by Mandy Harbin
Shit. That’d take at least two hours with her carrying Mikaela. Lillian wasn’t sure if it’d be faster to go back the way they came once she got them away from her father or to continue on the path.
Then again, maybe there was someone waiting for them at the end of the trail. She couldn’t take that chance. She glanced at the orange glow of the forest below and knew she had only one choice.
They’d have to go back.
Which meant she really didn’t have any more time to waste.
“I need to pee,” she mumbled and headed toward the edge of the trail to seek out cover to take off her clothes.
“Hurry up. We gotta get a move on.”
“Okay.”
Once she was out of sight, she quickly shucked her clothes and shifted, amazed at how natural it felt for her to be like this now. It was a part of her, a part she hadn’t even known she was missing until she’d found it—found Jack. God, and he thought she’d betrayed him. Would he forgive her once he knew the truth, or would he still hate her for what her father had done to Mikaela? She hoped Mikaela woke up soon. She’d been out for about three hours now, and Lillian was worried what that’d mean for the baby.
Lillian sunk as close to the ground as she could and crawled to the edge of the forest. Her father was at the edge of the trail opposite her, taking a leak.
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, knowing that she’d have to stop her father with any means necessary. It was him or them, a decision that was made the moment he’d kidnapped Mikaela and taken them both hostage.
She charged, but a sound to her right just before she hit her father caught her by surprise. She looked just in time to see another lion reach him first and feel another one knock her to the ground, stealing her breath.
“I’m going to kill you,” Jack raged as he rolled with her. She heard the other lion screaming in his head and knew it was Josh, but the growls he was making as he ripped her father’s throat out drowned out the oaths he was swearing.
“Stop! You have to help Mikaela!” Lillian struggled with Jack, but he was far too strong for her.
“That’s what we’re here to do. I can’t believe you’d actually betray me like this. And to think I actually thought I fucking loved you. Shit!”
His admission distracted her enough that she lost her footing and tumbled over again.
“It’s not what you think, Jack. Please.”
“Mikaela!” Josh screamed as he ran around in his human form, naked.
Lillian shifted, her hands now fisting in Jack’s fur as she tried pushing him off her. “She’s beside the oak tree on the south side.”
Jack shifted and grabbed her hands to hold them above her head. “You think you’ll have a fighting chance like this instead?” he asked, incredulous.
“She’s over here! Help me!” Josh sounded frantic.
Jack hesitated getting off her to help his brother. His eyes narrowed, and his grip tightened. “Fuck!”
Jack jumped up and ran toward Josh. Lillian scrambled to her feet and shuffled over there.
“You stay the fuck back!” Jack roared at her as he helped Josh lift Mikaela.
“She’s bleeding everywhere. Oh God, what did you do to her?” Josh bellowed.
“I-I didn’t do anything. My father took her and drugged her. I don’t know what he gave her. Just please help her.”
Josh hoisted Mikaela up into his arms. “Kitten? I’m here, baby. I’m here.” Then he looked at Jack.
“We’re going to run through the trees to get to the house faster. I need you in front to forge a path for us since I won’t be able to block limbs while I carry her.”
Jack nodded. “On it.” He started to turn, but stopped and looked at Lillian. His hands were fisted, and his arms were shaking. His eyes the hardest, coldest she’d ever seen. He was lethal, and in that moment, she’d never feared him more. “You are dead to me, Lillian. If I ever see you again, I’ll make you dead to everyone else. You so much as breathe a word about my family to anyone, I’ll hunt you down like the rabid little animal you are and kill you slowly. And after that, I will bathe in your blood!” He yelled the last words, the force of them ruffling her hair as he screamed at her.
Then he turned and ran with Josh right on his heels.
Mikaela had been rescued. It was what she’d wanted, but as she slumped to the ground, naked and crying next to her father’s dead body, all she could think was she’d lost the only family she’d loved in a very long time.
Because she knew from the look on Jack’s face and the force of his words that he’d never let her explain or ever forgive her if he learned the truth from somewhere else.
She was all alone now.
Chapter Ten
Jack paced outside of the room where four doctors were working on Mikaela. Josh was a wreck, and their father and brothers were teaming around him to try to comfort him. He could tell Josh was barely hanging on to sanity while his wife and child fought for their lives. The only time he’d seen Josh cry was when their mother had died, but that was different. His older brother looked as if he was ready to welcome death if the doctors didn’t come out of the room with good news.
Jack’s own destroyed heart paled in comparison. He didn’t deserve to feel agony after what Lillian had done to him. How could he? If he’d thought with his head and not his dick, maybe this could’ve all been avoided. Josh and Mikaela would be just fine, and Jack would be his lonely, bitter self. No, he’d fucked up again, but this time it was much worse than just attacking Ariel. In the end, he hadn’t really hurt her. He’d scared her, freaked himself out, but they’d both emerged from the incident unscathed. This time he’d caused serious damage, damage he’d never be able to forgive himself for.
Because no matter what Lillian had done, he still loved her—hated her with every breath he took, but loved her. Endlessly. And that was why he’d never be able to move past this. He should’ve killed her in the woods, destroyed her diseased mind and made her suffer for the damage she’d caused.
But he couldn’t because he was weakened by his feelings for her. And yet, it wasn’t as easy as letting someone else take her out because he knew he would never allow anyone else to hurt her either. If there was any saving grace for Jack, it was that Lillian hadn’t acted alone.
When he and Josh had picked up the scent of Lillian and Mikaela, there’d also been the scent of her father, verification on what the rest of them had just learned right before Jack and Josh began their search.
Rodrick Lyons had people looking for Jack’s mother ever since she’d disappeared, but when she’d died, he called off the search, finally trying to honor her wish of solitude. However, Rodrick had learned that a few of his investigators had taken it upon themselves to continue the search in hopes of collecting the large reward for her and her family’s discovery. When he’d called Thomas to tell him this, he’d also informed him there was a paper trail of money transfers to Lillian’s father.
The scheme had turned out to be much more elaborate than first assumed. Josh had been enraged, and Jack had used that as his opportunity to suggest Josh go after her father while he dealt with Lillian when they found them.
Jack wasn’t worthy of his family’s love or respect because he knew he’d save Lillian in the end, and that in and of itself was a betrayal to the men who loved and worked with him day in and day out.
“She’s going to be fine, you know.” Ariel’s murmured words startled him, and he turned to face her.
“I hope so.” Jack crossed his arms and rubbed them to comfort himself as he stared down at her.
He knew Ariel was referring to Mikaela, but Jack was worried about Lillian being stuck in the woods while the blaze was uncontained. Lillian’s father’s house had burned, and the area had smelled of an accelerant. Jack wasn’t a fire investigator, but the incident reeked of arson. Fires weren’t uncommon this time of year, but they’d gotten a lot of rain lately, and there hadn’t been a storm last night to ignite
the forest. If the house had succumbed to its demise from an unattended candle or an electrical issue, the area wouldn’t stink of gasoline. And Lillian was still out there. Maybe the universe would smile on him and rid this world of her without his involvement. But even the thought of Lillian being hurt . . .
“How’s Josh?” Ariel asked softly.
“He’s a wreck.” What else could he say?
“How are you?”
“Huh?” Jack rubbed his face with both hands to force his emotions to stay back. He wouldn’t allow them free. Not right now. Not ever. Anything he felt for Lillian would stay locked behind a vault, never to see the light of day. It was bad enough he loved her, but he’d be damned if he dwelled on that. He’d meant what he’d said in the woods. Lillian Caldwell was dead to him.
“Don’t play dumb with me, Jack. I know you’re hurting. You look like, well, you look like your wife just died and you’re trying to pretend everything’s okay.”
“I don’t have a wife.” He crossed his arms.
“Your mate, then.”
“I don’t have a mate.”
Ariel took a slow breath and watched him. She seemed as if she were looking for the right words to say, but Jack knew that was fruitless.
“You’re hurting right now. You might never fully recover from what Lillian did to you. But please know that none of us . . . none of us blames you. You are as much of a victim here as Mikaela is.”
When he tried to deny that, Ariel lifted her hand to stop his protest. “Her wounds are physical. Those are the kinds that heal the fastest. Yours are emotional and can be just as devastating.”
“I don’t care about me. It’s Mikaela—”
“I care about you.” Then she wrapped her arms around him in the tightest hug she’d ever given him.
Jack instinctually clutched her to him a little closer, finding the embrace more than comforting. It was a lifeline. “Everyone is important in this family, and that includes you, Jack.”
“Thank you,” he mumbled into her hair as he held her. He didn’t fully believe her, but it was nice to hear.
“Hey, angel,” Rob said beside Jack, so he let go of his brother’s mate and stepped back.
“Hi, Robbie. Any news?”
“Yeah, one of the doctors just came out. All the tests they’ve run have been good, and it looks like they are both going to be fine.” Rob smiled. “He said Mikaela is coming to now.”
The relief was so profound that Jack would’ve buckled if his knees weren’t locked.
“The investigative team that Lyons sent is headed here to talk to her. She’s asked to speak to Josh.”
Rob hesitated, rolling up on his toes and back down before looking at Jack, saying, “And you.”
“Me?” Why would she want to see him? Ah, hell. It was probably to warn him about Lillian. Mikaela didn’t need to be concerned about him. She needed to focus on her recovery so she and the baby would be fine.
“Yeah, man. Josh is headed in there now. He said to give him a few minutes before you come in.”
“Okay. I’m gonna grab some water, and then I’ll go see her.” He’d said it as an excuse to walk away from the concerned gazes of his brother and his brother’s mate, and to buy the time Josh had asked for. Since they had Mikaela holed up in Josh’s old room of the main house, he had to go downstairs to the kitchen to get his drink.
Unfortunately, it hadn’t taken him long to walk down there, get some water, drink it, and walk back.
Or at least it had felt like only seconds to him. He knocked on the bedroom door and entered when he heard Josh call out the permission.
“Hey,” he mumbled, looking at Josh and then Mikaela as he walked over to her. He gently rubbed her upper arm before sitting in the chair beside the bed. Josh was seated on the other side of the bed, and several doctors walked around reading charts and looking very busy. The room was filled with machines—several of which Mikaela was hooked up to—that made it look as if this were an actual hospital room.
“Dad just stepped in while you were gone and said the fire next door is contained, so we won’t need to worry about evacuating,” Josh said as he nudged a little closer to his wife. He had both hands on her, and Jack couldn’t blame him for needing that reassurance that she was alive.
Jack nodded. “That’s good. It wouldn’t have been fun trying to prep this place to minimize the damage before fleeing.” He looked at Mikaela. She was covered with bruises and cuts, but the cuts didn’t look as bad as he’d feared. She’d been covered in dried blood when they’d found her. “How are you feeling?” he asked her softly.
“Better now. They gave me some Demerol.”
“Docs said it wouldn’t hurt the baby. Now that she was conscious they wanted to keep her blood pressure down, so they gave her something for pain. They think when it wears off, she might be okay with just Tylenol.”
“So you’re a little loopy?” Jack asked, smiling at her. She gave him a goofy chuckle, and he pressed his lips together to keep from laughing at her.
“You could say that. I’m also sleepy, so Josh is going to make me take a nap.”
“Kitten, you heard the doctor. You—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m not complaining. I just need to clear something up.” She looked at Jack, trying to flatten her expression, but just looking a little silly instead.
“Bro, she was just filling me in on what really happened, and you do need to hear this.”
Jack stiffened in his seat, but didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure if he could hear more hurtful things about Lillian. His heart just couldn’t take it.
“Mr. Caldwell is who took me. Not Lillian.” Mikaela waved her hand around, but then her focus stayed on her hand. “Heeey, where’s my wedding wing?” She frowned and closed one eye as she looked at her hand. Then she opened that eye and closed the other. Did she think it’d reappear if she looked at it from a different angle?
“Doctors took it off, baby. I have it.” Josh took that hand into his and rubbed it.
“Ooooh.” She smiled at Josh and then looked at Jack. The seconds ticked by as she continued to stare at him, not saying anything. “What was I saying?”
It didn’t matter what she was trying to tell him. He’d already known about Lillian’s father’s involvement. Jack just needed to placate her until the meds took her completely under. He steeled his heart before answering, “You were telling me about being kidnapped.”
Her eyes popped open wide. “Right! Um, yeah, Lilly-man didn’t take me. Her father is crazy, with a capital craze.” She leaned toward Jack as if she was engrossed in an awesome story. “He beat me up and left some note. He dragged me back to his house and gave me something to knock me out. I never saw Lilly-man. I-I ka-member waking up, an’ Lills was arguing with her father. She picked me up and mumbled something about helping me and getting us outta there.” Mikaela shook her head slowly. “I don’t think she had any idea what her father was doing to me. I think she was trying to help me.”
Jack’s heart was pounding so hard he just knew everyone in the room could hear it. Lillian might be innocent. His hands were shaking, and his mouth was suddenly dry. Oh God, he hoped she was.
Only because it’d lessen his guilt for what had happened to Mikaela. But the hole in his chest grew, his heart aching even more.
Even if Lillian hadn’t kidnapped Mikaela, his judgment still couldn’t be trusted. If he truly deserved her, he would’ve stood up for her, fought for her honor in the face of adversity, but he hadn’t. He’d threatened to kill her. The guilt he’d felt when he believed he’d fallen for Lillian’s lies didn’t even compare to the devastating remorse he felt for not being there for and believing in his mate, or at least giving her the benefit of doubt. Just more proof that he was too damaged to be mated to anyone.
Mikaela’s eyes rolled back, and she slumped against the pillow, out cold.
“We need to investigate this. It’s possible Lillian’s father set her up to make her
take the fall,” Josh whispered, unaware of his inner turmoil.
“I should’ve been the one to kill him,” Jack growled.
“Too late. I’m gonna talk to Dad about this. Have him talk to the Lyons investigators to see what they can find before they leave.”
Jack nodded. They needed the truth regardless of what it was, but he couldn’t get lost in that right now. He needed to focus on what Josh was saying. “Any idea what’ll happen with the Lyons family now that they know where we are?”
Josh sighed as he snuggled up against Mikaela. “Dad said he’d deal with it. I don’t know what that means, but he and Jeffery were in some heated discussions just before I came in.” He shrugged.
“Honestly, I don’t give a shit about that right now. Mikaela and my baby are all that matter to me.”
Jack stood up and pressed a chaste kiss against Mikaela’s forehead. “I’m very happy she’s okay, man. Get some rest.” Jack hoped his expression was indifferent enough to be believable.
“We’ll talk more about everything later.”
Jack nodded, not really looking forward to some of the conversations his stubborn brother would be bringing up. He knew Josh wanted to discuss Lillian in depth, and Jack would because it would be expected of him. But Jack’s mind was made up. He would pray that Lillian wouldn’t be as cold as he’d first thought.
God, as he’d first believed.
But either way, he couldn’t be with her. Either she was an evil creature he needed to avoid, or he was a heartless man who’d chewed up his mate and spit her out when he should’ve coddled and protected her. And what really hurt him now was, deep down, he knew the truth of what had happened today.
He was a heartless son of a bitch.
Chapter Eleven
Lillian had been exonerated. In the weeks since Mikaela had been kidnapped and her father killed, she’d cooperated with the Woodses’ investigators who’d worked the case. They’d verified what she’d told them, that she had no idea what her father had been up to and that he’d used her job with the Woods family to get better access to their property. Nowhere in the transactions and communications could they find a connection to Lillian and the rogue investigator who’d taken it upon himself to back her father in this insane scheme to expose the Woodses. She was relieved to be a free woman, but the investigation hadn’t been her only obstacle.
