Espino, Stacey - Surrounded by Wolves [Wolves of Climax 1] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)

Wolves of Climax 1

STACEY ESPINO

Copyright © 2012

Chapter One

“Get your hard hat on, Texas!”

The foreman loved to bust Travis’s balls on the jobsite. He gave his boss the middle finger before grabbing the white hat and reflective safety vest from the bed of his truck. Garret wasn’t just his foreman, but also his alpha. Fortunately, he was also a good friend, one of the few men he trusted.

The jobsite was dusty, the engines and mining equipment around them making it difficult to hear. At least that meant they were being productive, which wasn’t a given these days. Travis slipped the vest on over his shoulders.

His superior climbed down from the excavator, landing heavily on his booted feet. Garret tossed the remainder of the cigarette hanging precariously from his lips. “Safety first. You know that.”

Travis leaned against his pickup truck, straightening out the annoying orange outer layer. “Stop being such a prick. I’m not even on shift.”

“You’re on my site which means you wear your gear at all times. Those Rockford boys are just begging for an excuse to report us.”

Travis looked up at the cloudless sky. It would be a full moon tonight, and his wolf already clawed within him to be free. How could Garret worry about protocol when they were only hours away from shedding their human skin? It was all he could think about. Garret had been pushing the pack too hard, expecting them to play human with no reprieve. It was inhumane to not allow them to connect with their beasts on a nightly basis. But he insisted there was trouble lurking in the woods, and they’d be better to lay low for a while. Tonight they were promised a midnight run.

“Hey! Paying attention is another necessity. You’re gonna get yourself killed wandering around in a dream world.”

Travis inhaled a cleansing breath, trying to control his anxiousness. “Sorry, you say something?”

“The new dispatcher arrives today. She’s coming all the way up from the Lower Mainland. Try not to piss her off because we won’t get lucky again anytime soon.”

“How’d you manage that? I didn’t think anyone in their right mind would apply for the position.” Climax was off the grid. A small mining town off the northwestern cape of British Columbia. Although some men did well in the local fishery, mining was where the real money was to be made. Gregor Mining had been hurting for a new dispatcher. They had trucks coming and going from several smaller, open pits in the area, and there needed to be reliable coordination for all the copper going out. The last employee quit and returned to the city after less than two weeks on the job. Feuds with loggers, frequent reports of animal killings, and the suffering economy made Climax a destination to be avoided. A man couldn’t raise a family in a town lacking proper infrastructure, such as schools, stores, and social support networks. Most of the citizens were single men—drifters, misfits, and shifters relying on the old-growth forests just north of town.

“We got a lucky break. She was moving here anyhow, and called looking for a job. Of course, I hired her on the spot.”

He chuckled. “Who’d actually choose to live here? Especially a woman. She must be a real prize if she’s willing to isolate herself in this neck of the woods.” In fact, she’d only be the fourth woman in the entire town. Bonnie ran one of the long-haul trucks for Gregor Mining, Carol worked at the only diner, and one of their coworkers, Gord, lived with his wife in a small cottage at the base of the mountains.

Garret’s two-way radio alerted him. He turned his back and answered the call, yelling into the mike to be heard over the roar of the loaders in the pit.

A new dispatcher would make the job run smoother, but what could repair Travis’s private life? Travis understood the need to live in Climax, but even a wolf-shifter could feel isolated when unable to socialize beyond the same, small group of men. It drove Travis crazy most weeks to not have a selection of females at his beck and call. It was a rarity even to see a woman where he lived, and the ones he did were better left unseen. He had to satisfy himself with the infrequent trips into larger towns.

Travis shared a cabin with Evan and Patrick at the base of the Fairweather Mountain Range. Their property covered thousands of acres, virgin forest passed down from generation to generation of wolf-shifters. There was a Native reservation to the east of them, but from the north, loggers constantly tried to encroach on their land. They also had issues with their competition, the wolves from Rockford Mining. Garret was sure they had something to do with Matthew’s disappearance. They had tried to get his best operator and pack mate to join their mine on more than one occasion. Each time Matthew refused, they became more spiteful. Finding skilled labor this far north was always a challenge. Matthew was the only man able to operate some of the vital machines at the mine, and production had been stilled ever since he went missing. Business was in a downward spiral, but Garret refused to look for a replacement. He was determined their pack mate would be found alive.

“I’ve got to make a call in the tower. Patrick’s got a flat tire out on County Road 6. Make yourself useful, you’ve got another three hours until quitting time.” Garret stormed off. He appeared to be all brawn, with an attitude toxic enough to strip paint, but he was a highly regarded alpha. Keeping the mine running smoothly was a challenge in itself. Travis didn’t envy Garret’s position as foreman, especially with their small budget, being understaffed, and working with out-of-date equipment on tight deadlines. It was a constant headache.

Travis boarded one of the dump trucks, adjusted his seat, and got in line to be loaded.

* * * *

Cassidy Lyons finished packing the last of her clothes in the old, faux-leather suitcase. She’d never been out of the Lower Mainland, but was about to say good-bye and head north for the first time. At thirty-four it felt risky starting over, but in the current economy she couldn’t turn down a mortgage-free home.

“Eight-hour drive,” she muttered to herself. Cassidy stuffed the two books from her bedside table into the side pouch of her bag. The remote town of Climax, British Columbia, barely registered on the map, but she would soon call it home. With the help of the lawyer handling the estate of her late grandfather, she was able to line up a full-time job as a dispatcher at one of the many quarries in the area. Cassidy figured it couldn’t be too different than working at the call center in the city.

She lugged the last suitcase off the bed and set it beside the others at the entrance. The long drive wouldn’t get any shorter by stalling.
Come on, Cass. You can do this!
She walked around the now-empty apartment, her low heels echoing on the laminate floor. Three years was the longest she’d ever stayed in one place, so it was bittersweet saying good-bye. Although her view was the brick wall of the building next door, she’d customized her apartment until it was her cozy retreat from the world. She’d have to start over because she was only taking her clothing and the few things she could fit into her Sunfire.

It would be tough starting fresh in a strange town, not knowing a soul, but she was up for the challenge. The house she acquired was supposedly furnished, and with no monthly payments besides utilities, and the savings she withdrew from the bank, she’d be okay until she got her first paycheck. Cassidy was a survivor, and wasn’t worried about putting food on the table. She could live off Kraft Dinner and Kool-Aid if she had to.

She loaded up her backseat and trunk with everything she owned. Cassidy wasn’t leaving behind any loved ones. Her only known relative was a half brother she’d never met. She’d never been very close with her adoptive family. Those had been her rebellious years, the memories still a haze. As an adult she kept in telephone contact, but it was a courtesy. They’d never had the chance to bond properly. She’d only joined their family when she was twelve after being tossed from foster home to foster home.

Cassidy only had herself, not even a pet. But that was okay. She had high hopes for the future—dreams of true love and belonging. Reality would likely keep those dreams at bay. If she couldn’t snag a good man in a city inhabited by millions, how much luck would she have in a town with a three-digit populace? She envisioned hunters and trappers, crabbers and loggers. They’d likely have yellow or missing teeth, scruffy beards, and wear overalls to hide their big guts. She’d have to sleep with one eye open for a while, or at least ensure her new home had functioning locks on all the doors and windows.

Besides the frighteningly poor selection of eligible bachelors she expected from a small town, she looked forward to the whole small-town appeal. Little old ladies bringing her pies, flowered planters along the main road, crafts sales, and maple syrup.

A couple friends had asked her why she would even contemplate moving way up north. They advised her to just sell her inheritance and stay in the city where she could make a real future for herself. But they didn’t understand where she came from. Finding out she had a blood grandfather was the highlight of her life, but within months of discovering he existed, he’d passed away, leaving her his forgotten estate. She wanted to keep the home, the only memory she had of real family. It meant something to her, and she wouldn’t sell because she was hurting for money. Some things were more important than dollars and cents. Her grandfather left her a great legacy. He’d apparently built the home with his own two hands and raised his children there, one being her birth mother. Cassidy was desperate to salvage what little history she could in her life.
How bad could it be?

The drive up to Climax was relatively easy based on her MapQuest directions, but tireless. She could sleep for a week if she didn’t have to start work at her new job on Monday morning. That only gave her two full days. Two days to get settled in before beginning a new daily grind. Cassidy drove past the sign welcoming her to Climax. Population three hundred and sixty-eight. The name of the town still made her laugh. She’d stopped at a gas station for directions halfway through her journey. Cassidy told the young attendant she was desperate to reach Climax by nightfall and needed help getting there. The blank look on his face said it all. From that point on she relied on her maps and common sense.

The mountains towered in the distance, carpeted in shades of green, and highlighted by the clear, blue sky. The country was breathtaking. There was no denying the fact. The drive had been more pleasant than she’d imagined due to the views along the way. She loved being a Canadian, seeing mountains at the ends of streets and being able to visit forests taken right out of fairy tales. Sometimes the soul needed to see nature in its rawest, truest form, not just the metal and concrete of the inner cities.

She was going to head to her house first. Cassidy was nearly giddy with excitement being so close after the eight-hour drive. She’d never owned anything of value or significance, but she was now a homeowner, and a damn proud one. It was the Gregor Mining sign that put a kink in her plans. She figured she should check in, take a quick look around before heading to her new home further outside the town limits.

As she navigated the dirt roads into the quarry, dust billowed up around her. Her tires crunched along the drive, dipping with each pothole along the way. She rolled up her windows to keep from coughing. Keeping her clothes clean on the job was going to be out of the question. She’d have to hop in the shower the second she got home each evening. Hopefully her new place had a working washer and dryer. It would be a huge upgrade from carting her laundry six blocks to the local Laundromat.

Once past the natural barrier of evergreens lining the entrance, the area opened up into a massive clearing where the pit was in full operation. She followed the path toward two construction trailers set up side by side. Would that be where she would do her dispatching? She was usually a quick learner, but had no clue about the mining industry to start with. The man on the phone hadn’t even asked her about her employment history or reference phone numbers. He just hired her right off the phone, gave her the brief details, and said he’d see her eight o’clock Monday morning. At first it had all been a godsend, until she’d had time to reflect about her abilities.
Please don’t let them fire me before I even start.

She parked her Sunfire next to the first trailer and got out to investigate. Once inside the office the loud drone of heavy equipment was muted. “Hello?” There wasn’t anyone that she could see. The silence was uncomfortable. Each step she made was punctuated obscenely loudly by her heels. There were three desks in a row, spaced out to fill the length of the narrow trailer. Florescent lighting flickered above. One end had a map which covered the entire wall, little red pins set at different locations. She studied the notes clipped to the bulletin board until the phone rang.
Shit!
Cassidy jumped, gasping from the sudden scare, not realizing how nervous she was. Was someone going to appear to answer the call? It was a place of business after all. Shouldn’t there be employees occupying the desks?

The phone continued to ring, on and on.
Should I answer it?
She was tempted to pick it up to silence the noise if nothing else. But just when it stopped, the door wrenched open, hitting the wall with force. A dirty-blond construction worker bounded in, tossing his white hard hat on the closest desk with a thud.