by Linda Palmer
A tall, nice looking man stood there. Dressed in sweats and a white T-shirt, he was probably in his early forties and very fit. His slightly damp appearance and the white towel around his neck told me he'd been working out.
"Hello," I said. "Is Mara home?" It was only then that I looked into his ice blue eyes. I saw Cade's looking back at me. Shock stole my breath. Everything clicked into place.
Oblivious to my epiphany, he mopped his face with the towel. "She went home for the holidays. Won't be back for another week."
"Oh no." I sounded so breathless. "I thought she was coming home yesterday." Faking embarrassment, I hoped I came off as calmer than I felt. "I'm Lily Vincent, her masseuse. This is Neecy Webster. She cuts Mara's hair. Are you JT?"
"I am."
"So nice to meet you." I offered him my right hand, which he took, shook, and released. Neecy did the same. "Mara talks about her amazing husband all the time."
"That so?"
"Uh-huh. I'm sorry we missed her. We've been dying to see the house since the first time she told us about it." Could I be more obvious?
JT came through. "I'll be glad to show you around. But first I need to clean up. Why don't you ladies come in? The coffee in the kitchen is fresh, and there are probably some snacks." He led us there. "The den's through that door. Make yourselves comfortable. I'll be back shortly." Turning, he left. I heard him pounding up the stairs.
"OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod." Neecy sagged against a counter, her whisper barely discernible.
Had she come to the same incredible conclusion? "Deep breaths."
She took a couple. "Cade's got his dad's eyes."
My blood ran cold. "Yeah."
JT's willingness to show us around crushed my hopes of finding Cade. I tried to imagine how I'd feel if I was suddenly face-to-face with the man who'd abandoned me and my mom. Best case scenario, there were apologies, forgiveness, and a new beginning. Worst? Death to a son who'd suddenly dropped out of the blue intent on avenging his mother. Since I couldn't imagine either the best or worst being true, I went with a possibility somewhere in the middle—one in which Cade had quickly come to his senses, escaped, and was now headed to Ben for debriefing.
As for why he hadn't called me…ex-boyfriends usually didn't.
Coffee mugs in hand, Neecy and I walked to the den. I tried to distract myself by glancing around the room. My focus bounced from the leather furniture, to the rock fireplace, to the shelves on each side of it. I liked that books filled every one of them. The rug beneath our feet had gorgeous colors in it, colors that matched throw pillows, vases, and lampshades. I wondered if Mara had decorated herself.
Oh how I wanted to start exploring on my own. I tried to think like JT. If I had a prisoner, where would I keep him? The basement was my first guess. An attic was my second. If there was a safe room, that would make a great prison, too.
"Sorry for the delay." JT entered the room, all man and smelling like soap. His smile was disarming. Face to face with him, I had trouble with all my scenarios. Had I just jumped to some ridiculous conclusions?
"Ready for the tour?"
I hopped up. "It's so nice of you to do this."
"Mara's friends are my friends. Let me show you the exercise slash game room. It's right through this door." So our exploration began in an area furnished with top-of-the-line work-out equipment, a convertible pool table, and an enormous TV with a row of theater recliners.
I did not have to fake my delight. "Oh wow. This is amazing." I gave him my best smile. "Mara has invited me to swim with her, but I'm thinking a movie night would be more fun. The theater in town is crap." I inspected the gaming table as if it were the first one I'd ever seen. "She says you're on the road a lot."
"I am, yes."
Just then, a door opened—the front one, I thought. The security system beeped a warning. A dog began yapping like crazy.
Our host went rigid.
"JT? Are you here?"
Mara, I realized. If I hadn't been looking at JT, I'd never have seen his temper flare. He masked it that quickly. "In the game room."
I heard light footsteps on the decorative tile floors, plus the click of tiny toenails. A second later, Mara swept into the room. A Yorkie danced around her feet. Since Neecy and I were sort of behind her, she didn't see us at first.
"What are you doing home, darling?" JT now looked worried. "Is something wrong? You sounded okay last night."
"Whose car is that outside?"
"Mine."
Mara gasped and whirled around. I gave her a little wave.
"Lily! Neecy!" She engulfed us both in a best-friends sort of hug, which was way nicer than the one her husband had not received from her. "It's great to see you guys. Did you have a good holiday?"
"We did. It was a slow day at work, I talked Neecy into coming over for the tour you promised." I hoped my laugh didn't sound at forced as it felt. "I didn't realize you'd still be gone."
"You don't remember us talking about JT and meI being apart for Christmas and most of January?"
I slapped my palm to my forehead. "Oh my God. Now I do." I glanced at Neecy, who looked so scared I worried she'd give us away. "We should do the tour thing later, don't you think? You guys probably need alone time."
"You're absolutely right." Neecy was already moving toward the door.
"But I'd love to show you around." Mara was oblivious to—or maybe ignoring—JT's narrowed gaze, but I wasn't. Now that he realized I might've known his wife's return date, he was definitely seeing me in a different light.
Or maybe I was just imagining that because I felt so guilty.
"Please?"
I realized Mara was still waiting for our answer.
I looked at Neecy. She looked at me. "Okay, but I feel awful about crashing your surprise homecoming. I'll bet JT would love to get you alone." She laughed.
"He's up to his eyebrows in work. Aren't you, honey?"
He hesitated just long enough for me to notice. "I'm a busy man for sure."
"See?" Her flippant tone felt forced.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Akita bringing her luggage into the house. His gaze clashed with Mara's. She shook her head ever so slightly. I didn't think anyone else even caught it.
Something was going on. What, I didn't know.
"Follow me." Mara did a better job than JT as tour guide. Her enthusiasm made the difference, but I wasn't sure it wasn't an act. She clearly had something on her mind.
I couldn't afford the luxury of wondering what. "Do you have a safe room?"
"Yes."
"In your basement?"
"No," Mara said. "In the garage."
"So no basement?"
If she thought my persistence weird, I couldn't tell it. "We have one, but JT keeps it locked, and I don't have a key."
"Really?" I didn't have to fake my surprise.
"Yes. He has some really expensive wine down there that I'm forbidden to touch. For the most part, I let him have his space, though I have been known to get even by unlocking the door to the wine cooler. He's goes nut trying to figure out if I've tasted any. Seriously, he has this inventory list he obsesses over, and he even has the bottles insured." She rolled her eyes.
I laughed with her, but my eyes were on Neecy. Was she getting all this?
It took a good half hour, but we finally saw everything there was to see. Honestly, it was all pretty incredible. I randomly wondered if she'd signed a pre-nup. Any wife would think twice about leaving all this behind, which made her marriage feel like a trap to me.
By three, Neecy and I were on our way back to the shop with invitations to return for a swim anytime. The two of us discussed possibility vs. plausibility. I admitted I wouldn't rest until I went back and personally checked out the basement, even if it was a little too obvious. Neecy told me she'd never let that happen unless I took an experienced someone with me.
That meant Theo, or maybe Hunter, assuming I could talk either of them into it. I believed th
e odds were against me. I had to try, though, didn't I? Saving Theo for later, I had Neecy drive me to my car and told her what I needed to do. She agreed that Hunter was the first guy I should beg.
I actually teared up when I saw Cade's red car parked exactly where it had been the last time I dropped by. A branch above had broken off the tree. It lay on the hood of the car, as did some stray brown leaves. Moisture had frozen around them, leaving a perfect imprint that told me the vehicle hadn't been moved for days.
I saw Hunter's truck parked nearby. There were other cars. I hoped one of them belonged to a compassionate wolf experienced in breaking and entering. Yeah, if Hunter wouldn't help, I fully intended to ask around. Although they were idiots when together, a one-on-one entreaty might get me what I wanted.
As I got out of my car, I saw the shadow of someone standing in the window, no doubt to see who'd come to call. The mini-blinds spread for a nanosecond, before the shadow moved on. Before I managed two steps to the porch, Hunter bounded out the front door and blocked my way.
"What do you want?" He kept his voice low.
"Is Cade back?"
"No."
"He hasn't called?"
"Not that I know of."
"So he and Mike are still at their meeting." If so, the summit had been held elsewhere and JT wasn't who I'd suspected he was. Oh how I wanted that to be true.
"Actually Mike's in the Branson hospital."
I gasped. "What happened to him?"
"All I can tell you is that early Thursday, someone drove his car home, dumped him in his front yard, got into a second car, and left."
"And Cade?"
"No sign of him."
My heart dropped right into my stomach.
I jerked my arm free and ran to my car. In seconds, I left him far behind, not stopping until tears blurred my vision so badly I almost hit a squirrel. I pulled into the nearest empty parking lot. There I lost it for a couple of minutes and boohooed like some little kid instead of the strong, independent woman that I wanted to be.
Chapter Forty-One
Cade
I guess I blacked out at some point. When I dragged my eyes open again, I could see better. Someone had left me food, clothes, and a bottle of water…or maybe they'd been there as long as I had. I had no way of knowing. Since my gut had caved in hours ago, I wolfed down the ham sandwich—stale—and some of the water. I made myself stop before I drained it. While I could live without food, I couldn't live without water.
I had to get my bearings, and I tried to. But there was no door or window, and my dungeon seemed to be round. A well? Only if it was a big one. Belatedly, I glanced up at the light source—a sliver of glow around a trap door a good twenty, maybe thirty feet overhead. It was hard to tell for sure in the dark. Instead of killing me outright, dear old Dad had gone with burying me alive.
I tried to assess my injuries by touching the most painful areas of my body. My face felt puffy. I realized one eye was almost swollen shut, something I should've noticed hours ago. It felt so tender that I sucked in a breath when I touched it. I next assessed the rest of my body. Sticky cuts. Leaky punctures. My ankle was twice its normal size. Broken? Sure felt like it, but a sprain could be just as painful. I got dressed in the briefs, jeans and T-shirt left for me. There were no socks or shoes.
I felt a stab of guilt over Mike. God, I hoped he'd survived the attack of his peers. He hadn't known my secret goals. He hadn't expected his friends to turn on him. I, on the other hand, had been wary and, in that way, prepared. But my agenda had consumed me, a mistake that cost dearly.
Ben's concerns made sense now.
But it was too late to act on them.
Thank God I'd at least listened to Hunter and broken if off with Lily.
Chapter Forty-Two
Lily
Once I got my emotions under control, I headed to Branson. Yeah, Mike was about to have a visitor.
I was probably twenty miles out of town when I realized I should've told Neecy what I was doing. My cell had no signal, thanks to the rolling hills. I promised myself I'd call her later.
The hospital was easy to find. I simply followed the signs until I spotted it and then exited the freeway. Once inside the building, I got his room number from the reception desk and took the elevator to the second floor. I found him in a regular room. A woman sat in the chair next to the bed, reading a magazine. He appeared to be watching TV. Practically his whole face was wrapped in bandages. I saw a pain medicine pump beside the bed. He had the controller in his hand.
The woman looked up when I stepped into the room, no doubt expecting a nurse. I got right to the point. "Hello, Mike. I'm Lily Vincent, Cowboy's girlfriend. I need to know where he is."
Mike did not answer me right away. Was he drugged? Asleep?
"Who said you could come in here?" The woman had jumped to her feet and was now glaring at me.
"No one, and I'll leave as soon as this guy tells me what I want to know."
"'This guy' is my husband, and he's not telling you a damn thing."
Although I'd hoped for cooperation, I didn't begrudge her defending her mate. That was exactly what I was trying to do. "Is he at JT Paxton's?"
Mike blinked. Surprise? Or his only way to answer?
"I want you to leave now." She was skirting the bed, trying to get to me.
I couldn't back down. "Blink if Cowboy's at JT's."
"I can talk." He sounded hoarse and wound up coughing, which resulted in a groan of pain. Broken ribs, I guessed, and the bruising on his neck told me someone had probably tried to choke him, too. "Paxton's got a lot of notches in his belt. Stay away from him." Cough, cough, cough.
Now wifey was really in my face. "Get out or I'm calling the cops."
"We both know you're not going to do that." I felt like the shady heroine in a bad detective movie.
"Try me." She slipped out her cell phone.
"Told you no cops," her husband barked before another burst of coughs.
I stepped around his wife and leaned over his bed. "All I need is a yes or no."
"We didn't expect the alpha challenge—"
I straightened up. "What?"
"Cowboy and me. We didn't expect it. But JT said we had to."
Could I be more confused? "I don't understand."
"When one…of the pack challenges the…alpha, they fight." Cough. Cough. Cough.
I gasped. "Cade wanted to be alpha?"
"Who?"
"Cowboy. He wanted to be alpha?"
"No, I wanted him to. I'm getting out." He caught his wife's eye. "Actually, I am out, and still breathing."
She burst into tears and went back to her chair, where she quietly sobbed into her hands. Her husband moved as if he meant to get out of bed. She stopped him with a look. "Try it."
He settled back uneasily.
I knew I should leave, but I couldn't. "You fought as wolves."
"Yes."
My stomach knotted. "And Cowboy did this to you?" I didn't want to believe it.
"Not him…the others." Cough. "Is Cowboy really JT's kid?"
"Must be." Oh my God. My brain felt like mush. I could barely ask my last question. "Is Cowboy…alive?"
Mike's eyes told me all I needed to know, but he still answered. "Last time I saw him, he was fighting JT, who's a beast in any form, especially when he's pissed. Sorry girl, but I don't see how he could be."
*****
When I got home, I wasn't sure how I'd gotten there. A glance out the kitchen window revealed my car, parked in the drive. Neecy and Theo weren't around. Belatedly, I checked my cell phone and saw I'd received a text from her around seven telling me they were going to eat out with friends. That gave me time to get control of my emotions.
Wasn't easy. I'd cried all the way back from Branson and even now teared up every time I thought of Cade. Oh how I wished he'd done what he wanted to do—rid the world of JT. Instead, JT had rid the world of Cade.
You don't know for sure.<
br />
No, but the odds were against him. I knew I should probably call someone, but who? Ben didn't deserve an update. I sure wasn't going to call Cade's mom, at least until I knew something for sure.
*****
Neecy and Theo got home around ten without a clue that I'd been out until nine, myself. By then I'd showered, and used some eye drops to calm my red eyes. Somewhere in there I stole Neecy's gun, too.
I talked to them for a few minutes, long enough for Theo to tell me he hadn't reached the Levi guy yet, but wouldn't give up. He reminded me to have patience.
Easy words that just didn't do it for me. If still alive, Cade needed help now.
That's why, in the wee hours of the morning, I came to a decision and sneaked out of the house to my car. If I'd thought I could, I'd have put the thing in neutral and pushed it down the drive. I knew better, and settled for starting the engine and quickly reversing down the drive. A glance back showed me a dark house.
I let out a slow breath.
My newly hatched plan? Check out Mara's basement. I wouldn't rest until I did, even if the chances of finding Cade there were miniscule. How would I manage it? I had no idea beyond some YouTube videos that showed how to pick a lock. Yeah, a girl so desperate to save a guy that she trusted the internet. Bad idea?
That would be a yes, as was the gun in my bag.
But I was undaunted. Cade simply had no one else to help him.
I parked in the woods on a path I'd forged myself. For maybe fifteen seconds I thought about tucking Neecy's gun into the waist of my jeans. In the end, I didn't. I was just too chicken to do it. I slid my purse out of sight and left the SUV unlocked for a quick escape. Praying that my dark clothing blended me with the night, I began my trek. I had no doubt the house had security cameras with night vision. I'd be a sitting duck, yet I had to try.
With the help of a tree, I got over the brick fence easily enough. That gave me some much needed confidence. When I got nearer to the house, I realized it was wide awake. Light streamed from the front windows, plus an outside spotlight illuminated the drive. I saw two people moving around a car that had apparently been backed out of the garage. The trunk was open. They were filling it with boxes.
