Cynthia Cooke - Lying with Wolves

Chapter 5

For hours Celia drove down the long freeway, trying to pretend she was alone. That she wasn’t going home to bury her mother. That her life hadn’t got so terribly off course. Every now and then her gaze would move to the rearview mirror and she’d catch a glimpse of Malcolm sleeping. Was he truly sorry? Maybe he had changed. He seemed to be different somehow. Not so on edge and more relaxed and comfortable with himself. Was it possible that no longer being Pack leader had freed him?

He’d always taken his responsibilities too seriously. People thought he was an egomaniac, but the truth was, he cared too much. He had grandiose ideas for the Colony and moved heaven and earth to implement them, no matter who he hurt. But now that he was no longer in charge, perhaps he could use his ambitions to contribute instead of letting them destroy his life.

She shook her head and focused back on the road. There was a rest stop a mile ahead. She would stop. Get a soda. Stretch her legs and take a break. She had to stop thinking this way. She was on a slippery slope and falling fast. He was the enemy. He’d turned his back on her and threw away their life together for a woman he’d never met. For his zealous need to be in control. The moment she started excusing what he’d done would be the second she let him back into her heart and the instant when she’d be lost. Once more, she’d be living for Malcolm and what Malcolm wanted, putting her own dreams for a family on a back burner. Losing what she wanted and who she was in her desire to make him happy. She wouldn’t fall into that trap again.

She parked the truck and walked into the bathrooms. She was stiff and sore, and they still had a long way to go. When she came back out, a car was parked next to them. Two men were circling Malcolm’s truck, peering into the windows at Malcolm sleeping in the backseat. She froze.

Abatus.

“Blazes,” she whispered under her breath. She looked around the parking lot. There was a large semitruck, the driver nowhere in sight. A station wagon filled with kids, and a couple of young girls sitting on the grass playing with a puppy. All of them oblivious of the men pulling on the truck’s door handles and knocking on the windows.

Malcolm sat up in the backseat rubbing his eyes, shock filling his face as he realized where he was and what was happening. He climbed into the front seat and got behind the wheel, fumbling for the keys in the ignition. But they weren’t there. They were in her pocket. His troubled gaze met hers through the windshield.

He was worried. He might try to hide it, but she could read it as plain as day. She walked purposefully toward the men. “Excuse me,” she said loudly, hoping to draw as much attention as she could. “Can I help you?”

Surprised, the men turned to her, gave her the once-over and then dismissed her, turning back to the truck. They tried once more to get in, pulling on the doors, pushing on the cracked windows. “Like a dog with a bone,” she called out. “Would you mind stepping away from my truck?”

After being ignored once more, she bolted forward, knowing with her bracelet they would not see her as a threat or a target. She used that to her advantage as she scooted right up to the first guy, the smallest guy, with an unkempt beard and long unruly gray hair, and kicked him hard in his oversize gut.

He doubled over with a loud grunt. Celia kicked him again, using all her force to knock him to the ground, hoping the truck blocked what she was doing to him from the eyes of the young girls on the grass. The second man came running around the front of the truck toward her. Malcolm opened the door, jumped out and joined the fight.

He took a swing at the much-bigger second man, but suddenly the first man was up and back in the game. He was strong, and even though she got in the first kick, the Abatu soon had the upper hand. Malcolm was doing his best, but soon they were both taking a beating. Celia hit the ground, landing hard on her butt, when out of nowhere Ruby was there, baseball bat in her hand and Jade right behind her.

Ruby swung the bat, hitting the Abatu hard across the shoulders, giving Celia the leverage she needed to volley a new attack. With the help of the twins, soon both men were lying on the ground, groaning.

“Are you okay?” Ruby asked, out of breath, her face flushed with her exertion.

Celia threw her arms around her cousin. She was never so thankful to see anyone in her life. “Where did you come from?” she asked, astonished that they were even there.

“From right over there,” Ruby said, and pointed to her old maroon sedan on the other side of the parking lot.

Celia laughed. “I see that, but what are you doing here?”

“We were worried about you,” Jade said, stepping forward and wiping her hands on her jeans. “And with good cause, too, from the looks of things. What are you doing way out here? And why were these men attacking you?”

Celia’s gaze slid away. “I don’t know. But I have to go home. My mom...” She couldn’t finish. Couldn’t say the awful truth. She glanced over at Malcolm, who was watching the two men on the ground, waiting for them to get back up and go at them again. “She died.”

“Oh, no! Celia, why didn’t you tell us?” Ruby enveloped her in a big hug. Her embrace and concern had Celia’s tears threatening to fall all over again.

“I don’t know,” Celia admitted. “Everything just happened so fast. I...I just can’t believe you are here.”

“Us, either,” Ruby said. “But it’s a good thing we were. What was with these thugs? Why would they attack you out the blue like that?”

“I have no idea,” Celia lied, with an uneven breath.

“Maybe we should call the police,” Jade suggested.

“No,” Ruby and Celia both said in unison.

Surprised, Celia turned to Ruby. Her eyebrows rose questioningly.

“I don’t want Mark to hear about it,” Ruby admitted on a deep breath.

“Your stalker cop?” Celia didn’t like the sound of that. “Is that guy still causing you trouble?”

Jade nodded. “He just called a little while ago. There is something seriously wrong with that man.”

“That may be true. Okay, that is true,” Ruby corrected after noticing the look Jade was giving her, “but he called to tell us that someone broke into the shop. Messed it up quite a bit. So it’s actually a good thing he called. For once. He locked it up for us. I’m sorry to dump more bad news on you, Celia.”

Celia sighed, not in the least surprised. She’d seen the Abatu enter through the back door and just hoped they hadn’t caused too much damage. “I supposed you’d better get back, then.”

“No way. We’re coming with you. Obviously you need us.” Ruby looked pointedly at the two men on the ground.

Celia glanced at the troubled look on Malcolm’s face and knew he had cause to be concerned. No matter how much she might welcome her cousins’ company right then, humans were not welcomed in the Colony. They couldn’t be. The Colony couldn’t take the chance that anyone would discover their secret, and a whole town full of wolves was a big secret to keep.

“I really appreciate that,” Celia said honestly. “But I don’t know how long I’ll be. There’s a...a lot to do. If you could just get the shop back in shape and opened for when I get back, that would be awesome.”

Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but Jade stepped forward and placed a hand on her sister’s arm. “We totally understand. You can count on us.”

Celia sagged with relief. “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it.”

“But what about these two?” Ruby asked. “Who are they? Why would they attack you, and why would someone break into our shop to begin with?”