by Michelle Fox
"Okay, well, let me tell you about the Rowdy Howl. Maybe it will help." He waved toward the tables. "This is where my alpha and his friends come to drink. As the name implies, it's a rough place. There are no drink limits here and you can find yourself a lot of trouble if that's what you're looking for. Strays hang out here, the ones who don't care if they are ever allowed back into their packs." Pointing to the center of the bar, he said, "There are fights. I did some of my first fights here. They push back the tables to clear a space right over there."
"Is that how you got started in fighting?"
"Yeah. I guess so." Then shrugging he said, "So when you were here, the place would've been full of drunk shifters itching for a fight."
She frowned. "That doesn't sound like my kind of thing."
"I know, but you came here anyway. For now, let's assume your sister told you about it. Maybe you were supposed to meet her here?"
Lia just gave him a blank look. "I have no idea. Maybe." She reached for her purse and went through it again. "I know I had a phone. I remember looking at it here, but it's not in my purse." Dropping her bag on the table, she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "If we find my phone, I bet we'll find out why I was here."
"Anita," he gestured toward where the waitress stood, "gave the sheriff a phone. We're not sure it's yours and it wasn't working when I saw it, but we can go find out if they got anything off it."
Lia gave an eager nod and pushed back her chair to stand. "That sounds like a plan."
He raised his hand to the waitresses. "Thanks for your help."
Outside, he watched Lia put on her helmet. She had curves that were pleasant to look at, but a deadly temptation when pressed up against him. The ride down to the bar had been a challenge. He'd been hyperaware of her juicy thighs spreading to fit around his hips and the way her breasts had pressed into his back. The drive into Hudson was going to get his wolf all riled up again. He could already tell. This woman, whoever she was, was getting under his fur in a big way.
Chapter Ten
Lia endured another half hour of being shoved into Ryder, fighting not to squirm. Between the thong, the vibration of the bike and being so close to Ryder, she couldn't keep her thoughts clean.
What is wrong with me?
She kind of wanted him to pull over, rip off her jeans, totally destroy the damned thong, and bend her over the bike as he took her from behind. With a growl of frustration, she ground her teeth into the inside of her cheek, giving herself something else to think about.
Look at the sky and all the pretty trees.
That just made her imagine Ryder picking her up and bracing her against a tree trunk as he fucked her into oblivion.
Okay. Just don't think. No thinking at all. Pretend you don't even have a brain.
She couldn't tell if being this obsessed about having sex with a relative stranger was normal for her or something new. It made her uncomfortable, that much she knew, which led her to think her behavior wasn't typical for her.
Did brain trauma come with a side of nymphomania? Had her libido gotten scrambled or was there something special about Ryder?
***
In Hudson, Ryder guided his bike to another bar, this one with a sign overhead that read The Crescent. The interior featured a long wooden bar, polished until it gleamed. Against the opposite wall ran a line of oak booths. The high ceiling was open with exposed pipes, save for a loft that ran along the far end of the narrow room. Country music played on low volume and the people behind the bar all seemed to know Ryder.
"Hey, I didn't expect to see you again so soon." A tall woman with a blonde crew cut came around to give Ryder a quick hug.
"Well, here I am. This is Lia."
"Hi. I'm Keira, the sheriff's deputy." The lithe blonde stuck out a slender hand which Lia shook.
"This is Lia, the girl Talon put in Crescent Pines."
Keira's blue eyes widened. "I heard about that, but missed all the action. I was on the opposite side of town hunting a grow lab for shifter high."
Lia gave the deputy a blank look. "Shifter high?"
"Otherwise known as pot by humans, but shifters who are into drugs make their own version of it."
"What is it?"
Keira narrowed her eyes. "You don't get out much, do you?"
"Not enough to know anything about shifter high."
"It's a genetically modified street drug. You know how we metabolize things so fast?" Lia had no clue, but she nodded and pretended she did, prompting Keira to continue. "They blend pot with catnip and synthetic chemicals to ensure the high lasts. As in 'this'll get a shifter high' and voila! A new street drug is named." She pointed to her mouth. "It rots your teeth and your body, and if you keep taking it, you'll rot faster than you can heal."
"Sounds like a revenant," Ryder said.
"What's that?" Lia asked.
"If a vampire feeds from someone too much, they start to die," he explained.
"They can't replace their blood volume fast enough to keep going," added Keira. "At first they stop healing, then their bodies can't regenerate, and if the vamp keeps sucking on 'em it's all just downhill from there."
Lia grimaced. "So they rot?"
"Pretty much. If it goes on long enough, they can actually become zombies." Keira gave her an odd look. "I thought everyone knew that. Is it because of your..." She trailed off and just tapped the side of her head with her finger.
"They bashed her head in pretty bad," Ryder said.
Lia gave a tight smile. "Things are a little scrambled sometimes."
Keira's eyes went wide. "Oh, wow. Sorry to hear that."
"Is Talon around?" Ryder asked.
"Nope. Sorry. He's out chasing down a stray. I'm the officer in charge. So, if you've got a question, shoot."
"That woman the other day, Anita, she brought in a phone. It might be Lia's and we were hoping that maybe you guys got something from it."
"Dixon," Keira yelled over her shoulder.
A head popped up over the railing in the loft that ran across the back half of the bar. Dixon, a tall, painfully thin man, blinked at everyone through gold toned glasses. "Yes."
"You're up. They want to talk to you about that phone." She motioned for him to come down.
"Be right there. Just one sec." Dixon disappeared and reemerged a moment later at the top of the stairs. Despite having a tall, angular frame he navigated the staircase with an innate grace, one hand on the railing, the other carrying a tablet.
"Hello," he said nodding to each of them in turn. "I'm Dixon. I run IT and any tech stuff for the sheriff." He pointed at Lia. "The phone is dead but I was able to get some data off it before it completely went black."
Lia straightened up, her ears on high alert. Was this it? Would this be the moment when her memory came back?
"What did you find?" Ryder asked.
Dixon tapped at the tablet's screen with a bony finger. "I'll show you what I have."
"So it was my phone?" Lia craned her neck, trying to see the screen.
"You are Lia, right?" At her nod, he said, "Then yes, it was definitely your phone. I saved most of the data before it completely died." He held up the tablet so she could see. "I got most of your texts. You have a sister named..." He glanced at the screen. "Adele."
"Adele," Lia breathed the name and it clicked into place inside her brain. No distinct memories bubbled up, not even a face, but she could tell this was a person who belonged to her.
"Yeah, she started texting you last week." Dixon handed her the tablet. "Take a look."
Lia scrolled through the texts feeling very much like an alien trying to understand an unknown life form.
I have to go. Don't hate me.
No. You don't even know these people.
It'll be okay. They have references and everything. They're even listed with the Pack Council.
But it's so far away.
I have to learn how to do this on my own. I can't lean on you or anyone els
e. I'll call when I get there.
When are you leaving? Let's at least get together for dinner.
Can't. I'm already at the airport.
You're leaving now? Are you crazy?
No. Not crazy. I'm thinking straight for the first time in years. -A
Looking up at Dixon, she asked, "Where is she going? Why did she come out here?"
Dixon shrugged. "She never says. Keep going. There's more."
She scrolled past the back-and-forth with her sister, pleading for her to stay, to wait, but Adele left. For several weeks there was nothing from Adele. "She didn't call me when she got here like she promised," Lia murmured mostly to herself.
"Yeah, it doesn't look like she did." Dixon took the tablet back and tapped on the screen some more. "In fact, she didn't contact you again from that number, but then last week, this came through from a new phone number, one you didn't have in your contacts. I tried to trace it, but it's a burner. Whoever uses that number doesn't want to be found." He passed her the tablet again.
Lia, you have to help me. I'm in big trouble. It's nothing like they said it would be.
Where are you?
In the Huntsville Pack area. Tennessee.
Just come home.
I can't. They won't let me leave. If they knew about these texts, bad things would happen. You have to come here. Find me. Please
How do I find you?
There's a place, the Rowdy Howl. That's where it all started. This guy, Mason knows where I am. Ask him but be careful, I think he's involved in this somehow. Hurry, sis. I don't know how much time I have.
Time for what?
Before you never see me again. Love you, sis. Sorry I'm such a fuck up. -A
Lia handed the tablet back to Dixon, unable to keep her hand from shaking. She had just discovered her sister only to learn she may be lost forever. "What is going on?" She looked from Dixon to Ryder.
"I'm trying to figure that out. I've got a data query running, indexing everything I can find about the Rowdy Howl and anything the Pack Council approved in this area."
"Was there anything else on the phone?" Ryder asked.
Dixon shook his head. "No. Just some pictures."
At that Lia perked up. "Are there pictures of my sister?"
"I think so. Here, take a look." He handed the phone back over.
"Oh." Lia covered her mouth with one hand at what she saw. "We're—"
"Twins," Ryder finished for her.
"I can't believe it. I have a twin?" She closed her eyes tight, and then opened them again, but the picture hadn't changed. They had the same sable hair and the same squint in their eyes when they smiled.
"If you're not twins, you were born pretty close together. Not much more than a year apart," Dixon said. "I have a facial analysis program that could probably tell one way or the other, but I didn't have a chance to run it yet."
"Does Talon know any of this?" Ryder asked.
"Not yet. He's been out since last night. Hasn't come back yet."
"All right, have him call me once he's up-to-date on all of this."
"You're not staying?" Keira asked.
Ryder shook his head. "I promised to take Lia shopping. She needs clothes and a new phone."
"Will you let me know if you find anything else?" Lia reached out to touch Dixon, but stopped short, recalling that it wasn't good to touch another shifter without permission. The memory of the rule made her angry. She remembered so much, but nothing of the things that really mattered. Would she end up living in a world she understood but never actually knew? Was that going to be her fate?
"Sure," Dixon said.
"I think..." She hesitated as her mind struggled to tell her something. "My sister is in big trouble. I have to help her."
"That's what it reads like to me, too. I'm doing everything I can. The second I know anything, you'll know it." Dixon went over to the bar and grabbed a pen and order pad. "Before you go, let me give you your number. If you go to your cell provider, they should be able to upload all your data into a new phone." He scribbled on the pad, tore off the sheet and handed it to her. "Cellxis is your provider and I think they have a store at the mall. Is that where you're going?"
Ryder nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay. Well, give them that," he pointed to the paper he'd given to Lia. "And you should be all set."
"Thank you," Lia said, her voice a whisper. The idea of having a phone that contained information she'd put into it excited her. Maybe her brain hadn't stored anything, but her phone would have. There would be pictures. Texts. Phone numbers. She couldn't wait, and her footsteps were light on the way out of The Crescent.
Chapter Eleven
Hudson's mall turned out to be smaller than she had expected. The entire thing consisted of a one story building in grey stone with just two department stores at either end. She wondered if she would find anything. They started at the Cellxis store and once she'd picked out a new phone, they left the staff to set it all up while she shopped.
"I'm going to grab a coffee, if that's okay." Ryder gestured to a kiosk in the middle of the mall's hallway. The scent of roasting beans emanated from it in waves.
"Yeah, sure." When he started to walk away, she put a hand on his shoulder and held him back. He whirled on her, a fist up and his gaze dark, the amber flecks inside flaring bright as fire. She jumped back, holding up her arm. She'd managed to forget the no touching rule less than an hour after remembering it. Real slick there, Lia. "Sorry. I just wanted to say thank you for doing this. I know your grandmother roped you into bringing me here, but I really appreciate your help."
He relaxed and his eyes returned to their more normal brown shot through with amber. "I'm sorry myself. I didn't mean to jump on you like that. It's an old fight reflex." He flexed his fingers. "Sometimes they'd sneak a second fighter into the ring if the fight got boring and they would always come up on me from behind."
"Oh. Wow. I had no idea."
"Most people don't. Thankfully, my reflexes are good. I will always react, but I won't just punch people out, you know? And I'm glad to help. I'm at loose ends until my pack situation sorts itself out."
"What pack situation?" She knew something was up from the conversation on the patio at Crescent Pines, but nothing had ever been said.
"I'm leaving my pack."
"Oh? Is that a big deal?"
"It is if it pisses off your alpha. Mason would rather kill me than let me go."
"The same Mason I think I remember?" Fear squirmed in her gut. She'd thought being with Ryder was safe, but he was actually tangled up in whatever had caused her to lose her memory.
"Yep."
"Why is he so awful?"
Ryder shrugged. "Hard to say. It runs in the pack DNA or something. He's always been violent and difficult. All the men in his line are and they make up most of the pack."
"There must be a lot of fighting in your pack."
"I threw my first punch when I was five."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Some fifth grader tried to take my lunch."
Lia shook her head.
"What, no one ever fought in your pack?"
"I have no idea," she said. "I can't remember. I expect boys are the same everywhere though, so there must have been some fighting."
"Yeah, well Mason is all fight, all the time. I was a professional fighter and even I didn't fight as much as him."
She frowned and cast a nervous glance over her shoulder. "And he wants you dead and probably smacked the memory clean out of my head."
"Don't worry. Mason won't find us here. He doesn't shop. No alpha worth his dominance does."
"But you're here."
"Extenuating circumstances. I'm sort of homeless right now and you need clothes, so win-win, right?" He winked at her and stepped away. "So I'll see you in an hour or so?"
"Oh. Yeah, sure." She startled again, so caught up in Ryder that she'd forgotten about the mall.
"Do you need more time?"
She looked from one end of the mall to the next and shook her head. If there were even twenty stores she would be surprised. "I think an hour is fine. I'll let you know."
"Holler if you need me." He also gauged the size of the mall. "I'll hear you pretty much wherever you are in this place."
"Thanks." She strolled off with a wave and headed into a store. For the moment, she was content. Her new phone would reveal more of her life than she could currently remember, and while the mall might be small, the clothing selection appealed to her. She was one step closer to getting her real life back.
***
Ryder's phone rang as he waited in line to place his coffee order and he frowned when he saw the caller ID flash across the screen. Mason. Of course it would be his alpha.
With a sigh, he hit ignore.
The phone rang again after a brief moment of silence.
When he still didn't answer it, the dings of text messages arriving started.
The third time Mason called him, he stepped out of line and answered. "What?"
"You can't hide from me forever." Mason's harsh voice filled Ryder's ear.
Ryder said nothing, refusing to engage. Mason was the type where the more you gave, the more he took.
"I've been looking for you. People have told you I want to see you and you're ignoring me. Disobeying your alpha can get you kicked out of your pack, did you know that?"
"Get to the point, Mason. I don't have time for this."
"If you don't turn yourself in to the sheriff, I'm going to kill your grandmother. How's that for getting to the point?"
Every muscle in Ryder's body tightened. "You do anything to my family and it'll be the last thing you do on this earth."
"Maybe you were undefeated in the fighting ring, but I'm an alpha, not one of those betas the Pack League fed you. You can try to take me, Ryder Chase, but you're the one whose soul will be flying to the moon, not me."
"Everyone I fought in the ring was more alpha than you'll ever be. Do not touch my family. You won't survive it."
Mason laughed, the sound sour. "Too late, wannabe. Did you know that, as her alpha, I can sign her out of Crescent Pines at any time and no one will stop me? She can say no all she wants, and in fact, that's exactly what she did. But I'm the alpha and she goes where I say. They know that there, but you and your family seem to be confused about how a pack works."