shock filling his face as he realized where he was and what was happening. He climbed into the front seat and got behind the wheel, fumbling for the keys in the ignition. But they weren’t there. They were in her pocket. His troubled gaze met hers through the windshield.
He was worried. He might try to hide it, but she could read it as plain as day. She walked purposefully toward the men. “Excuse me,” she said loudly, hoping to draw as much attention as she could. “Can I help you?”
Surprised, the men turned to her, gave her the once-over and then dismissed her, turning back to the truck. They tried once more to get in, pulling on the doors, pushing on the cracked windows. “Like a dog with a bone,” she called out. “Would you mind stepping away from my truck?”
After being ignored once more, she bolted forward, knowing with her bracelet they would not see her as a threat or a target. She used that to her advantage as she scooted right up to the first guy, the smallest guy, with an unkempt beard and long unruly gray hair, and kicked him hard in his oversize gut.
He doubled over with a loud grunt. Celia kicked him again, using all her force to knock him to the ground, hoping the truck blocked what she was doing to him from the eyes of the young girls on the grass. The second man came running around the front of the truck toward her. Malcolm opened the door, jumped out and joined the fight.
He took a swing at the much-bigger second man, but suddenly the first man was up and back in the game. He was strong, and even though she got in the first kick, the Abatu soon had the upper hand. Malcolm was doing his best, but soon they were both taking a beating. Celia hit the ground, landing hard on her butt, when out of nowhere Ruby was there, baseball bat in her hand and Jade right behind her.
Ruby swung the bat, hitting the Abatu hard across the shoulders, giving Celia the leverage she needed to volley a new attack. With the help of the twins, soon both men were lying on the ground, groaning.
“Are you okay?” Ruby asked, out of breath, her face flushed with her exertion.
Celia threw her arms around her cousin. She was never so thankful to see anyone in her life. “Where did you come from?” she asked, astonished that they were even there.
“From right over there,” Ruby said, and pointed to her old maroon sedan on the other side of the parking lot.
Celia laughed. “I see that, but what are you doing here?”
“We were worried about you,” Jade said, stepping forward and wiping her hands on her jeans. “And with good cause, too, from the looks of things. What are you doing way out here? And why were these men attacking you?”
Celia’s gaze slid away. “I don’t know. But I have to go home. My mom...” She couldn’t finish. Couldn’t say the awful truth. She glanced over at Malcolm, who was watching the two men on the ground, waiting for them to get back up and go at them again. “She died.”
“Oh, no! Celia, why didn’t you tell us?” Ruby enveloped her in a big hug. Her embrace and concern had Celia’s tears threatening to fall all over again.
“I don’t know,” Celia admitted. “Everything just happened so fast. I...I just can’t believe you are here.”
“Us, either,” Ruby said. “But it’s a good thing we were. What was with these thugs? Why would they attack you out the blue like that?”
“I have no idea,” Celia lied, with an uneven breath.
“Maybe we should call the police,” Jade suggested.
“No,” Ruby and Celia both said in unison.
Surprised, Celia turned to Ruby. Her eyebrows rose questioningly.
“I don’t want Mark to hear about it,” Ruby admitted on a deep breath.
“Your stalker cop?” Celia didn’t like the sound of that. “Is that guy still causing you trouble?”
Jade nodded. “He just called a little while ago. There is something seriously wrong with that man.”
“That may be true. Okay, that is true,” Ruby corrected after noticing the look Jade was giving her, “but he called to tell us that someone broke into the shop. Messed it up quite a bit. So it’s actually a good thing he called. For once. He locked it up for us. I’m sorry to dump more bad news on you, Celia.”
Celia sighed, not in the least surprised. She’d seen the Abatu enter through the back door and just hoped they hadn’t caused too much damage. “I supposed you’d better get back, then.”
“No way. We’re coming with you. Obviously you need us.” Ruby looked pointedly at the two men on the ground.
Celia glanced at the troubled look on Malcolm’s face and knew he had cause to be concerned. No matter how much she might welcome her cousins’ company right then, humans were not welcomed in the Colony. They couldn’t be. The Colony couldn’t take the chance that anyone would discover their secret, and a whole town full of wolves was a big secret to keep.
“I really appreciate that,” Celia said honestly. “But I don’t know how long I’ll be. There’s a...a lot to do. If you could just get the shop back in shape and opened for when I get back, that would be awesome.”
Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but Jade stepped forward and placed a hand on her sister’s arm. “We totally understand. You can count on us.”
Celia sagged with relief. “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it.”
“But what about these two?” Ruby asked. “Who are they? Why would they attack you, and why would someone break into our shop to begin with?”
“I have no idea, and I really can’t think about that now.” Celia gave them each a big hug, holding on a little tighter and a little longer than she should. “I’ve really got to get going.”
“All right, if you’re sure,” Ruby said, hesitation ringing loud in her voice.
“I’m sure. I’ll see you soon.” Celia kissed them both on the cheek, then handed Malcolm the keys. They got into the truck and Celia waved goodbye as they drove out of the parking lot and hoped with all her might that it wouldn’t be the last time she saw her cousins.
“You think they’ll go back to Sedona?” Malcolm asked, his voice sounding doubtful.
“Why wouldn’t they?” Celia said, watching them until they were out of sight.
“Because obviously they followed us here from the canyon.”
Celia felt her eyes widen as the implications of his words set in. “You think they saw us?” she asked at length.
“I think they saw something or they wouldn’t be here now.”
“Blazes!” Celia thought about her and Malcolm walking out of the canyon without a stitch on. How was she going to explain that?
“I must admit, though,” Malcolm said with a grin. “I sure am glad they were here.”
“Me, too. Truthfully, I wish they could come back with us,” she said, her chin lifting. “They’re
