by Lacey Thor
Amia stood and paced the room. Her gaze flicked repeatedly toward Emery, and at first, Quinn thought it was just a cursory check on the baby. But it wasn’t. There was more to it, a longing Quinn hadn’t noted at first. Amia wasn’t anxious to hold Emery. She’d been anxious because he was something she longed for. It made sense, too. Both Abby and Diane had babies. Then Darby and her mate had joined the pride and had twins. Now both Laura and Kenzie were expecting while Amia and Reno still hadn’t been blessed with a baby.
“Do you think he did something to you?”
Amia froze at Quinn’s question, and her lids closed over her eyes, locking away the agony Quinn had glimpsed in the other woman’s gaze.
“My father had Talbot plant a tracking device in my shoulder. They found it when Reno took me to Colorado. Looking back, there were several times when Talbot was there. I’d be dragged back, drugged, then…buried while they decided what to do with me.”
Quinn felt guilty for asking the other woman to bare her soul when she wasn’t willing to do the same. It was hypocritical.
“I’m sorry, Amia. You don’t have to share this with me. I shouldn’t have asked.”
The other woman finally looked at Quinn, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“I need to know if Talbot did anything to prevent me from conceiving or carrying a child. I don’t know if you know this, but Laura is missing an ovary. It was taken from her when she was captured briefly. She didn’t know until Diane and Gideon discovered it. It made me wonder what could have been done to me that I don’t know about.”
“Talbot enjoys taking reproductive organs. He likes playing God by both creating and destroying. It’s possible if he was there, that he did something. Why haven’t you asked Diane or Gideon or hell, even Tony or Jensen Holloway to take a look for you? Even Tony’s man, Drake, would take a look for you and not say a word to anyone. Why carry the worry when you could know one way or another?”
“Because what if there’s nothing wrong with me? What if the truth is, nature has decided I’m simply unworthy of carrying Reno’s child?” The tears fell from Amia’s eyes, streaking down her face. “How do I deal with that?”
Quinn couldn’t hold herself away any longer. She stood and crossed to Amia, knowing she’d do anything to help the other woman. As Amia clung to her and cried, Quinn realized something else. Amia had chosen her to confide in, and she wouldn’t let her down. They’d get their answers.
“I’m in,” she whispered then pulled back until she could meet Amia’s gaze. “What do you have in mind?”
Chapter Thirteen
Clean up was way too reminiscent of some of the war-torn countries Mitch had been in while in the military. There were numerous bodies to deal with, on top of the others that had been stacking up since the attacks had first begun. Definitely not something he’d expected to deal with in the small hub of Riverton, Oklahoma. Still, they’d put it off too long, needing to take a few days while focus was on those still fighting to survive. Finally, they’d decided to deal with the aftermath.
“You planning to stay at the farmhouse with Quinn now?”
Jonah walked up beside him, dusting his hands on his jeans as the sun baked down on them. They’d been through so much shit together that neither of them even blinked at what they were dealing with now.
“The plan before shit went fubar was to make arrangements to move her into the cabin. I’d planned to chat with you about that before everything went down.”
“You two can take the cabin. I can bunk anywhere,” Jonah offered.
“I think I want you there. At least, for now. If you’re comfortable with it.”
“You want backup if they come again.”
Yeah, Jonah knew him well, but Mitch still corrected him.
“When they come for her. It’s not going to stop. Especially if the group was able to get out any intel, letting others know she’s still alive and kicking.”
“I’ve got my thoughts on that. Walk with me.”
Jonah set off, and Mitch followed. Neither said a word until they were well out of earshot. Mitch was well aware of what Jonah thought just by his actions. Hell, now, it was all that went through his mind.
“You think they have inside help.”
Jonah nodded. “I think we’d be stupid not to look at the possibility. It would certainly explain how they were able to make it as far as they did. The previous attacks may have been to check our reaction times and our level of response. But that team knew where to go to get to Quinn. Lucky guess? Maybe. Can’t really discredit that as we’ve lucked into things ourselves at times.”
“But it makes sense that someone could have been watching from the inside and deciding where they needed to be to facilitate the hunting parties the best. Son of a bitch!” Mitch exploded. “I’m fucking going over every mission we’ve had since we came here, and every time shit went sideways. We could have a fucking mole. How the hell did we not realize that?”
“Because stuff going sideways is the norm for what we do. And really, how fucking naïve of us.” Jonah’s hands clenched at his sides, disgust showing clearly on his face. “Why haven’t we thought they have teams doing for them the same thing we do for the shifters? Infiltrate and take them down from the inside. Someone could definitely be here. For who the hell knows how long. And if so, they’ve been watching and waiting, slipping out intel and tearing us down from the inside.”
“Where would they be hiding? One of our guys? One of the shifters who’s shown up here? It fucking kills me that we don’t know. Hell, what if this person has gotten in with the main pride?” Mitch didn’t know which direction to turn.
“Main pride is rock solid. No one there would be suspect. But there’s that new group of shifters that came in. And we have to take a look at our own men. Alpha team is solid. Tony vets all of us personally.”
“True,” Mitch agreed, taking a look at everything around them.
So many people. More than any of them probably realized. The pride was growing. Even now, another doctor was set to arrive within the next few days. She’d been talking with Abby, Diane, and Professor Mueller, and they’d invited her to come take a look. No one had told her exactly what she’d be getting herself into yet, but if she arrived soon, she’d see firsthand. There was no way to hide the four people in the med center all shot up and fighting for survival. Not to mention the condition of the room where Quinn had been staying. It was a fucking blood bath that had spilled outward with the riddle of bullet holes.
“I think you need to keep Quinn at the farmhouse with Tony. We’ll pull in the rest of alpha team. Most are there anyway. That house is our best place of defense. Worst case scenario, we take her and the baby down where Talbot is being kept and lock it down.”
“Christ, I don’t want her anywhere near that fucking monster. Not after the shit he did to her.” Mitch rolled his shoulders, trying to work out the tension gripping him. Then he gave up. Only one thing would ease his tension. “I’m heading back to the house.”
“Talk to Tony. You know how well his mind works. He’ll mull it over until he’s got it narrowed down. We’ll need to make sure he gets with Reno and Logan on this. They need to be involved every step of the way. Those are their people fighting for their lives in there.”
Mitch nodded. Jonah was right. They had to work as a team. Reno and Logan needed to be pulled in. Hell, they needed to have at least one of the alpha wolves as well as the coyote alpha, and Jensen Holloway in the know. Whoever this mole was, they knew another hit on the heels of the first could net them pay dirt when it came to alphas.
“How long have you been thinking this?” he asked Jonah.
“Since that team made it in that far. Every moment while I’ve been doing perimeter checks over the last few days. While I was moving bodies. Can’t stop mulling over things in my head, trying to figure out how they got as far as they did. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“You’re right. I’m goin
g to stop by the med center on my way back. See who I can corral and speak with. See if you can get in touch with the coyote alpha. He’s friends with Daniel and Gabriel. He lost a brother in one of the attacks. He needs to know what’s going on. Hell, it could be one of his people for all we know. Fuck! I hate this shit.”
“I’ll reach out to him. Want me to give Tony a heads up?” Jonah asked.
“Yeah, go ahead. Make sure Aleksy is there. And tell them I’m alerting the others. Discreetly. Main pride and shifter group alphas along with Tony and the Alpha team. That’s it. We’ll want to meet and get a plan in place.”
“I’ll make the calls then head back to the cabin and grab our stuff. I’ll bunk in the room next to you and Quinn. A room away in case anything goes bump in the night.”
“Sounds good. And Jonah…”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
Jonah slapped him on the shoulder hard enough to jar him forward a step. “I’ve always got your back. You know that.”
Yeah, he did. Didn’t mean Mitch wasn’t grateful for it and Jonah.
Mitch took off, breaking into a jog and using the steady rhythm to mull over everything Jonah had just brought to his mind. He also thought about what Jonah hadn’t said. Mitch was off his game. He’d been so wrapped up in Quinn that he couldn’t see what was right in front of his face. He wouldn’t give himself any shit over it, but he was grateful he had Jonah to watch his six.
He pulled open the door of the medical building and darted inside, heading for Tah’s room first. He figured Reno would be there as well as Logan. He could talk to them first. Privately. They’d all have to play things close to the chest to keep their spy out of the loop, if they had one.
He lucked out and found Logan along with one of the wolves in the corridor between Tah’s and Professor Mueller’s rooms. The wolf was his friend Derrick, alpha of the largest wolf pack and the head of all the wolf packs according to the other packs’ alphas. The four alpha wolves had formed an alliance and even shared the same mate among them. Mitch had no idea how the woman put up with four alphas. Then again, Jess Mueller was in a class all her own. She was as fierce as they came and hands down one of the most intelligent people he’d ever met. It was why he’d asked Jonah to call her to help with Quinn. He was doubly glad he had since she’d arrived just when they needed her most.
“How are they doing?” Mitch asked as he joined the other two, who stood to face him.
Derrick immediately pulled him in for a hard hug. They’d been friends for a long time. Mitch, Jonah, and their team had even managed to save the wolves’ asses when a group of hunters had been after Jess and managed to take Derrick and Adrian, one of the other alpha wolves, hostage. Cody and Michael, the other two in the alpha wolf pack, had reached out to them for help. Thankfully, Jonah had already infiltrated the group, and it was only a matter of time before they were able to get in and get the wolves out. That had been when Mitch and Jonah first met Jess and her father, Professor Mueller, or David as he’d told them to call him.
“Cody’s in with him now. He’s holding on.”
Derrick appeared drained. Mitch bet he was equally worried about his mate as he was his father-in-law. Jess would run herself ragged trying to take care of her father, which definitely wouldn’t be good if the hunter speculation was true and she was pregnant. Mitch wouldn’t ask, though. He figured if Jess and her mates wanted him to know, they’d tell him.
“Jess?” Mitch asked.
Derrick gave a genuine smile. “I got her to take a break from her bedside vigil with her dad, so she went to sit with Abby at Tah’s bedside.”
Mitch grinned. That sounded like Jess. Plus, she’d want to be there for her best friend.
“And Tah?” Mitch turned to include Logan.
“Diane wants to keep him under for another day. Same with Gabriel. They’re both lucky they survived. They took the brunt of the attack.”
“Tah wouldn’t have wanted it any other way,” Mitch offered.
“No, he wouldn’t have,” Logan agreed. “But, damn, I hate seeing Abby so torn apart. And little Regan. She doesn’t want to leave her daddy’s room. Cries until Abby takes her back to his bed and lets her curl up next to her daddy. Christ, that kid is tearing my heart out.”
Regan had the whole main pride wrapped around her fingers. There was very little they wouldn’t do for her. And she was still little. He couldn’t imagine what she’d be like when she was older. Even Tony was under the baby girl’s thrall.
“Is Reno here, as well?” Mitch asked, trying to keep his tone light. Something must have slipped through because both men came to attention. He gave a slight shake of his head. “Not here,” he murmured.
“What’s going on?” Logan demanded.
“Not here,” Mitch repeated, glancing around to see if anyone was watching them.
Logan clenched his fists and growled. His animal was riding close to the surface. Then, most of the shifters were dealing with that in the aftermath of the latest attack. Tempers ran high as everyone felt helpless while they watched and waited, hoping Tah, Gabriel, Professor Mueller, and Vic pulled through.
Logan opened and closed his mouth several times but didn’t say anything. Mitch knew he was working through his own thoughts and knew from the light of fire in Logan’s gaze when he came to the same conclusion as Jonah.
“Mole,” the shifter breathed the word, keeping it so low Mitch wasn’t sure he even spoke it or if he’d read Logan’s lips. Either way, he nodded in agreement.
“Sonofabitch!” Logan snarled. “I’ll fill Reno in. Meet at the main house in ten?”
“I’d say give us an hour,” Mitch suggested. “And keep everything on a need to know.”
“We’ll be there,” Logan promised then moved away, not toward Tah’s room, but down the hallway toward Vic’s. Reno must have gone there while Jess was in with Abby.
“I’ll have Michael go with Reno,” Derrick offered. “He’ll fill in the rest of us.”
“Keep your eyes open,” Mitch warned.
Derrick’s gaze narrowed before he gave a short nod and moved to enter Tah’s room. Mitch doubted Jess would be allowed out of Derrick’s sight for the rest of their time with the pride. Not that she was ever without one of her mate’s. They guarded her with a ferocity that befitted their species.
Having accomplished part of his goal, Mitch headed back the way he’d entered, pausing when a scream of rage filled the air. It echoed through the corridors, bringing people out of rooms to look around. The anguish was soul deep. It was the cry of a wounded animal, one that called to the beast inside every shifter within hearing distance. It was the woman who called to Mitch. He took off at a run, heading straight into her fury.
Chapter Fourteen
Quinn didn’t mind Amia driving them back to the med center Quinn had called home for far too long. Hell, she didn’t really have a home yet. She’d simply moved from the pride’s facility to Tony’s house. Neither was a home. They were just temporary bases while she got her shit together.
At the moment, she was taking her son back to the medical center, so Diane could check him over again. Make sure he was strong and healthy and there were no issues developing that Quinn was unaware of. She held him close, snuggling him against her while Amia drove them. She was still mulling over Amia’s plan.
“That’s your big idea? Lock ourselves in with Talbot and get him to talk?” Quinn shook her head. “You really don’t know that much about Talbot, do you?”
“I know enough. I have a scar courtesy of one of his tools. And a phobia of small, enclosed spaces. That’s a real winner.”
“You know what he’s capable of, but you don’t know how his mind works. It’ll take more than locking ourselves in there and demanding answers. That won’t get us anywhere, Amia. We need a plan. A solid plan.”
“Then let’s come up with one. Reno’s staying close to the medical center. Mitch is dealing with the hunters. Once you’re done
at the checkup, we have the rest of the day to think of a plan.”
Amia drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove.
“Reno said he’s expecting you—Talbot that is. He kept saying you’d come for him. That they couldn’t stop you. He’s waiting for you. Any ideas why?”
Amia flicked a glance Quinn’s way before turning her gaze forward again. A million scenarios went through Quinn’s head.
“Because he’s not finished yet.”
“With you?”
Quinn nodded. Talbot would never be finished with her. He’d never leave her alone.
“Because he knows I gave birth.”
“I don’t think he does,” Amia admitted.
“Because he wants to fuck with my mind some more. Remind me that I’m his creation. That I belong to him.”
“You know that’s not true, right?” Amia threw another glance Quinn’s way. “He didn’t create you, and you sure as hell don’t belong to him.”
Would they still think that when they knew all the things he’d done to her? The things he’d forced her to do? Would she lose any chance of staying with the pride? Would she lose Mitch?
“Answers, then. I need them, and he has them. What did he do to me? Why am I exhibiting animal behavior, including their advanced healing, when I’m human? Or, at least, I was before Talbot got his hands on me. What other changes can I expect? What about my son? Did he do anything to him?”
Her heart punched in her chest at the thought of her son experiencing some anomaly they weren’t prepared for. She needed to know he was okay. That he would remain okay. Diane could keep watch for some things, but they needed to know what Talbot had tinkered with while Emery was in utero.
“You know he did something,” Amia stated quietly. “You had open incisions when Ariel found you.”
