With tears in her eyes, Pepper rose from her seat and pulled Richard into a hug. “You’re too important as my sub-leader.” She hugged Susan next. “I know you mean well, but I can’t do it. We’ll wait and see how this all plays out. If Eric is back to work and nobody bothers him and I continue to say no to Waldron if he pushes it with me, I’m sure he will finally tire of me not giving in to his wishes and move on.”
“Right,” Susan said. “Like there are a ton of unmated she-wolves out there running their own packs with businesses and prime real estate in their name, just waiting for Mister Macho Alpha Waldron to show up on their doorsteps and take over.”
Pepper hated to admit Susan was right. Then she glanced at her calendar and read her handwritten note on today’s date. “Shoot, I’ve got a presentation I forgot about. We can talk more about this later. If you come up with any other solutions, let me know.” Pepper rushed them out the door and hurried to get ready for a talk at a businesswomen’s luncheon. She wasn’t sure what they would think of her lecture on the importance of trees. The month before, a lady did a talk on makeup, and the month before that, travel. So she really didn’t know if tree studies, growing trees, Christmas trees, or keeping deer numbers down in the national parks were going to be hot topics.
She headed out to the country club hosting the affair. At least she’d get a free steak lunch out of it. But as soon as she began the long drive into town, she swore a truck was following her. She hoped it was just one of the Silver pack members. Not taking a chance, she got on her cell and called Darien, because if anyone would have ordered someone to protect her, it would be Darien and Lelandi.
“Hi, Pepper? How can I help you?” Darien asked. “Lelandi’s in a counseling session, but she can talk to you in a little while if you’d prefer.”
“Someone’s tailing me. Is it one of your people?”
Chapter 12
Eric knew Waldron wasn’t going to let Pepper live in peace. Since Eric worked at the park halfway between Silver Town and Pepper’s lands, Darien called him immediately after ending the call with Pepper.
“I’m sending CJ as backup because he can use his badge and weapon,” Darien added.
“All right. Did you let Pepper know I’m the one coming to take care of this?”
“Yeah. She wasn’t happy about it.”
“I don’t know how I can convince her I have no intention of taking over her pack. That my helping out doesn’t mean courtship, mating, and the rest.”
“She said she didn’t want you to have to keep taking leave from your position on account of her.”
Eric would have to call his boss to let him know he was taking an early lunch break and made sure he was covered for the time he would be gone. But he believed Pepper’s concern was for more than that. She felt threatened by his helping her any further.
“Lelandi said not to worry over her. Just show her you’re only doing this as a wolf, a friend, and don’t expect anything more of it. She wanted to know how last night worked out though.”
“I told you—nothing happened. No sign of Waldron and his people at all.”
“She meant between you and Pepper.”
“Nothing happened there either. I did end up running with some of her pack members on various trips out to check on her lands. She even ran with me the first time.”
Darien told Lelandi.
“Perfect,” she said in the background.
Eric sighed. He could see Lelandi was reading way more into this than was going on. Which is why he didn’t mention anything about the wine he and Pepper had shared before she went to bed. “Anything more on the search for the pot-growing wolves?”
“No sign of them. We haven’t located any more marijuana plants either,” Darien said.
Eric’s phone beeped. “Hey, listen, I’ve got a call coming in. I’ll call you when I learn anything.”
“Watch your back, Eric. I don’t trust Waldron or the members of his pack.”
“I agree with you there.” Eric took the other call, surprised to see it was Susan. He worried the pack was having trouble beyond that Pepper was being tailed. “Yeah, Susan, what’s wrong?”
“You know when I said she’s afraid to lose her heart to someone again?”
“Pepper?”
“Yeah. There’s a lot more to it. An alpha male tried to take over our pack. But to do that, he had to kill Harold, the male pack leader and Pepper’s mate. Which he did. Then he thought he was going to force Pepper into submission, and she’d give in and mate him.”
Eric was ready to kill the wolf. “Where is he? Is he alive?”
“Pepper killed him.”
Eric didn’t say anything for a moment, stunned the she-wolf could kill an alpha male.
“Don’t tell her I told you, but you see why she’s afraid to have another mate? Afraid of any alpha male getting near her pack?”
“Her mate was a beta.”
“Yeah. That’s what I keep telling her. She feels it’s her fault because she took him for her mate. But if she hadn’t, the alpha male would have killed him anyway because Harold would have tried to protect her. Anyway, Richard and I told her she should date you…for pretend. But she doesn’t want to because she’s afraid you’d get yourself killed for no good reason.”
“I’d say it was for a very good reason. But I don’t aim to get myself killed over it.”
“That’s what we said. But she doesn’t think you should have to do something like that when there’s no incentive. Richard said we could pay you for protection, but she said no to that too.”
“Well, she just called Darien for help, and he sent me because I’m the one closest to her location.”
“What? What’s happened?” Susan sounded alarmed.
“She’s got a tail. My brother, CJ, the deputy, is meeting up with us when he can. We’ll take care of it. No problem.”
“See? We knew Waldron wouldn’t give it a rest. Will you let me know what happens? She didn’t tell me about this latest development.”
“She thought maybe it was one of us watching out for her. I’m sure she’ll let you know about it herself, but I’ll give you a call once I know more.” He wasn’t sure what he was going to do when he caught up with Pepper and her tail. He would hang around the country club, watching out for her, but as to the tail?
He’d have to play it by ear.
* * *
All Pepper had wanted to do was ensure her tail wasn’t one of Darien’s men. But she could see now that calling him had been a mistake. She understood Eric was the closest to her location, but she seriously believed that sending him was a ploy on Darien’s part, and Lelandi’s, to ensure that Eric was her knight. She would have taken care of the matter herself. Although she was wearing a skirt and heels and would be at the posh country club, so she didn’t want to draw attention to herself in a negative way. She had hoped some of the women might be interested in her Christmas tree farm or tree nursery. But if she acted like an ogre in the parking lot, they’d stay clear of her and her businesses.
She was already angry because Waldron wouldn’t leave her alone. And now she was certain Eric would think that he had to be her protector. She didn’t want him to take more leave just because of her either. She wanted him to have his leave time to do what he wanted to do. Something fun, like take his trip to Hawaii.
She called Susan and said, “Just so you know, be watchful today. More of Waldron’s people may be observing us. I picked up a tail at the house.”
“Oh. Did you want me to get hold of Richard and—”
“No. I called Darien, and he’s sending Eric and his brother CJ.”
“Oh. Good. They both have guns.”
Pepper let out her breath. “It just causes more problems for us. For all of us.”
“No…it…doesn’t. The Silver pack is a sister pack to us
now. If they need our help with anything, they can call on us, right? And you would jump to come to their assistance.”
“True.”
“All right. So you asked for help from their pack leader, and he sent the men he thought could handle this best. Especially since Eric is closest to your location.”
“No, I didn’t ask for help. I just called to see if Darien had sent one of his men to follow me. Anyway, there was no talking him out of it.” Then again, maybe Darien wouldn’t have sent Eric if he had been on a job farther away than other pack members. Pepper had to quit being so suspicious of everyone’s motives. “I just arrived at the country club, and I see Eric’s truck pulling up behind the tail and him flashing his lights. Got to go. Update you after I give my talk.”
“Okay, got to get to work. Talk to you later.”
Pepper got out of her mini-SUV and walked toward Eric and the guy he’d pulled over. She wanted to know what was going on before she headed in to her luncheon and lecture. She wished she could invite Eric to join them for lunch after all the trouble he’d gone to. CJ too. But it was a women’s business affair.
The “man” driving the truck was Leroy Fairhaven, and his brother, Jonathan, was sitting in the passenger seat. She folded her arms as Eric made them get out of the truck and then searched them for weapons. He glanced in Pepper’s direction and said, “Hey. I’ll turn them over to CJ when he gets here. If you need to get to your luncheon…”
“In a few minutes.”
Eric nodded, then said to the boys, “Okay, you know she can get a judge to issue a stalking protective order and—”
“Your own judge?” Jonathan asked.
Eric raised his brows. “Yeah. So we won’t have any trouble taking care of it. What is your business at the country club? Have a lunch date? Membership? Golfing? Jobs here?”
“We were going to apply for jobs,” Jonathan said with a smart-ass smirk.
The other boy nodded.
“Okay, well, here’s the trouble with that. You followed Ms. Grayling from her house. You weren’t home when you left to come here to ‘apply’ for jobs. You’ve been caught two other times, once by our sheriff’s department, and once by me and another Silver wolf pack member. So it’s not a case of maybe, but it’s a fact. Now, since you’re under eighteen, we’re taking you both into custody, impounding the truck that isn’t even yours, and—”
“It’s mine,” Leroy said morosely.
“Okay, so we’re impounding the truck because we can’t leave it here on private club property while you’re in Silver Town sorting out your lives again. Did Waldron put you up to this?”
Jonathan looked at the ground and nodded. “We don’t do anything without his say-so.”
“So you lied about that the other day when we asked you the same question.”
Jonathan glowered at Eric. “What were we supposed to do? He’s the pack leader. What he says goes.”
“And you’re getting in trouble for it.”
Jonathan shrugged. “Gotta do what you’re told to do.”
“Not when it’s illegal and can land you in jail. I offered you a chance to join the Silver pack so we can work with you and keep you out of trouble.”
“What if we want to join hers?” Jonathan asked, motioning to Pepper.
CJ drove up, got out of his police SUV, and sauntered over, looking stern and ready to take the boys to jail. “Looks like you boys liked your stay in our jail.”
“No jail to stay in now,” Jonathan said, smarting off.
CJ smiled. “Oh, we’ve taken care of it. Might be a little smoky for a while, but you can live with it.”
“What about joining her pack?” Jonathan asked again.
Eric shook his head. “She doesn’t need the headache, and what’s to say you wouldn’t still spy for Waldron if you joined her pack?”
“I’ll take them in,” Pepper interjected. “I’ll call Richard and let him know he’s got two new charges, if the boys’ parents agree to either join our pack or let us foster the boys.”
Eric and CJ looked at her like they thought she was making a mistake.
“Richard will make sure they’re working or helping the pack in some way,” Pepper continued. “If it doesn’t work out, they can return to Waldron’s pack with a stalking protection order, and that will be the end of that. Good deal for you boys. Richard can talk with your parents and see which way they want to go on this.” Pepper got on her phone and called Richard. “I have a couple of boys who will work under your tutelage, if their parents agree. The boys have already said they’d rather be your charges than work for the Silver pack.”
“Do you want me to talk to the parents?” Richard asked.
“Yes. I’ve got to go into the luncheon now. After I’m through with it, I’ll call you and speak with them too. As to the boys…” She glanced at CJ and Eric, hoping one of them wouldn’t mind taking the boys to see Richard.
“I’ll make sure they drive straight to your place. Or Richard’s. Wherever you need me to escort them,” CJ offered.
She relayed the information to Richard and gave CJ Richard’s location. When she ended the call, she said to the boys, “If you stay with us, I expect you to be on your best behavior. Any problems, and you’re out of there. If we have any more trouble with you, it’s the Silver pack’s call, since they have a wolf-run jail.”
“All right,” Jonathan said, sounding mopey about it.
“Yes, ma’am,” Eric said with a stern voice and even sterner look.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jonathan said.
They all looked at Leroy. “Yes, ma’am,” he finally said, looking as sour about the whole affair as his brother did.
“Okay, well, now that that’s resolved, I have to get on with my lecture. Thanks, Eric and CJ, for coming to help out.”
Eric nodded.
“You’re welcome,” CJ said. “Anytime.”
Then she turned and headed toward the front doors of the country club, hoping that taking the boys into her pack wasn’t a colossal mistake. But her pack could use a couple of teens working with them and making friends with her teens. She thought if the boys behaved, they could turn their lives around before they got into real trouble. She figured that once they realized they had a good home with her pack, they wouldn’t feel loyalty to Waldron’s. And if it didn’t work out that way, she’d send them packing. Three chances and they were out of there and could live with the consequences of their actions.
She knew Eric and CJ thought she was crazy for offering to take the boys in, considering why they might want that arrangement—thinking that she didn’t have a bunch of alpha males in her pack to make them mind, maybe planning to keep Waldron informed about her everyday activities. But her people were great with the teens already in the pack. They kept them busy and out of trouble. If the Fairhaven boys abused their privileges, they’d lose them for a time, and if that didn’t set them on the right path after a few attempts? No problem. She’d just turn them over to the Silver pack.
Having mixed feelings, she entered the clubhouse and headed for the room where the meal would be served before she gave her talk. She hoped she wouldn’t sound as annoyed as she felt about this whole business: Waldron’s continued harassment, the Silver pack’s involvement, and taking two teenage boys into the pack and maybe their parents too.
* * *
CJ said good-bye to Eric and then followed the teens out of the parking lot. To an extent, Eric understood why Pepper had decided to take the boys in—to show Waldron he wasn’t going to have his way in this and that the Silver pack wasn’t going to decide this either, since the stalking business had all to do with her. Eric did worry that the boys would cause her more trouble than she and her pack could handle because of the pack’s small size and lack of alpha males.
As soon as Pepper walked into the building, Eric called
Susan to give her an update as he had promised.
“Oh wow, okay. So what are you going to do now? Go back to work?”
“No. I’m here now. I’ll just hang around in case something more happens when Waldron gets word that two of his pack members probably won’t be coming home. But you’re Pepper’s sub-leader. So I’ll let her tell you what’s going on from now on.”
“Totally understand. Thanks so much, Eric. If I were in the market for a mate, I’d choose you.”
He smiled. “But you’re not?”
“Oh, I am. Only I’m aiming for someone who doesn’t need to take over our pack.”
“Not me.”
“Yeah, well, we all know it. We just have to convince Pepper.”
“I really don’t see that happening. And who says I’m interested in taking over the pack?”
Susan laughed. “It comes with the territory.”
“You better not let Pepper hear you say that. I’ll let you go and talk to you later.” Eric and she said good-bye, but he really had no intention of getting between her and Pepper. Letting Susan know what was going on with Pepper would be sure to rebound. Still, he was glad to know what Pepper’s issues were.
He called for a pizza delivery, despite the fact that he was parked at a fancy country club, the likes of which he’d never belong to. He hoped no one would ask him to leave. When the pizza guy drove up, he was grinning. “I thought you were a crank call. The boss said it was for real.”
“I’m acting as a bodyguard for a VIP, high-roller type,” Eric said. Pepper might not be a high roller as far as being filthy rich, but he really thought the world of her, and that made her richer than any billionaire out there.
“Wow.” The guy took the money and handed over the pizza. “So who is she?”
“Top secret. Let’s just say she’s a high-class act and I was lucky to get the contract for the job.”