The Calling Read Online Free Page B

weaving through the parked cars toward her. She saw him before he reached her and started the car, wiped her face dry and pulled out of the parking space, nearly running him over. The last thing he saw was her arm reach out the car window and her middle finger raise as she pulled out onto the road.
     
     
    Chapter 2
     
     
    "Just go ahead and admit it," Rayna said, grinning. "We're lost."
    "We're not lost," Mitch growled, snatching the roadmap from her lap.
    "Yes, we are," Rayna said. "We've been driving for over an hour and there's nothing here. Just trees and..." She looked out the window and made a small sound in the back of her throat. "Well, just trees." The car suddenly veered and she sucked in a harsh breath, her entire body clenching until Mitch gained control and steered them back onto the road. She glared at him when he grinned and made an apology. He was trying to drive and read the map at the same time. Typical . She sighed, shifting in her seat again to try and get comfortable.
    The entire trip was a whirlwind of planning that she'd spent half the night preparing for. Clive had been thrilled when she called him at home and told him she'd take the case. Of course, he wasn't too happy about her leaving immediately. And neither was Mitch. She'd ruined his big triumphant dance around the office while he gloated about them going away together. When he'd asked what her hurry was, she'd lied and told him the sooner she could expose Malcolm for the conniving little troll he was, the sooner her life could get back to normal. Malcolm had been a pain in her ass for the better part of the year and if giving in and making an appearance in his little town was all it took to stop his harassment, then she'd do it.
    No one needed to know Garrett, and his refusal to be civil with her, was the real reason.
    She'd left the bar the night before a total mess. Watching him flirt with the blonde and then have his hateful words thrown at her had nearly killed her. Seeing him follow her to the parking lot, she'd been half tempted to just run him over but the fear of actually hurting him made her sick. Not that he had any of the same qualms. Hurting her seemed like his new life mission. Why that was still baffled her. He's the one who broke it off between them. If anything, she should be the one throwing hateful words at him, not the other way around. It was almost as if he went out of his way to offend her at every turn and no matter how hurtful his words were a small part of her was just grateful he was still talking to her. Just seeing him made her pulse race and caused her belly to ache. She missed the stupid jerk. Missed the way his arms felt around her and the way he smelled of earth and things alive and fresh. She missed his kisses and the things he said to her in the dark, of feeling safe and protected.
    As pathetic as it was, she was still crazy about the asshole.
    She shook thoughts of Garrett away before she once again slipped into pity mode and focused her attention on Malcolm, and the trip, and pushed Garrett to the back of her mind where he needed to stay. She knew this excursion was going to be interesting, regardless of her own personal beliefs of what was really happening in the mountain community of Wolf's Creek. After calling Malcolm herself, and the little speech her boss, Clive, gave her, she knew she had no excuse but to take the case seriously and do a proper story. She still wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, though. Werewolves. Honest to God, shape-shifting humans. The idea alone was preposterous.
    In all her years as an investigative journalist she'd yet to come across anything as bizarre as this.
    Of course, she knew the claim was false. There weren't any werewolves in the world but the story was still interesting. An entire town, living with the belief that they could all shift their shapes into something else was just... well, it was a goldmine is what it was. Mass delusion. And it was a