Wolf Tales VI Read Free Page B

bagels and rolls, she let her mind wander west to Montana and the sun-dappled forest she never realized she’d miss so terribly. What she wouldn’t give for a nice, juicy rabbit!
    A frisson of awareness skittered across her neck and down her spine. Little goose bumps prickled over her arms and Eve blinked herself back to the present. She glanced toward the cold case where the beer, soft drinks, and lunch meats were kept. A young woman stood in front of the frosted doors. Her long, coal-black hair swung past her hips like a curtain of silk. She was tall and slender, her jeans torn and dirty. They hung low on her slim hips and her skintight, pale blue cropped tank was badly faded and stained.
    Something about her caught Eve’s attention. Maybe it was the cocky tilt to one hip, the way she glanced toward the clerk then quickly looked away. Maybe it was the sensual sway of her hair or something deeper, more profound. At the moment Eve couldn’t put her finger on whatever it was that made her watch. Made her concentrate on the woman while pretending to check over the choices on the morning take-out menu.
    Had she not been watching, she might not have noticed when the girl slipped a package of sliced turkey into her purse. Might have missed the two candy bars that followed, and the small carton of orange juice.
    If the girl had just left it at that, she might have made it out the door with no one but Eve the wiser, but she got greedy. Or maybe she was just so hungry she forgot about caution. About survival. She fingered a perfect orange on top of a stack of fruit on a table near the door, rolled it into her palm and quickly headed for the door.
    “Hey you! Lady! Stop now! Ya gotta pay for that orange!” The clerk vaulted over the counter and reached for her arm. The girl spun around and grabbed the door handle, but the clerk, a young man with a long reach, barred the way.
    Eve stood unmoving, watching to see what would happen next. The girl twisted and tried to pull free of the young man’s grasp, but he held on tight and pulled her back toward the counter, cursing her each step of the way. The girl struggled, obviously panic-stricken, but so far she hadn’t said a word. Then she curled her lip and snarled.
    That was the only way Eve could describe the sound. It startled her into action. “Wait,” she said, reaching out to touch the young man’s shoulder. “I’ll pay for whatever she took.”
    The clerk stopped and stared at Eve. “Why? You with her?”
    Eve shook her head. “No, but I’ve been hungry enough to steal.” She looked at the girl, who held herself as far from the clerk as she could with him still hanging on to her arm. “Is that okay with you? I’ll pay for the things you took.”
    The girl didn’t speak, but she jerked her head, a short, sharp nod of agreement. The clerk turned her loose and stepped around behind the counter.
    “That orange’ll be a buck fifty.”
    Twice what the sign said. Eve bit back a grin and set her own items on the counter, a couple of breakfast sandwiches and a cup of coffee. Without looking at the thief, she asked, “Okay, now what about the things in your purse?” She turned and stared at the young woman who at least had the grace to blush. The girl pulled the other items out of her bag and lined them up on the counter. The clerk glared at her while he rang them up. Eve pulled some bills out of her pocket and peeled off twice the amount of the total. “Keep the change. I appreciate your not calling the cops.”
    “Thanks, lady.” He stared at the young woman. “Don’t ever come back here again, got it?”
    She nodded. Eve took the bag from the clerk and turned to the girl. “You got anywhere to go?”
    “No.”
    “Ah. So you can talk. Come with me. I’m not staying all that far from here.” She held the door open and the young woman stepped out ahead of her. For whatever reason, Eve felt relaxed for the first time in weeks. She wasn’t sure how or why, but