Silence of the Wolf

Chapter 30

In his wolf coat, Tom raced into Mr. Winston’s house, Elizabeth on his tail, and everyone else running to catch up. Quinton lay on the floor by the table—no heart rate, no breath. The man was stone-cold dead.

Mr. Winston and Eric stood nearby. “Sorry, Tom,” Mr. Winston said.

No need to be sorry, Tom thought. Quinton had been living on borrowed time for far too long.

Anthony grabbed Elizabeth’s clothes from the sled and Tom’s in the living room and left them in a bedroom where Tom and Elizabeth hurried to shift and dress.

From the living room, Anthony shouted, “Darien and Jake are here!”

Anthony raced outside to meet them and give them all the news. Eric and Mr. Winston had brought Sefton’s body into the living room and covered it and Quinton’s with sheets.

Elizabeth joined them and cast a look at Eric, who openly stared at her.

“Don’t I know you from somewhere?” Eric said to her.

“A long time ago,” she said.

“The water hole. My God.” Eric looked back at Quinton’s dead body. “He was the one who tried to drown you.”

“Thanks for stopping him,” Elizabeth said.

“Yeah, sure. I wished we’d killed the bastard then.”

“Watering hole?” Darien said.

“Fill you in on it later, Darien.” Tom quickly enfolded Elizabeth in his arms, noting that she wouldn’t look at her dead relations. He wanted to get her out of there as soon as he could.

“How convenient it was for you to find the knife,” Elizabeth said to North. “I’m curious why Sefton would have made the mistake of showing it to you. He knew you had been seeing me and might have known Dad gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday.”

North’s face lost all its color. “Hell, you mean they used me to get to you?”

“Yeah, to ask for the deed and to meet with me to give me the evidence in person. And they would have grabbed both of us, the evidence, and the deed.”

North let out his breath hard. “Yeah, I can see it all clearly now. I’m so sorry, Elizabeth. I would never have called you if I had known.”

Tom gave him a killing look. As Darien and Jake joined them in the house, Tom said, “About time you guys got here. We’ve got to find Minx and Cody.”

“We came across Minx already,” Darien said. “Sam and Silva took her to my house and will alert her parents to pick her up. We ran into Cody a short while after that and sent him in the same direction. We didn’t know what the situation was here. What happened?”

Eric said, “I guess when I took the man down, he hit his head too hard and… anyway, he’s dead.”

Darien nodded. “One fewer issue to deal with.”

“Elizabeth’s half brother’s dead also,” Tom said.

“What about Sarandon?” Darien asked.

Tom shook his head. “No sign of him.”

“All right. We’ll take care of things here. Meet me at the house,” Darien said.

“You sure you don’t want me to help with this?” Eric offered. When Darien hesitated to say anything, Eric added, “I’d really like to help out.”

“Okay, we’ll turn Quinton’s and Sefton’s bodies over to Hrothgar since they were with his pack. What about North?”

“I don’t want the deed to your property,” North told Elizabeth. “I just… wanted to see you again. And though I wanted to give you the evidence about your uncle’s and half brother’s part in your parents’ deaths, I’d hoped you might consider seeing me.” He glanced at Tom, then said to Elizabeth, “But I didn’t want your property unless you lived there with me.”

“Thanks for trying to help me learn the truth about my uncle and Sefton,” Elizabeth said. “I appreciate it.”

North appeared as though he wanted to hug her or kiss her or both, but Tom gave him a look meant to discourage the notion. The man had not protected Elizabeth when she could have used his help.

North bowed his head a little, acknowledging he wouldn’t be able to get any closer to her, then turned on his heel and left.

Darien listened to Mr. Winston’s reasons for having given Eric and his brothers refuge when they needed it. Mr. Winston had still believed in the men and had tried to talk them into telling Darien what they were up to. But Eric had always been as stubborn as Darien.

Anthony said, “Hey, we almost forgot. Where are the groceries we had on the sled?”

Tom told them where they had dumped them in the snow, and Eric and Anthony went to get them for Mr. Winston.

After they left the groceries with Mr. Winston, when Anthony, Elizabeth, and Tom headed for town, leaving the others to take care of things, Anthony led the way, pulling the sled. Tom grabbed Cody’s hat from the tree branch. Elizabeth smiled as Tom jingled with every footstep he took, wishing he had his own hat back. “We could trade hats, you know,” he finally said to her.

She raised her brows. “You’d wear a soft fuzzy pink hat over a jester’s?” She shook her head. “I like it on you. Lets me know where you are at all times.”

When they finally reached home, they gave the news to Lelandi and everyone else there—Sam, Silva, the kids, and some of the other teams that had arrived.

After the news broke that Sefton and Quinton would no longer be any trouble, Silva beamed. “Remember the tearoom’s opening on Saturday.”

Sam stood there, his arms wrapped around her like a big bear holding a gray wolf. “Tavern will open a little late that day. We’ll serve drinks after her tearoom closes at three, and we’ll continue the party at the tavern. All drinks will be on me.” He grinned. He was one happy wolf.

“On us,” Silva said. She pulled away from Sam and gave Elizabeth a big hug. “As soon as you learn what you’re having, let me know and I’ll work on those baby booties.”

Tom loved the way Elizabeth blushed.

“What about you?” Elizabeth asked, finally finding her tongue.

“No, not me. Sam and I have our businesses to run.”

Sam waggled his brows at Tom, indicating he had other plans.

Lelandi called Carol to fill her in, and she put her on speaker so Silva could hear. “I’m coming to the tearoom opening and want to get together for a girl’s night out with you all.”

Tom shook his head.

“That’s okay,” Sam said. “We’ll have beer and pizza and game night after the ladies leave to have their girly party.”

CJ was sitting on one of the couches, his walking cast propped up on a pillow on the coffee table nearby—compliments of Lelandi. Brett sat beside him. Tom watched as they gave each other surreptitious smiles. They were happy to be home with the pack and the family.

Tom was glad his cousins had returned to the pack. Darien called to say they were on their way back to the house and had located Sarandon, who was all too happy to be coming home. He had been out searching the plane wreckage before a search team arrived in the area, and he’d found Elizabeth’s deed and ID inside one of the kidnappers’ pockets.

Tom sighed. His cousins were proving they were valued members of the pack once again.

But before Darien and Sarandon arrived, the kids’ parents came to take them home.

Anthony and Cody’s father said, “I ought to ground you for two months and make you muck out Doc Mitchell’s stables for all that time. But because you were trying to help out Mr. Winston…” His voice faded as they left the house.

Minx’s father was so choked up that he couldn’t say anything. He just hugged her and kissed her and finally left the house with her apologizing, saying she wouldn’t ever go with the boys unless she had her father’s permission.

Only time would tell if she’d stick to that.

As soon as Darien returned home, Tom took him aside. “We’re leaving first thing in the morning to take care of Elizabeth’s home and so she can say her good-byes at work. I guess we’ll also need to take care of her property near Hrothgar’s pack. We’ll be back to find a place here. We’ll return before Silva’s grand tearoom opening, no matter what.”

Darien said, “Come with me, you and Elizabeth.” He escorted them into his office and shut the door. “Elizabeth doesn’t know this, but I need you home as soon as you can return.”

Guessing what this was all about—a new problem for the pack, Tom said, “Because…?”

“The new owners of the hotel will be here this weekend to start renovations on the place. I need to make sure we don’t have any trouble with the pack when the owners show up.”

Tom folded his arms. “Our cousins can help out there.”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Darien said, ultraseriously.

“Maybe it’s Peter’s turn to watch out for the new she-wolves in the pack.” This time, Tom wouldn’t ensure that an accompanied she-wolf—in this case, three of them—didn’t stir up trouble with the pack. He already had his own.

When they arrived at Elizabeth’s place in Canyon, Texas, the next morning, Tom loved the coziness of the two-bedroom, one-bath home surrounded by land and mesquites and junipers. He decided the warmth of the home was all because of her.

“Kind of small,” she said, glancing around at her place, “compared to Darien’s house.” She smiled up at Tom. “Then again, you make the house seem small. I hadn’t really thought of it that way before.”

“I like it.” Tom gathered her in his arms. “In a place this size, you couldn’t get very far from me.” He kissed her lips. “I’m hungry. We had no food on the plane, and I feel like having a steak.”

She looked wary, as if she already knew where this was headed. “I don’t have any steaks in the house. The last time—”

“The last time you weren’t with me. You know they say that you should revisit the place where you experienced something bad to get over your fear of going there again,” Tom said.

“But if they have sale steaks at the grocery store…” she said.

“Nope, let’s go to the butcher shop. I want you to have only good memories before we leave here. Besides, we need to pick up your car if it’s still parked there.”

“All right, but if the steaks are full price, you’re paying.”

He laughed, then hurried her out to the rental car and drove her to the butcher shop.

She sighed with relief as he parked at the shop. “My car’s still here.” She glanced at the butcher’s window and with an I-told-you-so look, she said, “No sale signs.”

Smiling, he patted her leg. “Steaks are on me.”

When they walked into the store, the butcher’s blue eyes rounded. “I wondered when you’d come back to get your car.” He eyed Tom as if he was speculating about whether he was the new boyfriend. “What will it be?”

“Rib-eye steaks sound good to you?” Tom asked Elizabeth.

“Yeah.” She turned to stare at a sleek-looking woman wearing an ivory sweater, tan jeans, and high-heeled boots, who was checking out grilling spices on a rack, a package of meat in hand.

The woman glanced at them. She sniffed the air, the action so reminiscent of a wolf shifter that she stole both Tom’s and Elizabeth’s attention.

The woman frowned at them and stuck her nose up in the air, hurrying past them and out the door. Tom swore she hissed, “Dogs,” under her breath.

Tom and Elizabeth watched her leave.

She frowned up at him. “Did she smell like—?”

“A jaguar?”

They both shook their heads and said, “Nah.”

A short while later, Tom grilled the steaks on Elizabeth’s back patio, while she made arrangements to have her household goods shipped and lined up a Realtor to sell her house. She’d also picked up her camera from the repair shop, delighted that it worked again. She would need it to take pictures for her new newspaper, though maybe Jake would shoot some pictures for her, too. Tom intended to get her another camera—as a spare.

At her insistence, so he wouldn’t splatter steak juices on his sweater, he wore Elizabeth’s bluebonnet floral apron. It got him to thinking about Darien wearing Lelandi’s brown and pink ruffled apron when he fed his toddlers. Tom realized that Darien didn’t need a manlier apron. He himself wasn’t bothered about wearing Elizabeth’s flowery one if it meant being with her and keeping her happy. He could even envision feeding oatmeal mush to his toddlers in another year or so, wearing this same apron.

That had him smiling.

When Elizabeth joined him with a platter covered with raw vegetables to grill, he turned and saw she was looking out at the vista. A male coyote off in the distance watched them.

“Looks like you have an admirer.” Tom flipped the steaks, keeping his eye on the coyote.

Elizabeth set the platter of vegetables on the table next to the grill and wrapped her arms around Tom’s waist. “I think he was interested in me before, but he was afraid of my wolf half.”

Tom set the tongs on the sideboard, turned, and drew Elizabeth into his arms. “Well, now he can be afraid of your other half, too, who’s a whole wolf.”

She smiled up at Tom. “I have to admit I thought I’d made the biggest mistake, shopping at that butcher shop.”

“Sometimes our worst mistakes can turn out to be the very best thing for us. I know your being in my life has been the very best thing for me.”

Elizabeth couldn’t believe her half brother and uncle were dead, and she had nothing to worry about in returning to Colorado, all because Tom had been there for her. She loved him.

And she knew from Tom’s expression that he was ready to skip the steaks and prove just how glad he was that she’d come back into his life. But she wasn’t giving her steaks up for anyone or anything this time.

“Steaks first. Dessert after,” she said.

“Did I ever tell you how hard you are on me?”

“Once or twice,” she said with a smile. “And you love me for it.”

“Damn… right.” He quickly tossed the food on the plates, gathered her in his arms, and started kissing her—and she was reminded of that kiss on the slopes when they’d become a video sensation for the whole pack.

Except for the cool Texas breeze and one coyote witness off in the distance, this time they were alone. And she decided that life was too short.

She wanted dessert first so she dragged him toward the house, plates in hand.

“What about our steaks?” he asked.

“Priorities change,” she said, smiling up at him. “Some things just won’t wait.”

“Amen to that.”