It was only meant to be a way to hold him at bay until the police came.
The gun was never meant to go off.
He wasn’t supposed to get up.
When he lunged for her, she shot off two consecutive rounds and watched him fall back to the floor with a puddle of blood below him and a splattering behind him. She didn't have to call the police, a neighbor had called them after she had gotten out a scream earlier. Kent found her first, huddled in the corner pointing the gun at Peter in case he decided to rise again.
It's what she had been dreaming of when Fred had woken her. Sadie's hand hung off the couch to the ground and was being nudged, licked and finally bitten by the wolf. The slight pain shook her into consciousness.
"Fred?"
He licked her hand again and whined.
Sadie's nauseous stomach prevented her from moving. Peter had forced himself into her life, on to her body and into his grave. He ruined her. He took away her confidence and stripped her of her safety. She had killed a man. Sadie took the life of another human being. He didn't have to answer for what he had done because she took care of that. Yet, she still held him accountable. There were questions she needed answered, and he took that away from her…she took that away from her. He died, by her hand and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Was there guilt? Sadie hadn't been able to give a definite yes or no. Some days she rejoiced that he was no longer around to torment her. Others, she felt sick for what she had done. What he made her do.
No, that was a cop out.
A lie.
A falsity that she desperately tried to believe as truth.
She knew what she was doing when she raised that gun. There were a hundred different places she could have aimed but she had chosen his chest, and her finger never hesitated on the trigger.
Fred whined again.
Sadie pulled herself to the floor and laid with him. The shakes had begun and she knew there was nothing to do but ride them out like a bad storm. Fred's warmth settled her some, grounded her in the present. Sadie tried to keep her mind from roaming back to the dream but it was no use. Once she got hooked, there was no getting out of it for awhile. Her mom could talk her down while rubbing her back like she used to do when she was a child after a bad dream. But her mom wasn't here, Sadie only had herself to look to for comfort.
Fred licked her cheek.
Well, she had him too.
Fred practically climbed on top of her to gain access to her face. He licked her tears, nudged his nose against her ear and pawed at her arm.
"You shouldn't be moving," she told him in a croak. His bandage was in need of changing, the blood already having soaked through to the outer layers. Having someone else to care for, having a job to do, gave her the will to pull herself out of the fragile mindset she was in.
Sadie sat up and wiped her face off with the back of her hand. "Sorry," she told Fred who was looking concerned. "Bad dream."
He pulled himself to her and laid his head in her lap. After a long while of petting and stroking his head, she felt steady enough to stand. "Stay there, you need new bandages."
Sadie found the supplies Owen had left in her kitchen and brought them back to where Fred, surprisingly enough, had stayed put. He didn't whine or complain when she pulled off his old dressings, even when some of it stuck to his fur. Fred sat there obediently until she was finished.
It surprised her some that the police hadn't shown up yet. She was sure Jack would have run right to the station. It was already mid afternoon. What was taking them so long? Maybe Owen had gotten to Jack beforehand. He had said she shouldn't worry about it. Did he have some kind of pull with the police? What could a vet possibly do to keep Jack contained?
After tossing the dirty bandages away, she piled some pillows to the ground and sat with Fred. There was a movie marathon on Lifetime and damn if that didn't sound perfect. They were halfway into a beach romance when she heard footsteps on her porch. Fred perked up, his ears standing high on his head but he didn’t otherwise move.
Without knocking first, Lee pushed open the door and came inside. "Sadie, you better have a good..." Her words trailed off when she saw Fred draped over her lap. Sadie was about to back pedal and make up a logical reason as to why she had a wolf beside her when Lee began to laugh.
"Damn. Well, now I know why you didn't show up for work."
"Shit." She had completely forgotten in the chaos of the morning that she was to work the lunch shift.
"You are just full of secrets."
It was strange, but Sadie wasn't sure if Lee was talking to her or Fred. With no fear for being in the presence of a hurt wild animal, Lee came over and sat down beside her on the floor. "How ya doing handsome?" She ruffed up Fred's ears. He gave a yip in acknowledgment.
"Don't tell me, you know him too?"
"Yep. Haven't seen him in awhile though. Why, who else knows him?"
"Owen Purcell, the vet."
Lee smiled at Fred. "Damn boy, you got hit from all sides today, didn't you? So what happened?"
Sadie took a shot in the dark that Lee was back to talking to her. "Jack showed up and freaked. He shot Fred."
"I'm not even going to comment on the name," Lee stated while pretending to zip her mouth closed. "Why did he shoot...Fred?" She bit her lip holding back a smile. Fred nipped her fingers.
"He's been warning me since I got to town about a feral wolf. He's got the wrong wolf though, Fred's not feral, just look at him." As if on cue, Fred gave the sweetest puppy eyes to both of them.
"Yeah, he's seems to be good and healing quite well." Lee moved over toward his back leg and checked it out. "Looks good, Owen did a good job. I'm surprised he didn't call me though."
"Why would he call you?"
"Yeah, I guess you only know me as the bartender at the Wick. I'm a doctor. I help out in the clinic and at the vet when he needs me. The clinic isn't great money and I only get a few hours a week, so I moonlight as a bartender."
Sadie had not expected that one. "Why don't you move to a bigger city? I'm sure you could get something steadier elsewhere."
She looked up at her with a slight blush to her cheeks. "Is it weird if I said I'm afraid to leave?" Sadie cocked her head. It wasn't that weird but a little. "I left for all my schooling but found myself homesick. Like violently homesick. I could barely function when I was away from here. I don't care what I'm doing, as long as I'm doing it here."
She shrugged. Far be it for her to judge someone on where and how they lived. "If you're happy I guess I can't fault you for that."
"You ok?" she asked after a moment. Sadie knew her skin was still a blotchy scarlet red and her eyes were still haunted after the dream. She was exhausted and it showed.
"Yeah," she lied.
"Mmm hmmm," Lee hummed disbelievingly but didn't say anything more.
The movie was still playing and they both fell into a companionable silence. Fred sat sandwiched between them enjoying their lazy petting. He crashed pretty quickly after that. Lee held off till the end of the movie but Sadie knew she had something to say. The woman kept looking over at her with those blue lagoon eyes of hers. She hadn't asked how Sadie knew Fred, or why she was taking care of him. But then again, she hadn't asked why Sadie moved to the small Adirondack town either. Everyone else had, it was usually the first question they asked. Sadie had kept her answers vague and short but pleasant. She was actually doing them a favor by lying. No one wanted to hear the desperate tales of a ruined murderous woman. When they tried to pry more out of her she found something to do elsewhere.
Lee though, she hadn't asked about anything. Even when she was hired on the spot, her past hadn't been dug into. Sadie got the feeling she could tell Lee if she wanted too. Hell, she didn't judge her with having a wolf in her living room; doubt she'd judge her for killing her stalkerish barista.
Sadie glanced at the woman. Lee had shared something with her, something personal. In the friend handbook, she was
pretty sure that meant she should share something too. Her therapist's voice sounded in her head, pushing her to open up to someone like she hadn't been able too with her friends and family back home.
"I used to live in Buffalo," she began. "Was in the corporate world and all that."
Lee looked her over and shrugged. "You don't look like it now in those shorts but I can see it."
"About a year and a half ago I acquired a stalker. He followed me, watched me from the sidewalk outside my house, left me presents. Then angry calls, letters, emails. He broke in a few times and would steal my...things."
Her eyes narrowed. Lee knew just what kind of "things" Sadie meant.
"He attacked me. We fought in my apartment. I...uh, I shot him." Sadie ducked her head. Fred rested his chin on her thigh giving his silent support. "I killed him."
"Holy shit."
"He had planned on raping and kidnapping me. They found the bindings in his car. After it was all over, I was left with multiple broken bones and bruises." She had numerous surgeries to repair what was broken and everything was fixed on the outside. Now it was the inside that was a clusterfudge. "Just before you got here I had a dream about it. I always have dreams about it…"
"Of course you do. I'd be worried if you didn't." Lee's voice was soft but had a hint of heat. "So you moved here to get away from everything?"
"Yeah, I couldn't take the looks of pity from everyone. My apartment…well, I couldn't go back there."
"Understandable." Lee's frowned for a second and then as if a light bulb turned on her face lightened. "Oh my god, Jack!"
Sadie nodded. "Yeah, he's hitting a little too close to home lately."
"What a little fuck! Don't worry about him. I'll handle it."
Apparently no one believed she could "handle it" on her own. Was she that pathetic that everyone felt they needed to "save her" from Jack? When had she become the weak one?
"You'll have to get in line, Owen already said he'd take care of Jack."
Lee didn't look surprised. "Good. Jack won't have an option but to obey and back off.” Fred thumped his tail against the floor. “And how did you end up with this one?” She scratched his head.
“A reenactment of Thunder Dome behind my house.”
“Two wolves enter; one wolf leaves?”
“Exactly.”
“What happened to the other wolf?” she asked but wasn’t looking at Sadie anymore. Her question was directed to Fred. Of course he looked at her like “I’m a wolf you idiot. I can’t talk.” She got that look a lot when she talked to him.
“I don’t know. Fred chased him off then followed me home and ate a plate of cookies when my back was turned. I think he only sticks around for my baked goods.”
“He always did have a sweet tooth.” Her phone began to buzz with a melody of bells. "Shit, I have to run. I told Chuck I'd be right back after I checked in on you." She gave a sheepish smile. "We were worried."
"Thanks. I...” she sighed. “Thanks."
"Don't worry about work today, we have it covered. And Friday you will be coming over to drink martinis and get out of this place for a little while. Being cooped up isn't good for you."
Fred yipped in agreement and Lee nodded to him. "I'm not cooped up. I see people at work."
"Uh huh and that is such tantalizing conversation," she said dryly.
"Shut up. I'm fine."
The phone began to ring again so she was saved a lecture. "Call me if you need to talk or anything and I'll see you Friday."
Chapter Ten
Fred found that he could get whatever he wanted with a flash of those sad puppy eyes of his. Sadie found she had little to no will power against them. The last few days had consisted of Fred sleeping in her bed with her, Fred eating whatever she was having instead of the dog food she had gotten him, Fred following her everywhere. Although, she drew the line at showering together. He had tried a few times to climb in the tub, Sadie had to pull him out while shampoo ran into her eyes. She now showered with the door locked.
His company was appreciated though. He listened to her talk, didn't judge her singing voice and was considerate and stayed on his side of the bed. All in all, he was the best roommate she ever had.
At the stove, she stirred her spaghetti sauce. She'd taken to making extra of everything since Fred would eat a good half, if not more. Outside, the sky was an eerie glow of orange and pink. It had rained all day but the clouds had begun to part just as the sun started to set. The air was thick with moisture and the changing colored sky seemed to get stuck in its depths. She felt an unease as the night began to settle in.
Fred had gotten up from his spot on the couch and came to check on things. She glanced at him and knew right away that he felt it too. Turning back to her sauce, she tasted it and added a bit more salt. Fred yipped to get her attention. She looked back down and laughed. He was trying those eyes out on her again, probably wanting a taste too.
"Hell no. Not after what you did to me earlier."
She had been wearing a sundress but Fred found the skirt to be much too entertaining and goosed her with his cold wet nose. "I think we need to have a talk about boundaries." She had told him before changing into shorts.
Martinis with Lee was later on that night. The last two days had passed with surprising normalcy. The world had not ended because she shared her past with another human being. In fact, the world had not changed at all. Work was work, Chuck asked once if she was feeling better and that was the end of that. Lee didn't act any differently around her. And she had not seen or heard from Jack at all, so Owen had to have gotten to him. No police either which was a godsend in itself. Fred was healed and had gone back to his perimeter runs.
The night was early yet. Drinks weren't until nine so she had a good four hours till she had to leave. Sadie was nervous but she expected it was more because she was excited rather than scared. This was normal and safe and whole. Having Lee as a friend made her feel a little less ruined.
She put the lid over the spaghetti. It was too early for her to eat yet. However, the sauce would only get better with time. Fred waited by the back door. It was open but he wanted her to know when he left. Sadie waved him out the door. He'd be back in twenty minutes. Thirty if he caught a rabbit.
It wasn't so much that she heard the car approaching a few minutes later, it was the tumbling of her stomach that told her something was wrong. From her kitchen she could see Jack's truck slow and park. She looked out the kitchen window hoping to see Fred but he was still on his run.
None of this was good. She was alone and he had a track record of being aggressive. Sadie picked up her cell phone from the counter and hesitated. Who should she call? The police? Lee? Owen? Would the police even believe her if she told them what he was doing? Which, in all reality wasn't much.
Jack was already on the porch. Only three more steps till he reached the door. At the last second, Sadie called Owen.
Knock Knock.
No use pretending she wasn't there. He'd know by her car that she was. The call had gone to voicemail but she left the line open.
"Jack," she said as she opened the door just a few inches.
"Sadie." He smiled and looked down her body with male appreciation. "You look nice."
"What do you want Jack?"
"I know things haven't exactly been easy for us and I'm willing to overlook your association with Tyson because I truly believe you are my mate. Once you are changed you will see that I am right. Besides he probably never told you the truth."
Sadie stared at him. What now? Jack was bat shit crazy. Tyson, mating, changing? What the hell was he on?
All smiles, Jack held out his hand for her to take. "We should leave soon though. My cabin is a good hour hike from here."
"Whoa. Hold on there. I am not going anywhere with you," you crazy fudger. She closed the door an inch.
"Sadie," he said pleadingly and put his palm on the door.
"No." Sadie pushed on the door but he
was stronger and pushed right back.
"I know you are my mate, Sadie. I've known since I saw you in the woods. You are stronger than the others, beautiful, funny. I know you will survive the change. I can feel it."
The door swung open and Sadie backed into her living room. His eyes were all wrong. They were too bright, too clear. This was probably the sanest she had ever seen him, and the most deranged. "Jack stop." She pushed as much conviction into those two words as she could.
He stopped.
"I want you to leave."
He smiled like she was a misunderstood child. "I forget myself. You must be so confused."
No shit.
"I'm a werewolf and I intend to make you one too."
This wasn't just crazy like Peter had been, this was clinically, psych ward, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest crazy. She hoped to god that Owen checked his voicemails regularly because she had a feeling she would be a missing person very soon.
"You don't believe me, do you?" he said softly, like he pitied her.
She shook her head. "No, I don't." She was backing toward the kitchen. Her knife block held the closest protection. Turning her body that way she continued her slow escape with a pit stop at the counter.
"Let me show you." Jack stopped advancing and took off his shirt, boots, and pants. When he was naked, he flexed the muscles in his back and closed his eyes. Sadie moved into the kitchen and grabbed the chef's knife from the block. When she looked back, Jack was hunched over, his body rippling, and his features morphing. She couldn't move. Only stare at the disjointed form. His body broke into nothing and reshaped into something else. Something with fur and a tail.
He wasn't lying.
He really was a werewolf.
He wanted her as his wolf bride.
Sadie let her instincts move her. He wasn't done changing yet, his face was still half human and half wolf. This would be her only opportunity to get away. She opened the back door and ran. Right as she hit the forest, a wolf howled behind her.
Too Far Gone (Adirondack Pack Book 1) Page 8