There were no signs of police presence, which gave Sherri a sick sense of dread. They stood at the mouth of a crudely dug tunnel shored up with a few wooden posts, and the chances were good that if anybody went down that dark passageway, they were not coming back.
It was simply too murky to tell anything. The only light came from the nearly full moon and a few pairs of headlights. Two sets pulling up from inside the tunnel, and one set from the van she and Ash had come out of. Sherri didn’t want to get inside any vehicle so how they were going to get out of there looked iffy.
She tried to whisper reassurances to the frightened girl who’d been dragged along. “Stay behind me. It’s going to be okay.” Not that there were any real promises to be made¸ but surely it sounded better than “Brace yourself, we’re all going to die.”
With crazy-eyed Jojo leading the way, they approached a cluster of men, most of whom held what appeared to be automatic weapons. She’d only seen these kinds of guns in the occasional crate in an evidence locker. This stuff wasn’t her area of expertise, but she’d put it in the “Kills stuff dead, and fast” category.
One man stood in the center, holding no gun at all. By some trick of lighting his face stayed mostly covered by shadow. This one had to be the guy in charge.
“Mr. Hughes. Lovely evening. Let’s see what you’ve brought for me.”
“You first.”
One of the gun-toting henchmen tossed out a heavy-looking duffel bag. It landed with a thud in the dead zone between both parties.
Ash caught her eye and then nodded toward Jojo. Sherri nodded back. They’d gone over a bunch of different what-ifs. Ash didn’t trust Jojo to help broker a different deal, and suspected his father’s motives as well. If they made it as far as the trade, Ash planned to attack Jojo. Sherri’s job was to protect the other girl.
So when Jojo tugged on Sherri’s arm, she dug in her now-shredded heels. In that moment of hesitation, Ash became a blur of movement. His arms freed, he swooped to the ground and came up with that refrigerator wire he’d moved to his pants leg for the trip. In her next blink, the wire had skewered Jojo’s neck.
Jojo gurgled something that sounded like “motherfucker” before he crumpled to the ground.
Sherri threw herself on top of the frightened redheaded girl, who struggled and whimpered beneath her. “It’s all right. I’m trying to protect you. Stay down, okay?”
Sherri’s wrists rubbed raw as she tried to get free of her bonds while keeping her eyes on Ash. He had about twelve guns pointed at his head. In the face of his plans to negotiate, that equation looked like an awfully big losing scenario.
The shadowy man in charge signaled his guys to hold their fire and stepped forward. “It would appear that I have someone new to do business with, but I don’t know who you are. So before I let my men go ahead and kill you, I’m going to need an introduction.”
Ash took a step. “Name’s Ash. Your contact here was my half brother, but he put my bond mate into a van to sell her to you so our blood relationship no longer holds any weight. I’m hoping you and I can work out a deal. I’ve got contacts who can get you cars, guns, prescriptions, whatever else you might need.”
Focusing on the struggling redhead and a gasping Jojo, Sherri put on a pair of mental ear plugs and pretended she couldn’t hear a word from Ash.
“Takes sibling rivalry to a new level, eh?” The man laughed a nasal, oily laugh at his own joke that made Sherri work harder and faster on the ropes holding her hands, heedless of the blood slicking her wrists.
“You don’t hurt what’s mine.” The threat in Ash’s voice sounded icy and dangerous, given the number of guns on the field. Behind him, all the men who’d pulled up on their motorcycles ready to back up Jojo shifted and looked at each other, probably wondering whose side they should be on now.
If they were smart, they’d stay on Ash’s. Sherri’s senses told her this other guy spelled trouble for everyone.
“Here’s the snag with your proposal, young were.” The man stepped forward. “I don’t need guns or money. “I need the women.”
Sherri stopped for a second when his face came into the light, trying to figure out why his voice rang a bell.
Ash stepped forward. “We’ll reschedule. Bring you different girls. You can’t have these.”
“Rescheduling won’t be possible.”
“Shit. Shit, shit, shit.” Sherri bit her lips together and pulled one hand free from the loosened rope, silently screaming against the burning pain.
“I see.” Ash nodded with one hand on his chin as if this line of discussion all sounded perfectly fine. “Then I suppose I’ll have to go to my backup plan.”
“What do you propose?”
Ash disappeared. Dust kicked up in front of them. Three of the gun-toting henchmen collapsed to the ground, cradling bleeding calves.
With a blur of movement, Ash stood back in front of Sherri, bare-assed naked, blood dripping from his mouth. “Now,” Ash growled, “You ready to deal? Or do you wanna be next?”
Sherri had no concept of how Ash could move so fast. The single time he’d shifted in front of her, he’d done it slowly.
Jojo groaned faintly on the ground where he lay bleeding, right next to Sherri. “He killed his own mother you know,” Jojo gurgled. “You can’t trust him.” A shaking hand moved toward his gun holster.
Sherri pulled out the rusty pliers she’d hidden in her bra and brought them down on the hand. “Don’t you guys die?” She grabbed the gun from its holster.
She couldn’t ignore his warning. Words spoken by a dying criminal shouldn’t be trusted, but they plunged shards of fear and doubt into her center. Nevertheless, those words hadn’t changed what was at stake. She stood and aimed at the man across from Ash, who only laughed. Laughter in the face of a gun never did bode well.
“Okay,” she called. “Who wants to see if he can hobble the rest of you before I get a shot off?”
“Come on now, Agent Walker. Is that any way to treat your new boss?”
He knew her name. Shit. New boss. New boss? “Oh my God.” The voice. Her mind went back... The voicemail. Her call from Zoe’s phone. No wonder he sounded familiar. “Agent Fowler.”
Even in the light of the van’s headlamps, his eyes cast no glow. They looked vacant and empty. His smile flat. “We all have secrets, don’t we, Agent Walker? Bond mate to a wolf with known gang affiliations? I don’t recall seeing that in your file.” He snaked his tongue around his top teeth. It bodes well, though. If you’ve got what it takes to bond to a were, there’s a good chance you’re a latent. And I will enjoy turning you.”
“Hell fucking no.” Ash growled and shifted again to his wolf form. He dug at the ground, looking ready to charge.
Agent Fowler went for the buttons on his own shirt, and Sherri fired the gun. If they both shifted, things would get messy. A dark spot on Fowler’s torso told her she’d hit, but he kept coming. She fired again, but he only dropped his shirt and belt, morphing from man to beast in one swift motion. And what came forward was no wolf.
It was some kind of monster.
The thing had fur and claws. The resemblance ended there. Horns decorated its back, and its eyes looked like bottomless ovals. No warm glow like Ash’s eyes.
The other human in the group, Kyle, uttered a “holy shit.” His surprise made him drop his gun. Great.
What they could do against that thing, Sherri didn’t know. She prayed Ash was strong enough to fight it, but she didn’t know about that either. Some of the guys from Ash’s former pack were shooting. A couple didn’t seem to have a clue.
She waved her arm to get everyone’s attention. “Get behind the van!”
One of the remaining henchmen came to his senses and fired a burst of rounds, catching that Kyle guy in the arm. He went reeling, landing backwards on top of Jojo. Yuck.
“Get to cover, folks! Fall back. Come on.” Jeez. She’d only fired a weapon on the range before today, and even she knew that one. Wouldn’t a criminal know better? She bent down and tugged on Kyle’s good arm, trying to get him and the poor frightened redhead to safety.
A bright swarm of lights and sirens rushed in from behind. Finally. Relief flooded her as three SUVs and a handful of cars swooped in. Guys came streaming out, ready to clean up.
Her relief didn’t last long. When she turned back to the clearing, Agent Fowler had been cuffed and put on his knees. Blood dripped from his snarling mouth.
Ash lay in a tight ball on the ground in human form. The flesh on his neck and side was torn. Blood shone on his skin in the light of the nearly full moon.
He wasn’t moving.
Ash. No.
Sherri ran over. “Ash. Come on.” She was afraid to even check for a pulse. Blood ran everywhere. She pulled off her shirt and pressed it to the wound at his neck, hoping to stop some of the blood. “Come on, honey. You need to hang in there. I can’t lose you. I just found you.”
A younger version of Ash in a uniform dropped to one knee. This must be the brother. “Shit. We had trouble with surveillance or we would’ve been here sooner. We need emergency services,” he said into his radio. He glanced at Sherri. “He shifted rapidly?”
“Twice. I couldn’t even follow him, he was so fast.”
The man muttered a tired-sounding “fuck,” and spoke into the radio again. “Tell them to bring adrenaline shots. Be prepared for a crash. We’ve also got unidentified bites and significant blood loss.”
Sherri looked down at Ash and back up, waiting for an explanation. “The transition is hard on our bodies. Doing it so fast, especially for those of us who are more human...” He shook his head.
No. “He made it sound like it was only about stress to his joints.”
“We’re rearranging everything when we shift, organs and all. Trying to force it at the snap of our fingers can cause shock to the system.”
Sherri shook her head. Squeezing Ash’s hand, she whispered, “You have to get through this. You promised me a date, okay?”
Ash’s brother smiled, moving back for the paramedics who had arrived to take Ash away. “Hang in there. He’s tough.”
Sherri pressed her lips together. “Jojo said something about Ash killing his mother. I know Jojo’s nuts, but I can’t help but wonder what he meant.”
The brother turned, frowning. “You should talk to Ash about our mom. When he’s able.”
Something squeezed tight in her chest. Whatever it was, she refused to believe it would be a deal-breaker. Please don’t let it be a deal-breaker. Wondering would make her crazy, she knew that much.
Her heart jammed in her throat as she looked as Ash, bleeding there on the ground. Right now, she needed to know he could pull through this. Without that, there was nothing more to say.
In the hubbub of emergency workers and officers interviewing witnesses, a shot boomed. Everyone turned to see a nude Zoe standing over Jojo, who now had one very large hole in his forehead.
Zoe dropped the gun. Tears streamed down her face. “You idiots, he wasn’t dead yet. You gotta be damned sure about these things.”
What the hell? Where did she even come from?
“Ash is in good hands. I’d better see about Zoe.”
As Ash’s brother ran off, Zoe shifted into something large and catlike, and disappeared into the dark. Holy crap, how many nonhuman things were out here in this desert?
Sherri stood as they took Ash to the ambulance, hoping she’d had her last new experience for a long while.
***
Ash groaned at the nurse who brought him lunch. “Do I look like I eat broth and Jell-O?”
Jett flicked at his arm. “Suck it up. You’re lucky to be alive. Be grateful. And if you don’t want your Jell-O, give it to me.”
“Yeah, buddy. Quit your bitching. Nobody else on this ward wants to serve you before the full moon. I’m what you’ve got, or you get no food until you’re released.” Ash’s nurse was a burly lone were who’d amazingly been kicked out of his pack for being the runt of the litter. The male stood nose-to-nose with Ash at six-two. Or he would, if Ash was allowed out of bed.
Ash blew hot air through his nostrils. Being in bed and unable to run, pace, or otherwise work out his frustrations with a full moon due that night was making him crazy. “Listen, I feel fine. I need to get out of here.”
“If you’re antsy I can sedate you.”
“No fucking drugs. I’ll behave.” He’d rather fidget than get knocked out.
Jett looked over the top of his GQ magazine. “Don’t believe him. Better give him the drugs. Give him the good stuff.”
Ash motioned to his brother. “Come here, I have something to tell you.”
“Hell no, I’m not buying that trick. I’m not twelve anymore.”
Ash’s nurse gave him the “I’m watching you” gesture and slipped out the door.
They raised their heads for a knock at the door. Kyle appeared with one of those clear hospital bags of his belongings clutched in his hands.
“Hey, Eagle Eye. Glad to see you’re still kicking.” Word was, Kyle had taken a bullet to the arm in all of the confusion. Ash appreciated the kid’s sacrifice. “They springing you?”
Kyle shrugged. “I’m springing myself. Insurance, you know? Just thought I’d say goodbye.”
“Knock, knock, motherfuckers.” Tiny Joe, Ash’s not-too-tiny night manager, strutted in, followed by Cleia, Sasha, and Danielle, three members of Ash’s evening staff, bearing flowers, a gift basket, and some ridiculous rainbow bear dressed in a One Direction T-shirt. He handed the bear to Kyle.
“Nice, man. Real nice.” Kyle handed the bear to Jett.
Jett stuck the bear back on Ash’s bed. “No way, brother. You’ll need this for when you’re crying yourself to sleep at night.”
“What’s this about crying?” Jett’s partner stuck his head in the door.
Ash groaned. “Really, guys?” If the room got any more crowded he was going to get another lecture from the floor nurse.
The guy shrugged. “They said you were awake. Thought I’d see if we could get a better description of this creature. Man, real fucked-up. Also, your sister-in-law still won’t eat, drink, or speak to anyone.”
“Let me see what I can work out with her,” Jett said.
Turned out Agent Fowler, whether he’d been a real-life Chupacabra or some other hybrid species of were, his motive hadn’t been illegal prostitution after all. Not that it wouldn’t have been bad enough. But he’d been trying to turn unwilling young women into whatever the fuck one of him was, selecting ones who he thought had the mythical latent gene, and biting them during the rising full moon. Ash hated to think how many had died, how many more had their lives irrevocably changed.
That was if turning humans into weres could even be more than legend. According to Jett, the evil fucker had been beaten to a pulp in the back of a transport van after capture, so it looked like they’d never know.
Detective Parker tapped his pen on a little notebook in his hand. “Well I should get back. Ash, if you think of anything more you can tell us about the weird monster guy you chose to tussle with, let us know.”
“Actually...” Ash’s head flopped against the pillow. Sherri. She’d known this guy somehow. Had faced him so fearlessly with a gun. She’d be the person to ask.
He thought about that date he’d promised her and wondered if he’d see her again. When he gazed up at the ceiling, her smell—that gorgeous scent Ash couldn’t erase from his memory—assailed his nostrils.
“Oh-kay, well it sure is a crowded house in here. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.” Sherri. Holy fuck, he wasn’t imagining things.
The object of Ash’s thoughts stood in the doorway. All the gawkers in the room had clammed up, staring at her like she was a circus act. “And apparently my showing up here is some kind of surprise...?” She waved her fingers like jazz-hands, showing a bandaged wrist that made Ash’s chest ache.
Damn, though, he liked it when she was funny. “Uh, everyone, this is Sherri. Sherri, this is everyone. You met my brother Jett, next to him is Kyle, who you also met before. They kinda helped save our asses.” He gave Jett—who’d always had some issue with Kyle beyond Ash’s garden-variety distaste of pack-groupies—a meaningful look. “Then we have Tiny Joe, who’s my manager at Howlers. These three lovely ladies help keep the customers happy, and that guy right next to you is looking for information about the weird-assed thing that mauled me.”
“I... can probably help you there.” She looked around again, still seeming uncomfortable with entering the room.
“All right everyone, I’m gonna need a few minutes to talk to Sherri.”
Jett stood. “Aaand that’s our cue.” With that, he herded all the muttering and shuffling folks toward the door.
“Hey. Kyle.” Ash whistled, and waited for the kid to turn.
“Sir?”
“You ever need anything, a place to stay or whatever, you let me know. Okay?”
Kyle bowed his head and headed out of the door.
Ash pointed a finger at his brother, the last to leave. “Be nice.”
“I’m always nice.”
Ash threw a wadded up napkin, but it hit the closing door.
The click of Sherri’s heels on the floor sounded like the slowest thing ever while he waited for her to be by his side.
“So,” she said. She pulled a chair up to the side of the bed, but didn’t elaborate on her thoughts.
“So.” He agreed on the awkwardness, anyway.
She smoothed a hand over her lap and then reached over the bed rail to put the other hand on his. Her touch felt careful. After everything they’d been through, her hesitation didn’t sit right. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well,” she said. “I was worried.”
He tried to give her his biggest carefree grin, but the wounds on his face and neck pulled painfully. “Hey. It’s gonna take more than a little mythical psycho-beast to keep me down.”
She bit her lips together, but a hint of smile graced the corners of her mouth.
“Something’s got you worried. You do that thing where you bite your lips when you’re worried.”
She smiled for real this time. “A couple of crazy days together, and you know all my tells?”
“And nights.” He reached for her chin, urging her to look in his eyes. “Tell me.”
She dropped her shoulders. “When Jojo was dying, he croaked out this insane story that I shouldn’t trust you because you killed your mother. You’ve been above board with me as far as I know, but we also haven’t known each other long. I’ve had trouble getting what he said off my mind.”
He closed his eyes. “Yeah. Jett told me you’d asked. It’s a hard thing to speak about because part of me loves my father, but he wasn’t a good man. I told you my mom was human. She got ill and was in a world of pain, I think in part because of his neglect. Living so far away from other humans didn’t work out well for her, and then he broke pack law by leaving her for Jojo’s mother. Made her an outcast.
“She was hurting, Sherri. Miserable. It reached the point that no treatment worked, and nobody would associate with her. She couldn’t leave the house and she begged me to help her end things. Not Jett, because of his job. Had to be me.”
Sherri’s hand went over her mouth.
Ash drew a painful breath. “I’m not in that life anymore, but I had friends. I got her some strong pain meds. She went in her sleep.” He swiped at the moisture on his face. “I’m not proud, but I’m grateful her suffering ended.”
Sherri squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry.”
He managed to shrug. “The decision was hers. She took the pills herself, but I made it possible. If you’d seen her... I feel like I did what I had to.” He looked toward the stark, white wall, his heart breaking over the memory. “Listen, I understand now if you can’t see me again. I’d appreciate it if you could maybe not share what I said with anyone. Although, if you need to, I understand that, too.
A mighty Kaboom echoed in his ears while he waited for her reply.
Sherri shrugged her shoulders high up around her ears. “It’s in your past. I have no reason to tell anybody, even if I wanted to.” She leaned up closer to him. “As of this morning, I’m out of a job.”
Ash coughed. “They fired you?”
“I quit.” She smiled. “Sent in my resignation. It has come to my attention that my interests and those of the bureau are no longer aligned.” Her head went from one side to the other. “Well, that was the gist, anyway. I didn’t have a polite way to say ‘I’ve run into too many nut jobs.’”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I thought I might talk to your brother. See if I can get in with local PD.” She looked around. “I don’t know for sure. I have time to think. First, I think I’m going to go ahead and take that vacation time I’d planned. I need to de-stress.”
She leaned forward, brushing her lips against his. “Besides, someone here owes me a date. I was thinking dinner. Maybe mini golf. I’ve never actually played.”
This time, he did grin. Discomfort be damned. “You still want to go out?”
Sherri smiled. “Hey, we almost got fake wolf-married. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
He chuckled. “I’m stuck in here a couple more days. I hope you’ll wait for me.” He threaded his fingers through hers. Glory fucking hallelujah. She was staying. She’d come back for him. She wanted to be with him more, even after everything they’d been through together. Or maybe even because of it. Could he still blame the rising full moon on the storm of hope and excitement inside him?
She grinned. “You better heal fast. That brother of yours is very handsome.”
“You’re not at all his type, I’m afraid.”
She rolled her eyes. “Then I suppose I’ll have to hold out for the top dog.”
“You’re very generous,” Ash growled.
“Well, you did rescue me from my crazy fake in-laws.”
“I know how to go the extra mile for my woman’s needs.”
That one made her cheeks get all red. “You certainly do.” Her face took on a serious expression. The heat of her palm caressed his cheek. “I really was afraid I’d lost you. I’m so relieved you’re going to be okay.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” He managed to get his hand behind her neck. She had her hair up again today, clipped back in an elegant twist. It made her neck look long and even more graceful. He pulled her forward, touching his lips to her forehead and nose. “Is it wrong that I’m already looking forward to getting you naked again?”
She laughed. “Since you’re stuck here a couple more days, how about we start with visiting hours tomorrow? I can bring you some OJ and a classier grade of broth.”
Their tongues had a tentative meeting when they kissed. Something sweet that gave Ash hope. “I knew I liked you,” he murmured.
“I knew I liked you too,” she said. “So. Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.” He kissed her again. “Next week. Every day. I was dumb enough to let you walk away before. I’m not making that mistake again.”
Her smile was wide when she pulled away. “Every day, huh? I kinda like the way that sounds.”
Ash’s chest tightened. “I’m serious, Sherri. I know the full moon can make us a little hot-headed, but it doesn’t make me a liar. I love your spirit, and I loved this crazy ride with you, in spite of the blood and the bullshit. For the first time in my life I feel like I’m ready for something real, and I want it with you.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You really think that can work? You didn’t exactly give glowing reviews on the human-werewolf relationship success rate.”
“It’s not done much. It’d take trust, something I don’t think my parents had.” Ash smoothed the lines in her brow with his thumb. “I think we’ve got an excellent foundation, after all we’ve been through. There may be discrimination or isolation, but I can tell you’re tough enough to hang through the bullshit.”
“Ash, I came back because I wanted to be with you. I’m up for the challenge. Anyway, you’re not fooling me. You may have left your pack but you’re no lone wolf. You have your brother and a business, and all these people who were here to see you when I arrived. You’ve got family, and I think you’re capable of a lot of love. I like that you are.”
Ash grinned. “You got me. So are you interested in being one of my people even though you’ve busted my loner image? I know I’m already falling for you.”
She laughed, and then her lips brushed his. “I know I’m falling for you, too. It’s crazy. I didn’t think I’d be ready, but I am,” she said. “After the things I’ve seen? Life’s too short to wait. I want something real with you, too.”
THE END
Thank you for taking the time to read Wild Nights with a Lone Wolf (Lone Wolf #1)! Reviews help readers and authors alike! I appreciate any and all honest reviews.
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Next in the Lone Wolf series: Wicked Days with a Lone Wolf