The Touch of Her Hands [The Wind River Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) (11 page)

Aurelia walked over and held out a paper. “Yeah, there’s a name and a number.”

“Okay, then let’s go.” Zack moved toward the truck and then froze when a man holding a gun rounded the corner of the building. When the man’s gaze moved to Aurelia, he froze in his tracks, his gun’s barrel dropping toward the ground. Zack shoved Aurelia behind a tree close to the trail. Instead of firing, the man turned and ran in the opposite direction, disappearing a quarter mile down the road.

“What the hell was that?” asked Aurelia.

Zack frowned and glanced down. Her color was pasty white, her eyes dilated, her breathing labored. He pulled her up into his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest. “There, there, love. He’s gone. I don’t even think he was interested in us. He seemed just as surprised to see us here as we were to see him. I think we scared him as bad as he scared us, considering how fast he disappeared down the road.” He continued to talk nonsense, listening to her breathing as it slowly evened out. “You okay, now?”

“Yeah, just a little shaky. I thought for sure he was here for us.”

Zack kissed her head and then grabbed her chin and tilted her head up. “Are you okay to get going now?”

She nodded. “The sooner, the better. I don’t think I’m gonna relax until we’re on the plane.”

Zack leaned down and closed his lips over hers. It started as a sweet kiss and quickly turned passionate, his tongue slipping into her mouth to explore. After a few moments, he pulled away and smiled at her passion-glazed eyes. “Let’s get moving. The faster we get to Cartagena, the faster we can get a decent hotel room.”

* * * *

Conrad peered out over the classroom and sighed. He longed for the day he could devote himself full-time to his special projects. Unfortunately, he needed the money and the access to the university’s equipment. He hated spending time trying to bestow knowledge on a bunch of adolescents that would rather be anywhere other than a classroom. He looked down when his phone vibrated. Frowning, he glanced up at his class. “You have exactly five minutes left and then you are to put your papers on the corner of my desk. I will have your grades for you on Monday.” Grabbing his phone, he walked into the large closet the school provided for his supplies and shut the door. Flipping it open, he rubbed two fingers across the bridge of his nose. “This had better be good news, Carlton.”

“It is, boss. My contacts paid off. Got a phone call from a guy in Killente. It’s a small village outside Medellin. The guy went to see his brother-in-law about borrowing his truck only to find out the guy had already arranged to loan it out.”

“As interesting as all this is, what does it have to do with me, or my problems?”

“His brother-in-law told him that his good friend, Jorge Medina, asked if he would leave it gassed up, with the keys and a map, for a couple of American friends of his. They’re supposed to do the American thing and sightsee around the area before leaving the truck with his brother in Cartagena before they fly out day after tomorrow.”

“And how do you know it’s my girl?”

“When he was leaving, he ran into the American couple. From his description, it’s the girl and that Wind River guy. Apparently they’re traveling without Medina now.”

“So, what are you plans for getting your hands on the girl?”

“We’re gonna tail them to Cartagena. If an opportunity presents itself, we’ll take it. Otherwise, we’ll be there waiting when they return the truck. He gave us the brother’s address.”

“Fine, but you’d better remember that I want the girl unharmed. Nobody had better touch a hair on her head.”

“What about the Marine?”

“I couldn’t care less what happens to Sergeant Wind River.” Conrad ended the call. “Things are definitely looking up.”

* * * *

Aurelia came awake to the sound of Zack cursing. She stifled a scream as something rammed the back of the truck, tossing her from side to side in her seatbelt. The truck bucked and shuddered down the rutted road. “What’s happening?” she cried.

“Someone is trying to run us off the road.” Zack’s voice was flat, without any emotion.

She shuddered as she glanced out the window. There were huge drop-offs along the mountain road. As she watched, Zack maneuvered the truck back and forth across the narrow lanes in an attempt to keep the other car from coming alongside them. She kept her mouth shut, not wanting to distract him with useless questions. Hopefully, there would be time for explanations later. She closed her eyes against the terrain moving up and down with the vehicle’s rough motion, and then opened them with another jerk of the truck.

Zack cursed and swerved the steering wheel to the left, then immediately back to the right. “I can’t keep this up. Looks like the road widens up ahead. That’ll give them the opening they need.” He glanced down briefly and then back up at the road. “I put the Beretta in my jacket. Can you reach it on the backseat?”

“Your what?”

“The gun Alvaro gave me. Can you reach it?”

Aurelia turned and saw his jacket lying on the floorboard between the seats. She grabbed it and pulled it into her lap. Carefully, she reached into his pocket and pulled out the handgun. Gingerly, she held it out to Zack, who took it into his right hand.

“Do you drive?” he asked.

Aurelia nodded and then realized he couldn’t see her. “Yeah, I can drive.”

“When I tell you, I want you to take the wheel and keep us on the road. I’m gonna need to concentrate my attention behind us for a few seconds.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I’m gonna try my best to shoot out their tires, or put one in the engine block to slow ’em down.”

Aurelia bit back a sob. “Okay, I’ll do my best.” She wiped the sweat from her palms onto her jeans and scooted as close to Zack as the shoulder harness allowed. “Should I take off my seatbelt and get closer?”

“No, absolutely not. No matter what, you keep it on.” He strained to see around the curve in the road. “Get ready. We’re coming up on a relatively straight section.” Turning slightly in his seat, he held his breath for a moment. “Now!”

Aurelia grabbed the wheel with her left hand and watched the road carefully. The uneven gravel surface had the car bouncing up and down. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zack unhook his seatbelt and turn around in his seat. Biting her lip, she stretched her right arm over so she could hold the wheel with both hands.

“I’m shooting,” Zack yelled.

She didn’t have time to prepare before the sound of the shot exploded in the small truck. Her arm jerked, sending the truck careening off the road, bouncing roughly down a dirt embankment. “Zack!” She watched in horror as he was thrown forward, hitting his head on the cracked windshield. “How am I gonna stop us?” she sobbed. Before she could come up with a plan, the truck slowed, and the engine died as it attempted to climb the slight incline on the other side of the gully.

When the truck came to a stop, she glanced at Zack. He was unconscious. She could hear the other truck up on the road. Biting her lip, she grabbed his gun, pushed open the door, and climbed out of the truck. Taking a deep breath, she moved behind the bed and aimed the weapon up the hill. Her hand was steady, her finger on the trigger and her eyes glued to the road. She forced herself to breath slow and steady.

When she heard a car door slam, she took a breath and as she released it, she pulled the trigger. The recoil threw her back a couple of feet, and she quickly got back in position and prepared to shoot again. Before she could aim the gun, she heard the sound of an engine starting, and then gravel sprayed as it sped away. Frowning, she peeked around the truck.
Did they leave?
She waited a couple of minutes but heard nothing but the screech of birds and the chattering of monkeys. Satisfied they’d gone, she hurried to check on Zack.

He was still unconscious, with a small gash across his forehead. She climbed onto the seat and slowly pulled until his head was lying in her lap. Taking a moment to center her thoughts, she breathed in and out deeply. She rubbed her hands together to warm them, and then laid her fingers on his warm skin. Closing her eyes, she sent out her healing energy.

* * * *

Zack settled deeper into his dream, not wanting to open his eyes. A pleasant warmth was spreading through his body, and he’d never felt better. He felt like he might be missing something, but the place he rested was so comfortable, he never wanted to leave. He could hear a voice that sounded far away.

“Zack, come on now. Wake up for me.”

Zack’s coyote growled and pushed at his consciousness.
Mate protect! Mate protect!
Groaning, Zack opened his eyes and looked into the chocolate gaze of his distraught mate. Huge tears trickled down both her cheeks. “What’s wrong, love? Are you okay?”

Aurelia broke down and sobbed openly. “I thought you’d never wake up. Hell, I thought you were dying and it was all my fault.” Zack frowned and moved to sit up. She laid a hand on his chest. “Not so fast. Give yourself a minute.”

“I’m fine,” he scoffed and sat up, then looked around the clearing. “Where the hell are we?”

“I ran us off the road. That’s where the hell we are.”

Zack suddenly growled as he remembered being chased by the other car. He glanced toward the road. “What happened to the guys that were chasing us?”

“They drove off after I shot at them.”

He frowned. “You shot at them?”

“I didn’t think I had a choice. You were out of it, and I heard them stop and get out of their car up on the road above us.”

“Did you hit anybody?”

Aurelia shook her head. “Not unless it was with a ricochet. I shot toward the street, but I never saw anybody even look down the hill.”

“They just took off after hearing one shot that went wild. That makes no sense at all, and I don’t like it.”

“Join the club. That makes two of us.”

“How did we get off the road?”

“Your gun scared the crap out of me, and I lost control. We’re lucky you choose this place for your shoot-out. A mile back down the road and we could have both been killed.”

Zack sighed and pulled Aurelia into his embrace. “You healed me, didn’t you? That was the warm, nurturing feeling I felt coursing through me.” He kissed the top of her head. “Thank you, mate.”

“Don’t thank me.” She squeaked. “Don’t you understand? I nearly killed you.”

Zack gripped her hair and pulled her head back. “You saved us when you fired my gun. For whatever reason, it scared those jokers away. If you hadn’t, I don’t know what would have happened with me out of the picture.” He lowered his head and licked across her lips. “I know you’re not ready to hear it, but I have to say it anyway. I love you, mate. And I’m so thankful you’re alive and unharmed.”

Aurelia moistened her lips. “When I thought you might die, something inside me died at the same time.” She closed her eyes briefly and then gazed into his eyes. “I’m falling in love with you, Zack. I don’t wanna lose you.”

Zack grinned and licked his way into her mouth, plunging his tongue deep inside her warmth. Her flavor burst over him, causing his coyote to lay back and expose his belly. Reluctantly, he ended their kiss when Aurelia pushed on his chest.

“We can have lots of time for this later, Zack. Right now, I think we need to get out of here.”

“You’re right, but tonight you’re mine.”

Aurelia blushed and moved over to put on her seatbelt. Once she was settled, Zack scooted to the seat’s edge, pumped the gas pedal, and turned the key. The old engine coughed twice, spit out a ball of white smoke, and then started. Sighing in relief, he fastened his seatbelt and slowly made his way up the hill and back onto the road.

“Something’s not right,” he said. “Somehow they keep finding us. I think it’s time to call in the cavalry.” He pulled out his phone and checked for a signal.

“Who are you calling?”

“Like any good pack member, I’m calling my alpha for help.”

* * * *

Remus hung up the phone and looked at Zander Temple. The National Council had sent him back down to talk to the children they’d recovered from the cave in hopes they could provide some clue to help discover who took them from pack lands. “Did you hear both sides of my conversation?”

“Sorry, Alpha Remus, but I couldn’t help it. My hearing has always been exceptional. I gather your pup’s in trouble and he’s outside the country.”

Remus nodded. “That’s right. He needs help in completing his mission and getting home.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, where is he?”

Remus winced. “Cartagena.”

Zander’s mouth fell open. “South America?”

Remus raised one brow. “Is there any other?”

“What’s keeping him from coming home?”

“The working theory is somebody in our government wants the young lady he’s traveling with. And apparently, they’ll do pretty much anything to get their hands on her.”

“Is he sure it isn’t some drug runners trying to take him out because he’s trespassing on their turf? Or maybe they want to get their hands on him and hold him for ransom to fund their little venture?”