“Hey, I’m Yvette,” she said, smiling at Sam.
Sam glanced at me, and I nodded.
“We’ve got a long drive ahead of us,” Yvette went on. “We can get to know one another in the car. Are you hungry? We can get something to go if you are.”
“Chaser already got me something,” Sam replied.
“Good. I’m glad his surly arse was thoughtful enough to feed you.” Yvette turned her attention to me. “You look after Sloane, okay? I’m holding you responsible if anything happens, you got that?”
“Sure,” I drawled, handing her an envelope.
“What’s this?” She took it and peered inside at the wad of yellow fifty-dollar notes.
“Money.”
“No shit, Sherlock.” Yvette rolled her eyes and pocketed the cash.
When she didn’t leave, I asked, “Why are you still standing here?”
Yvette scowled at me and wrapped her arm around Sam’s shoulder. “Is he always like that?” she asked as they walked off.
“Yep.” Sam gave me one last look and mouthed the words thank you.
I waited until they were in the car and on the road before I turned away. The things people did for Sloane never failed to amaze me. Gasket, Yvette, me. But she deserved it, right? Look what she’d done for Sam, a woman she’d known for a little under a month. It was always something with her. Passionate, reckless, and completely selfless. Sloane had a definite sense of right and wrong.
Gasket was right about one thing. Fortitude wasn’t for her. I wondered what would happen if she managed to take alpha.
Shaking my head, I got back into the car, backed out of the space, and turned back the way I’d come. Back to Melbourne, Fortitude, and an all-out war.
Back to Sloane.
As the lights of the McDonald’s faded in the background, I thought about the things Sam had told me.
Maybe it was love, after all.
Chapter 19
Sloane
I knew Chaser would be gone for a few days, but it alleviated none of my stress. The entire compound was on tenterhooks after the brawl in the common room and it was only by some miracle of Gasket’s supernatural beta wolf prowess that things had finally calmed down.
The garage was alive with talk, not all of it pro-Fortitude, either. It was my chance to sow some seeds of dissent among the ranks, but I hesitated in the wake of what’d happened. I was a fool if I thought I could take the pack without someone dying in the process.
The morning after the chaos, I was helping clear some of the twisted remains of the garage under Gasket’s supervision when I overheard talk about Sam. People were going to notice, especially those with malicious intentions.
“Kane was talking about taking her last night,” Spike said.
“We would’ve stopped them,” Ram said. “I know we do some messed-up things in the name of Fortitude, but there’s just some things I can’t tolerate.”
“She’s gone,” Watts added. “She got out.”
“She got out, or someone helped her.”
Eyes turned towards me, and Gasket shot me a warning glare as I attempted to move a twisted engine jack, complete with wrecked engine, across the garage floor. If I could just use my wolf strength…
“Sloane, don’t even think about it,” the old wolf said.
“But—”
“You did your part,” he murmured. “Your part in her story is over now.”
“So I’m just supposed to mop the floor and not do anything?”
“No one hurt her,” Gasket said with a scowl. “You put a stop to that, but if it becomes common knowledge…”
Yeah, I knew.
I glanced at the wolves across the garage who were still talking about Sam’s disappearance and swallowed a pile of vomit. They were decent considering what they were—Ram, Watts, Rhodes, and co—but I couldn’t vouch for the rest of the pack. They were the men I wanted to lead, not the violent, psychopathic followers my father had cultivated.
“Yeah, but it’s just for now,” I muttered. “Saving one woman doesn’t fix the problem.”
“Damn, we’ll be here all day.” Gasket snorted and nudged me aside.
“You need to work on your muscles, Sloane,” Watts called out.
“Yeah, you got a set of weights?” I shot at him. “Give ’em here!”
“Focus on what you’re doing,” Gasket said, leaning over me so the other men couldn’t hear what he was saying. “Your life is just as valuable, kid.”
“I know.”
“Doesn’t seem like you believe it.”
“I believe it,” I hissed.
“We have to talk once Chaser gets back,” he said. “The time for watching and waiting is over.”
“Do you know something?” I straightened, the engine jack forgotten.
“I know enough.”
There was a slight hesitation, but I didn’t press it. Yeah, we were going to have a talk when we were all together. A long, in-depth, very animated talk.
Grabbing a rag, I wiped the grime off my hands.
“I need to take a break,” I said, nodding towards the compound. “Can I?”
“Yeah,” Gasket drawled. “Just don’t go breaking any more noses.”
“Low blow, pops,” I retorted, throwing the rag at his face. “Low blow.”
Flipping the bird over my shoulder, I was sent off with halfhearted laughter. They were still hurting after the Hollow Men had blown up four pack members and decimated their livelihoods.
A civil war was brewing, and Gasket wanted to stoke the fires. We have to talk once Chaser gets back… Pfft. I just had to look around to know only half the pack would up and denounce Marini.
It was still sweltering inside the compound. The whole place was as hot as a super volcano about to blow its top.
There was another Real Housewives of Fortitude luncheon happening on the couch in the common room. Shondra, Emily, Raquel, Kelly, and Sierra were gathered around an industrial-sized fan, their hair blowing behind them as it swung back and forth. They each had a tumbler of Coke—who knew what the alcohol to soft drink content was—and were wearing bikini tops and shorty shorts. They looked awfully depressed, and it wasn’t a result of the humidity. So they did care.
“Hey, Sloane,” Sierra called out when she spotted me.
I eyed them warily. “Hey…”
After their reaction to Sam’s appearance yesterday, I wasn’t sure I could trust them. They’d been almost patronising. Psychological warfare seemed to be their usual MO, and I wasn’t down with it at all. I was a straight up in your face, tell it like it is kind of woman. It was probably why I got along with men more. Hopefully, yesterday had shocked them out of their bad habit.
“You got a sec?” Shondra asked, beckoning me over.
Reluctantly, I ventured over to their little enclave. Kelly scooted over, letting me in on the edge of the fan’s sphere of influence.
“How are you?” Emily asked. “After the other day, I mean.”
I shrugged. “How am I supposed to feel about an all-out brawl over whether a pack of werewolves should kill me or not?”
Shondra snorted and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
“I didn’t like Harley or the others,” I went on, “but he didn’t deserve what he got. The pack didn’t deserve what the vampires did.”
An awkward pause halted our conversation, the droning of the fan as it blew around the humid air filling the gap.
“Sam’s gone,” Raquel murmured after a moment. “Her room’s empty, but all her stuff is still there.”
“People are saying she ran,” Sierra said, looking worried. “Where would she go? Everyone knew she had no family…none that wanted her, anyway. We thought we were it.”
“After what happened to Harley, she would’ve been…” Kelly trailed off, looking rather pale.
“It would’ve broken her,” Shondra said, her expression softening. “Sam couldn’t stay here. She’d already been through enough.” She glanced at me.
“She didn’t have any family?” I asked, feeling nauseous. There was so much about Sam I’d never even known, yet… She had a chance now that she was out of Fortitude and on her way to Yvette. Yvette would help her get back on her feet, deal with Harley’s death, and start anew.
“She only had Harley,” Kelly explained. “She was kicked out of home at fifteen, and they moved in together. I think that’s why Harley joined the pack. He couldn’t support Sam or himself, let alone deal with his werewolf side, so he did what he though was best.” She shrugged. “She hinted that things were different at the start. The pack changed him for the worse.”
I nodded, studying the tattoo on my finger. Sam had said as much, but I hadn’t realised how alone she was. Not anymore, I thought to myself. Now she has Yvette. I know they’ll be best of friends. She’s so much like her.
“I never liked you,” Shondra declared out of nowhere.
“No shit.” I rolled my eyes, making the other women giggle, albeit nervously.
“But what you did for Sam…” she went on, “that was really something.”
“Who says I did anything?”
“We won’t tell,” Kelly said, keeping her voice hushed. “Things are tough for women in this pack, even though we’re wolves, too. No one looks out for us. Our men do, but not everyone around here is as good as Stewie and Hopper.”
“And Ram,” Emily said with a pout.
“If anything happened to them…” Shondra began.
“What we’re trying to say is that we’re on your page,” Raquel finished for her friend.
“All of us,” Sierra said.
Shondra held out her fist and smiled. “Anything happens, we got your back, girl.”
I raised my eyebrows, not knowing how I did it. If I did anything at all.
Shondra clucked her tongue and wiggled her fist at me. “Bump it, girl.”
Raising my fist, I bumped, causing the group to giggle like a pack of schoolgirls. Thinking about high school and the mean girl hierarchy I’d struggled with when I was a teenager, I smirked. There was no way these women would’ve been friends with me back then. I was so not a part of any crew—popular, outsider, or anything. I was a solo troublemaker. Now I was emerging as a strong ally.
Maybe there was something in this, after all. The game wasn’t lost, not completely. I would still fight while there was a chance. For Chaser, for me, and for the women who were at the mercy of Fortitude.
“Oh, my God!” Sierra shrieked, causing my heart to spasm. “What have you done to your nails?”
“Bloody hell,” Raquel said, slapping her on the shoulder. “Give me a heart attack why don’t you?”
Sierra grabbed my hands and looked like she was about to cry. Full-on flooding rivers of salty, salty tears.
“What?” I asked with a shrug.
“They’re ruined! Look at your cuticles! And there’s glue and acrylic stuck to them. Did you chew them off?”
“I work in the garage,” I said. “It’s not the place for pretty fingernails.”
“Oh, it’s horrible.” She clucked her tongue. “Stay right here. I’ve got to clean these up.”
Letting me go, she rushed from the room. The moment she was gone, the women giggled.
“Wow,” I drawled, not understanding why the state of my nails was so offensive.
“It’s her art,” Kelly told me.
“It makes her happy,” Emily said. “Let her fuss.”
“Your nails do look like shit,” Shondra added. “A little acetone bath never hurt anyone.”
“I’ve got a great moisturiser for after,” Raquel said. “You can borrow it if you like.”
I blinked, the fan sweeping in my direction. “Uh, okay?”
Shondra smiled and pulled me into Sierra’s spot, which was a prime position in front of the cool breeze. “You’re one of us now, girl. Part of the crew. Get used to it.”
Staring at my nails, my gaze fell on the healed tattoo on my thumb. I wondered what my father would say about all this. Making friends, settling in. It all felt…temporary, and my heart sank like a rock. I had a bad feeling the past was about to repeat itself, friends or no friends.
Chaser…hurry back…
Chapter 20
Sloane
Staring up at the mass of metal above me, I scowled.
This was not the kind of ‘on my back’ I wanted to be. Underneath a car, spanner in hand, learning about oil changes and axle shock absorption…whatever. The garage was still in a mess, but work still went on alongside the cleanup, and that meant the apprentice was on deck.
The thing I was lying on didn’t exactly feel stable. Spike told me it was called a creeper, but that just made it sound weird, so I kept correcting him to luge. Luge sounded cooler.
Spike was beside me, pointing out what part did what, but I wasn’t having the best time focusing on any of it. This was all temporary in the grand scheme of things. Pretending to learn about nuts and bolts while Chaser was out there with Sam was hard. What if the Hollow Men reared their ugly heads? What if Marini found out what he was doing and used the talisman? Not knowing was driving me over the edge. I wanted to be there…to be with him and never let him out of my sight.
“I need a break,” I declared, rolling out from underneath the car.
Spike followed me, grumbling all the way. “You’re never gonna learn if you don’t pay attention, Sloane.”
I rolled my eyes. I want to tell him to shove his car up his backside, but before I could get the words out, a shadow appeared in the garage door.
Chaser.
My heart soared at the sight of him. His gaze met mine, and as soon as our eyes met, he glanced away without as much as a twitch.
“Sloane?”
“What?” I snapped, glaring at Spike.
He narrowed his eyes, then looked at Chaser. “You look at him like…”
“Like what?” I scowled.
“Like you want to eat him,” he retorted with a grin.
I made a face. No wonder Gasket wanted to have a ‘talk’ when Chaser got back.
“What happened out there?” Spike went on. “When you and him…”
“Vampires were after me,” I replied, not wanting to get into it. I had to sit here like a moron when all I wanted to do was run after Chaser and… Man, I was so gone. “Life and death shenanigans ensued.”
“The Hollow Men.” Spike nodded. “I hear there was a thing with a train and a bullet?”
“How…?” I frowned, not understanding how he knew.
“Word’s spreading.”
Across the garage, I spotted Gasket talking to Chaser. They exchanged a few words, then parted. Chaser went into the compound, and Gasket went back to work. I desperately wanted to ask about Sam, but now wasn’t the time.
Word was spreading? I wondered if that meant dissent was rearing its ugly head. The time for watching and waiting was over.
“So?” Spike asked, nudging my shoulder. “You’re into Chaser?”
My heart skipped a beat and I grasped his wrist, my strength biting into his flesh. His gaze met mine and I curled my lip.
“Settle down,” he said. “Gasket thinks I’m Team Marini and I was, but…” He placed his free hand over mine. “Chaser’s a lucky bastard.”
“He took a bullet for me,” I hissed. “I killed a vampire…” I glanced at the door, wanting nothing more than to go after him. “Did you see the way he just looked at me?”
“Chaser’s always been like that,” Spike replied. “That’s what makes him so unpredictable…and scary.” He shook his head. “I can see why women are lining up, though. They seem to dig that whole dangerous vibe. He’s a good-looking guy… I get it.”
I raised my eyebrows, not liking the wistful way Spike gazed at me. Great. I was breaking hearts when all I wanted to do was break skulls, but if he was telling the truth about switching sides, then I could use a wolf like Spike.
Rolling my eyes, I shrank in on myself.
“I guess I’m a woman, after all.”
Laying back down on the creeper, I scooted underneath the car, signalling the conversation was over.
“Hey, Sloane?”
“No,” I shot back, my voice muffled by the car over my head. “No, thank you.”
I sat on the roof of the Fortitude compound, studying the rise and fall of the Melbourne skyline, using my wolf vision to count windows on the skyscrapers.
When I got Chaser’s message about a clandestine meeting up here, I could hardly contain myself. It wasn’t exactly the alone time I’d been craving, since Gasket was meeting us, but it was a chance to be with him and not worry about burly werewolves watching our every move. Up here, we didn’t have to pretend.
The rooftop door opened with a metallic squeal, and my heart leaped into my throat. Seeing it was Chaser, I smiled.
He swept his hand through his hair as he walked towards me, his jaw covered in more stubble than usual. He had been out on the road nonstop for two days, but the scruffy look definitely suited him. It gave him a wild edge that made my ovaries go boom.
He sat beside me on the roof, leaning his back against the broken air-conditioning stack and kicked his legs out in front of him.
“Sam?” I asked, moving over so the entire length of my body pressed against his.
“She’s safe,” he said, combing his fingers through my hair.
Damn, that felt good. He’d never been so touchy-feely with me, and it was as comforting as it was alien. It was strange how things had changed so dramatically between us. It was as if Chaser had gone through something profound while we’d been apart. It was unlikely he would ever talk to me about it, but I felt it, nevertheless. I wondered if his humanity was finally settling into place.
“Good,” I murmured, glad Sam was out of this place and had a future she could look forward to. “Yvette?”
“Her claws were out.” He narrowed his eyes, giving away that he’d had a verbal spat with the feisty blonde.
I laughed and shook my head. “Then she’s fine.”
Taking his hand, I turned towards the skyline. The weather had eased in the past day, the sweltering heat now a mere simmer…the calm before the storm.
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