Frozen Alaska

by Katherine Rhodes

  I sighed. “Do you want the address? Are you going to humiliate me in front of the few friends I have by yanking me out by plane?”

  “I didn’t think that it would be Delia who went,” my mother said, quietly. “I was so sure we had to just warn Mitchell.”

  “You never warned her?!” Mitchell’s voice was undisguised anger.

  “Mitch—”

  He cut my father off. “Don’t start with the good-child-bad-child shit. Seriously. I didn’t want to go to college. That is not being a bad child. I wanted to travel and see the world. Now, both my parents and my ex-girlfriend have flung that in my face.”

  “We’ll address the ex part of that in a minute,” Dad said. “Madeline. Where are you in Alaska?”

  “Juneau. Brandy bought a cabin and we’re helping her clean it up and staying here for a few months before we all have to decide what we want to do with our lives.”

  “You never mentioned you were going there.” Mom sounded hurt. I had, however, been a terrible daughter lately, not calling as often as I should have. “David, she’s in Juneau.”

  “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” I felt lost, and they were all making me terrified. “All I did was call my brother because I knew he was upset. Now I’m getting the third degree over my summer vacation. I didn’t know I was going to have report in where I was once I graduated from college and living on my own for four years.”

  More silence. I was getting pissed. “Talk. Or I’m hanging up.”

  “Your father and I cautioned your brother to never go to Alaska. Uncle Chuck is in the state prison in Nome, and we were always afraid he’d get out and come after you.”

  “Again.” The rage in my father’s voice was unmistakable.

  “Why didn’t you just tell me where he was instead of making this some kind of secret?”

  “Chuck isn’t a topic we like to bring up,” my mother said. “Between ourselves, or to you two.”

  “We were fifteen, we had no idea, and nothing bad happened in the end,” I said. “And clearly, now with him in jail, there’s really nothing to happen. Look, I’m beyond safe where I am. It’s a safe, guarded compound and there are patrols that watch Brandy’s cabin. Uncle Chuck is in jail, over a thousand miles and several large bodies of water away. I’m fine.”

  Dad sighed. Chuck was his brother, after all. “I’d feel better if you weren’t there.”

  “I’d feel better if you let my boyfriend handle my safety.”

  Three voices came back at me. “Your boyfriend?!”

  I could hear Jason and Cora crack up laughing. There was no way their sensitive hearing didn’t catch that chorus from the other end. I turned and narrowed my eyes at them, in a mocking tease.

  “Yes. My boyfriend. His name is Jason McGarrigal. He’s a wilderness guide, and we get along splendidly.”

  “Okay, so if she’s in Alaska, that’s where I’m going,” Mitchell said.

  “Mitch—”

  “Look, no. She’s there. I just had my girlfriend of four years break up with me as she boarded a connecting flight to London, leaving me stranding in Kenya. I’m going to Alaska. Strength in numbers, and I’m done with the super warm weather for a while.”

  “I don’t need protecting. I’m here on vacation a thousand miles away from Chuck. Mitch, if you want to come visit, fantastic. But don’t come here out of some sense of duty that you need to protect your big sister.”

  Mom and Dad chuckled as Mitchell huffed.

  “Mitchell, she’s right,” Mom said, backing me up. “You know your sister doesn’t need protecting. Go there as her brother and go to recover from that skank ho dumping you.”

  “Mom!” Mitchell’s voice was flustered, and Dad and I were trying not to laugh. Dad and I had liked Genesee just fine, but Mom had a radically different opinion of her.

  “Mitch, seriously. Come up. We’ll put you up in the cabin.”

  He sighed. “Let me get home to Mom and Dad, and I’ll be up in a few weeks. And tell your boyfriend that if he doesn’t take care of you, he’s got me to deal with.”

  I smirked at Jason who had walked over to me in the yard. “I can guarantee, he’s taking excellent care of me.”

  “That better not be an innuendo in your voice, firstborn.” Dad could hardly keep the laughter out of his own.

  “No, sir,” Jason said into the phone. “Your daughter is in excellent care. I just make sure the ropes are tight and she’s nice and safe when I go to work.”

  “I think my phone just exploded from double entendre,” Mom mumbled.

  “Goodbye, parentals, sibling! Mitch just call when you’re ready to fly up.”

  “Goodbye, sibling. See you soon, parentals.”

  “So long, offspring!”

  We all hung up laughing, and I shook my head. “I just wanted to check in on my brother, and that happens.”

  “You have an amazing relationship with your parents, don’t you?”

  He sounded a little jealous.

  “I do. I love them. They’re amazing and they’ve been so good to me and my brother. I’m very, very lucky that way. I know that, even among my friends.” I sighed. “Really lucky.”

  Jason’s arms wrapped around me and he hugged me tight. I could feel the patter of his heart against my cheek, and it was so comforting.

  “Genesee wasn’t good for Mitchell. She was a gold digger, but I thought she lost that attitude after a few months with my brother. Apparently, she didn’t. I’m just glad she broke it off before he could give her the ring.” Glancing up at him, I grinned. “Now. You said something about tying me up?”

  With a little laugh, he moved us back toward the house. “Maybe, maybe. I do have a new kind of rope I wanted to test…”

  9

  “So, you’re going to turn the keys over tomorrow?” I asked Garrett as we stood in line in the bank.

  “Yes. It’s all done. I just need to put the last breaker in today and it’s complete.”

  Delia shook her head. “Six weeks. I’m impressed. From that shit hole that we pulled up to, to this amazing little get away.”

  “Well, not to be awful, but this job has put Timberwolf in the black probably for good.”

  I whistled low. That meant a lot. I knew that Garrett and Jess had cozied up, and while he had Pauler money behind him, a huge fortune, the idea that he could keep her happy without it was a critical turning point for him.

  We walked up to the counter, and Delia pulled out her checkbook.

  “So, the final balance is…”

  Garrett pulled a printout from his back pocket. “It’s 72,598 dollars and thirty-three cents.”

  “What was the down payment? Twenty?”

  “Yup.” Garrett nodded.

  She looked up at the teller. “I’m going to need a cashier’s check for 52,598 dollars and thirty-three cents.”

  Wait. What was going on here?

  “And you have an account with this bank, ma’am?”

  “Yup.” Delia pulled out her debit card, and driver’s license and slid them over to the teller. “You can check that the cash is there.”

  “I’ll have manager handle this, if you don’t mind?” She motioned us away from the window toward where the woman sat in a glass office.

  We moved over there, but I was confused.

  Delia started writing the check out, using the tiniest little letters to write the full sum out. “I don’t want either of you to tell Brandy how much this rehab cost. Ever. This is a gift to her. The woman mortgaged her soul to get this away from her shit bag of a cousin, even though it should have been hers to being with.”

  “You’re seriously writing out a check for that?” I couldn’t keep the disbelief out of my voice.

  She nodded, glancing at me for just a flash of a second. “Yes. I am. This is making her happy, and it’s putting my friend’s business in the black, and all it means to me is that I might not be able to get a super fancy new car next year.” Signing her name
, she looked up at us. “Keeping my friends happy makes me happy. All five of us came up from shit situations, and I won’t let anything keep them from being happy.”

  “All of you?”

  I was really lost. Delia had been so happy talking to her parents a few weeks before, and had made it a point to talk to them at least once a week, and now constantly texted them and her friends.

  Her terse nod confirmed her statement. “Jess lost the baby she didn’t even want to be pregnant with just over a year ago. Zanna’s parents are ice cold, and I mean ice cold. Glacially frigid and think she’s only good for marriage. Brandy lost her father when she was a kid and her mother has outright rejected her for being gay. And Addi… Well, her story is hers, but she really had it worst of all.”

  “Miss LaPlage?” The manager was standing there holding out her license and bankcard. “Everything is order, and I’ll be happy to certify that cashier’s check for you.”

  Delia took the cards back and put them back in her wallet and held out the fully filled out check for the manager. A minute later, she brought it back with all the signatures and stamps, and tucked it in an envelope. “Here you are, miss. As always, it’s a pleasure doing with the LaPlage family.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled, accepting the check.

  How did my girlfriend have that kind of money sitting around in a bank account, so easy to access?

  We turned and marched out of the one bank branch and down to the local bank, where most of the packs did their banking. The manager, Quentin Braun, was a shifter himself.

  Garrett marched up to Quentin, and stuck his hand out. “Good to see you, Q.”

  “Hey, Garrett. Long time. What’s up?”

  “Just wanted to hand in a deposit of a cashier check.”

  “Excellent, excellent!” Quentin took the envelope from Delia. “Your girl?”

  I had to choke back my growl, and Garrett and Quentin laughed.

  “Not his,” Delia said, “I’m just the money.”

  The manager peeked in the envelope. “Indeed, you are the money. And certified.” He closed it back up, and handed Garrett a deposit slip to fill out. “This will take about a day to clear.”

  “Perfect. My subcontractors are going to be chomping at the bit.”

  “What job was this? If you don’t mind me asking?”

  Garrett lifted his eyebrow, and I had the feeling I was about to be really enlightened about something. “The Yéil place.”

  “Did that come out of arbitration?”

  “No. It was purchased in family.”

  Quentin froze. I turned slowly and asked the question painted on my fellow shifter’s face. “What?”

  Delia caught that there was something significant about this, and supplied the answer. “Brandy Yéil bought it and fixed it up.”

  Quentin’s voice dropped to a whisper. “The Yéils are all dead. For generations.”

  Delia shook her head. “Clearly not, since Brandy is currently at the cabin putting up fucking blue gingham curtains in the kitchen.” She looked between us. “What the hell are you three going on about?”

  I held up my hand. “I’ll explain later?”

  “Fine. Let’s get going. Jess is at the salon and she’s probably just about done by now.”

  Delia, Garrett, and Quentin finished up what they were doing and we headed out to the truck. After we all climbed in, I pulled away from the curb and headed for the hair salon that Jess was waiting at.

  I had planned to ask Delia about the money, but I got distracted when I checked my mirrors.

  “Garrett.”

  “Yes?”

  “You know we have a tail?”

  “Yes.” He nodded from the back seat. “I thought that we might. I thought I saw someone…can you tell who it is?”

  “It’s Heath. I’d recognize that hunk of shit car anywhere.” I had no idea why one of the wealthiest shifters in the pack would drive something that looked like it was held together with bakery string and chewing gum.

  “Hmm. He, Steve, and Bart were at the house the other day with a complaint. They wanted to start hunting elk again and Dad told them to buy their meat at Walmart.”

  I snorted. “Well, that’ll piss’em off.”

  “Yeah. So I’m thinking they’re not happy and we need to have a talk with Heath.”

  I nodded. “You pick up your woman from the salon and get in your car. I’ll go a little further, and turn off. He’ll wait and follow you if I don’t miss my guess. I’ll follow him, and we can play box cars.”

  “Perfect.” Garrett nodded.

  Twenty minutes later we had lead and followed Heath out of the main part of the city, and down the highway to road that led to the compound. It was a quiet and mostly deserted road, which was perfect for what we wanted to do.

  Garrett slowed his truck down and pulled halfway into the other lane. I sped up my truck and pulled halfway into the lane, too. Between us, we forced Heath to the side of the road and to a stop, boxing him so he couldn’t drive away.

  I watched as Garrett climbed out, and Jess slid over to the wheel. I motioned Delia to do the same as I climbed out.

  Walking over, I stopped at the back end of the car and folded my arms as Garrett leaned down like he was the sherriff in these here parts.

  “Well. Heath. Didn’t expect to see you out here. What on Earth are you doing?”

  His terrified swallow easily reached my ears. Even my fully human girlfriend would have heard that one. “Just…uh…just coming back from the store. Had to pick up stuff.”

  Garrett nodded, and thought a moment. “And you needed to do that following me all morning?”

  “It’s just coincidence…”

  “That you walked by the bank twice?” I tossed out. “And then walked by the other bank three more times?”

  He tossed a look over his shoulder at me. “Man, I didn’t…I wasn’t going to do anything. Bart wanted to know what you and the females were up to. He’s really pissed your dad pulled the elk hunting and he’s doubly pissed he has to guard your bitches.”

  The growl from the pack beta echoed through the air, vibrating everything, including the metal of the car. Heath probably pissed himself being as close as he was and the cause of it.

  “Don’t hurt me, man. Garrett. Beta. I’m sorry. Bart’s higher in the order than me and I have to listen if he gives me an order. You know how that works.”

  “Here’s a better order for you. Don’t listen to him if you know what he’s doing is wrong. You come to me, or you go to my father, and you talk to us. We’re not iron fisted death dealers, and you know that. Bart isn’t worth your standing in this pack.”

  I nodded in agreement, just waiting.

  “I’m sorry, Beta. Bart has ideas that aren’t great. I won’t be able to come talk to you tonight, but I will come and discuss what’s going on this Friday? I can’t do it without raising his hackles. He’ll tear my liver out.”

  I snorted. “Well, since you’re lilly-livered, that might help.”

  Heath leaned out of the window and looked back at me. “Who the hell are you to call me lilly-livered? I oughta—”

  “Sit back!” I snapped.

  He whipped around and slammed his back into the seat.

  Wait. What?

  Garrett narrowed his eyes at the man behind the wheel. “You’re going to be there Friday or I’m going to remove your liver for you. You won’t have to wait for Bart. And you will remember this: If Bart asks you about this little stalking expedition, at all, you are not to tell him anything. You lost me and my woman in the crowds. You never even knew that Jason was here.”

  “Yes, Beta.”

  “Go home.”

  Heath rolled up the window and Garrett had Jess pull the truck forward just enough for him to pull away from the ditch and into the road. We watched as he disappeared into the distance.

  Garrett looked at me. “Sorry about this.”

  I quirked an eyebrow, but he climbed int
o the driver’s seat. The truck shot down the road about a quarter mile and turned down a small access road.

  What the hell…?

  I shook my head and pulled open the door to the truck.

  The stunning potency of Delia’s scent speared through me and turned my cock to a spike painfully fast. Delia opened her mouth to say something, but instead she gasped—and that quickly turned to a groan.

  “What the…” she managed.

  I swallowed, louder than Heath earlier, and managed to climb into the cab. “Jesus Christ. Alpha effect.”

  “Why do I need to fuck you so bad?” She was panting.

  Now I understood why Garrett had driven into the access road. I slammed the truck into drive and gunned it. There was a firebreak less than a mile up the road, and I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.

  “Jason…” Delia’s words were breathy.

  “Take your pants off, babe. Hurry. I need to be inside you soon.”

  She complied, desperately yanking her clothes down. Kicking them off on to the floor, her panties joined them too, and I let out a groan. Three quarters of a mile.

  “I feel like I’m going to explode, Jason…”

  I knew I was. “Touch yourself, Delia. Run your fingers over your pussy. Don’t be quiet, tell me, let me hear you.”

  With a groan, she dropped her hand to her velvet soft lips that hid her from view. “Oh, God, I’m so wet.” She trailed her finger down into her depth, bucking when her skin touched the nub of her clit.

  Half mile.

  She moaned and spread her legs and it was damn hard to pay attention to the road. “I need your cock, Jason. I need you inside me.” Delia slid a finger into her entrance and hissed at her own intrusion. I could see her hand swirl, rimming the place my cock wanted to be immediately.

  Quarter mile.

  “Oh, God.” Her voice was husky now, and she started to move her finger in and out in a low steady motion. I almost drove off the road when she slid another into work with the first. I could smell her sex in the air. She used her other hand to hold herself open and circle her clit with a finger. It was an amazing feat of dexterity.

  I nearly missed the turn off.

  I yanked the wheel hard and we bounced over some rocks. She gasped, because the movement made her push her fingers deep inside.