by Anna Lowe
Tim scrambled to his feet, dragged her up by one hand, and pushed her behind his body. His nostrils flared, testing the air.
“Shit,” he muttered, staring inland.
Hailey’s jaw dropped as a dog trotted out of the shadows, its nose to the ground. A huge, scrappy dog with upright ears and a gray coat. When it looked up, it bared its teeth, and a long string of saliva dripped from its lips.
Shit was right. The beast was big enough to be a wolf. Wait — it was a wolf. She knew; she’d seen plenty in Montana, though never so close. Most wolves barely glanced up before loping for cover. This one strode boldly out of the shadows, coming straight for them, snarling under its breath. Was it rabid?
Tim took firm hold of her hand as he backed her toward the water, the only path of escape. When he spoke, his voice was tight. “No sudden moves.”
Hailey gulped. She wasn’t planning on it. But Jesus — a wolf? In Maui?
“Whatever brought you here, you need to get the hell out,” Tim hissed. “Maui is our territory.”
Hailey stared. Most people shouted or clapped to startle a wolf away. Tim was talking to it as if that were another person.
“Tim…” she whispered.
He silenced her with a quick hand squeeze that begged her to trust him.
Well, of course, she trusted him. But what the hell was going on?
“Let’s walk to the car. Slowly,” she whispered as her heart raced. Most wolves looked wary; this one had a predatory gleam in its eye.
But Tim stood his ground and waved the wolf off. “I’ll tell you one last time. You are not doing this. Get out of here, and leave her alone.”
The wolf snorted then looked back at a pair of headlights. The food truck was long since gone, and a new arrival was taking its place. Hailey exhaled, thinking that might be the police. But the two burly men who slid out of the SUV didn’t exactly give off helpful vibes. They jogged up behind the wolf, close enough to catch it like a stray dog. But they didn’t make a move to trap the beast, nor did it flinch. They just crossed their arms and glared at Tim.
Hailey stared. The only thing that kept her from bolting was having Tim there, so steady and broad.
“Please tell me one of you has more sense than he does,” Tim said in that same controlled, even voice.
Hailey wanted to tug his hand and run. What was he talking about?
One of the men held out his hand. “You need to come with us, Ms. Crewe.”
She stared, recognizing one of Jonathan’s security men. How they had found her, she had no clue. But a second later, her mind served up the image of Jonathan offering crisp $100 bills to anyone with information as to her whereabouts. Had he found the cab driver, tracked her to Maui, and had the wolf follow her trail?
She shook the notion away. Even Jonathan wasn’t that crazy. Was he?
“Get your dog on a leash,” she spat. “And back the hell away. I am not going with you.”
The wolf gave a low, threatening rumble, and Tim stiffened.
“I’m telling you, you’d better get him under control. If he so much as shows… Crap.” Tim cut himself off. “Don’t do this. I’m telling you not to do this.” His voice was urgent — almost pleading — and his eyes were locked firmly on the wolf.
“Jesus, he’s really going to do it,” one of the two security men muttered to the other, looking at the wolf.
Hailey stared. What did they expect the wolf to do?
“Don’t do this, boss,” the other security man said, reaching for the wolf.
But the beast snapped at him and started pacing back and forth, eyeing Tim in open challenge.
“Jesus,” Tim muttered. “How crazy are you?” Then he turned to Hailey and spoke in an urgent whisper. “Close your eyes. Don’t look.”
How could she not look? The wolf let out a strangled howl and reared up on its back legs, clawing at the air. A moment later, it came down on all fours and hunched, grumbling under its breath.
“What the…” Hailey gasped, backing away.
Its fur thinned, and its shoulder blades pulled back until they were square across its back instead of along its sides. The tail grew stubbier, and its feet flattened and stretched out. If Tim hadn’t had such a firm hold of her hand, Hailey might have run in terror.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “No.”
Her knees trembled, and she shook her head, unable to believe her eyes. The wolf slowly transformed into a shaggy, dark-haired man who stood stiffly and rolled his shoulders like a boxer getting ready for a fight. He was naked, but that didn’t shock Hailey half as much as the sight of his face.
“Lamar?” The name barely moved past her lips, she was that shocked.
Tim glanced at her, even more troubled than before. He kept firm hold of her hand, backing her away from the dunes.
Lamar grinned and cracked his knuckles, one by one. “Now, now. What do we have here?” His nostrils flared like an animal’s while he studied Tim. “Ms. Crewe and her new friend, who just happens to be a—”
“Watch it,” Tim growled, cutting Lamar off.
Lamar chuckled. “Oh, is that how it is? I see now. She doesn’t know.”
Hailey wanted to scream. No, she didn’t know what the hell was going on. She just wanted to get out of there, ASAP.
“We’ve been looking for you, Ms. Crewe,” Lamar sneered. “Wondering where you might have gotten yourself to.”
Hailey clutched the back of Tim’s shirt and peered into the shadows behind Lamar. Would Jonathan appear next? Or was all this a hallucination?
“And here you are on Maui,” Lamar continued. “Kissing a man who ain’t the groom. Now what kind of woman does that?”
“A bride without a groom, from what I hear,” Tim said in a low, dangerous voice. “That’s what the jackass gets for not asking ahead of time.”
“Oh, he asked, all right.” Lamar insisted.
“Yeah, at the wedding, not before,” Hailey cried out. “And I said no.”
“What part of no don’t you understand?” Tim growled with a note of finality that would have sent any other man packing.
Hailey’s heart pounded, and her mouth was dry. But it seemed dangerous to show weakness, so she clenched her fists and held her ground. She could have her mental breakdown later. Right now, she had to keep herself together.
“Forget it, Lamar.”
“You’re trespassing,” Tim added in a perfectly even voice.
Lamar laughed out loud. “This beach ain’t your territory.”
“All of Maui is our territory,” Tim snarled.
Hailey glanced at him. Our? Did he mean his friends at Koa Point? No one could own all of Maui. So what did he mean?
“We just stopped by to pick up what’s ours,” Lamar spat.
Hailey’s cheeks heated. “Yours? I don’t belong to anybody, least of all your boss. So, get the hell out of here. I never want to see you or Jonathan again.”
Lamar broke out in cackling laughter. “Not for you to decide, sweetheart. Not when the boss has his mind made up.”
Her jaw dropped. Who the hell did Lamar think he was?
Tim beat her to a response. “Last chance to get your ass out of here before I flay your hide.”
Lamar laughed. “Do you mean that literally?”
Hailey winced. God, was he going to transform back into a wolf?
Even Lamar’s men looked uncertain. “You know the rules, man.”
Hailey wanted to scream. What rules? They had to be breaking just about every law in the books.
Tim’s hands were so tight around hers, she winced, but his voice stayed even and commanding. “Not going there, asshole. Not you, not me. Now, back down. Don’t do something we’ll all regret.”
“You’re the one who’ll be regretting this, asshole,” Lamar sneered. Then he turned to his men. “I’ll take care of him. You grab her.”
Hailey couldn’t believe her ears. Did they think they could kidnap her? Force her to marry Jonath
an? Where did this nightmare end?
Tim turned slightly and whispered, “I can hold them, Hailey. You run when I say go.”
Hailey wrung her hands, not knowing what to do. It was her old nightmare all over again.
Run, Hailey! Run! her grandfather had cried that awful day when she was fourteen. A day that started so well — like this one — and ended so horrifically, with a pack of wild animals taking her grandfather’s life. She’d locked herself in his truck and crouched in the back seat for hours before the state police had happened by and brought her home, a mess.
She couldn’t have helped her grandfather, but the shame of leaving him behind still haunted her. So now, with Tim?
“Not going anywhere,” she said.
The three men bristled, and Tim did too. Hailey was terrified they would break into a fight – or worse, that Lamar would turn back into a wolf and tear out Tim’s throat. But Tim held his ground, keeping perfectly cool.
“Don’t make a mess out of an already botched job,” he told Lamar. “You’re not taking her. Now get out of here.”
Lamar scowled at the suggestion of failure, but before he could retort, a car rumbled into the parking lot, and everyone turned around. It was a big, boxy car, and Hailey shook, imagining Jonathan stepping out with another couple of guards.
But Tim’s cheek twitched, and his hand loosened slightly around hers as a big man stepped into view. “Connor.”
Hailey exhaled but didn’t stop sweating one bit.
Connor strode up, circling around to his brother’s side.
“What do we have here?” Connor murmured, crossing his arms.
Tim alone was formidable, but the two together were downright scary. Hailey could barely see over them as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, forming a protective wall. She expected Tim to tell Connor about the lunatic who could change from wolf to human form, but all he said was, “What we have here is a fool. A stupid son of a bitch and his two even stupider men.”
Connor huffed. “You have one minute to get back in your car and fifteen to fly your sorry asses off Maui. And when you get to Oahu, you’ll catch the first flight to the mainland. Any delay, and you’re dead.”
His voice was dark and deadly, scaring Hailey. Connor meant it, she was sure. Tim backed him up with a deep, guttural growl.
The man on the left clapped a hand on Lamar’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Lamar shrugged him off, and Hailey worried that he would resist. But finally, he showed his teeth and stepped back.
“You haven’t seen the last of us, asshole.”
The three turned on their heels, and Connor followed them all the way to the car. When the SUV started up and reversed out of its spot, Connor backtracked to Tim for a last, rushed exchange.
“I’ll make sure they go.” His eyes jumped to Hailey, and his voice was grim. “You take care of her.”
Tim nodded. “I’m bringing her to Koakea.” Connor looked like he was about to protest, but Tim insisted. “I have to. It’s safer there.”
“Hang on—” Hailey started.
But Connor just muttered and ran to his car. Seconds later, he peeled out of the parking lot, following Lamar’s SUV.
The crickets that had gone deathly still went back to chirping, and the park slowly returned to its earlier peace. A deceptive kind of peace, because what creature might jump out of the shadows next?
Hailey didn’t realize her hands were shaking until Tim clasped them and pulled her closer. She stared into his eyes, stuttering as a dozen questions formed a logjam in her mind.
“Tell me that didn’t happen. Tell me I didn’t see that.”
For a long, petrifying minute, Tim didn’t say anything at all. Then he rubbed his hands over hers and kissed her knuckles.
“Let’s get out of here. I’ll explain in the car.”
Chapter Ten
Tim slid into the pickup, slammed the door shut, and scrubbed a hand through his hair. Then he cursed under his breath for the hundredth time. Any sane shifter knew not to show his animal side in front of a human. That Lamar was one cocky — or psychotic — son of a bitch to shift in plain view. Worse, he’d done so in front of Hailey.
Tim clamped his hands over the steering wheel while his bear growled in his mind.
When I get my claws on him…
Yeah, no kidding. It had taken everything he had not to shift and rip Lamar to pieces on the spot. A bear against a wolf – it wouldn’t be easy, but Tim had no doubt who would come out on top. In any other circumstance, he and Connor would have killed Lamar and the other two — a bear and a wolf shifter, judging by their scents — on the spot. But Hailey had been there, and her safety came first.
She’s safe now, his bear murmured.
Yeah, she was safe. But, shit. How would he ever explain?
I’m a shifter too. And all those nice people you met at Koakea? Hunter is a bear like me. Chase is a wolf, but I swear he’s nothing like Lamar. Dell is a lion…
Hailey hunched over in the passenger seat, burying her face in her hands. Every wracking sob she took tore at his heart.
“Shh. Hailey…” He leaned across the front seat and wrapped his arms around her.
Her sobs turned into mumbled questions he couldn’t make sense of.
“It’s okay now. I promise it’s okay,” he whispered again and again.
When she looked up, her face was smeared with tears, and her eyes shiny with fear. “What was that? God, what kind of monster is he?”
Monster made Tim’s heart sink, because he was a shifter too.
“Shifter,” he muttered after a deep breath. He couldn’t lie to her, after all.
Hailey’s eyes went wide, and her hands gripped his. So trusting. So totally innocent of the fact that he was that kind of monster himself.
“Shifter? You mean, like a werewolf?”
He nodded. “Sort of, I guess. But different.”
“Different how?” Hailey’s hands shook in his.
When he started the vehicle and drove off, his heart might as well have been dragging along the ground behind them.
“They can change back and forth, but not the way legends say. Like, not only under a full moon.”
“No, they just change when they want to scare the shit out of someone,” Hailey snorted. Then she shook her head. “How is that even possible?”
Tim figured it wasn’t the time to explain how good it felt to be able to shed his human skin and disappear into the wild from time to time.
Hailey’s eyebrows drew tight, and she stared at him. “Wait. How do you even know about them?”
For a second, his mind went blank. Jesus, what to say?
Tell her not all shifters are bad, his bear growled, jumping up and down inside, rebelling against the authority of his human side. Tell her about me.
It took everything he had to keep the beast under control. Explaining to Hailey about shifters would never work, so he went for a watered-down version of the truth.
“My mother told me.”
His bear grimaced when Tim insisted it was to protect Hailey.
You’re protecting yourself, idiot. Just tell her.
“I grew up in the Wasatch mountains. There are lots of guys who keep to themselves out there in the woods.” Like me, he wanted to add, but the pickup was speeding along by then, and Hailey would probably throw herself out the passenger-side door if he did.
“Have you ever seen one before?” Her lips trembled.
God, his mother was right about small lies turning into quagmires that sucked you in.
“Yeah. A few.”
His bear snorted.
“A few?” Hailey shrieked and gripped the door handle so hard, he was afraid she really would bolt.
“They’re not all bad,” he said, far too late. “Most just keep to themselves the way bears do.”
“Bears?”
He closed his eyes for a split second. Shit. Why did he mention that?
&
nbsp; “There are all kinds of shifters. Wolves, bears…”
His bear made a face. You going to tell her about lions and dragons, too?
No, he was not. This was already enough of a mess.
Hailey crossed her arms. “Lamar wasn’t exactly keeping to himself, was he?”
Tim looked at her out of the corner of his eye. At least there was that — Hailey was tough enough to face that shock. But what would she think of him if she knew?
Hailey’s face went white. “Oh my God. He works for Jonathan. Does Jonathan know? Wait — what if Jonathan is one too?” Her voice filled with horror.
Definitely not the time to tell her about us, he told his bear before it could so much as peep.
“I don’t know. But you’re safe now, okay?”
She bit her lip and nodded quickly, which just about tore him apart. Holding back the full truth meant he was betraying her trust, and that gutted him.
He tapped his fingers on the wheel, trying to think straight. “Right now, we need to get you to a safe place. Even with Connor making sure they leave Maui, we can’t take any chances.”
She looked around desperately. “Where?”
“Back to Koakea.” The guys would kill him and he knew it, but what choice did he have?
“Cynthia said I couldn’t stay, and you said she was in charge.”
Tim frowned. All true, but when it came to Hailey’s safety, he was in charge, damn it. “That was before we knew there were shifters involved.”
The quiet, scrubby side road turned into a lane that cut through an industrial area, and eventually, he connected to Highway 37, heading to West Maui.
“Wait a minute,” she protested. “Where are we going?”
“To Koakea, like I said.”
“We’re not going to pick up our things?”
He looked at her. “We can send someone over for that. Jenna and the others can loan you some clothes.”
She didn’t say anything, but her hands fretted the whole time, and her fingers clutched at her neck. What was so important at Pu’u Pu’eo that she needed to have?
A tense, too-silent minute passed before she spoke again. “You told him this is ‘our territory.’”