Mackenzie’s in
town. I thought I’d catch up with her, have a drink.”
Jax stared at him a long moment, as though trying to detect any deception. Then his lips curved upward. “Good luck if you
hope to get a piece of that. Her daddy will eat your liver for dinner.”
“Whatever, man.” He rolled his eyes, reaching for a calm he didn’t feel.
“Bring the Escalade back in one piece or it’s my ass.”
“You bet, and thanks. See ya.”
Kalen took off before Jax could form more questions about why he was in such a hurry, and to do nothing more than have a
beer with Mackenzie in Nowheresville, Wyoming, on the edge of the Shoshone National Forest, no less. Jax sensed something
more was going on than what he’d said, and Kalen didn’t want to get everyone excited over what might turn out to be nothing.
As he jogged outside and headed for the ginormous hangar that housed all of their various methods of transportation, he
wondered why he hadn’t simply come clean about all his reasons for going in to town.
Because he didn’t want the others to get wind of his infatuation with a woman who couldn’t possibly want a tramp like him?
Maybe.
Because after nearly half a lifetime of surviving alone, he didn’t trust anyone else to come to his aid if there was trouble?
Probably.
Because he didn’t want any of his new friends’ deaths on his conscience if things went south? Definitely.
Oh, that doesn’t bode well for succeeding on this team, does it? What would Nick say or do if he knew you were going
off half-cocked with a bad feeling and no backup? Maybe he knows already.
Well, if Nick with his PreCog abilities did know, he hadn’t tried to stop Kalen from leaving or suggest anyone else accompany him. That would have to be good enough to soothe his inner doubt. Besides, he’d handled trouble alone since he
was a kid. He wasn’t used to relying on others, on trusting anyone to have his back. For a loner, learning to be part of a team
wasn’t easy
Damn, he wasn’t used to worrying about other people or what they thought. And it sucked.
That didn’t stop him from making tracks into town as fast as he dared. He didn’t want to get pulled over—he’d had a run-in
with the sheriff when he first arrived in the area and didn’t care for a heartfelt reunion. The cops hadn’t helped him long ago
when he’d needed them, and nothing had changed.
Twenty-five minutes later, he pulled up in the parking lot of the Crosseyed Grizzly, the local hangout that was just about as
classy as it sounded. Fine by him; he didn’t do fancy. The people were nice and down to earth—mostly—and the drinks were
cheap.
Best of all, Mackenzie was here. Mac to her friends, and he absolutely hated that nickname. Mac sounded like a truck driver
with a belt buckle overlap. But Mackenzie was beautiful, kind, and funny. As great as the team had been to him so far, she was
one of the first people besides Nick to actually approach and welcome him to the fold, to treat him like a person who mattered.
And her smile . . . God, that wide smile and the way her blue eyes lit up as she spoke to him had been like a kick to the balls.
Anxious, he searched for a parking spot and finally found one toward the back, close to the edge of the woods. It was dark
back here and he didn’t like it. He liked it even less when he saw that Mackenzie’s car was only a couple of spaces away. The
thought of her walking back here in the dark with no protection set his teeth on edge. Well, he was here now and he’d make
sure she got back to the compound safely.
And soon. A chill slithered through his body, and a sense of urgency quickened his steps. Something nasty was on the prowl,
and it would be best not to linger.
Pushing inside, he steeled himself against the twangy country music—what the fuck else would they play in a place named
after a drunk bear?—and scanned the room for the doc. He didn’t have to search for long. She
town. I thought I’d catch up with her, have a drink.”
Jax stared at him a long moment, as though trying to detect any deception. Then his lips curved upward. “Good luck if you
hope to get a piece of that. Her daddy will eat your liver for dinner.”
“Whatever, man.” He rolled his eyes, reaching for a calm he didn’t feel.
“Bring the Escalade back in one piece or it’s my ass.”
“You bet, and thanks. See ya.”
Kalen took off before Jax could form more questions about why he was in such a hurry, and to do nothing more than have a
beer with Mackenzie in Nowheresville, Wyoming, on the edge of the Shoshone National Forest, no less. Jax sensed something
more was going on than what he’d said, and Kalen didn’t want to get everyone excited over what might turn out to be nothing.
As he jogged outside and headed for the ginormous hangar that housed all of their various methods of transportation, he
wondered why he hadn’t simply come clean about all his reasons for going in to town.
Because he didn’t want the others to get wind of his infatuation with a woman who couldn’t possibly want a tramp like him?
Maybe.
Because after nearly half a lifetime of surviving alone, he didn’t trust anyone else to come to his aid if there was trouble?
Probably.
Because he didn’t want any of his new friends’ deaths on his conscience if things went south? Definitely.
Oh, that doesn’t bode well for succeeding on this team, does it? What would Nick say or do if he knew you were going
off half-cocked with a bad feeling and no backup? Maybe he knows already.
Well, if Nick with his PreCog abilities did know, he hadn’t tried to stop Kalen from leaving or suggest anyone else accompany him. That would have to be good enough to soothe his inner doubt. Besides, he’d handled trouble alone since he
was a kid. He wasn’t used to relying on others, on trusting anyone to have his back. For a loner, learning to be part of a team
wasn’t easy
Damn, he wasn’t used to worrying about other people or what they thought. And it sucked.
That didn’t stop him from making tracks into town as fast as he dared. He didn’t want to get pulled over—he’d had a run-in
with the sheriff when he first arrived in the area and didn’t care for a heartfelt reunion. The cops hadn’t helped him long ago
when he’d needed them, and nothing had changed.
Twenty-five minutes later, he pulled up in the parking lot of the Crosseyed Grizzly, the local hangout that was just about as
classy as it sounded. Fine by him; he didn’t do fancy. The people were nice and down to earth—mostly—and the drinks were
cheap.
Best of all, Mackenzie was here. Mac to her friends, and he absolutely hated that nickname. Mac sounded like a truck driver
with a belt buckle overlap. But Mackenzie was beautiful, kind, and funny. As great as the team had been to him so far, she was
one of the first people besides Nick to actually approach and welcome him to the fold, to treat him like a person who mattered.
And her smile . . . God, that wide smile and the way her blue eyes lit up as she spoke to him had been like a kick to the balls.
Anxious, he searched for a parking spot and finally found one toward the back, close to the edge of the woods. It was dark
back here and he didn’t like it. He liked it even less when he saw that Mackenzie’s car was only a couple of spaces away. The
thought of her walking back here in the dark with no protection set his teeth on edge. Well, he was here now and he’d make
sure she got back to the compound safely.
And soon. A chill slithered through his body, and a sense of urgency quickened his steps. Something nasty was on the prowl,
and it would be best not to linger.
Pushing inside, he steeled himself against the twangy country music—what the fuck else would they play in a place named
after a drunk bear?—and scanned the room for the doc. He didn’t have to search for long. She
Similar Books
