Among Wolves (20 page)

Butch caressed the small inverted triangle of
black hair on Roman's chest. Roman clasped Butch's hand and kissed
his knuckles. "Get cleaned up so we can help Vernon clear the
snow."

"Roman." Butch's eyes watered.

"I know." Roman kissed his cheek and left the
bathroom, seeing Charlie sitting on the bed, putting on his
socks.

"He's crazy about you," Charlie said.

Roman didn't reply, reaching again for black
clothing; black jeans, black shirt, black socks. When he looked
into the closet at the items he brought, he realized; everything
was black.

~

By the time Butch had showered and shaved,
the other two were in the living room. Charlie was sipping coffee,
while Roman spoke on his cell phone.

"…yeah, come on over, Phil. We're going to
grab a quick bite of breakfast and head on up to see the kill
area." Roman glanced at Butch, then refocused on the call. "I
figure the main roads are clear. But I'd imagine the local ones and
our place aren't."

Butch put his boots on, then his hat and
coat. "I'll go help out clearin' the snow."

Charlie nodded, the mug to his lips.

Butch expected Charlie to offer up, but he
didn't. Butch made sure his gloves were in his jacket pocket, then
opened the door. He was met with a snow drift that came nearly
halfway up the height of the door. He pushed it back and closed the
door behind him, making his way to the ranch house to a shed where
he knew shovels were kept. Once he began digging out the main path
up to the house, and the porch, Butch heard the whine of a snowplow
engine. A few minutes later he spotted it clearing out the ranch's
long lane, the truck of day workers behind it, loaded with the
ranch hands.

Butch rested the shovel at his boots and
wiped his forehead of sweat. Men's voices made him look over. JP
and Goat had shovels in hands and were removing the deep drifts
from their door and the pathway. Butch waved at them and they
acknowledged it.

Butch went back to work, heaving the white
powder off the paving stones in the bright morning sun.

The door to the ranch house opened behind him
and he spotted Suzie, all bundled up, a red scarf around her neck
and a red wool hat with a white pompom on her head. She tugged the
edges of her gloves and began sweeping the porch of the powdery
snow. "Morning, Butch."

"Morning, Suz." He tipped his hat to her.

"Mom's cooking up a nice breakfast for
everyone."

Butch checked his watch. "She did say eight,
right?"

Suzie walked down the two steps of the porch
towards him, smiling as she gazed up at him. "Are you gay too,
Butch?"

At the direct question, Butch blinked and
stammered.

"I suppose living with those two handsome
men, seeing them kissing and enjoying each other…" She grinned a
little too knowingly.

"Uh…" Butch hadn't expected the bold comments
and was tongue-tied.

"You were such a ladies' man when you worked
here. I remember you dating all the waitresses at the tavern." She
bumped him with her shoulder playfully.

"I…" Butch had no explanation for her. He was
attracted to Roman, and couldn't make excuses about it.

"It's okay, Butch. As a woman I certainly see
what's so sexy about those two boys."

JP and Goat shoveled their way closer and
Butch didn't want her to keep discussing it. He looked up as the
ranch hands climbed out of the truck and entered the barn.

"Connie got the grub on the table?" Goat
asked Suzie.

"She's about done. Go and see, Hal." Suzie
tilted her head to the house.

Goat trotted up the stairs.

"You coming?" JP asked, appearing slightly
uneasy and Butch knew it was from the episode last night.

"Yeah. Let me get Charlie and Roman." Butch
leaned his shovel against the house.

"I will. You go and eat, Butch." Suzie tapped
the tip of Butch's nose in a tease.

Butch had no idea what to say.

"If I'm lucky," Suzie laughed as she walked
down the path, "Maybe I'll catch them in the middle of
something!"

Butch's mouth hung open. "I will never
understand women," he said to himself. He kicked the snow off his
shoes and opened the door to the ranch house. Harley sped right
through his legs and yapped at the ranch hands as they let the
horses out into the snow-filled pasture.

~

Roman disconnected the call and said, "He'll
be up here in an hour."

"Okay," Charlie replied, stepping into his
cowboy boots.

A knock came to their door.

Roman reached for his leather jacket as
Charlie opened the door. Roman was surprised to see Suzie,
expecting JP or Goat.

"Good morning, boys." She smiled, looking
adorable in her wool cap and rosy cheeks.

"Hiya, Suzie. Connie got breakfast on the
table?" Charlie asked, putting his coat on.

"Most likely." Suzie met Roman's eyes. "My,
Agent Burk, you get sexier every day."

Charlie spun around to look at Roman as if to
appraise him.

"And you should be Miss Utah in the next
beauty contest." Roman put his arm around Suzie and walked her back
to the ranch house.

"I suppose it's all your animal magnetism."
Suzie laughed.

Charlie said, "Hey. What about me? Ain't I
cute?"

Roman reached back for Charlie and kissed his
lips. "Hell yeah."

"Oh!" Suzie giggled and put her mitten over
her mouth.

"Calm down. Not in front of Ms Norman."
Charlie shot him a scolding glance.

"You guys got Butch in heat. And I can see
why." She led the way to the porch.

Charlie and Roman exchanged glances. "Did he
say somethin' to y'all?" Charlie asked her as she opened the door
of the house.

"He doesn't have to." She grinned wickedly
and kicked the snow off her boots before she stepped inside.

The aroma of bacon and homemade biscuits hit
Roman instantly. He stood in the threshold of the house, taking off
his jacket, seeing a crowd had formed at the dining table.

Goat yelled, "Mornin', fellas. You end up
sleepin' okay?"

Vernon entered the room and asked, "Why
wouldn't they?"

"No reason," Charlie said, sitting at the
table after taking off his coat and hat.

"Eat up. There's a lot of snow what needs
clearin'." Connie placed a platter of bacon and sausage on the
table.

Roman took the same spot next to Charlie as
he had last night. Butch came in from the kitchen, wiping his hands
on his jeans as if he had just washed them at the sink.

Sherlane walked around the table pouring
coffee for everyone. "Did any of you boys hear shots last
night?"

Not answering, Roman picked up a few slices
of bacon and sausage links to put on his plate.

"Uh, hear what?" Butch said, trying to sound
innocent.

"Did you say shots, Sherlane?" Vernon asked,
taking the seat at the head of the table and sipping his
coffee.

"I didn't," Suzie replied, "But Harley was
barking so much I was about to kill him."

"Connie?" Vernon asked, taking two biscuits
to his plate. "Did you hear anything?"

"I didn't." She began serving fried eggs, two
at a time to each plate.

Holding a tureen, Suzie offered the sauce to
go over the biscuits.

Roman declined on adding the creamy goo and
blew on his coffee before he sipped it. He glanced at Goat and JP
to see if they were going to keep their promise.

They didn't reply, eating their
breakfast.

"Vernon," Roman said, getting everyone's
attention.

"Yes, Roman?"

"Agent Dean is coming up this way. He and I
are going to check out the area near the wire fence to see if we
can find the group doing the killing."

"I assume it's the same one as last time. You
want me to get Dale up here?" Vernon picked up a slice of bacon and
ate it.

"Yes. I do." Roman was handed hash-brown
potatoes and took a big helping.

Vernon nodded.

"I'm goin'." Butch wiped his mouth on the
napkin.

"I assume we all are." Charlie chewed his
food.

Roman watched the women finally stop fussing
with the serving and join them at the table. The roles in this
household were traditional. But both of Vernon's daughters were
enrolled in college, and the Norman family was not narrow-minded.
On the contrary.

"If it's the same group," Suzie asked, "Why
haven't they been caught yet?"

Goat said, "If the ATF are comin' they will
be."

Roman ate his breakfast fighting a sense of
dread and apprehension. Envisioning an army of wolves? Maybe that
worked for Charlie. All Roman wanted was a battalion of armed men
in black SWAT gear.

As he became more intent on his food, he
heard the thoughts of those around him begin to enter his mind. One
in particular caught his attention. He glanced up at Suzie. She was
staring at him. When they met gazes she looked back at her plate
quickly, as if embarrassed.

He answered her unspoken question. "Charlie
does."

"Huh?" Charlie woke out of a daydream.

Suzie shifted in her seat, but Roman could
see her smirk.

"Charlie does what?" JP asked.

"Never mind," Roman said. Suzie had asked a
typically straight person question, 'Who plays the woman?'

Suzie's blue eyes met Roman's and she smiled.
Her next silent message to Roman was,
I knew you'd play the man
in the family.

He chuckled and continued to eat, trying not
to listen to the internal comments of the people around him.

Charlie could hear loud voices outside the
ranch house. All that was left of the morning meal was empty plates
and half-filled coffee mugs. JP and Goat stood up from the table
first to get back to their chores.

He began stacking plates when Suzie stopped
him. "We got it, Charlie. Go on and get those assholes who are
killing animals on our property."

Charlie nodded at her, and both Butch and
Roman stood from the table, followed by Vernon.

Vernon said, "Let me call Dale," and left the
room.

"Thank you, ma'am," Charlie said to Connie,
"always a good meal at this table."

Sherlane said, "Wait until you see Christmas
dinner, Charlie. We're going to be cooking up a storm and making at
least a dozen kinds of cookies."

Roman laughed and shook his head. "Love it
here."

"Wish you'd stay," Suzie said softly and
finished clearing the table.

Charlie kissed Connie's cheek in gratitude
and the men walked to the front door to get their coats and hats
on.

Butch said to Roman, "Your pack is
growing."

Roman's warm smile faded and he turned to
look at the women, busy in the kitchen. "Anything happens to those
ladies I will kill."

"Calm down." Charlie touched Roman's arm and
handed him his jacket.

"Just sayin'." Butch shrugged and opened the
door. "It feels like that to me."

Once outside, Charlie immediately spotted the
rugged black ATF SUV and Agent Phil Dean chatting to one of the
ranch hands.

The three men made their way over to Phil,
and Charlie looked at the clear sky, bright sun, and piles of
plowed snow.

Phil nodded his head in greeting and then
asked, "How are we getting up there?"

"Horse?" Butch asked.

A dog barking interrupted their conversation.
Harley nipped at both Charlie and Roman's legs.

Phil asked flippantly, "An admirer?"

"Git lost, Harley." Charlie nudged the dog
with his boot.

Roman ignored the obnoxious dog. "The horses
are reluctant to let me and Charlie on them."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Phil rolled his
eyes.

"Let me get my gun." Roman walked off.

Butch yelled, "I thought you said a gun
didn't work!"

Roman kept walking, not looking back.

Charlie blew out a breath and the vapor from
the cold day made a misty cloud, but it vanished quickly in the
wind. "How about your SUV? Ya got four-wheel drive. Or we can try
my pickup truck."

Phil shielded his eyes as he looked up the
trail. "It's more than two feet of snow."

"And?" Charlie asked.

"Sure. Whatever." Phil walked back to the
SUV.

Butch said to Charlie, "I'll saddle up one of
the horses."

"Okay, Butch." Charlie patted his arm and
headed to the passenger's side of the SUV. He sat beside Phil as
Phil started the engine, the heat turned up high, and put on a pair
of dark sunglasses.

Charlie noticed his gun in a holster under
his open jacket and a shiny badge attached to the strap. He also
spotted a folder. "May I?" Charlie pointed to it.

"Sure. It's the same information I gave to
Roman last night."

Charlie picked up the folder and opened it.
"I didn't get to read it."

"Why not? Too busy having sex?" Phil
snickered.

"We were attacked by that Alpha." Charlie
flipped the pages.

"What?" Phil moaned in frustration. "Jesus,
come on, Charlie. When's this going to end? I have real work to
do."

"I hear ya. I do. I have no idea why this
fuckin' beast is hauntin' us." Charlie read the names of the
suspects from the incident two years ago. They meant nothing to
him. And most had moved out of the state.

The back door of the SUV opened and Roman
climbed in. "You think this rig is going to get us up the
trail?"

"I'm about to find out." Phil shifted the
gears, putting it into four-wheel drive, and slowly made his way
passed the barn.

Butch had saddled up a buckskin mare and
trotted ahead of them.

"That's the way to go," Charlie said,
stuffing the report back between the seats where he found it. "Four
legs, not four wheels."

"If you can get one to take me, I'd ride."
Roman leaned between them against the seat.

"Burk, why didn't you tell me you had a
visitor last night?" Phil looked into his rearview mirror.