Chapter Eight
The sun had been up a couple of hours, and there was no sign of either Cyrus or Adam.
Vinnie forced herself to eat a granola bar and drink some water to keep her strength up.
With all the added exercise and lack of food, she’d dropped a good five pounds in the past week, maybe more.
She’d give just about anything for a hot cup of coffee, but it had been a dry summer, and the county had instituted a campfire ban.
They needed rain in the worst way. Water would have to suffice.
She rubbed her eyes and rolled her shoulders. What sleep she’d managed had been in short spurts. She’d lost count of the number of times she’d jolted awake, heart pounding, certain she’d heard something.
Where are they?
She itched to start out on her own but had no idea which direction to head. All she could do was stay put and pray.
She paced, too on edge to sit. When she heard something coming through the trees a short time later, she grabbed the rifle.
While she didn’t expect anyone else to be tromping around the area, it was better to be safe than sorry.
There were predators—both four-legged and two-legged ones—and she was a woman alone.
Like an answer to her prayers, Adam walked out from between two towering maple trees. She momentarily froze in place, afraid to blink lest she be dreaming. Then she saw Cyrus behind him. He’d kept his promise. He’d found their son and returned to her.
“Adam!” She raced toward him, needing to touch him to be sure he was real. He hesitated the briefest second before running toward her.
“Mom!” He flung himself into her arms. Cyrus plucked the rifle she’d forgot she was holding out of her hand. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
“It’s okay, honey.” He was taller than her, but she enclosed him in her arms. He could get as big as he wanted, but he’d always be her baby boy.
Sweat beaded her brow when he clung to her, the overwhelming relief making her knees weak.
“I’ve got you.” He was all right. He was safe here with her.
When he started to pull away, she held on tighter, not ready to let go just yet.
Tears burned in her eyes, but she blinked them back.
Cyrus waited patiently off to one side, watching them intently. She wanted to know everything that had transpired between them, but that would have to wait.
She released Adam and held him at arm’s length. Like her, he’d dropped weight. Also like her, he could use a shower. Other than that, he appeared no worse for wear for his adventure. The worry of the past week bubbled over. “What were you thinking to run off like that?”
“I left a note.” Head down, he scuffed the toe of his sneaker in the dirt.
“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”
His head jerked up, dark eyes met her gaze, and his chin went up a notch. “I’m not a kid.”
No, he wasn’t, but he was still only a teenager and her child. “That’s beside the point. You can’t just run off on your own.”
“You don’t understand.” There was a hard edge to his voice that gave her pause. As much as it pained her to admit, he was right.
She brushed a lock of hair off her forehead.
He hunched his shoulders but stayed put.
“A few days ago,” she murmured, “I would have disagreed.” She glanced over at Cyrus.
“Now, I think you might be right.” It had been so much easier when Adam had been younger.
She could bandage his cuts, kiss his bruises, and banish the monster from under the bed. This wasn’t as simple.
His Adam’s apple moved up and down. “Is what he said true?” He jerked his head toward Cyrus. “Is he my dad?”
God, this was hard, but no one ever said being an adult was easy.
It was no secret how Adam had been conceived.
Once he was mature enough to understand, she’d told him the basics, driving home how grateful she was to have him, how much she loved him, how she had no regrets.
She never wanted him to doubt that, not for a single second.
But hearing about his dad was a far cry from coming face-to-face with the man.
“Yes, honey, he is. I didn’t lie to you.” It was important he understand and believe that. “I told you the truth. I went to hire a private tracker to find you. Instead, I found Cyrus. I know this is a lot to take in.”
“You think,” he snapped.
“Don’t take that tone with me, young man.” He might be hurting, but she was still his mother. “No matter what’s happening in your life, I’m here for you.”
“I don’t know what’s happening.” Again, his gaze went to Cyrus. “I saw things, Mom. Things I’m not sure I believe.”
How frightened he must have been to be confronted by a massive wolf. “I have too, baby. You aren’t alone there.” She hugged him again because she could. “We’re going to figure this out. Are you hungry?”
He shrugged out of the pack on his back. “Starving. I ran out of food yesterday.”
In full mothering mode, Vinnie rummaged through her bag and came up with the last of her granola bars. “Eat these.”
He screwed up his nose and rolled his eyes, the familiar gesture making her smile. “I don’t know how you can eat this stuff.”
“It’s light to carry, nutritious, and calorie dense, everything you need when hiking.”
Adam ripped open one and ate half in one bite. “Dried cherries and chocolate. It’s not so bad.” He finished it and started on another.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” She didn’t see any cuts or bloodstains, and he was moving easily, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t sustained any injuries.
“I’m fine.”
Cyrus stirred, drawing both their attention. “We need to talk.”
Not something she was looking forward to, but it had to be done. Just not right now. “We need to get back.”
He was shaking his head before she finished.
“It’ll take us hours to walk back. Adam and I could make it faster, but you can’t.
Taking a direct route, we’d make it back to your place by suppertime, but we can’t be in town when the moon rises.
If there was time, I’d pack you both up and take you back to Kentucky. ”
There it was. The thing she wanted to avoid believing or talking about was out in the open. “Is there no other way?”
Cyrus frowned, his expression forbidding, his eyes as dark as coal. “No.”
Adam glanced from her to his father and back again. “It’s true, isn’t it? I didn’t imagine you were a wolf.”
“It’s true.” Cyrus’s head jerked up and he emitted a low growl. “Shit, we’ve got company.”
Vinnie grabbed the rifle and shoved Adam behind her. “Who?”
“It’s Deputy Wilkes, Mom.”
Cyrus gave him an approving nod.
“How can you tell?” She couldn’t see him.
“I can smell him.” The breeze was slight and it was heading in their direction, bringing whatever scent was in the air. “And I ... I recognize his scent.” He said the last as if confessing a great sin.
“Change of plans.” Cyrus motioned her forward.
“We need to race for the truck as fast as we can. That way.” He jerked his head to the left.
They grabbed their gear and hurried into the thick underbrush.
“Be as quiet as you can.” The last was said for her since both he and Adam were silent wraths slipping in and around trees without a sound.
Cyrus was in the lead with Adam sandwiched between them.
It was still unbelievable that her son was in front of her, but he was far from safe.
Not while Wilkes was snooping around. What was his problem, anyway?
The guy was like a dog with a bone when it came to her, always butting in where he wasn’t wanted.
How had he found them?
She hurried past Adam and touched Cyrus on the shoulder. When he stopped, she went up on her toes and whispered, “How did Wilkes find us? We’re far off the beaten path.”
Deep lines creased his forehead and his brows lowered.
“Take off your knapsack.” After she slid it off, he went down on one knee, opened it, and began removing every item.
Worried, she glanced over her shoulder and shifted her weight from one foot to another, expecting to see Wilkes burst out of the woods behind them at any moment.
When the bag was empty, Cyrus leaned down and sniffed every item, stopping when he got to the small first aid kit. He opened the white plastic container with a red cross emblazoned on it. Right at the bottom was a small black device.
“Son of a bitch,” she whispered. “Where the hell did he get a tracker?”
“You can order just about anything online.” Cyrus quickly repacked her bag and handed it to her. “Adam, you can smell Wilkes. I need you to lead your mom back toward the parking lot.”
Her son squared his shoulders and gave a curt nod. “I can do that.”
“Where are you going?” She tugged at Cyrus’s arm. “As angry as I am at Wilkes, you can’t hurt a deputy.”
“I don’t plan to.” He gave a genuine grin that made her heart pitter-patter. “I plan to lead him on a merry chase in the wrong direction. I’ll stash the tracker further up, double back, and find you.” He surprised her with a quick kiss. “Go!” Moving faster than she could follow, he vanished.
“Holy shit, he’s quick.”
“Language.” It was as automatic as breathing to correct him. “But you’re right about him being quick. We need to get moving.” Time was ticking away. “If it comes down to it, you’ll have to go with Cyrus.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
She caught his face between her hands. “You’ll do whatever you have to do to stay safe. I can’t lose you.”
A sense of urgency settled over them. Adam grabbed her hand and got them moving. “I know the easiest path down.”
“We need the fastest.” They needed to ditch Wilkes and get somewhere safe before the sun went down.
****
Concealed behind a massive boulder, Cyrus watched Wilkes stumble and go down on one knee. Muttering to himself, he shoved upright, checked his phone, and veered off to his right.