Untamed Hearts (BBW Biker Werewolf Romance) (7 page)

Abruptly his head rose, pushing her away roughly. “Hear that? That hulk has your scent.” He snorted, an ugly sound. But beyond Adrian’s snarl, Claire heard the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle roaring to life. She allowed herself to take a breath.

Adrian glared at her, head tilted. “Look at you, all smiles. I bet you got him to give you a ride, bring you here, all by giving that animal just what he wanted, just with a twitch of those hips of yours. What I wanted...what was mine. And what you never gave me.”

“You’re fucking crazy, Adrian. Gunner isn’t...”

Her head snapped back as his hand connected with her cheek. Tears stung her eyes, more from shock than pain. She kept her head turned toward the window. Adrian pounced on any sign of weakness. It fed whatever drove him to hurt, and Claire knew tears could send him into a frenzy. A frenzied Adrian in the confined space of the car was not something she wanted to experience.

“Teach you to call me crazy...” He turned the key in the ignition, cutting off the rest of his words. Claire closed her eyes, swallowed hard, and leaned her forehead against the cold glass of the window.

Adrian’s nasty remark stung. Had she used Gunner, played on the chemistry between them, and used it to her advantage? And then shut him down? Right now, she wasn’t sure of the answers.

Her eyes flew open as the car rocketed onto the narrow road. Adrian loved his cars, and the Ferrari was one of his favorites. Now, on the narrow, twisting mountain road, he took the curves at top speed, the car slewing from lane to lane.

“Like the view?” He flung the car around a corner and Claire looked out the window, over what seemed to be a thousand foot drop, straight down. The guardrail flashed past, the car barely missing the metal that was supposed to keep them from hurtling to certain death. Adrian’s high-pitched laughter filled the car as Claire white-knuckled the door handle.

“Shit. Fucking bastard.”

Claire tore her eyes away from the view to find Adrian glaring at the rearview mirror. Without turning, she knew it was Gunner behind them. She looked at the sideview mirror and her heart, already hammering, skipped a succession of beats.

Behind them was Gunner. She tried hard not to smile, or at least not let Adrian see her face. Gunner had followed them...he’d come for her after all.

E
ven back in his human form, Gunner could smell the little prick’s scent. It burned his nose, coated the back of his throat, and made him want to cough. Gunner rubbed his ribs where Adrian had kicked him, wincing as he took another breath. One was cracked, maybe two.

Behind Adrian’s God-awful smell was Claire’s, the sharp scent of her fear almost covering her own rich scent. Not usually given over to grandiose sentiments, it tore Gunner’s heart to realize he’d failed her. He couldn’t protect her for even twenty-four hours.

He pulled on jeans and a shirt, thrust his feet into his boots, grabbed the keys for the Harley, then bolted out the door. Halfway down the path, their scents faded and he realized Adrian must have taken a different route to the cabin.

By the time he reached the clearing and his bike, he’d gotten the scent of them again, the wind blowing their scent to him from the south. And on the wind he caught the hot scent of a car, gas and oil heavy on the breeze. Now he knew where Adrian and his car were.

The bike came to life and he dropped it into gear, the rear tire spitting gravel as he tore up the driveway. He hit the pavement, twisted the throttle, and took off at top speed down the mountain.

Gunner knew this road like the back of his hand, and the bike screamed around the first corner. He’d learned to ride on these snaky roads, and he knew he could catch Adrian no matter what kind of high-powered car he was driving.

The bike screamed beneath him, giving sound to his fury. He hunched lower, taking another series of turns at speed. Then he caught a flash of red two or three turns ahead, hugging the guardrail. The sun glinted off the passenger side window before the car dipped into a patch of shade. For a brief moment, Gunner saw the outline of Claire’s head. She was alive, at least sitting upright in the passenger seat. Check off one fear, that Adrian had decided to take matters into his own hands and stuffed Claire into the trunk of the car.

But other fears rose in his mind. If Adrian saw him, would he try to hurt Claire somehow? Or would his already reckless driving escalate until he lost control and the car either crashed into the mountain or plummeted over the edge into the valley below?

Gunner let up on the throttle, dropping back. There was nowhere for Adrian to go other than down the mountain. If he took any of the side roads, he’d be forced to drop his speed, and that didn’t seem like something Adrian would do. Gunner had to be patient, not lose sight of the car, but not push Adrian too hard.

As he dropped back, his mind racing over every possibility, Reece’s voice came back.
Malone’s words, leave Claire alone, leave Adrian alone...don’t dig up the past. Victor had his father killed...Victor was his father
.

His father...the man who would always be his father...had been murdered at the base of this mountain. It had been staged to look like a trail accident. Except his father didn’t hike. Gunner knew it was murder. Reece knew. But no one seemed interested enough to find out what happened. So it all just got covered up, buried, and never talked about again.

Could he be taking Claire to the same spot? Did he know his father...their father...had killed a man there?

Gunner slowed the bike, letting the Ferrari roar out of sight around the next corner. There was a cut-off road, not far ahead, nothing more than a muddy dirt track that came out below where this father was killed. If he could make it through, if the road wasn’t washed out...with any luck, he’d be able to get there before them, hide the motorcycle, and wait.

The road was rutted and he was forced to slow the bike down, veering around potholes and a fallen tree. Finally the road became a mire of mud, completely impassable. He got off, pushing it into the thick cover of rhododendron that grew along the sides.

In the distance, he heard the roar of a sports car. His hunch was right. Adrian was heading to the trail.

Gunner sprinted down the road, the highway visible through the screen of overhanging trees. He was about twenty feet from the end of the road when the red car flew past.

“Damn.” Gunner slid to a halt in the slick mud. He’d been too slow, stuck in the mud, dodging tree branches, and Adrian was going to get to the trail ahead of him.

He wasn’t going to be able to save Claire after all. He’d failed her...again.

* * *

C
laire had been watching the side mirror as they hurtled down the road, catching an occasional glimpse of Gunner behind them, crouched low over the Harley. Each time she saw him, he was a little closer, and she had a hard time controlling the excitement that bubbled up inside. He was coming to save her. He hadn’t given up.

But then, suddenly, he dropped back. She straightened, frowning, as the car shot forward and Gunner disappeared. Swiveling in the seat, she looked back over her shoulder as they rounded yet another curve. In the distance she saw Gunner and watched in disbelief as he slowed, then turned the bike off the road, disappearing into the underbrush.

“Looks like the big animal gave up on you, Claire. Finally came to his senses.” Adrian’s nasty laugh filled the car. He reached across the console, grabbing her knee. “You’re back with me, kid. Just where you belong.”

“I’m not yours.” Claire dug her nails into Adrian’s hand. He laughed again, giving her knee a cruel pinch. She slumped back into the seat, moving as far away from Adrian as she could get in the cramped space.

She wondered if this was the final straw for Gunner, if being bested by a half-changed shifter would make him throw up his hands and turn his Harley back toward his old life. She wouldn’t blame him if he did. This whole save-the-damsel-in-distress gig was probably turning out to be more than what he had bargained for.

Along with that, his involvement with her had uncovered his true father, and that terrible fact that Adrian was his brother, or half-brother, at least. No matter how much chemistry they had, she didn’t think that was enough to overcome everything that had happened to Gunner in the past twenty-some hours. Fate, or bad luck. She was betting he would probably pick the second option.

Adrian kept the car at top speed, still swinging from lane to lane. The terrain had changed, the road leveling out, although the twists and turns continued.

Suddenly Adrian braked and Claire jerked forward, slamming her hands on the dashboard. The car skidded violently, almost sliding into the shallow ditch, the stench of burning rubber and brake pads filling the car.

“What the hell? Are you trying to kill yourself as well as me?” Claire turned to Adrian but he ignored her, scanning the roadside.

“Something like that...” He yanked the key out of the ignition. “Get out. And don’t run. You know damn well I can catch you. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy the chase, but I don’t have time to waste.”

Claire opened the door, stepping out into the briars that filled the ditch. Waiting for her to pick her way through them was too much for Adrian. He came around the front of the car, grabbed her arm, and pulled her by force up to the pavement.

“Stop dawdling, Claire.” He pushed her ahead of him, and she stumbled onto the chipped edge of the pavement.

“Do I have to carry you? I will, you know.” He grabbed her elbow, dragging her down the road. She tried in vain to grab the front of her shirt, to pull the tattered edges together over her bra, but Adrian had her arm wrenched almost to shoulder height. Finally she gave up, letting her shirt flap in the breeze.

“Where the hell are you taking me?”

“It’s a surprise.” Adrian’s voice was harsh, cruel, his breath rasping from his throat, and it was clear to Claire he was again desperately trying to hold on to his human form. He’d been more or less human on the ride from hell down the side of the mountain. Whatever the hell was wrong with him, it was bad, scary bad, like nothing she’d ever seen before.

Suddenly he pushed her down the side of the road, toward a scarlet trail marker nailed to a tree. Claire lifted her head, looking up the steep trail, then beyond at the bulk of the mountain rising above her. They were at the bottom of the mountain, the same mountain where Gunner’s cabin was. This was the trail he’d said ran below his cabin.

But why the hell would Adrian drag her back to where he’d taken her from? What the hell kind of plan did he have for her?

Adrian pushed her hard from behind, and she stumbled down the narrow dirt path. “Adrian, where are we going? What are you doing?”

“We’re going where I take you. And as far as what I’m going to do?”

Claire tripped, falling to her knees, pain slicing down her right leg. The cut was deep, warm blood trickling into her shoe. Adrian grabbed her arm, jerking her back to her feet.

“I’m going to put you out of your misery.”

She limped several more yards down the trail, cold fear pooling in the pit of her stomach. Besides that, her heart hurt thinking about Gunner, or trying not to think about him. He’d abandoned her, although she couldn’t really blame him.

“Here. Stop here.” Adrian shoved her hard, and she fell again to her hands and knees. The pain in her leg was worse, the cut bleeding freely. Claire hung her head, hair falling across her face, hot tears gathering in her eyes. Through gritted teeth, she spoke.

“So this is it? You’re going to just kill me here in the woods?”

“This isn’t some random place, Claire. It’s a very special place. Someone else met their end here, and now you will, too.”

Finally she looked up at Adrian, dragging air through parted lips, finally letting the tears fall. It didn’t matter now if she cried in front of him or not. “Why? Why me? I left you at the altar...did I embarrass you enough that you want to kill me?”

“There’s fuck all you don’t know, you know? You’re a little person in a big world. But now you’re involved in something bigger...you and that animal of yours. You need to go away, and so does he.” He leaned over, and to her surprise, brushed a tear from her cheek. Then he cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her face up to his.

“I’m going to kill you, and then I’m going to kill him.”

G
unner tore through the forest, his paws barely hitting the ground. As a wolf, he could cover far more ground than in human form. He wasn’t sure being in wolf form was how he wanted to meet Adrian, but it was too late now.

The trail was just ahead, and he caught a whiff of Claire’s scent. She was hurt, bleeding, but he couldn’t tell how badly. The hot, coppery scent of her blood sent his rage at Adrian almost out of control. The bastard had hurt Claire, and Gunner was going to make sure Adrian never had the chance to do it again.

He could hear Adrian’s voice and he slowed, sticking to the thickest areas of underbrush and shrubs. The trail wasn’t that far ahead, and he didn’t want to lose the element of surprise. Gunner was pretty sure Adrian had seen him following them. Now he hoped Adrian thought he’d given up the chase.

Gunner crouched low, slinking forward. Glimpses of Adrian’s white shirt, now streaked with blood and dirt, were visible through the brambles and bushes. Gunner moved forward, peering through a screen of leaves.

Claire was on her hands and knees, blood seeping through the leg of her jeans. Adrian was pacing in front of her, his face contorted by his broken nose and the hideous grin he wore. Gunner watched him closely for a moment; the guy was on edge again, barely able to control his body. And, Gunner suspected, his emotions.

That bothered Gunner. If the guy wanted to shift, why didn’t he? He hadn’t shifted at the cabin either. Something either kept him from shifting or kept him from completely holding on to his human form. A memory tugged at the back of Gunner’s mind, a quick flash of firelight, being a small boy, listening to his father. But before he could grasp anything else, it was gone.