Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6 (19 page)

That was a mighty fine question and one they all pondered.

Connor stopped pacing. “That waitress at the diner. Sue Walsh. She was slinking around our table while we were talking.”

“She wasn’t slinking. She’s a waitress, for God’s sake,” Sean pointed out. “She was pouring us coffee.”

Angus leaned against his truck and crossed his arms over his chest. “But she probably did overhear something. The question is whether or not she was the one to go out to the old Mitchell land and warn them.”

Fergus got a sinking feeling in his gut. This was getting out of hand. It was one thing to be hunting wolves not long after Anny Conrad had been attacked. Shooting a man’s dog was another, even if the damn thing did look like a wolf.

Then there was the matter of the stranger who’d threatened him. Fergus never wanted to see the man again. He’d had strange eyes that had glittered in the dark. Just like an animal. Fergus was sorely afraid if he ever saw those eyes again it would be the last thing he ever saw. The man had had held a big knife to Fergus’s neck. There was no doubt in Fergus’s mind he knew how to use it and wouldn’t hesitate if he thought it necessary. He knew he’d come very close to death that night. Still felt the icy steel against his neck from time to time.

“I’m done.” He hitched his jeans up and headed toward his front porch. He wanted to sit in his easy chair, have a beer and watch a ball game.

“Coward,” Connor called.

Fergus shrugged him off. He could live with name calling from his cousin. He was more afraid of the stranger than of Connor. “Say what you like. I don’t care. I ain’t hunting on their land again. You coming?” he asked his brother.

Sean nodded. “Yeah. I don’t mind killing a wild animal who might hurt someone, but I ain’t going after a man’s dog.”

“Let’s go,” Connor said to his brother. Angus got into his truck while Connor climbed in on the passenger side.

Fergus stood on the top step and watched his cousins drive off. “Those boys are not going to let this alone. You know that, don’t you?” Sean said.

He nodded. “Yeah, I know. But there’s nothing more we can do. I aim to stay out of trouble.”

Sean nodded. “There’s plenty of game to hunt without raising a lot of dust with the law.”

“How about a brew and a ball game?” He opened the door and motioned his brother inside.

“Now you’re talking.” Sean strode into the house, as much at home here as he was in his own place.

Fergus’s wife called out from the kitchen. “You boys hungry?”

Fergus grinned. “Always.” Her laughter filled the air. He plunked himself down in his favorite chair and turned on the television. Sean settled on the couch and they both watched the game. It was just getting interesting when Angie came in with a big plate of nachos, heavy on the cheese just the way he liked it.

He playfully smacked her bottom when she passed by. She swatted his arm and winked at him. She was a hell of a woman.

“Thanks, Angie.” Sean waited until she was gone before he spoke again. “You think they’re going to do something stupid?”

Fergus feared they were going to do the same thing he would have done only a little more than a year ago. They were going to go hunting. They couldn’t leave well enough alone. He’d been like that once, but he’d learned there was more to fear than a wolf running around outside town.

No, the bigger fear was the one that could get into your locked house, past your dogs and threaten you while you were sleeping in your bed. Fergus had never told anyone about that night and never would.

But it had changed him and there was no going back.

* * * * *

The sun had set in Louisiana hours ago, but Jean Paul Dupointe was still awake. He leaned back in his chair with his feet propped up on the railing and his hands folded on his stomach. He loved the land and the heat and never understood how Jacque LaForge and the others could forsake their home and settle up north.

Each to his own. It had opened up an opportunity for Jean Paul, and he’d taken advantage of it. He was smart and ambitious. Being alpha of the Louisiana Pack suited him.

He liked to sit out late at night listening to the sounds of the bayou. It was always so alive, even at night. The insects hummed, the nocturnal birds hunted prey and the gators cruised the waterways. The familiar sounds settled his soul. This pack had lost a lot over the past couple of years, and it would take time and dedication to rebuild. He relished the challenge.

He turned his head when he heard footsteps heading in his direction. He sniffed the air. “What is it, Calvin?” Calvin was a cousin on his daddy’s side and was Jean Paul’s second in command.

“Just got a call.” Calvin sauntered up and leaned against the porch rail. Jean Paul didn’t speak. Calvin cleared his throat. “Seems a couple of the locals up in Salvation shot themselves a wolf.”

He pulled his feet off the railing and they landed on the porch with a heavy thump. “Anyone hurt?” He didn’t really care what happened to Jacque and his pack, but he had issued a warning to one of the locals. Unfortunately, Jean Paul’s brother had mentioned that fact to others before he’d died. Everyone in the pack knew of Jean Paul’s warning, which meant he had to enforce it or lose face. Jean Paul Dupointe was a man of his word. He had a reputation to uphold.

“One wolf injured but not seriously.”

Jean Paul nodded. “You know who did it?”

Calvin shook his head. “
Non.
Should I send someone up there?”

Jean Paul weighed his options and came to a decision. “
Non.
I think I’ll take a quick trip to Salvation.” He stood and stretched. “I won’t be gone long. If it’s my problem, I’ll deal with it. If it’s not, then it’s Jacque’s problem.”

He didn’t have to tell Calvin to keep a watch on things while he was gone. Calvin enjoyed his position as Jean Paul’s second and knew he wasn’t nearly strong enough to take him in a fight. No, everything would run smoothly while he was away.

He went inside to pack a few things to take with him on the trip.

Chapter Twenty

Sue heard a twig snap just beyond the yard. “Elias?” She set her empty glass on the arm of her chair and slowly stood. “Is that you?” It could be an animal. Plenty of raccoons and deer around.

She crossed her arms over her chest, regretting her slight attire even if it was too warm to wear anything else. She was very aware of not having anything on beneath her nightgown. “Who is there?”

A man stepped out from behind a tree. She started to relax but then tensed when she realized whoever he was, he wasn’t Elias. Sue backed up against the door, keeping her eyes on the man as she reached for the handle. If she could get inside and barricade the door, she could call the sheriff.

“No need to run off.” The male voice was affable enough, but Sue wasn’t stupid. No one made calls this late at night, especially not slinking in under cover of darkness, if they didn’t have some kind of foul business in mind.

Billy
. She had to protect her son at all costs.

She opened the door behind her, but before she could duck inside, the man raised his rifle and aimed it straight at her.

“Now you don’t want to go running inside. We already had one visit from the law today.”

“I don’t want any trouble.” Her mouth went dry as the man moved closer. She heard another rustle off to the left and a second man walked out of the woods. Terror had her heart pounding in her ears.

“Now that depends on you.” The first man walked forward until she was able to make out his features.

“Connor McLennan?”

“Yup.” The man motioned to her with his gun. “Step away from the door, Sue.”

Her fingers were locked around the door handle and it was an effort for her to release them. Sweat rolled down her temple. “I don’t understand.” She’d known this man all her life, and not once had she ever considered him a danger to her. She was learning much too late that people weren’t always what they seemed.

If Connor was here, the other man must be Angus. The two brothers were close. “Why are you here?” she managed to ask.

He motioned with the gun again. “Step away.”

Sue didn’t want to leave the relative safety of the back door, but she had no choice. She forced her bare feet to slide along the deck.

“When I was gassing up my truck at the station earlier tonight, I got to chatting with Sam Owens. Seems he saw you driving out toward the old Mitchell place earlier today. What were you doing out that way?”

Oh God. Somehow Connor knew she’d warned the folks living out there. “I was just taking Billy for a drive.”

The minute her son’s name left her lips she knew she’d made a mistake.

Connor nodded. “Fine boy, your son. Heard a rumor that your ex is trying to get custody of him.”

That didn’t surprise Sue. There were no secrets in a small town. Only Anny had managed to keep her whereabouts secret. No mean feat.

“That’s none of your business.” She didn’t back down. You couldn’t let a bully see fear or he’d attack. She knew that much. Plus, she’d had years of dealing with difficult customers at the diner.

“Oh, now that’s where you’re wrong. You made it my business when you stuck your nose in mine.” He lowered his gun and took a step closer. “You told them Southern interlopers that we were the ones who shot that wolf, didn’t you?”

There was no way she could talk herself out of this predicament. All she could do was go on the offensive. “I did. You shot their dog. There are people living out there. You could have killed someone.”

He tipped back his ball cap. “It’s a damn wolf out there. I don’t care what anyone says.”

“It’s a pet. It hasn’t hurt anyone.” No, only Connor had done that. The furrow on Reece’s body was a testament to that. Only the animal had healed much faster than it should have. Maybe it truly had been just a graze. But still, he’d been trying to kill Reece.

“They called the law and had a sheriff’s deputy come out to my cousin’s house looking for us. We go on their land again, and we’ll get charged with trespassing or worse.” Connor took another step closer. Sue took a step back before she could stop herself. She was scared out of her mind. He had a rifle and she had no weapon to defend herself. Plus, he was a lot bigger than she was. He didn’t need a gun to hurt her.

“Just stay away from them and you won’t have any trouble.” Sue knew she’d done the right thing, but in doing so she’d inadvertently put her son in danger.

“Angus figured out it was you who must have warned them folks. See, they’d have no way of knowing it was us. And the only person who might have overheard us talking about it was you. Yup, Angus was smart enough to suspect it might be you. Then old Sam mentioned seeing you out that way.” He shook his head and Sue’s blood ran cold. “You should have minded your own business.”

“You’re only making the situation worse,” she warned him.

Connor reached out and roughly cupped her face in his hand. “What are you going to do? Tell the law? I don’t think so.” He squeezed until she winced. “You’ve got a boy to protect.”

“Connor,” Angus called, but Connor ignored his brother and kept staring at her. Sue was almost paralyzed with fear at the sheer malice she saw in his face. He was enjoying her terror.

She jerked away and took a step back. “Go home to your wife.” She figured it couldn’t hurt to remind him he had a family to protect too.

His laugh was low and ugly. “My wife ain’t talking to me. She’s not happy that all her friends called to tell her about the deputy paying me a visit.”

“This will all blow over.” They’d gotten a warning. They could have simply walked away from all of this. She didn’t understand why Connor was here.

“You owe me.” The leer in his eyes scared her on a whole other level. She’d been afraid he might shoot her. Now she was terrified he might rape her. And he was right. If she went to the law, Connor could hurt her son.

“I don’t owe you anything. You brought this on yourself.” She wouldn’t back down, wouldn’t cower. She’d fight him with everything she had.

“You going to be a part of this, Angus?” she asked him. Connor’s brother was the even-tempered one of the bunch.

“Connor, maybe she’s right.” She started to relax when Angus appealed to his brother.

“No.” Quick as a rattlesnake, he backhanded her. She fell back and stumbled, barely catching herself before she fell. Her face throbbed and she felt something trickle from the corner of her mouth. Blood.

“She’s not right. She owes me.”

A low growl ripped through the night. Both men whirled toward the sound with their rifles raised. Sue caught a glimpse of man jumping through the air. Gunfire ripped the silence of the night.

Elias cleared the porch railing and landed in front of her on his haunches. He reached out and grabbed the barrel of Connor’s rifle and ripped it out of his hands. He flipped it around and aimed it at the man. “Don’t move. I’m in a killing mood right now.”

His words unfroze her feet. “Ohmygod. Elias, you’ve been shot.” Blood seeped from a wound on his arm. She moved closer, unable to see if that was his only injury.

“Stay back, Sue.” He unloaded the weapon and then tossed it aside. In a show of strength, he wrapped his hand around Connor’s throat and lifted him right off his feet, leaving them to dangle in the air. If Elias didn’t release him, Connor would choke to death.

“Elias.” Sue went to him and pulled at his arm. “You have to let him go.”

“He hurt you. I couldn’t get here in time to stop him.” There was a note in Elias’s voice that warned her that he was more than capable of killing Connor if she didn’t stop him.

“You’re here now.” She had to calm him down before he did something he’d regret. “You don’t want to do this. Think of Sage.”

“Drop him,” someone shouted. Sue had forgotten all about Angus. He had his rifle aimed at Elias.

Elias started to tighten his grip, but Sue wasn’t about to let him kill a man in anger. “Please. Let him go.”

Elias tossed Connor down the steps. The man rolled around on the ground, coughing and sputtering.

“Get out of here before I change my mind.”

Angus grabbed his brother’s arm, dragged him to his feet and hauled him into the woods. Sue’s head was spinning. She felt lightheaded and her knees were weak. She shook herself and focused on Elias. “Come inside. You’re hurt.” She pushed him toward the door. “I should call an ambulance. And the sheriff.”

“No. I’m not hurt that badly.” He went into the kitchen, and she closed and locked the door behind her.

She’d be the judge of just how badly injured he was. He’d been shot. She turned on the light and almost fainted. Blood covered his left arm and the left side of his abdomen around his waist.

She yanked open a kitchen drawer and pulled out every clean tea towel she had. The injury on his abdomen looked to be the most serious. She dumped the towels on the table and grabbed two to press against the wound.

“You need to go to the doctor.” They didn’t have a medical clinic in town, but either one of the two town doctors would be able to help him. “I’ll call Doc Jones.” The doctor knew her well and would probably come out to the house if she asked.

Elias covered her hand with his. He’d held Connor McLennan aloft with that one hand. She’d known Elias was strong, but that had been an incredible feat of strength. Connor was six feet tall and weighed at least one-eighty.

“I’m fine, Sue. You should sit down. You’re shaking.”

It was only when he mentioned it she noticed her entire body was trembling. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head and pushed her into a kitchen chair. “It’s the adrenaline. You’re not used to violence.”

“And you are?” She hated the weakness permeating her body but couldn’t seem to stop shaking.

He brushed her hair out of her eyes. “More than you are.” He crouched down in front of her. “Breathe.”

“Are you out of your mind?” She grabbed another towel and pressed it against his arm. “You’re bleeding.”

“Not for long.” He gently moved her hand away from his arm. He grunted and his mouth tightened. Those were the only indications he gave that he was hurt in any way. As she watched, something protruded from the arm wound. He caught it before it hit the floor.

“What’s that?” She blinked, sure she must be seeing things.

“Bullet.” He dropped the piece of metal on the table. Elias stood and motioned to the wound on his lower abdomen. “That one only grazed me.”

“I don’t understand.” The bleeding was slowing. Were the wounds smaller? One minute ago, she’d been certain he’d need stitches, if not surgery. Now he looked as though a couple of butterfly bandages would handle the problem.

“I know you don’t.” He used one of the towels to swipe at the blood.

Sue jumped out of her chair. “I’ll get the first aid kit.”

Elias caught her before she could leave the room. “There’s another way for me to speed up my healing.”

“I don’t understand.” She was beginning to feel like a parrot, but she really didn’t understand any of this. It seemed like a bad dream that Connor had turned up at her home and threatened and attacked her. All he’d had to do was stop trespassing and shooting at family pets and everything would have gone back to normal. Instead, he’d come out here with intent to do her harm. Then there was Elias. He’d come out of nowhere like an avenging angel to protect her. And he’d been shot. Why wasn’t he passed out due to pain and blood loss? Nothing about this night made sense.

“You wanted to know my secret.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “You deserve to know it. You were hurt because of it.”

Suddenly, Sue didn’t want to know. Whatever it was, she knew it would change her life forever. She shook her head. “No.”

Hurt flashed in his eyes, followed by resignation. “Okay. You better get the kit then.”

She bit her bottom lip and then winced at the pain that exploded on the side of her face. She’d forgotten the minor injury in her concern about Elias’s gunshot wounds. “You say you can heal yourself faster?” That was counter to everything she knew and believed. Were the people living at the compound where Elias was staying part of some strange cult? It was the only reasonable explanation she could come up with.

Leave it to her to fall for a man who was part of a wacky cult. Because her life was already so easy as it was.

Elias nodded. “Only if you’re ready to know my secret. I trust you.” He took a step away from her. “I’m trusting you with Sage and Reece too.” Elias kicked off his sneakers and unzipped his jeans.

It was hard to concentrate with him stripping in front of her. Maybe he was removing his clothes so she could treat his wounds more easily. “What do they have to do with this?”

“Everything.” He tossed his jeans aside and took a deep breath. He looked way too alert and strong for a man with two gunshot wounds.

The air around Elias seemed to shimmer and snap with energy. He bent at the waist and his bones began to crack. Sue slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Her back hit the wall and she slowly slid down to the floor, her legs unable to hold her upright any longer.

Fur pushed out from beneath his skin. His jaw elongated and his head flattened. His ears grew until they were standing upright on either side of his head. He was totally changed. Elias was no longer here. In his place was a massive brown wolf staring at her. She recognized the eyes. They were the same ones she’d gazed into while Elias made love to her. This really was Elias.

“I have to sit down,” she muttered. Too bad her ass was already on the floor. Sue felt as though she was freefalling with nowhere to land.

Elias took a step toward her and lowered his head. She reached a trembling hand out to touch him.

“Doggy.” Billy stumbled into the room, his eyes wide open, his hair tousled.

Sue jumped to her feet and grabbed her son before he could touch Elias. Her first instinct was to protect her son but, the truth was, she trusted Elias.

“He’s been hurt.” Her son’s eyes widened at the sight of all the blood. “Go and get me the first aid kit from the bathroom,” she told him.

“Will he be okay?” Tears welled in her son’s eyes.

She gave him a comforting hug. “He’ll be fine. We’ll fix him up.”