Call of the Wilds (3 page)

The locals had no problem with him. Men called greetings and slapped his back as he shoved his way toward her. Thankfully, she couldn’t see his eyes behind dark sunglasses, but his arrogant stance set her teeth on edge. The sharp planes of his face creased in a smirk, and suddenly the small room felt even smaller. She averted her gaze from his face and noticed part of a black tattoo peeking out from a rolled-up sleeve.

“Like what you see?” He crossed his arms over his chest, revealing a bit more of the tattoo—fangs or, maybe, claws.

“Can it, Jude.” The sheriff’s quiet drawl commanded respect. “Karin,” he whispered in an aside. “Let’s get on with it.”

“They act like a pack of hyenas.”

“Don’t worry.” Frank pressed his fingers into her spine. “I’ve got your back.”

 
She forced a smile. Sometimes he came on too strong, but she appreciated his presence. They disagreed on just about everything, but he stood by her when no one else would. She glanced over at the deputy.

Glenn shifted the ever-present toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other and bared tobacco-stained teeth in a derisive grin. One twitchy hand rested on the butt of his gun while the other adjusted his crotch. He just turned twenty-seven, but he acted like a kid playing cowboys and Indians. Always a hothead, he didn’t need much of an excuse to flaunt his weapons—both of them. The man thrived on trouble. He’d provoke it himself to stir up a little excitement.

The drone of impatient grumbling rose to a crescendo. Frank slammed a palm on the counter. “Give the little lady a chance to say her piece.”

She winced at his choice of words. That’s the way men talked in Black Wolf, but she’d never get used to it. She scoured the room for support. The men either glared back or turned away until she locked eyes with a tall man in the back. He leaned insolently against the rack that held the trail maps, permit information, and self-guiding brochures. He was a stranger, but then she didn’t know many people yet. His don’t-fuck-with-me expression gave him the look of a loner. In the midst of the crowd, he controlled his space. She could appreciate that. She tended to keep people at arm’s length herself. She learned the hard way to beware strangers.

Frank might be a good friend now, but it had taken her a few months to warm up to him. His touchy-feely behavior got on her nerves. His occasional breach troubled her, but she tolerated it in the name of friendship.

The stranger made her curious, but so what? He would turn out to be like all the other men she met here, just another pea-brained Neanderthal with three things on his mind—hunting, fishing, and fucking.

He sent a lopsided grin across the room that made her toes curl.

Uh oh. This one could be trouble with a capital T. He watched her like a single-minded wolf stalking its prey.

The old Karin might have welcomed the attention. Scaredy-cat Karin would be hyperventilating, but what about this new and improved Karin who could leap tall mountains in a single bound? Coming to Black Wolf had been a good move. She felt safer and her confidence level had gone up a notch. She’d done things she never knew she was capable of, but that didn’t mean she was ready for a man in her life. But, if the day ever came, this one would be a contender. Tall, dark, and handsome might be a cliché but it fit—sort of. He walked a narrow line between handsome and rough that she found extremely sexy. Something about his rugged good looks and his arousing grin awakened the vixen in her and made her feel wild and wanton.

His gaze dropped from her face to her shoulders to her breasts, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. When he raised his eyes to hers, they broadcast a sinful message, stirring some long-denied feeling she wasn’t ready to revisit. He eased his weight from one foot to the other, and her gaze shifted below the belt. Her breath caught at the way he filled out his faded jeans. When she lifted her head, he gave her a conspiratorial wink, sending adrenaline coursing through her body. His arrogant attitude pissed her off. She shot him a frosty look to let him know just how immune she was to his charms. Exasperation tightened her chest, and she turned away. She didn’t need this. She had important issues to address. She cleared her throat nervously.

“Some of you don’t know me yet. I’m Karin Stone, the new wildlife manager.” She paused to let the catcalls and war whoops die down. “I know you’re all upset about what’s happened—”

“Damn right!” Jude called out. A ripple of nodding heads and a chorus of yeses followed. “We should be out there right now hunting wolf.” His buddy let out a howl, and Jude pantomimed a rifle shot right between his eyes. Raucous laughter from thirty men bounced off the walls.

“Okay, boys. Enough.” Frank tried to restore order, but the men shouted him down.

“We want to know how the wolf got loose.”

“How many are out there?”

“One at a time, please.” Karin raised her voice. “The wolf caught in the trap is not one of ours. Our pack is tagged, and they’re all accounted for.”

“So there could be more?”

“It’s unlikely.” She crossed her fingers behind her back. She had no idea where the wolf came from. For all she knew, there could be another pack roaming the woodlands.

“What about rabies?”

“Also unlikely. There’s no fever, excessive drooling, or signs of aggression.” Except toward her and she refused to condemn an animal for hating its jailer.

“A man is dead. I’d call that a pretty good sign of aggression.” A wave of angry muttering rolled toward her like a tsunami, and she put her hands up in a bid for quiet.

“Right now the Wildlife Bureau wants the wolf confined and under observation. If she develops symptoms, she’ll be euthanized.”

“And we’re supposed to just sit around and wait until these predators wipe out our livestock and hurt our families?” Jude knew exactly which buttons to push to get the men going, not that they needed much of an excuse to drag out the hunting rifles. What could she say to calm them down? All her instincts told her not to blame the wolf, but if she downplayed the danger and someone else suffered…She didn’t even want to think about the possibility.

“Look, we don’t know what really happened in the gorge. The man could have died from natural causes and then was ravaged by scavengers.”

“Bullshit!” Jude edged closer. “What makes you the expert? We’ve lived here all our lives.”

“Maybe so, but I know wolves.” She tried to gauge the crowd. How far would they go?

“And I know we’re just wasting time here.” Jude pumped the air with his fist. “Are we gonna let the feds dictate how we live? Or are we gonna act like men and protect our families and property!”

The men roared approval.

Jude flashed a satanic smile. She watched a muscle twitch in his jaw. The crowd lurched behind him, pushing him forward. Trembling, she held her ground. If they wanted the wolf, they’d have to go through her.

Chapter Four

“That wolf is dead meat.” Jude hissed, his face only a few scant inches from Karin’s.

Okay, Frank. Now would be a good time to jump in.

A hasty look in the sheriff’s direction wasn’t reassuring. He looked torn, as if he couldn’t resolve which side to take.

Make up your mind before things get ugly.

Jude’s face mutated into a sinister mask. “Keep out of my way and you—”

Jude's body jerked backward as if invisible cables pulled him away. His feet lifted off the floor, and his arms windmilled helplessly. His sunglasses went flying when he landed hard on his ass.

Hoots and hollers exploded in the background, but they died away when he got up. His face twisted with fury as he turned to confront his attacker.

Karin looked too, and her eyes went wide. The dark stranger had become her white knight. He stood in a slight crouch, his body tense as a well-coiled spring. Head cocked, he watched Jude with keen attention. His eyes darkened like solar eclipses—pinpoint flares circled huge black pupils. She blinked in disbelief, and the flames disappeared.

The two men circled, warily sizing each other up. Neither one took his eyes off the other. The crowd went berserk, sensing a good fight, and they backed off to give the men more room.

“You’ll pay for this, Malcolm.” Jude advanced, balled his hands into fists, and swung.

Malcolm blocked, then came back with a lightning-fast jab to the gut.

Jude doubled over. He let out a soft
oomph
and staggered back as the crowd protested.

“I’ll kill you for this.” Jude recovered and charged, the blade of a flick-knife glittering in his hand. Horrified, Karin screamed, but Malcolm had already grabbed Jude’s wrist, twisting until the knife clattered to the floor. The man moved so fast. He had the reflexes of a cat.

Jude’s mouth straightened into a hard line. Unafraid to move into the taller man’s range, he peppered Malcolm with a series of ineffective punches.

Malcolm caught him coming out of a crouch and landed a right to his jaw that snapped his head back. He moved in for the kill, but Frank came up behind him and yanked his arms behind his back to restrain him.

Jude took advantage of the opportunity. He worked his arm like a pile driver and delivered a full-force blow to Malcolm’s nose.

His eyes watered, and he shook his head, spraying blood in a wide arc.

“Knock him out,” someone in the crowd bellowed, and Jude pulled his arm back for another punch.

“Stop it!” she shouted at Frank, knowing Jude would never listen to her.

Frank’s contorted expression disturbed her. She had the sinking feeling that he would like nothing better than to let Jude kill her knight. When he looked her way, the ugly expression vanished so fast she thought she might have misread him.

“That’s enough, Jude,” Frank bellowed.

Jude pulled his punch at the last second. Panting and sullen, he scowled at Malcolm, who stared back in silence.

“Malcolm, I’m gonna let you go. Don’t be stupid.” Frank released the man’s arms, then stepped between him and Jude. “All right, boys, that’s enough.”

The crowd rumbled, disappointed that the entertainment was over.

“Let’s chalk this up to a friendly disagreement and leave it at that.” Frank’s tone dared them to say different. “We don’t need to be fighting amongst ourselves. Next thing you know, we’ll have the state troopers, the park authority, and God knows who else breathing down our necks.” He looked from one to the other. “Are we in agreement here, Jude?”

He clenched his fists and nodded.

“Malcolm?”

After a few seconds, he nodded too.

“Okay, boys, party’s over.”

“Not by a long shot,” Jude threw over his shoulder as he stormed out, his buddies close behind.

Frank squinted at Malcolm. “Maybe you better get that nose looked at.”

Karin spoke up. “Let me take a look.” She focused on the injured man’s face. “I have medical supplies in the back.”

“He might act like an animal, but he needs more than a vet.” Frank sneered.

“
He
can take care of himself.” Malcolm controlled his words, but Karin heard the rage behind them.

She could barely contain her own anger at Frank. He should have put a stop to this sooner. “I’m sorry.” She addressed Malcolm through tight lips. “I’d feel better if you’d let me take a look.”

He shrugged and rubbed an arm across his face, wiping away blood and sweat.

Frank grunted. “I’ll stick around till you’re done.”

“No, you won’t.” She couldn’t look at him, and she didn’t need protection against a man who had protected her. “I’m perfectly capable of performing first aid.”