Alpha Me Not (16 page)

The low drone of the pickup’s engines didn’t prevent her from hearing the other man’s deep voice, though she couldn’t make out his words. At least the weather seemed to be improving: large patches of blue vied for supremacy with thick, smutty clouds.

“Really? Description.”

Susie frowned at the change in Joe’s voice. She studied his face.

“Hang on.” His gaze met hers. “Your brother, Gray, wouldn’t happen to be about six-two, dark hair, dark eyes, and more Native American in appearance than you, would he?”

Chapter Seven

Joe had to choke back a grin at Susie’s horrified grimace.

“Gray? Please tell me he’s not here.”

“Here and pissed. I asked a buddy of mine, Tate, to keep an eye on our place and the neighborhood while we were gone. Tate says your brother turned up about ten minutes ago. Apparently he grew worried about not being able to get ahold of you on your cell and flew down to check on you. He went to Terri’s house. Heard all about the explosion from Zaara Hassani, who told him that you were now living with me. That didn’t sit too well with your brother. He thought Tate was me and started a fight.”

“I’ll kill him. With my bare hands.”

Susie’s narrowed eyes, clenched jaw, pursed lips, and the twin roses staining her cheeks spoke of a sibling’s temper. He couldn’t help it. Joe burst into laughter. The more she glowered, the harder he laughed. Tears streamed from his eyes.

“What’s so funny, Joe Huroq?” If an expression could spit fire, hers would’ve incinerated him about seven seconds back.

“Nothing. Tate, put Gray on the phone. Here.” He gave her his phone and swiped the sleeve of his shirt over a cheek. Her poor brother was in for a head-to-toe scolding. “Talk to your brother. Calm him down.”

She handled the cell as if it was covered in germs.

“Gray?”

“Where the hell are you, Susie? And why the hell didn’t you call when your goddamned house burned down?”

Joe winced. His wolf hearing amplified every word Gray yelled.

“Don’t you shout at me, Gray Theodore White.”

“I. Am. Not. Shouting.”

Susie held the phone away from her ear and counted aloud to three. “I
will
hang up on you if you don’t calm down.”

“Mama’s been frantic. Mike just about had to tie Melanie down to keep her from coming with me. I’ve been thinking the worst. You could’ve called.”

She peeked at Joe, who shrugged. “I did text.”

“Three minutes ago. After two days of not a word from you.”

Joe felt a twinge of guilt for listening in on their conversation.

“I was busy. Having everything go up in smoke is a ton of work.”

“You’re living with a mercenary. A man who kills for money.”

Damn. This wasn’t going down the way he’d hoped.

She rolled her eyes. “Joe’s not like that. And I’m not living with him. He’s letting me use his spare bedroom until I can arrange other housing.”

“Really? Is that why I found your underwear, shirt, and belt in
his
bedroom?”

Her brother’d seen
those
panties? No wonder he was pissed.

“Fine. I’m sleeping with him, but it’s not a serious relationship. We’re fuck budd–”

Joe snatched the phone from her hand. “Jesus. You want to get me killed?”

Susie glowered at him. “He’s being an absolute—”

“Protective brother. Reacting precisely the way I would if I were him.”

Damn if his palms weren’t itching to connect with her ass. He set the cell to his ear.

“Gray, Joe Huroq here. You know your sister better than I do, and you know she’s only trying to goad you right now. You and I need to have a man-to-man talk, and we will the minute I get back. In the meantime, stash your things in the study. The sofa turns into a bed. And have Tate show you what’s stored in the safe.”

“You’re inviting me to stay in your home?” Gray’s voice level had returned to normal.

“Yes. We should be back there in a couple of hours.”

“Nobody screws my little sister and gets away with it.”

“If I had one, I’d feel the same way.” Joe prayed that was enough explanation for her brother.

Susie crossed her arms. “Are you done?”

“I believe your sister and I are about to have our very first fight. Later.” He hung up and tossed the phone into the tray.

“I can’t believe Gray.”

“Don’t even think of going there. Do you know how lucky you are to have people who care for you enough to be worried? How’d you feel if you couldn’t get ahold of your brother and had been trying for two days?” Joe spied Kieran’s SUV under a tree on the right. He eased the pickup off the road, found another oak with low-hanging branches, and parked.

She tilted her head back on the car seat and blew out a long sigh. “I hate that you’re right. Okay. Round one to you and Gray. You do realize he’s going to grill you about your ‘intentions’?”

“And so he should. Don’t worry. I can handle it.” He captured her hand and kissed each knuckle in turn. “We need to get one thing straight right this moment. We are
not
fuck buddies. This is no hookup. We are in a relationship.”

“That’s not what I wanted.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze. “And I think I was totally wrong about the alpha thing and the ballroom dancing.”

“Wanted. Past tense. Care to tell me what you want? Present tense.” He knew better than to push her but also knew the time to reveal his wolf fast approached, and he needed her to admit to them being a couple.

“I don’t know.” She pulled at the seat belt.

“Do you want to break us off right now?” Joe held his breath.

She shook her head. “No. But Gray being here’s going to complicate things. I like you. A lot. You have to know, though, that I meant what I said when we first met. I don’t want the ‘normal’ stuff. I want a career, not a husband and kids and marriage.”

“Why do the three have to be diametrically opposed? There are tons of women out there who manage all those things.” She tried to remove her hand from his grasp, but he wouldn’t allow it. “Look at me, gypsy woman. I’m not going to curb your freedom.”

“You make me want to believe, Joe.” Her fervent whisper would’ve escaped him if not for his wolf hearing.

He’d make her believe.

“Can we agree that we’re in relationship?”

Their gazes met, and her eyes shimmered.

She nodded.

“Good.” He traced the high line of her cheekbone. “Because I sure as heck can’t let you go. Not right now.”

Not ever.

Not for his whole eternity.

The knock on the passenger window spooked Susie. Her eyes went huge.

Joe had been aware of Kieran’s presence since he’d turned off the road.

“It’s Kieran. Ready?”

“Yes.” Relief swamped her features, and he hid a grin. She wanted to sweep everything under the carpet, but he’d had his admission, and that was all he needed, for now.

Kieran, one foot propped on his SUV’s fender, folded his arms and asked as they exited the vehicle, “Need help?”

“Nope. One backpack only. You have the cameras?”

“Yeah.”

Joe snatched the knapsack from the pickup’s tray and shrugged it on. He held out his hand, and Susie, without a moment’s hesitation, looped her fingers with his.

“First I’ll take you both to where I found Petey. Then we’ll head to the outcrop. It’s the only sizeable one on Hallelujah Mountain.” Joe followed a trodden path that meandered between large oaks and thick clumps of shrubs. Within five minutes they came upon the muddied stream of a fast-running river.

“Which one’s this?” Susie pointed to the rippling water.

“Mudflat River. The junction of the Mahnee and Mudflat is up ahead.”

In the distance tree branches dipped and swayed above the rounded roof of the covered bridge that spanned Mudflat River. The path narrowed, and Joe sandwiched Susie between him and Kieran. It had been a rainy winter, and green fungus clung to the majority of tree trunks they passed. The slight musty odor overpowered the rotting debris littering the riverbed. Evidence of hunters in the form of power bar labels and empty, mangled plastic bottles marred the sodden banks.

“I thought covered bridges were only found up north.” Susie’s fingers tugged at his.

“What’s wrong?” Joe slowed, arrested by the sudden dampness coating her palms.

“Nothing. Being paranoid, that’s all.”

A spike in the flint mingling with her fresh scent wafted to his nose. “Once we cross the bridge, we also cross the state line.”

Joe’s boots hit the wooden planks. Dappled shadows from the trees above danced over the bridge and abruptly vanished under the roof. The temperature dropped at least five degrees, and he glanced back to see Susie shiver.

“You’re cold.” He turned around and pulled the sweatshirt he’d stashed just in case from the backpack’s side pocket.

She shook her head. “I’m not cold. This bridge is creepy. Please. Let’s just get off it.”

Behind Susie, Kieran quirked a brow.

Joe gave an imperceptible shake of his head, draped an arm around her, and marched them across the river. The second her foot hit the ground on the other side, the stiffness went from Susie’s rigid back.

“You okay?” Joe halted to study her wan complexion.

“I’m not like this. I don’t creep out easily.”

He massaged her cold fingers and knew she didn’t realize the death grip she’d had on his shirt. “It’s okay. I’m here. So’s Kieran. You’re safe.”

She swallowed. Squeezed her eyes shut. “You’re going to think I’m a basket case.”

“I think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He brushed his lips over her closed lids. “Need a minute?”

“No.” She met his stare. “Thank you.”

Kieran stood a few paces to the left of Susie. He signaled Joe with a finger to his mouth.

Joe gripped Susie’s shoulders tightly and angled his head to Kieran. Without moving, she looked back, saw Kieran’s signal for silence, met Joe’s gaze, nodded her understanding, and went still.

He scanned the landscape ahead and zoomed onto the backs of two men dressed in camouflage from head to toe walking side by side up the mountain. Both had rifles slung over their backs. One spoke with the unmistakable twang of a man born and bred amid the swamp citizens of the Gulf area. Four black-and-tan coonhounds, black noses grazing the leafy carpet covering the path, ambled alongside the hunting pair.

Joe locked glances with Kieran and shook his head. No threat to them there. He waited until the hunters crested the hill before saying, “Let’s move on.”

“I don’t get it. Did you hear something?” Susie addressed the question to Kieran.

“I thought I heard voices, but it was nothing. Lead the way.” Kieran stepped back and waved Joe on.

Holding her hand, Joe increased his speed, suddenly anxious to get them out of the forest. They rounded a long, curving bend, and the Mahnee River came into view. Across the way the sun poked over the tree line. Its dazzling core blinded him for a second. He shaded his eyes and perused the river’s edges. The jagged peaks of several black rocks signaled the beginning of a series of violent rapids formed by precipitous drops where the two rivers began merging.

“It’s lovely. Very peaceful. And it’s giving me the creepy-crawlies.” Susie massaged her neck. “Was it here that you found him?”

“No. Down the trail about another hundred yards.” He set his hand to the small of her back. “We need to pick up our pace.”

They went forward at a rapid stride. The river coiled away from them when they entered the deep shadows of a forest with a thick canopy. The musty fungus smell yielded to aromas of mud and a pungent greenness.

Susie edged nearer to him as they traversed the tunnel formed by dark trunks and the canopy. A mass of sticky cobwebs attacked Joe’s face as he ducked under a low-hanging branch. He slashed the gooey threads with one hand and scraped his palm clean on a high stump.

“I can’t see worth a damn,” Susie muttered.

“We’re almost through.” Joe grabbed her waist and pushed her ahead of him. “Keep walking. Just a couple more yards.”

The roaring confluence of the two rivers drowned all other noises. They emerged from the woods to silver- and white-capped rapids crashing over five-foot-wide serrated rocks.

Susie clutched his arm. “They look like teeth. Massive, gruesome teeth.”

Joe twisted around to Kieran. He didn’t have to say a word.

Bands of crime scene yellow tape clung to a clump of trees dead ahead of them. Kieran unhooked one backpack strap and removed a camera from a zippered pocket. He rested the bag on a rock and advanced, camera focused.

“Let’s give him some space,” Joe whispered in Susie’s ear and led her down the bank. They walked to below the rapids, to where the channel widened into a yawning sprawl and the water’s flow slowed to sluggish.

“I didn’t see anything that seemed familiar. That spot didn’t even raise the hairs on my arm.” She stared in Kieran’s direction. “Except for the rocks, it was pretty. How awful is that?”

Joe rested his palms on her shoulder and kissed her temple. “I can’t honestly say that I expected anything different. But it was worth a try. Strange that the bridge affected you so strongly, though.”

“I have to admit the events of the past couple of days have shaken me up. I’m probably just all spooked out. First the fire, then Petey, now another body. I haven’t felt so off-kilter since Papa died.”

She was thinking about her father. About loss. Her pain lanced his soul. Several times during their hike he’d sensed her thoughts. The urge to build fortresses, havens, walls, moats, any structure to protect and guard her welled through his veins. He sought to take the edge off, to nudge her in a different direction.

“Barb didn’t want Kieran to come here again.” Joe picked up a few pebbles and skipped them over the river’s swirling surface. “I wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do or not. But I know if it was my son, I’d have to go over everything at least a dozen times to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. What do you think?”

She laid her hands on his chest and stared at him directly. “Go with your instincts. When my father was killed, no one talked about it. We all shut up. It was only when Mike came back to town that we even acknowledged what had happened. Not talking is what drove Mama to drink. Not talking only makes the hurt and anger fester.”