by Jane Jamison
“Why aren’t you coming with me?”
“Just do what he says, darlin’.” Brady’s gaze never met hers and, instead, kept jumping to the other side of the road. “Once you’re inside, lock the doors.”
“You leave your house unlocked, but I’m supposed to lock it when I’m there?” She looked around again, but still came up empty. “What’s going on? You’re hiding something from me.”
“We have to take care of some business, that’s all.” Dart’s smile was as forced as Ethan’s had been. “Stick to the sidewalk and don’t dawdle. Get the bag and get out to our ranch as fast as you can, okay?”
“But—”
“Just do what we say, honey.” Ethan placed his hand on the small of her back and urged her to start walking. “We’ll be there soon.”
She still couldn’t see anything dangerous. If it had been the gang showing up in the middle of town, they would’ve easily stuck out. Her brother wasn’t anywhere around, either. “Okay, but don’t take too long.”
“We won’t,” promised Brady. “Now get moving.”
Chapter Five
Laney was almost to the B&B when a couple of men hurried across the street and blocked her way. She shot them a quick smile and tried to go around them, but they kept moving, placing their huge bulks in her path. A sizzle of alarm skipped its way up her spine.
“Hey, pretty lady, how’re you doing? Name’s Moses. This guy’s name is Carl.” Moses slapped the other man on the back and pulled his mouth into what she assumed was supposed to be an ingratiating smile. Both had rugged good looks and dark hair. Moses threw out his chest as though trying to impress her.
Had she seen them before? They were familiar, but she was certain she’d never spoken to them. “I’m fine, thanks. Now, if you’ll let me pass.”
“You’re Laney Sugarfield, aren’t you?”
“Yes, how’d you know?”
“Oh, you know. Small town and all.”
“Okay, well, it was nice to meet you.” She tried again to go around them, and once again, they blocked her. Her nerves were on high alert now.
“Aw, don’t be in such a hurry. We only want to talk.”
The second man with black eyes and long, dirty hair grinned, stretching his lips yet putting no real warmth behind the gesture. “Someone needs to warn you.”
The memory of her dream came and went. “To warn me about what?” A quick check around her showed only an elderly couple strolling along the other sidewalk.
“About those Rann fellas you’ve been hanging out with.”
She did another quick glance around. Could she outrun them? If she screamed for help, would anyone come to her aid? “I haven’t been hanging out with them. Not that it’s any of your business.”
Moses moved closer then dragged in a long breath. “Sure you have. I can smell them on you.”
“First of all, eww. Second, again, it’s none of your business.”
“Hey, pretty lady, we just don’t want to see you hurt is all.”
“Hurt how? By the Rann men?” She almost laughed. The thought of the men hurting her was a ridiculous idea.
“Baby, you don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
“Yes, I do.” Did they realize that she was referring to them?
“I don’t think so. They’re not who you think they are,” added Moses, his terrible smile fading.
She crossed her arms. If she couldn’t get rid of them, then she’d hear them out. Hopefully then they’d leave her alone. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, it’s so.” Moses crossed his arms, obviously mimicking her stance. “You’re thinking they’re nice guys. You’re thinking they’re the kind of guys who would help a female out. But you’re wrong. You’re dead wrong.”
A female? That’s a strange way to refer to me.
“I think you’re wrong. Either way, it’s mine to decide and not yours.”
“They’re part of a pack.”
She’d tried again to go around them and had actually succeeded when what Moses had said brought her to a stop. “A pack? Do you mean like a gang?”
“Yeah. You could say so.”
She dared to get closer to Moses, to study him. Was he lying? But why? “That’s bullshit.”
“Naw, it’s fact. Just ask them. They’re part of a pack, a gang, called the Garrett Pack.”
“No. They’re not involved in any gang or pack or whatever you want to call it. They’re ranchers.” The idea of Brady, Dart, and Ethan in a gang just didn’t make sense. They were stand-up guys, the kind of men a woman could count on. The kind of men she was counting on.
“Hey, pretty lady—”
Damn, I wish he’d stop calling me that. It doesn’t sound like a compliment coming from him.
“I’m only trying to save you some trouble.” Moses shrugged. “You’re new in town so someone needs to look out for you.”
“You’re saying the exact opposite that everyone else has said about them.”
“That’s because of the gang, baby,” added Carl, who seemed to like letting Moses do the talking. “People are afraid to say anything against them. Besides, if anyone would know if they’re in a pack, it’s us.”
“And why’s that?” she asked.
Moses grinned again, exposing pointed teeth. More pointed than any she’d ever seen. “Because I’m Moses Garrett. It’s my pack.”
She instinctively stepped back. “You’re lying. Or trying to turn me against them.”
“Why would I do that, pretty lady?”
“I don’t know, and right now, I don’t care. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She put her back to them, hoping to end the conversation and walk away. If she didn’t get away from them soon, she’d regret it. She could feel it in her gut.
“You go on and ask them, pretty lady. Ask them what they really are,” called out Moses.
She glanced over her shoulder to make sure they weren’t following her. Thankfully, they weren’t. Still, what they’d told her rested heavily on her as she hurried back to the B&B.
What if Moses was telling the truth? After all, she’d seen how some people in Fate gave the Rann men a wide berth. She’d assumed it was out of respect, but was it also out of fear? Were the Rann men lying to her? Could she trust them when so much was at stake?
Yet what other choice did she have? If she didn’t get help, then she and Harlen could pay an awful price. But if she trusted them only to have them betray her, would she be putting her brother and herself in even greater danger?
* * * *
“What the fuck do you think you’re looking at?” Ethan was barely able to hold back his beast. Yet, as much as he wanted to shift, to tear into the three Garrett pack members, he held back, unwilling to cause a scene in the middle of town.
Dart and Brady shoved Shank Riggers and Bill Moy into the shadows of the alley between storefronts. They shifted enough to bring out their fangs and the color their eyes. Ethan got up close and personal with the third Garrett Pack member, Grubber Brenlyn. The three were lower-ranking werewolves.
“Back off, Brady.” Yet it was Grubber, who was more intelligent than his name gave him credit for, who stepped back. “We’re not doing a damn thing. As far as I know, it’s still a free country.”
“Yeah, man. We’re not doing anything. Just taking a stroll in town,” added Bill. “No harm in that.”
“Not usually.” Ethan’s lip lifted in a snarl. “Except when you’re eyeballing our mate.”
“We weren’t doing no harm.” Shank growled, his gaze jumping to the other side of the street. But Laney was gone now. “So she’s your mate, huh? Moses said you three found your bitch.”
“Watch what you call her,” warned Dart.
“What are you talking about? All mates are called bitches.” Shank shrugged. “I’m not calling her anything I wouldn’t call my own mate.”
“It’s the way you said it.” Dart bumped his chest against Shank’s, daring him to challenge him. “And for the re
cord, we don’t use that word, got it?”
“Sure, sure.” Shank lowered his gaze, showing his submissive side. An omega wolf would never challenge any alpha unless he was ready for a fight.
“Look, guys, we didn’t mean any harm. She’s a pretty woman. What man wouldn’t look at her?”
Ethan studied Grubber. The three omegas had mellowed out really fast. Maybe too fast. “What’s going on?”
“Huh? I don’t know what you mean.”
He narrowed his eyes, shifting a little more to bring out his inner wolf’s senses. Drawing in the other man’s scent, he picked up the unmistakable aroma of fear. The smell alone wasn’t unusual considering they were omegas and probably nervous as hell confronting them, but he couldn’t shake the impression that it was more than that. “You’re hiding something.”
Grubber blinked then looked away, a sure sign he didn’t want to speak up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rann. We saw a pretty woman, and we watched her. That’s it. Nothing more happened.”
Nothing more had happened, yet the hair on Ethan’s arms and neck stood up, his nerves on edge, his heightened senses picking up on the unseen trouble. “You’re lying.”
“Nah, man, I’m not.” Grubber moved back even farther, motioning for the other two men to come with him. “Look, we don’t want any trouble.”
Ethan couldn’t shake the unnerving feeling. Still, there wasn’t much he could do. Grubber and his friends hadn’t really done anything except admire Laney. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t blame them for doing what any red-blooded werewolf would do.
“Get on out of here,” ordered Brady. “And stay away from our mate. You can pass that message along to the others.”
“Don’t go telling us what to do.” Grubber, however, kept backing up, a snarl rumbling out of him. Still, as soon as he was far enough away to know none of the Rann men could jump him, he spun around and rushed toward the back of the building. He stopped long enough to send them a one-fingered wave then dashed around the corner.
“What the hell do you think that was all about?” asked Dart.
“I don’t know, but they’re pushing their luck standing up to us like that.” Ethan rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension.
“Beats the hell out of me.” Brady slapped Ethan on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get to the ranch.”
“Shouldn’t we head over to the B&B?” Ethan stared after Grubber and his friends. His stomach was still in knots, his inner wolf warning his human side that the danger might not be over. If he turned his wolf lose, he’d track the three men down and do enough damage to their hides to make them tell him whatever they knew.
“We told her to meet us at the ranch. She’s probably halfway there by now.” Brady jerked his head back to the street. “Come on. Get the lead out. We’ve got to get the errands done then get our asses out to the ranch.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Yet even as Dart and Brady walked toward the street, Ethan kept his gaze on the dark alley where the Garrett Pack men had gone. “Something’s off. I can feel it,” he whispered.
“What’d you say?” asked Brady, his own partial shift gone.
“Nothing.” Ethan started after his cousins, his nerves still rankled. The sooner they got to the ranch, the better.
* * * *
Brady was going to wear a rut in the wood of the front porch from pacing back and forth. Dart and Ethan weren’t doing much better with Dart rocking back and forth at a quick pace and Ethan tapping his heel against the bottom step.
“She should’ve been here by now. Hell, a long time ago.” Fact was Laney should’ve shown up hours earlier. “I say we head into town and find out what’s going on. We’ve already waited too damn long.”
Dart, the one who had argued the most with Brady about “hounding her,” was now ready to agree. “Yeah. Something’s not right. She said she’d come, and she hasn’t. The whole thing’s starting to bug the hell out of me.”
“It’s about time.” Brady didn’t care if Ethan agreed or not. He couldn’t take any more waiting. Hurrying past Dart, he took long strides toward the truck. As he’d known they would, Ethan and Dart caught up with him.
“What if her brother’s talked her out of getting rid of the drugs?” asked Dart as he slung his long body into the back seat.
“Or, worse, what if he didn’t give her a choice?” asked Ethan, who took the passenger side. “He wouldn’t do anything to her. He wouldn’t, would he? I mean he’s her brother.”
“He’s her brother, but he’s also a drug dealer. Maybe a user.” Brady had heard enough stories about what people hooked on drugs could do. Stories that included hurting the ones they loved. Thankfully, Fate didn’t have a drug problem. Most shifters didn’t get anything more than a few hard drinks. After all, the best high came from a shift followed by a moonlight run.
“That’s not the worst-case scenario.” Brady pulled the truck onto the dirt road leading to the main road toward Fate. “What if her brother’s gang found her?”
“Shit. Step on it.” Ethan’s last words disintegrated into a growl as his inner wolf rose to the surface. “If they’ve done anything to hurt her, I’ll tear their heads off.”
“Get in line.” Brady’s wolf howled, scratching to get free. A werewolf would protect his mate at whatever cost. Even if it cost him his own life.
“She’s fine. She has to be. If anything bad had gone down, she would’ve called us, right? Or Shawna would have.”
“Yeah. She’s got to be okay. We’re just jumpy is all,” offered Dart, yet his tone was anything but confident.
“We’ll find out one way or another.” Brady pushed harder on the gas pedal. “I just hope we’re not already too late.”
* * * *
Laney knew the Rann men were there. Although she couldn’t have said how she knew, she sensed their arrival. Were they mentally, emotionally connected somehow? Or had she merely been hoping they’d show up? But what would she tell them?
She glanced at the duffel bag sitting on top of the bed. She should’ve gone out to the ranch and let them destroy the pills. After all, no matter what Moses and Carl Garrett had told her, she still needed the Rann men to help her get rid of the drugs. After they did, she could get out of town.
Yet she hadn’t been able to move from the room.
What if the Rann men were playing her? If they were part of a gang, could she be with them? She’d already experienced enough turmoil in her life while dealing with her brother to know she’d never want to live that kind of life. No matter what they said, she’d never be able to fully trust them.
Her decision would be easier if only for one thing. She cared about them. Nothing about her feelings made any sense, other than the undeniable fact that she found them incredibly sexy, manly, hot, attractive, confident, dangerous, and every other adjective a girl could use to describe amazing men. Their looks were enough to make her come, but she had enough experience to know it was more than a physical thing. She’d been attracted to other men and knew how fast that attraction could burn out. But this was different. She felt she knew them on a gut level.
No, this wasn’t only a physical thing by a long shot.
Instead, she felt drawn to them, wondering what they were thinking, wanting to know everything about them, including the stupid little details like their favorite foods or movies. Or if they liked raven-haired women. Or even women they had to help, like some damsel-in-distress. Not that she was that damsel—at least, not normally—but she did need their help.
If she left town after they’d helped her, would they think she was just using them? Would they know how much she longed to be with them? Sexually, of course, but more. She ached be around them, to have them near her, even if they never touched her again.
Bullshit.
She’d die if they never lay with her. She’d die if they didn’t want to run their hands over her body just as she ached to slide her tongue over theirs.
What do I
do now? Should I ask them straight out? Or believe what I’ve been told?
Drawing in a steadying breath, she snatched up the duffel bag and shoved it under the bed. One way or another, she had to make a decision fast. Hurrying, she went downstairs and opened the door.
They took her breath away. Their massive bodies filled the doorway, the late afternoon sun spreading a glow around them. Their eyes, so dark yet brightened with bits of amber, met hers, making it impossible for her to draw in a solid breath. Yet it was concern and even the relief in their gazes that made her legs weak. If they reached for her, she was sure she’d drop to the floor, every ounce of her strength overwhelmed by their touch.
“You’re all right.”
She nodded, answering Ethan’s question that wasn’t a question. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Then why didn’t you come out to the ranch?”
She would’ve sworn she heard hurt in Dart’s tone. “I…” Her words failed her. At last, she managed to tell them the truth. “I don’t know.”
“You’re not making any sense, darlin’.”
Brady was right, of course. Not that she could do anything about it. “I know.”
She turned away. Had to turn away from them. If she didn’t, she was afraid she’d forget about the bag of drugs, her brother, and everything else in the world and beg them to take her. Beg them to make the wild fantasy she’d dreamed the night before come true. “I’m so confused. I don’t know what to think.”
They surrounded her, comforting her with the nearness of their bodies. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took in their scents, letting their oh-so-masculine aroma swamp her. It was strange how their scent could give her strength even as it made her weak. She had to clench her hands to keep from burying her fingers in their hair or skimming her hands along their hard chests then down to the obvious bulges in their jeans.