“Yeah, we’re pretty sure it was. Ghost thinks he was on a boat and Smokey thought that would explain why he kept missing us,” Glenn said.
“Boat rentals…tonight…got it,” Riley said. “Anything Smokey or Ghost has been involved in lately that could have gotten them enemies? What about you?” Pulling on his jeans, Riley crossed the room to his computer, sitting down.
“Don’t know about them but you can check my file for my recent jobs,” Glenn said, turning the key in the ignition. “I’ll ask them and get back to you.”
“Good, talk to you later,” Riley said, ending the call as his fingers started flying over the keyboard.
Glancing in the rear-view mirror, Glenn caught Ghost’s eyes staring at him, filled with questions. Silently giving a tiny shake of his head, he turned his attention to the road, pulling out into traffic. Ignoring his friend’s concerns, he concentrated on his driving, hoping Riley would find out who the hell was behind it. Until then, there wasn’t any way he was going to risk Sawyer’s life by claiming him.
~/~/~/~/~
Unlocking his jeep, Sawyer threw his surfboard into the back, then stripping out of his wet suit. He was planning on just wearing board shorts but after listening to the dude in the surf shop extolled the benefits of wearing one, a last-minute decision to buy it was made. And Sawyer was grateful he had. While his body temperature ran warmer than a human, he hadn’t taken into account the long hours spent in the cool water learning how to surf.Not that I did, however.Sighing, he toweled himself off before pulling on his jeans and t-shirt. Slipping his feet into flipflops, Sawyer climbed into his jeep, pausing to gather his thoughts.
Leaning his head back against the headrest, he closed his eyes, feeling the exhaustion from hours spent trying to keep his balance on the board. Then, remembering the comment his instructor said during the phone call, he smiled again, using the praise to bolster his ego which had been badly bruised by the many falls he took. His failure to conquer the technique unnerved him somewhat since it never happened before. No matter what it was from?rock climbing to snowboarding?his mastery came easy and quick much to his delight.
While his twin excelled in school, Sawyer figured out early on that wasn’t the path for him, much to his father’s disappointment. But after feeling the first rush of adrenaline, he was addicted and nothing anyone said could sway him from trying any sport. Surfing was his latest attempt to recapture that rush, the high that came whether from speed, wind, height, or whatever. Sawyer knew without a doubt, catching a giant wave would give him it again.
Sighing, Sawyer opened his eyes, glancing at the black waters of the ocean at night. Staring at the rolling waves washing ashore, he thought about the instructions Ghost gave him. They sounded so simple, yet he found it impossible to follow. There were less than two weeks left before he promised to be back at his cousins’ home but if today was any example, he would need each day of that time and maybe more to perfect his technique.
Snorting to himself about that thought, Sawyer started the jeep, then pulled out of the beach parking lot.Turning onto the oceanfront street, he drove slowly, the smell of food causing his stomach to grumble in protest. Giving a quick glance at a few passing bars and cafés, he considered stopping for dinner, but decided against it after a few big yawns.Shit, I’d probably fall asleep at the table.What he needed more was a good night sleep after some food. Blinking his eyes quickly a few times to wake up, he headed for the road that would take him back to his motorhome, and the freezer full of Theo’s delicious meals.
Chapter 2
Parking next to the motorhome, Sawyer sat in his jeep, staring into the woods. Exhaustion prevented him from doing much more than that. Closing his eyes, his head thumped back against the headrest, his thoughts flitting back to his failure that day, throwing his whole schedule out of whack. Doubt began to creep into his mind. Setting goals and meeting them had always been his formula to conquer and succeed in everything he did. And surfing shouldn’t be any different—just another challenge as far as he was concerned.
Sighing, Sawyer opened his eyes, promising himself it would be different tomorrow. Grabbing his phone, he checked for messages from his family, chuckling when he read Quin’s. Concentrating on his reply, an unexpected, loud, rapping on his side window startled him, sending his phone crashing to the floor. Turning his head, he saw a gorgeous guy smiling at him through the glass.Fucking A, Quin was right about the men down here!Returning the smile, he rolled down his window, inhaling the rich scent floating in towards him. Within a second, his dick hardened and his wolf howled long and loud.Wait…what? A mate? My mate?
The shock rolling through his body was reflected on the man’s face whose nostrils had flared. Frozen, Sawyer watched as the man took several steps back before turning and running into the woods surrounding the campsite.What the fuck?Grabbing the door handle, Sawyer jerked it open, jumping out of the jeep and then paused. Lifting his face, he called upon his wolf’s ability, sniffing the air before taking off after his mate.Why was he running away?Ignoring the hurt in his heart, he followed the scent trailing behind his mate.
~/~/~/~/~
Panting, Alex pulled open the door of his small trailer, scrambling into it before pulling the door closed behind him. Flipping the lock, he stood still, his body tight, listening to the muted sounds coming from the woods. Once he was sure no one had followed him, he slipped quietly into his bed. Taking a deep breath, he held it for a count of ten before releasing it slowly. Repeating this several times, Alex willed his heart to slow down, worried the sound of it could be heard even through the trailer walls.
Closing his eyes, his mind drifted back to the face that would be staring at him in his dreams from now on. During all his years at boarding school, Alex barely listened to his fellow classmates as they talked about how amazing it would be when they found their fated mates. But that would never happen for him because of what he was. And anyway, there wasn’t a reason he could come up with that would justify finding himself owned by a mate; his life had been strictly controlled by school rules for years, and he’d had enough of that.
After he graduated, and just when he thought he was finally free to enjoy his life, he was informed by a lawyer that his father, a father he’d never met, had arranged housing for him along with—what he ended up calling his jailers—a housekeeper/cook, a bodyguard/chauffeur and a personal assistant to handle his social obligations. Not that he ever had any because whatever he wanted to do required prior approval from his father, which never came in time.
Not willing to live that way any longer, Alex made plans to escape, which turned out to be unnecessary; his father died, leaving him a very wealthy young man. For the firsttime in his life, Alex’s destiny was in his hands and it didn’t take long for him to flee his keepers. After deciding on a plan, he set about putting it in motion, learning whatever he needed to carry it out. Selling everything, including his condo prison, he bought a small travel trailer and an SUV to tow it.
Leaving his old life behind, his newly found freedom was intoxicating; his spirits lifted and smiles to light up his face as he fled the city, heading south. Stopping whenever the desire hit, moving on when his mind told him it was time to go, Alex meandered across the land, spending months exploring the country. And in all that time, he never met another one like him—until now.
Dumb…dumb…dumb.Biting his lower lip, Alex realized his mistake could be chalked up to the sheltered life he lived for all those years but that was just a flimsy excuse—he knew better. All those years, while all of his classmates went home during the breaks, he stayed at the nearly-empty school, spending his time reading every book about the paranormal world he found in the library. Sighing quietly, his thoughts returned to the sexy man he spooked.A fated mate…why me?And why now?
Frowning, Alex wondered if he should leave tonight, heading north, away from Southern California, but he really didn’t like that idea. Rubbing his chest, he considered moving to a different campground, but this was the only gay one in the area, giving him a sense of safety—something he found necessary after an unsettling experience at his first campground stop. Disclosing that he was gay to the wrong people could be dangerous.Something I would have known if my father had allowed me some freedom.
Unsure about what to do, Alex concentrated on the night sounds of the woods, listening for any indication his mate had pursued him. But when he found none, he decided further thoughts could wait until he had a good night’s sleep. Wrapping his arm around his stuffed bear, he turned onto his side, pulling a blanket up over him. Inhaling the familiar scent of his furry friend, he closed his eyes, drifting off.
~/~/~/~/~
Stopping, Sawyer looked around, cursing the loss of his mate’s scent. Backtracking until he could pick it up again, he headed in another direction, looking at the forest floor for any signs his mate had gone that way. After an hour of searching, he finally ended up at a campsite where a small, silver, travel trailer was parked. Listening intently, he smiled when he heard his mate’s faint snores.
Then, hidden by a thicket of trees, Sawyer waited and watched before finally pulling out his phone and sending off a message. Unwilling to leave his mate unprotected, he stripped, stashing his clothes in the crook of a branch. After shifting, Sawyer’s black wolf trotted through the woods surrounding his mate’s campsite, checking for threats. When he was finally satisfied there were none, he dropped down near the trailer’s steps, resting his head on his paws.
Thinking back to their encounter, Sawyer remembered the fleeting fear in his mate’s eyes when he realized who Sawyer was.Why was my mate afraid of me?It was something he couldn’t figure out but was one of the first things he was going to get an answer to tomorrow—along with who his mate was. Everything else would have to wait until he claimed the gorgeous man.
~/~/~/~/~
After making sure they weren’t being followed, Glenn turned into Ghost’s driveway, stopping in front of the garage. During the long drive, he’d sorted through the possibilities of which of his many enemies made through his years at the agency would want him dead, then snorted.The list is endless! How the fuck am I ever going to keep Sawyer safe?Lost in thought, he never moved.
