Chapter 17

The next morning, after having unconsummated sex again—since consummating the relationship would mean a permanent mating, though Sarandon was certain she nearly gave in to her inner wolf and went for it—Jenna and Sarandon showered together.

“We’re going to do it, you know. Sooner or later,” Sarandon said, making her a promise, soaping up her breasts and kissing her forehead. He loved running his hands over her soft skin and kissing her all over.

She seemed to take just as much pleasure in rubbing her hands over his soapy chest and kissing him back. She slid her hands down to his aroused cock. “Just hold that thought.” Then she began to stroke him, every movement designed to make him come, their hearts beating faster, their breathing more ragged.

“You’re sure hard on me,” he ground out. And he treasured her for it. He couldn’t imagine anything better than making love to Jenna any time or place.

He tilted her head back and kissed her soft mouth, enjoying anything he could have with her for now, even though he was ready for so much more. It wasn’t just the sex but the commitment to each other. To be there for each other through thick and thin, and for wolves, they meant it.

Her hands slowed on his cock, which was fine with him because he wanted to get her in the mood for what he would do next to her.

He deepened the kiss, and her response was fiercely urgent. He couldn’t keep this up—having her part way. He wanted all of her on top of him, underneath him, him all the way inside her. He’d been completely under her spell from the moment she had tried to take him down as a fugitive recovery agent. She’d taken him hostage all right, when here he thought he’d had everything under control.

He slid his hand between her legs and began to stroke her. Her hand loosened on his cock and he concentrated on bringing her to climax, stroking her, kissing her, the desire to take her filling him with urgency. She released his cock and grabbed his hips, as if she needed to hold on to him to keep from slipping to the floor, as if she felt boneless. Then she was bucking against his hand, and he slid two fingers between her feminine folds, her mouth hot on his.

“Ahh,” she breathed against his mouth, clinging to him. He smiled down at her and was afraid she was too weak to finish what she’d started on him. But then she began to stroke him again, and she quickly brought him to completion. He’d wanted to lift her up against the tile wall, spear her with his cock, and bring her to climax with him inside her this time. But what a way to begin their day. If only every day could start this way.

He hated that he was already regretting he’d have to return home without her when the time came. She was an addiction he couldn’t wean himself from.

After drying off and dressing, he suggested a pancake restaurant and called CJ. He was awake and wanting out of the place.

“We’re having breakfast. Did you have yours?” Sarandon asked, putting the phone on speaker.

“Yeah, and Brett and Laurel are here.”

“Good show. How are you feeling?”

“Like normal. Just waiting for the doctor to release me.”

“Okay. We’ll be there in an hour or so.”

“See you then.”

* * *

At the pancake restaurant, Jenna and Sarandon ordered plates of pancakes and maple syrup. She was glad to hear CJ was feeling well enough to leave.

After eating, they ran over to see CJ at the clinic. Laurel was sitting next to CJ’s bed and smiled at them when they walked in the door. Brett was sleeping in a chair next to CJ’s bed, while CJ was wide-awake, dressed, and sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting to be released. Sarandon and Jenna smiled at Brett.

Jenna loved seeing how the brothers took care of one another, just as she and her sisters did if any of them were hurt.

CJ sighed. “I’ll have to drive us home, since Brett drove all those hours in the middle of the night to come get me.”

“Like I can’t drive?” Laurel said.

“You’re not driving anywhere,” Sarandon said to CJ. “Only Laurel or Brett. Or I will, if they both need to rest.”

Jenna hoped Sarandon didn’t have to, but if he did, she was following Brett’s car so she could take Sarandon back home with her. He had a job to do—help her find his half brother—and he wasn’t getting out of it, not when she wanted to spend more time with him. He was completely addictive.

Brett stirred, and then his eyes popped open. “Oh, you’re here.”

“Watching you sleep. Are you sure you can help Laurel drive CJ home?” Sarandon asked.

“Of course. I was just getting a bit of a snooze until the doctor comes in and releases him. You know how they are in these places. They make rounds, like, late afternoon, making the poor patient wait forever to be released.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Sarandon said.

Brett raised a brow at CJ. “Hell, how long have you been dressed, Brother?”

“An hour. I’m ready to go. Can’t you just pay the bill and get me out of here?”

“I could, but I’m not going to. What if you began having seizures or something on the way to Silver Town? I’m not risking it.”

“I’m not going to have seizures. My head isn’t even pounding any longer. I feel perfectly fine.”

“Okay, so explain to us what happened,” Sarandon said, and Jenna knew he wanted to hear CJ tell the story again to ensure he was all right and hadn’t left anything out.

“Aw, come on, Sarandon. I already told you once, and I had to tell Laurel and Brett everything too,” CJ said.

Sarandon folded his arms and frowned.

“All right.”

Once CJ repeated the story he’d told late last night, Sarandon nodded. “Okay.”

“Did I pass?” CJ asked, though he was giving him an “I told you so” look.

“With flying colors,” Jenna said, and she was glad for it.

“Great, then once the doc says I’m good to go—”

“We’ll take you home, and our doctor will check you out.” Brett got up to stretch and then sat back down.

“Not another doctor’s opinion,” CJ said.

“One that will make more of a difference,” Sarandon said, “because he’s a wolf doctor and will have a better idea about your injury.”

“You have your own doctor?” That was one thing Jenna had always worried about—getting pregnant again and having a wolf doctor deliver her baby, or multiple babies, as the case might be. Then she worried… Would she end up with lots of babies? Four, as in Sarandon’s case? Three as in Darien’s case? Three in her case? She was thinking more like two, max.

“Yeah. We have a veterinarian too,” Laurel said. “Depending on which doc you need at the time.”

Jenna laughed. “Good to know.”

“Yeah, if anyone in your family ever needs a doctor, he’d be willing to see you,” Sarandon said.

“You don’t need to hang around here,” CJ said. “Go, take Jenna home and find Alex.”

“If you’re sure,” Sarandon said, looking like he felt he needed to stay at least until the doctor released CJ.

“Yeah, you’ve got important work to do.”

Laurel agreed. “We’ll take good care of CJ.”

After saying goodbye to CJ, Laurel, and Brett, Jenna and Sarandon drove back to Cañon City to talk to the remaining people on Sarah’s list. Jenna was glad they were returning. The time was quickly running out on finding Alex and returning him for trial.

“CJ will be fine, Sarandon. He remembered everything he told us when you talked to him before.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I just wish I could be at the forefront of the manhunt for Burt. He won’t be fine when I get ahold of him.”

“I’d be glad to be right there when you do. I need to see if my dad managed to contact everyone left on Sarah’s list.” Then she got on the Bluetooth and called him. “We’re on our way back. We can interview some of the people in the pack if you haven’t had a chance.”

“I didn’t make any headway with the one I spoke to. Now I have to go on a case. How’s CJ?” Logan asked.

“He’s going home to see their doctor, but he seems to be better. One of Sarandon’s other brothers and CJ’s mate came to take him home.”

“They have a wolf doctor?”

“Yeah, and they said if we need one to help us out at any time, he would. Isn’t that great?”

“It sure is.” Her dad paused. “I was only able to get ahold of the one wolf before your mom put me back to work.” Logan gave them the three names he hadn’t contacted yet.

“Be careful with the case you’re on,” Jenna told her dad.

“It’s a deadbeat ex-husband who swore he has to keep working to be able to pay the child support he owes for the last three months. The judge took him at his word, not able to make the man pay when he doesn’t have any earnings. But instead of going to work, the guy took off his ankle monitor and ran. Not paying child support is his only run-in with the law, so he shouldn’t be dangerous.”

“Just be careful anyway.”

“The same with the two of you. I’ve got to get on the road. Good luck finding Alex.”

“Thanks, Dad. Good luck to you too.”

When they ended the call, she said to Sarandon, “I think we need to get ahold of Faye again and see if she has been in touch with Alex.”

“I agree. For now, let’s finish speaking with the people on Sarah’s list.”

* * *

When they arrived in Cañon City, they met with one of the men on the list, but he wasn’t a bachelor male like they’d thought. “We don’t know anything about what is going on with Alex, only that he has a job in Colorado Springs working in housing construction. We haven’t heard anything bad about him,” the husband said.

“What about his brother, Burt?” Sarandon asked.

“Oh yeah, he’s been in trouble a lot over the years. Nothing really major, just tons of petty stuff,” the guy said. “Sorry we couldn’t help you any further.”

The wife said, “Yeah, if we hear from him, we’ll let him know you’re here to help him.”

“And Burt?” Jenna asked.

“We don’t know where he is either. We figure he’s staying wherever the ghost hunters are filming a show,” the man said.

“Okay, thanks,” Sarandon and Jenna said at the same time.

They left to look up the next man on the list. When they finally tracked him down in a coffee shop, he motioned for them to take a seat with him. “Yeah, I know Alex. Is he really in trouble? He stayed with me yesterday.”

“Where is he now?” Sarandon asked, hating that they’d missed him.

“He left. I assumed he had a construction job to work on. That’s his business.”

As soon as they left, they talked to Alex and Burt’s dad on the phone. “CJ was taking Burt to Silver Town for questioning concerning Alex’s whereabouts, but Burt knocked him out and stole his car, clothes, and everything else. Burt’s in a lot of trouble.”

“Are you sure about all this?” Anton sounded shocked to learn of it.

Did everyone know about Burt’s criminal activities but his parents? “Yes. CJ had to see a doctor for the concussion after Burt knocked him out. Burt stole CJ’s badge, car, and gun, and now the state police are looking for him. Why would Burt be afraid to speak with another deputy sheriff and the sheriff of Silver Town if he had nothing to hide?”

Anton swore. “You think he’s been involved in the theft?”

“Yes. If Burt turns up there, let us know. We’ll try to protect him, but we can’t guarantee anything, not after what he’s pulled.”

“Have you had any luck locating Alex?” Anton asked.

“Not so far, sir.”

“My wife is at the grocery store now. I’d rather… Well, I’d rather she didn’t know this latest news. It’s bad enough that Alex is in so much trouble. I’d rather wait until Burt’s picked up by the police and charged.”

“All right. Just let us know if you hear from either Burt or Alex.”

“I will. Thanks. I’m…sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“They’re my sons. I raised them. We were much too lenient with Burt, I’m afraid. Let me know if you hear anything.”

“We will.”

After they finished the call with Anton, Jenna called her mother. “We’re still looking for Alex, and now Burt. Did you change the reward poster to say Alex was pretending to be Sarandon? We don’t want to have people reporting sightings of Sarandon.”

“The men look so much alike that I’m sure if anyone sees Sarandon, they will still think he’s the suspect,” her mom said.

“I guess that’s so. I’ll have to protect him.”

Sarandon smiled.

“What? You don’t think I can?” Jenna asked him.

He chuckled. “Yeah, truthfully? I do.”

“Okay, Mom. I’m out here.”

“How are we doing on time?” Sarandon asked Jenna.

“Alex needs to be at the court tomorrow afternoon, so we really don’t have much time left.” Jenna kept thinking they’d catch up to Alex, but at this rate, she wasn’t sure. They’d had to pay bonds in the past—a hazard in this business. But they’d never come this close to the deadline without being sure whether they’d have to pay one off. Well, the deadline hadn’t run out yet. “Let’s have a late lunch at my place and figure out where to go next. You know, I keep wondering why Alex or Burt would have been roaming around my family’s territory as wolves.”

“If Alex is a beta wolf, maybe he was trying to get up the courage to approach your family. He would know they put up the bail bond for him. Maybe he’s running scared. Not sure what to do. Maybe he allowed Burt to convince him he had to run. And now Burt’s not there to tell him what to do.”

“Not according to Burt.”

“And you believe anything Burt has to say?” Jenna asked.

“Not a word.”

When they arrived at Jenna’s home, she made them grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.

“These are great. Something I never fix.”

She smiled at him while he scarfed his down fast. “Want another?”

“Yeah, sure. Can’t eat just one.”

When she went into the kitchen to make a second sandwich, she washed her hands in the kitchen sink and saw something out the window. A wolf. “Don’t look now, but I see a gray wolf in the woods, watching the house. Because of his bigger size, I’m sure it’s a male.”

“Not a brown wolf like Burt?”

“Gray.”

Sarandon started to move toward her.

“Sarandon, don’t move. If he sees you come to the window to look out, he’s bound to bolt.”

“I have an idea. And a very good reason to move in your direction. I know what I’m doing.” Sarandon slowly joined her and rested his hands on her shoulders, then nuzzled her cheek with his. Then he leaned over further and kissed her neck. “What’s he doing?” he whispered against her hair.

“Still watching. What you’re doing is distracting me even more.”

He smiled. “That’s the plan. At least to keep his attention. Not to distract you.” He slowly pulled her T-shirt up and over her head and then tossed it aside.

“What are you doing?”

“You’ll see. Just some heavy necking, removing our clothes, and then we’ll move this to the bedroom. Or appear to be moving this toward the bedroom,” he said as he ran his hands over the silky bra covering her breasts.

She melted to his touch, trying to keep her eyes open so she could keep an eye on the wolf but wanting to lose herself in having Sarandon touching her, making her feel loved, needed, and sexy.

“We need to do something about him before he runs off,” she warned, but her voice was ragged with desire.

“We will,” he mouthed against her neck, his hands massaging her breasts. He turned her around so she was facing him and he could see over her shoulder, though he continued to kiss her neck to make it appear he was caught up in turning her on and not getting a glimpse of the wolf. “I wish we knew what Alex looked like in his wolf form.”

Jenna pulled off Sarandon’s shirt and tossed it to the floor. She began kissing his cheeks, then his bare shoulders as he ran his fingers through her hair.

“We’re on a mission here,” he groaned.

She smiled. “You can’t make me all hot and bothered and…distract me a bit from the mission, and then not expect me to reciprocate.” She licked a trail down to his navel and began unbuckling his belt.

He slid his hands around to her back and unfastened her bra.

“Is he still there?”

“Yeah.” Sarandon tossed her bra in the air so the wolf would see it too.

The window was too high for the wolf to see any lower than their chests, but Sarandon figured the wolf would get the gist of what was going on, or at least be hoodwinked into believing the wolves were getting it on.

“We are going after him as wolves, right?” Jenna felt that Sarandon’s moves were a prelude to sex, not to shifting. Not to mention he was fully aroused as she pulled down his pants. Gloriously aroused.

“Yeah.” His response was husky and needy. “I’ll sweep you up in my arms as soon as we’re naked and carry you in front of the dining room window and into the hallway to make it appear we have every intention of taking this to the bedroom. Once we’re out of his view, we’ll shift and make a mad dash for the wolf door. If we’re lucky,” he said, pulling off her jeans, “we’ll catch him before he can outdistance us and learn who he is.”

“Okay, damn it.”

He smiled at her. “We can finish this later.”

Once they were completely naked, he swept her up in his arms, carried her through the dining room, pausing to kiss her, while she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply back. She didn’t want to end this!

Which was totally wrong! She was always focused on the mission first. And if the wolf in the woods was Alex, they had to get him. But, man, did she not want to give this up.

Then Sarandon hurried her to the hallway as if he was in a rush to have sex with her. As soon as they were out of view of the windows, he set her on her feet, briefly kissed her, and they both quickly shifted.

They raced for the wolf door, and he let her go first, though she suspected from the way he’d dashed for it, it was killing him to let her out first. He wanted to take the wolf down. Probably to protect her. So for him to hesitate and allow her to take the lead meant everything in the world to her.

Would he always do this, or only when he was trying so hard to please her? She loved him for it, no matter what.

The wolf was still in the woods, sniffing around, not paying attention until they crashed through the wolf door and tore off in his direction.

His ears perked up, his head swinging around to observe them, his expression startled. He quickly turned and ran off.

And the chase was on.

Jenna couldn’t believe how Sarandon played the game. God, the wolf was hot, and she definitely wanted him in her life for good. Not only was he the sexiest wolf she’d ever known, but his ploy had actually worked! She really hadn’t thought the wolf would stay glued to his spot in the woods, observing them the whole time.

Because she knew the woods better than Sarandon, she ran the wolf toward a small box canyon, the cliffs only climbable if the animal was a mountain goat or a cougar. The wolf wasn’t from this area, but he was the one they’d smelled the second time they’d recognized a wolf’s scent out here, so he didn’t realize she was chasing him right where she wanted him to go. Sarandon seemed to remember the location and helped her steer the wolf in that direction.

The wolf looked up at the canyon walls and realized he couldn’t go that way. He whipped around but saw Sarandon and Jenna approaching cautiously.

He stopped in place, panting, his tail tucked between his legs, his ears down. If it was Alex, Jenna almost felt bad for him, except for the fact that he’d led them on a merry chase, created trouble for Sarandon, and was only now looking defeated when he had no place to run.

At least he didn’t appear to want to fight them.

Sarandon shifted, and she growled at the other wolf to let him know if he attacked, she was taking him down.

“I’m Sarandon Silver, your half brother, if you didn’t know.”

Was Sarandon guessing? She didn’t have a clue if it was Alex.

“I’m not pressing charges against you for using my ID and claiming you were me, but you have to come with us and clear everything up. Now. We’ll do everything we can to help you out. All of us. Jenna and her family, me and my brothers and cousins. You’re family, and family takes care of their own. Will you come with us willingly? Or am I going to have to injure you so you have no choice but to comply?”

Jenna figured Sarandon would have to threaten the wolf. It appeared to be the only way to get him to agree.

The wolf nodded.

“Okay, I’ll tell you right now, I’ve taken down wolves much bigger than you, and I’ve dealt successfully with more than one at a time. So don’t test me.”

Now that, she was surprised about.

Sarandon shifted back into his wolf form and motioned with his head for the wolf to go toward the house.

To Jenna’s relief, the wolf acquiesced and loped back with them.

When they reached the wolf door, they waited for the wolf to enter. Jenna followed him, and Sarandon came in after that.

Sarandon woofed at her, and she nodded, grabbed her clothes with her teeth, and dragged them to the first room she could reach, the guest room. In there, she quickly shifted and dressed. She left the room and stalked down the hall to her bedroom to get her Taser and gun, then returned so Sarandon could shift and dress.

He didn’t leave though, just shifted right there as if he wanted to keep an eye on the wolf, not trusting him not to try to escape or attack Jenna, despite the fact that she was armed. Sarandon had to know that this time, she’d use the Taser on the wolf.

“I’ll get you a pair of my boxer briefs, and you can wear them while we talk,” Sarandon said, pulling on his own briefs. He glanced at Jenna and she nodded, letting him know she really could handle this.

Then Sarandon left, and she waited. She swore the wolf was sweating this out, glancing at her and her Taser and the hallway where Sarandon had disappeared. When Sarandon returned, he dropped the boxer briefs on the floor in front of the wolf. The wolf shifted and hurried to pull them on.

Jenna closed her gaping mouth. Man, did he look like Sarandon.

* * *

Alex stared at Sarandon before he took hold of his hand and shook it. “You’re my brother.”

Sarandon saw Jenna’s jaw drop when he pulled Alex in for a hug. “Hell yeah. We’re brothers, and we shouldn’t have had to wait this long to discover the truth.”

Alex looked so surprised that he didn’t respond at first, but then he hugged Sarandon back. He could see Jenna’s eyes welling up at the sight of the first meeting between him and his half brother.

Sarandon motioned to the living room. “Why don’t you take a seat, Alex.”

Jenna offered him a glass of water as he sat.

“We need to get you to Colorado Springs so you can turn yourself in,” Sarandon said.

Jenna explained who she was. “We have a wolf lawyer who will represent you, which means I need to turn you in before my mother pays the bond for you.”

“All right.”

“Did you steal the passports and ID?” Jenna asked.

He shook his head.

“Who did?”

“I-I can’t say.”

“Why do you want to take the rap for this?” Sarandon asked, not understanding why Alex was willing to face prison time for the theft.

“I…really can’t say.”

“Fine. Let’s go. We’ll take you to the station, and they can decide what to do with you. Jail time? Maybe. Another opportunity to wear a GPS monitor and stay put? It’s up to the judge.” Sarandon let out his breath in exasperation.

Jenna’s eyes were wide. She seemed surprised Sarandon was throwing in the towel and letting Alex take the blame for this, but he was done trying to convince Alex it was in his best interest to tell the truth. If he refused to do it, what could they do about it?

“I’ll get you some of my spare clothes. They’ll fit you just fine. We can’t take you like this.”

“What about the lawyer?” Alex asked, sounding a little panicked.

What did he think? That Sarandon and Jenna would just let him go? That he was a wolf, and they couldn’t allow him to be jailed?

“He’ll be waiting to see you when we take you into Colorado Springs,” Jenna reassured him. “Sarandon’s right. You need to tell us the truth.”

“You’re not my lawyer. Anything I say could be used against me in a court of law. Right?” Alex said to Sarandon.

“I’m your brother. I’m here to help you. Whatever you tell me is between the two of us.” Sarandon needed him to come clean so they could sort this out.

“Like you helped our dad?”

Now that pissed Sarandon off. Alex didn’t know anything about it. And yeah, Sarandon wished he could have saved his dad, but not when he learned he had murdered one of their kind. “He killed our cousin’s mate,” Sarandon growled. “And he was involved in other criminal activities. We even left the pack for a time over it. But no. We didn’t try to save him. We felt terrible about what he’d done. Like somehow it was our fault. When it wasn’t.”

Sarandon could have brought up the possibility that Alex’s mother had hired a hunter to kill Sarandon’s mother, but he didn’t believe it would help matters. “You might have felt you were denied belonging to your blood-related pack, and we certainly will rectify that. All your half brothers and cousins will want to meet you. We need to clear up this matter first. If it means you’ll have to spend some time in jail, then that’s the way it’s got to be.”

“Did Burt frame you for stealing this stuff? Is he blackmailing you?” Jenna asked. “Or did he push you to steal?”

Alex looked down at his lap.

“What about Christina?” Sarandon asked, suddenly wondering if Alex was protecting her.

Alex’s gaze shot up to Sarandon’s. Ah, hell. Had he hit a nerve or what? And completely understandable. Sarandon would do the same for Jenna.

Alex was a royal—all the Silvers were, including their dad and Ritka—so Sarandon knew Alex could control his shifting at any time. Maybe Christina had more humans in her family tree and couldn’t control her shifting during the full moon. Which meant going to jail for several years would be dangerous for her and their kind.

“Hell, Alex. You know she did it! Or you suspect she did it. Is she not a royal wolf?” Sarandon asked.

“She’s not a royal.”

“Alex, did she tell you she did it?” Jenna asked.

“No.” Alex looked down at the floor.

“Okay, so how do you know she did it?” Sarandon asked. “We were thinking Burt was the one who was responsible.”

Again, Alex looked up so sharply that Sarandon knew his brother was surprised to hear it.

“Why do you think that?” Alex asked.

“Did you ask him to come get you? To take you away from Colorado Springs?”

Alex ran his hands through his hair. “No. I didn’t ask him to do it. He…he told me Christina would go to jail. All right? She would never last. She’d shift during the full moon. Don’t you see I had to do this? For her? And for our kind? There’s a hell of a lot more at stake than just me paying for the crime. It’s not safe for her to go to jail. For us either. That’s what wolves do for each other. Make sacrifices. There’s nothing else I can do about it.”

“So why did you leave with Burt?” Jenna asked.

“He convinced me to leave and said he’d find a way to clear my name before I went to trial.”

“And did he?” Sarandon asked, knowing Burt hadn’t.

Alex shook his head. “I’ve…I’ve been trying to figure out a way to see Jenna and turn myself in without the police shooting me. That’s what Burt kept saying, that word was out that I was armed and dangerous. I think Burt was afraid I’d try to see Jenna. I smelled his scent in the area, but I hadn’t come here yet.”

“The police don’t think you’re armed and dangerous. What about Burt taking the blame for the theft?” Sarandon asked.

“I couldn’t do that to him.”

“He didn’t offer to take the rap either, did he?” Jenna asked.

“No. He said he’d find a way to clear me. Besides, Christina’s my girlfriend, not his.”

“So why did you run?” Sarandon asked.

“Burt convinced me it was the only thing to do and said he’d find a way to clear me because he knew I hadn’t done it.”

“And the fugitive recovery agent would come for me, not you, because you used my name and address,” Sarandon said.

Alex let out his breath. “I didn’t tell the police that was me. I wouldn’t tell them who I was. I know it sounds crazy, but I didn’t want to lose my job, and if my boss had heard I was in trouble, he would have fired me. I didn’t want my parents, who have been so good to me, to learn of it either. The police just took one look at your ID and assumed that was me. I look so similar to you; I just didn’t confirm or deny it.”

“That’s the same difference,” Sarandon said. “Okay, well I’ve got another question for you then. You and Burt were in Silver Town. Why?”

“He wanted to check out the place, since that’s where my dad was from. I did too. That was all there was to it. He kept egging me on, saying he couldn’t believe my blood parents could have been so cruel to throw me away like that. I never felt that way. Not when the Dreyfus family had been so good to me. Yet, you know, it’s hard not to wonder what it would have been like to be a member of a pack as large as yours. To have several brothers and cousins who were blood-related to grow up with. Or to have my birth parents raise me. And your family founded the town. I-I wished I had been part of that growing up.”

“Okay, I can believe that. So how did you get my ID?”

“I didn’t. I didn’t steal it, and I didn’t use it.”

“Except when you were caught and didn’t deny the ID was yours,” Sarandon reminded him.

“Hell, you think they would have believed me? I look too much like you to claim it wasn’t me. And I didn’t have my own on me that day. I did, but when I reached in my pocket to grab my wallet, it was gone.”

“Your wallet was stolen? That is precious,” Sarandon said, wondering if he was as much a con artist as Burt.

“It’s true. I hadn’t needed to look for it before then.”

“When was the last time you’d seen it?”

“I don’t know. I guess…I guess it was when I had breakfast with Christina and Burt that morning. Then I went to work and didn’t think anything more of it.”

“You pulled out your wallet to pay for breakfast?” Sarandon asked.

“Yeah, to pay for mine and Christina’s. Burt paid for his own.”

“And you don’t recall any situation that seemed suspicious, someone on the street or at the restaurant bumping into you?”

“No.”

“When you were in Silver Town, did you go by my house?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“We drove by several of the Silver homes. Burt wanted to see just how well off all of you lived.”

“And you?” Sarandon asked.

“Well, yeah. I won’t deny I was curious too.”

“Was the garbage out that day?” Sarandon asked.

“What?”

“The garbage? I’d thrown out my old driver’s license. It had expired. The one you had on you. And I’m always throwing out credit card offers. I never cut them up either. So I’m thinking mine were stolen from the garbage can. My place is surrounded by trees, so it would be easy for someone to grab something from the garbage and no one would notice. Someone could have learned when the garbage was picked up and watched to see when I left it out the night before. Maybe looked in it that night and grabbed the license and credit card application. Then used the application to request a card. And voilà. A credit card in my name with my birth date, and insta-credit.”

“We weren’t there the night before when you put out your garbage. I don’t recall seeing any garbage cans there.” Alex was looking steadily at Sarandon, which made him think he was telling the truth.

“Okay, maybe you didn’t, but what if Burt returned and made it his business to check my garbage. Maybe he was checking everyone’s garbage. I don’t recall if I threw out a credit card application the same day I tossed my old driver’s license. I might have, but I don’t remember. Why me? Maybe he looked in all our garbage cans, but he got lucky with mine.”

Alex was watching Sarandon now, listening, his brow furrowed a bit.

“So if Burt had been there, he might have had the opportunity to try to grab my ID. What about Christina? Would she have gone there to do it?”

Alex rubbed his forehead.

“Well? Burt told you Christina did it, didn’t he? Did you ever talk to her about it? Ask her why? Or how she did it?” Sarandon asked.

“No. I just assumed…” Alex quit speaking, as if he realized Burt could have been lying to him all along.

Sarandon said, “Why don’t you call Christina. Tell her what Burt said. See what she has to say. If she denies all of it, you might be in hot water for thinking the worst of her, but that might indicate Burt’s the one at the root of all the crime. If Burt is a royal, and if he committed the crimes, he can go to jail for them.”

“Hell. Yeah, he’s a royal. His parents are. They were glad I was too, though they’d wanted to raise me so badly, I don’t think it would have mattered. I still can’t believe Burt would do that to me.”

“He’s been in trouble before. He even knocked my brother CJ out when he was transporting Burt to the jail in Silver Town for questioning.”

Alex’s eyes widened.

“If he had nothing to hide, why would he do that? We’ve done a lot of investigating on our own, talking to several of your pack members, and everyone we’ve spoken with said he’s trouble. And you’re not. Has Christina ever been in trouble for anything?”

Alex shook his head.

Sarandon waved his hand in the air. “Well, there you go. Call Christina. See what she has to say about this.”

“Why would Burt do this to me?”

“Maybe he’s jealous of your relationship with your adoptive parents,” Jenna said. “You’ve followed in your dad’s footsteps in the construction business. He’s proud of you. Your mother is too. It sounds to me like Burt is acting out, angry you’re always the good son, and you’re not even their flesh-and-blood son. Did anything happen between you two around the time the thefts occurred?”

“From what the police said, I’ve been doing this for six months. The first time using a credit card was…” Alex looked at the floor, appearing to be deep in thought. “Hell, that occurred two days after I told Burt I was seeing a pretty she-wolf. He wanted to meet her, but he’s always had a way with women, and I didn’t want him meeting her right away. Not until I thought for certain she and I had a connection.

“Then a couple of weeks later, after I felt it was more of a sure thing with Christina, I brought her home. Mom didn’t like that she worked on the cleaning staff at one of the local hotels. Dad thought she was nice, but Burt made all over her like he was trying to prove he was the better wolf to court. I just figured Burt was being Burt, always wanting the attention. As much as it irritated me that he was making a fool of himself over Christina, I figured if she could fall for him, she was too shallow to be the one for me.”

“And?” Jenna asked.

“She didn’t fall for him. When we left my parents’ place, I took her home. She said my mom didn’t like her, but she liked my dad. And Burt was a jerk. I fell a little in love with her right then and there. I just had to convince my mom that Christina was the right wolf for me. Not to mention that I had to make sure Christina and I had what it took to make it long-term.”

“Do you?”

“I think so. I’m still working on my mom. I really care about my parents, and I want them to love her too. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t. Christina always wants to know what I’m working on and where I am. She comes to see me when she can get away from her job.”

Jenna and Sarandon exchanged glances. That wasn’t what Christina had told them at all.

“What?” Alex asked.

“She said she never asked about your job,” Jenna said.

“Sure she does. You can ask the guys who work on the crews with me. They joke about me being hen-pecked, and I’m not even married to her. Truth is, the other guys wish their girlfriends or wives took more of an interest in what they did. They just give me a hard time because she’s always kissing on me, bringing me lunches—whenever she can get away to do it.”

“So why would she tell us anything different?” Jenna asked.

“She was afraid if anyone questioned her, they would realize she always knew where I was. So if she said she didn’t, that would sound like we weren’t all that close. I guess you told my parents about the trouble I’m in.”

“We had to locate you. You weren’t easy to track down,” Jenna said.

“I imagine I’m a real disappointment to them.”

“They don’t believe you did it,” Sarandon said, and he was glad they supported Alex. He did wonder if Burt might still be interested in Christina. Or at least in making sure Alex and Christina wouldn’t be together—because if Alex went to jail, that’s what would happen.

“If Burt did it to spite me? And we convinced the police he was the one responsible for the crimes? Then what will my parents think of me? That it’s my fault? That I am the one who’s accountable for sending him away?”

“The alternative is you take the blame, and if you’re found guilty, Burt’s free to comfort—and court—your distraught girlfriend. Is that what you want?” Sarandon wanted Alex to wake up and grow some alpha balls.

“Hell no.”

“Good. Then call Christina and square it with her.”

“I…don’t have my phone with me.”

“Here, take mine,” Sarandon said.

Alex let out his breath and then called Christina. “Hey, honey, it’s me, Alex. I’m using Sarandon’s phone.” He paused. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m talking to my brother and trying to sort all this out.”

With that one little declaration, Sarandon felt an overwhelming kinship with his half brother. He would do anything to help him beat this rap and place the blame where it truly belonged.

Jenna reached over and squeezed Sarandon’s hand. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. Alex caught the interaction.

“I didn’t do what I’m accused of doing,” Alex said over the phone to Christina. “I… Burt… Ah, hell, how do I say this without making it come out sounding bad, no matter what I say?”

Sarandon felt his pain. If Alex said he believed Burt when he told him Christina was a thief, she could be furious with Alex.

“All right. You’re not a royal, and Burt told me you had stolen all this stuff. That’s why it was in my car when the police pulled me over for my left turn signal light being out. Then they saw something that I didn’t see, sitting on the floor of the passenger’s side of the car. They asked me to step out of the car, and they were going to look through my car, if they had my permission. I haven’t done anything wrong, so I said sure. That’s when they found a bag of passports and credit cards and other IDs, including Sarandon’s. I denied any of it was mine, but they booked me as Sarandon. I didn’t…didn’t want you to know I’d been arrested. So I didn’t call you. I called Burt. And he said he knew all about you and what you’d done.”

“What?” Christina’s voice was so loud, even Sarandon heard it with his acute wolf’s hearing.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, honey. He convinced me you had done it, and he reminded me you weren’t a royal. That you could go to prison and cause all of us real trouble.”

“You believed him?” Christina shrieked.

Well, that wasn’t going well, but Sarandon had suspected it wouldn’t. Still, they had to know that she hadn’t had anything to do with this. What if she was in league with Burt? Maybe they were afraid they were going to get caught, and they needed someone to blame, so they used Alex to take the heat.

“I’m sorry.”

“You sure are!”

“Sarandon and Jenna said they’d help me to learn the truth. I don’t know why I believed Burt. I’m truly sorry. I’ll do anything to make up for it. Christina? Are you there?” Alex’s eyes were misty. “She hung up on me.”

“You can sort it out later. All that matters is that we clear you. If Christina really loves you, she’ll understand how much of an influence Burt has had over you and that you were only thinking of protecting her. How more noble can you get than that? You’d go to prison—possibly for fifteen years—for her, if convicted? If I were her, I’d think you were total hero material. I might have to think about it a bit to realize that,” Jenna said.

Alex took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready to go, speak to the lawyer, and turn myself in. You promise me you’ll learn the truth.”

“Hell yeah, Brother. You have the whole Silver pack behind you on this.”

“Thanks,” Alex said.

“No problem.” Sarandon got him some of his clothes, and Alex dressed.

Just as Alex finished buckling his belt, Sarandon got a call from Christina and handed the phone to Alex.

“Christina.” Alex looked at Sarandon and Jenna. “Um, yeah, Sarandon said he and the Silver pack will help me with clearing my name.” He paused. “Thanks, honey. I love you.”

Jenna took a deep breath and exhaled.

Sarandon patted her back.

Alex ended the call, handing Sarandon his phone, and stood. “Let’s get this done.”

“Is everything okay between you and Christina?” Jenna asked, sounding hopeful.

“Yes, thanks.” Alex smiled. “She forgives me for believing Burt and thinking she did anything criminal. She wants to help me in any way she can, and she’s glad I haven’t done anything illegal.”

“I’m glad for that.” Sarandon thought if she could offer to help him that quickly, they stood a chance. “You wouldn’t have any idea where Burt took off to and is hiding out, would you?”

Jenna slipped into the driver’s seat of her car, and Sarandon sat beside her. Alex climbed into the back seat. “I don’t know.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Hiding. From you. And from me. And if he knows what’s good for him, from Christina too. So, tell me, what did Burt do to CJ?”

“Our brother CJ is a deputy sheriff in Silver Town. He was on his way there with Burt to question him before Burt overpowered CJ and took off with his car, badge, clothes, wallet, and gun,” Sarandon said.

“Is CJ all right?” Alex asked.

“Yeah. We’re having our local doctor check him out. Burt’s in a hell of a lot of trouble. The state police found CJ’s car hidden in the woods with everything else inside. Thankfully, no one else took off with CJ’s gun or anything else.”

“The clothes too? Burt’s clothes were left behind?”

“Yeah. Burt must have run as a wolf. So he had to have gone someplace where he could get clothes to blend in and then hide out. Do you know where that could be?” Sarandon asked as Jenna drove them to Colorado Springs after getting ahold of the lawyer to tell him they were on their way.

“Staying with any one of the pack members. Maybe Mom or Dad. I don’t know. Dad would have been mad at him. Mom always forgave him for anything he did that he shouldn’t have.”

“Like?”

“He had sticky fingers.”

Sarandon looked over the seat at Alex.

Alex shrugged. “It was when he was younger. He stole money from Mom’s handbag, lifted money from his friends’ homes, shoplifted. He swore he hadn’t done any of it. He had the evidence on him. The money he shouldn’t have had. The same dollar amount that was missing from Mom’s purse. Not to mention his scent was on the inside of her purse. Then he said he’d needed the money and she wasn’t around so he could ask for it.”

“He needed the money for what?” Sarandon asked.

“I don’t remember. It was years ago, and I believed it was just a kid thing. I didn’t think he was still pulling that crap. The stuff he stole from friends? I saw a couple of the items in his room. Later, he was shoplifting. Stuff I know he didn’t pay for but that he was bragging about having. And he was always trying to get me to steal something, as if I was too scared. I wouldn’t be goaded into it.”

“Well, maybe he’s been doing the credit card and passport theft all along. For years. If that’s the case, I’m wondering if the passports were stolen some years apart. Had any of them expired?” Sarandon asked.

Alex shook his head. “I don’t know. I never even saw them. They were in a bag stuffed under the passenger seat, but a couple of the passports had slipped out onto the floor. That’s what the police officer saw and why he took me into custody. I had no idea any of that was in there, and when they found your ID, I was shocked.

“Did you see Mom’s TV?” Alex asked. “Burt bought it for her last week. She was thrilled, but Dad and I knew it was just Burt’s way to try to make up for never getting her anything for her birthday or Mother’s Day for years. She loved listening to a CD player, and I’d given her a new one that had room for over a hundred CDs for her birthday. When she was thanking me for being such a wonderful son while Burt had forgotten her birthday again, he took off. She felt bad, thinking she’d shamed him.”

“He returned with the TV?” Sarandon asked.

“Yeah. I knew he was making pretty good money as a cameraman for the ghost-hunter show, but the TV was really expensive.”

“Are you sure he really wasn’t trying to make up for the years of not getting your mom anything?” Jenna asked.

“And to show me up. I just didn’t think he could afford anything quite that expensive, nor would he get her anything that cost that much. For himself, yeah, and then go into debt over it.”

“Unless he was using someone else’s credit card,” Sarandon said.

“Yeah. That’s just what I was thinking. The TV came from a computer and office supply store near us. Office Warehouse. I was in there shortly after that, like the next day, looking for some printer paper, and I checked out the TVs for curiosity’s sake. I wanted to find out the price of the brand he bought. It was the 4K HDR Elite, curved panel, 75-inch screen, and cost nearly $7,000.”

“That’s a lot of making up to your mother,” Jenna said.

“And not like Burt at all.”

“Why were you running as a wolf around here?” Jenna asked.

“I wanted to talk to you and Sarandon. I was afraid to. I couldn’t get up the nerve to call. I had to see you in person. To see if you could really help me out.”

“We will. We’ll do everything we can,” Sarandon assured Alex, damn glad they’d finally caught hold of him.