by Ann Gimpel
“Not sure. It’s like someone walked over my grave.”
“You’re just nervous because we caught a whiff of Hunter at the courthouse.”
Les thought about it. “No. It’s more than that. Jesus! I hope Noreen’s all right.”
“She would have called for us if anything went wrong.”
“What if she couldn’t?”
Karl folded the papers in his hands and placed them in the glove box. “I’d see if I could reach her, but the less shifter magic we deploy, the better off we are. Less visible.”
Les nodded his understanding. Every nerve was on edge. He didn’t understand why Karl couldn’t feel the wrongness. It didn’t take long to reach where they’d left Noreen. He pulled to the curb in a screech of tires, jumped out of the car, and raced into the first shop with Karl right behind him.
“Help you gentlemen?” A salesgirl with blood red lipstick and nails painted to match simpered.
“I’m looking for my wife.” Les tossed his head back. “She’s nearly as tall as me with long, blonde hair pulled into a bun. Blue eyes.
The clerk’s brows drew together. She bit her lower lip and managed to transfer lipstick to her front teeth. “Haven’t seen her. I’ve been here since we opened. We’ve only had a handful of customers today. I would have—”
Les didn’t wait to hear more. He bolted from the shop. Before he could check out the next one, Karl’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Calm down, dammit. You look like a madman. I can almost see your claws and tail.”
“Do you finally feel it?” Les demanded.
“Yes. Now we’re close I do feel it. This has Hunter stamped all over it.” Les tried to shuck Karl’s hand, but he wasn’t done talking, “I don’t think we’re going to find her. I don’t sense her energy close by. Do you?”
Les drew a shuddery breath and willed himself to stoicism. Karl was absolutely correct—about both things. Noreen wasn’t in the area, and his wolf was frighteningly close to the surface. He wouldn’t be able to help her if he shifted spontaneously and got dragged into a Hunter’s net. For all he knew, Hunters had shanghaied Noreen and were lying in wait behind some sort of psychic shield.
“That’s better,” Karl said calmly. He lifted his hand. “Now we can look in the other two shops.”
“Do you think it’s worth our time since we know she’s not here?”
“Yes. We may pick up clues.” Karl gave Les a little shove.
It didn’t take more than a few moments. The salesgirl in the middle shop remembered seeing Noreen and helping her select some clothes, but hadn’t seen her leave. She smiled brightly through too much makeup; her bleached-blonde hair looked like straw. “Sorry, gents. We’ve had a bunch of women through here this morning. I guess your wife done left when I wasn’t paying attention. She accumulated quite a pile of duds on the counter. Would you be wanting to take care of the bill?”
“Maybe we’ll just look around a bit,” Les said. “We know her size. Maybe we can add to the pile.” He and Karl walked to the back of the store. His lupine senses were as fully deployed as possible given the constraints of his human form.
“Do you suppose we could check out the dressing rooms?” Karl sent.
“Not easily. How about if you cover me? I’m sure it’s just through that door over there.”
“I’ll do my best, but if they catch you, there’ll be hell to pay.”
“Make sure they don’t.”
Les lingered over a rack of cashmere sweaters until the dressing room door opened and two giggling women emerged, arms overflowing with clothing. Once the clerk was fully engaged ringing up their purchases at the front of the store, he pulled the door open just enough to slip through and flattened himself against a wall. He sent his magic outward and breathed a sigh of relief once he determined he was alone.
His magic told him far more than that, though. Hunter scent permeated the dressing area, mingled with Noreen’s. He scented her energy—and her fear. His heart broke for his mate and what she’d faced all by herself, and all because of her connection with him and Les. Rage pummeled him. A claw broke through his index finger.
Les forced himself to take deep breaths. He pushed his wolf side back.
No time for that. He listened carefully, determined no one was anywhere near the door except Karl, and slithered back through. Karl quirked a brow. Les nodded once and trotted toward the front door. The sooner they got out of here, the sooner they could strategize how to get their mate back.
“Sir.” The shop girl’s voice followed him. “Your wife’s clothes.”
“Later.” Les called over one shoulder and quickened his pace out of the store. Anguish poured through him. Against everything he’d ever believed, Hunters had taken their mate. When the fuck had those bastards begun targeting the women?
He turned to Karl to tell him what he found, but his pack mate had forestalled him. “I already know. I see it in your mind. Back to the car.” Karl hooked an arm through his and practically dragged Les to the Chrysler. “Get us somewhere we’re not so visible. This car sticks out like a sore thumb. We need to park it and go on foot.”
“We’ve got to find Jed.” Les gunned the engine and drove toward the edge of town.
“Yes, we need him, but that’s downstream. Maybe we could track Noreen. I’m betting there’s a back way out of that store.”
Les clenched his jaw so hard, he was surprised his teeth didn’t crack. He drove a few blocks to a more wooded area and parked the car. The Chrysler was still flashy and noticeable, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Karl slammed his door and reached for the key to lock it. The men didn’t need to talk. They’d hunted together for years as wolves and as men.
Les tipped his head slightly. Karl nodded and they took off at a brisk trot for the alleyway that had to run behind the dress shops. Les’ nose twitched. Thank Christ Karl had maintained a cool enough head to think of doing this. Hunter scent was strong in the alley, along with their mate’s.
Les aimed for a casual air as they followed the scent track. More interested in making certain not to lose the trail than in his surroundings, he turned hard right and would have kept going, but Karl hissed into his mind. “Stop!”
“Why? We’re almost—” Les glanced up and froze. He was on the front walkway leading to the local constabulary building. Confusion rocked him, and he stood rooted in place.
Karl beckoned from back onto the street. His voice rang with false cheer. “Courthouse is next door. You’re not paying attention—as usual. Come on.”
“Of course.” Les scratched his head and did an about face. “Stupid of me.” Because he was practically certain someone might be watching them, Les led the way to the courthouse. He’d wondered why the Hunter hadn’t even tried to mask his track; now he knew.
They were in and out of the courthouse in less than ten minutes with all three passports in hand. The receptionist had wagged a finger at them and said she wasn’t supposed to hand over official documents to anyone other than the one whose name was on them, but Les had cast a mild compulsion spell, and she’d smiled and handed it to him.
“Back to the car,” Les sent.
“We need to find Jed and the others. I fear this will escalate into an all-out war before we’re done.”
They covered the few blocks to the Chrysler in silence. Les balled his hands into such tight fists that they ached. Once he got behind the wheel and was sure Karl was seated, he started the engine and headed for the outskirts of town. They had kin not far from Red Deer. If they couldn’t find Jed…
“At least we know it’s a cop that nabbed her.” Venom made Karl’s voice harsh. “A fucking cop.”
“No wonder he had carte blanche in the ladies’ dressing rooms,” Les snarled. “Ach, poor Noreen. I swear, if she’s been injured in any way, I’ll tear that bastard who took her limb from limb.”
“And any other Hunter who crosses our path. Maybe they were onto something at the last gathering. We need to ki
ll every single one of those scum-sucking abominations.”
“Funny,” Les smacked a fist on the steering wheel, “that’s what they call us.”
“Well, when we do it, it’s true. We come from proud stock. Ancient stock. Hunters are newly hatched. They have no rights here.”
“Tell them that.” Les thought about Noreen and how scared she must be and felt ill.
“Try to raise Jed,” Karl suggested. “He was supposed to be in town today too.”
“Right. I’d forgotten that. I need to be outside this car, though. All the metal will interfere with telepathic transmission.” Les spied a dirt track overhung with lush willows, pulled the car beneath a tree, and parked. Out in a trice, he sent his mind voice howling across all the distance he could muster.
“What?” Jed answered almost instantly. “Calm down.”
“No way. Hunters have Noreen.”
“They nabbed her at least an hour ago, maybe longer,” Karl cut in, obviously having tuned into Les’ telepathic channel.
“Son of a bitch. Where are the two of you?”
“On the western edge of Red Deer just off the main highway,” Les answered.
“Stay put. We’re on our way. I’ll raise the alarm and get all of us I can to help.”
“Pull out all the stops,” Les shouted. Fury tightened his muscles; a red haze swam before his eyes. “Call out the bears and coyotes and mountain cats.”
“Maybe you should leave Alice somewhere safe,” Karl ventured.
“In a pig’s eye,” Alice snapped. “Noreen’s in trouble. I want to help.”
Chapter 12
Noreen sat on a hard bench in the women’s drunk tank in the Red Deer jail, tugged the pins from her hair, and braided it to get it out of the way. Her jaw was swollen and her neck ached. Justin had dumped her there hours ago. Three Native American women were scattered about the small room; one was quite old, with long, white braids. So far no one had said a word to her. She’d pleaded with the desk sergeant who’d booked her that she wasn’t drunk, but he’d exchanged glances with Justin and said, “Officer McCollum is one of our best. Keep your mouth shut, Missy, and you’ll get out of here sooner.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Justin had said with a grim smile. “I’ll see she gets back home tomorrow. Maybe this will teach her to keep her beak out of the hooch.”
Noreen rolled his words around in her mind. He’d said them for a reason: to let her know he was in control and that she was far from done with him. What a travesty. I can’t complain about him. No one would believe me since I’m a prisoner now and he’s a cop. She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth. Tears squeezed from the corners of her eyes. She only had a few hours, and Justin would haul her out of this cell and take her God-only-knew where.
I only hope I’m strong enough to protect my mates from discovery. Alice said Hunters could see into my mind. I’ve got to figure out a way to keep Justin out.
An unpleasant thought intruded. Justin was probably preparing somewhere to sequester her, maybe even to torture her. If it had been ready, she’d already be there. Unable to sit still, she jumped to her feet and paced from one side of the cell to the other. She had to get out of there. Had to. Or else find a way to kill herself. Once Justin came for her, she’d be as good as dead anyway.
“Give it a rest,” one of the Native Americans said. A youngish woman, she was full-figured with a beak of a nose and stringy black hair. “They gotta let you out in twenty-four hours. Then you can find another bottle.”
“I’m not a drunk,” Noreen sputtered.
The woman snorted and tossed her head. “Yeah, right. Don’t get your panties in a bunch, hon. It’s just us chickens here.”
The wraith-thin older woman got to her feet. Her white brows drew together in a single line low on her forehead. She stalked toward Noreen and came to a halt directly in front of her. “I am Julaika.”
“Er, Noreen. Nice to meet you.” She extended a hand out of habit. Julaika just stared at it, so Noreen dropped it to her side.
The Native woman bent close, nostrils flaring. Her features mirrored surprise for a brief moment before her impassive expression returned. Julaika jerked her head to one side. “Over here, white woman.” She strode to the curtained alcove that held a sink and toilets and stepped behind the curtain.
“Why?” Noreen stayed put. She needed to find a way out of her dilemma, not indulge a drunken Indian. Although, while the other two women reeked of cheap gin, Julaika smelled of earth and herbs.
The old woman’s wizened bronze face and braids appeared to one side of the curtain. “It is white man’s curse to always have to know everything in advance. You have nowhere to go. Nothing else to do. If you don’t like what I have to say, you can always resume pacing.” Julaika cackled and ducked back behind the faded plaid curtain. Noreen wondered if she was crazy. Maybe this was the only holding area for women and all of them—drunks, thieves, the mentally unbalanced, murderers—ended up here until they could be transferred elsewhere.
Noreen bit her lip hard. Pain had a settling effect. Julaika was right. She didn’t have anything better to do, so she sucked in a breath and covered the ten feet between where she stood and the curtain separating the bathroom from the rest of the cell. Another breath and she pulled the curtain aside. Julaika had dropped the lid on one of the two commodes and sat, legs crossed, deeply-veined hands folded in her lap.
Noreen looked at the second toilet. It didn’t have a lid, but she sat on it anyway—and waited. Minutes ticked past. “Well?” Noreen extended her hands, palms up.
The corners of Julaika’s mouth twitched. “Another white man’s problem, impatience.”
“Look. If you’re just going to lecture me about all our shortcomings, I’m going back out there.” She waved a hand at the curtain. “It smells better.”
“You can hear me this way. Don’t deny it.”
Noreen drew back; her mouth fell open. Not much point in denial since her face and actions gave her away, so she nodded shakily.
“I know McCollum. He is bad news for our kind. One of our relatives will come for Trina soon. I can cast illusion so you look like her.”
“I-I’m not very good at this.” Noreen’s mind voice was small and tentative. She wanted to ask hundreds of questions. Like was Julaika a shifter mate? And why was she in jail? But those things weren’t important. “Which one is Trina? Won’t she mind if I leave in her stead?”
Julaika snorted. “The younger, thinner woman. Of course she’ll mind, but she is my sister’s daughter-in-law and will obey me. We will give you three hours, and then she’ll raise hell about spirits and demons. White men will chalk it up to her being crazy because of hooch.”
Suspicion knifed into Noreen. Things were bad, but impersonating another prisoner could make them much worse. “I don’t see how you can pull this off. I’m blonde and about six inches taller than her. Plus, why would you do this for me?”
“You’re Les and Karl’s mate. I smell them all over you. They’ve been a great help to my people, the Cree. When winters are bad, they hunt for us as wolves and leave us meat. We used to have shifters of our own to hunt, but not anymore.”
Noreen took a chance. “For you to have magic, you must have shifter mates.”
The old woman’s face screwed up in pain. She pressed her lips into a hard line. “I did. McCollum got both my mates and my brother too.”
”I’m sorry.” Noreen laid a hand over Julaika’s and squeezed.
“Bastards,” she hissed. “White bastards. I’d kill every last one of them if I could.”
Noreen knew what she meant. Anger burned hot inside her, curdling her gut. She bent toward Julaika and kissed her cheek. “I hate them too. Why are you here?”
The old woman rolled her eyes and spoke aloud. ”They think I’m crazy. I threw a rock at one of the police station windows, but I did it to get inside.” Her mouth pursed into a grimace. “I needed to check on my Trini. Sh
e drank so much she was passed out when they hauled her in here, and I was worried about her.”
“That was very kind of—”
Julaika waved her to silence. “Bullshit. I wanted to make sure no one raped her while she was unconscious. They’ll let me out in a few hours. They don’t have sovereignty over the Cree. They have to turn me over to the Tribal Council.”
“What will the council do?”
Julaika’s lips drew back, giving her a feral look. “Nothing. We indulge white men. Someday we will take our lands back.”
Noreen switched to telepathic speech. “Who is coming for Trina?”
“One of our cousins. I will let her know ahead of time about what we’re doing.”
“How?”
Julaika grinned. “Why, the same way you and I are talking. Relax. You’ll feel my spell around you when the time comes. Embrace it.”
Noreen blew out a breath. Julaika’s magic must be strong, much more than she expected to absorb from her mates through the shifter bond. The old woman nodded, as if she’d read Noreen’s thoughts. “I am medicine woman for the Cree. The two magics give me more power than either alone.”
“Synergistic,” Noreen murmured. Julaika tilted her head, a question in her eyes, but Noreen said, “It doesn’t matter. Another bad white man trait. Over explaining with big words.”
A warm smile lit the old Indian woman’s face. “Maybe there is hope for you yet. I will work out what must be done with Trina and our cousin, Sara. Go sit on your bench. Trina will sit next to you. When the time comes and the cell door opens, get up like you have every right in the world to leave. Don’t dawdle. As soon as you’re well clear of the station, open your mind so your mates can find you.”
“What if McCollum’s out there?”
“He will not see you so long as you’re in the station. Once you are outside, you’ll have to find cover.” Julaika gave her a little shove. “Get moving. There’s not much time.”
Noreen trotted to the bench she’d been sitting on and forced herself to sit. Her heart beat so fast, she thought she might faint. Sweat beaded her forehead and upper lip and dripped down her sides. She inhaled deeply, held it, and blew it out. Then she did it again. Julaika’s magic might be potent, but Noreen still had to play her part. Right now, her legs shook to badly, she wasn’t certain they’d hold her upright, let alone allow her to march out the door with her head high.