She lifted her head, her movement slow. Snow clung to her lashes. Her teeth chattered so hard he heard them click as her breathing was shallow. “M-m-my D-daddy is c-c-coming,” she said, voice thin but steady. “When he g-gets here, you’re g-gonna be s-s-sorry.”
Daddy. The word hit him like a slap. Trace Daniels, riding in like some storybook hero to save his little princess. Silas laughed, but it came out like some weird cackle.
The wolves howled again, closer, cutting off his laughter. They were probably further away than they sounded. He began to realize he was not as close to the truck as he’d thought. Then the trees behind Kip burst into movement.
Five wolves broke into the open, larger than any he had ever seen. Part wolf, part something else... mastiff, maybe, or Malinois... whatever they were, judging by the size of them, they’d lived for many generations in the wild. Their coats were thick with snow and ice. Breath steamed from their black nostrils. Their lips were peeled back in a snarl, revealing teeth that were too long for any dog.
Silas’s heart slammed against his ribs. Surely they would go for her. But instead, their yellow-gold eyes locked on him. Except for the largest one. Oh, he was staring at Silas, alright, but his eyes were a strange blue.
He took a quick, involuntary step back. “They’re coming for you,” he told Kip, but his voice was too high. He needed to get a grip, or the stupid cow might think he was scared. Clearing his throat, he said, “Look at them. They’re going to rip you apart.” Hestepped back in a slow walk. To run back to the truck would trigger their predator response, ensuring they would attack him first.
The pack moved forward as one, silent except for the crunch of their paws on snow. They passed Kip without a glance. The biggest one—black as midnight, shoulders taller than Silas’s waist with those damn glowing blue eyes—led them straight toward him.
Kip’s voice floated behind them, soft and unafraid. “D-dodger. H-hey, big m-man. E-easy.”
Dodger. She was talking to that monster like it was a damn house pet. She was delirious. She had to be. The cold was already eating her brain.
Silas took another step back. Then another. Snow soaked his jeans up to the knees. The pack never slowed. Their attention stayed fixed on him, ears pointed forward, shoulders rolling with every deliberate step.
He made the decision in one heartbeat. If he could make it back to the truck, he could watch her die from there. The truck was warm and safe. He could sit in his truck with his rifle across his lap. He might even be kind enough to put her out of her misery once the wolves had chewed on her a bit. He was kind that way.
Turning, he ran as fast as he could, his boots slipping on the snow almost every step. The frigid air burned his lungs.
And then he saw them. Through the blinding snow, lights blinked in and out as they approached. Fuck! How had he found them so fast? He continued running, half expecting the bite of a wolf’s jaw on his leg all the way.
From the sound of it, the wolves had stopped stalking him. They must have seen the lights, too. They were pulling back towards the girl, probably deciding to take the easier meal after all.
Reaching his truck, he looked back and realized he was wrong. Those crazy wolves had circled around Kip, pressing close as if trying to keep her warm. Their bodies leaned against her legs, hersides, her back. The black one, the one she called Dodger, sat directly in front of her, his head high, staring up at Silas like he could see right through the storm.
Silas blinked to keep the snow out of his eyes. What the fuck? This wasn’t possible. Wolves didn’t do that. Wolfdogs sure as hell didn’t do that. That was crazy. Were they rabid or something?
He was losing it. It must be the cold. Or the dark.
On his left, he saw headlights coming closer. It looked like three or four snowmobiles were cutting through the blizzard, moving fast and heading straight toward him.
The Daniels had found him. Fuck! By leaving the truck running to keep the engine warm with the lights still on, he’d created the biggest fucking beacon he could have.
Opening the door, Silas reached into the cab, his hand closing around the cold steel of his rifle. He worked the action and chambered a round. The wind had died down some, making his shot easier, but the sound was loud in the stillness.
There might still be time to get away, but first one bullet for the princess. Then head south to Mexico. With that hundred grand, he’d get a new name and start a new life.
He stepped back from the truck, raised the rifle to his shoulder, and found Kip through the scope. She was almost hidden within the circle of fur and muscle. Only her pale face was visible. But that was all he needed. Then one of the wolves moved.
Dodger sat in front of her, blue eyes staring straight down the barrel of his rifle. Silas let out a slow breath. Looked like he’d have to kill that damn wolf first. He took aim and settled his finger on the trigger.
CHAPTER 26
Trace hit the equipment barn at a dead run, boots sliding on packed snow. Boone, Chance, Tanner, and Sev were right behind him. The wind howled across the yard, trying to push them sideways. Inside the barn, the overhead lights buzzed harsh and yellow. Six snowmobiles sat lined up, keys already in the ignitions because no one wasted time in weather like this.
As they were pulling out the sleds, Trace couldn’t shake the guilt. “I should have stayed home.”
Chance shook his head. “I know what you’re going through, but you couldn’t have stayed home. The feed pellets had to be picked up.”
Yeah, that was what he’d been thinking about. His veterinary responsibilities. It had nothing to do with imagining the look on his little fox’s face when she saw the wedding ring he’d picked up. It took a while to design because he knew exactly what he wanted the first time he saw her eyes. When the jewelry store called him that morning to say the ring was finally in, just in time for Christmas, he told them he’d be there that afternoon.
He hadn’t taken Kip with him because he wanted to give herthat ring tomorrow morning, in front of all the brothers who’d been giving him a hard time the past couple of weeks. He wanted to make a spectacle, and now she was in the hands of someone who wanted her dead.
“If I was going to leave her here, I should have told Ruby no visitors.”
