Page 46 of The Enforcers: NOAH

Chapter 16

It took several more hours to make their way through the forest to their destination, and Noah’s legs and the wound in his side were burning by the time they got there. Mina was half asleep on his back, and Brock was completely crashed in Flynn’s arms.

The wolf was still out, though he was showing signs of stirring, which seemed to cause Flynn more worry than relief.

Noah had been orienting himself with his wolf senses and his military training, and figured they were about ten miles west of Robbie’s place, and a roughly equal distance from the main Nashville compound.

When they finally emerged into a clearing, he glanced at the star positions to check himself, but he was pretty sure where they were.

There was a large snug cabin with several outbuildings. Some of them seemed fairly permanent, while others looked like they’d been hastily cobbled together from scraps. There were a few beat-up vehicles parked randomly, wherever there was space.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” he said, letting Mina slide off his back and putting his arm around her to keep her upright. “This is Alexander Grant’s hunting cabin—the one Jesse and Sophia hid out in after you all escaped from his lab.”

Flynn cut his eyes sideways to Noah. “Well, Grant’s not using it.”

Yeah. The evidence Jesse brought out of the compound meant Grant was in prison without bail.

“Travis’s team swept this place a couple of times. Looking for you.”

Flynn grinned. “Did they? Imagine that.”

Yeah. He wasn’t very findable when he didn’t want to be found.

And to be truthful, after the first few passes by the Council Enforcers only turned up a couple of the escaped shifters, the Nashville security teams hadn’t tried very hard to find the rest.

Neither had Noah, though that was supposedly his job. Everyone had assumed that if the escapees weren’t tearing up the countryside causing trouble, they’d either fled the area long since or they had sense enough to stay under the radar, which meant they were no threat to the shifter or human communities and were entitled to live in peace.

In Alexander Grant’s hunting cabin. You had to appreciate Flynn’s sense of irony.

But if Noah’s nose didn’t deceive him, there were more shifters living here. The jaguar, the bear, a fox, maybe some others.

This had the looks of some kind of makeshift crew. Noah didn’t know how the Council would feel about that—the larger the group of shifters, the more risk they posed, especially if they didn’t have legitimate jobs to support themselves. It was too easy for shifters to turn to crime.

Luckily, since Noah was no longer an Enforcer, he wasn’t duty-bound to report them. For the first time, he was grateful he’d lost his job.

The jaguar and the bear ambled out of the forest and shifted. Noah wasn’t surprised to see them; he’d heard and scented them flanking him and his party for the last few miles. Mina gave a little gasp, though—first at seeing the animals, and then at seeing them shift into humans.

Naked ones.

Brock giggled sleepily in Flynn’s arms. “Mommy, none of these people wears any clothes.”

“I can see that,” Mina said acerbically.

The jaguar, a lean, hard-bodied woman, just grinned and waved, heading toward one of the outbuildings.

The bear walked up behind Flynn and gently lifted the wolf off his back. Flynn let Brock slide to the ground, steadied him, then flexed his shoulders and cracked his spine.

“Shit, Tristan weighs a fucking ton for such a little guy.”

Noah gave a snort. He’d seen videos of this Tristan, and he was only “little” compared to Flynn and the bear.

The bear—Tank—just nodded. “How come he changed?” he asked.

Flynn shook his head, looking like there was a still a heavy weight on his shoulders. “I don’t know. Seeing Carson, maybe…I tried to tell him not to go after that dirtbag alone, but when he heard Carson and Briscoe were both here at Wells’ place…”

He shook his head. “I’m not his fucking alpha,” he said finally. “He doesn’t have to do what I say. At least he didn’t get himself killed.”

Tank hugged the wolf to his chest. “Do I have to put him in the crazy shed?” he asked.