Frankly, he didn’t have the lung power at the moment.
At least this was proving to be an effective temporary distraction over missing Malyah. He and Beck had driven the Drexler siblings and little Bebe to Tampa International that morning for them to fly out to Spokane for their trip to Idaho. This would be the first time he’d been separated from Malyah for this long since they’d met and mated.
He haaaaated it. The only consolation he had was that it was only temporary. The rest of them would be flying out in eight days. They had to wrap up some Enforcer work first ahead of the holidays.
Today, Dewi, Beck and Ken were supposed to be handling a simple intervention for a pair of parents from their pack. Something the Enforcers had done countless times before for other parents. The boy, a sophomore in high school, was the only shifting child of two non-shifters who both had shifter parents. He’d ended up hanging out with the wrong kind of kids and skipping school, something his parents didn’t find out until the mom went to talk to one of his teachers the day before.
Apparently, when Dewi, Ken, and Beck showed up at the parents’ house to have the requested talk with the kid, he must have recognized Dewi and bolted out their back door, shifted, before she could use her Prime powers on him. He also got a head-start of a couple of minutes before his parents and Dewi, Beck, and Ken realized he’d run.
Which led to Dewi calling in backup, because Ken had pulled mate rank and ordered her not to engage in the chase, while Beck set off on foot after the kid. But Beck couldn’t shift, or he wouldn’t be able to keep in touch with everyone else over the radio.
Joaquin couldn’t blame Ken for forcing Dewi to take a pass in this chase. Pregnant Dewi was still a little in the doghouse with her mate for helping capture Manuel Segura by using herself as bait to lure him in so he wouldn’t think it was a trap.
Joaquin had to hand it to Ken, though. He’d grabbed a bike from the family’s front porch and set off in pursuit of the kid with Beck. If it hadn’t been for Ken, they would’ve totally lost sight of the kid and would’ve stood an easier chance of losing him.
Joaquin and Martin had been only a mile away and handling another issue. In fact, they were supposed to hook up with Dewi, Beck, and Ken for lunch shortly. So they rushed over to help with the pursuit.
Now, they’d finally cornered the kid in this subdivision. He looked more like a German shepherd than a wolf, fortunately, so if anyone asked, they could claim they were helping the family recapture their pet dog.
“Oh, shit!” Martin said a moment later.
“What?” the rest of them—except Ken—all asked.
Martin started laughing. “Ken’s okay! Not sure about his radio, though. He got the kid.”
“What. Happened.” Dewi’s growl sent shivers up the back of Joaquin’s neck, but he and Beck slowed their pace, finally allowing them to catch their breath.
“Ken ran into him with the bike, and they both ended up in the retention pond. He’s dragging the kid out now.”
“I’m on my way,” Dewi said. “Hold him there.”
Joaquin and Beck, now moving at a more reasonable jog, rounded the last corner. In the distance, they spied the two men standing at the water’s edge with the shifted kid pinned down between them.
“Motherfucker,” Beck gasped. “I’m getting too old for this shit. And not a fucking word out of you,” he added when he could apparently sense Joaquin was about to make a joke. “You’re only ten years younger than me, asshole.”
True. Although Beck was an Alpha wolf who was forty-nine, he barely looked older than Joaquin.
Dewi raced past them in the truck, skidded to a stop near Ken and Martin, and jumped out.
“Stop moving, you little fucker,” she muttered, audible over the radio as she leaned over the kid, obviously putting hands on him.
It looked like the fight fled him.
“Prime to the rescue,” Joaquin teased. “Yay, Team Dewi.”
“Kiss-ass,” Beck lightly grumbled.
By the time Joaquin and Beck caught up to the rest of them, Dewi had the kid lying in the bed of the truck and shifted back to human form, with a beach towel around him.
Ken was sop-soaking wet, though.
Dewi wore a smirk as Joaquin and Beck walked up. “Nice of you gentlemen to finally join us.”
Martin laughed but didn’t say anything.
“Hey, we stayed on his trail,” Beck said. “It’s luck that Martin got here first because he took a shortcut from the other side of the development. Yes, Ken did a great job. Is that what you want to hear?”
She grinned, wide and wolfish and showing teeth. “He did do good, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, he did,” Joaquin said. “Smart thinking, grabbing the bike.”
Ken removed his shirt and wrung it out. “Thanks. If there’s one thing I am good at, besides computers, it’s riding a bike.” He looked down at himself, where his button-up shirt and slacks were wet and clinging to him. “Although, usually, I’m more appropriately dressed when riding a bike. Guess we’re not going to lunch until I can change clothes.”
Dewi rose up on her toes to brush a kiss across Ken’s lips. “I’m so proud of you. You sure you’re not hurt?”
“I’m fine. Just wet.” He smiled and kicked off his wet loafers, dumping the water out of them. “Does this make me a junior Enforcer in training or something?”
Beck laughed. “I’d vote for you, buddy, but that’s not up to me.” He nodded his head toward Dewi, who still smiled.
“You don’t think one Enforcer in the family is enough?” she teased.
“He did shoot Segura,” Beck said. “And he kept himself and Nami alive and safe. And executed Segura’s men. Don’t forget Endquist, either. I still say Ken’s a badass.”
“Well,” Ken said, “for now, I’m a badass who’s going to ride in the back of the truck.” He picked up the bike where it was laying on its side on the grassy embankment next to the retention pond. “Because we need to borrow a towel or something so I don’t get the seats soaking wet before I ride inside.”
* * * *
Dewi knew they wouldn’t let her help Ken load the bike, so she stepped back while Martin helped him hoist it over the side, into the Ridgeline’s bed, and then he climbed in with it and the kid.
She pointed a finger at the terrified teen and let her voice go growly. “You’re damned lucky Duncan wasn’t here. I might have let him fucking kneecap you. Don’t you ever run from an Enforcer again. You hear me?” Yes, she made it a Prime order.
Tory nodded, looking like he was about to piss himself. “Yes, ma’am.”
Tory Donaldson wasn’t a bad kid. But as sometimes happened with kids in high school, he’d ended up falling in with the wrong kind of kids, troublemakers, and was acting out. The fifteen-year-old was now facing a couple of months of being grounded, in addition to the talk she’d planned to give him, and a good heaping of Prime orders on top of that.
Her original plan had been to—
Fuck it. “You realize I had just planned to sit down and have a friendly chat with you, right? Why the hell did you run? Tell me the truth.” She Primed him, now beyond the give-a-shit phase of whether or not he was intimidated.
Heavy-handed, it was, then.
“Because I was scared, ma’am.”
“Why were you scared?”
“Because two of my friends are selling drugs. If they think I squealed on them, I’m afraid of what they’ll do.”
Dewi rolled her eyes. Fuck. Life just couldn’t be uncomplicated for once, could it?
“Well, guess what? You should’ve been more afraid of what I’d do to you. You just got yourself enrolled in a new school.” She jabbed a finger at him. “And you’re having zero contact with those other kids from now on. You will block them on your phone and on social media. I’ll work with your parents to get you enrolled somewhere else. And you get to spend every weekend of January through the end of March working your ass off with Badger a
round our place. That’s when you’re not doing chores for your parents and studying. You understand me?”
He looked like he was trying to shrink into the metal of the truck bed under him. “Y-yes, ma’am.”
“And you will give us the names and contact info of those drug dealers. We’ll take care of them.”
“Yes, m-ma’am.”
“We kneecapping them?” Joaquin teased.
She turned, sighing. “No,” she muttered. “But I’ll have Badger pay them a visit and do their parents a favor setting them straight.”
“But they’re not pack,” Beck said.
“I know. But if they’re little shits this early in life, can you imagine what kind of terrors they’ll be later? If we can intervene now, maybe they’ll only end up being petty criminals instead of possibly murdering someone. If nothing else, we can get them to forget they even know him.” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder at Tory. “That’ll make our jobs easier.”
“Can we get moving, please?” Ken asked from the truck bed. “I’m getting chilly.”
“Oops! Sure. Come on.”
Martin and Joaquin rode in the backseat and directed Dewi to where Martin had left his car when he and Joaquin had arrived to join in the chase.
“You want us to follow you back to their house?” Joaquin asked as he and Martin got out.
“No, I think we have it under control now, thanks. Head on back to my place, and please pick us up something for lunch. We’ll be along shortly. Ken doesn’t have spare clothes with him to change into.”
They rolled up in the parents’ driveway and Beck helped Ken get the bike out. Both parents immediately ran out the front door, the mother going off on Tory.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Marta Donaldson practically growled at her son. “Do you know who you ran from?” She grabbed Tory by the upper arm and practically dragged him out of the truck bed as he was trying to climb out. “Get in there and get your clothes back on and sit your ass down in the living room.”
The father, Ron, stood back. He wore an angry expression but didn’t interrupt his wife.
Dewi paused by Ron. “Let me guess—”
“I stay out of her way,” he said. “The only people more terrifying to me than her are Badger, Duncan, you, and your brothers.”
Beck laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “You, my dear man, are brilliant.”
“I do have my moments.”
Ron was a larger man than Ken, but he set Ken up with a T-shirt and sweat pants that would work to get Ken home. He also let him take a shower to rinse the gross retention pond water off while Dewi sat down in the living room with Beck, Tory, and Marta.
After Dewi told Marta what she’d already told Tory, Marta nodded. “Except he’s grounded for six months,” she said, glaring at her son. “And he just lost his tablet, and earned himself an old flip phone that can’t do anything but make phone calls.”
“Man—”
“Quiet,” Dewi snapped, pinching her fingers together at the kid. “You will obey your parents about this. You’re damned lucky she’s not asking me to ship you out to Idaho for the rest of the school year. Trent and Peyton wouldn’t go a fraction this easy on you.”
He slumped back on the couch and sullenly stared at his hands.
Marta took a deep breath and focused on Dewi again. “I’m so sorry he ran, Dewi. I thought we raised him better than that.”
“I get his fear,” Dewi said. “But he only made this harder on himself. We’re going to need the names and info he has on those other two kids. We’ll handle them.”
“There’s a charter school not far from my work,” Marta said. “A new one that just opened this year. I think they have openings. I’ll look into that as soon as possible.”
“Good. Keep me posted.” Dewi pointed at the kid, who shrank back from her as she leaned in and jabbed a finger at him. “I’m warning you—you don’t straighten up, you will get shipped out to Idaho for a year. That’ll make your punishment right now look like spa resort vacation time. You hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
Dewi wasn’t sure if he was more sorry for what he did or for getting caught, but she hoped this meant they wouldn’t need further intervention with him.
Tory gave Dewi the info they needed. Once Ken had cleaned up, and was carrying a plastic bag holding his sodden clothes and shoes and the towel from the truck that Tory had used, the three of them headed back to Dewi’s, with Beck driving and Ken riding in the back seat while Dewi rode shotgun.
“You think we’ve heard the last of him?” Ken asked.
“I hope so,” Beck groused. “If I’d known I’d be running today, I wouldn’t have worn fucking khakis and loafers. Now I need a damn shower.”
“Amen,” Ken said. “Man, those are my favorite loafers, too. I hope they’re not ruined.”
Dewi wore a smile. “Gentlemen, you exceeded my expectations today. Rest assured, I’d be willing to bet Tory grouses about this the next time they attend a family function. Your reputations will only grow.”
Beck snorted. “Hopefully no one else is stupid enough to run from Enforcers.”
“Maybe I should start bringing my bike to these things,” Ken said. “and wearing bike clothes.”
Dewi glanced back and laughed. “I think you improvised pretty damn well today.”
“We would’ve been chasing that fricking kid all night if I hadn’t grabbed the bike. And I’m not losing our dinner reservations tonight.”
Dewi softly groaned.
“You promised me,” Ken playfully said. “Dress, makeup, heels—the whole nine yards.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she muttered.
Beck laughed. “Now I know you have a true mate bond,” Beck teased.
“Why?” Ken asked.
“Because you’re the only person I know who can talk your stubborn mate into dressing like a girl.”
Chapter Three
Da’von spent most of the flight staring out the window with Bebe. His excitement built the closer they drew to Spokane, like it was tugging at a corner of his soul.
Ever since Dewi had told them they were all coming out here for Christmas, he’d felt like a little kid again.
Best Christmas ever.
No offense meant to Nami, because she’d done her best while they were growing up. But back in September, it’d felt like his deep, perpetual longing for a large family had finally been fulfilled.
Their father was in jail—again—and would remain there for the rest of his life. Da’von didn’t remember their mom, because he’d been a baby when cancer killed her. All throughout his life, he’d remained acutely aware of their absence, even though he loved Nami and his sisters. And Reggie, of course, and now Beck and Joaquin and the others.
That feeling had infinitely expanded upon meeting the rest of Dewi’s family, and Beck’s and Joaquin’s. Among with everyone else they’d met on their previous trip.
He couldn’t explain it, the peace he’d felt ever since then. Or his longing to return. Like he finally belonged somewhere.
In Spokane, they landed safely and ten minutes earlier than scheduled. They were met by Asia and Trent’s oldest son, Charles, who’d just turned eighteen.
Nami swooped in first for a hug when she spotted him waiting for them in the baggage claim area. “Lookit you! You look like you grew three inches since September!”
He blushed even as he smiled. “I did. Two inches. I’ll go get the van and bring it around. Mom and Aunt Gillian are already at the resort with everyone else. Except Dad and Uncle Peyton. They’ll be over for dinner.”
“Bring it in, first, mister,” Lu’ana said, stepping in for her own hug. After everyone had hugged him—and Bebe greeted him with a playful howl that he returned—he headed out of the terminal to get the van while they awaited their luggage.
It was still difficult for Da’von to believe they were…here. Even during the drive from Spokane into Idaho, whi
ch took about two hours to get to the resort, he stared out the window at the landscape passing by and breathed in the crisp, pine-scented air.
It felt right being out here. He’d wondered if their last visit was a fluke, but apparently not. After their last trip, he’d damn near felt like crying when they boarded the flight in Spokane to return to Tampa. Being out here, he felt a deep peace that resonated in his soul and had tenaciously clung to him, even once back in Tampa.
They passed through the small town just outside the enormous wilderness area where Trent and Peyton and many of the others lived. Within a few minutes, they were turning in at the resort’s driveway and heading up a scenic road toward the main buildings.
Da’von’s eyes widened as they approached the sprawling complex. “Wow!”
Nami sounded playfully smug from her place in the front passenger seat. “Had you come with us for the wedding planning brunch last time, you could’ve seen it then.”
“This is where they brought you for brunch that day?”
“Yep,” Malyah said.
As they pulled up in the van, Asia and Gillian walked outside with Gillian’s other kids to greet them and give them hugs before ushering them through the front entrance.
“This place is amazing!” Da’von turned, his head craned back as he stared up at the cavernous space that formed the resort’s main lobby. “This is crazy!” It struck a tone between rustic and modern that drew him in and made him want to live there.
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Asia wore a pleased smile. “We were hoping you all would have fun here. Their spa, hotel, and the main restaurant are open year-round. They’re in heavy demand as a meeting facility in the summer. Lots of corporate retreats.”
“Since this is our first family Christmas together,” Gillian added, “we wanted to make it a truly special one. A celebration.”
“I wish Joaquin could be here,” Malyah said. “I mean,” she quickly added, “I know they’re working. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful.”
Asia slipped an arm through hers. “Sweetie, we’re married to two workaholic brothers who never met a day off they couldn’t ruin with talking about work. And their little sister is just as bad as they are. We get it, believe me. This is a girls’ weekend, though. Eh, no offense, Da’von.”
A Bleacke Christmas (Bleacke Shifters 5) Page 2
