SizzlingInsanity (2 page)

“She was spying on Garrison and it obviously wasn’t the
first time if she managed to elude you for so long before you caught her. She
knows this terrain. We don’t know who she is or what she wants and you couldn’t
keep it in your pants long enough to bring her back to the house.”

Connor clenched his jaw, knowing his brother was right.

“You’re right. I fucked up.”

“She can’t be with HAW if she’s a wolf,” Cade remarked.

“Unless she’s a traitor,” Connor said. “Maybe she was hired
to watch the senator and report back. Maybe she doesn’t know the reason why.”

Cade gave him an incredulous look. “So she’s stupid as well
as a traitor?”

No, Connor didn’t believe she was stupid. He also hated to
think that she was a traitor, despite how furious he was at her.

The punishment for traitors was death.

“Come on, the sooner we track her down, the sooner we’ll
know,” Cade said, pulling off his clothes.

Connor ignored the dizziness and nausea as he stripped, then
let the wolf take over. Immediately, the pain in his head lessened. By the time
he changed back, he’d be completely healed.

He paced around the clearing until he had a lock on her
scent. Cade moved up beside him, taking in her scent. Then they were off,
following her trail through the woods. She’d tried to hide her tracks and with
anyone less experienced at tracking, she might have succeeded in covering her
movements.

Clever. But not smart enough to elude the two of them. Cade
and Connor were excellent trackers and soon they found themselves at the edge
of a large clearing with a view of a wooden house and barn.

The house looked as if it had seen better days. The porch
sagged in places and two of the windows had been boarded up. The roof was
missing a large number of shingles. Smoke drifted out of the chimney.

The barn was in better shape. It looked newer and the paint
on it was barely chipped.

They ran around the perimeter of the house, sticking to the
trees for cover in case anyone inside decided to glance out.

He growled when he scented other males. Who did she live
with? He moved even closer to the house.

Cade stepped in front of him, growling back. Connor stood
his ground. He might be the easygoing one of the two, but when his temper was
fired up he could hold on to it for days.

Cade snarled at him in warning, pushing him back.

Even though his wolf longed to storm inside and show the
little bitch who was boss, he knew Cade was right. They had to figure out who
she was first. They had no idea what they’d find in that house and without
backup it could be a fool’s mission.

Connor nodded. They both turned away and took off. Now that
they knew where she lived, they could go back and plan their next move.

First thing was to find out who the hell she was.

* * * * *

Connor glanced around at his team. He’d hand-picked these
werewolves. They were all smart, tough, and loyal. Most of them were misfits,
those that didn’t quite fit into a pack structure.

Like him and Cade.

Even though they’d grown up the Alpha’s sons and their
oldest brother had taken over for their father to become Alpha, they’d never
meshed with everyone else. Oh, their family loved them and they felt the same.
But the two of them always held themselves just a little apart.

They’d never lead their own pack. Cade couldn’t handle that
and Connor didn’t want the responsibility of that many people relying on him.
He had two older brothers who were Alphas and he didn’t see how he could ever
be as good as they were.

Gage and Bishop Reid, two brothers from his old pack, had
decided to follow him and Cade out from South Carolina. They were Connor’s best
friends. They were damn good men and there was no one he’d want more at his
back in a fight.

He glanced over at Trick Summers, a tall, slim werewolf with
thick, red hair. Trick hid his emotions behind a killer smile and an easygoing
attitude. Beside him sat Hudson McMahon, a quiet man with dark hair and deeply
tanned skin. Dylan Rock was the final member of their team. He was their tech
geek. He was playing around on a tablet, his long, blond hair covering his face.

Connor had just finished telling them what had happened
earlier that afternoon, leaving out the part where he’d fucked up because he’d
been thinking with his cock rather than his head. Instead, he’d simply told
them that she’d managed to knock him unconscious and get away.

“So,” Cade said. “What pack lives over here?” He stood and
moved to the large map of the local area that was projected onto the wall. He
pointed to the place they’d tracked the girl to.

Trick frowned. “That’s Sunnyland pack land. But they’ve got
no reason to be spying on Garrison. In fact, I happen to know that their Alpha,
Jack Masters, has been very vocal against the bill. Jack’s got a temper but
he’s no traitor. Where exactly was this house?”

Trick stood and moved closer to the map as Cade pinpointed
the exact place.

“Huh, that’s weird.”

“How so?” Connor asked.

“Most of the pack lives on this side of the estate. There’s
a large river running through the estate and the best land is over this side.
If this house is over here then it’s isolated from the rest of the pack. No
pack is going to let a female live out there alone. Jack’s a hard man. He
certainly wouldn’t allow a traitor to live on his land.”

“We need to find out who she is, what she wants, and whether
she has any accomplices,” Connor said seriously.

“Best way to do that might be to snatch her,” Gage warned.

Connor nodded. This time when he got his hands on her he
wasn’t going to let her get the best of him.

* * * * *

Shelby sat huddled in the barn, her forehead resting on her
drawn-up knees. That had been too close, way too close. She couldn’t believe
she’d nearly gotten caught.

Thank God the binoculars had been within reach or she’d
probably still be under that giant werewolf. She shivered at the memory, only
it wasn’t a shiver of disgust. For a moment she hadn’t wanted him to stop,
she’d actually enjoyed what he’d been doing to her.

What was wrong with her?

Her body certainly hadn’t cared who he was. Before coming to
her senses, she’d been completely caught up in his kisses, the way he’d played
with her nipples, caressing her.

She’d forgotten the fact that he was the enemy and had
nearly gotten herself captured.

With a deep sigh, she stood and glanced down at her hands,
glad to see they’d finally stopped shaking.

After knocking the big werewolf unconscious, it had taken
about five minutes to get his dead weight off her. When she’d finally wiggled
her way free, she had frantically checked to make sure he was breathing, not
questioning how relieved she was when she found a heartbeat.

Then she had taken off. The entire way home, she had been
paranoid that he would catch her. But she’d made it safely home an hour ago.
After seeing her cousins’ vehicles in the driveway, she’d hidden herself in the
barn, knowing that if they saw her like this they would pester her until she
told them what was wrong.

She loved her cousins dearly, but they’d be furious if they
learned what she’d been up to. Besides, if she told them then they would
interfere and this was her problem to solve. She’d brought enough turmoil into
their lives.

To keep them out of this she needed to hide how upset she
was. She hated lying to them—they’d taken her in, looked after her despite how
much trouble she’d brought with her. Even after her uncle had died, her cousins
wouldn’t hear of her leaving. They were the only family she had and she loved
them.

Stripping, she grabbed a hose and washed herself as best she
could. She’d hidden a towel and another set of clothes in the barn in case her
cousins arrived home before she did. She dried herself off then dressed. She
headed toward the house, shivering in the cool air. At least with the guys at
home, they’d have a fire in the fireplace and the house would be toasty warm.

Opening the back door, she walked inside. If she were lucky
maybe they’d all be in their bedrooms or the kitchen. Unfortunately, she heard
the low murmur of masculine voices from the living room and knew she was going
to have to run the gantlet before she could make it up to her bedroom.

Squaring her shoulders, she moved into the living room.

“Where have you been?” Owen barked at her, staring up at her
intently from where he sat in his favorite armchair.

“Out,” she replied.

He grabbed her arm as she attempted to move past him. Jonty
was lying on the sofa while Sawyer sat at the table, reading over some papers,
his glasses perched on the end of his nose. He hated wearing them, but
personally she thought they added to his appeal.

All of her cousins were attractive in their own way. Owen,
the middle brother, had the shortest temper of the three, but his gruff manner
hid a huge heart. Jonty was the youngest, he’d been her playmate when she was a
kid, her only real friend.

But Sawyer was her favorite. He was the rock that held them
all together. No matter how busy or tired he was, he always made time for his
family. When Shelby’s uncle died, Sawyer stepped into his shoes without a word
of complaint.

Shelby might look after the house, but it was Sawyer who
kept their family together.

“Out where?” Owen questioned her. “And why is your hair wet?
You look pale. What happened? Did someone hurt you?”

She tugged her arm free with a glare. “I’m fine.”

“Stop,” he growled as she turned away, the power of his wolf
washing over her. All her cousins were dominant. If she let them, they’d run
her life for her.

Refusing to back down even though the urge to drop her gaze
was almost overwhelming, Shelby glared back at her cousin.

“Shelby?” Sawyer questioned.

She broke the staring competition with Owen to look over at
Sawyer and immediately softened at the concern she saw in his face.

“I’m fine, Saw. I promise.”

He stared at her for a long moment then drew off his
glasses, pinching the ridge of his nose.

“Everything okay?” she asked, walking over to him. He looked
tired and there were pronounced grooves around his mouth. She caught a glimpse
of the papers he was looking at before he gathered them all up.

Overdue notices.

“Everything’s fine, sweet pea. I’m just tired. Glad to have
a night off.” Her cousins worked as bouncers at a local bar and lately they’d
been putting in some long hours.

“I’m going to get a job,” she said.

“No, you’re not,” Sawyer replied.

“You’ve got your studying to concentrate on, Shelby,” Jonty
said.

“I can do both. The three of you are killing yourselves
trying to pay all the bills plus my tuition. Let me help.”

“No,” Owen told her. “And we’re sick of arguing with you
about this. You’re going to finish college and we’re supporting you until you
do.”

“And when you finish you can support all of us,” Jonty
teased with a grin.

She smiled. “It’s a deal.”

“You’re smart, Shelby,” Sawyer told her. “Unlike the rest of
us, you can go places with your brains. Working the door at Riggers is all
we’re good for.”

“That’s not true. The three of you are as smart as I am.
You’re just lazy,” she teased.

“Brat,” Sawyer growled, reaching out to swat her ass
playfully. She dodged him, grinning. “You sure you’re okay, Shelby? You seem
out of sorts.”

“I’m fine. I promise. I just need a shower. I’ll get started
on dinner afterward.”

Sawyer cleared his throat. “Shel, Jack came to visit about
an hour ago.”

Her shoulders stiffened, her breath leaving her in a whoosh.
Was this it? Was he finally kicking them out? Jack was Alpha of the Sunnyland
pack and a tough old bastard. Her Uncle Colin had been Jack’s head enforcer and
his best friend, until Shelby had come to live with her uncle.

Jack Masters was old-school. He was a purist who believed
that werewolves and humans shouldn’t mix and he didn’t want a half-breed child
on his property.

He’d told Colin to get rid of her, to let the humans take
her in. Her uncle had refused. Unwilling to banish them entirely, Jack had
given them this piece of land and told her uncle that Shelby was never to
interact with the rest of the pack. Her uncle and cousins had still been
welcome.

For Jack to visit them was extremely unusual. The only other
time he’d come here was when her uncle had died. She’d been with her uncle at
the time, training in the caves. He had entered an unstable area of the caves
and been crushed when it had fallen in.

Even when pack members had visited her uncle they’d ignored
her. She remembered watching them from her room, wondering who they were, what
their lives were like in the pack. She adored her uncles and cousins, but she
knew she was a burden to them. Knew they’d be much happier back among the pack
instead of isolated on the outskirts of pack land.

“What did he want?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Sawyer swore quietly and stood, drawing her into his arms.
Shelby leaned on him for a short moment, needing the contact. Her wolf calmed.

Then she straightened, moving away. It wasn’t fair of her to
lean on them like this. She needed to be stronger.

Particularly if Jack was kicking her out.

Where would she go? How long could she survive?

Wolves were pack animals. They couldn’t live alone without
eventually going feral. The four of them had formed their own small pack but on
her own she’d be lost. Jack probably thought she’d be fine because she was
half-human, but she knew her wolf needed to be around others of her own kind.

“Shelby, it’s okay,” Sawyer told her, placing his hands on
her shoulders. “Take a deep breath for me. Whatever you’re thinking, you’re
wrong.”