Chloe Cole(8)

She stepped into the cramped, three-stall bathroom and realized, with growing excitement, that one of the stall doors was closed.

“Hello?” she called softly.

There was a long pause before a low, gritty voice called back. “Yes?”

“Hello, there. My name is Willa Stone, and, um...” She smoothed back her hair as the door separating them swung open to reveal a withered little lady with a nut-brown, wrinkled face blinking up at her owlishly.

Damn. She looked old enough to have known Alexander Graham Bell personally. The odds of her having a cell phone were slim to none.

Willa cleared her throat and pressed on, determined not to give up so easily. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but my car is on the fritz up the road. I was wondering if you might be able to tell me if there is a nearby pay phone I might use so I could call a mechanic friend to come check it out for me?”

If there was one close enough, she could hop out the window and back in again before her time was up.

Maybe.

“That’s a shame, dear. I’m not sure about a pay phone, but you can use my iPhone to call someone if you like.”

Surprise and relief rushed through her in equal measure and she nodded gratefully. “Oh, that would be lovely. I promise, I won’t talk long. I just want to let my…brother know where I am so he can come get me.”

She waited as her new friend took a full minute to wash her hands and then another to dig through her giant, carpetbag-style purse. After commissioning Willa to hold several dozen pink sugar substitute packets and a paper napkin wrapped around a half-eaten dinner roll, she finally pulled out a rhinestone-embellished phone with a triumphant cackle.

“Here it is. Go right ahead, dear.”

Willa handed back the woman’s diner spoils and took the phone in a trembling hand.

The moment she’d been planning for hours was at hand, only now, she couldn’t think of what to say.

“Hey, Grey. I know you’re married to someone else, and I left the pack with my parents who called you an incompetent alpha and an oath-breaker, but can you help a sister out? I’ve got some dragon trouble, here.”

She shifted from foot to foot and stared at the phone, nerves jangling in her belly like a marching band.

“Is everything all right, dear?”

The older woman’s face was pinched with concern and Willa was quick to reassure her. “Yeah, sorry. I’m just so used to having my contacts in my phone, I forgot the number for a second.” She smiled and quickly punched in the digits, taking a quick look at the time.

Two minutes before Drake made good on his threat to barge in.

The phone rang in her ear and she swallowed hard, working up some moisture in her suddenly dry mouth.

“Hello?”

Not Grey. A woman’s voice. Grey’s mate.

Excellent. More humiliation.

She squeezed her eyes closed and took a steadying breath.

"M-Maggie?" she murmured, all too aware of the phone's owner watching her. She tried to keep her tone light and her facial expression neutral. The last thing she wanted was to make a scene and raise suspicions. She was pretty sure Drake was telling the truth about that skull throne in his great room not being made out of his leftovers, but she’d only known him for a few days, so who could say for sure? But she definitely didn't want this woman's gnarly death-by-fire on her conscience.

“Yes, can I help you?” Maggie’s tone was still pleasant but confused.

"It's Willa. Listen, I didn't know who else to call, but I really need you to get a message to Grey for me. I'm, um..." She went totally blank as the stress of the ticking clock increased, and her volatile emotions threatened to drown her. "Look, I'm in Bedford Township and ran into some trouble. I’m hoping…someone can get me from…I mean, meet me near Drake Blackbourne's place and take a look at my car."

“Willa! I’m so glad you called. Was there an accident? Are you all right?” Maggie still sounded understandably confused but also sympathetic, which sent a shaft of despair through Willa’s heart. “Grey was so distraught by the way things went down between you, I know he’ll want to talk to you. Let me find him and have him call you right b-”

“No! I mean, this isn’t my phone. I ran into some,” she swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in her throat, “mechanical trouble, and I just need him to…”

She trailed off as a terrible thought occurred to her. Needed him to what? Come to Drake’s stony lair of darkness and rescue her?

At what cost?

If Grey came alone, he’d be dragon chow. And if he brought the whole Big Sky Canyon pack? She wasn’t sure they’d fair much better.