The Patient Is a Shark [Shape-Shifter Clinic 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  As soon as they returned, he hurried over to the service center and paid for his gas, then stepped into the men’s room. If there was going to be trouble, he didn’t want to have to deal with a full bladder as well. He needed to concentrate on his driving. It was more than ten years since he’d done a defensive driving course, and he wasn’t at all sure he could remember any of the things they’d taught him, except always steer into a skid, never brake. Well, that bit of advice might come in useful.

  He hurried back to the car and noticed the pickup had moved over to the parking lot beside the service center. They’d have to drive right past it on their way out back to the Interstate.

  “Rainer, call the wolf pack now. Wynter, lie flat down on the backseat and cover your head with the pillow. Pull the bedding over yourself completely if you can.”

  “What?”

  “The white pickup may have been following us,” explained Rainer.

  Quinn was waiting to pull out. Another car was about to leave and he was hoping to use it as cover. This feels like a fucking movie, and likely it’s all my imagination.

  “I expect a full explanation later,” came a muffled voice from behind him.

  She was so good. She’d obeyed him even though she still was going to argue. He didn’t bother to look at her. He knew Rainer would help her if she needed any help. He was concentrating on the black car he wanted to hide beside.

  The exit road wasn’t really two lanes wide, but it was designed for big trucks, so there was enough space for him to tuck himself on the far side of the black car as they left the service center. As the access road narrowed and they approached the Interstate again, Quinn planted his foot hard on the accelerator and shot ahead of the black car, barreling his way onto the Interstate and into the fast lane, hoping the U-Haul trailer didn’t sway too much at this speed, immediately putting as many cars as he could between him and the black car and the pickup, which he’d seen pull out behind them.

  Beside him he could hear Rainer speaking into his cell phone. “We’re being followed by a white pickup truck. A 2009 Chevy. License plate…Yes…Uh-huh…Actually, we’re moving pretty fast right now, trying to lose him…Uh-huh…Yes…Yes, sir.”

  “What did they say?” asked Quinn.

  “Stay on the Interstate. Drive as fast as you like. Someone will be with us in about thirty minutes. If the police pull you over don’t get out of the car until you’re absolutely certain they’re genuine then give them this phone number.”

  “Rainer got a picture of the truck, but it’s likely rather blurry,” added Wynter, still sounding very muffled. That was good. It meant she was still protected by the bedding.

  “It’s likely nothing, just my imagination—”

  “No, it’s not. The pickup is coming after us, driving in the emergency stopping lane,” interrupted Rainer.

  “Fuck!”

  Quinn stomped on the accelerator and ignored everyone and everything around him, driving to the very best of his ability, focusing only on the cars in front of and beside him, getting every mile per hour out of Wynter’s car that he could. It was just a damn shame it wasn’t a high-speed sports car, instead of an ordinary compact. Still, he suspected it was going faster than it ever had before, and that was with the U-Haul trailer behind them slowing it down a hell of lot, too.

  Fifteen minutes later he heard the scream of sirens. They were on the other side of the Interstate heading toward him. “Guess I’m about to lose my license,” he groaned.

  “I’ll drive. And likely it’ll only be a fine anyway,” said Rainer.

  “Pity they didn’t wait another ten minutes.” Wynter sat up and dropped the bedding to the seat beside her.

  Four police cars made screaming turns across the road and three of them boxed in the pickup.

  “Oh yes!” said Wynter.

  The fourth police car pulled Quinn over.

  The officer held a picture of a wolf up to the window as Quinn wound it down.

  “May I see your license, sir?”

  Quinn handed it over.

  “Since our mutual friends advised you to go fast I’ll let you off with a warning. The pickup won’t be worrying you again. Might I suggest you obey the speed limit from now on?”

  “Yes, Officer. Thank you, Officer.”

  Quinn took his license back and tucked it in his pocket, then breathed deeply, He wouldn’t admit to anyone, would hardly admit it to himself, but he’d been sacred shitless for the past few minutes.

  “On your way then. The pickup won’t be going anywhere for the next hour or so,” said the policeman.

  “Thank you,” Quinn repeated, carefully pulling into traffic and sitting soberly in the slow lane.

  “Three men are standing beside the pickup and a tow truck is pulling up behind them. Wow, they must be saying it’s unroadworthy or something,” said Wynter.

  Rainer turned around to her. “Let me help you get comfortable again, sweetie, then we’ll have a drink to settle us down.”

  When Rainer was sitting properly in his seat again, and Quinn was back traveling at the legal limit, he said, “Please phone the wolves and thank them. Then ask them what the fucking hell is going on.”

  “It wasn’t our imagination. They were definitely following us.”

  “But why? Why do they hate me?” asked Wynter.

  * * * *

  Despite having left so early in the morning, it was close to midnight when they arrived at the property a little west of St. Louis where they were to spend the night. Two nights, Rainer decided. They were all totally exhausted, and they needed to get Wynter into the water as soon as possible. Her skin was hot to the touch and so rough it had to be hurting her.

  The gate opened as they approached the ranch, and a man appeared out of nowhere, holding a laser light stick.

  “We’ve been expecting you. Follow me.”

  They were led past a tennis court to the swimming pool. The man stopped and said, “We were told this would be your highest priority right now.”

  “Yes, it is, thanks,” said Rainer, jumping out of the car to help Wynter.

  “There’s an intercom on the wall beside the swimming pool. Press it when you want me to come back and show you to your rooms.”

  “Thank you for your help,” said Quinn.

  Rainer picked up a sleepy yet protesting Wynter and carried her to the chaise longues beside the pool. He let her sit on one as he helped her undress then watched, almost holding his breath, as she walked, in that painfully upright way she had, over to the pool and dived in.

  Almost at once she dropped to the bottom of the pool and transformed. She was a beautiful shark, sleek and gray on top, her belly white, her fins and tail almost iridescent in the lights around the pool.

  Once she was swimming up and down, Rainer looked around him. He certainly didn’t want to sit down after doing that for a very long day. Quinn was standing at a small table, which held a pile of fluffy white towels and several insulated thermoses.

  “Coffee?” he said hopefully.

  “Ice water in the blue one, black coffee in the red one.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “Which is more than that fucking car chase with the white pickup does,” said Quinn.

  Rainer guessed the man was still upset about that. “We need to stay here all day tomorrow. I know the final leg of our journey isn’t so far, but we all really need to rest tomorrow. I know I could sleep ten hours easily and I bet you could, too.”

  “Likely she needs to have several long swims to get herself rehydrated properly again as well. She used to swim an hour or more every night I think, from what she’s said, and these last weeks have been very hard on her.”

  “Yes, we can sleep and rest. At least we weren’t hungry today. Those people provided loads of food for us and I appreciated that,” said Rainer.

  Quinn nodded. “She’s been starving herself either to save money or because she wasn’t able to shop. At least that’s all behind
her now. I’d like to talk to the Alpha of the wolves though, or their security advisor or someone who can tell me what the fuck is going on. It’s driving me insane worrying about her, worrying about Oscar and the clinic, worrying about the fact I simply don’t know anything anymore.”

  Rainer nodded, then took his coffee and wandered around the pool area. He didn’t want to go far, in case Wynter needed him, or Quinn wanted him, but he was glad to be out of the car and moving around. It made him all the more aware of how uncomplaining Wynter had been stuck in the backseat without even the driving or navigation to fill her mind.

  Rainer was fast coming to the conclusion he loved her. Oh yeah, it was much too soon to say anything. Not even a week yet. But it had been a very intense time with them all together every minute of every day, and they’d talked a lot and deeply as they’d traveled. He felt as if he’d known them both all his life.

  Rainer already had respected Quinn both as a Dom and as a man. He’d already wanted Quinn to be his Dom, but he wanted a woman to hold and love as well. With Wynter added to the mix, he would be perfectly happy. He’d have his Dom and his woman, and there was nothing more he wanted in life. All he had to do was get them both to agree.

  It shouldn’t be too hard. He knew Quinn was prepared to be his Dom at least sometimes, and he also knew Quinn cared deeply about Wynter. And Wynter sure as hell seemed ready to fuck them.

  Rainer smiled as he remembered how he’d wondered whether she’d be as prone to temper tantrums as her father. Nothing could be more different than her behavior. She was calm, serene, mature, and capable, dealing with whatever came up, even a car chase. Many women would have had hysterics instead of quietly doing as she was told.

  Oh yes, he wanted her, needed her, felt incomplete when she wasn’t in his arms. He just wished he knew what on earth was going on with George and the clinic. Was the pickup him? Surely there couldn’t be more than one person harassing the clinic.

  * * * *

  Wynter was beyond tired, beyond even exhausted, but she also knew unless she planned to get up in six hours for another swim she needed to spend at least half an hour in this swimming pool rehydrating her skin properly. Even though she’d been swimming for ten minutes or more it still felt itchy in places, likely because the pool wasn’t as deep as she would have liked.

  She sank to the bottom of the pool, then turned on her back, moving her fins slowly, forcing the water over her skin backward and forward. Then she raced up and down as fast as she could, trying to create waves that would help her fins hydrate. It was more like an hour before she was certain every part of her skin was fully protected again, but in a strange way the swimming had relaxed and energized her. Oh, she still needed to sleep and sleep and sleep some more, but she knew she’d be able to walk to her room, although she hoped it wasn’t a long walk. She couldn’t really remember where the house was in relation to the swimming pool. She’d been mostly asleep as they’d arrived.

  She climbed out of the pool, and Rainer was there wrapping a towel around her body and handing her another one to rub her hair dry.

  “I can’t be bothered getting dressed. This towel is huge. It’ll be decent enough to walk to my room,” she said, tying it under her armpits.

  Rainer spoke into the intercom, and Wynter sipped a few mouthfuls of ice water until their guide reappeared.

  “It might be easier for the lady if you drive around. Follow me,” he said.

  She slid into the backseat. I’ve spent more time here the last few days than in the whole rest of the time I’ve had the car.

  Still, she had to admit if she’d had to drive herself likely she’d still be in California—well, maybe Arizona.

  Wynter was too tired to pay attention to where they went. They curved around the pool, then drove behind some buildings—possibly a pool house?—then the guide stopped them. He opened the door of a guest house and switched on the light.

  “No one will disturb you. No one will come to the pool or this area of the gardens. You may go where you wish. The property is completely enclosed and quite secure. There should be plenty of food, towels, anything you need. If there are any problems or anything we can provide for you, dial nine.”

  “Thank you. We’re much too tired to continue with our trip tomorrow. Today was quite a challenge for the lady. Is it all right for us to rest here tomorrow and leave the day after?” asked Quinn.

  The guide smiled. “Our Alpha expects you to stay tomorrow. He said you’d likely want to talk to him, and he’d make a space for you in his appointments this afternoon, after you’re fully recovered.”

  Good. I wasn’t looking forward to another day in the car just yet. It’ll be wonderful to swim tomorrow again, and I’d really, really like to know what’s going on. Was the pickup truck what the e-mail was warning me about? Will that happen again if I continue on toward the clinic? Am I endangering Quinn and Rainer as well as myself?

  Rainer scooped her up and carried her into the guest house. She had a vague impression of pale yellow walls, tan floor tiles, and a big bed. Then she was asleep.

  * * * *

  Quinn woke several times during the night—well, morning really—and each time he looked in on Wynter. She snuffled a little, wiggled a little, but showed no signs of waking up. In a way he was relieved because sleep was the best way for her to avoid the pain. And he knew when she finally awoke she’d been in a lot of pain. She was well overdue for her medication, and she’d not had a shower after her swim so the pool chemicals would still be on her skin and in her hair, which likely could make her feel even more uncomfortable.

  It was after nine when he decided he’d slept enough and had his own shower. The guest house was quite similar to the one they’d stayed in the previous night, with a living room, short hallway, three bedrooms, and a single bathroom. Maybe they had the same architect?

  Grinning, he dressed in clean clothes then realized he’d need to do a load of laundry if they didn’t arrive back home tomorrow. Well, that gave him a deadline anyway. Besides, a day’s rest here should be enough for them all to recuperate. It’d been a long drive yesterday even without the pickup-truck scare. Oh yes, the Alpha was going to let them meet with him later today. Good. Maybe he could explain what the hell was going on because Quinn sure wished he knew.

  Whoever had stocked the refrigerator for them was evidently a great believer in raw foods because the shelves were piled high with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, celery, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, salad onions, and oranges, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, and cheese.

  Quinn piled a plate with a bit of everything and sat in front of the television with the sound very low to catch up on the news. Half an hour later he heard Rainer showering, then a little while later he walked into the room.

  “She’s still asleep,” Rainer said softly.

  “Good.”

  Quinn turned the television off and took his empty plate back into the living area, sitting at the table as Rainer flicked the switch on the coffee pot then began pulling things out of the refrigerator.

  That reminded Quinn of something he hadn’t done last night. “If you stay here to listen for Wynter waking up, I’ll go back to the car and collect the coolers and picnic basket. Maybe these people will return them for us.”

  “Sure. Likely the next group heading the other way can take them back.”

  Quinn walked out to the car, enjoying the hot sunshine on his face, and emptied it out. He tidied the backseat, restoring things to good order, collected the bags of trash, and slung the handles of the two coolers over his shoulders so he could carry the large picnic basket in his hands.

  It was strange to think how very generous these wolf packs had been to two humans and a shark. Oscar Thorne must have saved the life or the health of someone very important to the Supreme Alpha for everyone to be so kind and helpful to them.

  He dropped the trash bags in the big trash can at the side of the guest apartment then took the coolers and picn
ic basket inside. They’d eaten a lot of food the previous day, but there were still a few things left, which he put in the refrigerator, then laid the empty containers on the floor by the door.

  The coffee pot was bubbling again so he made himself another cup of coffee and brought the pot over to the table where Rainer was reading a magazine and eating his breakfast. Or possibly lunch. It was getting close to the middle of the day.

  Quinn wanted to find out what time the Alpha would meet with them, but he didn’t want to wake Wynter. Sleep was the very best thing for her now, and the fact she’d slept so long just demonstrated how worn out she’d been by the traveling.

  He was just trying to decide whether to go and have a swim himself, or to watch the television, when he heard her slow, careful steps moving into the bathroom. Once the shower was turned on, he picked up the phone and said, “This is Quinn. What time would the Alpha like to see us, and where do we go?”

  “One moment please.”

  There was silence then the female voice said, “In forty minutes a golf buggy will arrive to drive you all up to the house.”

  “Thank you,” he said again. It seemed to be something he said all the time. These people looked after them so well there was nothing else to say.

  He jumped up and prepared a plate of salad and fruit for her, then filled the coffee pot again so she could have a fresh cup when she arrived. She wasn’t long, and she swallowed the pain pills with the glass of water Rainer handed her without a murmur. Quinn could only guess how hard to must have been for her to get in and out of the tub to have a shower, then to get dressed without putting her weight on her knee. Yet she didn’t complain. He was proud of her.

  “You timed that perfectly. We’re being taken to see the Alpha in half an hour.”

  “Oh dear. Perhaps I should have worn a skirt instead of jeans.”

  “I can go get your big suitcase from the trailer if you want to change clothes, but I don’t think he’ll mind. He knows we’re in the middle of a journey,” said Quinn.