“What can we do?”
Cyn hummed a bit as if in thought. “In every dream I’ve had since they died, the guilty party got what they deserved. Karma bit them on the ass, and what they did to our parents turned around on them.”
Zach nodded and his face broke out into a toothy grin. “That just might work.”
“Excuse me?” She turned to him.
Kaden was dying to ask what he meant too, but he kept his mouth shut.
“I need to think for a bit.” Zach got up from the porch swing and strolled out into the woods beyond the steps. “I’ll be back.”
Cyn took a place next to Kaden after Zach disappeared.
“What was that all about?” he asked her.
“I don’t know, but he’s only done that twice before. Up and left like that.”
“When were those times?”
“After I told him I had cancer and after I told him our parents died.”
A half hour later, when the night sky was cloudless with a half moon, Zach emerged from the woods with Uncle Damien at his side. As to when the two found each other in the woods would be a question he’d have to ask his uncle later.
Neither Kaden nor Cyn spoke when Zach and Damien approached them. “I heard back from Ty,” Zach said.
Kaden’s eyebrow rose. “You contacted him? What for?”
“The McGinnises have unfinished business,” Zach said simply.
Kaden had never seen Zach look so serious since the day Zach brought Cyn to his doorstep.
Zach continued. “I had a long talk with Damien and then I told Ty our thoughts on getting back at the Ceruleans and the Bakers. Ty said he wants in on the action.”
***
The night stretched out until Cyn and Kaden went to bed.
Cyn had trouble sleeping that night, though, so she slipped out of the room and headed to the kitchen to grab some leftover food. She hadn’t felt this hungry since high school.
On the way back to her room, though, she was surprised to see Eva waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
“I heard you plan to have us sacrifice ourselves for your vendetta against the Baker pack,” Eva said with a sneer.
Why couldn’t that woman move on? she thought.
She was rather proud of herself for avoiding Eva after what Eva did with Bastian against Zach. “You don’t know when to stop, do you?”
“What?”
“Let’s get something straight here.” Cyn inhaled sharply. Keeping quiet was gonna be hard. She was balancing an overloaded sandwich in one hand and a cold beer in the other. “You don’t have to do anything except take your precious children to the pack’s new home and continue to be a backstabbing bitch.”
“What did you say to me?” Eva trembled with growing anger.
Cyn had been waiting a long time to say how she really felt. “If you hadn’t betrayed the pack, my brother wouldn’t have been shot. I should knock you on your power-hungry ass right now, but I happen to have something you lack: self-control.”
Eva tried to close in on her, but Cyn had several inches on Eva in height and didn’t back down. If that woman made her drop her sandwich…
“Are you ready to take things outside?” Cyn asked. “‘Cause I’ve been itching to see if you’ll deliver on all those crazy threats you’ve made over the last couple of months.”
Eva’s blue eyes locked on hers and Cyn didn’t even flinch. She wanted Eva to challenge her, was practically thirsty to drink from the fountain of an all-out bar brawl, but Eva was the first one to look away. When Cyn took a step toward her, it was Eva who backed up.
“I’m not sick anymore. I’ll even give you permission to take a swing at me.” Cyn edged forward until Eva was forced to go up one step.
“No comments from the crazy club?” she asked. “Good. Go to bed, Eva.”
Watching Eva march up the steps felt damn good, but the moment Eva disappeared into one of the rooms, Cyn let out a long deep breath.
Never thought you’d have it in you, McGinnis, she thought.
She wasn’t surprised to see Kaden was awake and waiting right outside of the door to the room they shared.
Her mouth flapped open a few times. “I didn’t need backup.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“What are you doing up?”
“You got up, so I did, too.”
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t stop thinking about the plan. And Zach. And Ty’s role in all this…” The very idea that Ty could be trusted had made Cyn burst out with laughter at first, but once Zach told her what he had planned after talking to Damien, the idea was crazy cool.
Okay, crazy cool was a stretch. Mission impossible was a better term. So many players and pieces had to line up perfectly for everything to work.
“Are you sure Ty and your Red clan will do their part?” Kaden asked her.
“Without a doubt,” she replied. “The McGinnises have a long history with the Red clan. The loss of our parents was a loss to them.”
“I’m not worried so much about the Red clan, I’m talking about Ty.” Kaden eyed her as if to remind her of what had gone down between brother and sister.
Her brother had shot her. Remembering wasn’t a problem.
“Do you believe you can trust him?” he carefully asked her.
Good question.
She thought a bit before she answered. “I’m not sure about his anger, but what I am sure about is his thirst for vengeance. That I trust unequivocally.”
Chapter 8
A week had passed before Kaden found a location that was much more ideal for his pack. A property in Montana came up with over five thousand acres. Plenty of space to start over again. He had no desire to fight for breathing room with rival packs.
Now all they had to do was relocate. Which was easier said than done with the plans a few of his pack members made.
Damien paid him a visit in the house’s small office while he was researching moving companies.
“Good morning, nephew.” As usual, Uncle Damien was bright-eyed and in good spirits.
“It’s nice to see you. You disappear quite often,” Kaden replied.
Damien settled into the seat next to the mahogany desk. “Wanderlust can never be sated.”
He looked at the man who had always been in his family since his birth. Usually, Damien had a quiet, refined nature, but right now, the older werewolf stirred like a pacing cougar. The muscles along Damien’s shoulders were stiff and a persistent twitch flexed in his jaw.
“You know why I’m here, don’t you?” Uncle Damien began.
“I have an idea. The McGinnis plan.”
“I’ve been waiting decades to finish what I started so long ago against the Bakers.” His European accent slipped in a few times.
Kaden took a deep, cleansing breath. A day like today should’ve been anticipated, but he had been distracted. “I have reservations about the role my pack has to play.” He’d been feeling guilty as of late, and a rash action such as going against the Baker pack wasn’t wise. Even if he had no plans for a major war.
“You have had your moment of revenge, Uncle,” he added. “Haven’t you shed enough blood?”
The side of Damien’s mouth curled upwards. “Cameron Baker’s sire escaped my wrath all those years ago when his pack stormed into my cabin and killed my pregnant wife. The day I woke up as a werewolf, I swore that I’d sever that line and never doubt my decision.”
Kaden held in a sigh. He respected his uncle, but revenge wasn’t his way. Killing the Bakers wouldn’t solve anything or satisfy Damien’s hunger for vengeance. What if any of the Bakers escaped? They’d come for the weakened Windhams.
“The pack is vulnerable right now,” he said simply.
“I wish I had doubts, but the people who had plotted and killed my parents are still alive and well.” He turned to see Cyn in the doorway. Her chin-length black hair was messy, but the fierceness in her gray eyes was quite clear. “They live day-to-day without
fear that the past will come back to haunt them.”
With Zach not far behind her, Cyn crossed the room and stood before them. Now he had a crowd.
“I’ll be honest and say I’m pissed that the Cerulean hunting clan conspired with the Bakers to take out Mom and Dad,” Zach said. “I’m not as angry as I used to be a few years ago, but the idea of delivering some poetic justice is so tempting, I can taste it.”
This was a turning point, and even Kaden felt it. Would he help deliver justice or keep the pack on the path to Montana? If he refused Cyn, who would stop her from moving forward with her plans with the others?
After everything that had occurred, leaving her side was unacceptable. The only way to keep his mate safe would be to stay by her side and see this journey through to the end. He closed his eyes.
He nodded to the others around him. “The only way I’ll agree to this is if the other pack members are in transit to our new home. That’s in two weeks.”
“Absolutely,” Uncle Damien agreed.
Kaden continued. “After that, we’ll rendezvous in Vancouver to settle our personal business.” Apprehension flicked at him with each word. Maybe he didn’t want to confront Cameron because of what he took away from him: The woman who willingly walked away from him.
Chapter 9
The two weeks flew by for Kaden. With Sinister, he’d visited their new home in Montana. Then he packed up the Windham werewolves and sent them on their way to the east. Next, he went over the attack plan countless times with Cyn, Zach, and Damien. The two weeks were over and now he had to do his part: meet with the Baker pack leader about possible territory rights in southern California. A complete sham, but he got Cameron to come to town.
As he walked to the Cottonwood Club Hotel concierge desk to learn the meeting location, he couldn’t shake a sinking feeling. They were past the point of turning back now. Ty had done his part with the Red clan and sent a message to Zach who relayed the text to Kaden: “The Ceruleans know the Windhams are in town to meet with the Baker pack. You won’t be vulnerable to attack until dusk.”
Tonight he’d meet with the Baker pack leader. The arrangements had been made and now he had to learn where and when they’d meet. Cameron trusted no one.
“I’ve been a target before with those damn hunters so you will go to the hotel lobby for details. No flunkies. Ask the hotel concierge for the meeting place and time,” Cameron had said over the phone.
Seemed like an easy enough request.
What he didn’t expect after he’d spoken to the concierge desk was for someone to walk up to him and pat him on the shoulder. He turned around to see Hayley standing there.
She was pregnant.
“Hello, Kaden,” she said softly. Hayley wasn’t the kind of woman one could forget. She had a heart-shaped face, beautiful brown hair to her shoulders, and a body most women envied. Her heart wasn’t as pretty.
“Is there a reason why you’re here right now?” He hadn’t meant for his words to come out so stiffly, but they did.
“I came to check out the meeting space.”
“So he sent you out here alone,” he gestured toward her stomach, “like this?”
Hayley smiled smugly. “He is very protective of me. Believe me; I’m not alone right now.”
He glanced at the corners of the lobby and spotted five werewolves looking them over as they spoke.
“What do you want?” Kaden asked.
“Why did you contact him?”
“You already know why I contacted him.”
She licked her lips and the look of discomfort passed over her face. “After what happened between us, I expected you to never contact me or Cameron ever again.”
He gave a dry laugh. It took everything he had not to say, “I didn’t want to ever see your face again.”
Instead, he settled for, “Circumstances change. For the betterment of my pack, I had to speak to him.” He leaned forward.
“You still shouldn’t have, Kad.”
He used to love that nickname. Now, hearing her call him that rubbed his fur the wrong way.
She ran her hand over her belly. Based on her stomach size, she had to be around seven months. He looked away. That could have been his child, but things had gone for the best. He’d dodged a bullet.
Hayley’s right eyebrow rose. “All this time, I thought you were plotting your revenge for what I did to you. I had Cameron increase security tenfold.” The side of her lip curled into a smile. “I almost wanted the man I remembered to come for me and try to take back what was his.”
He found none of what she said humorous at all and just stared at her with a face resembling stone.
“Stop looking at me that way. I didn’t mean for things to happen between Cameron and me.”
“Don’t—” Wow, he couldn’t believe she went there.
“Just listen. I want to speak my peace. I want to say I’m sorry for what I did to you and Naomi.”
“Naomi?”
“I tried to call her, but the last phone number I have for her is bad.”
His face soured. “What did you do to my sister?”
Her face dropped. “She never told you.”
He took a step closer to her. “What did you do to my sister?”
Hayley stared at the large Oriental rug not far from them on the floor. In the past, she’d rarely avoided his gaze. “There was a misunderstanding. She thought Cameron had feelings for her, but he didn’t. He fell for me the moment we got together and I couldn’t help but reciprocate, even if that meant hurting you.”
“You did more than hurt me.” Kaden shook his head with disbelief. He couldn’t look at her anymore with that feigned sorry look on her face. She had hurt both him and, now, Naomi.
“There’s nothing I can say to make things better, but I hope this meeting you have with Cameron goes well and you find what you seek for the Windham pack.”
He didn’t say goodbye. He left the lobby and didn’t look back.
Chapter 10
Cyn’s old apartment was their base camp for the day. The minute Kaden walked through the door, he marched right up to his sister.
“I need to speak with you on the balcony. Alone.”
He didn’t bother waiting for an answer, went to the condo’s balcony, and closed the sliding door. He didn’t have to wait long for her to follow him.
“What do you want?” she asked when he didn’t say anything at first.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kaden whispered. The wind blew into their faces, but his sister caught what he said. “Why did you really leave LA?”
A frown filled her face. “So you met Cameron already?”
“No, Hayley wanted to meet with me.”
“Why did you meet with that bitch?”
“Don’t call her that. As much as I hate her, you’re too good of a person to sink that low, Naomi.” He tentatively placed his hand on his sister’s shoulder and she didn’t shrug it off.
“I was ashamed. All right?” She wouldn’t look at him.
“Don’t you think I felt that way too after Hayley left me for another man?” He swallowed deeply as he said it.
“That’s why I couldn’t say anything. You were in as much pain as I was. Why make you suffer more?”
He strolled to the edge of the balcony and placed his hands on the iron bars. The city hummed under their feet. Carrying the burden of someone else’s faults wasn’t a burden he wanted anymore. “I’ve moved on with my life, and I’d like you to do the same.”
She slowly nodded. “I want to move on, but the pain seems to give me focus. The pain makes me feel normal.”
“It’s not normal. It’s just a shield that protects you from what you could have in the future.”
“My shield isn’t doing that good of a job of bringing Bastian back.”
Kaden’s grip on the fence tightened. “It never will.” He turned to briefly look at her. “But, if you want, you can give that pain to me and live your life. I�
��m the one who was responsible for him. Not you.”
“I can try…” she whispered.
They stood side by side for a few minutes before she finally spoke. “So what now? Are you going to get revenge for your sister?”
Same ol’ Naomi.
Kaden sighed. “Until today, I was prepared to do anything, but now a change of plans is in order.” He motioned for Naomi to follow him into the living room where Cyn and Zach gathered.
Kaden knew one thing was for certain, though: They couldn’t go through with the attack tonight.
“We have to call off the attack,” he said to everyone.
“Are you sure about this?” Cyn asked.
He was quite sure. “I only see this going badly. If the Baker pack has increased security ten-fold, then we won’t make it to the hotel penthouse. I don’t even know if Ty will be able to take out the contingent of Ceruleans in the parking garage.”
Zach was nodding in agreement. “And there’s no guarantee Garrison will be there—” Zach began.
“But there is a chance!” Cyn said.
Kaden wished he could say what she wanted to hear.
“All this time, you told me you wanted to protect Ty,” Kaden said. “That he was your responsibility.”
She twisted away from him, but she nodded reluctantly.
Kaden wanted to reach out and pull her to him, but her turned back spoke volumes. “You’ve been hungry for the truth for so long. I’ve been there, but, this time, we have to back down.”
Cyn turned to face him and his heart tugged painfully. With slumped shoulders, she shut her eyes. A tear ran down her cheek and she wiped it away.
Zach stood. “I’m going to call Ty and see if I can call off the mission.” He left the apartment and his disappointment was evident in his slow exit.
Kaden took a place next to Cyn and held her hand. By the time Zach returned, his face was hard to read.
“It’s too late,” Zach said. “Ty left me a message that he’s already left for the hotel.”
Cyn’s face fell as suspicion crawled up Kaden’s backside. Where was Uncle Damien? He hurried into the spare bedroom where he’d last seen his uncle. That old wolf had most likely heard everything.
Windham Werewolves Page 25
