Читать книгу Lying with Wolves - Cynthia Cooke - Страница 11

Chapter 4

“Did you see that?”

Ruby’s eyes popped open as her sister, Jade, pushed on her shoulder. It was the middle of the night and a chill had seeped into the air and under her skin. They’d dropped off the truck as their cousin Celia had asked but then parked out of sight down the road and walked back up the hill to keep an eye on the truck. Something was wrong with their cousin, and Ruby knew Celia wouldn’t let them help her. She was hiding something from them, something big.

Ruby shook herself fully awake and yawned. “What?” she asked.

“I saw something,” Jade whispered.

She stared into the darkness and repositioned against the boulder, trying to find a smooth spot. “Where?”

“There.” Jade pointed.

Ruby peered into the darkness lit only by the blue glow of a full moon. “Are those wolves?”

“Or very big dogs.”

“Shit.” Ruby rubbed her arms. “We’ve been out here a long time. Who knows what kinds of animals roam the desert at night? What is taking Celia so long?”

“Who knows?” Jade said. “She was too cryptic on the phone. I hope she’s okay.”

“Me, too. She’s in some kind of trouble, I just know it,” Ruby said. “My scalp has been prickling all day, and you know that only happens when something bad is about to happen.”

“I know, I know,” Jade said. “But after that huge mess at the shop, why do we have to be so sneaky? Someone broke in and trashed the place, and her apartment upstairs, too. Add that to her phone call to bring her a vehicle and clothes in the desert, well, it would be very logical for us to stay and tell her about the shop and demand some answers.”

“True,” Ruby agreed, and sighed. “But if she wanted us to know about it, she would have told us already.”

“Maybe we should respect that and wait for her to tell us what she’s hiding instead of spying on her.”

“I would, if it wasn’t for what happened at the shop,” Ruby whispered. “That and the fact that my scalp is dancing all over my head. As long as she doesn’t find out we’re spying, no harm, no foul, right?”

“I suppose. She’s definitely been hiding something. Even I could tell that, and my scalp doesn’t dance.”

“Look!” Ruby gestured into the dark ahead.

Celia and the man they had seen in the shop earlier walked out from behind a large outcropping of rocks. Naked!

“Well, would you look at that?” Jade whispered, amazement ringing in her voice.

“They don’t even have a blanket or anything,” Ruby added.

“That is weird.”

“Doubly weird.”

Celia opened the back door of the truck, took out the sack of clothes and quickly dressed, glancing around her as she did.

“What in the world is going on?” Ruby whispered. “How did they get here? They aren’t even wearing shoes.”

“And it’s not as if they look all that...friendly to me. If you know what I mean,” Jade said, her eyebrows raised in that knowing look.

“I know,” Ruby agreed. “I thought she couldn’t stand that guy. She didn’t even want to see him. Hmm. Something weird is definitely going on.”

Celia and her man friend climbed into the truck and drove away.

“Is that it?” Ruby asked as they hurried back down the road toward their car.

“Well, what did you expect?”

“I don’t know. An answer or something. We’ve been here for hours.”

“But they never even saw us.”

“True,” Ruby agreed, and sighed. “Now what? Did we spend all night out in the desert for nothing? What do we do now?”

“Now we follow them.”

“What?”

“Obviously something is going on here, something wrong. Celia’s in trouble,” Jade said. “If we don’t help her, who will?”

“You’re right. Let’s do it.”

* * *

Several hours later, Celia woke to Malcolm’s hand softly stroking hers. In the haze of half sleep a feeling of warm contentment spread through her at the feel of his touch. She started to reach for him, but then the haze cleared and the memory of why he was there surfaced, bringing with it the shadows of regret and pain.

She opened her eyes and the wide expanse of freeway greeted her as she stared out the windshield. They were barreling through the desert, heading north toward home.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, the warm tendrils of his voice reaching deep within her.

“Tired,” she admitted, though she didn’t know how that was possible considering all she’d done was sleep since she climbed inside his truck the night before. “Where are we?”

“California. You’ve been out for seven hours. You hungry?”

“A little,” she admitted.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He smiled and, for a second, it was hard not to want to smile with him. To just let go of the anger and the darkness growing within her. To succumb to the comfort she knew he could offer. But she wouldn’t. She had to be strong. If she let him in, even for a second, he’d only hurt her again. All she had to do was get back to the Colony without letting him back under her skin. Two days. Three at the most. She could do this.

And then what? The stones surrounding the Colony had to be rejuvenated every two weeks. If they didn’t find someone else who could do it, she would be stuck there. Always.

“There’s a truck stop a few miles up ahead.”

“Sounds good.” She grabbed a book out of her bag, hoping the story would absorb her and draw her attention away from him. As long as he didn’t talk to her. Look at her. Touch her. She would be fine. A few minutes later, she threw the book back in her bag. It was no use. She could smell him. His rich, spicy scent reached inside her and settled in. She could feel him, his warmth, his strong presence even from across the cab. It made her want to touch him. Obviously she was a lost cause. Pathetic. Hopeless. And when it came to Malcolm Daniels, she always had been.

“Things are going to be a little different when we get back home,” he said, thankfully breaking into her thoughts.

“Why’s that?”

“Jason is the Pack leader now. Losing you wasn’t the only mistake I made. Things got a little out of hand. I made some really bad—”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, interrupting him. She was curious and tempted to let him finish, to sit there and let him ramble on about his mistakes and how sorry he was. To find out what he’d done. But did she really want to know? All that mattered was Scott had shot her mother and she would make sure he paid for it. She needed to focus on that and finding another Keeper, so she could get back to her new home. And that meant not getting embroiled in Malcolm’s life again. So instead of letting him finish, she pointed at the diner up ahead. “Is that it?”

“Yes,” he said, obviously confused and a touch... what? She looked at the sadness on his face. Disappointed? Yeah, she knew that feeling well.

“Good, I’m starving.”

* * *

A few minutes later, Malcolm watched Celia from across the small laminated table, trying valiantly to ignore him. She was determined not to make eye contact or even to speak. He could see how much pain she was in, and it was killing him. He brought this on her with his stupidity and greed. And he’d lost everything because of it. Somehow he had to make things right. He could live without being Pack leader, but he couldn’t live without her. He wouldn’t. But how could he get her back?

“So tell me about Sedona?” he asked, breaking the painful silence growing between them.

She glanced up at him, her eyes filled with indifference. “It’s beautiful.”

“Sparse.”

“And yet incredible with the red rock mountains and canyons. I never knew a place like that existed. So different from home, and yet so beautiful in its own way.”

Their food arrived—two plates heaping with thick slices of bacon, fluffy eggs and fried potatoes that were actually quite good. Silence grew once more between them as they ate. A wide chasm he didn’t know how to cross.

As he finished his food, fatigue fell over him, pulling him down. He wanted to tell her about the Colony, about his role in what had happened to her mother. He should be the one to tell her. But she wasn’t making it easy on him. And he supposed he shouldn’t start a conversation like that now. Not when he hadn’t slept for almost twenty-four hours. For that he’d need all his wits about him. But he also knew that as soon as she stepped foot inside the Colony’s borders, someone would tell her. He sighed and his eyes drifted closed.

“So how did Jason become Pack leader?” she asked, her tone hesitant.

His eyes popped open. He groaned inwardly and took a deep slug off his coffee. “I’ve made more than a few mistakes,” he began. “Starting with wanting to marry Shay.”

“It was a stupid plan,” she interrupted. “And one I still haven’t forgiven you for. But I’m glad it happened.”

“You are?” he asked, stunned. “Why?”

“Because it pushed me out of my comfort zone and out of the Colony. I love Sedona. I love my new life and I’m not going to give it up. I’ll rejuvenate the stones, but you are going to have to find another Keeper. I’m not staying there. Make no mistake.”

A chill filled him at her words. “There is no one else. You know that.”

“There could be. We will need to test everyone now, just to be certain.”

He watched her as he finished his coffee. She was so sure, so determined, and he knew that even as a Keeper she couldn’t survive outside the Colony on her own. Not for long. It wasn’t just the crystals that protected them; it was something with the magnetic pull of the mountains surrounding them. There was nowhere else like it.

He scraped his hand across his face. “I want you to be happy, Celia, I really do. But I’m concerned about your safety. You can’t stay—”

“I can make it work.”

Steely determination filled her eyes. He decided not to push it. Not now. Instead he placed his hand over his mouth as he yawned. “Honestly, I’m not sure how things got so off track.”

“Oh, really?” she said drily.

“Everything was going so well...but then you left, and it all just snowballed after that. I wish...” He couldn’t say how he wished everything could go back to the way it was before he screwed it all up. “I just don’t know how it all went so wrong,” he said finally.

She stared at him, her gaze hard. “I do. Scott started making noises—criticisms and complaints—and as his number of followers grew you got scared and made some really stupid decisions.”

He looked at her, his eyebrows raised.

“Hard to imagine, I know. But you’re not infallible, Malcolm. You’re not perfect.”

Frustration surged through his veins. “Why couldn’t Scott and the others see that bringing technology to the Colony—computers, telephone, TVs, the internet, all these fabulous changes the rest of the world takes for granted—has helped everyone? The economy in the Colony is thriving. People have opened online businesses—we know more now about the outside world than we ever have before. We had become stagnated and inflexible, but with my changes, my vision, all that has changed. Look how much we’ve grown in just the past year.”

“True, Malcolm. But the downside is people can now see what it’s like on the outside. They know what they’re missing—places they will never be able to visit, jobs they will never be able to have. What once was a sanctuary now feels like a prison. Our window to the outside world, the internet, the television, did that to us.”

“I’ve heard that before, but I don’t get it.” He pushed out a clipped breath. “I’ve been out here and I can’t wait to get back home. It’s dirty. There are people everywhere, and frankly, they’re rude with no respect for their surroundings or each other. How could you stand living with them? Living on the outside for so long?”

Finally she brightened. A sparkle entered her eyes and his insides twisted at the sight of it. “It was unbelievable, Malcolm. I loved it. The freedom. The energy. The artistic expression through everything from clothes to food. I saw things I’d never seen before, hell, never even imagined before. Movie theaters! They’re amazing and breathtaking. Giant TV screens with sound so loud it moves right through you.

“Foods like you’ve never dreamed of. And you should see some of the houses, boats and cars. Unbelievable. The excitement, innovation and enthusiasm are intoxicating. People can cut loose and let their guard down and do things they might not usually do when they’re at home because they can actually go out to a restaurant or nightclub and not see a single person they know. Can you imagine how freeing that is? To be able to go out to dinner with a friend and not have everyone in town know who that person was and what you were talking about.”

“No,” he said, and couldn’t help the bitterness in his voice. That was the one thing he hated about the Colony—the total and complete lack of privacy. Not only did everyone in town know who he was with and what he was doing, but hell, they were certain they knew what he was thinking. “I can’t imagine.”

“I really love it and I will go back. That, I can assure you.”

At that moment, he believed she would. And it scared the hell out of him. “But wasn’t it hard? Always hiding who you are? Never having anyone to run with, to talk to about...things with?”

She hesitated a moment, then looked him square in the eye. “Not at all.”

She was lying. He knew her well enough to see that. A yawn overtook him once more. His lack of sleep was finally catching up to him. “We should get going,” he said. “We’re going to need to drive in shifts so we can get back as soon as possible.”

“No problem.”

He handed her the keys and paid the bill. They left the restaurant. As they approached his truck, he climbed into the back and stretched out on the seat. “Wake me up in six hours,” he said as sleep reached for him. Had she really loved the outside world that much? Would she risk her life to stay out here? Jaya had warned her. He’d warned her. And if anything happened to her because he’d driven her away...

He shook off the thought. The Colony was not a prison. And it didn’t feel that way. Her words echoed through his fuzzy mind. Our window to the outside world, the internet, the television, did that to us. You did that to us. The words she did not say but meant. He honestly thought what he’d been doing for the Colony had been the best for all of them. Was it possible he’d been that wrong?

He thought of Jaya begging him not to bring the internet into the Colony. The people of the Colony, and especially Jaya, didn’t understand or appreciate that he’d done it all for them.

Only now Jaya was dead because of his feud with Scott—the man who had tried to boot him out and take over the leadership of the Pack for himself. They’d both gone too far and made mistakes that could never be undone.

* * *

Jade and Ruby dipped farther into the booth behind Celia, listening to their conversation, waiting until they both got up to go.

“Did you hear that?” Ruby asked.

“She is going to kill us,” Jade added.

“It was as though she knew we were here or something. It was creepy.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. She didn’t know. We should have announced ourselves.”

“What? And pop up like a demented jack-in-the-box stalker and say, ‘Surprise! We’ve been following you, spying on you, listening to you talk about how much you like going into restaurants and not seeing a single soul you know.’” Ruby covered her face with her hands.

“Okay, so now what?”

“Now we should go home. Leave them alone. You heard her. She’s going to come back to us.”

“Yeah, as soon as they find a Keeper, whatever the hell that is. We don’t even know where they’re going. What if she never comes back? How will we find her?”

Ruby sighed. “I don’t know. She never really said where ‘home’ was, did she?”

“The mountains.”

“Well, that narrows it down,” Ruby said, not bothering to hide her sarcasm.

“Okay, so again, what now?”

“Let’s just follow them a little farther. Just until we’re sure.”

“Sure of what?”

“I don’t know, but we’ve come so far already, and I still can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong.”

Jade sighed. “All right. But let’s run into the gas station next door, use the facilities and grab some doughnuts.”

“Doughnuts?” Ruby said with a crinkled nose.

“Fine, you grab a whole-grain muffin. I’m grabbing doughnuts. I’m starving.”

“One day all that sugar is going to catch up with you and then you’ll be sorry.”

“Ha! Fine, I’ll deal with it then, but look how much enjoyment I’m getting in the meantime.”

Ten minutes later they were back in the car, loaded up with food, drinks, extra T-shirts, ball caps—everything they needed to keep an eye on their cousin. They tore out of the parking lot and down the highway looking for that old pickup truck. But before they could find it, Ruby’s phone rang.

“Ruby, where are you?”

Ruby turned to Jade, placing her hand over the receiver. “It’s Mark,” she whispered, her stomach doing a massive flip-flop.

“What does he want?” Jade demanded under her breath.

Ruby shrugged. “Jade and I are taking a little vacation,” she said, forcing lightness into her voice. “Why?”

“Someone broke into your shop last night,” Mark said. “I’m afraid there is quite a bit of damage.”

“Oh, no,” she said, feigning shock.

“It doesn’t look as if anything was taken, but there is stuff everywhere.”

“All right. Thanks, Mark, for letting me know.”

“When will you be back?”

Ruby looked at Jade. “Oh, I don’t know. We’re taking a much-needed break.”

“I think you should come back now. You need to file a report. Where are you?”

“Honestly, Mark, we’re in Vegas. Just for a few days. We’ll be back as soon as we can. Can you lock up for me and keep an eye on the place?”

He hesitated. “Sure.”

“Thanks, Mark. I really appreciate it. Thanks for calling.” She disconnected the line.

“Vegas?” Jade asked.

“A girl can dream, can’t she? Besides, that should keep him from calling me for at least a day or two.”

“You are way too nice to that guy,” Jade said. “You should have given him the old heave-ho a long time ago.”

“I’ve tried. You know that. He just doesn’t take a hint.”

“Perhaps a two-by-four?”

Ruby smiled. “I would, but he’s a cop. He can and does invent any reason to come by and see me. All the time.”

“I’m just worried about you. That guy is freaky.”

“I know,” Ruby admitted as anxiety skittered along her nerves. “But no matter how distant I am, even rude sometimes, he just won’t go away. I’ve turned down his past three dinner invitations, and yet he still keeps coming around.”

“All right. Once we get back we’ll have to work on that. No more being nice.”

Ruby nodded. “I know, and you’re right. Sometimes guys like that do need a two-by-four.”

* * *

One of the best investments Mark Goodwin had made was the GPS tracker he’d installed under the dash of Ruby’s car. For the past three months, he had known everywhere she had gone, and how long she’d stayed there. And right now, by accessing the web through his phone, he’d tracked their location all the way into California.

He smiled as he pulled up behind the sisters on the freeway. He watched Ruby as she talked to him on the phone, as she lied to him. Rage lit a fuse inside him. What, did she think he was stupid? A lovesick puppy panting at her feet? Vegas! She was up to something, and it looked as though he was finally going to be able to prove what he’d always suspected about her.

Last night when the call had come in about the wolves behind the complex her shop was in, he’d known this was the chance he’d been waiting for. But by the time he’d got to the shop, he only caught a glimpse of the wolves high up on the hill with the Wildlife and Animal Control officers pursuing them through the canyons.

The back door of Ruby’s shop had been wide-open. The place had been trashed, but the cash register hadn’t been touched. Obviously someone had been after something. More secrets. He’d finished his shift and gone after her. He had done everything he could to insinuate himself into her life, knowing Ruby wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut for long, and here she was lying to him. Anger tightened his knuckles around the steering wheel. But he knew it wasn’t her fault, knew Ruby would be so much more manageable if it wasn’t for that overbearing and controlling sister of hers. He had to do something about that.