The Tiger's Pregnant Bride

by Bonnie Burrows

  He devoured his food, running back to the stove with his plate for more. Sable dumped another stack of frog-shaped pancakes onto his plate and a few slices of bacon. Noticing Olivia for the first time, he set his plate down roughly and flew towards her, wrapping his arms around her neck and planting a kiss on her cheek.

  “Good morning, Mommy.” Morgan hadn’t yet mastered the art of the “inside voice,” instead his voice echoed off the walls and filled the room. He sat down and continued eating. Where he stored that food was anyone’s guess.

  Olivia closed the distance between herself and Sable, giving Egan a chaste kiss on the cheek as she passed by him. She stepped into Sable’s arms and enjoyed his strength as he held her. Today was shaping up to be a great day, and she couldn’t wait to welcome Grace into their family. The house had more than enough room, and it was going to take all of Olivia’s self-control to let Grace settle in before she insisted on taking her shopping to decorate her room. She wanted her friend to feel more than welcome here. She wanted her to feel she was home.

  “Mommy, can I go with you to get your friend from the airport?”

  Olivia shook her head. “I need you to help Daddy and Uncle Egan get her room ready so she can rest when she gets here. She’s been traveling for a whole day, she’s probably really tired.”

  Morgan nodded solemnly. He took responsibilities very seriously, even the smallest ones. Olivia had no doubt Morgan would be very helpful.

  Olivia checked her phone, seeing the text from Grace she’d missed while she slept. Toronto was three hours ahead, so Grace had already been on her flight for several hours by the time Olivia woke up.

  She ate quickly, then packed up her purse, kissing Morgan on the cheek and giving him a tight squeeze. “I’ll see you soon, Monkey.”

  “I’m not a monkey, Mommy. I’m a tiger.” He smiled at her and roared, running out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

  “I’d better go help him before he gets too far into it and makes more work for me.” Egan hugged Olivia, “Be careful, Sis. I’ll see you soon.”

  Sable walked Olivia out the door and down the walkway to her car. “Don’t go straight there, and make sure you double back and few times and check for tails-” Olivia covered his words with her mouth, cutting him off and kissing him deeply.

  “I’ll be careful. We’ll be fine. This is our home now, they’re not foolish enough to try anything here.”

  Sable nodded, but his stomach was still tied in knots. He wouldn’t feel safe until Olivia and Grace were safely home. “I don’t know why you don’t want me to go with you.”

  “Sable, come on. I just want to be alone with her for a little while before she comes home to all this.” She gestured around the house. “The three of you are a little overwhelming. I think she’d like a little peace and quiet before she’s thrust into the James household.”

  Sable loved the sound of his name on her lips. She had married him shortly after they’d settled in Kelowna but she hadn’t changed her last name. It bothered him a little, but he’d let it go just to see her happy. He couldn’t win every battle, and he had won Olivia. That was plenty.

  He opened the car door for her and kissed her once more. Standing in the driveway, he watched her until she disappeared around the corner. He checked his watch. Grace should be landing in about an hour and the airport was twenty five minutes away, leaving Olivia plenty of time to wend around town and make sure she wasn’t being followed. As a family, they’d relaxed a little over the years, but Sable never stopped being vigilant.

  Unbeknownst to Olivia, Sable and Egan ran the perimeter several times a week, looking for signs that anyone had been in the forest behind their house. In five years, they’d found no cause for concern. But Laskin was out there, somewhere, and Sable wouldn’t rest until he found his body.

  CHAPTER 12

  Olivia slid into the parking space in the underground lot, grabbing her purse and heading for the elevators. The sign on the wall said she was in E2. She pulled out her phone and took a snapshot of the sign and her car. She’d lost her car before in a parking lot; she wouldn’t make that mistake twice. She hurried onto an elevator and rode to the terminal crossing. Rushing across the street in the crosswalk, she all but ran to the baggage claim area. Grace hadn’t checked any luggage but the passengers all had to come through her once the disembarked from the plane.

  She grabbed a latte and found herself a seat where she could clearly see the escalator coming down into baggage claim. And she waited. She checked her phone several times, to see if Grace’s plane had landed. According to the airline’s app, the plane was landing on time and would be there shortly. She settled in, leaning back against the uncomfortable seat back.

  People flowed down the escalator in well-timed groups, with one group leaving the baggage area a few short minutes before the next wave of people came down. Time passed quickly and the passengers from flight 5150 started pouring down the escalator. Olivia stood on the chair, trying to find her friend in the tight crowd. She pulled out her phone and texted her location, adding that she was wearing a lavender top and standing on the chairs across from baggage claim. Her text went unanswered.

  The passengers thinned out, their luggage collected and their rides home located. Still no sign of Grace. Olivia sent her a few more texts, starting to worry about her friend. Maybe she’d missed her flight and boarded a later one.

  Olivia jumped down from the chairs and headed for the ticket counter. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity in line, she finally got to a ticket agent, pulling out the electronic boarding pass that she’d forwarded to Grace the night before.

  “Can you tell me if this boarding pass was used on flight 5150?”

  The agent raised her eyebrow at the odd question but began typing into her computer without hesitation; the hundred or so people in line behind Olivia didn’t have all day.

  “The passenger checked in last night but the boarding pass was never scanned at the gate.” The woman looked up to signal the next person in line when Olivia swiped to the next pass, holding it out for the impatient woman to scan.

  “What about this one?”

  With an exasperated sigh, she scanned the second barcode. “Same thing; checked in but never boarded. If you need additional help, please head to our office down the hall-” The woman began to direct her to the offices, but Olivia was already running for the car. Something was wrong, she needed to get home to Sable. He would know what to do.

  She ran to the car and jumped in, dialing Grace’s number one last time in desperation. On the fourth ring, the phone was answered. Olivia felt relief flood through her.

  “Grace, oh my gosh, are you okay?”

  “Grace can’t come to the phone right now. She’s busy at the moment.” The male voice was smooth but somehow the words sent a chill down her spine. She dialed again, but her call went straight to voicemail. Whoever had Grace had turned off the phone.

  Turning the engine over and peeling out of the spot, Olivia raced home. Not trusting herself to dial and drive, she sped down the highway and got home in record time.

  **

  She pulled into the driveway and threw the car into park. Halfway to the side door, she started yelling Sable’s name. Sable heard Olivia’s frantic voice before he realized she was screaming his name. He rushed to the door, meeting her on the porch. Sobbing and breathless, Olivia threw herself into his arms. He pulled her to him and held her tight. Soothing words passed over her unheeded as he struggled to calm her.

  Olivia gasped, choking on a deep breath, and looked up at Sable. “Sable. They got her. Someone has Grace. I called her phone and a man answered. He said she was busy and hung up on me, but I could hear her in the background, crying. Sable, she’s in trouble and it’s all my fault.”

  “Shh. Shh. Olivia, we’ll fix it. Did you hear anything else? Did he sound familiar?”

  “No. I don’t know who he was but something about his voice and the way he talked. Sable, I
don’t know how long he’s going to keep her alive.”

  Sable placed a hand on each of her shoulders, setting her back so he could look into her eyes. “Listen to me, Olivia. They took Grace for a reason, and that reason is me. Well, us. All of us. They’re not going to hurt Grace until they have us. As long as we’re not all in the same place, Grace will be safe. I’ll go get her and I’ll bring her back.”

  “I want to go with you.”

  “No, Olivia. You have to stay here and take care of our son.” Sable looked over his shoulder to make sure young Morgan hadn’t snuck into the kitchen to eavesdrop. “If anyone gets ahold of him, they win, Olivia.”

  “And how will I protect him? I’m a human. I’m not as strong or as fast. I don’t even know how to shoot a gun. Wouldn’t it make more sense to leave Egan here with him? If anyone shows up, then Egan can protect Morgan, or they can run. If I’m here, I’ll just slow them down.”

  She looked Sable straight in the eye, daring him to challenge her on this. “Having me here with Morgan is a bad idea. If they get us both, they’ll have you without a fight. If Egan is trying to protect us both, he’ll be distracted. Sable, you know I’m right. Please, let me come with you.”

  Sable opened his mouth to protest, then closed it and groaned. “You’re right.” He led her to the table and sat down, pulling a notepad and a pen from the center and motioning to the chair with his head. “Tell me everything he said, and everything you found out. Do you know how far she made it out of Florida?”

  “She never boarded the first flight.”

  “I thought she called you and told you she was boarding?”

  “No. She texted me. She texted me again before the flight to Vancouver. Well, I thought it was her, but now I know it was him.” She slid the phone to him and Sable wrote down all the messages and their time stamps.

  Footsteps sounded on the staircase, too heavy to be Morgan’s. “What’s going on, Sable?”

  Sable filled Egan in on what had happened. Like Olivia, he immediately wanted to go, but Sable explained that he would need to protect Morgan. Egan started to protest, but Sable held up his hand. “Egan, Morgan needs you to protect him. And we can’t all be together. Olivia can’t protect him the way you can, and Grace needs us.”

  Egan nodded, his displeasure evident, but he knew his brother was right. “What can I do to help?”

  “For now, we need to pack a “go bag” with cash and a few supplies. I need to call a few friends and get a few things lined up so we can get back home under the radar. Where’s Morgan?”

  “When I heard the car squeal into the driveway, I knew something was up. So I hooked him up with a kiddie movie and some headphones. When will you leave?”

  “Tonight, in an hour. We have a long way to go on foot before we can get on a plane. Even under assumed names, a direct flight from Vancouver would be too obvious.”

  “That makes sense. I’ll pack the bag while you two get ready.” Without another word, he turned, jogging up the stairs to the wall-safe in the second floor office.

  “He’s still mad at you, Sable.” Olivia stood and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking over his shoulder to see all he’d written down.

  “I’m not really happy about taking you either, but it’s the right thing to do. We can’t risk Morgan and I can’t lose you. This is the only way to save Grace and protect my family.”

  She kissed his cheek and rested her head against his. “I know how you feel, and I understand. Thank you for saving my friend and protecting our family.”

  Little footsteps hurried down the stairs, and Olivia turned to greet her child. “Mommy, you're home! Where’s Grace?”

  Olivia ruffled his hair. “Some people got Grace, but daddy and I are going to fix it. You and Uncle Egan are going to stay here and protect our home so we can bring Grace back here, safely.”

  Morgan nodded, his little face solemn. “We won’t let you down, Mommy.”

  She cupped his cheek. “I know you won’t.” She pulled him in for a hug and kiss, laughing when he wiped her lipstick off his cheek dramatically. “Now let’s make dinner so Daddy and I can get going.”

  CHAPTER 13

  The night was dark as Sable and Olivia crept along in the shadows towards the forest beyond their property. They’d kept their goodbyes short, not wanting Morgan to realize how dangerous their journey was going to be. Sable had called his contact in Seattle, who would meet them in Okanogan and fly them the short distance to Las Vegas. Once there, they would take a commuter plane under assumed names to Atlanta and drive the rest of the way in.

  It wasn’t the most direct route. The elders had known that Sable and his family had fled to Canada; whether that information died with them was anyone’s guess. Canada was a big country but it wouldn’t take much to figure out they were right on the Washington border if they flew in directly.

  Sable had their heavy pack slung over one shoulder, Olivia close on his heels. They slipped through the gate and closed it behind them, jogging down the familiar path in the dark until they were completely surrounded by the trees.

  Confident they couldn’t be seen, Sable set the pack down and stepped away from Olivia. He shifted quickly, groaning quietly as his muscles ached under the extra strain. In the dark, Olivia could only watch his shadow grow as he moved from his human body into the tiger she’d come to love. She pulled the heavy rucksack onto her shoulders, fastening the clips on her stomach and struggling under the weight of the thing. Everything they needed for the next two days was in the sack, including a large amount of American currency to buy supplies once they got settled.

  She moved carefully in the dark, putting her hands out to test the air when she got closer to the shadowed mass that was Sable. He made a low noise, and Olivia was sure he was laughing at her.

  “Not everyone can see in the dark, but it’s alright. You laugh it up now, Tiger Boy.”

  Sable nudged her gently, and she scratched behind his ears quickly before clambering onto his back. She slid into the slight dip in his back, finding her center before giving him a tiny squeeze to signal her readiness. Like a shot, Sable took off into the darkness, the path visible like daylight in front of him. Olivia squeezed her eyes shut and hunkered down into his hide. They had about 100 miles to cover before they reached their destination, and the ride was far from luxurious. She had to admit, though, that it was much better than when she’d been carrying Morgan. That ride had been pure hell.

  She wrapped her arms gently over his neck and relaxed into his movements. From the moment she’d realized Grace was in trouble, she’d been running on adrenaline. The next few days were going to be rough, but for now, it was just her and her tiger. She let the sound of his padded feet striking the soft ground soothe her heart. Things were scary right now, but here, atop his massive body, she knew they would succeed. With Sable by her side, she had nothing to fear.

  They hadn’t been running long when Sable stopped suddenly and ducked into a dense stand of trees. He crouched down, head turned slightly to the right. Within moments, a four-wheeler came down the trail, headlights bouncing as the driver guided it over the terrain. Another vehicle followed closely behind it, the two men scanning the surrounding area slowly as they passed.

  Olivia held her breath as they waited for the border guard to pass. This section of the border wasn’t heavily guarded, with a simple sign posted to warn people in the forest they were about to enter another country on each side. Both countries had a small group of border guards patrolling the forest sporadically since this area wasn’t prone to illegal crossings. This section was difficult to access from the Washington side, and not heavily travelled from the Canadian side. Olivia doubted they would see another human being besides these two before they reached their destination.

  The two men stopped beside each other, turning their engines off briefly so they could speak.

  “I swear I heard something but I guess not.”

  The other man shrugged. “I don�
�t see anything and I don’t hear anything. Hopefully it’s not a bear.”

  The first man looked around as if the thought of a bear had never occurred to him. With one last look, the two started their engines and headed down the trail that Sable and Olivia had just been on. After waiting for a few moments, Sable left the stand of trees and continued the way he was going, slowly at first, then picking up speed once the sound of the four-wheelers faded in the distance.

  Settling in once more, Olivia turned her head to keep the cold wind off her face. Her eyes watered and her nose was cold, even with her head turned. One thing was for sure, she wouldn’t miss the Northwest’s chilly autumn while they were in Florida. She shivered a little, wishing they were already in the Florida sunshine.

  Her mind wandered, day-dreaming about lazy days on the beach with Grace, and how warm the sand had felt underneath her as she’d laid out in her string bikini. But the memory was bittersweet, forcing Olivia to face the reality of their current situation. Sunshiny paradise or not, they weren’t going for vacation. Grace was in trouble, and the sooner they could get her out of Florida and away from the violence she’d already suffered, the better.

  **

  Olivia was sore and tired, and chilled to the bone when Sable finally slowed down and began walking. Sitting up, she looked around in the dark, but nothing that she could make out looked even remotely familiar. Sable walked steadily, his sides heaving slightly with each breath as he recovered from the long run. He pushed through the trees and into an empty field beyond the forest, standing to look around before they went on.

  The weak light from the waning moon only illuminated part of the area, but Olivia knew exactly where they were. The old barn still stood in the distance, in the dark appearing even more rickety than it had five years before. Sliding down to stand beside him, Olivia let the heavy pack fall off her shoulders and onto the ground. She heard Sable groan beside her as he shifted. He was exhausted and struggled to shift after such a long run.