The Guardian (The Wolfe Series) (28 page)

             
“The bastard!” Taggert railed as he turned toward his younger brother.  “You know what place he’s talking about?”

             
“Yea, we rescued a fifteen-year-old girl from the slavers not long ago.  Should have blown the damn place up like I wanted to.”

             
“Midnight is only four hours from now and that shack is how far away?” Laurie asked.

             
“An hour by horse, less if we travel in wolf form.”  Rand looked at Laurie’s white face and wondered if she would be able to handle what was coming.  “If we go in there with guns blazing Jake is sure to be killed before we can reach him.”

             
“What do you have in mind?” Taggert asked when he saw the look on his brother’s face.

              It was a Paloverde tree and luckily for Jake Wolfe, not a large one.  He was able to work at the ropes that bound him securely to the tree and in time knew he would be able to free himself.  He couldn’t afford to Change, not with others watching and he was sure there were others.  He could smell at least six sentries spaced around the shack.

How he’d gotten here he d
idn’t know.  The last thing he remembered was walking into the stable and seeing a big man standing beside one of the miniature horses. 

“What’s the problem,” Jake asked as he knelt down to examine the animal. 

“No problem,” Poncho Vega said as he shoved a hypodermic needle into Jake’s shoulder. 

“What the hell?” Jake shouted as he jumped to his feet.  He could feel the powerful sedative and knew that his senses would soon be dulled and he’d be powerless to resist whatever this man intended.

“Sorry buddy, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”

Jake threw a punch which Vega dodged easily.  He watched impassively when Jake turned and tried to escape, knowing the drug he had chosen would take effect almost immediately.

Jake was halfway to the stable doors when his legs turned to rubber and he fell.  He struggled to get to his feet as he watched his attacker withdraw a length of rope from his back pocket.  He deftly tied Jake’s hands behind his back and lifted Jake over his shoulder in a dead man’s carry.

“Sorry to have to do this to ya, buddy.  Enrique is gonna kill you after her gets the woman.  Maybe you’ll find a way out of this mess before that happens.”

And then the lights had gone out.

Jake could feel the ropes beginning to give a little when he sensed his brothers, their scent drifting to him on the wind.  They were close, real close, feral and full of rage.
  The men set to guard this camp didn’t stand a chance.

“Ah, so you’re finally awake.”

Jake’s head snapped around and he watched the man who had spoken stride confidently toward him.  “What the hell is going on?” Jake snarled at his obvious captor.

“My, my, impatient aren’t we?” Enrique lifted the 9mm that he’d held at his side and pointed it at Jake’s head.  “The lovely Laurie should be here shortly to save you.  Whatever she and your brothers have planned will be futile however.  I have many guards stationed around this shack.  There’s no way they can save you, or her for that matter.”

“Whoever you are, you’re a dead man,” Jake snarled, straining against the bonds that held him and feeling them give even more. 

“The name’s Perez, Enrique Perez,” Enrique said importantly.  “I’m sure the Kincaid woman has told you about me.”

“Give it up man, just walk away and I’ll let you live,” Jake said even though he wanted to kill the man more than anything else he could think of.  Enrique couldn’t know what Jake and his brothers were, the werewolves they were, capable of rending and tearing his so-called guards to pieces, soundlessly, effortlessly.

Enrique would have laughed if Jake Wolfe hadn’t looked so deadly serious.  “I don’t think so, my friend.”  Enrique turned toward the sound of an approaching horse.

Jake inhaled sharply as Laurie rode slowly into view.  Laurie and the golden palomino she was riding seemed to materialize out of the darkness.  Her long blonde hair was unbound and fell in soft waves around her face and shoulders, her posture was erect, her vivid green eyes intent on the monster who was threatening the man she loved. 

Laurie glanced in Jake’s direction and was heartened when she saw he was uninjured.  She answered his nod with one of her own, the smell of Rand and Taggert’s scent on the night air bolstering her courage, knowing that b
y now they would have eliminated whatever guards Enrique had placed around the camp, she hoped.

“Give it up, Enrique,” Laurie said as she dismounted and walked toward the tree where Jake was tied.  “Let Jake go.”

              “I admire your courage, my dear, but that’s not going to happen.  Where are the valiant Wolfe brothers?  I hardly believe they would allow you to come here on your own.”  Enrique heard snarling and edged closer to Jake, his gun once again trained on his captive’s face.

             
“Your men are dead, Enrique,” Jake snarled, his hands coming free at last.  “Drop the gun and I may let you live.”

             
“Vega!” Enrique shouted.  “Get out here!”  Sweat beaded on Enrique’s forehead when his order was ignored.  “Vega!”

             
“Looks like he’s not coming,” Jake said as he leapt to his feet and tackled Enrique.  The gun went flying when the two men’s bodies collided and Laurie rushed to pick it up.  The gun felt uncomfortable in her hand but she held it steady, looking for a way to help Jake.

             
Laurie cringed at the viciousness of the initial attack, both men struggling to obtain an advantage over the other.  Jake broke off when he saw Enrique pull a knife from his boot.  The two men circled each other warily, Enrique tossing the knife from one hand to the other as he taunted his adversary.

             
“It’s you and me, my friend” Enrique licked his lips at the prospect of spilling the other man’s blood.  He looked over his shoulder at Laurie and saw the gun in her hand.  “She doesn’t have the guts to shoot me.”

             
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Laurie said as she pulled the trigger.  “And you’re not our friend.” 

             
Enrique grabbed his left shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers.  He snarled and lunged at Jake again, certain that Jake was the greater threat. “She’ll have to do better than that.”

             
Jake was shocked that Laurie had actually pulled the trigger.  He danced away from Enrique’s knife and said, “Don’t do it Laurie.  You don’t want this monster’s blood on your hands.”

             
Laurie’s hand was rock steady as she confronted the monster who had terrorized so many.  “You deserve to die, Enrique,” Laurie whispered as she took aim once more.

             
The gunshot was deafening and a look of surprise covered Enrique’s face as bright red blood, his blood, blossomed on the white shirt covering his heart.

             
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time,” Luzaro Rivera said as he materialized out of the shadows near the front door of the shack.  He was joined by Poncho Vega and both men watched dispassionately when Enrique Perez stumbled and fell to his knees. 

Dropping the knife, Enrique clutched his chest, his eyes glazing over as he fell forward into the dirt.

              “Good riddance,” Vega spat into the dirt at Enrique’s feet.

             
Laurie rushed toward Jake and he gathered her into his arms, holding her fiercely as they turned and considered this new threat.  Jake’s knew his brothers were still out there in their wolf form and would help if necessary but he hoped not to have to involve them any further.  The less people knew about the wolves the better for them all. 

             
Jake felt Laurie tremble as he took the gun from her hand.  He guessed the man who had shot Perez was Luzaro Rivera.  He recognized the man with Rivera as the man from the stables, the man who had drugged him.

             
“You have nothing to fear from me, Querida,” Luzaro sighed when he saw the look of fear on Laurie’s face.  He tucked the handgun into the waistband of his trousers and waited until Jake reluctantly did the same.  “There will be no more threat to your life and Aragon will be returned to you.  You are free to go.” 

Luzaro met Jake’s unflinching gaze and said, “Enrique came from a loco familia, you would do well to watch your back and those you love, Senor.”

              Laurie watched Luzaro turn and walk away, realizing that she was finally free of the danger that had haunted her the past few weeks.

“I can’t believe it’s over,” she said as she and Jake walked to where Sugar stood waiting.  Jake lifted Laurie into the saddle and vaulted up behind her.
  “Maybe he really did love you after all?”

“I don’t think Luzaro knows the meaning of the word.” 
Laurie leaned back against Jack and said, “Let’s go home.” 

Laurie
smiled as they rode away from the slaver’s shack and were joined by a pair or magnificent black wolves.

E
pilogue

             
Jake and Laurie’s wedding was fast approaching.  Most of the countryside would be attending the event and Laurie was glad that Julie would be arriving soon.  She’d worried about her friend but Julie had been watching for the “personal” add that Laurie had sent letting her know it was safe to return to New York.  Her friend was now back in the city and hard at work.

             
Rand had made himself scarce the last few weeks.  Laurie knew that he wasn’t especially happy about her joining the family, shape-shifter or not.  Laurie planned to work on that. 

And Taggert?  He’d taken off for
California, something about a problem with one of the shape-shifters there.  He’d promised to return for the wedding and Laurie fully intended to hold him to that promise.

             
Laurie turned over and snuggled up against Jake.  Several weeks had passed since the deadly confrontation with Enrique Perez and Laurie was finally beginning to believe that her terrifying ordeal was really over.  True to his word, Luzaro had sent Aragon back to her the very next week.  She appreciated the thoughtfulness of the gesture as well as the note that had been included and the fact that Luzaro was no longer a threat to them.

Querida,

What we could have shared together if I had been a different man or you had been a different woman. 

Stay safe.

L

“A penny for your thoughts,” Jake asked as he turned toward the woman who would soon become his wife, his mate, the only woman he would ever love.

             
Laurie shoved all thoughts of the past aside when Jake gathered her into his arms.  “Just thinking how lucky we are and how bright our future looks.”

             
“And think of the beautiful children we’ll make together,” he said suggestively as he ran a fingertip over Laurie’s collarbone and across her bare shoulder.

             
“How do you feel about children?”  Laurie had been wondering the last few days if she might be pregnant.  She and Jake had not talked about having children and she wasn’t sure what his thoughts would be on the subject.  She had her own misgivings about raising werewolf children but knew she would love them no matter what. 

             
Jake kissed every part of Laurie’s body, down the long length of her thighs until he finally settled at the juncture of her legs and his tongue slid over her most private place.  “I’ll love having children with you, lots and lots of children.”

             
Jake felt Laurie shudder.  “I love you, Laurie, I will always love you.”  He lifted her hips, spreading her thighs so he would have better access, and then plunged deep. 

             
Laurie gasped in pleasure.  “And I love you, Jake.”  His body was taking her to a place of miracles where the outside world ceased to exist.

A fierce joy sprang up inside Jake as he plunged deeper and deeper into Laurie’s welcoming heat.
  He moved within her once, twice, three times and then his body stiffened and he felt the rush of his seed.

Laurie
kissed Jake with all of the passion she held in her heart, giving everything and holding nothing back, a promise for their future together and a realization that their future would be whatever they chose to make of it.

The End