by Jane Jamison
“Naw. There are too many people around. I’d hate to see werewolf sightings on the evening news.” Jamie backed away from the window. “I can hear it already. ‘Large wolves attack men at local motel.’ We don’t want to have cops chasing us, too.”
“Then what?” asked Case.
“We think of another way out or wait until there aren’t any witnesses hanging around.”
Maya groaned, bringing their attention back to the beautiful woman in the bed. Ham’s heart filled with joy as he took in her golden hair and turned-up nose. They’d gotten lucky in finding her, and he wouldn’t risk losing her.
“Some way, somehow, we need to get out of here.” Ham growled as the man behind the car scurried over to hide behind a pickup. “Once she’s awake, we move and move fast.”
“How far are we from the mountains?”
Ham couldn’t help but think how Case sounded the same as he had as a kid when he used to ask, “How much longer until we get to the movie?”
“It depends on how fast we go and if we take turns driving.”
“And we’re going to let them track us all the way up the mountain?”
“Right. I figure we can shake them once we’re in the woods. Then we’ll get Justin Trayner to take the pickup and hightail it out of there. If they follow him, he’ll lead them on a wild-goose chase while we double back, grab the other pickup he’s leaving at another spot, then head for Texas.”
“Let’s just hope they won’t shoot first and ask questions later.”
“You can never tell what a hunter’s likely to do, but Justin can handle himself.”
Justin was a good friend of theirs who was willing to help shifters out whenever they needed it. He had no problem swapping vehicles with them. Ham wished more humans could be more accepting of shifters.
“Sounds like a plan. When do we leave?”
* * * *
“Where am I?” Maya’s head hurt as she blinked, trying to get the world to come into focus. The Hunter brothers stood around her, and although their faces were drawn and weary, their eyes were filled with love. Or was it lust? Maybe both?
“Hey, baby.”
Case took her hand, and although she welcomed the zing of excitement that rushed from him into her, she couldn’t stop the uneasiness creeping into her. He helped her sit up and put two pillows behind her for her to rest on.
She was in a modest motel room. But that was the extent of what she knew. “Where are we? The last thing I remember was being in your home.” She fingered the large T-shirt with the Get Passionate in Passion, Colorado logo slashed across the front. “And why am I wearing this shirt?”
“You were in our rental house, yes. And remember? We kind of tore your shirt apart. That was the best we could find to put on you.”
She pushed the comforter under the sides of her legs. “I guess you didn’t have any extra thongs lying around, huh?”
“Thongs aren’t our style.” Ham grinned as he came to sit on the other side of her. “Did you take a sleeping pill on top of drinking?”
“Urgh.” She put her hand to her temple and wished it was that easy to stop the pounding in her head. “Yeah, I did. I didn’t even think about mixing the two until after I took the pill. And then it took such a short time to work, I guess it kind of caught me off guard.”
“Well, you’re fine and that’s all that matters.” Case rubbed her hand between his two. “Though I wouldn’t recommend doing it again.”
“Trust me. I won’t.” A quick check around her brought her search for her purse up empty. “How’d you know anyway?”
Ham’s sheepish expression didn’t make her feel any better. “I went to answer your phone and accidentally knocked everything out onto the floor. And I still didn’t get to your phone fast enough to pick up in time.”
“Okay, I can understand that. Where the hell are we? And where is my purse now? And my phone?”
Jamie took a stand next to Case, his feet spread, as though ready for a fight. “First of all, I need you to stay calm. Do you understand?”
His request resulted in the exact opposite reaction of what he’d wanted her to feel. Alarm put a tightness in her chest, and she tugged the comforter to her chin.
Yeah, right. So not happening.
“I’ll try. But when you tell someone to stay calm, it usually doesn’t work. Which is why I’m thinking I’m not going to like what you’re about to tell me.”
“You probably won’t. But I want you to remember that we did it for your safety as well as ours.”
“Did what?” She caught their silent exchange, which cranked up her nerves even more. “Just tell me.”
Jamie’s shoulders lifted as he drew in a long, slow breath.
He’s preparing for the worst reaction ever. Shit, shit, shit.
“You’re in a motel in a small town a few miles across the Colorado border. We’re on our way to the mountains.”
At first, she started to smile, but that instinctual response of denial died fast. “We’re where?”
Jamie dragged in a breath. “We had to get out of Passion and take you along with us.”
Her pulse sped up. She’d wanted to spend more time with them, but she hadn’t counted on getting dragged along, without her knowledge or consent, to another place. Another town. Hell, another state. “The mountains? As in Montana?”
Their combined silence was her answer.
“I don’t understand. Why did you have to leave? And why did you have to kidnap me?”
Ham took over for Jamie. “We didn’t kidnap you.”
“What do you call taking someone somewhere without getting their permission first?”
Ham checked with his brothers, but they weren’t giving him any help. “We didn’t have a choice. If we had, of course, we would’ve given you the chance to decide to stay or to come. But we didn’t have the time or the option, so we did what we thought was best.”
“And hauling me across the state line was the best you could do?” She didn’t know what to think. She liked them a lot, but would she have gone with them on her own? Maybe, but then again, maybe not. Either way, she should’ve had a say.
“I’m not explaining this very well.” Ham paced to the far side of the room. His tension was evident in the rigidity of his walk.
“What Ham’s trying to say is that some very nasty men are after us. We could’ve stayed and confronted them, but that would’ve caused more trouble. Not just for us, but for others like us in Passion. We opted for getting the hell out of town and taking them on a wild-goose chase. Once we shake them, we’re heading for Texas.” Jamie jerked his head toward Ham at a noise from the outside. After waiting a moment, he turned back to her.
“And do I get a say in any of this? What if I don’t want to go with you?”
“Right now, you have to.” He held up his hands, palms out, stopping her protest. “Once we’ve gotten rid of them, then we’ll see.”
We’ll see? What the hell does that mean?
She paused as a memory of voices came back to her. “I think I heard you talking about this right before I fell asleep. Or at least I think I did. Everything’s fuzzy right now.”
“Yeah, I guess you could’ve. A friend of ours phoned to warn us.”
“But why are they after you?” A different kind of fear inched into her. What would she do if someone hurt one or all of them? She’d known them for a short time, but they’d come to mean so much to her. But so much that she wanted to run away with them?
“They—” Jamie shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We didn’t break the law or anything like that. But we’re going home and you’re coming with us.”
“Of course it matters. I need to know why I went to sleep in one bed and ended up in another. In a different state.” Her voice had risen, but she didn’t care. They needed to know how upset she was.
“Jamie, maybe we should tell her.”
But Jamie ignored Case’s suggestion. “We had to bring you with
us for your own safety. If we’d left you behind, they would’ve taken you to use against us. They’d have offered your safe return for our surrendering to them.”
He was talking nonsense. “You make it sound like we’re held up in a castle with invaders threatening to burn the royal princess at the stake. If you’re in trouble, why not contact the police?”
“Maya, I’m sorry, but we don’t have time to get into this.”
Jamie’s features tightened and his eyes flashed, filling with amber. The deep sound he made in his throat was more animal-like than human. For a moment, she was afraid of him. Was this the same man who’d treated her like she’d always dreamed a man would?
“I know you don’t understand, so you’re going to have to trust me. To trust us. You’re ours, and we’re making you our woman.”
A part of her thrilled at his words while yet another side of her rebelled. She’d wanted a take-charge kind of guy, but there was a limit.
“And what if I say no?”
His eyes sparkled with flecks of amber now that most of the amber color had receded. “You can’t. You’re coming with us whether you like it or not.”
“Like hell I am.”
“Jamie, we’re not taking her by force.” Case’s voice was low but controlled. “Take it slower and explain it better.”
She glanced between them. “Listen to your brother, Jamie.”
But Case came back at her. “Jamie’s right. At least for now. You have to come with us. Please try and understand that it’s for your own safety.”
“So you’re saying I’m guilty just by being with you?”
“Yeah. That’s about it.”
She dragged in a slow breath. “This is bullshit. I’m leaving.”
Jamie opened his mouth to argue, to no doubt tell her she was wrong, but another noise outside had all three men going on the alert. The tension that already existed tripled. She clenched the comforter as they skulked to put their bodies against the wall then peeked out the window.
“This is insane.”
Jamie put a finger to his mouth then whispered, “Quiet.”
Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession. None of what was happening made any sense, but she knew one thing. She wasn’t about to stay with men who had taken her without her consent. Even if she did like them a lot. She had to get away and take time to think, to figure out what she wanted.
Should she call the police and report them? Even now she couldn’t imagine doing that. Did she want to go back to Passion? But what if they were right about the danger there? Did she want to go with them? She had to admit that, in one way, she did. But as a captive? No. She wanted strong men, but they’d crossed a line.
Her gaze slid to the open bathroom door. Speaking as softly as she could, she threw off the comforter. “I can’t hold it any longer. I’ve got to pee.”
Jamie frowned then nodded, but she wasn’t even sure he’d understood her. All three of them were fixated on whatever was outside the room. She hurried across the room, snatching up her jeans and boots lying on a chair nearby.
Closing the door, she used the toilet then tugged on her clothes. She looked at her face that was a white mask with her curly hair an even bigger mass of chaos than usual. She turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face.
A window that appeared to be just big enough for her to climb through was to her left overlooking the shower. If she could get out, go to the motel office, and phone Tatum or Shay, maybe they could tell her what she should do. She was too confused to think straight and needed someone to help her sort everything out.
Flipping on the faucet for the sink, she pulled back the faded shower curtain and stepped into the combination tub and shower. The window was at chest level, but getting her body up and through it was going to be difficult. Even if she’d had a stool to stand on, the slippery bottom of the tub would’ve made the maneuver challenging. But she had to get it done one way or another. If she didn’t, she’d have to return to the men and hope everything turned out all right.
“Giving up control for sexual fun is one thing. But giving up control over my life? That’s just not cool.” She kept her voice soft as she muttered a few curse words and reached up to test the lock on the window.
The handle was rusted and wasn’t giving in with a quick, easy twist. Checking around the small bathroom, she left the tub, picked up the hard metal trash can and threw two bath towels and one hand towel over her shoulder. She spread one bath towel on the bottom of the tub then overturned the empty trash can to put it upside down onto the towel. Scrunching the rest of the towel around the can made it less likely to slide.
She tested it by setting one foot on top then the other. Taking hold of the ledge of the window, she wrapped the hand towel over the latch. Gripping it as hard as she could, she used the not-so-soft material to get a better hold on it. She grunted as she used every bit of strength she had to get the latch to move. At first, it didn’t budge. But after the fourth attempt, she managed to get it to turn partway.
“Maya, are you all right?”
She had to hang onto the latch to keep from falling off the can. “Uh, sure, Case. I’m, uh, taking care of a personal thing. You know. A woman kind of thing.”
“Oh. Okay. Just checking. Take your time.”
Yep. Just like every other man. Mention a woman thing and they don’t want to hear another word.
She released pent-up anxiety in one rush of breath and tried the latch again. On the sixth attempt, it squeaked into the open position. She clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the cry of victory and almost lost her balance again.
Now to get out the window.
Luckily for her, the window was the type that lifted from the bottom. If it had simply pushed outward, she’d have had no chance of getting her body through the opening.
Okay, here goes everything. I’m going to either get my stomach onto the ledge or I’m going to have one hell of a fall into the tub.
Laying the other bath towel over the bottom windowsill, she flattened her hands on the ledge and jumped. The can tipped over but didn’t make any noise thanks to the towel circling it. She hung on the ledge with her belly pressing against the tiles and the jamb of the window. Even with the towel, the grooves dug into her stomach.
She stayed where she was, balancing precariously half in and half out of the window. Steadying her breath, she reached out to take the edge of the sill and pulled, dragging her body another couple of inches up and over the wall.
With her head hanging toward the ground outside, she lifted her leg and tried to find purchase for her foot. But her new red boots weren’t helping her. The bottoms of them were still too slick to gain much traction. She paused, regrouped, and, more determined than ever to get out, pulled her lower body higher.
“I would think there’s a better way to get out of your room. How about I give you a hand?”
She froze then slowly craned her head up. A stocky man, wearing combat boots along with faded cream-colored slacks and shirt, stared at her. He held a crossbow in one hand with the arrow pointed toward the ground, but she had no doubt that he could raise the weapon and fire without much trouble. The stubble on his face didn’t hide the ragged scar running along the left side from the outside tip of his eye to the bottom of his ear.
“Uh, yeah. I could use a little help. Thanks.” She smiled as though she’d asked him to do nothing more than open a door.
“I guess you could. But I’ve got to ask. Why are you coming out the window instead of the door?”
“If you’ll help me get down on the ground, I’ll tell you.”
But he didn’t make a move to help her. “Another question is why you’re in a motel room with a bunch of animals.”
“Animals?”
The grin he gave her showed his straight white teeth, but it held no warmth. “You know what I’m talking about. The werewolves.”
Werewolves? They really exist?
The stories were true. Yet
even though she’d believed them as a child, she’d pushed them away as she’d grown older. But now it all made sense. The strange colored eyes so many of Passion’s citizens had, the growling sounds the men made, and Jamie’s injury-free escape from the bull. Her parents had even made references—or what she’d thought were jokes—about some of their neighbors being supernatural creatures.
I knew it. Down deep, I always knew it.
But now that she realized it was true, did it change everything? The men she’d grown to care for, the men who she’d felt an amazing connection with were werewolves. Yet, when all was said and done, they were still the same terrific guys.
Her heart pounded, but not only because she was surprised and stunned to find out that they really existed, but because the idea had always fascinated her. And now to find out they were real was beyond thrilling. To think that she’d wanted to find a wild man and had, in fact, found real-life wild men.
Oh, my God. I should’ve guessed. They really exist. The signs were right there in front of me all the time, and I ignored them.
The Hunter brothers were werewolves.
That’s why these guys are after them. He has to be one of the men after them. Do I sell them out and get away while I can? Or do I protect them?
The answer, simple and pure, came a moment later. “I–I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Trying not to appear too obvious, she pushed against the wall. But this time, she was pushing the opposite direction.
“Ow!”
He clutched her hair, keeping her where she was. “You’re not going back inside. No way, girlie.”
Twisting around, she gripped his hand and dug her fingernails into the skin. He hollered then turned her loose. At the same time, hands grabbed onto her legs and hauled her backward. She was through the window and falling over the edge of the tub before she knew what was happening.
Jamie broke her fall by keeping his body under hers. He grunted as they hit the floor then rolled over, taking her with him as he scrambled to his feet and ran for the door. She glanced toward the window just as the tip of an arrow then part of the bow was pushed through. Although the bow was too big to fit all the way through the window, the hunter was going to do his best to get off a shot. The whirring sound of an arrow flying through the air sounded like a giant mosquito as Jamie hurled their bodies through the door. Again, he somehow managed to land underneath her, breaking her fall.