Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,82
“I can never thank you enough for what you did for my gran,” she said quietly.
“I was happy to help,” Helen said with a smile and a shrug. “It’s what I do.”
Felicia laughed with her, and Jim was glad to see that Helen had made friends among these people. Miss Felicity gave her a hug next, and then, she beckoned to Jim, having him bend down so she could kiss his cheek.
“You take care of that girl,” Miss Felicity whispered for his ears only. “She’s going to make you a fine mate, if you ever get your head out of your ass and figure things out. Don’t let her get away.”
Shocked a bit by her crude language, Jim was nevertheless floored by her presumption. He wished he had more time to talk to the old lady, but duty called, and he would just have to muddle through and figure this emotional stuff out for himself. Goddess help him.
Chapter Nineteen
True to his word, Joe had set everything up, and all they had to do was take possession of the evidence bags—two big suitcases Jim stowed in the back—and get going. There was plenty of food in the galley, and Helen served lunch after they’d been in the air for an hour or so. Joe had filed a flight plan for them that included a quick fuel stop in Colorado at a small airport owned by a family of cougar shifters. It was nowhere near as big or fancy as Big Wolf Airport, but it was perfectly positioned and run efficiently.
They were able to fuel and go, taking only a few minutes to climb out of the plane and stretch their legs. The cougars weren’t overly friendly, but cats were like that, sometimes. They went their own way, but they did a good job. Jim watched, to make sure.
He fielded a call while they were on the ground from Ezra, in Grizzly Cove. They talked about how the flight was going and when they’d arrive. Ezra said he’d try to have someone drive up to the closest airport, in this case, Seattle-Tacoma, or SeaTac as it was called. There were smaller airstrips, but the big airport had better services, and the plane needed a going over by a mechanic before they flew it back.
Jim had discovered a slight problem with one of the switches that he’d like to have fixed before he returned the plane to Sal. He was certain there would be crackerjack mechanics at SeaTac who could handle just about anything they might find. Jim wanted to make sure everything was perfect when he brought the plane home to Sal. He’d been more than kind in loaning it to Jim, and even though Joe was paying for this additional voyage, Jim knew it wasn’t normal for Sal to rent his baby to other pilots. If they used this plane for charters, it was likely only family allowed at the controls. Sal or his daughter, and that was it.
They left the cougar air trip and arrived at SeaTac a couple of hours later. The food was gone, and all they had to remove from the plane was their bags and the two bags of evidence, which was packed in suitcases to blend in with their personal luggage. A rental car had been arranged, and they were on the road in short order, heading south along the coast.
The drive down to Grizzly Cove wasn’t long as the crow flies, but once out of the metro area, the roads became rather twisty, and the speed limits lowered to match. Helen drove. She’d argued that he’d done all the flying, so the least she could do was the driving. Jim hadn’t minded. He didn’t expect trouble, but if it found them, he’d be ready. Plus, he was able to devote his attention to the phone, which hadn’t stopped since they’d landed.
Joe had requested a call at each point along their journey, and Jim felt it only polite to ease the Alpha’s concerns by calling. Jim had also called Ezra, to fill him in on where they were. Ezra had apologized for not meeting them at the airport, but he’d been delayed leaving the cove. Jim told him not to bother. They were making good time and would be there within the hour.
Jim next called Big John Marshall, as a courtesy. It was only polite to talk to the Alpha of a territory before entering. Jim told Big John about Helen and that she was