Treasure Ch. 31-35

-

Rori didn't look back, she could hear them following her and she ran as fast as she could into the shadows of the neighborhood. Her eyes adjusted easily to the darkness, and she was leaping fences and running through yards like a gazelle. The changes of direction should have fooled them, but they stayed on her trail. She kept heading west, towards the traffic noises. "Trust me," the voice said in her head.

"I can't," she said back as her head started to ache.

"I have to save us," the voice said, and with that she blacked out again.

-

Coral cursed to herself as she ran through the streets. Beta Carlson had arrived two days earlier with a team of five Council Enforcers, and this time he was leaving nothing to chance. Thanks to the intelligence she had obtained in the clubhouse, they had her team doing surveillance on the Steel Brotherhood chapter in Renton. The Council tech guys were monitoring cellphone traffic in the area, which gave the flight number and let them know only one van with a prospect was being sent to pick them up. This was the best opportunity the Beta had to get her, and he wasn't going to let some human bikers stop him.

Coral was posted inside the airport, where she had seen the group of four leaving the terminal area. It was her first time seeing Rori in person, and she didn't look like much of a threat. She was small, but carried herself with confidence. The two men in the group were typical bikers, one older with his wife, the other in his twenties. They weren't easy targets, but at least the show of force they planned would convince them to stay out of it.

Other team members were waiting by the curb in an SUV or watching outside for the Club van to arrive. They tracked them out of the airport and all the way into the trap the Beta had set for them. The plan was simple- stop them, overwhelm them with force, and take Rori from the van before they could react.

Plans were great, she thought to herself, until the first thing went wrong. In this case, the driver of her chase vehicle didn't get into position in time to keep the van from backing up. She bailed out the passenger door just before the van backed into them, drawing her pistol and moving around towards the driver's side. It was then that the side door opened and Rori bailed out.

"FREEZE," she heard, but she didn't. The guns were for show, they were under strict orders not to use them; they didn't need to involve human authorities, and they didn't need to shoot Rori while trying to capture her. Rori must have known this too because she charged Roberts, taking out his knee before running past them.

"Disengage and pursue," Beta Carlson ordered as he got into his vehicle. The men surrounding the car lowered their pistols and ran after Rori.

The van with the bikers went in gear and drove away from Coral and the remaining others. "What about the van," she asked.

"Let it go. Take the vehicles to blocking points. James, head south then turn right on South 35^th. Coral, you two go north, get off on 23^rd and head west until you hit Talbot Road." The maps on his laptop were essential, the hilly terrain made roads a mess to understand. The two drivers got in their SUV's and pulled out.

"Shit she changed to her wolf," one of the pursuers sent. "Red wolf, damn fast. We're running through backyards on the west side of Morris Avenue."

"Pair up, one person shift and the other takes the clothes. There's only a few more blocks before she runs out of houses and we trap her on the hill leading down to Highway 167. Coral, shift and cover that utility break leading down the hill to the fence by the road."

They had just made their first turn to the west, and she pulled off her clothes as he headed to the point closest to the hill. She shifted and waited in the back seat for him to stop. Her driver found a dark location near some trees and pulled over, then jumped out and ran around to open her door. She took off for the woods, moving through them until she reached the cleared strip where the utility lines headed up the side of the hill. Coral went most of the way down, finding a good observation point a short distance from the fence.

"Still in pursuit, she's crossed into the trees and is heading down the hill," one of the Enforcers sent. "Spread out, push her north. She can't cross the highway and Coral is waiting for her."

-

Rori's wolf crashed through the trees and shrubs behind the last house and ran down the steep hill as fast as she could. She could hear at least four men chasing her, and the closest ones were in wolf form. She got to the bottom, only to find an eight-foot tall chain link fence that separated her from the four-lane highway that also blocked her path.

Taking a glance behind her, she saw two wolves starting to follow her trail. Turning right, she started running along the fence line, looking for an opening. She was running full out when she came to a spot where a boulder was only six feet from the fence. Making up her mind quickly, she swerved uphill and hit the boulder at full speed. Leaping from the top, she barely cleared the top of the fence. She hit hard and rolled in the rocky soil, yelping as she face-planted. Getting up quickly, she continued running but stopped short when she got to the edge of the retaining wall.

The highway had been cut into the hill, and it was a fifteen-foot drop to the narrow shoulder below. Traffic was going by at speed, and she ran north looking for a way out. She could hear the pursuers behind her, one yelped as he tried to leap the fence and didn't get the height. She heard him crash into the chain link and fall back to the ground.

She was so engaged in looking for a way across the highway she didn't see the silver-grey she-wolf heading her way until it was too late. She jumped right, but the wolf smashed into her left shoulder and sent her flying. She yipped in pain as she rolled, and the wolf was on her in moments. Sharp teeth dug into her neck as she rolled to dislodge her.

She managed to get her back paws under her belly and raked her claws down her stomach. The flesh tore in shreds, and it was enough for her to be released. She got up and ran again, the injured wolf in pursuit. She was faster, but her shoulder hurt and she could feel blood leaking down her neck from the bite. With the other pursuers even closer than before, she knew she had to do something quick.

Looking back at the traffic, she saw a line of eighteen-wheelers coming. The second in the line was a grain carrier. It had a canvas cover, and she made her decision.

She would never be captured.

Changing course towards the wall, she gathered all her speed and jumped well before the truck was even with her. She flew through the air as the trailer moved below her; her front feet hit and she dug her nails into the canvas as she was jerked forward. Her momentum started to roll her off, but she spread her legs and stopped the roll just a foot from the edge. She crawled back to the center of the canvas, looking back at the wolves standing at the wall or the fence.

She put her head down and waited, the cool wind ruffling her fur as she rolled north into Seattle.

By the time the truck backed into the terminal by the piers, Rori was shivering and sore. Her wolf knew she needed food and rest to heal up. She waited until the driver went inside, then slowly got up and moved to where she could jump down from the top of the trailer to some boxes. A few minutes later, she was trotting out the gate in the light of the quarter moon.

The urban landscape wasn't a good place to hide, and the scents were overpowering. She moved through the city, trying to find a park, but only finding concrete. She went into an alley, sniffing at the garbage bins from the seafood restaurant, when she smelled something else. Stalking quietly, she peeked around the corner of the dumpster and saw a huge racoon, its head in a container.

Gathering herself, she made the leap and her teeth bit hard into the fur on her neck. The racoon squealed but one head shake snapped its neck. She tore the fur back, gorging on the warm meat until she had her fill. Finding a cardboard box nearby, she lay down and closed her eyes.

-

"Miss, get up," she heard as her right shoulder was grabbed. Her eyes shot open and her left hand shot across to grab the offending hand, but another hand grabbed it instead. "You're all right, we're going to help you."

The policeman stood over her as she looked around, confused. She was covered by a blanket, and another cop and an Asian man stood nearby. "Where am I?"

"Seattle. Do you know what your name is?"

"Rori. Rori King." He helped her sit up, her whole body hurt, especially her shoulder. She could see blood on her arms.

"Don't move too much, the ambulance will be here soon." The policeman wrapped the blanket around her, and she shivered, realizing she was naked underneath. It had happened again, she'd blacked out and this time she was miles from where she was before. "What do you remember?"

She searched her memories, but it was a blank. She remembered the attack, her running and the pain, but she couldn't involve the police. The last thing the Club needed was for the cops to come down on them. "I don't know."

The ambulance arrived, and she was loaded into a gurney. "Make sure the ER pumps her stomach, it looks like she was eating a fucking racoon," the cop said to the driver as the doors closed.

"Probably needs rabies shots, too," the driver replied. "Just another Monday morning, right?"

Rori spent a few hours in the ER. Her stomach was pumped, her neck was stitched up, her shoulder X-rayed and she was given a tetanus booster and her first rabies shot. She still didn't remember what had happened, but she gave them her Mom's cellphone number. Mom gave them access to her medical history, and the blackout combined with the history was enough. "We're transferring you to a facility that can care for you better," the Doctor said as orderlies bound her hands to the rails of the gurney. "Have you been taking your medication?"

"Every day," she said.

"It may be that the drugs are losing effectiveness. Extended blackouts are one thing, the injuries you sustained during the blackout and the condition you were found in are another. We are placing you on a 72-hour psychiatric hold so the Doctors can evaluate a new treatment plan for you."

"I don't want to go back to an institution!" She struggled against the leather straps, but the orderlies were already attaching her ankles in the same way.

"You don't have a choice, Ms. King. You need to get better, and the doctors at Fairfax Behavioral Health are the best in the region. You just get better," he said as they wheeled her out to the waiting ambulance.

Ch. 33

Coral watched Rori speed away on top of the trailer in disbelief. "Call everyone off, she's gone. She jumped onto a fucking truck on the highway," she sent to the others. Even if they got back to their vehicles, the truck had too big a head start. It had already disappeared around the bend.

"She did WHAT?" She shook her head as she caught her breath. "Retreat to the nearest vehicles and report in. Coral, this is on you." The Beta was pissed, rightly so. She had underestimated the little red wolf twice, once by thinking she couldn't fight like her, and then thinking she was trapped. She wasn't the only one, Roberts was out of commission with a shredded knee, but she was the one who failed to take her down when she had the chance.

It wouldn't happen again.

She trotted back north, to the gap in the fence she had gone through. The other wolves followed her while the ones in human form retreated back up the hill to the waiting vehicles. She lagged behind the others on the way up the hill, the wounds on her stomach were still bleeding and she was weak. The others had already shifted, some pulling on the extra shorts and shirts they kept in the vehicles, when she jumped in the vehicle in wolf form. "Don't shift," Martinez said. He got out a first aid kit as they drove off, just before a couple Harleys turned into the road they had just left. Coral laid on her back as Martinez used alcohol wipes to clean the wounds, then superglued the skin together. He was finished as they pulled into the motel parking lot they were staying at. She shifted and pulled her clothes back on, trying not to show the pain she was in.

Two of their three vehicles were now damaged, and that presented a danger if anyone had seen them force the van to a halt; even without that, the Club members might have gotten their plates. "Olson, Roberts, you drive these cars back to the Bitterroot Pack and have them repaired there. Leave now, and don't stop except for gas. I'll have them send replacements for you with new vehicles."

"Yes Beta," they said. As soon as Coral was out, Olson was backing out of the lot. She moved slowly towards her room, but Beta Carlson called her to his instead. "After action critique and food first," he said. She nodded and turned to his room, followed by the others. They gathered around the table in his room as he laid his iPad down, showing a map of the area they had attempted the snatch.

The critique rules were simple; everything was discussed, and nothing was perfect. The Beta was adamant that nothing was done so well it couldn't be done better, so over the next two hours they critiqued everything from the surveillance to their retreat from the area. There was a lot of discussion on the chase and how one untrained she-wolf had evaded a half-dozen highly trained Enforcers. From her contacts with Roberts, who was participating by phone, and Coral's description of her brief battle, it was clear she was more than a scared teenager. "She's had training," the Beta concluded. "Not in a Pack, but we know she has MMA training and being with the motorcycle gang, she must have gotten more. The wolf was instinctual, but she's tough enough to take a shot and get back up."

"It's not just instinct, her wolf is calculating and bold," Coral said. "This wasn't a run by a frightened or feral wolf, just running without thinking. She got over a fence Martinez couldn't clear by finding a boulder to leap off, and she picked that semi-truck and made a leap I'd never make. Yes, she was afraid, but she was thinking on her feet too."

They had gotten lucky, no one had called 911, and their tech guy didn't see anything on the scanner. With luck, no one would notice the damage to vehicles on the road until the morning, and by then the SUV's that were involved would be in Montana. The pizzas they had ordered had arrived with the cokes, and Coral ate quickly before excusing herself back to her room. "Coral?"

"Yes Beta?"

"You're to take a week to recover. Go home, see your brother, whatever, just give me a call when you are back to full strength." She nodded, he was right. She'd left her stomach open and Rori had shredded the muscles, and she'd lost a lot of blood. Her werewolf healing would repair everything in less than a week, and in the meantime, she'd get her first vacation since joining the Council Pack. She would sleep, then go stay with her brother until he was off work long enough to go back home with her.

-

Donna was screaming out her sixth orgasm of the night when her phone started ringing. "Ignore it, we're on our honeymoon," Roadkill said as he pounded up into her. The sheets were pooled around their legs, and he sucked hard on a hanging nipple as she rode him through it. The stimulation spun her right into another, and this time he joined her, shooting his load deep inside. She collapsed on his chest, her body still twitching around his cock as she laid her head on his broad chest.

"I love you," she said as she relaxed into his hug. He fell out, unleashing a flood, and he rolled her to the side. "God, I'm a mess."

His phone started ringing, and he rolled over and grabbed it. "Take a shower, I'll join you in a minute," he said. "Wolfman's calling."

She got up, showing off her still-hot body as she walked to the bathroom of their Florida Keys vacation rental. They planned to spend their honeymoon in their room or their private beach, with as few clothes as possible. She was about to close the door when she heard him yell, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY TOOK HER?"

She ran back to him, sitting next to him on the bed, and asked him to put him on speaker. "What's going on with my baby?"

"A team of armed men stopped our van on the way home from the airport. Rori jumped out, taking out one of them, then took off running." Her hand went to her mouth as she gasped. "I'm sorry, we couldn't find her or them. She's just gone."

"Oh god oh god oh god..."

"We've got everyone out looking. We'll get her back, Possum."

"We've got to go," she said as she jumped up, pulling her bag out and throwing stuff from the drawers into it. She barely heard Roadkill hanging up as the tears fell, she had lost her, she failed her. She sank to the floor, holding her head in her hands. "It's all my fault," she said.

"Nothing is your fault," he said as he knelt in front of her.

"It is, if I hadn't brought her back for the wedding, they found her on the way home!"

"You don't know that, baby. It could have been anything." She shuddered as he held her tight. "Take your shower, I'll get tickets to Seattle and we'll be there as quick as we can," he said. She wrapped her arms around his neck, unable to even talk. It took a few minutes before she caught her breath, and she kept hold of him as he picked her up and walked her to the bathroom. "Clean up, all right?"

It was almost four in the morning by the time they got on the road, and the first flight to Seattle was at eight. Roadkill's big Electra Glide had Bluetooth communication with noise cancelling between the two of them, and he used his phone to talk to everyone while they drove there. Mongo promised any help he could get and volunteered to talk to the Regional President. They talked to Wolfman again a few times; they still had no leads and were calling in help from other Chapters to help in the search. They parked the Harley in the lot at the Miami airport and raced inside just in time to make the flight.

It wasn't until they landed and she turned the phone on that they got the voice mail from an unknown number in the 206 area code. She gave Roadkill one of the earphones as she pressed play. "Mrs. King, this is Doctor Woodson at the Fairfax Behavioral Health Center in Kirkland. I need you to contact the hospital at xxx-xxx-xxxx as soon as possible regarding your daughter."

With shaking hands, she dialed the number and waited for an answer. By the time they left the airport in a car Wolfman sent for them, she felt a lot better. Rori was safe, but under a psych hold after another blackout episode. She gave them access to her health care records and insurance information as they drove north towards Seattle.

-

Doctor Chase Nygaard pulled into the physician's lot of the Kirkland hospital just after 5:30 in the evening. He'd worked a 24-hour shift, had twenty-four hours off which he spent mostly sleeping, and now was starting another 24-hour shift. When he got off on Tuesday night, he would be off until Friday morning. He couldn't wait to get back to the Cascade Pack and eat his Mom's cooking and run with the Pack again. The noise, smells and congestion of the Seattle metroplex were tough on him.

He turned off his Harley Fat Boy and put his helmet on the handlebars. Riding his Harley was the closest thing he had to running in wolf form in the city, so he rode every chance he could get. Walking in the staff entrance, he said hello politely to his coworkers, including a couple nurses who were shamelessly flirting with him. None had been successful in getting as much as a hug from him; none were his mate, and he had no interest in any other woman until he found her.