Logan's Acadian Wolves (31 page)

She sighed. None of this really belonged to her. It was merely an illusion of reality. Her life had been stolen. Everything she’d had in her purse was gone, taken by her captors. Smoothing down the soft fabric of her sleeves, she made a mental note to contact Jax’s secretary to have her forward her mail. She also needed her home laptop in order to report her credit cards stolen. Every last shred of her personal information was digitalized. His secretary could just download the info and send it to her. She could purchase a new laptop online, but she still needed a cell phone. Maybe tomorrow, she’d arrange to go to a local cell phone carrier where she could purchase a new one.

Dimitri’s hand on her shoulder startled her out of her daydream.

“Here, Wyn.” Dimitri held up a royal blue trench coat. “Go ahead, put it on. It’s nasty out there.”

Gratefully, she shrugged into the garment, noticing it was from Burberry. As she buttoned it up and buckled the thin black leather belt around her waist, she considered how she’d never splurge on something so extravagant. She looked up to Dimitri who attempted to give her a black patent leather clutch. Was he giving her someone else’s purse?

“But this isn’t mine…I mean I lost my bag…” she started.

“He knows. Here take it. I’m guessing it’s got all the basic lady stuff in it,” he surmised, turning off the kitchen light. “A gentleman doesn’t go through a lady’s purse.”

“Since when are you a gentleman?” Jake joked.

“Hey now, go easy, bro. I am so a gentleman.” Dimitri laughed and turned back to Wynter. “And before you ask, Logan got these things for you. I swear, that wolf shops more than a woman does. But then again, you can’t walk two feet around here without running into a store of some kind.”

“Thank you,” she replied thoughtfully.

Logan shopped for her? She wasn’t sure why the thought of him doing so made her feel a little better, but it did. The man surprised her at every turn. It made her feel that even if he’d been mad, he’d still cared enough to think of her. A flicker of hope sparked. As she headed out, safely between Jake and Dimitri, the sound of thunder clapped in the distance. She’d have to wait until after the funeral, but later tonight, she hoped they’d talk about what had happened.

A police officer ushered the crowd into the cemetery as the sheets of rain sliced through the lights of his emergency vehicle. The crowd of nearly a hundred people carefully shuffled through the narrow stone walkways. Battery operated lanterns illuminated the pathway toward the crypt. Between the cracked pavement and pebbles, Wynter feared she’d take a nosedive into a marbled tomb. She wrapped her hand around Jake’s arm in an effort to steady her feet. Unable to see ahead, she wondered how the jazz band managed to continue playing in the deluge. Yet the funeral dirge pounded a sad beat into the night.

By the time they neared the tomb, the music ended. The small space was thick with people and Wynter struggled to find a spot to stand, settling against the cold stone of another’s resting place. Creepy, she reasoned, but there was literally no room for all the living who had come to mourn. Through the bodies, she spotted Logan, who stood next to Luci. Her hateful eyes bore into Wynter. Surmising that Luci was engaging her in some kind of sick wolf intimidation, Wynter stared back as if to dare her to touch Logan. Thankfully, their gaze was broken as all heads turned to watch Fiona and an elderly woman, Dana’s mother, make their way toward the casket. Logan had explained to her that Fiona was Dana’s half-sister; they shared the same father. Yet Fiona appeared close with Dana’s human mother as well.

The smell of incense permeated the air as the priest blessed the tomb. The stone tablet had been removed and the rectangular opening had been draped for the service. The older woman sobbed openly, clutching on to Fiona as the final prayers were said. Wynter leaned her head forward, trying to hear the sermon. Upon a final ‘Amen’, a word passed between Logan and the priest, silencing the crowd. Her heart caught as she realized Logan was about to speak.

“My wolves,” Logan began somberly. “Dana. She was our doctor. Our friend. Our sister. She will be missed by our pack. But always remembered. We knew her as hybrid, but she was as much wolf as any of us.”

“And that is what got her killed!” Dana’s mother screamed, lunging at Logan. Fiona scrambled to hold onto the old woman, but she slipped from her grasp. “Wolves! You killed my husband! My daughter! I hate you!”

Logan easily caught the woman’s wrist as she attempted to slap him in the face. “Marguerite, please. I know this pain. I know,” Logan cried. “Don’t ever think for a moment I don’t. Marcel. Dana. We all miss them.”

“My baby, Logan, my baby,” the woman wailed as she fell into his embrace. “Oh God help me.”

Wynter watched intently as Logan cried along with the old woman. It was evident that he knew her well. It was as if Logan’s heart had been splayed open for all to see, but he didn’t deny the woman’s grief. No, he mourned with her, held her until she calmed. Others wept alongside them as the torrent fell from the skies.

Wynter’s feet began to move before her brain had a chance to process what she was doing. A sharp tug on her arm reminded her of where she was. Tears stung her cheeks as Jake pulled her toward him. Her wolf sought to comfort her mate, to care for him. But it wasn’t just her wolf, it was Wynter. Every part of her being needed to soothe him. As if Logan sensed what was happening, his eyes pierced the crowd and locked on hers. Both unable to speak or move, it seemed as if centuries passed while they locked in a gaze. The roar of a thunderbolt caused her to look up to the heavens, losing eye contact.

Logan felt Wynter’s concern, but it was the touch of an unmated male that caught his attention. But soon, he realized Jake was holding her back. She was coming for him. The caring expression on her face told him how much she needed him. The unspoken encouragement from his mate drove him to continue. Releasing the woman back to Fiona, he touched a loving hand to Dana’s coffin.

“Dana, my friend. You will never, ever be forgotten. Your death will not go unpunished. I promise you, as I stand here today,” Logan’s voice cracked as he fought his emotion, “you will be avenged.”

As he spoke his last words, Dana’s mother nodded in approval. The funeral director gestured for his workers to remove the draping. Logan gave a silent signal to Dimitri that it was time to place Dana into her final resting place. Six men held the casket by its handles, lifting it gently into the tomb’s upper vault. As it disappeared into the dark chamber, Fiona, and Dana’s mother led the procession of people to the exit while the sounding trumpets played, ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’.

Surreal as it was, Wynter watched as the people poured back into the narrow paths, silently thanking God no one had been struck by lightning. As if all the air had left her lungs, she struggled to make her way out of the cemetery. She concentrated, putting one frozen wet foot in front of the other. Small fingers grasped her wrist, and she peered under the umbrella to see Fiona standing in front of her.

“I am so sorry for your loss,” Wynter managed genuinely. If anyone knew loss, it was her.

“Thank you for coming. I know it mustn’t have been easy,” Fiona related with understanding. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

Unsure of what to say, Wynter dipped her head in acknowledgement and gave her a sympathetic smile. A gust of wind pushed both women onward toward the exit. Wynter gasped for breath and held tight to Jake, stumbling through the icy puddles. Jake pointed to a waiting limo, and she blindly followed. Relief filled her as a car door opened, and she fell, shivering, into its warm confines. Jake quickly pressed his hip to hers, forcing Wynter to move over into the next seat. As the heat hit her feet, she glanced up to find Logan staring at her.

Wynter’s stomach dropped as the elevator lurched toward the sky. She didn’t understand why they were in Logan’s high-rise, but kept quiet on their ascent. Fighting the claustrophobia, she closed her eyes after it passed the floor where she’d first met Logan in his office. A resounding jolt forced her to focus on the opening doors. Rain blew into the small chamber, causing her to gasp. What the hell? Instinctively, she covered her ears upon hearing the deafening whirl of the helicopter blades. Wind hit her face, and she stopped, frozen in disbelief. A small push between her shoulder blades put her feet back in motion, propelling her toward the blinking lights.

The pressure from the spinning rotors sprayed air and water onto them as they crossed the helipad. Wynter felt Logan wrap an arm around her waist, guiding her into the dimly lit cabin. Shocked as she was, she was relieved to be out of the weather. The soft tan leather seats felt smooth on her palms. She took in her surroundings, noticing that the luxury helicopter had four seats, complete with plasma TV screen and bar. Peering forward, she spotted a pilot through the small privacy glass.

Logan sat down next to Wynter, closing the door after Dimitri. Having never been in a helicopter, panic rose in Wynter’s throat. She looked to Logan and Dimitri who both appeared solemn but altogether calm as if they’d done this a million times. But of course they have, she thought to herself. Meanwhile, all she could think about was crashing in the middle of the night inside the little tin can. A very lush, expensive tin can, but still it was night and it was raining. Both of those factors could not be good, she reasoned.

“Why are we..?” she began to yell over at Logan, her face white with fright.

He reached behind her seat and grabbed a pair of headphones. Ever so gently, he placed them onto her ears, gliding his thumb down the side of her cheek. Wynter gazed into his eyes, wanting desperately to talk with him about what had happened, but as she went to open her mouth, he looked away and put a set on his own ears.

“Why are we taking a helicopter? Are you sure this is safe?” Wynter asked, her voice laced with alarm. “It’s raining.”

“Not optimal but it’s let up some. Besides, the wind has died down and there’s no fog. We don’t want to take any chances getting ambushed on the roads. Don’t worry, it’s safe.”

“‘Bout forty-five minutes to an hour, if the weather cooperates. You’ve never flown in a whirlybird, cher?” Dimitri inquired with a relaxed smile.

“No I haven’t,” she replied, gasping as they vaulted up into the night sky. Her fingernails dug into the leather, and she hoped they wouldn’t leave scratches. She watched in wonder as tiny lights below flickered in the distance as they buzzed toward their destination.

Logan, unable to take another minute of his self-imposed isolation, reached for Wynter’s hand. Slowly peeling her fingers from the seat, he placed her palm on his leg, and caressed her fingers. Goddess, he missed touching her. The small gesture sent loving tendrils throughout his body, reminding him that she really was his mate. When they got home, they’d have to have a long discussion about their relationship, her future as a wolf.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he assured her in a tender voice that he hadn’t used since before she’d left to go with Jax. He continued to massage her hand, sliding a thumb into her palm. “Just rest. We’ll be there soon.”

Wynter relaxed into the small but poignant contact. Her hand burned with warmth radiating from his thigh, and she fought the urge to lean into him, to touch him, to kiss him. As if her body obeyed his directive, she let her forehead rest against the cool window. Within seconds, she’d fallen fast asleep to the soft lullaby of the humming blades.

Creaking metal woke Wynter. The silence that followed told her they had landed. Logan, who’d already begun exiting, extended his hand.

“We’re home,” he told her.

Home?
No, his home, not hers, she thought. But still, that small spark of hope told her to embrace her future with optimistic curiosity. Her heart fluttered in response. With a cautious smile, she clasped her palm in his, accepting his assistance down the steps.

It was only a short ride from the helipad to Logan’s house. When they’d exited the car, Wynter eyed the blue tarp which covered the exterior of the huge contemporary house. It appeared unfinished yet lights glimmered through the undraped casement windows. Floodlights illuminated the fresh landscaping, and the smell of newly laid mulch and fragrant roses permeated the night air.