The Touch of Her Hands [The Wind River Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) (2 page)

“We’ll go down to the basement and exit the building into the alley. If we time it right, it’ll be deserted. There’s only one perimeter guard, and he has to circle the building. We’ll have a couple of minutes to make it three blocks over, keeping to the alleys, and then we’ll disappear into the woods. My cousin, Ernesto, will be watching for us. You’ll go with him, and he’ll get you out of the country and to my family.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

When he saw the fear in her eyes, he hugged her close to his chest. “No, child, I can’t. I have to stay here so they don’t know it was me that helped you escape. If they knew it was me, they’d be checking with everybody in my family. This way, you’ll have a better shot at getting away.”

“Is he taking me to Mexico?”

Alvara shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I know I told you all about my family in Mexico, but it wouldn’t be safe to send you there. Even if I don’t disappear, they’ll probably still suspect me and check out my family.”

Aurelia sniffed. “Then where will I go?”

He combed some of her loose hairs with his fingers and tucked them behind her ear. “It’s not known that I have distant relatives in Cartagena.”

“Where’s that?”

“It’s in Colombia, in South America.”

She trembled and tightened her grip on his arm. “But where will I stay? I don’t know anyone there. I can’t…I don’t…do they even speak English?”

He held the young girl tightly. “Don’t worry, niña. My cousin is taking you to his family. They own a small farm on the outskirts of Cartagena. They’ve agreed to let you live with them. Ernesto speaks fluent English, and his mother can speak a little. You’ll be fine, and they can teach you Spanish.”

Aurelia sighed. “I wish I didn’t have to go. I’ll miss you. I’ve never had a friend before.”

Alvara’s heart ached for the young girl. He didn’t know what happened to her family, and sending her to his was the only way he knew to keep her safe. “Don’t worry, child. When I get out, I’ll find a way to come see you. You have to promise to take care of yourself.”

She took a shaky breath and smiled. “I promise. How do I say ‘I love you, friend,’ in Spanish?”

Alvara chuckled. “It never fails to amaze me how someone that grew up in Texas doesn’t speak any Spanish.”

Aurelia shrugged. “My grandparents lived in Mexico, but my father wanted his children to be totally American so we never learned. We never even visited them when I was little.”

Alvara smiled.
“Te quiero, amigo.”

She grinned.
“Te quiero, amigo.”

“Get some rest, Aurelia. We can leave in about two hours.”

* * * *

Zack rounded the corner for the twentieth time and cursed the day he’d signed his enlistment papers. He didn’t mind the cold, in his coyote form. But it was hell on his human arms and legs. Everything was deadly quiet. If he didn’t think he’d get caught, he’d spend the rest of his duty in the alley, protected from the wind. But, with his luck, it would be the first night in months that his superiors would pull a surprise inspection. “Man,” he groaned. “I could sure go for a cup of coffee right about now.”

As he passed the front entrance he paused and lifted his ear to the wind. What was it he heard? Wait, there it was again. Someone was at the back of the building. Pulling his sidearm, he raced toward the back entrance. The door was ajar, but there was no sign of anybody in the immediate area. Frowning, he stood still and listened. Now the sounds were coming from the next street over. He took off running, picking up the scent of Private Medina and someone else, someone feminine. The female scent had his coyote sitting up and stretching out, trying to get a stronger whiff of the enticing aroma.

When Zack cleared the last street, he caught sight of two figures running into the hilly, dense forest. “Wait, stop! Don’t make me shoot.” He wouldn’t shoot, but they didn’t know that. One of the figures turned to glance back and tripped over something. He saw them go down, taking a nasty fall down a sharp incline. Zack froze when the other figure screamed. It really was a woman. He hurried forward and winced as the female slowly made her way down to her fallen comrade. Zack reached them and made one leap to reach the bottom of the ravine.

Private Medina was lying on his back, his sidearm in his hand. “Back off, man. I’m not gonna let you stop us.”

Zack glanced at the woman and blinked twice. She wasn’t a woman. She was a young girl dressed in military fatigues with a hat to cover her hair. Her complexion was pale, with dark purple smudges under her eyes. He turned his attention back to the injured man. “You’re in no position to make demands, Medina. Looks like you might have broken your leg.”

“I can fix it.”

Zack cut his gaze to the young girl. “What?”

“No, Aurelia, you mustn’t,” Alvara cried. “Nobody can know what you do.”

She smiled sadly. “It’s too late, Alvara. I can’t leave you like this.” She looked at Zack. “Will you let me help him?”

Zack frowned but nodded. He watched as she walked over and knelt next to Private Medina. He groaned harshly when she straightened his left leg. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know it’s cold, but it only works on bare skin. We have to get your pants down.” She looked up at Zack. “Will you help me? We only have to pull them down past his knees.”

Zack shook his head, put his gun away, and moved forward. “I sure as hell hope you didn’t go commando today. Put down your gun. I don’t want you shooting me when she causes you pain.” Alvara chuckled. The lines around his mouth tightened against the pain as he lowered his weapon.

Zack squatted down next to the girl. “What do you want me to do?”

“Unfasten his belt and pull his pants down.”

Zack wrinkled his nose and moved to do as she asked. He noticed she turned her face away and blushed as he pulled the trousers down past the man’s boxer shorts, leaving them bunched around his calves. “Okay, I’m pretty sure the damn thing’s broken, Medina. It looks bad. I need to call a medical transport, man.”

Aurelia turned back around and glanced at the injured leg. “That won’t be necessary.” She moved closer to Medina’s body and pulled off her gloves. Taking a deep breath, she rubbed her hands together as if to warm them, and then placed them on his thigh.

As Zack watched, a slight orange glow formed around her hands, highlighting each finger. With her eyes closed, she breathed in and out steadily. It was like she disappeared into her own little world. Medina groaned and then visibly relaxed. His head sank back onto the ground as he sighed.

After a couple of minutes, Aurelia gasped and pulled her hands away. If anything, she was even paler than before. “How is it?” she asked.

Medina moved his leg up and down and laughed. “It’s all better, girl. Damn, I’ve seen you do that before, but it never fails to amaze me. You fixed it.”

“What’s going on?” Zack asked. Medina sighed and awkwardly got to his feet. He pulled up his pants, fastened them, and then reached to help Aurelia stand. Zack frowned when she swayed slightly. “Is she all right?”

Medina nodded. “The healings always take something out of her, some more than others. This was minor compared to some of the things I’ve seen her do.”

“It’s time for you to tell me the truth. What are you doing out here? I know you came from the building because you left the door open.”

“I had to. I needed a way back in where nobody could see me.”

Zack crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m waiting. What’s going on?”

“He’s helping me escape.”

Zack frowned and looked at the girl. “Escape from what?”

“The government,” whispered Aurelia.

“I couldn’t leave her in there any longer, man. They’ve been holding her here, against her will.”

“Why?” asked Zack.

“Because of my gift.”

“Your gift? I don’t understand.”

“She can heal people with the touch of her hands,” said Medina. “It’s not a scam. You saw it for yourself. They found out what she can do and they wanna know more. Hell, they’re keeping her drugged most of the time. They’ve been running all kinds of medical tests when she’s unconscious. I’m afraid of what they’ll try to do next. They can’t figure where her power comes from.”

Zack knew all about having abilities one had to keep secret. “How did they find you?”

Aurelia’s eyes filled with tears. “I’d been able to heal my brother’s small cuts and bruises since I was about five. When my father accidentally backed over his dog, I healed him right there in the driveway. Up until then, I’d kept it to myself, but my father was a witness this time.” She wiped at her eyes. “At first, he was afraid of me, but then he began to wonder how he could benefit from my gift. He wasn’t discreet, and before he could make any real plans, the government made him an offer. Basically, you could say he sold me. They gave him money and a small piece of land and then took me away to live in their labs.”

“How long ago?” asked Zack.

“Five years. I was nine years old when I last saw my family.”

Medina grabbed Zack’s arm. “Please, you’ve got to let her go. They’re planning to transfer her soon, and I might not be able to go with her. She deserves a chance at life.”

“Where were you taking her tonight?”

“My cousin is waiting about a mile from here, through the woods. He’s gonna get her out of the country and take her someplace they’ll never find her. I was gonna go back inside and make it look like she’d escaped.”

“Was Raulston in on this?” asked Zack.

“No, but I knew I could get by him. He’s been drinking on duty lately.”

Zack turned away and walked a few feet. When he turned back, his gaze settled on Aurelia. His coyote wanted closer, wanted to protect the little girl. Nobody should have to live their life as some kind of specimen. “For this to work, It’s gonna have to look like both of us were taken unaware. I wouldn’t be able to explain how she got past me while I was on patrol. You’ll have to knock me out and then go back inside and do whatever you can to make it look like you were overpowered.”

Medina smiled. “Then you’ll help us?”

Zack sighed and nodded. Aurelia moved quickly and threw her arms around his waist. “Thank you, oh, God, thank you. Bless you, sir. I’ll never forget you.”

Zack cleared his throat and pushed her away. “Go on and get her to your brother. I don’t wanna know where you’re going. I’ll be waiting by the back door. When you get back, we can set the scene.”

Medina holstered his gun. “Thanks, Wind River. I’ll owe you, man.”

“Call me Zack, please.” He motioned toward the woods. “Go on and get moving. You’re wasting time.” He stood and watched as the two of them hurried toward the northern border of town. Just before they disappeared into the trees, the girl turned back and gave a small wave. For some reason, his stomach clenched. For a moment, he fought the impulse to chase after her, and then turned to make his way back to the building he was supposed to be guarding. It was definitely going to be a long, cold night.

Present Day

Zack moved into the pack’s meeting lodge and took a seat near the back. He’d been all ready to head home for a relaxing weekend off when Alpha Remus had called an emergency pack meeting. Remus had inherited his title when his father died, but Zack had no doubt the six-and-a-half-foot mountain of a man could hold his own in any challenge for his position.

He looked around and spotted his brothers, David and Eric, along with their mate, Laynee. No one that didn’t know her would ever suspect she was blind.

“Hey, bro. Any idea what this meeting’s about?”

Zack turned and watched his brother Macon slide into the chair next to his. “No, I just finished my shift when I got word.” He worked security for the pack and walked regular patrols making sure they had no trespassers. “Must be important though.” He nodded toward the front of the room. “Vanard is here with Koril.”

“Damn,” said Macon. “It must be bad for Vanard to be here.” Vanard was the head elder in the Wind River Pack, and he had a lot of influence with any decisions concerning the safety of the pack members. Koril had been the head of pack security for over thirty years.

“Everyone settle down, please.” Remus Wind River moved to stand on the raised platform at the front of the room. “We need to get started right away.” When everyone quieted he continued. “We have a situation. For months we’ve heard the stories of missing pups from packs in the surrounding areas, and now the nightmare has come to us.”

Zack’s eyes widened as the scent of fear permeated the room.

“I’ve got Brenner, Victor, and Kinnith out leading search teams,” said Remus.

“Who’s missing, Alpha?” asked Macon.

“Jeremy and Marianne’s girls, Celia, Dyane, and Kelly.”

“How old are they?” asked Zack.

“Three, four, and five,” said Remus.

“Too damn young to recognize a threat,” said Zack.

Remus nodded. “Their mother stopped by to visit with Nanita. They left the girls playing in the yard while they put together some refreshments in the kitchen. I’m told the oldest girl has always been very responsible about looking after her sisters. When Lyssa came in, they asked her to bring the girls inside. Lyssa hadn’t seen them. So, whoever took them got in and out of pack lands in a matter of minutes. They were alone in the yard for approximately a half hour.”