Wolf-Crazy

by Palmer, Linda

  Rick lunged and grabbed me by the throat. "I said 'shut up'."

  Though I wanted to taunt him further, I couldn't. His fingers dug into my neck, cutting off my air.

  "Careful," said Germain. "No one's supposed to get hurt."

  Rick released me with a hard shove. I fell back, gasping but so furious that I could easily have had another go at him.

  "For your information, this is a paying job."

  Larry or Ace? I wondered.

  Rick smirked. "Yeah. Someone's trying to make a point, which means you're coming with us."

  Panic welled up, squeezing my heart until it hurt, but I had no intentions of showing any fear. "What about Zeke?"

  "He stays."

  "What'd you do to him, anyway?" I'd seen no blood or other sign of injury.

  Rick laughed, a sound that gave me the chills. "Used one of his own concoctions on him. He'll be out a couple of hours, at least, maybe more. I wasn't sure how much to use."

  That scared me so badly I rolled onto my hand and knees to touch Zeke again. He was still breathing, but totally dead to the world. "Look, I don't know how much you're being paid or by whom, but my parents have money. Zeke's dad does, too. If you contacted them, I'm sure they'd pay for our release." Sorry, Mom, Dad.

  "And double cross my employer again? Not tonight. Learned my lesson last time." He picked up a backpack off the floor and pulled out a roll of silver duct tape.

  I watched in horror as he taped Zeke's ankles, wrists and then his mouth. When he tore off another piece and turned to me, I scrambled to my feet and backed away from him. "If you cooperate I'll only do your mouth and wrists," he told me. "If you don't, I'll have to do you like I did him, only I'm going to wrap this stuff all the way around your head. Ever tried to pull your hair free of duct tape?"

  "No."

  "It's impossible."

  "I'll cooperate." I let him tape my mouth, something I'd seen dozens of times in the movies. I'd always wondered why the people who'd been bound that way didn't scream anyway, as in a throat sound of some kind. I now knew they didn't because they couldn't. Just drawing a breath was a struggle, and if I'd had stuffy nose or something, I'd have suffocated.

  My wrists came next. Since he secured them behind my back, I knew I'd have to be careful walking. Without my arms to balance or catch me, a fall could be treacherous.

  Rick nodded at Germain, who shone his flashlight on a crack in the rock that I hadn't even noticed. He slipped into it and out of sight. Rick shoved me forward until I could see that the crack was much bigger than I'd thought. Hidden behind a slab of rock, it was wide enough to walk straight into. We stumbled through another tunnel for an eternity, with Rick saving me from numerous falls by grabbing my bound wrists from behind and yanking, which hurt like hell. Finally the air felt lighter. Moments after, the night engulfed us.

  It took a second for me to get my bearings in the dark. To my left and back, I saw the glimmer of the lake beyond a tree line. To my right lay a forest. I saw no houses, roads, or parks. Confused, I gave up. I'd lost all sense of time and direction in the cave. We could be anywhere.

  I heard a very low growl. Spinning toward the sound, I tried to make out its source. A pair of glowing eyes stared back at me from the shadows, reflecting the beam of the flashlight. Rourke-wolf? I wondered with a shiver. Germain shoved me forward. I caught myself before I fell and let him direct me down a rocky incline. Something gleamed up ahead. An SUV. Suddenly I sensed the presence of something else and the night came alive with eyes. Werewolf eyes? I saw them in every shadow, golden, eerie and focused on me. This was a pack.

  Not one of them made a sound or moved toward us. I wondered how there could be so many. Clearly the gangs weren't all gone, which meant Rick had deliberately chosen this area not just because he had family here, but because he had former Were friends here, too. Were these new recruits? And was he the local leader now?

  Rick opened the door of the backseat and told me to get into the vehicle. I did. He shut the door and dug his cell phone from his pocket to call someone. Wishing for Zeke's super hearing, I strained to pick up what was being said.

  "We've got the girl." He chuckled. "Told you they'd come straight here. It just made sense. This place is a fortress, and he'd already checked it out. Zeke and I were trained by the same man, which is why I explored these caves last week. Found the back entrance. Knew he'd use it, not that we wouldn't have caught up wherever he ran." Pause. "I'm leaving him, that's what, just like you said." Pause. "He'll be awake in no time, and a little duct tape isn't going to stop the guy. I'll leave a trail a mile wide, and when he shows up, I'll make sure he gets your message."

  Who could he be talking to? I wondered, still confused about the why of things. If the goal was to hurt Zeke, then why leave him alive? And if I was the target, why not grab me when Zeke wasn't around? It's not like we were connected at the hip, though I wouldn't have minded that, and he'd definitely have come after me. Was this setup an attempt to better control the time and place?

  At that moment, Rick and Germain got into the front seat. Rick started the engine and pulled away, tires crunching on the rocky terrain. A glance out my window showed me that the back-up werewolves still watched from their cover. I pictured them shifting into Weres again so they could follow us wherever we were going.

  I don't think Rick drove far, though I lost track moments after the SUV began moving. At any rate, when he braked and killed the engine, we were still in a wooded area. I anxiously scanned my surroundings, noting little in the dark. Tall trees filtered the moonlight so much it provided next to no illumination. Germain opened my door and helped me out. With him on one side and Rick on the other, we climbed a treacherous slope that led to flat space on which sat a structure that might've been a cabin once. Now it lay in ruins, mostly gutted with only three walls, a rock chimney, and a small patch of sagging tin roof left. I saw a camping lantern, lit and sitting on a rock to one side.

  "Have a seat," said Rick, giving me a little shove.

  I stumbled forward. Then I made for a corner, and, putting my back to the wall, slid down to the ground. No one would attack me from behind if I stayed here. "Mamphoomph."

  Germain glanced at Rick. "Should we take off the tape? No one will be able to hear her here, and if she runs, she won't run far."

  "Okay, but keep an eye on her."

  Germain walked over and squatted beside me. "I'll do this fast." He loosened a corner and ripped it off, taking some of my skin and lips with it.

  "Oww!"

  His eyes locked with mine. "Sorry."

  I worked my jaw a little and licked my lips, tasting blood, while Germain cut the tape that bound my wrists. I called out to Rick. "If you let me go, I won't tell."

  He snorted instead of answering.

  "I mean it, and Zeke won't say anything, either."

  "I've got my orders."

  "Which brings me to my next question. What are we doing here?"

  "Waiting for your boyfriend."

  "But you had him already."

  "I want him scared and desperate. That way I'll know he gets the message."

  "What message?"

  "You'll hear it when he does."

  I groaned. "What if I told you I need to pee?"

  "I'd tell you to hold it."

  Hm. Already out of ideas. "I wasn't kidding when I said my parents have money. They do. I'm sure they could pay you more than whoever hired you."

  "This is family business. I gotta follow through this time."

  Family business? Hadn't seen that coming.

  "Rick." Germain's terse tone made me crane to see what he saw. I heard the approach of another vehicle, maneuvering the rugged terrain.

  "Who the hell is that?" Rick and Germain left me, both looking a little surprised. Though they quickly dropped out of view, I tracked their progress by the sounds of their footsteps. I heard distant voices raised in an argument. Could I get away? They didn't seem to think so. I stood and eased f
orward, trying to get the lay of the land. Before I got to a point where I could, I heard a howl and then another and then a third. A regular chorus of them. Every hair on my body stood on end. I stayed in the shadow of the cabin, my gaze raking the trees that surrounded it.

  I saw eyes again, three sets. Opalescent and eerie they watched my every move. No wonder Rick had released me and walked away. He knew others still kept watch. "Do you know Zeke?" I whispered. "Did you work with him? He told me there's a cure now. You don't have to be Weres if you don't want to. You don't have to do bad things."

  I waited, my heart pounding, for any sign that the werewolves had heard me.

  "I need help. I need to get back to Zeke. He'll protect me." A shadow shifted to my right. I gasped and whirled in that direction. A werewolf that looked snow white in the dark stepped forward, its eyes on me. I heard a low growl, but I didn't back down. "Please."

  "She's up here." Rick didn't sound happy.

  "Good."

  Melita McGee. I'd have known her voice anywhere. So she was running the show. Though not surprised that she'd go to this extreme to make her point to Zeke, I had to wonder how she and Rick had found each other. The fact that they worked together now made me suspect she'd had something to do with Zeke's kidnapping over a year ago. Had Zeke gotten too close to the truth when he accused her of killing his mom? At the moment, I could believe it.

  I scurried back to my corner again and sat just in time for Melita to come into view and walk over to me. I noticed she wore pants and a short jacket and kept one hand in her pocket. "Hello, Skylar."

  I didn't answer. If she honestly believed that a warning would make Zeke behave and keep us both silent, then she should've been born a real blonde. But Melita wasn't a natural blonde anymore than she was dumb. She was wicked smart and unscrupulous to match. And I suddenly knew what Rick apparently didn't. There was probably a gun in Melita's pocket. None of us were going to walk away from here tonight. No one, that is, but the woman in charge--Melita Manos.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Yeah. I'd finally put two and two together. What an idiot I was not to do it sooner.

  "I'm sorry about this." She feigned regret. "But there's simply no other way. Zeke refuses to cooperate. How else can I make him understand that he can't ignore my wishes without repercussions?"

  "This isn't the first time you've gone after him, is it?"

  "Clever girl."

  "I'll bet his showing up in Cheyenne was a nasty shock."

  "Very, considering I'd paid my cousin, here, to kill him." She shot a disgusted look at Rick, who shrugged it off.

  "I got a better deal," he said. "Never guessed he'd escape."

  "Yes, well, he did, didn't he? And now I'm forced to take action again. Any sign of him?"

  "Got a call from Pete ten minutes ago."

  So there were others involved.

  "Zeke's headed here on foot. Give him another twenty minutes or so. He's may be a great tracker, but it's a bitchin' climb."

  "How can anyone track an SUV?" I asked.

  Rick snorted a laugh. "He's not tracking an SUV; he's tracking Rourke."

  So my plea had fallen on deaf ears. The snow white werewolf that was Rourke would never help me and neither would his werewolf backups. I closed my eyes and sagged against the wall, trying not to think about the guy I loved, racing to his death because he wanted to rescue me. The life I'd always dreamed about flashed before my eyes, and I acknowledge barely imagined joys I'd never know. A wedding. My very own home. Kids.

  Poor Zeke. Though he often said you love me, I doubted that he had any inkling how very much. He was my everything--past, present and future. And the only good that might result from tonight's evil was that I wouldn't have to live the rest of my life without him.

  "Did you kill Risa Sterling?" I asked.

  "I did, yes." Melita's candid answer pretty much sealed my fate. There would definitely be no 'rest of my life.'

  A twig snapped.

  Everyone jumped and turned toward the open front of the cabin. I tried to see into the night, but the lantern was little help and Germain had turned off his flashlight. Was it Zeke? The sound of boots on rocky ground heralded his approach and proved he wasn't trying to sneak up on anyone. His head and shoulders rose into view and then the rest of him. He walked tall, seemingly fearless, though I could see that blood trickled from a cut on his temple. "Hello, Melita. Figured you'd be here."

  "Zeke, how nice to see you." Her greeting dripped with sarcasm.

  He stopped about a yard from her. Though he hadn't looked at me, I knew that he knew where I sat. I quietly got to my feet again, ready to take a bullet if it would delay his death for even a second. I saw that Rick and Germain had stepped into flanking positions just behind her. "So…what is it you want from me? I'll do anything, say anything if you'll let Skylar go."

  Melita laughed her delight. "I can't begin to tell you how long I've wanted to hear those words. Unfortunately, it's too late, which is so sad. If you'd simply done as I asked, none of this would've been necessary. Under my direction, your dad would've been elected governor. After a few years in the limelight with me by his side, I'd have moved him into the Senate. And after that, who knows? I could so see myself in the White House."

  She's crazy. She's really and truly crazy. If I hadn't already hurled my dinner, I'd have done it again.

  "Imagine how shocked Sam's constituents will be when they find out what really happened when you went missing. My spin on the facts will have everyone believing that you not only murdered three people and a Were tonight, but turned the gun on yourself as well."

  "Forget the Were," said Zeke. "I stepped over his mangled body a hundred yards back."

  What?

  "Now just a minute--" Rick had finally registered Melita's not-so-subtle drift. "What three people?"

  Melita turned to him with a smile and no warning. I saw the glint of a gun. I heard it fire. Rick flinched, clutched his stomach, and then stared at his bloody fingers. He dropped to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief.

  Oh. My. God.

  With my ears ringing, I watched as Germain fumbled behind his back. Melita shot him, too, and then stepped aside as he fell, already motioning with her left hand for me to move closer to Zeke. I shook my head and stayed glued to the spot. No way would I make this easier for her.

  With a very unfeminine snarl, she pointed her weapon at me. Zeke charged her. The gun fired again, a shot that went wide as Zeke exploded into the biggest werewolf I'd ever seen.

  Dangerous.

  Deadly.

  Mine.

  Melita and I screamed. Bits of clothing fluttered to the ground like snowflakes. She raised the gun again. Zeke-wolf attacked, knocking her flat on her back and then going for her throat. I heard another shot and ran forward intending to wrest the gun from her hand. But I couldn't get close enough. Woman and werewolf thrashed on the ground. I heard vicious snarls and human screams of pain and terror; I felt something wet spray my face. I swiped my hand down my cheek and looked at it. Blood.

  "Zeke, stop! You can't kill her!" I tried to grab his fur. They rolled toward me. I lost my balance and fell hard on my butt with my feet pinned beneath them. "Zeke, you have to stop." Somehow, I freed my feet and began kicking him. "Please stop. Please, please, please."

  Zeke-wolf tossed his head, splattering me with drops of blood yet again. Had my words penetrated his rage? With a huff, he backed up and then off of her. I sobbed my relief and never took my eyes off him.

  Long moments passed. I tried to get a grip, but couldn't…until a cold nose nudged me. With a cry, I jumped up and hugged him as best I could. It wasn't easy. My arms wouldn't reach around his neck. He endured my embrace for a few moments before he shook me off and stepped back. Awed, I waited and wondered what would happen next.

  Before my eyes, Zeke-wolf began to change. I strained to see everything as the werewolf before me subtly shifted into something with less fur and more flesh. Then th
e limbs morphed and the paws became hands and feet. Mere seconds later, Zeke rose to his normal height, and I saw the filthy, blood-stained, naked guy that I adored. I ran to him with a cry of joy. He boosted me into our usual monkey hug.

  "It's okay. It's over." Zeke stroked my hair, trying to soothe me with words, but it was his passionate kiss that set my world to rights.

  "You're still a Were."

  "Yeah." His expression revealed his confusion about it.

  "And you still love me."

  "Of course. Do you still love me?"

  "Are you kidding?" I let go long enough to frame his face with my hands. "You know how I feel about wolves." I kissed him again…and again…and again.

  "Er, Skylar?"

  "Hm?" Another kiss.

  "I need clothes."

  "No you don't."

  "Yes, I do." He set me on my feet with difficulty since I didn't really want to move from where I was. "Rick's will work." He squatted and began undressing the guy in question.

  "Oh, God. Is he dead?"

  "No."

  "Will he die?"

  "Not if we get some help." Zeke yanked Rick's jeans over his legs and now-bare feet and then stepped into them. I heard the zipper and the snap.

  "Oh God. What will we tell everyone?"