by Zoe Chant
"Hey," he said gently. "It'll be okay."
"I hope I don't raise your crime rate just by being here."
"Are you kidding? If all fugitives were as beautiful as you, we'd hold an annual Criminals Welcome barbecue."
This made her laugh; she couldn't help it. "If you get your barbecue, then can I have my 'Sheriff of the Month' calendar?"
"I don't know, do I have to pose?"
"Wearing nothing but the hat," she promised.
***
Outside, the rain had stopped, leaving a patchwork of enormous puddles that made her glad for the oversized, borrowed boots. She toed them off in the patrol car and leaned her head back, watching Axl drive. His muscular arms flexed under the uniform shirt as he guided the car through puddles on the sometimes rough country roads.
She roused when they pulled into the parking lot at Marge's Diner.
"You want me to come in with you?" Axl asked.
There was a part of her that wanted to decline, but it would only be stupid pride. Having him there made her feel safer. And it was okay to want to feel safe, she told herself. "Yes, please," she said.
He squeezed her hand before getting out, and then centered his hat on his head. God, she could stare at him in his uniform all day. The gun belt hugged his hips in a way that made her want to put her hands in the same place, running them down over the firm angles of his hipbones—
"What?" he asked, noticing her looking at him.
She blushed involuntarily. "Just ... admiring your gun." And then she winced. "Okay, I'm not great at dirty talk."
Axl snorted. "This from the lady who wants the sheriff calendar."
She smiled at the thought, but then sobered. "Axl, how open do you want to be about me being your ... mate? Are we telling people about that? I mean, it's only been a day. This is really very sudden." And yet it felt so right already.
Axl looked troubled. "It's not going to be a secret in the shifter community. The claiming mark tells it all. And if there weren't any other considerations, I'd happily shout it from the rooftops. I want to tell everyone about you. Hell, I want to throw a party to announce it. But ..."
"But it might hurt my case if people know you and I are together. Not to mention your job."
He gave a reluctant nod. "For now, at least, I think we'd better keep it in the family. At least until we get some more of the details of your legal situation ironed out."
"That's kind of what I was thinking, too."
"But ... later." And here his voice dropped to a rough growl that send pleasant vibrations through her, shivering between her legs. "Later, I want everyone to know you're all mine."
"I want that too," she promised.
Knowing she couldn't touch him in public, of course, immediately made her want to put her hands all over him. She had to actually clasp her hands together to keep herself from giving in to temptation. Instead she marched firmly toward the diner. Or, well ... carefully minced around the parking lot's many puddles, since she hadn't bothered to put the oversized boots back on. The rain slicker was still draped around her, for disguise mostly.
Sammie and one of her part-time waitresses were breezing around the diner, serving the handful of customers. Tara stopped just inside the door. She didn't really miss the job—it had been strictly for money, and she'd hated a lot about it. But she got a painful little twinge at the sight of the diner moving on without her. Sammie Jo had been the closest thing she'd had to a friend in a while.
"Be right with you, hon," Sammie called over her shoulder to the sheriff, on her way to the kitchen with a tray of dirty dishes.
Well, the disguise worked, at least. Even Sammie didn't seem to recognize her. Rather than sitting down, Tara quickly crossed the diner and pushed through the swinging door into the back. She was aware of Axl shadowing her.
"Sorry, hon, no customers allowed back here—" Sammie broke off in surprise, recognition dawning on her face. "Tara! I didn't even recognize you in that thing."
"I borrowed some rain things from the sheriff." She didn't want to try to explain the disguise part. "I just came to pick up my stuff."
"Of course. It's in the back." Sammie's eyes flicked between the two of them. "You okay, sweetie?"
Because of course Sammie didn't know if she was getting arrested or not. "I'm fine. The sheriff is helping me."
"Glad to hear it. You ought to know, hon, there were a couple of guys in here earlier this morning asking questions about you. Or, I assume it was you. They described you to a T."
"Guys? What guys?" Tara asked. Don't jump to conclusions. It might not be them. But her heart knew it was.
Axl reached into his pocket, and brought out two folded sheets of paper that he unfolded to display the mug shots of the Weezer cousins. "Are either of these the guys you talked to?"
Sammie took a cursory look and nodded. "Yeah. That's them."
Oh God. "What did you tell them?" Tara asked, her voice tight.
"What do you think I told them, hon? Not a damn thing. Told 'em I had a waitress like that, but she skipped town a few days ago. Think she caught a ride with a trucker going up to Boise."
"Thanks, Sammie," Tara breathed.
"Like I'm gonna sell you out to a couple of thugs like those two. Now go get your stuff. I got a diner to run." Sammie looked at Axl, and back to Tara. "One of these days, you'll have to tell me what all this is about."
"If I can, I promise I will." Tara hesitated, then gave her an impromptu hug. Sammie patted her back.
"You take care of yourself, kid."
"You too," Tara said.
"And you," Sammie told Axl, her eyes sharp. "Protect her."
"I will," Axl promised sincerely.
Tara went into the back room quickly, before she burst into tears or did anything else embarrassing. Axl was so close on her heels that he kept almost bumping into her. She found her backpack sitting neatly on top of the cot where she'd been sleeping. Her clothing, books, and handful of personal items had been scattered around the room, but now the backpack was bulging and the room was clean.
Sammie packed for me?
She unzipped the backpack and discovered that not only were all her things neatly folded inside, but her clothes had even been washed.
"Oh, Sammie."
She dug under the top layer of clothes for her jeans, but Axl's big hand closed over her wrist.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Changing out of this skirt. I need to give it back to Sammie."
"You can do it at the ranch."
His voice was deadly serious, his face hard. He was almost like a different person from the gentle lover of last night, or the man who'd been playfully joking with her this morning.
"Axl—"
"No, listen to me. It was one thing when the perps were out there somewhere, but now they're here, in Pinerock County. They've made attempts on your life before, and we both know they're going to try again. For now, I want you at the ranch, where you're safe."
"Am I?"
Axl paused in the act of picking up her backpack. "What?"
"Safe. At the ranch." She didn't want to say it, but she forced herself through. They needed to talk about it. "With Alec. Will I be welcome there, Axl?"
"If Alec has a problem," Axl said, his voice harsh, "then he and I will have it out. And I'll keep you safe, from Dick's hirelings or from my own family. Whatever it takes."
Chapter Nine: Axl
Whatever it takes.
The memory of his own words rang in his ears for the entire drive up to the ranch.
Tara was huddled in the passenger seat, with the backpack tucked against her side. She had withdrawn into her own mental space. Although she was right beside him, it felt as if she was on the moon.
Why can't anything be simple?
And yet, down at the very core of the matter, it was simple. Tara was his mate, and even in so short a time, he could tell that he was beginning to love her with a passion he'd never felt before.
He loved her heart, her fire, her strength of will.
But could he fight Alec for her?
If I have to, I will.
His bear agreed, rousing deep inside him. Even if he couldn't bring himself to attack his brother, his bear would. For Tara.
He and Alec had never truly fought before. Oh, there had been the usual boyhood scraps and bloody noses. But even as kids, they'd gotten along well. They were only a year apart in age, and often interacted more like twins than non-twin siblings.
And neither of them were really the fighting type. Axl was easygoing and slow to anger, while Alec was quiet and not prone to making a fuss about things. By the time they reached adulthood, Alec had settled calmly into the leader role without anyone ever saying anything about it. There was no need for them to fight to see who would become the clan alpha after their parents died, because neither of them ever considered that Alec wouldn't be alpha. And Alec never pushed his authority in a way that would make Axl's bear bristle.
Axl had no idea how Alec would react to being challenged. He'd only seen Alec truly angry a few times—one of which was last night. Normally Alec kept his feelings to himself. But Axl had seen how fierce Alec could be when that anger came boiling out of him.
On the other hand, Axl could be pretty damned fierce himself.
He glanced sideways at Tara. His mate's bright hair was coming down around her ears, dried into curls and waves from being put up under the hat. Even that ridiculous rain hat couldn't stop her from being the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.
But it was far more than a mere physical attraction. When she came into his life, she'd fitted instantly into an empty space he hadn't even realized was there. He couldn't imagine being without her.
No matter what, it's worth it.
Tara glanced up and tried to smile. "You keep looking at me."
"I like looking at you."
Her smile brightened fractionally, and became more genuine. "I'd rather have you look at the road, all things considered."
At the moment he was navigating a particularly muddy stretch, slowing and speeding up to keep from getting stuck. He didn't really have to think about it, though. Most of the motions were automatic by now.
"I grew up here, remember? I've driven this road so many times I could do it in my sleep."
This got a small laugh out of her. "Yes, well, I'd rather not test that theory, if you don't mind."
Axl laughed.
He drove into the yard of the ranch's main circle of buildings in a slightly better frame of mind. Remy's motorcycle was parked in front of the big house, splattered with mud that was still fresh and wet. At least he hadn't tried to drive up in the pouring rain, not that Axl wouldn't put it past him.
As they got out of the patrol car, a tall figure unfolded from the porch swing. Tara froze and Axl moved automatically to stand between her and the house, even as his conscious brain caught up with what was happening.
"It's okay," he told her. "It's only Remy."
"Your cousin?"
"Yeah. Cody's brother."
"Whose side will he be on?" she murmured. "Yours or Alec's?"
"I don't know yet."
Remy strolled down the porch steps, and Axl heard a small, nervous intake of breath from Tara. Well, he had to admit Remy made an impression.
The baby of the family, Remy had gone full-on biker bad boy. He practically clanked when he walked, between all the hardware on his leather jacket, the wide studded leather belt, and all the knives he was probably carrying. With the heavy leather jacket, most of his ink wasn't visible, just a little on the backs of his hand and the sides of his neck. Tara was in for a real show the first time he took it off.
His hair was cropped short, or more accurately, it was just starting to grow out from shaving his head after he cut off that damn Mohawk that Axl and Cody had never stopped teasing him about.
He definitely wasn't the kind of guy you expected to see on a cattle ranch.
As terrifying as he looked, though, Remy was actually a nice guy. And most people seemed to respond to it. Also, as far as Axl had been able to tell, one look from his smoldering green-gray eyes could drop a woman's panties at forty paces, at least women who went for the bad-boy look.
Axl's bear stirred with a flicker of jealousy. But Tara's fingers laced firmly through his, and he gave a comforting squeeze back. This woman was all his.
"Heard some interesting things about you, cousin." Remy's curious glance took in Tara, scanning her quickly up and down. "Guess it's true. And—" His eyes widened a little. "You're mated to her? Cody didn't mention that."
"Cody didn't know."
"Well, that puts a wrinkle in things." Remy hooked his thumbs into his belt and jerked his head at Axl. "Talk to you for a minute, cousin?"
"Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Tara. Which, by the way ... Tara, this is Remy, who usually has better manners in front of a lady. Remy, Tara."
"Sorry." Remy flashed a grin that was reminiscent of Cody's. "Look, since we're all here, let's go in and have a cup of coffee before it starts pouring again."
They scraped off their boots and clumped into the kitchen. Axl paused to hang his duty belt on a hook in the mud room. Tara started to toe off her muddy shoes, then stopped when it was evident that no one else was bothering.
In the kitchen, Remy handed around heavy, chipped mugs of strong farm coffee before speaking.
"So, I didn't just come up here to wrangle cattle today. Cody and I chatted this morning and he got me up to speed on all the recent doings at the ranch, including the fact that you're dating again—congratulations, by the way—and Alec has his tail in a twist about it. Then he started telling me about Axl's new girlfriend, this redhead with a mysterious past, and I started getting an uncomfortable feeling."
He lounged against the wall and took a sip of coffee before going on.
"It seems the scuttlebutt around my usual hangouts, which is to say, the biker bar and general lowlife part of the county, is that there're some boys from back East asking questions about a red-headed gal. They say she's trouble, and they're trying to stop her from making even more trouble."
"That's a total lie—" Tara began hotly.
"Hey, I'm just passing along what I heard. No offense meant. Anyway, from what I could tell, they're pretty bad trouble themselves. Like, the kind of trouble you don't want to get mixed up in." His eyes went to the silvery mark at the edge of Tara's collar. "Except, as far as I can tell, we're already mixed up in it."
"I'm sorry," Tara said. "I swear to you that I never wanted to get any of you involved in my problems."
Axl cleared his throat. "Excuse me, have we all forgotten I'm the sheriff around here? Getting mixed up in people's problems is my actual job. From what I can tell, Tara's been the victim of a gross miscarriage of justice, and that's something I'd be involved with regardless of my feelings for her."
Remy swept his smoky gaze across them. "So how about you fill me in exactly what's going on? I just got the bare bones from Cody, who got them from Alec, and at this point it's like that old kids' game of Telephone, where you whisper a secret and by the end it's changed into something else totally. I'd like to hear the whole story from the horse's mouth, so to speak."
Tara took a deep breath and began telling her story from the beginning.
She'd just gotten past Dick's attempt on her life and the subsequent bail-jumping when there was a rumble of engines from the yard. She stopped talking, looking at Axl with wide eyes.
Remy, who was closer to the window, had already looked out and didn't seem alarmed. "Looks like Cody and Alec are back from doing their rounds."
Great, Axl thought. Well, it wasn't as if he could put this off forever. "Tara, stay in the house."
"I don't think so," she said, crossing her arms. "I caused this situation. I'm not leaving you to deal with it alone."
The truck door slammed, and he heard voices in the yard. They'd be inside in a minute, and Axl's
bear wanted to deal with this outside, where there was room to run, room to maneuver.
We aren't going to fight, he told his bear firmly, hoping it was true.
He marched to the door, aware that Tara and Remy were following, and stepped outside. Low, dark clouds threatened more rain, matching his heavy mood.
Cody and Alec were chatting at the truck. At least Gannon wasn't with them. Axl had more of an audience than he wanted already.
Cody saw him first, and stopped talking. Then Alec turned around, and scowled—seeing Axl, and Tara behind him.
"Yeah, she's here," Axl said. He descended the porch steps, one deliberate tramp of his boots at a time. "And she's not going anywhere. Tara, show him your neck."
Looking nervous but determined, Tara pulled down the collar of her shirt.
A growl rumbled in Alec's chest, and his bear flashed in his eyes. "I told you not to. I ordered you not to."
The first raindrop struck Axl's bare head. Great, they were going to be doing this in a downpour too.
"Yeah, and I told you not to make that decision for me. You're my brother, and my alpha, and I respect both those things. But part of the alpha's contract with his clan is that you won't force us to do anything that's flat-out wrong. And you know trying to sever me from my mate is wrong."
Alec bristled. "This is bigger than you and Tara. The alpha has to think about the welfare of the whole clan."
"So let's talk about that. Get Gannon down here too, and let's make this decision as a clan, like you said we would last night. Or are you afraid we'd make the wrong decision? That it would go against you?"
Rain was coming down in earnest now, softening the outlines of the ranch buildings. They faced each other through a gray haze. The heaviness in the air was not just water, but also Alec's alpha bear pressing Axl down, trying to force him to his knees.
They'd done it in play as children, the same way kids would wrestle playfully to find out who was stronger. Axl always backed down. But not this time.
"You're acting like I'm on a power trip," Alec snarled. He unzipped his jacket and flung it to the ground, preparing for a shift. "Like this is an arbitrary decision I'm making just to mess with you. It's not fucking about you!"