Chapter Thirty Two
When Mary got home, she found that David had packed the car with sleeping bags, a tent and a cooler with everything they would need for cooking over a fire. He smiled vaguely at her when she asked him what he was doing.
"You have the weekend off and I thought it would be nice to get out of the city for a little while. I know that you've been feeling a little cramped lately and thought that a little camping trip would be nice."
Mary was silent. Camping sounded great. She hated living in the city. Everything happened so quickly all the time. There were always people around, no matter where they went. But the timing was all wrong. She wanted to know more about Andre and figure out the mystery he provided. If he had been the one to ask her to go camping, she would have gone in a heartbeat.
She turned away from her husband. What sort of woman was she, really? "David, I don't know. Maybe now isn't the best time."
David's voice was cautious as he answered. "Why do you say that?"
If she told him the truth, how would he react? If there had been something between her and Andre, did David know? Was he counting on this amnesia for a second chance between the two of them? Didn't she owe it to her husband to at least try?
"Mary?"
"I've been feeling sick lately," she mumbled.
After a long moment of silence, David's arms wrapped around Mary's waist. "There's stuff I want to talk about. I'd rather do that someplace nice than in this cramped apartment."
Did he want to talk about her affair with Andre?
She wanted to pull away, but instead, she leaned against him. They were married, what did it mean that she didn't want him to touch her? He had been so patient with her when it came to her hesitation. And yet she wished it was Andre wrapping his arms around her. Andre nuzzling the back of her neck, sleeping beside her in bed.
She didn't even know him. She had only met him the day before! And whatever affair we had before the accident.
"Mary, I have been feeling so distant lately. I know it's not your fault, but I just… I guess I was just hoping that this camping trip would be something for us to start to get to know each other again. Please come with me."
Mary sighed, but pulled away from David's embrace. "Yes. Of course."
Maybe nothing had happened with Andre. Maybe everything had. But she owed it to her marriage to try to get to know her husband again. Didn't she?
The napkin with Andre's number written on it weighed heavily in her pocket. She slipped a hand into her pocket and touched the thin, soft tissue.
"I'm pregnant."
Saying the words out loud sent a jolt through her and she sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm her suddenly pounding heart. David's eyes widened and his jaw hung open. His utter surprise made a cold tendril wrap around her heart. This was not an encouraging reaction.
"David?"
"I… that's wonderful news." A smile that looked more like a grimace crossed over his face and he ran a hand through his hair. "I just didn't expect this… I mean, we haven't… since the accident."
"I know," Mary said, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She wasn't sure if she would be showing soon or if it would just look like she was gaining more weight.
David nodded. "I wouldn't think that the baby could have survived the… the accident is all. But this is good news. It's… How far along are you?"
"I must have gotten pregnant just before the accident." She bit her lip, watching him closely. He was still smiling, but he wouldn't meet her eyes.
"Then now's the best time for camping," he said. "Before you're too far along."
"Right." Mary sighed. What had she been expecting? "Yes. Of course."
***
Had he come across too strongly?
Andre shook his head, pacing from one end of his apartment to the other. It had come unfurnished and he hadn't bothered to get anything he'd have to leave behind. When he embraced his Bear, he was comfortable enough at night and he didn't really spend time during the day here.
"I should have stopped staring," he muttered. "I probably freaked her out."
But he just hadn't been able to take his eyes off her. He wanted so badly to pull her into his arms and kiss her. Maybe if he had, she'd have remembered.
Or she could have called the police on him and never wanted anything to do with him again. After all, he was just some person she had just met! Yes, she had a sense that she might remember him, but that was all it was–a sense. He couldn't let impatience ruin his chance to be able to one day be with her again. No, he had to let her make the first move.
He was so engrossed in his dilemma that he did not realize his Bear was snarling until the door to his apartment opened. Andre whirled, crouching, ready to embrace his Bear and take care of the intruder.
The gun pointed at him stopped him from moving.
Andre glared at the man as he shut the door behind him. He was even taller than Andre was and broader, but with a narrow pointed face. Grant Easton. The Bear that had manipulated Mary to returning to the Wolves so that he could follow her and slaughter them.
"I thought I crushed your face," Andre growled at him.
Easton narrowed his eyes, holding the gun with two hands. "You know that we Bears heal quickly. Even quicker with the right medicines. I thought that you would be with your precious Mary by now."
The other Bear's aim was steady. Andre knew he would not be able to disarm him before Easton got off at least two bullets. So he slowly straightened, moving out of his defensive posture. Better give the other Bear no excuse to kill him.
"What are you doing here, Easton? You must have better things to do than tracking me down. Like slaughtering innocent people."
"No Werewolf is innocent, especially no Werewolf associated with Paul Locke!" Easton's eyes grew fiery and he stepped forward, raising his aim from Andre's heart to his head. "You went to them and told them we were coming. You betrayed your wife and daughter, you betrayed your own kind! By the time we got there, they had all vanished except for a handful claiming to be the community's only hunters."
"I don't really care about them."
"No? Not even that your Mary's brother Peter was among them?"
His bear growled at the name alone, and Andre forced himself to stay calm. He was certain Peter was already dead, but if he wasn't… did he owe it to Mary to find out more information? At least he'd be able to tell Julia that her brother was dead, so she'd stop trying to make him abandon Mary for him.
"Peter Locke," Andre said slowly, "was with Paul when he killed Isadore and Eve. I only care about his fate as far as his death would bring me a sense of justice."
"Then why didn't you kill him yourself?"
"I would have."
Easton laughed, shaking his head. "No, you wouldn't. Your Wolf has a ring through your nose and leads you wherever she wants you to go. I know that you helped the Locke family escape. Where are they? If you tell me, I won't kill you."
Andre rolled his eyes though he wondered just how long Easton would wait before pulling the trigger. "I have no love for the Locke family. Mary is my only concern. If I knew where the Wolves were, I would tell you. All I cared about when I went there was to find Mary and get her out before you went in and killed her for being older than six."
Easton growled, advancing a step.
Andre's phone vibrated. His hand twitched towards it automatically. But when Easton tensed, he forced himself to be still again. If it was Julia or worse, Mary, he couldn't let Easton hear their voices. He'd know and he'd kill Andre, and there would be no protecting them.
"If you've kept Peter Locke alive, I'd like to kill him myself." It was no lie. He did want to kill Peter, even if he would not let himself do it.
Easton must have sensed the truth in Andre's words because after a second he lowered the gun again. His expression was angry still, but he nodded. "Locke is still alive. He's paying for his sins, though I'm not sure how much longer he'll last. If you hurry, you might have the chance to finish him off yourself."
Easton pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Andre. Damn. Andre stared at the card. He was not expecting this. Peter was alive and now he had an address to find him. He could imagine Julia's voice in his head, telling him to go rescue her brother.
He could imagine Mary saying the same thing.
"So this is where he's being held?"
"Yes. I hope you find peace after you've killed him." Easton pocketed his gun and turned to the door. "I'll be in touch with news if we find other Wolves."
Andre frowned and followed after him to the apartment door. "How?"
"I have your number." Easton didn't turn around as he walked away.
Andre waited a moment after he was gone before bolting for the fire escape. With Easton in the city, Mary had to get out. They could take no chances that the other Bears would find her. Even if she didn't understand why he would be able to tell her husband. Hopefully, the Wolf had enough self-preservation to trust Andre's words.
It seemed to take forever to climb down the stairs, so Andre jumped the last few flights. He rolled on impact, grunting as the knee Paul Locke had shot protested. Scrambling back to his feet, Andre raced through the alley and down another street until he was at Mary's building.
Buzzing the intercom brought no response. Was he too late? Had Easton come here before finding him? Andre remembered the call he'd received and scrambled for his cell phone. There was a message from Mary.
His heart in his throat, imagining all sorts of horrible things that could have happened, Andre listened to the message.
"Andre. Hi, this is Mary."
As if he would ever forget the sound of her voice. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her voice. It was hesitant, uncertain, but not afraid. Easton had not gotten his hands on her.
"I just wanted to call you. Uh, David and I are going out of the city for the weekend. We're camping. David thinks it'll be a good way to bond. Um… I don't really know what to say. We're just at a gas station now."
Was she going to tell him to stay far away from her? What would he do if she did?
"I've got a lot of questions for you, but we'll be out of cell service soon. That's why I wanted to tell you. I didn't want you to think that I was ignoring you." The static sound of a sigh punctuated the silence. "God, I sound like a desperate puppy or something. Maybe I'm completely wrong about this, I mean, I don't remember what our relationship was but I think I can tell we had one… Anyway, we're going up north to a lake. Maybe you should come. I'd like to talk to you and David both."
Andre glanced over his shoulder as a car drove by. What if Easton had done to him what he had done to Mary? Manipulated him into giving away his prey's location?
"I know I shouldn't be telling you this when David wants to have a getaway with the two of us. But I don't think I can really… I don't know. I don't know what I'm saying."
She told him how to get to their campsite and hung up. Andre stood frozen a moment. If Easton had followed him here, Mary and David could not return to their apartment. So he had to go and warn them, help them get far, far away from here. If he left now, he could get to Mary by morning.
The phone in his hand rang again. Andre didn't recognize the number.
"Hello?"
"The thing is, I could have killed you." Easton's voice, cold and cruel, came from the other end of the phone. "But you took away my victory and helped those stinking Werewolves escape justice."
Andre's hand clenched around the phone.
"I would have spared her, you know. But I don't forgive traitors. Paul Locke and his father slaughtered my whole family. My two younger brothers weren't even Bears. If I can't have his community, then at least I can have his children."
"No," Andre gasped. "They're innocent."
"There is no such thing as an innocent Wolf. Thank you for your help, Andre. With your cellphone records, I know exactly where they are."
"Mary's not with them," he blurted. His heart pounded in his ears. If Easton didn't know where Mary was, then he still had time to save her.
"I know that. I also know you're standing outside her new apartment building, but she's not home. I put a tracking device on her car before I came to see you."
The phone clicked off.
Andre's hands shook as he dialed Mary's number. It went straight to voicemail. He left a message for David, telling him what happened, then phoned Julia.
"Get to base B," he told her without preamble. "Destroy all cell phones, do not use credit cards."
"But—"
"Your location is compromised. Get out now."
He hung up and raced to his car. As he peeled away from the sidewalk, the thought occurred to him that it might not be Mary's car that had the tracker on it. After all, hadn't Easton pulled that trick on Mary just two months ago?
He phoned Mary again and left another message, hoping that they would get somewhere with a signal soon. David would be able to get a new vehicle and take Mary into hiding.
But in the chance that they would not get the message in time, Andre had to get to them. Not in his car–it was too likely that Easton would be tracking him. Well. It was nighttime. He'd have at least until dawn before somebody noticed theirs had been stolen.