“I want to speak to my mother.”
“Aw, he’s a mommy’s boy,” one of the Enforcers said.
Grant produced a cell phone from his pocket. He opened it and spoke into the phone. “Home.
“Maya, can you put Helen on the line?”
Teague heard the other end of the conversation without difficulty. His mother really was staying with the Wilsons.
“Helen, I was wondering if you’d seen Teague. I wanted to talk to him about a job.” The charm in his voice flowed down the line like sweet honey on a warm day.
“No, I haven’t seen him. I’m worried. It’s not like Teague to disappear.”
Teague cried inside, wanting to warn her but powerless to halt her march toward danger.
“I’ll put the word out in the pack,” Grant said, his gaze on Teague. “Someone will have knowledge of his whereabouts. We parents do like to keep tabs on our children. I should have something for you later tonight.”
“Thank you, Grant. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and my children.”
Teague wanted to shout out, to scream his mother was mistaken. She’d moved in with a monster, a man who didn’t care about his own son. A man who was prepared to murder to obtain whatever he wanted.
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s my pleasure,” Wilson said. “See you tonight.” He disconnected the call and turned his full attention on Teague. “Last chance. Tell me where Corey is or you’re dead. And after we kill you, your brothers and mother are next. Of course, I might toss your mother to the Enforcers for recreational purposes. She’s beautiful, considering her age.”
With a roar, Teague launched himself at Wilson. The Enforcers held him without difficulty and Wilson was never in any danger. Panting hard, Teague struggled, his fight weak. Ineffectual.
Wilson grabbed his shirt and yanked Teague closer until their faces almost touched. “Tell. Me. Where. Corey. Is.”
“Yellowstone,” Teague whispered, the fight draining out of him.
Wilson released him and he dropped to the ground. “Let’s go.”
“What about him?” one of the Enforcers asked.
“Leave him. We’ll deal with him later.”
Chapter Thirteen
Corey woke up curled around R.J. and remained motionless, so warm and cozy he hated to leave the narrow bunk.
“You awake?” R.J.’s warm breath tickled his ear.
“Yeah. I wish I was still asleep. I couldn’t believe my ears when Emma volunteered to swap cabins.”
“She makes out she’s tough.”
Corey stretched against R.J., flexing his muscles. “My presence is causing problems for you.”
“I’m glad you came, kid.”
A smile surfaced at the admission. “I know I can’t stay permanently, but I thought about moving to Cody. They have a thriving art scene and you could visit when you have time off.”
“You want to stay close to me?”
“You sound surprised.” Corey wriggled around to face R.J. “I didn’t go through this crap for a visit. I’m serious about you, R.J. If you don’t feel the same way you’d better tell me now.”
“Hell no. I want you here. Cody will work.”
Corey grinned, the relief a real rush of blood to his brain. “Good.”
“Good? That all you’re gonna say?”
A laugh of pure pleasure escaped him this time. “I’d rather show you.”
“We don’t have time,” R.J. said with regret. “I have stuff to prepare for the next intake of students, plus we have to get rid of our friends.”
“Was Hal able to move up the schedule?”
“Yeah, but only one day. They’re not leaving until tomorrow night.”
“Guess I’ll have to make do with a kiss.” Corey squeezed closer, shamelessly rubbing their erections together.
R.J. cursed and Corey seized the moment, covering R.J.’s mouth with his. He snaked his hand between them to grasp both erections and started to pump slowly using their natural lube to ease the slide of his hand. To his surprise R.J. didn’t struggle. He took control of the kiss, allowing Corey free rein with the hand job. Up and down. A brief foray over the sensitive heads and back down again. He repeated the pattern until the pleasure filled every particle and cell of his body. Faster and faster his hand sped while their lips and tongues moved in lazy counterpoint. R.J. shattered first, release ripping through his big body. He tore their mouths apart and moaned, the muscles of his face and upper body tense with pleasure.
Corey exploded a few seconds later, going practically blind with the swell of satisfaction and contentment flooding him. His hand fell away from their cocks and he pressed closer to R.J., despite the messy come on their torsos. They kissed again, their mouths sliding together like old friends. Perfect.
A loud thump on their cabin door interrupted the lazy mood. “Hey, you love birds coming out any time soon?”
“Coming, Emma,” Corey called.
“You’d better not,” she snapped back. “That’s way too much information for me this time of the morning. Hurry up. We have info.” Emma’s footsteps receded and still Corey didn’t move.
“Come on, kid. We’d better move or she’s likely to come back and burst inside.”
“Scary.”
“Yep, my sentiment exactly.”
Corey moved first, rolling to his feet. He pulled on his boxer-briefs, grabbed a towel and his toiletry bag. “You coming?”
“Yeah, though we’d better make the shower quick.”
Fifteen minutes later they joined Hal, Emma and the three male werewolves for breakfast.
“What’s the news?” Corey asked.
“Teague,” Hal said.
Corey froze, almost dropping the milk he held in his right hand. He set the carton on the table without taking his gaze off Hal. “What about Teague?”
“We shouldn’t tell him anything,” one of the men said. “It’s too dangerous. He’s a Wilson and we shouldn’t trust him.”
“I understand where you’re coming from,” Corey said. “I get it. My father is a bastard and I’m an unknown quantity. I’ll leave while you discuss details. Just tell me about Teague. Is he okay?”
“We have people inside your father’s pack. One of them got Teague out of the cells before they killed him,” Hal said.
R.J. seized Corey’s hand and grasped it tight. The lump in Corey’s throat swelled so much it was difficult to speak. “I…” He coughed and tried again. “My father put Teague in the holding cells?” Coldness seeped through him, starting at his toes and moving up his body until he shivered. “It’s a hell-hole down there.”
“How would you know?” one of the men demanded.
“I spent a few days in one of the cells. Fuck, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” Horror swelled inside him. “What did they do to him?”
“Tried to beat a confession out of him,” Hal said.
“What—Aw, shit! Something to do with me?”
Hal met his gaze with calmness. “Your father wanted to discover your whereabouts.”
“God, I can’t believe my father. How bad is Teague? Is he gonna be okay?” Corey didn’t understand any of this. His father had disowned him so why was he so desperate to find him again?
“Our medic thinks he’ll recover,” Hal said. “Your father is under the impression he’s dead.”
Corey didn’t comprehend this either. He didn’t ask questions, merely doctored his coffee with milk and wrapped his hands around the warm mug in an effort to get warm again.
“We need to find somewhere else to stay tonight until we can move on,” one of the men said.
“Yes,” Hal said, his voice heavy with regret. “I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault,” one of the men said.
Another of the men jerked his head in Corey’s direction. “It’s his fault.”
Corey didn’t argue because they were right. His father was out of control. His behavior toward
Corey was one thing, but violence to his friend was unconscionable. “What about Teague’s mother and brothers? Are they in danger?”
“I’ll look into it.” Emma shoved a notebook and pen toward him. “Write down everything you know about them and I’ll do my best.”
“Make it snappy,” one of the men said. “We need to leave.”
“I’ve already dropped—”
“Wait until the kid’s gone,” the snarly man warned.
Corey scrawled down everything he remembered and handed the notebook back to Emma. “Thanks.” He picked up a plate of food and his coffee mug, ready to depart.
“Make sure you go a long way. We don’t want you overhearing us.”
Corey gave a clipped nod and kept walking until he stood on the far side of the camp. No longer hungry, he set his meal aside and stared across the grasslands and scrubby bushes, toward the mountains on the horizon. His father had really outdone himself this time.
Half an hour later, R.J. came out to join him.
“I might drive down to the other villages and check in with the places I’ve left art. Can I borrow your SUV?”
“I need my vehicle but Hal has a car. You can probably borrow his. It’s best if you make yourself scarce today. The less you learn of our activities the better.”
“I’ll go and see Hal now. I can go back inside, right?”
“Yeah.” R.J. gave him a quick kiss and pulled a small bar of chocolate out of his pocket. He tucked it in Corey’s waistband. “Take care, kid. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Same goes,” Corey said, his heart bursting with the need to tell R.J. exactly how he felt about him. Now wasn’t the time. He’d tell him later once they were alone with no interruptions. He lifted a hand in farewell. “Thanks for the candy bar. See you later.”
Thankfully, Hal handed over his car keys without a protest and Corey was soon driving away from Tower-Roosevelt toward Canyon Village. Mindful of the need to remain anonymous, he’d grabbed a cap and tucked his long hair up to change his normal appearance. His blue jeans and a souvenir T-shirt would help him blend in with the rest of the tourists, his camera the final element in his disguise. Checking with the lodges holding his paintings for sale wouldn’t take long. The rest of his day he’d play tourist in truth, taking hundreds of photos, some of which he’d turn into paintings during the coming months.
Now that it was late in the season, some of the villages would soon close for the winter. There weren’t as many people around, the roads noticeably quieter than when he was last there. Corey drove at a leisurely pace, stopping whenever a meadow or a stream caught his fancy. The wildflowers were mostly finished with a few straggling blooms giving a pinprick of color among the green meadows. At the Washburn Hot Springs overlook, Corey stopped again to gaze over Yellowstone caldera to the south. Today, despite the trials and tribulations, the sun shone brightly and the clear skies gave him a glimpse of the Teton Range in the distance. He took several photos before moving on.
The rest of the day passed in much the same manner. He dallied to watch a black bear and her two cubs wander through a clearing. He stood with other tourists while waiting for Old Faithful to blow, the water and steam shooting high into the air, the scent of sulfur making him sneeze. With the afternoon well under way, he drove around Yellowstone Lake. Along with photos of the lake and surrounding scenery, he captured shots of herons and an eagle perched in a tree.
Keen fishermen cast for fish and he even caught a glimpse of several kayaks before he turned his vehicle on the road back to Tower.
As he neared camp, his thoughts turned to the subject he’d attempted to avoid most of the day. His father. He didn’t understand why his father would want him back so badly he’d have Teague tortured to learn of Corey’s location. Why hadn’t he grabbed him and locked him up to keep him in Los Angeles? Corey frowned as he pulled Hal’s car into his parking space.
So many questions and he didn’t have the slightest idea of the answers.
He’d never understood his father. Never. He flung his weight around, issuing edicts and never explained his reasoning. Yet no one questioned him. Even his second-in-command acceded to his father’s every wish without an argument.
Maybe his departure had caused his father’s status to diminish or something equally stupid.
Nah! Couldn’t be.
The instant Corey climbed out of Hal’s car his instincts prickled with warning. He froze, using every one of his senses to full effect. He inhaled, sifting through the scents to discover anything out of the ordinary. His wolf rippled beneath his skin, silently demanding he shift to face the lurking danger. No longer frightened by his dual nature, Corey commanded him with ease, silently reassuring his wolf until he settled with a grumpy snarl.
He scanned the vicinity. Nothing out of the ordinary. He sniffed again and smelled only the usual. After grabbing his camera and his day pack, he locked the car and pocketed the keys.
With the small hairs at the back of his neck still prickling, he glided silently forward. Someone had parked a gray rental car haphazardly in front of the main building. A man dressed in black stood by the car. He stood at ease, his back to Corey.
The low murmur of voices came from somewhere inside the building. Another man dressed in black stood by the open door. This one he recognized. An Enforcer—one of his father’s personal security team.
His father had arrived in Yellowstone.
Chapter Fourteen
Corey’s father was a real bastard.
R.J. had met a few during his brief time in the city. They didn’t care about anyone or anything apart from power and the safety of their own skins. Like the majority of other wolves, Grant Wilson took suppression drugs.
His security guards—or at least the ones who entered the building with him—took the drugs too, although the scent of their wolves was stronger.
Hal sat behind his desk while R.J. stood against the office wall to his right. R.J. was glad Corey wasn’t there. Hopefully they could get rid of Wilson and his goons before Corey arrived back for the day.
“Where is my son?”
“I’ve no idea,” Hal said.
R.J. scowled at the man. One punch. That’s all it would take. One blow to put a kink in Wilson’s perfectly straight nose.
“Don’t lie to me. I know my son is here and I want to see him.”
Hal arched a brow. “Why?”
Wilson took a seat without invitation and crossed his legs before answering. “I’m worried about him.”
“Corey’s an adult. We enjoyed having him on the summer course, although I’ve no idea why you think he’s here now.”
“He intended to come here after he left New York.”
Hal remained silent. R.J. waited, seeing little of Corey in his sire.
The door behind Wilson burst open. R.J. stiffened, ready to shout a warning.
Too late.
Corey brushed past the security guard and strode into Hal’s office without hesitation. Part of R.J. filled with pride while the rest of him wanted to grab Corey and flee for safety. The impulse told him everything. He loved Corey and would do everything in his power to keep the younger man safe. Their relationship might have started as a fling but it had morphed into something else entirely.
He intended to keep Corey. A flash of humor filled him then. He wasn’t any better than Grant Wilson.
“You wanted to see me.” Corey stalked toward his father without a hint of greeting on his face.
R.J. witnessed the flash of anger in Wilson’s face. He’d prefer his son to cower at his feet like everyone else, expected it even.
“About time. Come, we’ll return to Los Angeles today.”
Corey stood tall and stared his father straight in the eye. “No. There’s nothing for me in Los Angeles.”
Wilson jerked his head at his security guard. The man walked up behind Corey and grabbed his arm. R.J. growled under his breath and straightened, ready to wade in and help
.
“Wait.” Hal’s order stayed R.J.
Corey allowed the security guard to draw him closer before he struck, felling him with three quick punches before the guard could react. The man fell with a loud thump and didn’t move again.
The office door flew open and another security guard stood in the doorway, weight balanced evenly on both feet while he summed up the situation.
“Out,” Wilson said. “I wish to speak with my son in private.”
R.J. tensed yet again as his gaze drifted over the new arrival. He knew this man.
Hal stood. “We’ll wait in the dining room.”
“I’d like R.J. to stay.” Corey stalked to his side and turned to face his father.
“Alone, I said.” Wilson obviously expected them to obey him but R.J. remained. If Corey wanted him to stay then that’s what he’d do.
With a final warning glance at R.J., Hal left. The remaining security guard dragged his fallen comrade out, closing the door after him.
“You too.”
Corey moved closer to R.J. “I have no secrets from R.J.”
Something in his son’s tone made Wilson’s eyebrows rise. “You’ve changed. Grown a pair.”
“Because I’m standing up to you?” Corey scoffed. “I don’t suppose you’re used to pack members doing that, especially with the Enforcers flanking you to provide muscle.”
“Watch your mouth, boy.”
To R.J.’s surprise, Corey sniffed but didn’t make a reply.
“I require your presence in Los Angeles. You will start work with me and I will train you to take over the pack.”
“You want Corey to take over the L.A. pack? From you?” R.J. registered the tightening of Wilson’s mouth, the clenching of his hands at his sides. He didn’t like R.J. butting in to a conversation he considered private.
Too bad.
“I don’t want the position. I’m staying here.” Corey’s chin lifted and he spoke with calm confidence.
“Good God! You’re just like him,” Grant muttered and started pacing back and forth. “I thought—” He broke off and wheeled around to glare at them both.
Corey cocked his head and moved even closer to R.J. Each of R.J.’s inhalations smelled of Corey and a hint of chocolate. The scent both soothed and worried him.
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