Chapter 18

Willow tilted her head, studying Smokey intently. It wasn't that she doubted him—after all, the proof was on her chest, but it was more the case of Smokey not telling her the entire truth. As far as she knew, it would take a special gift from the gods to do what he'd done, so while it might be true his grandfather had taught him something, there was definitely more to the story than that simple answer. But that could wait. "We need to find Hope and get her away from that asshole."

"I'll do that," Smokey replied. "You go find Jackson and tell him what happened to his mother and then I need you to find Norm, Theo and the kids, and make sure they get home safely."

"What are they doing out in the woods?" Willow asked.

"We were on a picnic, but when I heard gunshots and your scream, I told them to hide while I headed out to help you."

"Oh no…were all of Hope's grandbabies with you?"

"Most of them. Now please go."

"Josiah shot me…I should be the one to go after him. He won't stand a chance against my tiger."

"I'll handle it," Smokey said, as he bent down to pick up the three bullets he'd set on the ground while tending to Willow. "See," he said, opening his hand to show her, "he shot me three times." Pressing them into her palm and folding her fingers over them, he continued, "Show these to Jackson…he'll know what to do with them. Now go!"

Clutching the bullets, Willow turned and headed for the path that led to the pack house. Once Jackson knew about his mother, she'd find the kids and make sure they got back home safely. It was the least she could do in exchange for Hope's efforts to save her.

Smokey waited until Willow was out of sight before turning toward the direction Hope and Josiah had taken. Calling on his bear's senses, he lifted his nose, sniffing until he locked onto Hope's scent he'd picked up from the bandage she'd made for Willow's wound.

He picked his way through the brush, moving carefully, aware that the man he was hunting was dangerous. Unwilling to chance getting shot again, he remained in his human form, refusing to let his bear take over, knowing his bear's need for revenge could trigger reckless actions. And if that happened again, Smokey might not be so lucky.

Falling back into the mindset he'd always adopted when on a mission for the agency, Smokey stayed off the path his quarry was on, using the forest to hide his movements. His ability to be stealthy had surprised Glenn and Ghost, who boasted that their tigers were superior to a ‘big lumbering grizzly bear' as they put it, and Smokey had reluctantly conceded they might have a point. But in his human form, he was far better than either of them.

Stopping periodically, Smokey listened for signs that meant he was getting close. When he heard only the sounds of the forest, he continued to follow their scents, thankful Josiah had made no effort to conceal them, which was puzzling at first. As he found out on his first mission for the agency, hiding a scent was the most important thing a shifter on the run needed to do. He thinks both Willow and I are dead. Smiling grimly when the realization hit him, Smokey now knew he had the advantage—and he wasn't going to let it slip away.

~/~/~/~/~

Norm burst into Jackson's study, his eyes wild with fright. He'd left his pregnant mate and five kids alone with a shooter on the loose and fear was clearly written on his face. Stopping in front of Jackson's desk, he leaned over it, bracing himself with one hand, panting hard. It took a moment before he was able to get a few words out. "Gunshots…a bunch of them…Smokey heard Willow scream…you gotta come right away!"

Frozen for a moment, Jackson's heart thumped wildly at Norm's message. But then his Alpha took over. Rising, he asked, "Where are Theo and the kids?"

"I left them in a cave near the meadow," Norm replied, his breath coming in spurts. "I have to find Smokey. He went after Willow and then there were more gunshots. He needs me…don't ask me how I know, I just do."

"The kids are safe, right?" asked Jackson.

"They were…when I left them."

"Do you know if Willow was injured?" asked Jackson, looking over Norm's shoulder at Steel who had entered the room. Quickly filling him in on the situation, Jackson turned back to Norm. "What about Willow? Was she injured?"

"I don't know…Smokey knew it was Willow who screamed, but then there was another scream and he didn't know who that belonged to."

"Mom was with Willow," Jackson said softly. He was silent for a moment. Then reining in his fear, he began to issue orders. "Steel, assemble two teams of enforcers…the rest I want to surround the pack house. Tell Groose I want them close enough together so they can see each other. No one is allowed in without my permission.

"Steel, you and Norm will take one of the teams to go get Theo and the kids and bring them back here. I'll take the other team and find Smokey, Willow, and Mom. I want Mac on my team and tell him there might be several gunshot wounds…but make sure he knows to keep quiet about it. I don't want Dakota stressing out about Mom. Let's go!"

After Steel left the room, Norm asked, "Is there anything I can do until we leave?"

Jackson looked out the window at the late afternoon sun, before replying. "It's gonna cool down soon so get some warm clothes for Theo and the kids to take with you. When was the last time they ate?"

"Around noon."

Nodding, Jackson said, "I'll pack a bag of smacks for them just in case. Now go…I'll meet you out front." After Norm left, Jackson picked up his phone and dialed Reeve Nicolet.

"Hello?"

"Reeve, it's Jackson. I have a situation over here."

"What's the problem?"

"There's someone on the Blackwood Pack land who's firing a gun. I don't know who it is yet, but I have a team going out to find three of my pack members who are missing."

Reeve's animal was suddenly on high alert which was never a good sign. "Who's missing?"

"Willow, my mother, and Smokey."

"Willow Thatcher? The eyewitness?"

"That's the one. Have you caught Josiah?"

"Not yet," Reeve growled. "You think that's who's responsible?"

"Don't know, but my gut tells me it is."

So did Reeve's. There wasn't a better place to hide than on the Blackwood Pack land because it would be the last place he'd normally look. Fuck! "I'll be there asap."

"Fine," Jackson said, ending the call abruptly. If Reeve thought he was gonna wait for him to arrive, he was in for a rude awakening. As far as Jackson was concerned, the man should have done his job sooner. Now he was facing the possibility that Josiah might have killed others. This time, though, Jackson was going to make sure his uncle would never be able to harm his family again.

~/~/~/~/~

Falling for the fourth time, Hope refused to get up. The pace Josiah had set was brutal, and considering she hadn't yet fully recovered, it surprised her that she'd been able to go for as long as she had.

"Get up!"

"I can't," Hope insisted. "I need to rest first."

Looking at her with contempt. Josiah yanked her to her feet. He knew she was trying to delay him, hoping that somehow she might be rescued. But he was having none of that. "Walk…or I'll blow your brains out!"

Taking a few more steps, Hope's legs gave out and despite Josiah's threat, she could walk no further and collapsed onto the forest floor. Closing her eyes, she began praying to the gods, asking them to keep her family safe from Josiah's evilness.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Josiah muttered, gazing down at the woman who would be his new mate. Tucking his gun into the back of his jeans, he bent down and grabbed Hope, slinging her over his shoulder. He had half a mind to kill her, but he held back. There'd be plenty of time for that if she spurned the life he'd planned for them.

Hanging upside down over Josiah's shoulder, the movement of his walking made Hope sick and dizzy. Fighting the urge to throw up, she sought a distraction to keep her mind off her agitated stomach. "Where are we going, Josiah?" she asked.

"I'm taking you where you always wanted to be…my home."

Frowning, Hope replied, "I don't understand…I never told you that."

"Striker did," Josiah said. "He said he was gonna marry you even though you really wanted me. Now, you can have me."

"I don't believe you," Hope said, faintly, refusing to give Josiah any excuse for his killing of her pups. But in her mind was a niggling thought that her husband had said it, but only to get the better of his older brother. But with her husband dead, she had no way to explain it to Josiah. And even if I could, what use would it be now? Better to keep quiet.

~/~/~/~/~

Smokey was getting close—he could now get an occasional glimpse of Josiah and Hope. Careful not to alert Josiah, he moved deeper into the forest and made sure he was downwind from him. Stepping carefully over dead branches and twigs on the ground, he reduced his pace. Deciding when to attack depended on several things, the most important of which was making sure Hope wasn't near her captor. And since he was carrying her now, Smokey hung back, waiting for the right moment. Of course, everything would change if Smokey saw his prey hurt Hope, or if he saw him heading for a car to make his escape. Then he'd have no option but to attack him head-on, because then Hope would be in more danger than she was now.

~/~/~/~/~

Hope's stomach couldn't take anymore and if Josiah didn't set her on her feet soon, she knew she'd lose her fight to keep down her lunch. Hitting Josiah's back, she cried, "Put me down now or I'm gonna throw up!" Within seconds, Hope found herself sitting on the ground, her head between her legs to ease her nausea. After a few moments, she was able to lift her head. "I have to rest, Josiah…I haven't been well."

Studying his captive, Josiah could see the exhaustion on her face and reluctantly accepted her claim. "Five minutes." He kept his eyes on her for a few minutes, before turning and walking over to sit down on a felled tree trunk. He took his gun out and glanced around the forest before returning his gaze to Hope. "You're gonna love your new home…so much nicer than the crappy one my brother gave you…that old rundown house our father built. Striker never valued you…but I will. You'll see. Too bad my brother isn't alive to see it…he'd have turned green with envy. He was always a jealous prick…that's why he convinced our father to kick me out, so he could have the Fox River pack all to himself."

"You challenged your father and lost. My mate had nothing to do with it."

Anger flooded Josiah. "You're lying! My brother was always trying to take away what was mine! But not anymore…I made sure of that."

"You mean when you killed him," Hope said, softly.

Waving his gun around unsteadily, Josiah said, "He got what he deserved. And now I'll have what should have been mine all along, and he won't be able to steal it from me."

"You mean me, right?" asked Hope. "What about your wife and children? Or are you planning to kill them too?"

Pointing his gun at Hope, Josiah warned, "Careful there, my love. Just because you'll be my mate, don't get it in your head that you can backtalk me.

Hope remained silent for a few moments. Her brother-in-law was clearly insane and she wondered if her husband had known that before that night when she'd lost everything…not everything, she reminded herself. Seven of her children had survived and were now thriving. That was a miracle that had her thanking the gods every day. And it was something worth fighting for, especially with her sons making her a grandmother nine times over with more on their way.

Hope had no experience dealing with a person so lost in his madness he viewed his behavior as normal. Realizing that she had to tread carefully, asked, "Where's our new home?"

Smiling, Josiah gestured towards the north. "Someplace no one will find us."

Alarm bells went off in her head at Josiah's boast; she knew then the time had come for her to act. Thinking for a moment, she devised a plan that, hopefully, would work. Then summoning her courage, Hope rose and walked over to Josiah. "I'm ready to go," she said softly.

Smirking, Josiah stood up and gestured with his gun for her to walk ahead of him. She was up to something, he thought. The glint of determination in her eyes warned him to be cautious. He glanced around the forest one last time before following his hostage.

~/~/~/~/~

While Hope had rested, Smokey worked his way through the trees until he was close enough to hear their conversation. Just as he'd suspected, Josiah was headed someplace where a vehicle was waiting for them. So that meant Smokey had two choices—attack now or wait till the fucker reached his getaway car. And if Josiah had some kind of backup waiting there, it would stack the odds against Smokey.

Somehow, he had to get Hope out of the way before Josiah could react and shoot her—or him. That was going to be tough, because the man stayed close to Hope, probably to make it easier to grab her if she tried to run. Analyzing the plan from all angles, Smokey decided surprise was going to be his biggest advantage. It was showtime.

Moving to the opposite side of the path took longer than he'd expected, but it was a critical move if he wanted to remain concealed. Ten minutes later he was in position, and now it was a waiting game. He tensed as he heard them approach. Shifting only his hands, Smokey glanced down at their ten, razor-sharp claws.

From his hiding spot, he watched as Hope passed him. Then, with a thunderous roar, he bolted onto the path, landing just a foot in front of Josiah.