by Sadie Hart
She glanced at her phone and winced. Ten messages from Beckett. No doubt demanding to know where she was and why she hadn’t checked in, but calling him back wouldn’t help a damn thing. She deleted them all, flipped open her contacts, and called the only person she trusted to help her out of this mess.
Lennox would probably kill her for calling this late, but she wasn’t sure she’d get another chance. Bracing her head against the railing outside their motel room, she listened to the phone ring. Part of her wasn’t even sure what to say, where to even begin explaining.
But she didn’t have anyone else she could turn to.
“Sawyer?” Just hearing the sound of her old boss’s voice over the phone made the tension in her shoulders ease. If anyone would understand what she was doing, it was Lennox Donnelly. Lennox, who’d harbored a lion-shifter fugitive and his partner illegally while she’d worked to prove their innocence.
She’d understand kidnapping a girl to save her life and uniting the child with her rogue father. She had to.
Sawyer craned her head around. The water was still running and she could hear Rift humming softly to himself in the shower. “I don’t have long, Lennox, but I need help.”
The bed creaked on the other end of the phone just as a baby cried in the background. There was a sleep-rumbled, “I’ll get her,” before Lennox said, “What happened?”
“I don’t have time for details. But I took a kid from the Cane Creek pride. They were going to kill her.” Her voice quavered a little. “Someone needs to put those pride males down, Lennox.”
“Where are you now?”
“I don’t know. Northern Texas I think, probably haven’t hit New Mexico yet. I’m exhausted. We’ve stopped at a motel for the night. I haven’t slept in over forty-eight hours. I just need a game plan and someone I can trust to help me. I can’t give her back.”
“Shit,” Lennox muttered. She heard a worried grumble before Lennox shushed them. “Is it just you and the kid? What about the mother?”
“She wanted to risk the pride. I’ve seen what he’s done to her and the other females, and I’m convinced he’ll kill Kinsey. She’s not his. She’s a rogue male’s daughter.”
“Well, this just keeps getting better and better.”
Oh, that it did. “I have him too,” Sawyer whispered.
“Him? The rogue?”
“Yeah.” She glanced at the motel room door. “He’s in the shower. I haven’t blown my cover yet. All he knows is that I was in the pride and took the girl to save her.”
“Do you know why he’s a rogue?”
“No.”
“Pen, paper,” Lennox barked out and Sawyer could hear some moving on the other end as they complied. “What’s his name?”
“Rift Callahan.” The water in the bathroom shut off. She was out of time. “The daughter’s name is Kinsey Slade, out of Cane Creek. Mother is Jenna Slade, supposed-father Dougal Slade. He’s a mean bastard and has three other pride males. They’re following us and I have to go.”
The words rushed out of her, wild and desperate.
“I’ll call you tomorrow night. Keep heading this way, Sawyer, and if you get into any trouble at all, blow your cover and call me. I’m not losing you just so Shifter Town Enforcement can keep a little secret.”
“Thank you,” Sawyer breathed before she hung up. She stood and stuffed the phone in her back pocket just as the door opened, swallowing tears and relief to protect her game face.
Rift stood in the doorway in nothing but a pair of well-worn black jeans. Beads of water trickled down the muscled expanse of his chest. Sawyer swallowed. A trio of thin white scars traveled over his right pectoral, a nice memento from another lion, no doubt.
“You all right?” he asked softly.
“Yeah. Just getting some air.”
She turned back towards the parking lot, trying to erase the half-naked image of Rift from of her mind. Then his hand touched her hip and she felt an instant flash of longing bloom inside her.
Rift moved in closer, the heat of his body crowding around her, and Sawyer closed her eyes as his hand found her other hip, cradling her close. “You should sleep,” he whispered into her hair.
“Tomorrow...” she started, but Rift cut her off with a low rumble before turning her into him.
His hands slid up to her back. “We’ll deal with tomorrow in the morning. Tonight, the only thing I want to do is sleep.”
His eyes darkened and a lilting half smile touched his lips. “Well, sleep is the only thing we’re going to do.” Twin thumbs traced small circles on her back. “I wouldn’t mind doing more another night.”
He stepped back toward the open door, one hand lingering on the small of her back as he gave her room. “Come on. Let’s get some sleep.”
Sawyer didn’t bother to argue. She’d done everything she could tonight, and her whole body was trembling with exhaustion. Exhaustion and Rift’s nearness. She flopped down across the bed, only to feel large hands grab her ankles and, one by one, tug off her shoes.
Then the blanket fell over her and the last thing Sawyer remembered was Rift sprawling out next to her, one large arm falling over her waist as he pulled her in close.
That and the feeling of safety that settled over her, right before the oblivion of sleep.
Chapter Three
Dougal stood in the doorway of Jenna’s little hideaway. Fucking bitch. He could smell her rose of perfume, the musky scent of lionesses, and worse, the damn kid she’d been hiding. The muscle in his jaw ticked. He hadn’t seen that one coming.
She’d been careful, keeping the girl under wraps.
He strode over to the table. An upturned chair lay in the middle of the dining room. The place looked like it’d been ransacked. A soft knock sounded at the door and Dougal turned, a dangerous snarl building in his throat as he fought the rage boiling inside him. His lion wanted blood. That child wasn’t his, and this whore had done them both wrong.
“Dougal--”
“Get out.” The words came out gravelly, harsh, and he could feel the fangs lengthening in his mouth.
Jenna winced and shrank back, but she didn’t leave. Her head turned towards the door as she whispered, “She’s just a little girl.”
“Get out!”
This time she fled, the screen door banging shut behind her. Dougal ran his tongue out over his lips, tasted the scents in the room. She’s just a little girl. It was such a plaintive whisper. Almost a plea. Just a girl who wasn’t his. That her own mother wouldn’t stand up to protect. He snorted. He saw no reason for mercy here.
If even Jenna didn’t see the child as something worth protecting, then she was sure as hell nothing to him. And as for the lioness who’d thought to defy him, well, he had plans for Sawyer. His lips hitched up into a cruel smile as he made his way through the small house. He never should have let her live off site.
She’d simply seen being his favorite as a way to use him. Defy him.
And unable to have kids? His ass.
Another one of her lies.
Dougal stepped deeper into the house, only to pause as something crackled under foot. He knelt, reaching for the thin photograph trapped under his boot, and quickly felt the rage twist tighter in his gut. How dare she. His lips pulled back and he could feel the sharp jut of his fangs cutting into his bottom lip as he stared down at the picture of the one man he’d sworn to kill more than a decade ago. Rift Callahan.
Jenna had fucked him, had a child with him, and hid that cursed offspring right under his nose. His hand closed into a fist, crumpling the picture with a snarl.
He was going to kill them.
Kill them all.
Chapter Four
Sawyer couldn’t remember the last time she’d waked up wrapped in someone’s arms. She closed her eyes again for a second, reveling in the warmth from Rift’s body, the solid strength in his muscular arms that promised protection. Safety. She gave a little half-smile at the thought. And here she’d t
hought was the protecting.
Which meant she needed to get up and call Lennox again. See what her old boss had dug up. They didn’t have much time, and Sawyer doubted she’d get a lot of privacy once Rift and Kinsey were up. Rift snuggled in closer, the heat of his breath playing over her shoulder, and Sawyer shivered at the touch. Rift let out a soft rumble of purely masculine satisfaction.
He made the softest sounds in his sleep, and had he been a smaller cat she’d have said he meowed in his sleep. Or purred. A soft smile tugged the corners of her lips. Big, bad lion that he was. Sawyer gently pushed his arm aside and rolled out of bed, her gaze automatically tracking to Kinsey’s empty bed, then the closed bathroom door and the sounds of water behind it. Followed by an ungodly wail— Kinsey’s rendition of one of her favorite songs. A big favorite, as Sawyer knew, since she’d heard the damn thing blaring on repeat on Kinsey’s iPod since they’d gotten in the car.
The song had been bad when sung by professionals. It was horrid and had a nails-down-a-chalkboard impact when belted out by Kinsey.
Sawyer cringed. With vocals like that, the kid shouldn’t be allowed to sing in the shower.
“Ugh,” Rift groaned and rolled to his back, draping one arm over his forehead as he blinked into the early morning sunshine slipping past the curtains. “What the hell?” His attention jerked to the bathroom door and his eyes slitted. “Never mind.”
“She’s got your pretty voice.”
Rift flipped her off, but one corner of his mouth lifted in humor. “You haven’t heard me sing yet, sweetheart.”
“Judging by Kinsey’s voice, I don’t think I could handle it.” She flashed him a teasing grin, all the while trying to ignore the knot in her stomach. Contacting Lennox would have to wait. In the meantime, she’d have to do her best to get them moving and keep them safe. And maintain her cover.
Rift eyed her a moment longer before he closed his eyes. “So what’s the game plan for today?”
“To keep moving.” Sawyer leaned down and snatched up her bag, then Rift’s, and chucked his at him. “Which means getting your ass out of bed.”
And stop asking questions, so she wouldn’t have to remember the lies she made up to answer them.
She didn’t need complicated. The closer to the truth she could stay, the easier everything would be.
But then Rift sat up in bed, the covers falling down around his waist, and her mouth went dry. Rich, bronze skin that suddenly looked soft in the slim snatches of morning sunlight peeking through the curtains. Soft, despite the hard ridge of muscles along his chest and shoulders, and the old white puckered lines from various scars across his abdomen. The man was breathtaking, and from the grin on his face, he knew it.
She groaned and his grin widened, all cocky, arrogant male. That grin had probably worked on every girl who’d ever seen it. Especially when she saw the nice hard-on tenting the sheet. She didn’t miss the heat that came with that look in his eyes either.
“You, mister, are a dangerous combination in the morning.” She waggled a finger at him. “All play and good humor. But lose the presidential flag between your legs and get up.”
The water cut off in the bathroom and Sawyer lifted her eyebrows to emphasize her point. “Unless of course you want your daughter to see that.”
Rift grunted at that, but swung out of bed in nothing more than a pair of boxers. She swallowed. Damn him. He dug out a pair of jeans, flashed her another smile and then pulled them on. Just in time, too, as the bathroom door opened and a silver tabby came bolting out into the room to mewl pathetically at Rift’s feet.
Kinsey laughed from the doorway. “I already fed her, so don’t pay any attention.”
Sawyer watched as Rift plucked the cat up, running those large hands gently behind Rona’s ears, drawing soft purrs. And she found herself wishing she were the damn cat.
Then she glanced over at Kinsey and recognized the fear under her look of normal teenage bravado. Aww, damn. Everything Kins had known had been up turned and now she was running with strangers, though at least she kind of knew Sawyer. It was more than she could say for her father.
Sawyer reached out to muss the blue-green hair, drawing an angry hiss from the girl, but as she tried to slip past into the bathroom, Kinsey caught her. “You’re not leaving yet, right?”
Kinsey shifted nervously on the balls of her feet, a jumble of nerves. Sawyer planted a soft kiss on Kinsey’s forehead. “I’m not going anywhere. Well, besides the restroom.”
She pushed the girl aside, rougher than she’d intended, but it was nothing Kinsey didn’t expect. Lion society was such a mix of tenderness and aggression. Weakness wasn’t a virtue in their society, and an affectionate shove was something Kinsey would understand.
A tennis shoe scuffed over the carpet and Sawyer froze, waiting, but Kinsey wasn’t speaking to her when she mumbled, “You should have brought in Rona’s litter box. She probably needs to go.”
The soft whisper of Kinsey’s voice broke her heart, but the girl was trying. Sawyer hoped like hell Rift understood that.
“I’ll take care of her,” Rift said, sounding every bit as awkward as his thirteen-year-old daughter. “Don’t worry.”
Sawyer heard him toward the door when Kinsey added, “I’m hungry too.”
“We have food in the car.”
“For real food. Pancakes.”
Sawyer shook her head at the demanding tone and turned on the water, brushing her teeth as quickly as she could before she dressed and drew her long brown hair back into a pony tail. It was almost enough to make her feel human again. Almost.
“You about done in there?” Rift called, and she opened the door with a sigh. No use wasting time. They’d need every second’s advantage they could scrounge. One look at the lion leaning against the far wall, and she knew he knew it too. They didn’t have that much time before fate came beating down their door.
Sawyer made a soft sound of agreement as she zipped up her bag. She glanced up at Rift. “We ready to hit the road?”
He nodded. “All packed. I signed us out at the front desk so we should book it while we still have the chance. Besides, Kinsey wants real food. Not pizza rolls that have been sitting in the trunk all night.”
“Those are for lunch,” Kinsey said from the doorway, getting a smile from both of them before they followed her out into the cool morning air. Rift shut the door behind them.
Soon they’d be far enough from this place that it wouldn’t matter who found it.
***
Kinsey had vetoed every breakfast option except the Pancake House off of I-17, and Rift had given up arguing with her. Rift saw Sawyer smile to herself as they pulled into the parking lot. He knew he’d caved, but bloody hell, arguing with Kinsey was like trying to bring down a rhino with a shoelace. He just wasn’t going to win.
Besides, why turn down a perfectly good plate of bacon?
“Don’t say a word,” he muttered as he reached for the door and Sawyer’s grin widened.
“You’re about as whipped as I am.” Then she dug a small roll of bills from her back pocket and passed it to him. “All I got. After this, you’re going to need to take out a loan just to keep her fed, but the least I can do is buy breakfast.”
“There’s no nee—” She crossed her arms and fixed him a glare when he tried to hand it back to her. Fine. “You didn’t have to, then.”
“No, I didn’t.” She scooted out the passenger seat and Kinsey all but clawed her way out, pausing only to look at Rona stretched out in the back seat.
“I don’t want to leave her,” Kinsey said. For the record, neither did Rift. He’d never thought he’d be back on the run after all these years and would need to worry about what to do with his cat. Now leaving her in the car seemed cruel. Texas wasn’t known for being cool this time of year.
“Pop the trunk,” Sawyer said, and he did, even though he had no idea what she was up to. He heard the whir of a zipper and then the soft jingle of keys as she he
ld out a second set. She gave a small shrug. “I used to lock myself out all the time.”
“Great. Nice to be able to leave the AC running.” A good thing he’d parked in some shade. He still didn’t like leaving Rona in the car, but at least now she shouldn’t get that hot. Besides, lions would make fast work of a meal.
Fighting a grin, he made sure Rona was settled, giving her a quick pat before heading into the restaurant. Sawyer was already seated at a booth, Kinsey stretched out across from her, making sure to take up her whole side. Her bright blue hair clashed with the red vinyl, and he could hear the screech from her headphones clear over here. Damn that kid was going to ruin her hearing.
Then again, with her shifter abilities, who knew? Though hell, it made his lion’s ears ache, and he didn’t have the buds jammed into his ears. And then the smell of real food, the rich breakfast fragrances, hit his stomach like a ton of bricks.
Sawyer had to be just as famished, and the hungry glean to her eyes as she surveyed the customers already seated, shoveling food into their mouths, confirmed it. Rift slid into the booth beside her.
“She ever shut those damn things off?”
“When she eats.” Sawyer grinned and passed him a menu.
“Hi, there,” the waitress said as she sidled up to their booth. “Name’s Mindy, I’ll be your server today. What can I get ya’ll to drink?”
“Cherry Coke.” Kinsey said, swiveling her iPod off.
“Ditto for me.” Sawyer said and glanced at Rift.
He nodded. “Same.”
“And I think we’re actually ready to order.” Sawyer flashed him a grin. He hadn’t even opened the menu yet.
“I want the pancakes and fried chicken,” Kinsey said. “With a double order of bacon on the side.”
“Is that all?” Sawyer asked, her eyebrows arched in a gentle tease.
Kinsey held out the menu to the waitress. “Um, no. Can I have a side of scrambled eggs too?”
“I think your meal comes with hash browns, Kins,” Sawyer said.
