My Captive Valentine

by Elyce de Reefe

  Chapter 21

  Greg checked the number on the display of his burner phone. Sure enough, it was Joe. He made a face.

  “You get her?”

  Joe cleared his throat. “Not exactly.”

  “How, not exactly?”

  “Well, I had my guys follow that detective again, the one in charge of your case.”

  “Yeah. And?”

  “And one of them reported he went into the hospital. Not a big deal, but just to be on the safe side I had them find out who the detective was visiting.”

  “Yeah. I'm listening.” He tipped back on his chair, rocking on two legs, wondering if Joe was going to get to the point anytime this century. “Well?”

  “It turns out there’s a guy in that hospital under police guard. A man by the name of Mike McCaffrey. Ring any bells?”

  “No, can't say it does.” Greg checked his watch. It was getting close to dinner time.

  “Well it should. He was involved in the kidnapping of your former employee.”

  Greg let his chair snap back onto all four legs. “Get out.”

  “I'm serious. The guy’s been in a coma for months. Apparently, he just came to recently.”

  “You don't say.”

  “So, not exactly a lead on the girl, but it's something.”

  “Yeah it's something, all right.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  Greg tapped his fingers against his leg, thinking. “Have someone watching that hospital at all times. Let me know right away if anyone from Big Lonnie's organization shows up.”

  “Right. Will do.”

  “And Joe— good work. Thank you.

  “You got it.” Joe clicked off.

  Greg continued to drum his fingers on his leg, squinting into the night. He wasn't sure how, but he just might be able to turn this to his advantage.

  He got up and started throwing stuff into a bag. It looked like he was taking a little trip to New York. Time was wasting. If Big Lonnie didn't know the guy was awake yet, he would soon, and Greg wanted to be there first. Maybe if he was the one to bring it to the big guys attention—

  He threw his bag into the old panel van he was forced to use for transportation these days. It wasn't fancy, but it didn't call attention either. He couldn't quite see all the angles, not yet anyway. But maybe there was some way to turn this around…

  I should get a couple of my own guys on that hospital. Just in case. He pulled out his phone and started punching numbers. He was sick of sitting on his ass. Elizabeth Brown was up there somewhere, and he was going to find her.

  ***

  Gage watched the little female lope nimbly along on three legs. Bridget had started calling her Mist, which was a good name for her, since her coat was light grey with darker grey tips. Mist effortlessly evaded Smoke’s playful nip, hoping lightly to the side, holding her injured leg in the air. She was still very skinny but had started to fill out some in the seven days since they’d found her. He had no idea if she would stay, but so far she’d continued to travel with them, and the two young males with her.

  So far, so good.

  He tugged the sled up the slight rise and glanced back to make sure Bridget wasn’t having any trouble. She insisted on hiking on her own, although he could usually convince her to take his hand if the terrain was particularly icy or treacherous. They were getting closer to the young pair they’d been tracking, and Gage was hopeful they’d catch up to them today. Although what he was going to do then presented a problem.

  He would need to shift to contact them, and to do that, he’d have to leave Bridget alone for a time. He knew rationally she should be fine for a few hours; that probably she would be, but the idea still made his gut clench. All the shoulds in the world would mean nothing if he came back to discover he was wrong— again, and something had happened to her.

  He’d have to find a good place to camp and see if he could maybe get Leaf to stay with her. Smoke and Mist would probably stay too, and he couldn’t get Cray’s warning out of his head. He still didn’t quite trust Smoke around Bridget. The young wolf hadn’t done anything overt, but he did growl every time Bridget got to close to Mist, and that concerned him.

  The sled caught on a small hump in the snow and Gage gave it a tug. Turning, he scanned the area for a likely place to camp. If he scouted it for predators before they set up the tent and then left Bridget with a burning fire, that should give her some protection. But he didn’t like it.

  Three hours later, Gage set off with a haunch of boar and a prayer. Dear Maiden, thank you for gifting me such a beautiful mate. Please keep her safe for me. The boar meat trailed behind him, tied to a rope. Gage felt like his hopes and dreams were similarly tethered, only by a much thinner thread. But he had to try to contact the pair. The pack needed an actual functioning wolf population on their territory, and one female and two young males weren’t going to do it. They could add to the population over time, but five wolves was at least a viable pack. Enough individuals to hunt together and provide enough food to raise a litter of pups.

  It was a full hour and almost full dark before he got close enough to abandon the meat. He went a little farther into the trees, stripped off his clothes, hung them on a convenient branch, and shifted. It took him another hour to actually catch up to them. They were trying to avoid him, but he managed to corner them up on a small crest with an outcropping of rock at their backs.

  They stood together, heads lowered, panting. The male fairly glowed in the moonlight, his coat almost white. The female was darker, an unusual charcoal grey color. Gage didn’t dare go any closer for fear of spooking them. They were tired enough to stand and wait, but if he got too close, they’d be off again like a shot.

  He gave a little bark of greeting. Cray would be able to actually speak to them, which would have been really handy right now. He yipped instead, inviting them to play, and backed up a little. They were understandably wary of him. He was larger and male and by his scent, they knew he was the dominant species. But the male edged a little closer, sniffing cautiously. Gage had made sure to get the scent of the boar on his coat, even though he knew it meant a cold snow bath before he set foot back in the tent with Bridget. He didn’t think that a scent on his fur would carry over through the shift, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Bridget had taken a strong dislike of everything to do with that boar.

  Gage rolled in the snow, letting the scent permeate the air, loosened by the damp snow. The male crept closer, slowly. Gage backed again, giving him room to come and inspect the patch of snow he’d just rolled in.

  As the male sniffed industriously at the ground, the female crept closer. Gage pulled in a deep breath, taking in her scent. She seemed healthy, as did the male. They must be having some success hunting together. That made his job harder.

  Then he caught something underlying the female’s scent. Unless he was mistaken, she was newly pregnant. Gage felt excitement bubble through him. If he could convince them to relocate, this would be a major boon to the Rabbit River Pack. With wolves, a pack officially formed with the first litter of puppies.

  He yipped again and took another step back. The male whined and sank down on his belly, crawling forward like a puppy, begging.

  Gage barked in acceptance and turned, trotting back toward the pig carcass, confident they would follow. They did.

  They reached it in a matter of minutes, since they went directly to it instead of chasing all around the snowy wilderness. He let them gnaw at the frozen haunch for a while, then shifted and dressed. Now came the tricky part.

  He had to assert his dominance to shoo them away from the carcass. Normally not a problem, even in human form. The wolves could easily sense his dominance. But the young male had a pregnant female to provide for. And that made him unpredictable. There was a reason Gage had tied such a long rope to the meat. In the end, he simply picked up the end and dragged it back to camp, with the pair following a little way back.

  He glanced up at
the bright moon, just rising over the tree line. Tonight he’d be the one hand charging his cell phone by the fire. He needed to contact Cray. They’d need a van or something to transport the wolves to the border, and then they’d need to arrange some kind of boat to get them across the St. Lawrence River back to New York. It was two days until the full moon. He’d ask Cray to meet him the day after that.

  He only hoped he could keep this little band together until Cray arrived. They’d definitely need a speaker to convince the wolves that it was a good idea to step into a dangerous enclosure—the van—smelling of both man and machine.

  He broke into a jog, his feet crunching through the snow to the tops of his boots, the pig haunch bumping along behind him. He didn’t mind. He just needed to see that Bridget was all right, and then maybe he could relax a little about this mission. He could feel that she was fine. Contentment hummed along the bond in a reassuring rumble. But he wanted to see it.

  He crested the rise where they had made their encampment, and there she was, standing by the fire stirring something in a pot that smelled fantastic. She smiled brightly at him and he felt his chest swell.

  “You got them! I knew you would. Leave that horrible pig over there and come have dinner.”

  He smiled back and dropped the string. The two wolves moved in a little closer and started eating. Smoke rose and went to inspect the newcomers. He made a move to drive them away from the boar meat, but Gage stopped him with a growl.

  There was more pig where that came from, and Smoke had already eaten his fill. And as the dominant ‘wolf’ in their little pack, it was Gage’s job to decide who ate when. Hopefully this little confrontation wouldn’t be enough to drive Smoke off. But he really didn’t think so. As expected, Smoke slunk back to the wool blanket, joining Leaves and Mist there. Now if the two small packs could form together— that would be the test. Because one of them was going to be Alpha, and Gage wasn’t sure if it would be Smoke or the new male. And more than likely, there was going to be a fight. But that, at least, was not his job. He’d gotten the pair here. He’d fed them. He would try to keep them all together until Cray arrived. More than that, he didn’t think he could do.

  His stomach rumbled as Bridget handed him a bowl of something that smelled fantastic. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was, but all that running and shifting took energy. “What’s this?”

  “Beef stew. No squirrels invited.”

  He laughed. “Did I ever tell you, you are the loveliest mate in all the world?”

  She laughed. “I think I might have heard that a time or two. But it doesn’t really get old. Here. This calls for a glass of wine.” She handed him a plastic cup. “I’ve been defrosting it by the fire,” she indicated a box of wine set on one of the stones of the fire ring, “and it’s just liquid enough to poor.”

  “You are my queen. Come here and kiss me.”

  “After dinner, Romeo. I don’t want this stew to go cold, and I know where your kisses lead.”

  “You know me too well, ma chouchoutte.” But he sat and took a bite of the stew.

  Bridget shook her head, but she was smiling. “Okay, I’ll bite,” she said like she couldn’t hold back any longer. “Are you really calling me a turnip?”

  Gage smiled. “No, my sweet. Cauliflower. But not just cauliflower. A chouchoutte is a pastry, light and sweet. It melts on the tongue, just like you.”

  “Oh,” she said, blushing, but he could smell that she was pleased.

  Gage smiled to himself, gazing out on their snowy little camp. He didn’t know how this would rank among human honeymoons, but right now he was just about as content as a man could be. Still, he was looking forward to getting Bridget in front of his fireplace. Somewhere warm where she wouldn’t insist on keeping the covers up all the time, and he could enjoy the sight of her smooth, creamy skin.

  Three nights later, Gage gazed down at Bridget in the backseat of Eli’s Jeep. Cray was driving because— yeah, Cray was driving. Bridget leaned with her head back on the headrest, eyes closed. The five wolves were lying together snuggled up on a blanket in the back compartment. It was the wee hours of the morning now, and he could feel the weight of her exhaustion pressing down on her.

  Getting the pack down to the rendezvous point to meet Cray had been a long trek, but relatively uneventful. The new male, which Bridget had begun calling Snow, had established himself as Alpha among the little pack, but showed no inclination to want to push either of the other males out. Which was a relief.

  Cray had had a time of it, though, convincing them all to get in the rented van he’d secured for the trip through Canada. At one point Gage thought they might have to camp for the night. He’d lost track of how many times he’d seen one or another of wolves hop up into the back, sniff around for a minute and then hop right back out again. Even Cray had been getting frustrated by the end. But eventually they had become comfortable enough to trust the vehicle, and they’d set off.

  Getting them onto the boat had taken a little more time. Apparently floating contraptions that moved when you stepped onto them did not inspire confidence among the lupine set. Fortunately, Eli had chosen a deserted stretch of the St. Lawrence for their efforts. While they’d all been tired and disgruntled by the time the wolves came aboard, at least Border Control hadn’t shown up to check out the activity. The last thing any of them wanted was to have to explain why they were illegally transporting wildlife across the border.

  By the time they reached the New York side of the St. Lawrence, everyone was exhausted, including the wolves, and Cray had a much easier time convincing them to climb in the back of Eli’s Patriot.

  With Cray and Eli in the front seat, there was no chance at private conversation, but he wished he could ask Bridget her opinion. She was human. She would understand human feelings. Human sensibilities. And the question gnawed at him. What to do about Mikey? Sure, he was in the hospital now, but eventually he’d be released. And when he was, Lucas would want him to join them on pack territory.

  Gage wasn’t sure that would be best for Mikey. He didn’t see how the kid would ever find a mate living on pack land. He couldn’t bring a female home, because he could never give her the bond. How was that fair? But as a human, he wasn’t vulnerable to the Sickness. He could live away from Pack. If he chose.

  That’s the key. That’s the mistake I’ve been making. I will have to see what Mikey wants. He should have a say in this decision. Gage nodded. He glanced at Bridget and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. You gave her a choice. Remember? He had offered her blood. And she refused. But still, he couldn’t help feeling slightly guilty.

  Don’t be absurd. She is your mate. You were meant to be together. He breathed in her scent, letting it soothe him. Sea foam and daffodil, with a sweet hint of hyacinth overlaying it all. It wrapped around his own scent of spring rain and wild radish like they were made for each other. He gave a little sigh of relief. At least he’d been right about something.

  They were getting close to Rabbit River now. Soon they would be home and he could bring Bridget back up to his room, light the fire and—

  His phone chirped on the console where it was charging. “That's mine, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Cray said, and passed the phone back.

  Gage glanced at the display. Mikey. His heart rate kicked up. It wasn’t quite five in the morning. He tapped the phone to connect the call. “Mikey, what’s wrong?”

  “Daniel, I saw them.” The kids voice was hushed but urgent. “They’re in the parking lot. I know it's Big Lonnie's guys. I recognized one of them. Are your guys outside? Please tell me your guys are outside.”

  “They’re out there, Mikey. I wouldn’t leave you hanging.”

  Beside him, Bridget stirred and sat up.

  “How many did you see?”

  “Three. There are at least three of them.”

  “Got it. I’m calling my backup now.” He directed his voice to the front seat. “Anybody know who’s on duty at th
e hospital right now?”

  Eli looked up. “It should be Jesse.”

  “Contact him. See if he saw anybody.”

  “On it,” Eli said.

  “Cray. How fast can you get us to the hospital?”

  Cray looked down at the GPS. He started punching in numbers. “I’ll head down one-ninety at Ellenburg. GPS says half an hour, but this time of the morning? Maybe twenty minutes. Maybe less.” Cray pressed down on the gas and the car shot forward.

  Not good. Not good enough. “I’m sending Jesse up to check on you. Tall guy. Shoulder-length blond hair. You can’t miss him.”

  “Thanks, Daniel.” The whispered words made Gage flinch. He still needed to come clean about his name.

  “Hang tight, kid. I'm on my way.” Gage drummed a hand on his leg, then slipped it inside his pocket, fingering the silver chain within. He should have given this chain back, but right now he was glad he had it. He squeezed his hand around the metal disk. Luck.

  Cray pulled out his phone.

  “Who are you calling?” Gage didn’t think anyone from the territory could reach the hospital faster than they could.

  “I'm calling Anderson. That detective needs to get his head out of his ass and catch this son-of-a-mangy-fucking-dog already. Yeah. Anderson. Cray Long. They’re at the hospital. Yes, Plattsburgh. Got anyone stationed there?” Cray paused.

  Beside him, Bridget murmured, “son-of-a-mangy-fucking-dog,” in tones of admiration. It almost made him smile. Almost.

  “What do you want to bet your guy had to take a convenient leak?” Cray continued. There was another short pause. “Well I suggest you find out. You are about to lose you second best witness in this case.”

  Gage could hear Anderson cursing through the phone before Cray cut the connection and concentrated on driving.

  “Hang on, Gage. I’ll get you there.” Gage had a feeling Cray was remembering a similar drive when their roles were reversed. He gritted his teeth and reached down for Bridget’s hand. At least she was safe.

  Hang in there, kid. I'm coming.