Legend of the White Wolf (28 page)

   The snowmobile appeared in front of her, moving slowly, the driver male, tall, bulky, and if she wasn't mistaken… But no, the ski mask and hat hid his hair color and face. It couldn't be.

   The man pulled in front of her with several feet sepa rating them. She tightened her grip on the pepper spray still in her pocket.

   "Faith, honey. What are you doing way out here? Looking for me?" His voice was deep, dark, and full of warning.

   
Hilson.
Come a little closer. But she was afraid while he was wearing a mask and goggles that protected his face, the pepper spray wouldn't have any effect on him.

   "Hilson?" she asked, trying to sound clueless, as if she truly didn't know who he was in his wintry gear. Although she didn't recognize the clothes. But then again, he'd never worn winter clothes like that before. Suits, yes, as a stock broker. In fact, he'd never worn anything much casual. Jeans were out. Sneakers? No way. She wondered now if he wasn't even a stock broker though, or something else.

   Hilson fell for her ploy and drew the mask under his chin and pulled up his goggles to rest on his ski hat. "It's me, honey. In the flesh. Missed me, eh?"

   At least her glower was hidden behind her mask and ski glasses. But she was sure her voice would give away her ire once she spoke. He had to know damned well that she was madder than hell at him.

   "You weren't supposed to follow me here. I would have come back for you eventually. Didn't you get my note that said I would return in a couple of weeks? That I had some important brokerage deals I had to handle?" He folded his arms and leaned slightly back on his machine.

   Thankfully, he didn't approach. Maybe because he thought she looked ready to bolt.

   "I must have missed the note." She'd found it all right, but she hadn't seen it until she'd discovered he'd stolen her father's flash drive and hard drive. So she hadn't believed for a minute that he would return.

   As much as she wanted to take another glance in the direction of the trail off to her right, she didn't want to give away that she was considering detouring in that direction. She figured if she kept heading that way, she'd end up at the frozen lake eventually. Probably not the direction she wanted to go.

   "How did you manage to find me so quickly? Break into my computer? I left it there so you would know I was returning to you. But I hadn't expected you would learn my password. Kintail says you're an investiga tive genius."

   She didn't care what Kintail said about her, and she didn't say anything in response, stalling for time, hoping Cameron would hurry and arrive with the backup weapon. Even though the bullets he had weren't silver. Not that she wanted Hilson dead, just stopped in whatever he had in mind to do.

   "You've really caused some problems coming here, you know?" Hilson leaned forward, his amber eyes narrowed, the same look he'd give when he caught some guy hitting on her, and he meant business. "Lila wants you dead. Kintail wants you, period."

   "What do you want, Hilson? I thought I meant some thing special to you." It sounded like Hilson had given up all claims to her. She desperately wanted to look behind her. Wanted to see if Cameron was nearly there. Had to stall Hilson before he did anything she'd regret.

   "I know. Whirlwind romance. Three months of great times. You're lucky I didn't just eliminate your father. That's what we do when someone learns what we are. We terminate them or turn them. There wasn't any good reason to make him one of us."

   
Her father.
She felt sick to her stomach. They hadn't killed him, had they? "My father," she said half angry, half choked with emotion.

   "He's not the one to worry about right now. You know about us, don't you? Kintail says that prick Cameron told you." He sighed. "Damned newbie l
upus garou
. Don't know when to keep their mouths shut. It's supposed to be instinctual, preservation of the species type of thing." He shook his head. "I knew it would come to this eventu ally." He pulled off his ski mask and goggles.

   "What are you doing?" She tried to sound scornful, but her armor was slipping. She guessed what he was doing, just as soon as he began unfastening his coat.

   He was getting ready to shift. And then he would bare his teeth before the bite.

   Then the driver of the snowmobile jerked up his goggles and pulled down his mask and grinned like a lunatic.
Gavin. His red brows raised, he motioned behin
d himself, and Cameron instantly lowered his gun.

   "Cavalry's coming. Where's the little lady?" Gavin asked.

   "Up ahead."

   "Let's set up a roadblock. They're not far behind." Gavin hurried off his idling snowmobile, and Cameron did the same. Gavin glanced at Cameron's shredded parka sleeve. "You all right?"

   "Yeah." Switching the subject, Cameron warned, "No ax."

   "Looks like we have enough fallen trees that together we can create a makeshift stopgap."

   That's what Cameron always liked about Gavin. He was an optimist extraordinaire, and he could MacGyver anything together if he had the time and resources. Sometimes even when he had neither. Their current predicament reminded Cameron of some of the missions they'd been on.

   "So what's she like, Cameron?" Gavin asked, as the two of them hauled a heavy tree onto the trail behind Gavin's snowmobile, but he glanced again at Cameron's torn coat, and Cameron figured he'd have to start making up stories to appease his friend, as much as he hated doing so.

   Looking at the mess they were creating, Cameron hoped to hell they wouldn't have to backtrack this way anytime soon.

   Gavin dumped another armload of branches on the trail. "Faith O'Malley, the woman you've hitched up with this trip. Believe me, I was surprised as hell. She must really be something."

   "Faith O'Malley?" How the hell had Gavin already learned so much about her?

   "When I arrived at the lodge where you stayed for the night, the clerk gave me an earful about giving the key to your room to a cute blonde, that she suspected you were now friends with since her room was across from yours. The clerk sounded a little wishful that she'd had the key to your room instead. Then I learned Miss O'Malley had some business with Lila Grayson and Kintail Silverman concerning Back Country Tours also. That made me wonder if it had anything to do with you calling and having me check out the license plates for a gray Ford pickup."

   Cameron paused as they pulled another tree in place. "What did you learn?"

   "It belongs to Back Country Tours in the name of Kintail Silverman. And since you were investigating the same outfit, I figured you might have hooked up together in the romance department. Although the way you were feeling about Marjory, I wasn't sure you'd take the plunge again so soon—even if it's been several months. So what's the story?"

   The information about the registration for the pickup didn't help much, although it looked like Kintail had been following Faith's progress all along. Cameron was damned glad Gavin was here, but the realization hit him again that he couldn't explain all that had happened. He wanted to, as close as he'd been to his partners. But internal warning bells went off concerning what he was now. And instinctually he knew for the preservation of his kind, he couldn't reveal the truth to Gavin.

   He didn't answer Gavin, but considered the tangle of trees and branches they'd gathered now blocking the trail and figured it would take their pursuers a while to clear a path. "She's up ahead. Let's go."

   Gavin would assume that Cameron was in a hurry to protect the woman. But soon, he suspected more would be at stake. He just hoped the reason there was no sound of a snowmobile's engine grumbling in Faith's direction was because she was stopped, waiting for him to catch up.

   As soon as he climbed onto his snowmobile, he tore off toward Faith, Gavin following a distance behind. No matter the bizarre set of circumstances now, Cameron was glad to have his partner at his back. He just hoped Gavin wouldn't learn the truth about the werewolf busi ness, or they'd have a hell of a new mess to deal with.

Trevor stalked into Kintail's lodge and the hangdog expression meant things hadn't gone as planned. Kintail at first thought the problem was that Faith wouldn't speak with Trevor. But Trevor quickly explained, "Before Officer Adams and Whitson could reach the cabins, Cameron and Faith had left. The officers are in pursuit, but they wanted me to report back to you to tell you what had happened. Once they convince Cameron and Faith to return to the cabins, I'll visit with her there." He stroked his gray beard, his gray eyes watching Kintail's reaction.

   Kintail ground his teeth. Couldn't anyone in his pack do anything right? He wanted the woman to discover who the killers in their midst were, and then he wanted her. Period.

   "Another thing."

   Kintail refocused on Trevor, the man's posture defeated, and Kintail knew he wouldn't like this other thing.

   "Or, a couple of things, I should say. The red, Leidolf, was seen exploring the woods near the lake. We think he's investigating this matter of the
lupus garou
killers also. But why, we don't know."

   "Fine. He's welcome to help in the investigation if that's all he's here for."

   Trevor cleared his throat and Kintail knew the next bit of news would not set well with him either. "Hilson's after the woman."

   Kintail drew himself taller. "My brother didn't claim her. Didn't mate with her. He didn't eliminate her father, who could be a real threat. He has no right to the woman."

   "He's been with her for three months," Trevor reminded him.

   "Only to get closer to her father, to learn what he was up to, despite
you s
aying Kenneth O'Malley hadn't seen any of us shapeshift."

   Trevor didn't flinch. Kintail liked that in him. No matter how many times he'd questioned Trevor, he hadn't been able to bully him into telling a different story. Either Trevor really didn't think Mr. O'Malley had see them change, or he was protecting him. If it was the latter, it meant something about O'Malley's actions must have triggered a sentimental side of Trevor to appear suddenly. Where kids and pets were concerned, he had a soft spot. But adult human males?

   Kintail just couldn't figure the situation out. But his gut instinct told him Trevor saved O'Malley's ass from being eliminated. Hilson had thought the same and of his own accord moved temporarily to Portland to watch O'Malley. But observing him from a distance was getting him nowhere. That's when he targeted the daughter.

   Trevor took a deep breath. "Lila cares for you."

   Kintail stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.

   "I overheard her talking tearfully to Katina about losing her mate and son."

   Kintail clenched his teeth, not sure he wanted to hear how much she had loved someone else, telling himself that's why she couldn't love him. But he held his tongue and waited.

   "She's scared she's going to lose you, and she's scared she can't show you how much she cares before it's too late. As an alpha female, she puts on this act to hide her true feelings, afraid to show her vulnerability."

   Kintail looked out the window. Maybe so, but would she ever come to grips with her past? She wouldn't even speak to him about it.

   "As to Faith, she wants Cameron and he wants her. You won't ever change that. If you kill Cameron, Faith will want to kill you."

   Glancing at Trevor, Kintail wouldn't be thwarted in his mission. If Lila could come around before it was too late, so be it. Otherwise, Faith was his. "Where the hell is Hilson now? No one's been able to get hold of him."

   "He's after the woman. George Roux told us that when we were looking for Faith and Cameron, Hilson had arrived twenty minutes before us, looking for the woman, then he headed into the woods to find a way to stop her."

   "She's mine to turn, damn it." Kintail began jerking off his clothes. "Where the hell are they now exactly?"

Standing against the wall, waiting for the door to swing open and hide him in their basement prison, Owen warned David, "It's now or never."

   The aroma of beef, potatoes, gravy, and spinach wafting down the stairs made his stomach rumble in anticipation. But he wasn't planning to eat the lunch this time, no matter how much it appealed. This morning only an older woman, Katina, had brought their food, no guard. If it happened again, they'd be in luck.

   David reclined on the bed, looking perfectly relaxed like he wasn't about to go anywhere. But the effect was an illusion. Owen could see the tightness in David's face, even if others couldn't. He noted the tension in David's body, and knew that if the chance availed itself this time, he'd spring from the bed and aid their escape.

   So when the door opened wide and David's placid face turned to a frown, Owen knew the circumstances weren't exactly right for an escape attempt. But damn it, Owen was ready. And he'd already played his hand, so they'd be wary of another trick in the future.

   But as soon as Elizabeth entered the room, Owen wondered what the difficulty was. Although she stopped short to see Owen wasn't in the bed or anywhere else in the basement. David quickly smiled at her and reached for the tray, trying to distract her. Owen figured they could tie her up and take off. Or take her with them. But right after that, a man followed her into the room and turned to see where Owen was once he saw he wasn't anywhere else in the small basement room.