One thing at a time, he told himself as he stepped out of the barn. All he had to do was find her in town. After all, if he could find her scent, he could follow her anywhere.
But would he be able to find her before anyone else did?
5
“Okay, just a few more and we’re done,” Dani said to the small family in front of her as they tried to not shift too much in their arranged seats.
As if in pure contrast to the events of last night, her morning working at the small photography studio she’d bought in town had gone utterly smoothly and without incident. Even the kids that had been brought in, either to have pictures taken of just them or with their families, were all on their best behavior.
A few minutes later, she was thanking the parents and giving their two young children their choice of Dum Dums lollipops before giving them a receipt and informing them that she’d have proofs for them to look over by tomorrow.
And then the family was leaving the studio, and Dani was alone with her thoughts again.
She was grateful there had already been a studio in town when she’d moved here, one owned by an older couple that was willing to sell. Dani had had just enough money to afford the down payment. Between doing portraits and studio work part of the time and then finding shots out in the wild that she could sell as stock photos, she was making enough to get by right now.
That and it was nice to have somewhere to work outside her home so she could keep her privacy. Not that there was really anything worth stealing at her new place. Most of it was still in boxes.
Her mind wandered back to the place that had been home for such a long, long time. Granite Falls, Colorado. Full of mountains and rivers and seclusion and secrets.
And one secret in particular that had emerged from the darkness to haunt her.
Remi.
Or Reno, she supposed. In fact, the new name seemed to fit the built, gruff, quieter man that looked like her childhood friend but acted like they barely knew each other.
If she had a wish right now, it would be to wish him right here, right now so they could hash out all the stuff there was no time to get out yesterday.
Thoughts running, Dani packed up her camera, her laptop, and anything else of value and threw it into her backpack, then closed the store behind her, determined to get lunch at the place down the street rather than head straight home for now.
There was far too much on her mind to be there right now.
Across the street, she spotted an unfamiliar black sedan that hadn’t been there a couple of hours ago, but maybe they were just customers for the taxidermy shop it was parked in front of. But the tinted windows gave her the creeps, so instead of staring, she made her way down the quiet sidewalk.
It wasn’t until she looked over her shoulder that she noted the car was rolling down the street in the same direction, close to the sidewalk.
Just a coincidence, she thought.
Yeah, the same kind of coincidences that have been following me around for a decade, Dani replied darkly.
She picked up her pace a little, though not enough to cause suspicion, and a minute later, she was striding into the Lone Star Diner, grateful as the door closed behind her to be around other people.
Maybe she should have taken her car to work today so she wouldn’t have to walk around.
But her studio was only a couple miles from her rented house, and she loved seeing the fresh morning dew on the flowers and weeds.
Today, though, none of that could distract her from lightning-blue eyes still in her mind. And the heat of soft, firm lips pressed against hers, making her body come alive in ways it never had before.
Reno had said he’d find her. But when? Waiting around in the hopes of seeing someone she hadn’t seen in a very long time was a pretty vague situation to be in. And though she’d been up late last night, searching for anyone by the name of “Reno” in any sort of public record that existed, there were—unsurprisingly—no leads for her to follow.
Just like the first time he’d disappeared without a trace, leaving her, his own family, and Granite Falls behind all at once. Like he didn’t want to be found.
Based on what he’d said last night, he still felt that way, at least about his family finding him, though why, she had no clue.
All possible normal reasons why someone would do such a thing escaped her, like the part of a crime drama where all the leads have been expended and the police have to go back to the beginning to see what they missed.
She got a full-size sandwich, taking her time to eat one half, then pocketing the other half in her backpack for later. But even though the meal calmed her empty stomach, her mind was only more occupied as she strode out of the cafe.
The black sedan with black windows was now on her side of the street.
Still a coincidence?
She pulled her backpack around her shoulders a little tighter, feeling the coldness of the unknown around her but not seeing anything so obvious as to cause immediate alarm.
After all, there were other people around. She was on one of the busier streets in this albeit very sleepy town, and it was the middle of the day.
Yes, she’d been followed a ton, but nothing worse had yet happened.
She made to walk across the street, not wanting to be on the same side, when three men jumped out of the car in unison.
They wore nondescript clothing—jeans and brown jackets—and they had short haircuts and mean, stoic faces. She didn’t have more than a second to appraise them, though, as she bolted for the other side of the street, headed for the doorway of a hardware store she could hopefully take cover in.
But the guys were fast. Really fast. And she didn’t get more than five feet before she felt thick arms wrap around her midsection like an iron vise, yanking her backward toward the car.
She screamed for help, but there wasn’t anyone around to hear her, at least not on the street. So instead, she threw her elbow back into the man’s gut, her self-defense classes from the community center kicking in immediately.
The man barely registered her hit with a grunt, but she didn’t give up, stomping her heels down onto his toes, clawing at his face behind her, and trying to pull at his hands that were clasped around her. All the while, there was the squeal of some engine revving in the distance that registered in her ears, breaking the eerie silence as three grown men tried to abduct her in broad daylight.
Maybe Reno hadn’t been kidding about the people he was running from.
She caught the guy’s eye with her thumb, and his grip lightened just enough for her to spring free. She fell to her knees, then got back up, spinning to face the next man as his arms reached for her.
Dani snapped her foot up and into the man’s groin. And though he didn’t collapse all the way to the ground, he staggered slightly, giving her a chance to make a break for it.
Then the third man’s arms were around her. And this one was even stronger than the other, hefting her toward the car like she weighed nothing. Even as she went for every weak spot she could think of, in mere moments, she was dragged to the passenger door, which was thrown open by the first man as he rubbed the eye she’d stabbed with his other hand.
She screamed again, not giving up, not wanting to know what such men would want with her, as they attempted to stuff her into the back seat. In the background, the engine noise was getting louder and louder, and she wondered grimly if it was just going to be reinforcements for this already steeply unfair three-on-one.
They were just about to slam the door on her as a motorcycle, huge and black with chrome accents, came racing toward them at a blistering pace. Then, at the last second, the man driving it threw the handlebars to the side, making it come to a dramatic stop at a ninety-degree angle in front of the car as the tires screeched and kicked up gray smoke.
She didn’t even have time to wonder what kind of yahoo would make such an entrance when a familiar, huge figure practically leaped off the motorcycle, wearing a black
leather jacket and dark aviator glasses. And even behind the black bandana he was wearing over his face and the dark half helmet that covered his light-blond hair, Dani could make out the shape of Reno’s face, contorted into a furious snarl.
The three men around her barely had time to look up to see the motorcycle come to a roaring halt before Reno was on top of them, fists flying and sending them into chaos.
Seeing Reno dressed like this would have been kind of hot if not for the whole nearly-being-abducted thing.
There was a shout, then a groan as one of the men sailed bodily over the car, ricocheting off the roof, then landing on the pavement in the street.
But Dani wasn’t going to wait around. With a deep breath, she grabbed her backpack and leaped from the back seat and onto the sidewalk just in time to see Reno’s booted foot slam into another guy’s chest, which threw him into the wall with a loud thud. Then before he could get up, Reno came up and jabbed a fist into the man’s side, and there was an electric crackling in the air like the sound of a taser before the man slumped over, unconscious.
Funny… she hadn’t seen a taser in his hand a moment ago. And as Reno stood up, she noted his hands were still empty, save for the leather gloves he wore, which were cut off at the knuckles.
Dani looked around and noted all three of her would-be abductors were out cold. Had Remi become a professional fighter, and the mob was after him or something?
The idea sounded stupid, but it was just as likely as anything right now.
Then his hand was on hers, pulling her toward the motorcycle, which he’d dropped onto the ground in his haste. With his other hand, he yanked the heavy-looking thing back upright, then pulled his bandana down past his mouth.
“Get on.”
“What?” she replied, dumbfounded.
“It’s not safe here. You’re coming with me.”
She pulled back her hand, missing the warmth of his palm but confused by the sudden turn of events. “You’re kidding, right?” After all, last night, he’d made it sound like they couldn’t even be in the same state, and now he was jumping in to save her and whisk her away to…
Where were they going anyway?
“Not unless you want to wait and see what these men wanted from you when they wake up. As it is, they won’t remember seeing you if we leave now.” Then he reached into one of the saddlebags on the back of his bike, pulled out a helmet, and shoved it into her hands. “Put this on.”
“No. Not until I at least get some sort of explanation right this instant.”
One of the men groaned on the ground near their feet, and Reno took the helmet out of her hands, plopped it onto her head, then did the buckle underneath her chin in less time than it took for her to figure out what she wanted to say next.
“No time. You’ll thank me later.”
Then he picked her up like she weighed nothing, set her on the back of the motorcycle, and hopped into his seat. With a click of a button, the engine roared to life, rumbling beneath her.
She wanted to resist Reno. Show him that he couldn’t keep jumping into her life unannounced like this and turning her world upside down.
But then again, he’d saved her from something terrible. Though what, she wasn’t sure yet. She just knew that she was probably safer with this blue-eyed hulk of a man who looked like her childhood crush than anywhere else.
Even if he was utterly dangerous for her heart.
“At least tell me where we’re going,” she said loudly as Reno pulled back on the throttle, revving the engine.
“The only place that’s safe for you right now.”
The motorcycle bucked forward, and she found herself wrapping her arms around his surprisingly muscled midsection.
Wow, he’s even bigger than he looks, she thought, her brain obsessing over a million things right now and deciding that the feel of his body was for some reason the most important detail of all possible things.
“And where would that be?” She just held on as he angled the bike and turned it around, keeping the engine throttling high. She braced for the second they’d take off.
“Dragonclaw Ranch.”
At that, he kicked the shifter into gear, and they exploded forward, air rushing past them as the world suddenly became a blur.
In what felt like seconds, they were already on the outskirts of town, the Texas wilderness opening up in every direction around them, and at least for a moment, Dani felt safe with her arms around Reno.
Only a minute ago, she’d feared for her life.
Now, here, next to the man she’d loved, with way more questions than answers still raging in her heart, she feared more for her sanity than anything else if she didn’t get them.
At least he’d kept his promise.
6
Reno willed his heart to slow as the Texas landscape, barren of all but weeds and shrubs, whizzed past, an endless blue sky stretching into the distance.
He had made it. Barely. A few minutes more and she would have been gone. The thought made his wolf pace tensely.
Reno had wondered if she could have been tracked, but once he had seen a text from Earl saying that strange men had been asking around, there was no doubt in his mind.
He’d hopped on his motorcycle and taken off for town, hoping and praying that he would be able to get there in time.
Now that she was next to him, safe, his wolf was beginning to calm, and he both loved and hated the feeling of having her arms around him, even as she radiated anger and discontent.
That was fair. He hadn’t really given her a choice, and the night before, he honestly thought that would have been the end of it.
Hoped, more like.
Now the question was what would he say to her once they got to Dragonclaw. What should he even say? What did one say to the mate they had left behind, even if it had been for the best?
And now Dragonclaw was involved in all of his baggage as well.
What a disaster.
The miles peeled away behind them until finally they reached Dragonclaw and pulled into the main area. As soon as he popped the kickstand and turned off the engine, it was quiet.
There was no noise coming from the house or the barn or anywhere, except for his fuming mate of course.
As soon as the bike was stable, he felt Dani’s hands leave him as she stepped off the bike and pried her helmet off.
“You owe me an explanation, now,” she demanded.
“Not right now,” Reno said, shaking his head.
Dani frowned. “Who were those people?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Remi—I mean, Reno!” she exclaimed exasperatedly. “When the heck are you going to tell me anything?”
Reno thought about it as he slowly pulled off his bandana and got off the bike. Deep down, he wanted to tell her everything, wanted to talk openly to his best friend, the girl he’d grown up with.
His mate.
But he couldn’t find the words to explain, and even if he did, that would include a lot of history as well as the fact that he was an alpha wolf with a power no one would understand.
Plus, things were complicated now. They weren’t children anymore, wandering in the mountains during summer break, and telling her all of it wouldn’t make it so she was in any less danger, nor would it mean she would believe him.
“Not now at least,” he replied finally.
“Jerkwad.” She glared at him. “You can’t just go grabbing people and taking them places they don’t know.”
Oh hell, he hated how angry she was with him. Couldn’t she see that he was just doing his best with a difficult situation? That he didn’t want to hurt her?
“It’s Dragonclaw Ranch, and you’ll be safe here,” Reno said tiredly. “There, now you know the place.”
He turned to walk away but turned back when he felt something hard hit him in the back, then fall to the ground. Frowning, he turned and found the bike helmet rolling in the dirt.
“Oh, you smar
t aleck.” Dani fumed. “I cannot believe I ever had feelings for you!”
Had?
Hearing that she had feelings, in the past tense, should have made him feel better. After all, he had left, hoping that she could forget and move on with her life, but for some reason, right now, it stung.
“Had?” he retorted, stepping toward her. “Judging from the way you responded to my kiss yesterday, those feelings are pretty current.”
She blushed furiously and stepped closer, glaring up at him. “You backed me up against a wall. What was I supposed to do?”
Reno snorted. “You liked it just as much as you liked it on prom—”
“Are we interrupting something?”
The words, echoing from the porch, jogged Reno’s brain, and suddenly, he realized what situation he was in.
Dani’s face was literally inches from his, bright red and so close that he could make out the tiny specks of brown surrounding her pupils. For a second, he wished he could take her soft lips in his and show her that he did want her.
But that wouldn’t do anyone any good, as he couldn’t have her.
So instead, he stepped back and took a deep breath. He needed to keep her as far away from all of this as possible while making sure she was safe.
She seemed to feel the awkwardness as well and stepped back, still blushing furiously and refusing to look at him.
Clearing his throat, Reno looked in the direction of the voice, finding that Harrison, the cowboy dragon and boss of Dragonclaw, Beck, and the basilisk Gunnar were walking out toward them.
Reno didn’t like how amused Beck seemed to be with the situation, nor did he like the way Gunnar’s gaze, with his one blue eye and one red eye, flickered over to Dani.
“No,” Dani replied quickly, shooting a rude look at Reno. “You’re right on time actually.”
Beck chuckled gruffly at that, and Reno fought the urge to scowl. He didn’t see anything funny about the situation.
Harrison cleared his throat, tipping his Stetson. “Howdy, miss, name’s Harrison. I’m sorry if you’ve come on rough circumstances, but either way, welcome to Dragonclaw.”
Rogue Wolf Page 4