Big Bad Wolf Chapter 1
No Enemy To Destroy
Javier
The trip to the airport went well. There was a bit of traffic once he hit Dallas, but nothing out of the ordinary. He had time to think and get comfortable with his new role as a partner in the retreat.
It felt good. Eli seemed happy. She was a good ruler to measure things by. He’d been doing that for over twenty years. He saw no reason to stop, even if she wasn’t his anymore.
Luke was a good man. Javier liked him from the first time they talked. Funny how having his ass handed to him and then shaking the hand of the man who’d done it changed his perspective. Javier could laugh about it, sort of.
When he got to the airport, Javier didn’t wait long. He parked in short-term parking and walked into the airport. The plane was right on time.
He met Fox in the baggage claim to help with the luggage. He hoped it wasn’t too much.
They’d left California for good, running from danger to either Fox and Artie, their friend, or both. It was a bit more than carry-on luggage, for sure.
“You must be Javier.”
Fox walked up and clasped his right forearm as Luke always did. Javier made a mental note to ask Luke about that greeting system.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Duncan, but please, call me Fox.”
Javier liked the reddish brown-haired man. Luke was right. The man’s scent seemed to match his character. He smelled of ink and parchment.
He was easygoing and seemed to have smile lines etched on his face. Fox was a nerd. It stood out instantly.
He was also an alpha male. The sense of power he gave off was no joke, either. It was a cool combination.
“And the rest of your party?”
Curious, he wanted to assess the danger for himself and the pack. Meeting the friend and getting a feel for him would help. His role as head of security fit him too well.
“Artie and Isabell are in the ladies’ room. Help me grab this luggage, will you? I hate flying. It sucks.” Fox replied, making small talk.
It surprised Javier to learn the friend was female. He wanted to see her and meet her.
How dangerous could one woman be? He assumed the friend would be a man. Odd how the friend being a female changed the game for Javier.
Javier took the suitcase and grabbed another. By the time the ladies arrived, they had collected six suitcases on wheels and a couple of shoulder bags. Javier felt they packed their entire lives up and fled.
Luke hadn’t been kidding when he said Fox was running. Whatever the man was running from was serious, otherwise he didn’t think a man like Fox would’ve fled.
Fox introduced Artie first. She was so small and dainty Javier didn’t want to shake her hand for fear she might break. Luke nailed her description, too. She smelled of snow on the pines.
He knew how Luke wound up in trouble by sniffing around her as a younger direwolf. She smelled wonderful.
The direwolf in him sat up to take notice. The woman who was with them captivated his attention, though, and he forgot about sniffing Artie.
She smelled of clean wood smoke from a campfire. She was taller, maybe five feet five inches, and slender like a dancer with long wavy black hair with natural red streaks. Javier thought she must be a real-life Little Red Riding Hood.
Greek features with deep reddish-brown eyes in an olive-skinned oval face looked up at him. He thought he could see flames dancing in her eyes.
She was exotically beautiful, and immediately hopelessly entranced him. The direwolf inside panted at her. Had he been his wolf, he would have been wagging his tail, hoping she would pet him.
She was wearing heavy makeup to hide bruises on her face and neck. Someone had beaten the slender, beautiful woman? Why?
Javier wanted to growl, or better yet, rip out the throat of her attacker. How could someone hurt her?
He felt protective of her and angry at the fact someone marred her physical appearance. No one should ever hurt a woman. It enraged his masculine sense of ethics.
He boxed it away as he concentrated on her introduction. There was nowhere to place the anger, no enemy to destroy, so he ignored it.
Thank you for your support! Welcome to the dream… Sincerely, -OK
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