White Wolf 2: The Call of a Soul (26 page)

Mike checked his cell. No messages. A niggle of concern had him rolling his suddenly tense shoulders in an effort to settle his bristling hair follicles.

“That’s the first time you’ve been wrong.” Hadn’t Melanie mentioned something about Doc G. and men and filing systems and insurance when they were bickering about how to organize two different offices in the cabin last night? His mate was amazing in every way other than tidiness. She seemed to relish disarray.

“We need to speak to Melanie. She mentioned something about Whisper’s insurance. Fuck a duck. I’ve been an idiot. Let’s move. I think we may have played right into Jim Balden’s plans.” Mike grabbed his jacket and keys.

Gray snatched his Stetson and crammed it on his head. “Where are we going?”

“Casino. I don’t like the idea of all those women sitting there like ripe pickings. I’ll drive. You call your mom. I’ll call Drake.”

They were on the road in less than three minutes. Mike slammed his foot on the accelerator and broke every road rule on the way to the reservation. Given the remoteness of the sites they’d visited that day, he hadn’t expected to hear from Drake much. Why those cryptic e-mails and nothing more? Drake’s phone went straight to voice mail.

Gray was speaking softly on his cell phone and then he cursed abruptly. “Mike, we’re going in the wrong direction. Head to the Baldens’ farm.”

“Why?” Mike didn’t question the pup and pulled a U-turn immediately.

“Whisper and her foal have been massacred. It’s all over the news. The barn was burned with all the horses inside. I couldn’t get ahold of my mother so I called one of the guys I know who works at the casino but’s off today.”

An arctic chill chased Mike’s spine. “Melanie. You don’t know what it does to her. She’s—”

“I know what she is. I’m her brother. Jesus. Every time she does it, goes through that last call of the soul, it takes more out of her. You’ve no idea how scary it is.” Gray had lost all the color in his face.

“I’ve watched her and held her through it.” Mike raced down the highway. “We need to be quick about this. Try to call your mom again. I want to make sure everyone’s good.”

“Done.”

A squadron of sheriff cars blocked the entrance to Ranch B. Mike reversed, drove back around a sharp bend, stepped on the brake, and glanced back. They were out of sight of the deputies. He spied a narrow opening between the tall pines that lined either side of the road, and drove the pickup deep into the thick copse. “No one will be allowed in until they have the situation under control. Do you know the layout of the ranch?”

“Some.” Gray opened the door. “There’s an electric fence around the property. Not high. If we head straight up to the top, we’ll be able to see the barn.”

“Any response from your mom?” Mike exited the vehicle, hit the lock, and pocketed the remote.

“The cell signal in the casino is always bad. Drake wouldn’t let anything happen to them.”

Mike knew that, but it didn’t cut his concern one iota and he hated having to turn off his phone, but silence and stealth were necessary for the next little while.

Gray shot him a glance Mike recognized—the you-fucking-sorry-assed-messed-up-alpha-who-met-his-mate expression Drake had started to wear with alarming frequency as of late.

They crested the hill in no time at all.

The bitter aroma of charred hair and singed flesh coated the thick air. Smoke puffs floated from what was left of the stables and the mansion. Swaths of the virulent stench of black wolf swelled on a faint breeze. The charcoaled log remnants of the long, narrow building hissed steam in trickles. Thick plumes wrapped around supporting walls withered by flames.

Jim Balden and Sheriff Pincer stood to the left of the stables mired deep in conversation.

Mike gritted his teeth. His nose told him all he needed to know. Horse flesh. No human had been burned.

As Mike and Gray watched, Doc G. emerged from the stable ruins. He wore gloves smothered in blood and approached the sheriff and Jim.

“Verdict?” The question came from Balden.

Doc G. shook his head. “The remains of at least four horses near as I can tell. But it will take DNA to ID the dead horses.”

“When did the fire start?” Pincer directed his question to Jim.

“Around ten. We got most of the horses out right away. They’re herded in a field north of the house. Whisper’s missing, so are two other mares in foal. And a stud from Willowby. Arrived last week to service another mare. That mare’s gone too. We always separate the studs and mares in foal. They were in the back of the barn.” Jim dragged a hand over his buzz cut.

“They didn’t save the main house.” Doc G. angled his head to the left, and Mike caught a glimpse of what was left of the smoke-smudged brick walls of the mansion Augustus Balden had built decades ago.

Mike studied the trampled earth. Boyd and insurance. Whisper and her foal and insurance. Who had insured the mill, the Balden house, the horse, and her foal?

He hadn’t heard from Drake or Melanie, but then again, he had turned off his cell. Mike dragged the phone from his jacket pocket, switched it on, and checked the screen. A message from Drake. He listened to the three cryptic phrases.
On our way. All safe. Have answers
.  Mike rolled his eyes. He called Drake and left his own terse question—
On your way where?

His peripheral vision caught a flurry of motion. Mike glanced down at the scene below. Balden had disappeared. Mike quirked a brow and turned to meet Gray’s gaze.

“Went to make a few calls. The tractor garage wasn’t damaged, and Jim Balden got the all clear.” Gray answered his unspoken query.

Pincer and Doc G. faced each other.

Doc G. shook his head. “Anyone hurt?”

“Two workers are missing. Don’t know if they found them.”

Doc G. held up his bloodied, gloved hands. “I need to clean up. Not much more I can do now.”

“Do I need to reiterate the need for a speedy report? The media’s going to be hounding me for an update, and the new mayor has the balls of a mouse.”

“I understand.”

“Thanks, Doc. Appreciate your cooperation.”

Not a man of many words, Sheriff Pincer. Mike waited until Doc G. and Pincer vanished from view and hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

Gray nodded his understanding, and the two men spun about and began the return trek to the pickup. Mike retrieved his phone and activated it as they approached the vehicle. Voicemail. He listened to Drake’s message.

“They’re on the way to the clinic.”

“Melanie’s going after the insurance information.”

That’s what Mike figured too. “We’ll head that way. Want to call Drake for me and let him know to park in the Caboose’s back lot?”

“Sure.”

They were on the move in minutes.

When they reached the last bend down the mountain, Gray’s cell dinged, he answered, “Yeah? Okay. I’ll let him know. Your brother’s answer is ‘duh-uh.’”

Mike shrugged. “Never hurts to be careful.”

“Do you really need to dog Drake’s every move?”

He checked Gray’s even features. “Is that how he sees it?”

“It’s the way I’d look at it. It’s not easy being the youngest.”

“It’s not easy being the alpha. But you’re not the youngest. Susie is.”

“Yeah, but I have Lizzie and Melanie ahead of me, and those two are take-charge women. Believe me, it hasn’t been easy hanging around and letting Melanie run everything the last few years. But I figured she’d fall apart if she couldn’t feel in control and my focus was getting my mother back on her feet and the family financially to the point where I could move them somewhere else. That’s why I went to the AFL. Guaranteed income and I could still live in the area and be at home regularly.”

Mike grunted in empathy. It had been Gray’s duty as an alpha to take care of his family, in all arenas, financial, emotional, and otherwise. “Have you always known about Melanie?”

“She’s always picked up the wounded. Not just animals, but people who’re dented. Like Brinda. Her daughter Yvonne.” Gray blew out a long sigh.

“She told me about Yvonne and the bullying. Brinda roped in Drake too. You two might want to team up.” Mike figured cooperating on a project might actually alleviate the testosterone posturing between the two male wolves. And cement the beginnings of a pack.

“Yvonne and I’ve already met. Poor kid, she’s between a rock and a hard place.”

Mike decided not to go down that rabbit hole. “Tell me what you know of the black wolves.”

“Not much. I know my father and grandfather were both tracking them. I can recognize the stench of a black wolf kill, but that’s about it. It’s fucking frustrating. Shuman refused to let any of the alphas mentor me. Even after I put my tail between my legs and went to the council. About the only male members of the tribe who I have had contact with were Freddy Pawath and Eddie Mato.”

The anger in Gray’s voice couldn’t be missed, and Mike understood how much it must have cost the young wolf to ask for assistance. “Freddy couldn’t help?”

“He figured Shuman would throw him and us out if he did. And we needed a place to live more than I needed a mentor.”

“You should know why Eddie befriended you.” Mike explained that he’d hired Eddie to oversee the Laroque building repairs on the condition that he fix up the White cottage and hire Gray.

“Don’t do me any favors. I don’t need you finding work for me.”

“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Melanie. For my mate. And when you find yours, you’ll understand. Until then, suck it up. We don’t have time for any alpha shit. I agree with you that Drake and I are the catalyst. But every gut instinct tells me that Melanie’s in danger. And if she is, so is the rest of your family. I need to know everything you’ve held back.”

“The first killing happened five months ago. Melanie was beside herself. I found her crying in the shed near midnight on a Wednesday. She had decided to go look for the cub. Alone.” Gray shook his head. “I set up trip alarms after that.”

Five months ago, Mike had found Melanie at the Dorland Gazebo. Five months ago, she had decided to forget him. Five months ago, his mom had decided to move back to Chabegawn. No way was that a fucking coincidence.

“Good for you. What about this business with Cherise Bookman?”

“Yvonne. When I met with her at the gym recently, she was full of information. Apparently a while back, she started taking calculus lessons with Cherise. Long story short, Yvonne found out that the guy Cherise was living with went away on a business trip and a week later leaves her a voice mail indicating that he’s not coming back. She got the message while she was tutoring Yvonne and fell apart.” Gray shrugged.

“Living with? Melanie told me they were married.”

“According to Yvonne, Cherise and this guy moved here because of his work. Weren’t supposed to be here long and they were supposed to go to Vegas and get married the week after she got a job as a countywide substitute teacher. They couldn’t go to Vegas because she had to work. It’s a small town. Everyone assumed they were married…”

“What’s this asshole’s name and occupation?” Mike arched his neck against the sudden tension in his muscles.

“Lance Douglas. Electrical engineer. You know the rest. The cat, her call to me, yada yada.”

“You think Pincer’s onto something?”

“I don’t understand where the sheriff’s coming from with this one.”

“There they are.” Mike pulled into a shady spot next to Drake’s truck and rolled the window down. Mrs. White sat in the passenger seat; Susie and Melanie occupied the rear. “Afternoon all. What’s up?”

“You need to speak to Melanie. Alone.”

Drake’s gritty tone had all Mike’s senses on full-scale alert. Melanie didn’t have that shadowed look that always seemed to accompany one of her visions. Mike narrowed his eyes and studied her intently. She didn’t seem perturbed at all. Mike had never seen his mate so calm, so confident.

What the fuck?

Melanie unbuckled her seat belt. “We need to go to the clinic, Mike.”

“I know. It’s near one. Drake, Gray, why don’t you take Mrs. White and her daughter to lunch at the Caboose? Gray, perhaps you and Drake can discuss how to deal with the girl who’s bullying Yvonne.” Mike hurried out of the vehicle and then helped the other two women out of the truck. When Melanie climbed out, he led her to the rear of the pickup, walked quickly to the tree line, and pulled her behind a thick beech trunk. “What’s wrong, babe?”

“Waquini didn’t die in the mill fire. He killed Shuman, the bears and cubs, Eddie, George, and Augustus Balden. All of them. And he intends to frame Jim Balden for the murders.” Melanie set her palms on his chest. “And he planned to use me to cinch the whole thing.”

“How do you know this?”

“There are only a few people who know of my ability to hear a last call aside from my family. Virgil, Brinda, and Doc G. I didn’t realize until Drake mentioned it, but it seems that whoever’s killing everyone and the bears intends to involve me and Gray in the murders. Maybe, as Drake suspects, just for a diversion, maybe to actually see us both go to jail.” The sadness had claimed her dark eyes once more. “Doc G.’s not Season Glancing; he’s Shuman’s son, Waquini. The one He Who Sees With Eagle Eyes said would turn to the black wolves. Now take me to the clinic. I need to get Whisper and her foal’s file. If Doc G. gets there first, I don’t know how we can stop everything.”

“Doc G.? He’s the one?” He would’ve bet the house Doc G. was a good guy. Mike’s gut instinct about people had never failed him, until now. “No. That can’t be. Waquini and Sam Millar are one and the same person. And he died in the fire.”

“No he didn’t. Drake found all the information on the server. He’ll tell you about it later. Come on, we have to hurry.”

Mike didn’t hesitate, not for a millisecond.

Not a single person populated Sagwash Street. The quiet, the stillness, the absolute absence of movement throbbed like an ulcer about to burst.

Mike set his mate on her feet at the front door of the clinic. Held her waist while she steadied, nuzzled her neck, and smelled the unmistakable aroma of her blossoming fertility. Mike groaned as his cock responded and reared insistently.