Page 6 of License to Kill

The past few months had been hard.

“That’s just more evidence you’re bonded to a wolf. It’s not your fault they’re too fixated on whatever the fuck it is they want than with working on the reality of your situation. And if you’re not a wolf, I don’t know why you’re expected to fall in line with the wolves and the Normals they normally mate with.”

That was a good question, one I didn’t have any answers to. “Well, he made his stance clear, coming home smelling like other women all the time.”

“Well, you’re just as jealous as any wolf, that’s for sure. For all you know, those women could have been co-workers, mates of his pack members, or part of his current assignments, whatever those might be.”

“Hell if I know. He did not see fit to keep me up-to-date with his current affairs, and if he decided to cheat, that’s his problem and not mine.”

“Fenerec don’t cheat.”

“If you think I’m going to believe that, you’re wrong. Sure, I didn’t smell sex, but that’s nothing a shower and some care can’t fix.”

“You’re right. That’s fair. I won’t try to convince you otherwise. I don’t believe he would cheat, but he’s your mate, and that is a battle you’ll have to fight or not as you want. Were you aware of what he is before you married him?”

“No.” I shrugged. “I hadn’t known I was a fox before marrying him, so we’re even.”

“No, you’re not. When I decided I would help you, I decided I’d do my best to make sure you get out of this situation alive and better than when you entered it. So, when you decide what you want, tell me, and I’ll do my best to make it happen. I’m just a rogue, so I can’t do as much as I’d like, but if you want to leave him in your dust and become an unsolved mystery, that is something I can help you with.”

I could only think of one thing I wanted: to find those who’d killed my pa and rid the Earth of them. “That man in the trailer was my pa, and my ma killed him before trying to kill me. I want the assholes who hired my ma to kill my pa, and I want to be the one who spills their blood. The rest isn’t important.”

“Now that’s up my alley. If that’s what you want, we’ll team up and work for that. And after?”

“I don’t care about the after. What’s your name?”

“I’m Amelia.”

“Karma.” I drew in a steadying breath. “Thank you.”

“Glad to help. Tonight, we’re going to hit up a campground. I have an RV and a truck there, so that’ll be our first stop. I’ll look on my networks, see what I can find about whoever put out the hit, and we’ll make plans. If revenge is what you want, then revenge is what you’ll get, for there’s nothing a wolf loves more than a good hunt.” Amelia’s smile possessed a sharp edge. “It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a good hunt.”

Hunting wouldn’t change the past, but it would give me and my fox purpose, and killing those who had hurt us was something she understood and embraced without remorse.

I hoped I might one day be able to follow her example.

Amelia’s RV needed a huge truck to pull it, and I marveled at the size of the damned thing. Thanks to my new collection of gunshot wounds, I could barely hobble, although Amelia didn’t resort to carrying me. She did keep a firm grip on my arm to make sure I stayed upright on my sole functional leg. In an effort to forget about how helpless I’d become, I asked, “How do you even move that?”

The Fenerec laughed. “It’s a fifth wheel, so it’s easier to move than it looks. But it’s a large RV. It’s a lot easier for a rogue like me to hide using one of these babies. I change campgrounds every two or three weeks. I moved here two days ago. You got lucky. Had the hit for you been put out much earlier, I wouldn’t have been in position to do anything.”

“How do you deal with two vehicles?”

“That’s simple. I tow this behind the RV. Some states don’t allow double towing, so when that happens, I just ditch the second vehicle and go with just my truck for a while or pay somebody to drive for me. When I’m moved to the new campground, I just tow the SUV behind the truck. This hop was only five hours, so I paid somebody to drive me back to my SUV and brought it over rather that tow it. I needed the socialization anyway. If we stick together a while, you can help drive.”

I pointed at the truck. “Can I drive that?”

“You sure can.”

“I’m in.”

“My truck is an evil seductress. She’s also an equal opportunist, so she’s happy to seduce you into driving her.”

It hurt to realize I could still smile over little things like a seductress of a truck. “How old is she?”

“She’s three years old. She’s got a gas engine in her, which is her only true flaw, but I want to replace my truck every seven to ten years to keep up with my RV, and if I’d gotten a diesel, I would feel a lot worse about that. When I earn enough from my side jobs, I sell off the old stuff and replace it with new stuff.”

“How much do you make doing this sort of work?”

“A decent amount. I’m comfortable. I’d say an average year for me is two hundred thou. I’d make more than that if I were to play nice with your mate’s pack, but I won’t do that unless you want to, so don’t you worry about it.”