One added benefit of leaving Cathy in charge was her boyfriend who just so happened to be a badass biker. Peyton met him and liked him instantly. He was rough around the edges, but she could see how much he loved Cathy by the look in his eyes. They soften every time he looked at her, it was sweet. If you could call a biker sweet. Peyton didn’t know the rules, but she was pretty sure he wouldn’t have appreciated the sentiment.
The man showed his love for Cathy with the way he came by to just check things out and make sure his Ol’ Lady was safe. He even grilled Peyton at first about her intentions towards his woman. Peyton was a little shell shocked at that conversation, but she must have said something he liked because he was pretty cool after that. He brought them lunch a couple times of the week and even fixed a couple of things on the property that Peyton had been putting off doing for a while maybe she had been planning this move longer than she realized.
Crank was a good man, and Peyton knew Cathy would be safe when she needed to leave. Peyton wasn’t really expecting Judy to do anything drastic like try and hurt Cathy or the dogs, but the added security of having Crank around made her feel better about the situation.
During those weeks, Cathy had taken over nearly all of the dog training duties. She had previous experience in the military and had even taught Peyton a thing or two. Peyton really liked her. She respected what Peyton was trying to do and added her own expertise and talent to the mix. It was a win-win for both of them. When Cathy didn’t need her help, Peyton spent the rest of the time on her computer. Trying to find out anything and everything her mother was up to.
Two days before she was supposed to leave Peyton hit pay dirt, word on the Web was that Judy was going to give her up to the mysterious suit men so they could press her for information. This didn’t surprise her, and she was pretty sure that the information they wanted was about Bastian. From everything she could figure out they had a general location but nothing concrete. She did know that the Club was being watched that was about it.
Her software and the software she hacked hadn’t proved the men’s identities yet, but Peyton was hopeful it paid off soon. Now for the hard part, she needed to leave. She could take her babies, but they weren’t exactly inconspicuous and even though her first stop was remote. She didn’t know where she would be going next and tugging along three large dogs didn’t exactly scream low profile.
She had confided in Cathy about some of her life like her mother, but she hadn’t told her everything. When Peyton went to her and asked if she would watch the house and her dogs for a while, Cathy didn’t even hesitate to say yes. Peyton felt guilty she didn’t want to put anyone in jeopardy and she had no idea how Judy would react when she came to get her money, and Peyton was gone.
Peyton was surprised when Cathy beat her to the punch. " Listen, Peyton, I don’t know what is going on with you but we have known each other for quite some time now, and if you’re in trouble you know all you have to do is ask, and I will help. But if you don’t ask I can’t do anything more than I am doing now, being a friend."
Wow, that took Peyton aback. She liked Cathy, but she had never honestly put her in the friend category because she was a means to an end. She trained the dogs and helped out. The realization of how shallow she had been not to have even considered her as a friend, left her feeling sad.
Cathy was a good person, Peyton liked her a lot, and the truth was she wanted to be friends with her but she it was so ingrained in her that she often didn’t trust people’s motives. Cathy had proved herself over and over, and Peyton had been too blind to see it. Peyton was ashamed of herself.
"Listen to Cathy I’m really sorry, but I can’t go into all the details but I promise you I will be safe and if I get into trouble I will call my brother or you. I just need a little time away to figure things out. I need you to watch out if you decide to stay her and please keep your man close because in a couple of days I’m pretty sure my Mother is going to be beating down the door because I’m going to pimp her and Judy Carlson doesn’t like to be pimped."
"Damn, honey I know you have told me a little bit about your mom but are you’re really sure it’s going to get that bad. I’ll just tell her you’re gone what’s she really going to do?"
"I don’t know Cath just please be safe, keep the dogs close and don’t engage her if she comes around. Just tell her I’m gone, threaten to call the police if she doesn’t leave and please don’t trust a word that comes out of her mouth."
"Will do but honey. Are you sure you don’t want to talk with Crank and his boys? I mean they are one percenter but honestly Peyton they are good people." Peyton knew they were because three of the men in that motorcycle club were Bastian Brothers. She didn’t know them personally, but Bastian had talked about them enough and Peyton always did her homework. It was one of the reasons she picked this area. The Ruthless Bastards MC ran this area. They kept the drugs out and the gangs and other criminals in line. Peyton might live in the mountains, but the city wasn’t that far away.
"Cathy continued, they might be able to help, and then you wouldn’t have to leave. They could even scare off your mom or whatever you need."
Peyton thought if only things were that simple but she knew her mother better than anyone. Judy wouldn’t ever give up especially if she was stuck in a corner. Peyton needed to get out of dodge and plan her next steps. Then she could go to Bastian and let him and his team take over. She just needed to figure out the suits end game before that happened. If this was all just Judy blowing smoke she didn’t want to raise the alarm just yet.
Chapter 6
Wyatt did not have time for another babysitting mission, Shit the drama that just went down with that Zoey chick and Bravo and Echo were enough to make him want a stiff drink and some down time. But what he really needed was to get home.
The guys that worked within NAC all of which were Shifters were just starting to find out that true mates, the one person that would complete them really did exist. For the last century, only males were born with the ability to Shift into an animal and even then, not all offspring possessed the trait. Shifter numbers were dwindling fast. It was hypothesized that within the next century or two Shifters would be bred out of existence. Then the Holly Group discovered experiments that a rogue agency The Pandora Group conducted. Pandora disbursed a toxin that was only supposed to affect “people” with the specific genetics Shifters. It would make them very sick causing them to seek medical attention. The medical personnel would then take samples, skin, tissue and of all things sperm from the individual. That really bothered Wyatt. Shifters were taught at a young age not to trust human medical professional if their abilities ever got out it would be catastrophic. But what really blew Wyatt’s mind is that the secret had been out for over thirty years, now it seemed they were, in fact, the ones in the dark.
This group took things a step further and decided to start making designer babies for the highest bidder. Using the genetic material, the medical professionals took Pandora hired a Dr. Franklin to cultivate and impregnate human females with these enhanced embryos. They promised babies that could shift into the animal of the owner’s choice as long as Pandora was allowed to continue with their experiments for the life of that child. Their promise and experiments were thankfully deemed failures. The initial six that were created were all female. The failure in the eyes of the buyers and Pandora was that the female’s children were unable to shift as promised. What the fuckers didn’t know was that those women had the potential to be true mates. True mates bonded almost instantly with their destined partner. Calming both the animal and the man joining them as one creating peace for the war that ever Shifter males lived with on a daily basis. Without a true mate, the males would inevitably go rogue, his animal instincts taking over completely obliterating the males human side. These men had to be put down to protect clans. How this group even knew about the shifter race was still undetermined. Shifters kept that secret highly guarded and had believed themselves to be su
ccessful, now realizing just how wrong they were.
With Jacks’ mate Ryleigh being pregnant, the man was going a little crazy. Jacks was Wyatt's team leader. Missions that they would usually take were put on hold and for the first time that Wyatt could remember Alpha’s base was placed on lockdown. Not only for Ryleigh’s sake but for Emma and McKenna’s the newest members of Alpha. Wyatt had met and spent some time with Ryleigh and thought she was a good person. He knew about her past and even enjoyed her spunk but also wanted to see how things played out over time.
Like the others, he had listened to the legends of true mates as a child, but they were fiction to him since he had never in his lifetime witnessed a true mating or even knew anyone else who had either. It had become folklore a story told over and over again, nobody actually knowing how much actual truth there was to these stories. Like a game of telephone, the stories had a way of changing depending on who was telling it. Wyatt liked cold hard facts, and until he got them, he always reserved judgment.
He wasn’t stupid either. He made an effort when he had the time skyping with the two ladies Emma, and Ryleigh attempting to get to know them. They would be a part of his life for the foreseeable future, and he wanted to keep an open mind. But what he really needed was to be able to observe them in person he wanted to believe what everyone was saying was true he just didn’t want to get his hopes for himself up quite yet. He was happy for his buddies and maybe even a little jealous the only problem was he was never quite the optimist like everyone else, he always leaned towards the pessimistic side.
Shit Dalton had found his true mate just by being in the right place at the right time. He did keep a small glimmer of hope alive that he too would one day find his true mate and she was accepting of him as Ryleigh and Emma seemed to be of the guys. He liked what he did and never wanted to leave his makeshift family but the idea of having someone in your life that loved you and accepted all of you was a dream he was secretly holding out for.
His bear had always been a bit restless, and over the years he had to fight to keep control. Maybe a mate could help with that, Dalton said he had never felt such peace in his life. Wyatt could use some of that but how the hell was he supposed to find his fated mate if he was constantly running errands and being loaned out to other teams, just like the one he was currently on. With the exception of the few women from the Holly Group that were helping the Teams out, he didn’t have much contact with other females. Well, at least not females he hadn’t already met, and he was pretty sure no sparks flew beyond a couple of night of pleasure with any of those ladies. No insta-bonds just yet for good old Wyatt.
Looking out at the road Wyatt couldn’t help but think what the fuck, Bas’s sister lived middle of nowhere. He was on some fucking little back road up in the mountains. The dirt drive or he guessed road because it looked like someone had worn two tracks down the middle at that was it. The fucking potholes were as big as crates, and he had no way to avoid them. The scraping of his undercarriage literally made his teeth grind. Now he had a headache pulsing between his eyes causing his mood to plummet. He thought to himself after all of this shit, this chick better fucking be home! So, he could be on his way. But before he left he was going to give her a piece of his mind. Bas was so going to pay him back for this little mission.
After what seemed like forever he rounded a corner to see a cute little house, the massive pit bull standing in the middle of the drive not so cute. He was a damn grizzly bear, and even he knew not to mess with a pit. The dog just stared down his car like a game of chicken what was he supposed to do now? Deciding to be a little cautious he rolled up his windows and honked the horn. The dog did not move from his post and continued to stare him down. After about 15 minutes of this Wyatt was getting pissed, didn’t anyone live here? Then he remembered what Bas had told him about his sister’s dogs, they knew Bas’s scent and were okay with him but what he wondered was how they acted towards strangers. Not to mention he was pretty sure Bas had said dog’s plural. Where the fuck were the other ones. Looking around he let his enhanced senses take in the area. He was able to pick up various forest creatures but also two other dogs. So, that meant the others were lying in wait. He also picked up something else, human and judging by the sweet scent female. He hoped this was Bas’s sister. Deciding he didn’t have any other choice if he wanted to get this over with he stepped out of the car. He was either going to make an incredibly brave move or an incredibly stupid one. Wyatt got out of the car and slowly approached the dog.
"It's okay boy, just here to see your momma.” Wyatt let out just a bit of his dominance, and although the dog didn’t cower he could tell he was also aware another predator just took a step on his territory. " See I’m a nice guy, you don’t want to bite me." Walking with caution, he came closer to the slobbering monstrosity, who the hell keeps dogs this big anyways. He continued to talk to the dog, and the damn thing actually cocked his head as if he understood him. He was probably thinking, stupid man, yeah come a little closer so I can get a better bite. When he came within five feet of the dog a loud whistle sounded Wyatt braced for the attack he was sure to come. But Kujo just turned and left him standing there like he didn’t have a care in the world. That was when he noticed the woman standing in the distance.
She was average height for a human female he would guess around five and a half feet tall. Relatively fit but older then what Wyatt had been expecting. This woman had to be at least forty, and he was pretty sure that Bas had said his sister was in her mid-twenties. Pretty lady, though.
"Can I help you?"
"Yeah, my name is Wyatt Green are you, Peyton Carlton? When the woman didn’t answer right away he said, your brother sent me to check up on you."
"Nope sorry, Peyton isn’t here. Just me and the dogs." Then the woman started to walk away like that short non-answer was going to appease me. Fuck didn’t normal people have normal conversations?
"Okay, listen do you happen to know where she is or how I can get a hold of her. Her brother is really worried about her?"
The woman actually sighed like I was bugging her or something." Listen all I know is that she asked me to look out for the place and that she would be gone for a while. I didn’t ask for the specifics, and she didn’t tell. Now if you will excuse me I have some chores that I need to get done before I head out of the night."
Yeah, this was going nowhere fast. He needed more, and this woman was locked up tight." Ah, thanks and who are you if I might ask?"
"Names Cathy, I am Peyton’s assistant. She wasn’t sure how long she would be gone, so it’s just the boys and me. You just met Zeus, Hera and Brut should be around here somewhere she said looking around the area. Wyatt knew exactly where all three dogs were and he was pretty sure this Cathy person did as well."
"I’m actually kind of surprised he let you pass without much of a fuss. Peyton has these babies trained to prevent trespassers. Most people would turn the other way with a Pit his size standing in front of them, but you just walked up to him. Mister, I don’t know if you have brass balls or if you're just plain stupid. Do you know what kind of damage that dog could have done to you?"
"Well, ma’am I really don’t want to talk about my balls, but Peyton’s brother told me all about the dogs and their training. I can’t believe a dog trainer as skilled as her would teach dogs to attack without provocation or command. Even trespassers. I decided to test the theory. It apparently worked."
"Your right about that but Peyton said that if anyone was coming around here to watch myself, and I plan on doing just that. So, sir if you will excuse me I have stuff to do, and you need to be on your way. I don’t want any trouble. I barely got the last people that came sniffing around to leave without calling the dogs out. I think they may have pushed further, but my boyfriend and his buddies showed up just in time. It didn’t look like they wanted to deal with a bunch of bikers. I hope you’re not going to become as big of a problem."
"Sorry not to be like that person but di
d you happen to get a name. My buddies really worried and it might help if he knows who else is looking for her?"
That woman was a piece of work kept on sprouting off about being Peyton’s mother, and she wouldn’t leave until she got what she was coming for. The two men she was with had to force her into the car when my man and his brother thought she wouldn’t take the hint."
Wyatt knew he wasn’t going to get anything more from this Cathy person. Well, he might if he pushed and what he got was going to be a bunch of bikers and pissed off guard dogs. Not something he wanted to deal with, so he decided to cut and run. He had other ways to take Peyton Carlton down.
"Okay, thanks, here is my card just in case they do show back up causing problems call that number, and we will send someone out as soon as we can."
"NAC? Do you know Declan Quinn?"
"Yeah, he is my boss, you know him?"
"Yep, best CO I ever had. Tell him Cathy Torrent said hello next time you see him. If you work for Senior, I have to believe you are good people, so I will tell you this much. Peyton wasn’t acting right before she left and the fact that she left without her dogs, In my opinion, means some bad shit is about to go down. She would never leave them behind otherwise."
Wyatt: NAC & The Holly Group (Alpha Team Book 3) Page 6
