by Thalia Eames
She envisioned Garrett and his excitement in sharing the screenplay with her. That image gave her the strength to go on. “That man, who calls himself Anderson G. Westlake, secured the adaptation rights the rest of the industry said were impossible to get. He’s worked so hard for so long.”
Dan’s cold stare didn’t waver. Neither did Lennox. “Now you ride back into town and want to use me to steal Garrett’s dreams? Am I supposed to let that happen? Just to keep you from showing my ass to the world?”
Her laughter cut through his silence.
“I have to tell you, Danny, my ass is right here and I’d be delighted if you puckered up.”
“Close your mouth,” he shouted.
Impassioned by her own boldness, she got into his face. “I won’t shut up. And I’m not making anything easy for you. That’s been your problem all along. Right, Danny? Your daddy should’ve spanked your wayward butt a long time ago and saved me the trouble.”
He lifted a hand. It shook in midair as though he wanted to smack her.
He didn’t have the balls.
“Since your daddy didn’t bother keeping you in line, consider this your first ass whipping,” she said, shoving a finger into his face and wagging it. Gran would be proud. “I will never, no matter what you do, let you snatch Garrett’s dreams away from him. I’ll show my own ass to the world first.”
Afraid she might actually beat him senseless she strode to the door. A thought stopped her. Now that she’d made her first tough decision everything she’d struggled with became clear. She knew what needed to be done. “Maybe I should thank you,” she said.
Dan’s cold-blooded scowl said he either didn’t believe her or didn’t care.
“I mean it.” She smiled at him. “I’ve just decided to sell my secret peach butter recipe. It’s not something I ever wanted to do, but it’s time I stop leaning on everyone else and grow up.”
All her life she’d imagined she was strong. She hadn’t been. The truth of that rang as clearly as the newfound energy buzzing through her limbs. Before today she’d had nothing within herself to compare strength to, but now she understood the difference between it and weakness. She stood strong today.
“You know what, Danny? Thank you for slapping me awake.”
With a toss of her curls, Lennox left the reporter behind.
Fifteen minutes later, Sheriff Stanley Hewett pushed through the door to suite 455. He’d watched Lennox leave it open when she’d left. Inside the room, a laptop sat on the bed with a bright blue screen. From Stan’s experience that usually meant the hard drive had failed. Or been erased.
Dan drained two bottles of whisky into two glasses. He looked up and caught sight of Stan.
“Hey, Dad. I knew you were here by your scent. Why didn’t you come in earlier to enjoy the show?”
Dan walked over and put one of the glasses in Stan’s hand. Stan sat on the edge of the bed while his son paced.
“Anderson Westlake should’ve thought twice before he declared war on the boar clan with his little threats. Idiot.” Dan rolled his eyes. “And Lennox. She might just make a million when I release that video. I kept a copy on my thumb drive. She’s delectable. Wanna watch?”
“Sit down, boy,” Stan said.
Clearly his words struck his son off guard. He sat. Stan stood and hooked his thumbs on his gun belt. Humiliation made it hard to sit still. He didn’t know what twist of grace kept him on his feet though. Inside he’d already collapsed. As though his son had ripped out his bones and left him twitching on the ground.
Fatigue eroded any force Stan’s voice might’ve carried. “I never thought you’d disgrace me this way. I knew you didn’t have a heart of steel but I never thought…you’ve done a lot in your lifetime to make me hang my head.”
“But, Dad—”
Stan slapped his son. It stung them both. The sound echoed through the room. Dan recoiled, retreating a few feet away.
Horrified by the act, Stan grabbed his own hand and squeezed it for the offense. “I’m sorry, boy. Might be if I’d disciplined you, like Lennox said, you’d be a better person. I don’t think I ever could’ve hit you before today. As sure as hell runs hot I can’t stand to hit you again.”
“Good,” Dan said. The entitled gleam returned to his eyes.
Stan ignored the immature jerk he’d raised into less than a man. He shifted his weight, his bones creaking. Extra years seemed to have piled on him during the short chat with Dan. An old man would walk out where a middle-aged one had come in.
“Let’s make this official. Daniel Stanley Hewett the Third, for crimes against the honor of the Boar Clan you are exiled. You have no standing and you stand alone.”
Realization carved fear onto Dan’s face. “Dad, no. What about the wolves? Even if I don’t release the tape Lennox will. And when she does the wolves will come for me.”
Turning his back on his son sliced him open, eviscerating him. He laid a hand over the heft of his belly to hold the pain at bay. “I suggest you reach out to Lennox and beg for her favor before you leave town.”
Stan took one last look at Dan Hewes, now a stranger in his eyes. “Like Leni’s favorite movie suggests,” he said. “When you call her to ask her to save your hide, you better be one charming motherfucking pig.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Gran called it “pep in your step” but Lennox had swagger in her stride. Last night she’d done more than make the kind of tough decision everyone thought her incapable of. She’d made two no-turn-back choices in one night and accepted the consequences along with them.
Miraculously, Danny Hewett AKA Dan Hewes had called and begged her not to release the sex tape. He’d pleaded with her as though the hounds of hell were starving and he had a hambone up his ass. He’d promised to leave town and end the fiasco he created in exchange for his life. Lennox hadn’t meant to be fierce enough to make him fear death. Maybe he remembered she’d handed out beat downs to all comers in every fight, scrape, and dustup since their childhood.
She tapped her cheek, jostling the picnic basket nestled in the crook of her arm. Honestly, she’d been relieved not to have the whole world see her go down on Garrett. Who was she kidding? She’d have settled to keep Gran from seeing. That old broad handed out punishments worst than water torture. So what if she followed in her Grandmother’s footsteps and made Dan suffer a bit when he’d called? He deserved it. In the end she accepted his offer.
Likewise she’d accepted the Milos Foods contract to mass-produce her peach butter for the hospitality and restaurant industries. It might not make her a millionaire but she didn’t have to worry about money anymore. Closing the deal felt fantastic, partially since she’d been very crafty in the negotiations. The peach butter to be sold outside of the Peach Pit would feature allspice instead of cardamom, rum extract rather than bourbon.
When she saw Cash she’d have to thank him twofold. One for trusting her with the truth about the blackmail and secondly for the spice mix-up that led to the alternate recipe. Both she and Milos were happy. After working all night long, she and Jules had hosted a taste test with Milos executives that morning and the new peach butter had high yum factor. For once she’d come out on top. Fist pump.
As soon as she crossed under the wooden archway to Camp Big Bad she noticed the silence. No kids, no noise, no mischief. There hadn’t been a field trip on the schedule, so where had they gone?
Disappointment brought out the slightest pout. She wanted to spend more time with Nox. It wouldn’t be long before Garrett took him away. The cupcakes in her basket were the excuse she’d cooked up to get her on campgrounds. It would’ve worked too. Her shoulders slumped from more than the midday sun. Extra time with her godson would have to wait. As she walked toward to the kitchens to drop the cupcakes off, a plan to deliver cookies the next day percolated within the depths of her devious little mind.<
br />
Wait. A low rumble tickled her hearing. Cheering or chanting came from the east. Nox had shown her a clearing last night. She’d bet that’s where the campers were. He’d said they trained there. But he hadn’t told her what kind of training they did. He’d refused. Chasing the unease away, she contented herself with knowing she’d get to see Nox today. And Paolo too.
Once she dropped off the goodies, she followed the cheers to the clearing. Several of the counselors and most of the kids stood around the outer edges. One or two counselors shouted tips. “Pin him” and “Take her by the neck.”
Lennox couldn’t see what the kids being instructed were doing. It sounded like wrestling. She moved closer, peering around the spectators. A flash of fur, then a tail caught her eye. Growls and the scrape of claws filled her ears.
What is going on?
On reflex she hid behind a tree. Her nails dug into the bark, trembling hard enough to shake bits free. They were dog fighting. Or wolf fighting, more to the point. She thought about making a run for it but something other than fear glued her in place.
Five young red wolves, slender and coyote-like, pounced on a single gray Husky. They took him down time and again, sometimes going for his throat. The gray was larger than the others, but his moves were tentative and gangly, as though he hadn’t gotten used to his body. More than anything else his whimpers were daggers in her chest. She’d seen this Husky or wolf or whatever before. Monster Mutt. The wolves had trapped Monster Mutt.
Deep inside a scream erupted, a silent wail within her guts.
No. Stop. Monster Mutt was hers to protect. He belonged to her somehow. Not like a dog belonged to an owner but as a part of her. The screams inside her roared that her child faced imminent danger. It didn’t make sense but these wolves were bullying her kid.
Rage, thick and heated, bathed her vision in crimson. Lennox didn’t think. Instinct ruled her. She rushed the puppy faced red wolves. Taking them by their scruffs she tossed them to each side. Those who rebounded for another try caught her fists on their snouts. Their whines caused her to falter slightly. She didn’t want to hurt them but at the moment she’d do anything. Anything to get to her…child?
Lennox threw her body between the wolves and Monster Mutt. Terror made her shaky. Her weakness pissed her off, fueling her on. Throwing up a hand, she yelled at the wolves and counselors alike. “Back off!”
“Leni, stop!” A comforting face appeared before her.
Paolo. Good. Now she could get them the hell out of there. “Paolo, we need to go. Where’s Nox?” Her teeth chattered. “We need to leave. Okay?”
The camp counselors stared her down like she’d gone insane. They were the crazy ones. Why show the kids how to run illegal dogfights? And why the hell did she care?
The pack of red juveniles advanced. “Back. Off,” she gritted through clenched teeth. “I don’t want to hurt you but I will.” The juvenile wolves froze.
“Paolo, go get Nox. Now!”
She didn’t know what the hell came over her to make her jump into a literal den of wolves. Her mind didn’t want to work properly. Trains of thought that should’ve connected to make sense of all this flickered and flitted away from her mental grasp. Paolo looked so helpless, unsure of what to do. Anguish stretched the skin taut across his face.
“Leni, I’m okay,” came from behind her. She turned, somehow afraid of what she’d see. A shivering Nox stood naked where Monster Mutt had been. A tapestry of cuts and teeth marks covered him. Shock overtook her limbs in icy shards, numbing her.
“We’re real sorry, Miss Leni.” She spun round. Five kids she’d known since their births stood in place of the wolves. They filed in around Paolo, looking to him to explain things. When he stood silent Faye’s son, Cary, spoke up. “We weren’t gonna hurt him for real.”
No. No. This didn’t make sense.
“Lennox,” Ian called to her from the right. One look at him told her everything. He stopped cold when her gaze scraped over him. Clarity descended in a deluge. When Nox sneezed he turned into Monster Mutt, a wolf. Ian stood as leader of his pack. Wolves. All of them wolves.
Ian took a few steps toward her. She warded him off with an outstretched hand. Dizziness overtook her. “No, Ian. Don’t you come near me.”
Heartbreak blossomed in the depths of his eyes. She hated to cause him pain. But she couldn’t deal. “Get in the truck, Nox. Paolo you too.”
“Leni, we should not leave this way,” Paolo pleaded.
“Now.” If they didn’t get the hell out of there, she’d break down. Both her boys took off for her truck. Lennox walked backwards, her glare scanning the rest of Ian’s people for tricks or sudden moves.
“Lennox, I’ll tell you everything. Just don’t leave.” Ian’s voice carried the calm she’d come to rely on. Only she couldn’t trust him anymore.
“Don’t follow me, Ian.”
She jogged backwards several paces before panic got the best of her. All the confidence of that morning evaporated in smoke. She turned tail and ran.
Moments later they crossed Staunton Bridge, moving fast enough to leave rubber on the wooden planks. Lennox couldn’t remember getting into the truck or onto the road. Her heart stuck in her throat, strangling her with each beat.
After a mile or so, Nox touched her arm. She recoiled at the gentle tap of his fingers. She didn’t mean to slide away toward the window. She couldn’t help herself.
The same hurt she’d seen in Ian looked so much worse when reflected in her godson’s cognac eyes. “It’s still me, Leni.”
“Oh, Nox. I know. I know, baby. I just—”
“Leni, please.” He reached for her again. Crazed, she took her hands off the wheel and held them in a shield against him.
“The road,” Paolo yelped from the backseat.
They swerved into a field of dandelions as she worked to regain control of both the wheel and her own mind. Cutting hard to the left, she managed to steady the car. They got back onto the road. Lennox’s mind, however, remained beyond control’s reach.
How could she love something, no, someone who not only turned into an animal, they transformed into the one animal she hated? It didn’t make any sense but she could handle the “were” part—obviously crazy rain in her veins—but she couldn’t handle the “wolf” part. No. Just no. She feared what Nox, Paolo, and Ian were and what she knew Garrett had to be. Dread raised goose bumps along her arms and slowly strangled her with icy fingers. A tangled paradox of emotions twisted within her guts and she shivered, fighting against a fear she had no hopes of defeating.
She loved Nox. Loved them all. They’d each laid claim to large expanses of her heart. She couldn’t just let them go and she had nowhere to run where the wolves wouldn’t find her. They would always chase her because they belonged to her. Her godchild, her adopted Italian brother, her lifelong friend, the love of her life, they’d be in her heart and mind no matter where she went, no matter how low she hid.
A scream rose in her throat. As hard as it was, she swallowed it. “Just give me a little more time.” The words came out in stutters. “I’m not going anywhere, Nox. Just give me a little more time.”
They reached the house faster than Lennox prepared for. She had no idea why she’d come to Garrett. She should have gone home to Averdeen Manor or at least the ground it used to stand on.
Nox jumped out of the truck and ran for the house as soon as her wheels screeched to a stop in the driveway. Watching him go, she realized she’d kidnapped a naked kid. Great. If she went to jail, who knew what types of creatures she’d get locked in with.
Paolo leaned between the front seats. She jumped. He held up his hands to show he meant no harm. “Leni, now that you know about us, your fear can go away. This is better.”
She forced herself to touch his face the way she always did when he said something sweet. “Better? No.
Knowing is going to tear me away from most of the people I love.”
His head hung.
“I will do my best not to turn away from you. I will. I’ll try. I know Jules and I are all you have. And you’re…you’re my little brother.” She reached out but pulled away. “But I can barely touch you, Paolo. I can’t see how that’s better.”
Her trembling hand curled into a fist. She folded one over the other and tucked them into her lap.
After a long silence Paolo pushed out of the back door. He took a few slow steps, glanced at her over a shoulder, then took off for the woods. His clothes peeled away in a blur. He leaped. In a shudder of light and fur he became a red wolf in midair. His paws touched down in a full run before he disappeared beyond the tree line.
Her own door yanked open. Garrett pulled her out of the truck in a rage. Lennox fought him, not caring if it hurt. His eyes flared blazing amber. “I warned you, Elle,” he snarled. “I warned you not to hurt my son.”
She smacked him. He didn’t even flinch.
“He was attacked by wolves,” she screamed. “How could you allow that?”
Garrett crowded her, baring his fangs, more animal than man. “He is a wolf. I am a wolf.”
Her body shook uncontrollably but she stood her ground. Even though terror sliced through her as the blade of a white-hot knife. She stood strong. “Did Tina know?”
“What?” he roared.
“Did she know?” Lennox hurled back with equal vehemence.
“Yeah, she knew.” He inclined his head and she wanted nothing as much as to escape his hard-edged expression. “Tina was my wife. And she wasn’t afraid of canines.” His lip curled. “She wasn’t afraid of anything.”
Pain erupted in Lennox’s chest. “Okay then. It’s good to know Tina excelled where I lack. Luckily you don’t have to worry about me anymore.” She rocked backward, clutching her chest, and ran for the house.