Hunter's Heart: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 5) (16 page)

Chapter Seventeen

We went back to the barn for shelter. Derek’s wounds
were grave, but already starting to heal. Dad and I kept our rifles trained on
the three wolves until we got inside. Derek ordered them to line up against the
wall. They shifted, one by one. Where three gray wolves stood, now three men
turned to face us with their hands in the air.

I went to Derek and wrapped my arms around him. He
pulled me close and kissed my forehead. “It’s all right. We need to get their
story, but I think these men might be friends.”

“The hell you say,” Dad said. He stepped around
Derek and shoved one of the men toward the wall with the end of his rifle. “On
your knees. All of you. Keep your hands behind your head.” So Dad lined them up
like the POWs they were.

Derek kept his arm around my waist. His step
faltered at first. He had a huge tear in his left quad muscle. My heart lurched
as the blood freely flowed. “It’s okay,” he assured me. “A good night’s sleep
and a hot meal. I’ll be good as new.”

Sunlight broke through the slats in the barn’s roof.
Our three captors knelt, sweat pouring from their backs. They were good-looking
men, like most shifters are. One had thick, wavy brown hair like Derek’s. The
others looked alike enough to be brothers. Ginger hair with a dusting of
freckles over their muscled chests. Pale blue eyes that stared right through
me.

“Who are you?” I asked.

Derek stepped around me, wincing from the effort.
But, he was getting stronger with each passing minute. “Answer her,” he said.
He grabbed an old bench from against the wall and pushed it in front of the
men. With a grunt, he sat down on it and stretched his injured leg out
straight.

“I’m Liam,” one of the ginger-haired men said. He
knelt in the center of the others. He made a gesture with his hands. Derek nodded,
and Liam brought his hands down. Liam spoke with a thick Kentucky drawl.

“This is my brother, Mac. And this is Gunner.”
Gunner’s dark brown eyes flashed. Of the three of them, he looked the fiercest,
his face in a permanent scowl.

“We don’t want to hurt you,” Liam said. “We’re not .
. . not all of us agree with the way the Chief Pack does things.”

“So I’ve heard,” Derek said.

“Liam?” Dad said. He didn’t lower his weapon, but
stepped forward. “Mama, you still have my phone in your pack?”

Grammy nodded and tossed Dad his phone. He swiped it
open, raised a brow, and looked at Liam again. “Liam McConnell?”

A look passed between Liam and Mac. Dad passed the
phone to me. He had it open to a picture of Liam McConnell. He looked much
different than the man kneeling before me, but they were one in the same. In
the picture, Liam wore a tailored suit. He leaned against a brick building
talking on a cell phone. The shot was grainy, as if it had been taken from a
distance and blown up.

“He’s next on my kill list from the Harlans,” Dad
explained. “Got a hefty price tag on him too. Two hundred grand.”

“What?” Derek said. “I thought you told me you were
getting half that for killing me.”

Dad smiled and shrugged.

“Why does the Chief Pack want you dead?” I asked,
handing the phone back to Dad.

Liam took a breath. “I didn’t know they did.”

“I fucking told, you,” Gunner said. “We’ve taken too
many risks. Coming up here was a risk. We should have just left them to the Regers
and kept to our own.”

“Who are the Regers?” Derek asked.

When Liam raised his hand to point, Dad adjusted his
rifle. “Easy,” he said.

“Those
were
the Regers.” Liam explained.

“Are you trying to get out of Kentucky?” Derek
asked. “Is that what this is about?”

Mac pursed his lips, and Liam shook his head. “No,”
Liam said. “There’s a group of us.”

“Stop!” Mac said. “We don’t owe them any
explanations.”

“Maybe
we
owe you a bullet in the head!” When
Dad moved in closer, Derek put a hand on his chest to stop him.

“You’re right,” Derek said. “You don’t owe us an explanation.
Things could have gone very differently out there if you hadn’t stepped in. For
that, I’m grateful. Doesn’t mean I trust any of you as far as I could throw
you. But, we have a problem. You know where we are and can guess where we’re
headed. The Kentucky pack wants us dead. So, we have a common enemy. That
doesn’t make us friends.”

“And you know who we are and
where
we are,”
Liam said. “So that gives us mutually assured destruction.”

Derek nodded. “I have no desire to kill any more
wolves today unless I have to.
Whether
I do is up to you. I’m also not
inclined to let you go until I’m certain I can get my people to safety. Tinker,
what happened to my truck?”

“Smashed,” Dad said, raising a brow. “It’s totaled
back there, but I can get to it. What did you have in mind?”

“Good. Bring those shackles we used on Boyd. We’re
going to tie these three up. Then we’re going to get the hell out of here
before I see another Kentucky wolf. Hurry.”

When Dad got back, I helped Derek bind the three men
together. Derek used an elaborate looping pattern with the chains that cut
cruelly into the men’s skin, but it wouldn’t do permanent damage. It would also
make it very hard for them to uncoil themselves whether they shifted or not.
Oh, they’d get out all right. With their combined shifter strength, it would
only be a matter of time. But, Derek banked on the fact it would be enough to
get us long gone and over the Michigan border.

“I also want your word,” Derek said, leaning down so
he was nose to nose with Liam. Liam twisted in the chains and growled. But, he
nodded.

“I got it,” Liam said through clenched teeth. “If I
wanted you dead, I would have just helped the Regers finish the job.”

Derek patted Liam on the back and nodded. “You’re in
for a hell of a fight down here, aren’t you?”

Liam’s face softened. He closed his eyes and dropped
his chin. “There are more and more like us. I told you, not everyone agrees
with the way the Chief Pack runs things.”

“Do you think it’s going to matter?” Derek asked.
“Are there enough of you to make a difference?”

“Well, that’s our problem, not yours,” Mac answered.

“It becomes my problem when your people cross over
into Wild Lake and cause trouble. Now, you’ve done something for me today. I
won’t forget it. Wild Lake wolves always pay their debts. Other than not
killing you where you sit, is there anything we can do to help you? If you come
with us, I might be able to offer you sanctuary.”

Liam pressed his head against the wall. “No,” he
said, though all trace of hostility left his voice. “No. This is our fight. And
we have good people down here who still need our help.”

“Are they coming for us?” Derek asked. “Tell me the
truth. Is the Kentucky pack planning on trying to take over Wild Lake lands?”

“I won’t lie to you,” Liam answered. “There are some
in the pack who want that. Life is hard down here. You don’t know how good you
have it up north. But, no. It’s not a pack war we want. Kentucky has enough
trouble of its own. I’ve heard rumors the Chief Pack sent wolves up your way to
scout things out, but that it didn’t end well for them.”

“You bet your ass it didn’t.” Anger rolled off Derek
in waves. I put a hand on his arm to bring him back into himself. I sensed his
shift coming. We needed to get out of here. The longer we waited, the greater
the chance other wolves less inclined to help us might show up.

“We have no quarrel with you,” Liam said, chafing
against the chains. He set his mouth into a hard line and gave Derek a nod.
Derek took Liam’s hand and clasped it in a brotherly shake.

“Then, good luck to you,” Derek said. “I truly mean
that. You’re going to need it.”

“Good luck to you too,” Liam said. “Stay to the east
if you can. You’re less likely to run into any of the border patrols. They’re
getting bolder. I’ve heard some even prowl territory as far as Columbus. Once
you get over the state line, you should be all right. I don’t think any of them
are crazy enough to tangle with the Michigan packs without reinforcements.”

“Let’s go!” Dad said. Brutus and Sofie whined at the
barn door.

“Is someone coming?” I asked, wishing my ears were
as sensitive as his. But, I could just feel the echo of Derek’s thoughts now.

“Not immediately,” he said, rising to his full
height. He’d tied Liam, Gunner, and Mac in a huddle against the corner of the
barn. “But I think we’ve pressed our luck enough today. It’s time to go home.”

I went to Liam. Slinging my rifle over my shoulder I
crouched down to his eye level. “Thank you,” I whispered. “Truly. I know what
it cost you to help us today. Lyles always repay their debts too. Remember that
if we ever cross paths again.”

Liam and Mac looked at each other. Liam gave me a
grim smile. Derek reached down and took my hand. As Brutus and Sofie howled
from the doorway, I turned to leave.

We got back down to the car Derek stole. It’d be a tight
fit, but we’d make it. The dogs climbed in back, I got behind the wheel, Dad
and Grammy piled into the back seat with Brutus and Sofie. I revved the engine
once and headed northeast. We should have just enough daylight to get the hell
out of Ohio if nothing else went wrong.

When I finally hit the pavement and we left the
farmhouse behind, three plaintive howls rose as Liam, Mac, and Gunner said
their goodbyes.

“Do you think they’ll make it?” Derek rested his
hand on my knee and gave me a squeeze.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Odds are heavily stacked
against it. The Kentucky pack already knows Liam and his group are a threat if
they called your father into it. Somebody else will fill the void your family
is leaving.”

“Fucking Cavanaughs I’ll wager,” Dad said. “Fast
Eddie’s been trying to take over my shit for decades. Ha! He’s in for a rude
awakening. Without these bad boys, my money’s on the McConnells back there. A
part of me almost wishes I could stick around to see it.” He slapped his hand
on the butt of his rifle.

“Not me,” Grammy said. “I thought I’d feel sad
leaving Banchory. And I am, a little. It’s like saying goodbye to my Charlie
all over again. But, maybe it’s high time I went back home. You think any of my
people are still up there?”

Derek smiled back at her. Grammy rested her hand on
Derek’s headrest and he rubbed it. “Oh, I think you might find an old timer or
two you recognize. Family is family, no matter how long you stay away. I think
you’ll be welcomed back with open arms.”

“Hmm,” Grammy said. “Don’t know about that. Shocked
faces, at least. They all think I’m long dead. Safer that way. I sure wouldn’t
mind seeing a few people just so I can tell those bastards off!” Dad put an arm
around Grammy and kissed her cheek.

My heart began to lighten as we passed Portsmouth
and hit U.S. 23, finally able to head north. Columbus got closer and closer,
and Liam’s warning made us all tense. But, we made it through with no trouble.
The only wildlife we saw was roadkill. Derek’s heart beat steady, no warning
signs of any kind.

We were tired. We were starving. But we sure as hell
weren’t going to stop until we crossed the state line once and for all. Grammy
got chatty by the time we passed Marion. She told us old Native American legends
about vampires, bear shifters, and a demon she called a Wendigo. A lifetime
ago, a million miles away, I might have thought she was making it all up. But,
I knew better.

“Wendigo,” I smiled, squeezing Derek’s hand. “It
fits you.” He let out a chuff that sent a shiver of pleasure straight through
me. My skin prickled. He was so close to me, but we couldn’t act on it. I just
hoped wherever we ended up, he had plans to get me somewhere private as soon as
possible. I looked up and caught Grammy’s eyes in the rearview mirror. Her face
split into a knowing grin. She immediately changed the subject, prompting my
father to look out the window at some road sign. Yes, Grammy understood all too
well.

I took the route Derek instructed. We’d hit the
Michigan line just past Toledo. My heart leaped when I finally saw the road
sign; it was just ten miles away.

“We’re going to make it,” I whispered. “We’re
actually going to make it.”

“Don’t jinx us, sugar,” Grammy called out.

The moment she said it, I felt Derek stiffen beside
me. He still held my hand, and his turned ice cold.

“What? What is it?”

I checked the rearview mirror. A large, black SUV
had pulled in behind us and covered the ground fast, barreling toward my rear
bumper. My heart stopped. They were coming for us. If I had any question at
all, Derek’s thundering pulse punctuated my fear.

“Drive faster,” he said, his voice devoid of
emotion.

“What?” Dad and I said together. He turned in his
seat, training his rifle on the driver of the other vehicle.

“Don’t stop until I tell you,” Derek said. “Go as
fast as you can. We’re less than a mile from the state line. When I say so,
pull over.”