Uncontrollable (The Nature of Grace, Book 2) Read online

  “I won’t let you get away with this,” I say.

  She swings and punches me in the jaw. I stumble backward as she hisses at me.

  “You don’t have a choice. You think I’m going to let some brat teenager bring me down? Do you realize how hard I’ve worked?”

  She punches me in the stomach, and I double over, almost hurling into the snow.

  “Do you know how long it’s taken me to get the respect I deserve? To get all of this?” She waves to her house.

  At that moment, I side kick her in the ribs. She grunts this time and stumbles, falling to one knee.

  I smile. “Do you realize what I’ve been through? Do you think I’m going to lose my dad and fight off some madman poacher, bring down a family friend, and then let a bratty, rich woman beat me down?”

  I punch her in the stomach and grab her arm, twisting it up behind her. She elbows me in the gut, and I release her, putting my hands on my knees and coughing. I lunge and grip around her neck, but she’s slightly taller than me and is able to flip me onto my back. The air shoots out of my lungs, and I gasp for breath.

  Her face appears above me, and she points a gun in my face. “I win. Now get up.”

  I writhe in the freezing cold snow, unable to stand. She tosses the green bandana onto my chest as I continue gasping for air.

  “To be honest, you should have died with your daddy. But this time, it all ends for you, Grace. I’ll go back, and they’ll mourn you. The wolf project will be cancelled, and eBuild will develop these mountains the way my company has always planned. And I will be even richer than before. Best part is I will get away with it all.”

  A gun cocks behind us. “Over my dead body.”

  Survival Skill #33

  Never underestimate the size of an opponent. Everyone is capable of strength, speed, skill, and the will to defend themselves.

  I smile and look back.

  Birdee is standing a few feet away, wearing her Wellies and a straw hat while holding a rifle. She fires one shot into the air and breaks the silence of the forest. The woods awaken and sound off a natural warning. Birds scatter and squawk in different directions as the shot reverberates through the trees.

  Birdee walks toward us. “Put the gun down and get away from her.”

  I smile up at Katie. “I’m not the only person you underestimated. Guess someone else knows your plan now, too. What now? Your Al story won’t hold up anymore unless you kill both of us.”

  “That can be arranged. What’s one more?” Katie points the gun at Birdee and slowly backs up. “I’m not going down without a fight.”

  Birdee takes a step forward. “And you ain’t going. So it looks like it’s a duel to the death.”

  I force myself to my feet and hobble over to Birdee.

  She glances at me quickly, then back at Katie. “Go get Sweeney.”

  I watch Katie, who’s eyeing Birdee and me as if waiting for one of us to make a wrong move.

  “I’m not leaving you out here,” I say.

  Birdee grits her teeth but keeps her eyes on Katie. “Don’t argue, I said… go.”

  Even though my whole body is rejecting any movement, I muster up all my strength to sprint up the hill, afraid of hearing a shot ring out behind me. Pain jolts through my arm, and my stomach throbs. I scream Mo’s name at the top of my lungs. As I reach the house, he comes tearing outside with Sweeney hobbling behind.

  Mo looks panic stricken. “Bloody hell! Grace!”

  I collapse into him. My head is woozy and my vision is blurry. I point down the hill but can’t catch my breath. Sweeney glances around with his gun raised, protecting Mo and me.

  “We heard a shot,” he says.

  Mo touches the bruises forming on my face. “What happened?”

  I force out words. “Katie attacked me. Birdee’s with her.” I gasp for oxygen as Sweeney races down the hill. I push Mo away. “Go! Sweeney’s hurt. He can’t handle Reynolds. She’s crazy!”

  He looks torn. “I promised I wouldn’t leave you.”

  I’m sobbing now. Gasps and tears punctuate my words and broken sentences. “Please, Mo. I can’t lose Birdee too.”

  Mo yells. “Wyn!”

  Wyn bolts onto the deck and points after Sweeney. “Go! I got her.” He hops down the stairs and limps toward me.

  “Be sure this time.” Mo kisses me and darts off into the dark woods without even saying goodbye.

  I try to push up so I can go with him, but my body gives out. Just as Wyn reaches my side, another shot goes off. I scream and bury my head in his jacket, wailing.

  He strokes my hair. “It’s fine, G. I promise.”

  I shake my head and cry, feeling like I’ve just lost everything for the second time.

  He whispers in my ear as he rocks me. “It’ll be okay.”

  I mumble, “How do you know?”

  “Because this time, no matter what happens, I’m here.”

  I sniff and pull back, nodding. “What about Mo?”

  He holds me tight. “Doesn’t matter. You’re my friend, and I love you. I’m not going to let you down again.”

  I hug him tight. “Promise?”

  He pulls back my face and kisses my forehead. “Scout’s honor.”

  I sit there on the snow with my eyes still on the woods, scanning the trees. Waiting for anything to tell me what happened. Waiting for Birdee and Mo to come walking out of the woods.

  Together.

  Alive.

  But the minutes pass slowly, and no one shows.

  I’m afraid my world has just collapsed.

  Again.

  Survival Skill #34

  Sometimes, because of emotional stress, we may expect dangers or threats that might not really exist.

  It seems like forever until Sweeney walks out of the woods.

  Followed by Mo.

  I wait and watch the tree line. Praying. Hoping. Waiting for Birdee.

  But she doesn’t show.

  Mo and Sweeney approach me, and their faces are long. Neither can look me in the eye.

  I search them for the truth, but I can’t even force out the question forming in my mind, is Birdee dead? I start to cry, and Wyn holds me tight.

  Before they say anything, Birdee’s straw hat bobs out of the trees. She has her rifle slung over her shoulder like she’s in some kind of Western movie. I rip out of Wyn’s arms and push through the pain to my feet, stumbling down the hill. I throw myself on her, laughing and crying at the same time.

  “Birdee! Thank God you’re alive.”

  She catches me and drops her gun. “Shoot, I might be old, but I ain’t gonna let some crooked lady take me down. No, siree. She thinks I was bluffing. I showed her. No one messes with my family.”

  Squeezing her, I can’t stop laughing and crying. “You shot her?”

  “Didn’t have the pleasure. Dang lady shot herself. Took the easy way out, if you ask me.” She pulls me back and looks at my face before noticing my shoulder. “Jesus, Chicken, you look like crap. Let’s get you inside and out of this weather. Make you some tea.”

  “Sounds good.”

  She helps me up the hill until we reach Mo.

  He smiles at Birdee. “I’ll take it from here, Ms. Birdee.”

  Birdee nods and grins. “I bet you will, young whippersnapper.”

  Mo scoops me up, and I wrap my arms around his neck and look over his shoulder at my grandmother. She points to his butt and gives me the thumbs up. I try not to giggle and give her a dirty look as she walks with a limping Agent Sweeney and a hobbling Wyn.

  I bury my face in Mo’s neck. His familiar scent of musk surrounds me, and I clutch him the way a monkey clings to its mother as he carries me inside the warm house. I don't realize how cold I am until I’m finally sitting in front of the fire, feeling my body start to thaw.

  “What happened out there?” Mo asks.

  I tell everyone about Katie and Cardinal, Inc., and her real name. I tell them how she was having Porter euthan
ize the wolves so the Relocation Program would be cancelled and she could build again.

  “She was paying Porter to do her dirty work. He was just as bad as she was,” I say.

  “Maybe not.” Mo looks at Sweeney. “Explain what happened to Porter.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  Sweeney checks his side and grimaces. “Porter never fired a shot. Someone else was shooting at us.”

  My head hurts. “How can that be?”

  “He had a revolver, but all six bullets were in it. Katie was shooting and setting him up.”

  Sweeney holds up the syringe and a bullet casing. “We’ll confirm everything once I send these to the lab. I bet the bullet that killed Porter was Katie’s.”

  I shrug. “It doesn’t matter. I know what happened. Katie was paying off Porter to kill the wolves to stop the project. Seth must have seen Porter do something, so Porter left him out there. The whole time Katie was trying to scare me off by having me think it was Al. Porter got careless and dropped the syringe, so she had to go to Plan B. She didn't want that tested and linked back to her.”

  When I take a breath, everyone is staring at me.

  Birdee smiles. “Wait, who are the agents in this room?”

  Mo laughs and Sweeney sits down. “It’s a shame. I liked her, too. She seemed like a talented lady.”

  I scoff. “Yeah, talented in guns, euthanasia, and manipulation.”

  I see something flash in Sweeney’s face that tells me they might have had more than just a working relationship. He catches my eye, but I don’t say anything. He’s probably confused enough.

  Wyn says, “I can’t believe she’s dead.”

  Sweeney nods. “Trust me. She’s dead. I checked. People have a way of coming back around here.” He looks at Mo when his phone beeps, and he stares at it for a minute.

  His expression changes a few times — shock, confusion, anger — until he looks at me. Then a look of fear washes over him.

  I sit up. “What is it? Did something happen?”

  “That was headquarters.”

  Mo leans forward. “Yeah, and?”

  Sweeney reads his phone again as if he’s making sure he read what he thinks he read. “I can’t believe it. I must say I did not see this one coming.”

  Wyn urges him. “Well, don’t keep us in suspense! This is better than reading Hardy Boys.”

  Sweeney stares at me. “I did a background check on Mandy Smith. I don’t know how to say this, but… Katie was Al’s stepsister.”

  My mouth drops open. “What?”

  Mo runs his hands through his hair. “Are you sure?”

  Sweeney nods. “Her stepfather — the man her mom remarried — was Al’s father. Evidently they were very close. Guess that’s where Smith comes in.”

  I drop my head into my hands. “So that’s what she meant. She said Al wasn’t here, and he was long gone. That must mean they’ve been in touch.”

  Sweeney nods. “It seems she’s been depositing large sums into a bank account overseas ever since the week after your dad died.”

  Mo stands and paces. “Does that mean Katie was involved in the bear-poaching ring, too?”

  My head swirls, and I feel the room tip. “She was responsible for my dad’s death?”

  Sweeney looks at me. “I’m not sure. But whether or not or not she was, now Al’s going to think you’re responsible for hers.”

  Birdee looks frightened and grips my hand. “Are you saying Al is going to come back for Grace?”

  “No.” Sweeney eyes Mo and me. “But until we find him, Grace is in still in danger.”

  Several weeks later…

  Epilogue

  No matter how prepared you are, nothing is controllable.

  Nothing should be caged.

  Whether or not it’s in danger, every living thing deserves to be free. Reserve or not, it just feels wrong. I watch the mama wolf lick her new cub, her reddish fur flickering in the light breeze.

  “I could watch them all day,” I say.

  Mo throws a log on the small fire he’s built outside the Relocation Center’s fence.

  “Seems like that’s how long we’ve been sitting here, because my bum is starting to go numb,” he says.

  I sigh and lean my back against the fence. “Sorry. I just feel bad they’re back at the center again. It would have been nice to know wolves were still roaming these mountains. It’s like just as they were free, they got barred up again. It’s not fair.”

  “The center said they’d release them again in the spring. It’s a rough winter anyway. They’ll get a second chance when it warms up.”

  I smile. “Just like we did.”

  He winks. “Exactly.”

  The wolves bound around together in the snow, biting, wrestling.

  “Strange how when things seem over, something beautiful comes along,” I say.

  Mo drapes the blanket around my shoulders and kisses my cheek. “I was just thinking that.” He sits down on the log next to me.

  I smile at him. “Thank you.”

  He tilts his head and stares at me intently. “For what, Blossom? The compliment? The fire? Or for keeping you warm?”

  “For taking care of me. For not leaving me.” I pause and curl into him. “For putting up with me. But more importantly, for coming back.”

  He shrugs. “It’s just the assignment.”

  I eye him. “A 24/7 assignment?”

  “If the client wishes.”

  I grin. “Oh, she does. If he does exactly what she says.”

  He nods in a regal way. “Ha, yes. I figured. That is quite the task…and my pleasure.” He twists a piece of my long dark hair around his finger like a corkscrew. “I’m sorry I wasted all that time. That I wasn’t here with you.”

  “You did what you had to do.” I lean my forehead against his. “Just don’t do it again.”

  He throws his head back and laughs. “That is a deal, Blossom.”

  We stare at each other for a few minutes. He slowly traces his finger down the side of my face, along my jawbone, down my nose. Then he lightly touches my lips. He curls his finger under my chin and pulls me forward into him. My body automatically leans as if Mo’s programmed me to go to him.

  He stops and lets his mouth hover over mine. “I love you, Grace.”

  I smile, and my heart skips along in my chest. “I love you, too.”

  He presses his lips into mine, and we melt together. He pulls me onto his lap, and I straddle him. I can hear his breathing intensify as our kisses grow deeper and our tongues entwine. My belly churns a little with excitement. I would love to go to the next level with Mo. I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about him. I just want to open myself up and let him investigate every nook and cranny.

  His warm tongue slides across my cold lips. I hear him tell me he loves me again. He grabs my waist and hips as we hold each other. Eventually he pulls back.

  “You drive me crazy,” he says.

  I play-slap him. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”

  He kisses my neck. “I mean in a good way.”

  I lift my head and look at the sky as he kisses my neck. Little white flakes sprinkle along his dark hair, reminding me of the Sno-Caps dad and I used to buy at the drive-in movie. I stick out my tongue to catch them. Mo reaches up with his mouth and covers mine.

  I bite his lip playfully. “We have to go. It’s getting colder.”

  He groans a little and kisses me at the same time he talks. “Hm. I didn’t notice. Feels hot to me.”

  I pull back. “Seriously. Birdee’s gonna come looking for me if we don’t get home.”

  That gets him. His eyes widen, and he practically throws me off his lap. “Sure don’t want that. I saw what happened last time she came. Ms. Gunslinger.”

  I jump up and grab the blanket as he snuffs out the fire. “You sure you’re up for meeting my mom? This is going to be a long story.”

  “Abso-bloody-lutely.” Mo grabs my
hand and runs me to his Jeep.

  “If she likes you, you might get invited to Christmas dinner.”

  “I’ll be on my best behavior. Use my English charm.”

  “Worked on me. I’d say you’re a shoo-in.” I smile. I’m actually starting to look forward to the holidays a little. Having Mo around will make things different. At this point different is good.

  He opens my door and then runs around to the driver’s side, hopping in and rubbing his gloves together. He leans over and puckers up, closing his eyes. “Just one more, and I’ll be set for at least another hour.”

  “You are bad.” I put both mittens on his face and kiss him a couple of times on his nose, cheek, and lips.

  I sit back in my seat as he hovers there with his eyes still closed. “Just drive, Romeo.”

  He shakes his head as if he was dazed. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Try to stay on the right side of the road.”

  He smiles as he starts the Jeep. “Wait. My right or yours?”

  “You know what I mean, English boy.”

  As he drives down the road, I stare out the window. Gloomy clouds fill the sky, telling me more storms are coming before things clear up. Colored Christmas lights dot the grayish horizon as everyone prepares for the holiday.

  My mood changes as fast as the weather. I sigh and review everything that’s happened over the last year. This time last year, I was helping Dad cut down a tree for the holidays and sneaking tastes of Mom’s pies. And carving a bird figurine for Birdee.

  What a difference a year makes.

  Mo’s hand cups my knee. “You got quiet all of a sudden.”

  “Just a bad feeling, that’s all.”

  His phone beeps, but he ignores it. “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Nothing to talk about. Just same ole stuff.”

  He puts his hand by my face and moves my hair back. “I’m sorry.”

  I grab his hand and hold it tight. “Only good thing that came from all this… is you.”

  “Ditto, Blossom.” His phone beeps again. “I better get this.” He pulls over to check his text messages. His face changes and he looks at me.