AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Same here.”
With that, Matt got into his truck, made a three-point turn, and headed back to the main road. Oakley strapped on her weapons holsters, draped her rifle diagonally on her back, and then slung her pack on her back.
“Okay, guys, let’s do it,” she looked at the wolves, who sat patiently waiting.
They reacted by bounding to their feet. It was time to start the most important journey of their lives. The one that led them to their own kind and the place they belonged.
She just hoped she wasn’t leading them to their doom instead. There was no guarantee they would be accepted by a pack. They might be challenged, forbidden entry, or even hurt by the alphas of the pack. They might be spotted and shot by a frightened or hate-filled hunter, eager to brag about killing a great grey wolf.
Please don’t let that happen. She prayed. If she could help them find a pack who would accept them, they’d vanish into the forest, and Samir nor anyone else seeking to exploit them would be unable to find them.
Most people would consider that statement a hopeful boast, but Oakley believed it because she knew something they didn’t. Ba’Cho and Nashoba were, in all likelihood, fierce fighters, but they were also trained--trained to do things in an unexpected manner from the typical behavior of wolves.
They knew how to think like the woman who trained them. Which meant they knew how men fight and hunt. And knowing that offered them an advantage, to not simply evade whoever came after them, but eliminate them entirely.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Gunner thanked the man who picked him up just outside of town and gave him a ride to the entrance of the Brickman ranch. He hitched his pack up more securely on his shoulder and headed down the long drive.
His conversation with Charli kept playing in his head, and with each repetition his anger grew. Since Oakley vanished, the man, Samir, who wanted to supposedly invest in the wolf training program, had demanded to meet her and have the wolves medically inspected.
The only way Charli managed to talk Mason out of agreeing to the demands was to tell him the story of what happened to her and Oakley, and the mission that ended up with Samir’s wife dead.
Mason swore to cut all ties with Samir. Charli tried to reach Oakley to tell her, but her phone went straight to voice mail. That didn’t surprise her or Gunner. Oakley wouldn’t take her phone with her, not even the burner. She couldn’t take the chance that someone could triangulate her position.
What concerned everyone was that Samir didn’t protest Mason's exit from the deal. Everyone’s bet was on him trying to find Oakley himself so he could take the wolves from her. Charli thought Oakey was safe. There was never any discussion on where she’d go besides Wyoming, so if Samir went looking, he’d probably start at Clayton Blackstone’s place.
Having served with Jud and knowing the strengths of the Blackstone empire, Gunner had no doubt that the people on the Blackstone ranch would be equipped toprotect their own. What worried him was the off chance that Samir would find someone who’d know just enough to point him in Matt’s direction, and thus put Matt’s family and Oakley in potential danger.
Gunner would have preferred to speak with Oakley about discussing it with Matt, but that was off the table, so he’d have to use his own judgment, and that told him to inform Matt and his family of the potential danger.
He noticed a rider on a horse headed his way. It wasn’t long before he could see the rider clearly, and that brought a smile to his face. Matt Brickman was a stand-up guy, one hell of a SEAL and a good friend.
“Look what the cat dragged up,” Matt said as he reached Gunner. He dismounted, and they met in a handshake that turned into a back pounding hug. “Damn, Gun, have you gotten bigger?”
“Not much.”
Matt smiled. “Hey, man, that lady of yours? Holy cow. She’s something. And man, those wolves look at her like she’s their Alpha Queen.”
“She is.”
Matt’s laugh cut short when Gunner remained serious. “For real?”
“They understand her,” Gunner replied. “Or maybe it’s that she understands them. She has – she has a kinship of sorts with canines, wild or domestic.”
“That’s not typical, is it?” Matt took hold of the horses’ reins and turned it. “There’s a room fixed for you if you want to stay the night and head out tomorrow.”
“How long has she been gone?” Gunner had asked that question of everyone he’d spoken with about Oakley, and thus far, no one was certain. Jud Blackstone toldhim when she left their place in Wyoming. That’s all his family knew.
“Since the day she arrived. We arranged to meet near the park. She asked me to have someone hide her truck, then grabbed her stuff, and headed out with the wolves.”
Gunner nodded. How like Oakley. She wouldn’t waste time for comfort or pleasantries. She might be retired from the military, but still had that ‘get to it’ attitude. With the safety of her wolves at stake, he didn’t imagine she’d waste a moment.
“Then I reckon that’s what I should do. Can you give me directions to where you left her?”
“I can do better than that. I’ll drive you.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
