Lucy's Wolverine (Lilly Town Shifters) (17 page)

Chapter 30

              “All clear, Bill,” Basil reported.

             
“Any sign of Paul or Emily? Everyone else has been accounted for.”

             
“Haven’t seen them, but I checked all the rooms. There’s no one alive in there. Maybe they left after the fight?” Basil suggested.

             
“Okay, I’ll meet you outside,” Bill said.

             
Basil nodded and left. Bill wanted to check himself. He knew Emily could be flighty, so he wasn’t that worried about her, but he didn’t think Paul would sneak out. Maybe he’d been killed. He trusted most of the shifters, but Paul might have been responsible for someone’s death, meaning somebody might have wanted revenge. But he’d helped them attack the house, so he didn’t deserve to die, at least not yet.

             
Bill checked each room carefully. There was no sign of either of them. But he did come across a room that smelled like Paul. There was a large puddle of blood in the middle of the floor and a smaller one by the wall. Paul had definitely been there, and judging by the amount of blood, he was either already dead or soon would be.

             
Walking out of the main door, Bill gave the signal for them to blow the house. He wanted this thing over with. He stood back and watched as the explosion rocked the house. It wasn’t enough to get attention, but enough to set the house on fire and for it to collapse, thereby hiding the war that had been going on inside fifteen minutes earlier.

             
Once the dust had settled and the fire was under way, Bill pulled out his cell and called the man who had stayed behind at the bar.

             
“Yeah?” Ben answered.

             
“I want you to take the wolverines somewhere.” He gave the address to Ben quickly, not wanting to alert Mike.

             
“We’re leaving now,” Ben said and hung up.

             
“Mike, you’re with me,” Bill yelled to him. Mike nodded and ran over and followed him to his truck. “There’s no sign of Paul in the house. I think Zeke might have gotten him.”

             
“Fuck! He’s a dead man then.”

             
“Yeah.” Bill felt kind of bad for the guy. He’d tried to right his wrong. He hadn’t really liked him before, but at least he had tried to help. He’d helped save lives, something which could never be forgotten, even if he was a reformed Hunter.

             
“Are we heading back to the bar?” Mike asked.

             
“No, we’re going to Lucy’s. I know she’s worried about you.” Mike didn’t say anything but Bill could feel his eyes on him. He wasn’t one who took too many people’s feelings into account. He wouldn’t normally care if Lucy was worried about Mike; he’d want to get details and make sure everything was set for their cover story. “You care about her and I know she’ll be worried about you. We can talk when we get to her house.”

             
“All right.”

***

              Lucy watched as a car pulled into her driveway. It didn’t look familiar, but maybe Mike was in it? Four people got out, three men and one very pregnant woman. One of the men looked to be in his late thirties, while the woman and the other two men appeared to be in their late twenties or maybe early thirties. If it weren’t for the pregnant woman and the fact that she and one of the younger looking men looked horrible, Lucy would have thought the police were after her. They walked up to the door and knocked. At first she was hoping they might have had the wrong house, but since they were knocking on her door, she got up to answer it.

             
“Can I help you?” she asked after opening the door.

             
“I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am, but Bill Marvel asked us to meet him here. Can we come in?”

             
“Um, sure. I’m Lucy,” she said, and opened the door further.

             
“I’m Jason, this is my associate Ben, and these are Chris and Sarah,” he said as they all sat down in her living room.

             
“Can I get you anything?” she asked. Just because there were strangers in her home didn’t mean she wasn’t going to be polite. It just meant she was going to be pretty pissed when Bill finally arrived.

             
“Can I have some water?” Sarah asked.

             
“Sure, anything else?” she asked with a smile. This wasn’t the woman’s fault. She actually looked traumatized. She wondered if they had been rescued from the compound Paul had talked about, but if so, why would they be here?

             
“I… I hate to ask, but would you mind if I used your restroom?” Sarah asked.

             
“It’s down the hall, second door on your left,” Lucy said.

             
“Thank you,” she said, and very carefully stood up.

             
Lucy got a little bit of a closer look at both Chris and Sarah and saw they looked exhausted and scared. She had a feeling that they had no idea what was going on and were scared. Lucy mentally chastised herself. These people needed her help and her kindness – maybe that was why Bill had sent them to her, so that she could show the kindness and caring they needed.

             
She walked into the kitchen and got glasses of water for everyone. Might as well: Chris looked like he was about to either pass out or jump out of his skin, and the two other men looked confused. Maybe she should ask Jason and Ben if anyone else was going to show up. If so, she might need to start getting some crackers and cheese or something together. She hoped no one else besides Mike and Bill were coming. She didn’t know if she could really deal with any more surprises without knowing how Mike was.

             
Lucy heard a door close, so quickly put the glasses down on the coffee table and rushed to the window to see if it was Mike. As soon as she saw him walking toward the house, she was through the door and rushing into his arms. He was okay. He wasn’t hurt. It felt so good to be there in his arms, especially after all the worrying she’d done. She needed this. She heard someone walking toward them and glared at Bill. “Your guests are inside.”

             
“What guests?” Mike asked, stiffening a little. It seemed he didn’t like the idea of Bill sending people over without him being there either.

             
Bill looked slightly apologetic as he said, “I forgot to tell Ben to have everyone wait in the car.”

             
“Okay, but why did you invite people over to Lucy’s house in the first place?”

             
“I brought them here to see you. I thought it would be more private than the bar.”

             
“Okay. Well, let’s get inside and see who they are,” Mike said, giving Lucy a hug and leading her inside by her hand.

***

              Mike stepped into the living room and froze. The woman and man sitting on the couch – there was something about them. And it didn’t help that they were staring at him. They looked like they were seeing a ghost. He thought he really was.

             
“H… how?”

             
“We thought you were dead,” his mother said, trying to get up from the couch, only to fall back down on it.

             
“I thought you both were,” he said, still frozen in place. Mike watched as his father helped his mother stand.

             
“Mike?” Lucy asked.

             
“Lucy, these are my parents,” Mike said, finally seeming to wake up.

             
“Wow!” she said. Mike walked over to them and threw his arms around them, not wanting to let go, afraid they might disappear again.

             
“Mike, I can’t breathe!” his mom said.

             
“Sorry,” he said, backing off and looking at them both. They looked the same as he remembered, other than the belly his mother was sporting. He put his hand there and felt a small kick from the baby. “When I heard about the two wolverines being kept in Washington, I had hoped it was you. Then Paul said the female was pregnant, so I knew it wasn’t you. I thought you couldn’t have any more kids.”

             
“We didn’t know either. It was a surprise. When I found out, I thought they were going to take the baby when it was born. I’m so relieved we were able to get out. I’m so happy the baby will get to grow up with its big brother,” his mother said, smiling.

             
“Dad?” Mike said. He hadn’t said anything since Mike had walked into the house.

             
“I missed you so much,” he said, throwing his arms around Mike again.

             
“W… would you go on a run with me later? Just the two of us?” he asked nervously.

             
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said, and Mike could see the tears in his father’s eyes. He’d never seen his dad cry before.

             
“Mom, sit. I want you to meet Lucy.” His mother fell onto the couch rather than merely sitting back down, but Lucy knew it had to be hard on her. She looked like she was going to go into labor any minute. “She’s a writer and a huge fan. She said reading your books is what got her into writing,” he said with a big smile. Mike couldn’t believe Lucy was getting the chance to meet his parents. He couldn’t believe they were sitting feet from where he was standing. He couldn’t believe they were alive.

             
“Really? I’m glad I was able to inspire you. I’d love to read something you’ve written,” his mom said with a smile. Mike loved that smile. There was something about it that just made the worst day brighten up and seem like everything was okay.

             
“I’ll get you a few of my books. I know you guys have been through a lot, so how about I set you up in the guest room? You look like you need some rest.” Mike couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of that. He looked at his parents and saw the dark circles under their eyes. They looked exhausted.

             
“I’d like that. Thank you Lucy.”

             
“I’m sorry to say, I don’t have any clothes that will fit, but you are welcome to use my robe if you want something clean. I can send Mike out to go get you both some clothes,” Lucy said, showing Sarah to the room.

             
“Thank you Lucy. I’d like nothing more than a hot shower right now. I haven’t had one in fifteen years,” Mike’s mom said, following Lucy.

             
“How about you do that, and once the baby’s born, I’ll babysit while you take a nice hot bubble bath? There’s nothing better.”

             
“A woman after my own heart. Mike, keep her,” Sarah said with a laugh.

             
“I plan to,” he said, looking directly at Lucy. She was so beautiful and looked so happy. How could he not want that around him?

             
“Okay, let’s get you settled,” Lucy said, and they disappeared into the bathroom.

             
“Dad?” Mike said before he followed them. His father looked surprised to hear himself called that, but turned around and smiled fondly at Mike. “Do you think we could go for that run now?”

             
He knew his dad wanted to go, but was hesitant after what had happened the last time. He could see it in his eyes. But Mike needed it. He needed that connection he’d felt with him when they’d gone out together. He watched as his dad walked in after his mom. Mike’s heart dropped. He knew they had been through a lot, but they were his parents.

             
“Come on, the girls can get to know each other while we’re gone,” he said with a smile.

             
Mike looked up and saw the smile on his father’s face as he walked toward him, and nodded. “Why don’t you come with us?” he asked Bill.

             
“No, I’ll let you two have your time together. I’ll stay with Lucy and your mom while you’re gone,” Bill said.

             
“Okay, thanks,” Mike said, and walked into the back yard with his dad.

             
“You’re tall,” his father said, beginning to take off his clothes.

             
“I’m the same height as you.”

             
“I know. It seems you took after me. You have my good looks too,” his father said jokingly. He was glad his dad could joke around. Dwelling on the time they’d lost didn’t achieve anything. They were together now and that was what mattered.

             
“I know, but I think Mom might be in there somewhere too,” Mike said with a smile.