“Beck and me never took our guns off at the same time,” Badger said. “One of us always stayed awake at the house.”
“It was hell on a love life,” Beck grumbled in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.
Something occurred to Ken. “So you didn’t just ship her to Florida for her own good because she was a Prime?”
Peyton’s smile looked grim. “Until she turned eighteen, no one was allowed to specifically know where she was besides me and Trent, Badger and Beck, and our mates. We told a lot of stories to people about her traveling around to help out in different areas. Some people knew she was based in Florida, but you have to remember, people who’d seen her fight were terrified of her. What bad apples there were didn’t want to be anywhere near her.” He laughed. “One time, I told a small group up in Maine that I’d send her up there to straighten their shit out if they didn’t learn to get along and quit their petty bickering. Within a week they reported back that everything was fine and cancelled their request for an Enforcer.”
“Scared the piss right outta them,” Badger said.
“Shit, she kicked my ass sparring more times than I can count,” Beck said. “Nothing kills a man’s ego faster than a woman who pulls her punches while fighting because she’s afraid of hurting him,” he added with a grumble.
“What about her friends?” Ken asked.
All three shifter men looked at each other and snorted in laughter. “What friends?” Badger managed first. “She scared the crap outta pups her age. Human children weren’t willing to go near her. She was fine with adults. It wasn’t until she went to high school here that she managed to make a couple of acquaintances. And even then she was old enough to know not to get too friendly with them.”
Peyton let out a sigh. “I take full responsibility for this,” he said. “I got careless. I should have asked for ID when I interviewed prospects and sent Dewi copies of everything. Beck, the picture you sent me of the guy, that’s not the guy I interviewed. I wonder when he killed the real Palmer.” He sadly shook his head. “I never dreamed this was simply an old vendetta. We were completely wrong about his motives.” He looked at Ken. “Scratch what I told you earlier, Ken. It’s what we thought, but obviously, we were wrong about the guy’s reason.”
“Not completely wrong,” Badger corrected. “We just didn’t know his full motivations.”
“Why didn’t he go after you and Trent?” Ken asked.
“Because we were too well surrounded. He didn’t dare. Besides, we knew our parents loved us, but they doted on Dewi.” The shifter’s eyes grew misty. “Mom didn’t think she’d be able to have more pups. I was a C-section because she had problems delivering me. The doctors told her she wouldn’t get pregnant again.” His gaze dropped to the floor.
As the situation snapped into total focus in Ken’s mind, he realized the truth. “You just told her you were sending her away because you didn’t want to have to risk hurting her.”
All three shifter men slowly nodded, and the last vestiges of Ken’s resentment toward Dewi’s brothers evaporated.
Even crusty Badger looked distraught. His voice sounded thick with emotion. “She was their darling. Peyton’s right. They loved their sons, but Dewi was their miracle. It was no secret to anyone that she was their little princess. You wouldn’t find a fiercer mother than Chelsea. But she longed for a little girl to spoil rotten. Endquist couldn’t have picked a better way to rip Charlie and Chelsea’s hearts outta their chests than what he did.”
Beck waited until it was obvious Badger was too choked up to continue to pick up the narrative thread. He sounded quiet and sadder than Ken could ever remember hearing. “The pics on the fucktard’s laptop were scanned in. Obviously, the original crime took place before digital cameras. Looks like he used an old instant. Probably a Polaroid, from the looks of them. A couple of the pictures, you can see numbers or parts of numbers in the borders, like he wrote on them as he took them. And the file names have consecutive numbers that match that order.”
He swallowed as a catch developed in his voice. “If that’s true, it looks like he broke in, grabbed Dewi from her crib, and then tied them up. Probably told them he’d hurt Dewi if they didn’t comply. No way would they risk Dewi’s safety. Once they were tied up, he beat Dewi, then beat Charlie and Chelsea before he raped Chelsea. He…”
Beck coughed to clear his throat. “He killed Charlie first. Then Chelsea. He obviously wanted revenge against Chelsea. And we know from what Ken heard during the fight that Endquist was interrupted by us showing up. And in one of the earlier pictures you can see the clock that used to sit on their mantle. The time was fifteen minutes before we got there.”
Peyton sat listening, hunched over with his head lowered and his hands clasped together between his knees. “Thank you, Ken,” he said. “Thank you for saving her.” When he looked up, Ken spotted his red eyes, the too-bright look as if he hovered on the unstoppable verge of tears. “No matter what it is, no matter what you want, you ask, and it’s done. I swear it, Sir. Trent and I couldn’t have asked for a better mate for our baby sister.”
Ken didn’t know what to say, so he nodded. “I don’t even know how I did it,” he mumbled.
Beck reached over and clasped his shoulder, gently squeezing. “Even better. It means you love her enough not to think. It’s instinctive.”
“There’s no deeper, truer love than that,” Badger said with a decisive nod. Then he excused himself and left the room. Somewhere in the house, they heard him loudly blow his nose.
Chapter Twenty-One
Over the next several days, plans were made for Ken to begin revamping their computer network. After Peyton signed off on the plans and purchases, he had to return to Idaho.
Ken admitted he was sad to see the man go. Peyton truly had welcomed him into the family. He treated Ken like an equal.
Like a brother, only in all the good ways.
Beck had also returned to his home in Lutz, just north of Tampa, although he came over every day. The Enforcers still had jobs to do despite Dewi’s new relationship status and the recent events. Dewi also took on one of the candidates, whom Peyton met again personally before he left to confirm he was one he’d interviewed.
And Ken was due for another visit from their friendly personal shifter doctor. He was startled when the doctor, in a huge rig that turned out to be a portable hospital on wheels, declared the cast could come off. An x-ray showed his leg had healed enough to remove the cast. He was more surprised to find out the doctor was actually a practicing veterinarian.
“You’re a vet?”
Dr. Collins smiled as Ken sat on the exam table in the back of his RV, which had been equipped with human medical supplies and equipment. “Don’t worry. I have a degree both in human medicine and veterinary medicine. I’m eighty-five years old. I had to switch fields or it would have gotten suspicious. I keep this as my portable office for the pack. I have another rig for on-site animal care.”
The doctor looked like he was barely forty. “Why am I healing so fast?” Ken asked.
“I expected some rapid healing because you’re an Alpha’s mate. That’s not unusual at all. I figured a minimum of three to four weeks on the leg. This is even beyond my expectations. It must be because she’s a Prime.”
Dewi stuck her head inside. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine, kiddo. Come help me take your hubby’s cast off.”
She blushed. “We’re not married…yet.” She smiled at Ken.
Ken grinned. “Soon. Peyton wants you married off in Idaho so he and Trent can throw us a proper wedding.” He’d held that secret back.
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yep.”
She grinned. “I’ll get the Hummer’s oil changed. No, wait, we’ll take the Saleen. No, maybe we should take the CRV—”
He kissed her, silencing her. “We’re flying, silly.”
Her grinned widened. “You’ll fly for me?”
/> “Apparently you’ve rubbed off on me.”
“No pun intended,” the doctor joked.
“No,” Ken said with a laugh, “the pun absolutely was intended.”
The End
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About the Author
Author Lesli Richardson, who is better-known by her Tymber Dalton pen name, lives in the Tampa Bay region of Florida with her husband (aka “The World’s Best Husband™”) and too many pets. She writes a wide variety of heat levels and genres, from mainstream all the way to scorching-hot erotic ménage. Active in the BDSM lifestyle and a recent newcomer to the running sport of “hashing,” the two-time EPIC winner is also the bestselling author of over forty books such as The Reluctant Dom, Cardinal’s Rule, Cross Country Chaos, Out of the Darkness, the Love Slave for Two series, the Triple Trouble wolf shifter series, and many more.
She loves to hear from readers! Please feel free to drop by her website and sign up for her newsletter to keep abreast of the latest news, views, snarkage, and releases. (Don’t forget to look up her writing alter egos Tymber Dalton, Tessa Monroe, and Macy Largo.)
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