by T. S. Ryder
"You stole from Jamie. I know you're trying to set me up to marry so you can steal from me, too. You have never said a kind word to either of us in our lives unless you wanted something. You're not our mother. You're not worthy of that title."
Electric pain shot down Jamie’s spine and wrapped around her stomach. It spread like a hand over her stomach and dug its claws into her. Jamie grasped her belly, unable to stop a scream from bursting from her. Her Panther withdrew, burying so deep into her chest she almost couldn't feel her. Jamie's heart spiked as black and white spots flashed before her eyes. The pain came again and she screamed again.
No! It was too early. This couldn’t happen. Not now.
"Hang on baby," she whispered, arms around her belly. "Just a few more weeks."
The pain faded. She became aware that Katrina was by her side, an arm around her shoulder, and she was half-slumped on her sister. It took effort, but Jamie straightened up. Her baby squirmed inside her and she moaned, grateful for that small motion letting her know she was still okay in there. She braced herself for more pain, but none came.
"Call the doctor," Jamie told Katrina. "I want her to come check me out."
Katrina nodded and pulled her cellphone from her pocket. They had both programmed the doctor's number into their phones in case of emergency. Leila remained where she was, but her face was paler and her hands twisted.
"Jamie, I'm serious," Leila said. "I don't want to see what happened to Emily happen to you. If you're not going to come home, at least let me stay here with you. You're stronger than she was, but I won't be able to rest until I see this baby delivered healthily."
Jamie was tempted to let her stay. Even though she knew that having Leila around would be one more stress that she didn't want to deal with, the idea of having another person around in case something went wrong was comforting. If she couldn’t have Ryan . . .
"Don't listen to her," Katrina hissed. "Daddy set up a second trust fund for each of us when we had children. I wonder why she never even told us about those."
Of course. Jamie laughed at her own naivety. Maybe there was part of Leila that cared about them, but her greed seriously overshadowed it. There was no place for a woman like that in her life. She shook her head as she glared at the older woman.
"You never cared about us."
"Don't be silly. Of course I—"
"No!" Jamie's hands clenched. "No. I'm not going to listen to you anymore. You didn't care when Daddy died. You didn't care when Emily died. All you care about is your money and your little personality-less boy toy Jeremy. Go home to him and tell him that he's about to lose all the luxury you've stolen from us."
"Jamie—"
"Get out."
Leila's eyes widened.
"I said out." Jamie's voice was low and even.
Leila opened her mouth, then closed it. What looked like actual tears glimmered in her eyes, but Jamie ignored them. She wasn't going to just turn over and forget everything that her mother had done to her and her sister just because she shed a few tears that might or might not be real. Her shoulders pinched tight as Leila slowly walked away.
After she was gone, Katrina called the doctor. But by the time she arrived, the contractions had stopped and it was confirmed as false labor.
"Try to avoid stress," the doctor advised unhelpfully. "And you should stay in bed and get plenty of rest."
Jamie nodded. After Katrina showed the doctor out, her sister returned to Jamie and settled down on the couch, twisting her hands. Her lower lip trembled as she was clearly trying to stop herself from crying. Jamie's heart twisted as well, a crushing feeling settling in her chest. That was it. Leila was out of their lives.
"What are we going to do now?' Katrina asked. "With Ryan gone and Mother . . . What are we going to do?"
Jamie grasped her cold hands and tried to look reassuring. "We are going to look after each other. We're going to be the strong, badass women we are and get through this together. Ryan is going to get Jordon and clear his name, but until that happens we'll be fine. You and me, the Panther sisters."
"Right." Katrina gave her a watery smile as she wiped her eyes. "We're going to be fine. It'll work out . . . It has to work out."
"It will," Jamie assured her. "We are going to be fine. But for now, we need to call up the banks and freeze all our assets until we can make sure that Leila can't get her grubby hands on them . . . and find a new accountant to handle our affairs."
Katrina nodded. As they started looking up various accounting firms, Jamie's stomach twisted tighter. She wanted Ryan to be with them. She wanted to hear his assurances that everything was going to be fine. She wanted him. Her eyes filled with tears no matter how hard she fought them.
Come home quickly, she prayed.
Chapter Sixteen – Ryan
One Week Later
Was Jamie okay?
It was the question Ryan wanted answered more than anything – even more so than where Jordon was and how to stop him. Being completely cut off from his wife was harder than he thought it was going to be. He was her husband. He should be by her side running midnight shopping sprees to get ice cream and pickles and whatever other stuff she would be craving. Instead, he couldn't even call her to see how she was doing.
She would be at twelve weeks now. Four more to go, but it wasn't uncommon for babies to come early. That was the problem with Shifter babies. There was the norm, but they could easily fall outside that norm by weeks without any detriment. Or the baby could be born too soon or too late and risk both its own and its mother's health.
He brought his mind back to his current situation when a small, thin man appeared in the doorway of the seedy bar he was in: his informant, Aaron. He had his fingers on the pulse of the city and knew everything. Normally, he would give Ryan a hard time before giving him any information, but he was loyal to the pack – at least almost as loyal to it as he was to himself – and was helping Ryan for free as a favor.
"So, your wife has kicked her mother out of her mansion," Aaron said as he settled down across from Ryan. "They say she had a bit of a panicked call to the doctor, too."
Ryan tensed as his heart jumped to his throat. "Is she okay?"
"Yeah. There's an investigation into her mother, though. Leila? A manipulative wench if I've ever seen one."
"Are you sure she's okay? Why did she need to call the doctor? Is the baby okay?" Ryan pressed on.
"She had some intense false labor, but she's fine. I had one of my contacts pinch her files from the doctor's office. Everything is fine with the baby. And look here." Aaron drew a picture from his pocket. "From the latest ultrasound."
Ryan took the picture and gazed down at it. He had a hard time discerning the baby in the grainy black and white image, but seeing it helped to ease the twisting of his heart. He let out a deep breath and slipped the picture into his own pocket before nodding at Aaron. "Thank you."
The man inclined his head. "Free of charge. I know how it can be – being separated from the people you love."
"And what about Jordon?" Ryan leaned forward, eyes intent.
They had these meetings every week, and so far the information he'd gathered was just enough for him to map out Jordon's movements. He was definitely in the city and he was definitely planning something, but even in the whispers on the street, there was little information. Lots of the smaller criminal rings were packing up shop and leaving, though, so they could sense something huge was about to happen.
Aaron glanced around for a moment before he shook his head. "There are whispers in his organization about you. He knows you're after him, and he's putting pressure on all his contacts to find you. Dead or alive, he wants you contained. They say that the new head of the Guard is having quite the manhunt for you as well."
It was true. Evading the Guard was as difficult as stopping Jordon's assassins from finding him.
"Right. Any information about that?"
Aaron shook his head. "You should know t
hat Jordon's also planning something with your wife. I don't know what it is," he continued, holding up a hand as Ryan surged to his feet. "And I'm not going to ask more about it. I've got people of my own I have to look after. Jordon's gone underground and any more digging will draw attention to me and my people."
"My wife—"
"Is your problem." Aaron stood. "I know this is hard for you, but I'm getting out of the city before whatever he's planning goes down. I suggest you give up on this. Grab your wife and get the hell out of here before all hell breaks loose."
Ryan jumped to his feet and grabbed Aaron's arm. "Listen—"
"No. You listen. I'm not going to end up dead over this. This is the last time I'm going to meet with you."
Ryan snarled under his breath, but if they kept arguing, it'd only draw attention. He released Aaron and glared at the man as he left the bar. Ryan sank back down. If it wasn't such a serious situation, he'd be tempted to get drunk. But that would only put him, and everybody he cared about, at risk.
He paid for his drink (which he hadn't touched) and slipped out. He pulled up the hood of his sweater and he pushed a pair of sunglasses onto his face as he stepped out. Keeping his head bowed, he gave himself a limp as he walked down the street.
The conversation played over and over in his head as he headed back to the tiny apartment he'd paid for in cash. It was a crappy, dumpy place that smelled strongly of rodents and cockroaches, but it was out of the way and offered several escape routes should he be discovered.
Once in his apartment, he pulled out the picture of the ultrasound again and gazed at the indistinct face. His baby. Would he ever meet her?
Jordon was going after Jamie. It was clear that he was using her as bait to lure him out. But if Ryan revealed himself by going back to Jamie, he would either be arrested or killed. Perhaps he could call her and warn her to get out of the city, but her calls were most probably monitored as well. Sean was smart – he'd have all his angles covered. By contacting Jamie, Ryan would just put her at greater risk.
He kicked the wall, frustration and fear twisting in his chest. He hadn't gotten enough information. All these weeks on the run and where had it gotten him? He ground his teeth.
It didn't matter if Jordon was setting a trap to lure him out. He couldn’t just sit back and let Jamie be targeted. He sifted through the fake identifications he'd picked up since he had been on the run and found the two he'd had made for Jamie and Katrina just yesterday. With these, they'd be able to get on a plane and out of the country – out of Jordon's immediate reach.
And after he got them out of the country, he'd go full-throttle against Jordon. He would no longer fear for his wife. He'd put her from his mind and destroy the Gorilla no matter the cost.
Ryan tucked a gun into his waistband, heart pounding. That would most likely get him killed, but what choice did he have? The situation was urgent, and he was desperate for results. Something had to happen, or else Jordon would be successful in his plan and they'd descend into chaos.
Just before Ryan was about the leave the apartment, he paused. Maybe there was another way . . . Jordon was going after Jamie to force his hand, so maybe he had to force Jordon's hand as well. Was there a way to do that?
Yes, there was.
His heart pounded shallowly as he grabbed the burner cell that he'd gotten and dialed the head of his Elite, Ross. After Sean took over the Guard, he'd have been made into the second, but Ryan knew the man was secretly in love with Sean and would never turn against him. He was the perfect person to get information to him without it being obvious.
"Hello?" Ross answered after one ring.
"It's Ryan. Sean is working with Jordon. I need you to arrest him," Ryan said as he headed down the stairs. "Jordon is planning something big. I've found where he is hiding and I'm going after him right now. I'm going to take him out before he has the chance to hurt anybody else. I expect I'll die . . . Tell the alpha I died in her service."
"Sir—"
Ryan hung up before Ross could argue. There. That was finished. Now Sean would get the information and think that Ryan really was going after Jordon. So Sean would then warn the Gorilla, spurring him into action. He'd be forced to set his plans into motion, revealing his presence.
The only question was whether he could get Jamie out of the city before it went down. He called her number but there was no answer. Katrina didn't answer either. He left a voice message on both of their phones, telling them to get out of the city, and prayed that it would be enough. Because if it wasn't . . .
Well, then he would kill Jordon for certain. Forget trials or justice. He'd be out for blood and he wouldn't be satisfied until he tore out the Gorilla's throat and left his body to rot in the gutter.
Ryan Shifted as soon as he got outside and turned towards the alpha's residence. It was time for this to end.
Chapter Seventeen – Jamie
"Let me help you."
Jamie smiled gratefully at Sean as he held his arm out to her. Going up stairs without help was something she missed. But when her stomach grew every day, she couldn’t see where she was going and her balance was all over the place. She tucked her arm into Sean's, leaning against him. The Tiger had been very helpful around the house since Ryan had been forced to leave, though he was busy most days.
"I can't wait until this mess is fixed," she said. "Ryan's innocent. You know that, right?"
Sean glanced away. "I know. But I need evidence to back it up and he's been acting suspiciously."
Katrina made a noise in her throat but didn't speak. They'd only received word an hour ago that the alpha wanted to see them. Now here they were, and Jamie couldn't help but worry about what was going on. Had they received threats against the sisters?
They were soon in a hallway, and Sean led them to a door on the right and knocked before he opened it. "Ma'am, Jamie and Katrina are here to see you."
The alpha sat at a large desk and looked up in surprise as they entered. She stood and smoothed her business suit jacket. "Well. This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting you."
Jamie's brow furrowed. "You—"
"It's fine," Melissa interrupted, waving a hand. "I've been wanting to talk to you for a while, anyway. Sit down."
Sean closed the door and took up a spot beside the alpha. Jamie and Katrina shared a glance but sat. So the alpha hadn't, in fact, invited them. That was weird. If Melissa hadn't had them invited, then how come they received an invitation?
"How are you doing?" the alpha asked. "I heard there was a scare with the baby."
"Just false labor," Jamie assured her with a smile. Although how false it was remained up to debate. Ever since that day, she'd had regular bouts of contractions, and heading to meet Melissa had started them up again. It was frightening, but the doctor continued to assure her everything was fine and not to worry. "We're both doing just fine. The baby's got a strong heartbeat and I'm in perfect health. She's big, so even if she was to come it might not be too early for her developments."
"Good." The alpha smiled at her, but it seemed strained. "You look tired, though."
"It's the stress," Jamie was quick to say. She didn't want to share her personal life details with someone else – even the alpha. "Worried about Ryan mostly. Have you heard anything?"
The alpha's shoulders slumped. "No. I would never have thought that he'd be a traitor. But the evidence—"
"That can't be the whole story," Jamie interrupted. "If the head of your Guard was working for Jordon, why wouldn’t he just kill you? Isn't that what Jordon wants? To kill you to prove that a deer isn't strong enough to be an alpha?"
Sean answered. "No. The bear that attacked Melissa was working independently of Jordon. He doesn't want to kill her like that. Just like how the alpha wants to capture him alive and put him on trial, he wants the same for her. He wants to take the government hostage, and killing her outright won’t do that."
"That's right. We suspect that Ryan was working towards a full-scale
attack to take out the government in one swoop," the alpha said.
Jamie shook her head, but before she could argue the point further, Sean's phone dinged. He pulled it from his pocket and a look of guilt and dread passed over his face. He tucked the phone away again and shook his head.
"I'm sorry. To all of you." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Ryan is coming. I received word he was heading here an hour ago. I imagine he'll be here soon."
"What?" The alpha jumped to her feet. "Why am I just being informed of this?"
"Because by the time he gets here, it'll be too late."
Jamie felt frozen. Somewhere in the pit of her stomach, she knew what was happening. Her arms wrapped around her waist as it squeezed painfully, pulling in towards her spine. She gasped as Sean opened the door. In strutted a man with a sneer on his lips and triumph in his eyes. Jamie recognized him instantly from the news broadcasts.
Jordon. The Gorilla that wanted to rip apart the pack. Her hands clenched over her stomach, her eyes wide.
The alpha gasped and backed away from him. "Sean!"
"Ryan wasn't the traitor," the Tiger said. "I was."
He shut the door. Jordon smiled at all of them, focusing on Jamie. "Carrying a mixed breed child . . . The abomination will be destroyed as I take this government and tear it apart."
Jamie jumped to her feet, her arms wrapped protectively around her middle. Jordon stepped forward, but even as he did so, Katrina let out a feral snarl. Her clothes shredded off of her body as she Shifted into a Panther and sprang across the room at him. Sean moved to intercept her, but Katrina dodged him and attacked Jordon's face. On Jamie's other side, the alpha Shifted as well and charged the two men.
Jordon Shifted in the blink of an eye, his muscular body changing to that of a Gorilla. Jamie cried out as he punched at Katrina's face, but she herself was frozen to the spot. The alpha charged down Sean, knocking him aside. She kicked him hard in the face before attacking Jordon.
