Sorry Jack.
Fred should be happy now at least. The overgrown dog hadn't been anywhere when she got home. He was obviously avoiding her. Sometimes he had so much personality she wondered if there wasn't more to him. No animal she had ever met had such expressive eyes. Then again, she never owned a pet before. Not that Fred was her pet. He was a wild animal after all. One who just liked lasagna and his head scratched as much as any man she ever dated.
His absence bothered her. If she was being honest, that was the main reason she couldn't sleep. Sadie had gotten used to his random howls throughout the night as he ran through the forest. Tonight, all she heard was crickets. Buzzing, chirping, I'm-going-to-burn-the-forest-down-if-you-don't-shut-up crickets. Her air conditioner was in the living room and only so loud. It didn't stand a chance against a plague worthy amount of crickets.
Her spoon scraped along the edge of the plastic container. The last of the pudding, and yet, she wasn't satisfied. Or tired. In fact, she was more awake now. "Stupid refrigerator light," she cursed. Sadie set the empty container and spoon on the coffee table and pulled the blanket off the back of the chair. It was one of the over sized ones that was so large she felt like a child sitting in it. The arm was enough of a cushion that she didn't need a pillow. Curled in its depths, Sadie closed her eyes. Maybe the change of scenery would help. When she was younger and couldn’t sleep, she would take her pillows and lay them at the foot of the bed. For some reason, it worked nearly every time.
Sadie was still half awake when the doorknob rattled. It woke her better than a bucket of ice water and chilled her to the bone. She swallowed hard. The doorknob moved again. Fudge. She was off the chair in a second and moving stealthily through the room. In her night stand she kept a pistol. In her living room she kept a rifle. Beside the fireplace, behind a tall woven basket sat the latter. Sadie grabbed it and settled a bit.
The door hadn't rattled since she stood up.
Beside the door she kept a large metal Maglight flashlight, the kind that doubled as a weapon if need be. There was no time to be scared. Not now. Just like during her attack, she kept her head on straight and would freak the fudge out later.
Sadie opened the door and beamed the light outside. Empty. Quickly, methodically, she checked all the places someone could hide. Thankfully, there weren't many yet since she hadn't had much time to decorate. Next came the yard. The flashlight lit up the grass before hitting the tree line and getting lost. Around the perimeter she went, constantly aware of the space right around her. The beam hit two reflective orbs. She moved the light to the left and the reflection died but she saw it was Fred.
She sighed in relief.
Fred bound out of the woods toward her. She clicked off the flashlight. "Was that you just now?" she asked knowing he couldn't answer.
Fred stopped for a moment as he reached the porch. She could hear his short, sharp intake of breath through his nose. His head twitched as if surprised. Then he was moving toward her again, his nails clicked on the wood as he slowly came up the stairs. Something was off with him. The way he moved wasn’t right. He was being too cautious.
"Fred?"
He growled and it went straight up her spine. It was the same sound as the day they had met. The same menace she felt then. Sadie readjusted the rifle.
"Freddy?"
He snapped his teeth in rapid succession. Sadie began to back up. He stood in front of the door now. She had left it to get a better vantage point to check the woods. One step back, and another. His growling a steady vibration, much like her heart beat.
Her voice shook. "Fred. Stop."
Jack was right. He wasn't a pet. He was wild and dangerous and unstable. She had known that. Saw it in his eyes time and time again. And yet, she had ignored it truly believing that he wouldn’t hurt her. They shared something, something broken inside. The difference was, her broken pieces wouldn’t leave her stalking him in the night like prey.
Sadie raised the rifle. She wouldn't shoot unless she had too.
God, she didn't want to shoot him.
"Fred, please." she begged. The moonlight exposed his eyes before he walked into shadow again. They were dead eyes. He was gone leaving just an empty vicious shell. Her wolf was nowhere to be found inside.
He continued forward. Snarling. One slow step at a time.
She kept in time, step by step.
Sadie’s bare heel landed on a nail. She cursed at the sudden sting and lost her balance. The wood was hard under her back when she hit the porch. Harder yet still when her head hit.
Fred jumped. This time he didn't sail over her to the enemy behind. Oh, no. This time she was the enemy. Nails clicked against the wood as his paws landed with a thump. His growling became heavier now that he was right beside her. So had her breathing.
Short puffs of warm breath hit her neck as he rumbled in her ear. In an act of submission and self preservation, Sadie turned her head away from him successfully exposing her neck. His cold nose bumped her as he sniffed.
The growling stopped.
Fred whined softly. His tongue licked her neck a few times before he backed off.
"Fred?" She opened her eyes. "Hey, Buddy." He was backing away from her. His tail between his legs and head down. The wolf looked ashamed. "It's ok. You didn't hurt me. No harm done." As she began to sit up he bound off the deck to stand in the yard. Fred’s eyes were haunted in the glow of the moon. He had almost killed her and knew it. She knew it too. And when he turned and sprinted off, she let him go without a word.
Chapter Five
Jack slammed the door of his truck and tried his hardest not to glare at Mrs. Peterson as she tsked him. Yeah, fuck you ya old bag, he thought bitterly. One day he wouldn’t have to hide his distaste for her and he could openly tell her what he thought of her little snack of a dog. Humans, he hated them all. They crawled across the Earth, Gaia's skin, like fleas to a dog. They needed to be put in their place. Her hounds needed full reign again.
But not yet. Soon though.
His mood had been sour for days. Ever since his date with Sadie a few nights earlier he couldn't seem to get away from his anger. Then to top it off she ignored his calls. She threw herself at other men while on a date with him and then acted like nothing was wrong. Fucking whore. Lee could go to hell as well. Instigating and telling lies about him for the whole bar to hear. Oh he heard what she had said about him after they had thought he left. The damage done to his reputation was irreversible. Considering he was trying to take Sadie as his wolf mate, that was a pretty fucking big deal.
All the women of this town could suck his dick. He was tired of waiting for Canidae to get off their asses and out of hibernation and fucking do something. He was tired of not having a female at home to give him pups. It was high time he got what he deserved. Life owed him and it was time to pay up.
The lunch crowd had already thinned at the Wick. Considering his mental state that was a blessing. A new waitress was delivering a pizza to a booth beside him. He passed by and went straight for the bar. The food came quicker there. Jack wanted to get in and get out and away from all these fucking humans before he lost his appetite from the stench.
Lee came out of the kitchen and stopped when she saw him. Her huff of disgust was not lost to him. Fucking women changing their damn minds all the time. Just last week she was bandaging him up and flirting like the slut she was.
"Jack," she said in greeting
"I want a cheeseburger, rare."
"Yes, Sir," she said with a mock salute and went back to the kitchen. "Have you met our new waitress?" Lee asked when she came back out a few minutes later.
"No."
"Hmmmmm." A smile danced on her lips. He wanted to slap it away.
"Not in the mood Lee."
"Sure, sure," she nodded and walked away. A moment later Sadie walked past him with a tray and began to fill drinks. What the fuck? Jack looked over his shoulder and realized he had walked right past her on the way in. Sadie was
the new waitress.
Leaning back in his seat he crossed his arms. Well now, this could be the turnaround he was looking for. Thank you Gaia for this unexpected gift. A lazy grin spread across his face. "Well aren't you a sight."
Sadie turned, her eyes wide. "Jack."
"When did you start working here?"
She raised an astonished eyebrow and went back to filling her drink orders then walked away from him without answering his question. Jack turned in his seat and watched her. Her shoulders were tense and a smile was plastered on her face like it hurt. Her discomfort made him hard. There was no denying she was a beauty. In fact, Jack only found her more attractive with her anger. When she caught him looking, Sadie marched back to the bar and slammed her tray on the wooden counter beside him.
"What gives you the right to talk to me after ditching me the other night?" Her whole body vibrated. He had to touch her, to feel the energy she was giving off. He laid a hand on her arm and was drowned in sensation.
"Don't touch me you bastard." Her arm was viciously ripped away. Jack smiled, sweet and slow.
"Sadie," he drawled, savoring her name. "I am sincerely sorry for how abruptly I left. My attitude was inappropriate and I left before it caused any more damage."
Her eyes narrowed. She was almost there. Had this been a male, Jack would have had to take a few punches before forgiveness would begin. Luckily for him females were such forgiving creatures with only a few sugar coated words.
"Please, forgive me."
"Fine," she spat with little heat. "Don't do it again."
"Scouts honor." With a huff and an eye roll, Sadie picked up her tray and went back to work. Lee arrived a moment later with his burger. He thanked her and bit happily into his lunch.
Today really was turning around for him.
***
When Sadie got home that evening she immediately looked for Fred. She hadn't seen him since he ran away from her. Since he almost…Stop. None of that now. Worrying over what almost happened would not do her any favors. She needed to find him though. He had made her feel safe in this new place and now with Jack and his mood swings, she needed that comfort.
She changed into her dirty sneakers—the ones she saved just for yard work—and grabbed a bottle of water before heading outside. There was no way she was going to track him unless there was a neon sign pointing the way. However, maybe he would come to her. She wouldn't go far into the woods, she had learned that lesson already. But sitting around waiting for him wouldn't work either.
It was just before 7pm and the sun hung low in the sky. She would take an hour and look for him. Anymore and it would become too dark for her to be comfortable. There was a small, overgrown trail that made a loop around her place. The previous owner of the house had kept it cleared but by the time she moved in the forest had begun to take it back. When she had time, she planned on clearing it again.
As she walked, her mind began to float. One thought flowed into the next. What once had been a thought about the path had since turned into wondering if Lee's hair color was a natural one. She liked her coworker and it was nice to have someone at her back when Jack had come in. His appearance at lunch had been unexpected. Then again, it was a small town and it was bound to happen. He had apologized with his charming smile on at full blast, but it didn't feel very sincere. Sadie did accept it after a moment of panic. She saw what rejection did to some people and living with another stalker was not something she wanted to deal with again. Not that Jack was anything like Peter. They were mostly polar opposites but they shared the same glint in their eye. One that prickled her neck and made her uneasy.
So she accepted his apology in hopes that they could move on and act like it was nothing. Because in reality, what he did wasn't a big deal. So he left without saying goodbye. It's not like they were doing anything more than hanging out. Besides she got a job out of it and met some great people. Sadie should probably thank him for leaving.
Her gut was still telling her to stay away from him. Maybe it was only because she was still so unsettled after everything that happened over the past year, but this time she would listen to it. Sadie had felt herself invincible before. Sure, she saw the horrible stories on the news, but like many people, she never thought it would happen to her. In all honesty, she refused to believe it was happening to her even when she would receive flowers at work and threats at home, heavy breathing on voice messages. Denial was such a daily part of her life back then. Fear wasn't something she would allow herself to feel until it had almost been too late. That healthy dose of "oh shit" was what saved her. Now however, she had so much fear in her daily life it was hard to function. Or, it had been hard to function. With Fred around she found she could breathe a little more easily, sleep a little deeper, and laugh a little longer.
She really needed to find him.
Her hike wore on with no results. He was either gone or hiding from her. Both options felt like glue in her mouth. As the trail came to an end she released a heavy sigh. Maybe he would return tomorrow. The sun was too low to do much more tonight. So she packed it in and went inside. The first thing she heard was the chirping of her phone. Someone had left a message. Probably her mom. Or sister. But probably mom.
Sadie grabbed a bottle of water and settled in at the kitchen table before listening to it. With the first chiding note, she knew she had been right. It was, in fact, her mom.
"Sadie I don't know why it is so hard for you to pick up your phone. After everything that has happened you could at least indulge me in knowing you're safe. I didn't want to tell you about this in a message but you give me no choice. Peter's family is making noises. The Rileys are trying to go back to court and have his name cleared."
She sucked in a breath. They had just spent the last few months beating the subject into the ground with lawyers and judges. He was guilty. End of story. Why were they trying to bring this back to light?
"I know this isn't news you wanted to hear but Mr. Orr doesn't believe it will get off the ground. He says no judge in their right mind would take a second glance at the case. I wanted you to hear this from me and not him. Mr. Orr is a fine man and great lawyer but he's not family. We don't think the Rileys will do anything but just keep your guard up and eyes open. Oh, and Kent will probably call. He's always asking about you and how you're making out. Humor me and pick up his call next time. Love you, Baby."
The message ended leaving Sadie feeling as if the bottom had begun to drop out from under her. She had thought it was over, but it wasn't. Would it ever be? Would she ever feel at peace again?
Chapter Six
The night was young and so very busy. Sadie couldn't remember the last time her feet hurt this bad. In all her agony though, she couldn't help but smile. It felt good to be working again. As a waitress she got to meet pretty much the entire town. Lee had told her they were coming in for a drink just to meet the new girl. It was nice, she realized, having a town that cared enough to introduce themselves and want to get to know someone new.
One face was notably absent. Jack had worried her during their last run in but she hadn't seen even a small glimpse of him since. It should have calmed her but instead she only worried. What was he doing? Sadie preferred to know where the creepers were and what they were up to. Not to forget about them and then be kidnapped on the way home from work because her guard was down.
Since her mom’s phone call, her delusions had gotten worse. Sadie’s mind had always created vivid day dreams but recently she had more intense dreams and night terrors. Last night she slept with all the lights on. Of course that meant she had gotten little sleep because it was too bright, but at least she knew there was no one hiding in her hall closet with a butcher's knife dressed as a cracked out Harry Potter.
"Hey," Lee said as she came through the kitchen door adding an order to the line. "There's some guy looking for you out there."
Sadie wrinkled her brow. Lee knew everyone in Andora, no one was ever just “some guy.”
>
"Really? Who?"
"I've never seen him before. Looks like a cop though. Not in uniform or anything. His vibe is just copish." The two of them went to the small round window in the door. "That's the one," Lee pointed. "There at the end of the bar."
"Kent," Sadie said in recognition. What in the hell was he doing here?
"Blast from the past?"
"Kinda."
“Well take him some pie before it’s all gone. Seriously girl, you are one hell of a baker.”
She blushed. Sadie had gone a bit crazy over the past few days with her stress baking and had made three boston crème pies that morning alone. Seeing as she didn’t like pie, she figured someone here would eat it. And oh did they ever. Chuck put it on the menu as a “limited time special” and they were down to the last few pieces after only an hour and a half.
Lee opened the door for her before turning to yell at Marcus, the twenty year old cook who was also the owner's nephew, about what was taking so long on the fries. Kent caught her the moment she came into sight. He looked her over from head to toe and then nodded. He approved. Without pause she walked down the length of the bar toward him. Kent was an older man in his late fifties. He once told her that he was planning on retiring until she had shown up with a box of presents from Peter. His brown eyes always looked heavy with exhaustion but tonight they were brighter, happier almost. It made her smile. She wanted him to be happy. He had helped her so much this past year. And yet, she couldn't even return a stupid phone call.
Damn, the man probably got worried.
Helena, his wife, had told her one night over dinner before she left town that Kent pseudo-adopted her. Being that Sadie lacked a father, hers had died when she was really young in a car accident, he felt it was his duty as the only male role model in her life to fill the position as much as he could. Helena had helped her wipe the tears from her cheeks before Kent saw them. She had forgotten. With everything that had happened since she moved, she had forgotten. And damn if she didn't feel like shit for it.
Beyond The Veil: A Paranormal & Magical Romance Boxed Set Page 103