Jett's Wild Wolf (Mystic Wolves 3) (8 page)

A breeze whipped by, bringing with it the smell of food. Yeah, she was putting food first on her list after she hit the bank. She’d been making regular trips the sixty plus miles at least twice a month when Keith had thought she was at the library, tucking away money she had made, or stolen when he wasn’t looking. It wasn’t a lot, but enough to get her out of South Dakota.

Faint rustling made her look over, squirrels jumping over each other, neither scared of the giant cat crouched near them. Either she was really good at hiding, or they were completely oblivious. She tilted her head, making sure there wasn’t anything out of place before she shifted. Her biggest regret was not having her purse, but she had a safety deposit box with a duplicate ID. Damn, she hated Keith with a passion. Making sure she had on a fashionable, yet classy outfit, she stepped out of the woods.

Sighing, she was glad her kind was able to form clothing with only a thought, only she wished they could do the same with documents as well. Being part fey, thanks to her mother was something she would be forever grateful to the other woman for, and the fact she’d taught Taryn as much as she could, when Keith wasn’t beating them down, before she’d been allowed to go back to her family, or wherever she’d come from.

Frustration consumed her, but she strolled through the town, acting as if she was normal. At the bank doors, she chanced a look around. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, she pulled the heavy door open, pasted a smile on her face and prayed the bank manager who’d flirted with her before remembered her. Even though she had turned him down, surely he’d allow her to prove who she was by getting the proof out of the box. “If not I’ll bite him,” Taryn griped as she stepped into the cool interior.

“Ah, Miss Cole. What brings you back so soon? I hope it’s to accept my dinner invitation.” Doug Lancaster the bank manager walked out from behind the glass enclosed room of his office. Had she not been in lust with one tattooed asshat, she might have wanted the buttoned up exec.

She gave a smile, and held out her hand. “I’ve actually come to clean out my account. A job opportunity came up in California that I can’t pass up.” Her nerves were stretched, but she hoped her pulse wasn’t showing it.

He looked her up and down, probably wondering what kind of job a girl who had dark hair with purple streaks, and tattoos could get. She’d always dressed up when she’d come up, but her right arm was covered in a full sleeve, along with the right side of her abdomen. Not that he’d gotten that close and personal with her. The outfit she’d clothed herself in before walking out of the surrounding forest was pinup style, something she’d never worn in Sturgis or Deadwood.

“Well that is a shame. At least let me buy you dinner before you go.” He tilted his short cropped blond head in a charming way she knew most women would be dropping their panties for.

Smiling, she nodded. “That sounds lovely. I have another issue. My purse was stolen, along with all my identification. Will that be a problem? I have another set in my Safety Deposit Box which will remedy it.” She touched his arm, letting her fingers curl around his bicep. The feeling of wrongness entered her from the slight touch.

He made a motion for her to follow him, and inexplicably she wondered why she couldn’t have fallen for him as he ushered her through the retrieval of her things. Noting the time, and his real want to spend the evening with her, she said all the right things.

Outside, quiet embraced her as she turned to face him. “I’ll meet you in an hour. Thank you for letting me get my things.” She stared up at him.

“You’re very welcome. California is a big state. You sure you want to go there?” Blue eyes stared down at her.

Taryn amended her earlier wish. Something was off about his demeanor. She was glad they weren’t alone, his tall frame seemed to loom over her. Taking a step back, her polite mask in place she nodded.

She started down the street, her back straight, knowing he watched her the entire way. The storage unit where she kept her purple 57 Chevy truck was at the far end of town. After her last encounter with the Mystic Pack she’d repaired the small leak in the oil pan, then brought it up to Belle Fourche for safe keeping. She’d known someone in her pack had been tampering with her baby. Now, she was glad she’d had the foresight or she’d be without wheels.

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J
ett snarled. Foliage showed no signs of her wolf having run through. Mile after mile he and several of his pack had searched, and not even a clue could be found. “How the fuck could she have disappeared without a trace like that?” He was taken aback by their lack of ability to find her.

Niall and Zayn looked at him then at the darkening sky. A minute ticked past, then two. Jett knew they were speaking, possibly to their mates as well. He’d take what help he could get.

“My mate says if she had an inkling that the man she’d just slept with thought she was a traitor, and since she comes from a pack with an alpha that was, in her words, less than noble, she’d run far and fast. Did you, in any way give Taryn an indication that you thought she was guilty of putting the taint in you?”

“No,” Jett barked, then he thought of the way he’d looked at her as he’d passed. Her mental walls were strong, but maybe she’d sensed his feelings, or maybe she was able to slip into his mind undetected and had read his thoughts. He shook his head with regret.

Niall studied him for several long minutes. “You realize she’s no ordinary woman, right? I mean what she did for you at the club, taking on your injuries is something I’ve never seen or heard done before. I talked with Emerson and Payton, who both said it was something only a strong fey could do. Only, I didn’t sense the same thing in her that I do with Alaina.”

His brows drew down as he thought about the fey women he knew. Alaina was Niall’s wife and was part fey, part wolf. She’d mated Niall after his first wife had died from a gunshot wound when a hunter had thought she was a normal wolf, wanting her pelt. Niall had exacted revenge, and mourned her death for years. The other fey he’d met all had an aura or sense that radiated from them, even if they were part wolf.

Humans DNA make up was very much like a fey, except they had longer lives and were magical. Okay, he corrected himself, humans were similar in the fact they shared a lot of the same structures, but the fey had more...everything.

Zayn clapped him on the back. “We can continue to scour the countryside, but unless she wants to be found, I don’t think we will find her tonight.”

“No.” He looked around at his pack. “At first light I’ll head out on my bike. She’s very distinctive. If she hitched a ride, someone will remember seeing her. Or if I catch her scent I’ll...” he stopped himself. The chances of that were slim to none and they all were aware of that.

They all shifted as one, racing back toward Mystic. Jett felt he’d missed the mark when they’d headed back to Sturgis. The little car she’d driven wasn’t the vehicle with the leak he’d seen the first time he’d spied her. Back inside his house he prowled the interior, her presence permeated the air. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and thought of what he did know about her.

She’d saved his life when she didn’t have to, which meant if she’d planted the taint in him, then why would she have saved him. He thought back to the first night he’d sensed her presence, the instant connection and how his wolf demanded he follow her, when his duties were to guard the men who’d attempted to kill the alpha’s mate. Again, if she’d wanted to kill him, she’d had the opportunity then, but hadn’t. He’d also slept with her, and not in the fuck like bunnies way, although he thought his euphemism fucked up since he was a wolf shifter, he’d actually held a woman all night while he allowed himself to relax and sleep in the same bed. His arms had ached at one point when he’d woken from the odd angle they’d slept, but he’d made himself stay still, not wanting to wake her. If he’d been asked, he would’ve denied it, but he’d enjoyed having Taryn next to him. Not a faceless, nameless woman. But Taryn.

His wolf howled at the loss of what it thought was his, and Jett questioned both man and wolf’s sanity. Why did she feel so familiar to him?

He took a shower, and crawled into the bed that still held the combined scents of them both. As sleep claimed him, he felt a tug on his subconscious. An image of a town about an hour north of them flashed into his mind as clear as if he’d been standing there. He stared at a stately bank building, the name of the town etched on the brick surface followed by the banks showed him where he was. He loosed a long sigh and looked around more clearly for signs of Taryn. Farther down the road his vision blurred until he could see a row of newer storage containers. A sign that stated they were large enough to hold vehicles, or houses caught his attention.

Gotcha
. If he could get to her before she did another runner, Jett planned to grovel if needed. Hell, surely she’d understand everyone had the occasional dark and twisted thoughts. His sprung from an outside source. More than likely from the evil that had attacked them when they’d saved Cora, Zayn’s mate. He’d suffered a few injuries, but had thought nothing major. They still weren’t sure what the other being was completely, other than a psychotic freak of nature.

He slept fitfully for the few hours, waking slightly refreshed, he jumped out of bed. Showering quickly, he dressed in a pair of jeans and T-shirt, snapping on a pair of leather chaps and pushing his feet into a pair of boots, before striding into his garage. The Harley sitting next to his truck was gassed up and ready to roll. Jett put his skullcap on, considered calling his alpha, but shrugged it off. When, not if he found Taryn, they had a few things to work out.

For once, Jett didn’t feel the need to connect with Niall or Zayn. A woman had taken up the space he reserved for his friends and family. He knew, without a doubt in his mind, that she was going to be the biggest pain in his ass. Yet, he was looking forward to the oncoming confrontation.

Wind whipped past him as he sped toward the town where he was sure she’d gone. How she’d lost them in the forest surrounding his property was something he’d get to the bottom of. He made the hour drive in less than forty-five minutes. The streets were almost empty save for a few people milling about.

His motorcycle rumbled to a stop at the four way near the bank he’d seen in his dream. A blond man came out with a young woman, the hand at her back moved down to caress the firm ass encased in the short skirt. Jett shook his head as he watched the man and woman, both in business suits, trying to be proper. His nose picked up the woman’s clear arousal on the air. As he went to let off the brake, Jett heard the man whisper he couldn’t tonight. When the woman walked off, the name Taryn coming from the suit’s lips had Jett’s wolf snarling.

He looked again at the man, inhaling deeper for any trace of Taryn. An old trace lingered, its source barely there, and heading away from the bank. If she’d been there, it had been for a brief time. She was smart and crafty and more than likely needed the man’s help in getting her cash out of the bank.

Hell, she was more than that to have eluded not only him, but Niall and Zayn along with several other wolves. Pride welled in his chest.

The storage unit called to him like a beacon. Inhaling he caught the sweet scent that he knew belonged to only one woman. “Taryn,” he whispered her name like a prayer.

Aisle after aisle he motored down the rows of look-alike units. Footprints of a small person riddled the ground, followed by several other larger ones, had him stopping the bike. He kicked the center stand up, and was off in a flurry of movement. Jett raised his head, opened his senses, looking for the one that was
her
. On booted feet he rushed around the last row, zigzagged around several more, cursing the long rows. Finally deciding to take to the top, he jumped, landing with a thud on top of the aluminum. Three rows over he saw Taryn squaring off with two men, and another trying to sneak around from behind her.

His beast roared. Taryn’s head jerked in his direction. Even from the long distance he saw her blue eyes flash fire at him. Yeah, he had some explaining, groveling and all around ass kissing to do. Of course, she was in for a spanking as well. His palm itched to do just that for the harm she put herself in. First he had a lesson to teach some human men.

He spotted the open door behind her with the purple truck visible. As he jumped from the top of one building and then down and over to the next, visions of her trying to run away from him flashed into his head. Not gonna happen baby girl.

At the building behind the men he landed with a thud. “Howdy, boys. What’s going on?” He looked Taryn over for any injuries, his dick hardening at the sight that met his eyes. She wore a spaghetti strap dress that fit like a glove from chest to hips, then flared out to her knees in a black and white polka dot print, with red fuck me, god yes he thought, pumps. No wonder the suit had thoughts of her in his mind. Her hair looked like it had been windblown, the just got out of bed look that he loved. Her full sleeve tattoo was on total display. He wanted to trace every inch of her with his lips and tongue, but he’d have to wait until they were away from the three stooges.

“She owes for the unit and refuses to pay.” The man with a potbelly spoke. His overalls looked like they were two sizes too small.

“Hmm, well, now we can’t have that.” Jett stood up, then jumped, landing behind the two men. “You, behind the building. You wanna come out where I can see you?”

Taryn sighed. “I had this under control.”

Jett tilted his head to the side. “Somehow, I don’t doubt that.” He turned to the first man who spoke. “What does she owe you?”

The man looked at Jett’s clothes, his tattoos and piercings. The amount he mumbled sounded right, but he looked up at Taryn and waited for her to agree. Pulling his wallet out of his pocket he handed the bills over, waiting for the man to come closer. As he did, Jett grabbed him by the back of the head. “You ever try to pull that shit on a woman again, and I find out, I will hunt you down and gut you. Do you feel me,” Jett growled, letting his voice go deeper, allowing his wolf to surface just enough the man had no doubt he meant business. When he didn’t immediately answer, Jett fisted his overalls, lifting him up to meet eye-to-eye. Since Jett was an easy six to seven inches taller than the man, it was a show of his strength to all the men present.