Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6 (16 page)

“I was. They were only sitting and talking. They got up and Reece shifted. They were on their way back when the boy was shot.” So Cole had been watching them. For such a big man, he was a ghost. Reece hadn’t heard or sensed him once. Uncle Elias was right, he did need a lot more practice with that sort of thing.

A commotion at the door caught his attention. “What’s going on?” Reece’s eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them back. Everything would be okay now because Uncle Elias was here.

“Shit.” His uncle was by his side in a heartbeat. “What happened?”

“Hunters.” The alpha’s tone left no doubt he wasn’t happy. “Where the hell were you?”

“Running.”

The alpha inhaled deeply. “Yeah, I can tell.”

Something in the man’s tone made Reece inhale too. Over the metallic scent of blood, he caught another familiar one. Sue. His uncle had been with Sue. While he didn’t want to even imagine what they might have done together, he was glad his uncle might be on his way to finding happiness. That was if he hadn’t ruined everything.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted, addressing both his uncle and Jacque. “I know we shouldn’t have gone out.”

“We needed to talk.” Leave it to Sage not to know when to keep his mouth shut. He’d known his brother wouldn’t let him take all the blame himself, but a guy could hope.

Jacque put his hands on his hips and stared. It was almost impossible for Reece to meet his piercing gaze, but he managed not to look away when the wolf inside him wanted to.

A smile played around the edges of the alpha’s hard mouth. “We were expecting it.” He turned to Gator. “How is the wound?”

“The bullet grazed him. It’s deep but not life-threatening, not for a wolf. I set a couple of stitches, but he’s already healing. Should be good in a day or so.”

Wait, Gator had stitched him? It was probably better that Reese hadn’t realized it at the time.

Gator packed up his gear and stood.

“Thank you.” Reece was grateful for the care.

“No problem. Not the first wound I’ve patched.” The big, badass werewolf patted him on the shoulder and stepped back.

Uncle Elias leaned down and ran his hand over Reece’s forehead. He closed his eyes and savored the familiar touch. “You’ll be okay, buddy.” He then wrapped one arm around Sage and hugged him. “You too.”

Uncle Elias turned to the alpha. “We need to talk.”

“Living room.” Jacque left the room and all the others streamed out behind him. Reece looked at his twin and jerked his head toward the door. Sage nodded and took up a post so he’d hear everything.

Elias didn’t want to leave Reece’s side. His nephew had been shot. Maybe they shouldn’t have come here after all.

“He’s going to be fine.” Gator slapped him on the back. “Don’t start playing the blame game.”

Fine for him to say, but the truth was Elias had been with Sue instead of with his nephews. He should have known they’d sneak out to talk. They’d been doing that since they were kids. They’d never gone farther than their backyard before. They’d never been shot at either.

The entire pack had gathered and someone had made coffee. Mugs were passed around. Elias took one from Gwen but didn’t drink. “Sue mentioned that some men at the diner said they’d seen a wolf. I think it was when Sage and Reece were out walking a couple days ago, just after we arrived. She told him that she’d met a family camping nearby and they had a dog.”

“That’s just great. That’s all we need.” Jacque sat in one of the big leather chairs and drummed his fingers on the armrest.

“It could have easily been Shadow that was shot,” Gray interjected. “Or one of you.”

Jacque rubbed a hand over his face. “Yeah, I know. But we’ve managed to live here for years without having a problem with the local hunters.”

“They were shooting on our land,” Cole pointed out.

“You’re sure?”

“Yup.”

“Unfortunately we can’t just eliminate the problem.”

Elias knew the alpha was weighing the pros and cons. The man wasn’t a murderer, but he would protect his pack. “I’ll find them and talk to them,” he volunteered. He wanted to just announce he was going but this wasn’t his pack or his land.

“Cole and Louis will go with you.” Jacque jerked his head toward the door. “Warn them off. Tell them they shot one of our dogs and we’re partial to our dogs around here. It wouldn’t be wise for them to trespass again because we might be out hunting.”

The threat was clear. The hunters would get one warning. The next time they trespassed or shot at one of the pack, they would be in for a world of trouble.

Elias nodded and followed Cole and Louis. He sensed that Anny wanted to talk to him about her friend, but now wasn’t the time. Her mate put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Elias tried not to be jealous of Armand and failed miserably.

Cole pointed off to the west. “That way.” The three of them began a slow lope and picked up speed as they went. The hunters might be gone, but even if they were, Elias could still get their scent. One way or another, he’d find them.

Chapter Seventeen

Sue knew she was doing the right thing, but that didn’t help calm her nerves. Billy was strapped in his seat in the back, his blond head bent over the handheld video game his grandfather had given him just before he’d passed away. He pushed buttons with abandon, his concentration intense.

After another long shift at the diner, she should have been on her way home. Instead, she was on her way to visit a group of men she’d only seen from a distance. She was crazy to be doing this. But if she didn’t warn them and one of them got hurt, she’d never forgive herself.

“Damn Connor McLennan,” she muttered. He and his brother and cousins had been back in the diner today. They’d been waiting outside for Stan to open for breakfast. Two days in a row was unusual. Connor and his brother had been riding high, talking about some hunting they’d done the night before. It wasn’t hunting season, but that had never stopped them before. And times were hard. No one was about to report a man shooting a deer or catching a few rabbits to feed his family.

This was different. They’d kept their voices down and stopped talking whenever she’d gotten close, but she’d heard them mention wolves several times. And just before they’d left, she’d heard them mention the land the Louisiana strangers owned. It was odd to refer to them that way even after all these years, but they hadn’t exactly introduced themselves around town.

She knew several of the men shared the last name of LaForge. Maggie at the post office had told her that. They had packages come in on a regular basis. Other than that, she knew the men were good looking but kept to themselves. No law against that, but it did make the locals distrust them.

The turnoff was coming up. She’d never been on their land but like everyone else in town, she knew where it was. They’d bought the old Mitchell place after the elderly Mr. Mitchell had died and neither of his kids had wanted to move back to Salvation. They’d been thrilled to get a buyer for the land, considering the state of the economy at the time. The new owners had probably gotten a great deal.

She slowed and turned on her indicator, noting the signs nailed on nearby trees. It was clearly posted against trespassers and hunting. Something the McLennan clan had obviously ignored.

The road was dirt and gravel but well graded so there weren’t any potholes, for which she was grateful. She couldn’t afford to damage her car.

“I want to go home.” Billy had been fretful all day. He was always out of sorts for several days after he saw his father. It hadn’t helped that she’d had to work an extra few hours today to help cover a shift for another waitress.

“I know, honey. We won’t be here but a minute or so.” At least she hoped they wouldn’t. She wanted to get home and change. “We’ll plan something special for supper tonight. Maybe we can make chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Would you like that?” Billy usually loved to help her in the kitchen.

She watched him in the rearview mirror and he shrugged and went back to his game. Damn William for what he was doing to their son. But that was another matter.

The road ended in what looked like a parking lot. There were several trucks and an SUV all in a row. Sue turned her car around and parked so the nose was heading back down the road.

She turned off the vehicle, took off her seatbelt and turned to face her son. “I want you to stay with me.”

He kicked his feet against the seat. “Okay.”

“I just need to speak with someone here and then we’re on our way home.” She opened the door and stepped out. It was yet another hot day. They’d had a minor heat wave for a few days. She wasn’t complaining. It would be winter soon enough.

She opened the back door and helped Billy out of the car. He left his game behind and tucked his hand in hers. His head swiveled toward the trucks. No surprise there. Like a lot of boys his age, he was enthralled with the big shiny vehicles.

“Trucks, Mom.” He pulled on her hand so she detoured by the powerful machines.

“So I see. They’re nice, aren’t they?”

He nodded, put out his hand and trailed his small fingers over a chrome bumper. He looked so small next to the truck. It brought a lump to her throat. She wanted to protect her son from all the hurts of life but knew it wasn’t possible. He’d already learned that life wasn’t fair, even at his young age. First with the desertion of his father, and then with the death of his grandparents and the loss of his home.

She tugged him toward what looked like a path. Hopefully, she’d find a home at the end of it. Billy dragged his feet, not wanting to leave the trucks behind. “We’ll see them again when we leave,” she promised.

That got him moving again. Next to trucks, her son liked being outside. He looked up at the trees, almost tripping on a rut in the path. She tightened her hold on his hand. “Almost there,” she promised. Maybe she should have telephoned. Surely there was a number listed for them. But this didn’t seem like the kind of thing you told someone over the phone.

“Doggy,” Billy crowed.

Sue stopped and froze in place. Sure enough, a huge dog sat in the path in front of them. It had to be a dog, right? It wasn’t really a wolf. It looked different from Reece. This had to be the artist lady’s dog. Or at least she hoped it was.

Billy tried to run to the creature, but Sue held on to him. “Remember what I said about approaching strange animals.” She’d repeatedly told her son he couldn’t just run up to any strange animal but he had no fear, at least when it came to dogs.

A very large man stepped out onto the path next to the dog. He was tall with short-cropped brown hair and dark brown eyes. All he wore was a pair of jeans. Even his feet were bare.

“Um, Mr. LaForge?” She took a chance that he might be one of the men living here that shared that name.

His dark gaze left her and went to her son. She pulled Billy closer. The man gave a jerk of his head. “Louis LaForge. And you are?”

“Sue Walsh. And this is my son Billy.”

Louis rested his hand on the big dog’s head. He didn’t make a move toward her, but she felt somehow threatened.

“Why are you here?”

She took a step back. Coming here was a mistake. She definitely should have telephoned. But she was here now. “I work at the diner in town.”

He nodded but didn’t respond in any other way. The hair on the back of her neck rose and she knew someone was behind her. She swung around only to face a giant of a man with shaggy, dark-blond hair. Like Louis, he was only wearing jeans. Didn’t these men believe in shoes and shirts? Of course, it was hot out, but still.

She tried to swallow but her mouth was too dry to conjure up enough saliva. On instinct, she lifted her son into her arms. If she had to run, she wanted to be able to move fast. Not that she could outrun either of these men. They looked incredibly fit.

They reminded her of Elias.

She wished he were here at the moment. She realized how vulnerable she truly was. She was all alone out here with these men and no one knew where she was.

Sage shoved the door open to his brother’s room. Reece was much improved after his ordeal from last night. Gator had removed the stitches this morning and his brother had done nothing but eat and rest for most of the day.

“Can you shift?” he demanded.

His blue eyes sharpened. “Why?”

“Sue and Billy are here.” And Sage didn’t like the way Louis and Cole were looking at them. “They need us. Uncle Elias is out on patrol with Armand.” It was probably better if his uncle wasn’t here, otherwise he might attack one of the other men.

Reece didn’t ask any questions. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and shifted. It was the fastest shift Sage had ever seen his brother make. The large brown wolf jumped off the bed and left the room. Sage was right behind him

As soon as Sage opened the front door, Reece shot down the steps and toward the path. Sage raced behind him, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake. But Sue and Billy were important to him. They were important to Uncle Elias too. He wasn’t about to let anyone threaten or hurt them.

“Doggy.” Sage heard Billy’s joyous yell as he rounded the turn. Sure enough, Reece had planted himself right in front of Sue and her son. Billy struggled in his mother’s arms until she put him down. Cole scowled, but Louis looked more resigned.

“Reece?” Sage could hear the confusion in Sue’s voice. “What are you doing here?” She glanced up and her eyes widened when she saw him. “Sage?”

“Hey, Sue.” He stood next to her, letting both men know whose side he was on. “Why are you here?”

Reece growled, drawing their attention. Cole had taken a step closer and his brother didn’t like it. Cole held up his hands in mock surrender. “Sheath your claws, wolf. I would never hurt a woman or child.”

His twin stopped growling but remained alert. Billy pulled away from his mother and wrapped his arms around Reece’s neck. His twin licked the boy’s face, making him giggle.

“Sue?” Sage prompted.

“Ah, I overheard something at work today. It might be nothing, but I thought I should warn you.”

“Warn us of what?” Louis asked.

Sage could see Sue had a million questions she wanted to ask him, but she pulled herself together and addressed the alpha’s brother.

“Four men were talking about hunting. I didn’t think a lot of it at first. Some locals hunt out of season, taking a deer or rabbit for food.” When Louis nodded, she continued. “I was pouring up coffee at a nearby table when I heard them mention your land and wolves. I knew the artist lady, Gray Everson, is living here with you, and I knew she had a big dog.”

Sue’s gaze fell on Shadow, who’d planted himself next to Louis. “I didn’t want the dog to get shot. From the way they were talking, I figured they might have already hurt the animal. I’m glad I was wrong.”

Her gaze dropped to Reece and zoned right in on the patch of fur that hadn’t quite regenerated yet. The long furrow cut a swatch down Reece’s flank. Sue’s eyes widened. “It was Reece, wasn’t it? Those bastards shot Reece.” She crouched next to his brother and ran her hands carefully down his side. “I don’t understand. It looks almost healed.”

Sage hated the confusion on her face, hated the lies they’d had to tell her. “It is. They only grazed him.”

“That’s impossible.” Sue slowly came to her feet, grabbed Billy by the hand and edged him back toward the parking area. “We should go. You should all be careful.”

Louis swore under his breath. “I think you need to stay.”

Shit, that wasn’t good. Reece took off running toward the houses, leaving Sage alone to protect Sue and her son. He figured his brother was gone to get Uncle Elias. He only hoped it didn’t take him long.

Sue shook her head, but Louis sighed. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go. Not yet.” Louis glanced at Sage when he moved closer to Sue.

“Sage, you should go with Reece.” His heart warmed at Sue’s words. She was trying to protect him.

“It’s okay,” he promised her. “No one will hurt you.”

“They certainly won’t.” It wasn’t his uncle’s voice, but someone with even more power, at least when it came to controlling the men. Anny LaForge hurried down the path toward them.

Sue’s mouth dropped open. Her expression was one of pure happiness, but it quickly turned to confusion and then hurt. “Anny? You live here? You’ve been here all this time?”

Anny didn’t slow her pace. She went straight to her friend and wrapped her arms around her. Sue hesitated, but only for a moment, then she returned Anny’s hug, holding her friend tightly. Billy was next to Reece, who’d taken up a position once again by the boy’s side.

“I don’t understand.” Sue pulled back and studied her friend.

“I know you don’t. I wanted to tell you, but things are complicated.”

Sue gave a sad laugh. “I can only imagine.” Several tears rolled down Sue’s face, but she swiped them away and squared her shoulders. “I need to get Billy home. Maybe we can talk sometime.”

Anny smiled at the young boy. “He’s gotten so big, Sue.”

“It’s been almost two years,” she reminded her friend.

Anny winced. “I know and I’m sorry for that.”

“Me too.” Sue caught Billy’s hand and took a step back. “I need to go.”

Cole blocked the path and her escape. Sue paled and Sage moved closer. “Everything is okay,” he told her. He wished he could be sure he was telling her the truth. He honestly didn’t know what was going to happen.

Getting Anny was a stroke of genius on Reece’s part. None of the men would want to upset her. The boys might not have spent much time with the Salvation Pack, but it hadn’t taken long to see how the men doted on their mates.

Louis motioned them all forward. “I think we need to go back to the house and talk.” Then his expression changed and he looked more resigned than anything. “Just what we need,” he muttered seconds before Sage picked up the scent. Uncle Elias was coming and he was coming fast.

Sue didn’t know what to make of things. This was not going how she’d planned. When she’d made the decision to come here, she’d pictured a quick in and out. Talk to the people who lived here, warn them and leave.

She’d never expected to see both Sage and Reece here. And the last thing she’d imagined was that she’d find Anny.

It hurt her deeply to know her friend was so close by but had kept that secret from her. Sue could have used a friend over the past year and a half with everything she’d had to deal with. Knowing Anny had been so close but hadn’t bothered to reach out made Sue want to cry. But she wouldn’t. She couldn’t afford to break down now. She had to get herself and her son out of here.

No one had threatened her outright, but she felt the underlying menace surrounding her. These were people who had secrets to keep. Obviously, they’d had no trouble keeping Anny’s whereabouts from everyone in town. But why? That’s what didn’t make any sense to Sue.

They could keep their secrets. She and Billy were fine on their own. “I’m leaving.” Decided, she started toward the big man in her path, her glare daring him to try to stop her.

He didn’t budge, so she went around him. Or tried to. He simply moved and blocked her retreat.

Reece’s threatening growl raised goose bumps on her arms. Seemed like Elias and his family were welcome here, were part of whatever secret they were keeping here. Fine. She didn’t need him either.