RedKnife (Skin Walkers Book 2) (6 page)

Chapter 10

When he’d made the decision to take the woman, he wasn’t sure, but as he raced north, he knew it wouldn’t be long before King was flying back to StoneCrow.  That meant that King would inquire into RedKnife’s arrival, and then all hell would break loose.

Why he’d chosen to go north when the road east was a safer bet, he wasn’t sure.  Something about the North simply called to him.

His eyes darted to the feminine burden sleeping soundly in the backseat.  He’d stolen an enemy right out from under Monroe, and there’d be hell to pay for deceiving the Dominant Walker.

What are you doing?
  He couldn’t help but ask himself, but something about the way she’d been when she was alone with him…well, him in dog form, told him she wasn’t an evil person.  She was world-weary, and certainly beaten down, but not malicious in the least.  In fact, she’d been willing to share what little food she had with a stray dog.

“We could run away, and all we’d have to worry about is each other and food.”
  Her words played back to him, and he wondered if she wasn’t some form of siren who’d bewitched him with her sultry tone and feminine wiles, because he had, in fact, taken her and run away.  He’d been unable to help himself.  After her breakdown, he’d felt an inexplicable tensing of his body as the overwhelming need to protect her seized him.  Then she’d had her nightmare, and the urge to protect grew into possessiveness when she’d muttered that ass Cody’s name.  He couldn’t explain it, but he’d learned enough over the years to understand that, if his gut was telling him something, to go with it.  So he did.

Unsure where to go, he simply drove.  The roads to Havre were bad as the snow continued to fall, but it didn’t prevent him from shooting through the city and continuing north.  He didn’t have connections like the other Walkers, and there was no cabin, bunker, or house tucked away somewhere that belonged to him.  Hell, he’d even scoffed at the credit cards Monroe had handed out to each of the Sentries.  RedKnife’s probably still sat on the counter of the unused cabin assigned to him at StoneCrow.  At the time, he’d prided himself on his self-sufficiency.  What kind of man would he be if he needed the assistance of others?  Now, he regretted not having made better choices.  If he’d done as many other Sentries had and secured a private residence off-site, he’d have a place to run to now.  As it was, he had nothing but the truck he’d taken from King, a wad of cash in his pocket that King had recommend he carry in case of emergencies,  and the unconscious woman in the back seat.

What he did possess, that most other Walkers didn’t, was a wealth of knowledge about the state itself.  Unlike the other Walkers, who spent their evenings tucked in tight at StoneCrow and working daily at the Estate, RedKnife was more restless.  He traveled far and wide in Montana, and spent the majority of his time outdoors.  He knew how to survive, and he knew where to go when he didn’t want to be found.

Cindy moaned in the backseat, drawing his attention.  He’d need to settle in someplace soon.  The drug he’d shot her with would be wearing off, and he didn’t want the hassle of having to deal with the drama that was sure to ensue while he was driving.

Thinking back to a pow-wow he’d watched from the cover of the forest, he set a course for Mission Canyon on the Fort Belknap reservation.  The location would be perfect.  He’d hit the grocery store in Havre and stock up while Cindy was still out, then he’d disappear on the rez.  He blended well there, and with it being winter, he knew the pow-wow grounds would be vacant.  Several of the cabins in the canyon were used only seasonally, which meant they’d be able to hole up somewhere other than a mountainside cave.

***

Cindy stirred as smoke tickled her nose.  It smelled nice, but it didn’t make sense that she was so cold.  Slowly peeling her eyes open, she studied the massive back hunched in front of a stone hearth, probing at the fire with a poker.

Shit!
  Memory slammed back.  Quietly eyeing the room, she searched for a weapon, or a phone, or an ally.  It was too dark.  The only thing she could make out was RedKnife squatting in front of her and her breath escaping in a frigid puff.

Easing up onto an elbow, she stilled when RedKnife’s head snapped up.  When he turned slowly to pin her with a dark frown, she held her breath.

Wordlessly he stood and dropped the poker.  It clanged off the wooden floor and had Cindy recoiling as she watched him warily.

He disappeared behind the couch and as she sat up, the room was flooded with light.  Blinking against the sudden brightness, Cindy was surprised to find that what she had previously thought was an old, run-down cabin was anything but.  It was nice.  Cold, but nice.

RedKnife paced the room, flipping on light switches to expose more of the room before disappearing out the front door, only to return a few minutes later, arms laden with snow covered fire wood that he piled next to the fireplace.  The door was left wide-open, letting wind whip into the cabin and stir the snowflakes scattered on the wood floor into a frenzy.

She swallowed hard.  “Uh…”  She cleared her throat.  “Um, R-RedKnife?”

He turned to look at her but didn’t speak.

“What am I doing here?”  She scanned the quaint little cabin. “Is Monroe here?”

RedKnife shook his head once.

“Is…is he coming?”

Another hard shake of his head.

Okay, so he doesn’t talk much.
  She remembered back to what Monroe had said.  RedKnife didn’t speak often, and he didn’t like being indoors.  Funny, every time she’d seen him, he’d been inside.

Cindy slowly got to her feet and staggered.  Hearing a growl, she jerked her eyes up to find RedKnife first scowling at her, then pointedly shifting his eyes back to the couch.  It was clear he wanted her to sit back down, so she did.  With little else to do, she took stock.  Her head was pounding, and her mouth was dry.  She coughed weakly, and when it drew her attention she asked, “May I have some water?”

His scowl softened a little before he turned and stalked to the small kitchenette.  It was all she needed.  With the door standing wide open, she didn’t lose anytime fumbling with the knob.  She’d just raced down the cabin’s front steps when she heard glass breaking behind her.  It was enough incitement to get her ass moving.

She didn’t make it far.  Two steps into the deep snow and her feet left the ground.  She sucked in a breath to scream, but just as it left her, a large hand clamped over her mouth.  She fought, but it didn’t last long.  Whatever he’d shot her with had sapped all her energy, so by the time he hauled her back to the cabin and tossed her onto the couch, she was spent.

“Well, what did you expect me to do?”  She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest to ward off the chill.

He didn’t respond, just stomped to the kitchen to clean up the broken glass and the puddle of water.

Cindy jerked her head around to scowl at the still open door.  “Maybe, if you wouldn’t have left the door wide open, I wouldn’t have taken a chance at running.”  She shivered hard as she eyed him expectantly.

RedKnife’s eyes shot to the door then to her before he slowly rose to cross to the door and, albeit reluctantly, closed it, sealing them inside the cabin.

“Look,” she began, hoping for a calm, adult conversation.  “If Monroe needed to speak with me, you could have waited until I went to work.  You didn’t have to come to my apartment in the middle of the night, break in, and scare me half to death.”

Silence.

“I know you can talk.  You spoke to me just fine at the Crow’s Nest.  So…”  She left her sentence open ended, hoping he’d stop with the silent treatment and tell her what in the hell was going on.

“You need to talk to me!” She demanded.  “Tell me what the fuck is going on!”  It came out sounding a little more hysterical than she’d intended.

Finally, he stated, his voice grim, “We know you’re trying to infiltrate StoneCrow.”

His words had her mouth falling open as all the color drained from her face.  She swallowed hard and shook her head.  “RedKnife, I’d never…”

“YOU WOULD!” He snarled viciously.  Angered by her treachery and attempt at deceit, he also had to admit that her affiliation with the man, Cody, had a part to play in his rage.  He stalked to the door.  “Don’t try to leave.  I’ll be watching!”  The door slammed behind him as he exited.

Cindy turned in the couch to huddle over her knees, a sick feeling washing over her.  At first, she’d hoped this whole kidnapping had something to do with her ‘earning herself an admirer’ as Monroe put it.  But that’s not what this was.  She was in trouble.  Somehow, they knew about Cody’s plot and her assistance in it. 
Fucking idiot!
She groaned to herself.  Of
course
they know!  Was there anything they didn’t know?  How in the hell had she ever hoped to fool Monroe StoneCrow, or even Cody for that matter.  She was in serious, serious trouble.

Getting up, she paced to the window and stared out at the snow-covered terrain.  Was he really out there watching? 
Yes.
 

Chapter 11

RedKnife huddled in wolf form just inside the tree line outside the cabin where Cindy slept.  Nothing had gone as planned. Probably because he didn’t really have a plan.

He’d taken her and run when he was supposed to have returned her to StoneCrow for questioning.  Something about how forlorn she’d been had pulled at his heart.  She didn’t seem like a traitor, though her conversation with Cody said otherwise.

Now, he had tucked her into the cabin and ran out just as quickly, which wouldn’t do.  The whole point of taking her was to get the truth from her before Monroe used his own ‘methods’.  The CEO and Dominant Walker was merciless in all matters pertaining to the safety of his Walkers.

***

After a fitful night of sleep, Cindy woke late in the day to find RedKnife standing over her bed.  Startled, she gasped and sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest.  “What’s wrong?”

She could just barely make out his face in the semi-dark, and surprise, surprise, he looked angry.

“We need to talk.”

Talk?
  She eyed the shuttered window.  “What time is it?”  Scooting to the edge of the bed she waited for him to go into the living room.  He didn’t.

Without answering her question, he dove right in.  “Why are you and your…
lover
attempting to infiltrate StoneCrow?”

Lover?
 
Who did he mean?  Cody? 
Suddenly, her stomach pitched violently.  It was a rude awakening, and she placed a hand over her tummy in an attempt to settle herself.  It didn’t work.  Fear hit hard.  Visions of him killing her and dumping her body somewhere on the mountainside had her opting for absolute truth.

“He’s not my lover.  Cody is my brother.”  RedKnife’s jaw ticked, but she rushed on.  “We aren’t trying to infiltrate StoneCrow.”

RedKnife took a step closer to her with a growl and she threw up a hand, noticing the palm was bandaged, but too concerned with RedKnife to inspect it now.  “WAIT!  Let me finish.”

He stopped to frown down at her with angry dark eyes.

“
We
aren’t trying to infiltrate StoneCrow. 
He
is!”

“Monroe knows you were…”

She cut him off.  “Look, I don’t know what he thinks he knows, but just hear me out.” She desperately wanted to stand, but he didn’t move from his position towering over her.  “Cody is my brother.  My fuck-up little brother.  He’s always in trouble, always digging himself into things he can’t get out of.  And this last bit of trouble is the worst it’s ever been.”  She dipped her head to study her wrapped hand.  “He took out a loan and failed to pay it back.  Problem is, the guy he borrowed from isn’t the type of man to just sweep that kind of cash under the carpet.  Thirty-thousand dollars!  In the past, I’ve helped Cody dig himself out, but this time it’s more than I can handle.”  She lifted her head to look him in the eye, hoping he’d see the truth in her words.  “Cody knows I’m working at StoneCrow, and he looked into Monroe and StoneCrow Enterprises.  His plan was to get onto the Estate and rob the bar… rob
me
while I was on shift.  I told him there wasn’t enough cash at the Crow’s Nest to cover even a fraction of what he owed, but he was adamant.”

“So you agreed to it?”  He ground out in clear disdain.

“NO!”  She fidgeted under his scrutiny.  “Well…yes, but not like you think.  I told him I’d look into it, but my plan was to
earn
the money
before
he actually tried going through with anything.”

RedKnife snorted.  “And why would I believe you?”

“You don’t have to believe me.”  Cindy stood, wincing at the pain in her feet and thigh, but pushing it aside to skirt his big body when he didn’t move.  “Look into my work schedule.  My shifts have doubled, and Monroe himself can verify that I’ve asked for all the available shifts in the kitchen as well.”

“That only confirms that you’re attempting to familiarize yourself with the Estate.”

She was shaking her head vehemently.  “My
other
job!”  She stepped toward him excitedly, needing him to believe her.  “I’ve taken more hours there too, and it’s not on the Estate.”  Her eyes darted from side-to-side, and then she yelled, “AND LILLY!  You can check with Lilly.  She can vouch for me, that I requested an apartment at the Estate.  Monroe offers free residence to all employees who pass a background check.  I’ve just been waiting for the background check to go through.  And I know you think that doesn’t sound like it’s in my favor, but it is.  I’ve been pinching every damn penny I’ve been making, RedKnife.  Saving on rent was going to make it so that in seven months—combined with my savings—I’d have enough to cover Cody’s debt.  All I had to do was string him along until then.  You know, make him think I was seriously looking into how he could get away with robbing the Crow’s Nest.  I played along, but I never had any intentions of letting him onto the Estate.  I knew it’d never happen.  I knew the Walkers would stop him.”

One minute she was spilling her guts in hopes of a reprieve, and the next she was pinned to the wall with RedKnife’s hand gripping her throat.

“
What
,” he hissed, “do you
think
you know about Walkers?”

Fuck!
  She swallowed hard, feeling her throat rub against his hand as it convulsed.  His hold wasn’t rough, but it was scary.  “N-n-nothing!  I don’t…”

His hand tightened.

“Please!”  She’d never really believed he’d hurt her, until now.

“Talk,” he commanded.

“RedKnife?”  Her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips.  “I’ve…I’ve been at StoneCrow long enough to familiarize myself with the Estate.  I wouldn’t need to move there to do so.  And…  I’ve also been there long enough to see things.  To hear things.  I’m not a dumb woman.”

When her revelation didn’t seem to sit well with him, she hurried on.  “I’m also smart enough to know to keep my mouth shut.  I have told no one.”  She narrowed her eyes on his face.  “
No one!
  Not a single word pertaining to StoneCrow has left my mouth.  All my brother knows is that I work in the bar there.  He doesn’t even know my schedule.  Any information he has, he’s gleaned on his own.  I have not provided him any information or reason to think his stupid plan would ever work.  And I certainly never had any intentions of letting him attempt to follow through.  I value my life too much for that.”

Satisfied her impassioned speech must surely have broken through, her hopes faltered when he didn’t release her.  Instead, his nostrils flared in what she could only assume was anger.

“Look into my bank account, RedKnife.  There’s ten-thousand dollars there.  Then do the math.  Look at what I’m currently making at both my jobs.  It’ll add up.  Math doesn’t lie!  If I got into housing on the Estate, I’d have enough cash in seven months to pay off his debt.  I’m not a fucking thief!”

Slowly, he released her and backed away, suddenly lost in concentration.  “Shit,” he muttered so quietly that she nearly missed it.

“What?  What does that mean?”

He looked up at her.  “It means I believe you.”

Elated, she huffed out a relieved breath.  “Great.  That’s great…right?”

He shook his head once.

“What?  Why not?  You said you believe me, you said….”

“It doesn’t matter what
I
think.  It matters what he thinks.”

“Monroe?”  She rushed to him and grabbed his arm.  “Can’t you just tell him?”

His eyes dipped to her hands, and she followed his line of sight before quickly releasing him and backing away.

“So, what then?  You know I’m telling the truth, but Monroe thinks I’m an enemy.  Maybe if I told him what I just told you.  Maybe he’d…”

“He won’t.”

Cindy hugged herself.  “Then what?  What do we do now?”

RedKnife wanted to smile at the ‘we’.  Secretly, he was glad she’d suddenly pulled him into her corner, whether it was out of self-preservation or not.  “We’re going to eat, and then I’m going to contact Monroe.  See if I can’t talk him down.”

“Down?”  Suddenly, she was more nervous than she’d been when RedKnife had grabbed her throat.  She interacted with the CEO very infrequently and those rare interactions told her one thing.  Monroe was a man who wouldn’t take a threat lightly. “You…you won’t let him hurt me. 
Right
?”

Her tone was so hopeful that he felt guilt bite hard for having put her in this position.  She'd lied for him to keep him out of jail, and he’d repaid her by running to Monroe with bad Intel without first confirming it.  He was an ass, and he knew it.

“Get dressed.”  He ordered.  “There are clothes outside the door.”