Pack Council (8 page)

People stood around talking. All the tables and stools were full. She wasn’t the only one to see the advantage of getting out of the cold by stopping by to pick up a cup.

Savannah got in line and was surprised to see Clint helping behind the counter. She’d never seen him working with Sara before.

Cecil was at the register and calling out the orders to Sara. Sara was behind the espresso machine, furiously making the drinks before handing the finished drinks to Clint, who put the lids on and called for pick-up. Amused, Sara watched the three of them. They functioned well together.

Before long it was Savannah’s turn. Cecil beamed at her. “Hey, Deputy!”

Sara looked over at her when she heard Cecil’s words. Her friend winked but went back to the machine she was handling.

“Hi, Cecil. Busy day,” she commented.

“Yeah, it’s great. We’ll make more money today than two months during the summer. So what can I get you?”

“A large of whatever blend is the special,” she ordered, pulling out her wallet.

Cecil waved her money aside. “On the house. Just give me a minute.”

Savannah thanked him and stood off to the side so that the next person in line could order.

While she waited, she watched as Sara rubbed against Clint while passing him a drink. Clint grinned and when he reached for a lid, he brushed back against Sara.

Savannah wanted that. The easy acceptance of a partner. Someone to come home to at the end of a long shift. For the first time in her life she thought she just might have found that person.

Chapter Seven

Kurt stopped in front of Clint and Sara’s house and waited while Clint climbed into his truck.

“Hey, man,” Clint greeted, rubbing his hands together. “Shit, it’s cold out there.”

Kurt laughed. He’d been in and out of the weather all day. He knew Clint had been helping Sara at the shop all morning. But he had to tease him. “Getting soft on me?”

Clint flipped him off before reaching behind him and pulling on his safety belt. “Soft, my ass.”

Kurt shook his head and pulled back onto the street. He’d already filled Clint in on everything that had taken place earlier. Clint had organised the watch on Rudy even while helping Sara at her shop.

“So how was your morning?” Kurt asked.

Clint grunted. “I don’t know how they do it. Taking orders, making coffee and listening to people. If you ask Sara what every person said to her, Sara will remember every word. I couldn’t do it every day.”

“Yeah, I agree. I could never make it in customer service,” Kurt agreed.

“I’m never taking a day off again. That way Sara can’t put me to work.”

Clint wasn’t actually getting a day off since they were headed to check on Rudy and the men guarding him. But Kurt didn’t say anything. He knew Clint didn’t really mind helping Sara out. In fact, Clint would do anything for Sara.

That thought turned Kurt’s mind to Savannah. He had gone overboard with Savannah in his office earlier, shocking himself with the depth of his need. He was just thankful he hadn’t scared her away.

He’d had plenty of time to think about it as the day continued on. His wolf had been right at the surface. He wasn’t as free with his wolf as Clint was—he only shifted once a week or so or when it was needed for work. Earlier was the closest he’d come to actually letting his wolf take over unbidden while still in human form.

Luckily, he’d managed to hold back enough and not actually give Savannah the mating bite that would bind them together.

But he’d wanted to. Oh, he really had.

“Kurt!”

Kurt snapped out of his own thoughts and jerked. “What?” he grumbled.

“Nothing,” Clint responded, laughing. “You were mumbling.”

Kurt shot Clint a glare.

“Anything you want to tell me?” Clint asked, batting his eyes innocently.

Kurt’s lips twitched in amusement. The look did not belong on Clint’s face. The man was far from innocent. “No.”

“You sure?” Clint pressed. “Nothing about a certain beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed deputy you smell like?”

Kurt growled. Of course Clint could smell Savannah on him. He should have thought about that. Well, he really didn’t care. He liked catching whiffs of Savannah’s scent.

“Okay.” Clint held his hands up. “I’ll let it go…for now.”

Kurt opened his mouth to reply, but Clint’s phone rang and cut him off.

Clint answered on speaker. “What do you have, Josh?”

“The target just left the premises driving a blue Toyota Corolla. He’s heading north away from town,” Josh reported in.

Kurt pressed on the brake to turn around.

“Thanks, man. Keep a visual. Don’t lose him,” Clint ordered.

“On it, boss!”

Clint disconnected the call and looked over at Kurt. “Where’s the little bastard headed?”

Kurt glanced over at him, curious. “Bastard? Kind of harsh, man.”

Clint grunted. “A man like that messes with Cecil? I have a problem with that. He’s nothing more than a bully.”

Kurt remembered the scene Clint was talking about. He’d forgotten, but now that Clint had mentioned it, he did recall it. “I’d forgotten. It’s weird, though—the way Sheriff Webb and Savannah described him and the way he acted this morning, like he was afraid or something.”

Clint snorted. “Afraid of getting busted maybe.”

“Hmm,” Kurt murmured. He’d have to think more on it. He pulled onto one of the back roads that would have him intercepting Rudy’s route.

“Should we call the sheriff?” Clint inquired.

“Nah.” Kurt shook his head. “Let’s see where our friend is headed first. Savannah is patrolling out this way. I’ll call her if we need any help.”

Five minutes later they parked off the road and waited. They weren’t disappointed. Rudy drove by in the blue vehicle Josh had described.

They pulled onto the road and started to follow him. Kurt saw the black SUV in his rear-view mirror and knew one of the guards was still back there while another would be in shifted form trailing the car that way.

He stayed far enough away that Rudy wouldn’t suspect he was being followed. He racked his brain to figure out where he was headed.

Then it hit him. “He’s running!” Kurt said in shock. “Shit!”

Clint shook his head. “No, no way.”

But Kurt knew deep down that was what Rudy was doing. He wasn’t heading into town, wasn’t running errands or planning on going back. He was taking the most direct route out of there.

“Damn it!” Kurt fumbled for his phone and hit the number for Savannah.

“Hey, stranger,” she greeted him warmly.

“Rudy is making a run for it. He’s ten miles from town limits,” Kurt told her.

“Oh, hell no!” Savannah grumbled and he heard the sound of brakes. “He’s not going anywhere. Where are you?”

“Behind him.”

“What’s he driving?”

“Late-model blue Toyota Corolla.”

“Stay there,” Savannah said and hung up.

Kurt took his eyes off the road and frowned down at the phone in his hand.

“Get used to it,” Clint said cheerfully beside him. “These women don’t know how to follow. They like to lead.”

Amused, Kurt shook his head. He wouldn’t want it any other way.

Savannah couldn’t believe her luck. She was only three miles from the turn-off Rudy would have to make to leave town. She sped into place and waited.

Just as she’d hoped, Rudy flew past her—speeding.

She hit her lights and sirens while she pulled out behind him. She could see the moment he recognised the sheriff’s vehicle. He slammed his hand on the steering wheel and Savannah was pretty sure he was cursing her good.

Rudy flicked on his blinker and started to pull off to the side.

Savannah parked behind him and waited. As soon as she saw Kurt’s truck in her rear-view mirror, she opened the driver’s side door and stepped out. She walked slowly to Rudy’s side of the vehicle.

“Turn the vehicle off,” she ordered. She waited until he complied before stepping up beside his window. He had already rolled it down.

“Dep-deputy.” Rudy tried to smile but fell short—way short.

“You were speeding, sir,” she said formally. “Where were you headed in such a hurry?”

His gaze darted around. “Well… I was…”

Savannah bent closer to him. “Where are you going, Rudy?”

Her soft voice must have got through to him. He blinked up at her with wide eyes.

“Rudy, let me help you,” she implored.

“You can’t,” he whispered. “No one can help me.”

Off to the side she heard two doors close. She glanced over and saw that Kurt and Clint had exited and were heading their way.

Rudy grasped the hand she had placed on his car. “Don’t let them take me! Please! I warned Colt. I swear. I told him that Bruce suspected him! Don’t let them kill me!”

“Hey!” She tried to calm him down. “Hey, no one will hurt you.”

“Savannah!” Kurt called her name.

“Back off, Kurt,” she told him.

Clint growled. “The hell we will! He knows where Colt is.”

Savannah had a responsibility to her residents. Rudy was one of those she had sworn to protect. But she knew they needed to find Colt sooner, not later. She looked into the face of the terrified young man before looking back at the two shifters. She hoped that Kurt trusted her. She begged him with her eyes.

Kurt nodded. He grabbed Clint’s arm and pulled him back.

“Kurt!” Clint protested.

“No,” Kurt told him in a low tone. “Let her handle this.”

Clint cursed, yanked his arm from Kurt’s grasp and started to pace.

Savannah sent him a grateful smile. “Rudy,” she said softly. “Come with me. Let me help you. You have to tell us where Colt is.”

Rudy was still looking over his shoulder. “You won’t give me to them?”

“No,” she promised. “I’ll take you to the sheriff. He’ll watch over you.”

“But,” Rudy argued, “his daughter has taken up with one of them!”

So she probably shouldn’t tell him that she was sleeping with Kurt. “The sheriff will protect you. I will protect you,” she assured him.

“Bruce will come looking for me,” Rudy warned.

“He can. Don’t worry.” She nodded towards the other two men. “I think they can handle him.”

Rudy sighed. “I really did warn Colt. I told him to run. I thought he got away before you came to the Church this morning. I was so relieved he’d left.”

“He didn’t leave on his own. If he was your friend you need to help us find him.”

“Yes. Okay,” Rudy said slowly. “I wasn’t going to get away anyhow.”

Finally! Savannah felt the relief in her entire body. She nodded towards Kurt.

“
Thank you
,” he mouthed the words.

She opened Rudy’s door and held out her hand to help him exit the vehicle. Rudy stepped out and pressed close to her, eyeing Kurt and Clint.

“It’s okay,” she assured him. She grasped his shoulder and supported him to the passenger side of her SUV.

Kurt and Clint had backed up to Kurt’s truck’s front bumper, waiting. Savannah helped Rudy into his seat before she closed the door firmly.

As she walked behind her vehicle, Kurt stepped up to meet her.

“I’m going to take him to the office. I’ll get out of him what he knows. If he has any idea where Colt is, I will find out,” she told him.

“We’re going to follow,” he replied.

She looked over at Rudy’s car. “Can you get his car out of here? I don’t want Bruce Carter to know we have Rudy.”

Kurt nodded. “We’ll take care of it.”

She reached over and gripped his hand. “Thanks for trusting me with this,” she said softly.

Kurt just shrugged. “Doesn’t seem like there is much I wouldn’t trust you with.”

She heard the emotion behind the words and her heart swelled with pride. “Kurt…” she managed.

He shook his head and leaned in to kiss her gently. “We’ll follow you. I’ll have one of the guards take care of Rudy’s car.” He stepped back and Savannah fisted her hands to keep herself from reaching out for him again.

Just one touch from Kurt both soothed and aroused her. She craved his touch, wanted to feel him pressing against her. Would she ever get enough? What was going on between the two of them?

Shaking herself back to the present, she pushed her thoughts away and back to the problem at hand. She climbed into the warm interior of her SUV. Rudy was shifting nervously in his seat.

“You’re with one of them, too,” he accused when she pulled on her seatbelt.

So Rudy had seen Kurt kiss her. That probably hadn’t been the best way for him to find out. She needed his trust.

“Rudy?” she asked instead of answering his question. “Did you know Colt was a shifter?”

She took a chance. She suspected Rudy had known, but if not, she was gambling here.

Rudy blew out a breath. “He never said, but”—Rudy shrugged—“I suspected.”

“Why?” she questioned.

“Colt joined the group and I never could figure what he was doing there. He wasn’t like the others. He was smart,” Rudy told her.

“And?” she pressed.

“We became friends,” Rudy said quietly. “He became my friend.”

Rudy looked out of the side window after that. Savannah figured it was best to leave him to his thoughts for now. She doubted Rudy had many friends. No one she’d interviewed earlier had seemed like they were connected to the young man.

She drove back into town with only the sound of the tyres rubbing against the road breaking the silence. She pulled into the parking space reserved for her and stopped.

“What were you doing there? With the Church anyway?” she asked.

She didn’t think he would answer until he turned sad eyes at her.

“My dad sent me. He’s a Deacon for Dan Carter,” he explained.

Savannah pressed her lips together, not sure what that meant.

“He wanted Dan Carter to make a man out of me,” Rudy finished in a voice barely audible.

There was more. She knew it in her gut. More to the story. More to Rudy himself. Colt had befriended him. There had to be a reason the shifter had trusted Rudy.

“Let’s go inside and warm up,” she told him. “Let’s find Colt.”

Chapter Eight

Kurt stood next to Clint, watching through the one-way mirror as Savannah and Sheriff Webb interviewed Rudy.