3. - – Trick
CHAPTER THREE
-
TRICK
“Well?” Kohl questioned Kade.
“She’s resting.”
“And?”
Kade was red. His fists were tight at his sides, his face an angry scowl, and his eyes glowed with the threat of shifting into his wolf.
I couldn’t remember the last time he was mad.
He’s always the easy-going, calm one out of all of us.
Bracing for his answer, I knew it couldn’t be good. I took some deep breaths
“She has bruised ribs, but nothing broken there. Her finger is broken. I put it in a splint. She has a loose tooth, but it should heal. She’s scraped and bruised from head to toe.
Her abdomen is black and blue, but she doesn’t have any symptoms of internal injuries.
It would have been catastrophic by now if she did.
She's safe from that at least. She’s so strong.
After what she’s been through she should be catatonic crying in a corner, but she’s coping, all things considered. ”
“What’s her worst injury? Does she need a hospital?” Kohl demanded.
Kade's teeth gritted as he spit out the words, “He fucking raped her.”
My mouth fell open. Kohl punched the wall. Kade looked ready to murder someone, and I felt the same way. This guy is gonna die a painful death when we find him.
Kohl burst through the back door and shifted into his wolf form, then he took off into the snow. Kade battled with his wolf keeping the shift at bay. Mine was howling in my head. Once Kade got his wolf under control he looked at me with his calm strength.
“I’ll stay with her, you go after Kohl,” he said, nodding as I went through the open back door and into the cold.
My wolf form took over from one step to the next and ran after my brother.
Even with the heavily falling flakes, Kohl was easy to follow.
His scent, mixed with anger, was strong and his paw prints deep.
I ran my own anger hard. It burned in my chest and my teeth ached to tear out this monster’s throat.
Kohl was up ahead on a small ridge, his back to me. His hot breath puffed out in visible clouds in the frigid air. Silently, I stood next to him imagining tearing Hartley’s attacker to shreds. No doubt Kohl’s mind was filled with similar images. The rage poured off of him in waves I could taste.
“I’m going to fucking tear him to pieces.”
As wolves, my brothers and I could speak through our mind link. My wolf chuffed in agreement, no words needed.
When we had calmed to a low simmering fury, we jogged back to the cabin in silence.
The cold run eased my burning temper and by the time I shifted back, I was calm enough to go inside.
Kohl had new tension around his eyes when he shifted back, but he was able to keep from fisting his hands, a step in the right direction. We didn’t want to scare Hartley.
She was asleep again and Kade sat nearby watching every rise and fall of her chest. I examined his face and he carried a similar tension as Kohl, but he met my eyes with a knowing smile. Whatever we did to Hartley’s attacker would be approved whole-heartedly by all of us.
“Is she okay?” I asked in a whisper.
He nodded.
“She’s strong. I think she’s been through this before.”
“We need his name, do you think she’ll give us his information?”
“I will.”
Our attention snapped to the beautiful blonde who’s swollen eyes were on us.
“I’m not going to let him do this to me ever again. I had no escape, nowhere to go. I was young and trapped, but not anymore. It doesn’t matter if I’m homeless. I’m out and I want him to pay. Please give me something to write on.”
When Kohl brought her a pad and pen she sat up and wrote out all of his information. His full name, address, phone number, car tag, work, even his social security number. Kohl took the pad and sat at the table with his laptop. If there was anything to find, he would do it.
Hartley seemed lighter, more relaxed, and it made warmth fill my chest. She did something to me, her scent, her eyes, she had a hold on me I didn’t understand. My brothers were equally mesmerized by our guest. We orbited around her as if she was our center, the star in our solar system.
“I’d like to try a shower, would that be alright?” she asked softly. Kade hopped to her side.
“Of course. I’ll help you with whatever you need. Trick, will you find something for her to wear?”
Happy to give her something of mine to put on, I dug out my favorite hoodie and a pair of sweats.
I would wash her clothing once she was out of it.
They were in the bathroom with the shower running.
I placed the clothes on the counter and stepped back.
Kade helped her out of her shirt, then she asked us to step out.
“Did you find him?” Kade asked the moment we were alone.
“Yeah.”
“Well?” I pressed.
“Palmer Hughes is the city-appointed counsel in Westwood Lakes. He’s a well-known attorney and highly respected in the community.
He has a penthouse in Westwood Lakes Towers, and on paper he looks like an upstanding citizen.
But I didn’t need to dig very far to find out he is a silent partner at Spikes, the strip club with shady dealings.
It’s rumored they deal in drugs and money laundering, not to mention prostitution.
But somehow they always escape legal trouble with little effort. ” His eyes rolled.
“If he’s the city attorney, there’s no doubt how the establishment escapes prosecution. Let’s make a plan of attack the next time she falls asleep.”
We all nodded our agreement.
“My wolf wants to claim her,” Kohl said, staring at the bathroom door where she was showering, naked.
“Mine too,” I agreed.
“Do you think she could be a mate for all of us?” Kade asked.
Then there was a loud crash in the shower. Kohl ripped the door open and was ready to tear into the shower.
“I’m okay! I just dropped the shampoo, please don’t come in,” Hartley called out.
Kohl took a few deep breaths and lifted his nose to scent the truth. Satisfied, he stepped back. Kade and I had to leave the bathroom to let him out. I snagged Hartley’s clothing from the floor and left to start a load of laundry.
We had just gathered in the kitchen when Hartley walked in, her hair twisted up in a towel, my hoodie hanging to her knees, and her hand desperately trying to hold up my sweatpants. Her face was bruised and beautiful.
“Will you help me with this?” She lifted the waistband in her hand while holding the hoodie out of the way.
“Yeah. Sorry about that. I don’t have anything smaller.”
“It’s okay. Thank you.” She met my eyes and something fluttered around in my gut. I tightened the string as far as it would go and tied it to hold up the pants.
“Try that.” She let go and the pants fell to her ankles. She deftly stepped out of them and shrugged.
“Oh well. Luckily your shirt covers all the way to my knees.” She smiled and it lit up the room. She glowed like a beacon of beauty and my heart pounded in my chest.
Kohl gasped and I swear he didn’t breathe for a full two minutes.
Kade finally broke the spell. “Here’s some socks. Let’s at least keep your feet warm.”
He kneeled down and helped her pull them on. She moved slowly toward the sofa, which had become her own personal space.
“Thanks.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Not really. I need to figure out what I’m going to do now. Mostly where I’m going to live. I’ve been trapped with Palmer for three years. I’ve never been on my own.”
If my calculations were correct, she was about twenty-one.
She may have been with him since before she was eighteen.
Anger curdled in my stomach at the thought of this asshole taking her before she was even an adult and hurting her.
We looked him up online, and Kohl showed us his picture.
He looked to be in his late thirties, maybe even forty.
He had no business being with someone who’s barely an adult.
She looked sheepishly at Kohl. “May I use your computer? I need to find a place to go.”
“Yeah. Here, you can use it as much as you need.” He pushed it in front of an empty chair inviting her to sit at the table.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up at us. “I’ll never be able to repay your kindness. You guys saved my life. Thanks…for everything.” With that she sat and started typing on the keyboard avoiding our stares.
“Would you mind if I ask a few more questions?” Kohl asked.
“Go ahead.” Her gaze didn’t leave the screen.
“Did you live in his condo?”
“Yes.”
“What were you doing out here?”
“He likes to hunt, so we went to the lodge on Masters Mountain.”
That’s the next mountain to our west. We’re familiar with that lodge. Our pack keeps tabs on all hunting activities in this mountain range.
“And these woods? They’re not exactly in range of the lodge.”
“We were arguing and he just took off driving. I don’t think he had any destination in mind.”
Looking out the window, I observe the snowflakes are still falling large and heavy. Again, the possibilities of her being left in the snow haunt me. Fate must have intervened to put us in the right place at the right time to save her from certain death.
“Do you think he meant to kill you?”
Her eyes met mine in a hard stare.
“What do you think?” She pointed at her swollen eye and I recalled how cold and blue she was when we found her.
If I couldn’t hear that faint heartbeat, I would’ve assumed she was dead.
“As soon as the roads are clear, we’ll take you into town for some warm clothing and a phone.”
She looked me over, her eyes filled with thought, I could see the gears spinning in her head.
“Okay. I’ll um…I’ll get out of your way as soon as possible.” Her lips pursed.
“You can stay as long as you need; we’re in no rush to see you go,” I tried to clarify.
Her eyes flicked to mine and she stared into them until it became like a physical touch.
“Thanks. I don’t want to be a burden.”
My hand reached out and landed on top of hers.
“You’re not even close to a burden. We like having you here. You don’t need to rush off.”
Her shoulders fell in relief. Her scent warmed with her tension easing and sweet cinnamon filled my nose. My wolf wanted to lick her. He kept pushing his thoughts to me and they all meant mine. My wolf is convinced she’s his mate too.
“Okay.”
She smiled and my body filled with excitement like a child’s on Christmas morning.
Her happiness was my joy, if she needed someplace to go, we would gladly keep her with us.
We hadn’t discussed our feelings between each other, but I knew my brothers.
Each of us felt a connection to this woman and like me, I believe they would do anything to protect her.
“There’s someone outside,” Kohl whispered as he returned to the room.
My ears perked to listen. I could hear footsteps crunching in the snow about a mile down our driveway. Our wolf senses can pick up scents and sounds for miles even in our human forms.
Hartley was shaking as she looked between us.
“Who is it?”
“You’re safe. We’ll protect you from anyone,” Kade said softly as he joined us.
“There’s more than one,” I said, hearing more footsteps.
Focusing my hearing to count the steps, I heard twenty-four feet, or paws actually. Six wolves were heading this way and we needed to be ready for them.
“Hartley, please take the laptop and lock yourself in a bedroom. We need to handle these intruders.”
Her eyes went wide and she looked towards the front of the cabin with her shoulders hunched protectively. She closed the lid, hefted the computer, and went down the hall.
My brothers and I went to the front porch and shifted into our wolves. Kohl took off around the back of the cabin to be sure no one could sneak up on us from the woods. Kade and I watched the drive, waiting for the unknown wolves to arrive.
They stopped about fifty feet from us and we waited for them to explain their purpose.
The biggest wolf was a ruddy brown, his eyes a dark, dangerous amber.
He scratched at the ground with his claws and his fur stood on end, making him appear even bigger.
But he wasn’t big enough to scare us. He barked and I barked back, louder, a dominant growl mixed in with it.
The six wolves shifted into their human forms, the formerly large male wolf was now a tall bulky man with auburn hair and a smile with too many teeth. Kade and I shifted in response.
“Where is she?” the biggest man in their group questioned.
“Who?”
“My mate, Hartley.”
Kade growled, we were face to face with Hartley’s abuser and he was making demands.
Angry tension pulled at my muscles, and my wolf howled in my head to be set free to rip apart this enemy.
Next to me, Kade vibrated with fury. I could feel Kohl still in his wolf form guarding the back, listening and grumbling with irritation. We were prepared to end this asshole.
“She’s under our protection after you left her for dead.”
He smoothed his hair, then took an exasperated breath, “My relationship is none of your concern. Bring her to me or pay the consequences.”
“She doesn’t wish to go anywhere with you,” Kade forced through clenched teeth. Though Palmer was an alpha, like us, he wasn’t the alpha of his pack.
“I was hoping to avoid the drama. It seems to follow her. It’s one of the reasons I needed to teach her a lesson she refuses to learn…again. I’m not interested in wasting time with you, but if you won’t give her to me, I will end you,” Palmer threatened.
“Try it,” I growled.
As my words left my mouth, Kade and I shifted back into wolves and the six men in front of us did the same.
They charged and we met them on the snow in battle.
Kohl tore around the cabin and joined the frey.
Palmer watched on as he sent his men to fight us.
He was a sizable coward. We made quick work of tearing the throats from his crew and then we surrounded the monster himself.
Wanting to torment him like he did Hartley, we nipped at him.
The three of us taunted him, tugging on his tail, biting his paws.
Kade ripped a chunk of flesh from his shoulder.
With the scent of blood in the air, we moved in for the kill.
Kohl jumped onto his back, and I rushed in clamping my teeth on his neck with his jugular at my mercy.
He moved to shake off Kohl and Kade bit into his hind leg sending him off balance.
My teeth dug into his neck and tore through his throat and the artery carrying his life’s blood.
When I tugged and yanked my head to the side, he fell and blood streamed from him, painting the snow red.