Lelandi said. “She’ll brainwash her.”

Darien stared down at Lelandi as he walked her to his new SUV. “Brainwash her?”

“Sure, tell her that the grays were the first
lupus garous.
”

Darien laughed. “I’m staying out of this one.”

“Can Trevor guard the house?”

“Carol thinks he’s involved. She told Tom all that she suspected. I have Uncle Sheridan checking Trevor’s story out, and in the meantime, he’s got jailhouse duty.”

“I think he’s being set up. Why not have him guard me, and you can have someone watch him just in case. When you’re not around.”

“What are you up to, Lelandi?” He helped her into the SUV.

“I just want to talk to him.”

Jake climbed into the backseat.

“I was seeing his sister,” Darien said, sounding tired.

“I know.” She took his hand and kissed it. “But then you had a vision. But not exactly a vision.”

“The dream where I first found you. I knew then I had to have you, no other. Trevor was angry, his sister heartbroken. He didn’t care so much about how his sister felt, but that he would have had more leverage with me had I mated her. When Larissa came to Silver Town and we were mated, Annie took off for Green Valley and mated with a gray there. I understand she’s happy and due to have twins in the spring.”

“Do you think Trevor could have been blackmailing Larissa?”

“Anything’s possible.”

Surprised Darien would permit it, Lelandi sat on one of the sofas, waiting for Trevor to join her in the sunroom, ready to question him about his mudslide story. The snow fell steadily outside the windows and a fire blazed in a rock fireplace centered in the room, giving it a homey, comfortable ambience—which didn’t fit the mood of what she was about to do. Trevor’s face couldn’t have been any stonier and his icy glare held her gaze when he stalked into the room. But she steeled her resolve while Jake remained outside within earshot.

“Please, have a seat.”

Not removing his jacket, Trevor shoved his hands in his pockets and ignored her.

Fine. “You lied about the mudslide when Tom and I were shot. You said you were taking care of accident victims.”

Trevor continued to glower at her.

“Deputy, I don’t believe you did anything malicious to contribute to my sister’s death. I know you hated her. That you wanted Darien to marry your sister, hoping she could convince Darien to make you sheriff some day and not Peter.”

“You have no authority questioning me. You’re just Darien’s bitch.”

“Yes. And Larissa was my sister. You’re right. You don’t have to tell me anything. But how long
do you think it’ll be before Darien discovers you lied about the mudslide? Do you want to die for someone else’s crime?”

“I was seeing someone,” he mumbled under his breath, his gaze shifting to the fire.

Ohmigod, no wonder he hadn’t been interested in Silva. He was already hung up on someone else. But why keep it a secret? “Someone Darien didn’t approve of?”

Trevor refused to look at her.

“Someone who was already mated?”

He jerked his head around and cast her a chilling glare. “No, damn you. Just because your sister hooked up with three different mates, doesn’t mean any of the rest of us do.”

Needing his cooperation, Lelandi stamped down a hasty response. She hated the shameful way her sister had carried on with another male when she was mated to Darien, yet she couldn’t help feeling Larissa was the victim of her circumstances. If her people had allowed for divorce, she would have been fine. “Then who?”

“You don’t need to know who she is.”

“You’ll need her alibi.”

“Why? Silva was the shooter. Ritka and her friends were the blackmailers.”

“But Silva wasn’t the shooter.”

Trevor’s eyes widened.

“Who was the mastermind who killed Hosstene?”

“You can’t pin that on me. I had nothing to do with it.”

“What happened to you when you were supposed to aid Darien in his fight against my red pack?”

“He had me replace Wilkerson pulling guard duty at the jailhouse. Later, I heard Darien said I was supposed
to be at the house protecting you. But no one ever told me. Then here come two blasted reds, taller than any I’ve ever seen. They knock me out, tie me up, and free the prisoner. I’ll tell you another thing, the sheriff told Darien he was looking for me as if he had no idea where I was. Hell, he sent me to the jailhouse.”

Miscommunication? Or was Trevor lying again? “You said there were only six males from the pack who arrived. But there were several more.”

“That’s all I saw. Apparently, more sneaked in without our knowledge.”

“Who told them about the guest room where I was staying? That’s where they entered the second floor.”

“I knew you were staying with Darien by then.”

Lelandi was beginning to wonder about Darien’s uncle. “Did the sheriff know I had moved to Darien’s bedroom?”