Hour of the Lion (The Wild Hunt Legacy #1) (29 page)

rung by rung.”

Tears blurred the trail in front of her as she started down the other side. Toward a life she no

longer wanted.

* * *

The brothers and Jamie had returned a few days ago…without his little barmaid. Still

residing in Calum‘s guest room, Thorson opened his book and tried to concentrate on Dumas‘s

Three Musketeers, but D‘Artagnan wasn‘t holding his attention. He returned to fuming.

Vicki had not only turned down his grandson‘s gift, she hadn‘t stopped to see him. Damn

the girl, she was supposed to have come back—she was his family now. He‘d finally figured out

what Lachlan had wanted. The boy hadn‘t had a chance to mature to wisdom, but his perception

of people had been unrivaled. Knowing he was dying, he‘d sent Thorson a substitute grandchild.

Thorson smiled a little. Being Lachlan, he probably hadn‘t even considered that Thorson

might go feral upon his death. No, he‘d just wanted his grandfather to have someone to love. He

closed the book with a thump and rose from the soft chair, scowling as pain lanced into his

shoulder. Pulling the curtain back, he looked out. Snow hissed against the window and formed

drifts in Calum‘s garden.

Had he lost another child before he‘d even known she was his?

A knock pulled his attention away. ―Enter.‖

Calum appeared in the door, his expression angry. ―I—‖

―First, tell me. Is she still up there?‖

Calum knew exactly who he meant, and the lines in his face deepened. ―Her car remains at

her house.‖

Was she lost in the mountains? Dying alone?

―Joe, she filled her backpack with everything she‘d need to survive.‖ Calum scrubbed his

face and admitted, ―I‘m worried too. If she doesn‘t show up by tonight, I‘ll call out the clan to

look for her.‖

―Thank you, Cosantir. Now, what‘s happened to anger you?‖

―Alec called. Angie found Irma Neilson‘s dog injured in the park. Pretty dehydrated as if it

had been there a while—and Irma‘s missing.‖

―She‘d never leave that fat sausage,‖ Thorson muttered.

―Exactly.‖

―You think she got taken? Kidnapped?‖ Thorson scowled.

―Possibly. Just in case, people are searching the forest around the park. But…‖ Calum‘s face

tightened. ―Alec has a list of recent rentals from one realtor and is trying to reach the other. The

deputy is taking part of the list, but I‘m going to check the ones outside town.‖

Thorson frowned. With the power of Herne ramping up his senses, the Cosantir could

probably tell—smell—if Mrs. Neilson was in a house. But still… ―The old woman is human,

Calum.‖

―She lives in my territory.‖

And he protected anyone in his territory, clan or not. Herne hadn‘t chosen wrong when he

made Calum McGregor the Cosantir for the North Cascades. Thorson bent his head in

acknowledgment…and respect. ―How can I help, Cosantir?‖

―I‘d like to leave Jamie with you.‖

Jamie peeked around Calum, her face puckered with worry, and Thorson pulled his features

into a smile. ―I‘d be delighted to have company, especially if she‘ll play chess with me.‖

―I‘d rather play poker.‖

Calum straightened. ―Gambling? With Jamie?‖

―The stakes are M and M‘s,‖ Thorson said, knowing his tail was surely caught in a trap on

this one.

But when Jamie boasted, ―I beat him last time,‖ and laughed out loud, Calum‘s expression

changed. Lightened. The child had been a solemn ghost since returning from Elder Village. None

of them had realized how much she‘d come to care for Vicki…how she‘d craved a female‘s

attention.

―A card shark, indeed.‖ Calum shook his head with a small smile. ―In that case, try not to

win all of Joe‘s candy. He might cry.‖

Jamie snickered and trotted into the room, kneeling to get the cards from the nightstand.

Thorson sighed. At one time, her head would have come level with the top. How fast they grow.

How soon they shift.

As though Calum heard his thoughts, he said, ―Call me if there‘s any signs she is starting—

well, if you need me for anything.‖

* * *

In the driver‘s seat of his van, Swane smirked as he stuffed his cell phone into his pocket.

―We caught a break—McGregor drove out of town a few minutes ago. The kid‘s at home alone.‖

―Good info you got from the old woman,‖ Perez commented as he and Tank started

gathering their gear.

―Seems like.‖ Swane grinned. ―If this doesn‘t pan out, she‘ll live long enough for me to ask

more questions.‖

Perez laughed, although Tank looked a little green. The pussy didn‘t like hurting bitches.

―Let‘s make sure the cop‘s too busy to come home for lunch.‖ Swane punched in a number.

―Cold Creek Police,‖ said a woman.

―Listen up, cunt. I just wanted you to know, I planted a bomb…‖

* * *

Two more rooms to go. As Alec strode down the hall to the next classroom, he could hear

the school children laughing and shouting outside the building. For them, the early dismissal had

come as an unexpected treat.

Alec wasn‘t laughing. Hell, his heart was thudding inside his chest like a stereo‘s bass

turned too high, and sweat trickled down his back. When he‘d joined the force, he‘d accepted the

possibility of getting shot, stabbed, even dying in a car wreck.

Being blown into tiny bits hadn‘t been on the job description.

He visually checked the door for wires before cracking it open. Stepping into the classroom,

he was engulfed in the scents of books, crayons, and glue. Splashy bright paintings covered the

walls, a plastic skeleton hung in one corner and—he sighed—the room held lots of little desks.

He‘d have to inspect each one, over and under for the bomb. The alleged bomb which was

probably some asshole‘s idea of a joke.

Moving around the room in the prescribed methodical fashion, Alec growled. Once he got

out of here, he‘d go after this bastard who had disrupted the school and terrified his dispatcher.

Poor Bonnie had looked white as snow when she‘d burst into his office, babbling, ―He says he

put a bomb in the school. It‘s supposed to explode at one o‘clock!‖

Involuntarily, Alec glanced at his watch. A half-hour to go. Hopefully. Could he assume a

bomber would be able to tell time?

* * *

As Vic stumbled through the drift, a root caught her boot and sent her sprawling. Hell. After shoving to her feet, she wiped off her face. At least the snow made for a soft landing; she‘d had

worse.

As she brushed herself off, she squinted against the flakes slapping into her face. Fucking A,

this was almost a white-out. The trees broke the wind, but in every clearing, the snow piled

deeper. Thank God, she was near town.

Looked like the slope had leveled off. She couldn‘t see the town through the blizzard, but

she smelled it. Wood smoke, a hint of cooked food—Italian maybe, a touch of gas fumes. Her

nose was definitely more sensitive these days.

She hefted her pack onto her shoulder and started the last leg of her journey.

* * *

Calum found nothing suspicious at the first two rentals. One had a family with children. The

second held three young men, and he could smell drugs in the house. He‘d sic Alec on them.

After pulling his car over to the side of the road, Calum looked at the third house through the

blowing snow. The ancient mobile home sat on a few acres of land.

No vehicle in sight. He left the car and sniffed the air. More than one male had passed

recently. But using human senses, he couldn‘t tell if anyone remained.

Detouring to a clump of trees, he stripped and shifted. As he prowled around the house, he

sniffed at the windows and doors. Nothing. Then at a bedroom window, he caught the faint scent

of blood. Urine. Sweat. A female. Human. Old.

Here.

* * *

Did three of something beat four in a row? Jamie bit her lip and glanced across the card

table she‘d set up in her new grandfather‘s bedroom—her Grandpa Joe.

He‘d been so sick and lonely after moving in, so she‘d told him he had to be her grandfather

if he lived here, no matter how long. His face had looked funny for a minute—and she‘d worried

she‘d messed up bad—and then he‘d nodded and tugged on her hair. And her daddy had smiled

like he did when he was proud of her.

His finger tapped his cards which meant he had something good. But if she could get the ten

of clubs, then—

Grandpa Joe cleared his throat. ―Remember what I told you about a poker face? That‘s not

it.‖

She made her face go all blank, and he gave a boar-like snort. ―You look older when you do

that.‖

―Good. I guess.‖

He studied her for a minute, making her squirm. ―Are you able to see the door yet?‖

Closing her eyes, she looked inside her mind and saw it clearly before it disappeared. She

barely managed to close her mouth over the ―Fuck‖ that Vicki would have used. She opened her

eyes and nodded. ―Then it goes away.‖

―Soon.‖

―I s‘pose,‖ she sighed and examined her cards again. They hadn‘t improved. ―Hit me.‖

―You got it.‖ He slid a card across the table to her.

As she picked it up— ugh, an eight—someone knocked loudly on the outside door. She

jumped up.

―Go get it.‖ Grandpa Joe made a shooing motion as he headed toward the bathroom.

The person pounded again. Like something was really important. But people always came

here needing her father.

Or maybe Vicki had come back? Jamie flung the door open.

Two big men stood on the landing, both in dark parkas. One man‘s face had little holes in it

like he‘d had pimples when he was her age. The other one had a shaved head and mud brown

eyes.

When they smiled at her, she got a creepy, spidery feeling and retreated a step.

The guy with the shaved head held up a shiny badge, and she saw tattoos all over the back of

his hand. ―We‘re with the FBI, Miss. May we come in?‖

The government. This was bad. And the rules set down by Uncle Alec were never to be

broken. ―My dad isn‘t here. I‘ll call him and you can—‖

They pushed into the house, forcing her back. The tattooed one looked at her with cold eyes,

―Are you Jessica McGregor?‖

What was she supposed to do? ―Yes. I need to call—‖

―Later.‖ He pointed toward the office. ―Perez, check out the place. I‘ll handle the girl.‖

―On it.‖ The one called Perez disappeared into Daddy‘s den.

―Sit.‖ His hand hurt her shoulder as he shoved her onto the couch. ―I‘m looking for Victoria

Waverly. She worked at your dad‘s tavern. Where is she?‖

Involuntarily, Jamie glanced at the window. The mountains had disappeared in the snowfall.

He followed her gaze. ―Is she in the forest? Where? A town?‖ He put his face too close to

hers, his breath ugly with coffee and onion.

Go away! Jamie looked at the bedroom. Was Joe out of the bathroom? ―Grandpa Joe!‖

―Shit! Who else is here?‖ The man grabbed her wrist.

She saw a gun holstered on his belt, and her breath clogged in her throat.

The bedroom door opened, and Grandpa Joe appeared, holding his chest. ―Jamie? What—‖

He stopped. ―Who the hell are you?‖

―FBI. Stay put, and we‘ll get to you.‖

―In a pig‘s eye.‖ Grandpa Joe came forward.

As the man turned to Joe, Jamie yanked free. Daddy needed to come now! Quiet as a mouse,

like Alec had taught her, she snuck toward the phone in the corner.

―Give me your name. And your badge,‖ Joe snapped.

―You‘re not Calum McGregor?‖ The man circled around Grandpa Joe like Daniel did when

he was buying a cow. ―Nah, you‘re too old. Nice scars you got on your arms there, dude.‖

As Joe‘s face darkened, Jamie picked up the phone. No dial tone. Her hands shook. She hit

the OFF button. Then, TALK. Nothing. She repeated, over and over. The phone was dead.

Grandpa Joe glanced at her, and she shook her head „No,‟ before setting the phone down. He

jerked his head at the door and stepped in front of the man. ―Listen, asshole—‖

Heart pounding, Jamie darted across the room. She had the door halfway open when the guy

slammed it shut and yanked her back by the hair.

Tears burst from her eyes at the pain. She screamed, but a hand over her mouth muffled it.

With an arm around her waist, he turned, dragging her with him.

The other man had jumped in front of Grandpa Joe, keeping him from Jamie. Growling, Joe

hit him in the face and knocked him down.

As Jamie kicked harder, the one holding her gave a mean, horrible laugh. ―Jesus, he‘s at

least sixty, Perez. Finish it already...‖

Head down, the Perez man lunged, hitting Joe in the stomach like a football tackle. Joe

grunted and turned white.

That man hurt Grandpa. No. No no no. She struggled frantically, tearing at her captor‘s hands with her fingernails.

―Little wildcat, eh? I love ‘em young.‖ He pushed his body closer, rubbing against her

bottom, and her stomach cramped like she was going to throw up.

Instead of pulling away, she turned in his grip and kicked hard at his leg. Her foot slammed

into his shin.

―Fucking bitch!‖ Letting go of her mouth, he yanked her back by her hair and slapped her.

Pain seared her cheek, and she yelled.

Grandpa Joe jerked around, and through the tears blurring her eyes, she saw Perez punch

him. In the chest. He groaned and grabbed where his wound was, and red covered his hands. The

man kicked him in the stomach. Joe fell back and the sound of his head hitting the coffee table