Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
Colleen holds her breath.
I nod my confirmation. “He died. And that’s when I vowed to take down drug traffickers.” I shrug. “I guess I blamed them for what happened.”
She lays her cheek against my bare chest. “What was his name?”
“Travis.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
I massage her scalp some more. “It was a long time ago.”
“You’re noble—working for the greater good.” She trails a fingertip through the hair on my chest.
“Your greater good is all I care about now,” I tell her.
“You take care of the people you love—even humans. Is that why you call yourself, Daddy?”
I shrug. “I guess. I’m alpha, so I like to be in charge, but in a way that’s caretaking and kind. I want to spoil you.”
“That sounds wonderful.” Her smile is sad, which sends my wolf into a panic.
“I can call into work today,” I tell her. I don’t want to leave her and the kids alone. Unprotected. And the truth is, I’m half-afraid she’ll be gone by the time I get back.
She shakes her head. “No. You were going to check on our records. To make sure Dirk hasn’t filed a missing person report.”
I nod and scrub a hand over my face. “Yes. I will. If he has, we’ll file a restraining order. Is he the type to go by human laws?”
“No,” she admits. “He probably never filed anything. My sister says he told our father we had a disagreement, and I’ll be back. He’s downplaying the whole thing. But you never know. He could change his story at any moment. He’s a psychopath.”
“I’m going to take care of him,” I say grimly.
“No,” she says quickly and prickles of cold race over my skin.
I stare at her, trying to work things out in my head, but I don’t have enough fucking information to go on. I pick up her hand and kiss the back of it. “Talk to me, Colleen.”
A world of regret swims in her eyes, and my stomach tightens like a fist.
When she doesn’t answer, I ask, “Do you love him?”
The horror on her face as she scoffs soothes some of my agitation.
“I don’t have to kill him,” I say. “There are other ways to handle this.” There probably aren’t, but if she wants to keep the father of her pups alive for their sake, I understand. I won’t fight her on it. I’ll figure something out, so she feels safe, and he lives.
I go to my gun safe and unlock it to retrieve my gun for work. Sensing Colleen behind me, I turn. She’s staring into the safe.
“Is that the pistol?” she asks. When I just stare at her, she says, “the one with silver bullets?” Silver bullets are forbidden, except to enforcers.
I scrub my face, a tingling of foreboding going through me at her interest. “Yeah, babygirl. That’s the pistol.” I study her face, but she turns away, nodding.
“Call or text me if you need anything. We’ll work on getting you your own car this week, okay?”
I can’t stand this itchy feeling I have that Colleen sees staying at my place as a temporary stop. A place to crash until she figures out her next move. I don’t know what it will take to change her mind about that—about me—but I’m trying to make the idea of staying as appealing as possible.
She nods but wears that same wary look her son often gives me. Like she’s waiting for some inevitable disaster.
Of course, she’s right. Trouble is coming. But I welcome it. Because the sooner it comes, the sooner I can quash it and show Colleen I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to keep her safe and happy.
Colleen
Mark’s house feels empty without him, but the kids are anxious to try out the new bikes, so I get outside and enjoy the autumn air as they ride around the neighborhood.
When I get back to the house, I find my sister has called. Seven times.
Fuck.
I hit the call button and pace around Mark’s kitchen.
“He knows where you are.” Meagan foregoes any greeting to deliver the news that hits me like a punch to the gut.
“From the hospital?”
“No, I don’t think so. Dirk told Dad that he had word you’d been kidnapped by the Denver pack and were being held against your will. I guess he heard it from someone on the shifter council or something. Colleen, he’s already on a flight over there, and he’s got everyone in his pack driving through the night to meet him there.”
Despair rolls through me. “No.”
“He wanted Dad to get his pack to drive over as well, but Dad cussed him out and got himself on a plane, too.”
My mind races. “Okay, thanks for the information.”
“What are you going to do?” Meagan’s voice takes on a note of panic, like she’s already guessing at my plans.
“All I know is that I’m not going to let this turn into a war between packs. The Denver pack doesn’t know me at all, and it’s not fair to ask them to fight for me. I don’t even know for sure that they would.”