by Terry Spear
“I’ll call Mason about the alert roster, and everyone will be notified. We’ll get Burt. The bastard.”
“Agreed. Thanks, Darien.”
“Let us know when you get there, and tell us CJ’s status.”
“I will. Talk soon.”
As soon as Sarandon ended the call, Jenna asked, “Where do you think Burt’s headed?”
“Away from Silver Town, for certain. He has to know that the whole pack will be out for blood. His blood. He’ll probably be driving the deputy sheriff’s car off some dusty side road somewhere, not on the main roads. If I were him, I’d ditch the car and everything in it and run as a wolf.”
“Okay, I think that’s what he’ll do also. CJ’s car would be too noticeable. I’m so sorry about your brother. I need to call my dad and let him know what’s up. He’ll let Mom know I can’t take any other case, in the event they need me.”
“You’re going to call him now?”
“Yeah. I’ll ask if he can talk to the rest of the people on our list concerning Alex. We don’t want to drop the ball, not when time is running out on paying the bond in full.”
“At this hour?”
“Yeah. I also need to let him know what’s happened to your brother.” When Jenna called her dad on the Bluetooth, she explained where they were headed and what had happened.
“I’ll see the people on your list first thing in the morning. What else can I do?”
“That’s it for now. Thanks, Dad.”
“How’s Sarandon doing?”
“I think he’s ready to take the wolf down permanently.”
“I don’t blame him. I am too.”
Then Laurel called Sarandon. “Tell me exactly what happened.” CJ’s mate sounded like she was ready to turn wolf and chase Burt down herself and take him out.
* * *
When Jenna and Sarandon finally reached the clinic where CJ had been taken, they hurried inside. Sarandon asked the receptionist where his brother was.
“Visiting hours—”
“We’re the ones who had to get an ambulance for him. We’ve been driving for three hours to get here. And if you need payment for his bill, I’m here to do it. I’m seeing my brother.”
The woman looked at Jenna.
“He’s my brother too. I’m his sister.”
“Okay, well, he’s in room six, second floor.”
“Thanks.” He headed for the elevator. “Sister, eh?”
She took hold of his hand. “Just so I could get in to see him. If I were his sister, I would be yours too, and no way would I want that.”
He smiled and squeezed her hand.
When they reached the second floor, there were no nurses at the station. They made their way to CJ’s room, and Sarandon hoped he wouldn’t have to fight with any nurses about visiting hours.
“Hey, Brother,” Sarandon said, seeing CJ lying in the bed, his head bandaged, the lights still on in the room. Sarandon had been worried sick about him, hoping he was going to be okay.
“Hey, I’m fine. They’re keeping me here overnight for observation, but my stomach is settled and I’m feeling much better. Not seeing double or anything.” CJ looked sleepy, but he was still awake.
“We’ll stay here the rest of the night with you,” Sarandon assured him.
CJ’s gaze drifted to Jenna.
“Hey, Deputy,” Jenna said, coming farther into the room and smiling at him, though she still looked concerned. Sarandon knew she was trying to put on a good show for him.
CJ frowned at her. “Hell, Sarandon dragged you all the way out here to sit with me?”
“I wouldn’t have been left behind. How are you feeling?”
“Truthfully? Like shit. My head is pounding with pain. I’m angry. I couldn’t believe that Burt knocked me out. He dragged me into a damn stall and locked the door. When I came too, I managed to stand and struggled to unlock the door. Took me forever. Then I made my way out of the bathroom. A woman screamed, and I realized I was wearing only my boxer briefs. At least he left me with those.”
“I should have gone with you,” Sarandon said again.
“I’ve never had a problem like this. No wolf—or human, for that matter—has ever gotten the best of me.” CJ narrowed his eyes. “What time is it?”
“Two in the morning,” Sarandon said.
“Ah, hell, Sarandon. What are you doing here? Why don’t you two get a room? The nurses are taking good care of me. You can come back in the morning after we’ve all had some sleep. Just one thing though. What about someone running down my car and everything else? Well, Burt too.”
“Peter is on it. I’ve notified Darien, and he’s having the alert roster called. Peter’s calling Brett to see if he can come with Laurel to pick you up and take you home. What did the doctor say?” That was the most important consideration.
“Mild concussion. I’ll live. And you know how we are. I don’t want to stay here too long.”
“I agree. We’ll come and get you tomorrow, if the doctor says you’re okay. We’ll take you home if Brett can’t come.” Sarandon got a call from their brother Brett. “Yeah, we’re at the clinic now. He’s in bed, trying to get rid of us. He has a mild concussion. Jenna and I are going to a hotel, and we’ll come back for him in the morning.”
“I’ve taken off work. Laurel and I are on the way. You need to find Alex. The state police are looking for Burt,” Brett said. “We’ll take care of CJ.”
“How much do you want to bet they won’t find Burt because he’s running as a wolf?” Sarandon asked.
CJ agreed.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. The police would pick up on the stolen deputy’s car too fast. Well, I’ll be there at around six, and I’m bringing him a set of his clothes. I’ll see you around six or seven, and then I’ll bring CJ home. So you can do your job.”
“Thanks, Brett. See both of you soon.” Sarandon hung up on his brother and pocketed his phone. “Okay, CJ, if you think you can manage without us, we’ll leave you to sleep and return first thing in the morning. Brett and Laurel are coming to get you then, and the state police are looking for your car and Burt. We’ve got everything covered.”
“Okay, good. Yeah, the two of you get a room.” CJ closed his eyes. “I need to sleep.”
“Come on, Jenna.” Sarandon took her hand.
“Night, CJ. Hope your head feels better soon,” Jenna said.
“It will. Thanks. Night.”
As soon as they left the room, a nurse frowned at them.
“I was seeing my brother. We’re headed out to get a hotel room.”
“He’s doing well. He should be released tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” Sarandon gave her his card. “If there’s any trouble, call me, will you? Another of our brothers is coming to pick him up tomorrow. Brett Silver. We’ll square away the bill.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Jenna and Sarandon took the elevator down.
“There are two hotels near the clinic,” Jenna said, looking at her phone, “and both have vacancies.”
“Okay. Anything is fine with me.” Sarandon didn’t care as long as they got some sleep and saw CJ before he left for Silver Town.
“All right,” Sarandon said, looking at the screen. “This one looks like it will be the better one because it’s closer.”
When they finally arrived at the hotel, Jenna parked the car and they grabbed their bags.
“Two rooms or one?” Sarandon asked her.
She slipped her arm through his as they walked inside the lobby. “You have to ask?”
“Well, I don’t want to take things for granted. Thanks for coming with me tonight.”
“I wouldn’t have done anything differently. And I know if someone in my family had been injured, you would have been there for me.” She figured they should res
olve the issue of where they were going to live before they got too much more involved, and they did need to sleep, but slipping into bed with Sarandon and just cuddling wasn’t enough.
Chapter 17
The next morning, after having unconsummated sex again—since consummating the relationship would mean a permanent mating, though Sarandon was certain she nearly gave in to her inner wolf and went for it—Jenna and Sarandon showered together.
“We’re going to do it, you know. Sooner or later,” Sarandon said, making her a promise, soaping up her breasts and kissing her forehead. He loved running his hands over her soft skin and kissing her all over.
She seemed to take just as much pleasure in rubbing her hands over his soapy chest and kissing him back. She slid her hands down to his aroused cock. “Just hold that thought.” Then she began to stroke him, every movement designed to make him come, their hearts beating faster, their breathing more ragged.
“You’re sure hard on me,” he ground out. And he treasured her for it. He couldn’t imagine anything better than making love to Jenna any time or place.
He tilted her head back and kissed her soft mouth, enjoying anything he could have with her for now, even though he was ready for so much more. It wasn’t just the sex but the commitment to each other. To be there for each other through thick and thin, and for wolves, they meant it.
Her hands slowed on his cock, which was fine with him because he wanted to get her in the mood for what he would do next to her.
He deepened the kiss, and her response was fiercely urgent. He couldn’t keep this up—having her part way. He wanted all of her on top of him, underneath him, him all the way inside her. He’d been completely under her spell from the moment she had tried to take him down as a fugitive recovery agent. She’d taken him hostage all right, when here he thought he’d had everything under control.
He slid his hand between her legs and began to stroke her. Her hand loosened on his cock and he concentrated on bringing her to climax, stroking her, kissing her, the desire to take her filling him with urgency. She released his cock and grabbed his hips, as if she needed to hold on to him to keep from slipping to the floor, as if she felt boneless. Then she was bucking against his hand, and he slid two fingers between her feminine folds, her mouth hot on his.
“Ahh,” she breathed against his mouth, clinging to him. He smiled down at her and was afraid she was too weak to finish what she’d started on him. But then she began to stroke him again, and she quickly brought him to completion. He’d wanted to lift her up against the tile wall, spear her with his cock, and bring her to climax with him inside her this time. But what a way to begin their day. If only every day could start this way.
He hated that he was already regretting he’d have to return home without her when the time came. She was an addiction he couldn’t wean himself from.
After drying off and dressing, he suggested a pancake restaurant and called CJ. He was awake and wanting out of the place.
“We’re having breakfast. Did you have yours?” Sarandon asked, putting the phone on speaker.
“Yeah, and Brett and Laurel are here.”
“Good show. How are you feeling?”
“Like normal. Just waiting for the doctor to release me.”
“Okay. We’ll be there in an hour or so.”
“See you then.”
* * *
At the pancake restaurant, Jenna and Sarandon ordered plates of pancakes and maple syrup. She was glad to hear CJ was feeling well enough to leave.
After eating, they ran over to see CJ at the clinic. Laurel was sitting next to CJ’s bed and smiled at them when they walked in the door. Brett was sleeping in a chair next to CJ’s bed, while CJ was wide-awake, dressed, and sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting to be released. Sarandon and Jenna smiled at Brett.
Jenna loved seeing how the brothers took care of one another, just as she and her sisters did if any of them were hurt.
CJ sighed. “I’ll have to drive us home, since Brett drove all those hours in the middle of the night to come get me.”
“Like I can’t drive?” Laurel said.
“You’re not driving anywhere,” Sarandon said to CJ. “Only Laurel or Brett. Or I will, if they both need to rest.”
Jenna hoped Sarandon didn’t have to, but if he did, she was following Brett’s car so she could take Sarandon back home with her. He had a job to do—help her find his half brother—and he wasn’t getting out of it, not when she wanted to spend more time with him. He was completely addictive.
Brett stirred, and then his eyes popped open. “Oh, you’re here.”
“Watching you sleep. Are you sure you can help Laurel drive CJ home?” Sarandon asked.
“Of course. I was just getting a bit of a snooze until the doctor comes in and releases him. You know how they are in these places. They make rounds, like, late afternoon, making the poor patient wait forever to be released.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Sarandon said.
Brett raised a brow at CJ. “Hell, how long have you been dressed, Brother?”
“An hour. I’m ready to go. Can’t you just pay the bill and get me out of here?”
“I could, but I’m not going to. What if you began having seizures or something on the way to Silver Town? I’m not risking it.”
“I’m not going to have seizures. My head isn’t even pounding any longer. I feel perfectly fine.”
“Okay, so explain to us what happened,” Sarandon said, and Jenna knew he wanted to hear CJ tell the story again to ensure he was all right and hadn’t left anything out.
“Aw, come on, Sarandon. I already told you once, and I had to tell Laurel and Brett everything too,” CJ said.
Sarandon folded his arms and frowned.
“All right.”
Once CJ repeated the story he’d told late last night, Sarandon nodded. “Okay.”
“Did I pass?” CJ asked, though he was giving him an “I told you so” look.
“With flying colors,” Jenna said, and she was glad for it.
“Great, then once the doc says I’m good to go—”
“We’ll take you home, and our doctor will check you out.” Brett got up to stretch and then sat back down.
“Not another doctor’s opinion,” CJ said.
“One that will make more of a difference,” Sarandon said, “because he’s a wolf doctor and will have a better idea about your injury.”
“You have your own doctor?” That was one thing Jenna had always worried about—getting pregnant again and having a wolf doctor deliver her baby, or multiple babies, as the case might be. Then she worried… Would she end up with lots of babies? Four, as in Sarandon’s case? Three as in Darien’s case? Three in her case? She was thinking more like two, max.
“Yeah. We have a veterinarian too,” Laurel said. “Depending on which doc you need at the time.”
Jenna laughed. “Good to know.”
“Yeah, if anyone in your family ever needs a doctor, he’d be willing to see you,” Sarandon said.
“You don’t need to hang around here,” CJ said. “Go, take Jenna home and find Alex.”
“If you’re sure,” Sarandon said, looking like he felt he needed to stay at least until the doctor released CJ.
“Yeah, you’ve got important work to do.”
Laurel agreed. “We’ll take good care of CJ.”
After saying goodbye to CJ, Laurel, and Brett, Jenna and Sarandon drove back to Cañon City to talk to the remaining people on Sarah’s list. Jenna was glad they were returning. The time was quickly running out on finding Alex and returning him for trial.
“CJ will be fine, Sarandon. He remembered everything he told us when you talked to him before.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I just wish I could be at the forefront of the manhunt for Burt. He won’
t be fine when I get ahold of him.”
“I’d be glad to be right there when you do. I need to see if my dad managed to contact everyone left on Sarah’s list.” Then she got on the Bluetooth and called him. “We’re on our way back. We can interview some of the people in the pack if you haven’t had a chance.”
“I didn’t make any headway with the one I spoke to. Now I have to go on a case. How’s CJ?” Logan asked.
“He’s going home to see their doctor, but he seems to be better. One of Sarandon’s other brothers and CJ’s mate came to take him home.”
“They have a wolf doctor?”
“Yeah, and they said if we need one to help us out at any time, he would. Isn’t that great?”
“It sure is.” Her dad paused. “I was only able to get ahold of the one wolf before your mom put me back to work.” Logan gave them the three names he hadn’t contacted yet.
“Be careful with the case you’re on,” Jenna told her dad.
“It’s a deadbeat ex-husband who swore he has to keep working to be able to pay the child support he owes for the last three months. The judge took him at his word, not able to make the man pay when he doesn’t have any earnings. But instead of going to work, the guy took off his ankle monitor and ran. Not paying child support is his only run-in with the law, so he shouldn’t be dangerous.”
“Just be careful anyway.”
“The same with the two of you. I’ve got to get on the road. Good luck finding Alex.”
“Thanks, Dad. Good luck to you too.”
When they ended the call, she said to Sarandon, “I think we need to get ahold of Faye again and see if she has been in touch with Alex.”
“I agree. For now, let’s finish speaking with the people on Sarah’s list.”
* * *
When they arrived in Cañon City, they met with one of the men on the list, but he wasn’t a bachelor male like they’d thought. “We don’t know anything about what is going on with Alex, only that he has a job in Colorado Springs working in housing construction. We haven’t heard anything bad about him,” the husband said.
“What about his brother, Burt?” Sarandon asked.
“Oh yeah, he’s been in trouble a lot over the years. Nothing really major, just tons of petty stuff,” the guy said. “Sorry we couldn’t help you any further.”