An old joke between them, when they were younger. She’d been born first, thus she was older by minutes.
Gently, he continued to hold her. “I thought the same. For fifteen years, I’ve blamed myself for not protecting you. I believed you were dead—that Jacob had killed you.”
She sniffed. “I’m so glad you got away.”
“I would have taken you with me if I’d known...” Words failed him. All this time. She’d been a prisoner here all these years and he hadn’t even known.
“Don’t.” Lilly gazed at him fondly. “You’re here now and that’s what matters.”
From the doorway, Kane spoke. “We’re going to get you to a hospital to be checked out, okay?”
Still watching Lucas, Lilly slowly nodded.
“The paramedics are on their way now.”
He’d barely finished speaking when three paramedics arrived, bearing a stretcher.
“Let’s get out of their way and let them do their job,” Kane suggested. “Your sister will get all the help we can give.”
Lucas stood, giving his sister’s hand one final squeeze. “We’re going to wait outside, all right?”
“Lucas?” Though she nodded, Lilly sounded panicked. “Don’t go too far.”
“I won’t,” he said. “I’m not going to lose you again, I promise.”
Shooing them out into the hall, the paramedics began to check over Lilly. Kane closed the door to give them privacy as they worked.
This worried Lucas. “Are you sure they can be trusted?” he asked. “You know Jacob had just about everyone in town on his payroll. I don’t think we should take a chance that they might do something harmful to Lilly.”
“No worries.” Kane clasped his shoulder. “We’ve had our own people in place for some time now. We’ve got this covered.”
“It’s over,” Blythe said, sagging against him as he gathered her close. “It’s finally over.”
About to cover her mouth with his, Lucas gave her one more truth before he kissed her. “Actually, I’d say for us, it’s about to begin.”
* * *
As Lucas kissed her, Blythe felt a sense of relief, of rightness, of coming home. Her life was finally on the right track. Except for one hugely important part.
The kiss was brief, but powerful. When they broke apart, Blythe looked for Kane. The other Shifter had gone to the end of the hall to give them a semblance of privacy.
Apparently, instinctively understanding the direction of her thoughts, Lucas took her hand and they moved toward him.
Kane met them halfway. “What’s wrong?”
“I want my daughter. Can I have her back now?” Clutching Lucas’s hand so hard it probably hurt, Blythe didn’t bother to hide her eagerness.
Kane’s smile was full of understanding. “We’ll be taking you to her once we finish wrapping up this investigation. It won’t be too long now, I promise.”
Smiling back, Blythe nodded. Then, as she studied Kane’s face, she thought she saw...something. With her heart skipping a beat, she faltered and let her smile fade. “What are you not telling me? How is Hailey? Is she all right?”
Kane looked past her to Lucas, shaking his head. “How does she do that?” he asked kindly. “It’s almost like she can read minds.”
Lucas shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s pretty intuitive. If there’s something she needs to know about Hailey, just tell her.”
“And stop speaking about me as if I’m not in the room.” Blythe inhaled, trying not to panic. “Please tell me the truth.” Lifting her chin, she tried to brace herself for whatever must have happened to her baby girl.
“I see.” Kane scratched his head.
“I remember when you said you weren’t sure how Jacob’s experiments affected her heart. Is that it?” Blythe clutched Lucas, terror squeezing her chest so tight she wondered if she could breathe.
“No, not at all.” Kane spoke in a soothing voice. “She does have some health issues—”
“Believe me, I’m well aware of her health issues. That’s why I sought out Jacob Gideon and Sanctuary in the first place—out of desperation.” Struggling to stay calm, she reminded herself to breath normally. “What happened with her heart? Is she all right?”
“She’s fine.” Kane shook his head. “I’ll let her tell you herself.”
Fine. Though she wanted to sag against Lucas in relief, she knew she had to be strong for her daughter.
Refusing to let the sinking feeling overwhelm her, Blythe eyed Kane. The kind compassion she saw in his face let her know he wasn’t messing with her, or even trying to shield her from something terrible. In the end, she realized if Hailey was well enough to tell her, things couldn’t be so bad.
“Kane, I’ve been through a lot,” she managed. “Don’t play games with me. Hailey is my world.”
Instantly, the other man looked contrite. “I’m sorry. It’s good news, I promise.”
She refused to let herself believe him entirely.
“Are you okay?” Lucas asked, solid and strong with his arms still wrapped around her, his breath tickling her ear.
Resolutely she lifted her chin and nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, I am.”
“Good.” Kane’s smile widened. “Then I have a surprise for you. Wait right here.”
Exchanging a look with Lucas, Blythe nearly melted into the tenderness in his eyes. “Whatever it is,” he said. “You won’t have to face it alone. I’m right here with you.”
The door to Lilly’s cell opened and one of the paramedics came out. “We’re going to have to transport her to the hospital,” he said.
A moment later, the other two men emerged with Lilly on a stretcher. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be asleep.
“Is she all right?” Lucas asked, his voice alarmed.
“We gave her something to help with the pain. It knocked her out, which is good.”
“Pain?” Lucas frowned. “What’s wrong with her?”
The two men exchanged a look and then continued moving down the hallway, leaving the third paramedic to explain. “She has numerous broken bones, to begin with,” he said. “In addition to being malnourished and extremely weak. We need to have her thoroughly checked out. It’ll be a few hours until you can see her. Kane can give you the hospital address.” With that, he hurried off to catch up with the others.
Blythe could sense the rage boiling within Lucas. As she gripped his hand, she saw his wolf, fueled by adrenaline and fury, fighting to break free.
Chapter 17
“Lucas,” Blythe said urgently. “You’ve got to hang on. We’re surrounded by humans and Shifters.”
The moment her words registered, she saw it in his gaze. Slowly, he nodded. “The legal system had better make sure that bastard pays for what he did to her.”
“And for what he did to the little ones,” Kane said, joining them again. “Just be glad you didn’t have to see that.”
Blythe swallowed hard. “I don’t know how anyone could have done such a thing to children. Are they going to be all right?”
Grim-faced, he looked away. When he met her gaze, his own was bleak. “We hope so. We had to round up several ambulances from nearby towns. All of them will have to go to the hospital to be checked out, just like your sister.”
Blythe blinked back the sting of tears. Seeing the condition of Lucas’s sister was horrible enough. She didn’t know how she would have reacted if she’d seen little children in similar shape.
“What about the others? The adult members of Jacob’s church? What will happen to them?”
“They’ve all been taken to a safe house for questioning and evaluation. Charges may be filed if we learn they knew something about the kidnapping and torture of minor children.”
“Did you find Dr. Silva?” Blythe put in. “That woman definitely knew what was going on. She was a major participant.”
Kane gave her a grim look. “Not yet. Evidently she didn’t live on the premises. But I promise
you, we will find her. And when we do, she will be charged.”
Blythe nodded. “Fair enough.”
“You two can come with me,” Kane said, his expression once more professional. “We’ll need to take your statements, and then there’s one more thing I’d like you both to do.”
Blythe didn’t ask what that might be. Neither did Lucas. Instead, they followed Kane down the long hallway to the elevator, stepping inside and riding back to the main floor.
Kane took them through the kitchen, which was completely empty, and into a huge pantry. There, he pushed on one of the shelves, and an entire side slid open.
“Our base of operations,” he said. “This house had several hidden places like this.”
Lucas nodded. “Lilly and I used to explore them when we were kids.”
Glancing around the room, Blythe was reassured to see so many men and women with their auras proclaiming they were all Shifters. She recognized surveillance equipment—admittedly only because of what she’d seen on television rather than personal experience.
“Are they all Pack?” Lucas asked, telling her that he, too, recognized the auras.
“Most of them.” In his element now, Kane seemed buoyant and completely at ease. “Several, like myself, work for the Society of Pack Protectors. We’ve worked very hard to integrate our operations with those of the FBI and Texas State Police.”
Lucas nodded. “Impressive.” He took Blythe’s hand, and she drew on his strength.
“What now?” she asked.
“We’ll have some questions for you, but first I want to show you something.” Kane motioned them to follow him. “This way, please.”
He led them to an oversized monitor and gestured at two office chairs. “Take a seat. It’ll be just a moment,” he said. Once they were seated, he began fiddling with the switches on a control panel.
Blythe glanced at Lucas, who shrugged. “No idea,” he mouthed. She eyed the back of Kane’s head and settled back to wait, still holding Lucas’s hand.
“Here we are,” Kane exclaimed. He sounded happy and excited, which seemed odd, at first.
A second later, a blurry image appeared on the screen, gradually coming into focus. “Mommy?”
“Hailey!” Blythe nearly jumped up from her chair, pulling Lucas with her. Instead, she let go of his hand and scooted closer, until she was only a few feet away from the monitor. She gripped the edge of the desk, fighting to maintain control of her emotions. “Baby girl, I have missed you so much.”
“Me, too.” Hailey’s freckled little face looked so solemn. “Are you all right, Mommy?”
“I’m better now,” Blythe answered honestly, pushing the words out past the knot in her throat. “How are you feeling?”
Hailey pursed her lips while she considered the question. “Really good. I’m all better now, Mama! I can do a lot of things that I couldn’t before, thanks to Samantha.”
Blythe glanced at Kane, finding him grinning broadly. “Samantha?” she asked, almost afraid to hope. “Who’s that?”
“My new friend,” Hailey shrieked. “She’s a lady like you, but she’s a Healer. She put her hands on me and fixed my heart.”
The Healer. The news almost sent Blythe to the floor. Luckily, she was sitting. Her grip on the front of the desk became painful. “Are you...are you sure?” she managed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You’re all better? The doctors said so?”
“Yep. So did Samantha.” Leaning closer to the monitor, Hailey’s eyes widened as she studied her mother. “Mommy, why are you crying? This is good news!” Dismayed, her lower lip trembled and she appeared on the verge of tears herself.
Immediately, Blythe reined in her emotions. Swiping at her eyes, she smiled. “These are happy tears, sweetheart. Is the Healer still there with you?”
Hailey shook her head. “She couldn’t stay. She said she was busy, sort of like Santa Claus only she doesn’t have any elves.”
Behind her, Blythe heard Lucas snicker. She looked up to find both him and Kane grinning ear to ear.
Looking back at the monitor, she saw Hailey leaning closer, her lips pursed to give a kiss. “I miss you, Mommy.”
Scooting forward, Blythe did the same. “I miss you too, baby.”
Someone beside Hailey spoke, causing her to swivel her head. “Okay,” she said, sounding sad. “Mommy, I have to go. When can we go home?”
“Soon,” Blythe promised, her eyes stinging from holding back a fresh spate of tears. “Very, very soon.”
“Bye...” Hailey said and waved. Blythe waved back, just as the screen went black.
“That was something,” she murmured, again swiping at her eyes. “My baby girl, all healed. You don’t know how hard I tried to get Hailey moved up on the waiting list.”
Lucas squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. She glanced gratefully at him before turning her attention to Kane.
“Who did this for us?”
Kane’s smiled widened. “The Society of Pack Protectors might have had something to do with it.”
She nodded. “Give them my heartfelt thanks. If there’s ever anything I can do to repay them...”
“You already have.” He winked. “Getting between Jacob and the children, giving us time to get the victims out... That was payment enough.”
Taking a deep breath, Blythe tried to adjust to her new reality. Despite all that they’d gone through, the possibility of her daughter having a future made everything worth it.
“When can I see her?” she asked, not bothering to hide her eagerness.
Both Lucas and Kane laughed.
“It won’t be too much longer,” Kane said. “We’ve got to ask both of you a few questions, and then you’ll be free to go. I’ll have a driver take you to your daughter.”
“A driver?” Lucas put in. “She’s that close?”
Kane nodded.
Barely able to contain her excitement, Blythe pushed to her feet. “Then let’s get this questioning over with. The sooner I can get on the road, the better.”
In the end, what should have taken thirty minutes ended up taking over two and a half hours. First the FBI and then the state police. They questioned Blythe and Lucas separately, and finally went over the same set of questions together.
Twice.
By then, most of the FBI and the state police joint task force had headed into town for a planned news conference. A few were left to finish up the interrogation and then help Blythe reunite with her daughter.
Near the end, during the final interrogation where the officers questioned them together, Blythe struggled to control her irritated impatience. Looking up, she caught Lucas watching her with a reassuring smile.
Suddenly, she wondered if, once this was over, she’d ever see Lucas again. While they were still working as a team right now, comforting each other, celebrating together, even kissing, she remembered how intent he’d been on keeping it casual.
It wasn’t casual for her anymore. She couldn’t expose Hailey to a man who wouldn’t be in her life for good, and she couldn’t expose her own heart to the pain of keeping it casual with her one true mate. She’d shrivel up and die bit by bit.
Abruptly, she stood. “I need to use the ladies’ room,” she said. “And if you tell me I have to be escorted, I’m going to start wondering why you’re treating me like a criminal.”
At this, the officer conducting the questioning cracked a smile. “No need for an escort.”
Relieved, she smiled back. “Do you have any idea where it is?”
He shook his head.
Lucas stood also. “I know. I can show you.”
“I’m not finished with you yet,” the officer said. “It’ll just be a few more minutes.”
“Just tell me where it is,” Blythe told him. “I’m sure I can find it.”
“The closest one is near the foyer.” He gave her step-by-step directions.
“That doesn’t sound too difficult,” she said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Stepping out of the room, she took a deep breath. Amazing how things could turn on a dime. From feeling as though all hope was gone to this, having received an answer to her most fervent prayer—the gift of her daughter’s health. She’d certainly had a wild roller-coaster ride.
Exiting through the pantry into the kitchen, she looked around in surprise. Sanctuary was strangely empty, as it always was every time she’d been here. This shocked her, as she’d expected to see the place swarming with law enforcement personnel.
Ah, well. Jacob’s reign of terror was finally over.
The large bathroom was exactly where Lucas had directed, right off the foyer. In keeping with the rest of the entryway, it was efficiently elegant, with understated opulence. She stepped inside and reached for the handle to pull the door closed.
She never made it. Too late, she realized someone else was already inside the bathroom. Something heavy slammed into the back of her head. She went down without being able even to scream.
* * *
Lucas glanced at his watch for the second time. The officer had finished the questioning, dutifully recorded the answers and was packing up his equipment. Blythe still had not returned.
“I’d better go look for her,” he said, standing. “I know she’s eager to get on the road.”
The other man looked up, appearing unconcerned. “You know how women are. She’s probably reapplying her makeup or something.”
“Not Blythe.” Lucas spoke with certainty. “She’s been gone nearly twenty minutes. That’s far too long.”
The man yawned, not nearly as worried as Lucas. “Then I’ll go with you.”
There was no sign of Blythe—or anyone else—on the way to the bathroom. This felt a little unsettling, and Lucas’s feelings of unease grew when they reached the foyer without seeing Blythe. The bathroom was empty, too.
“Maybe she got lost heading back to interrogation.”
Every instinct on high alert, Lucas shook his head. “She knows how to find the kitchen. Something happened to her.”
“I doubt that.” The officer yawned again. “All the cult members have been rounded up. There’s no one here but cops and feds.”
The Lost Wolf's Destiny (The Pack) Page 23
