"So... who turned you?"

"Leidolf. It was either that or kill me, he said, since I learned what he was."

She wondered if Leidolf would be rethinking having turned him instead of choosing the other option after Sarge pulled this stunt. Probably.

Then she spied what looked like the main road, and as soon as she reached it, she turned south and sped up. At least she thought that was the right direction. h.e.l.l, was it the right direction? She'd been asleep when they had taken her to the ranch house.

"Do you know which way they took me to reach the ranch house after Leidolf picked me up?"

Sarge shook his head. "They left me at home, well guarded. Pierce and Quincy got into trouble that time, looking for you in their wolf coats."

Great. This clown couldn't even help with navigation.

She continued to head south, figuring if she was going the wrong way and Leidolf thought she'd go the right way, he wouldn't find her. She could always stop somewhere and get directions. If she was going the right way, so much the better.

She didn't have a clue what she'd do with Sarge when she reached her vehicle, though. She just couldn't take him with her.

He drummed his fingers on the armrest, and she was about to tell him to quit it when he asked, "Do you know the guys named Irving and Tynan?"

Ca.s.sie shook her head. "I've never met any of the pack members in this area before now."

"They're worried about you."

She glanced at Sarge. He shrugged. "I overheard them talking. Said that you could be trouble."

"How so?"

"I don't know, and I wasn't about to let them know I overheard them. They were turned against their will a long time ago, Fergus told me. They still hold a grudge. Plan to kill whoever bit them. That's all that I know. You're newly turned. You didn't bite them, did you?"

"No. I've never bitten anyone to change them."

"I've thought of it."

Ca.s.sie frowned at him. "Better not."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't. I just said I've thought of it. Jeez. Give me a break. Haven't you ever considered it? Some guy gets fresh with you? You shift and bite?"

"I have a little more control than that."

"Yeah, well, live a long time like this, and some day you might just feel like it."

She shook her head. Sarge was the one who was a real problem.

Only a few miles down the road, a vehicle's headlights closed in on her from behind. Maybe her fate was already decided for her. Ca.s.sie's skin chilled in antic.i.p.ation.

Chapter 16.

Before Leidolf could fully awake from his deep sleep, a better sleep than he'd enjoyed in months, Fergus barged into the bedroom, his face red, his heart pounding, his breath short, and Leidolf knew something had happened to someone in the pack.

Before Fergus could tell him what was wrong, his son hollered from the great room, "Dad? Where are you?"

Fergus shouted from Leidolf's bedroom, "I'll be with you in a minute, son."

"But... did Leidolf take off in the Jag?" Evan asked, moving down the hall toward the bedroom.

Leidolf glanced at the empty mattress. That's when the realization that Ca.s.sie hadn't been a dream finally struck him. "h.e.l.l." He jerked the covers aside and climbed out of bed.

With every minute counting, Leidolf noticed the dresser drawers pulled out, a missing sweater and pair of socks, and discarded jeans dumped on the closet floor. He glanced at the gla.s.s where he kept his Jaguar's spare key and swore under his breath. He'd give her points for tenacity.

Turning, he nearly collided with Fergus, Evan not far behind. "She's got my Jag. She's probably headed for the location where we found her initially. Gather ten of our ranch hands to look for her, Fergus. Call Elgin and tell him to have Laney let us know if, by some miracle, she only went out for a spin and returns here before we locate her." As if the woman just took his Jag out for a joy ride.

Leidolf began jerking on his discarded clothes. What the h.e.l.l was so important in the d.a.m.ned woods that the woman would risk returning there in the dark to where she'd already been shot once? The female red wolf?

"Can I go?" Evan asked, racing alongside Leidolf as he stalked out of his bedroom and down the hall toward the great room, giving his father a backward glance for approval while Fergus spoke on the phone to Elgin.

Giving teens more responsibility was always a pack leader's goal, and Leidolf suspected that had been Pierce and Quincy's problem. They hadn't been allowed to make mistakes when they were younger. He gave Evan a curt nod. Although at a time like this, in the event hunters were targeting anything that moved, he preferred Evan staying behind. "When Elgin gets here, you can go with him."

Evan gave a long face, and Leidolf knew the teen wanted to go with him. He looked back at Pierce and Quincy as they hurried out of one of the guest rooms where he hoped to keep better track of them, both b.u.t.toning up their shirts. "No wolf coats this time."

They wore stern frowns as they nodded, but they looked as though something else was troubling them.

Leidolf didn't have time for this, but Quincy took a deep breath and said, "We lost him. We don't want to leave the pack, but we... well, we were watching a game and didn't realize the little weasel took off without us knowing."

"Sarge," Leidolf growled under his breath. And then he narrowed his eyes at them. "h.e.l.l, he had better not have gone with Ca.s.sie. She wouldn't have taken him willingly. If he threatened her in any way, he's a dead man."

Pierce and Quincy headed outside to their pickup, but both looked like their necks were on the chopping block. Leidolf knew the only way he was going to get them on the right track was by giving them another chance... which in their case would most likely be many more chances, the way they were going.

He turned to Fergus. "Have every man who's available and staying behind look for Sarge, in case he's not with Ca.s.sie. If anyone locates him, let me know. And put a guard on him! If he's found, I want someone to watch him at all times."

Fergus was on the phone already, calling their people and issuing orders. He paused on the phone and said to Leidolf, "Will do."

For his pack members' sake, Leidolf managed to keep his cool despite being angered that the woman would get herself into a h.e.l.l of a lot more trouble the way she was going. Ditto for Sarge.

As soon as he stalked outside, he met several of his men waiting for his word, keys in hand. "You three head north, just in case she went in the opposite direction from the one I suspect to try and lose us. The others follow me."

With five pickups on the road, Leidolf drove his Humvee and headed in the most obvious direction, back to where Ca.s.sie had been found, and hoped she wouldn't run into any further difficulty before he caught up with her. He couldn't help worrying that Sarge might be with Ca.s.sie. Not that he figured she couldn't handle herself with him. He just didn't like the idea that she might be forced to.

As he drove toward the woods ten miles away, ones his people normally didn't hunt in--too close to home, but good when a pack member had to have a quick run to get it out of his or her system, he kept thinking he'd catch up to her. When he saw no sign of the Jag, he began to lose hope she'd come this way. Which made him realize how truly devious the woman was.

Despite being both angered and worried, he gave a small smile.

The vehicle followed Ca.s.sie mile after mile, although she slowed down enough for the driver to pa.s.s. He wouldn't take the bait. So she sped up and he sped up, reminding her of the problem she'd had with a creepy, stalker boyfriend. Which was another reason for not getting hooked up with another one anytime soon. If the gray lupus garou hadn't finally found a mate, she was sure he'd still be stalking her. No stalking laws for lupus garous, unfortunately.

She glanced in the rearview mirror and narrowed her eyes at the bright headlights. At first, she worried that the driver might be a police officer, but she didn't see a rack of lights on the roof of the sports utility vehicle.

"Who is it?" Sarge asked, his voice agitated as he looked over the pa.s.senger's seat.

"Can't tell. He won't pa.s.s. Maybe just someone who's tired and mesmerized with our taillights as he follows us."

Although it could be an unmarked vehicle, and the fact she was driving a Jag didn't help. If it had been any other make of car, she probably could have slipped away without anyone knowing anything different. Unless Leidolf's pack had a police officer, she suspected he wouldn't report that she'd stolen his vehicle. At least she hoped he wouldn't.

"I don't see a rack of lights on the top of the vehicle. Why the h.e.l.l couldn't you have stolen a less conspicuous car?"

"Leidolf didn't leave all his keys out for me to steal," she grumbled. Although as soon as she said it, she was mad at herself for explaining herself. She didn't owe Sarge any kind of explanation for anything.

She looked back at the road. A twisted tree caught her eye, and she recalled driving past it before. Heart lifting, she realized her car was only a couple of miles south of here.

That's when the blue lights on the grill of the vehicle behind her flashed, and her worst fears were realized. She was in a h.e.l.l of a lot of hot water.

"h.e.l.l," Sarge said. "What were you doing that you got the cops on our tail? I should have been driving."

"Just be quiet and let me do the talking," she calmly said, but her voice had bite, and if he said another thing...

She slowed down and pulled off onto the shoulder, but she kept her foot on the brake due to the slight decline in the hill. The mini-SUV stopped some distance behind her, but no one got out of the vehicle. Her palms grew sweaty as she clutched the steering wheel. He had to be calling in the plates, maybe checking with Leidolf to see if she'd stolen the Jag if he was suspicious of her driving. She knew she should have been driving faster.

So what would Leidolf say? If the guy wasn't a lupus garou, Leidolf probably wouldn't have her arrested. Or maybe he would.

Pack leaders whose pack members tested them could be totally unpredictable, even if she wasn't one of his members. Sarge could be another real problem. She didn't trust him to keep his mouth shut in front of the police officer.

The vehicle behind her continued to idle. Come on, come on. Get it over with. She slipped her foot off the brake, and the car rolled forward, but then she figured he might think she would try to make a break. She would, but not the way he probably would expect. Maybe nothing would happen. He'd say, 'Hi, false alarm,' and let her go on her way. Fat chance.

"What's he doing now?" Sarge asked.

"Just sitting in his car. Probably checking the license plate to see who owns it and if anyone has reported it stolen. If the guy is a lupus garou, he'll just 'arrest' us, so to speak. If he's not, Leidolf might have enough influence to have the guy detain us until he gets here. Either way, it's not good."

She applied the brake again and tapped her other foot on the floor. Come on, come. Do something.

"Make a run for it. The Jag's got to be fast enough that we could outrun his vehicle."

She gave him a get-real look. As noticeable as the car was, even if they could outrun the police vehicle, helicopters would soon see the yellow Jag anywhere along the winding, hilly road.

Maybe the officer had contacted Leidolf and was waiting for him to arrive to confiscate his vehicle and her and Sarge. She just hoped the officer would hurry up and greet her at the Jag. Then she'd make her move.

Leidolf hadn't gotten far down the road when his cell phone rang. Jerking it off his belt, he flipped it open and recognized the sheriff's number. Good news hopefully. "Yeah, Sheriff?"

"Mr. Wildhaven, I stopped a Jag that was driving slower than normal, brakes kept being applied, and the vehicle was weaving a bit. So I ran the license plates and found it was yours. We didn't have any others in the area, and you said you never drive it, so I just wanted to make sure the Jag hadn't been stolen."

Thank G.o.d for small miracles. Donating to the local sheriff's department, which didn't have a lupus garou on staff, sure had gotten his b.u.t.t out of a sling a few times. Not his exactly, but a couple of his pack members' rather.

"Thanks, Sheriff. We're engaged to be married, but we had a bit of a disagreement. She's never driven the Jag before, so she's probably not real familiar with it. Where are you exactly?"

The sheriff gave him directions, and Leidolf said, "Just hold her for me, will you? We'll be right there."

"You got it, Mr. Wildhaven. And congratulations."

"Thanks. Anyone else with her?"

"I'm headed to the vehicle now. It's hard to tell who's in the car since the windows are so darkly tinted and with it being night and all."

"All right. Thanks. Be there shortly."

Leidolf pa.s.sed the word along to his men and couldn't have pushed his Humvee any faster on the curving road after getting word that the sheriff had caught up with his little runaway wolf and maybe that idiot Sarge. Didn't she realize how conspicuous she would be in the Jag?

Good thing for him. This time she wasn't getting away from him. And he was going to learn the truth about her. All of it. One way or another. As for Sarge, if he was with her and had coerced her in any way, Leidolf wouldn't be responsible for his actions.

Ca.s.sie watched in the rearview mirror, her skin perspiring lightly in Leidolf's flannel shirt and wool sweater that smelled musky and--if she was willing to be honest with herself--heavenly.

Sarge smelled of sweat and fear. She'd strangle him if he said anything that gave them away.

The driver's door of the police car opened slowly. Police had the market on giving good guys--well, normally good guys--a case of nerves. Can you move any more slowly than that? she wanted to scream.

Her eyes glued on the rearview mirror, she antic.i.p.ated his every move like a wolf would.

He slapped a notebook against his leg, his look fierce, sure to put the fear of the law into her. And she would spill all her secrets as soon as he opened his mouth and began questioning her. Right.

Sarge shifted again in his seat. "Now would be a good time to make a run for it."

She ignored him but moved her foot to the gas pedal. Outrunning the police wasn't really in the plans. If she continued on this road in the direction she was headed, she'd drive right by her car. And if she tried to make a quick stop and switch cars at the trailhead, the police officer would catch her at it and could run her plates and know exactly who she was.

He drew closer, and although he carried a few extra pounds, he looked too fit to walk so darned slowly.

At least he hadn't drawn a weapon yet.

"h.e.l.l," Sarge said, folding his arms across his chest. "We could have left him choking in the dust."

As if this place ever got dusty, as rainy as it was. Muddy was more like it.

She opened the car window and tried to look cool and collected.

When the police officer reached her door, she let out her breath, not even realizing she'd been holding it.

"Ma'am, can you open your door for me? And turn off the ignition, please." The dark-haired man peered into the vehicle, his brown eyes darkening as he saw Sarge.

Now he had his hand near his revolver. As much as she didn't want to, she opened the door and pushed it wide, but she didn't turn off the engine, while she still rested her foot on the brake. His gaze went from her face downward to her bare legs. The shirt and sweater pooled over her lap, but it only reached about thigh-high. Socks, no shoes. For a minute, her appearance distracted him, and he didn't say anything about the fact she hadn't cut the engine.

His brows arched a little, and he said, "Turn off the vehicle, miss."