The Long-Eared Easter Enigma

by Kian Rhodes

  “You want a beer?” Keeson asked me. “They have a decent craft selection.”

  “No, thanks,” I demurred. I’ve never really been much of a drinker. “Just water, please.”

  “Two waters and a thick-crust extra-large veggie special, Tina.”

  “You got it!” The waitress smiled cheerfully. “Be out in a jiff!”

  As she walked away, Keeson stifled a yawn and then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and tossed it on the table, screen up. “I’m going to hit the head real quick,” he explained when I looked at it curiously. “The hospital will text me if they finish early.”

  “Okay.”

  Keeson left the table and I reached for the colorful daily specials and began to read through the list of weekly offerings like Manic Monday Meatball Madness. I’d just flipped it over to the upcoming events – Good Friday was Crucifixion Karaoke, whatever that meant – when Keeson’s cell phone vibrated and the screen flashed. Expecting to see a message from the hospital, I read through the short missive and my blood ran cold.

  You still have eyes on the driver that you pulled out of the wrecked sports car? Car stolen. Warrant out for driver.

  I glanced around the small room and, not seeing Keeson, I quickly tapped the delete option on the screen. I knew I was going to have to face the music, but, if at all possible, I was going to wait and turn myself in back home. With a little luck, my Alpha would never need to know that he’d been harboring – and fucking – a fugitive criminal.

  Keeson made it back to the table barely a minute after the waitress had plopped the huge pie and two over-sized plastic cups of ice water down on the table.

  “You want anything else, Sheriff,” she cooed, batting her eyes again. “You know where to find me.”

  I grabbed a slice from the pizza and used it to muffle my laugh. It was quite possibly the best pizza I’d ever eaten and the laugh turned into a moan. Keeson just rolled his eyes.

  “That amuses you, huh?” he huffed, gently pulling a stray cheese string from my chin and popping it in his mouth.

  “Maybe a little, I admitted, forcing myself not to look over at his phone. The last thing I wanted to do was to draw attention to it. “She seems to have a little crush.”

  “Yeah?” Keeson winked at me and helped himself to his own cheese-laden piece of veggie heaven. “Is she the only one?”

  I choked on my cheese, dropping the slice and reaching for my water to try and wash it down. Once I was sure I was out of mortal danger, I sighed and shook my head. “Fishing, are you?” I rolled my eyes. “I’m pretty sure you know exactly how hard I’ve been lusting after you.”

  When Keeson grinned at me, I picked my pizza up again so he wouldn’t see my frown. No matter how much I liked him, the text I’d just erased made it clear that we could never have a life together.

  Chapter

  Sixteen

  Keeson

  Antoine was entirely too reserved during dinner. Not just quiet, I could have put that down to him being tired from an overwhelming day, but actually reserved. He answered when I spoke to him, but didn’t ask me any questions or start any conversations. He had to be starving, but he barely nibbled at his pizza even after declaring it the best he’d ever eaten. He seemed nervous and his eyes kept darting around the room, almost like a trapped animal searching for an escape.

  Tina had just packaged up the last of the pizza in a small cardboard box for us when my phone buzzed suddenly. Antoine jumped and almost upset his chair.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” I teased him as I reached for it. “You literally couldn’t be any safer than you are with me, right?”

  Antoine’s responding smile was weak and his bottom lip was trembling.

  “Looks like Pete came through the surgery fine,” I said with a relieved sigh. “Doc wants to keep him overnight, though.”

  “Should we..I mean, do you need to go check on him?” Antoine asked quietly.

  I shook my head. “No need. He’s in recovery and still under anesthesia. Tomorrow will be soon enough for him to bitch me out.”

  “Oh.” Weirdly, Antoine seemed disappointed.

  I tossed a few bills on the table to cover the meal and led the way out to the truck. When I placed my hand on the small of Antoine’s back to help him up, he froze. Literally froze halfway through the act of pulling his weight up.

  Once I was in the driver’s seat, I decided that was enough. “What’s wrong, Antoine?”

  “What? Nothing!” he denied immediately, panic in his voice. “I’m fine.”

  Yeah, he was so fine that he looked like he was about to puke.

  “Bullshit.” I waited until his nervous eyes dipped over mine. “I know all the crap with Pete was unexpected, but you didn’t really seem this freaked out when I got home from the hospital.” I was wracking my brain. “I obviously scared you. What did I do?”

  “Scared me?” Antoine parroted, his eyes wide. “No. Really, you didn’t,” he insisted. “Honest, I’m fine.” He offered me a weak smile. “I’m, uh, glad we get some alone time.”

  Huh?

  “Okay,” I muttered, still watching him closely. His skin was pale, his lip was still trembling, and his breaths were shallow. “Maybe we should take you to the hospital and get you checked out after all,” I suggested. “You might be coming down with something.”

  Before I even finished speaking, my Omega was shaking his head. “No, really, Keeson,” he said, taking in a deep breath. “I’m fine. I really am.” He tried again to smile and this time it was almost normal. “I think the whole giant rabbit thing just freaked me out,” he continued. “I guess I started thinking about it during dinner and it, well, overwhelmed me is all.”

  Well, shit.

  The truth was that if Antoine couldn’t handle a giant freaking bunny, there wasn’t much hope for us. Deciding that there was no point in borrowing trouble by pushing him for details, I made myself smile back.

  “So, you want to come back to my place? I’ve got it all to myself.”

  Antoine snickered. “Smooth, Alpha.”

  “Was that a yes?”

  “Yes,” Antoine agreed with another nearly right smile. “I’d love to come home with you for the night.”

  When I thought back on the conversation later, the for the night part really should have tipped me off that there was a problem. Of course, by the time I realized that, my world was all topsy-turvy. Instead, it just made my dick start to grow at the thought of burying myself in Antoine’s tight little ass again.

  We made it to the front porch, but as soon as the door slammed behind us, we were tearing at each other’s clothes. I heard a button ping to the wood floor as I jerked Antoine’s shirt over his head without undoing them.

  “Sorry,” I grunted, my hands never slowing as I began to tug his skinny jeans down those long, slim legs.

  “Don’t be,” Antoine gasped back as I slid my hand down the front of his briefs, triumphantly cupping his hard flesh and squeezing it. “Do that again!”

  “Like that, huh?” I gave his dick another light squeeze and slid my middle finger under his balls, lifting them out of the way to tap at his hole. My Omega thrust back against my hand, trying to impale himself on my digit, but I held him still. “Naked,” I huffed, rubbing one more time before I pulled my hand away. “And in my bed. Now.” I jerked his underwear halfway down his thighs and swatted his bare ass. “I’m taking my time with you tonight.”

  “You are?” Antoine sounded surprised and, to my amusement, a little put out, but he made short work of kicking his boots out of the way and peeling his pants and briefs off, dropping them in a pile on the kitchen floor.

  “You got a problem with that?” I rubbed my face in his neck, inhaling the erotic scent that was all him.

  “I don’t,” Antoine sighed, wrapping his arms around my waist and snuggling in close. “I definitely don’t have a problem with that at all.”

  Scooping hi
m up in my arms, I carried him to the bedroom and, pulling aside the blankets we’d never straightened that morning, laid him on the sheet, smiling when the chill of the cotton sheet against his naked skin made him shiver.

  The moonlight reflecting off the snow outside the window made the room nearly daylight bright, lighting every delicious inch of his body.

  “Don’t worry, baby,” I said, devouring him with my eyes as I pulled my own jeans off. “I’ll warm you up fast.”

  Antoine’s dark eyes were deep and serious as he held his hand out to guide me down over him.

  Time seemed to stand still as we took the time to learn each other’s bodies, savoring the feast that we’d rushed through before. Each stroke of skin on skin, each kiss and gasping breath drove us higher as we moved together in a slow, rhythmic dance leading toward a waterfall of pleasure that we plunged over together, locked in the closest embrace that was possible for two beings.

  Then, under the covers I’d shoved aside at the start, we slept.

  Instead of the deep, restful sleep of the night before, I tossed and turned, aware on a primitive level that something wasn’t right. When I reached for the man beside me, I was suddenly wide awake.

  The bed was empty and the sheets were cold to the touch. Antoine was gone.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Antoine

  I knocked lightly on the heavy hospital door, knowing that there probably wouldn’t be an answer, but not wanting to just barge in on the rabbit man that I’d barely met.

  “Yeah?” A raspy voice barely came through the thick wood.

  I poked my head around the door frame. “It’s me. Um, Keeson’s friend.”

  Even in the dim light of early morning I could see Pete’s smile. He was in mostly human form with a pair of long bunny ears flopping over. “Hey, mutt! Come in.”

  “Thanks.” I slipped through the door, letting it whisper closed behind me. “How are you feeling?”

  “Pretty good,” Pete said with a laugh. “When the pain meds wear off, though, not as good.”

  “Logical.” I shuffled my feet as Pete stared at me expectantly.

  “Is Sonny with you?” he finally asked.

  I shook my head. “No. He kind of gave me a rundown on the, um, business enterprise you have going.” Pete just raised a brow and I realize how that must have sounded. “I didn’t mean that as a threat or anything,” I clarified, pulling the cell phone out of my pocket and setting it on the bed next to his hand. “Just, I found this when I was cleaning up the broken eggs and, well, I wasn’t sure that you’d want him to see it.”

  Pete sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward. “Shit. I suppose you read the messages?”

  I nodded slowly. “Sorry.”

  “But you didn’t tell Sonny?”

  “No,” I assured him. “But I have to get out of town and wasn’t sure where to put it to keep it safe, so I brought it here.”

  “That sounds ominous.” Pete picked the phone up and began to scroll through the messages. “I am so screwed.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “All of these messages are from downline investors that have already paid for their inventory,” Pete explained, rubbing his eyes. “Even once I get released, I won’t be able to drive for at least a few weeks.”

  “Easter will be over.”

  Pete nodded. “It will. And I can’t very well have them come over to Sonny’s place to pick their orders up. He’d kill me.” A sly smile crossed his lips. “I don’t suppose you’re looking for a job, are you, doggie?”

  I rolled my eyes. “First off, I’m a wolf, not a dog.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Second,” I continued as if he hadn’t spoken, “the car I drove up here is currently rusting in a scrap heap at the county impound yard.”

  “So?” Pete countered. “It sounds like you’ll be needing money, then.”

  “No wheels, Pete.”

  He shrugged. “You can use my car. Fuck knows I’m not going to be driving it for a while.”

  “Sorry,” I said, more firmly this time. “I need to get out of town.”

  “You said that before,” Pete commented, raising a brow. “Why?”

  I dropped my head. “That car I wrecked? Well, it wasn’t mine. It was a rental.”

  “You didn’t pay for the insurance?”

  I sighed. “I, ah, didn’t actually use my real information,” I admitted. “They don’t rent cars to Omegas so I kind of used a fake ID. The rental company must have figured it out because they reported it stolen.”

  “Fuck.”

  Yep. That was appropriate. “Yeah.”

  “Where are you gonna go?” Pete asked sympathetically.

  “Home, I guess,” I admitted. “I’m going to have to own up to it and pay the damages.” I winced. “Hopefully my pack Alpha can help.”

  “I see.” Pete gave me a smile. “If you change your mind, my house is the last one on the edge of town. If you walk due east from Sonny’s backyard, you can’t miss it. The car is in the garage and the keys are under the mat.” He reached for a notepad on the table by the bed and scribbled on it before tearing the top sheet off. “Here’s my number.”

  “Thanks.” I stuffed the paper into my pocket and reached out to shake his hand. “I hope you get better soon.”

  “I will, pup,” Pete said with a wink. “Can’t keep a good bunny down!”

  Leaving Pete, I made my way down to the hospital lobby, grateful to find it empty. Slipping into the old-school pay phone booth tucked away in the corner, I drew in a deep breath and began to dial.

  “Coruscation Pack House,” Trevor’s familiar voice answered on the second ring.

  “Hey, Trev,” I said softly. “It’s Antoine. I, ah, I need some help.”

  Always our champion, Trevor stopped me as I started to explain and assured me that everything would be okay. “We’ll figure it out when you get home. I’m buying a train ticket right now, love,” he said briskly. “It will be waiting for you at the station will-call office. Do you have your ID?”

  I nodded and then remembered that he couldn’t see me. “Yes, I do.”

  “Okay.” His voice softened. “We’ve been worried, Antoine. Hurry home.”

  With that, a weight lifted off my shoulders and I ducked out of the hospital, starting the long walk to the train station on the other end of town.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Keeson

  As soon as I’d realized I was alone in my bed, I’d strained my ears for any sound. Nothing. The ache in my gut intensified when I searched the house and found it empty. The bag of personal effects that I’d managed to scavenge from Antoine’s wrecked car was gone and there was a scribbled note on the pad I kept on the kitchen counter.

  Keeson,

  I’m so sorry.

  Antoine

  That was it. No explanation. Not even a phone number or email address. Nothing to indicate that my sweet Omega ever wanted to see me again.

  Fuck.

  My heart jumped when my cell phone rang, but it was just the hospital telling me that my brother was awake and that the doctor was anticipating releasing him around lunchtime. Figuring I might as well kill two birds with one trip into town, I showered and pulled my uniform on before heading out into the chilly morning.

  “Hey, Sheriff,” Louise called from the corner where she was adding grounds to the coffee maker. “How are you today?”

  “Fine.” I stomped over to my desk, glaring at the man sitting there. “Have I been demoted?”

  “What?” Ralph looked up at me in surprise. “Aren’t you off today? You know we always use your desk when you’re gone.” He hurriedly rose from the chair. “Sorry.”

  Great. I was being a prick to my co-workers. “No, I’m sorry,” I sighed. “I’m just pissy today. Not your fault.”

  Ralph hesitated before starting to pile up his paperwork. “I’ll work in the other room.”
<
br />   “No, don’t do that,” I said, lowering myself into the guest chair across from my usual seat and gesturing for Ralph to sit back down. “What are you working on?”

  “Starting the file on that stolen car.”

  I raised a brow. “What stolen car?”

  Ralph cocked his head. “Louise?”

  “I sent him the text,” Louise’s voice came from across the room.

  “The one that you reported,” Ralph said slowly. “The one that had to be winched out of the gully.”

  Oh. Antoine’s car. A wave of alarm washed over me. “It was stolen?”

  Ralph nodded. “You didn’t get the text?”

  I pulled my phone out and scrolled through the text messages. Nothing.

  “It must not have come through.”

  “Damn,” Louise groaned. “I sent it as soon as we ran the VIN last night. We were hoping you still had a line on the driver.”

  “What time?” I asked, forcing my voice to stay calm.

  Ralph scrolled through his phone and tapped the screen, opening a group text before handing me the phone. “About six-thirty.”

  Just like that, Antoine’s strange behavior the night before made sense. It must have come through when I was in the bathroom and Antoine had erased it. No wonder he’d been so nervous.

  I nodded to show I was listening and held my hand out for the file. “What do we know so far?”

  I was still turning the information from the short briefing over in my mind when I walked into Pete’s hospital room and found him sitting on the bed, dressed in a pair of scrubs with his absurdly long ears drooping down the sides of his human face.

  “Seriously?” I asked with a laugh. “The ears?”

  Pete shrugged and a little touch of red darkened his cheeks. “I guess I’m spending too much time in a partial shift,” he admitted. “Every time they give me my pain meds, the rabbit ears come out.”

  I snorted. “So, what you’re saying is that you’re suffering from earectile dysfunction?”

  Pete laughed out loud. “That’s good. I’m going to steal it.”

  “Consider it a gift,” I suggested, looking around the room. “Has the doc already been in?”