Free Pack Council by Crissy Smith

He racked his brain to figure out where he was headed.
    Then it hit him. “He’s running!” Kurt said in shock. “Shit!”
    Clint shook his head. “No, no way.”
    But Kurt knew deep down that was what Rudy was doing. He wasn’t heading into town, wasn’t running errands or planning on going back. He was taking the most direct route out of there.
    “Damn it!” Kurt fumbled for his phone and hit the number for Savannah.
    “Hey, stranger,” she greeted him warmly.
    “Rudy is making a run for it. He’s ten miles from town limits,” Kurt told her.
    “Oh, hell no!” Savannah grumbled and he heard the sound of brakes. “He’s not going anywhere. Where are you?”
    “Behind him.”
    “What’s he driving?”
    “Late-model blue Toyota Corolla.”
    “Stay there,” Savannah said and hung up.
    Kurt took his eyes off the road and frowned down at the phone in his hand.
    “Get used to it,” Clint said cheerfully beside him. “These women don’t know how to follow. They like to lead.”
    Amused, Kurt shook his head. He wouldn’t want it any other way.
    Savannah couldn’t believe her luck. She was only three miles from the turn-off Rudy would have to make to leave town. She sped into place and waited.
    Just as she’d hoped, Rudy flew past her—speeding.
    She hit her lights and sirens while she pulled out behind him. She could see the moment he recognised the sheriff’s vehicle. He slammed his hand on the steering wheel and Savannah was pretty sure he was cursing her good.
    Rudy flicked on his blinker and started to pull off to the side.
    Savannah parked behind him and waited. As soon as she saw Kurt’s truck in her rear-view mirror, she opened the driver’s side door and stepped out. She walked slowly to Rudy’s side of the vehicle.
    “Turn the vehicle off,” she ordered. She waited until he complied before stepping up beside his window. He had already rolled it down.
    “Dep-deputy.” Rudy tried to smile but fell short—way short.
    “You were speeding, sir,” she said formally. “Where were you headed in such a hurry?”
    His gaze darted around. “Well… I was…”
    Savannah bent closer to him. “Where are you going, Rudy?”
    Her soft voice must have got through to him. He blinked up at her with wide eyes.
    “Rudy, let me help you,” she implored.
    “You can’t,” he whispered. “No one can help me.”
    Off to the side she heard two doors close. She glanced over and saw that Kurt and Clint had exited and were heading their way.
    Rudy grasped the hand she had placed on his car. “Don’t let them take me! Please! I warned Colt. I swear. I told him that Bruce suspected him! Don’t let them kill me!”
    “Hey!” She tried to calm him down. “Hey, no one will hurt you.”
    “Savannah!” Kurt called her name.
    “Back off, Kurt,” she told him.
    Clint growled. “The hell we will! He knows where Colt is.”
    Savannah had a responsibility to her residents. Rudy was one of those she had sworn to protect. But she knew they needed to find Colt sooner, not later. She looked into the face of the terrified young man before looking back at the two shifters. She hoped that Kurt trusted her. She begged him with her eyes.
    Kurt nodded. He grabbed Clint’s arm and pulled him back.
    “Kurt!” Clint protested.
    “No,” Kurt told him in a low tone. “Let her handle this.”
    Clint cursed, yanked his arm from Kurt’s grasp and started to pace.
    Savannah sent him a grateful smile. “Rudy,” she said softly. “Come with me. Let me help you. You have to tell us where Colt is.”
    Rudy was still looking over his shoulder. “You won’t give me to them?”
    “No,” she promised. “I’ll take you to the sheriff. He’ll watch over you.”
    “But,” Rudy argued, “his daughter has taken up with one of them!”
    So she probably shouldn’t tell him that she was sleeping with Kurt. “The sheriff will protect you. I will protect you,” she assured him.
    “Bruce will come looking for me,”