Maxwell (A Rogue Enforcers Novella) Read online

  They have been known to hunt smaller foxes for prey. The thought of the stunningly beautiful female filled his mind. Taking the file from his laptop bag, he pulled her photo out only to stare at it for a moment before placing it back into the file and zipping up his bag.

  How the hell would he be able to control himself around someone so damn beautiful? Her breasts begging to be released from the tight tank top she was wearing, her toned arms, and that amazing flowing red hair. Let’s not forget those big green eyes that will hold you like you are under a trance. Only the top part of her thighs showed in the photo, but he could tell this woman had curves in all the right places. Just like he liked it. He felt his blood start to flow in his core as his cock started to ache while pushing at his pants.

  Damn it! How did he get hard from just looking at her photo? He had not been laid in a few weeks, but he had never just gotten turned on from just an image of a female before.

  Chapter Two

  She stood on the hill, watching the snake slither its way through the park. Normally she wouldn’t waste her time on hunting a snake for food, but her animal was hungry and she hadn’t hunted in weeks. Today wouldn’t be any different, the snake wasn’t worth her time. However, the rabbit the snake had his eye on was a different story. Alley ran in her animal form down the hill in pursuit of the frail furry creature as it jumped from place to place, having no idea that just feet away there was another creature preparing to have it for dinner. She picked up her pace, kicking dust in the face of the snake, just before she pounced upon the unexpecting rabbit. By the time she smelled the scent of the human upon the animal, it was too late. The fox has taken over her and the man laid naked and dead before her. She freaked out, causing her to shift back to her human form without even knowing it happened. She ran as fast as two feet could carry her. She knew it was an accident—she’d never kill another shifter in the hunt for food—but the man she ran into just as she picked up speed only saw her running, naked, away from a dead man, equally naked.

  The moment she ran into the man, Alley woke from the horrible dream. She had dreamed it, but in her case, it wasn’t just a dream—it was something she had to live with for the rest of her life. In the shifter world she would have never been charged for a crime such as that, a mere accident. However, in the human world it was murder. After all, who would believe her when she said she shifted into a fox to chase down a guy was in his rabbit form? Not a damn soul, that’s who. Just the day before she had escaped the prison that the humans placed her in only months ago. She would not have stayed in there that long had she found another chance for her fox to escape that hell hole. It was like a nightmare for someone of her nature to be locked in a cage for that long. Once they let her in the yard, she found the closet place to be alone, shifting and boring her way under the fence. To the guards it was just another pest of an animal digging around the fence.

  Waking, she stretched her four legs and shook out her fur, before peeking her head out to see if anyone was out there. She had found a cavern not too far away from the prison, where she slept for the night.

  She’d decided to keep her animal form, putting off any law enforcement that may have found her sleeping there. She had heard them coming through the woods not far away before dozing off to sleep last night. One thing Alley had not prepared for was, she had no clothes, not one scrap of cloth, to cover her. Then she remembered she had seen a house on her way out here and there was a woman about her size standing in the yard. She wondered how hard would it be for her to sneak into the lady’s house and take a few of her clothes.

  She sat for what seemed like hours. However, maybe only thirty minutes had passed when she realized that she has been watching her tail flop beside her while she laid waiting and hadn’t noticed the car had left the driveway. She jumped at the fact that she had let her mind slip away. That was not the kind of shit she needed to be doing at a time like this. Even in her animal form—humans see foxes as pests and she needed to try her best not to be seen, heard, or hell, even shift. She had, after all, been known to shift when she let her mind drift off.

  She thought for a moment about letting her human run for the house, but her fox broke into the thought. Don’t shift Alley, we’re faster on four legs and remember you have no clothes.

  Nodding her head, she agreed with her animal as she took off toward the house. As she ran, she began to think about where she would go from here.

  She would love to go home to Indiana, but she knew that would be the first place they would start looking for her. Besides, she couldn’t get on a bus, plane, or train. She had no ID—they took it from her when she was sent to prison—so she couldn’t buy a ticket on any commercial transportation, even if she could risk being in the public like that. She would have to find a way home using only her animal instincts and maybe even get her way with her looks along the way.

  The run for the house hadn’t been long. When she reached the door, she pushed the fox to the back of her mind as she began to stand. She noticed the door had begun to open and once she was fully standing and she found herself standing face to face with an elderly man holding a cane in the air as if he were going to hit her with it.

  “Did you see that damn fox out here? Wait where’d the hell did you come from there was just a fox sitting where you’re standing. You’re a fucking shifter, aren’t you? What are you doing out here?” Then it hit him. “Holy shit you’re that lady who escaped over at the prison.”

  “No, sir. Sorry I was lost. I will be on my way now.”

  “I don’t think so young lady, now you just stay right there,” the old guy told her as he closed the storm door, only to open it again a few seconds later. Holding a robe out to her, he shook it in her face to let her know he was trying to help her.

  “Come inside, you do not need to be seen.”

  She didn’t know what to think really. What if this guy was just trying to get her inside his house until the cops got here? Was he a creepy old man that would try something sexual? Her mind thought all of those things, but her animal knew he was no threat to either of them. Then the smell hit her senses. The smell of woods and worn leather. The man was a fucking shifter. A bear! Of all the shifters, this old fucking man was a bear. Thankful she hadn’t said it out loud, she just took the robe and followed him into the house. It was a little awkward knowing she had only come here to steal clothes from these people, and now she was being invited in—and by another shifter at that.

  “You escaped, I hear? Care to tell me why you’re snooping around my home?” The wrinkles on his face formed a slight frown as he spoke. Alley’s confidence began to fade again, and she had to think quickly how to answer the man’s questions.

  “I was hoping I could find some clothes here. I planned my escape perfectly other than remembering I may need clothes when I shifted again. I wouldn’t really say I escaped anyway. I just dug my way under the fence and took off. I was in that human prison for an accident, an accident that in our world I would have never been charged for. How many rabbit shifters have you seen running around? There was no scent of a human on the animal what-so-ever. It was too late once I had snapped his neck. The fox and her instincts took over me. The human’s musky smell didn’t come until after his blood spilled. I would have never killed another shifter without reason, much less for food for my animal. You are a shifter as well, sir. You know how it is. I just need to find some clothes and I will be on my way.”

  The man moved from one foot to the other, left to right, a couple of times before placing his right hand on her shoulder, the frown on his face became somewhat of a grin.

  “You are safe here, young lady. You remind me of my daughter. She left right before you showed up. I will call her and ask if she has some clothes for you to wear.” Picking up his phone, he dialed the number.

  Alley stood there in shock at what the man had just said to her, her mind racing.

  “No!! Don’t call her, the last thing I need is someone else knowing wher
e I am.”

  Throwing his hand in the air as if to wave her off, he continued the call. His voice seemed softer as he began to talk to the person on the other end of the call. Alley just sat, not knowing what else to do other than run, and running really wasn’t the best answer. She waited until the man hung up his phone. She sat and listened to the man tell his daughter the story of the naked fox that showed up at his doorstep and how she had nothing, not even clothes on her back.

  That wasn’t true. She may not have any clothes at the moment, but back home in Indiana she had more than any girl/woman could ever ask for. A great supportive family, a nice home, and she had an amazing job just before she was sentenced for murder. Why had she shifted that day? Why could she not have run away as the fox that was there only seconds before the other person shifted? Still she would have to live with the fact that she killed the man, even if it had been an accident. She also knew in her heart that she would be forgiven. Her job had not thought the same. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she waited for the man to speak.

  “I can promise you… um what was your name… Alley? I think that is what I remember from the news.”

  Alley replied with only a nod.

  “Liz is the last person you need to worry about knowing where you are. She is my child and is also a shifter, after all. She understands shifter law; she even dated an Enforcer at one point. Trust me when I tell you that she will protect you and keep you safe faster than she will turn your ass in to the human police. I know you weren’t coming here to ask us for help. You were sneaking your sly little ass around here, trying to see what you could take. Now I suggest you go sit on the sofa while I call Liz to help you with some clothes.” The man pointed into the living area and walked over to the window to finish his call.

  Alley did as he said. As she sat down on the sofa, she began to wonder what the man’s name was, he hadn’t told her and she hadn’t thought to ask. The sofa was a cream color with a wide floral print, and the loveseat across from it did it not match it at all, being it was a dark almost navy-blue color. There was a television sitting on a small table like stand and lace curtains on the windows. She began to also realize the more she looked around that the man had to live here alone.

  Someone her age would have upgraded all of this, she thought surly. Knick knacks adorned the space that all seemed to be trapped in a time warp of sorts. She needed to get out of here and on her way as quickly as possible. She hoped that this Liz the man had called his daughter would have some clothes here for her to wear and she would be on her way. Those hopes fell short as soon as the man hung up his phone and walked towards her.

  “Liz, will be here shortly and she will have clothes for you and make food for you.” His face became serious.

  “Sir I really can’t stay. The longer I am still here, the closer they will be to finding me,” Alley protested, knowing it really didn’t matter what she had to say this, old man was not going to let her leave without first meeting his daughter.

  She’d just take the time to think of her next move and how she was going to get from state to state. Would she hitchhike? Could she travel faster as the fox? Question after question filled her thoughts. Then another thought hit her. She had no idea what this man’s name was—and he had seen her naked. Now that her adrenaline wasn’t running like a speeding car in the fast lane, the thought of this guy seeing her that way began to freak her out a bit. The thought was short lived when the hard slamming of the door shook her from it.

  “How many times have I told you not to just let people into the house, old man? You’re going to get yourself killed one day,” the lady said as she walked into the room.

  “Oh Liz, you forget I may be an old man, but shifter animals never really age physically. My animal and I can still kick ass and besides she’s a harmless fox.”

  Fox she was, but harmless wasn’t so much the case. She was a bad ass in her own right.

  “Excuse me sir, I am more than just some harmless little fox. I have been trying to leave from the moment you opened the door to let me in, and this must be Liz.” She pushed herself up from the chair with her left hand and reaching with her right to shake the hand of the other women.

  “Your dad didn’t introduce himself to me, but I have heard your name several times in the last hour.” She released her hand and sat back down in the chair.

  There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Liz just stared at her dad.

  “You mean you didn’t even tell the women your name? Just let her sit here, knowing she already has a lot going on. Way to make someone feel comfortable, Dad,” Liz finally spoke again. Alley hoped she was not always this much of an asshole toward the elderly man.

  “It slipped my mind child, now get this young lady some clothes. That is how I was trying to show her comfort. I mean damn it, she showed up at the door naked. What did you expect an old man to do? She best be glad I wasn’t one of those creepy, dirty old men.” He giggled as he waved his daughter off.

  “Oh, but you are one of those dirty old men dad,” she replied with a laugh.

  “Sorry Alley, we go back and forth like this all day. Come on, I will see what clothes I have in my old room for you to wear.” Liz gestures for her to follower her.

  “His name is George Blankenship, by the way. While he will never admit it, shifters do age. He is well over one hundred years old now. His mind gets away from him sometimes, I think me being a smartass with him keeps him on his toes. I am Elizabeth Harrison. My husband and I live about ten miles away, so I come here every day to check on him. I’ve tried to get him to move away from here. I don’t feel like it’s safe for him here since they built that God forsaken prison.” She stopped speaking to open the door leading to a small bedroom closet.

  The room still looked like a teenager lived there, nothing seemed to have been touched in years.

  “I keep some clothes here for when I decide to stay overnight, but only a few outfits. I should still have some clothes in here you can have, at least until you can get some of your own.” Liz smiles.

  We need to go; you know the longer we are here, the closer they are on our trail. We have already been escaped for twenty-four hours and have barely left the confines of the prison walls. My instincts are telling me something isn’t right here, the fox finally chimes in with her thoughts.

  Alley smiled in return, pushing the animal back.

  “This is truly kind of you and your dad to help me out. I really need to get going as soon as possible. I mean I kind of escaped from that God forsaken prison you speak of. It wasn’t easy abiding by human law. I can also assure you that it is safer here than you think. No one is getting out of that place. Had I not been a fox shifter I would still be in there myself and if I’m not on the road soon, I will be digging my way out of there again.

  “They have no idea of my animal. I made sure to avoid the cameras at all cost. You see being a sly fox has its advantages sometimes. I know in the shifter world I did nothing wrong. Humans however don’t know about us, so they have no way of knowing our laws.” Alley realized she shouldn’t offer more information to this lady as she grabbed the clothes by their hangers.

  “This is all I have here, I will step out and let you change,” Liz told her as she closed the door behind her.

  As soon as the door was closed, Alley threw the clothes in her backpack and slipped out the window. Her fox took charge and they ran off into the woods. Those bears did not have the speed to find her and she knew that. While she was grateful to them for them helping her, she also knew that it was not a good idea to stay there any longer.

  “You stayed way too long,” her fox said as she pushed her to run faster.

  Chapter Three

  Max left the terminal and headed toward the car rental area. He had already rented his car online, so all he had to do was show his identification and be on his way. He hadn’t specified what type SUV he wanted, as he didn’t have the option to do so online. It only had boxes to check for the
type of vehicle. The clerk checked his ID and told him where to find the car on their lot. The bright red Tahoe wouldn’t have been his first choice, but he was already out there and he didn’t have time to walk back to the counter to get something else. He just needed a ride; the color really didn’t matter as long as it got him to where he needed to be. Leaving the airport parking garage, he stopped to put the prison address into his GPS.

  You do know we could have flown here ourselves, his animal chimed in.

  Yes, I know, but we would have had to take too many breaks, I needed to get here as quickly as possible. It would have taken a couple of days for us to fly. Besides you will have plenty of flight time before we return home, I’m sure.

  The directions said it would take an hour and fifteen minutes to reach the destination. This would give him time to put a plan in place. He thought maybe he should call Colt, but figured he could do that later, after he had gotten on this little fox’s trail.

  Being a Rogue Enforcer had its ups and downs. The perk was you did things on your own time. The downside was you didn’t always have a full team of Enforcers to back you up. Being a Rogue didn’t make them bad, it only meant they didn’t have to play by the actual Enforcers’ play book. The Enforcers were as close to perfect specimen as one could be. The Rogues weren’t far behind, they just had small hiccups that did not allow them to complete the academy—or even make it past tryouts, in some cases.