Maxwell (A Rogue Enforcers Novella)

by Livell James

  Once he made it to the prison, he knew he couldn’t just walk to the gate and speak to an officer. Not when he didn’t have an identification saying he was with human law enforcement. He drove past a few times scouting out the place. As he was driving, he noticed a store not too far away, with a small patch of woods behind it. It would be the perfect spot for him to sneak off and shift. Carrying a camouflaged blanket with him to cover his clothes, he placed them next to a tree and piled some leaves over it to hide it as best he could.

  He shifted and shook out his wings seconds before he took to the skies. There wasn’t much to see other than land covered with forest, with a few homes dotted in patches throughout. Just as he flew over the prison, he noticed a small house just over a hill, maybe a few hundred yards from the back of the prison. The long winding driveway leading to the place made him think how peaceful it must be to live there, well before they built the prison in their backyard.

  Max swooped down, scoping out the place. The smell hit his sinuses. Shifters! This was definitely a good place to start. He just hoped they were nice people. Some shifter species didn’t take likely to others just showing up on their land unannounced. First, he needed to head back to get his clothes and then drive over. Showing up as a naked black man may not be the best of ideas. His falcon chuckled at the thought. Besides he had already been shot once, and he didn’t want to do that again, ever. He was in his animal form, and a black falcon wasn’t something Americans saw on a daily basis. Max was positive whoever fired the shot that hit his wing was only doing so to claim the trophy.

  Get your head in the game Max. We have to stay focused to find this foxy—I mean, fox. Don’t let what happened in our past change the way you’re thinking today, his falcon said, as always keeping his mind in check.

  Just as he was getting back to his rental, he noticed as deputy sheriff’s car parked on the other side of the parking lot. He sat for a moment wondering if anyone of the “human” law enforcers were shifters. That would be great to have one of them on his side, but the longer he thought about it the more he didn’t think it was a good idea to get any of them involved.

  Then he remembered that he and Colt had lunch with a guy a few months ago that was a private investigator. Thinking for a moment, the guy’s name come to his mind. Marcel. He also remembered that he had given him his number just before they left the restaurant that day. Marcel was a member of the Rogue Enforcers as well. Maybe he could call him to dig up more information about where this chick was maybe headed.

  He put the Tahoe in drive and left the lot. The first thing he needed to do was find the road that lead to the house he noticed earlier. He hadn’t seen many roads in the area leading off the main road so it couldn’t be that difficult to find. Besides, being a flight shifter meant his sense of direction was second nature.

  Once he finally found the way, he drove the winding road and made his way to the house. He sat in the SUV for a moment to see if anyone would come out of the house, but no one came. He was a big man, but walking up to someone’s door always made him nervous. But he did it, tapping on the door and stepping back down the steps to wait for someone to come to answer. Just as his foot hit the bottom step, an older gentleman appeared on the other side of the glass storm door. Max could smell the presence of the animal, the smell of woods. The bear. Not the most pleasant of their kind.

  “What can I help you with, you must be lost. Did you not see the no trespassing signs son?” the man said with a grimace.

  “I did sir, and I am not here to cause any trouble. I’m looking for someone, someone who needs my help. I can tell you’re one of us, I can smell the bear on you. I know bears don’t take kindly to people just showing up on their land, but I have to find this foxy lady before the humans do.” Max could tell that his sight had started to change. The falcon was coming forth. The brown color of his eyes always changed to black with a small hint of yellow just around the rim of his pupils. The black falcon’s eye color was very disturbing to say the least.

  “I’m Maxwell Carter, and your name is?” Max finished as he showed the photo of Alley to the old man.

  The man’s face relaxed a bit as he opened the door and offered his hand for Max to shake.

  “The name is George Blankenship, and don’t go blaming what other bears do on all of us. You are right though; I don’t take kindly to folks just wondering around my land. I would not be as nice to you had you not mentioned you were looking for this young lady. She was just here yesterday. My daughter and I tried to help her, I offered her shelter and my daughter gave her clothes, but she took off out the window while Liz was outside the door waiting for her to change. You know as well as I do that a bear cannot catch a fox. But I can show you the direction we saw her running. That is all I can do for you, Max—or do you prefer Maxwell?”

  “Thank you for your help, and either one is fine. Do you mind if I shift here? I would like to fly in the direction you point me into. To see if I can see any tracks or any other signs of her.” Max waited for what seemed like an hour for the man to reply.

  “You’re one of those damn flight shifters. Your kind are always snooping around in the sky. I knew something smelled funny about you. Shift wherever you damn well please. Since when did a shifter ask permission to shift?” George smiled.

  “Well sir I didn’t want to just flop my… well you know what I mean. Most shifters don’t have a problem seeing each other naked, but I never know who I may offend with my size. My falcon may be small in size, but my cock isn’t.” Max laughed.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake! No one gives a shit about that. She went off that way.” The man pointed and went back into the house closing the door behind him.

  Maxwell had never been ashamed of his size, but he had offended people from time to time by shifting in front of them. He felt more like they were ashamed of their size being in the same area as him. Really, shifters didn’t give a shit about things like that. It was more a human thing to stress over. Shaking off his clothes, and like always, leaving them in a nice pile, his bird was in flight.

  There were no signs of her anywhere, then he thought her paw prints would be tiny. He had to drop down for a closer look and then he spotted something, a trail of tiny footprints. They led him to another road and ended there. She must have shifted into her human form once she hit the highway. He wondered if she had caught a ride with someone. Surely, she hadn’t stayed on the open highway walking. She would be seen. Her animal was too smart for that to happen. He had Googled foxes on the plane ride and learned that they were for sure sly creatures by nature.

  He turned to make his way back to the house. Once he had put his clothes back on, he sat in the SUV looking for the number to phone Marcel.

  “Hello.” The voices chimed on the phone.

  “Hi, Marcel? This is Max, you met me when we had lunch with Colt. You gave your number in case I ever needed any P.I. work done. Sorry to call on a whim, but I’m on a case and I was wondering if you could help me find out some information on her for me?” Max spoke into the phone.

  “Of course, I remember you man, I would be happy to help. Just email me what you have to go off of and I will see what I can come up with. Us Rogues have to stick together, you know,” Marcel replied with a serious tone.

  “We sure do man, thanks for doing this. I’ll email you as soon as I’m back to a Wi-Fi connection. Thanks again, talk to you soon.” Ending the call, he placed the phone in the console between the seats. He knew this meant someone else was now involved, but it was another of the Rogue Enforcers. If this was what it took to complete this mission, then so be it.

  “You can run, but you can’t hide foxy lady.” He spoke out loud. Then he thought about it, she was a fox—she could hide, and very well as a matter of fact. He didn’t think it was a good idea to let the old man in the house know he was leaving after the conversation they had earlier. He turned the Tahoe around and headed onto the driveway, stopping at the end to check Google maps for a way
to get to the highway where Alley’s trail had ended.

  Chapter Four

  The fox ran until she thought she was far enough from the house they couldn’t find her. Alley didn’t hear anyone following them. She could only hear traffic from the nearby highway, and a few birds chirping in the distance. She found a clear flowing spring and lapped at the water. Moments later, she shifted back to her human form, standing naked in the woods. She opened the backpack that she had thrown over her animal’s back mid shift before running from the house. Thankfully the clothes fit her. Maybe they weren’t clothes she would have bought for herself, but damn it, at least she had clothes that weren’t a fucked-up orange colored jumpsuit.

  She found a hoodie and tucked her hair into it, hoping it would disguise her looks so she could catch a ride once she made it to the highway. The traffic noise became louder as she walked closer, and she hoped whoever picked her up would take her as far away from the prison as possible. She wished she had family nearby where she could hide out for a while, but instead she would have to stay on the run until she could figure things out.

  She knew she could go home and stay in the form of the fox if anyone came looking for her. This would be a perfect idea had she not had problems controlling the animal when it became nervous. She would flash between the fox and her human form, sometimes getting stuck halfway. Yeah well, we can’t all be perfect, she thought. She checked herself to make sure no hair had fallen out and pushed the thick black sunglasses through her hair and rested them on her nose and ears. She found them laying on the table next to the window just before she escaped from it.

  Just before she stepped out next to the highway, she gave her hair one more check in her little compact makeup mirror that she found lying abandoned on the side of the road. She hadn’t walked far before she noticed a black Ford F150 pull off and stop maybe a hundred feet in front of her. She picked up her pace and sprinted toward it. Alley always acted before thinking first. What if this was a serial killer, her mind wondered, a rapist even?

  I will claw his fucking eyes out, her fox spoke inside her.

  Oh, calm down, you crazy animal. You know my mind always thinks the worst.

  However, it was too late to turn back now. She had reached the window and it was down. It was a guy with hair as red as hers, his eyes a lighter green, and arms dotted with freckles to match the ones on his nose, his biceps pushing at the tight tee shirt he was wearing. He couldn’t be over the age of twenty, if that, but damn he was one sexy ass ginger.

  Then it hit her, his scent. He was a fucking fox. Her animal pushed forth in excitement, making her feel heat in her core. She had not been with a man in months, and longer since she had actually made out with another of her kind. Fox shifters weren’t as abundant as others were. Or maybe they were, and they were just too damn good at keeping themselves low-key. His scent was even more appealing with the smell of his cologne mixing with his animal. Pine, and if oak had a smell, then he was wearing it. The best she could explain it would be the smell of the forest just after a rain. Clean, yet rugged.

  “What’s a pretty lady like you doing wandering down the highway.” The man spoke in a deep southern accent making the heat rise even more between her legs.

  Holy shit this man has an accent, and it’s hot as fuck. Alley could not help but giggle.

  “My car broke down a couple of miles back and figured I could catch a ride sooner or later,” she lied.

  He gave her a look as if he could tell she wasn’t telling him the truth.

  “I can give you a ride if you want. Where ya going?” he asked her, and damn it, she had not even thought about that.

  Where was she going? Could she tell this guy the truth? I mean he was a shifter just the same, and knew about shifter law. Maybe it would be best if she waited until she was at least in the truck with him. She did not feel any threat from him at all. If anything, he should be threatened by her. If he only knew what her mind had thought when he put his arm out of the window earlier flexing those damn biceps. She knew it was her animal drawn to his, but she wasn’t ruling it out if he wanted to do a little fornicating in the bed of his truck. Another giggle left her lips at the thought. She pushed the sunglasses down her nose, looking at him in the eye.

  “I am going where ever you are at the moment. If you can just give me a ride, I can explain everything.” She wanted to ask his name, but thought it best not to. She would then have to give up her name—although, come to think of it, she could have just made up a name. For now, she would just leave it be. Not giving him a chance to reply, she walked around the truck, opening the door on the passenger side and hopping her little ass up in the seat. It was either she jumped in or climbed, and jumping seemed the better of the two.

  “So, what’s your name? Maybe I need to know that before I just give you a ride. My name’s Jordan.” A slight smirk quirked his lips like country boys do when they have a dip in their lip, only he wasn’t dipping, he just had perky lips.

  “I’m Raine, nice to meet you Jordan.” Alley hoped giving him her last name would throw him off. Surely, he wouldn’t associate that name with her first. Hell, he didn’t look like someone that watched the news anyway. She never watched it herself once she moved out on her own. Young people didn’t care so much about the shitty things going on in the world.

  None of this even mattered, though. She had to figure out where she was going. Well, she knew she would end up going to her family, but that would have to wait. The plan she had in place when she escaped went to shit when her friend who released a few days before never showed to pick her up that day. She should have known better than trust someone who had been in prison for theft, using the word friend lightly. So now two days out and she had still not gone anywhere, other than to get some clothes from an overprotective old bear’s daughter, and sleeping in the woods. This guy was her way out of there or so she hoped.

  “Where are you from?”

  Fuck, he wanted to play twenty questions. Alley was not prepared nor had she thought about people loving to ask questions when they meet someone new. The downfall of the human mind. Always wanting to know other people’s business. Maybe she was thinking a little harshly, but she really wasn’t in the mood for all of these questions. Fuck it, she decided she would come clean.

  “Look man I am on the run okay. I already know you’re a fox, just the same as I am. Don’t pretend you didn’t sense it the moment I stepped in front of you. I broke a human law, a mere mistake in our world, not so much in theirs. I killed someone, but he was in his animal form and had no scent of a human whatsoever. I was only hunting.”

  “You fucking what? I am not hauling a criminal,” the guy said as he slammed on his brakes and pulled off the road.

  “I hate to see a pretty lady stuck out here on the highway, but I ain’t going to jail for anybody. A murderer, at that. Why the fuck would you tell me that and expect me to keep you in my truck? This is some pretty fucked up shit, ya know.” He ran his fingers through his hair and then slammed them onto the steering wheel.

  Alley couldn’t believe she told him; she didn’t know this guy. What was she thinking? She hadn’t been around another of her kind for so long, she just assumed she could trust him, but can you really trust a fox? She hadn’t given this much thought before she just came out with why she was on the run. Sliding closer, she leaned over the center console and placed her hand on his inner thigh, moving up and letting it slide under his shorts. Slowly, she made her way to his cock and began to rub. Leaning in more, she whispered in his ear.

  “Do you really want to kick me out? I can make the ride a little more enjoyable for you.” She felt his erection jump under her hand, and began to undo the button and release the zipper. Sliding her hand into his underwear, she wrapped her hand around his thickness. Her hand was nowhere big enough to wrap all the way around it. It didn’t look long, but fuck it was thick. She had grabbed it and started stroking before she had even realized she was doing it. She was tur
ned on from the moment she saw him roll down the window, and this was the perfect way to get what she wanted and make him forget what she was running from. She was by no means a slut or a whore. She was simply doing what she had to do to get a ride.

  “Fuck, what are you doing, I mean no I don’t want to put you out. Damn it! I just don’t want to be in any trouble with the law.” Letting out a loud groan, he slid himself further down into his seat. Then he reached down to pull his shorts lower, past his ass, letting her see everything in full view.

  She only giggled and continued to stroke him. Knowing he was right on the edge she stopped, leaving him with his pants around his ass cheeks and his dick throbbing hard. Pre-cum dripped down the tip. She looked around, out the windows as if she felt like someone was watching them and then back at him.

  “So, can you give me a ride now, who knows I may even ride you later?”

  She knew she was lying, and regret started to settle into her stomach now that she realized what she had just done. She had almost made out with this guy. This was nothing like her, but she couldn’t change it now and she would never admit or tell anyone about this day, and how much it turned her on. Alley had always wanted a mate, and this guy damn sure wasn’t the person for the job.

  “I will give you a ride, I am only going about another twenty miles. I have a hunting cabin not too far off the highway.” He paused for a moment. “You can stay with me for a few days there if you would like.”

  He placed the truck in drive without saying another word, and headed back out on the highway.

  Alley leaned her head onto the window and watched the trees fly by as the truck sped down the highway. She wondered why her fox hadn’t tried to talk her out of playing with this guy’s cock, and why it also hadn’t talked her out of getting into the truck with him in the first damn place. Then she remembered her animal, unlike others, wasn’t much of a talker. It had to be a trait of the fox. She was okay with that though, until she needed to be talked out of doing something crazy, like today. At least she didn’t fuck him, and still wouldn’t for that matter.