Abandoned Treasure

Nicholas Parker (Nathan Storm’s) POV

Great Falls, Montana

Saturday, September 8, 2007

“Let me take that, baby. You shouldn’t be carrying anything heavy.”

Nora rolled her eyes as she looked at me. “I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”

“I know, but you shouldn’t be doing anything that might kick off your labor.” I grabbed the bag off our bed and slung it over my shoulder. “Everything else is in the car.”

She stood up straight with her hands on her hip and grimaced. I’d never say anything, but she looked like she’d swallowed a beachball. She’d kept working out during her pregnancy.She’d stuck to a healthy diet with the occasional cheat day so she didn’t gain too much weight. “My back is killing me.”

“It’s only going to get worse these last few weeks. I’m glad we’re moving in with Georgina until the baby comes.” Georgina was a Werebear midwife and a close friend. We’d been visiting her Den for checkups every month. The old bear sniffed out her pregnancy before my cum stains had dried.

“She’s right. It’s too risky being away from here when the baby comes.”

I locked the door from the kitchen to the garage, then tossed the bag in the back with the rest of the luggage. Nora was moving carefully in her eighth month. I helped her slide into the passenger seat of our green Explorer, then opened the garage door and got in. I started the car and looked at the clock to see it was seven thirty-eight at night. It would be dark by the time we got out of town. “Five Guys again?”

“When your pregnant mate has a craving, the smart wolf gets it for her,” she growled. We had it every month on the way to and from our well-baby visits, and I’d taken the chance a few times in between when she needed it.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said as I turned towards town. The line was longer than I’d hoped, so she spent more time in the car waiting for me than I was comfortable with.

Nora practically attacked the bag when I got back. She moaned as she bit into a handful of fries while I pulled out of the space. “Sank ooh,” she said around a mouthful of spuds.

“Anything for you, baby.” Before we left town, she got the ketchup cups set up for the fries, and I had my burger in hand. I took a bite of the greasy burger with the works and smiled.

Life was good.

Council Enforcer Vic Knightly’s POV

Great Falls Target Store

I practically ran to my car, tossing the bag in while I searched for the fugitives. It didn’t take long to spot them across the street at a Five Guys burger joint. Carol was sitting with the windows down in a blue Ford Explorer. Nathan Storm got in the driver’s side with a takeout bag and two drinks. They both changed hair colors and styles, but the scent doesn’t lie.

It was them.

I started the car and tore out of the lot, following them as they turned east. I fished out my phone and hit the speed dial for Chief Enforcer Marc Trestman, leaving it in hands-free mode. “Trestman,” he answered.

“It’s Knightly. I found the rogues, Nathan and Carol.”

I heard him put the call on speaker. “Where are you?”

“Great Falls, Montana, heading east on Tenth Street. The pair are in a blue Ford Explorer, Montana plate Echo Alpha Zero Whiskey Zero One Foxtrot Yankee. Nobody else is in their car, but we’re in the middle of town.”

“Have they made you?”

“I don’t think so. I scented the pair from downwind as they were leaving a burger place. They are eating fries and driving normally.”

“Good. Stay back, and don’t let the car out of your sight. I’m going to bring Bitterroot into this call.”

I focused on driving while my boss got Alpha Todd on the line. “You’re sure this is them?”

“There is no doubt, Alpha. You should know that Carol is pregnant. She looks like she could have the baby at any moment.”

“That complicates things a bit,” Marc said.

“It doesn’t change a thing. Those two are fugitives responsible for the deaths of TWO of my Pack members. Kill them if you must, but don’t let them escape!”

It did for me. I wouldn’t risk an innocent pup. I didn’t care what the parents had done. “Sir, what are my orders?”

“Follow and report, Enforcer Knightly. They must be hiding out somewhere in or around Great Falls. Figure out where, and don’t let them catch you.”

“Understood, Chief Enforcer. We are on the east side of town now, passing the Walmart on 87. Once we leave town, following without detection will get a lot tougher. There’s nothing out here but empty fields once we get past the Malmstrom Air Force Base runway.”

“Alpha Todd, how long will it take to get warriors to support my Enforcer?”

I could hear voices in the background from the Alpha’s office. “I’m getting them together now. It’s a four-hour drive, so figure one in the morning. Maybe longer if they keep heading east.”

“We better hope they go to ground,” Marc said. “The nearest pack on the east side is Casper.The Wyoming Pack is seven and a half hours from Great Falls.”

“Send them to Billings,” Alpha Todd said. “There isn’t much out that way, but if they keep heading southeast, they can make the interstate. Once that happens, we’ll never catch up.”

“That works.” Marc issued orders to call the Casper Pack Alpha to get them going. “Vic, I’m putting you on mute. Keep this line open until we’ve got them in custody.”

“Are you running things from Headquarters?”

“No, but I’ll leave someone here. We’re getting the Council jet fueled up. I can be in Billings before Casper Pack can make it.”

“Yes, sir.” There wasn’t much to say as we drove out of town. The good part of this portion of Montana was that it was flat and open, so I didn’t have to get too close. The bad part? There was little traffic, and any tail would stand out.

Everything was going great until we approached Belt, and my target car turned left. “Guys?The subjects just turned left on 331.”

“Oh, FUCK,” someone said.

“Yeah. The rogues are headed straight for bear territory,” I replied.

“DAMMIT!” It wasn’t like Marc to swear, but he did. “Weren’t you just there?”

“Yes, sir, about four hours ago. I got the usual reception. I didn’t smell any wolf scent, though.”

Alpha Todd was incredulous. “These fuckers are hiding out with the Bears??”

“The Werebears don’t mix with Werewolves, rogue or not,” the Chief Enforcer replied. “On the other hand, they have a defined territory and don’t give a shit in the woods about who is on the other side. It’s a damn smart tactic for a rogue, and we should have thought of this before. As long as they don’t cross the territory line, they can hide in plain sight where we’d never look.”

“What do I do, sir? Three werewolves fast approaching their territory won’t go over well.”

There was a long pause; Marc was probably consulting with the Council Chairman. “Vic?”

“Yes, sir?”

“We can’t risk them making it to Werebear territory. Run them off the road and attempt capture. Kill them if they don’t surrender.”

“Sir, the female is pregnant!”

“This is a direct order from the Chairman. Kill them if they don’t surrender, Vic.”

“Yes, sir.” I gunned the engine and started closing in on them. I tapped my hip, where my Glock with silver-core bullets sat. I’d never done a pit maneuver for real, and this one had to be perfect.

It wasn’t to be. Nathan saw me coming and floored it. When I got close, the rogue started swerving across the road. I couldn’t get next to him to do the pit maneuver.

I waited until a curve was coming, then rammed him from behind. The Explorer fishtailed, then went into a skid. Nathan might have recovered if the shoulder was two feet wider.

It wasn’t. The front wheel dropped into the ditch, and no driver could stop it now. The SUV hit soft ground and pitched into the air. It rolled a few times before ending upside down by a barbed-wire fence.

I skidded to a stop at the edge of the road. Jumping out with my gun in hand, I rushed towards the smoking wreck.