His gut told him he should go after her, but where would he go to look? She couldn’t have gone very far with so little money or was there something he didn’t know. The thought of her out there hitching, alone and vulnerable, or sleeping out in the woods was unbearable. He paced back and forth for a while, finally deciding he would hate himself if he didn’t find her. What if she was hurt? Or what if she simply went away and he never saw her again.
Jumping on his bike, he headed for the main hub of the cab service she had called. He knew a guy down there that could probably help him out. He didn’t waste any time in getting inside to see what he could find out.
“Is Carl here today?” he asked the woman at the front desk.
“Yeah,” she said, smacking gum heavily as she spoke. Turning around, she yelled toward the back, “Hey, Carl. You gotta visitor.”
Carl came lumbering out, his heavy frame somewhat askew from the prosthetic leg he had worn since their days in high school when he had taken a drunken tumble over the falls. It had been Moose who had gotten him out, using his more agile wolf form to navigate the steep incline and pull him back up to safety. Carl had been hurt but alert. At first, terrified of the large wolf that had a hold of him and then shocked to learn that his friend was a shifter, that shifters even existed.
It was a secret he would take to his grave, but it had bound them in a way that was steadfast, no matter how much time went by between seeing one another. It had been that accident that had taken Carl’s left leg. The injuries had seemed repairable, but then gangrene had set in and amputation became his only hope. Carl, a promising athlete, had been devastated. He worked here at the cab company as a dispatcher these days, one of many jobs he had floated in and out of over the years.
“Moose! Good to see you, man. What’s shakin’?”
“Not much. I need some quick help. Can we talk in private?”
“Sure. Sure. Come on in to my office.”
Carl’s office was little more than a radio hub and a phone console sitting on an old table with a chair parked in front of it. His computer lay open on the table, a video game on pause was visible on the screen.
“One of your cabs picked up a woman from the clubhouse this morning. I need to know where she went.”
“You know I am not supposed to do that, Moose.”
“I know, but I need to find her, and I don’t know where to start looking. She’s got a ripped side thanks to another pack and I need to make sure she is okay.”
Carl pursed his lips and pondered this for a moment before speaking. Finally, he shrugged and went over to the hand-written log on his desk. Running his finger down the list, he looked for a pickup from the Silver Wolves MC and tapped it.
“John took her to the women’s shelter.”
“Damn it,” Moose grumbled.
The thought of her in the shelter was unnerving. It was a miserable place filled with despair, by all accounts, but it made sense that she would go there until she could make sure her wound was all better.
“I take it she means something to you?” Carl said.
“Yes. Yes, she does. Thanks for your help, Carl, I need to get going, but we’ll get together soon.”
“Absolutely, we will,” Carl replied with a wry smile.
It was what they always said but never did. Neither of them could bear the memory of that day at the falls and it hung between them like a great big elephant in whatever room they shared. They would always be close in spirit, but most likely never in presence and each was okay with that.
Moose made his way to the shelter, stopping at the guard gate to announce that he was there to pick someone up. The guard called down to the area where the women resided and asked for Ali, but came back and said there was no one by that name there. It occurred to Moose that she would have had to show them identification to get in and might have been forced to use the name he had seen on her license. He asked the guard to try that, but was told no one by that name either.
“Come on, man. She just came in here today. A cab dropped her off earlier.”
“Look. Either she isn’t here, or she doesn’t want you to know she’s here. Either way, you can’t come in.”
“Fuck,” Moose muttered.
“Nice,” the guard replied.
Moose ignored him and turned his bike around, driving up the road just far enough to be out of sight and parking in a nearby church parking lot. He looked carefully around as he got off the bike and ducked beneath the car shelter that stood over the entrance to the currently closed church. He stripped off his clothes and stuck them behind a large planter before shifting and darting across the parking lot toward the woods that ran along one side of the fenced in shelter area. There was a hole in the old fencing there. He squeezed through it and made his way quickly across the parking lot into a small alley that ran between sections of the shelter and the church it was attached to on one side.
It was hard to see in the windows, but after a little bit of moving about, he was able to get a good view of the women’s area. There was no sign of her. He looked everywhere that she might be and saw nothing of her. A group of women approached him and he slid back off into the bushes, out of their sight, watching as they made their way toward the exit to the street. He ran back toward the church and shifted, putting his clothes back on and making his way down the sidewalk toward where they were approaching.
“Excuse me,” he said to them.
The trio stopped and looked at him uncertainly. He knew he was likely to get nothing from them. Women in shelters tended to be wary of strange men for reasons he could really not blame them, but they might be his only hope in getting to her. He flashed them a warm smile and spoke in what he hoped was a convincing tone.
“I’m looking for a woman. Her name is Ali or Alison. She’s hurt and in danger. I was told she came here in a cab today, but the guard wouldn’t let me see her.”
One of them, a woman with a large scar that ran the length of her face from forehead, across her nose and down across one corner of her lips squinted her eyes at him. The other two said nothing.
“If we knew her and I’m not saying we do, the last person we would tell she was here is a man. If she wanted you to know she was here, she would have told you.”
“Please, I know what you must think, but I promise you I don’t mean her any harm.”
“I’ve heard men say that before. The one that gave me this scar said it right before he hit me with a tire iron. Now, get out of our way and fuck off away from here. You’ve no business hanging out in front of a women’s shelter stalking someone who is obviously hiding from you.”
Moose felt like a piece of shit. That must be what they thought of him. He couldn’t be mad about it, but it didn’t help him at all. He nodded and turned to walk back toward his bike. It was only then that he heard one of the women calling out to him.
“Mister. Hey, Mister.”
He turned to see the meekest looking of the three approaching him, while the other two stood with their arms folded over their chests. She looked around at them quickly and the scarred one shrugged and wave her arms at her as if to tell her to get on with things.
“Yes?”
“I saw her, I think. She ain’t at the shelter. The cab came while we were out in the yard having a smoke. She got out, but then another car pulled up and she got in it.”
“I don’t understand. She came to the shelter but then got into someone else’s car? Can you describe the woman?”
The woman described her perfectly and then said something that chilled him to the bone.
“I don’t think she got in the car by choice. That’s why I’m telling you. One of the men got out and was saying something to her. I couldn’t hear, but then he grabbed her by the arm and pushed her into the car and got in behind her. They squealed off after that.”
“What did the car look like?”
“I can’t tell ya. It was black. Fancy. Like one of them cars you see important folk ridin’ in.”
“Like a sedan?”
“Yeah. Sedan. That’s what they call ‘um. I don’t know what kind, though. Just black and fancy.”
“Thank you. You’ve been a big help. Here. Let me give you something for your help,” he said, pulling out his wallet. He pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and handed it to her. She looked at it.
“It’s too much,” she said.
“No. You take it and buy you and your two friends something nice. I’m sure you all deserve something and you’ve no idea how much I appreciate your help. I’ve got to go, but I really appreciate it.”
Moose turned and ran for his bike. He had no idea who had taken Ali, but there was no doubt she was in trouble. Usually, men with enough money to own a big dark sedan stayed in nice hotels unless they were just passing through. Hopefully, these hadn’t made it out of town just yet. He headed toward the most likely places, the line of hotels that sat on one side of town. Once again, he shifted and made his way quietly through parking lots, stopping to sniff at cars that fit the description the young woman at the shelter had given him.
After more than a few dozen vehicles, it seemed pretty hopeless. There was no guarantee she was even here. He needed help. He was going to have to get some of the guys from the pack to come and see if they could sniff her out. He began making his way through a final row of cars when a nearby elevator door opened and two men spilled out. They were followed by another man and he was pulling someone through the doors behind him – a woman. Ali!
“Let me go. I told you I would get your money to you.”
“Yeah, but you were supposed to already have done that and you didn’t. Instead, you ran. I had to track you down. Now, you are coming back with me and I’ll get my money out of you on the black market.”
Moose saw red at the thought of them selling her like some sort of Jersey cow at the stock yard. He leapt from behind the car and pounced directly onto the man speaking, knocking him to the ground. Ali ran, taking cover behind a nearby car. Moose was on the man before he could get up, ripping at him with his powerful teeth as he screamed and cursed.
Suddenly, Moose found himself flying backward. He hit a car and bounced back, shaking his head to clear it. His vision was a little fuzzy, but he was able to make out the forms of two large wolves in front of him. Who were they and where had they come from? He realized the two men were missing and there were shredded suits on the ground. Shifters, but only the bodyguards, it seemed. The man was struggling to get to his feet and yelling at them to kill him.
Moose squared off against the two of them. They were big, but he was bigger. He lunged forward and grabbed one by the throat, tearing at it with all his might until the wolf was lying to one side, seemingly dead. There was no time to check right now, as the other was still coming toward him. To his other side, he was dimly aware of the first man getting to his feet and moving toward Ali, who was not cowering next to what appeared to be some sort of maintenance truck parked in the garage.
The wolf came at him, grabbing one leg and attempting to twist it, break it. He was just quick enough to pull free before he could jerk it sideways, but the teeth dug deeply into it. It hurt like a son of a bitch. Before the wolf could regain its footing from skidding sideways on the missed attempt, Moose returned the favor, quickly crunching onto his back leg and popping it to one side. The wolf howled and dragged himself behind a car, but Moose wasn’t letting up. He finished him off and made a beeline for the other man, who was close to pinning Ali against the wall behind the truck.
“Come one paw closer and I’ll put a hole in her head so big you could drive this truck through it,” he growled.
Moose saw the glint of the Glock in his hand and the fear in Ali’s eyes. He debated whether he could get to the man before he could pull the trigger. He didn’t understand what was happening here other than Ali apparently owed the man some money and seemed to employ shifters as his protection detail. He was still processing his options when he caught sight of Ali bringing her arm up. The man was still focused on him and never saw the blow coming as she clocked him with a large metal pipe that must have come from the back of the work truck. He went flying sideways, blood spurting from his head. His eyes were wide open, but he was seeing nothing anymore. Moose shifted, oblivious to anyone that might see him standing bare in the middle of the garage or his aching leg.
“Let’s go!” Moose said, forcing her out of her seemingly shocked state.
She ran toward him and they took off through the garage, darting in and out between cars with their heads down to avoid cameras. They would be lucky if it wasn’t caught on tape as it was. Moose tossed his clothes back on hurriedly and jumped on the bike. Ali climbed on behind him and they hastily made their way down the highway, back toward the clubhouse. Inside, they went straight to his room to get cleaned up in case anyone stopped by.
“I don’t have any clothes. All my things are in their car,” she groaned.
“Not good. Don’t worry. I’ll get them. Do you know which car it is?”
“I caught a partial plate. Maybe that will be enough?”
“I guess we’ll see, but we’ll have to make it quick. The police will be all over that place in no time.”
She grabbed a pen and wrote down the plate number. Moose took it down the hall to a guy named Timmy. He was younger, not quite thirty and he was the fastest wolf in their pack. What he lacked in size, he made up for in speed and he was great at getting into places he shouldn’t be.
“We have to find this. I don’t care if you have to break a window and run with it between your teeth. Get it before the cops find it and trace this back here. Got it?”
“Got it,” Timmy said, already stripping down to make the run through the woods and into the parking garage. It was safer that way. No one was going to arrest a dog in a car park, but they might shoot it, so he had to be careful. If anyone could get the backpack out and far away from prying eyes, it was him.
“Alright, Timmy is working on getting your pack. Let’s get you cleaned up. We’ll borrow some clothes from Elizabeth or Amanda. We need to talk to them anyway. Just in case your bag is found in that car, we need to make sure you have a solid alibi.”
“I don’t want them to have to lie for me,” she said.
“Don’t worry about that. They won’t have a problem with it. We’re family here. You’re family too.”
She nodded and said nothing. It was obvious she was afraid, but she went along with it. They borrowed some sweats from Elizabeth and got their stories straight before hopping into the shower, together. It was a relief to have her back, despite anything he had been forced to do to get her here again. There was still a story to be told, but he wouldn’t press her just yet. She might not want to tell him, but he needed to know what they were up against. He needed to know who those men were, and if more would come.
Once they were out of the shower and dressed, Moose took their clothes and tossed them in the garbage incinerator. They couldn’t afford to have the blood splattered clothes found in the clubhouse or on their person. They had gone over one another very carefully in the shower, making sure nothing remained on their skin. If anyone came to visit them, they were prepared. It added to their relief when Timmy returned, knocking on their door with a backpack over his shoulder.
“I sure hope this is it. If not, I’ve stolen someone else’s shit,” he said with a little laugh.
“That’s it. Thank you so much,” Ali told him, taking the bag from him.
“You’re welcome,” he said, smiling broadly.
“This never happened, Timmy. Ya got it?” Moose told him.
“What?” Timmy said, nodding.
“Exactly. I owe you one,” Moose told him.
Timmy winked and walked away. Moose turned back to Ali, who was sitting on his bed in tears. He walked over and sat beside her, putting his arm around her. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed. He had a feeling it was a long overdue cry that had to do with a lot more than the events of today. After a few minutes, she pulled away from him and blinked up at him through red, teary eyes.
“Ali, what you walked in on earlier. It wasn’t what it looked like. You didn’t give me a chance to explain.”
“Explain now,” she said blankly.
Moose told her about Harley and what had happened with the Dire Wolves. She lowered her head and nodded.
“I’m sorry. I know I told you I couldn’t promise you I would stay here, but a part of me wanted to and when I walked in on you like that, with her, I just felt crushed.”
“I can’t blame you. I’d like to think you could have trusted me, but I guess it is hard to trust when you see something like that going on. She was in my room. She was partially undressed. It looked bad. Just believe me when I tell you, you are the first woman I’ve wanted in a very long time and you are the only woman I want now. I don’t want that to ever change.”
“It won’t. I think I learned today, just how far you are willing to go to protect me.”
“However far it takes.”
“I think we make a pretty good team,” she said.
“I agree. Now, if you don’t want to talk about it right now, that’s fine. I won’t pry, but we need to discuss why those men came after you. I need to know if we should be prepared for more.”
“I don’t think so. I mean, I think Wallace and his goons are long wolves, so to speak.”
“You knew they were wolves? How were you so surprised that wolves exist, if you already knew some.”
She was shaking her head from side to side as he spoke. Turning to look at him, she was teary eyed again.
“I had a sister. Her name was Lauren. She got sick . . . cancer. I was the only one to take care of her and I needed money. I tried the bank and a loan company, but I was already mortgaged to the hilt and my credit cards were maxxed out. They turned me down flat. A friend suggested I ask Wallace. He was all too happy to loan me the money, you know, for a price.”
“So, he’s a loan shark.”
“Yes. I thought I could work extra hours and make the payments, but as Lauren got sicker and sicker, I was missing more days than I was getting days with overtime. In the end, they fired me and then Lauren died. It took what money I had save up for my upcoming payment to bury her.”
“So, you buried your sister and then ran.”
“Yes. I sold everything I could at a weekend yard sale and then I packed what I could carry in my backpack and left. I didn’t even take my car for fear they would track it somehow. You know, friends at the department or something. I just had to get away before they came after me and I was running out of time.”
“And you didn’t know they were wolves?”
“No. I don’t think Wallace was. He didn’t even try to shift back in the parking garage. I think he just hired two goons that were, but I had no idea. I don’t know what pack they belong to.”
“Well, we’ll know soon enough. They will be on the news soon enough, carnage like that in a high-priced hotel garage has a way of making the news.”
“Don’t be surprised if it doesn’t. Wallace has a very long reach. He can make anything disappear, even people.”
“He won’t be making anything happen anymore. None of them will.”
“Right,” she said.
Her face darkened. No doubt she was remembering her part in Wallace’s demise. Despite defending herself, it wasn’t something someone like her did every day, taking a life. There was no doubt it would weigh heavy on her, no matter what kind of shit Wallace had been. Rather than discussing it further, they decided to just wait it out and see what happened.
Instead, they settled into bed in his room, curling up against one another. Moose felt like his heart might explode from how happy he was that she was back. No matter what came their way, they would weather it and he knew that, if it came down to it, he would take the blame for everything and do the time to spare her. She reached up and stroked his face softly, looking into his eyes.
“You are an amazing man,” she told him.
“I think you are pretty incredible yourself,” he replied, leaning down to kiss her.
Soon, the troubles of the day fell behind them as they began to explore one another’s mouths and bodies. It was like coming home after a long, hard day – a home that is full of love and beauty, a kind of beauty found nowhere else.
She pulled away from his kiss, slipping beneath the sheets, downward toward his loins. He let her. He longed to feel her full, pouty lips wrapped around his quickly hardening cock. He place his hands on either side of her head, holding her, guiding her. He moved it upward and downward with a deliberate but tempered pace. It was more than a suggestion, but not quite force. His fingers laced lazily through her hair as she licked and sucked at his growing member.
Her breasts pressed against his thighs, falling forward to brush against his balls as she raised her head and then lowered it onto him again. A groan escaped the back of his throat as he enjoyed the way her tongue circled the fat head of his cock, teasing him between inhaling the length of him and breathing him out.
Rather than letting her finish him that way, he pulled her upward, pushing his hands against the sides of her breasts, wrapping them around his dick, already slick with her saliva. He watched as the head of his cock disappeared and reappeared, plunging through the center between her nipples. It felt amazing. When he was inside her, she was so tight, but this was amazing too. Her flesh was so soft, so smooth against the sensitive membrane of his cock. It was incredible.
He continued to seesaw back and forth, enjoying watching his hardness as it ducked in and out of the glorious valley of her full cleavage. He could imagine doing this forever, fucking her tits and then coating them with what they had created, a warm flood of his cum, but not tonight. He wanted to be inside her again, craved it. Pulling her upward, he positioned her over him so she straddled him. Their hands locked together, him bracing her as she rode him in a mixture of playful bounces, grinding thrusts and slow, sensual slopes.
“God, you’re so beautiful. I love watching you bounce up and down my cock,” he groaned.
“You feel amazing,” she replied, more a whisper than spoken in full tones.
Their bodies slowed to the most exquisite torment until they were both on the verge. She dropped heavily down on his cock one last time, tilting her hips to grind into his own until he was so deep inside her, he must be hitting something internal. Her body quivered and shook as she flooded his cock and thighs with her own climax and then did it all again, shaking violently as she allowed herself to experience her orgasm to the fullest.
He was close, so close, but he held back as he watched her take what she needed from him. Then she was speeding her thrust, bouncing up and down on him heavily, milking his cock for whatever he had to offer. Beads of sweat popped up on her milky white breasts as she bit her lip, watching him seductively. It was too much, way too much. He couldn’t hold back anymore, forcing his hips up toward hers one last time and flooding her insides with his seed.
She collapsed for a while, her small body lying atop his. Eventually, she rolled to one side and curled up against him, each of them letting sleep wash away the bad parts of the day and flood their dreams with the good parts that had come at the end.