Force of Nature (16 page)

Phil knew she’d bought it, probably even knew she’d been working on it. But neither of them had mentioned it over the years. She had planned to move into it for a few months as soon as this run was over and just hide.

“Will you show it to me? When we get back, will you show me what you’ve done?”

She waited for him to say so he could tell her what she’d done wrong, but he didn’t. So she agreed. “It’s not far from your land. It’s about ten miles south of your land and the property my father lived in. The house sits in the middle of the land then the land for the shelter is just on the other side of it.”

He laughed. “You mean the Sanders place? The pack and I have been running that land since we moved here several years ago. I had…the house, it’s nearly as big as an apartment building. How many rooms does it have?”

“Ten bedrooms and five baths…well, now it does. It had two bathrooms on the upper level and one on the lower. I’ve had more put in. So you know where it is?”

“Yes, it’s lovely. The fruit trees, you’ve had them taken care of. The last full moon of the fall, my mom took a basket with her and after our run she filled it with some of the fruit. It was going to waste. I hope you don’t mind.”

She shook her head. “No. Maybe someday she can make me a pie or something for them.

Phil suggested that I learn to make jam. Screw that, I want to sink my teeth into an apple right now.”

The truck stop was just ahead and she started making her way to it. Exhaustion and hunger made her want to hurry but the traffic made her cautious. She moved to the turn lane and pulled in. A shower was first on her list of things to do then a big dinner. In less than twenty-four hours, she’d be in California and this load finished.

~~~

Wayne was sitting in the destruction of his living room when his phone rang. He picked up the receiver to the house phone without bothering to look at the caller ID. He was so pissed about what that stupid cunt had done to him that he could barely see straight.

“Yes, what it is? This isn’t a good time right now. You’ll have to call me back.” He nearly hung up when the person stopped him.

“It’s Elliot Osborn with the Michigan State police, Mr. Solomon. We’ve…I’ve been trying to contact you concerning your partner and his family. There’s been…there’s been an accident.”

Wayne had forgotten about the plane. Damn it all to hell and back. The girl had made him forget that he was supposed to be watching the news when the report of the plane going down came in so he could see it all unfold. Now he had to listen to this creep and pretend he wasn’t thrilled beyond words about Ruben being dead.

“Ruben Baker? He’s not here. I think he’s on his way…a vacation, I think he said. He and his family are going on a trip to the Poconos or something. You’ll have to call him at his home later.” It wasn’t hard for Wayne to fake the anger in his voice. He was livid right now.

“Mr. Solomon, I’m afraid you’re misunderstanding me. Your partner and his family, they’ve been killed. The plane they were in it went down over the Canada border about eight hours ago.

Best we can tell, everyone on the little plane died on impact. I’m so sorry.”

Damn right they went down. And they had already been dead. The exhaust being filtered into the cabin had killed them all including the pilot well before they hit the ground. Wayne had seen an episode on television on how that had been done and had gone out to the little plane and did it himself. His boss thought it was too funny.

Arthur Sims had been his boss and sometimes friend for nearly all his life. Wayne had felt, especially recently, that he’d outgrown the older man and thought it might be time to move on.

He wanted the man to leave him the business, but he wanted it now instead of later. The person on his phone brought him back to the conversation.

“Ruben had three children, like my own kids to me, please tell me that they are all right.”

Wayne knew they weren’t. He’d insisted that Ruben take them with him, to make it a sort of getaway for them as well.

“Three? I think…yes, there were only two children on board. I don’t think…I don’t believe they had three children. Let me check on that—”

“I’m sorry, grief you know. I’m just not thinking right.” Wayne mentally kicked himself. He didn’t have a clue how many kids Ruben and his sister had, he was just glad that they’d all been on the plane.

Officer Osborn went on for several more minutes. Something about making arrangements, seeing to the family’s needs. Wayne listened to about a third of it, probably less than that if he was honest. After the officer started making noises about coming out to the house, just to make sure Mr. Solomon understood what had happened to his friend and colleague, Wayne decided he’d had enough. After assuring him that he was fine, Wayne simply put the phone back on the cradle.

He looked around the room he’d destroyed when the cunt had hung up on him. If it wasn’t for the load she had of his, he’d hunt her down and make her pay for each and every broken item in the room. But for now, he had to focus.

She had his merchandise and she wasn’t cooperating with him. This thing with her bringing in a second person had bothered Ruben, but not him or Arthur. It gave her something else to focus on except for the load. Yes, having the man along would also serve to make her more congenial, someone to keep her in line. But that hadn’t worked out either. He knew then that her rider wasn’t anything more than a weak pup. No real wolf would let her get by with the way she’d talked to him.

His phone ringing startled him. Lifting the receiver after seeing who it was made Wayne straighten in his chair and fix his mussed hair. He knew that Arthur couldn’t see him, but it was a point of his to be well groomed at all times.

“Yes, sir. How may I help you?”

“I suppose you’ve heard about this thing with Baker. Terrible mess that was. I wish you’d of made me aware of just how you were going to knock him off. Might have taken a little trip with them this time and where would you be?”

Wayne felt his heart rate speed up. The man was entirely too perceptive. “Yes, sir. That would… Why would you think I’d do something like that?”

“Because you’re a greedy bastard and would murder your own mother, well, in this case your own sister to get more of the cut. Well, did you?”

Wayne didn’t like this. They were on a regular phone and there could be others listening, or someone could be in Arthur’s house right now listening in, just waiting for him to mess up.

Instead of answering, he changed the subject.

“The Webber girl is almost to Amarillo. She should be in Cally just like she said. She’s been a bit, well, she was a bit smart with me today when I last spoke to her.” Wayne looked around the room. “She needs to be made aware of who is paying her.”

“Got smart with you, did she? Good for her. And on time too. Maybe I should have her working for me instead of an idiot like you. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you changed the subject.” The laugh that came across the line to Wayne made him want to find him and shoot his face off. “I want to meet her. You let me know when she comes in. I will be there too. Now that you’ve taken care of whatever you perceived your problem with Baker was, I might need to take on someone else to help with making me money.”

Wayne was still sputtering when Arthur hung up on him. Wayne took several deep breaths to try and calm his anger, but sitting in one of his favorite rooms with his things broken didn’t help. He lifted the glass of bourbon near his hand and threw it at the large screen television that had until then missed any of the carnage.

Standing and shifting at nearly the same moment, Wayne launched himself through the glass door and took off for the backyard and the woods beyond. He needed relief. Relief so profound he could barely see through the red haze and the pounding headache.

The first thing he scented was human. Sliding up behind it on his belly, Wayne attacked the gardener and ripped his throat out. But it wasn’t enough. He needed to hurt, destroy, and to kill.

Raising his snout to the air, he found several more humans. Feeling his body surge with the need to hurt, he followed their scents and killed them all.

By the time he returned to the house, his body, human now, was covered in blood. He could feel the hot, sweet essences of them pounding in his veins and his body felt stronger for it. He was coming through the broken glass when he saw his housekeeper. A pretty little thing, he decided, and felt his cock harden with need. She looked up from picking up some broken glass and started to back away.

“If you run, I will kill you. If you suck me off, then you may not get fucked. Up to you.” He stroked his cock, the sticky blood making the move smooth. “Down on your knees and you’d better not miss a drop.”

She moved to her knees, her body trembling with need, he thought. Well, she’d get more than she bargained for if she wanted him inside of her. He wasted no time and yanked her head back by grabbing a handful of her hair. After snarling for her to open, he rammed his cock into her mouth and fucked her to the back of her throat.

Her screams only gave him more of what he needed and after only a few seconds, he spilled his seed down her mouth. As soon as he finished, he dropped her to the floor and walked over her.

“Clean this mess up,” he told her as he strode to the door. “And if you tell one person, even your mother, I will hunt her down and do what I should have done to you—fucked you until I ripped you apart. Do you understand me?”

When she nodded, tears in her eyes, he left the room and headed for his bedroom and a shower. He felt measurably better and smiled when he thought of the cunt trucker. She was going to pay when he saw her, and so was Arthur Sims.

~Chapter Sixteen~

Austin watched CJ move toward the showers with her bag over her shoulder. He moved to the men’s room and quickly scrubbed his body and got dressed. He had plans. He made his way to the dining room and asked to speak to the manager.

“I need a dinner for two to go. My wife has been driving all day and, well, I’d like to do something special for her.” Austin hoped CJ hadn’t heard him refer to her as his wife again.

Even as tired as she was, she’d probably hurt him. “She’s…well, I’ve made her mad and I want to make it up to her.”

Austin wasn’t sure why he admitted to the man that he’d pissed her off. He figured that he’d do whatever it took for him to get her to let him stay with her. The man looked to be about Austin’s age and he also wore a wedding band.

“What did you do? The reason I’m asking is to see if whatever you’re doing might work for me. I sort of forgot our anniversary yesterday. Not the wedding one, I remember that one, but the first date one. How is a man supposed to remember all the stuff they do?”

Austin didn’t know. He decided to get himself a notebook and start writing things in it. First and foremost, he was going to write the date he’d met her and the night he’d taken her virginity.

“I’m going to take her a nice dinner to the rig, feed her, then when she’s full, I’m going to give her a full body massage. When she’s finally asleep, I’m going to watch her sleep and thank my lucky stars she’s allowed me into her life.” Austin realized that he was lucky. She was his world and he hadn’t shown her that. He decided if this guy wouldn’t help him, he’d go to the fast food joint on the other end and get them burgers and fries to keep her happy.

“Yeah, okay. Women like that sappy stuff. I’ll fix it for you. But you’ll let me know how it works out. I need to do something. I haven’t had sex in over two weeks. I’m hurting, if you know what I mean.”

Austin didn’t comment. This guy would be lucky if his wife didn’t cut his dick off in his sleep. Sappy stuff? Austin looked over at the bathroom again and didn’t see CJ. He had the keys so he knew she couldn’t get by him. Twenty minutes later, the manager and CJ found him at the same time.

“Oh good,” CJ told him as the manger handed him the bag. “You got you something to go.

I’m not hungry so I think I’ll go back and sleep. I didn’t realize how tired I was until I got all warm from the shower.” Nodding, Austin followed her out.

She was dressed in what he could only describe as a handkerchief. Her legs, long and incredibly well toned, stretched for a good mile. The tight blue jean skirt seemed to have a life of its own the way it moved and swayed with each of her steps. The shoes, small flip flops, showed off her tiny feet and the pale pink polish that topped each toe. But it was her shirt that had him wanting to shove his fist and his mouth and whimper like a small animal.

Her back was completely bare with only a small knot of material at the base of her spine to hold the shirt together. When he’d seen her coming toward him, he felt his entire body get hard and his cock seep with need. Her breasts, unfettered in a bra, bounced with her movement and even though he knew she wasn’t aware of it, every man, and even most women, noticed her nipples.

It was all Austin could do not to throw her over the breakfast bar and take her from behind, to mark her again as his and to fill her body with his seed. Moving closer behind her, just to protect her, he told himself, he felt her heat, smelled the soft scent of her shampoo and the scent of his wolf all over her. A small growl escaped his mouth before he could stop it. When she stopped and looked over her shoulder at him, he nearly dropped to his knees and begged her to let him taste her.

“Are you all right?” she asked him softly. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you growl except when your pissed or horny. Which are you now?”

Austin moved up behind her and rocked his cock into her ass. “Right now I’m pissed because I’m not deep inside of you. Go before we’re arrested.”

“Arrested? What for? Walking to the rig? Get real.” She was out the door before he pulled her body to his from behind. “Austin?”

“Arrested for fucking you in front of everyone that walks by us.” He snarled close to her ear.

“Go, or I swear all my good intentions are going to be for naught. I’m hard enough right now to bend you over the closest car and take you.”

She stared for all of five seconds before her scent hit him. Another growl sent her moving to the rig and he followed her, taking deep breaths. She was going to kill him. He knew it as surely as he was living. Trying to keep his mind on the fact that she was his forever and he didn’t need to fuck her right away only worked so long as he wasn’t watching her hips and ass sway in a way that beckoned him to come after her. He was in so much trouble.