by Jane Jamison
Chapter Eight
Grant went numb as he stood over Carl’s dead body. Someone—more than likely Moses—had done one hell of a job on him. From the look of things with all the blood and Carl’s body mutilated, Moses must have gone crazy. He couldn’t take his attention off the macabre sight, even as Thomas and Ryan dashed around, hurriedly searching for Willa.
“She’s not here,” Grant mumbled.
Ryan and Thomas came to his side, the sounds of their labored breathing punctuating the air.
“No. She’s not,” confirmed Ryan. “But I can pick up her scent in the corner of the room. I tried following the trail, but he must’ve picked her up and carried her. I lost her scent at the back door.”
“Grant, we have to keep moving. We have to keep looking.” Although Thomas did his best to keep his voice steady, the fear in his voice was unmistakable.
“Where could he have taken her?”
Grant, his gaze still on Carl’s body, shook his head. “I don’t know. He doesn’t own any other house besides this one.”
“Maybe a hunting cabin?” Ryan turned away from the gruesome sight. “The only one who could tell us for sure can’t talk.”
“We need to search outside,” offered Thomas.
Again, Grant shook his head. “No. She’s not here.” Yet, strangely, he believed he could sense her presence. But that was only his imagination, his hope trying to keep the awful truth of what might have happened to her at bay.
“Then what do we do?” Ryan yanked open the front door and gulped in fresh air. “What do you want to do with Carl’s body?”
“Leave the body. And call everyone. Tell them to meet us at the Wolf’s Den. It’s time we put an end to Moses being the pack leader.” Grant stalked out of the house.
“What the hell are you talking about, man?” Thomas kept pace with him. “Two people have been murdered and our dog, too. Our mate is missing. And now you want to talk about taking over? Shit, this isn’t the time. We have to find Willa. ”
“We’ll find her, all right.” He slid behind the wheel as his friends got into the truck. “We put the Rann men in charge, and then we use the pack to hunt for her.”
“They’ll be those who will stay loyal to Moses,” warned Ryan. “Even after they find out what he did. Some because they’re like him and others because they’re too afraid to go against him.”
“Then we have to be ready to fight those who stand with Moses.” Grant gripped the steering wheel. “Give the Shadow Ridge Pack a call, too. They might decide it’s time to help out.”
“Shit. We’re really doing this.”
Grant gave Thomas a curt nod. “Yeah. We are. Moses has gone too far this time. He has to be stopped.”
Thomas and Ryan discussed what to do and how to approach the others on the way to the Den. Grant’s thoughts, however, were on Willa. The idea to tell the Janks men over the phone about Henrietta was made and rejected.
If Moses has done anything to her, if he has so much as pulled a hair off her head, I’ll kill him.
He’d known Moses was a terrible pack leader and a vile human being. Yet he hadn’t believed Moses capable of killing two people and their pet. Thankfully, they hadn’t found Willa’s cold corpse, but he hadn’t really expected to. Moses wanted her as his mate. Unless she pushed him too far, she’d remain alive.
But what shape will she be in when we find her?
He ground his teeth thinking of all Moses could do to her without killing her.
Ugly, vile words.
Beatings.
Worse.
“Grant, slow the hell down. We’re here.”
Ryan’s hand on his shoulder brought him out of his terrible thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the truck to a stop. “Let’s do this.”
They came into the bar to find a chaotic scene of shouting and protests. The room was filled to capacity with the Garrett Pack split between two groups and members of the Shadow Ridge Pack, including the Lennox brothers, keeping to the walls and out of the fray.
Brady, Dart, and Ethan Rann stood on top of the bar and spoke to men on the floor below them. When they saw Grant and his friends, they gave out a shout for silence. Everyone turned to face Grant, Ryan, and Thomas. With nods from his friends, Grant took it upon himself to speak for them.
“Where are Bull, Roger, and Gunther Janks?”
No one had expected him to ask a question. The crowd looked around until the three men, worry etched on their faces, stepped to the front.
“What’s going on?” asked Roger. He usually took the lead whenever the three brothers were together.
Although they hadn’t said plain out that they supported a change in pack leadership, Grant doubted they’d stand in the way. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got bad news.” His gaze jumped to Mack Heath, sending him a silent message to be ready to step in if necessary.
“Just spit it out.” Bull was the one who would anger faster. He was the one they’d have to tame once the pain hit.
“I’m sorry, but Henrietta’s dead.” He hadn’t known an easier way to say it.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Gunther took a menacing step forward. “Did you do something to our mate?”
“Not me. Moses killed her.” Grant ignored the shocked and angry responses around him. “We found her at our ranch. Moses killed Henrietta and Carl, and then took our mate, Willa.”
Shocked gasps and subdued whispers replaced the shouting of earlier. “We found Henrietta’s body at our ranch. Carl’s body was inside Moses’s place. We also picked up Willa’s scent there.”
“You sure about this?” asked Roger, his face paling as the news sank in.
“I’m sure.”
Gunther and Bull let out curses and started toward the door. Mack and two other men grabbed them.
“Turn us loose,” ordered Bull in a frighteningly calm voice.
“No. This is beyond you now.” Grant’s voice grew louder. “We have to remove Moses from pack leadership. He’s gone too far. No one, not even the leader, can kill without consequences.” He looked around him, searching the faces to see who was with them as well as who was against them. “It’s time for a change. I vote that the Rann men become the Garrett Pack’s alphas. They can choose which of them will be the ultimate leader.”
There were those who shifted to look at the Rann men still standing on top of the bar. Others kept their attention on Grant.
“We accept the leadership,” answered Brady. “But first things first. We have to find Willa and Moses. Once we do, we’ll bring him back to the pack for trial.”
Choruses supporting their leadership rang out amid others’ shouts to keep Moses as their leader. Grant lifted his hand again and gave a loud, sharp whistle. All eyes turned to him. “Right now, we need all of you to help us find our mate. She’s missing. Moses took her to his ranch, but they’re gone now. We need everyone to spread out and search for her. Can we count on you to help us?”
Murmurs started then rose to a clamor as the crowd divided once again. Those who had embraced the Rann men’s new leadership were ready to help. The smaller group who had been true to Moses remained quiet, as though unwilling to take any side.
“Thank you.” Grant drew in a much-needed breath. “Does anyone have any idea where he might have taken her?”
His heart sank as no one came forward. “No one?”
A motion off to the side caught his attention. The crowd stepped back to give a small woman, one of the most timid members of their pack, a path toward Grant. Her big brown eyes were filled with sadness. She slumped forward as though trying to hide herself while in full view of everyone.
“Mitsy Johnson? That’s your name, right?” Grant could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen the woman. He couldn’t even remember if she had a mate.
She nodded, the movement almost imperceptible. “That’s right,” she whispered. Her dark hair fell in front of her face as she kept her gaze cast toward the floor.
“Do you know where Moses might have taken her?”
She nodded yet again. Grant fought back the urge to shake her and demand she tell him everything she knew.
“Please, if you know something, tell me.”
At last, she lifted her gaze to meet his. “He has a secret place where he likes to take women. Girls, really.”
Grant’s stomach did an awful flip-flop. “Where is this place, Mitsy? Will you take us there?”
Again came the nod.
* * * *
“They’re out to get me. They have been for a very long time.” Moses punched the door to the bomb shelter and didn’t flinch at the pain it must’ve caused.
Willa huddled in the corner of the eight-by-ten-foot area. How would anyone find her? The cover to the shelter had been hidden behind bushes. Even if someone stumbled past the bushes, they might not notice the door. Dirt had covered most of it until Moses kicked it off then yanked the door open, sending the rest of the dirt flying into the air. Her hopes of getting away were gone as she stared into the darkness below.
What little of his sanity that had remained after killing Carl was slowly ebbing away. The madness in his eyes, in the scrunched expression of hatred, had grown. With the door firmly closed and her tied to the one twin cot, she wouldn’t be able to make a break for it. Moses was in the way, pacing back and forth in the small space, ranting and raving about the pack turning against him.
“They don’t understand what it’s like to rule. I know what’s best for the pack.” He whirled toward her, hands out, pleading with her. “Don’t you see? Everything I did was for the pack.”
Keep quiet, she told herself. Yet she couldn’t. Somehow to stay silent felt like a betrayal of her friendship with Henrietta. “Murdering Henrietta was for the pack? How, Moses? What did killing such a sweet woman do for the pack?”
“Shut the fuck up!” He slammed his fist against the wall next to her head. “She was just a bitch. Not even a good member of the pack. Do you think I didn’t know about her mates? They were with the Rann men.”
“They never did anything against you.” She didn’t know it for certain, but she’d never heard them say anything against Moses. In fact, they’d seemed too afraid of him to risk joining with the others planning on challenging him. “You killed Henrietta because she wouldn’t let you hurt me. Because she stood up to you. Because you didn’t get your way.”
A string of expletives followed as he kicked the wall then wiped canned goods off a shelf. The cans hitting the cement floor jangled her nerves even more. “It wasn’t my fault. She shouldn’t have gotten in my way.”
“And Carl? Did he get in your way, too? He was there to warn you.” She took a perverse pleasure in keeping him riled up. It was a dangerous move, but she didn’t have any other options. Maybe if he got rattled too much, he’d make a mistake.
“Carl?” He blinked as though he didn’t remember his biggest supporter. “No. I wouldn’t hurt him.”
Oh, shit. He doesn’t remember. Either that or his mind won’t let him remember that he killed Carl.
“You killed him. Don’t you remember, Moses? You tore Carl apart.” Even now she could hear Carl’s screams, see his frantic efforts to get away. She glanced down and saw his blood on her clothes.
“No.” Moses shook his head, adamantly denying the truth. “No. You’re lying.” He staggered back, pointing at her. “That’s what you do. You lie to me. Just like you lied to me before.”
“I never lied to you, Moses, and I’m not lying now.” She let out a yelp when he lunged toward her, flattening his hands against the wall on either side of her head.
“You lied to me. You made me think you liked me. I chose you.” He pushed away, then pointed yet another accusing finger. “I chose you to be my mate. I gave you that fucking honor, and you threw it back at me.”
“I never agreed to be your mate.” Had she pushed him too far? What if her plan backfired and, instead of giving her a chance to escape, he struck out in rage and killed her? She had to get him to calm down. “We went on a few dates, that’s all. I never wanted anything more from you.”
“That’s bullshit. We were great together.”
He was delusional, but she had to make him understand. Maybe then, she could reach the part of him that was still sane. If that part still existed. “You were one of the first people I met when I came to Fate. I wanted to be your friend, nothing else.” She decided to tell him everything. “I wanted to find out about the werewolves in Fate.”
He jerked back as though she’d stuck him. “You already knew before you came to town?”
“Yes. And I wanted to know more.”
“Why?” He seemed to be getting calmer as he tilted his head to the side. “Tell me why.”
“Because I wanted to find a mate.” She pulled her knees to her chest, needing that little bit of protection. “And so I could become a werewolf.”
He blinked again then narrowed his eyes. “That’s what I can give you. I’ll claim you and turn you.” He smiled, happiness replacing his tormented expression. “This is great. It’s what I wanted.”
“But not with you.” She held her head high, determined to keep him from fantasizing more. “I found my mates, but you’re not one of them.”
She saw the rage boil up inside him. Saw the calmness that had come over him wiped away. He fisted his hands, his eyes glazing over until he lifted his face to the ceiling and howled. The sound reverberated off the walls, hurting her ears, but all she could do was stare at him and pray he wouldn’t kill her.
When he finally stopped howling, he snarled, showing his fangs. “You’re a bigger bitch than I thought. You had a chance to be my mate, and you screwed it up. Now you have to pay.”
Frantic, she searched for any way to stop him. “They’re coming for you, Moses. The pack’s coming for you. By now they must’ve found Henrietta’s body and probably Carl’s, too. They’ll know you killed them.”
He snarled and pulled his phone from his pocket. “It doesn’t matter what those fucking Rann men do. And yours are fucked, too. Most of the pack is behind me.” He held his phone up and started punching buttons. “They’ll come when I need them. Just you wait and see.”
The shelter couldn’t be too deep if it could still get cell phone reception. If she could get his phone…
“Will they? After they find out that you murdered two of your pack mates? That you killed Carl without a reason?”
The pain seared through her face as he backhanded her. Reeling from the force, she fell onto her side. The world spun around her in a dizzying chaos. He yanked her back to a sitting position.
“You think my pack will turn against me?” He put the phone to his ear. “Yeah, it’s me. Get out to my ranch. Those traitors are after me.” Exhilaration glinted in his eyes. “Good. When you find them, kill them. It’s time to end their challenge once and for all.”
* * * *
“Where are you going, Mitsy?” Ryan led the others as they followed behind the meek woman.
She didn’t answer except to motion for them to keep following her. They’d already gone past Moses’s house with a few of them splintering off to go inside and recover Carl’s body.
Pushing through a row of bushes, she stopped then pointed at the ground. What Ryan saw left him feeling cold and frightened.
“It’s a cellar,” said one of the pack.
He shook his head. “No. It’s more like a bomb shelter.”
“He’s got her in a fucking hole in the ground?”
Ryan looked at Thomas and saw his anguish reflected in his friend’s face. “Yeah. I think so.” He swallowed, suddenly anxious of what they’d find when they opened the door. Was she still alive? If not, he’d spend the rest of his life tracking Moses down so he could kill him with his bare hands. As a man and not as a wolf.
“Let’s get our mate.” Grant grabbed the rusted handle of the door and pulled. “Shit. It’s locked. Fuck.”
�
�No. That’s a good thing.”
“How’s that?” asked Thomas.
“I don’t think he’d lock it if she was dead.” Ryan looked back at the members of the pack. “He’s making a stand.”
“Good. Then let’s tell him we’re here.” Grant pounded on the door. Thomas joined in by kicking on it.
Ryan, however, turned away from the door. He shifted enough to bring out his sensitive werewolf hearing and listened.
“What is it?” asked Thomas.
He’d heard the sound of other voices back toward the house. But was it their friends or someone else making the noise? He was one of the first to see the men loyal to Moses running toward them, shifting as they did.
“Change. Now.” His warning was barely out of his mouth when his shift swept over him.
Growls erupted and clothing shredded as those around him shifted, too. Dropping to the ground on all fours, he glanced at Grant and Thomas, paused a moment as he waited for them to change, and then threw himself into the fight.
Wolf against wolf.
Pack against pack.
His wolf howled, telling the others to attack. A few of the Shadow Ridge Pack were there, the Lennox brothers among them, as fangs sank into fur. Howls rent the air as they twisted, lunging for a former friend, knocking a pack member down.
Vaguely, Ryan realized the fight would be one to remember. Those who lost would be forced to leave Fate forever. He prayed that, no matter what happened to them, Willa would survive.
* * * *
Willa startled and looked toward the ceiling. There was no way the people Moses had called could’ve gotten there so fast. She smiled, enjoying the fear swamping over him as he whirled toward the ladder leading up to the door. “They’re here, Moses. My mates have found me.”
Moses stared upward then hurried up the ladder, He’d locked it—she’d seen him do it—but he checked it again.