Wolf on Board (Wolves of Willow Bend Book 14) (10 page)

At the street, she followed the blood to a disturbed area of rock and earth. It had to have been a relatively heavy truck. Behind her, she heard Jake on the phone, his quiet voice soothing to her even if she didn’t listen to his exact wording. “It all stops here,” she murmured, crouching to try and study the tire tread. She didn’t know enough about vehicles to even make a guess. “It’s leaking oil and some coolant. I smell diesel. It has to be a big rig.”

Big rig.

“It is, commercial vehicle,” Jake confirmed as he hung up the phone. “I know a guy. License plate for the rig and registration number.” He handed both to Mitch. The Enforcer’s expression darkened.

“That’s why we can’t isolate them.”

A chill ran up Mimi’s spine. “What next?”

“Next, you two go home. It’s not secure here. I have more Enforcers on their way.”

“That doesn’t make logistical sense.” Jake said what she was thinking. “They grabbed a target. They’ve already poisoned the well. The smart move is to migrate to another area, especially if they are traveling in a rig. Do you have any idea how many are on the highways and byways? They would fade from view.”

Mimi scrubbed a hand over her face. “Jake’s right. They aren’t still here. Why would they stay?”

“You.” Mitch told her, his gaze unflinching. “They already made an approach. They could easily be staking out your place.”

“She made an approach then she bolted.” Pride had her spine stiffening. “She didn’t want to take me on. They strike from behind, hunting us as though we were prey.” Pivoting, she studied the road. A car passed them, the driver barely giving them a glance. The woman was on her way to somewhere, her life going on while the quiet war consuming the packs waged around her.

Keeping their existence secret. Protecting their people. Every move they made had to take into account all aspects of their security.

“They aren’t coming for me, Mitch. I’m not an easy target.” Folding her arms, she didn’t look to Jake who’d come to stand like a bulwark at her back. “I’m also not alone. They are culling, attacking our vulnerable, looking for a way in.”

“I know.” Mitch nodded once. “So, all of you are going home.”

“You can’t just arbitrarily decide all Lone Wolves have to return to their packs.” Besides being unprecedented, it was also more likely to create further rebellion.

“One, sweet cheeks, you aren’t Lone, you’re here on sabbatical. Two, I’m not the one ordering it.” He glanced past her to Jake. “You two head back. I’m going to see if I can continue to track the truck.”

“I’m not going to not help.” Who the hell did Mitch think he was? “Amelia is our wolf.” Pack was everything.

Mitch spared her a look then glanced past her to Jake. No one said anything, but she caught the faintest scent of ice in the air. Jerking around, she searched the wooded area. It wasn’t that dense, but there were enough shadows to conceal the most senior of the Enforcers.

Her attention riveted on the Chief Enforcer. The solidarity of Jake at her back brought welcome warmth. Despite everything, she knew he’d be there and nothing would come at her from that direction, so she met Julian’s gaze and raised her eyebrows. It was bravado, and she knew it. He knew it, too.

Thankfully, he let her get away with it.

“I have a proposition for you, Mimi Chase and Jake Danes…”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Jake murmured, his sub-vocal too low to carry.

Yeah. So did she. “What’s the deal?”

W
hat made an idea insane
? The person who suggested it or the fact Jake actually wanted to consider it? Based on the taut expression on Mimi’s face, he wasn’t alone in his contemplation. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not yet,” she said, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. “Mason wants to talk to us, as does Brett.”

“Yeah, I was there when we got those texts.” The coordination wasn’t an accident. The Chief Enforcer appeared with a proposal and both of their phones vibrated with messages from their respective alphas. “What do you think about the offer?”

Julian’s words had upset her, or maybe it was the situation. She’d been tense going in and, at the end of the day, Willow Bend was still missing one of their own. The blood in the house suggested she’d been injured. Injured and taken, but not dead. At least not at the house, based on the evidence.

Jake had to look at the positive side, no matter how hard it was to find. They could recover missing. They could still find her. Dead? Well, there was no coming back from dead.

Silent for long moment, Mimi stared at the traffic around them. From tapping to white-knuckling, her grip on the wheel amped his tension. It would help them both immensely if they weren’t crawling along in the traffic jam. Finally, she sighed. “I don’t know what to think, to be honest.”

“Let’s talk initial gut reaction.”

“To which one? Your declaration of love earlier? Or the fact that the Chief Enforcer just said that he wants to borrow us from our packs and put us to work—as a freelance…what the hell was that term?”

“Custodians.” A part of him wanted to call Luc and ask him what he knew of the offer. As far as Jake knew, there were no
custodians
out there in the world. There were Hunters in the pack. Enforcers outside of the pack. That was it. Never the twain should meet.

“What did you think of it?”

“Nothing,” he said, admitting the quiet lassitude invading his system. The more uptight Mimi had grown, the greater her tension, the less he’d felt until he might as well have been discussing the weather conditions or the waves.
Though, honestly, I’m more excited about strong waves.

“Nothing?” Mimi gaped at him and, if not for her swift reflexes, they might have hit the car in front of them. She managed to hit the brakes and change lines abruptly without further incident. “How can you think
nothing
? What is a custodian? What are we supposed to do with that? Why us?”

“The us part I can answer.” Though Julian hadn’t said anything, nor had Brett in the text which said they would talk via conference call with Willow Bend when the pair were alone.

“Then answer it.” The bite in her words pulled a grin from him.

“Only if you say please.”

The low rumble of her growl echoed in the car, and Jake laughed. Humor proved a necessary balm to his soul. The more he chuckled, the more her growl revved. When he laughed aloud and ran a hand over the length of her ponytail, she actually clacked her teeth together, but the growling stopped.

A moment later, she laughed and his grin grew, if it was possible, until his cheeks ached from the effort. “I’m beginning to think picking your beach that day for yoga was either the best or the worst decision I’ve ever made.”

“I hope that’s a rhetorical question.” It was the best, as far as he was concerned.

“Not a question at all.” Her grip relaxed some and a smile eased her expression, but tension still coiled in her scent. “I like you, Jake. We’ve established that. We’re attracted to each other. We’ve established that.”

“I love you.” He tacked onto her list. “We’ve established that.”

Her nose wrinkled, but she didn’t offer an immediate verbal rejection. Resisting the mental fist pump, Jake kept his attention on her. Maybe if he said it enough, hugged her enough, she would get it. Maybe he just needed to prove his worth.
I can do that.

“Accepted. I have no idea what to do with that declaration. We’ve established
that
.”

“You know, you’re just not so sure you should leap. It’s okay. I’m patient. I can wait.”

Aggrieved, she glared at him, but the dark look carried no heat. Instead, he read a hundred questions and uncertainties. His wolf rubbed against the inside of his skin, aching to be with her.

“Look, no matter what else happens tonight after we talk to Brett and Mason…you and me? We’re going for a real run. We’re going to drop all pretenses and let our wolves out. We’ll go, let them stretch their legs, get to know each other and be free.”

They were stopped at a light when she looked at him sideways. “What?”

“We need to let our wolves run. The agitation and the tension in you, the restlessness in me? Our wolves need out and, to be honest, I think we need it, too.”

Puzzlement wiped away her irritation, and she leaned back against the seat. Attention divided between him and the traffic, she shook her head. “I don’t get you.”

“No?”

“No.”

Curious, he touched a finger to her cheek. The desire to continue petting her invading every cell of his body. “What’s not to get?”

“You’re Mr. Laidback, easy going, riding the flow…cruising the waves.” The mock accent on the last reminded of a certain turtle in an animated flick he’d watched.

“Dude, I like riding the waves.” Mimicking it perfectly, he got another laugh out of her. “I also like hiking, seeing the countryside, mountain climbing, and skiing. I like to feel alive. Surfing is…a way to fly, but it’s something you do on your own. The only thing keeping you on that board is skill and a little luck. Those are all things I like to do. It’s not just who I am.”

“Then who are you, Jake?” The light changed and her gaze tore from him as she accelerated.

“I’m just a wolf, sitting next to a gorgeous tracker—and baker—hoping for a cupcake.”

Sunshine erupted from her laughter and punctured the last of the upset clinging to her. “You quote chick flicks.”

“I’m a renaissance man. If it ain’t baroque, I like it.”

This time, she groaned amidst her laughter. Back at her cottage, they sobered and worked in a two-man pattern to walk a circuit then he went in the front while she came in the back. “All clear on my side,” he told her, watching her expression for any sign of warning.

“Same here. No scent that doesn’t belong.”

“Good.” Closing the distance between them, Jake cupped her face and dropped his head to kiss her. For a split second, back at the townhouse, he’d come to the realization that they’d been scouting Mimi to take her for whatever it was they’d done to her packmate. A ferocious sense of possession rippled through him at the very concept.  

Mimi welcomed his kiss, fisting his shirt and tugging him closer. Their tongues danced, and he drank in her scent. His wolf really did want to roll around in it until it coated him. She scraped her teeth over his lower lip, and all his blood rushed southward.

“This doesn’t change anything between us,” she said against his mouth.

“Of course not,” he agreed, then slid his hands beneath her bottom and lifted her. The slow, sensual glide of her body against his left him feverish with wanting.

“We haven’t made any decisions,” she continued, nibbling a path of kisses to his ear. Every touch of her lips on his skin fanned the flames of his desire.

When she gripped his hair in her fist then sucked on his earlobe, he groaned. “No decisions and no clothes coming off or I’ll sink my teeth into you as fast I would my cock.” She deserved to know.

“Bite me all you like, gorgeous.” Damn tease. “If I don’t agree, you can’t force me to mate.”

Spinning, he pinned her against the wall and lifted his head so their gazes could lock. “Tell me something, Mimi. Do you really want to repudiate me because you feel nothing? Or because you feel too much?”

They were both panting, their breath mingling. He reveled at the feel of her breasts smashed against him and the strength of her legs tightening on his hips.

Gold bled into her eyes until it was her wolf staring at him. The world seemed to turn upside down. He loved the feel of her in his arms, loved her temper, her passion, her creativity…hell with it, he loved her. Her wolf? Her wolf he wanted to impress. “Hello, beautiful.”

“I’m Willow Bend and you’re Hudson River.”

“So what?”

“I
won’t
leave my pack.” She shuddered. “I can’t. I know other wolves do it. I’ve seen them find their mate then go to that other pack. Linc did it. Murphy did it. It’s not me.”

“So that’s it? You think because you won’t leave Willow Bend, we don’t stand a chance?” He tilted his head, the weight of his wolf leaning forward as they leaned into her. He punctuated the question with a rub of his nose to hers.

“What? You’re going to follow me home?” The tiny lines between her eyes creased and deepened with worry. “You like being a Lone Wolf. Or you did?”

“I did. I loved it. I needed the time to run alone, to forgive myself for fucking up and not saving my alpha and my pack. I needed to find my zen. Yeah, that sounds weird, but I didn’t find zen. I found excitement and freedom. I found no demands on my time, only going where I wanted, drifting, no goals, and no push or pull. I loved the freedom, the openness and all that me time.” The next part was important, and she needed to hear it from him. “It’s not being where I belong with my pack or with other wolves. One wolf in particular, Mimi. You.”

“We’ve known each other a week. You can’t know that for sure.”

Having faith in her and himself, he nuzzled her cheek lightly. “Close your eyes.” He didn’t make it optional, and command filled the sentence. Defiance flared in her pupils, but his wolf merely latched onto the scent of the hunt, and he felt the shift in his eyes as their wolves glared at each other.

“Close your eyes, beautiful.” He repeated the order. Despite her mutinous expression, she obeyed. “Thank you.” Praise and adoration filled him. “Now, think back to the morning you met me. In the few minutes before I approached, what were you feeling? What were you thinking?”

“I was doing yoga,” she said, a hint of a smile on the curve of her lips. “I was relaxed and enjoying the beauty of the day. I—I wanted to explore some new recipes and to find more places here.”

“Okay, great.” He caressed her cheek, enjoying the softness of her skin. “The day before that?”

“More of the same, except no yoga on the beach. I was enjoying the feeling of freedom and of having no one need me or need my time. Even better, not having my mom throw a dozen eligible wolves a day at me.”

He wanted to growl, exaggeration or not. A sense of possessiveness threaded through his muscles.
Eye on the prize…
“The day before that?”

“The same, what’s your point?” She studied him, more quizzical than upset.

“Close your eyes, bad girl.” He gave her ass a light squeeze. It was so beautifully round and full against his palms.

She stuck her tongue at him but closed them with a huff and a sigh. “Eyes closed.”

“Now imagine tomorrow, and I’m gone and not a factor.” He waited a beat, then added. “You won’t see me again. Ever.”

Silence met his statement. Then her lashes swept upward and her dazzling gold eyes gleamed with unshed tears. “That’s mean.”

“No, babe, that’s what I am feeling at the idea of saying goodbye to you. So whether we live in Willow Bend, Hudson River, or on the moon—I want to be with you. The rest is geography. You and me? We’re the real thing. I love you. I think you love me, too, or are really close.”

“And earlier?” She caught his face in her hands. “When you went from blowing hot to cold?”

“I realized anything I wanted with you had to be permanent. You aren’t a fling, Mimi. You’ll never be a fling.”

He’d said it earlier, but he didn’t care if he had to say it a thousand times. He’d say it as often as necessary.

“If I say yes, and our alphas send us off on some damn errands…” The capitulation bolstered him.

“We’ll deal with it. We can handle anything. I have faith in us.”

A growl rumbled in her chest, and his wolf pawed at him. Nuzzling her lips, he captured the growl and vibrated his tongue against hers. When her nails dug into his shoulders and her thighs squeezed him, he wanted to shout in triumph.

“Yes,” she whispered against his mouth. “I want you, too, Jake. But we can’t do this without talking to our alphas first.”

“I know,” he whispered, and swung her away from the wall to carry her to her bedroom. “They said they’d call us.”

“True,” she agreed readily and began tugging at his shirt. At the entry to her room, her phone began ringing and so did his.

“Dammit.” He growled and she laughed. At the effervescence of her humor, he tossed her on the bed and let her scramble for her phone while he pulled his out of his pocket. She held up hers and he showed her his.

Right on time to interrupt him, their alphas called.

M
imi tried
to catch her breath before she accepted the call from Mason. The race of her heart combined with the intoxicating scent of male billowing around her made it hard to focus, much less keep her voice steady. Jake, phone in hand, crawled over her and then settled, his hips resting against hers and their sternums pressed together. The weight of him proved far more welcome than she would have expected, though her wolf noted his head’s relative height above her.

Debating whether she liked it or not, she hit the answer button on her phone at the same time he answered his.

“Mimi here, Mason.”

“Hey, Brett.”

“Put us on speaker,” Mason ordered her, but the sweeping statement included Jake. He raised his eyebrows at her, but they both hit the speaker buttons, then set the phones down next to each other.

“All right kids, this is how it is. We need your help.” Brett’s voice seemed deeper than Mimi recalled, stronger. Finding his mate, Owen told her, had done wonders for the wounded alpha. In his one sentence, she detected not an ounce of weakness. Owen only mentioned the alpha in passing, though she knew her brother possessed a deep respect for the Hudson River leader. “Julian told you about the custodianship?”