by Willow Cross
Heads nodded. The rattled group had no desire for conflict amongst themselves in light of the new information.
“Now, second order of business, anyone have a problem with Sarah? Obviously when we are in wolf form we will be taking orders from her, if you have anything to say about it…now is the time.”
Again the pack remained silent, with the exception of one withered old woman in the corner. “I don’t have a problem with Sarah, but how are two going to lead? The Alpha must have the entire pack’s complete submission. How are we to be certain that another ‘Shana’ isn’t lingering in our midst, when they are dispersing the power?”
Sarah glanced at her feet before answering the old woman. “I would know. Now that I’m getting the hang of this, I know many things I shouldn’t.” Searching the faces of those gathered, she went on, “I know most of you are uncertain. The situation seems impossible, but we can make this work if we all stick together.”
“Well said, Sarah,” Thomas replied. “Jason, anything you’d like to say?”
Jason searched their faces as well, and coldly replied, “I have just two things to say. I’m doing this because I have no option. Thomas is more than my uncle, he’s my friend, and if anyone tries any more crap like the other night, you’ll answer to me. Second thing is this…if you even attempt to hurt my sister in any way, I will kill you.”
The room was so still, you could have heard a pin drop. Thomas shook his head and chuckled in an effort to lighten the mood. “As always, you’re a man of few words. Let’s get down to business. Shana can wait, what are we going to do about the White Horns? Any ideas?”
Chapter Ten
The seriously under-stocked shelves of the rundown store were a reminder that camping season was over in the Ozarks. Mom and Pop, whose names were boldly imprinted in large red letters on the weathered sign in the front window, didn’t bother to fully stock in the off-season. Sarah wandered through the aisles searching for ingredients to make Jason’s favorite meal. The yellow basket she carried held pork chops, flour, a half-gallon of milk, and potatoes, but she couldn’t find breading or the proper seasoning.
As she moved, her eyes kept sliding to the front of the store where a raven-haired young man shuffled through the magazine rack. He was seriously good looking. Green eyes, surrounded by lashes so black he could have been wearing mascara, hovered over carved, high cheek bones. His dark tan, combined with other attributes, gave him a Native American look. He was possibly a bit too old for her, but easy to look at nonetheless. Three times now, he’d glanced in her direction and caught her gaze. Each time her face turned red and she quickly looked away.
When she finally found the necessary ingredients, she made her way to the cash register. The young man watched her walk all the way to the front of the store. He didn’t bother to hide his interest anymore. Sarah glanced up and flashed him a dazzling smile. He winked and smiled back.
“You need some help with that?” The man asked, and before she could answer, he lifted the heavy basket and placed it on the counter.
“Thanks,” she replied, her gaze locking on the green limpid pools. Realizing she was staring, she averted her eyes.
“I’m Shad,” he said, offering her his right hand, “and you are?”
“Sarah. Nice to meet you, Shad.” Her hands trembled as she attempted to open her wallet.
“So, Sarah, what’s a pretty girl like you doing in a--”
Jason’s voice broke in from the sidewalk, “Hey are you done yet? I’ve been out here forever.”
Sarah gave Shad an apologetic smile and answered her brother, “Yes, I’m coming. Sheesh, give me a break would ya?” She turned to explain who Jason was and Shad was gone. Sarah’s eyes searched the tiny store, but he had disappeared. “Okay, weird much?” she muttered and returned her gaze to the cashier.
The woman had an odd look on her face and kept glancing at the small door in the back corner. “Will that be all then?” she asked.
Sarah glanced over her shoulder and mumbled, “Yes, thank you.”
“Thirty-four dollars and sixty-three cents.”
As she handed her two crisp twenties, the woman leaned over the counter to whisper, “Don’t take this wrong, hun, but it’s always best to leave the old one behind if you’re on the prowl for a new one.”
Cheeks blazing, Sarah replied, “Oh no! It’s not like that. He’s my brother.”
“I’m sure he is,” she answered ogling Jason.
Sarah pulled the bags from the counter, murmured, “Thank you,” and headed out the door.
Jason fell in beside her as she rushed to the car. “What’s up with you? Your face is beet red.”
“A little help here please?”
He reached out and caught up the tops of the plastic bags in one hand. “Well?”
“Well nothing.”
“Uh huh. Is this you trying to be all mysterious, or what?” He laughed.
When they reached the vehicle, instead of opening the door and getting in, she stood with the door ajar watching the storefront.
“What are you looking for? Did you forget something?”
“Oh nothing. It’s kind of weird.”
“Weird how?”
“Nothing, Jase. It was nothing. So did you get everything you needed at the hardware store?”
“I got everything Thomas had on the list. I don’t see how traps are going to help with anything though. It doesn’t sound like the White Horns are stupid people.”
As they drove out of town, two beautiful young women and an attractive young man watched from the alley by the post office. The girls appeared to be twins, and the young man could have been their brother. They all had the same creamy caramel skin, jet-black hair, and deep green eyes. When the car disappeared on the horizon, the three entered a beat up blue ford pickup, and followed.
***
The slamming car hood echoed off the trees. Jason swore under his breath and kicked the tire of the old car. “I don’t get it. It was fine all the way to town.”
Sarah attempted to keep a giggle from erupting, and waited for his anger to dispel.
He kicked the tired two more times before yelling, “Ouch!”
Unable to contain her mirth any longer, she said, “Umm, go easy on the wheels there, big guy, they bite back!”
“You think this is funny? Okay, well Miss I-think-it’s-hilarious, why don’t you make the little five mile trek back to the house, and get Thom to come pick me up?”
“Or you could just transform and do it in wolf form. It might take you all of 10 minutes. Don’t be such a drama queen.”
“Oh, shut up.”
Sarah got out of the car and stretched, grabbed a bottle of water and headed down the road. If he wanted to sit there and act like an idiot, he’d have to do it without an audience.
“Hey, wait!” Jason yelled.
“Nope, not doing it, and an apology now is not going to work.” She replied without turning around.
“Fine, but there’s a truck coming, we could probably get a ride. But hey, if you‘d rather walk, go right ahead.”
The old blue ford pulled up beside Jason. A stunning dark haired beauty smiled and asked if they needed some help. Sarah walked back to the truck just as her mystery man stepped out from the passenger’s side.
“Hey,” he said smiling.
“Hey, yourself.” Sarah ran her hand across her chin to make sure her mouth wasn’t hanging open.
Walking around to where Jason stood, he put his hand out in greeting, “I’m Shad, these two trolls are my sisters, Ashley and Heather. We’d be happy to give you a lift somewhere.”
Sarah held her breath as she looked into his deep green eyes. He might be too old for her, but she wasn’t certain she cared.
Eyes focused on Ashley, Jason said, “Sure. We could use a lift. Thanks.”
Ashley grinned and pointed at the stranded siblings. “You two ride up here with me, these two idiots can hop in the back.”
; “It’s okay, we’ll sit back there. We just appreciate you saving us a five mile hike.” Jason said.
Shad winked at Sarah. “How about us two youngsters ride in the back, and you old folks sit up front?”
Sarah’s mouth pulled to the side as she attempted to stifle a grin.
Jason glanced at her. “You mind?”
She shrugged and tried to keep a nonchalant look on her face.
Shad hopped into the bed of the truck and stuck out his hand. She grabbed it, stepped on the wheel, and climbed over the side.
“Wait,” he said as she sat on the wheel well.
“What?”
“That’s not safe. If we hit a bump--and we will--you’ll go flying. Better off to cop a squat by me.” He smiled and patted the spot beside him.
Sarah lowered herself to the bed and leaned against the back wall of the truck. Red faced, she gazed out over the tailgate as they began moving.
Wind whipped around the open bed as they picked up speed. Shad moved his head close to her ear to speak to her. Sarah felt the redness in her cheeks swell and move down her neck. Even with so much air moving around, she could smell the faint scent of his cologne and a deeper warm, musky scent. As she struggled to maintain control, her heart picked up speed, beating so fast and loud, she was afraid he could hear it.
The heat of his breath warmed her cheeks, as he asked, “So you lived around here long?”
“No, not really.”
“What?”
Sarah turned to position her mouth closer to his ear. Her lips brushed against his cheek and heat scorched through her. “Not long. Just a month or two.”
Cheek to cheek, the warmth of his body combined with the cool air whipping around caused her to tingle. She wanted nothing more at that moment than for him to wrap his well-muscled arms around her.
The racing truck hit a bump and for a few seconds went airborne. As it landed with a loud thunk, it threw them into the back wall. Holding banged heads, and looking rather embarrassed, the two slid farther apart and watched the trees fly by.
Chapter Eleven
“You are being ridiculous!” Sarah exclaimed. The conversation had taken a drastic turn at some point and now she was completely infuriated. Where did Thomas get off anyhow? She’d spent her whole life without a father and now all of a sudden he thought he could just walk in and take over. That was not going to happen. She was already putting up with Jason and his over-protective personality, she didn’t need it from Thomas too.
“I am not being ridiculous. This makes perfect sense if you’d calm down and just listen to me.”
“So big deal, they are half Native American. That doesn’t mean they’re hunters out to get us. Their last name isn’t even White Horn, its Garcia. They aren’t even full-blooded Indians, their mom is Mexican.”
“So they say.” Thomas’ eyes moved to a quiet Jason. “Help me out here.”
“He doesn’t have anything to say. Why would he?” Then turning to glare at her brother, she asked, “Are you going to quit talking to Ashley just because her dad was an Indian?”
He looked down and shuffled his feet. “No, but I need to keep the lines of communication open to see if I can find out anything. That’s completely different.”
“Oh whatever! The only thing you want to find out about Ashley is how well she kisses.”
Jason glared back. “I already know the answer to that, thank you.”
Sarah threw her arms out. “This is insane. You’re both lunatics. He’s just a guy. That’s all. You two need to get a grip before you start thinking everyone is in on your conspiracy.”
Thom shook his head and muttered something about teenagers and why he never had kids in the first place. Outside a car pulled up and honked. Sarah grabbed her purse from the kitchen table and headed out the door.
“He could have at least come in to meet us,” Thom yelled as the screen door slammed.
“Yeah, what kind of guy honks the horn for a girl to come running?” Jason chimed in.
As she reached the front porch, she saw Shad standing on the passenger’s side holding the door open. She quickly jumped in. “Let’s get going. I need to get out of here.”
Sarah remained quiet on the drive to town. She was so angry with her uncle and brother it was difficult to think about anything else, even the handsome young man next to her. Shad noticed she wasn't in a talkative mood, so he turned up the radio and waited. As they neared the old movie theater, he reached out and turned the volume down. “If you don’t feel like going, we can wait.”
“Oh no! I want to go to the movies with you. I’m just pissed off. My brother and uncle can be such jerks.”
“Yeah, I was worried that the age thing would bother them.”
“No, it’s not so much your age…you’re only three years older than I am. It’s just other crap.” Sarah saw the puzzled look on his face and decided it was time to pull herself together. The last thing she needed was to explain to Shad why her family was prejudiced against Indians. She put a smile on her face and patted his arm. “It’s okay. I’m fine, let’s just go have some fun.”
“You sure? You don’t seem like you’re in the mood to pay attention to the show. Looks to me like you’d be happier just talking and hanging out.”
Sarah sighed.
Shad nodded his head. “It’s settled then. I know a place where we can just hang out, listen to music, and get to know each other.”
“Just talk, right?” Sarah searched his face.
He looked at her sideways. “I’ve met the monster you call a brother, remember?”
His smile showed amusement that didn‘t quite reach his eyes as he turned the truck around and headed out of town.
***
Completely relaxed, Sarah lay on a threadbare blanket and watched puffy clouds drift lazily across the blue backdrop. Conversation had lulled, but the silence was comfortable. An old seventies band softly sang about love and heartache from the truck radio. She felt like she’d known Shad her whole life. He was quick to laugh, but still paid close attention to what she had to say. She needed a friend to confide in, someone she could tell everything, even the bad stuff. Shad was totally interested in her. He constantly asked questions about her family, and her life in foster care. Sarah was certain Jason and Thomas would have found his curiosity threatening, but she was positive it wasn‘t.
Shad took a blade of grass and ran it along her cheek, tickling her skin. She turned toward him.
He leaned over her, and gazed into her eyes. “Penny for your thoughts?”
She looked away. “I’m not really thinking about anything.”
“You’re thinking about something. Just a second ago you had a look on your face like something was bothering you.”
Sarah thought for a moment and made a decision. Tired of feeling so alone, she searched his face for any telltale signs of deceit or hidden emotion. Reading nothing but concern, she said, “Can I ask you a weird question?”
“Sure. I might give you a weird answer though.” He laughed and brushed a stray hair from her face.
“If you knew something terrible about someone, but it didn’t have to be if they handled it right--what would you think?”
“That’s pretty vague, Sarah. How can someone be terrible, and not, at the same time?”
“You’re right it doesn’t make sense. How about this? If you knew someone you cared about had a secret most people would think is terrible, how would you feel about them?”
Shad’s eyes opened in feigned shock. “Holy crap, Sarah, are you a serial killer?”
Both of them burst into fits of laughter. She flinched as he poked her in the ribs. “Stop! That tickles.”
Grinning, he mischievously repeated the offense.
Finger up in warning, she proclaimed, “I’m not kidding, I won’t talk to you the rest of the afternoon.”
“Chicken,” he said as he moved his index finger gently up her side.
Leaning on her elbow, her f
ace became somber again. “Seriously though, that’s not where I was going with this, but let’s stay on this line. What if I was? No wait, that’s not going to work because I could never do that. What if someone I was close to...was?”
“Well, I have a hard time believing someone like you would ever get close to a serial killer. I mean, you just don’t seem the type. Are you trying to tell me your brother is a serial killer?”
“No! That’s not it at all. I don’t know what I’m trying to get at, let’s just forget it.” Sarah rolled over on her side facing away from him.
“What’s wrong? Something is obviously bothering you. I know this is our first date--it’s not even a real date--but you can tell me anything. I like you. I want to get to know you better. If you need my help--”
Sarah’s eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill over. She was homesick and missed her friends, but as great as her friends were, she could not have told them the things she wanted to tell Shad. Maybe she couldn’t tell him either. Maybe she could never tell anyone. Who would believe her anyhow?
“Hey, don‘t do that.” Shad pulled her onto her back, leaned over, and gently kissed her lips. It was just a short kiss, but long enough to do damage. A burst of electricity sent shivers down her back. When she opened her eyes, he was staring at her.
“You can always talk to me, my beautiful Sarah. Is something going on at home? Are you in some sort of trouble?”
Shad‘s pocket started to buzz, spoiling the moment. He pulled his cell out and answered with a curt, “Hello?”
Sarah heard his side of the conversation but couldn’t make out what they were talking about. Shad didn’t say much just “yes” several times and then hung up. Jumping up he offered her his hand. “Well I guess the party’s over, I have to go home.”
“Anything wrong?”
“Nope, nothing I can’t handle. Let’s get this stuff rounded up and I’ll take you back. At least your brother will be happy I didn’t keep you out late.”
Something about the look on his face made her uncomfortable. For just a moment, he had a hungry, cold look to him. In that instant, he seemed menacing and dangerous, then his smile returned and he was once again the man she was falling for. She laughed at herself as the thought crossed her mind. I’m not falling, I’ve fallen hard and fast. Holy crap, what am I doing?