Page 26 of Fury

“Oh, come on. The boys are going to make sure I don’t do anything stupid. My ass is dying here.” It’s not, but I’m just wanting to get a look at this Salem and be more than just an observer, or listener should I say.

“Stand up slowly and then stand by your friend. Anything else and the boys get to chow down on your dying ass.”

Turning to stand by Ghost, I stop halfway when I see the redhead before me. She is no more than 5’6”, her flaming red hair is tied in a long ponytail, and freckles cover her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She has huge ice-blue eyes that look right into my soul. She’s dressed like a hillbilly in denim coveralls and a checked shirt. Her work boots look huge on her feet, yet she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She is more woman than I have ever set eyes on and as shapely as any model could wish to be.

Feeling something nudge me, I take no notice until I hear my name almost shouted in my ear.

“Thorn. You’ve seen a woman before.” Ghost nudges me again.

“Not one like that I haven’t, Pa.” I stand there like a shop dummy staring.

“I guess he doesn’t get out much. Come on. Follow me to the house.” Walking away towards the side of the barn, we follow her.

She takes a trail through the trees, and I am very conscious of the way she moves. Her hips sway provocatively, and I hear Ghost saying something, but it doesn’t register. In a small clearing, we come to another log cabin, and it looks amazing. It could grace the cover of a magazine. The roof is pitched at a steep angle with large windows jutting out. The first floor is surrounded by a deep wraparound porch and each window has wooden shutters folded back against the walls.

Entering the cabin, she leads us to a kitchen area and a table with stools around it. “Sit, and I’ll get coffee. Don’t think you’re trusted yet. The boys will watch you while my back’s turned.

Taking notice of the boys for the first time, there is a Malinois and a Rottweiler. The Rottweiler looks enormous and mean, but the Malinois looks way meaner. It looks at you, and you can see that whatever it is thinking, it is wiser not to know.

Once we have coffee, Ghost and Salem sit talking while I just sit and stare. Catching occasional snippets, I gathered her father died around the same time that he was going to take me on, but she didn’t know anything about it. She wasn’t aware of any money that changed hands and what was in the bank she used to take care of herself and her education. There was no other family, her mother having left before she reached her teens and had never been back or tried to contact.

Ghost and Salem are sitting quietly, and I’m suddenly the object of attention. Staring back at them, I am acutely aware of their interest and ask them in the most basic way ever.

“What? What?”

Salem tips her head to one side and looks down at my side. Glancing to where she’s looking, I realize that I’m scratching the Rottweiler behind its ear and it is staring up at me, drooling. Slowly withdrawing my hand, the dog leans forward and rubs his head into my palm. Fearing what he might do if I keep drawing away, I go back to scratching him, and he half-closes his eyes in what I hope is bliss. I note the Malinois is sitting several feet away but staring with a decidedly different and unfriendly look.

“It seems that Bruno has taken a liking to you, which is very unusual. Spectre, however, still has the jury out on that. I wouldn’t push your luck and try to scratch Spectre’s ears. He is not a touchy-feely type of dog, unless he’s using his teeth that is.” Salem looks at her dogs and then at me. I don’t get quite the same loving gaze, but I’ll take any look I can get.

“Come on, Thorn. We got our answers. Now we know what happened and why you’ve been on your own. Let’s leave Salem to her peace and quiet.” Ghost stands and Spectre instantly shifts his focus to him.

“Anytime you want to stop by, feel free. I don’t get many friendly visitors, hence all the security. I’m sorry that I didn’t know what you’d arranged with Wolf. It would have been nice to have had someone to grow up with.” Salem looks at me and I blush furiously.

“I better take him home before he embarrasses himself more than he already has. I’m sorry about Wolf, Salem. He was a good man.”

“He was one of the best, Ghost. I never called him anything other than Wolf, but I always think of him as Pa, even now. Do you think that would have bothered him?”

“He always thought of you as Wraith. We in the squad knew you as both Salem and Wraith, but he only called you Wraith when he spoke of you.”

“I think Wraith is a beautiful name. I’d like to call you that.” The thought is out and in words before I realize it.

“When you can scratch Spectre behind the ear, then you get to call me Wraith.”

Ghost cuffs me up the side of the head and then puts his arms around my shoulders, dragging me away. “Come on, Casanova. Let’s get you out of here before you take your life in your hands and try to pet that werewolf she calls Spectre.”

Chapter 15

*~* Jamie *~*

Being back at work hasn’t been the thrill I was expecting. I still love my work, and the practice means the world to me, but being away from it and having the freedom to do my own thing, as and when I like, has been a bit of an eye-opener. I can’t imagine not working, a life of luxury isn’t my ideal. However, having that time and space to take a breath now and again? That has certainly gained some appeal over the last few days.

Walking into work, I see Molly at her desk, pop through the open door and drop into one of the chairs she has for visitors. She has more visitors than I used to have, as she keeps on top of all the HR stuff that I used to let slide. I know she has done performance evaluations with everyone, as that was how she got on top of our Angel issue. She checked out everyone here, and Angel’s record spoke for itself. She has held interviews in here too and employed some good people. I was lucky to find Molly, and I was right when I got the good vibes about her. Breaker is a lucky guy to have locked her down when he did.

“How’s things with you, Molly? Not spending too much time here, are you?” I hope she hasn’t taken on too much, like I did.

“You’re kidding, aren’t you? I’m going around and getting under people's feet trying to find things to do. I want to talk to you about getting Tom and Simon on board with opening and closing the practice. I could cut back some of my hours that way and not be sitting around waiting for something to happen.” She leans back in her chair, and I notice she has a blouse with the practice name and a logo on it.

“Erm, since when did we have a logo? I couldn’t settle for one I liked, so only ever had the name on everything.” I like the logo, and it looks professional and clean. It is a red heart with a green cross in it, and a black stethoscope around the cross, as if it were wearing it. “Where did you get that from?”