THE STRAGGLERS PROTECT

by Misha Anderson

Natalie gets her friend by the arm and when she’s walking away I say it out loud so she can hear me:

  “I know you have come to stay, Natalie, when you want a real man to get you right again, I’ll be at your service, cattle princess.”

  She looks at me annoyed and walks away, her hips are moving naturally and I rest my eyes on her round and perky ass, imagining this filly on four, under me, moaning my name while she cums.

  Ah! Natalie, this will be a long fall, we’ll bump into each other again, I’ll move the skies and earth so that may happen as soon as possible.

  CHAPTER 21

  ADAM VAUGH

  A country band plays a beautiful song on the stage of the kermess and I hold Sam by the waist even tighter, I’m in ecstasy with the smooth scent of flower and freshness that’s coming from her sun colored hair.

  My hands go up her blouse and tremble to touch her the naked skin of her back, my mind swirls in one question: what if she doesn’t accept? And what if Sam realizes that staying with me is just a stupid thing? I keep imaging how dad felt when he asked mom to marry him, the fear of being rejected and the decision to honor the name Vaugh and throw myself in the unexpected. The right thing to do is to take the risk and hope she wants me and loves me the same way I love her, from the first time I put my eyes on heres, through the half open door of her house.

  I let go of her waist, stop dancing and bend one knee, trying to stop my legs from trembling in fear of being rejected in public.

  I take one hand to my back pocket and take out a small jewel box, without taking my eyes off of hers. I open the small box and stretch out my hand so she can see the ring that’s resting in black velvet.

  “Sam, I don’t quite know how should I ask this question, but I’ll improvise because that’s how everything started between us, unexpected. I love you more than I could imagine it was possible and all I want is to wake up and sleep by your side, everyday of my life, would you give me the honor of being my little bunny forever? Will you marry me?”

  Hunter, Kayden and Connor get closer and hug one another, they are also anxious for Sam’s answer. She smiles at me and then she looks at my brothers, asking them:

  “Do you boys accept me?”

  Hunter gets forwards and answers for everyone, blowing us a kiss.

  “Of course, beautiful, you’re our little sister now.”

  Sam holds my face with both her hands and kisses me, whispering her answer on my lips at every sweet little kiss she gives me:

  “Forever. Your. Little bunny. Damy boy. I’ll mary you, I love you, Adam.”

  I slide the engagement ring on her finger and she looks at the delicate little emerald stones in olden gold, I say embarrassed for looking like a romantic fool:

  “It was my mother’s ring, I hope you like it, Sam.”

  I got up and Sam threw herself on my neck, I bring my mouth to hers, thirsty and full of desire.

  “It’s perfect, beautiful, Damy, you made me get emotional.”

  We kisses without hurry, I stopped our kiss when I hear yells of encouragement from Hunter, Connor and Kayden.

  The first one to come near was Connor, kissing Sam on the cheek loudly, then Hunter and Kayden.

  Connor hugged me, he teased me:

  “Fu... fuck, Damy, I ne... never th... thought you wo... would get ma... married, brother.”

  I slap his arm complaining:

  “Fuck, man, are you calling me a lost case? You think I’m that uninteresting?”

  Kayden was on Connor’s side, trying to explain his “sincere statement”.

  “That’s no it, Damy, but let’s be honest, you were never the nicest guy from the neighborhood, always quiet, no one could imagine you would end up with a hot chick like Sam.”

  “Not chick, my little bunny.”

  After we hugged and my brothers congratulated me for the engagement, some of my closer friends came to congratulate us too, like my partner Cumming and old John, owner of the diner where Sam works.

  “Congratulations for the engagement, I hope you’ll be very happy, Samantha, take good care of this princess, Sheriff Vaugh.”

  Samantha entangled herself around my arms and buried her face on my chest, smiling shyly, while I shook John’s hand.

  “Don’t worry, John, I will, now she won’t escape me again.”

  Samantha excused herself and whispered in my ear:

  “I’m going to the restroom, I’ll be right back, love.”

  I think the baby is complaining about all the rubbish I’ve eaten in this kermess, I pass by Kayden and he stops me, looking me up and down and stopping by my belly, he’s a little worried.

  “Is everything alright, Sam?”

  I answer him in a low voice:

  “I think you nephew or niece is complaining because of the rubbish I’ve eaten, I’m nauseous.”

  “Need help?”

  I smiled thinking which pregnant woman needs help to throw up? Unfortunately this dirty job we have to do it by ourselves, ah! Men really don’t understand anything about pregnancy, I caressed Kayden’s arm calming him down.

  “No, Kay, I’ll be right back.”

  Before I left, he held me by the arm and kissed my forehead, in a serious tone:

  “Now that you’re getting married, don’t you think it’s time for you to tell Damy he’ll be a father?”

  I lower my head and nodded thoughtfully.

  “You’re right, even though that’s not the best moment for us to be parents, he has the right to know he’s going to be a father, as soon as we get to the ranch, I’ll talk to him, let me go, before I’ll throw up on your new boots.”

  I got out quickly, thank God, even through the restroom was distant, it seemed to be empty. Before I could open the door, I felt a callous hand around my waist. When I tried to get away from the “inconvenient drunk”, I’m facing the last person I could imagine seeing again.

  “Hi, Samantha, did you miss me?”

  “Igor?”

  His hand went to my nose and he smothered me with a wet handkerchief, the handkerchief was wet in some liquid with a nauseating smell.

  I turned my eyes and the last thing my mind registered were my hands protecting my stomach, then I dove into a deep endless darkness.

  I give a weak smile to John and Cumming while they recall the real “nice” way the population received me as soon as I got the job as a sheriff. The women divided themselves between frequent visits to the police station making senseless complains, while some complained that I was too serious.

  And the husbands of these women barely directed me a word, annoyed by old Paul’s retirement, until Portland people accepted me, got used to my quiet ways, I went through some things.

  I look at the watch thinking is weird that Samantha is taking so long to get back from the restroom. Twenty minutes went by and I excuse myself with my friends, I’m wandering around to see if I catch Sam lost. I go by Hunter and ask for Sam, but he hasn’t seen her since the engagement. Kayden is talking to Sebastian Walker and I interrupt their conversation asking Kay if he has seen Samantha:

  “Kay, Samantha went to the restroom and hasn’t come back, have you seen her around?”

  Kay looks at me worried and tells me in a low voice:

  “She said she wasn’t feeling alright, I can’t really remember her exiting the restroom, it’s best if we went there to see if she has stopped thro... to see if she’s alright.”

  We went to the restroom and asked one of the ladies leaving the restroom to check if Samantha was feeling better. Mrs. Sheldon came back with and said with a worried look:

  “There’s no one in the restroom, Sheriff Vaugh, your girlfriend is not in there, you better look for her in another place, maybe she went back to where you were.”

  Kayden scratches his head and we go back to where we were, I walk around the restroom area without knowing what to think, what may have happened to Sam?

  An unsettling feeling takes over my body and my hair stands on end, Kay
grunts with an animal-like expression on his face, I’ve seen him like this a thousand times, his wolf is an incomparable hunter, Hunter comes for us in a fast pace and I ask him to stand still to make a human wall and cover Kayden. He growls and grunts louder and he crouches, smelling the air and the ground. His animal-like eyes stare at me with his iris in an amber shade. He gets up in a quick movement and signals me to follow him.

  Before we get to the parking lot, Kay walks slowly and stops his eyes on the ground, pointing to a fallen handkerchief and a wallet. Hunter crouches and I alert him not to touch the handkerchief.

  “Hunt, don’t touch it, it can be a clue.”

  I run to the improvised medical stand and ask the nurse, Stephany, gloves and a plastic bag. I get back to where Hunter and Kay are, put the gloves on and open the wallet, confirming that’s Sam’s wallet, through her driving license and her identity. My blood is cold in my veins, I hold the handkerchief and before I can get it close to my face, Kayden stops me and shakes his head, speaking in a low voice, devastated:

  “It’s chloroform, someone used to knock Sam down.”

  Kay walks a little forward and points to the asphalt.

  “Her scent is really strong till here, they took her on a car, see the track marks, I can track the scent of two men, but they must be far from here.”

  My hands closed into fists along my body, I need to try to control myself, but the idea of someone having taken Samantha leaves me completely out of myself. Whoever has taken her, doesn’t have the slightest ideia of the carnage I’ll be capable of doing if they touch a hair out of my woman’s head.

  “Fuck, when I find who did this, I’ll rip off very slowly the members of the mother fucker who dared touch my woman.”

  Hunter holds me by the arm, worried to see me so disturbed.

  “Adam, you have to calm down otherwise it can be worse for her.”

  “Fucking calm, Hunter. I’ll kill the bastard, very slow and no one will stop me, you can be sure of that. I only have three suspects: the two feds and the miserable Igor Kedrak.”

  Kayden calls Connor and he’s quickly there with his truck, he stops and opens the door so we can get in.

  “Ho... how did the... they did that to Sa... Sa..., fuck, I’m ner... nervous.”

  Hunter answers Connor as he enters the truck:

  “Someone took Sam when she went to the restroom, it may have been the feds or Igor’s people.”

  Kay completes it:

  “If it wasn’t Igor himself.”

  I sit beside Hunter and Kayden sits on the back, I orient Connor to start the search for Samantha.

  “Let’s go to the hotel where the feds are, if they’re not there, we’ll get back to the ranch to plan the search.”

  Connor headed to Portland Hotel as fast as he could, we entered the reception and the receptionist looked scared at us. It most certainly isn’t every day that four men coming from hell demand to talk to their guests.

  “Sheriff Vaugh, how can I help you?”

  “Tell me what room detectives Taylor and Lopez are.”

  “I don’t know if I can give you this information, Sher...”

  I stop him, quickly pull him by the shirt colar over the counter.

  “I suggest you tell me now, my woman is in danger, Kevin, you don’t want to see me lose my mind or do you?”

  Hunter made a fist and Kevin with panic in his eyes, stuttered when he talked:

  “Apartment 403 sir, but I think it’s better...”

  Kevin didn’t finish what he intended to, I pushed the elevator button and as it was taking longer than I could stand, I took the stairs, followed by my brothers. At the end of the third floor, I finished climbing the steps two at the time. I got to the apartment 403 door and pounded at the door with closed fists, yelling to whoever cared to listen:

  “Lopez, Taylor, it’s Adam Vaugh, open the door.”

  The door was open and Lopez greeted us with a towel wrapped around his waist, through the cracked door I could see two prostitutes lying in bed with Taylor. He covered himself with a sheet embarrassed and the women covered their breasts and vaginas, yelling sacred. I crossed my arms on my chest and grunted at both of them.

  “Lopez, Taylor, I need to talk to you.”

  One of the women complained to Lopez, pointing the four of us.

  “What the fuck is this? The deal was for you two to pay the price of two guys, if we knew it was an orgy we would have charged more.”

  I posted the door and I spoke in a low voice and slowly to the women, making them get dressed quickly:

  “Get out of here, before I arrest both of you.”

  Taylor sat on the bed complaining with me.

  “Who you think you are to end with our little party like this, I don’t remember inviting you to come to my room, who do you want, Vaugh?”

  The women left the room in a hurry and I got close to Lopez starring them both.

  “I’m the town sheriff and engaged to Samantha and to get my woman back I’ll turn every corner of this city, and when I find the son of a bitch who took her from me, I’ll rip his throat with these hands. Now tell me where you hid her?”

  Taylor shook the sheet sarcastically.

  “She’s not here, if that little tasty thing was here on my bed I would never pay 50 dollars to those two dogs for a blowjob.”

  I advanced towards the bed and I hit Taylor full on the chin, he tried to open the drawer of the nightstand and I draw my pistol, pointing to him and Lopez.

  “Not another step or I’ll put a bullet on both your foreheads, now tell me where you hid Samantha?”

  Taylor put his arms up trying to calm me down,

  “Calm down, man we don’t know where she is, I give you my word, you can search the room. We wanted to arrest her, but all in the law, how did they took her? Who may have done it?”

  Hunter and Connor quickly searched the room while I explained how Sam disappeared, Taylor got dressed, took a picture of Samantha’s driver’s license photo and called a few marshals in near by towns and sent it Sam’s picture.

  “Her name is Samantha Thompson, she was kidnapped less than an hour ago, who did this is not far, send her picture to highway patrol, any big road that these felons take we’ll get them.”

  Kay approached me and whispered in a low voice.

  “She hasn’t been here, I think they’re telling the truth, we’re losing time in here, we’ll get back to the ranch and plan how we’ll search for her.”

  We left the feds’ room with the promise they would help us look for Samantha.

  “After some more calls, we’ll go the your ranch, we’re willing to help, Vaugh.”

  I thanked and went home, before we got there, Kayden called uncle Quinn asking him for help.

  “Uncle Quinn, Adam’s fiancee was kidnapped, we need help from all Portland and the near towns packs, I ask you to gather the best trackers, I’m going to lead them, we’ll wait for you at the ranch.”

  We’ll get at the ranch and I can’t keep calm, as soon as I enter the living room, I punch the wall and the second punch I throw, Hunter holds my hand in the air and looks at me, seriously.

  “Adam, try to control yourself, Samantha needs you now, you’re the leader of our pack, fuck! If you fall, we all fall. Trust, have faith in Mother Nature, the same way she gave you your female, She will bring back your woman safe and sound, believe in Eithinoha, Mother Earth, will have your back, my brother.”

  I take a deep breath and tears as sneaky enemies, surround me till they take over me completely, they fall down my face large and heavy and blurry my sight.

  Connor hugs me by the waist and Kayden is around my left flank, I need to be strong, she’ll show up, I can only believe my female will return to me, all I have left is to believe, nothing more.

  In less than half an hour, uncle Quinn knocks at our door and a group of over twenty lycans gather in my little living room. Kayden stands on the coffee table and speaks louder so everyone can hea
r him:

  “Excuse me, uncle Quinn, the leader of Garret pack, and Mr. Fleishner from Coulter pack. The leader of my pack is Adam, but I ask you permission to lead the searches, Damy, I am sure all here agree that there’s no damn tracker better than me in this living room and I promise by the spilled blood of our parents, that I’m going to track your female, we’ll bring Samantha back to you, Damy. The names I say it out loud accompany me, the others will be led by Adam, uncle Quinn and Mr. Fleishner: Here with me I want Seth, Frankie, Hudson and Rainier.”

  We put together a search plan to get Samantha, detectives Lopez, Taylor and my friend Peter also joined us, alerting the highway patrol from all states to the border in Vancouver.

  Connor and Hunter went to the garage and came back with guns.

  They came to me with Kayden, and Hunter stretched out his hand, giving me dad’s hunting knife, he gave a tight hug and said:

  “We’re going to separate ourselves in groups, but we’ll talk through the cellphone, anything you find out, let us know and we’ll do the same, take dad’s knife, this knife bled many enemies, I’m sure it will be useful to you in the same way, the power of our people is with you, Adam.”

  SAMANTHA THOMPSON

  My head hurt as if a thousand whistles hissed in my ears, non stopping, I open my eyes with difficulty and I look around, receiving a potent shot of adrenaline in my veins that wakes me up completely. Igor, this bastard has found me again, he has certainly knocked me out to get me from the kermess. I drag myself though the cold floor and sit on the corner of an empty and dark room. I speak out loud and scream, desperately for someone to hear me:

  “Igor, Igor, for the love of God, let me out of here.”

  A woman opens the door and it creaks when she closes it, I look at the wooden walls and the architecture of the place, it seems to me that I’m in a shed or something of the type. The woman approaches me and my eyes rest in my tied hands, she looks at me coldly and answers me with a Russian accent:

  “What do you want, girl?”

  “Call Igor, he needs to let me go, why did he tied me?”