River Wolf (7 page)

They both breathed easier when it came away in pieces. Thankfully, the second cast didn’t disguise further infection. Colby was at the door when Brett caught the sound of his mother and father arriving.

“Hello!” Margaret Dalton called up the stairs. “We’re here to take charge of Luc…” The distraction gave Brett blessed time to inspect Luc’s left leg. He found the sore leaking puss behind the knee.

“Hard or easy?” He glanced at the wolf’s violent eyes, giving him the scant seconds to decide.

“Do it.” Luc dug his hands into the covers on the bed. Nodding once, Brett used a claw and sliced across the infection, bursting the abscess open. The stink increased as it drained. The muscles in the injured wolfs neck stood out in stark relief as he arched upward. Face contorting, the shift hit him hard and fast.

Retreating a step, Brett gave him the space to change. Unfettered, the wounded man twisted as his skin slipped, his bones cracked and realigned themselves until finally a large gray wolf stood on unsteady legs in the middle of the bed only to collapse, panting. The scent of infection still clung to him. Another shift or two could help, so could the energy of pack. Lone Wolf or not, Luc remained his friend.

Lips peeling back from his teeth, the wolf snarled at him. Fisting the animal’s scruff Brett brought his head up to eye level. “And that’s enough of that. Sleep. Heal.”

The animal fought, but he was no match for an Alpha and Luc finally gave in, head nodding as his eyes closed.

“Sleep, old friend.” He rubbed the top of his head gently, and one of the ears flicked toward him then drooped as sleep stole over him. “I’ve got your back.” Luc might not be his anymore, but he’d come to Brett. Brett wouldn’t fail him. Leaving the damaged sheets, Brett stacked the plaster in the corner, then let himself out. He had a human to deal with so he could send his mother in. Gillian could finish her day off. Her patient would keep one more day; Brett could keep the wolf asleep.

“Are you a doctor?” Colby stood at the base of the stairs, arms folded and blocking his parents. Impressive, but unnecessary.

“They’re my parents and they’re here to help Luc.” He strode down the stairs and took her arm, tugging her out of the way. “He’s upstairs.” The advice was unnecessary, and his mother’s impatient look told him as much.

“It’s nice to meet you, Colby. Please stick around as I’m sure we’ll have questions.” She carried her medical kit with her, but Dad didn’t follow immediately. He studied Colby, then Brett.

“Charles Dalton,” he introduced himself and extended his hand. Brett’s eyes narrowed. What the hell was his father up to?

Beneath his fingers, Colby’s arm tensed, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she slanted a look at him instead. Edging a step forward, he eased Colby slightly behind him. If she wanted his protection, she had it. Luc wanted her to stay, she would stay. “Dad, you should help Mom.”

“Your mother can take care of Luc just fine without me, I’m going to make us all food.” He eyed Colby. “You look exhausted. Has Brett offered you a room and a place to clean up?”

No, he hadn’t, but that was beside the point. The problem with his parents was, Alpha or not, they were still his parents and never let him forget it. “No, I hadn’t…yet.” He enunciated each word carefully. “Colby, if you would do me the honor of being my guest, I can set you up in a guest room downstairs.” Downstairs away from Luc’s wolf at least until Luc had himself under control. “I can unload your car, too.” She had a few bags in the back he’d spotted.

“I have no intention to stay.” She shook her head and some droplets from hair flew at him. Dammit, she was soaked to the skin.

“You can stay long enough to shower, warm up, change your clothes and eat.” Not brooking any arguments, he glanced at his father. “If you want to make food, no one is telling you no. You’re too damn good a cook for that.”

Lips quirking into a faint smile, Dad nodded once before focusing on Colby. “Anything you’re allergic to, sweetheart?”

“I’m not staying, and you don’t have to feed me…”

“We need to eat. You’re here, and I’m sure Margie will have questions for you about Luc’s condition. So you can’t leave yet.” His dad pivoted and headed for the kitchen. “Her car is still running, too, Brett.”

Shaking his head, Brett started down the steps still gripping Colby’s arm. She didn’t follow him and tugged free instead. “Look, I’m glad you can take care of Luc but…”

Raising a hand, Brett pinned her with a look. “No arguing. Luc wants you to stay, my father will have a litter of kittens if you leave before eating, and we really do need to know what you know.” At her flinch, he gritted his teeth. Biting back the harshness in his tone, he tried again. “Please stay. Let us repay you for your kindness.”

“You’re missing my point…it wasn’t kindness. He paid me to bring him here. Granted, he owes me some more but—look, I’m just glad he’s safe.” She folded her arms, and a shiver stole over her.

“Fine, he paid you. But you went above beyond, and you’re cold. Stay. I’ll pay whatever the balance was he owed, and you can fill my mother and our doctor in when she gets here.”
Agree with me.
Imposing his will on a human who didn’t belong to him wasn’t his usual
modus operandi
. On the other hand, he didn’t have time for the argument.

Scrubbing a hand over her face, she gave him a wry look. “You’re not going to take no for an answer are you?”

“Not really.”
Why lie?

“You know what? Fine, I’ll go get my bags and then you can show me to the room.” The lie rolled off her tongue easily enough. She had zero intentions of returning inside.

“I’ll get your bags, and I can park your car.” Which would give him her keys. “The guest room has a lock on the door, so you don’t have to worry about anyone walking in on you and I’ll put your bags outside the door.”

“Not necessary. I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.” The standoff got them nowhere.

“Colby, go to the room at the end of the hall and take a shower.” The power rising through him twisted in the words. She fought to hold his gaze, but when her lashes dipped, heat flared against him. Her scent sharpened with notes of tingling spearmint and crisp berries.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I really don’t mean to be such a bitch about the nice offer. I just don’t want to impose.”

“You’re not because I insist that you be my guest.” Leading her toward the guest room, he held out his hand. At her bewildered look, he added, “My phone?”

A frown creased her brow, then she jerked. “Crap.” Lifting the phone to her ear, she said, “Dr. Chase?”

Gillian’s soft chuckle resonated with humor. “Don’t worry about it, Colby. There’s a lot going on there. I look forward to meeting you when I arrive. Thank you for the information on Luc’s condition. Owen and I will be leaving shortly to head back so I can check on him.”

Exactly what he hadn’t wanted her to do.

“Sure, I look forward to meeting you, too.” The puzzlement in Colby’s voice amused him. No one was immune to Gillian. She passed him the phone and he opened the door for her.

“Everything you need is in there. I’ll have your bags at the door in a moment. Dad will have lunch prepared soon, so just come out and join us whenever you’re ready.”

Upstairs, Luc’s wolf let out a low groan, but his mother’s soothing voice accompanied it. Brett listened intently for a moment and when no further sounds of distress accompanied the wolf’s complaint, he nudged Colby inside and closed the door. Phone at his ear, he said, “Hang on a moment.”

“Oh, I am. I like her,” Gillian continued as he strode outside to the car. The scent of injury and woman and wolf filled the interior of the vehicle. After sliding the driver’s seat back, he slid into the vehicle and drove the car around to the side of the house. It took him a minute to get out and open the garage door with a code.

“She’s human,” was his only answer to Gillian. “And I have no idea what Luc was thinking bringing her here. Mother is with Luc right now. You two do not have to cut your vacation short.”

“It’s fine,” Owen said from somewhere beyond Gillian. “She’s bored here anyway. As soon as she knew you had a patient, she wanted to be back there.”

Pursing his lips, Brett climbed back into the car and drove it into the garage. “If your mate is bored, Owen, maybe you should practice distracting her.”

“Ha. I think you have your hands full with Colby, maybe you should
distract
her.” The suggestion didn’t sound remotely distasteful. In fact, his wolf pounced at the idea, but Brett shook his head even though the couple couldn’t see him.

“I’ll let you know what Mother says. Try to enjoy a few more hours if you can.”

“Pfft, we’ll be in later tonight. If Luc’s in wolf form, you might consider moving him to Hatcher’s. It might be easier to keep Colby from seeing him and make sure she’s there when I get there.” Gillian’s little dictates amused him. “I meant what I said, I want to meet her.”

“Yes, little wolf, I heard you the first time. Go play with your mate and try to remember if the healer doesn’t take care of herself, she can’t take care of anyone else.” He hung up the phone and shut off the vehicle. Pocketing her keys, he reached under the dash for the fuse box. After popping it open, he pulled two fuses out, then closed the box again. No way she could start the car if the ignition switch didn’t work even if she found her keys.

Two bags, some blankets and a box of photographs filled the backseat. All hers, nothing of Luc’s. Was she running away from something in Maine? Glancing at her purse, he considered opening it for her I.D. but some lessons were ingrained from childhood. A man never went into a woman’s purse, and since his mother was in the house, she’d knock his head off if he snooped.

Dialing a number, he waited for Pierce to answer. The Hunter didn’t make him wait long. “Sir?”

“We have a human guest. Spread the word so no one shows up here in wolf form, then do a background check on a Colby Jensen. She was at the hospital where Luc was in Maine. Oh, and call Dan Skinner, the Enforcer up there, and let him know Luc is here.”

“Yes, sir. Anything else?”

Brett considered the request. “Not yet…check on Trent’s Hunters, make sure he’s having a good weekend.”

“Will do.” Pierce disconnected and Brett retrieved the two suitcases before locking her car. Inside, he set the cases by the door and slid her keys into his pocket. His mother was still upstairs with Luc and he could hear Colby in the shower. An image of her under the spray flashed through his mind and he scowled. The last thing he needed was to be lusting after Luc’s woman—or whatever the hell she was.

“Brett?” his father called from the kitchen. “Come talk to me.”

Fantastic
. His Saturday just kept getting better. “Coming, Dad.”

How his father managed to reduce him from Alpha to recalcitrant teenager he’d never know—or admit to—but the man did. In the kitchen, his father nodded to the table. “Why don’t you set that while we talk?”

Irritation scraped against his nerves. He had a thousand things to be doing, but sure…he could set a table. “What’s up, Dad?”

S
tanding
beneath the shower spray and rinsing the borrowed conditioner from her hair, Colby blinked slowly. Why the hell was she in the shower? The tense, hot guy told her to take one and promised to deliver her suitcases, but she didn’t know him. So why the hell had she done what he told her to do? She’d planned to leave, be in her car and heading south to Florida.

“So why am I in here?” Rubbing a hand over her face, she sluiced off the rest of the soap. All the products in the guest shower were nice and smelled like fresh island pineapple and sweet coconut—
I like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain…
Oh, hell. Now she had an earworm. Shutting off the water, she squeezed out the length of her soaked hair.

The shower had worked to clear her head and rinse away the cloying antiseptic scent from the hospital. Her car stunk of it, but then she couldn’t really blame the patient she’d agreed to transport. The gown had been clean, hence the antiseptic scent, but she had no idea when the last time Luc had been given a sponge bath. His musky odor coupled with the plaster and gown? Yeah the interior of her car had stunk.

After sliding the door open, she grabbed a towel. The thick plushness was inviting. One towel wrapped around her head to contain her hair, she grabbed a second for her body. The softness of the towels seemed like a luxury. Wrapping one firmly around her middle, she reached for her discarded shorts and checked the pocket for her phone.

Still dead.
Dammit
. She’d half-forgotten the reason she’d plowed into the man’s house in the first place. Tiptoeing to the door, she pressed an ear to it and listened. Hearing nothing, she unlocked—thankfully she hadn’t completely lost her mind and managed to lock it despite her haze to get into the shower—then opened the door and found both of her suitcases waiting as promised.

No purse, though. Her charger was in her purse.
Not going to be here long enough to matter. I can stop somewhere on the road and charge the phone.

One arming each case into the room, she kept a firm grip on the towel. The last thing she needed was to flash anyone—not the hot guy or his parents. Parents made the hot guy less creepy, right? Cases in the room, she relocked the door. It took her a couple of minutes to locate clean, dry clothes and fresh underwear. Cause putting her big girl panties on actually required the items in question.

Considering she didn’t know her hosts, she picked jeans and an oversized t-shirt to cover the sports bra. Despite her lack of boobage, she didn’t want to go without, and not for the first time, she wished she organized her packing. She’d literally dumped her clean laundry into both cases and slammed them shut. With no intentions of returning to Maine, she took what would fit and trashed the rest.

Stop.
Shaking her head, she checked to make sure she’d stuffed any escapee clothes back into the suitcases, then carried the towels to the bathroom to hang them up. Her damp clothes waited for her on the counter. All she needed was a plastic bag to stuff them in, then she could load into her car and get back on the road.

Pausing at the window, she glanced at the steadily falling rain. The unrelenting steel gray skies cast shadows everywhere. The yard behind the house, however, was lovely. Huge rose bushes twining around a gazebo and along a trellis, which surrounded what looked like a fire pit or maybe it was supposed to be a pond. Pressing her fingers to the glass, she squinted past the garden sitting area to the apple trees beyond. Did the house front an orchard?

She hadn’t really paid much attention when she’d followed the winding road to the isolated location. She’d counted two additional houses just down the hill. No others were visible from her vantage point. Curiosity nibbled at her, but Colby straightened. The rain wouldn’t let up anytime soon and by the time it was pretty enough to explore, she could be halfway to Florida.

Finger combing her damp hair, she retreated to the bathroom once more. The room was well-stocked for guests including a new toothbrush still in its package and a comb. Borrowing the latter, she smoothed it through her hair. She needed to get it trimmed again soon. She’d cut it all off after her sentencing. The close cropped cut had grown though and feathered along her neck and drew ever closer to her collarbones.

She couldn’t arguably call it a page boy anymore no matter how much she might…pausing, she derailed the train of thought heading to Grand Central Station and set the comb down. One more glance around the bathroom, and she tried to make it as neat as possible before shutting off the light and carrying her damp clothes to her bags. Ignoring the lack of plastic, she rolled them tight and shoved them in the top of one.

Florida has washing machines. No more dilly dallying.
The sooner she got in the car, the sooner she was gone. Luc hadn’t paid her the balance of what he’d promised. On the other hand, she wasn’t totally broke either. The hallway from the guest room opened into the foyer. She carried her bags to the front door, but her car was no longer parked out front.

Car keys.

Crap.

Biting off a more vehement swear word, she set her bags down and counted to ten. The delicious scents of steak and coffee invited her to return to the kitchen. Despite the grumbling of her stomach, she only wanted her keys and to slip away without rocking any boats. Her host—whose name was…
Brett!
—delivered her bags but failed to leave the car keys.

If she knew how to hotwire a car, she could skip going into the kitchen altogether. The urge to flee bubbled up from deep within her soul. The sensation of itching inside her skin froze her in place, then pissed her off.

Why the fuck do I want to run?
She hadn’t done a damn thing wrong. The car was hers. The keys were hers. She’d done Luc a solid. Yes, for money, but a favor nonetheless. Her host was exactly that, a host, not a prison guard or the charge nurse or even her probation officer. Chin up and shoulders back, she strode through the dining nook off the foyer and into the kitchen.

If the scents had beckoned her before, they were downright mouthwatering when she stepped into the spacious kitchen. Bright lights chased away the earlier feelings of shadow and doom. Steak sizzled on a pan, and mounds of fried potatoes sat in a bowl place in the center of the island. The coffee maker issued a beep, announcing the brewing had finished. Assaulted on all sides by the goodness, she forgot what she’d been about to say.

The older man flipping steaks glanced at her with a grin. “My food has that affect on people. Pour yourself some coffee and take a seat. How do you like your coffee?”

Brett leaned on the opposite counter, his tense expression and folded arms radiating stay away. At his father’s words—was Charles really his father?—he straightened and crossed to the coffee pot. “Do you take cream or sugar in your coffee?”

He didn’t look like his dad. Hell, they looked roughly the same age except for the vague touch of silver at the man’s temples. Course, the silver could be a trick of the light.
Mom only looks a few years older than me, too. Good Korean genes.
“I’ll pass, but thank you for the kind offer. I just need to grab my keys, and I’ll be on my way.” Perfect delivery on her part, smooth and without any added aggravation in her voice.
Two points to me.

Frowning, Brett shook his head. “You need to eat. You’re hungry. And the shower helped, but you’re still tired.” Gruff didn’t begin to cover it.

Not to mention…
“I wasn’t asking for permission and, while I do appreciate the offer, I really need to be getting on with the rest of my life.” And maybe dart upstairs and get Luc to sign an agreement that Colby wasn’t responsible for any wounds or injuries incurred during his trip. A little legal CYA never hurt anyone, right?

“Actually, Miss Jensen...it is Jensen yes?” Charles interrupted

“Yes, sir.” She tacked the last on as an afterthought. He was older than her, and he wasn’t holding her keys hostage. What was his full name again? “Mr. Dalton, I think breakfast smells terrific and I appreciate the offer, really I do…”

“You’re staying.” Brett said, setting a coffee cup onto the counter next to her. He nudged two containers to her and added a spoon. “Cream and sugar are here.”

“Dude, I don’t even
know
you. I did Luc a
favor
.” Hand extended, she curled her fingers. “Please give me my keys. It’s time for me to go.”

Clearing his throat, Charles turned his steaks over on the grill. “Miss Jensen, please ignore my son. He’s grumpy when his work is interrupted, and he’s forgotten how to behave around guests. We would like you to stay because the doctor wants to talk to you specifically, and my wife, who is a nurse, will want to discuss Luc’s condition as well.”

When she opened her mouth to protest, Charles raised a finger and she swallowed the harsh words. Bad choices aside, her mother hadn’t raised her to be rude to her elders, even if the guy didn’t look more than a decade her senior—if that.

“I’ve made plenty of food and we realize the imposition on your time. You will be compensated for it and I’m sure Luc would be upset if we let you leave before he has a chance to say goodbye
and
pay you what he owes.” While he spoke, Charles loaded a plate with scrambled eggs, fried potatoes with what looked like onions and maybe some peppers. “We tend to favor our steaks on the rare side, you?”

“Medium rare,” was the automatic answer. Her mother preferred to cook everything well done, but she’d always liked her meat bloody. The medium rare response let her split the difference, though frankly her mother tended more toward medium and barely glanced at rare. “Mr. Dalton, I’m sorry if this is rude. I can get a room up the road and stick around a day or so, but I don’t feel comfortable…”

While he said nothing to interrupt his father, Brett’s presence continued to loom over her even though he’d returned to leaning against the far counter. The weight of his regard pressed in and left her feeling exposed.

“Colby.” How did he do that? Say her name and seem to sum up everything about her in two syllables. Shivers raced over her skin. “It would be rude to ask you to stay at a hotel, the house is more than large enough to host you and Luc asked me to make sure you stayed. Everything else aside, the man is hurting and he wants you here. Tell me what I can do to make it more comfortable for you.”

Well. Fuck.
At the mental slip, she flicked her fingers to roll the word back. At home, she’d have to drop a dollar in the curse jar.
Course, I’m not at home.
Brett’s gaze went to her fingers, but he didn’t comment or question. Somehow, she doubted he missed much. The dark eyes were downright dangerous and dreamy all in one.
Dreamy? Not dreamy. Imperious. Bossy. Commanding. Not dreamy.

Looking away, however, proved easier in theory than in practice. “That’s not exactly fair. Luc was unconscious when we got here.”

“Yes, he was. He woke in the room.”

If he was awake... She turned, but a hand touched her arm and the pop of static electricity burned. She yanked her arm away and rubbed at the skin. “Ouch.”

“My apologies.” But he sounded more intrigued than sorry. Or maybe it was wishful thinking on her part, because his remote expression didn’t match his tone. Mr. Mixed Signal didn’t want to be her host anymore than she wanted to be there. So why make her stay? “Let’s eat and talk. You’re uncomfortable because we’re strangers.”

“One meal doesn’t cure us from being strangers.” She folded her arms and met him glare for glare. Fine, he’d shown his hand in as much as he wanted her to stay. Why remained the big question? Her desire to know frustrated her nearly as much as their insistence she stay. All the oxygen seemed to back up into her lungs the longer she stared into his eyes, so she looked at the mottling of scars instead. Burns. Bad ones from the way his skin still puckered at the hairline—had he lost his hair at some point? The jagged cut didn’t blunt the beauty in his glorious mass of darkness.

“No, it won’t. So we’ll have at least two today and see what we can do.” He straightened and collected the plates. “The dining room is through there.”

Charles finished preparing two more plates and smiled. “Excellent. Margie will be thrilled you chose to join us.” The two men strode out of the kitchen and left Colby alone.

She hadn’t agreed to stay, had she?

Glancing over her shoulder, she stared at the doorway they’d disappeared through. Had she driven Luc into the damn
Twilight Zone
? If she stuck around long enough, would she find out she had a pig snout? Scrubbing a hand over her face, she debated her options. She really needed her keys or a cop.

They’d left her with the landline. She could call 911 and end the whole farce. Ending up a mystery—not that anyone would look for her, she’d burned all those bridges at home—was the last thing she wanted. Still, he’d invited her to eat with his parents. His father fixed the food. Whole families weren’t serial killers, were they?

“Are you coming?” The quiet question startled her, and she swallowed a scream.

Heart racing, she pivoted to face Brett. A lock of hair fell onto his forehead, softening his angry expression. Contradiction upon contradiction dog piled into their interaction, yet… “Why do
you
want me to stay?”

“I told you. Luc asked me to make sure you were here when he woke.” It resonated with truth for her. She had a good bullshit meter most of the time. Considering her choices of the last couple of years, she couldn’t really be certain of it anymore. “What bothers you more? That we’re asking you to stay or the fact that you want to?”

What an asshole
. “You’re a piece of work.”

“I could say the same about you.” A faint smile curved his mouth and he seemed unperturbed by her irritation. “You drove a complete stranger several hours away from anyone you know. Luc’s a charmer, and a complete pain in the ass—and a good friend. You couldn’t know that. We don’t know you. But he wants you here, so…I’m not gonna kidnap you and make you stay. If you want to go…” He released her keys with a toss and she caught them. “Go. I’d prefer it if you stayed, however.”