Shades of Grey (16 page)

He smiled, showing all of his teeth, some of them rotting. He should be in a lot of pain. Why was she thinking about his teeth? She must be in some sort of shock. Why else would her mind keep moving from the fact that she was tied up in a barn and in serious danger?

“Do me a favour and untie this rope,” she ordered, hoping her bossy attitude would do the trick. “I don’t know what kind of sick game you’re playing, but I want to go home.”
And have a long steaming bath and scrub every part of me with soap.

He reached his hand out, but instead of going for the rope he ran his fingers through her hair. He was touching her hair!

Don’t move, don’t flinch…

His stench reached her and she gagged, pulling away.

She started to feel scared when he laughed at her reaction. This guy was one sick puppy.

“Who was on the phone this morning?” he asked, sitting on his haunches.

“What?”

“You heard. Who called you this morning?”

Lie!

“I think it was some crank call. Why would you want to know?” She looked past him to see Rodney enter the barn, his silhouette creepy from the daylight behind him.

“I can’t find him anywhere, boss.”

Now she was in trouble.

“Typical limey bastard,” Clark said. “Probably turned into a wolf and ran for his life.”

Clark dug in his pocket and took something out. He reached a hand towards her, and a stabbing pain shot into her arm.

“What the fuck?” she yelled.

“Just a little something,” Clark said. “In a while you’ll feel more inclined to suck my cock.”

She shuddered at the thought of it and pushed the images away. He got up and climbed out of the truck, giving Sarah time to have a quick look around, the sore spot on her arm aching. What the hell had he injected her with?

“What do you want me to do?” Rodney asked.

So Clark was the one really in charge—why did that not surprise her?

“Well, you could stand there and pretend to look pretty, dickwad.” A pause. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Dukes! We continue on with the plan. Travis needs to be here and I want him. Find some way of tracking the bastard…”

They moved out of the barn and within seconds Travis appeared beside the truck.

“I’m so sorry I got you into this mess,” he whispered, eyeing the barn doorway. “Close your eyes, honey.”

Sarah just stared at him. This was way more than she could have ever imagined. This was not some kid game. This was serious.

“Tell me what’s going on,” she whispered, refusing to close her eyes.

“I need to get you out of here.”

“I don’t care about that right now. Just tell me what is going on. I need to know, deserve to know why you weren’t there when I woke up this morning. I gave you everything, Travis, and you lied to me about the wolf thing. Tell me what the fuck is going on and what I’ve done to be involved.” Sarah was at the end of her tether. She was fed up and angry and now that she’d accepted something bad was going on—knowing it in her gut as well as seeing it with her own eyes—Travis was going to tell her, give her some fucking answers.

She’d been tied up for the last few hours, why not a little longer?

“Now isn’t the time, honey…”

“Just spit it out!”

“I’m a wolf—”

“No shit, Sherlock. I want answers to everything else—I got the wolf thing when you turned. Now stop treating me like delicate china and tell me what’s going on.” The tears were close. She was starting to understand some of the shit she was in and she didn’t like it. Her heart was racing, her mind running faster than before. She only had half the answers to the problem and she couldn’t put the pieces together unless someone told her the whole truth. Why couldn’t she just be on her ranch sipping coffee and eating her boiled eggs and soldiers? She was hungry and cranky.

“Who was on the phone this morning?” he asked, still looking at the doorway.

“You as well? For God’s sake, why is it so important?”

“Why do you insist on blocking me when I’m trying to help? Why do you need to know answers now—answers that can wait until later? I’m telling you, this isn’t a game—”

“I realise that but—”

“But nothing! Please, baby, just tell me.”

“It was John Baines, all right? Macy didn’t make it home last night and he thought she might have come to my place to apologise.” Why was it such a big deal?

“Well, at least we know he isn’t in on it with Clark and Rodney.”

“In on what? Macy going missing? John adores Macy and always has. He’d ruin anyone who hurt her. What the hell is going on? Why is everyone talking in riddles?” The rope hurt—it was too tight—and now all the questions. She needed to get out. It was too much. She couldn’t breathe.

“Get me out of this rope,” she begged, moving her arms and trying to stretch them out. “I need out.”

She was used to the space of her ranch, to riding her horses and being free. She wasn’t supposed to be tied down.

Everything was happening too fast, and not being in control had started to freak her the fuck out. When she’d been asking Travis questions, she’d felt better, but now, with him knowing more of the puzzle than she did, she was out of her depth. For the first time, she realised she
had
to see things in shades of grey—just like the many hues in Travis’ wolf coat…

“Calm down, Sarah, calm down.” He looked to the side through the doorway again, keeping an eye out for those two bastards, trying to keep her safe, but she no longer cared. She had to be free.

She tried to get calm, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. It wasn’t working. She had to be free—and now! She opened her eyes. Travis was gone.

Out of nowhere, a claw sliced through the rope and a wolf’s mouth gently clamped on her arm, pulling her free. Sarah wrapped her arms around the animal and held him. She needed the contact, the love and everything he was willing to offer—even if he was a ball of goddamn fluff at the moment.

Her body ached and her heart ached more. She held him, placed her face into the curve of his neck and inhaled his delicious scent, evident even now. He smelt like fresh air and safety.

In her arms, he changed again.

“I’ve got you, honey. I’ve got you.”

He stroked her hair, and she had never felt so safe while still in danger. He touched parts of her she’d never given to anyone, and to have him here meant more to her than anything else.

“Don’t let me go, Travis. Please, don’t let me go,” she begged quietly, tears falling. Never before in all of her life had she pleaded with anyone, not even her father, and here she was begging a man who seemed to get her more than any other person. This wasn’t a weakness—this was accepting she couldn’t do this alone.

She needed Travis in her life, and waking up alone this morning had shown her how much she’d love a permanent deal with him. It scared the living hell out of her, but it was what she wanted and she wasn’t prepared to give it up anymore.

Sarah understood what her daddy had meant now. She was so pleased she’d waited and given herself to a man whom she did want to be a part of her life for good.

“I need you to be Sarah right now—the strong, stubborn one. I can’t have you break down on me.”

He was terrified, she could sense how scared he was, yet he wasn’t scared for himself but for her. She nodded and he wiped the tears from her cheeks. She had more sense than this—she wouldn’t lose it now, she couldn’t afford to, even if all she wanted to do was wrap her legs around his body and let him make it all better. She’d never run from a fight but right now she would gladly sink into the heat of him and hide. This was more than anything she’d ever faced. Now wasn’t the time to be a bubble-blowing baby or an emotional wreck of a woman. She needed the good sense her father had graced her with.

“I’m sorry. I’m here.” She moved out of his lap and tried to compose her mind. Everything seemed to be closing in on her all at once. The death of her mother and father, the troubles at the ranch, Clark and Travis…

Her mind raced with drawn-out images and she couldn’t cope.

Sarah sank her fingers into her hair, shaking as pain upon pain consumed her. She couldn’t do anything to stop it, paralysed by hurt and fear. She was crying and afraid—this wasn’t like her. What was going on?

She rocked and leaned her head against her knees, praying she wasn’t losing her mind. A sob escaped. She couldn’t control anything, not even the loudness of her cries when two men were possibly still outside ready to burst back in.

“Baby, what’s the matter?”

She heard Travis talking but he sounded so far away.

Shaking her head against the pain, she cried out to him.

“I…don’t…know… So…scared…” She couldn’t finish.

He sniffed the air around her, and she cowered away from him—it was like an infection was spreading through her body.

“You don’t smell the same. There’s something different about you,” he said.

Suddenly she didn’t like him being close. She tried to shuffle away from him then rocked back and forth.

“Daddy?” she called. He would take the bad and the hurt away. He would keep her safe, always.

“He’s given you some sort of drug to make you feel crazy.”

Sarah didn’t know what he was talking about and she didn’t care.

“Forgive me, baby,” he whispered.

Forgive him? What for? What had he done?”

He moved her hair out of the way, trapped her arms at her side and kissed her neck. Seconds later, hot burning pain unlike anything else consumed her. Travis had bitten her neck and was sucking out her blood. He wasn’t a vampire, wasn’t a wolf right now, so what the hell was he doing? Sarah tried to keep her screams contained but it did no good. Her neck was being savaged by a man-beast and she couldn’t stop him.

Before she knew what was happening, a scream released from her throat at the same time that the haze around her heart and eyes lifted. She could breathe and see clearly, the fear of moments ago banished.

She dropped to the truck bed when Travis let her go and he fell behind her, panting. She turned to him, her hand going to the bloody bite. She didn’t care about the pain. Her concern was for Travis. He lay sweating and shaking.

“Travis? What’s going on? What the fuck was that all about?”

“Ah, I see you’ve finally got him,” Clark said loudly. “Perfect result, Rodney. I never thought your plan would work, but there you go.”

Sarah turned, watching Clark and Rodney enter the barn. They looked smug and satisfied. She ignored them and touched Travis. He cowered from her touch.

“It’s me, Travis. What’s the matter?”

He stared past her shoulder, seemingly unhearing.

Heat spread from the wound at her neck and she winced. What the
fuck
was going on?

“What did you do to him?” She got to her feet to confront the two men who now looked at Travis with malicious intent in their eyes. Her hands shook from the loss of blood and her concern for Travis was distracting her.

“We did nothing, but it seems a little dose of experimental drugs did the trick with you.” Clark smirked as both men walked closer. Both coming on either side.

“You’re fucking sick!” Now she was pissed off, especially when Clark nodded, his gaze on Travis.

“He’s too strong as a wolf and way too strong to contain as a man. Rodney figured, after watching the way you two are together, he’d come looking for you, so he left a trail of your scent, used some of your panties. Had him travelling like the dog he is.”

Sarah knew she would burn every single item of clothing when she got home in case that creepy fucker had touched it all.

Disgusting bastards.

She knelt beside Travis and shook him.

“You need to turn, change to a wolf and you’ll be fine.” She sounded crazy saying that, but she’d think about this shifting shit later. She knew now he’d changed into a wolf to help mend the bullet wound in his foot. Whatever they’d given her, what he’d sucked out of her, could be dispersed the moment he changed, couldn’t it?

And I thought he didn’t care…

“No can do, honey.” Clark pulled her by the arm away from Travis.

She snarled, yanked her arm back, spun round and slapped Clark across the face. “Don’t call me honey. And don’t you touch me, you fucking coward,” she said, pummelling at him and striking any part of him she could.

Clark pushed her, and before Sarah could get her footing he slapped her face. The pain was quick and sharp and sent her sprawling from the truck bed onto the floor.

“I’m a coward?”

He walked to her and hauled her up by her hair. She could see Travis watching the scene and it broke her heart. He looked like he wanted to get up and do something to stop him but was too drugged up—and it was all her fault.

“Look at the man you were fucking earlier,” Clark said. “Look at him, Sarah.”

She cried out when he fisted her hair and his other hand grabbed her face and forced her to look at Travis.

“Let…her…go…” Travis managed, but it was obvious the struggle for him was tremendous.

“I like our Sarah, buddy. I’ll keep her around for a little longer.” Clark dragged her hair back and moved his hand holding her face to her breast.

He squeezed the mound, bringing tears to her eyes.

She screamed in anger again and spat at him, trying to get away. He pushed her to the floor before lifting her off the ground and handing her to Rodney.

“Keep that bitch secure.” He stared right into her face. “Don’t want you to have the same fate as Macy Jo, do we?”

Sarah jolted. “What about Macy? What the fuck have you done to her?” she yelled, fighting and cursing.

Rodney may have been a few cents short of a dollar, but he certainly made up for it in strength. She couldn’t move—she tried to lash out and kick him but failed.

“Let’s just say Macy has been taken for the greater good,” Clark drawled. “Besides, you look at me like I’m the devil. Look at your man and see who killed Macy. Whose blood is on his hands?”

Sarah looked at Travis and knew he’d never do such a thing. He was too caring and he couldn’t lash out at a woman. And as for the blood—there hadn’t been any on him before he’d bitten her neck.