Kerry turned and saw Simone leaning against the wall. Her left eye was swollen shut and there were dark, ugly bruises on her arms and around her neck. One side of her face was covered with blood.
“Simone!” Kerry rushed to her friend and supported her as she began to slide down the wall. “Oh God!”
“Don't hurt her, Trent. Let Kerry go. It's me you want,” Simone whispered.
Kerry looked up at Trent with revulsion and rage. So this was Trent, Simone's ex-husband. She'd heard Simone mention him only once but she had never met him.
This abusive piece of shit had hurt Simone, again. “Oh Simone, what has he done to you?” Kerry sobbed, trying to clean the blood off Simone's cheek. “I need to get you to a doctor. You're badly hurt, Simone. I...”
“You are not going anywhere,” Trent said in a calm, reasonable voice when Kerry tried to help Simone up.
“Get out of the way,” Kerry snapped. “She needs a doctor!”
“Put her down. And sit down.”
When Kerry ignored him, Trent pressed the knife to her neck and hissed, “I said sit down.”
Kerry sucked in a breath but she was too mad to back down. The sight of Simone bleeding and crying broke her heart and made her blood boil. She was angry, so angry at herself for not coming to Simone earlier. Why hadn't she known that her friend was in trouble? She hadn't cared enough to find out what was happening in Simone's life. She had been too absorbed and wrapped up in her own affairs.
Trent moved towards Simone but Kerry blocked him. “You're not touching her. Get away from her, you piece of shit!”
Trent laughed. “Simone is my wife.”
“Was! She divorced you. She's got nothing to do with you now. You are out of her life. Leave her alone! I'm calling the cops right now. You are going to jail—where you belong!”
Trent strode forward and backhanded Kerry across the face. She cried out in pain as she fell to the floor.
Trent grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. “Busybody bitch,” he hissed.
“Trent,” Simone pleaded. “Please...don't!”
“Don't tell me what to do.” Trent pointed his knife at Simone. “Unless you want me to cut your other cheek open.”
Trent threw Kerry on the floor beside Simone and warned, “Not a sound,” he told Kerry. “If you make a sound, I will cut off her fingers one by one. Shhh!” He made a slicing motion with his blade to show her that he meant business.
Grabbing some rags from under the sink, he deftly fashioned them into a rope and bound Kerry's wrists and ankles. Kerry struggled as hard as she could as he gagged her.
Kerry eyes widened in terror when he pressed his blade against her ear. Simone tried to reach her but Trent kicked her away.
“Now,” Trent cooed to Simone. “You would rather be beaten and disfigured than give me the money. You don't care about yourself, but you care for your friend here, right? She came all this way for you. You wouldn't want me to cut off her ears and disfigure her pretty little face, do you?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Nathan strode out of the restaurant as soon as the lunch meeting ended. It was a good meeting, and there were smiles all around as he shook hands with his new business partners. After telling Lucien and Jennifer that he would see them back at the office, Nathan sped off in his Porsche.
Nathan could feel his animal prowling just beneath his skin. His wolf was tense and unsettled, urging him to go to his mate.
Nathan knew that Kerry was meeting Simone for lunch at their favorite cafe. The two women had a lot of catching up to do and Kerry probably wouldn't appreciate him barging in on their girl talk.
But he needed to make sure that she was all right.
His wolf had reared up halfway through the meeting and clawed furiously at him. The crazy animal wanted to get to Kerry at once. Nathan didn't know what was going on with his wolf, but he managed to force his beast down long enough to conclude the meeting.
Nathan drove to the cafe at top speed and was out of the car in a heartbeat. Even before he entered the cafe, he knew that Kerry was gone.
He pushed through the door and looked around the busy little cafe, his nostrils flaring. Traces of her scent still lingered. His eyes darted to that corner table where a gentleman now sat sipping his coffee and reading the paper. His mate had sat at that very table not too long ago. And she had left in a panic. He could taste her fear in the air, and his wolf reared up in fury.
Kerry was in trouble. His mate and his unborn pup were in danger.
Nathan growled and rushed back to his car. As he floored the accelerator, Nathan stopped holding his wolf back and let the beast rise to the fore. His wolf snarled and glared out of his eyes. Claws stabbed out from his fingertips and his canines sharpened and elongated.
He kept his human shape but his beast was in control of his senses right now. His wolf could track his mate to the very ends of the earth. Nothing and no one could keep his mate from him. No one messed with his family!
The mate bond tugged him towards his mate, and Nathan could sense his mate's spiking panic and pain. Someone was hurting his mate, causing her grief and terror.
His Porsche skidded up the curb in front of a small corner house on a quiet street and Nathan burst from the car, half shifting as he ran. Kerry was in the house. He could scent her terror and desperation, and he smelled her blood.
Terror and wrath clouded his mind as he rushed up the front steps. He had never felt such sharp, agonizing fear before. He had never been afraid because he never had anything to lose. He never realized what was missing in his life. Finding his mate, experiencing love and family was the most amazing thing that had happened to him. His world had suddenly bloomed with vibrant color, and it made him see and feel so much more.
It had taken him so long to find his mate. He couldn't lose her!
Nathan put his shoulder to the front door and splintered the damn door as he charged into the house. There was an overturned chair in the corner of the living room, and Nathan followed the scent of blood into the kitchen.
There were blood splatters on the kitchen floor. Not all the blood was Kerry's.
He heard the sound of running water and heard noises coming from the bedroom. Nathan slammed into the bedroom and saw that the door to the attached bathroom was locked.
Nathan kicked it in swiftly and he saw Kerry on the floor. There was a flash of a blade and Nathan ducked just in time. A man lunged at Nathan and his knife grazed the tip of Nathan's ear.
Nathan grabbed the man and threw him to the floor. He didn't even bother looking at that human trash as he rushed to his mate.
Kerry was lying on the wet bathroom floor, coughing and spluttering. Nathan cut the bonds around her wrists and ankles with his claws and sat her up. He saw Simone in a corner, vomiting wretchedly. The tap was still running and water sloshed over the edge of the filled bathtub. Nathan saw Kerry's barrette floating in the water and there were lines of blood between the tiles.
Nathan roared in fury. The bastard had tried to drown the two women.
He had slammed them against the tiles and forced their heads underwater.
“Nathan...” Vaguely he heard Kerry's voice, but he had only one thing in his sights right now.
He wanted blood. He wanted the blood of the man who had tried to kill his mate and unborn child.
Nathan shifted into wolf form and leaped to the door to block the man's escape. The human male was burly with glittering close-set eyes. He held up his hands and tried to smile as Nathan prowled towards him.
“I'm just leaving, okay?” he said, licking his thin lips nervously. He glanced towards the bathroom and said, “I didn't know they're yours.” He gave a small, ingratiating laugh. “I would never touch your girls.”
Nathan snarled. He had come across men like that before. They often twisted facts and situations to their advantage, and they had no qualms lying and taking advantage of others. But these bullies were cowards and they were quick to try and
find a way out once they recognized that they were facing a much stronger opponent.
Nathan heard Kerry's soft cry from the bathroom and he turned to glance behind him.
Immediately, the man lurched forward, his knife flying towards Nathan's neck.
Nathan twisted away and spun round to bite down on the man's wrist. The knife clattered to the floor as bones crunched and blood spurted. The man howled in agony and tried to jerk his arm back.
Nathan twisted savagely, and dislocated the bastard's arm. He was going to cause this wretched human scum as much pain as possible before killing him. Death was too easy.
No one hurt his mate and got away with it.
No. One.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Kerry crawled to Simone and they clung to each other, sobbing and shivering uncontrollably. They had so nearly died. The sensation of almost having drowned wasn't something that Kerry would forget any time soon, but it was the memory of seeing Simone being tortured and abused that caused Kerry the most pain.
Kerry had watched Trent dunk Simone underwater repeatedly until Simone almost passed out. Trent had kicked and punched Simone again and again, but by then Simone was too weak to even cry out in pain. Kerry had tried to help her friend, but she couldn't move fast enough with her hands and feet tightly bound. But she did manage to butt her head into Trent's face when he came near her. Her attack infuriated Trent further, and he became even more violent and vicious.
“Maybe it's more fun if you both drown together,” Trent snarled as he grabbed them both by the collar. “Nice, eh? You'll be friends to the bitter end.”
And both of them would indeed have drowned if Nathan hadn't found them in time.
As Kerry hugged Simone tightly and huddled at the corner of the bathroom, she saw blood spreading across the floor of Simone's bedroom. Nathan showed no mercy at all as he attacked Trent relentlessly.
The large black wolf ripped out chunks of flesh from Trent's limbs and let the man convulse in agony. But he wouldn't deliver the killing blow. Not yet.
Kerry could feel Nathan's unbridled fury as he tore into the human male. The wolf was avenging its mate and pup. Trent would pay for hurting Kerry and the baby in her belly, and he would pay with his blood and his life.
Kerry gripped the door of the bathroom and tried to make eye contact with Nathan. But the wolf wouldn't look at her. His blue eyes were glowing with rage and blood lust, and they remained locked on the enemy.
The wolf wouldn't back down until it had avenged its mate and pup, and destroyed the enemy completely.
Kerry squeezed her eyes shut when she heard Trent's gurgling scream. She heard a heavy thud and smelled the thick, acrid scent of blood. Kerry pressed her fist to her mouth so she wouldn't throw up.
There was a soft step and she looked up to see that Nathan had shifted back to human form. His shirt was gone and his trousers were torn and bloodied. There were some knife wounds on his torso and blood was dripping from the side of his face.
Nathan gathered Kerry in his arms and murmured hoarsely, “Kerry, baby.”
She buried her face in his neck and blinked back her tears furiously. “You're hurt,” she said, cupping his face with both hands.
Nathan shook his head and glanced at Simone, who was leaning her head against the wall with her eyes closed. “We need to get the both of you to the hospital,” Nathan said tersely. He tapped at his watch and sent out an instant alert.
“He tried to kill us. He hurt Simone real bad...” Kerry whispered as she looked at Simone's battered face. “I should have helped her. Trent was extorting money from her. He'd been harassing her and threatening her for some time.”
Kerry fought down a sob as she looked at her friend. “Simone gave him the money, thinking that he would leave her alone. But he kept demanding more and more. And when she finally said no, he came and hurt her.”
“He will never hurt her again,” Nathan said.
Kerry swallowed and swiped at her eyes. “I should have been there for her...”
“You are here for her,” Nathan said sternly. “You saved her life.”
Her tears continued dripping down her chin. She hadn't cried when Trent was attacking them, but now that they were safe, her tears wouldn't stop flowing. “I just...”
“Shhh,” Nathan said, pressing her tightly to him. “An ambulance is already on the way. I've sent out the alert. The cops will be here soon, together with some of my guys. I'll give them my statement and tell them what the bastard did to you and Simone.”
Kerry could hear sirens wailing as running footsteps pounded into the house. Two tall, well built men stepped through the door and nodded at Nathan. Their sharp, experienced eyes took in the situation at once, and they were careful not to touch the mutilated body in the corner of the bedroom.
“We got your alert, boss,” one of them said to Nathan. “The cops and ambulance are right behind us.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Nathan paced the length of the hospital corridor. Both Tia and Kerry were in the operating suite. He paused at the door of the operating suite and clenched his fists.
His claws stabbed into his palms as he emitted a low growl. His family was in there. His mate, his sister-in-law, and his baby.
“What's taking them so long?” he snarled, stepping up to the door.
Simone rushed to his side and stopped him from charging heedlessly ahead and creating a Nathan-shaped hole in the door.
“Nathan, calm down,” Simone said soothingly. “They'll be fine. The doctors know what they are doing.”
Nathan snarled and glared at the door. But Simone saw the flash of real fear in his deep blue eyes. Nathan was worried and scared. He didn't know what was happening in that operating suite and he wasn't used to feeling so helpless.
He would do anything, anything at all, to make sure his family was safe. But right now, he could do nothing. There was nothing to do but wait.
He let Simone lead him to the row of chairs along the wall and sat down heavily.
“The operation will be a success,” Simone said bravely, but there was the slightest tremor in her voice. “The baby, Kerry and Tia will all be okay.” She patted Nathan's big hand and smiled. “Your girls are strong. Have faith in them.”
Nathan nodded and released a slow breath. Kerry had gone into labor early. The baby simply refused to wait. It was as if their little girl knew what was at stake and was determined to arrive early so she could save her Aunt Tia. Her Aunt Tia was depending on her. She was here to save her aunt's life.
Despite his worry and fear, Nathan couldn't help the surge of pride in his chest. His daughter was a fierce little wolf all right. The little girl wasn't even born and she already knew to protect her family. Staying in her mother's womb was much safer, but his daughter wasn't one to choose the safe route. She was a fighter, and she would rather risk it all and face the big bad world before her time just so that her aunt could use the stem cells in her umbilical cord and have the chance to live.
His little daughter had the courage and loyalty of an alpha wolf. He was so proud of her, and he couldn't wait to hold her in his arms.
Tia's condition had worsened throughout the months. Despite all their efforts, she was losing the battle. Her cancer spread at a terrifying rate, and those dastardly cancer cells just kept ravaging her body, eating away the young woman's life.
Kerry had wept and pleaded with the doctors to save her sister's life. Nathan had flown in the best specialists from all over the world, but the doctors all said the same thing. There was nothing else they could do. When Kerry heard that, she had picked up a chair and hurled it against the wall. The chair had splintered on impact, but Kerry's rage hadn't subsided. She had screamed and shrieked at everything and everyone. Even in her pregnant state, she was a force to be reckoned with. She would have overturned a heavy table as well if Nathan hadn't pinned her arms to her sides in a fierce bear hug.
Only when the baby nudged at her and rolled fr
om side to side in her swollen belly did Kerry calm down. The baby's movement soothed Kerry and reminded her that she was responsible for a precious little life within her. But the baby was doing much more than just calming her mother down. She was trying to tell her mom something.
Kerry had gasped and her eyes had grown impossibly bigger and rounder as she clutched her belly. “Cord blood,” Kerry had cried suddenly as she grabbed Nathan's arm. “Yes! It could work! We can use the stem cells in our baby's cord blood to save Tia!”
When they spoke to the doctors, almost all the doctors warned them that the chances weren't high. Gravely, they'd cautioned that most matches were only found between a parent and a child. “But—your sister...”
“...is my baby's aunt!” was Kerry's firm response.
When the test results showed that the stem cells in the baby's umbilical cord were a surprisingly good match for Tia, it was Tia who objected vehemently to the operation. She stubbornly refused to give her consent.
“No. It's too risky,” she'd whispered from her bed. “I won't let you take this risk, Kerry.” Tia's eyes looked too large in her pale, gaunt face. She was so thin and her voice was barely more than a whisper, but her spirit remained strong and her mind clear. “If they stick those crazy, large needles into your belly to harvest the cord blood, they might hurt the baby. And there's the risk of miscarriage. I know the dangers, okay? I won't let you endanger your health and your pregnancy!”
Tia had looked at Nathan and begged, “Nathan, don't let her do this. Please!”
In the end, his baby was the one who made the decision for them all.
It was her umbilical cord, her cord blood and she would decide what to do with it.
Their baby decided that the best course of action would be to arrive early. That way her cord blood could be harvested without anyone having to stick anything sharp and scary into her mother's belly.
The Werewolf's Baby: A Billionaire Shifter Pregnancy Romance Page 8
