by Terry Spear
She was glad she and Sarandon had recovered one more fugitive together before he had to leave. His butterfly tour started the next day. She would miss him.
“Mate me,” Sarandon said. “We’ll work everything out somehow.”
“You’re leaving tomorrow. What if you get home and decide you can’t give up what you love doing? That you want to stay there with your pack, your family? If we’re separated for six months and find we can’t live without each other, that will be a sure sign this is right between us.”
He sighed. “Jenna, come home with me tomorrow. You can go on the tour with me, and then I can keep trying to find someone else to take over the tour groups. I’ve been helping you out with your work. Come have some fun on mine.”
“All right.” She wanted to. He was right. She wanted to see him doing this. “Let’s wait on a mating until—”
“I find someone else to take my tours. You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll do whatever I need to do.”
When they arrived home, Jenna knew how the night was going to end, them in bed making love to each other. First, she had to tell her mother she was going to go home with Sarandon for a few days. She called while Sarandon was in the kitchen making them a pizza.
“You haven’t mated him yet?” her mother asked her.
“Mom, you said I jumped into the last situation without really knowing what I was getting into. I told him six months or, well, sooner, if he finds someone to lead his tour groups. I don’t want him to change his mind about us while he’s guiding his tours and away from me.”
“All right. Thanks on returning Jeffries to custody. Have a good time with Sarandon.”
She would. Every moment she could be with him.
Chapter 19
Later that night, Jenna got a call from her mom. “We’ve got a fugitive on the run. Everyone else is out on jobs. I’m so sorry, Jenna. I really wanted you to take the time to be with Sarandon.”
“Of course, I’m on it.” Jenna couldn’t go with Sarandon on his butterfly tour, as much as she wanted to. She’d even spent several hours last night reading up on the various butterflies they might encounter, so she’d appear to be as knowledgeable as everyone else.
“I should cancel on my tour and go with you,” Sarandon said as soon as she hung up with her mom.
She pulled him in for a hug and kissed him. “No, you can’t. You’re contracted to do this. It’s not good for business, and I’ll have this done in a couple of days. Then, if we don’t have another case in the meantime, I’ll join you.”
“The next one is a bird-watching group. They bring cameras and take pictures.”
“I’ll bring my cell phone and take pictures.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Sarandon said, speaking from the heart.
“I don’t want you to either, but this can make getting together again even more special. Don’t you agree?” She didn’t really believe it. Being with Sarandon all this time had been like a beautiful honeymoon. What if when he returned to Silver Town, he felt at home—more so than when he was here with her, living next to her parents.
“You know I’m trying to get ahold of everyone on the tours to get them to agree to having a different guide. And I’m still trying to find someone who wants to take over the business as a whole.”
Jenna understood he couldn’t just advertise for someone to take his place. That person would have to be a wolf, if the guide was to live in Silver Town and work from there.
Sarandon smiled and pulled her into a tighter hug, kissing her deeply. “We’ll get this covered. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”
“Yes,” she said and tried not to show her distress at the notion that he was leaving her to return to his home and his pack and his family in the morning.
* * *
The next morning, Jenna took Sarandon to the airport and they said their goodbyes. She hated to see him go, as much as it appeared to be killing him to leave her.
“You’ll wear your bulletproof vest and be armed to the teeth? Tasers all powered up?” Sarandon asked, kissing her cheek and then her forehead.
“Always.”
“You’ll call me when you locate the suspect and after you’ve successfully taken him down?”
“Yes, I will.”
“You’ll call for backup if you run into any trouble?”
“Of course. Don’t worry, I’ve been doing this forever.”
“All right. While I’m back in Silver Town, or at least after I finish this tour and before I start the next one, I’ll try to get someone else to take over the rest. Be careful.” He kissed her deeply.
When he let her up for air, she tried to fight the tears welling up in her eyes. She didn’t think she’d ever feel this way about another wolf.
He hugged her to his breast. “I’ll be back, Jenna. This isn’t forever.”
She had a job to do. A meaningful job. So why did she not care about anything but seeing Sarandon again? She knew when he left, he’d be taking her heart with him.
She kissed him back and let him go.
As soon as he was out of view at the airport, Jenna felt lost. She hadn’t felt that way since she’d lost her mate and unborn children. She had it bad where Sarandon was concerned.
She had to get her mind on the job. The man she was searching for was from Cañon City, which, of course, made her think of Burt and his pack. She knew the chance of running into Burt while tracking down Herman Schofield was miniscule. Herman was wanted for aggravated assault and battery, and her mom had been worried that Herman was more violent than most suspects Jenna had brought in. The man used his fists to terrorize people. He didn’t use weapons. But Jenna was carrying a small arsenal, knew how to use the weapons, and had no qualms about doing so, though she had to be careful to protect herself from being charged with a crime. She loved that Sarandon had bought her a body camera to protect herself from that.
As she drove out to Cañon City, Jenna couldn’t stop worrying about Burt. She couldn’t stop wondering why he had been prowling around their territory as a wolf, unless Alex’s supposition was correct and Burt hadn’t wanted Alex to turn himself in to Jenna.
Cañon City was small, and it hadn’t had any special meaning for Jenna before this. Now that she’d met so many people who were wolves living in the area, it wasn’t just another town. It was special. Important. Yet she kept wondering if the reason they hadn’t had any clues to Burt’s whereabouts was because other wolves in the pack were hiding him, covering for him.
She got a call from Sarandon, and she smiled. “Hey, you. Did you leave something behind?”
“You. And I’ve got this awful itch that needs scratching.”
She chuckled. “Hurry up and find someone to take your guided tours so you can come home.”
“I’m working on it. I have so many tours, and they’re so varied that I haven’t located a wolf who could handle all of them as a business who doesn’t already have a job. So where is your first lead on this guy?”
“He’s in Cañon City.” She was certain Sarandon wouldn’t be happy to hear it. “His whole family lives there. So it’s my best lead.”
“Cañon City.”
“Yeah.”
“Can you check with Monty and see if he has any idea what’s happened to Burt?”
She was surprised Sarandon wanted her to stir up that hornet’s nest when he wasn’t there with her. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Okay, but if you get a lead on him—”
“I’ll call you.”
Sarandon growled. “Call law enforcement. Even though we wanted to handle Burt on our own, he’s a royal, and he can go to trial and jail. Better that happens than that he takes you down while you’re on your own.”
“I doubt Monty will know anything, or he would have notified us. I’ll be careful.”
“If you don’t call the local police, I will.”
“I will. Sheesh, Sarandon, you’re not here to do this job. I am. Let me do it.”
“I don’t want you getting hurt. Or killed.”
“I understand. I’m going to get off here and call Monty. I’ll be in Cañon City before I know it.”
“All right. Tell me what he says after you speak with him.”
“I will.” Jenna hoped Sarandon didn’t think he was going to tell her how to run her business, not after she’d been doing it on her own for so many years.
She called Monty next. “Do you have any idea where Burt could be? We haven’t had any leads. Sarandon asked me to check with you, though I told him you would have called if you’d known anything.”
“Yeah, I would have,” Monty said. “I haven’t heard anything to indicate Burt is here and staying with anyone. You don’t think he returned to see his boss, Stanton, for help, do you?”
“No. Stanton likes Burt and thinks he does a good job, but he wants this matter straightened out. Stanton wouldn’t have Burt working for him, if he knew what Burt had done to CJ. He’s married to Laurel, Stanton’s cousin, so they’re family by marriage.”
“Ah. I understand. So Stanton and his brothers are part of the Silver pack?”
“No,” Jenna said. “They haven’t asked to be part of the pack, yet.”
“All right. Well, I’ll check into this right away.”
She felt bad for Monty because he’d lost his mate, but she realized that if he couldn’t gain the confidence of his people or be strict enough that his pack members would tell him when there was trouble with any pack member, he should step down.
Monty called her back. “I’m going to call a pack meeting for two hours from now. Can you come to it?”
“Sure. I’ll be in town in a few minutes. I’m trying to track down another fugitive, and if I don’t locate him by the time you’re having your meeting, I’ll be there.”
“Good. Hope to see you soon.”
Jenna was glad Monty seemed to be taking over his pack again. Or he’d have to give it up to someone who would. Packs needed strong leadership.
She went to Herman Schofield’s home first. No one appeared to be home. She listened for any sign of movement inside the house, but there was none. Next, she asked at the neighbors’ homes. They seemed to be afraid to say. Because of the violent behavior that had already caused him trouble?
Next, Jenna drove to his parents’ home. They emphatically denied he was there or had been in touch, not for months. She didn’t believe them. Both of them looked way too nervous, the father casting glances at the mother, who kept pulling at a strand of hair as if she had a nervous tic.
Jenna gave them her card, then left. Herman had three grown brothers she was going to check out next, but the time had slipped away, so she went to Monty’s pack meeting instead.
Monty greeted her and said, “Alex is on a job in Colorado Springs, and two other families are on vacation, but everyone else showed up for the meeting. We haven’t had one of these in a while, so I wasn’t sure how the turnout would be.”
“I’m glad everyone showed up that could.”
“Well, of course, Burt didn’t, but his parents are here.”
“Okay, good.” She knew this had to be difficult for Monty and how hard it had to be for the parents. She wondered if Anton had told Sarah what had happened concerning Burt. Jenna hoped so.
Once everyone had something to drink in Monty’s large living room, he said, “Some of you know Jenna St. James. She was looking for Alex Dreyfus to help clear his name of charges pressed against him in the case of ID theft and other crimes. We’re grateful to her and her family and the Silver pack, who worked hard to help him out and successfully cleared his name.”
Christina was biting her lip, sitting across the room from Anton and Sarah.
“We have a new problem. Deputy Sheriff CJ Silver was taking Burt Dreyfus to Silver Town for questioning, on suspicion of him being involved in the actual theft instead of Alex. Burt knocked the deputy out, giving him a concussion, stole his weapon, clothes, and car, and ran. He’s still on the run. You know we can’t harbor a rogue wolf. He has to pay for his crimes. And if he was the one who stole the passports and credit cards and framed Alex for that, he’s also committed crimes against one of our own.”
Everyone was quiet until Monty mentioned that the wolf might be guilty of a crime against one of their pack members.
Several glanced in Anton and Sarah’s direction, and Jenna was certain that in deference to them, the other pack members were keeping quiet. There were a few mutterings among them, especially the ones further away from the parents.
“Not only that, but he accused another pack member, Alex’s mate, Christina, of committing the crimes. That’s a crime in itself. And that’s why Alex was willing to take the rap, to protect Christina. That’s what our pack members do for each other.”
Several nodded.
Jenna was surprised to learn Alex and Christina had mated. She was proud of him for doing so, even if his mother still wasn’t happy about it.
Anton said, “We’re devastated about this business, first that Alex would take the blame and have to defend himself, and now that Burt has harmed a member of another pack and potentially framed Alex for committing a crime Burt has done. As much as it hurts us to be here, baring our souls, we have to do what’s right for the pack. And ultimately, what’s right for Burt. His disregard for us shows in his actions. He has to be held accountable.”
“He needs to be held accountable by our pack leader,” a man said. “He’s part of our pack. The alleged crimes were committed against our pack members.”
Monty raised his hand for silence. “The serious injury that was done to the deputy was a crime against the Silver pack. Not only that, but for those who are unaware of the situation, the deputy is Alex’s half brother. As such, CJ Silver and his pack have welcomed Alex and his family as part of their own. Alex is as much a member of the Silver pack as he is of ours. The Silver family runs Silver Town. They have their own jail, but also have arrangements with a jaguar group that has facilities for long-term incarceration. Burt will be taken care of by our own kind, if it comes to that.”
“Jaguars,” someone scoffed.
“Yes. Most of us don’t have our own facilities to handle a matter like this. As much as we’d like to handle pack matters within the confines of the pack, Burt took on another pack, and it’s our job to hand him over to them if we learn he’s still in the area. Jenna is here to take him in. If anyone knows where he’s staying and doesn’t wish to speak up now, you can let me know after the meeting.”
Jenna understood why they might feel that way. Like they were a traitor to the pack.
She was surprised that Monty had a pizza party afterward. She needed to meet with Herman’s brothers, but to show her support of Monty and his pack, she had a bottled water and a slice of pepperoni pizza.
“Congratulations,” she said to Christina, wanting to acknowledge her for the mating.
“Thanks for helping Alex out. I’m sorry I lied about caring where he was when he was working. He told me you questioned him about that.”
“I understand the reasoning. You were protecting him.”
“I was. I would do anything for him, but, boy, was I mad he believed Burt’s lie. I wish I knew where Burt was. I’d hand him over in a heartbeat. The bastard.”
“I understand. Do you think anyone else knows where he is?”
Christina took a sip of her soda and glanced around the room. “They might. They won’t tell Monty here in front of everyone.”
“I kind of assumed that.”
“The older men who are talking to Monty right now are probably talking about anything but. I don’t suspect any of them would give Burt safe haven. He’s irritated a lot of people.
He’s only tolerated because everyone likes Anton.”
“And Sarah?”
“She still doesn’t like that I mated Alex, but she’s going to have to come around if she wants to see the grandkids when we have them someday,” Christina quickly added. “She’s kind of like Burt, rubs a few people the wrong way. Some of our pack members do genuinely like her. Would she hide Burt?” Christina studied Sarah as she spoke to another woman in the group. “Probably. She is always dismissing his antics. This time, he’s gone too far.”
“I hope things work out between the two of you.”
Christina sighed. “For Alex’s sake, I do too. I lost my mother when I was young, so it would be nice if we could connect. If she sticks up for Burt after what he did to Alex and me…” Christina shook her head. “And the business with Alex’s half brother CJ is unforgivable. Burt could have killed him.”
Sarah began wiping the tears off her face, and Jenna felt bad for her. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a child who began committing crimes and then had to go to prison. If Burt had been made to pay for his earlier transgressions, would he have learned from his mistakes and mended his ways? Jenna wondered.
Still, from the sound of it, he harbored deeper-seated feelings against Alex, and this was more about that than anything.
No one approached Jenna. She assumed that if anyone did, it would be tantamount to saying they agreed with turning over one of their own to her, and they didn’t want to come forth. It was time for her to learn where Herman Schofield was. Hopefully, Monty would get her some leads on where Burt was hiding out. Though she also worried this could backfire, and if someone was hiding him, they might warn him to run.
She gave Christina a hug. “I wish all the best for you and Alex and hope everything works out with you and your new extended family.”
“I hope you catch the guy you’re after and he doesn’t give you any trouble.”
“Thanks. I always hope for that. I’ve got to say goodbye to Monty.” Jenna walked over to where he was standing and speaking to the same group of people, who were talking about having a celebration this fall. Christina was probably right. They wouldn’t discuss anything about Burt in front of the rest of the pack.