by R. Casteel
”Besides these things, which we already know as fact and should be taken into consideration, if we arrest Taneika, you’ll have the Blackfoot Nation down on us like Custer’s last stand at the Little Big Horn.” Taren saw several hidden grins around the table.
“Blackfoot!” Harold sprayed spit halfway down the table. “She is no more Indian than I am. If you won’t arrest her, I have plenty of others around here who will. They know which side of the bread to butter, something you should have learned by now. I am placing you on administrative leave for two weeks, without pay.”
Taren had been waiting for this reaction, counting on it. Get Harold so steamed he reacted without thinking. He took another sip from his cup.
“Your leave starts now, Carpenter. Get your sorry ass out of here. When you get back, expect a transfer to bum-fuck Alaska to be waiting for you.”
Languidly Taren stood and gave Harold a mock salute. Leaving the conference room, he placed his hand in his coat pocket and turned off the recorder.
Taren pulled into the college parking lot and headed for the administration office.
“May I help you?” An attractive blonde was sitting behind the counter. The sultry smile she sent him made it clear exactly how she would like to help.
“I need to see the Dean of Women, please.” Taren showed an identification badge reserved for emergencies. This might be stretching the definition of emergency, but he couldn’t afford to take the chance and wait. Harold was moving faster than even he had allowed.
“Dean Watkins will see you now, Mr. Carpenter.” She walked ahead of him, her hips swinging in a pair of jeans two sizes too small. “If there is anything else I can do for you. . .” Her voice was dripping with innuendoes of passion.
“Thank you for your help.”
Taren opened the door and Dean Watkins stood and stretched out her hand. “Good morning. How may I be of assistance?”
Within minutes of explaining the nature of his visit, the Dean was on the computer pulling up Taneika’s file.
“I take it, sir, you want this to be handled discreetly. I’ll take care of this myself and no one will know whom she left with or why. Where are you parked and I will send Taneika out?”
Taren sat in the cab of his truck, his fingers impatiently tapping on the center console. Looking at his watch for the tenth time is as many minutes, he fumed at the delay.
The door opened and Taneika stood there with worry lines creasing her brow. Her eyes appeared larger than normal. The flare of her nostrils was the only indication she had run from her building to the truck.
“Get in, I’ll answer your questions on the way.”
He drove as if possessed, edging the above the speed limit.
“What’s the emergency?” she asked.
“You are to be arrested and Lobo’s life is in danger.” Taren pulled around a slower moving car and whipped back into the lane.
“Your boss didn’t waste any time.” Taneika slumped against the seat. “Where does this put you?”
“Out on a limb until I can get a hold of certain people in Washington. I have papers coming authorizing you to keep Lobo. I’m just not sure when they will arrive.”
“What should we do?”
Taren liked the “we” part, as long as it included him. “Send Lobo away from here and be arrested, or pack a bag and let me take the two of you to my cabin in the mountains until the papers come in.”
Taren pulled into the post office. “I have to mail this. I won’t be long.”
He paused as he stepped out of the truck and turned to face her. “Taneika, there’s not much time; even now the authorities may be waiting. When I come back, I need your decision. Whatever it is, I will support you in it.”
Taren dropped the tape of the morning’s meeting in the mail and returned to the truck. He slid behind the wheel and said, “Well?”
“I’ve got a few things to pack if this is going to be a lengthy stay.”
“It’s a primitive cabin, no running water or electricity. Miles from nowhere,” Taren explained.
She grinned. “Sounds like where I grew up.”
The rest of the ride was silent. Nervous tension increased with each bump in the road; the growl of the engine and the hum of the tires bore testimony that they were headed into uncharted waters.
Taren pulled over just before reaching their turn off. “Circle around through the woods. If they’re not here, I’ll honk once.”
She started to get out. Taren’s face was grim as he placed his hand on her arm. “Be careful.”
Taneika heard the concern in his voice, felt the warmth of his hand. Leaning over she kissed him hard on the mouth. “You too.”
One moment she was kissing him and the next, she was gone. Taren eased his foot on the gas and rolled down the drive. Approaching the house, he saw no sign of life. Getting out, he hit the horn and closed the door.
A wolf’s howl sent shivers up his spine. Taneika walked out of the bushes. “You said we were in a hurry, so move. Lobo will be here before we are ready to leave.”
He grabbed his backpack and started tossing in clothes for the high country.
Ten minutes later Taren walked down the steps, hoping he had packed everything. Taneika was waiting, her pack stored in the back of the truck.
Taren picked up a tarp. “Will Lobo stay under here for a while?”
Shaking her head in frustration she took the tarp from Taren. “Jump in, girl.”
Taren never ceased to be amazed at the control she had. One whispered word and Lobo was allowing herself to be covered with the tarp.
“Ready when you are.” Taneika opened the door and hopped in. “You want me to hide, too?”
“Might not be a bad idea.”
Scrunching down in the seat, Taneika wedged her legs against the dash.
Taren started the truck and pulled down the drive. Making a right turn at the highway, he started to relax. With one last look in the mirror, he realized they had left with only moments to spare. Two cars and a panel van he recognized from the park left the main road, turning in the direction of Taneika’s house.
The subtle fragrance of roses wafted in the air. His mind had been so busy he hadn’t noticed it until now. It was the springtime freshness after a rain that filled him with longing, a wistfulness easing his fears and relaxing the tension between his shoulders.
“What are you thinking?” Her question surprised him.
“It’s probably safe for you to sit up.”
“I guess I can let you get by with a little white lie for now.” She sat up and looked behind her. Lobo was still covered.
“Can I let her get up? She likes to see where we are going.”
Taren pulled onto the shoulder. “Better bring her up here. A wolf riding in the back might cause too much attention.”
Taneika opened the door and stepped out.
Lobo was out of the back and in the seat, her feet barely touching the ground.
Taren received his share of wet kisses from the wolf.
Lobo wasn’t content to just sit in the middle and look ahead. She stuck her nose first in front of Taneika, then in front of Taren. She licked Taneika’s face and whined.
“All right, you win.” Taneika scooted over and Lobo pressed her nose to the glass, which fogged over.
Taren laughed at the mournful expression on Lobo’s face. He lowered the window from the driver’s side controls. It was soon evident that this was the preferred mode of travel as Lobo, head out the window and fur slicked back in the wind, actually looked like she was smiling.
This seating arrangement worked for him too. A seventy-pound wolf takes up a whole seat. Taneika was wedged between Lobo and his thigh. The heat radiated from where their bodies touched and rubbed together. His mind filled with images of Taneika bathing in the lake, water caressing her breasts like a lover’s hand.
“Hungry?” he asked.
Lobo twisted her head back into the cab and barked. Food, did yo
u mention food?
Taneika grabbed Lobo by the ears and shook her head. “Taren wasn’t talking to you, girl.”
“I guess it’s unanimous,” she turned to Taren and grinned. “We’re starved.”
“There’s a little town up ahead with a small grocery and a deli. We can stock up on a few supplies, get a couple of sandwiches and go on. We have a half-hour more driving and then a two-hour or more hike to the cabin. I don’t want to get caught in the dark.”
“Why?” she asked.
“A couple places are difficult to get through in the dark.”
“No, why are you doing this?”
“Oh.” Taren paused, going over the varied reasons and what he should say. How much he should reveal. “I don’t like Fallings.”
“Give me a little more credit, Taren. A person doesn’t put their career on the line for the possibility of getting a piece of ass. Don’t look so shocked, I took it into consideration before we left.”
Taren ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re right, it’s complicated as hell. For now, you will just have to trust me.”
“Trust you,” she fumed. “Did I hear you right? Do you think I would be here now if I didn’t trust you? From what I see, we are both in the same boat. It might be easier with two people paddling. Trust is a two-way street, Taren. Otherwise it’s no longer trust, but control.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry. It has been so long since I trusted anyone, it’s difficult to start.” Taren pulled into a parking space in front of a small grocery. “I’ll go in and get the supplies. Anything you want or need? What about Lobo?”
“It doesn’t matter for me. Lobo prefers meat.”
“No dog food for you, girl?” he teased.
“If she gets hungry enough for commercial dog food, your fingers might be the appetizer when you set the bowl down.”
Taren chuckled. “Thanks for the warning.”
He returned to the truck a few minutes later. Placing two large bags in the back he climbed in and handed Taneika another. “There is a little roadside park outside of town. Figure we can stop there to eat.”
Lobo, unwilling to wait, sniffed the bag and barked. Where’s the beef?
The smell of fresh meat was making her mouth water. “Just wait, you can eat when we stop.” Taneika scratched Lobo’s ears and received a wet kiss.
The rest area was empty, for which he was thankful. Taneika opened the door and Lobo leaped out of the truck. Taneika stepped out and stretched. Her shirt pulled tight across her breasts, outlining them like a second skin. He forced his mind off the sensuous image she created and picked up the food.
“Lunch is served.” Taren sat at the picnic table and waited.
“This is nice.” She sat down next to him. The view of the valley and the mountains on the other side brought back fond memories of her home—happy times, running free with her wolves, tending her father’s sheep.
Lobo returned from making her inspection of the area and stood beside Taneika.
He handed Taneika a sandwich and a package of meat. Just as he had expected, Lobo circled the table waiting. How many times had he seen it in the wild? The alpha wolves in the pack started eating first, then the others would be allowed.
Taneika took a couple bites of her food and opened the package of meat. The smell was overpowering. She glanced at the ham and cheese sandwich before her. It was good but, she swallowed the build up of salvia, nothing compared to fresh meat. She tossed a chunk of meat to Lobo and watched with envy as it disappeared between sharp snapping teeth. Maybe she could get by just licking her fingers.
She turned her eyes back to the table. Taren held a piece of meat inches from her mouth. She licked her lips and swallowed. Hell, she was almost drooling on the table. “Go ahead, toss it to her.”
Instead of tossing the meat to Lobo, he kept it there. “This isn’t for Lobo.”
Her eyes wide, never leaving the meat suspended before her, she opened her mouth. Taking the meat from him, she licked the juice from his fingers.
She heard a seductive groan. Was it from her, or Taren?
Chapter 4
Lobo barked.
Taren absently tossed her a chunk of meat.
He figured by feeding Taneika a piece of meat it would show, even if he didn’t understand, he had accepted the bizarre preference she had. All control vanished, self-discipline shattered, as she placed his finger in her mouth and gently sucked the last of the juice.
Rather than be reduced to begging from the alphas who were ignoring her, Lobo set her sights on a rabbit, which had ventured too far out of the protective brush. The chase soon ended with the prey clamped securely between her teeth. She jumped into the back of the truck and ate her fresh kill.
It was difficult to breathe, much less find his voice. “I—I think we. . .should go.”
“Yes.” Taneika leaned toward him, their lips met, tongues touched and dueled. She felt his heat, tasted his desire and relished the worship he gave her body. His hand molded to her breast and she arched to give him more. Reluctantly, she broke the contact. Her breathing matched the rapid movement of his broad chest. “We should.”
“Lobo! Where are you, girl?” Taneika laughed as Lobo’s head rose above the side of the truck. A sharp bark announced she was ready to go.
Even though Lobo was riding in the back, she slid over beside Taren. After what they had just shared, sitting by the window created more space between them than she desired.
Taren started the truck and pulled onto the road. “You ready for some exercise?”
“Depends on what you have in mind.”
“A strenuous hike to the camp with full packs, for now.”
“I’m ready.”
Taren pulled into a drive and stopped. Nestled among the trees was a small, one-car garage. “We’ll leave the truck here and go on foot.” He got out, opened the garage door and brought back two solid frame mountain packs and two sleeping bags. He split the supplies in half, filling the two packs. Attaching their smaller packs and the sleeping bags to the frame, he had two more items to add. Taren pulled a lever-action Winchester .30-.30 from behind the seat and secured it beside the smaller backpack. Returning to the garage, he hefted the bag of climbing equipment over his shoulder.
Taneika wondered about his grim expression as she cinched the straps tight across her chest. With bow in hand, she followed Taren behind the garage and up the faint trail.
The path gave out to rock and sheer walls on one side and a drop of a hundred feet on the other. The view was breathtaking, but she didn’t have any time to stop and admire it. For almost an hour, Taren had pushed on ahead. His stride never faltered and she knew he was carrying considerably more weight than she was.
Carrying the extra weight of the pack was taking its toll. Her breathing in the thin air was becoming labored. She had been out of the mountains too long.
Taren stopped in a wide section of the path. “Take a breather. . .the rest is down hill.”
Taneika leaned against the wall, her breath forming clouds in the cold air. “Is this the only way in?”
“No, it’s the shortest, unless you use a chopper. The other way takes two days of hiking from the closest road, unless you’re on a four-wheeler. This time of year, though, better have a snowmobile handy. Snow can come early up here.”
She saw the worry on his face as he scanned the way ahead. “We aren’t going to make it before dark are we?”
He took the binoculars from his eyes and looked at the darkening sky. “No.”
“Can we make it?”
“Maybe. It depends.” Taren sat down beside her.
“On what?”
He turned and looked deep into her eyes. “On how well you actually see in the dark. With this cloud cover, there will be no moon tonight, and the flashlight batteries are dead.”
“The only problem we will have,” she teased, “is if you fall off the mountain.”
Taren snorted, adjusted the s
traps of his pack and stood. “Hell, falling is a possibility you live with even in the daytime. Anyone but you and I wouldn’t even attempt this trip. You ready?”
A wolf howled, the sound echoed through the mountains. Lobo lifted her head and answered the call. As the two communicated across the distance, Taneika laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Taren asked.
“It seems we will have a visitor waiting when we get off the mountain. The other wolf is a young male on the prowl and he is coming to check out the new arrival to the valley.”
“Take the top rope out of the bottom bag and attach it to the pack harness. You lead the way. There won’t be room on the trail to change places.”
The trail narrowed considerably. She heard his muffled grunts of pain as he bumped into jutting fingers of sharp rock. His trust in her ability left her feeling appreciative, flattered and flustered, all in the same breath. He knew more about her than anyone outside her family and even they had a hard time accepting her enhanced abilities.
The words of John Swift Eagle came back to her. “Your mother and I do not understand the things you are able to do, but we love you just the same. Keep these things to yourself or you will become like a rat in one of the white man’s laboratories. They will not understand the spirit world of the Blackfoot. One day you will understand what even the shaman cannot explain.”
Lobo’s barking from down the trail brought her back to the present.
“We have a problem ahead. The trail has vanished.”
Taren absorbed the information with dread. Landslides were a constant threat. None had ever taken the trail out so completely that he couldn’t get through. If Lobo said it had vanished. . . .
Taneika stood at the ledge. Loose rock chips lay between them and the remainder of the trail.
He stood behind her, waiting. For the last half hour he had been holding onto the pack she wore. In the enshrouding darkness, he was virtually blind. So close to the cabin and yet so damn far away. The wind whipped at his coat, slipping in and sending chills up his spine. On the wind was the clean freshness of snow. It looked like they were stuck there for the night.