Force of the Dark Wolf (Force of Nature Series) (2 page)

“She won’t come out until she’s finished with the thingy she’s doing in there anyways.
I’m Justine
,
but everyone calls me Jessie and these are my nieces and nephews.
Children, please come and meet Officer Force.”
The woman got down on her knees as well. “Sis, come here and meet him.
He is here on business and he—
”

“I’m not going anywhere with him.
You can try
,
but I’m not going anywhere without my sisters and brother.
You can’t make me.”
The older boy, Tim
,
took a stance that said
you may be bigger
,
but I’ve learned to fight meaner.
“And if you’ve come to tell us about our dad
,
you can go to hell.”

Gordon didn’t move.
He heard the sharp intake of breath beside him then he heard the creak of steps. Someone else had joined the fray.
He nearly turned toward the noise when a younger woman stepped in front of him
,
one that hadn’t been in the room until then.

“Timothy Allen Booth
,
what have I told you?”
Tim’s head dropped immediately.
“I will not tolerate that attitude one bit and you know it. Apologize this minute,” she snapped.

Gordon started to say it was all right
,
but the woman next to him put her hand on his arm.
He glanced over at the older woman when she smiled again
. T
his time
,
he could see the strain around her mouth and eyes.

“He scared Sis.
Shouldn’t he
—
”
A
single step toward the boy from the standing woman had him shutting up.
“I’m sorry for being rude
,
Officer Force.
I had no…no right to be mean to you
,
though you scared my little sister.”

When the hand at his arm lifted
,
he put out his hand.
“No hard feelings.
I’m sort of the same way when it comes to protecting my little sister too.
I’m very sorry to have frightened her and I apologize to you both for doing so.”

The little boy looked up at the woman still standing between him and the children.
With a slight nod from her Tim walked up to Gordon and shook his hand.
Tim turned to his sister and brother and nodded. “This is my sister Darcy and my sister Sis. Her real name is Abigail
,
but it was too hard for us to say when she was little so we called her ‘sis
.
’
This is my brother Jake. He’s not afraid of you either.”
Then he turned to Glad.
“Can we still have the cookie?
I’ll make sure we clean up after ourselves.”

“Of course.
Come along. Maybe I’ll have one for myself.
I think I could easily eat a dozen right now,” Glad said as she followed them out of the room.
“Good heavens, how much longer is
s
pring
b
reak anyway?
I never knew it could be so nerve
-
wracking.”
Her voice faded as she went behind the curtain.

Gordon stood when the other woman did.
He turned to her and noticed that the woman that had repr
imanded
Tim still stood watching the now empty doorway.
He decided she was
either
very rude or very terrified for the children.
He looked at the other woman before speaking.
“As I was saying
,
I’m here to pick up some things for my family. They made me a list to bring home
.
”
H
e handed it to Justine.
“They use the product all the time and CJ was happy when she found that you’d opened the store here in town.”
He was babbling.
He had no idea why other than the fact that the woman still had not moved.
Justine kept glancing at her too
,
but whoever she was remained stoic.

“There’s a storm coming.
Jessie, make sure Officer Force has what he needs.” She turned then.
“Then lock up.
I have to go to the house.”

Gordon felt his world slip out of sync.
She was beautiful.
Not only that
,
but drop dead, oh my fucking God, I’ve gone to heaven gorgeous.
He started to step toward her
.
H
e needed her scent, needed
,
he realized
,
to mark her.
Before he could gain control of himself she took several steps back and turned to leave.
He felt his beast snarl at him to go after her when she was just suddenly gone.
He looked back at Jessie.

“My niece. She’s a bit of an oddball
,
but what can you do
?
” She walked toward the shelves and started taking things off one.
“She’s the owner.
We don’t let her out from behind her cook area in the barn often
,
but she does pay our checks. And she does make the best eye-catching displays.”

Gordon looked at the woman who was speaking
,
realizing that he was still staring at the now closed door.
“I need to speak to her.
Will she be back any time soon?”

While he couldn’t exactly remember what he needed to talk to her about, he knew now that it was imperative that he did.
He smelled the air and tried to find her scent, but all he could smell w
ere
soaps and herbs and the children. The children had a scent that made his wolf hum
. H
e knew they weren’t what he was
,
but had been with one.

“No. Not today.
Well, that’s not true.
She’ll be back sometime tonight after dark to finish the display and unveil it.
When we come in tomorrow it’ll be all beautiful.”
She put a basket of things on the counter.
“Did you want everything on this list
,
Officer Force
,
or did you just want the things that were circled?”

He looked at the list she was handing him.
He didn’t have a clue.
Nodding
,
he told her to put it all in there and he’d just have to sort it out later. He looked over at the display and then the door the woman had gone out of.
He was out the door and almost three hundred dollars poorer before he knew it.
He called his brother Dallas.

“I need you to find some information for me.
An address and a…” He looked back at the building. He had no idea what her name was. The paper he’d been given said GJA Incorporated and he guessed now it was probably a combination of the names of the women.
“A name.
Her name will start with an ‘A
.
’”

“I won’t find you dates, Gordon. I draw the line at stalking women for even you.”

Gordon winced at his brother
’
s words.
He knew he deserved it
,
but still
,
it kind of hurt.
“Nope. Not like that at all.
She’s supposedly a witch and when I got here today I couldn’t get much out of anyone other than she makes the displays and that she is the owner.”
Gordon glanced down at the two bags in his hand. “And tell CJ she owes me big time.”

~~~

Alexis watched the man get into his cruiser and drive away from her stance at the side of the building of her shop. She knew it would have been only a matter of time before the cops show
ed
up. She had hoped that it would have been later
,
but it seemed that no matter where she went there was someone who was going to complain.

Turing back to her car
,
she slipped inside. She drove to the next town and went to the store to get something for dinner.
She smiled when she thought of the things she’d heard about her and her family.
Witches.
She shook her head as she answered her cell phone.

“Did you know there were wolves here when you bought this place
?
” her sister’s husband demanded.
“This could be bad for you if you did this on purpose.”

“Ask me if I give a shit how this effects you.”
She tossed a chicken into her cart and decided to have fried chicken for dinner.
Cutting the thing up could give her some much needed release.
“Where’s the money you said you’d send for the children?
It’s now seven weeks late. Again.”

“You wanted them
,
you’ll fucking keep them.
For now anyway. If I find out that you’ve been talking to someone again
,
Allie, I won’t hesitate to take them from you.”
His laughter sent a chill down her spine.
“And this time I won’t stop at just roughing them up a bit.’

Alexis wondered if there was any way for her to murder her own brother-in-law and get away with it. She wanted to threaten him
,
but knew that if she tried he’d only ma
k
e
good
on his threat and take the kids again. She’d thought
that
moving here, closer to her
a
unts
,
she’d be able to protect them better.
But she’d been wrong.
Nearly dead wrong before
,
but this was home to them, to the kids and her
a
unts.

“Paddy, I’m only going to say this once more.
You hurt those children again and
,
so help me
,
you’ll pray for death when I’m finished with you.”
She closed her phone and looked up at the woman who was staring at her unashamedly.
“Can I help you?”
Alexis flushed. She hadn’t meant to snap at the woman and wished now that she’d simply not answered the phone.