by Cara Adams
When he pronounced the area secure, the housekeeper just looked at him, shook her gray head, and said, “Well, I did tell you that hours ago, dear. Everyone knows everyone out here. If anyone new was on our land, a dozen people would have told me long before you finished checking.”
“Yes, ma’am. Very likely, ma’am. But I needed to be certain.”
“I’m sure you boys will do your best to look after dear Cherise and Judith.”
“Yes, ma’am, you have my promise on that.”
Nahum was certain if he didn’t care for them properly the housekeeper would rap him over the knuckles with her wooden spoon. She’d looked at him as if he was about eight years old again.
The helicopter arrived at exactly ten as scheduled. He’d thought helicopters were very noisy machines, and it certainly wasn’t silent, but it was nowhere near as loud as he’d expected. It looked shiny and new to his uneducated eye as well, so likely the newest models were quieter than the ones he’d seen on TV.
It landed on the grass near the house, but Nahum wasn’t watching the machine. He was scanning the land all around, looking for any flicker of movement or a flash of light off a sniper scope. Two men hustled the women into the house, but Judith insisted on turning and waving to the pilot before permitting herself to be pushed inside.
Nahum felt a flash of jealousy. Was she friends with the pilot? Had the time she’d spent up north meant she’d fallen in love with a man there? But surely the pilot worked for the person who’d loaned Zebulun the chopper. So she couldn’t have known the pilot already. Could she?
Dammit, all this waiting to be with her was killing him. And he couldn’t even romance her right now either. He couldn’t do anything to get to know her and show her how badly he and his brothers wanted to find out if she was their mate until after Lutterworth was locked away safely in jail.
But at least he’d see her now. Maybe even get to speak to her. And warn any other man away from her. She was his!
He and his brothers waited until the helicopter was a distant speck in the sky. Nahum, in particular, was hoping to see any potential watcher racing away to inform Lutterworth of what was going on. But either any watcher was damn clever, or there weren’t any.
“Do you think Lutterworth is able to hire a professional hit man?” he asked his brothers.
They’d have very little hope of protecting Cherise and Judith against the attempts of a trained assassin. Any ordinary sniper they could weigh the contingencies, play the odds, and very likely defeat. A trained professional would know far more than them and be able to game-play and defeat them. He didn’t like that thought at all.
The three began walking to the house. Naftali shook his head. “I don’t think so. I don’t think Lutterworth has run out of money, but he might be starting to hurt. We know his criminal ventures haven’t been doing too well lately, and as far as we know, he hasn’t been working at all for quite a few months.”
“We need to ask Cherise if she’s still supporting him,” said Nelson.
“Good point.” Nahum held the back door open for his brothers, and they trooped through the mudroom and into the kitchen of the farmhouse.
Judith was sitting at the table, talking a mile a minute to the elderly male member of the staff. Nahum drank her in with all of his senses. Damn, she looked more beautiful than he’d remembered with her shiny blonde hair and sparkling deep blue eyes. Her whole attention was focused on the man she was talking to, her body swaying as she waved her arms, a picture of graceful vivacity.
Meanwhile, Cherise was hugging the housekeeper and both the guards were standing against opposite walls, looking alert and prepared.
He nodded to Zebulun’s men. “Hi there, Sam, Jake.”
He smiled happily, a weight lifting off his shoulders. If he’d been able to choose two of Zebulun’s men to send with the women, these would have been right at the top of his list. He had no doubt they’d give their lives to save Amory’s, or the women’s if it came to that.
Sam came across to speak to them. “Are you three all right to take over guard duty for a while? Jake and I thought we’d transform and run to check out as much of the land as we can today before the Alpha arrives tomorrow for the cookout. Will the staff here need our help to get anything set up?”
Naftali had been dealing with that side of things and shook his head. “The staff will show our men where to put the spit and where the tables and chairs are stored, and our people will do the rest.”
“We checked as much as we could, but running as panthers will be an excellent way to cover the ground better,” said Nahum. As panthers, all their senses were heightened, and that would be a bonus as well.
Jake and Sam disappeared from the kitchen, and the three of them gathered closer to Cherise and Judith. When the two were sitting side by side at the table, sipping cups of coffee, Nahum said, “Excuse me, ma’am, but we need to ask you a few questions about your husband.”
“My ex-husband. My attorney filed divorce papers five months ago. So far my ex-hasn’t contested them, although it’s always possible he will. Unfortunately, I think it’s likely he’d rather steal things from me and dispose of them, thereby ensuring he gets the money, rather than trying to win things from me by legal means. That’s why I need to get back to my townhouse as soon as possible with my attorney to ensure nothing has gone missing. I know he checked the insurance list, but I need to see everything myself.”
Nelson said, “Do you understand that we would prefer you all to stay here over the weekend so Lutterworth has one single place to focus an attack on?”
“And you have one place to defend,” said Judith.
“Yeah, that, too,” answered Nahum. Oh yes, she was as smart as he’d remembered as well. She’d cut to the main point as easily as breathing in her light, friendly voice.
“Monday will be fine. I hope everything is sorted out by then,” said Cherise.
Nahum hoped it would be as well, but he wasn’t convinced. He had a feeling Lutterworth might not be that easy to catch. After all, he’d remained above the law all his life until now.
Chapter Three
Judi grinned at Mrs. Davey and sighed happily. Damn it was good to be back here. And soon she’d be back in the attic in town, and that’d be even better. She had to admit that everyone had been really friendly and helpful on the pack lands, and she’d learned a hell of a lot about cross-country skiing. She was certain she’d be much better at it than any of her friends now. But home was way, way better than anywhere else. Well, it would be once her idiot father was dealt with.
Her happy smile faded as she looked at her mom. Poor Mom. She’d fallen in love with the wrong man, and Judi couldn’t blame her for that. At least he hadn’t turned out like Christian Grey. He genuinely seemed to love her mom. It was just that he loved money and possessions more.
And, to be honest, when he’d remembered that she existed, he’d been nice to her. He hadn’t turned up to cheer for her at school events like her mom had, but plenty other dads had to work and couldn’t be there either. Although no other dads were busy trying to take away their wife’s inheritance. Fuck. It was complicated. She and her mom would be better off when he was gone and couldn’t confuse them anymore. Or steal stuff.
The three men joined them at the table, and Judith studied them. Naftali was the oldest and different from the other two. They all had curly black hair and very dark eyes, black or dark brown, but he was more solid, more muscular, as well as a couple of years older.
Nelson and Nahum were identical twins, and she had to study them carefully to pick out any differences. Nelson seemed a fraction bossier, and she wondered if he was the older twin. All three of them were quite bossy. But living with a panther pack for six months had taught her that all panthers tended to be alpha and dominant. She suspected the dungeons at the panther warehouse got a lot of use. One of her friends had shown her the dungeon on the pack lands, and she’d found it fascinating. She couldn’t help thinking
of maybe going there one day with a man. Or two. Panthers seemed to share women, and she liked that idea as well.
Judi knew Elsie was going to mate not just the Alpha but both his brothers as well, and she felt sure they would have tried out the dungeon. She couldn’t imagine them not doing so, even though they weren’t officially mated yet. They were very much together.
As for herself, she’d looked at the various men in the pack, but all the older ones were married already, and the younger ones didn’t appeal to her. Men her own age often seemed immature to her. Maybe it was just because she was worried about her mom’s safety, and her own as well. But somehow she liked the idea of a slightly older man to help guide her in life. Or two older men. Or even three. These three had potential, although it was possible some or all of them were already mated.
Not that she was in a hurry to find a man. She needed to get her mom’s life sorted out first. At least they were back in town again. That was so good. She’d always loved the farm. She’d had wonderful summers here with her grandparents.
“What do you need to know about Dad?” she asked the men.
“We need to ask you some personal questions. We don’t wish to be intrusive, ma’am, but we need to assess the risks you’re both facing.” Naftali had been speaking to her mom, but he included Judi with a nod at the end of the statement.
Judi understood. Most of the money and property belonged to her mom anyway.
“That’s fine. You go ahead and ask.”
Judith didn’t think her mom was offended. She knew her mom wanted this all sorted out as badly as she did. Her mom had been very good about missing her friends, but Judi knew how much Cherise would have preferred her usual round of social events and nice dinners to sitting in front of a roaring fire roasting hot dogs on sticks.
“Do you have any joint bank accounts or joint investments your husb—Lewis might have been using these past few months?” asked Naftali.
“No. I think that was one of Lewis’s problems with me. He thought I lacked trust in him by not putting the house and the farm and other things in our joint names. Of course, he had plenty of his own money, anyway, but it wasn’t that. It was more that my father wanted what had been his to stay in the family. So that meant passing it down to Judith, not to Lewis. I always knew Lewis had been married before.”
“Did you think he might give the land to JJ?” asked Nelson.
“Hell no. I didn’t know JJ existed. Or LC. I still don’t know if Lewis knows about JJ. But because he’d been married before, and because originally he hadn’t wanted to marry me, I suppose I didn’t trust him completely. Maybe it was a failing in me, after all.”
“Of course it wasn’t, Mom. He two-timed you. I’ve told you. JJ’s seventeen. Do the math.”
Her mom nodded but looked down at the tabletop and twisted her coffee mug around. Judi wanted to punch her father for taking her mom’s self-confidence away because of his inability to be faithful.
“So Lewis doesn’t have any sources of income associated with you?” asked Naftali.
“No, he’s always had his own business, and it seemed to provide him with a very comfortable lifestyle.”
“Did he contribute to the household expenses? Pay the utility bills or whatever?”
“Oh no. But he’d take me out to dinner and buy me gifts sometimes.” Cherise looked thoughtful. “Actually, when you put it as bluntly as that, I suppose I mostly supported him. I hadn’t really thought of it before. He exchanged his car for a new one every two years without fail, and he always had plenty of new clothing as well, all of which he paid for himself. But I paid everything to do with the houses and our family bills.”
Judi hadn’t known that either. And she did know it was almost always her mom who’d bought her birthday and Christmas presents. She’d just assumed her father paid some of the bills like other people’s fathers did. Apparently not. He was a fucking leech. A marriage was supposed to be sharing and partnership. Right now it was looking as though mostly her father had taken everything he could get and given very little in return.
The sooner he was out of all their lives, the better.
Judi stared some more at the three men still questioning her mother. She noticed Mr. and Mrs. Davey had left the kitchen and guessed they had work to do elsewhere. Tomorrow was the cookout, and she was looking forward to the party, but likely there was a lot of work to do before it happened. She had nothing to do this afternoon, so she’d help them cook and prepare whatever was necessary. And tomorrow, at the cookout, she’d take a good look at the men there. Maybe there’d be someone worth kissing. Or even doing more than that. It was a damn long time since someone had romanced her, and if there were other men as good looking as these three sitting at the table with her, well, she was ready to party herself.
Naftali’s lips were constantly twitching into a grin. They looked eminently kissable. And Nahum’s eyes sparkled with good humor. Nelson was more serious. Maybe he’d spank her ass, and she’d decide whether or not she liked that.
* * * *
Sam and Jake had stayed awake for the first shift overnight, one guarding the front door of the farmhouse and the other the back door. Nahum and Naftali had taken the middle shift, which was when they thought there’d be trouble if it was going to happen, and Nelson was alone for the final shift. Logic insisted there wouldn’t be an attack so close to daylight, especially when the staff were liable to be up early to prepare for the cookout.
Nelson didn’t think there’d be an attack at all overnight. It’d come after the cookout, after dark, and very likely in the confusion and noise as the pack prepared to get in the coach and go back home. If he was planning to attack, that’s when he’d do it. Everyone would be moving around. If the bad guys did it right, they could abduct the Alpha then without anyone even noticing because everyone knew he was going to camp out somewhere. Most people would assume he’d gone to his tent.
Nevertheless, Nelson had stayed alert, constantly prowling around the first floor of the house, not following any pattern in his movement and his standing still to watch and listen. But nothing happened, and it was after dawn now. He could hear people moving around upstairs, having their showers and preparing for the day. Mrs. Davey appeared downstairs and began cooking breakfast. He put the coffee on for her himself before leaving to resume his pacing.
Nelson’s day was busy, especially after the pack arrived, but although he and his brothers stayed close to Judith and Cherise, and Sam and Jake remained beside the Alpha, Nelson felt no sense of danger. He remained convinced it’d happen toward nightfall. Sam and Jake agreed.
However, Naftali said, “You’re all thinking logically. Lutterworth’s strength is in doing the unexpected. At coming from an angle no one anticipated. Think of him getting the kids to steal things for him. No one had thought of that, but he did it. We need to be thinking outside the box now and alert for the unexpected.”
Nelson nodded. In a crisis he was supposed to save the Alpha, and he would. They each had their appointed target, and they’d stick to it. But he thought Sam and Jake would be fine guarding the Alpha, and he’d much rather grab Lutterworth before he caused any trouble. So what the fuck would the man do? Come in with a gang of kids to cause a diversion while he abducted Cherise or the Alpha? Damn, he wished he could have some clue as to what might happen.
He tried to look at the pack through an outsider’s eyes. The cookout was in the grassy backyard of the farm. There was a large open space, and lawn chairs and several sturdy wooden benches were in a circle around the fire pit where meat was cooking on a spit. As was typical at these events, the women were sitting in one group while the men tended to stand around the fire, and everyone was taking a turn at checking on the meat or turning the potatoes and corn cooking in the coals of the fire.
Some children and teenagers were kicking a ball on the far side of the yard, and several adults were supervising them while standing and talking, longnecks in their hands.
&nb
sp; A steady stream of young women came in and out from the farmhouse kitchen, carrying platters of fruit and bowls of salad or more sodas and beer to fill up the tubs of ice sitting on a table with the food.
No matter how hard he looked, Nelson couldn’t see anything that laid them open to danger.
Two older men were sitting on the front porch of the house, where they had a good view of the driveway and the gate to the road. If anyone tried to enter the property, they’d give him a warning. A few other older men were scattered through the farmland, ostensibly looking at the crops, but they were actually keeping watch for observers or potential danger. Again, they were far enough away from the house that there should be ample time to get the women and the Alpha to safety before anyone reached them, even if they were in a vehicle.
Nelson’s gaze constantly drifted to Judith. His job would be to protect the Alpha if there was an incident, but right now Sam and Jake were sticking to him like a second skin, so Nelson was free to let his gaze go where his heart and his thoughts were, and they were with the dainty blonde. She was completely at home with the pack, most of whom she’d only met very briefly before being returned to the safety of the pack lands.
She was bright and friendly, chattering away happily to anyone and everyone about any topic under the sun. He liked that she seemed content to be among his people. If—no, when—he and his brothers asked her to be with them, it would be important that she could relate to the panthers. He supposed they wouldn’t live in the warehouse anymore. They’d likely have to live somewhere that suited her work. Not that he had much of an idea what her work was. Something to do with business and investments. He didn’t even know if she had an office in town, but if she did, she hadn’t been to it in months and was apparently able to telecommute from just about anywhere, which was what she’d done while she and her mom were safely hidden away from Lutterworth up north.
That just reminded him once again that she was no longer safe and his job was to care for her.
