Chapter 2 #2
Rey knew many of the townsfolk gossiped about his flitting from bed to bed.
When he was younger, he’d slept with a few of the local women, but a couple of them had gotten clingy afterward, and there’d been some incidents which had required the sheriff and his deputy to get involved.
After the last one, where the woman had slashed his tires and taken a bat to his truck, Rey started driving to the next town over or farther out from there whenever he was looking for a hookup for the night. He didn’t need the headache.
For the last few years, he’d also started just looking for men to get his rocks off with. Mostly because they typically knew the score and weren’t trying to put a ring on his finger. Rey waved at Seth Davies, the local vet and Kasey Whitedove’s mate, as he climbed into his truck. “Morning, Doc!”
“Morning, Rey,” Seth said, smiling. “Just getting my caffeine fix this morning.”
Rey tilted his coffee cup a fraction at Seth. “Me, too. How’s your Jeep?”
Seth had brought his Jeep in a week ago because it was making a funny noise. Rey’d needed to replace the struts, and Seth had only had his car back for a couple of days. “Everything’s been good, Rey. Thanks for asking. She runs like new.”
“Great to hear. Don’t forget you’re due for your thirty-thousand-mile maintenance soon.”
“I’ll call and make an appointment in a couple of weeks,” Seth said. “See you at the meeting tomorrow night?”
Rey nodded. “Sure will, Seth. See ya then.”
He started his truck and pulled out of the diner parking lot.
The shop wasn’t far down the road from the diner, and in a couple of minutes, Rey pulled into the lot, sliding into his usual spot near the back door.
Nevada, one of his two employees, was already there and had the radio playing.
He stood underneath a Ford pickup truck on a hydraulic lift, cranking a socket wrench. Smiling, Nevada said, “Morning, boss.”
“Hey, Nevada. Thanks for opening up this morning.” Rey set his coffee cup down on the nearby workbench. “We got a lot of work today. Heard from Jake this morning yet?”
“Nah. I think he’s sleeping one off. Saw him at the Wolf Den last night.”
Rey winced. Jake was a good worker—he knew his stuff—but the man didn’t know the definition of moderation with alcohol. They’d had more than a few heated discussions about Jake’s drinking and the way it interfered with his work. “All right, thanks for letting me know.”
Nevada gave him a nod and went back to what he was doing.
Rey headed into the office, set down his keys on the desk, and returned to the garage area to work on a car.
Jake turned up about an hour later, looking like death warmed over.
Rey gave Jake a hard glare but held his tongue for the time being.
He’d talk to Jake. His patience with the guy was running out.
Jake was pack, but Rey also didn’t appreciate being taken advantage of.
“You’re heading to the summit next month, right?” Nevada asked during a break, taking a sip of water and then a bite of a sandwich.
“Yeah. Talon went to the first one.”
“Are you hoping to find your mate there?”
Rey shrugged. “I’ve always been pretty sure my mate will be Native American.
I doubt I’ll find them in another pack where they aren’t.
Not really going for that reason, anyway.
Since I’m Kasey’s head enforcer, figure it’s time I meet the pack we’re mixing with.
What about you? You planning on going this time?
” Rey asked, curious. He would close the shop for the three days if Nevada wanted to go.
He didn’t trust Jake to handle anything while they were gone.
Nevada shook his head. “Nope. I’m happy being single. Not ready to find my true mate. ’Sides, I figure if you’re going, I’ll stick around to keep the shop open. Don’t want to make the locals have to head over to Ash’s.”
Ash’s was the next closest mechanic shop, roughly fifty miles away. The tow bill alone would be sky-high for anyone needing one. Rey nodded at Nevada. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“No problem, boss. I’ll enjoy the overtime,” Nevada replied, grinning.
Rey chuckled and shook his head. The three of them got to work, knocking out the regular maintenance jobs quickly. There were a couple of vehicles that needed to be looked over to identify what was wrong with them and another two that the parts had just come in for the previous day.
At the end of the day, Rey had the hard conversation with Jake.
He had no choice except to let Jake know that if he didn’t start cleaning up his act, the guy wouldn’t have a job soon.
Jake swore he’d do better, and Rey gave him one more chance.
Pack or not, Rey had a business to run and couldn’t afford to have a no-show or an employee coming in late.
They had to keep the vehicles moving, no pun intended.
Life continued as usual in the month leading up to the next summit.
Rey made the arrangements but took a later flight out than Kasey and Seth, wanting to make sure everything at the shop was taken care of completely before leaving.
Kasey could protect Seth, and Julian Greywolf, Kasey’s beta, would go with them to watch Kasey’s back.
Rey hated flying. Being in a tin can in the air where he couldn’t control what happened always put him and his wolf on edge.
“Redford’s Rav needs a couple of spark plugs and an oil change,” Rey said to Nevada over the phone while hoofing it through the airport to his gate. “The part for Green’s pickup is supposed to be in tomorrow, but just in case, I let him know not to expect it back until Monday.”
Nevada laughed. “I got it, Rey. You told me everything this morning.”
Rey sighed. “Sorry. Just not used to handing over the reins.”
“Don’t stress, boss. It’s only a few days, and if anything comes up, I’ll call you.”
They announced that boarding for Rey’s flight had begun by the time he reached his gate. “Thanks, Nevada. I appreciate you stepping up. Do me one more favor please. Keep an eye on Jake.”
“Will do, Rey. He’s been doing a lot better the last couple of weeks since you spoke to him. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“All right, I’m boarding my plane now. It’s not a long flight, but I’ll be unavailable until we land.” Rey smiled at the lady at the podium near the entrance as he handed her his ticket. She looked it over, scanned it, and handed it back with a return smile, gesturing him through.
“We’ll see you when you get back, boss,” Nevada said. “Enjoy your time off.”
Rey snorted just as Nevada disconnected the call.
He entered the plane, his wolf chuffing nervously in his mind, and located his seat.
Taking out the book he’d brought to read, Rey then stuffed his bag into the overhead compartment and took his seat.
A blond woman sat next to him, smiling politely but not speaking.
Thankfully, the flight was brief. Rey ignored the way his stomach pitched when they landed, just happy to be back on solid ground.
It took another thirty minutes to get a car at the rental counter.
There weren’t many remaining with how many had flown in for the summit, it would appear.
“Some kind of family reunion going on?” the attendant asked, typing away.
“Something like that,” Rey said.
The attendant handed him a key after having him sign a couple of things. “You got our last truck. A Ford F-250. It’ll be just outside here to your right, about halfway down. Black. Questions for me?”
“No, thanks.”
He didn’t arrive at Bear River Lodge until after dark.
There were already quite a few vehicles there, and he could see a huge bonfire set up and people gathered around it.
Kasey stood on a table nearby, giving a speech of some kind, no doubt.
Rey paused his truck near one of his pack, Sam Blackfoot.
“Hey, Sam. Which of the lodges are for our pack?”
“Hey, Rey.” Sam smiled, tipping the beer in his hand at Rey. “Wasn’t sure you were going to make it to this one. Most of our pack is staying in the northern area. See that big one there? That along with two or three of the others are for us. The big one sleeps forty.”
“Thanks, Sam.” Rey drove toward the big lodge, figuring he’d find a bed there. He parked his truck and got out, grabbing his bag from the passenger side. Several of his packmates were milling around inside. He saw Seth sitting in a chair at the very large dining table.
“You made it, Rey,” Seth said, smiling. “There’s a couple of beds upstairs in the game room, I believe, that are still unclaimed.”
“Anything going on?” Rey asked.
Seth shook his head. “Nope. All is calm. Expected little else. I know you missed the last one, but it’s the same as last time.”
Rey grunted in acknowledgement, then headed upstairs to locate the game room.
He found a lower bunk that didn’t appear to have anyone’s stuff on it and set his bag on top of the blanket.
Hunger drove him to return downstairs and venture out to the bonfire.
Food and drinks lined several wooden picnic tables.
Rey grabbed a plate and loaded it down with a couple of hamburgers, some chips, potato salad, and macaroni and cheese.
He stopped at the cooler to snatch a beer out, then located a quiet place to eat, observing those around him.
There were more shifters there than he’d expected.
His own wolf prowled restlessly under the surface, disturbed at the unfamiliar scents of the strangers.
He saw a couple of pack members had paired off already.
Kasey stood laughing with a huge redhead who was holding on to a shorter, blond-haired male.
Rey knew he needed to go greet Kasey and introduce himself around, but he wanted a few moments to eat and to understand the dynamic of the event.