Wolf Mountain Peak Complete Series, page 102
part #1 of Wolf Mountain Peak Series
James”
Right below his name, were a few more sentences, written in capital letters:
“HERE’S A PICTURE OF HIM. STOP TRYING TO BECOME A PART OF HIS LIFE. STOP BOTHERING ME. CONSIDER THIS YOUR LAST WARNING.”
Shockwaves swept through Ava’s entire body. She felt the letter slip out of her grasp. Everything shone clearer now. His melancholy, his reluctance to talk about himself or any of his problems, made perfect sense. She still had a few questions: specifically, “why” his ex-wife was keeping their son away from him; and why they had broken up. But, neither of those questions changed the fact that he was going through hell: the drama of a parent forced to live without his child. Causes or their personal conflicts didn’t matter. The most precious thing he had in this world was growing up somewhere without him. His boy was being deprived of his father, and James was unable to do anything about it. Still, her shock was short-lived when she recalled her own behavior towards him. Ava had been complaining to her friend about him, calling him names, and even pressuring him into telling her more about himself. Guilt took hold of her, sending her heart into a downward spiral, bringing the sting of tears to her eyes. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth, casting one more glance down at the child.
“What have I done to your father, my sweet little boy?” Ava whispered and squeezed her eyes shut. “He misses you so much, and I’m treating him like crap.”
A large hand entered her view as a tear rolled down her cheek. There he was, standing before her, with a white towel wrapped around his waist. Slowly, James gripped the picture, and took a short pace towards her.
“Now you know,” James murmured in a soft, tender whisper. Her gaze shot up to meet his. His deep-blue eyes were like blazing fire, drowning in tears. The face that appealed to her was now a picture of pure sorrow: a frown creased it; his lips quivered. Then, James sobbed, bending down to pick up the letter. “I, uh…” he sniffled. “I guess I should explain myself now.”
“You don’t have to,” Ava sighed, leaning towards him. “I’m so sorry. You’re going through all this drama and I’ve been nothing but a pain.”
“Yes, I do,” James rebutted, giving a gentle nod. “Wendy was my high school sweetheart. We got married when we were just twenty years old. That was in 2007. Three years later, she got pregnant. But, five months after Sean was born, I was diagnosed with leukemia. The doctors gave me two years with chemo: without it: less than one. I freaked out. I wasn’t even twenty four, and I was terminal. I used to work at a major software development company, down in Manhattan. I was making just over thirty-five grand a year. I wanted to…” he faltered as a tear slipped from his eye, and left its trail down his cheek. “Leave something to my son, before I died. Within days, I started thinking about ways to make easy money: lots of easy money.”
“Ok, I’m confused,” Ava interjected, her voice picking up volume. “You said you were terminal.”
“I was misdiagnosed,” James informed her with a bitter smile on his face. “But, I only found that out four months after the disaster of my life blowing up. Anyway, about that easy money: robbing a bank crossed my mind, but I turned that down pretty fast. A million things could go wrong. I turned to a small-time thief I went to school with, named Patrick Adams, with an idea I had about robbing the vault of a bank. All I had to do was disable its security system. For me, hacking into these systems was easy. I mean, the company I worked for had designed most of them. He and some other guy would do the actual robbery. Patrick said ‘okay.’ A couple of days later, they did it. It was a clean job: the perfect crime. They didn’t leave fingerprints or traces. They came out with twelve million dollars, more than enough for my family. When I, uh...” he pursed his lips. “When I took my share home, Wendy went crazy. She called me a criminal. We had a huge fight. She threatened me with a knife, told me to move out of the house, and to never bother her again.”
“Unbelievable…” Ava said on an exhale, banging the palm of her hand against her forehead. “I’m guessing she’s the one who ordered the hit on you.”
“Yes,” he affirmed, sucking in a deep breath. “The shooter was at the entrance of the salon’s parking lot. I was just getting out of the building, when he started firing. He only stopped, when Ryan raced his car towards him. She’s also responsible for tonight. A couple of guys turned my house into Swiss cheese. A bullet struck the gas line and the fire spread quickly. I barely got out of there alive.”
“What about the money?” Ava asked, wiping her tears off of her face.
“I grabbed a few wads, on my way out,” James confessed, his voice lowering as he pressed his lips together. “It was about sixty grand. I don’t know what she’s done with the rest of it. But, does it matter? My Sean is almost seven years old, and I’ve only met with him once, since she kicked me out. It was two years ago. And, that’s just because he started asking Wendy questions about his father.”
“James…” croaked Ava, looking deeply into his watery eyes. “I can help you reunite with your boy. I’d love to, really.”
“That’s very nice of you, but…” he paused, and shook his head sideways once. “How can you do that?”
A snort of amusement fled her lips as his question rang in her ears. Poor James… He had no idea what she was, or the hidden natures of the residents in his town and Paxton alike. For him, they were just regular, everyday people. Just for a moment, she considered showing her beast to him. After all, he had shared his life with her. It would only be fair of her to reveal herself to him. However, he was in terrible psychological condition. Burdening him with her secret was guaranteed to overwhelm him, or even scare him. However, there was another, deeper reason that she wouldn’t reveal herself to him just yet. Ava wanted him to accept her for what she was. The truth about her nature meant that he had to make a decision about their future, and it was abundantly clear to her that he was much too emotional to do so at this point in time.
“I’m sure I’ll find a way,” she uttered, her tone calm as she leaned in towards him. Lifting her hands up to his face, she closed her eyes, and tilted her head up. A soapy scent flooded her nostrils, a mere instant before she locked her lips with his. Soft and salty, they surrounded her mouth and sent chills rippling across her skin. He curled his arms around her shoulders. At that moment, Ava caught one more scent, one that perfumes, colognes and trees had been hiding from her: chocolate. In a split second, she was filled with an uncontrollable urge to take him to her bedroom. She had him almost fully naked in front of her, smelling more delicious than she could have ever imagined. This wasn’t a dream. His calloused hands, roaming over her back, the sensation of his clean-shaven jaw rubbing against her skin, and the fullness of his lips on her mouth felt very real indeed. Still, she had to put these thoughts aside. Giving in to her urges would make her come off as cheap, manipulative, and ready to take advantage of his obvious weakness. James’s caresses were evidence that he was enjoying their closeness, but she couldn’t predict his reaction should she attempt to take these opening moves any further. So, Ava slipped her hand up into his hair, and moved her lips over to his cheek, letting her eyelids roll up.
“You should get some sleep,” she suggested as their eyes met once again. “Take my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“That’s not going to happen,” he retorted in disagreement, the corners of his mouth quirking up into a gentle smile. “I’ve been too much of an inconvenience already.”
“James, pl -”
“Stop,” he interrupted, trailing his hand up her back. “Just go to your bedroom, alright? I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.”
“Ok,” Ava agreed, realizing that he wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer. Moreover, she had argued with him, due to his secrecy. She wasn’t going to do it again, because of his politeness. As she made her way to her bedroom, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. No matter how sad his story was, knowing about it was a relief. Ava had had enough of all the speculation surrounding him. Finally, she could enjoy a good night’s sleep, without asking herself what his problems were. She could be more optimistic about the future, believing that she could help reclaim what had been taken away from him: his flesh and blood; the yearning in his heart and soul; his son.
Chapter Eight
The next morning, Ava started pondering her next move. The fact that a child was involved somewhat troubled her. It complicated the situation, and, even though she couldn’t care less for the woman who had treated James like a piece of garbage, she had to find a different approach, for young Sean’s sake. The wolf’s way had to be modified in order to ensure that the boy’s soul would not be scarred for life. Ava went back to bed, wondering if she should handle this alone. Her comrades relied on teeth and muscle to settle their disputes, but this was next to impossible. They couldn’t use their beasts in the city, and they definitely couldn’t use force to snatch Sean away from Wendy. For all her cruelty towards James, she was still Sean’s mother. No, the pack could not be a part of this. There was only one person in Paxton, a woman who could both assist and counsel her: Helena Lockhart.
Ava set out from her cabin, eager to have a long, fruitful conversation with the red witch. Renowned for her patience and her coolheaded approach to problems, the witch-protector of her hometown would be more preferable as an advice-giver, than her love-struck friend, Olivia, would. But when she turned around the corner of the Bradford estate, Ava discovered that she would have to talk to someone else before she could pay a visit to Helena. Raul and Dean were rolling a motorcycle into their workshop. Facing in her direction, her Alpha gave the old, silver Harley a hard push, and then averted his gaze from it, to look up at her.
“The guards spotted a banged up, ’91 Camaro, entering town last night,” Raul began, a touch of suspicion in his tone. “They said it pulled up outside your place. Care to tell me more about this human?”
“His name is James, he’s David’s best friend,” Ava announced, striding towards him. “He’s divorced, and his ex-wife won’t let him see their son.”
“Oh,” Raul gave a gasp of surprise, furrowing his brow. “Why would she do that?”
“Because he did something heroic,” Helena interjected, joining them out in the yard. “Some might call it ‘stupid’, ‘reckless’ even, but, the bottom line is he lost his family over it. He and his friends were responsible for the Citibank heist, six years ago.”
“How do you know?” Ava asked, surprise written all over her face while she leaned to the side to glance at her.
“When I came home last night, I peered into his future. I saw his little…” Helena paused, “...confession to you. I’m sorry, Ava. I didn’t mean to pry. I thought I was going to find him in his house again.”
“It’s ok, you couldn’t have known,” Ava spoke in a mellow tone as the witch bypassed her Alpha. “Look, can I talk to you in private?”
“Actually, Raul needs to hear this, too,” Helena countered, turning to him. “James has been targeted for murder. Two armed men opened fire into his house last night. Most likely, his ex-wife hired them.”
“Damn…” the Alpha grumbled, cocking his head in a spasm of anger. “This complicates things a lot. Ava,” he went on, shifting his attention to her: “Normally, I’d urge you to work it out on your own. This isn’t a pack matter. But, those goons will come back for him. If they find him in Paxton, we’ll all be at risk.”
“Don’t say he can’t come over here,” Helena spoke, her tone stiff. She cast a fierce glare up at him. “He’s just a human. If you force them to see each other outside of town, our girl becomes free game, just like Olivia, when you shut David out. You just postponed the inevitable. Killing that Wendy girl is out of the question as well. You don’t deprive a child of one parent, so that they can be with the other.”
“Kids need both parents,” Raul said, his tone emphatic. “No, of course I wasn’t going to suggest taking her out. I’ve thought of something better. Can you, um…” he paused. “Scare her out of sending those two to kill him? The pack stays out of it, the guy stays safe, and we won’t have to worry about any armed humans, wandering around Paxton.”
“Not bad,” Helena commented, her voice deepening, with a hint of change behind it. “The risk is minimal; but, you realize that you’re relying heavily upon her will to drop this manhunt, which is why we need to terrorize her.”
“Terrorize her?” Ava squinted at her. “What do you mean?”
“It means that I’m going to need at least one wolf,” Helena explained, her stare hardening. “Find out her address, and let me know.”
“Well, thanks, but this doesn’t solve his other problem,” Ava pointed out, her voice coming out hesitantly. “Raul, what would you do, if you were separated from your daughter? What would you do, if you were forced to live without her?”
“I’d go crazy,” Raul growled lowly. The Alpha’s confession came fast, even faster than Ava anticipated. “I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it would be. But Wendy needs to be dealt with first. You do what Helena says. Then we’ll talk about the kid. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Right,” Ava gave an appreciative nod. Raul strolled back into his workshop. “I still can’t think of a way to resolve that, Helena. How could I change a total stranger’s mind about James?”
“That’s even more dangerous. For you, not the boy,” The witch stated, her words sending slivers of fear slicing through Ava. “If you manage to do that - which I doubt you can - you’re running the risk of rekindling their old flame. And, let’s face it; those two have a lot of history. The child will be delighted to have his folks living under the same roof. You, on the other hand, will never get to have James. Raul is right, though. We can bother ourselves with that later. Now, get that address. I’ll be waiting.”
“...rekindling their old flame.”
Those four words lingered in Ava’s mind, putting her in somewhat of a dilemma. Helena had a very good point indeed. James and Wendy had been together for almost a decade. That fact alone proved that there was a lot of love between them in the past. However, the same woman had ripped his heart to shreds, and even he had told her in his letter that their love died. Yes, theoretically, there was a chance that they could get back together, but it seemed so minute that Ava would not bother with worrying about it. Neither would she let it distract her from her goal. First and foremost, however, she had to be honest with him, and that was much more worrying than his past or Helena’s plan.
Chapter Nine
A rough, rumbling sound filled Ava’s ear, tormenting her supersensitive sense of hearing, before she could return to the main road. By now, she had heard it too many times to be wrong. It was the exhaust pipe of James’s old Camaro. When her eyes met it, she understood why Raul had called it “banged up” earlier. Its black color was a faded gray. It was covered in dust, and there were multiple bullet holes in the doors on the driver’s side. The passenger’s side window was shattered, whereas the rear window featured one bullet hole in the middle. As James got out of the vehicle, she started to shake her head in astonishment. His escape the night before was nothing short of a miracle.
“David was just here,” he declared, leaning his elbows on the roof. “He left me a change of clothes. I was just about to go over to Highmount. I’d ask you to join me, but I know you have work at your business to do.”
“Work can wait,” Ava replied as she put a little force in her voice. She walked determinedly across the street. “There are a few things you need to know first.”
“You sound pretty serious,” James remarked, the corners of his eyes tightening. “What is it?”
“Walk with me,” she urged, offering him her hand. Glancing down at it, he closed his hand around hers. “You’ve been living in Highmount for a long time. Have you noticed anything strange over there?”
“Well... yeah... just one thing,” he replied slowly and thoughtfully. They started strolling down the street. “People keep to themselves a lot. I was expecting them to be little friendlier. I mean, this is the “country,” isn’t it? They’re not like the people in Paxton. I’ve only been here four or five times so far, but I’ve seen friends hugging each other, being loud with each other, and just, you know, being themselves.”
“What, that’s it?” Ava wondered, her voice rising up an octave. “No weird noises? You haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary?”
“Just that David’s house burnt down to the ground a few months back,” James retorted, tossing a curious glance down at her. “He was pretty bummed when it happened. When I asked him about it, all he said was that he’d left the stove on. He hasn’t brought it up since.”
“James…” she sucked in a deep, cleansing breath, feeling her heart pounding in her chest while she came to a slow halt. Turning to face him, she clutched his hand in her own. “The people you see around you, they’re not entirely human.”
“What?” He let out a snort of amusement and his face was lit up by a huge smile. “What are you talking about?”
“How much do you remember from the day you saved me from that bear?” Ava answered his question with a question of her own, still trying to find the proper words in which to phrase her response.
“Well, pretty much everything,” James shrugged his shoulders, his voice coming out calmly. “You were on a grayish patch of land, walking through the woods, when I spotted the animal. Why?”
“Actually, I wanted you to mention my reaction first,” she said, her tension speeding up her voice. “I wasn’t afraid of him, because I…” she faltered. She took a deep breath, looked James straight in the eye, and stated, “I’m a shape shifter. I’m part wolf and part human. The same is true for all Paxton residents. My beast can handle a black bear.”
“Oh, come on, Ava,” James groaned while his face twisted in anger and scorn. “I don’t have time for jokes. You don’t want to tell me the truth? Fine; just don’t taunt me, alright?”
