by Ann Gimpel
Les took the tea from her and drained it. “Maybe we’ll drop you at one of the ladies’ shops, then, while we go get another car.”
“Will you be keeping the truck?” she asked. Her sandwich had disappeared nearly as fast as the men’s. She was still hungry and thinking she should have made two apiece.
“Not sure,” Karl answered.
“It might come in handy to have two vehicles.” Les handed the cup back. “How about another splash?”
Karl refilled the tea cup. “That’s the last of it. Back to our discussion about the cars, we could drive both of them to the cabin and park the truck in the shed. That way we won’t have to decide about it until we return next spring.” He paused for a beat. “If we move, the truck might come in really handy.”
“So long as that fire doesn’t simply wipe everything out,” Les muttered.
The fire. Smoke sat in the treetops when they’d left the cabin, barely visible in the pre-dawn gloom. It hadn’t taken lupine senses to smell it. “Do you think it might?” Anxiety clutched at Noreen’s belly. Even if she didn’t want to live year-round at the cabin, it was still a special place. She’d met her mates there, and it was where they’d first made love. Hell, it was where I lost my virginity.
“Hard to say,” Karl murmured.
“Yeah, it all depends on the wind,” Les added, brow furrowed with worry. “And on how soon the fall rains come.”
She passed the empty tea cup back to Karl. For some reason her eyes felt heavy. “Is that offer to lean on you and nap still open?”
“Of course.” He tightened his arm around her and drew her against him.
“Good if you can sleep.” Les laid a hand on her leg. “No point worrying about the fire. We can’t control what it does.”
“What about your magic?” she asked sleepily.
“That would be useful, but shifter magic has its limitations. Building shielding that’s impervious to fire is one of them. Sleep, love.” Les stroked her leg, and her eyes got heavier.
Noreen could barely stay awake. “You did something.”
“No,” Karl countered. “I did. It’s the least I can do for keeping you up most of last night. Sleep, darling. Let yourself drift.”
* * * *
The first thing she noticed when someone shook her gently awake was the truck wasn’t moving. “Are we there?” she asked muzzily.
“Almost,” Les said. “We’re just to the outskirts of town.”
“Yes, we thought you might want to get out and stretch your legs and run a comb through your hair,” Karl cut in.
“What time is it?”
“Just closing on nine,” Karl answered. “We made good time.”
Noreen took a quick tally with her sleep-fuzzed brain. Walking around might help clear it. “Gee, I feel like I was drugged.”
“That’s because you sort of were.” Karl massaged her shoulders. “Les wanted to make sure you got a decent rest and so did I. We got to talking, and neither of us realized the other was infusing magic into your sleep spell. Until we tried to wake you.”
“So you got sort of a double dose.” Les bent toward her and kissed her cheek. “Sorry. It’ll wear off fast.”
Les opened his door and jumped out. Noreen slid behind the wheel and took his hand to help her navigate the large step between the running board and the ground. She shook her head and inhaled deeply. It helped, so she did both again. After a quick trip to the thick foliage at the side of the road to relieve herself, her head felt much clearer.
She stepped onto the running board, reached into the cab for her purse, and extracted a comb. Noreen had pinned her hair up before they left the cabin; sections had loosened, so she settled them back into place. “How do I look?”
“Ravishing.” Les grinned at her.
“You’ve got to be the most beautiful woman in the world,” Karl said.
Noreen felt heat rise from her chest to her face. “You’ve got to stop complimenting me. I’ll become insufferable.”
“Maybe you just need to get used to it,” Karl countered.
She clambered back into the truck; the men followed. Once they got underway, she asked, “If I don’t need much sleep, why’d the two of you knock me out?”
“I said you’d need less, not none,” Les said.
“Surely I got some sleep last night,” she protested. Flashes from the previous evening cavorted through her mind. They’d made love over and over. Each time they fell sated into one another’s arms, someone would start up again. Her blush deepened. “Uh, maybe I didn’t get as much as I thought.”
Karl snorted. “You got more sex than you bargained for and much less sleep.”
“Are all newly mated groups like us?”
Les nodded. “Our urges won’t settle much for years.”
“Alice said something like that,” Noreen murmured, “but I didn’t exactly believe her.”
“Do you now?” Karl arched a brow and winked.
“In spades.” Noreen glanced out the windshield as they moved deeper into Red Deer’s downtown area. She recognized the train station. “Where’s the courthouse?”
“Only another couple of blocks,” Les said. “I’ll look for somewhere to park once we’re a little closer.”
They piled out of the truck. Noreen positioned herself between the men, but Les shook his head. “Doesn’t look good. Take my arm and Karl will walk behind us.”
Noreen kicked herself. Of course it didn’t look good. The objective was to get in and out of town with what they needed without attracting undue attention that might alert any Hunters who might be nearby. For a moment, she thought about Justin. He’d been on his way to help with the fire, but that had been a few days before. He might have returned.
Let’s think positive here. The fire’s getting worse. They probably need every able-bodied man they can find on the fire line.
She mounted the courthouse steps. They stopped at the building directory to figure out which office handled passports and found it was located one floor up. “Probably good it’s the same place it used to be,” Les mumbled. “Maybe that means their application procedure hasn’t changed, either.”
One more flight and Karl pulled a heavy door blazoned with OFFICE OF FOREIGN TRAVEL open. No one else was waiting, so they got the necessary paperwork, clipboards, and pens from the receptionist and settled into folding chairs to fill out the forms. An hour later, they’d been processed and told their passports would be ready for pickup near the end of the day.
“That certainly went smoothly,” Karl said once they were outside again.
“Couldn’t have been much better,” Les agreed. He turned to Noreen. “Do you have any idea where you’d like to shop?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never been here before. I’m sure if we took the truck and cruised through the downtown, we’d find something.”
“We can certainly do that.” Karl set a brisk pace for the truck. “If it’s close to five when the passports are ready, the gather…er…party will be in full swing before we get home.”
Noreen let Karl help her into the truck. Once both men flanked her in its cab, she said, “One of you could start home with the truck once you’re finished buying the car. That way you’d be there when your guests start showing up.”
“Good idea.” Les patted her leg. “No matter what kind of car we get, the truck will be quite a bit slower. Maybe we’ll swing back by the courthouse once we’re done with the car and see if they can put a rush on either Karl’s or mine.”
“What about shopping for the two of you?” Noreen asked.
“Probably not all that important. We can always stop at one of the U.S. cities across the border and stock up.”
She considered if that strategy would work for her, but she had so little—really, only the clothes on her back—that it wouldn’t. So long as she was in shopping mode, she may as well get most of what she needed. That way she’d be less likely to forget something critical. Besides, it
would take the men some time to finish buying a car. The truck rolled to a stop. She glanced out the window. A bank.
“Be right back.” Les jumped down. “We need cash.”
“Shouldn’t be gone more than a few minutes, darling.” Karl exited the other side of the car and then stood on the running board and looked right at her. “Les didn’t want me to tell you because he doesn’t want you to worry, but there might be Hunters about. It’s faint, but we think we scented them. Lock the truck doors and slide down in the seat. If you sense anything at all, scream your head off. We’ll hear you.”
“Karl.” Les’ voice rang from the front door of the bank. “Papers to sign.”
“Less than five minutes.” Karl grinned reassuringly before spinning to lope toward Les.
Hunters! She cranked up the windows, locked the wing windows, and had just locked the doors when the men were back. Her heart pounded and her throat was dry. As soon as Les and Karl were back in the truck, she demanded, “Tell me everything you know about Hunters being close to us.”
Les pounded a fist on the steering wheel. “Goddammit, Karl,” he sputtered. “We’re not even certain ourselves, and you had to go get our mate riled up.”
“She has a right to know,” he said evenly.
“Stop it. I don’t want to listen to you argue. I need to know everything you do.” Noreen twined her hands together in her lap.
“That’s just it,” Les said and started the truck’s engine. “We know virtually nothing. Karl thought he caught a whiff of Hunter near the bank, but it could be vestiges of a scent left a week or a month ago.”
“It was faint,” Karl admitted. “And I haven’t smelled anything since then.”
“Nonetheless,” Les said, “the sooner we finish our business here and get moving out of town, the better. Between Karl and me, we’d probably prevail if it came to a direct confrontation, but I’d just as soon not get mired in a pitched battle.”
“We never know which side the authorities are going to be on,” Karl muttered.
Les clutched the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles whitened. “We could guess. And it’s not going to be ours.”
“You’re scaring our mate,” Karl chided.
“Sorry.” Les let go of the wheel and made an expansive gesture. “Look for a shop, Noreen. Hunters won’t bother you. It’s only us they’re interested in.”
She exhaled sharply; the pain in her chest loosened. She’d been about to tell her mates she didn’t need to shop.
“Sweetheart.” Karl leaned into her. “You’ll be fine. Hunters have never targeted shifter mates. Take a few deep breaths and enjoy a shopping spree. We’ll finish up with the car as fast as we can and meet you.”
“If we’re really quick about it, maybe we can watch her try things on.” Les smirked.
“As if they’d let you in the dressing room with me.” The spot of humor relaxed her. She glanced up and down what looked like Main Street. “Look there.” She pointed at three shops in a row that obviously carried women’s clothing and necessities. “I should be able to find everything I need at one or the other of those places.”
The street wasn’t busy. Les pulled to the curb; Karl got out and then helped her down. He reached into a pocket and placed a wad of folded bills into her hand. “Here’s three hundred dollars in twenties. If you need more—”
“Three hundred,” she squeaked. “Oh my God, take some of it back. I wasn’t planning on spending more than twenty or thirty. Maybe fifty tops.”
“Indulge yourself,” Les called from behind the wheel. “Buy what you want. If you find something that what we gave you doesn’t cover, tell the shop girl to hold it for you, and we’ll take care of it once we’re back.”
Noreen blinked back tears; it was hard to swallow around the lump in her throat. “Thank you.” She blew Les a kiss and leaned toward Karl.
He shook his head almost imperceptibly. “Have a blast, Sis,” he said meaningfully. “What are brothers for?”
Chapter 11
Noreen strode briskly across the street, tucking the money into her purse as she went. Karl had handed her close to four months’ wages as casually as if the sum were insignificant. Her understanding of what her mates meant when they’d told her money wasn’t a problem edged up several notches. Money wasn’t much of a problem for her, either, but on a much smaller scale.
She peeked through the windows of each shop and decided which she’d visit first. If she could find most of what she needed in one place, she’d get done that much sooner. She moved from rack to rack of clothing, selecting a few things from each. Always a careful shopper, she tried not to waste time with too many price comparisons. The store filled with patrons as she dipped in and out of the dressing room, adding to her stack of purchases on the clerk’s desk each time.
Noreen ducked from beneath the curtain shielding her individual dressing room from a larger, common area she assumed the store’s seamstress used for fittings. Her arms were laden with pants and sweaters. Before she got to the door leading back into the main part of the store, a hand closed over her arm. Certain it was a mistake, Noreen turned to see who had hold of her. Her eyes widened; her heart slammed into overdrive. “Justin!” she stammered. “What are you doing back here in the dressing rooms?”
“I’m a cop. I can go anywhere. You seem nervous, Noreen. Any particular reason?” Blue eyes bored into hers.
“You’re about the last person I was expecting to see. It’s just a surprise.” She tried to square her shoulders and pull back, but he held fast.
“Is it now?” His eyes narrowed. The hand on her arm tightened. Unlike the night she’d met him, he wore a police uniform. He stood so close his nightstick banged against her hip.
“Let me go.” She yanked her arm, but his grip was like an iron pincer.
The curtain over a dressing room whipped open; a woman hurtled out and scurried past them. The same thing happened again. And again. Justin cocked his head to one side as if he were listening. “It would appear we’re alone. Most people scatter once they hear the law’s nearby.”
Noreen’s gut clenched. The metallic taste of fear flooded her mouth. She dropped her armload of clothing, doubled her fist, and socked Justin as hard as he could in his side. He grunted and grabbed her other arm. She tried to scream, but her throat was so dry all that came out was a squeak.
“I wouldn’t try it, sister,” he hissed. “I’m the law. I’d tell whoever showed up you were a hooker, and I was taking you in.” He backed her against a wall and held her with the weight of his body. He pulled her arms over her head, pinning them easily with one hand. He curved the other over her throat.
Fear galloped in, crazy fear thrumming through her body. She writhed against his grasp, tried to knee him in the balls, tried again to shriek for help. He pressed on her windpipe, not hard enough to cut off her air, but her panic spiraled out of control.
“Stop that!” More pressure. Spots danced in front of her eyes. Noreen felt herself weaken. “I’m going to give you a choice. Maybe I’m stupid, but I liked you when I gave you a ride. I knew you were in trouble, but at least you were clean.” His face was so close to hers, spittle sprayed her face when he spoke. He shook her hard enough her teeth rattled together. “Are you going to stop fighting and listen to me?”
Her head lashed from side to side. “No, I mean yes. Jesus Christ! What the fuck do you want with me?”
A sly expression stole over his features. “Oh, I think you know. I warned you about shifters, and now you’ve gone and taken up with them. I smell them all over you. Dirty, filthy wench. You’re going to lead me to them so I can do what I was born to do. Rid the planet of their ilk.” He drew back a few inches and smiled, actually smiled at her. “There now, darling. That’s not so hard, is it? Just show me where they are, and I’ll see you get away from them.”
Aw, shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. I can’t call for Les or Karl. Got to keep them safe from this madman. “I—” she choked on snot
and started over. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was just shopping for a few winter clothes—”
A sharp slap canted her head to one side. “Don’t lie to me, girly. I’m trying to be nice.”
She sneered, lips drawn back in a snarl, as anger trumped fear. “What happens when you’re not nice?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Oh yes I do. Hysteria trod just beneath the surface; she shoved it back where the monsters under the bed live. “I don’t know a thing. I can’t help you. Now, goddammit, let me go.”
“In a pig’s eye.” he mocked her. “Just remember when you wake up that I gave you a choice.”
“What do you mean when I wake up?” His hand on her throat tightened. The other hand let go of her arms. Believing the whole thing was a sick joke and he was finally letting her go, she never saw his other fist, only heard the sickening crunch as it plowed into her jaw. Something heavy clubbed her in the side of the neck. Her head spun wildly just before darkness closed over her.
* * * *
Karl headed for the truck, but Les called him back. “Let’s just leave it parked here until we’re ready to leave. Makes it easier if we don’t have to find parking for two cars downtown.”
“Fine.” Karl’s nostrils flared. “So long as you drive the new one. I do not want to be the one who gets the first scratch on that shiny, dove-gray paint job.”
Les slugged him in the arm. “Be that way. Do you think Noreen will like it?” He ducked into the low-slung sedan.
“Like it? She’ll love it. Let’s hurry so we can show it to her.” Karl settled into the passenger seat and inhaled noisily. “Wow! Just smell all that leather.”
“Better than mouse shit in the pickup, huh?”
“Or the bleach you used to clean it,” Karl pointed out and chuckled.
Les backed their brand new Chrysler Imperial Airflow Sedan out of the dealership parking lot and merged into light traffic. They’d traveled about half a mile when it felt like a mule kicked him in the gut. His head whipped around. “Did you feel that?”
“Feel what?” Karl looked up from the sales contract he was studying.