The Dom's Patience is Rewarded [Unchained Love 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

“JB, you know where he is, right?” asked Larry.

“I know where his truck is. The bug I planted on his truck tells me where it is. Since it’s way out in the countryside I’m guessing he didn’t just dump it there and is nearby himself,” replied JB.

“I don’t feel inclined to fetch him back. Sam never applied to become a member here, and he doesn’t belong here anymore. But I’m happy for JB to keep you informed about his movements. Or the movements of his truck, at least,” said Larry.

“In some ways it’d be good if he got himself arrested again and ended up back in jail. At least he can’t cause us any grief there. But I’m going to have to send a few of my panthers to keep watch on him, I think. Just knowing where he is won’t help us to avoid any trouble he may cause.” Omar looked at Oliver.

“Not me, please, Alpha. I’d much prefer to stay here with Leticia. How about Josh or Pete? They’re young, strong, fit, and sensible. They’d be more than a match for Sam.”

“I’d be relieved if I knew what he was doing in the middle of nowhere,” said Larry.

“Are you sure it’s the middle of nowhere?” asked Omar.

“Yeah. Jubilee showed me how to do that overlay thing of Google Earth over Google Maps, and according to them there’s nothing there, just uninhabited land,” said Larry.

“All right. Print off the details and I’ll send Josh and Pete out to have a look-see.”

Five minutes later the meeting wound up, and Oliver left Larry’s office with Omar and several sheets of printed-off maps.

“I’d like you to go with Josh and Pete, see the lay of the land, settle them in, and bring me back a report. That means you’ll need to go in two vehicles so one stays there for them. They’ll need a tent, a stove, and food and fuel for three or four days.” Omar sighed. “They’d better take my big truck to hold all their stuff. At least they could sleep in the cab of that if they needed to get out of the weather at any time. Fuck, what a mess!”

“It’ll mean you’re short of men to camp on the north ridge, too. Pete and I were due to replace Bill and Frank on Thursday. William will be back on shift at the hospital by then, and I really don’t want to be away from Leticia for a week,” said Oliver.

Leticia was outwardly so small and fragile yet underneath it all a strong person. A woman he’d been in love with for so long he could hardly believe he might finally be able to claim her very soon. He knew he was going to have to share her with the human, William, but possessing her would be the fulfillment of everything he’d wanted for years. However, there was no way he was going to stay away from her for days on end. He needed to be close to her, to see her every day. To touch her, to…

“A couple of the married men will have to take a turn. I should have asked JB how his project to set up CCTVs in the high trees is coming along. Damn Sam and his paranoia. You start getting the equipment. I’ll send Josh and Pete to you.”

Oliver left Omar at the main storage barn and went inside to start collecting camping gear. Fortunately, all the panthers were very familiar with camping and the skills needed to camp in an unobtrusive and environmentally friendly way. Back when they’d lived on the farm, before they’d come to Carnal Connections, the only way they could enjoy really long runs was to head into a national park somewhere for a few days.

Oliver pulled out a two-man tent, two winter-rated sleeping bags and insulated sleeping pads, a tiny stove and the fuel to run it, and then moved over to the food stores. How long should he stock them for? A couple of days at least, but three? Four?

Ah, whatever fits in the crate!

Oliver picked up two cartons each holding twenty-four bottles of water and added them to the pile of things to take then began counting out canned and packaged food, placing it neatly in a blue crate. They’d need to buy some fresh fruit to take with them, maybe a couple loaves of bread, but they wouldn’t starve. Oliver counted the cans and packets. Enough for four days of healthy eating. Surely that’d be as long as they’d need.

“Hi, Oliver. I hear I’m heading off on a camping trip,” said Josh as he walked into the barn carrying a duffel bag.

“Yeah. I hope you packed a thick coat.”

“Pete’s bringing us winter coats and heavy boots. We’re to take Omar’s truck. He gave me the keys and the map of where we’re headed. The question is, has Sam totally lost the plot, or is something major about to happen? Because if it is, two of us aren’t going to be enough people to deal with it.”

“Did you bring your phone charger? You’ll be able to charge your cell phone using the truck engine. That way you can call for help if you need it.”

“Oh, good idea. I’ll get Pete to pick it up for me.”

Oliver checked over the things he’d laid out for the men. He couldn’t think of anything he’d missed, but they could always go buy it themselves or call for help, anyway. He just hoped this was a wild goose chase, not the start of another drama. Oh hell, he was tired of Sam’s antics. The man had even been Alpha for a while after his brother died, before he’d completely lost touch with reality. Oliver shook his head and waited for Pete to arrive so he could follow them out to where Sam was. Hopefully, he’d be home again by lunchtime.

* * * *

Oliver sat with Josh and Pete in the cab of Omar’s big truck, working out which route they’d take.

“I reckon we should go the last mile on foot,” said Josh.

“As humans? Or do you think it’d be better to go in as panthers? We’d have an enhanced sense of smell and hearing then,” said Pete.

“Yeah, but what if we need to speak or use a cell phone? Human would be better then,” argued Josh.

“How about you two go as panthers and lead the way. I’ll follow you as a human. That way we get the best of both worlds. But don’t make yourselves known to Sam. We’re supposed to be watching him, not making him run away again,” said Oliver.

“Gotcha.”

“Good point.”

Oliver followed them in his own car, staying well back and memorizing the countryside for when he had to return alone without a map. It wasn’t all that difficult and he had a good sense of direction anyway. He figured if he missed a turn he’d work it out sooner or later.

Pete took Omar’s truck down a rutted dirt track, parking deep under some trees. Oliver followed but turned his car so it faced outward again, ready for a faster getaway. While the other men undressed, put their clothing inside the truck, and left the car key under a handy rock, Oliver pulled a navy-blue knitted cap over his pale hair and stomped his booted feet in the undergrowth.

“Ready?” asked Josh.

Oliver nodded and the two men transformed into panthers then paced through the trees, tails held low, every sense very evidently on the alert. Oliver let them get twenty feet ahead of him, wanting to be far enough behind them to act on any warning they may give but not so far back as to lose track of where they went.

It was cold and damp under the trees, but apprehension was sending a trickle of sweat down his back as he tried to step quietly through the undergrowth. Josh stopped and lifted his head, sniffing the air. Suddenly, Oliver smelled it, too. Someone, presumably Sam, had lit a wood fire.

The panthers moved faster now, but Oliver still tried to step silently. The last thing he wanted was to startle Sam and get himself shot. The man was completely unstable and had already shot his own daughter, never mind someone unexpected coming toward him through the bushes.

Josh stopped again, tilting his head. At the very farthest reaches of his hearing Oliver sensed some noises. It was much too soft to discern what kind of noise, but it was unlikely to be a bird singing, so it must be Sam doing something.

The panthers moved more slowly now, weaving their way around shrubs and trees. Oliver followed them, moving up to about ten feet behind them. Now he could hear two men speaking quietly. As yet, he couldn’t discern the words, but it was definitely male speech. Who did Sam have there with him? Who had come here to meet Sam? Or was it the other way around? Had Sam come here to meet someone else?

Pete was crawling under a thick bush now. Josh moved toward the right and was suddenly completely invisible. Oliver looked around. There was a sturdy tree a little way to the left with a climbable branch not too high off the ground. Mentally cursing his luck, Oliver jumped up, grabbed the branch, and swung himself into the tree. He had to climb up several branches higher before he had any kind of view at all, then he had to turn right around to be facing in the correct direction.

He was looking out over several tents with a large fire pit in the center. This campsite had been in use for a while. The big tent had quite a lot of fallen leaves on the flat awning over the opening. Sam was sitting almost in the coals of the fire, his boots on a rock lining the fire pit and his back to Oliver. But the other man was facing him and caused Oliver to almost lose his grip on the branch he was holding. The other man was the panther with long, dirty-blond hair. The leader of the rogue panthers and the one who’d ridden a horse in a scene Ramona had filmed for the movie studio. The man he’d decided was only half-panther. Now why the fucking hell would Sam be talking to him?

Oliver remained silent and unmoving but couldn’t hear what was being said, so finally he slid down the tree and walked back to where they’d left the vehicles. He could wait in warmth and comfort until either Pete or Josh returned to tell him anything extra they’d heard. Pete might have been closer. In panther form, his hearing would be more acute. Maybe he could hear what they were saying.

Oliver supposed if he stayed there he may have seen more people, but there was no sign of anyone else being nearby and he really wanted to be well away if a large number of rogue panthers appeared.

Back at his car he stomped his feet to warm them and wiggled his shoulders to ease the tension that had built up. He marched around the small area where they’d parked two or three times then turned as he sensed someone approaching. It was Josh.

“I don’t think Omar’s going to be happy to find out Sam’s talking with the leader of the rogue panthers,” said Josh, unlocking Omar’s truck and getting dressed.

“Hell no. But it doesn’t make sense. He’s been so desperate to protect Leticia from the rogue panthers, and now he’s out socializing with their leader? It’s crazy. The whole scenario is crazy.”

“You got that correct. You need to tell Omar all about it right quick. It’s just a fucking nuisance that I couldn’t hear what they were talking about. Their voices were very low. When you leave I’ll block off this track near the road then pitch our tent over there.” Josh waved at some dense undergrowth.

“Before you do that, it might be wise to scout around a bit more to check that there’s only one campsite. That there’s not another pack of them just a bit farther away.”

“Good point. I’ll do that. Want me to help push your car back to the road so you don’t make any noise starting the engine?”

“No, but thanks anyway. It’s not a noisy vehicle. If you get any information or need anything, send Omar a text message and someone will meet you where you block the track. Keep your head down. Stay safe.”

“Fuck yes. Sam’s not to be trusted, and the rogue panthers sure as hell aren’t, either.”

Oliver waved and climbed back in his car, traveling very slowly until he reached the road.
Telling Omar is one thing, but how the hell am I going to explain it to Leticia?

“Leticia, I need to talk seriously to you.”

She looked up into Oliver’s stern face. She was out in the garden, where she planned to spend some of her time for the next few months. Well, until it started snowing. Although hopefully she’d have the garden cleared, weeded, and ready for spring planting before then. Leticia wiggled from her knees onto her bottom, so she was sitting comfortably on the folded old blanket she’d been using as a kneeling pad. Carefully, she stretched her sore shoulder. Today was the first day she’d been allowed to take off the strapping and it was still aching, but at least it would start getting strong again. “Yes, Oliver?”

Suddenly, a terrible thought struck her. “My father’s not dead, is he? Or in jail again?”

Oliver shook his head. “No, but he is the basis for the conversation we need to have.”

William walked across from where he’d been tipping a wheelbarrow load of weeds into a compost bin. “It’s lucky I didn’t have to work today and could be here as well then, isn’t it?”

Leticia hid a grin. It was fortunate that Oliver’s Alpha, Omar, and William’s best friend, Tor, were both in committed ménage relationships. Because of her father’s overprotectiveness, she’d never said anything to anyone about her personal feelings for Oliver and William, but both still knew instinctively it was a both-or-neither kind of deal. They were so very different from each other, but she loved them equally.

Because of her father keeping her under his eye all the time recently, she hadn’t been on any dates with either man. But just as she and William had shared long talks and chaste kisses in hospital, so, too, had Oliver endlessly demonstrated his love for her in discreet ways, with gentle hand touches, burning gazes, and sweet words and actions. Whenever her father had let her be with the pack she’d felt Oliver’s gaze on her. It made her feel warm and loved, much more so that her father’s controlling presence. Oliver had been never-endingly patient. As a Dom, that must have been so hard for him, yet he’d never once tried to force her to come to him. He’d watched and waited and shown his love for her in understated ways that wouldn’t annoy her father. Her father had likely never even noticed. But she’d noticed them and loved him for it.