by T. Cobbin
“Just take it easy,” he warned, lifting her legs back onto the bed. “You don’t want to be fucking them up permanently. However much I like carrying you, I think you’d get pissed off, because every time I get my hands on your skin it gives me a hard-on.” With a tilt of his head, he added comically, “Then I’d have to use it.” He winked and picked the tray back up. “Now sit and eat before I ravish you again.” He kissed the top of her head, pulling her aroma into his lungs. He and his cat were already addicted to her scent.
“Bro?”
He stiffened, hearing his brother’s call. “What’s up?”
“Garrett is here and wanting a word.”
“I’ll be right down.”
“Hey, you okay?” His chick looked at him with worried eyes.
“I just had a call, that’s all.” He smiled at her.
Seeing the confused look on her face, he pointed to his head and chuckled. She nodded slightly with a roll of her eyes.
“You will get used to it, Chick.” After pressing a kiss to her forehead he walked from the room, hoping that he didn’t have to throttle an overweight, lazy lion with his bare hands for a waste of time.
He walked downstairs and found Garratt standing in the hallway on his own. His brother must have gone back to whatever he’d been doing. He motioned for the man to follow him to his office.
“What’s up, Garrett?” he asked as Garrett shut the door. “I hope you come bearing good news and not something that could be done over a phone.” Harris moved to sit behind his desk, gesturing toward a chair on the other side.
“If you mean bringing a photograph, then yes I bring something that couldn’t be done over the phone.”
Harris growled at the man’s sarcastic comment, letting his cat come forward a little.
The man in front of him shivered and sat down in the chair. “Sorry, Alpha, I forget myself.”
Harris gave him a slight nod, indicating for him to proceed, and Garrett pushed a brown, flat folder across the desk toward him. Picking it up and opening it, he saw a grainy black-and-white photograph of his chick. Although it was bad quality he could tell it was her in the picture.
“The name on the missing person forms is Melinda Hollister. She’s twenty-five and was reported missing by a man named Jacob Hardy.”
“He a relation to her?” Harris asked. He wanted to know everything he could about this Jacob and now!
“I looked into his background. Carefully, I might add, so don’t worry there. I know my job.”
Jerk, I don’t like this man, Harris’s leopard grumbled
I’m not sure anyone does. He does his job at least.
“It would seem Mr. Hardy acquires women of men that owe him money and whores them out. From what I can make out Melinda’s father fucked the man over on a business deal. Mr. Hardy didn’t like that and had Melinda picked up. I have also heard it looks like Mr. Hardy wants Melinda for himself and has a handsome reward out for her alive and untouched.”
“So what the fuck was she doing on the moors freezing her arse off and down a fucking crevice?” Anger at her predicament, at her father, and most of all at a man who collected fucking women for money coursed through his veins. He knew it wasn’t Garrett’s fault, but the man was sitting in front of him with not only a bad attitude but telling him shit he didn’t want to know.
Garrett continued, ignoring the anger Harris knew was written all over his face, or maybe he just didn’t care. “I don’t know, but it looks like she lived in the Northumberland and he lives in Devon, so I can only guess she escaped while being transported.”
“And this missing person report went up two days ago?” Harris asked, shaking the piece of paper with her photograph on it.
“Yes. It says her dear uncle is looking for her, and she is sick and needs medication.”
“The rest of the information you found out how?”
“Internet and asking in the right places.” Garrett shrugged.
Harris couldn’t hold back the snarl of annoyance. The copper could do a decent job, but that didn’t stop Harris from wanting to plant a firm fist in his mouth. “Find me all you can about this Hardy bloke, and get me all the details you can about Melinda too.”
Garrett stood and walked to the office door.
“Oh, and Garrett, you had better come back with a better attitude toward your Alpha, because if you don’t I will be looking for a new fucking copper. Understand?”
The man froze with his hand on the door handle. He turned around with a pale face and nodded. “Sorry, Alpha.”
With a curt nod Harris dismissed him and turned toward the window, looking out over the moors. His chick was being hunted by a foul creature that collected women as payment for debts. Harris felt sick to his stomach just thinking about it. Had she escaped while being transported? She had the injuries to prove she’d been restrained. His mind mulled over each and every fact he’d heard and seen.
Standing, he left his office and walked through the house, ending up outside their bedroom door, needing to see her. He could hear the voices of both his sister and his chick, both of them trying to talk through uncontrollable laughter. He peeked around the door and watched them rolling around on the bed, holding their stomachs in laughter. Reassured that she was okay, he smiled and walked to the kitchen. He poured a cup of coffee then stood by the back door in his usual spot. He would tell her later. Hearing her laugh and being happy was more important right now.
Using his mind, he tuned into Ben. “Doc?”
“Yes, Alpha, everything okay?”
“Would you pop in and check on Chick for me? She is beginning to walk about on her feet and I want to make sure she isn’t fucking them up.”
“She should be okay to take a few steps now, but yes I’ll come over sometime today.”
“Thanks, man.”
Harris stood in his favorite spot listening to the peace of the moors for a while before hearing his brother enter the house.
“Hey, bro.”
“Morning, Felix.”
“Thought you’d be with the little lady,” his brother said with a smirk.
Ignoring his comment, Harris asked, “Anything from the enforcers?”
“Nope. Everything seems quiet. Should we be looking for anything?”
Harris inwardly smiled. His brother played thick and stupid most of the time, but he was actually smart and quick at dealing with any shit that came their way. If anything ever happened to him, he knew Felix would make a great Alpha.
“Got news about my chick today. We need to get the enforcers together and have a meeting.”
“Okay, I’ll take care of it.”
Chapter 13
Melinda had been in Stonesdale for a week now. She had gained one hot, sexy man whom she burnt the sheets with each night. She had also expanded on any family she might have, with a sister and brother. Harris had told her everything that was his was now hers, so according to him she also now had a house with a huge garden around it. Not only that, she had also obtained a village full of shifters who had welcomed her into their family.
The only thing that she hadn’t increased on was her memories. Each time she tried her frustration grew. A dirty, black hole was always there instead.
Doc Ben had come around again this morning to check on her. He had removed the last several rows of stitches on the soles of her feet with a stern warning to stay off them for another day. She was healing quicker thanks to Harris and his saliva. Heat bloomed through her body, remembering the man and his wicked tongue. She had no idea someone sucking on your toes could be so arousing.
Her days seemed to start quite late because of him too. He was insatiable. He’d take her several times in the night, and sometimes during the day he would seek her out and cart her off, impale her with his cock, and ravish her. She often wondered how he could be still standing on his feet awake. Today Harris was visiting a few of the elder folk in the village, then he had a meeting with his enforcers, which left her
and Terrie making a meal for them all when they finished.
“So what’s it going to be?” Melinda asked, watching Terrie pull various products from the fridge and food larder.
“What else for a broody bunch of men?” She smiled, dropping a bag of potatoes on the kitchen counter.
“Mmm, it wouldn’t be steak and mash now, would it?”
“Of course.” Terrie joined her in giggling. “A man needs his meat.” Terrie waggled her finger in the air, imitating Harris.
“Well, he does.” Harris’s husky voice had both the women turning to see the man leaning against the kitchen doorframe with amusement written all over his face. “It’s good to see you two getting on and having a laugh at my expense.”
Although his voice came out deep and gruff, Melinda knew he was only joking. He swaggered over to her and set her lips and body ablaze with a deep, hot kiss.
“I’ll be in the study if you need me.” And with a kiss to his sister’s head he walked back out of the kitchen.
Both women turned to look at each other and burst out laughing.
“Hey, we’re sticking up the house decorations tonight. You are going to help, right?” Terrie asked excitedly.
“Yeah, sure.” Melinda wondered who she used to spend Christmas with. Was there anyone out there worried about her? I am really going to have to think about finding out who I am soon.
Looking at Terrie dancing around the kitchen, she smiled. She’d agreed to stay until after Christmas. But while she was there enjoying herself did she have family out there having a miserable holiday because she was missing? She would talk to Harris later and see if she could access some kind of missing persons list on the internet.
An hour later Melinda was dishing out mash potatoes onto several plates when Terrie walked in holding a serving platter piled high with seasoned steaks. She breathed in the delicious scent, her mouth watering...
“You fucking bitch.”
The plate with the meal she had cooked flew over her ducked head. She watched the steak and mash slither down the wall and slide into a pile on the filthy carpet. Crap, there goes more cleaning, she thought as she stood up.
Her father was drunk again, which meant nothing she did was right. She knew it wouldn’t be long before he would be telling her—again—that she was his second biggest failure; her mother being his first. Was it cruel to be thankful for small mercies that her mother wasn’t alive anymore to go through this shit on a daily basis?
As she stood she saw her reflection in the room’s mirror. Her long, brown hair was plaited to one side, her eyes had dark rings under them, and her face was pale. She looked utterly miserable. Her mother had looked the same not long before she died. Melinda closed her eyes as the memories of her mother and her death flooded through her.
The memory receded but others came back, causing what felt like small electrical shocks filling her brain, one after another. The endless benders her father went on. The night her mother had gone out to get her father more booze and fallen asleep at the wheel. The years of growing hatred toward him and yet still bailing him out when he got arrested or when he gambled away money he didn’t have.
A female’s voice in the distance broke through her thoughts. “Harris!”
She knew that voice, she knew that name. Was it getting darker? Why was the sound muffled?
“Chick? Come on, sweetheart, answer me.”
Chick?
Visions of her father crossed through her mind, his hand raised, ready to slap her. His fist coming toward her face. Feelings of utter depression and pain flowed through her.
“Melinda,” a firm, male voice shouted at her.
“No, not again, please.” She heard herself whimper. Not that it would do any good. He always reveled in her pain, in her whimpers, in her tears.
“Melinda.” Another shout of her name close by. Her arms were being grabbed, she was being shaken. “Melinda. Come on, Chick. Talk to me.”
His voice was coming from a long distance away. She could just about make out his worried eyes looking down at her before the blackness that surrounded her fully engulfed her.
* * * *
“What the fuck happened?” Harris shouted.
He’d heard his sister’s call and ran into the kitchen to see Melinda in a pile on the floor with her hands covering her ears. She was surrounded by broken plates and mash potatoes. Terrie was beside herself, tears running down her face.
“Chick?” Harris shouted, crouching down in front of the mumbling woman. The shout of her name caused her to curl up more with her hands pressing even tighter over her ears. “Melinda!” he shouted again.
“We were just talking about dinner when she suddenly stopped. She dropped the mash and plates and sank to the floor, clutching her head. I got scared and shouted for you. Please tell me she’s okay.”
“No, not again, please.” The whimpered, heart-wrenching words slipped from between his mate’s lips.
Harris grabbed hold of his mate’s arms and gently pried her hands from her head. “Melinda. Come on, Chick. Talk to me,” he begged.
Gradually, she looked up into his eyes. He watched the clouded look of fear, loneliness, and pain slip away along with their scent, and her eyes fluttered closed. Ducking his head into the crook of her neck, he breathed in her scent. He couldn’t smell anything untoward. Looking back down at her face, she looked so peaceful, and he relaxed a little, although his heart still pounded in his chest.
He adjusted his chick so she was lying comfortably in his lap, then he turned toward his sister and asked what had happened again.
“I told you, she just dropped the mash and clutched her head, crying out, and fell to the floor.”
The look on Terrie’s face had him gesturing her over so he could hug her too. She was just as upset about this as he was. Hearing the pounding of feet coming down the hallway, he raised his head to see Felix and several enforcers running into the kitchen.
“Harris?” his brother said, asking what had happened with a single word.
Harris shook his head slightly and gestured toward their sister. Getting his silent message, Felix walked over and gathered Terrie into his arms and carried her off. Harris did the same with his chick, telepathically calling for Doc to visit them.
* * * *
It was over two hours later and Harris and Ben were still sitting beside the king-sized bed where Melinda was currently lying unconscious. Terrie had calmed down and was pottering around feeding the enforcers’ bellies as well as popping up to see him and the doc with numerous cups of coffee. Harris was growing more and more frustrated as time went by. His woman was sure taking her time to wake up.
“Why is she taking so long?”
“The brain is a fragile thing, Harris. She will wake when she’s ready.”
He couldn’t suppress the growl growing inside him. “What if it’s a brain tumor or that bump on her head coming back to haunt her?” he asked worriedly.
“I’ve done all the tests I can. Other than taking her to the next town over and using their scanner, nothing else can be done.” He stopped, holding up his hand before Harris could say anything. “Give her a little more time. From the tests I’ve done I honestly think she’s just in a deep sleep. If my guess is correct, then I’d say something sparked off a memory and it came flooding back. Be patient for a little while longer.”
Harris turned to Melinda, again willing her silently to wake up.
“Harris?” If he hadn’t had his eyes glued to her beautiful face, he would have thought his name came from a female child. Doc was on his feet just as fast as he was.
“Hey there, Chick,” he uttered, standing over her. “You sure took your sweet time waking up.” He sat beside her and held one of her chilled hands in his. It looked so small.
“She’s dead.” Great big tears gathered then dribbled down the side of his chick’s face.
“Who is, sweetheart?”
“My mother, she died getting booze for him.
”
He knew who him was without even asking. He had read the file that Garrett had left him several times over. Fifty-eight-year-old Frederick Hollister, a drunk and con man. It would seem the man had his up and downs over the years, but all in all he was a worthless piece of shit. Moving to sit on the bed, Harris pulled Melinda onto his lap and held her tightly.
“Melinda, do you remember what happened in the kitchen?” Ben asked, hovering over them both.
“I’m not sure. It was the smell of the meat I think...it brought back memories.” She lifted her head, and Harris watched her green eyes mist over as again she delved into new recollections. “My father threw a meal at me I’d cooked. He’d phoned me and demanded I bring him some food, so I did. But the only place that meal ended up was the wall and floor. I remember other things too. My mother...” She gulped in a lung full of air and choked out another sob. “The countless bruises he gave her when he failed at something or was off his head with booze, which was pretty bloody often.”
“Do you have any pain now, Chick?” Harris asked. He could smell the scent of pain wafting off her but had put it down to emotional.
“No, my head hurt at first, but all I feel now is tired.” She sighed deeply and rested the full weight of her head on his chest. He stroked his hands over her arm in a calming manner.
“What are your most recent memories?” Ben asked, putting all the items he’d used back into his doctor’s bag.
“You mean before the village?” Melinda asked, and Ben nodded. “It was the meal sliding down the wall. He had called me at work. I was pulling some overtime, trying to catch up on some stuff I had missed because of him. Anyway, my father rang and demanded I bring food as he was hungry. He also told me he had a surprise for me.” She sighed deeply again. “Even though I knew what to expect, I went over, taking him a home-cooked meal. I knew if I didn’t, he would do what he always did. He would ring me constantly or turn up at work pissed out of his head, and I was already on my last warning with the company. Juggling work and my father was more than a full-time job. When I got to his place I received a slap in the face for not being quicker, the meal ended up on the wall, and the surprise was a bill needing to be paid at the local betting shop...again. When I got home I had a message on my answering phone telling me I was fired.”
