by Sara Summers
But anyway, back to the problem.
I’m not good enough, nor will I ever be. If I leave, at least I won’t be holding her back.
Yeah, I think that’s what I’ll do. I’m going.
Alright, I’m back. As soon as I gave my panther control, we were sprinting through the forest until we were too exhausted to think. When it came to that, when I came to that point, there was only one thing I could think about.
Sav.
The way her eyes get just a little bit darker when she studies me, thinking I don’t realize. The way she brushes her hair behind her ear when she’s trying to think. The way she touches me on purpose, because she somehow figured out that I’m losing it.
It meaning my sanity.
She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’ve been in love with her for longer than I can even admit to myself. She’s strong and brave and beautiful, and I love her.
I really do love her.
How could I leave her? How could I run off and leave her alone, never to find love again? Someone who makes me feel so… lovable, how could I just walk away? I’d have to be the stupidest man alive, and while I’m plenty of things, I’m not that.
She needs me, too. She needs me to protect her, to help her realize that it’s okay to be herself and that I love her for who she is.
Wow, I love her.
I shouldn’t have left her, not after last night. That night was just…
I really, really love her.
Good thing she’ll never read this, I sound like an obsessed thirteen year old.
I need to get back to her, I need to tell her how I feel before I ruin this for good. I just hope she’ll forgive me, because I really shouldn’t have left last night.
I love her. Wow.
Alright, I’ll stop. I have a woman to woo.
I couldn’t help the smile that took over my face. I even laughed a little. Jordie was completely and beyond perfect for me.
I tried to call Leah, but she didn’t answer. That was weird, but I brushed it off, figuring she was busy with something Omega-related. Then, I went ahead and got back to my writing, burying myself in that until Jordie got home.
When he walked in the door, I hurried over to give him a hug.
“You’re the best.” I whispered, leaning up to kiss him.
“Thanks.” He smiled. “Want to go for a run?”
“Sure. I just need to put on some different clothes, then I’m ready.”
“Sweet.” He kissed my forehead. He went to the bathroom while I got dressed, and then I walked to the door to put my shoes on.
“Ready?” I checked, pulling my jacket on. Jordie checked me out from top to bottom. I quirked an eyebrow and smirked. “Wearing makeup really works, huh?” I teased him, having put on a little mascara for him that day.
“I wasn’t looking at your face.” He assured me, grabbing his own jacket.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide my smile.
Just as Jordie parked at the edge of the forest, my phone started ringing. The caller ID said it was Leah, so I answered.
“Hey Lee, how’s it going?”
“This is Ty.” Her mate sounded worried. “Leah disappeared. I have a note here telling me to check a post on your blog, the one called… Pink Peonies.”
My face paled.
“Okay, give me a second.” I put him on speaker and went to my blog on my phone, then scrolled through the post. Down at the bottom of the comments, I saw a link to a video. “I found it, I’ll call you back in a minute.”
I hung up before he responded, noticing it had been posted yesterday night, and then clicked the link.
Jordie leaned over to watch with me.
The video was black at first, and then a man started talking.
“Hey little sis, I don’t have to tell you who this is.” Steven said, though I couldn’t see him. The image flashed over to dark-haired girl, tied up and with duct tape on her mouth. Her hair covered most of her face, but I knew who it was immediately.
Jordie put a hand on my leg, letting me know he was there.
“Meet me at the airport at midnight tomorrow.” Steven said. “The one closest to their town. I’ll be in a red jeep. If you want her back, you’ll be there.”
The video ended and I leaned my head back against the seat. I closed my eyes and leveled my breathing. Whatever else was going on, I knew I had to stay calm.
And then, I called Ty back.
“My brother kidnapped her.” I told him. He cursed, as was to be expected. “I’ll meet him where he wants, I’ll do whatever he asks. He doesn’t care about her, her wants me.” Even as I said the words, I knew Jordie wouldn’t agree with me just turning myself over to the man who wanted me dead.
“When will you get here?” Ty asked.
“Sometime this afternoon or tonight, I hope. The meeting is tomorrow. Try not to explode until then?”
“No promises.” Ty growled. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Good luck with that.” I sighed and closed my eyes again. “I’ll text Leah’s phone when I know what time the flight gets in.”
“Alright. Be careful.” Ty hung up.
I dropped the phone on my lap and tried to process the information.
My brother had taken my best friend hostage. He wanted to trade something for her, and there was no doubt I was the something. He wanted me… but why?
He obviously wanted me dead, he made that clear when he blew up my car before my senior year started. But, asking for me alive so he could kill me himself wasn’t Steven’s style. If he really wanted me dead, he’d contact Ty and tell him to kill me to get Leah back.
If he wanted me alive, there had to be a reason.
I just had no idea what it was.
Lost in thought, I forgot that I was still with Jordie. I looked up at him, and he had a completely sick look on his face.
“Are you okay?” I checked.
“How could I be okay?” he leaned back in his seat, and I took his hand. “Your brother wants to kill you and you’re planning on giving yourself up to him. Why would that be okay?” he grimaced, looking out at the forest in front of us.
“I don’t think he’ll kill me, at least not right away.” I took one of his hands in both of mine, and he finally turned to look at me. Once again, there were tears in his eyes.
That only reaffirmed my new belief: real men cry.
It comforted me to know that Jordie cared so much about me that he’d let me see that soft side of him. I loved his soft side.
“I can’t lose you.” He whispered. “I’ve given up a lot, I’ve lost a lot, but I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” I promised. “Steven wants me alive and he wants me to do something. You can find me anywhere, right? So as soon as he takes me to do whatever he wants, you come get me. I won’t die.”
“Alright.” Jordie nodded, slowly breathing out. “I need to stop at the school to sign my resignation, can you schedule a flight on the way there?”
“Yeah. But why are you resigning?”
“The kids need someone more consistent, and you don’t want to stay here anyway. You want to live in Glacier, by Leah. After this is over with, we’ll move there.” He explained.
“Really? You’re okay with that?” Had the situation not been so intense, I probably would’ve cried. My family… well, they sucked. None of them would’ve even considered giving up anything for me. Not their homes, or their jobs, or anything at all.
“Of course.” Jordie gave me a small smile. “I can be a teacher anywhere. If your dream is to live by Leah, I’m not going to stop it.”
“I love you.” I leaned over the console to press a kiss to his cheek.
“I love you.” Jordie echoed the sentiment, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together.
We reached the school a few minutes later.
Chapter 14
“What is this?” I looked around the kitchen of Ty and Leah’s new house, my
eyebrows raised. There was food everywhere, breakfast food more than anything else.
“I’m stressed. This is how I relieve stress.” Ty gestured to the food.
“Okaaay.” I nodded. “But the meeting isn’t until tomorrow. If you keep cooking at this pace, you won’t be able to walk in your kitchen.”
“That would probably be a good thing.” Ty groaned, leading us all into the family room. There were two couches stacked together in the corner, along with a half rolled-out rug and a box overflowing with decorations. The TV was facing the wrong direction, and didn’t look entirely steady on the box holding it up.
“I’m guessing you haven’t finished moving in.” I smiled wryly.
“Is there anything we can help with? We have to wait anyway.” Jordie offered.
“Um, yeah. Sure. Sav, you can hang up decorations. Leah didn’t pick them out, and she said she doesn’t care where they go. Jordie, if you want to help move these couches that would be great.” He absentmindedly walked over to the couches. Jordie followed him, not minding that Ty was completely out of it.
He would probably be completely out of it too, if I was the one who had been kidnapped. Since I knew he would end up in the same situation very shortly, I pushed the ideas aside and headed to the overflowing box and pile of decorations.
There was a hammer and a little package of nails on the floor next to all of it.
I’d never been a huge decorator, but then again, I liked decorating more than Leah did. So, I spread out the decorations, trying to decide where to put everything. Ty and Jordie were talking while I did so.
“Hey man, would your pack be okay if we moved in somewhere around here? I know some shifters are territorial…”
“Nah, our pack is cool. They’d be fine with it.” Ty nodded. “Leah would love that.” He added.
“It would be good.” Jordie agreed. “Is there an elementary school nearby?”
“Yeah, not too far.” Ty nodded.
They took a break in their conversation to lift the first couch off the second one.
“Are you a teacher?” Ty asked.
“Yeah.” Jordie affirmed.
“Dude, that’s cool.”
They went back to moving furniture, getting the TV and its real stand in place and set up along with the other furniture in the family room. When they finished that, I had mostly finished deciding where all the decorations would go.
“Hey, we’re going to move some furniture around upstairs.” Jordie put his hand on my waist as he told me. “Just shout if you need anything.”
“Okay.” I nodded, kissing his cheek and turning back to my decorations.
When they got upstairs, I let out a slow breath and looked at the time. 11 o’clock.
I needed to leave.
The thing I had pointedly avoided mentioning to either of the men was the real date of the meeting. Steven had posted the video the night before we saw it, not that morning. He’d said “tomorrow night”, and since he’d posted it last night…
I had to go.
I could hear the guys talking and moving stuff around upstairs. They were loud enough that I knew they wouldn’t be able to hear me leave.
Though it was tempting to take them with me to fight off Steven, I knew at least one of them would die if they came. Ty relied on his dominance in a fight, which wouldn’t do anything to Steven. And Jordie was a lover, not a fighter.
Neither of them could beat my brother, who had killed more people than I could count. Steven was a murderer and he wouldn’t think twice about killing one or both of the guys.
But he needed me alive, for some reason.
So I stole Ty’s keys and slipped out the back door, careful to close it quietly.
After I had google maps up and going, I hit the gas and drove faster than any speed limit recommended. Leah’s life was worth more to me than mine was, and I would get her back even if I had to die to do it.
Jordie and Ty tried to call me over and over.
I blocked their numbers.
As I parked next to the only red jeep in the parking lot, I closed my eyes and focused. I had to find the place inside me where I’d buried the mafia part of me. I needed the tough, cruel side of myself if I was going to stand against Steven.
I slid out of the car at exactly midnight, and so did my brother.
He gave me a sly smile.
“Hey, sis.” He pulled out a knife, and I folded my arms.
“We both know you aren’t going to use that on me. You want me alive.” I called his bluff, and his smile slowly morphed into a glare.
“You’re right.” He growled. “Get in the car.”
“Let Leah go and I’ll do what you want. If you don’t, you know I can scream loud enough to get the security guards to come find us.” I warned.
Steven continued to glare at me. He watched me for a second, trying to decide if I was telling the truth.
“Fine.” He ground out the words, then opened the back door. Leah was tied up, her mouth covered with duct tape. “Give her the keys.” He said, untying her wrists.
I handed her the keys.
Rather than walking over to the car like a normal scared person would do, Leah turned. She lifted her knee upward, ramming it right into Steven’s groin. He bent over, breathing hard and moaning.
Leah ripped the duct tape off of her mouth.
“You can’t just go around kidnapping people.” She glared at him and stepped back beside me. “Come on, Sav. Let’s get out of here.”
She grabbed my arm, trying to pull me toward the car. I shook my head.
“If I don’t go with him now he’s going to start killing people, beginning with you, Ty, and Jordie. I have to go.” I told her.
“No.” Leah protested. “You are not going with this murderer. He’s going to kill you, he’s already tried to do it before. And he’s the reason you can’t have kids! Come on.” She tugged my arm, but I pulled it away again.
“I can’t let anyone die for me.” I told her, pushing her toward her car door. “My phone’s in there. Tell Jordie that I’m sorry.” I kept pushing her.
“Stop, Sav. You can’t go with him, don’t—“
“It’s what I have to do, Lee. Like you talking to Forrest. I’m the only one who can fix this, so please get out of here.” That was the last bit of an argument I had in me.
“Fine.” She scowled. “If you die, I’m going to kill your ghost.”
“Do what you have to.” I lifted my hands in surrender, and we exchanged smiles.
“I love you. Stay safe.” Leah gave me a quick hug before jumping in the car and speeding away.
I turned to my brother, who was now sitting on the ground, wheezing.
“She really got you, huh?” I put a hand on my hip. Steven glared up at me.
“I love you too, big brother.” I said sarcastically. “I’ll wait in the passenger seat, but you may want to speed up the recovery. My mate will be here any time.” I walked around to the other side of the car. I had to jump a little to get in since the jeep was so tall, but that wasn’t an issue. I was a panther shifter, after all.
Steven got in the car a few seconds later, his permanent scowl etching lines deep into his forehead. He got on the highway headed to Poulsbo, and I didn’t bother asking where he was taking me.
When we passed the exits that would’ve taken us into town, I finally asked the question.
“Where are we going?”
“You’re going to pay for what you did to my mate.” Steven growled, tightening his fingers on the steering wheel.
“What are you talking about? I only ever had a conversation with her once, what did I do?” I frowned at him.
“You called the cops on her. When I got back home after I left the coffee shop, the place had been ransacked and she was gone, locked away in a high-security prison. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.” He snarled. “And it was all your fault.”
“I didn’t call the cops.” I folded my arms. “Why
would I turn you in after you left? Do you think I have a death wish?”
“If it wasn’t you then who was it?” Steven demanded.
“How would I know? I ditched out on you guys two years ago.” I glared at him. “You kidnapped Leah and then me to punish me for something I didn’t even do?”
“It had to be you, there’s no one else.” Steven growled again. “You and mom and dad were the only ones who knew her identity other than me.”
“Well maybe mom or dad turned her in. They never got along with her.” I reminded my brother. “Have you tried asking them?”
“Mom and dad would never turn on us the way you did.” Steven shook his head. “You betrayed our family, and you have to pay.”
“You’re the one who tried to blow me up.” I glared at him again. “I was leaving because I hated the life, not as some sort of betrayal. Do you know what your explosion took from me, Steven? My uterus! I can never have children because of you, and you think I’m the betrayer?”
Steven’s eyes widened, though he kept looking out at the road.
“My mate had a baby a year before she was taken.” He admitted. “I lost a child too. They took my daughter somewhere, put her in a home some place I’ll never find her.” He blinked, his eyes filling with water.
I gawked openly. Steven crying? I’d spent 17 years of my life with him, and I had never seen Steven come close to crying.
“She’s in an orphanage somewhere, raised to believe her parents didn’t care about her, or going from foster home to foster home. She should be almost two, and I can hardly remember her face.” He was more than just bitter, he was furious. “Because you turned in my mate.”
“I didn’t turn her in.” I hissed. “If anyone did, I’d bet on mom. They hated each other. Mom wouldn’t have liked having a baby in the house, either.”
My mind was running fast. Steven had a daughter? There was a baby panther shifter running around somewhere, all alone?
“SHUT UP.” Steven screamed.
I jumped back in my seat, getting closer to the door. His body was shaking, and I could see his panther raging. The panther wanted out.
