“Ryleigh, we don’t have any idea who she is or what she has under that coat,” he said as he gently pushed the woman behind him, gun in his hand, but pointed down.
Dalton walked out from the kitchen to find a fully charged situation. Cash was holding a gun on Emma and trying to hold back Ryleigh at the same time. Not fucking good! Fuck. Dalton had hoped to introduce Ryleigh first without Cash going all Alpha on Emma. He didn’t like the look of sheer terror currently on Emma’s face, and he wanted to beat Cash for putting it there. He knew Emma was special, but his willingness to kill his Second, and one of his closest friends, because he dared to scare her was clueing him into the bigger picture he wasn’t quite sure he was ready for. Emma was special alright. She could be everything. Getting his temper barely under control, he decided to appeal to the softer touch in the charged room.
“Oh hey, Ryleigh. I was about to come find you. Cash, Ryleigh, I would like you to meet Emma,” Dalton said, motioning in Emma’s direction. “She was down at the diner and she needs some help. Ryleigh, I told her you could take a look at her. She has some pretty nasty cuts on her hands and she didn’t want to go to the clinic.”
Dalton tried to convey with his eyes that Emma wasn’t a threat, but needed help. However, Cash wasn’t paying any attention to him, his sole focus was on Emma. Ryleigh, on the other hand, instantly took in the situation. When her face softened, Dalton knew Emma would get all the help she needed. Dalton didn’t take his eyes off Cash. He was the biggest threat in the room at the moment.
“I know we don’t generally bring people up here, but she’s in desperate need of some medical attention, and she refused to go to the clinic,” he elaborated, trying to ease his Second. Dalton hoped that he’d defused the situation, but Cash was still holding his sidearm, and he was a lovely shade of red; the man wasn’t happy. At least Cash had directed his anger towards Dalton instead of having his sole focus on Emma.
“Listen up, asshole, you know the fucking rules, no unknowns in the lodge,” Cash barked at Dalton. “Did you even ask what her story is, or at least, do your fucking job and frisk her? She could’ve anything under that damn coat. Do you care so little for Ryleigh’s safety that you would put her and the baby at risk? What the fuck were you thinking!?”
He knew Cash would be pissed, but how could he question Dalton’s loyalty. They had been together since they were kids, and he would never put Ryleigh or the baby at risk. Shit, he wouldn’t put any woman at risk, that’s why he brought Emma here. Dalton's bear was right on the surface.
“Listen asshole, I would never…” Dalton said as he stomped toward Cash.
Emma didn’t know what to do. Tensions were so high, it was freaking her out. She didn’t like how the big man attacked Dalton when all he’d been trying to do was help her. Making the only decision she could, Emma removed her last layer of protection hoping it would make a difference. Maybe if the big man could see all of her, he would realize that she wasn’t a threat to anyone.
“Guys,” Ryleigh interrupted them, “I don’t think you have to worry about what Emma has under her coat unless you are afraid a baby might get me. I would think that might be kind of hard since it’s still in her belly. But hey, with everything else that’s happened, you never know.”
Dalton and Cash turned at the same time and focused on Emma. She could feel the blood draining from her face, and her knees started to shake. Holding onto the closet door, she did the only thing she could think of and looked at both men square in the eye. She hoped the move was showing them she was strong, but also that she meant no harm. She felt like prey in that moment.
Dalton was floored. Emma was very pregnant and by the size of her belly, looked like she was about to pop at any moment. Either that, or she was having a litter. She had on a pair of dirty jeans which were hanging off her body and a very tight t-shirt. That was when he took in the bruises that littered her arms. he’d only gotten a small glimpse in the diner. This woman needed help and he would fight Cash to get her some. He was also pretty impressed she was still standing; Cash was an intimidating man, even on good days, and today wasn’t a good day.
Shit, Dalton knew he was being unreasonable; he was already thinking of Emma as his mate. The legend said it would be quick, instant, but this was fucking ridiculous and he needed some answers. Only, he wasn’t sure where he could get them. What he did know was that his bear was calm and he was drawn to Emma. He wanted to protect her, but he also wanted to possess her. What a fucked-up thought. He was starting to understand his Alpha’s behavior over the last couple of months and wondered how he was strong enough to leave Ryleigh’s side.
Dalton couldn’t even stand the thought of Emma being out of his sight, and they had only been together a matter of hours. But he still had questions, tons of them. First and foremost, was she already attached to someone else? She’d said it wasn’t an ex coming after her, but what did that truly mean? What if she was married and had more kids? Fuck, what was he thinking? He didn’t even know this woman, but he couldn’t deny the pull he felt for her. He would have to talk to her after she got some help.
The big guy noticed as well and came out of his dazed state. Cash’s next words were a shock, even to Dalton.
“Hey little one, what do you need?” Cash gently asked Emma.
Cash felt like an ass when he finally took a closer look at Emma. He had a duty to his team, and specifically to his Alpha, to keep Ryleigh and the baby safe, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t help. He couldn’t trust her yet.
His odd statement, calling her ‘little one’, kind of freaked Emma out, but she needed these people at the moment. If Cash was willing to give her a reprieve, she wasn’t going to turn it down. Emma couldn’t keep eye contact with them any longer. She hated asking for help.
So, while looking down at her feet, finally finding her courage, she said, “Dalton said Ryleigh had medical experience and could check the cuts on my hands. He thinks they’re infected. I haven’t been able to see a doctor, so I was hoping she could check the baby and me out to make sure everything was okay.”
That was an understatement. Emma knew she needed a lot more than these people could offer her, but at the moment, getting cleaned up and some bandages sounded exquisite. She would deal with the rest when the time came, maybe.
Dalton was so proud of Emma. She might have only been able to look Cash in the eyes for a minute, but she’d still done it. Being able to tell them what she needed, he knew took a lot of courage on her part. She was strong, and she kept on surprising him. He thought if another woman was in her position, she would be crumpled on the floor in tears by now. But not Emma, she was standing on her own, asking for what she needed, and he couldn’t help but be a little more drawn to her.
“I can’t go to a clinic.” Emma elaborated. “I know I’m asking a lot of you, but Dalton said that Ryleigh was part of the Holly Group. I would very much appreciate her help if that’s okay.”
Cash wasn’t happy with this woman’s condition. And yet, he couldn’t help but think she was playing Ryleigh like a fucking fiddle. Asking for help and mentioning The Holly Group was a sure way to pull at Rye’s heartstrings; the woman couldn’t turn anyone away who needed help. Cash wasn’t cold-hearted, he knew Emma needed help. He just didn’t think Ryleigh was the one who needed to give it to her. The members of Alpha Team had medic training. It might be basic, but he could assess a wound as well as she could. Before he could make the suggestion, his crazy charge decided to take things into her own hands. Ryleigh surged forward, managing to get out from behind Cash before he could stop her.
“No problem, Emma,” Ryleigh said. “We have an exam room down the hall. Why don’t we get you into a nice warm shower, then I can take you to the exam room? I’ll check out your cuts and the baby. How does that sound? We don’t have everything for a prenatal exam, but I think I saw a Doppler back there, so we’ll at least be able to hear your little one's heartbeat. But honey, you need to see a doctor. I have medi
cal training and can treat some of your problems, like your hands, but we should call down to the clinic to see if one of the doctors are willing to come up here and give you a full exam. I think you need it Emma.”
Emma was far from a stupid woman, she knew that she needed more medical care than Ryleigh or the guys could offer her, but she couldn’t risk it. No, that wasn’t right, she wouldn't take that chance. If the people who had been holding her found her again, she knew she wouldn’t survive. Anyway, doctors, hospitals, even clinics, left a paper trail. She could probably use another name and not present any identification, but she didn’t know. And how the heck would she pay for something like that? So, for right now, she would take what she could get. Warning Ryleigh and getting the heck out of there was the right thing to do, for all of them. At least that’s what she was trying to convince herself. But why did the thought of leaving Dalton cause her heart to ache? Maybe she was more broken than she thought.
“I would like to make sure everything is okay,” Emma responded, “and I can honestly say that I would love a shower. It’s been a really long time. Do you mind if we wait on the doctor? I don’t plan on staying long and can find one closer to the cabin I’m heading to if that’s alright.”
Ryleigh didn’t like this situation any more than Cash did, but she knew she needed to help Emma. She had the resources and could never turn away a person in need, especially if she could do something about it, but Ryleigh didn’t know if she was the right person for this job. Emma needed a real doctor, she could tell by looking at her. All she would be doing would be equivalent to putting a Band-Aid on a much bigger problem. So, she was determined to give Emma the comfort she needed and convince the woman to see a doctor.
Walking with her, she couldn’t ignore what her body, and more importantly what her baby, needed. Shit, Ryleigh thought. Talk about calling the kettle black, or whatever, she’d been doing the exact same thing; working day and night, trying to find answers in Dr. Franklin’s data, not paying attention to her own basic needs or that of her baby’s. What kind of mother was she going to be? Maybe it was hormones or maybe it was the realization, but Ryleigh wanted to cry. How could she convince Emma to do something when, until this exact moment, she hadn’t been able to convince herself? Damn-it.
Ryleigh lightly took hold of Emma's elbow and started to lead her down the hall, but Emma couldn’t help but look back to Dalton. She needed some kind of reassurance this was the right move to make. Without saying a word, he offered his approval, nodding his head and smiling. She would trust him until he proved he couldn’t be trusted. For some reason, Emma was certain that would never happen.
“Okay,” further down the hall away from the men, Ryleigh continued, “I have some sweats that will fit you, and I’m sure Dalton can give up one of his precious t-shirts. I don’t have a bra that will fit you, but I do have some panties that are still in the package, as long as my husband hasn’t found them yet,” Ryleigh quipped. “I haven’t had any luck teaching him that sometimes a woman needs the comfort of cotton panties. Can you believe that he calls them granny panties?”
Emma felt some of the tension she’d been carrying leave her at the mention of granny panties. Guys didn’t get it; they weren’t sexy, but the comfort they provided were second to none. Before all this happened, Emma had a drawer full of them. Being a foster kid, it always seemed like she didn’t have enough of anything, so when she became an adult and finally got her own place, she went a little overboard. People didn’t understand how important it was to have as many pairs of socks and underwear as you could get. She guessed that not many people would unless they had lived in her shoes.
Emma gave Ryleigh a small laugh. She knew it didn’t reach her eyes, but she appreciated Ryleigh trying to distract her from the tense situation. When they finally made it to their destination, the bathroom, Ryleigh started to show her around.
“Okay Emma, everything you should need is in the cabinet,” Ryleigh said. “I’ll have one of the guys bring you a robe and put it outside the door. I’m going to get those clothes for you, but I’m going to take them to the exam room where we can get an idea if we need to call down to the clinic. Please, Emma, you need to think about it. I don’t have the expertise I feel you need and more importantly, your baby requires right now.”
Emma wasn’t shocked by the elegance of the bathroom she stood in, it fit the home with its high-end finishes, from the polished stone floor to the brushed chrome fixtures. If a bathroom could exude warmth, this one hit its target. Too bad she didn’t care at the moment. She was holding on by a thread. She gave a meek, “Thank you,” and nodded her head. Emma knew she wasn’t going to risk seeing one of the doctors they were talking about, but she knew if she protested too vigorously, these people would call them in, whether she liked it or not.
“Okay then, I’m going to get the exam room ready,” Ryleigh said, stepping towards the door. “I’ll send Dalton down to show you the way, unless you would rather I come back for you.”
“No, you can send Dalton,” Emma blurted. Emma needed Dalton. She couldn’t explain it to herself or anyone else, but he made her feel safe, and right now, she needed that feeling more than she needed air to breathe. She hadn’t felt safe in a very long time and if she was honest with herself, she didn’t think she’d ever really felt safe until the moment Dalton sat down at the table with her in the diner.
When Ryleigh stepped out of the bathroom, Emma closed the door. She didn’t bother locking it because as soon as she was alone, Emma’s fight to keep her tears at bay was lost. Why would anyone want to hurt Ryleigh? The woman was friendly and she could tell that she genuinely cared about people. Why else would she take someone in off the street or at her door and offer her help? Emma came to the decision that she would help Ryleigh in any way she could. The huge tattooed man scared the crap out of her, but she hoped he could keep Ryleigh safe. And Dalton had mentioned that there were others who were away on a mission, including Ryleigh’s husband. Maybe they could help.
Stripping out of the clothes and dropping them where she stood, Emma debated throwing them in the trash. She’d been wearing them for the last few days and never wanted to see them again. They were ‘his’ clothes and if she could’ve gotten away with burning them, she would have in a second, but she didn’t want to press her luck. The people helping would assume she was crazy if she started a fire in their bathroom, and she was sure Cash would come in, guns a blazing. Emma climbed into the shower, turning the water as hot as it would go, and the tears came harder. It was unbelievable how something as simple as a kind word or a shower could change things for a person when they had been denied them for so long. The enormity of what she’d been going through had finally caught up to her. Falling to her knees and curling into a ball, she cried for all she’d lost, for the baby she was now carrying, and every other thing that had happened to her. She never let those assholes who had held her see her cry, but the floodgates were now open, and it didn’t look like they would stop anytime soon.
Chapter 11
Cash reamed Dalton for a good fifteen minutes before he seemed to lose steam. Dalton knew things with Cash were going to be bad; he was going against procedure. But damn it, wasn’t it their job to help people in need?
“Dude, you know better than to bring an unknown back to base,” Cash said, “but I can tell you that if I had seen that woman in the state that she’s in, I would’ve done the same thing. I can’t be mad at you for trying to do the same thing any of one of us would do, but we have to be vigilant. She could still be a plant. Those fuckers know us and I wouldn’t put it past them to force our hands by putting a woman who seems vulnerable in our path. She’s your responsibility for as long as she’s here. Got me? I want you fucking glued to her ass. She needs twenty-four-seven surveillance, no exceptions. I don’t want Ryleigh alone with her, but she’s going to insist on examining her alone. I want you to gear up. The room is already wired for sight and sound. We’ll only use sound to give Em
ma some privacy, but we can’t go completely dark because she’s still an unknown, regardless of her condition. Got me?”
Dalton should’ve been surprised that being ordered to babysit Emma didn’t have the same effect on him as being ordered to watch Ryleigh. He didn’t want Emma out of his sight, so he was more than happy to do as Cash directed, but he wasn’t going to tell him that.
“Fuck you, Cash. Isn’t it our job to help people in need, isn’t that our fucking mission?” Dalton fumed. “I get that Ryleigh and the baby are important, but what the hell does it mean if we turn our backs on everyone else because something might happen? I don’t think any of us can live that way, do you?”
Dalton could barely contain himself, he was so pissed off. Maybe he was the crazy one now, but damn it, he didn’t like Cash questioning Emma’s motives. Before things could get any more heated, he noticed Ryleigh had walked back into the room. Shit, he felt bad for what he said, but he wouldn’t take the words back.
“I agree,” Ryleigh interceded, “but Emma needs help and I’ll give her what I can. But guys, she needs a real doctor. I can do the basics and treat her wounds, but we’re putting a Band-Aid on possible bigger issues. If that baby is in any distress, I won’t be able to treat her. Dalton, she seems to trust you. You need to convince her to see a doctor.”
Ryleigh hadn’t mentioned the words Dalton had spoken, but he knew she’d heard them. He hoped she understood and would have to talk to her later. He was aware of how important Ryleigh was to the Alpha Team and NAC, and he didn’t ever want to hurt her. Damn it.
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 34
