by Elle Thorne
“That a fact, Maisie Malone? No purse, hence, no money. No car. You said yourself it was broke down. No family on the record, not that I found, anyway. And no phone, hence not easy to call any friends. Not to mention that research has shown the only friends you have—real friends—are currently sitting in a pool of congealing blood. Their own damned blood.”
“You’re a bastard,” she seethed, hating that even when she was so pissed at him, there was this draw to him.
“Yeah, but I’m the only bastard willing to put his ass on the line right now to keep you and this little wolf shifter alive.”
She had to acknowledge that, but she’d be damned if she’d say it out loud. “Who was on the phone?”
“Paul MacIntosh. And he wants his grandson. And guess what, Maisie Malone”—he said her name with a measure of derisiveness that she didn’t appreciate one flippin’ bit—“he doesn’t want you in the mix. Wants you to be in the same place Angie Roberts is right now.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. “I told her not to reach out to him. I saw his picture on the internet. He didn’t look like the kind of guy to mess with.”
“He ain’t.”
“You’re messing with him, right now, aren’t you?”
“No one ever accused me of being the brightest bulb in the shed.”
And though a part of her wanted to hate him because it seemed like her life turned to shit when he appeared, she found herself eternally grateful he had shown up.
And very confused. He stirred up feelings in her that shouldn’t be there. Especially now, when they were in this old Dodge, running for their lives and not even knowing where they were running to. Surely, he had a plan. Something?
“What’s next?” she asked.
Chapter Fourteen
What next, indeed.
Judd’s wolf howled in his mind. He knew what his wolf desired. His wolf wanted her. He tuned the wolf out and thought of what he needed to do next.
Taking her to Crooked Arrow would bring the Bitter Hollow faction down on the Crooked Arrow pack. But even if he didn’t take her there, Paul and his crew would still come looking for her there. They’d inflict some misery and pain on the Crooked Arrow pack, just to be sure they weren’t lying about knowing where to go and what to do.
“I need to think.” And eat. He hadn’t had a bite in—shit, he had—that’s right, he ate at the Waffle House, but a shifter’s metabolism was like that of a wolf and a person combined, and then multiplied by four, it seemed. He was ravenous. “Alright. Here’s the plan,” he told Maisie. “First, I’m going to get little man back in his baby body. Then we’re going to grab a meal somewhere. Then I need to return this truck to a friend.”
“Okay. Then?”
“Well, I’ll be doing some thinking and maybe making a call while we’re at breakfast. I’ll see what I can come up with.”
“Mind if I ask you some questions?”
He glanced at her out the side of his eye. “Like what?”
“Like about this shifter thing.”
His brows drew down. “That’s a whole other matter. Humans are not supposed to be brought into our lives or know about us. It’s something we can pay the price for, depending on the pack, clan, territory we’re in or from.”
Her eyes went wide. Her pulse raced—he could hear it and see it in the slender line of her neck. “There’s territories of shifters? Groups? Clans? Like there’s lots of them?”
“More than the average human would feel comfortable knowing about. And you’re the mother of one now. So, you’re in this. And you have a vested interest in protecting our kind. When was the first time he changed into his wolf?”
“Into his wolf? Is that what it’s called?”
He shrugged. “Guess you can call it what you want. Scratch the breakfast first thing. Let’s get my truck back.” His own vehicle was more reliable, and it had bells and whistles he preferred. Particularly tinted windows, which the one they were in didn’t have. They needed privacy from prying eyes, first and foremost.
He headed the Dodge toward Gabe’s junkyard. Junkyard being the operative word, because, sure, Gabe’s junkyard was the real deal, but it was also a cover for preternatural activities, illicit pursuits, and other such supernatural pastimes.
“He changed into his wolf for the first time a couple of days before you saw him. I don’t know why he did that. Maybe that funky orange-red moon. I couldn’t get him to turn back. And I couldn’t figure out how to get him to come back to himself.”
“Blood moon, probably. We have a strong connection to the moon. Then again, fear could have caused it. Gave the wolf the upper hand. He took charge and took over the body. Just like he did when you were freaking out about Angie. I’m guessing he saw Angie like that?”
She nodded frantically. “I didn’t know what I was walking into, or I’d have covered his eyes. God.” Her eyes narrowed as she watched him.
He fought to keep his gaze on the road, but he couldn’t deny this allure he felt toward her. It was more than his wolf’s attraction. It was… Yeah, he didn’t know what it was. And he didn’t want to expend those energies to figure it out. Right now, his priority was to get her and the little wolf shifter to safety.
Then…
Well, there was this thing working its way between him and his wolf. A need for justice. Maybe even revenge. He’d seen Paul MacIntosh do some shit he didn’t agree with, and he’d minded his own business, but now, this felt personal.
“Here we go.” He nosed the truck into the junkyard’s driveway and under the arch of Gabe’s place. The massive arch had the name of his business spelled out in bones. Judd had never thought to ask if the bones were human or animal or supernatural being. Or even if they were real at all. Not the kind of thing one wanted to ask Gabriel Bonegate.
Bonegate’s Bonepile, it read.
Gabe Bonegate definitely had a sense of humor.
“Here we go, what?” Her nose wrinkled. “A junkyard?”
“Yeah. I need to get my truck back, give him this piece of shit.”
The place was a maze of cars and buildings. Mobile homes, manufactured homes. Big rigs, a few boats, an occasional airplane. None of it looked like it would run or could be used, but Judd knew, from personal experience, some of that stuff did work. It ran, housed, flew, coursed through water, all of that, just fine. Thing was, only Gabe knew what worked and what didn’t.
He pulled the truck up next to his Ford.
Gabe stepped out from between a couple of stacks of cars. Garbed in his usual duster, hat on, hiding his hair and most of his features, he had his hands in deep pockets, which Judd knew had weapons in them. He also knew Gabe kept a sawed-off attached at his back somehow. One that he could reach through a slit in the back of the duster.
Hard lines characterized the parts of Gabe’s face that did show. His shoulders were broad; he was easily one of the biggest men Judd had ever run across, and, not for the first time, he found himself glad Gabe was a friend. Sort of a friend, because Gabe liked to claim that friendships were weaknesses.
“Walker.” Gabe stepped forward.
“Bonegate.” Judd nodded at him. “Thanks for the use of the truck. I didn’t take the time to get gas in it. Put it on my tab?”
Gabe was looking around him into the cab. “You brought guests.” His face was unreadable.
Shit. “Yeah. Um, that.” Judd knew damned well Gabe Bonegate wasn’t fond of company. “I’m sorry. Circumstances were dire.”
“So I heard.” His voice was deep. Reminded Judd of one of those old-timey country singers. Was it an Oakridge Boy? Yeah, he wasn’t exactly up on that music, so that was his best guess. Judd preferred the newer country, mixed in with a little influence from Eminem, if the mood served.
Judd did a doubletake, tearing his attention from the curvy blonde holding a wolf pup in the front seat where he’d asked her to wait for the time being. Glad she finally learned how to mind. If only for this instance. “Heard? Heard
what?”
Gabe laughed, the sound rich, coming from deep within. It held mirth, but Judd was just not sure this was a good thing either.
“You pissed off the wrong alpha, I’d have to say.”
How the hell could Gabe know about Paul MacIntosh already? “Do tell.”
“They’re burning up the wires. He’s got a bounty on you and some kind of cargo you might have with you.” Gabe indicated Maisie Malone and her pup with his chin and a tip of his head. “That looks like the cargo that was described.”
Shit. Shit. Double shit. And fuck, too. “Damn.”
Gabe laughed again.
Judd ran a thumbnail over his bottom lip. “I’m not seeing why you find it so funny, Bonegate.”
“Maybe I’m a little bored in this place.”
Where Gabe was from and why he was here, none of that was anything Judd was familiar with. He had no clue.
Gabriel Bonegate preferred not to talk about himself. At all. But his statement rubbed Judd all kinds of raw because the last fucking thing he felt like having in his life right now was excitement. Particularly not the kind of excitement Paul MacIntosh was offering.
“So, why don’t you go find a place that offers you the kind of excitement you need?”
Gabe’s lip rose in a smirk. “Touchy, ain’t you?”
“You think? That motherfucker wants that woman right there”—he indicated with his thumb—“dead. And he wants that little boy.”
“Not a boy as far as I can see. That’s a pup.”
“Don’t act like you don’t know what he is.”
“I could always use a decent junkyard dog. Reckon I could take him off your hands. Raise him up right, teach him how to be a good junkyard dog?”
“You’re being deliberately obtuse.”
“Nah. I’m just having fun. It ain’t your fault I like seeing Paul MacIntosh stewing in his own juices for a spell.”
“Right.” What Judd wanted to say was, whatever. Or maybe, fuck you. Because this wasn’t a playing matter.
“MacIntosh doesn’t lose often. Matter of fact, I can’t think of a time I’ve ever heard of him not come out on top,” Gabe said.
Something in his tone caught Judd’s attention. Something personal. “Would you care to see him lose?”
Gabe’s smile widened. “Thought you’d never ask, Walker. Thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Fifteen
In the cab of the beat-up, old red Dodge pickup, Maisie watched Judd talking to a mountain of a man.
Judd Walker was not small, not by a long shot, but this man, in his duster, hat drawn low, wide shoulders, and scary demeanor, he’d have made Paul Bunyan look little.
Cash-wolf-pup squirmed in her arms. “Settle down, would ya?” She squared his shoulders, putting him in sitting position, facing her. “What’s the deal with you and Judd? Why’d you leave me to go hang with him?”
She remembered when Cash-wolf-pup had shifted earlier. She’d been sure she’d seen some fangs on Judd when he’d snarled at Cash-wolf-pup. And she thought of Bruiser’s statement about not being the only wolf she’d slept with. She bit her lip as she thought through the impossible, which right now was looking very damned possible. Bruiser had been a wolf shifter. That was where Cash got that from. Judd was a wolf shifter.
“Is that why you cuddle up with him?” she asked Cash-pup. “Is it because he’s your own kind?” Was the wolf pup thinking this was his daddy? Sure, as a baby, Cash wouldn’t think of that, but a pup, would it know? She knew so little about wolves. She’d have to learn so much.
“And who’s going to teach you how to be what you are? How to—” Tears came, unbidden and unexpected. It was overwhelming. How was she supposed to raise a child that could turn into a wolf at will?
She felt eyes on her and noticed the big man in the duster and Judd were both watching her and Cash-pup. They were clearly in the midst of a serious conversation. Suddenly, a part of her felt like she should be out there. She should be involved in conversations about matters which concerned her and Cash.
She pulled on the handle and stepped out of the pickup, Cash-pup in hand. Well, really, in both hands. He was more than a handful, this one.
She walked toward them.
Judd wore a disapproving expression. “You just don’t listen, do you? Not ever.” But his eyes were soft and liquid silver as he watched her approach. They grew even softer when they focused on Cash.
“Excuse the hell out of me, Judd Walker. I have a right to be around when someone’s discussing my wellbeing. As well as my son’s.”
The big guy laughed.
That touched something off. She whirled on him. She’d barely slept in days. She was a bundle of raw nerves and a heap of pissed off at her situation. And she was well beside herself that her best friend and her whole family had been brutally murdered. “What the hell are you laughing at?”
She stepped closer to him and caught a glimpse of the face the hat had hidden, until she’d gotten so close she could look up into that fierce countenance. She stepped back, swagger completely washed out.
“This is Maisie Malone,” Judd said, introducing her to the giant.
Said giant inclined his head and touched two fingers to his hat. “Gabriel.”
She wasn’t sure if she should try to adjust her grip on Cash-pup and reach out a hand, or if she should turn tail and run. Neither. She had other things to worry about. Starting with figuring out what she and Cash would be doing.
“I appreciate your help,” she told Judd. And inside, a part of her crumbled at the notion she wouldn’t be seeing him again after she found a way out of here. Somehow. Then again, why did she care? Why did it matter to her that she see him?
“What?” Judd stared at her in disbelief. “What are you talking about? What do you plan to do? How will you avoid Paul MacIntosh?”
She swallowed back a lump of fear. “I’ll run away. I’ll change my identity.”
The giant watched her silently, his face impassive. His eyes not visible.
Judd shook his head. “You’re not thinking this through. Your son is a shifter. Remember how powerless it was for you when he was in his wolf.”
She remembered all too well the hell of those days and not knowing when Cash would shift. Or even if he would. She kicked at the dirt in the junkyard, mountains of cars surrounding them. Mountain ranges of cars, more like it. Stacks and stacks of cars. Some crushed, some not. “I do remember. But I have to take care of Cash.”
Judd ran his hand through his short hair. The muscles on his arms popping when he did so. Biceps straining against his shirt. “He needs to grow up around his own kind.”
“His own kind? What does that even mean? I’ve been thinking of this the whole time since we left. There are only two of his own kind that I am aware of. And one’s dead. And the dead one’s daddy wants me dead. And the other one is you.” She didn’t mean to make it sound insulting. She sure didn’t mean to seem like she was putting his name in the same category as Paul MacIntosh.
Judd’s eyes narrowed—looked like that was how he’d taken it. “What about Paul? He won’t ever give up.”
“That’s right. Unless he’s dead.” The giant finally spoke.
She shoved her hair from her face. The heat was unbearable. Holding Cash-pup was like holding a heating pad. A squirming heating pad. He wanted to be put down, clearly, and started to whine.
“No. I can’t…I’ll go to Mexico or something.”
Judd scoffed, drawing a glare from her. “What are you going to use for money?”
She was stumped. No choices, really.
Chapter Sixteen
The hurt and lost expression on Maisie’s face crushed Judd. He sure hadn’t meant to make her feel like that. He simply hadn’t wanted her to leave. It wasn’t just for her sake, or for Cash’s. It was for his wolf’s. Okay, if he had to admit it, then it was for his own sake. He felt there was something unfinished between them. He took in her messy blonde hair,
the way she stuck her jaw out in determination but, at the same time, pouted with sadness.
God, but he wanted to kiss that pout away. He’d love to put a smile on her face.
“Let me help. I have people who can guide you with Cash. He can grow up with...” He kept the words his own kind to himself. She probably didn’t need to keep hearing how different Cash was. Though hadn’t he just already said so? Damn. Damn. Damn. He just wasn’t that good with words. Actions, those he could handle. Words, they threw him for a loop.
She exhaled heavily, like the weight of the world sat on her shoulders. Judd imagined it did, what with worry about her baby boy. “What about Paul?”
He had no clue. “Let me take care of MacIntosh.”
“Now you’re talking my language,” Gabe finally spoke again.
Judd turned to regard him. He’d practically forgotten Gabe was there, he’d been so wrapped up in Maisie. “What are you saying?”
“Lemme see this pup.” Gabe took Cash from Maisie’s arms.
She looked like she was in a catatonic state, which worried Judd even more. The pup allowed the transfer to Gabe’s arms without a fuss. In fact, if anything, he seemed calmer than before. Not for the first time, Judd wondered exactly what Gabe was. He was certain he wasn’t a shifter. Unless he masked that on a permanent basis. Sure, hunter’s block could hide a shifter’s animal scent, but would anyone go around wearing that all the time?
“You’re an interesting one, little wolf.” Gabe held the pup at eye level, studying his features.
The little wolf yipped a happy sound.
Gabe laughed. “Yeah, I see you, too.”
Judd cocked a brow. What the hell did that mean? The reticent Bonepile owner rarely had much to say, and emotion was given sparingly. And this was the second time he’d heard Gabe laugh. And the laugh he heard a few moments ago was the first one ever.
Gabe handed the pup back to Maisie. “Hopefully, he’s better than his father and his grandfather.” He started to walk toward a mobile home that was actually several mobile homes strung together, then turned and glanced back at them. “What are you waiting for? Follow me.”