Impassable Force: Force of Nature Series (9 page)

“I helped Molly decorate this room.
Carter, of course, hated it, but we had so much fun.” She walked to the doors and opened them. “When she bought this house, it was planned to be her office. A place for her to come where he wouldn’t be able to find her. But after we were finished, we realized it was too masculine for her and she set up the other one across the way.”

She stepped out onto the deck
, and he watched her. There was something both so sad and very sexy about her right now, and he wanted to see how she worked things out. Leaning against the wrought iron railing, he moved just a little closer to her to hear what she was saying. He wanted to take her where she stood. Mark her with his wolf and fill her with his seed, but he watched her instead, loving her more and more with each passing second.

“The trees back here will be green all year round. She had planned to put a pool here.” Her body seemed to sway a little
, and he wanted to go to her but stilled when she continued. “I think I’d like to put one in if you wouldn’t mind.”

“I love the water.
And a pool would be nice for the pack we seem to have gotten.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “We can tell Austin no if you want. He would understand. I’m pretty sure there are any number of others that could help him a good deal more than I would be able to.”

“Do you want it?” He found he really did and told her so. “Then that’s what I want too. I’m not sure how to be an alpha person
, but I was going to talk to CJ about it soon anyway. She seems to have been born to the job. I might never be as good as she is at it, but I can learn. And if they don’t like it, then they can go back to Austin or I can shoot them. Either way works for me.”

“You have too
, been born to the job I mean. When we take a mate, a wolf I mean, they’re our equal in every way. Some of them have to have a little training, but alphas, male or female, are born to the job. As for shooting them? I think we should maybe table that one for a last resort kind of way to deal with them. You know? Just leave it out there only if we really need it.” She nodded and he moved up behind her. “You should shift. I think your wolf wants out to play.”

Her skin was hot to the touch and he knew it was because of her wolf. Their bodies ran a good deal hotter than a human’s because of the second body they held.
He kissed her neck when she leaned back to him. Her scent made his wolf hum along his skin, and his need for her spiked up again. To make his wolf calm a little, Randy decided to tell her a little about her new self.

“The wolf you have in you will be there when you need her, even when you don’t think you do.
She’ll come to the surface when you’re afraid or sometimes when she needs to run. You’ll feel that too, the need to run. She’ll let you know in subtle ways at first, but then she’ll be more aggressive as her needs get stronger.” He could feel his wolf as he made his demands too. “My wolf is ready to mark yours.”

“I’m not afraid of her.” She turned in his arms and looked up at him. “I talked to CJ and the other women the other day.
She said she was white, and I heard that one of the others were silver.”

“Yes.
And she’s beautiful as well. I’m wondering if you’ll be something extraordinary as well.” She kissed his chin and took a step back from him. “Close your eyes and think of her. You should be able to see her there.”

“I do.
She’s…I’m not telling you.” He could see the smile on her face and knew that she was going to be a blessing to their pack too. He started to take a step toward her to help her when the air around him tightened. Holding his breath, he watched his mate shift.

“Christ.”
Randy took another step back from her when she stretched out. She was magnificent. “You’re red.”

“I know. I didn’t even know there were red wolves.”
He knew that there had been, at one time, a great many of them but now they were all but extinct. He knelt down to her to touch her fur.
“That feels amazing. But I need to run now. I can feel the energy running over me like it’s electric. I’ve never felt this energized before. I feel…hell, I feel fucking fantastic.”

“Go then. I’ll catch up.” But she shook her head. “Ah, I see. You want to see me shift? You know that I have to be naked to shift
, don’t you?”

“I do.
But I think Jodie said something about her giving us a gift. Try it.”
He looked around the decking, just noticing that there were no clothes from Molly’s shift. He let go of his wolf and felt the clothing he had on absorb into his body. Christ. Jodie had been very busy lately and he’d have to thank her for it. Blinking several times, he looked at Molly. She was watching him with the most awed expression he’d ever seen. Then she took off. He watched her leap over the steps to the deck in a single bound. It took his breath away.

Randy reached for his brother and Austin as he took off after her. He didn’t want to be disturbed when he was with her and wanted them to warn others that they were out. Reid laughed
, but Austin told him to be careful. He said that Reid had told him what was going on about who had given them up.

“I haven’t said anything to Molly yet. I want her to know
, but it was hard on her today.”
Austin growled low, but it was a friendly kind, not where he was pissed off.
“I know you like her and all, but I’m thinking she’ll be okay when she figures it out. She has had a rough time of it lately, and as her mate, I’m going to protect her from this as much as I can. Or until she finds out and tries to murder me.”

“
I would be careful. I’m pretty sure she’ll want a piece of you, and I don’t mean in the good way. As for her taking this well, I know she will. The moment I saw her and found out she was your mate, it’s when I decided that you’d be the perfect couple to have help me. I’m not saying I’m too old, but the pack is much bigger than I can handle on my own.”
Austin paused
. “I’m thinking you’d rather be with your mate than me trying to talk you into something. Come see me soon. The both of you.”

Randy agreed and saw his mate. She was leaping over a fallen tree
, and he was amazed again at her beauty. Christ, he probably should have told Austin what she was but wanted her to surprise him. And she would. Red wolves, like white and silver ones, were a rarity, and he could not wait for the next pack meeting to introduce her. Randy moved up behind her only to have her take off again.

“You’re letting me get away.”
He assured her he wasn’t, and she laughed
. “I used to do this sort of thing, cat and mouse with some of the guys on the force. They’d never win. And now that I’m a wolf, they’d never find me.”

“Some of the men on your force are not human, you know that
, right?”
She told him she didn’t but had figured it out by now.
“They’re mostly wolf and probably didn’t play with you when you asked, right?”

“That’s right. Why not
? They could have found me before anyone else, I’m sure.”
He laughed and said they would. “
But I don’t understand. Why not put me in my place as a human?”

“Because you were special to them
and a female of worth. There are few humans that get that kind of treatment and fewer still that are females. And Martin told me that they knew that someday you’d have their back and wanted your confidence to rub off on them. Most of the wolves you worked with are now a member of our pack. We’re getting a hell of a force to join us.”

He saw her again and laid down low to move up behind her. She was upwind from him
, and he could smell everything about her…especially her excitement. When he pounced on her, she growled and fought to get away, but his wolf was bigger than hers and a good deal stronger. When she settled, he didn’t think she was finished but held her down with his paws.

“You’re hurting me.”
He knew he wasn’t and nipped at her shoulder.
“Hey, I thought you weren’t supposed to cause me pain? That there was this rule about you having to put me up on a pedestal or something.”

“You’re not in pain and we both know it.
As for being on a pedestal, I’m thinking that if you were there, I’d have a better angle to eat you. You taste delicious when I’m drinking from you. And when my tongue fucks you, I curl it around inside of you to get more of you into my mouth.”
He bit her again.
“But you are going to be hurting in a moment. I’m going to fuck you like this.”

He held her down with his mouth as he moved behind her. His cock was aching now and his wolf was getting impatient with her
. And him. Every time he would think to take her, she’d move again. Finally, he bit down harder and tasted blood.

“You’re going to pay for this.”
He entered her hard, his wolf growling low as he moved in and out of her
. “I’m going to fuck you again when we shift. But this time it’s for my dominance. You’ve no idea how much fucking you this way pleases me. I’m going to do it again when we’re humans. Fuck you like an animal.”

Molly moaned and lifted her ass. Randy felt his wolf approve of his mate and her needs. When he bit down harder as he came, she cried out
, and he knew she was coming too. Randy threw back his head and howled as his wolf let him go. He fucked her harder as his cum released into her sheath. She was his.

“Shift for me.”
She moved back, and he could see the blood on her shoulder. “Come here, Molly, and let me fuck you. I need to fuck you right now. And if you run now, it will not be good for you.”

The shift from wolf to human was quick. He moved toward her as he pulled at his clothing. By the time he was standing in front of her
, she was naked too and he dropped to his knees. He was going to feast on her, then take her to the ground. But the pain in his back took his breath away, and then he was falling. Her screams made him fight the drug coursing through his body, but he lost the fight almost before it began. Someone had shot him full of a drug and it had to be a lot for it to affect him this way. His final thoughts before it took him was that she was unprotected. His wolf cried out as well.

Chapter
9

“I don’t know. As I’ve said to you about three thousand times. I fucking don’t know where he is. As soon as I heard the shot, I knew that one of us had to get away or we’d both be dead. Now if you will back the fuck up and let me think, I’ll find my mate.” Austin took a step back, but he was sure it was because CJ had pulled him back rather than his desire to give Molly what she wanted. Randy was gone, and that’s all he could think about. And no one, least of all him, knew where the hell he was.

Austin felt Randy reach for him
, but it was cut off almost as soon as he realized who it was. And now he was standing in the area that the two of them had been when he’d been taken. He’d come running when Molly had called for him, and he’d been both terrified and impressed with how calmly she’d told him what had happened.

“We’re almost fifty yards from the left corner of the garage as you’re facing it.
There is a line of trees that run the entire length of the yard, and we entered at the break there. I think we’re about ten yards due north from there. They have Randy, but I’m hit too. The drug is strong and I’m fighting to stay awake.”

He’d asked her several question
s in rapid fire as he shifted and ran for her. He told his family what was going on even as she spoke to him again. She told him that no, she didn’t know what kind of drug it was, and she didn’t hear anything prior to being shot. But she did tell him to hurry the fuck up. He nearly stumbled when she’d told him that she needed him.

He watched Molly as she fought the effects of the drug.
She’d been hit, too, but had pulled the dart free before it had done as much to her as it had Randy. Molly held onto a tree and closed her eyes. He started for her, wanting to make sure she was all right.

“You should be back at the house.” She turned and glared at him.
“I’m trying my best not to order you to sit the fuck down. You’re hurting and we both know it. There isn’t anything more you can do here but get in the way. If you don’t listen to me, I’m going to have someone take you to the house and tie you to a chair.”

“Try it.” She turned to look at him and braced her arms over her chest. “Try and order me and see what the fuck I do to you. I’m not one of your pets that will leap through hoops at your command.
I’m going to find my mate and when I do, I’m going to go and get him. You get in my way and I swear to Christ I will tear you apart.”

Austin felt his anger surge. No one was his pet
, and she fucking well knew it. Taking a step toward her, he opened his mouth to command her to shift when Reid was standing in front of him.

“You hurt her and
, alpha or not, I will kill you.” He knew that the man could, too. He started to take another step toward Molly but stopped when she suddenly sat down. There was something more wrong with her than they’d first thought. She pulled the second dart from her arm and looked at him.

“H
e got me twice, I guess.” Austin moved Reid out of the way and sat before her. She was failing fast, and they all knew it. “I have to tell you everything. I know who it was. Shawn did it.”

Austin looked at Jodie when she sat near them and saw that it wasn’t a surprise to her in the least. This was getting out of hand. He was sick to death of getting second
-hand information from people and getting it a day late to boot. Austin looked at Molly when she growled.

“Can’t you be pissy later? Listen to me. He took Randy because he was being threatened by Carter. He’s the sniper.”
Austin saw her face and knew that things were just falling into place for her as she spoke. “He also knew where the money was and had been… Christ. He killed my sister for money.”

“He is in a great deal of debt. Gambling mostly. A few years ago he had a huge windfall. We sort of looked into it but not very hard. The information was there on the surface but not all of it.”
Jodie was talking to Molly, and he had no idea what she was talking about. When she looked at him, he could see her anger. “I should have taken him out when Randy figured out who he was. I was stupid in thinking Molly here couldn’t handle any more bad news. She liked Shawn.”

“The gun is in the pantry. High on the shelf over the things earmarked to replenish the pantry for your pack.” Molly closed her eyes again and swayed hard toward him. He held her up as she continued
but knew that he had only seconds to get the information from her. “He and Carter are going to use Randy to get me to come to them. But he didn’t count on my being shot twice. I’m assuming that neither knows I’m a wolf.”

“No, neither know.
I’ve had Shawn at my home since we had a clue he might be a part of this.” Jodie looked at him and smiled. “Shawn thinks you’re going to promote him to be your head cook. Little does he know that Nancy is ready to kill him.”

“My mom knew?”
Molly shook her head, and he laid her back on the ground as the drugs took her. “Now what? Do we go after the bastard and make him tell us where Randy is or wait him out?”

“What do you think Randy would do?” He knew as surely as he was sitting there near his unconscious mate what Randy would do but didn’t want to say it to Jodie. She would laugh at him.
“Well?”

“He’d say let her rest for a bit
. Then when she wakes, let her decide.” Jodie laughed. “This is not funny. The longer we wait, the more harm he can cause him. And that kid means a good deal more to me than seeking justice right now. I fucking want his head on a platter.”

“
And we’ll get it. Her way. And Randy will be fine. Trust me.” He eyed her closely. She knew something. Christ, when it occurred to him, he nearly shouted the forest down around them.

“You gave them what you have. Both of them.”
He started to curse but cut himself short. “This is going to save his life, and the only reason I don’t impose some sort of fine on you is because I want that kid back. Then I’m going to kick your ass for not telling me when you find shit out. You do know that you’re supposed to ask me before you do crazy crap like this.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s what makes this so much fun.” He growled
, and Jodie laughed as she continued. “Listen, before we both go off halfcocked and I have to hurt you—again—I wanted to tell you that when Randy and Molly take the pack, Reid and I are going with them. No offense to you, but they’re his family and I go where he does. You gonna be all macho about that or you going to be a good man like Reid keeps telling me you are and let us go?”

“
Why do you keep making me out to be this asshole when you know that…? I understand. You think this is funny. Well, kiddo, I hope Randy wants to murder you daily like I do.” He kissed her on her cheek and heard Reid growl. He had expected them to go to Randy’s part of the pack almost in the same moment that he’d thought of Randy being his second alpha. “I’m losing a great deal to him, I think. The ones that have been with me for a long time as well as a few of the younger ones. I thought that I’d let the others choose as well.”

“Good thinking.” She looked at Molly. “Did you hear what color her wolf is? Reid said Randy wouldn’t tell him. They wanted to surprise you.”

“Christ. She’s going to be polka dotted, isn’t she?” Jodie laughed and stood up. When he did as well, he looked around the area again. “There’s something here that we’re missing. I don’t know what it is, but I can feel it.”

“Me too. I don’t know what, but I have a feeling when she wakes up, she’ll tell us right away.” She looked at Molly with such pride that he looked too. “
Do you know how hard she had to work at staying awake with two darts in her? The strength it took for her to wait on us to get here alone cost her. I’m proud to have her as my sister.”

It didn’t take her long to wake. Molly was laying there as quiet as a leaf
. Then suddenly she was sitting up. Austin watched her and knew the moment she’d seen whatever it was that he and Jodie and the rest of the pack hadn’t. When she stood up, three of his brothers helped her. Gordon started laughing.

“Randy is going to be pissed when he gets back.”
Molly asked him why. “Because, my dear alpha person, you’re going to have the scent of another male on you. Several of them as a matter of fact. Do you know what he’s going to have to do to get the scent off you? He’s going to have to mark you all over again. Both him and his wolf.”

It took her a few seconds to get it but when she did, her face brightened up a great deal.
Austin might have laughed at her, but she was beating on Gordon and he wasn’t sure he wanted her to hit him that hard. Instead, he put his fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle. Everyone stood still.

“What do you see?” Molly walked over to where she’d told them all she and Randy had been standing. She leaned over and picked up a long chain. Holding it up, he nearly laughed out loud when he saw what was on the end.
“It’s a safety deposit key. And if I don’t miss my guess, I’m betting it’s to the bank we own.”

“Yeah.
I think whoever owns this key is going to have a lot of explaining to do.” Molly dropped it in the baggie that Jodie held out. “Could you send three pack members to the bank and see…why are you shaking your head at me?”

“Because any man or woman here is going to pledge to you as soon as it’s official. You send your pack. Mine is here to find Randy.”
Molly looked around, panic stricken. “You can do this. Just treat them the way you’d want to be treated.”

Austin watched her as she moved to a group of men and nearly laughed when they all bowed before her. They were hers and Randy’s
, and that was it. He listened to her ask them to see to the key and tell two of them go and watch Shawn. The rest she sent to the house to make sure that Carter didn’t move in while she was busy. She then sent some to gather more pack and watch all the houses. She said she wasn’t taking any chances with her family.

“Also, I’m going to need ten men or women to be a mainstay in our household.
You’ll need to be able to help with the everyday life of the house as well as be ready at a moment’s notice to draw arms. I have a feeling that with the money we have now people are going to get it into their heads that we’re fair game. You can decide. And when Randy gets home, we’ll go over it with everyone.” Austin watched them to see of anyone would tell her no. But all of them, even the three he had expected to balk at the idea of doing housework, nodded to her as they took off to do her bidding. Austin knew then that he’d made the right choice. He just hoped that they did as well.

The
y scattered, and she was left standing there looking into the woods. He wanted to ask her about the key and why it had stayed hidden until she woke, but wasn’t sure he wanted her to answer that. There were things that Jodie and Reid did that scared the shit out of him, and he had a feeling that Molly was going to be no different. When she turned around, he could see the determination on her face as well as some of the drug still there. He didn’t move when she wiped at tears on her cheeks. Some things were better left alone.

He looked at her when she walked toward him. She’d changed in the few minutes she’d been
asleep. The woman before him was not just stronger than she’d been before all this, but she was a good deal more confident in her abilities. When she smiled at him, he was proud of her. She was going to be one hell of a leader.

“Let’s go and get my mate. I’m looking forward to him marking me up again and this time, without the guns
going off around us making me feel like I’m drunk as shit.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. She laughed as she continued. “You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”

“I am. And I’m having the time of my life thinking of other ways to piss Randy off when he gets home. This is going to be more fun than I ever imagined.”
He laughed again. “And don’t be surprised if a few of the females make it so you want to mark him right back.”

Her low growl had him laughing out loud. Yes, Austin thought this was going to be a great deal of fun.
Then he remembered while he’d been marking her, her scent was all over him. Smiling, he thought of ways his own mate might want to mark him. Austin was nearly skipping when they went back to the house.

~~~

Randy felt the chains around his ankles and kept his eyes closed. He reached out into the room and could feel that while he was alone in the little room, there were several others just beyond where he was. Opening one eye, he looked around without raising his head and could see that the floor was simply a concrete slab and that what he could see of the walls told him that they were made of the same material. Lifting his head a little more, he could see light from the doorway but nothing else. Wherever he was, it was deep within a place that he couldn’t get out of easily. He looked down at his body and did a quick inventory of what they’d done to him.

Drugs. That was all he could find at the moment
, but he’d not moved. He didn’t think he’d been hurt much. A bump on his head, more than likely caused from being tossed into something like a car or van. His head was fuzzy, but again, nothing more than the drugs that were slowly dissipating had caused. Even his clothes looked okay, other than a few missing buttons. Then he remembered that he’d been naked when he’d been shot and smiled. He wondered who had dressed him and if they had been embarrassed by it. He knew he would have been if the shoe was on the other foot.