by Wolf, Terra
Andrew looked up at me, fear stricken and wild-eyed.
“What is going to happen to her? What is he going to do to her?” he asked.
“I’m going to find her. We’re going to be there when you hand over the cash to the guy. In the meantime, we’re going to find out who he is and try and get Charlotte back before the drop off. Either way, I’m going to save her.”
I was speaking through clenched teeth, and the more I spoke, the wider Andrew’s eyes became. He could sense something else was going on. I wasn’t reacting in the way I should have been reacting to a client being kidnapped. He could sense there was something more personal involved.
“Yes, I trust that you will save her,” he said, in a hollow sort of voice.
We stared at each other and I breathed in deeply.
“You and my daughter…you know each other, don’t you?” he asked.
“Yes, we do,” I said.
Andrew clenched his jaw and made a slight nod of his head.
“Are you…are you the baby’s father?” he asked.
I had no idea how he’d figured it out, but now that he was asking me the question directly, I wasn’t going to lie to him.
“I didn’t want to tell you like this. Charlotte wouldn’t have wanted it to happen like this either. But yes, I am the father. I love your daughter, Mr. Williams.”
Love…I hadn’t thought about that word till now when it came spilling out of me. When I heard Charlotte over the phone, now that I knew her life was in danger, I also knew that I loved her. I was going to do anything to get her back.
Andrew sighed and nodded his head.
“You should call me Andrew,” he said and I gulped. This was not the reaction I was expecting from Charlotte’s father.
“Do you really love her, Lincoln?” he continued.
I stared at him, hoping he would be able to see I was being honest.
“I have never loved a woman the way I love your daughter. She is my one true mate. She means everything to me. So does that child. I’m going to find her and I’m going to keep her safe,” I said.
I could see that Andrew’s eyes were filling up. He was getting emotional over this kidnapping, just like I was furious.
“I’ve been cruel to her these last few months, Lincoln. I couldn’t forgive her for getting pregnant, for keeping the name of the father from me,” he said.
“She didn’t want to tell you because she knew you wouldn’t approve of me,” I replied. Andrew fixed his eyes on me and then embarrassedly looked down at his desk.
“Well, she wasn’t wrong,” he said. “I have had a biased image of shifters since they came out in the open. But seeing how much you care for my daughter has made me start to change my mind about them.”
It was a relief to hear him say that, even if it was in the absence of Charlotte.
“I want you to save her, save my daughter. I will give you anything you want in return,” he continued.
“I don’t need anything from you, Andrew. I’m going to save her because I love her,” I told him and he nodded.
“Then go, and do it. You have my blessing. You are the man she deserves and you deserve her.”
I turned from him and ran out of the room.
My brothers were waiting outside, on the phones, trying to get a hold of their contacts so they could figure out who this asshole was.
I rushed towards them.
“Any news?” Ink asked.
“He called. He wants a hundred thousand in cash tomorrow.”
“So that’s where we’re going!” Grant exclaimed.
“Find out everything you can in the meantime. If we can get to her before the drop-off, it’s even better.”
The others were about to walk away, get in their cars and go, but I stopped them.
“There’s something else,” I said, calling out to them. The others stopped in their tracks and turned to me.
“She’s pregnant. Charlotte Williams. She’s pregnant,” I said.
They looked at each other. I knew they could sense something was going on.
“Yeah, we know. We saw her at the charity auction thing on stage,” Jackson said and I ran a hand through my hair.
“It’s mine. The child is mine.”
They were staring at me in disbelief. I hadn’t given them any clues about her and they had no idea until now.
“You are the father of Charlotte Williams’ kid?” Grant asked. He was smiling now, because he still didn’t believe me.
“You banged that ass?” Jackson asked and I threw him a look of warning. I didn’t want them talking about Charlotte the way they usually talked about other chicks.
“How did this happen, Lincoln? When?” Ford said and I drew in a deep breath.
“When I went camping in April, to scout out new shifter clans in the area. I met her there. She was there with her friends. Her parents didn’t know where she was. I didn’t know who she was until I saw her at the charity auction. I didn’t know she was pregnant.”
They stared at each other again, still confused.
“I need to find her. I need to get her back here and keep that baby safe. She needs to stay alive. Do you understand me?”
It was the most I could tell my brothers to communicate to them how I felt about Charlotte.
“Yes, we understand, Lincoln. We’re going to find her and bring her safely back home,” Jackson said.
Chapter 21
Charlotte
He made me spend the night on the chair.
Since I’d woken up from my unconscious state, I hadn’t been able to fall asleep. Neither had he given me a chance to get up and nor had he untied me. I’d spent the whole night in the cold small apartment, with my limbs tied to the chair. He hadn’t given me food or a drop of water, and I was beginning to feel dizzy. I was worried about the health of the baby moving inside me, but I didn’t say a word.
I didn’t want to attract any more of his attention to me.
From the way the man had spoken about dad, I could sense his hatred. It was like he hated dad enough to kill him…to kill me if he wanted to.
As I watched him moving around the dingy apartment, opening up cans of beer and sitting with it in front of the TV…I couldn’t help but wonder if it was dad’s fault. Was this man really at fault here?
It was true that he was deranged. It was as his animal had taken over him. Why would a sane man kidnap a pregnant woman and tie her to a chair? He was troubled. But dad’s actions had pushed him over the edge.
As much as I wanted to be safe, and keep my baby safe; I couldn’t help but feel sorry for this man too. He was doing what he thought the best thing to do was…to teach my dad a lesson. If my father hadn’t taken away his home, none of this would have happened. It wasn’t just a random act of violence.
But I couldn’t just make him see reason. He was deranged. He refused to speak to me or think logically.
So, the only thing I could do was stay awake all night and hope against hope that he wouldn’t try and hurt me. Which I knew he was capable of doing. I could sense that he was capable of anything to get the justice he thought he deserved.
In the morning, a little before nine, he woke up and splashed some water on his face.
“C’mon, girl, we’re going to go meet your dad,” he said. I was thankful that he was at least taking me along with him to collect the money.
He untied my legs from the chair and pulled me up. Before he did that, he’d already blindfolded me. Then he led me out of the apartment, and I could feel the sun’s warmth on my face. I was thirsty and hungry and exhausted, but I was just glad to be out of the apartment now.
Roughly, he shoved me into the back of his van.
“Please…” I pleaded with him, while he zip-tied my hand to the door of the van. He had a cigarette burning in the corner of his mouth, and he didn’t say a word. Mechanically, he blindfolded me. I was in darkness again…I couldn’t even cry anymore. I was too scared to cry. I knew he hat
ed my father enough to kill me if he was displeased.
“Please…” I tried again, and this time he banged the door shut and I knew I was alone.
I sensed the van start a few moments later. We were heading out.
My heart was thudding against my chest. At this point, all I wanted to do was stroke my belly, make sure my baby was okay.
When the van started, I skidded to the side, while my hands remained stuck to the door. The zip tie around my wrists chaffed my skin. I tried to sit close to the door so that it didn’t draw blood from the pull; but the van swerved again.
All I could see was darkness. I tried to focus on the turns and swerves the van was making, hoping I’d be able to remember the exact route the van was taking. For a few moments, that exercise helped calm my nerves…but not for long.
Very soon, I was panicking again. I was thinking about my baby and what was going to happen to us. Was I going to get out of this alive? What about Lincoln?
My only hope right now was him. I trusted him to find me, but what if this man had no intention of returning me to my family? What if he wasn’t even taking me to the park where he was supposed to meet dad? Anything was possible. How would Lincoln find me?
I tried to think about him. About the first time we met at the campsite. The way he’d made me feel just by touching the side of my neck. His tongue in my mouth. The comfort I’d felt in his arms.
Thinking about Lincoln made me calmer. I imagined a future with him. A future where he was accepted by my family. Where I could live with him, raise a child together…and still have a relationship with my parents. I was building castles in the air, I knew that. But it was better than crying over the circumstances I was in right now.
After what felt like hours, the van finally came to a stop. I skidded again, but managed to get myself in position. I was hoping he would open the door, but I heard the front driver’s door open and shut.
I tried to wriggle my hands out of the zip tie, but it was too tight. Every time I moved my hands, I felt like it would cut my skin. It was impossible to even get the blindfold off.
I couldn’t run, I couldn’t even move. As much as I tried to break free; the truth was that I wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter 22
Lincoln
“Brother, we will get her out of this alive,” I heard Jackson say.
We’d been staking out the park since eight in the morning. Ford, Grant, Jackson and fifteen other men from our clan were there. We’d covered all the possible exits and entrances to the park and I was hopeful. If this guy brought Charlotte with him, there was no way he was slipping away with her.
Yet, I was nervous.
And Ford had noticed it.
I was concerned for Charlotte’s safety, for the health of our baby. No matter what happened today, I was sure it was going to take its toll on her. It had been nearly twenty-four hours that Charlotte was in captivity, which was enough time to break her.
I nodded at Ford, grateful for his support. Once I’d informed my friends that Charlotte was pregnant with my child—I knew that everyone at the clan was going to do everything they could to get mother and child out alive. They would be willing to give up their lives to save her if they had to.
“There’s a van,” I heard a voice on the walkie. It was Jackson, who was keeping an eye out on one of the roads. I looked in his direction and saw a blue van pulling up. There was no sign of Charlotte, so it was quite possible that it was a false alert.
Then we saw a man jump out the front and stroll into the park. I knew right away that he was a coyote shifter. I could smell him from here. Luckily we were upwind so it would take him awhile to notice us.
Andrew was already in position, sitting on the bench in the middle of the park in full view.
I picked up my walkie.
“Go to the van. Check if Charlotte’s inside,” I told Jackson as I felt my bear shift underneath my skin .
“Lincoln, wait, he could have back-up from the rest of his pack” Ford hissed as I stepped out from the hiding spot behind the tree.
“His pack isn’t here, he’s working alone,” I said. He was the only coyote I could smell in the area.
I watched as the man sat down on the bench beside Andrew. They were still some distance from me. I walked towards them. They had their backs to me so neither of them could see me coming.
All I needed to do was get close enough to him without alarming him, or anyone else in the park.
I could feel my blood boiling already—knowing that it was this bastard who’d kidnapped Charlotte right out of her room. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to rip him apart.
As I inched closer to them, I could hear Andrew and him talking.
“Where is my daughter?” I heard Andrew ask.
The man was glaring at him.
“I’m not going to tell you that until you agree to stop the construction,” he hissed.
“That wasn’t a part of the deal. You have the money now, give me back my daughter!” Andrew raged and the man shook his head.
“I make the rules here. So, now I’ve changed them. Stop the construction and you can have your daughter,” he said.
“That will take some time. I can’t just do it right now, not today!” Andrew remarked and the man shrugged.
“I can wait…I’m sure your daughter can wait too,” he said.
“Okay, look, I’ll do anything. Just let my daughter go!” Andrew said.
I was inching closer to them, as close as I could get without being detected by the coyote.
“Stop the construction. Give back the homes to the shifters you took them from and I’ll return your daughter to you. Until then, she stays with me!”
My blood curdled at the sound of that. He had his money. Andrew had handed over the bag of cash to him; but that wasn’t enough. He’d planned on keeping Charlotte captive. He had more demands.
I was close enough to him now to grab him if I wanted to.
Andrew was faced towards me, and I knew from the corner of his eyes; he could see me coming. But thankfully, he didn’t look at me or make a move. The man still didn’t know I was behind him.
“She’s fine…” he said, with a hiss in his voice. In the next moment, I reached my hand out and grabbed his throat.
“Don’t move or you’re dead,” I growled. Instinctually, he raised his arms up in the air, but kept his face forward.
“You are making a bad mistake,” he hissed.
“Stand up. Slowly!” I shouted.
By now, there were people in the park who’d noticed the scene. They were staring at us not sure what to do. If I had to shift, and we started a fight, they would all be in danger.
“You’re coming with us,” I said to him.
“I’m not going anywhere. And you won’t find Charlotte either. So, kill me!” he squealed.
Andrew was standing up too now.
“Where is she? Where is Charlotte?” he shouted.
“I’m not telling you anything. You will never find her!” the coyote screamed.
“Tell me where my daughter is and we’ll let you go. We’ll forget this happened. Just tell me where to find Charlotte!” Andrew continued to shout.
“You can fuck right off. I don’t care if I live or die!” the coyote said.
I’d had enough.
I looked around the park, and most of the people that were staring had run away. I let go of the coyote, and let me bear take over. The power consumed me and when my paws hit the ground I let out a loud growl.
Andrew quickly backed away.
The coyote quickly shifted as well. If I were in my human for I would have let out a laugh. He was tiny compared to my grizzly bear size. He let out a low growl and tried to rush toward me. But I was too strong for him. All it took was one strong strike with my paw and I was able to pin him to the ground. I placed both my paws on him and snarled near his throat. He squirmed for a moment, but then realized I had him. His body went limp and my bear took th
at as a sign of him submitting.
I backed away and shifted into my human form, as he did as well.
“She’s in the van,” he said.
The clan was gathered around us now, and I grabbed the coyote and shoved him in the direction of one of them.
“He’s coming with us,” I growled and turned to where the van was parked on the road. Jackson threw me some shorts as we started to walk towards it.
I needed to see Charlotte.
I needed to make sure she was okay.
Chapter 23
Charlotte
I was breathing hard while I sat in the dark, blindfolded in the back of the van. The guy had been gone from the van for several minutes and I had no idea what was going on. I couldn’t hear anything. I had no clue where we were either. I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, they came flooding down my cheeks.
Suddenly, I heard the lock on the outside of the door being smashed. I tried to scream but no voice came out. One side of the door opened and I tried to pull against my zip tie.
“No! Please!” I yelled, afraid of what he was going to do next. If he was back, without Lincoln or dad…it meant that he was going to do something else with me. I felt hands on my face, my blindfold being pulled away.
It was only when the bright sun hit my eyes that I also heard the voice.
“Charlotte…it’s okay. I’m Lincoln’s friend. From the Canyon Hollow Clan.”
I blinked rapidly, and when his face came into vision—I realized I believed him. He wasn’t lying.
There was another guy with him, who slid out a knife and cut the zip tie around my wrists.
“I’m Jackson,” the first guy said with a smirk. “How are you feeling?” he asked. I could barely breathe, but I nodded. Now that Lincoln and his friends had found me, I was going to be okay.
“Are they okay? Lincoln and my dad?” I asked and Jackson nodded.
“We’re going to take you home right now, okay? Away from all this,” he said.
