“The only reason you’re not flat on the ground is because I don’t want to set a bad example for your son,” Connor jerked his head toward Austin, who was standing under the shade of a big oak tree with Lily. “Now, let go of me.”
“Connor, what the fuck is going on with you?” Jackson asked. “Ever since Evie left—”
“Shut up! I don’t wanna hear it!”
Connor was being torn into pieces inside. The feral wolf was there, he could feel it. Looking around, he saw the horses, all of them skittish and neighing nervously. They could feel it, too. What he wouldn’t give to just be able to let it out so he wouldn’t have to feel like this anymore.
Evie. She had been his light, his world. And she just left. The pain ripping through him intensified as he remembered that day at the airport. How he wanted to take her back and lock her up in his truck and drive away. But he couldn't. She was about to go and do great things. To live her dream. He couldn't take that away from her. He loved her too much to stop her. It was costing him his control and his sanity, but he would never do that to her.
He thought about leaving, and then asking her to come back to West Virginia, but what would Evie say? What would she do? He couldn’t ask her to give all that up. Not for him and his worthless soul.
“Connor.”
“What?” he hollered, then bit his tongue when he realized it was Lily. “What is it, Momma?”
“That’s the first time you called me that,” she said.
“It is?”
She nodded. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing,” he groused.
“I may have only known you for a little over a week, but I’m still your mother. I know when one of my children is hurting. Now,” she took his hands into hers. “What’s wrong? Why is your wolf acting up like this?”
"It's always like this. I'm broken. My wolf is broken."
“That’s what Evie told me,” Lily said.
“She did?” Of course Evie knew that, he thought bitterly. She sensed it and got the hell away from him.
“Yes. Which is why she wanted you to stay here.”
Blood roared in his ears. "What?"
“She made me promise not to tell you. But I can’t watch you tear yourself apart anymore,” Lily said in a choked voice. “She wanted you to stay because she thought it was the best for you.”
“That’s stupid.”
“She said that you’d never been so happy. She wanted that for you.”
“She didn’t want me to go with her to New York,” Connor said bitterly.
“Because she didn’t want you to be put down,” Lily said, her voice shaking with anger. “Connor, she told me everything. That you wanted the Alpha of New York to put you down once you got this revenge business done. Is it true?”
He didn’t answer, but his silence said it all.
“Goddamnit, Connor, you’re better than that. Stronger than that. You’re my son, and I’m not going to lose you again. Evie loves you so much. She was dying inside, leaving you here, but she did it because she wanted you alive and happy.”
“Momma …” He didn’t know. How could he know? Evie did that? For him?
“Are you happy here, Connor?”
It was the easiest and hardest question to answer at the same time. “I’m happy with her.” It was Evie all along, he knew it. Being with her was what soothed him and his wolf.
“Do you love her?”
He didn’t miss a beat. “Of course I do.”
“Then what the hell are you waiting for?” Lily asked, hands on her hips. Tears shone in her eyes, but her smile was wide. “You go and be with your girl.”
***
Connor drove back to New York like a madman. He promised Lily he'd visit as soon as he could with Evie. She joked that they better come back with a grandchild on the way or she'd have Jackson rescind his invitation. Jackson clapped him on the back and wished him good luck. "Though really, with that handsome face, who would need it?" his brother told him. Even Austin said he was rooting for them to get back together, even if it meant having gross baby cousins.
The drive took him less than five hours as his foot barely left the pedal. Tonight was the first preview of Love and Regrets. He begged Quinn to scalp him a ticket online; he didn’t care what it cost. He was planning to go back to the hotel and freshen up first, but when he hit Manhattan traffic he let out a curse. He was stuck, and there was no time for a shower.
By the time he pulled up to the front of the Nina Haas theater, the show would have been nearing the end. He parked his truck and cut the engine, then hopped out.
“Hey, buddy, you can’t park there!” The Meter Maid screamed at him as he bounded for the front door. “I’m gonna have you towed!”
“Do it; I don’t care,” he shouted as he tore into the lobby of the theater. He reached for the door, but an usher quickly stepped in front of him
“Sir, I can’t let you in there!”
Connor was ready to fight whoever got in his way. He was ready to roar at the usher when he stopped short. She was an older lady—sweet-faced, with white hair, reminding him of a kindly old grandma. "I have a ticket. I need to get in."
"The show's almost over, sir," Sweet Grandma said. "Even if I could let you in, you wouldn't be seeing much. Maybe you can buy another ticket for tomorrow?"
“Please,” he begged. “I need to see her.”
“Connor?”
He turned around. The writers, Jane Collins and Annie Fox, were standing behind him.
“You’re Connor, right? Evie’s Connor?”
He nodded. “Yes. Can I go in, please?”
Annie and Jane looked at each other. Annie spoke first. “C’mon, I’ll do you one better,” she said with a chuckle. “Oh, you crazy kids.”
Annie took his arm and then tugged him to the right side of the lobby. She knocked softly, and the door opened. They walked into a dark tunnel, lit only with floor lights, and they followed it to the end. When they emerged, they were in the backstage area.
There was a flurry of activity all around them. People were running around, bringing props here and there and helping the actors get into costumes and wigs right before they went on stage. Annie brought Connor to the wings where he had a good view of the stage.
His breath caught the moment he saw Evie. She was in the middle of the stage, singing the final number. He thought his heart was going to burst the moment her voice soared over the stage and sounded in his ears. He had never heard anything so beautiful in his entire life.
There was a hush, not just in the audience but backstage, too. Everyone stopped what they were doing as she went through the song, hitting every note perfectly and overwhelming their senses with the pure emotion she displayed.
When she was done, there was a long pause, then applause broke out. It was thundering, the claps and cheers coming from the audience. He saw Selena and Quinn jump to their feet in the front row.
The orchestra began to play, and the cast gathered onstage for the curtain call. The crowd cheered the loudest for Evie, of course, when she took her solo bow. The music wound down and, when the curtain dropped, the cast erupted into shouts and cheers.
Everyone was gathering around Evie, congratulating her. She was smiling, nodding, and thanking the people surrounding her. Connor was content to watch her from the wings, to let her have her moment in the sun. He'd surprise her in the dressing room, maybe.
Just as he was stepping back, Evie's head whipped in his direction. His heart collided with his ribcage as toffee brown eyes crashed into his gaze. She stopped what she was doing and dropped her arms to her sides.
Connor spent most of the drive thinking what he'd do when he finally saw her again. What he would say and do. He played it in his mind. He wanted it go perfectly, so he played out the different scenarios of how he’d say sorry for letting her go.
But he didn’t expect what happened next.
Evie walked toward him, ignoring her castma
tes. She swung her hips in a seductive manner as she strode in his direction. As she got closer, she reached out her arms. He grabbed her by the waist as she swung herself up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Sliding his hand around her neck, he pulled her closer until their lips met. Around them, people cheered, though they might as well have been invisible. The taste, smell, and feel of her were threatening to overwhelm his senses. He never wanted it to end.
“Connor, you’re here,” she said when they finally pulled apart.
“Of course I am,” he said.
“But … Lily … Jackson … I don’t understand. You were happy there.”
“I was happy with you,” he said. “Evie, I love you.”
A sharp cry tore from her throat. “Connor … I love you, too!” She jumped back in his arms, and he staggered back. Thankfully, he regained his balance before they toppled over.
“You silly woman,” he said, laughing against her mouth. “Why would you think I’d be content without you?”
"I didn't want you to be put down," she said. Tears formed in her eyes. "I …"
"Shh …" He kissed her again. "I won't be. I have too much to live for now."
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Connor?”
“Do you have to stop again?”
Evie’s face turned a shade of green. “Yes, please.”
Connor pulled over to the side of the road. The truck barely stopped before she pushed the door open and ran out to the bushes. He grabbed the packet of wet wipes and slid out of his seat, then walked over to Evie.
The previews for Love and Regrets had gone phenomenally well. The critics loved it, and tickets were sold out for weeks. Everyone loved the music, the story, and, of course, the show’s star. The show ran six days a week, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Though she was exhausted, Connor could tell Evie was ecstatic. She loved being in the show, and, now that everything ran like clockwork, she didn’t have to be in the theater all day. That meant they spent every moment she wasn’t onstage together. He had never truly felt this happy.
After two weeks, Evie insisted on visiting the Shenandoah farm and his family again. She had Mondays off and didn't have to be in the theater until 4 pm on Tuesday, so as soon as she took her bow on Sunday night, they raced off to West Virginia. Traffic coming out of Manhattan was light, and they slept at a motel somewhere in Pennsylvania around midnight. Connor didn't want or need to stop thanks to his shifter side, but Evie had started feeling sick halfway through the trip. They got up bright and early and were now on their way back to the valley.
A worried feeling niggled at him. Evie had seemed healthy enough during the past two weeks. She certainly ate enough. She chalked it up to all the calories she burned dancing and singing for two hours, eight times a week. He wondered if she was tiring herself out and it was catching up with her.
“Thanks,” Evie said weakly as she reached for the wet tissue. She wiped it across her mouth and took a deep breath.
“Are you okay? Should we maybe stop at a restaurant or a motel and you can lie down?”
Evie shook her head. “No, I want to go. Lily’s expecting us. I texted her last night that we were going to be delayed, but I haven’t heard back. Maybe the reception’s spotty again. I don’t want her to be worried.”
Another strange feeling scratched at him. It wasn’t like his mother not to text. She called and messaged them every day. Jackson was trying to get things in order at the farm, and they were scheduled to come to New York to watch the show next month.
“All right, let’s go.”
They got back on the road, driving deep into the Blue Ridge Mountains. Soon, they were pulling up to the house. It was early still. The sun was peeking behind the hill, bathing the house and green hills in a warm light.
Connor pulled up to the front and cut the engine. As he opened the door, he stopped and then closed it.
“Connor?”
A chill ran over his skin. He looked at the front porch. Empty. No Momma sitting on the rocking chair reading the paper. No Jackson drinking his coffee. In fact, the house was eerily still. There was something not right.
"Stay here," he said.
“What’s wrong?” Evie asked, her tone panicked. “Connor, tell me.”
He looked at her. "Please, Evie, just this once do as I say." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "When I get out, come over and sit here. Turn on the engine, lock the door, and if you hear so much as a mouse squeak, you step on the gas and get out of here, okay?"
“What? No!” she protested. “Connor, what’s going on?”
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."
Before she could protest further, he slipped out of the truck. He heard the click of the lock behind him, and, feeling assured, he made his way to the house. He bounded up the front porch steps and walked to the door. It was open, which rang more alarm bells in his head.
“Momma?” he called as he pushed the door in and carefully walked inside. “Jackson? Austin?”
“Out here.” It was Lily. “On the back porch.”
The sound of her voice did not make that feeling go away. There was still something that wasn't right. Quiet as a mouse, he walked through the kitchen and slowly opened the door that led to the back.
“Glad you could join us, boy.”
Connor hadn’t heard the voice in years, but he’d know it anywhere. He took one step out and turned to the right.
The red-haired man stood at the end of the porch, leaning casually against one of the posts. Two Lycans, both large and mean-looking, flanked him. As far as Connor could tell, the man looked almost the same as he did all those years ago. Same scraggly hair and beard, though now streaked with gray. However, he wasn't as tall as Connor remembered him. Maybe it was because he'd grown himself. He guessed they were probably the same height now.
But that didn't matter because on the other end of the porch was Lily, Jackson, and Austin. They were all sitting down, tied up with ropes, and surrounded by six large men—no, Lycans. Definitely Lycans. Lily and Austin wore frightened looks, while Jackson was naked and had healing cuts and bruises on his face.
“Bastard. Let them go. This isn’t their fight.”
“Oh yeah? Well, you made it their fight.” He clucked his tongue as he walked closer, his boots stomping on the wooden floor. “Why couldn’t you have stayed away, Connor? You could have kept them safe. And, now, they’re going to die, too.”
“Fuck you!” He stepped forward.
“Don’t move an inch.” The red-haired man shook his head, then nodded to Connor’s family. One of the men took out a gun and pointed it at Lily’s head. “What do you think? Momma first, then your twin, and then the brat? Or should I take out the kid first and watch you all scream.”
“No!” Connor curled his hands into fists. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” he asked with a sneer. “I wanted to be left alone and in peace. When that old man took you, our backer got spooked. See, Baeles didn't know about the fighting ring. We were trainin' you to be part of the Lone Wolf army, but The Cage was a little side gig to make us extra cash. When he found out you had escaped and that we were doing those fights, he shut us down and made sure I was under this thumb. Of course, that bastard rose to power in the Lycan High Council, while his friend, the mage, gathered his own forces and magic." He scoffed. "And me? I was left to pick up the pieces. To punish me for letting you go and ruining our fighting ring, Baeles made me deal with the shit and cleanup. Who do you think kept tabs on Boyd and Booth to keep their traps shut? Threatening their families to make sure they stayed quiet?"
So that was why Booth wouldn’t talk. “How did you find me?”
"The day you showed up at Boyd's trailer and took care of him, one of my guys was there. I should've thanked you for taking care of that. I was really looking forward to you getting Booth, too." His eyes glinted with hate. "But then you took him, brought him to New York. Didn't know you got friends in high
places now."
"Booth didn’t give you up.”
The red-haired man laughed. "You think I'm stupid, boy? I knew you'd come sniffing around here soon enough. This is where I took you from, after all, from your sweet Mama's arms. I swear, I can still hear her crying for you. I can still taste your Daddy's blood—"
“Enough!” Connor roared. “What do you want?”
"I want you dead," he said. "You and your family. You're the last witness. That traitor Baeles is gonna talk soon. He's gonna rat me out. But once I take care of all of you, no one will find any evidence of The Facility or The Cage."
“Let’s end this now,” Connor said. “You and me.”
“Ha! You think you can take me?”
“I know I can.”
“This isn’t The Cage, boy. There won’t be no fight.” He turned to his men. “Take the kid and bring him here.”
Lily let out a piercing scream.
***
Evie waited in the driver's seat as long as she could. She felt antsy and uncomfortable. She wanted to throw up again. What the heck was going on?
There was no noise from the house. It was strange that it was so quiet this early in the morning. Usually, by this time, Jackson and Lily were up and about. Austin should already be on his way to school.
A dreaded feeling formed in her chest. She thought about Connor's words, about driving out of here if there was any sign of trouble.
“Screw that!” Connor was in danger, she could feel it. She opened the door and slipped out of the truck. What to do, though? Connor had walked into the house and hadn't come out. Going in there would be horror movie-level stupid, so she thought she'd swing around to the back.
As quietly as she could, she walked around the house, sticking close to the wall. The sound of voices made her freeze, and she scrunched up against the side of the house. Taking a deep, calming breath, she swung her head around the corner to take a peek.
She could see a tall, bearded, red-haired man standing on the back porch. Her heart slammed into her ribcage, beating a thundering rhythm as she realized who it was. The ringleader. The man who took Connor from his family. He was talking, but she couldn't quite hear what he was saying. She shut her eyes, trying to concentrate on his voice.
All for Connor: The Lone Wolf Defenders Book 3 Page 19
