Page 16 of Chased

“I just thought—you know, a military base. That it would be all discipline and saluting and straight lines.”

He burst out laughing. “You’ve obviously never been to Outlaw Ridge.”

“Obviously not.” She didn’t seem to like being laughed at. But then, who did?

“We have plenty of discipline when we’re on a mission,” he said. “Have to. Back at the Ridge, though, not so much. We’re a wolf pack, babe, first and foremost. Wolves don’t do straight lines. And we’re wolfier than most.”

She bit her lip. “Like, you’re closer to your animals? They come out more?”

He narrowed his eyes. Her animal was getting revved up again. It had an odd scent—fox, sort of, but then again not quite. He couldn’t place it. “Yeah, that’s one way of putting it.”

She turned her head away, looking out the window, and he heard her mutter, “Shit.”

A few things clicked together in his mind right there. Sanchez pulled the truck over into a turnaround and braked, the tires skidding a little in the gravel. He took it out of gear and turned to face her.

“You’re scared of wolves,” he said flatly. “All wolves, I mean. Not just me and the boys.” Hell. That could be a cluster fuck.

She answered quickly—too quickly. “Of course I’m not. I’m not prey. I’m a fox.”

That didn’t necessarily disqualify her from being prey. Sanchez’s wolf had killed a wild fox or three, when he was in a bad mood. But this probably wasn’t the time to bring that up.

More important, she was lying about not being scared. “Why the hell would you take this job if you’re scared of wolves?”

Her lips pressed together in a line, and she turned on the seat to half face him. “You can’t tell them,” she said. “You can’t tell anyone. Please.” The intensity in her voice tugged at him.

He sighed explosively. “You think they’re not going to be able to figure it out?”

“It’s not—I figured I’d get used to it. When I got to know people. Or maybe I wouldn’t have to be around you all that much.”

What was she planning on doing when she wasn’t working? Hiding in her cabin? Hell, the only people at the Ridge who weren’t wolves were Breanna and Thanatos, their leader. And some of the temporary construction crew.

He said, “I thought you were helping Breanna with all that community building shit. Recreational activities. How did you think that was going to work, without getting near us?”

“I didn’t think it through, okay? I needed a job. I need this job.”

Sanchez narrowed his eyes, studying her. Shit. He’d seen the signs; he should have realized sooner. She was trying to disappear, and she’d picked the Ridge because it was isolated, and protected by armed guards. Smart, really.

He wondered who she was trying to disappear from, and why. He didn’t ask, though. He knew she wouldn’t tell a stranger. Especially a strange wolf.

But he still had that fucked-up urge to help her.

So he said, “Most of the guys are okay. Some are a little wild, when their wolves come out. Nobody will hurt you on purpose, but don’t go in the deep woods or up the mountain alone, especially at night. They won’t think it’s weird that you’re nervous, at first. We’re a bunch of killers, after all.”

He put the truck in gear and started driving again. Madison said, “Um. Was that last part supposed to make me feel better?”

That made him laugh again. He hardly ever laughed anymore; it felt good.

“Yeah. I suck at it.”

“You kind of do.” But he felt her start to relax, which made him stupidly happy.

He liked making her feel better, and he didn’t like liking it. He said abruptly, “You should eat something. You look like you’re going to pass out.” She didn’t really, but he could feel her hunger the way he’d felt her fear. It was kind of like the way he got inside a target’s head when the Hounds were on the hunt, but different.

He reached into the bag and grabbed the first thing he could find—the damn Butterfingers. When he tried to give them to her, their hands collided.

He felt the same tingling he’d felt earlier, all the way up his arm like he’d touched an ungrounded wire. Jesus.

She was just holding onto the Butterfingers, staring at him like she felt it too. He made himself let go and pay attention to the road. “Eat,” he muttered.