Chapter 4 – Billy #2
Fighting the urge to join her and run, I focus on what needs to be done to give her the best chance of getting away.
I need to deal with Craig, the third guard. The toughest one. A loyal attack dog who reports directly to my father. He’s patrolling the west perimeter, and unlike Rory, he won’t be lured away easily.
He’s too smart. He’ll be on to me the minute I suggest leaving his post.
I dart back to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of my father’s best whiskey. Craig’s one weakness. Then I head to the west side of the compound, moving quickly but quietly through the trees.
I spot him near the old fence line, rifle slung over his shoulder, alert and watchful. He’s good at his job. Too good.
There’s no time for anything elaborate or clever. The element of surprise is going to be my best chance of getting one over on him.
My bear pushes forward, eager for action, for the fight he senses coming. I let him surface just enough to sharpen my senses, to lend me his strength. Then I circle wide, coming up behind Craig silently.
His back goes straight as he picks up my scent and growls.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” He turns at the last second, some sixth sense warning him I’m not out here for a friendly chat, but it’s too late.
I’m already on him, one hand clamped over his mouth, the other twisted in his shirt as I slam him against a tree trunk.
He crumples to the ground.
“Sorry about this,” I mutter, and I mean it.
His eyes widen with shock, then narrow with fury as he realizes what’s happening. He fights hard, landing a solid punch to my ribs that would drop a normal man. But I’m not normal. Not with my bear so close to the surface. And I’m well aware of what will happen to me if I get caught.
I headbutt him, feeling his nose crunch beneath my forehead. As he staggers, dazed, I finish it with a precise strike to the jaw. He goes down like a felled tree.
I take a moment to check his pulse. Steady. He’ll live to hate me another day.
Wiping blood from my hands, his or mine, I’m not sure. I tie him to the tree with thick rope, then I hurry back to the house, to the basement, to Carla. Or hopefully not.
When I thunder down the stairs and open the door, I blow out a sigh of relief when I find the basement empty. I replace the boards to slow anyone coming after us figuring out what happened, and I charge back up the stairs, bursting out the back door and racing across the yard.
My bear picks up her scent immediately, and he rumbles with deep satisfaction that she’s outside, back in the fresh air at last, like a shifter should be. With speed I didn’t know I possess, I chase after her, knowing she has a good head start but that exhaustion will slow her progress.
As I plunge into the trees, I’m grateful for the cover they provide, and I relax a little now that our position isn’t quite so exposed. But I can’t get complacent. Any of the three men, or all of them, could be on our tail already.
And if they are, reinforcements will be on the way. Leon won’t take a betrayal like this lying down.
With no attempt to move quietly, I crash through the undergrowth, spurred on by the sound of a babbling stream in the distance. When I rush out the far side, stepping out onto the river bank and under the open sky above, she’s waiting for me, making no attempt to hide.
“I knew you’d make it,” she whispers, hand covering her heart as she stares at me, eyes glistening.
Her eyes widen when she sees the blood on my knuckles.
“Time to go,” I say, hurrying to her side. “Pete’s out cold. The other two are... indisposed. But not for long.”
She doesn’t ask for details, just nods and takes my hand when I extend it toward her.
“Can you shift?” I ask.
Carla nods, staring up at the expanse of blue above us. “I think so.”
It’s been three weeks since she’s seen the sun. The realization makes my chest tight. She’s been through hell.
“This way,” I murmur, guiding her through the shallow water to the far side. “Stay low and quiet.”
We move as quickly as we can while staying in the shadows of the trees before the stream widens, the bank too steep for us to follow along right beside. Once among the trees, I shift, smooth and fast, hiding my clothes behind a fallen log.
Carla hesitates, flushing when she looks at me, probably afraid she’s too tired to manage the transformation.
My bear huffs, giving her some encouragement, which quickly turns into an appreciative rumble as she sheds her clothes, and the air around her shimmers before she’s replaced with a lean but beautiful silver wolf.
She steps up beside me and waits for me to lead the way.
My bear nudges her gently, loving the feel of her fur brushing against mine, before taking off at a trot, careful to set a pace she’ll be able to manage.
After a while, we pick up the pace, eager to put as much distance between us and the compound as possible.
The forest is dense here, old growth pines with thick undergrowth. Difficult terrain, especially for someone who’s been locked in a basement for weeks. I slow my pace, watching as Carla struggles to keep up.
She’s trying hard not to show it, but exhaustion is written in every line of her body. Something isn’t right.
When Carla stumbles, her steps becoming less sure as tiredness makes her clumsy, I stop and drop to the ground, jerking my head toward my back.
Shifting back, Carla stays on her knees, too weak to stand, sweaty beading on her brow.
“On your back? You want me to climb on your back?” she asks, incredulous. “But I’m…” She looks down at her naked form and blushes again.
Wolves are rarely bashful, nakedness is nothing unusual among shifters, but her shyness is endearing. I close my eyes, and she laughs, reaching out to run her fingers through my thick coat. Seconds later, she lays her body along my back and wraps her legs around my side.
Leaning forward, her lips whisper close to my ear, “Thank you.”
A shiver travels through me, nothing to do with my wet paws or the chill in the air on this crisp morning, and all to do with the attractive woman with her naked body pressed against me.
Up close, the difference in her scent is even more pronounced. It makes my bear restless, alert in a way I don’t understand. You’re a terrible person, I tell myself, as attraction stirs within me. But I don’t have time to worry about why I’m like this. I need to keep moving.
We continue through the forest in silence, Carla’s fingers digging into my fur, stroking my back with each curl of her fingers.
It’d be heaven if it weren’t for the threat of being caught hanging over us.
The meeting point with Beau is still a mile away, maybe more.
I listen carefully for sounds of pursuit, but the forest is quiet except for our breathing and the crunch of leaves beneath our feet.
Suddenly, Carla slips from my back, going down hard. Before I can think, I’ve shifted back to my human form, and I’m at her side, lifting her into my arms. She’s lighter than she should be; her body’s radiating heat that even I know isn’t normal.
“You’re sick. You need a doctor.” I try to put my hand on her forehead, but she shoves it away.
“I’m okay.” She gasps, pushing against my chest. “Put me down.”
“You’re not okay,” I counter, but I set her gently on her feet.
The brief contact leaves my skin tingling, my bear pushing forward with a possessiveness that catches me off guard.
He doesn’t want to let her go. In fact, quite the opposite.
He wants to pull her body closer and touch every inch of her skin.
She takes a step back, and he growls, taking us both by surprise. Fear flashes in her eyes. “We need to keep moving.”
Before I can respond, she pushes past me, determinedly forging ahead.
I follow, confused and concerned. What the hell is going on with my bear?
We reach the old logging road just as I hear it, the distant sound of an engine. For a heart-stopping moment, I think it’s my father’s men, that they’ve discovered our escape. But then a familiar black SUV appears, and relief crashes through me.
Beau.
He leans against the driver’s side, tall and imposing, serious as always, as he watches us approach.
His eyes widen slightly when he sees Carla’s condition as she staggers up the hill to where he’s parked.
Without a word, he reaches into the back seat and pulls out clothes, tossing them in both our directions.
“Cutting it close,” he calls.
Carla dresses faster than anyone I’ve ever seen and stands at the rear of the vehicle, arms folded across her slight frame.
“Got held up,” I respond, moving to her side and keeping a protective hand at the small of Carla’s back. “Beau, this is Carla. Carla, Beau. He’s going to drive us to safety.”
Beau’s nostrils flare slightly as we approach, and something flickers in his eyes that my bear doesn’t like. But he says nothing, just opens the back door for us.
“Get in. We need to be off Lennox territory before they realize she’s gone.”
Carla climbs in without a word, collapsing against the far door.
I slide in beside her, careful to maintain some distance. Whatever is happening to her, my proximity seems to make it worse. Maybe it’s the realization that even though she’s not locked in that dungeon anymore, she’s still surrounded by Lennox’s.
As Beau guns the engine, taking us away from everything I’ve ever known, I feel no regret. Only certainty.
This is right. She is worth it.
My bear rumbles in agreement, still watchful, still focused on the wolf beside me who refuses to look in my direction, even though her fingers stretch across the leather seat toward me, and stay there as I cover them with my massive hand.