Returned to Their Love

by Eileen Green

  They had to find Danny for as long as he was out there, and was able to shift, he could be waiting for them anywhere. The longer he was out there roaming around, the more danger they were all in.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked, ashamed that her voice shook with her fear.

  Silence reigned for a minute or two before Jasper turned toward Marlowe, a calculated look on his face. “There’s one place even a rat can’t get into. I want you there.”

  “You don’t think he’s going to just leave the area now that we know what he’s done?” Marlowe would have done that if she was in her father’s position. Why stick around if he were wanted for murder?

  “He could have left after he killed your mother or after you left home, Marls. He wants to prove that he’ll get away with what he has done. It’s like he’s giving you and this town a big fuck you.” Dirk was always a smarty-pants in school. Straight A’s, class president, quarterback. Marlowe was surprised he was still single.

  “I’ve contacted the state patrol and let them know to be on the lookout for Danny, but I think Dirk’s right. Danny’s still around here.” Jasper Looked at Cade and Cole. “We need to get Marlowe and you guys to the one place in town that is rodent proof.”

  * * * *

  Cole’s eyes shifted wildly as he, Cade, Marlowe, and Jasper walked the three blocks down to the bank. They had decided to walk so they could have a better look around to see if Danny was lurking anywhere.

  People watched them as they made their way to their destination, as all three men were a show of force. Some people, mostly women, greeted Marlowe, welcoming her back to town. Tourists watched with interest, most likely trying to figure out what was going on.

  At the bank, Chase Denton, the bank president, met then near the front door. He was nearly a decade older than Cade, Cole, and Marlowe. He was a tall good-looking man who looked just like his brother, Billy Denton, who owned the gas station, car wash, and mechanic’s shop. The contrast between the two could be seen when they were together.

  Chase had dark hair that fell to about his ears. He had dark brown eyes and had a goatee that was beginning to see some gray hairs. He was about six feet three inches and was muscular even though he was bound to an office every day. As a shifter, he turned into a gray wolf.

  His brother, who was older by eleven months, was wilder looking, mostly because of his job. There wasn’t a time during the day that Billy didn’t have grease on him somewhere. His dark brown hair was usually messy, but it reached down to his shoulders. He had dark brown eyes that were constantly watching people. He had a beard that looked scraggly sometimes, giving him a wild look. He was a sweetheart unless someone was trying to hurt someone he cared about, and then he shifted into a mottled brown and black wolf.

  With arms open in greeting, Chase stepped past the twins and Jasper and went straight to Marlowe. “Marlowe, it’s so nice to have you back in town.” He gathered Marlowe into a friendly hug before releasing her. He grasped her shoulders as he looked down at her. “I’m so sorry to hear about your mother, but I’m glad that the truth is known now. When you have the opportunity, come see me. We have some business to conduct regarding your mother’s estate.”

  Marlowe nodded, though she looked stunned. Chase stepped away and shook Jasper’s hand. “We didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, but we did manage to raid the break room, and Angela ran across the street to grab some sandwiches. She’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Good. Thank you. I would suggest you shut down for the rest of the day. Danny could already be here, or he could head here with a weapon. He’s desperate and is capable of just about anything,” Jasper explained as he kept watching the small group of people in the bank.

  There was another hour or so before closing time, so it wouldn’t be farfetched for the bank to shut down. It could be explained away by sickness.

  The group stood in the middle of the bank lobby, drawing attention to themselves. Cole and Cade were looking around, monitoring the area but mostly the floor, to make sure it was clear of the rat-bastard, Danny Sanderson. Jasper and Chase spoke quietly before Jasper motioned for them to follow him and Chase. Stepping around the counter, they moved to the vault that held the safety deposit drawers, so it was safe that they were in there. Jasper went in first to check it out, and then he told them it was all clear.

  Marlowe was shaking as she stepped inside, her hand never releasing Cole’s. He didn’t know if it was because of what was going on with her father or if it was impending claustrophobia. Shifters always liked to have wide-open spaces to move around in, even when they were inside, so this was totally out of the norm for them all.

  Three chairs had been placed inside the vault, along with a table that was laden with a bunch of junk food, most likely from the vending machine. Cans of soda and bottles of water were set out also. There was no telling how long they were going to have to be in hiding, but this was the best option.

  Jasper stood before them, stress lines around his eyes. Usually, his job dealt with drunken tourists, shoplifters, traffic accidents, and people who violated wilderness rules. Cole knew this was wearing on Jasper because Danny had been in his custody to begin with and Marlowe was a friend.

  A woman’s voice could be heard on the outside of the vault telling Chase it was all they had, and then Chase was thanking her. Chase stepped into the vault and placed a bag on the table. “Here’s sandwiches and salads. Looks like you have plenty of food and stuff to drink. I’ll check on you every couple of hours. Do you need anything before I leave?”

  “For this to be over,” Marlowe muttered as she sat on the floor directly across from the huge thick door.

  Sharing a glance with his brother, Cole knew Marlowe was going to shut down. When she became too stressed, she would retreat into her shell. It had happened when her mother had disappeared, and now he was watching it overtake her again.

  * * * *

  Scurrying through the foliage that was much bigger than him was a deterrent in some ways, but it also gave him the ability to avoid foot traffic. After his escape, he had made his way down the block along the backside of the sheriff’s station and other businesses and then around the block to Main Street. He sat in one of the planters just outside the sheriff’s office and watched Marlowe and those two fucking twins make their way inside. If he had been in human form and had a gun, he would have shot and killed the lot of them, but he knew he wouldn’t have his freedom after that.

  Danny knew early on that he was a shifter. However, he was ashamed of what type of shifter he was. It was one reason he never revealed his ability, despite his father telling him it was nothing to be ashamed of. Of course one of the drawbacks to being a rodent shifter was being prey to predators. His father was picked off by an owl one night when he was out for a run. Danny had been lucky to get away.

  Rodent shifters were looked down upon amongst other shifters, just like they were hated by humans. The animal world had hierarchies just like humans, so a lot of times they were forgotten about. When Danny had married Marjorie, he knew she had money, even though she didn’t act like she did. None of the descendants from the town founders, the Passions and the Prestons, flaunted their wealth. Gold had helped build this town, and then timber and natural gas helped keep the families comfortable.

  Every day he and Marjorie were married, Danny tried to figure out a way to get his hands on her money. Then, when she told him she was pregnant again, and he had killed her in his anger, he knew it would be another seven years before her money would be his. He would have to wait for her to be declared legally dead, which took seven years. By then, he was drowning his sorrows in a bottle nearly every night, and time slipped by. Before he knew it, nineteen years had gone by and he hadn’t collected her money yet.

  Killing his daughter wasn’t going to get him the money now, but it would mean he had a final revenge on Marjorie, and he would get rid of the brat that he had to finish raising. Hatred for both of them was strong in
his blood. If it was the last thing he did before he left Passion, he was going to kill his daughter.

  Now, he was in the bushes next to the doors to the bank. He had to wonder why Jasper led Marlowe and the Younger boys inside.

  * * * *

  This totally sucked. Cade didn’t want to look at his phone to see how much time had passed for he could tell how scared and irritated Marlowe was. Someone had brought in a deck of cards so they could pass the time doing something. One lady had lent Marlowe her e-reader, which had plenty of romance stories on it.

  Right now, they were at the mercy of Jasper and whatever was possibly going on outside the vault, but Cade hoped it would be soon that they were sprung.

  “Gin,” Cole said as he set down some cards. Marlowe sighed defeatedly as she tossed the handful of cards onto the table.

  “I hate this,” she said for the umpteenth time since the door had closed ominously behind them. None of them wanted to be there, but Marlowe needed to be kept safe.

  Cade moved over to her and began massaging her shoulders. “I know, baby girl. I know. Let Jasper do his job, and then we can go home.”

  None of them had been privy to Jasper’s plan, but they hoped it worked, and quickly.

  “Speaking of home, Marls, you’re going to need to decorate the master bedroom. Put your touch on it.” Cole spoke as he shuffled the deck of cards. “Actually, you can change anything in the house.”

  “Also, there’s a basement, so you can set up your darkroom down there, and there are the four bedrooms upstairs that can house your office.” Cade leaned down and whispered in her ear, “At least until the babies start to come.”

  Marlowe looked up at him, her eyes flashing. The aroma of her arousal filled the room as her face turned bright pink. Unfortunately, there were cameras in the vault, so the trio had to be responsible adults and refrain.

  “What are you going to do about your job?” Cole inquired as he dealt the cards.

  “I’m not certain,” she said with a shrug. “I love doing what I do. I’ll need to talk to my boss to see what my options are. I’ll do that when this whole mess is over with.”

  “We saw the pictures you took on your camera. You have a great eye,” Cade praised.

  Again, her face flushed. Cade loved that about her. She wore her feelings on her face, including the fact that she was scared. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, hugging her close to him. “It’s going to be all right, Marls, and then you can get on with your life. We can get on with our lives.”

  “I imagined myself coming back here, many times,” she began. “There were so many scenarios, but the one I had hoped for the most was that my mom would be here. I can’t believe that Danny was capable of all this, but I guess he had us all fooled.”

  “That he did.” Cole laid down a pair of cards. “He’s called us freaks and weirdos for so long now, it still gets me that he has been able to shift all this time.”

  “Yeah, but no one really likes the rodent shifters. It fits him,” Marlowe said as she laid down all her cards. “Gin.”

  Cade’s lips turned up in a smile at Cole’s loss. He knew how Cole hated to lose.

  * * * *

  Rain had begun to come down, causing Danny to hunch down under leaves to stay dry. The townspeople ducked here and there to rush for cover while tourists donned umbrellas and rushed to their cars for shelter.

  Jasper escorted three people wearing coats and holding umbrellas out of the bank after they closed early. A sign was taped onto the door indicating it was closing early due to illness. Chase Denton followed the last few employees out and locked the door behind him.

  Danny had watched Jasper and his guests walk down the street to the sheriff’s SUV, get in, and then drive away. He figured they were either going to the Younger ranch, or they were heading to Jasper’s house.

  He followed the best he could through the bushes, and once he saw the direction Jasper took, it was evident they were going out to the Younger ranch. He made his way there the best he could, although he knew it would be easier if he was in human form.

  It was after dark before he made it out to the Younger ranch. He knew there had been a fire at the old house, but he didn’t know they had torn the antique down and built a new one. This was where his daughter was going to be living. Compared to the Sanderson home, this was a castle. Had Danny been so absorbed in his pitiful life that he had been living in squalor?

  Circling the house once to check and see what his best options were, he found all the doors closed, so he couldn’t gain access to the it. It was time to seek help. He took off into the bushes again, heading back toward town. All he needed to do was get to a phone.

  Thunder rolled, and lightning struck not too far from the house, but Danny continued. He had to finish this once and for all.

  Chapter Eleven

  “What the hell do you mean you’re pregnant again? I thought you were on the pill!” Danny spat at Marjorie.

  The two were sitting at the kitchen table and had just finished dinner. Danny had a beer bottle in his hand as he watched his wife. Marjorie had made a nice dinner for just for the two of them and had asked Marlowe if she would like to eat in her room. Anxious to be away from her father, she had accepted. However now, she was attracted by Danny’s loud voice and was standing in the hallway where she could peek around the corner to see what was going on.

  “I don’t know. Maybe one of your condoms broke,” Marjorie sassed back.

  Slap!

  “It’s your responsibility to keep up on the pill! You probably forgot some!” Danny didn’t have an inside voice, but tonight, he was positively yelling. “You are such a stupid bitch! I don’t want another freak running around here. One’s enough.”

  Marjorie stood, anger written on her features. “Don’t you call her a freak!” she ground out. “She’s a beautiful loving girl.”

  “She’s a fucking freak! She’s just like you. A cat! A damn cat! Who the hell changes into a damn cat?” Danny was inches away from Marjorie.

  Marlowe’s mother was trying to be brave and strong, but Marlowe could see her shaking. “Marlowe is special, as are all shifters. You’ve never given any of the people in this town a chance to show you how nice they are. Predators and prey get along. We’ve survived here for nearly a hundred and fifty years, so there’s nothing wrong with any of us. All you have to do is accept what is right in front of you.”

  Slap!

  “I don’t have to accept anything. You are all freaks. I’m already saddled with one of them, I don’t need another. You better take care of this, Marjorie! I don’t want that brat born!”

  Tears filled Marjorie’s eyes as she stared at the man she had married. Marlowe wondered as an eleven-year old if her parents even loved each other. They didn’t act like it.

  Marjorie stomped into the kitchen and began to wash the dishes. The woman was muttering under her breath and had the attention of Danny, who guzzled down his beer.

  “Shut up your whining and bring me another beer, freak!” Danny demanded tauntingly.

  Marlowe’s mother didn’t move from where she stood in front of the kitchen sink. Danny’s face became hard, and his eyes closed to mere slits as he watched Marjorie. “I said, get me another beer!”

  Marjorie didn’t turn, didn’t move, except for the shaking of her shoulders. Marlowe could tell her mother was crying.

  As if Danny knew Marlowe was watching, he looked over at the hall doorway. Marlowe darted back and backed up to the wall, praying he didn’t see her.

  The chair scraped on the wooden floor, but instead of his footsteps getting closer to hallway, they moved away to the kitchen.

  Slap!

  “I told you to get me a fucking beer!” he shouted.

  “Your legs aren’t broken. Get it yourself. I’m sick and tired of waiting on you hand and foot.” Her mother was finally standing up for herself, but there was another slap. “And,” she went on, “I’m keeping this baby. If you don’t l
ike it, you can leave. I’ll raise it on my own.”

  There was a slight growl before the sound of something being hit by something heavy. A grunt sounded, and then there was a thud. Then, another. It was repetitious, occurring multiple times before all was quiet.

  Marlowe was crying as she waited for another sound, for someone to say something, but nothing happened. She was too afraid to look so she tiptoed to her room and closed the door quietly. Something bad had happened, but she didn’t know what. All she knew was she needed to stay out of her father’s way for a few days.

  Waking with a start, Marlowe knew immediately she was crying. Cade and Cole were shaking her, softly saying her name repeatedly. Once she looked up at them, she saw relief in their faces.

  “What’s the matter, kitten?” Cole asked as he hugged her to him.

  They were all sitting on chairs, which the guys had sat at a slight angle so their knees touched and they were able to look at each other.

  “Did you have a bad dream, Marls?” Cade inquired as he placed his hand on her thigh. “You’re in a safe place, baby girl.”

  A shiver coursed through her body. She didn’t know how she could possibly have forgotten that night, but there it was. A repressed memory, one she would be able to use to stand up in court and testify against her father. She had every intention to see him go to jail for the rest of his life.

  “I was there that night,” she said quietly. “I saw most of it, and I heard him hit my mother. God, he slapped her so many times, but then toward the end, I heard her growl, but then I heard the strike that must have killed her. I was so scared.”

  The tears flowed freer now that she’d admitted the truth. Both men moved in closer to hold her, letting her be the center of them. She had wanted this for so long.