Finding Our Way (Werewolf Wars) (22 page)

Someone huffed and plopped down on the seat in front of them. Nora opened her eyes as Sarah slouched down into the seat and pulled a blanket over herself.

“Go back to sleep. I don’t think we’ll do any planning this early. Everyone’s barely awake,” Daniel murmured. He rested his head against the window and closed his eyes.

“That’s because you made the mistake of going to sleep,” Vincent called from the front seat. “The trick is not to go to bed. It’s better to not sleep than to get too little.”

Sarah snorted from her seat.

“True story,” Vincent grinned.

Devon and Lark climbed into the front row of seats as Claire took the driver seat. April climbed in giving her a wave as she slid in by Sarah, and Jackson nodded taking the seat in front of her.

“Be safe, and we’ll see you soon. I’ll have Maddie make an emergency phone call to Juarez in five minutes,” Gene said, peeking into the van. He nodded at them before sliding the door shut.

Claire turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. Pulling the shifter into drive, she started them down the gravel drive.

Nora let out a long breath, snuggling closer to Daniel. Her eyes fluttered shut as Daniel’s warm palm came to rest on her abdomen.

***

D
aniel grunted as Nora moved away from him. He immediately missed the warmth of her body and he opened his eyes wondering where she was going.

He caught sight of Nora’s copper hair just as she left the van. Sitting up, he scrubbed a hand over his eyes and climbed outside.

The sun was bright and he squinted against the offensive light. A few feet away, Devon was talking to Nora, Lark, and Sarah. Daniel looked around, noting they were in a parking lot. He turned, and took in the large yellow Cabela’s Outdoor Store sign.

Daniel started toward the group; his arm tingled from sitting the same way for too long.

“Get an outfit for each of you. You need a complete wardrobe change. After you purchase it, have them double bag it and tie the plastic shut. The map says there is a rest area about four miles from the Luna’s compound, you’ll clean up and be on foot from there,” Devon explained taking out his wallet and handing a silver card over to Lark. “Meet us out here when you’re done.”

“We’ll be as quick as possible,” Lark said, taking the card. “Come on.”

Nora met his gaze and gave him a smile before spinning on her heel and hurrying after the two Davies sisters.

“Mom, Vincent, April, and Jackson stay here with the car. Daniel you’re with me,” Devon instructed. Without waiting for a response, the alpha headed off toward the grocery store that was adjacent to the hunting store.

“What are we doing?” Daniel asked, staying a few paces behind his brother.

“Getting scented wipes and perfume from the store. We need to make sure they don’t smell like us, especially Lark and Nora. They’ll need to wipe down the guns too,” Devon explained. “I also want to see if they have a gas can and wash cloths.”

Devon’s pace slowed and Daniel growled under his breath as he caught up to him.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Daniel said, cutting to the chase.

“Good. You remember what we talked about then?” Devon asked.

“I won’t betray you,” Daniel bit out.

Devon stopped and turned on him. “Lark’s life is on the line. So are Sarah’s and Nora’s.”

“I know,” Daniel said, brushing past him.

Devon grabbed his arm and Daniel shrugged away.

“Don’t walk away from me,” Devon said, shoving him roughly.

“I told you,” Daniel fumed as he righted himself. “I won’t betray you. Now let it be.”

Devon huffed and began walking again. “How many men are there?”

“It’s been a year since I was last there. I’d say a few hundred, but that could have changed by now,” Daniel said, falling into step again.

“Lark is going to text when they are at the Luna’s house and things have quieted down. We will enter the property from the other side while the alarms are going off,” Devon explained. “It should be dusk when we arrive and hopefully the men will be turning in for the evening. You and I will light fire to the compound. I’m getting a gas can here and we’ll fill it up closer to the Luna’s. The other supplies we need are already packed and in the back of the van. It will just be the two of us going onto the Luna’s land. I figure the less people we bring the better. Everyone else will be backup, just in case.”

“Then what, we get the women and run?” Daniel questioned eyeing Devon.

“Do you think we can get the women prisoners out? If we can’t, is the main house far enough away from the compound that it will be unaffected by the fire?” Devon asked his voice quieting as the glass doors to the store slid open.

Daniel ran a hand through his hair. “We shouldn’t have to worry about the main house catching fire. As for the women, if it were just them, maybe. But I doubt they’ll leave their kids. Rosita has six boys and Emma has two, I think.”

Devon nodded. “I don’t want to get April’s hopes up. I want to help, but there is no way we can move as fast as we need to with that many kids.”

“No. We’ll have to make a choice.”

“We’ll radio if they can bring the van up, but it’s going to be hard enough getting our three women out since they can’t change,” Devon said.

“I know Lark and Nora are good for running, but how is Sarah?” Daniel asked.

“She is okay.”

Devon looked up at the signs hanging over the aisle ways. “I’m going to get the gas can and rags. You get the wipes, make sure they’re scented, and the perfume. I’ll meet you at the register.” Devon took off towards the general merchandise part of the store.

Daniel looked up and slowly started toward the pharmacy. He hoped that’s where he would find what he needed.

***

N
ora’s leg bounced up and down as they drew closer to the rest area. Her heart thrummed frantically in her chest and she wiped her sweaty palms over her jeans.
I can do this.

The car had grown quiet as they’d passed the sign indicating the rest area was two miles away. A tense silence filled the car.

Devon cleared his throat. “Are we all clear on the plan?”

A series of yes’ chorused through the car.

Jackson, who was behind the wheel, slowed the van and pulled them into the parking lot. He coasted into a parking spot and set the parking brake.

“You okay?” April asked, turning in the seat to stare at Nora.

“Yes,” Nora said, sounding more confident than she was.

“You are going to do this, and in a few hours we’ll be on our way home.” April reached over the seat and rested a hand on Nora’s forearm.

“She’s right.” Daniel pressed a kiss to her temple. “Everything is going to work out.”

“I’ll give you two a minute,” April said, patting Nora’s arm. She shifted and climbed out of the van.

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Daniel said quietly.

“I know. But if April’s sister is in there, if these guys are hurting women, then I have to. It’s the right thing to do,” Nora justified. She wasn’t a soldier, no, but the things these men were doing was disgusting. It had to be stopped.

“Be careful, Nora.” Daniel leaned forward, his lips grazing against hers.

Nora wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. His thumb trailed over her cheek before winding in her hair. She deepened the kiss, swirling her tongue with his, and hummed happily.

“Yo, we’re on a time crunch,” Vincent’s voice carried into the van.

Nora pulled back, smiling. “We should go.”

Daniel kissed her one last time. “I won’t be able to do that after you clean up.”

Nora nodded and licked her lips. “Later tonight.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

***

N
ora adjusted the rifle over her shoulder as she followed behind Lark. The older Davies sister had set a steady pace for them leading them over the terrain. Nora was sure they had to be getting close to the border. It had been nearly an hour since they had left the others.

Nora would never forget the tight set of Daniel’s jaw or the tears brimming in April’s eyes as they had set off. She was coming back—they all were.

Lark came to a halt and looked down at her cell phone. “According to Daniel’s information we should be getting ready to pass onto the Luna’s land.”

Sarah gripped her gun tighter, her finger wrapping around the trigger.

“Hey,” Lark snapped. “We aren’t starting anything. We’re a distraction, remember that. They have no reason to hurt us.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes. “Fine.”

“I mean it, Sarah.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” Sarah sneered.

Nora hesitated as Sarah plowed forward.

“Keep your eyes peeled,” Lark whispered, following her sister.

“Is she okay,” Nora asked quietly.

“She’s mad. I don’t blame her, but it could be a danger to us all,” Lark sighed.

“I can still hear you, you know,” Sarah called.

“Good. Let’s keep the chatter about that down, we’re getting within hearing range,” Lark replied. “So you and Daniel, huh?” she asked changing the subject.

“Yeah,” Nora blushed. Heat crept across her face and she looked down at the leaves beneath them.

“I know he and Devon don’t get along, but he’s a good guy. I’m glad the two of you found each other,” Lark commented.

“Thanks.” Nora hesitated and tugged on her camouflage jacket. “Do you think they’ll ever fix things?”

“I don’t know. There is a lot of bad blood between the two of them. I’d like to see them work it out, so would Claire,” Lark said. “This thing tonight could be a good first step.”

“I hope so,” Nora replied.

A loud shrill sounded to their right and Nora’s pulse roared in her ears. They’d just entered the Luna’s property.

“Let’s do this,” Lark murmured.

N
ora’s eyes darted around the woods. Trees and bushes covered the vast landscape. The wind caused the foliage to sway in the breeze, but she couldn’t see anything.
Where were they?
Fear raced through her and she gripped her gun tighter, drawing it closer.

Sarah walked backwards joining Nora and Lark as they took in their surroundings.

“How long do we have to wait?” Sarah hissed her gun held at the ready.

“Shhh,” Lark hushed her sister.

A flock of birds flew up into the air, causing the women to jump. Nora pointed to her left. “Over there.”

Lark took a step forward. “Hello?” she called out, her voice shaking slightly as she stared into the distance. “Is someone there?”

The tree rustled and Lark raised her gun and Nora followed her example.
Pay attention!
She chided herself. One slip up and that could be it for all of them. She ground her teeth together and waited anxiously for someone to emerge from the brush.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” a man called as he stepped into the clearing, holding his hands up in the air. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” he assured, giving all three of them a once over. “What are you doing out here? There aren’t many houses out this way and the state parks quite a ways away.”

“We got lost,” Lark started, her voice coming out smooth. “We were out hunting with our boyfriends and they started tracking a deer. They left us at camp, but we got bored and decided to go look for them and, well, I think we might be really turned around,” she chuckled nervously, tucking her lip between her teeth.

“What’s with the sirens?” Nora asked, even though she knew what they were. The stranger didn’t know that she knew, and they needed to keep it that way. She slowly lowered her weapon to her waist, but took care to keep her hand on the gun so she could fire it if needed.

“Oh those,” the man waved, smiling. “It’s nothing. We’ve had some problems with wild animals coming onto our property. There is a little bit of a wolf problem in this area. It helps to deter them. They should go off any minute now.” He took a step forward, keeping the large grin on his face. “So you three are lost, huh?” he propped his palms on his hips, showing off his sculpted upper body.

“Yeah,” Lark answered, smiling sheepishly. “I don’t suppose you have a phone or something we could use? We’d like to call our boyfriends and see if we can figure out where we are.”

The man smiled, pointing at Lark’s gun. “Why don’t you put that thing down, sweetheart, and I’ll take you back to the house. There’s a phone there you can use.”

“Oh,” Lark laughed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to point that at you, I forgot I was holding this.” She put her gun down letting it hang freely from the shoulder strap. Her face flushed red and she looked down  at the ground. “I thought you were a deer. Would have given us something to hold over the guys head if we caught one before they did.”

“Good thing you didn’t shoot me,” he chuckled, his eyes appraising them.

Nora shuddered her stomach curdled with revulsion as his eyes roamed over their bodies. There was something predatory about his glare. Her arm hairs stood on end and she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Keep calm.

“Come on this way. Main house is about a half mile from here. We could be there in a few, call your boyfriends, and maybe get you lovely ladies a bite to eat.” He took a step back, motioning them to follow. “I’m Chip by the way.”

“Thank you,” Lark gushed, taking a step forward. “I’m Ginny, this is my sister Genevieve, and our friend Ava,” she said pointing to each of them as she gave out fake names. Nora couldn’t help but wonder if the names had been planned or something the blonde had just thought of last minute. Either way, it was a good idea.

Nora looked over at the younger Davies as Lark finished the introductions. Sarah’s jaw was set, her fierce blue eyes fixated on the man in front of them. Although, she’d lowered her weapon, her pointer finger remained poised precariously over the trigger.

Noticing that Chip was staring at Sarah, Nora knew she needed to say something to draw his attention away from her. “Thank you so much for helping us. My feet are so sore, I don’t know if I would have made it much longer,” she groaned, yawning.

“No problem,” Chip beamed. “Let's get you inside.”