India got in the back seat with Anjelica and little Kali between them. They would go back to Jay’s house for now until she could figure out her next step. She wouldn’t tell him on the phone, the best thing would be to go back home today, this wasn’t news that could wait. She didn’t want him to carry one more day of this burden. She was, however, going to need her sister’s help to get some things together for Kali before she got home.
“Jay, how did you get the social worker to agree to everything so quickly, I thought we would need proof before they would consider letting us take her.”
“I have known her for many years, she knows the situation, India. Kali isn’t the first ‘cub’ we placed and it’s good to have someone on the inside.”
“You mean she is….”
He raised his head and gave a tiny howl and she grinned, the social worker was a shifter too, she would smooth the path for Garrett to claim custody of his daughter. The shifter community, with the exception of a few bad eggs really stuck together.
Jay insisted on taking them for food before they went home, and he pulled into a diner not too far from his house. Kali stuck to her like glue, and India was pleased that the little girl seemed to have taken a shine to her. She wasn’t deluded into thinking this would be easy for any of them, but it would be so worth it and she would know she was loved beyond measure.
She was starving and ate two cheeseburgers and a plate of fries before she sat back in her seat and rubbed her belly which made Kali laugh. The little girl ate her cheeseburger and drank a glass of milk before pushing her plate away and reaching for India’s hand again. She held on tightly and India’s heart constricted in her chest. She vowed to make up for all of the time her little stepdaughter had been let down in the past.
“I would like to see Edwards,” India announced.
Jay looked like he was going to refuse, tell her what a bad idea it was then he heaved a sigh and nodded instead.
“I guess that’s fair, I would want some answers too but try and keep it short, you shouldn’t really be visiting him at all.
It was only another ten-minute drive to the county jail and he drove through the gates with a wave to the guard and parked at the rear of the building. Bree and Anjelica sat in the car with Kali, who didn’t want India to leave her but after promising to be straight back the little girl climbed onto Bree’s lap and watched her new lifeline going into the building.
The guard raised a hand in greeting.
“Hey Chief, what can I do for you?”
“I need to see Edwards for a moment, he may have information on another crime we are investigating.”
He took a bunch of keys and opened the door and pointed to the rear of the wide corridor while the chief signed in on the logbook on the desk.
“Last cell on the right, Chief, or do you need a private room?”
“No, this will be fine, thank you,” he replied and ushered India down the corridor towards Edward’s new home, at least for the moment.
He sat on the narrow bed, his head leaning on the wall behind him, he was reading a newspaper. India stared at him through the bars, working hard to keep her temper in check.
“Ricky, my name is India Rose, you don’t know me, but you do know my mate, Garrett Adair.”
His head snapped up and he looked at both of them and India felt the relief course through him when he realized Garrett wasn’t with them. Like most shifters, he was good looking, but he was painfully thin and looked like he could use a shower. Edwards wasn’t just dealing; he was an addict! India was trying to fathom why Gabby would leave Garrett for this wolf when Jay cleared his throat.
“When I tell Garrett what you have done his first instinct will be to kill you for all of the pain you have caused. I don’t have the strength to stop him and not sure if I would even try when he rips this jail apart looking for you Ricky so let’s make this quick. Why did you tell him his daughter was dead, why not let her go home to him when Gabby died?”
He shook his head sadly and met her eyes.
“We kept the kid away from him, we thought it would be for the best, not confuse her having two Dads and I told him there was nothing left to bury after the accident and he believed me. I thought that she would keep Gabby alive for me after she was killed. It didn’t quite work out like that though. I don’t know shit about raising kids and I don’t think the kid likes me very much, I haven’t really been around too much. I am probably going to get ten to fifteen years this time and I thought about contacting him to get his kid, but I guessed he would have moved on.”
“You don’t just move on when you lose your child.” she had moved closer to the bars and her wolf growled deep in her belly, “You’re stuck in limbo every single day of your life wishing it was you and not them you selfish piece of shit. I am going to tell Garrett exactly where you are.”
She slammed her hand against the bars, rattling them with her inhuman strength and stomped off back towards the door. She was fuming at how little he cared but she knew she wouldn’t actually tell Garrett where he was; he would kill him, and she had enough blood on her hands to last a lifetime.
Jay drove them back to his house to pick up Bree’s car, and she gathered their things and threw them in the back seat.
“Thank you so much for everything, Jay. Without you, we might never have known that Kali was still alive. We look forward to you coming to the compound to live.” she hugged him and waited patiently on Anjelica coming back downstairs with Kali.
She had promised her some of her childhood toys and the little girl came skipping down the stairs with a bag of goodies in one hand and a barbie doll in the other. She was smiling and the sight filled India’s heart with joy.
She reached out her hand for her when an all too familiar scent hit her.
Cillian! He was here and she knew he was here for her!
“Anjelica, take Kali inside and lock the doors,” she whispered, and the frightened girl grabbed Kali by the hand and she heard them running upstairs.
“India, what’s going on?” Bree asked just as Cillian and two other men walked around the corner.
“I’ve come for what’s mine.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “India is coming with me, turn around and go inside and no one will get hurt.”
Jay took a step toward him with a growl, and one of the men opened his jacket and he had a gun pointed at Bree.
“One more step and she will be dead before your foot hits the ground. Keep your hands where I can see them, Chief. Go on inside the house with your children.”
“Do what he says,” India pleaded with them. He had seen Anjelica and Kali, but he didn’t know who she was and she needed to get him far away from the house. Cillian grabbed her arm and pulled her around the side of the house, back in the direction they had come.
She glanced up at the upstairs window, and Kali was watching as he dragged her away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Garrett
His lungs were bursting out of his chest when he finally came to the edge of the town. He took only a few seconds to get his breathing back to normal and needed to find something to wear.
He crept into a backyard and took a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from a washing line and thanked the gods that some people still liked to hang their washing out to dry in the fresh air. He couldn’t do anything about shoes until Kandis arrived and made his way along the street to Jay Donovan’s house.
He lifted his hand to knock but the door swung open and he could hear voices coming from the back of the house. He heard Bree’s and sensed immediately something was amiss. He could only smell India’s residual scent. Bree’s scent, among others, was much stronger.
He called out as he ran through the house and into the garden and Bree was undressing getting ready to shift. She looked shocked to see him but blurted out what had happened quickly as she stripped off and he followed suit. Bree was an awesome tracker; he would follow her lead. He was trying to force his panic do
wn and to stay calm. He knew he would make mistakes if he allowed his emotions to cloud him.
“I will come with you,” Jay said quickly, there are three of them, it will make it easier, especially if they don’t hear us approach.”
“How long?”
“They left exactly thirteen minutes ago, we have to hurry.” Jay said.
They ran through the cover of the trees from Jay’s backyard to the woods beyond and a few miles along the trail he picked up India’s scent. They were still in their human form which meant they didn’t expect to encounter any trouble, at least not yet and it gave Garrett a definite advantage.
They crossed a stream and the forest got thicker and darker, but he could smell her scent a little stronger and his heart hammered in his chest as his wolf tried to push to the surface. They were definitely gaining on them, but they needed the element of surprise to take them down without India getting hurt. He dampened down the murderous rage inside him at the thought of a single drop of her blood being spilled.
Cillian didn’t want to hurt her though, he wanted to claim her, but he wasn’t quite sure of the lengths he would go to get his prize. Garrett, however, was certain of the lengths he himself would go to. He would slaughter every one of them to get her back safely.
Bree’s small brown wolf pulled up and stopped and they followed suit, they must be close, he could hear Cillian’s voice and then India’s.
“You can force me, Cillian but I will never mate with you willingly, you won’t ever be able to turn your back on me, not even to sleep and the moment I get the chance I will cut your throat, that is if Garrett doesn’t reach you first. Do you want someone so unwilling as a mate?”
Garrett was filled with rage and pride at the same time, she was fearsome, standing up to his little shit of a brother. The crept a little closer until he could see them vaguely in the distance.
Cillian seemed to ignore her and barked at the two men with her.
“Clean that bite and try and fucking hold on to her this time. We need to get back to the pack before Garrett realizes she is gone or he will have all of our heads, don’t think for a moment I am exaggerating.,”
One of them yanked her to her feet and she stumbled, and Garrett took off running toward them with Bree and Jay on his flanks. Cillian heard them and turned, but he was too late to shift. Garrett caught him by the throat and towered over him as he looked up at him in genuine fear. Jay and Bree brought the other two down and India jumped out of the way.
The Chief shifted back quickly and India tore off her belt while Jay rolled Cillian onto his stomach and she tied his hands behind his back tightly as Jay instructed her.
“If he tries to shift in this position he will dislocate his shoulders and be unable to run not to mention how excruciating it would be.” he grinned, “Let’s get them back to my place, we can hold them in the basement until you know what you want to do with them.”
Bree and Garrett changed back, and they led their captives back through the forest to Jay’s house. He was thankful that the sun had gone down as they approached the backyard. He could hear voices in the distance and smell someone cooking burgers on a grill; they didn’t need an audience.
“Garrett, please, let me explain.” Cillian said but Garrett punched him hard on the side of the face and India thought she heard something break. He yelped in pain as they dragged him the rest of the way complaining about a broken nose.
One of the other men used his pain as a distraction and shook Bree loose and took off running back the way they had come when suddenly he stopped abruptly and landed flat on his back and Kandis stood over him with a smile on her face.
“Going somewhere, buddy?”
“You have to help us, he is going to kill us,” he pleaded with her.
“I know he is, you piece of shit and I am going to watch him do it,” she kicked him hard for good measure and grabbed him by the hair and marched him back to the others.
They dragged them downstairs and India was surprised to see he had two jail cells in his basement. They put the two men in one and Cillian in the other and Jay locked the doors.
“It’s soundproofed down here and those bars won’t bend, so settle down until he decides what he is going to do with you,” he said as they all went back upstairs.
“You can’t let him kill us, you’re the law,” one of them said and Jay looked back toward them.
“You won’t be the first to die down here and you won’t be the last,” he said coldly, and India saw another side to the fatherly figure.
When they reached the top of the stairs and closed the door, Garrett was waiting for her and held her arm as the others went back to the kitchen. He led her through to the study and closed the door, and she threw herself into his arms.
“Garrett, I am so sorry I didn’t tell you about Cillian, I am guessing Kandis did, but I didn’t want you to kill your own brother because of me,”
He held her back from him and pushed her against the wall and she swallowed as she noticed his fangs were dangerously long and his eyes glowing with fire.
He was furious!
“I will have to kill him, India, because he deserves none of my pity for what he tried to do to you, not once, but twice and it could have been avoided if you hadn’t FUCKING LIED TO ME! You are my mate, there should be no secrets between us, but instead, I had to hear about it from Kandis and I was almost too late to save you.”
“I was trying to protect you, Garrett, who the fuck do you think you are? You don’t own me, you can’t just lay down the law and expect me to comply. We are partners!” she yelled back, and he wrapped his hand around her neck, and she gasped.
“Do not ever lie to me again India or I won’t be responsible for the consequences. I lived with a liar once and it’s not something I want to repeat.” he released her without harm, but his anger was red hot and palpable.
“Garrett, listen to me there is something you should know…” She held his arm, but he shook her off and went back to join the others in the kitchen.
Swallowing her tears, she crept upstairs to Anjelica’s room, but little Kali was fast asleep. She told Anjelica not to mention Kali for now and she promised to stay there and keep an eye on her, India said she would send her up some food.
When Jay and Bree caught her eye as she went into the kitchen, she shook her head and they understood not to mention the child just yet. He would probably be pissed at her, but he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to meet his daughter again after all these years, his anger would scare the poor kid half to death.
And her, she wasn’t sure what to make of Garrett’s rage. He seemed to grow in stature, all rippling muscles and furious intentions. For a split second, she had thought he was going to eat her alive, she had never seen him so angry and it hurt that it was directed at her. She meant what she said to him, this was a partnership and she wasn’t going to be ordered around by him, if he thought otherwise, he was in for a rude awakening. She wasn’t really afraid he would hurt her; she knew better than that, but she hated that he was angry with her.
Garrett turned to face her and she could see the uncertainty in his eyes now that his anger at her had abated somewhat. He reached out his hand for her but she ignored it, no way was she going to make it that easy for him, they had a few ground rules to put in place but now wasn’t the time to dissect their relationship but they would talk about this later, of that she was certain.
He dropped his hand to his side, pain clouded his eyes, he knew he had screwed up royally in his desperation to protect her and had aimed his fury at her instead of where it belonged with Cillian. She too should have trusted him, but they had other things to deal with right now.
“I’m going downstairs to question my brother before we take him back to the compound, it might be best if you wait up here, India.”
“Best for who, not me? I was his target; I have a right to know what he says.”
He opened his mouth to argue and then closed it again an
d she followed him to the basement. Jay and Kandis came too and India sat at the back and watched them.
Cillian was brought out of the cell and Jay tied him to a chair in the middle of the room. He glanced at India a few times, but his earlier bravado was gone and she saw him for the vain, stupid man he was.
“Why did you target my mate, you had to know she wouldn’t willingly mate with you Cillian, even if you had bitten my mark from her neck and replaced it with yours we are bonded and that won’t break until one of us dies.”
“I believe she would have come around, I had to have her for my own, to take her from you, Garrett,” he smirked and Garrett closed his fist and hit him hard on the face. His blood sprayed the room and India gasped as droplets hit the front of her shirt.
She stood up as something became very clear to her.
Cillian was lying.
She could sense it in every word he said but what she didn’t know was why.
“Are you in love with her?”
“Yes.”
Another lie.
“Do you believe she is your true mate?”
“Yes.”
Another lie.
She took a deep breath and walked toward him,
“Garrett, he is lying, none of what he said is true.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely positive.”
“You see, Cillian, India has a unique gift, she can smell a lie from miles away, what I want to know is why. Why try and destroy our relationship, why try and rape my mate when you have always been able to crook your little finger and the girls come running, so why?”
Cillian glanced at the other two men in the cell who were watching him carefully and then looked at his brother with something close to shame in his eyes and his shoulders slumped in defeat.
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