Authors: Lynn Hagen
Brooke smiled when he saw Pappy barreling up the steps from his workshop with Kell in his arms. He knew the man would be excited about grandkids.
Brooke also knew Willow was a quivering mess. She stood so close to Brooke that he was going to need a pry bar to get her loose. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her the touch changelings craved. She smiled up at him, and Brooke felt ten feet tall.
“I hear I have granddaughters.”
Brooke nodded and then pointed to the girls. “This is Harmony, but everyone calls her Peanut. And this is Trisha.”
Pappy nodded at Trisha. “Name’s Brennan, but everyone calls me Pappy. You can use either name and I’ll answer. Welcome to the family.”
Trisha looked as if she were about to crawl onto Willow. “Thank you, Brennan.”
Pappy squatted and held his hand out. “You can call me Pappy,” he said to Peanut. “And if you asked your grammy, I’m pretty sure she will show you where the cookie jar is.”
Brooke saw his mom’s face light up at the word
grammy
. She had been after him for years to give her grandkids, and he showed up with three.
He’d better get extra Christmas gifts for giving her more than she asked for, but he’d settle for some of her cookies.
“Can I eat them all?” Peanut asked.
“How about one, and then after you get some food in you, we’ll see about another?”
Peanut nodded, her long locks of brown hair bouncing around her shoulders. “Okay.” And then she leaned in close to Pappy. “But I don’t have to eat vegetables, do I?”
“God, I love her already,” Pappy said as he stood. “No veggies…tonight.”
Peanut seemed pleased with Pappy’s answers as she went into the kitchen with Brooke’s mom.
“Go get some cookies,” he said to Trisha. “Trust me, Grammy makes the best.”
Trisha glanced at Willow with hesitant eyes and then walked down the hallway and turned left into the kitchen.
“I think I’ll go with her,” Willow said as she hurried down the hall.
“Deluca tells me you’re in a bit of trouble,” Pappy said once they were alone.
“You might want Dad to come up so I don’t have to repeat myself.”
“He’ll be up just as soon as he locks the place down.”
No sooner did the words leave Pappy’s mouth then Brooke heard a series of clicks. The entire house was armed with alarms and cameras now. The motion sensors in the attic and back garden were now activated.
Brooke already knew the windows in the house were bulletproof and the doors had a thin sheet of metal running through them.
Yeah, it was
so
pleasant growing up with his family. But at times like this, Brooke was grateful they were overparanoid.
Dad came up from the basement and took a seat in the living room. “Okay, tell us what’s going on, besides the obvious thing of martial law.”
Brooke sat on the couch, Deluca coming up from the basement and sitting next to him. Dad sat in one wingback chair, and Pappy took the other chair, still holding Kell.
“It all started when we got a call from Freedman.”
“Matthew Freedman’s boy?” Dad asked.
“Yeah,” Brooke answered. “He cashed in every last favor I owed him. He wanted me to find Enrique Marcelo and protect him.”
“Now, I know Enrique is on the top of America’s hit list, but I trust Freedman had a damn good reason?” Pappy asked.
Brooke knew that Dad and Pappy would hunt Freedman down and skin the man if he didn’t have a good enough reason. They were very protective of their family.
“He did,” Brooke answered. “The government formed a Death Squad. They wanted the squad to hunt Enrique down and kill him. They were also given an extermination list.”
“Good lord,” Dad said. “And no one is protesting the extermination of nonhumans?”
“No one knows the Death Squad exists. Freedman saw what was happening. He knew the government was just wiping the changelings out.”
“What about vampires?” Pappy asked.
“Oddly enough, they aren’t on the list. Enrique, or Rick, has been trying to recruit as many changelings as he can to fight on his side. Freedman tipped him off, told him a war was coming. We were in the Smoky Mountains, meeting up with a group if werecoyotes. The alpha had other plans than to help.”
“He lured you men in?” Dad asked.
Brooke nodded. “Even though my gut told me to get everyone out of there.”
“I told you about gut instinct, son,” Pappy said as he wiggled a finger at Brooke.
“I know. But Rick was adamant about recruiting the werecoyotes. Garrett set us up. The werehyenas were on their way to nab Rick, but the werebears set off explosives and gave us a way out.”
“Was it your group that infiltrated the detention center?” Pappy asked.
Brooke nodded.
“Good for you,” Pappy replied.
Brooke grinned and then sobered. “Garrett had shoved Willow into a car and had her taken to the detention center. We had to get her out.”
“It’s what I would have done,” Dad said.
“But then we found out that Willow and Garrett had a son. Garrett took Kell when he was born and shipped him off to an orphanage. After that he was taken to another orphanage that Garrett owned.”
Brooke could see the anger scorching across both his fathers’ eyes. Pappy held on to Kell tighter as he looked over at Dad. “We need to have a little talk with Garrett.”
“We do,” Dad agreed.
“He experimented on Kell.”
Pappy’s head slowly turned, his eyes blazing as he stared at Brooke. Never before in his life had Brooke seen Pappy look so murderous. “What. Did. He. Do?”
“We’re not sure.”
“Anything else?” Dad asked.
“No,” Brooke answered. “Rick and his group are going after Garrett. Apparently he has pissed a lot of people off. Everyone feels the world would be a better place if the man didn’t breathe anymore.”
“Agreed,” Pappy and Dad said at the same time.
“I didn’t know where else to bring my family,” Brooke confessed. He hated to involve his parents, but for him, there was no safer place than home.
“You made the right call.” Pappy bounced Kell on his knee. “If anyone comes near our grandkids or Willow, they better have heavy firepower to back them up because I don’t plan on holding back.”
And Brooke knew when Pappy said firepower, he was referring to AT4s or a goddam tank, because nothing short of an over-the-shoulder rocket launcher or a tank could penetrate their defenses.
* * * *
Willow glanced around the kitchen, feeling a little lost as Laura reached into the cookie jar and then handed the girls their treats. She could see the woman stealing furtive glances her way, but Willow wasn’t sure how the woman felt about her. She could scent worry and warmth toward the girls coming off of Laura. But that didn’t tell her a dang thing about how Laura felt about Willow.
“Stop worrying, young lady.”
Willow wasn’t sure who Laura was talking to. She was placing the lid back on the jar, her back to everyone in the room. “If Brooke and Deluca chose you, then I know you’re all right.” Laura laughed as she turned around. “Okay, if Brooke chose you I know you are all right. Deluca tends to get mixed up with the wrong kind of girls.”
“Oh?” Willow replied and then shot a glance at Trisha.
“Please,” Trisha said. “I’m not that young. I know guys are stupid when it comes to girls.”
And here Willow had thought Trisha naïve. When did she grow up? “But that still doesn’t mean grownups can say what they want in front of you.”
“I agree with Willow on this one,” Laura said. “Don’t be so fast to grow up. Trust me, being an adult has its perks, but with those perks comes a lot of responsibility.”
“I know,” Trisha said. “Willow has had many talks with me.”
If Willow didn’t know Trisha cared about her, she might have been offended at the here-we-go-again tone.
“Let me show you girls to your room, and while you explore, I’ll make something for you to eat.”
“We get our own room?” Trisha asked.
“Well, I’m pretty sure you don’t want to share one with Willow, Brooke, and Deluca.”
Trisha cut her eyes at Willow, and it wasn’t a friendly look. She hadn’t come out and told Trisha that she mated two humans. Willow hadn’t told Trisha anything. She was too busy trying not to get killed and hunting down Kell. And when they were in the Humvee on their journey here, Willow didn’t think it appropriate to talk to Trisha in front of Brooke and Deluca just in case the teenager had questions. But what she hadn’t expected was for Trisha to focus her deep brown eyes on her in judgment.
“You have a problem with Willow having two men in her life?” Laura asked.
“Yeah,” Trisha replied. “I have a big problem with her sleeping around.”
“Trisha!” Willow said loudly.
Laura held up her hand, silencing any protest Willow may have had.
“Let me tell you something, Trisha. I have loved Mark and Brennan for thirty-two years. I can’t imagine a day without either of them. Just because society frowns on my kind of arrangement doesn’t make it wrong. That applies to Willow as well.”
“I’m pretty sure that applies to Aunt Sarah as well,” Trisha said under her breath, but Willow caught the words.
“How old are you?” Laura asked.
“Fourteen, why?” Trisha sassed.
“Because you’re too old to bend over my knee, but just the right age to wash walls for that smart mouth of yours. I’ll see you in this kitchen at oh six hundred hours.” Laura took a step closer. “And for those who don’t know what time that is, it’s six in the morning.”
“You can’t make me do that!”
“Try me, sugar. Now you and Peanut’s room is across the hall. Take her in there and wash up for supper.”
Trisha grabbed Peanut’s hand and stormed from the kitchen, ignoring Willow when she walked by.
“I’m so sorry,” Willow apologized. “She’s never acted this way before.”
Laura laughed, which surprised Willow. “She’s a teenager. Get used to it. Besides, she is messed up in the head when it comes to relationships. I won’t hide my love for the men I care about, and neither should you. Let her see how my boys treat you, and sooner or later she’ll get the picture that just because a woman loves two men that doesn’t make her a whore.”
“Are you really going to make Trisha scrub walls?”
“Yes, I am,” Laura replied. “You teach them young to respect their elders or you’re in trouble when they get older. A little elbow work won’t hurt her. Now let me show you to your room before I start supper.”
Willow followed Laura down the hall. She was giving Willow the first room on the left.
“Your bathroom connects with Trisha and Peanut’s. Keep your bathroom door locked if you don’t want visitors in your room.” Laura winked. “The bathroom can be accessed from either room, so tell my boys to keep it locked when they’re in there.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Laura waved a hand at Willow to go into the bedroom, and then she turned and walked back down the hall to the kitchen.
“So, you’ve had a conversation with Mom,” Brooke said as he walked into the bedroom.
“I did.”
“Sweetheart, isn’t she?” Brooke laughed. “But trust me, don’t piss her off.”
“Trisha already did,” Willow replied as Brooke wrapped his arms around Willow’s waist. She just stood there for a moment enjoying the feel of having one of her mates hold her.
“And?” Brooke asked as he kissed her neck. Willow felt strong desire rise up inside of her as Brooke nibbled his way down her shoulder.
“Trisha has to meet your mom in the kitchen at six in the morning to wash walls.”
Brooke lifted his head. “She must have really pissed Mom off.”
Willow didn’t want to talk about it any longer. All she wanted was to crawl between the two men that she loved and get a good’s night rest. “Yeah, she did.” Willow pulled from Brooke’s arms and undressed, climbing into bed and closing her eyes. When she felt Brooke join her, Willow scooted next to him and let sleep take her under.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
“What?” Rick asked as he glanced at Sasha.
“We both have a common enemy. It would be extremely smart if we worked together to take down the government.”
Rick choked on the coffee in his mouth. He wiped his chin and then stared at Sasha. “You want to work with me, a dog? Since when? I thought dogs were beneath you.”
“We agreed to work together on the deaths of the three changelings down by the waterfront,” Sasha reminded him.
“But we were very far away from each other. You’re telling me you want to stick around and fight by my side?”
“If that’s what you want to call it,” Sasha stated with a scowl. “We have a common goal, aside from finding Garrett and killing his sorry ass. If we work together, then we can get this done sooner.”
“I also have Freedman, Benito, Miguel, Mason, and Omar helping me. What makes you think I need you?” Rick matched Sasha’s snarly tone. He had sent Nate and Selene back to Shelton in hopes that they spotted Ian. Dorian was worried sick about his brother, and Rick would do anything to make his mate happy. He knew finding Ian was only going to be the beginning of their problems, but at least they would know where the man was.
Rick warned Nate and Selene to keep a very low profile. The cops were looking for Nate for the death of Dean Winthrop, and not to mention that fact that changelings were being hunted down.
“Because you haven’t gotten anywhere so far,” Sasha replied. “You’ve managed to have numerous murders pinned on you. You were nearly killed multiple times by the Death Squad, almost died in a fire, got kidnapped by a damn werecoyote alpha.” Sasha rolled his eyes on the last ticked-off item. “And are hiding in motel after motel. It’s about time we took the fight to them.”
“Right, because my posse here can take down an entire government. We roll like that, right?”
“Moron,” Sasha snarled.
“I already planned on gathering changelings en masse and taking the fight to our enemies. Try and keep up on current events, pussycat.”
“Whoa,” Dorian said as he held his hands up. “I’m well aware that alphas like to piss all over each other and slam their fists into their chests to prove who is the more dominant asshole, but I thought you two just agreed to work together?”
Rick turned toward his mate. “Did you just call me an asshole?”
“If the shoe fits, buckle it up and skip down the street in the damn thing,” Dorian replied. “I’m not about to stand here and watch you two measure your dicks. I’ve had enough of that.” He walked over to the bed and sat down next to Benito and Miguel. “Besides, I have the biggest dick of all.”
Rick narrowed his eyes when Miguel snickered.
“Why don’t you prove—”
“Finish that sentence and we are going to fight in this fucking place,” Rick warned Sasha.
Sasha winked at Rick, showing his playful side. Rick was not in the mood for Sasha’s ever-changing moods. If the man said one salacious thing toward Dorian, Rick was going to tear this room apart with Sasha.
He had had enough, and Rick wasn’t taking anyone’s bullshit any longer. That passive crap wasn’t for him. He tried it. He didn’t like it. Now it was time to show the world Enrique Marcelo was not lying down and taking this shit.
“So testy,” Sasha said, but kept his comments about Dorian to himself. It might have been the warning look in Rick’s eyes, but he really, really, really did not give a shit at this point.
“Freedman is military. He works with us as well. Don’t underestimate him because he’s human.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Sasha replied.
“Why are you such a prick?”
“Why are you such an asshole?” Sasha countered.
“I’ll show you asshole,” Rick warned.
“Guys!” Dorian shouted and then began to rub his temples. “Do I need to get a spray bottle out?”
“Sounds interesting,” Sasha purred.
“That’s it!” Rick slammed his fist into Sasha’s jaw. The pussycat was quick. He recovered from the blow and had Rick on his ass in a matter of seconds. But Rick didn’t stay down. He grabbed Sasha’s legs and heaved him off his feet, both landing on the floor. They rolled, throwing punch after punch.
Rick had known having two aggressive alphas in the same room for too long was a bad idea. Having Edward around had been different. The rat king was more concerned with Isabelle than fighting Rick.
If only he could have sent Sasha with Nate and Selene, his problem would be solved. But the man insisted on staying and helping.
And this was the result.
He gasped and sputtered when water was thrown on him. Rick looked up to see Dorian standing there with the ice bucket in his hand and a deep disapproving scowl on his face.
“Do I need to get a hose?”
Rick climbed to his feet, glaring at Sasha as he moved to the other side of the room. “Are you done or do you want to go another round?”
Sasha got to his feet and brushed himself off. “As long as you don’t act like a dick, we’re fine.”
Rick started back across the room until Dorian held his hand up, showing Rick the bucket.
Freedman walked into the room and glanced between Sasha and Rick. “Oh, hell. I missed it, didn’t I?”
“Yep,” Miguel said. “And I think the owner is going to want payment for the dresser they demolished.”
Rick ignored everyone as he turned toward Freedman. “Any news?”
“Yeah,” Freedman said as he set his coffee cup on the small table. “They released Garrett as you suspected. My intel tells me that he ran back home. I wouldn’t think he was that stupid, but something tells me he is after something.”
“Then we need to get there and find out what he’s after,” Rick replied. He wasn’t going to let Garrett get away. The man had caused too much trouble, and Rick knew the werecoyote wasn’t finished with his deceit and betrayal. Not by a long shot.
“I did find out something interesting though.” Freedman stepped over the broken drawer and moved toward Dorian. Everyone was sitting on one bed, all staring at the mess the two alphas had made. Mason wore a smirk on his face while Omar looked between the two as if they were going to start fighting again at any moment.
“And that would be?” Rick asked.
“Anthony Oswego was right. Garrett knows some pretty powerful people. He owns the Calvary Home of Salvation, but it’s Sellers Pharmaceuticals who financially backed him.
Rick’s eyes snapped over to Mason. He could see the storm brewing in the man’s light-blue eyes. The look said the jaguar wasn’t sure if he should be ashamed or angry as hell that his father was supporting a crazed man like Garrett.
“So my father is funding the project of experimenting on children?” Mason asked slowly, evenly.
Freedman stilled. “You’re James Sellers’s son?”
“Not anymore,” Mason replied with acidic calmness. His voice was filled with so much hatred that Rick could feel the scalpel-sharp blade slicing over his skin. Mason was giving off a deadly scent that Rick rarely smelled on changeling. The smell was staggering. Omar, Benito, and Miguel looked as if they were having trouble breathing from the acrid, decaying scent.
“Tone it down,” Rick warned, “or go outside until you’ve calmed down.”
Mason glanced over at the three changelings and then stood, walking toward the door. Rick grabbed his arm. “Don’t go far. We need you in this fight. Get your revenge when this is all over.”
Mason nodded, pulled his arm free, and walked outside.
“I didn’t know,” Freedman said. “But whatever Garrett is up to, he has the funding. If he uses that money to escape, we may never find him.”
“Then we need to move out now,” Sasha said.
“Let’s roll, people. We have a deranged werecoyote to kill.”
“Oh, goody,” Benito said as he bounced from the bed. “Playtime.”
Rick stared at the juvenile for a moment. Benito used to be so sweet, so naïve. Rick wasn’t sure how to take this new side to the man.
Miguel was no better. “We just have to make sure Dorian doesn’t shoot us when we attack Garrett. The man needs to seriously work on his aim.”
“Hey,” Dorian defended indignantly. “I’ve gotten much better.”
Rick stood there and watched all three exit the room and wondered who they were and what happened to the three sweet men he used to know.
Okay, so Dorian was never that sweet. The man had picked up a gun and taken care of business from the start. Damn if that thought didn’t get Rick hard. He smiled as he walked outside, wondering if he would have time to take his mate someplace private and fuck his brains out.
As tempting as it was, Rick knew they needed to get moving if they were going to catch Garrett before he left. The trip from Indiana to Kentucky was already going to be long enough, especially since they couldn’t take the highway.
Rick just prayed they got to the Smoky Mountains before Garrett disappeared for good.
* * * *
“So, are you ever going to tell me what your other beast is?” Rick asked Sasha. He was dying to know, but had a feeling Sasha wasn’t going to tell.
“Llama,” Sasha replied with a smirk and Rick could smell the lie.
“Is that the animal you’re going with?” Rick retorted. “Because that should make the rumors all the juicier.”
“You wouldn’t,” Sasha snarled.
“Nah, but wouldn’t it be fun to say that my rival, Sasha Monroe, was half leopard and half llama? I’m laughing just picturing the combination.”
Rick saw a tight tugging at the side of Sasha’s lips. So the man wasn’t made entirely of ice. Maybe they could work together after all. Just as long as Sasha kept his smart comments to himself, all would be good.
Fat chance of that happening.
“We’re coming up on the entrance,” Freedman announced as he pulled the truck over. “I could try and drive up there, or we can go by foot.”
“It would be quicker if we went by foot,” Rick replied. “But I want Sasha and Mason to shift into their cat forms and go ahead of us. Every second counts.”
“Wow,” Sasha said as he climbed out of the truck. “You are actually making smart decisions. I’m impressed.”
“Bite me, pussycat.”
Sasha gave a small yowl and then began to undress. It was normal for changeling to be nude around pack. But Rick wasn’t a part of Sasha’s leap, and he knew the man was doing it for Dorian’s benefit.
Rick was going to castrate the bastard.
A pleased smile formed on Rick’s face when not only did Dorian turn around and look away, but so did Omar and the two juveniles. Omar may have been knocked down to juvenile status, but Rick just couldn’t wrap his head around the concept, even though he was the one to strip the man of his title.
How screwed up was that?
Omar’s status would depend on how things played out with this war. Thus far he was just tagging along for the ride. Well, except for fighting that guy from the Death Squad to save Trisha and Peanut.
Maybe Omar had a chance of regaining his title yet. But Rick would wait and see. The man had to learn teamwork. He couldn’t just go off on his own and try to solve a problem that damn near got Rick and Dorian caught.
It was a risk that Rick would not chance again.
They trekked through the mountains, Sasha and Mason running ahead. The changelings and Freedman kept up, but Rick could tell Dorian wasn’t used to this strenuous pace. They were moving exceedingly fast in order to make it to Garrett’s compound in time. Miguel was carrying a backpack with Mason and Sasha’s clothes, and even he was way ahead of them.
“I’m sorry I’m pushing you so hard,” he said to Dorian. “But you know we have to catch him.”
“I know.” Dorian jumped over a fallen log and kept going. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll keep up.” His mate smiled at him, and Rick felt his chest tighten. Their bond was deep. It had grown by leaps and bounds since Rick first mated him. He craved Dorian like a drug now. Rick knew he wouldn’t live if anything happened to his mate.
And if he did, then he would be a soulless bastard because there was no way he could live without his heart.
Rick grabbed Dorian’s arm when he saw Benito and Miguel go down to their knees. Omar and Freedman followed. Rick pulled Dorian down to the floor of the forest and then scented the air. His blood ran cold when he scented so many werecoyotes that he couldn’t even distinguish how many there were.
Thankfully they were downwind.
“Bad?” Dorian asked.
“Very bad,” he whispered. Rick walked in a crouch until he was next to everyone else. Dorian did the same.
“I’m not sure what’s going on,” Freedman said in a low voice, “but there is some kind of gathering. I counted at least twenty men, but I haven’t spotted Garrett anywhere in the crowd.”
Twenty changelings. That was bad considering Rick only had six men, including himself. He knew Benito and Miguel were damn good fighters, but he wasn’t too sure about Omar. Dorian and Freedman would have to rely on firepower.
That wasn’t a great option when facing lethal changelings. The odds were against them, and Rick knew the only way they were going to get out of this alive was to leave now.
But he couldn’t let Garrett get away. The man knew something about Rick’s birth certificate, and it was eating him alive not knowing why the man had it in the first place. He also wanted to kill the bastard for not only the crimes he had committed, but for taking his group hostage and having his pregnant sister threatened.
“We have to wait until we can get Garrett away from the crowd,” Freedman said. “It’s too risky to go in there right now.”
Rick glanced up to see Sasha and Mason in the trees high above them. The two sat with a stillness that made them seem like statues, but Rick knew they were watching their prey. He just prayed they didn’t jump the gun.
“Then we wait.” Rick turned back around and hunkered down, waiting for the moment when he could wrap his hands around Garrett’s throat and squeeze the life out of the monster.