There’s a long pause while my pack stares at me like I announced I wanted to put on a pretty pink tutu and dance a pas de deux.
“I could stay,” Lance offers.
“I don't need a babysitter.” Enough of this fucker. I bare my teeth. In answer, Lance’s wolf makes its presence known, eyes flashing blue. My wolf surges to the fore, a second away from snapping its chain.
“Fine.” Rafe steps between me and his brother, inserting himself physically. Ever the peacemaker, until we piss him off too far. Then he kicks our asses. Not a perfect system, but it works. “Deke, you do what you want. The rest of us are heading back.” He jerks his head, and Channing and Lance march to the bikes. Rafe hangs back.
“You sure about this?” he mutters to me. My alpha’s the only one who has the right to ask this question, and it still makes me bristle. I don’t have the best track record around humans. I’m not charming, like Lance. I get downright surly, and if provoked… well, let’s just say trouble is guaranteed
Rafe knows this, and he keeps a closer eye on me. If he were a lesser wolf, my wolf would challenge him and rip him to shreds.
Most of the time, I’m glad Rafe is a better fighter than me. If I ever lost control or went too far, he’d be there to put me down.
But tonight, I want to be left alone. “I’m good,” I say and stretch my lips in a semblance of a smile. This is my happy face, and I know it leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve been told skeletons are less creepy.
Sure enough, Rafe shakes his head. “Don’t show that to civilians. You’ll scare them,” he orders, but then he slaps my arm in universal bro code for “Take care,” and leaves me, heading in the direction of the bikes.
A sigh heaves outta me when my pack rides away. Normally, I’d be glad to get away from this town and all these people. Happy to be on the motorcycle. There’s nothing like a long ride on the mountain roads, the wind rushing over me and chilling my arms, nothing between me and the night sky. But tonight, I’ve got more important things to do than ride.
I lift my head to the moon and drink in the candy sweetness. I’m gonna find the owner of this sweet scent before my wolf goes crazy—crazier than he already is.
Sadie
I’m quiet for the rest of Whine Wednesday. I leave the whining to my friends, and, a little after sunset, I bow out early.
“School night,” I tell the ladies as I say my goodbyes.
As I cross the plaza, I turn on my phone. It buzzes with all the missed texts and calls. Two voicemails from Scott. One from my dad. I don’t know which message I dread more.
At least the night is pretty. The sun has sunk below the horizon, leaving a haze of twilight blue. I thought about leaving Taos, running away like my mom did. But I don't want to leave my hometown. Besides, I’m more like my father than I care to admit. Stubborn. I might be quiet and sweet, but I don’t like to lose.
A few more text messages pop up on my screen. From Scott, Where are you? And then, I know it’s Wine Wednesday. He spelled it wrong, even though I’ve told him about the pun repeatedly. A simple detail, and he can’t bother—or doesn’t care. It makes me grit my teeth. It wouldn’t bother me, but Scott always looked down on my friends. They were polite enough to him in support of me, but I wish I had let Adele tear him a new one.
I start to order a rideshare home—I don’t drive my car into town on Wednesdays since I know I’ll be drinking—but before I can confirm, a text from Scott comes through that makes a chill run down my body. I see you’re at Lizanos. I’m here in the plaza, by the Rideshare pick up spot. Let’s talk.
Oh no. I hustle forward, but I’m too late. I see the blue sign and sure enough, there he is—a tall, lanky man in black slacks and a sleek athleisure wear jacket. Scott. He’s got his bluetooth headset on, and by the way he’s gesturing, I can tell he’s talking to someone on the phone. Probably making a deal to raze a hundred year old adobe church and put in a bunch of condos and a strip mall.
I halt and step behind a small hut that’s a permanent market stall. I could go back to my friends and ask for an escort to the rideshare area, but with several drinks in them, at least one of them will insist on confronting Scott. And the other two will join in, and it’ll be a scene.
What am I going to do?
A strange green light flashes at me from the alleyway. A dark shape slouches in the shadows. As I watch, it straightens, growing taller and enormous, as a giant man emerges. It’s the biker guy from earlier, the one who winked at me. I recognize him even in the dark. He’s got his shades propped on his head. His eyes are dark brown but catching the light in a weird way—flashing green. He’s looking right at me.
Can you imagine Sadie showing up with a guy like that?
I clutch my cardigan closed. I have a wild, crazy idea, and before I lose my nerve, I walk over to him.
Scary biker dude is even bigger up close. He’s got dog tags on a chain around his neck. Military, like Charlie said.
I lick my lips. I can’t even believe I’m doing this. “Excuse me,” I call to him. My voice comes out squeaky. I clear my throat and try again. “Excuse me. Can you help me with something?”
He steps forward like he was just waiting for my invitation. His head cocks to the side, and his perfect lips part. “Yeah, sweetheart?” His voice is deep and soft. Normally, I hate being called sweetheart, but his eyes are on my face. His nostrils flare like he’s breathing me in, and his eyes seem to turn even more green.
His intense regard is a little unnerving.
“Um,” I squeak again. “I’ve got a problem.”
“Problem?” he echoes.
“Yeah. It’s not that big of a deal, but I was hoping you could help me.” This is crazy. This is nuts. This is the boldest thing I’ve ever done, and I’ll probably never have the nerve to do again. Maybe it's the mango margarita talking, or maybe it’s just me being brave for once.
“Sure thing, sweetheart.” Biker man agrees so quickly I lose my train of thought.
“You don’t even know what it is.” I gaze up into his brown eyes and get a little dizzy.
He shrugs. “Try me.”
“Okay. There’s this guy,” I say in rush. “He’s actually my ex, and he’s kinda bothering me. He tracked me down somehow, and he’s over there, waiting for me.” I point to the rideshare parking spot.
The biker peers around the corner. A low, rumbling sound seems to emit from his chest. The biker turns back to me, and the sound abruptly cuts off. “You want me to kill him?”
“No.” I giggle at the joke. Because it has to be a joke, even if the man sounds dead serious. “Silly.” I shake my head at him like he’s one of my kindergarten students.
A grin forms at the corners of his lips, and I feel warm all over.
“You sure, sweetheart?” Now there’s a hint of teasing in his voice.
“Yeah.” I play along. “It’s too public here. And where would we even hide the body?”
The guy scratches his chin. “We could figure something out. You could lure him somewhere. Somewhere remote. And I could make it look like a wolf finished him off.”