Page 34 of Tracking the Alpha
“You never actually saw them?”
She shook her head. “Nope.”
“Other than the wolf, did you witness anything out of the ordinary?”
He fished to see if she knew about the coyote woman. She lied. “Nope. This forest is pretty quiet compared to most. The wolf must have scared off or eaten most of the wildlife. Speaking of which, pretty sure it got into a scrap last night. When it got spooked and bolted from its den, I’d have sworn I saw blood in its fur.” She offered that tidbit and watched the major’s reaction.
He leaned forward with an intent expression. “Do you know what it fought?”
She shook her head. “Could be anything really. Squirrel. Rabbit. Deer. Maybe even a coyote. I thought I heard one yipping last night.” Any hunter worth their salt would have recognized the sound, and given where she’d been found that morning, the major would think it odd if she’d not heard something.
“All kinds of wildlife in these parts,” the major murmured.
“Was that everything? Because I could really use a hot shower and some real food.”
“You can go.” He waved a hand. “I’ll have the bait for you within a day or two.”
“Sounds good.” She faked a smile before walking out.
A day or two didn’t give her much time. Better make the most of it.
Right after she showered and changed.
Chapter Ten
Tanis hadn’t betrayed him, but Barrett remained leery. Could be the things she’d said aloud had been to lower his defenses. He neither responded nor gave her a sign to show he’d heard; instead, he watched and listened. He detected, long before she did, the UTV heading toward the creek following the signal emitted by the walkie-talkie. She claimed to have not known it was bugged. Meanwhile, he could have slapped himself for being dumb because, had she turned it on the night before, he might have been caught.
Instead, while Tanis caught a ride, Barrett remained at large, if cold as fuck. The frost that hit overnight left him wishing he still wore fur—for like a second.
Did he want to go back to being a wolf? No. However, now that he’d returned to being a man, he really wouldn’t mind some pants and shoes, a coat, gloves, hat… Fuck. He needed an entire fucking wardrobe, and he wouldn’t find that in the forest. Nor would the weather improve. Fall marched rapidly into winter and before long, there would be snow on the ground. It would be the most cosmically sick joke if he escaped the general’s experiment and torture only to freeze to death.
He needed clothing, and only one place could provide that, hence why he trailed the UTV, not directly of course. He took a more obscure trail that allowed him to cut across areas the UTV needed to skirt. In spite of his shortcut, he still arrived well after Tanis—and without a clue as to what to do next. Yes, he needed pants, but he couldn’t exactly walk into the fortified compound and ask for them.
While he pondered his next move, he climbed a tree that offered a vantage point of the gated facility. With knees huddled to his chest, he tried to conserve what little warmth he could generate and eyed the place. He’d already noted the locations of cameras during past scouting missions. One at each corner. Another over the main gate. Another pointed at the road to identify anyone coming in. In case the electronic eyes failed, a soldier stood guard on a platform, rifle cradled in his arms, ready to take aim. Even at his fastest sprint, Barrett would never make it across the open area between forest and gate without getting spotted and/or shot.
The only distraction from his dilemma and chilly discomfort proved to be the overpowering stench of urine. The manufactured piss had been sprayed around the place; bear, dog, deer, raccoon, rabbit. Unnatural and bothersome even in his human shape. The strong aversion to certain scents made him wonder how he’d cope if he ever returned to civilization. A city didn’t exactly smell nice. How would he handle it? Assuming he escaped, he’d figure it out.
From his perch, he couldn’t see anything happening beyond the concrete walls, but he did hear the rumble of an engine starting. Someone was going somewhere, and it gave him an idea.
Having scouted the terrain for kilometers around, Barrett knew exactly where to run to intercept the road in a spot well out of sight of soldiers and cameras. His bare feet protested the harsh ground, but he gritted his teeth and kept going, his stamina and strength the best it had ever been. Because he could cut straight across the terrain, he made it to the ditch where the pavement curved, making it an ideal ambush spot.
He lay in wait, tracking the approaching hum of the vehicle, timing his next move.
When it rounded the bend, he popped out suddenly, darting into the road, startling the driver, who veered. The soldier turned a little too hard, and the van’s front wheel caught the edge of the ditch.
Barrett stood to the side and watched as the large vehicle toppled and rolled twice before coming to a jolting stop in an upright position. Before it even settled, he’d yanked open the driver-side door and hauled out the driver. A few punches to the face and the guy’s eyes rolled back in his head. As for the passenger, he was out cold. Judging by the blood on his forehead, he must have smacked his head when the van rolled.
Barrett worked quickly, dragging the passenger out of the vehicle, removing the shirt of the larger fellow before binding both their hands using their belts. He then stripped pants and boots before also tying their ankles, using the laces of the footwear he didn’t need.
Not killing them might be a mistake. However, it was one thing to protect himself when soldiers came after him as a wolf, another for him to callously murder when they couldn’t even defend themselves. He reminded himself that, only a few months ago, he could have been one of these men, obeying orders because that was what one did in the military.
Of course, keeping them alive meant a dilemma of what to do with them.
How long were the pair expected to be gone? When would someone start wondering about their disappearance? Not to mention, he couldn’t allow them to be found because they’d seen him and he couldn’t have them tattling to the general that they’d crashed because of a naked man on the road. Davidson would know immediately Barrett had flipped out of the wolf shape.
Maybe he should forget doing the right thing and kill them.
No. There had to be another way.
