Wolves Gone Wild(18)

“You heard. Brig isn’t getting it running any time soon,” added Grant.

Lance circled her car, letting Grant and Duncan stand back and watch. “Yeah, I know. But I’ve got to make sure…” He yanked on the hood, revealing the engine.

“What the hell are you doing, cuz? You don’t know shit about cars.”

Lance leaned over the engine, searching for exactly the right thing. “Hell, I don’t know. I just figure if I can take something out, then maybe it’ll take even longer for Brig to fix it.”

“There’s no point. Brig is single. He’s not going to do any repair work, no matter what he told her, until at least Monday. She’s here to stay. By then, we’ll have claimed her and she won’t want to go.”

Everything Duncan said made sense, but he couldn’t help it. He was desperate. “You know she’s our mate. Why don’t you two stop yammering at me and tell me what to grab? I don’t know the insides of a car any more than I could fly a spaceship.”

“What do you boys think you’re doing?”

Lance jerked straight up, banging his head on the hood. “Shit.” He slammed the hood down, rubbed the already growing knot on his head, then turned to face Miss Clara. He’d have rather had anyone other than Miss Clara catch him messing with Christy’s car.

Miss Clara was the matriarch of Forever, the leading female shifter, and whatever she said or did was respected. Getting caught doing wrong by Miss Clara was worse than getting caught by his mother, his fathers, the school principal and all the alphas in the world combined.

“Hey, Miss Clara.” He kept rubbing his head where he’d hit the hood. “I didn’t hear you come up.”

“I reckon not.” She arched an imperious eyebrow. “I asked you what you think you’re doing.”

“It’s not as bad as it looks, Miss Clara.” He winced at the pain taking up residence in his head. “Okay, maybe it is, but I can explain.”

“You’re doing everything you can to keep that human female in town. Is that it?”

It figured that the old lady already knew. Somehow she always tuned into whatever was going on in Forever. No one was sure how and no one dared ask.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I heard Brig couldn’t fix her car. Least not yet anyway.” She came forward and slapped a hand against the door. “Damn foreign cars. People should stick to American-made vehicles.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Whether he meant it about Brig or about American cars didn’t matter. If he agreed with her and kept his mouth shut about everything else, maybe she’d give him a pass.

“Then if I were you, I’d do more than pull a few spark plugs.”

He wasn’t sure he’d know a spark plug if it hit him on the sore spot on his head.

“I’d pick the damn thing up and move it to where neither she nor Brig could find it.” The elderly woman walked around the car. “Can’t weigh so much that three healthy, strong werewolves couldn’t lift it.”

He couldn’t believe his ears. “Miss Clara, are you telling me to steal her car and hide it?”

The mischievous gleam in her eyes was the only truthful answer he’d get. “Course not. I’m just yakking to yak.” She pointed a gnarly finger at him. “You three be careful the next couple of nights. Make decisions now while you can still think straight. You understand me?”

All three of them answered. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She waved them aside. “Now get out of my way. I’ve got things to do before the moon comes out.”

Grant and Duncan saw the question on his face and tried to wave it off, but it was already too late.

“Miss Clara, were you here for the last amber moon?”

She paused, then slowly faced him. “I was.”

He wanted her to just tell him, but that was another thing about the old lady. She kept her cards close to her chest. “Was it as wild as they say?”

Her Mona Lisa smile worried him. “That would depend on how wild they said it was.”

Yet when he tried to ask another, more direct question, she whipped her hand up, palm out, silencing him. “You three best be making your choice. Moon’s coming soon.” With a gracefulness that belied her years, she turned on her heel and strode away.

Lance waited until she’d disappeared around the corner to speak. “You guys want to help me lift this?”

Grant collared him with a hard hold around his neck. “Shit no. The damn thing’s not going anywhere and neither is Christy. Let’s get home and talk about what we’re going to do.”