Wild (31 page)

She turned and left. Meg sighed when she realized both men had barely acknowledged any of them at the table. Instead, they stopped in their tracks to watch Cherry as she went out the door, and Meg was certain that was a communal sigh she heard from her buds.

Did Zach ever look at her like that? She wished she could be sure. She'd give anything to know he felt that way about her.

*   *   *

Once Cain and Brad had settled back into their apartment over the lodge with Cherry, Manny hunted them down.

“Cain, you got some free time this afternoon?”

Cain grinned at him, and Manny could see why he pissed Trak off so badly. Cain always looked like he was looking for trouble.

“Depends. I'm still on my honeymoon.”

“Yeah, but you'll like this. Ya know the guys logging that piece just north of the property? They've brought in some new contract labor that's a bit questionable. Trak and I are convinced they're poaching. We've found sign on this side of the fence, blood spatters on leaves, what looks like some chunks out of bark that might be from high-powered rifle shots. None of the wolves are missing, but the deer herd is skittish. We're going to do a bit of reconnoitering this afternoon. Want to come?”

Cain's grin widened. “I'd love it.” He caught Cherry for a kiss and planted one on Brad as well. “Back when the big guy turns me loose.”

“Knew you'd do it. Figure you're probably looking for some ass to kick after two weeks without any trouble.” Laughing, Manny led the way out of the lodge.

“Actually…” Cain actually sounded sort of wistful. “Two weeks without trouble worked really well for me. I think I'm getting used to waking up to a mate on either side.”

Manny thought about that as they headed toward Growl, where they were meeting Trak. And he thought about Jules. And Drew.

*   *   *

By two or so, Elle and Tuck had made close to a dozen calls in and around the community of Weaverville. There'd been no talk of werewolves or shifting, but there were vaccinations to give and teeth to check and lots of people to stop and chat with.

He'd introduced Elle to everyone they met and said she was thinking of taking on the position as his assistant. She loved hearing that, and everyone had been so nice. Finally, they pulled into a quiet neighborhood, and Tuck parked under a big shady tree.

He didn't immediately get out this time. Instead, he turned to her and smiled, and she melted inside just a little bit more.

“This is the last stop, Elle. Mrs. Yates has a Labrador retriever that tends to have large litters. There were fourteen in this last one. I'm just checking to make sure everyone's getting enough to eat. The owner can't be here with them all the time. She's a nurse at the hospital in town, works some odd shifts.”

They got out of the truck, walked around the house, and went through a gate to the yard in back. A dark brown Lab lay in the shade of a large tree. She raised her head and woofed, but it was obvious she recognized Tuck because she lay back down again and stretched out in the grass. Pups tumbled all around, climbing over their mother and chasing each other.

“They look like little chocolate kisses!” Elle got down on her knees. The pups spotted a target and attacked. She was cuddling four of them while two chewed one of her hiking boots.

“Hey, Tuck. I was hoping you'd stop by.”

Elle glanced away from the puppies gnawing on her boots and curling in her lap. A tall, dignified-looking woman with her long white hair tied in a braid down her back stepped out of the house.

“Mrs. Yates, this is Elle, my assistant.” She nodded hello. “You'll notice she's protecting me from all those sharp little teeth.” They both chuckled when the pups suddenly took off and did a waddling run around the perimeter of the back fence. He reached down and pulled Elle to her feet. “These little guys are looking great. I don't think I'll need to make any more visits, at least until they're ready for their shots.”

“That's good. Thank you. I've got buyers for all of them. Look, Tuck, I'm glad you stopped by. We have an injured driver who was brought in about an hour ago. His car went off the road north of town, and he was still unconscious last time I checked. Paramedics couldn't find a cell phone or ID, but clipped to a screen on the dashboard were directions to your place. The guy's tall, about your age, with salt-and-pepper hair, average build. Works out, has good muscle tone. Sound familiar?”

“He's not conscious?”

Mrs. Yates shook her head. “No. Might be by now. He was unconscious when he was brought in a little while ago. My shift ended shortly after he arrived, so I'm not sure of his condition, only that they hadn't ID'd him.”

“Any idea where he's from?”

“Looks like Portland. The car's registered to SeaSun Integrations, but there's no name on—”

“Oh, shit!” Elle slapped her hand over her mouth. “I'm sorry, but did you say SeaSun?” When the woman nodded, Elle turned to Tuck. “That has to be Zach, Meg's fiancé. He owns SSI. We have to go see him. Find out for sure if it's Zach so we can let Meg know.”

“Tuck? When you get to the hospital, tell Jennie at reception that you might know our John Doe.” Mrs. Yates followed them to the gate. “Please let me know what you find out, and good luck. I know there must be people somewhere worried sick about him.”

*   *   *

“Poor Zach.” Elle stood beside his bed. Zach was still unconscious, though the nurse had told them scans hadn't shown any sign of trauma or injury to his brain, and he'd awakened briefly a while ago. “I wonder what happened.”

The doctor who'd been in Zach's room when they arrived straightened after checking the monitors. “We think he swerved to miss a critter. Animals cross the road there all the time on the way to water. It looks like he braked and then skidded, overcorrected, and hit the berm beside the asphalt. The car did an end over and then rolled, so stuff got scattered. A couple of guys just went out to see if they can find his wallet and cell phone. We were hoping to ID him, so I'm glad you're here. Good thing he was belted in, because the BMW was trashed.”

“I'm going to call Meg,” Tuck said. “There should be someone in the office who can take the call and bring her out here.”

*   *   *

Trak was out doing something with Manny, so Evan brought Meg into town. The others stayed at Feral Passions, since Elle was waiting with Zach.

Zack here? But why?
Meg's head wouldn't quit spinning. When Evan got the call from Tuck and found her out by the pool with Cherry and the girls, she'd been laughing and having the time of her life.

While Zach lay in a hospital bed just a few miles away, unconscious. She felt horribly guilty even though she hadn't done anything, hadn't known he was within a hundred miles of this place, but he was hurting, and she'd not known a thing.

Evan held her left forearm with his left hand, had his right arm around her shoulders, walking her down the long corridor like she was a little old lady, but as fragile as she felt, that was probably a good thing.

What in the world was Zach doing there?

“Here's his room, Meg.”

She glanced at Evan and slowly nodded—it didn't feel real, as if she walked through a waking nightmare—as he walked her into the room. Zach lay on the bed, both eyes bruised black and swollen shut. Elle'd been sitting next to the bed, but she leapt up and hugged Meg.

“He's gonna be okay, sweetie. The doctors are terrific. Dr. Mabry said his injuries aren't nearly as serious as they look.”

Meg nodded. She didn't seem to have any words, but Elle took over Evan's job and led her across the floor to Zach. Tuck pushed a chair beneath her, and she sat, trusting him to have it there. Hell, trust had nothing to do with it. Her legs wouldn't hold her.

She wrapped her fingers around Zach's hand, careful of the needles and wires anchoring him to way too much equipment all beeping and gurgling and whooshing. “Zach. Sweetheart … what happened?”

She'd missed him so much, wished he were here with her, but not like this! This was awful. And scary. She heard a shuffling behind her, soft voices, someone coming into the room. She turned, saw an attractive young woman in a lab coat. A doctor?

“You're Megan Bonner?”

When Meg nodded, the woman held out her hand. “I'm so glad we've found Zachary's people. It's terrible to have someone here who's hurting and not know who they are. It's good to meet you. I'm Dr. Mabry. Angie Mabry. I'm not sure what Elle's told you, but we weren't certain how serious Zach's head injury was when he was first brought in. He was unconscious when paramedics got to him, but we're unsure how long after the accident that was. I doubt it was too long because that road is well traveled. A rancher spotted the wrecked car and said the engine was still steaming.”

Meg covered her mouth. What if there'd been a fire? What if he'd been dying, what if …

“Stop.” Dr. Mabry rubbed Meg's shoulder. “I can tell you're doing the what-ifs. And I know that because I do them, too, but remember this: whatever you're thinking, it didn't happen. He's going to be fine. He was awake a bit ago, confused and not sure what happened, but he'll come around. He's got a concussion, but scans are clear, and there's no bleeding. It still might take him a few days to get his bearings.”

She felt sort of silly, sitting there with Zach's hand in hers, doing exactly what the doctor had accused her of. She wished he'd wake up. She really had to tell him how much she loved him, how much she'd missed him since Sunday, which was silly, considering it was only Tuesday.

Sighing, she thought about that. She'd wait and tell him after she found out what had brought him here in the first place. What if he'd come all this way merely to tell her it was over?

*   *   *

Tuck had gone outside about fifteen minutes earlier when Evan left to return to the resort. Meg hadn't let go of Zach's hand, though she'd asked Elle if her healing worked on people. No way was Elle going to experiment on Zach, and she said as much, though in a nicer way. Meg looked horribly sad, even though the doctor's last visit to the room had been really positive. Zach was coming around, he had sensation in his extremities, and other than a couple of broken fingers, he essentially appeared to be okay.

“Elle?”

She turned. Tuck was there, obviously concerned. “What happened?” Whispering. Meg didn't even notice them, she was so tuned in to Zach.

“Trak's been hurt. I need to go back to the resort, but I want you with me. Do you think Meg will be okay by herself?”

Elle nodded. “She's not alone. She's with Zach, and we can make sure someone's there to hear the phone if she calls. Let me tell her.”

She did, and minutes later they were in Tuck's big truck, heading out to the resort as if the dogs of hell chased them. Elle waited until they'd hit the main road to ask.

“What happened?”

“I'm not sure. Manny, Cain, and Trak were checking the perimeter of the northern fence line. There's been sign of poaching up there near a logging operation. Manny said they came across a couple of guys gutting a doe who ran them off, but not before one of them fired at Trak. I'm not sure how badly he's hurt. Cain's with him. Manny's waiting at the lodge until we get there so he can lead us to them.”

“Were they running as wolves or human? Because I don't think I like the idea of you facing guys with guns willing to shoot someone who gets in their way.”

Tuck shook his head. “Me, either.” He paused a moment, and she knew it had to hurt him to speak words he'd been forbidden to say to anyone not of their pack.

“It's okay,” she said. “I know. Look, you need to go to him as soon as we reach the resort, because you can get there a lot faster as a wolf. Is there someone who knows where you'll be? I'm fast, but not that fast.”

“You sure?”

“I'm sure. Trak needs a doctor now. You can get to him faster on four legs. Can you carry your medical bag?”

He smiled, and she knew he'd finally given in. “I've got a harness just for things like this. I rarely have to use it.” Quietly, he added, “Trak was a wolf when they shot him.”

She reached across the center console and squeezed his thigh. He covered her hand with his, only for a moment, but she had a feeling she'd just passed some sort of test.

They went through the gate to the preserve, and he punched it. The road that had taken the women at least fifteen minutes to cover on their first trip in to Feral Passions was a quick five-minute, white-knuckle ride. Tuck skidded to a stop in front of the lodge. Manny ran out to meet them with Evan on his heels, holding an odd-looking harness in his hands. Tuck explained their plan. Elle grabbed his medical bag out of the truck, and when she turned around, Tuck was ripping off his clothes and going to his hands and knees with the pickup as a shield.

She had no idea where the other women were, but Elle knew she witnessed magic. This wasn't at all like the movies. No cracking of joints or snapping bones, merely a smooth, almost poetic process of sleek skin rippling in shimmering waves as fur appeared and his body changed. It happened quickly, magically, and where a large man had knelt, a dark gray wolf now stood in his place. Manny had shifted as well, so Evan clamped the medical bag into the harness and fastened it quickly to Tuck.

“Go,” he said. “Manny told me exactly where they are. Elle and I are right behind you. We'll bring the stretcher, clothes, and shoes.”

The wolf nodded and took off.

Elle glanced at Evan. “We good to go?”

“Yep,” he said. She reached for one of the tote bags loaded with clothes for Tuck, Cain, and Manny and hoisted it over her shoulder.

Evan slipped a folded stretcher over one shoulder and grabbed the other bag. “You ready?”