Wolfen (46 page)

 
She glanced around the table at the others, frowned when they made no attempt to shift around to make room, and focused on Balin again. “Then maybe you could join me at another table?"

 
"I thought you'd already pulled out,” Balin said instead of responding to her suggestion.

 
"I thought I'd wait and go with you."

 
He smiled at her thinly. “Unfortunately, I have to take a side trip and it'll be a while before I head back. In any case, I only brought my bike. It doesn't seat two very well."

 
"I don't mind. I'm not in any hurry."

 
Anger glittered in Balin's eyes. “But
I
mind,” he said coldly.

 
Her face went slack with shock. She reddened, glared at him furiously for a long moment, and finally turned away and stalked to the other end of the restaurant.

 
Con, Jared, Dakota, and Xavier studied him speculatively for several moments.

 
"Where are you headed?” Con finally asked.

 
Balin sent him a narrow eyed look. “No where,” he growled.

 
"That ain't what you said,” Xavier said pointedly.

 
Balin studied him in tightlipped silence for a moment. “I thought I could get rid of her without being impolite,” he responded finally when he saw the others were eyeing him suspiciously.

 
After studying him a moment longer, the men focused on their plates.

 
"When are you heading out?” Xavier asked Jared when they'd finished eating and settled back to finish their beer.

 
Jared shrugged. “In the morning—whenever I wake up. No hurry. I'm a lot more interested in getting a good night's sleep."

 
Balin drained his beer and stood. “On that note, I think I'll head back to the cabin."

 
"Sound's good to me,” Con agreed, staring expectantly at Dakota until he, too, rose.

 
"I'm done,” Xavier said.

 
"Me, too,” Jared agreed.

 
Stony faced, Balin tossed some bills on the table and led the way out.

 
"We've got two cabins,” Balin said when he'd parked his bike in front of Danika's old cabin. “We might as well split up and be more comfortable."

 
"Good idea,” Xavier agreed readily. “I'm sleeping in Dani's cabin."

 
"My pallet's already in there,” Jared pointed out. “I don't feel like dragging it back to the other cabin."

 
"I called the bed,” Dakota said, heading into Danika's cabin.

 
Balin stood watching them troop inside and finally turned, heading toward the other cabin. When he came out of the shower, Xavier and Jared were busy straightening their bunks and Con and Dakota had already sprawled out on theirs.

 
His lips tightened, but he headed to his own bunk without a word.

 
"Who's turn is it for the shower?” Con asked when nobody moved.

 
When nobody answered, he got up and went to make use of it.

 
"It's a damned good thing I don't mind cold showers,” Dakota muttered in disgust, brushing past Con when he exited the bathroom.

 
Three ten minute showers later, quiet finally settled over the cabin.

 
Three hours later, a board creaked.

 
"Going somewhere?” Balin asked coolly.

 
"Gods damn it!” Dakota muttered. “I needed to take a piss."

 
"The bathroom is the other way,” Con growled.

 
"I'm closer to the front door,” Dakota snapped, stalking out and slamming the door behind him.

 
Xavier got up and moved to the window, peering out at Dakota, who was standing on the edge of the porch.

 
Without glancing up, Dakota shot him a bird, shook his cock, tucked it back into his pants, and headed inside again.

 
The sun wasn't yet a promise on the horizon when Xavier woke as suddenly as if someone had shaken him awake. Anger instantly flooded him at the realization that he'd dozed off while he was waiting for everyone else to. Without moving his head, he cut his eyes around the room in a slow sweep, noting the bulky shapes of the others beneath their blankets. Releasing a slow breath through his nose, he eased from beneath his blanket, stuffed his pillows under it in his place and moved stealthily toward the door.

 
Deftly bypassing the spot on the floor that had given Dakota away the night before, he grasped the doorknob and eased it around until the latch disengaged and then just as slowly opened the door wide enough to slip through. The urge to leap the porch and steps assailed him, but he wasn't certain he could land lightly enough in the yard in his current form and shifting would only produce more complications—He couldn't drive down the road buck naked.

 
Congratulating himself on his foresight in leaving his bike just out of sight around the corner of the cabin, he compromised by ignoring the creaky steps altogether, turning as soon as he'd slipped through the opening and taking two large steps to the edge of the porch and dropping to the ground.

 
A slow grin of triumph curled his lips. Packed and ready to go! Grasping the handlebars, he disengaged the clutch and pushed his bike slowly around the cabin until he reached the drive leading into the campground. He glanced back at the cabin, listening intently for any indication that any of the others had awakened. Satisfied when he didn't hear anything or see any movements in the predawn shadows, he began to walk a little faster, avoiding the gravel surface until he was around the curve and he thought it would be safe enough to move to the drive itself with the woods acting as a sound buffer.

 
He checked, halting abruptly when he looked up to gauge the distance between himself and the road, spying a dark shape moving down the drive ahead of him. He lifted his head, sniffing.

 
Dakota, the son-of-a-bitch!

 
He searched his mind for confirmation, but realized he hadn't looked around for the other bikes. He'd been too intent on getting to his own and besides, he'd seen them in their bunks—or thought he had. The sneaky bastard had undoubtedly had the same thought he had, stuffing his pillows beneath his blanket.

 
Not that it mattered, really. He was certain he was the only one that had had the forethought to check Danika's phone records, or the contact to trace the numbers she'd called. It would've made things a damned sight easier if she'd called home, but she'd done the next best thing, calling her employer. He figured it wouldn't be too hard to get her home address from the people that had hired her.

 
The question was, was it better to wait until Dakota got to the highway?

 
He flicked another assessing look at Dakota and noticed two other dark shapes near the edge of the woods.

 
Well fuck!
he thought, catching the gleam of eyes that told him they were looking straight at him.

 
Shrugging inwardly, he began pushing his bike again, dropping any attempt at stealth. Balin, Con, Dakota, and Jared were waiting at the highway when he reached it. He favored them with an assessing look in return for the four he received. “Thought I might be getting a flat,” he muttered to explain why he'd been pushing his bike, containing his irritation with an effort. “I see everyone's off."

 
Everyone bared their teeth at him.

 
"I didn't want to wake everybody,” Dakota said sullenly, “but I see I needn't have worried about it."

 
Xavier uttered an unconvincing chuckle, wincing inwardly when he realized it didn't even sound unconcerned to him. “Well! This is a pleasant surprise! I thought I wouldn't get the chance for any goodbyes.” Settling his bike on his kickstand, he strode to Dakota, the nearest, and stuck out his hand, shaking Dakota's hand vigorously when he reciprocated. “Good working with you!” When he'd made the rounds, he returned to his own bike and threw one leg over it. “We'll have get together some time and reminisce! Be sure to look me up if any of you ever get over to Tulsa. We'll kick back with some beer and have a hell of a time!"

 
Balin, he saw, was studying him sardonically. Nodding, he started his engine and revved it a few times. Everyone else followed suit. Pulling to the edge of the road, they looked one another over and finally pulled out, riding in formation until they reached bisecting roads that allowed them to split off.

 
Xavier gunned his engine and poured on more speed as soon as he'd left the others behind, circling around as soon as he reached another road and heading for the main offices of the fish and game commission.

 
Dakota had just parked his fucking bike in front of the building when he arrived. Pausing as he heard the sound of Xavier's bike, he waited, his hands on his hips. Grinding his teeth in impotent fury, Xavier parked his bike next to Dakota's since there didn't seem any reason not to.

 
They eyed one another with barely concealed hostility. “I see you had the same thought I did,” Xavier said finally, deciding there was no point in maintaining any pretense any longer that he wasn't headed toward Danika as fast as he could get there.

 
"Obviously!” Dakota snapped angrily. “We might as well go in together and get what we need.

 
Since he had no trust that Dakota would actually give him the correct information when he got his hands on it, Xavier agreed. It'd be safer to have the same information than to try to keep Dakota from ditching him somewhere before they reached Georgia.

 
Dakota managed to sweet talk the secretary into looking up the information they needed. Unfortunately, her boss had the poor timing, and the poor judgment, to walk in before she'd managed to find it and nixed that easy solution.

 
After surveying him and Dakota in their leather jackets with barely veiled contempt and suspicion, he asked curtly if he could help them and, as soon as the woman spilled the beans, informed her they didn't give out that information.

 
She looked at Dakota apologetically.

 
Dakota and Xavier exchanged a long look and followed the man back into his office. Xavier was willing to give diplomacy one more shot. “She's a friend of ours."

 
"You should have her address then."

 
Xavier ground his teeth. “A new friend we met in Maynard when she was staying there. She left something. We were going to return it."

 
"You can leave it with me. I'll see that it's shipped to her,” the man said, smiling at them coldly.

 
Xavier and Dakota exchanged another look. Dakota shrugged, bounded over the desk, grabbed the man by the throat, and snatched him out of his chair. “I don't think you appreciate how determined we are to get that information, friend,” he growled, squeezing the man's throat until his face reddened.

 
"Bad move,” Xavier said, shaking his head. “Now he'll call the cops."

 
Dakota eyed the man speculatively for a moment and abruptly commanded his upper torso into half shift. The man's eyes, already bulging from oxygen deprivation, almost popped out of his head. Xavier had the distinct feeling he would've screamed if he'd been able to. He made a strange noise.

 
"He's not going to do anything that stupid, are you?” Dakota growled with deadly promise.