Kodiak's Claim Read Online Free

quickly, leaving them in a pressing darkness she didn’t enjoy at all.
    Since Boris didn’t seem inclined to give up his berth, and she wasn’t about to insist, she did her best to make herself comfortable in the front seat and nap. Easier than expected given the never-ending dull vista, lit only by the headlights, which did little more than illuminate the swath of coniferous trees lining the ice- and snow-covered route. Lulled by the engine and shadows, she slept.
    The jolt alone wasn’t what woke her, the route had plenty of those, but the slowing down of the truck, which trembled until they came to a standstill, did.
    Eyes grainy with sleep, she rubbed her face and around a yawn asked, “Why are we stopped? Are we there yet?” Or was this where her mother’s prediction came true and Travis turned into a wild mountain man determined to have his way with her while Boris grunted on the sidelines, waiting his turn.
    “We seem to have a flat tire,” Travis announced.
    “From what?” she muttered. An icicle? But given their location—the middle of nowhere—the better question was, “How do you fix it?”
    “Not easily. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to call it in.”
    Without even zipping up his coat, Travis hopped out of the truck, the sudden swirling chill of the outdoors whipping through the cab and making her shiver. Its briskness also stole the question on the tip of her tongue. Why is he going out there to call? Odd, because he had a perfectly good CB system in the cab, where it was warm and illuminated. And yes, not so scary.
    She couldn’t stop a shiver, whether from cold or the dark unknown outside the windows. Tammy zipped up the parka she’d not entirely removed, her driver apparently preferring a cool cab to a toasty heated one. The downy softness did not dispel the chill of foreboding, however.
    How long would it take for a tow truck to show up and help change the tire? Should she call her mom on her satellite phone—and listen to her ‘I told you so’? Should she panic because of the ululation of wolves that started outside, an eerie sound that raised every hair on her body? Suddenly the reports of blood found made a lot more sense. If the drivers got dumped from their trucks, how long would they last without shelter or a weapon? Gulp. Welcome to the great outdoors.
    Of more concern, where the hell was Travis? He’d jumped out of the truck to make his call, but peering out of the windows, snow and shadows made visibility impossible. She couldn’t spot him. “This is not happening,” she muttered, especially considering she was weaponless. Given the tighter rules since 9/11, she’d not even tried to bring her registered gun with her on the flight. She’d figured she could always pick one up somewhere once she arrived. She would have, if she’d had time. Time I should have made, she thought with a shiver as the howls seemed to get closer.
    Either the approaching wildlife or their lack of motion roused the man in the back. Boris poked a grizzled head from the gap in the curtains. “What’s happening? Why are we stopped?”
    “Flat tire.”
    “Where’s Travis?”
    “Outside somewhere. Which might not be a good place for him.” She pointed to the yellow eyes emerging from the gloom. Wolves. Quite a few of them, and look, she finally got an answer as to where Travis was. In the glow of the truck’s headlights, Travis appeared, tucking his phone into his pocket, and while his lips moved, she couldn’t tell what he said.
    Boris cursed under his breath. “I should go help.”
    “Help? Are you out of your mind? For that matter, is Travis out of his? We are safer staying in this truck. Wolves or not, they can’t open doors or chew through metal. If we stay in the cab, we’ll remain safe.”
    “Good plan. You stay in the truck.” Boris wedged his massive shoulders sideways in an attempt to squeeze into the front.
    She would have asked Boris where he thought he was going and what