Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,27

they’re bringing me bagels like they’re going out of style. That one is left over from yesterday, and we’ll be getting a fresh delivery in about an hour.”

“Say no more,” Helen said eagerly, licking her lips as she took the plastic platter that had to have come from a deli or specialty bakery. The bagels looked really scrumptious.

The women loaded up a half-dozen large insulated bags, chatting all the while. Leslie gave Helen some pointers on how to interact with shifters, for which she was grateful. She was going into an area with a dominant wolf Pack. She certainly didn’t want to insult anyone through her own ignorance of their ways.

Leslie took Helen over to the airplane and showed her how the door worked. Helen mentioned that she’d never been in a small plane before, and Leslie took the time to show Helen the layout of the cargo area while they were stowing the food she’d packed for delivery to Big Wolf. Then, Leslie showed Helen the passenger area, which was quite luxurious for a plane this small, with hidden compartments that held a bar and snacks, among other things. She also helped Helen stow the food from the other refrigerator in the small fridge in the passenger compartment and set things up so they wouldn’t shift too much in flight.

Then, Leslie surprised Helen, by showing her the flight deck. There were only two seats up front—one for the pilot and one for the co-pilot. Helen had assumed she’d be sitting in the back for the trip, but Leslie casually dropped the bombshell that she wasn’t coming along on their flight, so Jim could fly, and Helen could sit in the co-pilot’s chair, as long as she knew what not to touch.

Leslie gave Helen a quick rundown of the controls, though it meant little to Helen. She was intrigued by all the instruments but didn’t have the background to know much about how it all worked. Helen was sure she’d have questions for Jim when he actually got into the pilot’s chair and started doing his thing. She hadn’t really realized that he was a qualified pilot, but he must be if Leslie and Sal were willing to loan him one of their planes.

Helen guessed he must have learned the skill while he’d been in the military, but that was just a guess. She’d ask him, if she got a chance, while they were in the air. Somehow, the thought that he’d be the one flying them to Texas was comforting rather than alarming. Having only been around him a few days, she still had this overwhelming feeling that Jim could do just about anything he set his mind to—and do it better than most people. He had a confidence that reassured her about his ability to get them where they wanted to go, and…when it came right down to it…she trusted him.

Sure, he’d made a mistake in following that false trail to Virginia Beach, but she’d heard him discussing it with Martin before they’d parted that first time. They’d both acknowledged that it could very well be a trap, but there hadn’t been an alternative at the time. Jim had known the danger going in, but his mistake had been in underestimating the enemy. Of course, it was a bit farfetched to even think a low-level warehouse worker from West Virginia would have the resources to hire what had to have been a mercenary company to wait for a mark that might never show up.

From what Kiki had told Helen, the entire situation at that paper mill had been a case of hidden magic. What they called black magic. It operated in stealth and was incredibly hard to counter. Kiki’s new husband, Jack, had underestimated his opponent in that situation, as well. Since this guy they were following was part of that sinister group, it made sense that he might have a few tricks up his sleeve that nobody had considered. She suspected Jim would think twice now, about things he otherwise wouldn’t have entertained.

Live and learn. He almost hadn’t. Lived, that is. Helen had to shake her head at her own thoughts. The Mother of All had to have other plans for Jim, which was why, ultimately, Helen was here. Leslie had almost finished the tour when Jim joined them.

“Almost ready to go?” he asked, spying them through the little door that led from the passenger compartment to the flight deck.

Leslie got up from where she’d been sitting