Leaving on a Jet Plane [https://cdn.midjourney.com/ef0d2a69-2586-4e0a-b3a8-c6dfffa83231/0_2.webp]

David was laughing, reviewing the footage with Daniel and the council Wolf, Ansel, when Kennedy and Kay entered the warehouse. Kennedy watched him lean in closer to the viewing screen. Ansel said, “This is fantastic. I can’t believe how much it mimics the original.”

Stomping across the room, Kennedy approached David with so much ferocity that he stepped back and raised both of his hands. “What’s happening?”

“Did your fucking people from the mountain burn down my mother’s house?” She poked her finger hard against his sternum.

He raised his hand to his chest protectively. “What have you heard?”

Kennedy pointed to the film student behind her. “Kay says it wasn’t the Wolves, so I want to know if it was your family! My mother’s home is nothing but ash and smoldering embers. I’m not stupid enough to think it’s a coincidence. The mountain folk burned down Terry’s cabin.”

“No, it wasn’t my people, but they are looking for answers. I planned to talk to you about this after you had a little food and some rest.” David reached out to place his hands on her upper arms, but she stepped back out of his reach. His brow furrowed. “Kennedy, I called Whist after I heard from Nan. Old Joe swears it wasn’t them. He doesn’t lie. I was going to tell you when I got back to Kay’s apartment.”

“How can you be sure it wasn’t them? They would do it for Ba.”

Ansel cleared his throat, eyes so dark they appeared black in the early evening light. “They would have told me.”

Kennedy turned toward him with her hands in tight fists.

“Even if they lied to me, I would know.” David’s surety and confidence irritated her as the Wolf continued, “We are watching them.”

David’s brow furrowed. “I thought you were the only Wolf welcome on the mountain.”

The man squared his shoulders. “We don’t isolate like the Bears. I’m never truly alone. There are Wolves everywhere. Even on the mountain.”

David’s brow furrowed. “Ba only agreed to one of you visiting.”

“Ba is in charge of your people, not mine. I am not held to that sad mountain’s little rules.” He rolled his shoulders. “Don’t mistake my words with disrespect. In many ways, Ba is a remarkable woman, and Old Joe was a legend in the prime of his strong years. The mountain won’t even consider it, but their time is winding down. Two of my brothers watched them burn the cabin to ash. If they would have sent arsonists south to Woodstock, we would have known.”

“Then who did it?” David asked.

Ansel said, “I don’t know, but I plan to find out. We want this to fade away, not glow brighter. It’s been less than twenty-four hours.”

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“Last night, someone did this.” Kennedy turned toward David. “We have to leave right now. I can’t talk them out of driving to my grandmother’s house. They think they can protect her property.”

“Who?” The Wolf asked.

“My insane, crippled mother and my Nan.”

David said, “Shit. I’m sorry, Daniel, we have to go. It’s family.” He grabbed his jacket. “They promised to stay hidden.”

*

Kennedy bit down on her frustration, chewing the inside of her cheek. “Someone is lying. On the drive over, I changed our plane tickets. We leave for Atlanta in two and a half hours. We can pick up the truck at the airport.” Her throat tightened. “Mom swore they would wait until we got there to go in the house if we stop and visit Mr. Bob in the hospital before we drive up.”

David asked, “Your mom’s sweetheart?”

“Her neighbor. Don’t be gross.”

David parted his lips to say something else and stopped himself. He gripped the steering wheel and pressed his foot down on the rentals’ accelerator.

*

“You are supposed to turn off your phone, David.”

“I will.” He gestured to the aisle full of people. “The plane door isn’t even closed yet.” He turned his phone toward her and tapped the view number on the bottom of the video. “Look at that. Half a mil in two hours. Daniel and Kay are going to get job offers from this.”

“Unlike you, who will never get a job as an animal handler. Anyone who saw that clip would hesitate to let you groom their dog.”

He chuckled and tilted his phone. “I couldn’t blame them. It really looks like my self control and sanity should be questioned.”

Kennedy glanced around them, at the people settling into their seats, and lowered her voice. “The Bear is pretty cute, even if she is naughty.”

He bumped her arm. “Very naughty. And very cute.”

Kennedy was having trouble staying mad at David. He was too trusting, and his family had taken advantage of that quality in him. Their experience on the mountain had stripped David of some of his youth and left him a more cautious person. The weight of his guilt was palpable when he spoke about Red.

David’s phone pinged, and he flipped to the text. “Your Mom.” He clicked his tongue. “She dislikes waiting. Since you aren’t answering, she is sending her rants in my direction.”

“We are getting there as fast as we can. What is she going to do? Hobble to the mountain and pelt Ba with her medication? Or use that ridiculous gun she carries in her purse to shoot anyone she sees on my Nan’s street?” She leaned toward him as a large man wearing a backpack passed, filling the aisle. “Why are both you and the Wolf so certain that the mountain wasn’t involved in the arson?”

“When they burned down the cabin, the fire didn’t spread into the field surrounding it more than a few feet. They soaked the ground and probably left people watching in case the fire department needed to be called. Not a single spark was allowed to settle in the forest. Ba wanted to force your hand and make you stay with them, not damage the surrounding environment. My family wasn’t trying to kill anyone. That asshole in charge of the hunting team made the choice to use lethal force. You ripping off his arm didn’t sit well with him.” David dampened his lips. “The fire that took your mom’s house swallowed three properties. Several sheep ended up in the hospital due to smoke inhalation and burns. From what Snow has told me, the arsonists at your mother’s house used copious amounts of gasoline and opened up the gas lines on the stove. They hoped for a fireball explosion that would have taken out the block. Destroying your mother’s property doesn’t benefit Ba or our people. She would never agree to anything that would draw that much attention from police and fire departments manned by Sheep.”

With a grimace, Kennedy snapped her seat belt in place. “Even so. Why would anyone else give a crap about some old lady’s house?”

“Kennedy, it was also your house. Have you thought about that? And that makes Terry, Jeremiah, Red, and I all worry. They would rather I brought you back to them, instead of escorting you to where you want to go. I am risking losing their friendships in the hope of earning yours back.”

Her heart sank slowly into the pit of her belly and a chill ran across her arms. “Don’t let me fall asleep.”

“I won’t.”