“What about your father? You never speak of him.”
Jake’s spine stiffened at the mention of his father. “He was a bastard and probably still is. Haven’t heard from him in years.”
The time was coming when he would tell Laurie the truth, that his father had decided not to change their mother and had allowed her to think that he’d been out with other women when in fact he’d been running the ranch in his wolf form. After that the depression had set in.
Jake was determined to be nothing like his father. He wouldn’t take a mate unless the woman fully understood his other side, his wolf side, and what it would mean living with him. He was convinced that Laurie was such a woman . . . if he could persuade her to stay.
Laurie longed to take Jake into her arms and comfort him, remove the pain she saw in his eyes. She nudged Sugar closer to Jake’s stallion and laid her hand on Jake’s thigh. “I’m sorry, Jake.” A whiff of hot-blooded virile male with a hint of wood smoke and citrus filled Laurie’s senses as she reluctantly withdrew her hand. The uncanny attraction between them made her whole body light up.
Jake gritted his teeth when Laurie’s touch ignited a rush of desire that charged through his blood stream and settled uncomfortably in his groin. “We’d better be heading back. Those clouds are starting to move in.”
Laurie turned her horse away from the arroyo and nudged her mare up alongside Jake’s much larger stallion. She’d been confused by Jake’s sudden with drawl and wondered if she’d done something to upset him. As they started back toward the ranch house, she decided to concentrate on the night ahead and the seduction she had planned. And then she would do what she had to do. She would leave the ranch and whatever chance they might have had at happiness.
“Last one back to the barn has to muck the stalls,” she shouted as she spurred the Arabian mare into a full out gallop.
Jake grinned, his depression disappearing instantly as he and Golden Cloud took up the challenge and thundered after the fleeing pair.
Neither Jake nor Laurie noticed the coyote who was standing on a nearby hillock, nor did they notice the rifle he held trained on them. But Manuel Ortega saw them and he smiled grimly when he thought of the bounty that Enrique Perez had placed on the woman’s head.
Manuel was of medium height with the dark hair and coloring of his Yaqui ancestors. He had spent most of his adult life shepherding illegals across the Mexican border. Over the years the harsh desert sun had turned his skin leathery but he figured he’d have enough money to fix things like that after he collected the reward. He would then buy a place far away from the desert and with all that money and a new face he could have whatever women he wanted into the bargain.
Manuel watched the pair ride nearer, the man drawing closer to the woman and her hard-charging horse. He figured taking out the man would stop the woman long enough to give Manuel time to get to her. Carefully, he sighted down the long barrel of his rifle and fired.
“Shit!” Manuel exclaimed when he saw his bullet hit the woman instead of the man he’d been aiming for. Manuel didn’t stop to see what damage his treachery had wrought. He ran for his horse, hastily shoving his rifle into a leather scabbard before climbing aboard. He would be a dead man if Enrique Perez ever found out he had killed the Kincaid woman thereby depriving Perez of his revenge. Manuel kicked his horse ruthlessly in the flanks and headed for parts unknown.
The rifle shot sounded like an explosion to Jake’s sensitive ears. He watched as though in slow motion as the bullet struck Laurie’s shoulder, knocking her out of the saddle and tumbling her head over heals until she landed in a limp heap beside a barrel cactus. Jake pulled Cloud up abruptly, sitting the stallion back on its haunches as horse and rider slid to a stop in a cloud of dust near where Laurie had landed. Jake jumped from Cloud’s back before the stallion had come to a full stop, grabbing the stallion’s reins and using the animal to shield Laurie and himself from further gunfire. The stallion’s eyes were white-rimmed in fear but he stood obediently when Jake dropped the reins, effectively ground tying the animal. Jake could see the shooter riding hell bent for leather in the opposite direction. He would have to track the man later, his first priority right now was tending to Laurie’s wound.
“Laurie!” Jake shouted as he dropped to his knees beside her. He pushed the hair from her ashen face, and saw that she was conscious, her eyes straining to focus on Jake’s face as he took inventory of her bruised and battered body. Jake couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped his lips when he saw the arterial blood pumping from the bullet hole in her shoulder.
“Does it hurt awful bad?” Jake asked as he ripped his t-shirt off over his head and wadded it up into a ball before pressing it against her wounded shoulder.
“No, Jake, it did at first, but not now,” Laurie whispered, her eyelids fluttering closed.
“Stay with me, Laurie, just stay with me!” Jake shouted into her face. Adrenaline flooded his veins and he pressed the blood-soaked cloth against her wound even harder. He was losing her to shock and loss of blood and his wolf howled at the brutal realization.
“I’m so cold, Jake. Am I going to die?”
Jake could see the fear in Laurie’s eyes and he raged, “No, damn it, you’re not going to die! There’s one way I can save you, Laurie.” If he was able to Change her, if she hadn’t slipped too far away, she would heal quickly, the bullet wound healing almost overnight. “Do you want to live?”
Laurie used the last of her waning strength to caress the side of Jake’s face with her fingertips. She marveled at the moisture she felt there, and the tears she saw coursing down both sides of his face. “Yes, Jake, I want to live. More than anything.” Her eyelids fluttered closed as she said, “I’m sorry, I should have told you about . . .”
Jake didn’t’ need to hear anything else as he quickly stepped out of his jeans. His transformation into wolf form was painless. He welcomed the stretching of muscles and tissue, the soft fur next to his body and the coarser outer coat that added layers of protection. His jaw lengthened into a muzzle with lethal-looking teeth erupting in his mouth. He was a shape shifter, a thing of myth and legend, a werewolf.
Laurie reached her hand out and touched the black wolf tentatively, seemingly unafraid of the beast that towered above her, its iridescent blue eyes riveted to her face. She didn’t feel the pain when the wolf dropped its head and nipped her wrist.
“I remember you,” Laurie whispered as she slipped into unconsciousness.
ChapterNineteen
He didn’t like dealing with Enrique Perez but as Enrique’s second-in-command he found it a necessary evil if he was to enjoy the riches that could be had as a member of the Crótalo cartel. Poncho Vega stretched his arms above his head, his muscles stiff from hours in the saddle as well as on ATVs searching for Laurie Kincaid. He had organized the hunt at Enrique’s request, spreading the word and ensuring that every coyote, rat and mole in southern Arizona knew about the handsome reward that was being offered for the woman’s return. The woman was running, and who could blame her considering who she was running from. Poncho had seen her from a distance when she’d first come to the estancia. Laurie Kincaid was beautiful beyond compare with her elegant figure, silky blonde hair and green eyes whose depths a man could easily get lost in. He could well understand why Luzaro had became obsessed with her.
But the woman had chosen to run, for whatever reason, and now it was his job to make sure that she was found, either dead or alive. Enrique had been very specific about wanting the woman returned unharmed. Poncho knew of the man’s proclivities and would have felt sorry for the woman if those kinds of sentiments hadn’t been beaten out of him so long ago. Enrique hadn’t said that her charms couldn’t be sampled, though, and Poncho planned to do just that if he found her alive.
Poncho stiffened his spine when he saw Enrique walking toward the security command post where Poncho had a small office.
“Report,” Enrique snapped as he stepped into Poncho’s office
and took a chair near the window so he could still see the courtyard and hacienda beyond.
“I have men on the lookout all over Arizona. She’s either dead or gone to ground. If she’s alive, we’ll find her when she surfaces.”
“The woman is not to be harmed. Make sure everyone is clear on that.”
Poncho was certain that Enrique was saving that pleasure for himself, the bastard. “We’ll find her.”
Enrique watched the Kincaid woman’s horse grazing peacefully in the far paddock. He hadn’t thought of a way to use the animal yet. Luzaro always had a guard on the horse which irritated Enrique to no end.
“I expect results, Vega. If you value your position here you’ll see that I get them.” Enrique got to his feet and stalked out of the office.
“Sure thing, boss.” Poncho said, wondering if there wasn’t some way Enrique’s plans could be thwarted.
It was large for a Mesquite tree, at least twenty feet high with three-inch thorns tough enough to penetrate the soles of sneakers or to puncture tires. After collecting the horses and making sure they were secured for the night, Jake had tied the ponchos together that he’d removed from the backs of their saddles, threading them through the lower branches of the tree to make a shelter. The storm he’d seen in the distance earlier was almost upon them. Jagged bolts of lightning spit the heavy air and thunder boomed moments later, shaking the ground beneath Jake’s feet.
Assured that the bleeding had stopped and that Laurie was sleeping peacefully, Jake took a few moments to gather up all of the dead wood near their makeshift lean-to. Why didn’t the shooter come after us? The question kept rolling around in Jake’s mind allowing him little peace. He could have easily taken the man out with the rifle he always carried, but at what cost to Laurie? He’d been relieved when he saw the gunman riding away instead of coming after them because there wouldn’t have been time to confront their attacker and take care of Laurie, too.
Jake’s features hardened with a look his younger brothers knew only too well. She’s going to tell me what’s going on or else. He had to find out who was hunting Laurie and why, because that’s exactly what was happening.
Jake had called Taggert earlier and apprised his brother of the situation and was pleased when Taggert had agreed with what Jake had done. If Laurie was going to stay and be Jake’s mate and a part of all of their lives, she had to be Changed. There was no way around that. The fact that it had been forced upon her would be something that Jake was going to have to deal with. He hoped with all his heart that she would accept the life-altering changes that were going to occur, and accept him in the process.
Laurie could hear thunder in the distance and the pitter patter of rain overhead. It took a moment for her to remember where she was and what had happened. Jake Wolfe had saved her life again, it seemed. She tested her shoulder and found very little soreness or pain. She felt alive, more alive than anytime in her recent memory, a changed woman. Her senses were sharper, she could see everything around her even though it was still dark. The sounds of the desert filled her ears, the hoot of an owl in the distance, the soft scuttling of rodents in the undergrowth, the slither of a snake as it made its way across a bed of loose pebbles. Her sense of smell was also heightened, the spicy, citrus scent that she associated with Jake Wolfe filling her nostrils. She breathed deeply of the erotic smell of musk and man before opening her eyes and turning her head.
“You owe me an explanation,” Jake said when he saw that Laurie’s eyes were open. He didn’t bother asking her how she felt. He could see that her shoulder was healing and knew the pain would be almost gone by now. “You need to tell me who’s hunting you? I can’t protect you if I don’t know who or what to look out for.”
There was a look on Jake’s face that Laurie had never seen before, a look of pure feral determination to get the truth out of her one way or the other. “The less you know the better it will be for you,” she answered bravely. “When I leave here tomorrow the threat to you and your brothers should go with me.”
Jake pinned her bright green eyes with his sapphire blue ones and said, “You’re going to get yourself and others killed if you don’t tell me what’s going on. And you’re not leaving here, not anytime soon.”
Laurie had questions of her own but was willing to wait for her answers. Jake was right, he deserved to know what he was dealing with. He could have been killed by the gunman who had wounded her. Laurie drew in a deep breath. “I made a huge mistake a few weeks ago, a mistake that I’ll probably pay for with my life as well as the lives of whoever might try to help me.”
The tears Jake saw in Laurie’s eyes tore at his heart and he had to forcibly restrain himself from gathering her into his arms. He couldn’t risk distracting her. He needed her to tell him the whole story. “Go on.”
“Does the name Luzaro Rivera mean anything to you?” Laurie whispered through her tears. She watched as the look of determination on Jake’s face was replaced by one of acknowledgment and horror.
Jake sat in stunned silence for several long moments. “He’s a monster, Laurie. How did you ever get involved with someone like that?” He knew the name Luzaro Rivera, probably better than anyone. The smuggling of illegals into the United States was only one of the many unsavory activities that Rivera and his ruthless drug cartel were involved in. They were brutal killers, sociopaths of the worst kind. It was a miracle that Laurie had escape from someone like that.
“I’m a writer, a loner by nature,” Laurie tried to explain. “I’d been in New York for over a year and had pretty much closed myself off from everything and everyone to concentrate on my writing, except for my agent.” Laurie paused to draw a deep breath before continuing. “I finally let Julie persuade me into going out to a club, and that’s where I met Luc.”
“Luzaro Rivera?” Jake felt the blood start to heat in his veins. The bastard lied to her right from the start.
“Yes. Julie and I had no idea who he was. He was a little too smooth for my taste but I decided it wouldn’t hurt to see him, on a friendship basis at least. He was bright, and witty, and very handsome, not to mention wealthy, and yet I felt there was something off about Luc. I felt he was a little too good to be true. I had decided not to see him again when something horrific happened.” Laurie could still remember the way the DEA undercover agents head had exploded, his blood and brain matter sliding down the passenger side window. She shuddered at the gruesome memory.
Jake drew Laurie’s cold hands into his. His touch warmed her, the ice in her veins melting under his concerned gaze.
“We had been out riding that afternoon and Luzaro had shown a side of himself that I hadn’t seen before, a not very pleasant aggressive, overbearing side. That was when I made the decision to end things with him. His second-in-command, Enrique Perez, and several bodyguards were waiting for us when we returned from our ride. It was on the way back into the city that Enrique pulled the car over to the side of the road, put a gun to the head of the man sitting beside him in the front seat and pulled the trigger. It was horrifying, Jake!” Laurie cried and started to shake uncontrollably. “I’ll never forget it.”
The explosion would have been deafening, Jake knew, as well as the sight of a man’s brains being blown all over the car window. He couldn’t help wondering why Perez had killed the DEA agent in front of Laurie unless he and Rivera had planned to take her with them when they left New York City, willing or not. The bastards!
Jake could restrain himself no longer and pulled Laurie’s unresisting body into his arms. “It’s okay, Laurie. You’re safe here. I’ll make sure of it.”
Laurie pulled away. “It’s not Luzaro I’m worried about. Oh, he’ll try to find me at first. My running away has probably wounded his macho pride. I know he’d give up in time.” Laurie couldn’t seem to control the tremors that shook her body. “But Enrique Perez won’t give up.”
Jake had heard rumors about Enrique Perez, a deviant sociopath and Luzaro Rivera’s second-in-comman
d. “My brothers will have to be informed of this. They won’t let me handle it alone.”
“Now you know why I want to leave,” Laurie finished miserably.
“Running away isn’t the answer, Laurie. You’re one of us now and we’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”
Laurie knew she’d been kidding herself and that she couldn’t run far enough or fast enough to avoid Enrique’s powerful reach. She remembered the way Jake had changed into a wolf, effortlessly and elegantly, powerful, sexy and seductive, one minute a man, the very next minute a wolf. Could she really be like that now?
“What do you mean I’m one of you?” Something was different inside of her and she held her breath as she waited for Jake’s explanation.
Hoping that forthrightness was the least shocking and best strategy Jake said, “My brothers and I are shape-shifters, werewolves if you prefer.” When he saw Laurie’s eyes widen and her brows lift and that she didn’t feint dead away he continued, “We seldom Change, only to help others or to protect our own. Shape-shifters are similar to werewolves and tales are common all over the world, especially among Native Americans.”
“You changed into a wolf and bit me just before I feinted?” She would never forget the look of desperation she’d seen in the wolf’s eyes, in Jake’s eyes?
“Yes, it was the only way I could save your life. There wasn’t time to bring in emergency help, you were losing too much blood. I didn’t feel I could risk it.”
“And now I’m going to be like you?” Laurie asked through trembling lips.
“Remember when I asked you if you wanted to live and that there was only one way I could save you? Changing you was the only way.” He would help her through her first Change and hopefully she would find it as exhilarating as he always did.
The Guardian (The Wolfe Series) Page 15