River was more than happy to hand over the reins of the company to his cousins, and his brother took on River's town Alpha duties while he helped to care for his wife and sons.
Her men kept her busy in and out of home. When not working at the Earth moving company, they were finding delightful naughty ways to tease and pleasure her, in every corner, and on every surface, vertical or horizontal of their home.
Two weeks after capturing Bill, her men had presented her with the most beautiful ring of entwined Panthers, with diamond set eyes, asking for her hand in marriage. Officially, she was engaged to Hamish, being the older of the twins. Andy liked to tease her by saying he was her 'bit on the side.' Unofficially she would marry them both in an upcoming ceremony she was planning back in Black Town.
They arrived two days early, her men spoiling her with shopping, sightseeing and fine dining. Although she now had her own bank card with almost unlimited funds, she was happy to be earning her keep working in the Black Earth Moving office, helping keep all the paper work and files in order.
"One more week and you're officially Mrs. Brown, well in the legal sense of things." Hamish smiled down at her, bringing her thoughts back to the present.
"How droll that sounds. Mrs. Brown, you know our parents took Black and Brown as their surname over Armendarez when they immigrated to Australia from South America," Andy put in as they turned onto Williams Street, heading towards the court house.
"Why change it? I like Armen…Armendarez," she managed to roll it off her tongue.
"Lot of prejudice in the old days. Our parents suffered much, running from hunters. The hunters were also old family groups, who knew about the race of shifters. Renaming themselves was the safe and smart thing to do. Names like Smith, Black and Brown, were common and less noticeable," Hamish explained.
"They were old when they had us, and passed away just before we turned sixty."
"I'm sorry for your loss. You must miss them."
"We do. They would have been proud we found such a beautiful mate." Andy grinned, he let go of her hand and moved away a tad, as they neared the court and the barrage of media.
"Here we go," Hamish muttered. Andy acted as bodyguard pushing aside anyone who tried to get in their way, or poke a microphone in their face. Hamish kept his grip on her waist, helping her through to the main entrance of the court house.
Inside stood Detective Renview and Manning waiting in the corridor along with the prosecutor. Renview frowned, his gaze moving from her men to her as they approached.
"Are you ready, Miss Carver?" The prosecutor met her gaze.
She nodded. "Yes, I want this done and Bill put away for life."
"Good, there will be the first part of the court session then we will adjourn for a short break. After will be your time in the stand. Stick to what we rehearsed. No matter what kind of question he puts at you, stay calm. I don't doubt his lawyers will be grasping at desperate straws, but we all know it won't work."
"Great, I'm ready as I'll ever be."
~ * ~
Andy felt Juniper shudder. His gaze followed hers, landing on the evil bastard who was being led into the court room with cuffs on. Thankfully they remained on. He reached down and squeezed her hand. On her right side, Hamish put his arm around her, pulling her snugly against his side.
Hamish met his gaze over Juniper's head, rolling his eyes at his smug smile; he had the prize roll of playing doting fiancé. Which wasn't really a roll, but a privilege, despite her having both their rings on her finger.
Andy noticed Hamish's smile fell, replaced with concern as he glanced back down to their mate. Public appearances aside, they knew it was upsetting for her to see the man who'd tried to kill his own daughter, twice. Her care and comfort was paramount to them.
His gaze returned to the man, on trial. It was disturbing to see the smug confident smile on Bill's face, as if the whole thing was some sort of joke, and there was no way he could be convicted.
Anger bubbled to the surface of his emotions. He kept a tight lid on them, knowing he needed to lend his support to the woman he loved. There was something wrong, Andy could feel it, but couldn't put his finger on what.
It took an hour for the prosecutor to run through all the charges and allegations and the defense to deny and try to make light of the charges. They called forward witnesses with the police department and gave their account of the events leading up to the murders. They were leaving Juniper until last, as the final nail in Bill's coffin, so to speak.
Finally the court room adjourned, and they went out into the corridors. Neither Andy nor Hamish failed to notice how tired she looked. They had kept her up rather late last night. The memory of him inside her snug pussy as his brother took her arse, had him growing hard. Damn it, not now.
She gave a yawn and smiled up at him, her lovely blue eyes filled with utter adoration, making him fall deeper in love with her.
"It'll soon be wrapped up, sweetheart. Once your testimony is given, there's nothing left." He helped her to her feet.
Juniper stretched her back, and yawned. "I know, I'm famished and I'd better go use the bathroom before I have to sit through another hour of that."
"I'll grab you something from the café, downstairs." Andy nodded at Hamish.
"Grab me an ice coffee and no low fat shi- uh I mean no low fat milk. I'll walk Juniper to the ladies' room."
Andy chuckled, remembering back over the last time Hamish had asked for an iced coffee, and how it placed Andy into the perfect predicament to find their mate.
"Oh, Mr. Brown!" Hamish turned towards the prosecutor as he approached. "I need a word. You may be called to give testimony over how you apprehended the defendant."
"I'll be right back." Juniper smiled, patting Hamish's arm.
Andy paused, worried their mate would be left unguarded, but Hamish already had it in hand. "Wait," he grabbed her arm, before she was out of reach. "You shouldn't go alone."
"I'll escort her and stand outside." Detective Renview stepped forward. "You need to talk to Mr. Prescott. This could be important."
"See," she smiled, "I'll be fine."
The three of them walked down the glass paneled staircase, to the second floor. Andy kept on going down the next flight while Juniper headed to the bathroom with the detective in tow.
An unsettling feeling skated down Andy's spine as he reached the bottom of the stairs, and into the small café, his mind milling over the situation. Especially, the reason why Bill should be so cocky and confident?
Bill had known where to come and whose house to target, but just who had fed him the information? Juniper had stated there had to be someone on the inside of the police working for Bill. But who? Would anyone dare try to harm her here, while at court? Security in the court building was tight. But if you were a cop, there would be ways of getting things past security.
The only reason Bill could be confident he wasn't going to be convicted, is because… Juniper wouldn't be able to testify; because…she wouldn't be able to if she was hurt or dead. The informant or someone was here, determined to get to her before she could spill all her wealth of knowledge. Andy felt it right down to the tip of his tail.
His hand froze in mid-reach of the café fridge door. "Shit!" the only one they'd left her alone with was Renview. Andy bolted out the café and up the stairs.
~ * ~
"What are you doing, Detective?" Juniper eyes widened as he pulled something black and solid out of his jacket pocket. He turned and shoved it under the bathroom door. Instantly she knew no one would be able to open the door inwards with it wedged shut.
"Sorry, Miss Carver, but I'll make this as quick as possible." He pulled off his tie and advanced on her, the gleam in his eye was one she'd seen before. Her brow dipped in confusion, before widening with understanding and fear. Her body began to shake.
He's going to kill me!
"You! You're the informant. You've been working for Bill!" Her back hit the far tiled wall.
The bathroom was small with only two cubicles. The windows were clear, but high up from the ground. She doubted anyone would look up and witness her being murdered.
Move woman! No way was she just going to stand there and take it. She dove into the cubical and tried to slam the door shut, but he was just as quick, shoving it back, making her stumble over the toilet seat.
"Don't make this any harder than it is." Renview's eyes darkened in anger.
She drew a deep breath to scream, but he cut it off half scream as he slapped her hard across the face. Pain burst over the side of her face and her shoulder slammed into the corner. Her right shoulder popped and suddenly radiated in a throbbing pain. She groaned and her head swam in dizzying agony. He moved, grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She managed to shove up her hand as he tried to loop his tie around her neck, pulling it back against his body and tight around her palm and throat. She kicked out, twisting her body to struggle. One arm was useless and the other pressed against her, cutting off her air.
A loud thump, and she heard her name being yelled.
Andy! She knew his voice as her vision began to dim.
"Juniper! Hang on, baby!" Hamish yelled through the door. Renview pulled tighter, cutting off circulation in her hand.
The loud crash sounded far away as darkness descended. No, fight, you can't let them win, fight…fight… she blacked out.
~ * ~
Andy didn't care that he attracted attention as he raced up the stairs, taking them three at a time. Reaching the second level, he shot past the elevators, noticing Renview was not standing outside of the bathroom, which was conveniently tucked away in a corner of the building.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted Hamish running towards them, no doubt noticing his brother's sudden urgency. Andy shoved at the bathroom door, it wouldn't budge.
"Fuck, Juniper! Open the door, baby." The sound of struggling reached his shifter ears. Shit! He jumped back a foot and slammed his boot against the door. It gave a little, but not enough.
Hamish grabbed his arm. "Andy, together."
He nodded, moving aside slightly to let Hamish move in close. Andy let a partial shift ripple through him, summing all his Panther's strength. Together they raised their right legs and kicked.
Bang! Their combined forces ripped the door right off its hinges, sending it flying across the room and slamming into the opposite wall, cracking the far window.
Andy pushed ahead of his brother. He snarled loudly, seeing Renview with their limp mate, a cloth wrapped tightly around her throat.
White hot rage surged through Andy's veins. He grabbed the bastard by the shoulders. Clearly startled and off balance, Renview's grip on the cloth he held at Juniper's throat, fell. She crumbled into a small heap on the bathroom floor, unconscious. Hamish rushed forward to tend to their mate at the same time Andy's Panther roared in outrage at his mate being harmed. He twisted and flung the man at the already cracked window. The sound of splintering glass and Renview's scream faded quickly as he plummeted the two stories to the pavement below, hitting it with a wet thump, which Andy heard clearly with his sensitive shifter hearing.
Andy glanced down, satisfied to see him broken and unmoving on the pavement below. He seriously doubted the man would live. No one dare harm his mate and live. He turned back to his brother. Hamish was gingerly lifting her up in his arms.
"She's breathing, but hurt, bad."
Security men only now burst into the bathroom, taking stock of the ruined door, the shattered window and the man below, with a gathering, shocked crowd.
Andy straightened his shoulders, knowing his brother would take care of Juniper, while he sorted out the mess.
"Call a fucking ambulance!" Andy snapped, trying to rein in his Panther and bring his anger under control. "That fucker tried to murder the prime witness," He stated for everyone to hear.
His narrow gaze met a shocked Detective Mannings. He shook his head, the answer Andy silently sought was clear. The man had no idea his partner was a traitor.
~ * ~
"That's it, baby, slow steady breaths now." Hamish's deep soothing voice, made her struggle to open her eyes.
The odd taste of pure oxygen overwhelmed her nose as she inhaled. "Sweetheart, you had us worried for a moment." She blinked and Hamish's worried brown eyes came into focus. He cradled her in his arms. She turned her head to look at Andy kneeling by her side. He held the mask to her face. Standing behind him was an annoyed looking man in a paramedic's uniform.
She suddenly remembered Renview bolting upright in Hamish's arms, struggling in sudden panic, which sent bolts of pain shooting through her arm, not to mention the throbbing pain in the side of her face.
"Renview!" she gasped, still feeling the tie around her throat, tears in her eyes.
"Easy, love, he hit you pretty bad." He sat her up, glancing at her arm. "Fuck, it looks dislocated."
"Mr. Brown, please let me do my job now." The young looking paramedic moved in closer. Andy rose to his feet, stepping aside to let the paramedic move it to assess her, his pale blue eyes sympathetic as he gently touched her shoulder, concern marring his brow. "We need to get you into the ambulance, Miss Carver. It will need to be x-rayed, and you may have a concussion."
He motioned for the other waiting paramedic to come forward with the stretcher.
"Wait, what happened with Renview? He tried to…"
Again someone had tried to kill her, someone she trusted. Emotions of betrayal and hurt swam in her chest. If not for her men…she choked back a sob.
"Shhh, baby girl, he can't hurt you now, you're safe. In fact he's on his way to hospital after Andy threw him through a window. Renview hit the pavement pretty hard."
Glancing up at Andy in surprise, yet…guilt swamped her as she didn't feel one ounce of remorse for what Andy had done.
"He may or may not survive." Andy shrugged; she saw the look of 'I hope he dies and burns in hell,' gleam in Andy's eyes. He had done that for her, killed for her.
She swallowed painfully, her throat sore. "Are you alright?"
Andy's smile was breathtakingly loving. He nodded. "I'm fine, sweetheart, this old cat is tough. We all are, remember that. Right now it's time to take care of you."
Hamish helped her onto the stretcher. The paramedics strapped her in and handed her a green, pain relieving whistle, filled with laughing gas, to suck on for the pain.
"I'm going with her," Hamish stated. The men just nodded. "I'll get a cab and make a few calls," Andy said, stepping back. She glanced at him, needing both her mates, reaching out her good arm to him.
"It's alright; I'll be with you soon." He smiled reassuringly.
She hated having to still pretend she was marrying only one of the Brown brothers. She nodded, tears swimming in her eyes, her mind a little fuzzy from pain and her magic pain whistle. She drew another breath in when the pain in her shoulder grew intense.
She watched as he drew in a steady breath, nodded at Hamish and walked toward the prosecutor hovering by the side lines, along with a few other spectators.
"If Andy hadn't worked it out in time, and ran back up the stairs…" Hamish gripped the trolley as they wheeled her into the lift. "It would have been too late."
She saw his jaw clench in clear anger, then softened as his gaze met hers. "But you saved yourself, baby girl, if your hand hadn't been between your neck and the tie…it shouldn't have happened."
Worry swamped her… "But, w…what about the trial?"
"Bastard Bill's not going anywhere. This time they're all going down love. Don't you worry about it, Mr. Prescott will deal with the fall out of this attempt on your life. If Renview survives, he'll be going down too. All I want you to do now is relax and not worry about anything, okay?"
She trusted her men with her life, her soul and her love. She nodded. "Okay."
Chapter Fifteen
Hamish peered into the bedroom. They arrived home late last night after securing the first flight back to
Sydney. Juniper's unusually subdued manner worried him, but she was safe, enclosed in Andy's arms as Hamish drove the two and a half hours back to Black Town.
She'd fallen into bed. It was now late afternoon the next day. The only sign she'd been awake at times was the now empty water glass on the bedside table. They thought it best to leave her alone and simply let her sleep.
Hamish noted the bruise from yesterday was slowly fading. The medical team had popped back her dislocated shoulder, cleared her from having a concussion, gave her some pain pills and sent her on her way. Both he and Andy knew she would heal much quicker, being mated to them. It was one breath of air in the whole sordid mess.
It should have never happened. His fists and jaw clenched at the thought. How Renview thought he could get away with killing Juniper was beyond him. Why did he even attempt it in such a public place as the court house? The man must have been very desperate to try. No doubt, if Bill was convicted he'd bring the deck of cards tumbling down with him. Stacked within the pile was the now ex-detective.
The police hadn't pressed any charges against Andy. No one had actually witnessed Renview being thrown out the window. He was the one now in a coma, on life support, not Juniper.
Hamish heaved a deep sigh. It was good to be home and away from the media storm it had caused. River Black had already come and reamed Andy a new one for making it so public. Putting them and their town in the firing line of the media.
At the same time their cousin was sympathetic to their plight, knowing how important it was to protect their mate. As a community, they would deal with the fall out of what had happened.
"She still asleep?" Andy frowned as Hamish walked down the stairs into the kitchen where Andy was pulling out containers from the fridge. It was filled with food the ladies of the town had provided, after hearing what had happened down in Melbourne.
The Purrfect Predicament (Australian Shifters) Page 13
