Laurie took her other hand. “Mimi? It’s Laurie. How are you feeling?” Laurie tried to distract their grandmother from her distress.
Mimi didn’t break her gaze from Melinda’s. “Land… Go… Meet…”
Melinda attempted to piece her urgent message together. “I know the land is disturbed. It has been for years. This time is no different. We’ll figure it out.”
Mimi shook her head. Her eyes grew wider. “No… Go…”
“To the meeting? At the high school?”
Mimi nodded, her body relaxing into the bed. Her chest rose and fell heavily, but she slowed her breathing.
“You want me to go to the meeting?” Melinda repeated. She had no desire to leave Mimi’s side. She’d done so yesterday for several hours and didn’t care to repeat the stress it caused her.
“Now…” The older woman squeezed Melinda’s hand with more force, far more force than Melinda could have believed possible.
She nodded. What else could she do? If her grandmother thought it was important for her to be at the meeting, there was a reason.
Joyce spoke from behind Melinda. “It’s okay, honey. Laurie and I will be here. You need to be at the meeting. I can feel the same urgency in my bones.”
A man behind them cleared his throat as he entered the room. “Oh, great. Ms. Bartel. You’re back with us.” The voice belonged to the doctor. Melinda didn’t need to turn around to see him, either. He was a shifter. And a godsend when one of them needed hospitalization.
He stood at the foot of the bed and leaned forward, holding himself up with his hands on either side of Mimi’s legs. He spoke in a hushed tone. “As soon as we can get her to shift, we’ll do so and let her body do what it needs to recover. In the meantime, we’ll use modern human medicine to keep her stabilized.”
Melinda still held Mimi’s gaze. The woman’s focused stare was all she needed. It was more important that she be at the meeting of the citizens of both towns in the high school auditorium. Reluctantly, she accepted this news and straightened her spine. She lifted Mimi’s hand to her lips and kissed her knuckles. “Get better. I love you.” As she turned around, she nodded at both her half-sister and her mother and then left the room. It would take her over forty minutes to get to Cambridge. She needed to concentrate. If Mimi thought she was needed at the meeting, Melinda would have to take her word for it.
»»•««
“Mimi’s awake,” Sharon informed her mates as she set her cell phone on the table.
Cooper turned from the sink to face her. “Thank God. How is she?”
“She had a stroke, as they suspected. But the good news is she’s alert and seems to understand and recognize Joyce, Melinda, and Laurie.”
“That’s good.” Jackson wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing her into the island.
She came to life under his touch. No matter how many times either man touched her, she still felt a tingle rush through her body. “Melinda’s on her way here. And word has spread. There should be a crowd at tonight’s meeting at the high school.”
Dozens of volunteers had come to the junior college yesterday to cold call the long list of citizens living in both Sojourn and Cambridge. Joyce had also spoken with the women in her support group. Laurie’s friend Mary and her partner Jazmine had informed all the families whose kids went to their preschools. Sharon’s parents had contacted everyone they could think of.
What they needed was a huge turnout to demand the fracking stop immediately.
Jackson set his chin on Sharon’s head. “Any headway with the fracking site?”
Cooper shook his head as he leaned against the counter next to the sink. “No. They’re stubborn. They insist they aren’t the cause of the series of small quakes. Even though one of their drills blew out of the mine and collapsed, injuring several men and creating a plume of water and a gas leak, they’re sticking to the story that it was an isolated incident. They believe the smaller earthquakes preceding the accident caused the drill to dislodge.”
Sharon cringed. “That’s so crazy.”
“It’s common,” Cooper added. “Happens all over the country. They stand to lose a lot of money if they stop drilling, and God forbid they ever admit how dangerous fracking is.”
“The unknown scares the hell out of me,” Sharon said. Her entire body had been on alert since Friday night, and it was only getting worse. Even though she wasn’t the one with sensitivities, she felt the unease. She wouldn’t want to be in Melinda’s shoes, or any of the other women in her family.
With Mimi in the hospital, her daughter and granddaughters had been with her nearly every moment. They had to be out of their minds between worrying about Mimi and concern for the intentions of the spirits.
“It does me too. And until three days ago, I had no idea half of this craziness was even a thing.” Jackson squeezed her tighter around the middle.
She twisted in his arms until she faced him, tipping her head back to look into his eyes. Her hands wrapped around his middle. “I can’t imagine how insane this is for you. Thanks for not wigging out and running for the hills.”
He chuckled. “I’ll leave the running in the hills to the two of you. I’m not equipped for it apparently.”
She smiled. “Have I mentioned how much I appreciate your wit and flexibility?”
“A few times. But I’ll take all the praise you want to dish out.”
A phone rang behind her, Cooper’s this time. It seemed every few minutes someone called.
“Stuart.” Cooper’s voice was deep and serious as he answered his boss.
Sharon spun to the side to watch him on the phone. She had begun to read his emotions by his stance and the expression on his face.
“The mayor? Okay. Good… We’re expecting hundreds of people at the meeting…” Cooper’s face scrunched up, and he inhaled sharply. “How many? Shit… Yeah, I know. I’ll stay in touch.” He ended the call and set the cell on the island.
“What is it?” Jackson asked before Sharon could force the question out herself.
“Lots of tremors. The seismometers are picking them up all over the area. Many are too small to detect from the surface. My boss has called the US Geological Survey, and a volcanologist is on the way here.”
“Seriously? He thinks we might be in danger of a volcano in Montana?” Sharon asked.
Cooper shrugged. “It’s hard to say, but I need to get back to the office and then head to the epicenter. I’ll take half my staff with me and send the other two to the high school.” He dashed past them and grabbed his shoes. As he sat on the edge of the couch tugging them onto his feet, Sharon went toward him.
“I’m worried.”
He finished before he looked up at her and stood. He took her face in his hands and held her gaze. “I know. Trust me. I’m pretty concerned myself. But all we can do is follow the signs and our guts and make sure we’re not missing anything.”
“That’s just it,” she added, “we are missing something.”
Cooper nodded. His face was more serious than she’d ever seen it. “I know.”
She stared deep into his eyes. “You suspected a volcano, didn’t you?”
He pursed his lips before responding. “Not gonna lie. The idea has been floating around in my mind. I’m sure my boss has had his own suspicions also. It’s a tough call. The signs would indicate a high probability of volcanic activity. However,” he lifted up his pointer, “this is not an area of the country under any volcanic suspicion. We can’t cry wolf until we have the data to prove it.”
She smiled at his use of the word wolf. “Is this why no one has called for a state of emergency? Simply because the likelihood is not there?”
He nodded. “Exactly. Neither I nor my boss—nor anyone else for that matter—can go to the governor and tell him to evacuate an area based on a hunch or a feeling or a cluster of small quakes.
“Clusters of tremors happen all over the world every day. They don’t lead to anything larger. Does my gut te
ll me something enormous is about to occur? Hell, yes. My best guess is a larger quake the likes of which this state has never experienced, or a volcano, as insane as that sounds.”
Cooper glanced at Jackson and then back at her. “Every member of my family and yours has enough intuitive skill to be on alert. But we can’t run around making an issue out of a bunch of tremors based on our gut instincts. We need proof.
“Hovering spirit guides and shaman who can feel impending danger will not cut it. Who would listen to us? Let’s hope the US Geological Survey or the volcanologist can find something definitive.”
Sharon shook her head. “So many people are out on the mountainside. Hikers. Campers. Small cabins. Lord, the biologists from the college.”
He cupped her neck and hauled her face forward to kiss her briefly. “I know, babe. I know.” He lifted his gaze over her head and spoke to Jackson. “Keep her safe.”
“You know I will.”
“Don’t talk like that,” she mumbled.
Cooper looked back toward her and kissed her mouth briefly. “I need to know Jackson is with you. No matter what happens, I need to know you’re safe. It’s the only way I can do my job without freaking out.”
“Okay.” She would consent to anything to ensure he had his head one hundred percent in the game.
“Stay in touch with me.” He released her, grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch, and shrugged into it. “Whatever you do, make sure the citizens are willing to force the fracking to stop. I don’t know what else we’re up against, but we all three know that’s paramount. It’s the first step. It’s the only thing we can control at this point.”
“Consider it done,” Jackson said.
Cooper nodded and raced from the condo, shutting the door with a resounding snick behind him.
Sharon turned to face Jackson, setting her hands on his chest. “Do you have to work today?”
He smirked. “Do you think that’s even possible?”
“Not really. No. Just asking.”
He gave her a squeeze. “I think the world will revolve without my accounting input for a few days.”
“Are you sure?” she teased. “What about all those late filers with extensions? Are they not lined up outside your office? And the logging sites? Don’t they need someone to come by and keep them straight?”
He rolled his eyes. “First of all, people don’t usually ‘line up’ to see their accountant, especially those who filed for an extension. And second of all, if you recall, I already inspected the local logging site last week.” He kissed her lips gently and continued. “That’s where I was when you had your mysterious fake accident and I picked you up on the side of the road.”
She gasped and pushed away from him, leaning back several inches. “Dude, there was nothing fake about that accident. It was one hundred percent real. In fact, if you hadn’t come along, I would have shifted and healed much faster than I did, thank you very much.”
“Why didn’t you?” He lifted an eyebrow.
She wiggled both of hers. “And ruin being saved by a knight in shining armor?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The volume in the auditorium was so high it was difficult to get everyone’s attention, even with the mic. But Sharon’s father attempted to do just that. “Everyone, please, take a seat.”
The mayor of Cambridge stood behind Adam. Although he’d been brought up to speed on everything concerning the earthquakes and what they might mean for the community and the area surrounding the lake, he’d handed the reins to her father and taken a seat on the podium. The reality was Adam Masters had gathered more information and was a respected member of the community.
Sharon stood off to one side with Jackson to her left. She desperately wanted to reach for him, to hold his hand or soak up his warmth and comforting touch. But she knew this wasn’t the place. The last thing they needed was for the audience to turn the tables to a discussion of threesomes or polygamy or mixing races. Tonight’s agenda was uniting for a common good. The land.
On Jackson’s other side stood Gene Hamilton. In the frenzy of the week’s events, she had completely forgotten that Jackson hadn’t met Cooper’s father until the man wandered up to them and extended a hand. Moments later, Jackson had yet another family member Sharon knew would help fill the void his own parents’ absence had formed in his life. Gene was a good guy. Sharon had admired him since he and Joyce had moved back to the area.
Finally, after several attempts by Adam to get the crowd’s attention, a hush fell. “Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight. I know this is short notice, but we have a problem that needs our utmost attention.”
“Those damn frackers,” someone yelled.
Her father was a calm man. He didn’t change his expression or buckle under the pressure. She watched him with a level of admiration. No wonder the mayor deferred to him.
He ignored the heckler and continued. “There have been a series of earthquakes just north of here in recent days. Most of you have felt the larger ones. What you don’t realize is there have been smaller undetectable tremors under the Earth’s surface that indicate a possible seismic problem none of us can imagine.”
“What are we talking about?” She recognized the man who asked this question as Pastor Edmund of the Church on the Hill. The man and his congregation had been the bane of her family’s existence for years. He had taken every opportunity he could to run the Masters family out of town, including attacking them and threatening their lives over his perceived lack of morals.
He and most of his congregation were so vehemently opposed to the mixing of the races or the practice of living in groups of three that they were currently under court order to stay away from any member of the Masters family. That order was being ignored tonight for the sake of the community at large.
“What an asshole,” Gene mumbled only loud enough for Sharon and Jackson to hear.
Adam addressed the man calmly. “It’s impossible to say for sure. The Earth has its own agenda. Scientists can only attempt to predict what might occur. In this case, the frequency, duration, and location of the tremors is likely to indicate a larger earthquake in the near future.”
Sharon had shared what Cooper said about the possibility of a volcano with her father, but they’d agreed at this time to keep the threat to themselves. People were liable to really freak out if they heard the V word. It still seemed preposterous even to Sharon.
Pastor Edmund moved to stand in the aisle. His face turned red as he addressed the audience, spinning in a slow circle. “Do you see what’s happening here?”
Murmurs could be heard throughout the room, but Sharon wasn’t able to pinpoint any specific words.
“These people,” he pointed a rigid finger toward her father, “are destroying our land and our way of life.”
Sharon rolled her eyes. Leave it to Edmund to turn this into a circus before they even got started with the meeting.
The man held up a ragged bible. “This is the law of the land. This book is filled with examples of what God’s wrath looks like when He is not obeyed. Many of the citizens of this fine town are so out of God’s favor that He is bringing His wrath upon us.”
Gasps of shock, dismay, and agreement spread around the room.
Mayor Cromwell stood and came to the podium. Adam stepped aside to allow him to reach the mic. “Pastor Edmund, please take your seat. We’re not here to discuss religion. We’re here to do our part to save this town and the others in this area, namely Sojourn.”
Pastor Edmund spun around and glared at a group of people to the right and behind him. “Heathens. All of them. God did not intend for the races to mix like this. We need to return to simpler times to save our land.”
Mayor Cromwell spoke again, louder this time. “I’m going to have to ask you to sit down, Pastor Edmund. We have much to discuss. If everyone would please calm down and listen to Adam Masters. He knows what he’s talking about.”
“Why?” a woman
from the rear on the Native American side shouted. “Why should we listen to a white man tell us what to do? For all we know, he’s trying to run us off our land. He could be making every word of this up to scare us into fleeing our territory. We won’t be intimidated.”
Sharon watched the woman as she shook with disdain. It was crazy how ridiculously some folks behaved.
Another man stood next to her. Sharon recognized him as Pete Sandhouse, a deputy on the reservation. He was Native American and a shifter. “I agree with Veronica. Why should we believe anything you say, Masters? Your family has done nothing but make a mockery out of both Cambridge and Sojourn. Your sons are an abomination, sleeping with our women, and hell, our men too. It makes me sick.” He turned toward the mayor. “If you want us to stay and listen to anything you have to say here tonight, I suggest you get this sick bastard off the podium.”
Gene stepped forward next to Jackson, catching Sharon’s eye. His hands were fisted at his sides. “I can’t believe how many idiots live among us,” he whispered, barely holding his cool. “I’m glad Joyce isn’t here tonight to witness this. She’d blow her lid.”
Sharon grinned at Gene and then turned her gaze back to the mayor as he returned to the mic while Sharon’s father stepped aside, his head held high, no apology on his face. Thank God. She didn’t think she could stand to see weakness in his eyes.
She glanced at her mother on the front row and found her also sitting tall and straight. Her hands were gently folded in her lap. She showed no sign of the bullying her husband was receiving.
As for the woman who’d spoken before Pete Sandhouse, Sharon now realized she was Veronica Miller, the Native American human Sandhouse was currently fucking with no intentions of claiming. He was using her, feeding off her anger at having been jilted by Corbin Archers when he mated with Laurie Hamilton and Zachary Masters.
The mating was unavoidable. Fate doesn’t give two shits about timing or other people’s feelings. Veronica had been an unpredicted casualty, and the woman hadn’t taken it well. Instead of stepping away gracefully when Corbin broke things off with her, she’d taken up with Sandhouse in an effort to seek retaliation.
Sharon's Wolves (Wolf Masters Book 10) Page 18