What This Wolf Wants (13 page)

Pulling out her phone, she dialed her own number, because how embarrassing was it to pretend to be talking on the phone when it rang.

Okay. It had happened to Jackie. Once. She wasn’t about to shoot for a second time.

Trying hard to appear as an unwary lone female, Jackie left a message on voice mail and used the fob on her keychain to unlock her truck. A good thing too as her phone beeped to announce an incoming call.

Not bothering to check the display, she answered on a breathy,

“Hello?”

“It’s Joe. You’re clear. But you are being watched.” Jackie continued walking with barely a hitch in her stride. “And you would know this how?”

“Because we’re watching the watchers.”

“Why?”

A pause. “Because they’re bad men, Doc. Real bad.” Juggling purse, phone, keys, and door, she hoisted herself into the cab and locked herself in. “Okay. Who’s we, where are you, and why am I being watched?”

“First start the truck like nothing’s wrong.”

“I know that.” Muttering, she cranked the engine, lowered the radio, and put on her seat belt. “Start talking.” As she put the truck into gear, Joe said, “Scott and I are on the roof.”

She drove slowly through the lot to get a better look but saw nothing. “Why?”

“Told you. To watch the bad guys.”

Jackie hissed at him. “I swear I’m going to reach through this phone and choke you.”

Joe snorted. “Head to your Alpha’s house and we’ll explain everything.”

“And if he follows?”

Low, with a dark thread of anticipation he replied, “We want him to follow you.”

Well. Didn’t that make her all warm and fuzzy. He hung up before Jackie could respond and immediately her phone rang again. This time from Dean. “We’ve got a situation. I need you to come to my house, ASAP.” Then he hung up.

She tossed the phone on top of her purse, deciding there and then that all dominant male shifters needed a course in phone etiquette.

On the main road she was conscience of car lights following her.

Several actually until she turned right on Lidden Street. Then there was only one. Between the dark of the night and the distance the other driver maintained, she couldn’t tell the make of the vehicle other than it was a car and not a truck. It could be Joe and Scott or one of the other locals who lived off this street.

Or not.

Her palms were damp with nerves by the time she turned into the long dirt driveway leading to Dean and Kaylie’s home. She slowed, eyes trained on the rear view mirror, and watched as a nondescript sedan crept by.

A greasy ball of fear tightened in her gut. How could anyone find all this sneaking and intrigue enjoyable? She wanted to throw up.

Reaching the large clearing in front of the two-story home, Jackie parked next to Kaylie’s truck, noting Dean’s vehicle and a third unknown one. She sat a moment, drawing air deep into her lungs.

After Kaylie’s sister, Tess, hooked up with Woodcliff’s sheriff and her mom moved out to marry the owner of Dolen’s Cafe, Dean had moved into Kaylie’s home. As Alpha, a rich one, he could easily afford to build a grand house or even buy the huge Kolter place. Instead, he chose to remain in his mate’s childhood home. Kaylie loved the house and therefore, Dean loved it.

Would Zan come to love Woodcliff as much as Jackie did?

Ack! She had some weirdo tailing her and she was sitting there thinking about a never-going-to-happen future with Zan.

Unclenching her hands from the steering wheel, she eased out of the truck, scanning her surroundings at the same time. As she headed up the steps to the porch deck, the front door opened.

She gulped at the man who, only hours before, had been inside her, giving her pleasure unlike anything she’d encountered before.

Don’t go there
, she admonished herself.
Act like nothing
happened
. Except…

“You have something that belongs to me,” she accused.

Zan didn’t smile, didn’t even show a hint of interest or understanding, other than the gleam of desire and possessiveness that darkened his eyes into flaming emeralds. “As do you.” Racking her brain and coming up empty, she frowned at him. “I don’t have anything of yours.”

He closed the distance she purposefully left between them until she could feel the heat from his body wrapping around her in a warm embrace. The nasty knot in her belly eased and she was left with an odd feeling of safety. Deep down she knew somehow that nothing would hurt her while this man lived. It was eerie. It was unwanted. It was…wonderful.

She bit back an embarrassing whimper when he traced her lips with a fingertip, down her throat and under the high neck of her shirt. He caressed the sensitive mark he left on her mere hours ago. “This says differently.”

Her eyes narrowed into slits. Now she got it. Could she be any slower? Zan was informing her in a not-so-subtle way that she belonged to him. Her body, her mind, and her soul. It all belonged to him.

Perversely, some feminine part of her relished the idea. The other rebelled. “That changes nothing.”

His hand curved gently around her nape, drawing her closer still.

Hers curled into fists on his chest, grasping hunks of his shirt as if she never wanted to let go. “That changes everything.” Before he could kiss her and prove what a little liar she really was, he stiffened and pulled back, lips tight in frustration, eyes focused over her shoulder.

Jackie turned, first hearing and then barely making out through the thick trees a vehicle speeding down the long dirt drive, sans headlights. “I hope you know who that is.”

“Scott and Joe.”

Perfect. At least this time Scott wouldn’t be catching her topless and Zan with a mouthful of breast. Recalling why they were following her, she whispered, “Did they drive the whole way without lights?” She warily eyed her surroundings again, wondering if they were being watched even as she spoke.

His hand squeezed gently on her nape. “No. The moon’s too bright. A running vehicle on the road without lights would be obvious.

Besides, Scott drove while Joe ran through the forest. Right now they’re screwing around. No doubt Joe’s got a chunk of soap in his hand. He’ll mark the car and Scott will try to determine how many times Joe marked him, whether by sight, smell, or sound.”

Brows drawn in bewilderment, she asked, “Because?” Behind her Zan shrugged. “It’s a training maneuver, meant to teach shifters to heed every distraction as a potential help or harm while still focusing on a goal.”

A dark form bolted in front of the moving car only to bleed back into the deep shadows of the forest just as the vehicle entered the clearing.

Jackie gasped. “That was close!”

“No guts no glory.”

She glared at Zan over her shoulder. “I hate that saying.” In the clearing, Scott exited the car, shouted the word eight, and began to peruse the marked vehicle. Joe appeared out of the dark and they started to bicker over what was considered a tag and what wasn’t.

Jackie shook her head. “Are you sure they’re old enough to be in the military?”

Zan snorted. “Chronologically? Yes. Mentally? It’s times like this I have doubts. Watch this.” He covered her right ear so his shout wouldn’t affect her hearing. “Report!”

Like the well-trained soldiers they were, Joe and Scott snapped to attention at Zan’s order and hustled over to stand at the top of the stairs. It was Scott that spoke. “The driver’s identify is confirmed. Marc Shider.

Two of his henchmen are with him. Cam Arias and Lenny Denner.” The hand on her neck squeezed again and Jackie glanced up to see tight lines around Zan’s mouth. “Are they…was it one of them that shot you?”

Green eyes met her wide-eyed brown ones. “Looks like. Let’s go inside and discuss this.” He nodded at the younger shifters who preceded them in the house. “I need to let Dean know what’s going on and find out what he wants me to do.”

Jackie scoffed. “I’ll tell you what he wants you to do. Eliminate the threat.”

His nasty smile gave Jackie the willies. “My goal as well.

However, his plans might be different from my own.”

“What plan is that?”

“Getting out of town.”

The thought of him leaving sent her heart thudding to her feet.

“Oh.”

“And taking you with me.”

That had her stopping in her tracks. “What?” Zan turned around to face Jackie. He cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb gently over her shocked lips. “Angel. It wasn’t me he was following tonight.”

Very true. “Care to explain why he was following me?” Ignoring her question, Zan dropped his hand to clasp hers. “Let’s not keep Dean waiting any longer.”

Jackie allowed herself to be dragged into the kitchen because she honestly didn’t know what else to do. Except run away screaming or curl up in the safest place possible and pray until this was all over. Barring both instinctive ideas, she let Zan pull out a chair for her at the kitchen table where Dean, Kaylie, Joe, and Scott were already seated. Zan flipped his chair around and straddled it, drawing Jackie’s gaze to the play of thick muscles under the denim as he sat, his arms resting along the back.

Turning sharply away, Jackie caught Kaylie’s smirk and wrinkled her nose. Her Lupa’s eyes were bright, and her lips swollen. Evidently Kaylie and Dean had indulged in a lip-locking session just before they were invaded. For his part, Dean gave her a curt but warm nod in greeting and turned his attention to Zan.

When Jackie followed her Alpha’s lead and looked at Zan she couldn’t help another quick peek at Dean, once again amazed at the unique color of green mirrored in their eyes.

Kaylie winked at her, no doubt having the same reaction.

“Two years ago,” Zan explained without preamble, “a small military team attempted to take out a drug ring overseas. I was sent in ahead of my team as a scout, in wolf form. Suffice it to say that the mission didn’t go as smoothly as anticipated. When things starting going to hell, I had to shift into human form before the appointed time to aid a fallen teammate. While we managed to terminate that particular location’s operation, we not only missed a key player, but it seems my,” he paused,

“change didn’t go unnoticed. And now I’ve been tracked down.” Succinct as the explanation was, Jackie had tons of questions. She asked none. However, Kaylie wasn’t one that held back. “You fought naked? Damn. Wish I saw that.”

So did Jackie. Joe and Scott snorted while twin spots of red darkened Zan’s cheeks. Without looking at his mate, Dean reached out and covered Kaylie’s eyes. “Get that picture out of your head, woman.”

“Too late,” Kaylie and Jackie said as one.

Dean removed his hand and glared at Kaylie. “And how would you like it if I said I had an image of you and Jackie, naked, wrestling around in the mud?”

Kaylie’s eyes danced with mischief as she met Jackie’s. “Been there, done that.”

Silence from the men as they looked in astonishment from one female to the other and back again.

Jackie nearly burst out laughing. “It was for a good cause.”

“Care to explain why I’m about to hunt down and kill the men who saw my mate naked?

Dean’s voice was so cold and when Jackie peeked at Zan she saw an answering anger, only his was hot. Since Kaylie’s expression only had a wide-eyed innocence—the little imp—Jackie figured she’d better answer the question. “It was a charity softball event. Kaylie was heading for home, I was the opposing team’s catcher. It’d been raining. We both slipped in the mud and landed on each other.”

“You were playing ball naked?” Zan’s face was tight, his hands in fists on the chair back.

“No,” Jackie affirmed. “We were clothed. Kaylie was just being funny.”

“There is nothing funny about it.” Dean growled low. “You are so grounded.” He told Kaylie who only rolled her eyes.

“I think I need a beer,” Joe said.

“I think I need a cold shower,” Scott followed.

“And I know we’re way off track,” Dean said sternly. He turned back to Zan, his comment causing Zan to tear his eyes off Jackie. “Do you believe the same person who tracked you down is the same who shot you with a silver bullet on Saturday?”

“Yes. It’s Marc Shider. He’s the nasty-looking key player we lost the night of the raid. He and his father were known not only for running drugs, but also as avid big game hunters. Seems to me he’s planning to add a werewolf to his wall of trophies.”

Jackie shivered at that.

“And in three nights Woodcliff will be overrun with werewolves,” Dean said. “Most of the adults will be at the compound, but the juveniles will be out in the forest for training. Both groups will be sitting ducks for this guy.”

Jackie knew by the tightening of her Alpha’s eyes that his concern wasn’t just for his pack members, but especially for his mate and unborn pup.

Zan nodded. “I know. I’m going to draw Shider away from the town before then. Make him think I’m running scared.”

“Running scared?” Jackie quizzed. “Why would he think that?” Zan shrugged. “He’s arrogant and because he’s already tagged me once, he probably thinks I’m weakened. Plus, he wasn’t sly at all about following you. He wants me to know he’s hunting me and what’s mine. A wounded animal burrows in the safety of their home while they heal. I’ll head back to Virginia. Burrow in my home.”

“But a wounded animal will also lay a false trail before heading home, so as to not lead the hunter to their den.” This from Kaylie, the veterinarian.

“In this case, the hunter already knows where the den is. If I left without Jackie, he might not follow, seeing my departure as a false trail.

That’s why Jackie needs to go with me.”

“Wait!” Jackie exclaimed. “Why me? I’m just your doctor. Why not Dean? I mean, you’d have to be blind not to see you two are related.

Why isn’t he going after Dean?” At Kaylie’s raised brow Jackie added,

“Sorry Kaylie.”

Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat and so it was Kaylie that answered. “You might have only been the doctor until the incident at the bar Tuesday night. You know how rampant gossip is in this town, Jackie.

By noon today, you and Zan were all but engaged. And according to my mom, three male tourists were eating lunch at Dolen’s Cafe this afternoon.