by Jools Louise
“You’ll have to step into line,” Sherman replied grimly. “That bastard’s hurt a lot of people…and we won’t want to kill him too quickly—he needs to suffer first.”
“Damned straight,” the boy said, nodding.
“Are you, er, his children?” Chaz asked delicately, curious. Sherman shot him a startled look. He hadn’t thought to question that, he’d just assumed that Daniel was these boys’ father.
“This isn’t something we should discuss with the younger ones present,” Murphy said quietly, and Chaz flushed with embarrassment, ducking his head.
“I’m sorry, that was inappropriate,” he replied.
“No, it’s okay,” the teenager said. “He is our dad. We had a pretty good life, with a nice house and we went to school, had lots of friends. He was away a lot but when he was at home it wasn’t pleasant. He was…mean, and Mom tried to keep us away from him as much as possible. She loves us, I know she does, but she hates him. She’s protected us all, and has taken a lot of abuse from him when he got mean with her. She tried to help the others, too, but then she got too weak, after Daniel took them downstairs. They used to sneak us food and water, the last few weeks, with no help from anyone, we’ve had a terrible time.”
“Daniel will be questioned,” Pace said. “And we’ll find out everything we need to know about his connections. Now, let’s get your mom to safety, where we can take better care of her.”
“Thank you,” the boy whispered, his eyes filling with tears suddenly. “I don’t want her to die.”
“We’ll do whatever we can to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Murphy replied, squeezing the boy’s shoulder gently. “Lex is one of the best doctors, he’ll get her well just as soon as we get everyone to the clinic.”
Sherman felt the small bundle in his arms sag slightly, and looked down to see the boy fast asleep. His heart clenched with an instant, fraternal kind of love for the little boy, despite the fact that they’d only just met. What Daniel had done to these boys, his own sons, was despicable. What kind of monster had so little thought for his own family that he put them through such trauma?
“Pace, Chaz, Cracker help me get Kathleen onto the stretcher, will you?” Murphy said, wrapping the blankets more firmly around his patient. Two of Ryder’s troops came in with a stretcher, and Murphy held the IV tube up as Kathleen was lifted carefully onto it and then carried out of the cabin by the troopers, with Murphy assisting.
“The others are already en route,” Pace said. “Kathleen will be in the second helicopter. There were more wounded than we thought…but no fatalities, thankfully.”
Sherman knew that could change, in the time it took to get out of this terrible place.
“Let’s get these guys ready to leave,” Pace said as they helped get the children ready to go, wrapping them in blankets. “Sherman, Chaz, Cracker, you guys carry the little ones, I’ll grab this big guy,” he said, getting a smile from the teenager.
“My name is Drew,” the boy drawled, leaning on Pace as he got to his feet again. He was now clad in boots to protect his feet, and he wore loose sweats and a coat that had been found in a closet. “This is Charles, Harvey, Stuart, Flint, and Moe,” he added, introducing his brothers. They each smiled shyly, looked a lot more relaxed now they knew they were about to leave, and wearing proper clothing at last, rather than the flimsy hospital gowns.
“I think Flint here is down for the count,” Sherman murmured, watching as Cracker lifted Stuart who was perhaps eight years old. The boy, thin as a rail, clung on tightly, resting his head against Cracker’s broad shoulder. Within seconds he had joined his younger brother in slumber.
Chaz smiled at his mate, and handed Moe over to Sherman. He took Charles and Harvey by the hand, who were okay to walk. Charles looked about twelve, and Harvey two years younger. They were a little more alert than Drew, and looked excited to be leaving, but still nervous.
Chaz knew they could all shift, but wanted to make sure nobody wandered off on the way back to the transport. The main road was miles away, so the sooner they got moving, the sooner they could get warmed up and fed.
John jogged toward them as they left the cabin, as grimy as the others who had been down below. He arched a brow at all the children, then lifted Drew into his arms when he looked a little too shaky. “Now then, my good man, let’s get you out of here, hey? I’m John, by the way. I’ll be your temporary chauffeur until we get to the vehicles, and then we’ll let Sherman or Chaz take over. Then we’ll discuss living arrangements. We’ve retrieved everything we need here.”
Drew looked a little tearful, but managed to hold onto his dignity. “Are you the one who likes explosives?” he asked, his body trembling from fatigue.
John sent Chaz a droll look, receiving a cheery grin in return. “Someone’s been telling tales,” he replied, winking at Drew, leading the way off the porch. There was a hive of activity going on in the immediate area. Ryder’s troops, twenty of them, were coordinating the removal of a whole line of stretchered individuals from below ground, several meters from the main cabin. They had to negotiate a slippery slope which was well hidden under leaf litter. A pair of heavy steel doors lay about twenty feet from the slope, one sitting at an odd angle, a large hole blasted through the center of it.
“Wow, John, I’m surprised you didn’t blast yourself out of the tunnel, as well,” Chaz said, sounding awed.
“I’m skilled at what I do,” John drawled, smirking. “Although Rafe did say a prayer just before lift-off.”
Drew gave a startled laugh, and Charles and Harvey both giggled. “Did you get the computer?” Drew asked.
“We were able to get everything we needed from the mine,” John said, his eyes going carefully blank. “The computer is a decoy. If we’d opened the door, we’d have all been blasted to smithereens.”
Sherman cursed under his breath. “The bastard just doesn’t care who he hurts, does he?”
“How did you know it was a decoy?” Chaz asked as they entered the forest trail, which had been cleared a little more, to get the stretchers along it. Ryder’s crew was efficient.
“There’s another computer down below,” John explained. “We began to remove the hard drive, but then noticed some wires that should not be there. We entered the mine from a separate entrance, kindly shown to us by one of the guards. We did some investigations and saw that the mine tunnel leading directly into the cabin was laid with trip wires. There’s a trap door under the locked room.”
Sherman cursed again, speeding up. John was not telling them everything. There was a reason that he’d come to get them, to hurry them along.
“Will they be okay?” Chaz asked, glancing back at the camp.
John nodded. “The last of the injured are above ground, now. Ryder’s still below ground, checking the rest of the tunnel system, which isn’t that big. Once it’s clear, he’ll catch up, but I think we managed to get everyone out, now. Aah, there he is now.”
Ryder jogged up. “My crew is finishing up, now. We have all the prisoners out, being escorted to the military transport for questioning.” He kissed Cracker on the mouth, careful not to jostle Stuart. “I’ll be home as soon as I finish up here.”
“What will happen to this place?” Chaz asked.
They heard a low rumble, like an earthquake, and then shooting flames were flung high into the sky.
“Rafe’s fault, not mine,” John said when everyone looked at him. “He just loves hitting the detonator.”
Rafe came loping along the trail, a big grin on his face, and high-fived John. “That’s what you call an explosion, Mr. Hastings,” he said.
“Yes, whatever you say, Mr. Cordoba,” John retorted, smirking.
Ryder rolled his eyes. “You two make me nervous,” he said. “Could you have used a little more explosive, just in case they didn’t hear you in, say, Wyoming?”
The two friends exchanged an offended look, shaking their heads sadly at Ryder. “My dear man, you really need to loo
sen up,” John replied. “This is the fun part. We rescue the hostages, save the day, and then we get to blow the shithole up.”
“I think perhaps you may need another timeout, John, since you’re swearing in front of the children again,” Chaz drawled, winking at Charles, who giggled.
John clutched his chest, looking horrified. “No!” he yelped. “Please don’t put me in a timeout. I’ll behave, I promise.”
“Sherman swore, too,” Harvey said shyly, pointing at the big lion shifter. Sherman arched a brow, thinking hard, and then groaned.
“Yes, I did, didn’t I?” he said. “Dammit!”
Everyone laughed at that. John smirked. “Thank goodness, we can face the wall together.”
The convoy of people settled down, and an hour or so later, they were at the road. They heard a helicopter’s rotors overhead, and watched as the stretchered individuals were secured into harnesses, attached to a winch, and airlifted into the aircraft. Along with the helicopters, there were several large vehicles parked in a long line along the road. With thirty-one patients from the mine, plus Kathleen, the six children, and the multiple crew members from different units, it was a logistical nightmare getting everyone into the vehicles. Within the hour, though, they were on their way home.
Sherman, at the wheel of his borrowed SUV, glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing the sleeping, exhausted faces of his half siblings, settled into their seats, wrapped in warm fleeces. He glanced to the side and took Chaz’s hand in his, squeezing gently.
“I don’t know how I can ever repay what you and your town has given me,” he said, blinking back tears. “But thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping me. I know we’re mates, but I never for one moment imagined that you would open your heart and home to me like you have, so soon. I’m no prize. Before I came to Sage, I’d lost faith in myself and in a future. I had to be the tough, vicious alpha just to survive, and you’ve let me find my softer side again. Now I have my family back, bigger and better than before…and I have you to thank. I know you got Pace to look into this, I know that without your influence, they would never have let me come along.”
Chaz sent him a steady look, and leaned over, kissing his cheek. “Darling, Sage takes care of its own,” he replied. “It wasn’t my influence, so much as everyone’s need to help out anyone who asks for it, even if they don’t actually say the words out loud.” He smiled. “Any one of the Two Spirit crew, or Pace, or Ryder for that matter, would do the same. Any one in town, for that matter, would do whatever it takes for their friends.”
Sherman shook his head. “Nobody that I’ve ever met, apart from my crew or Aston, would do what you guys have done,” he insisted. “How many people step up to the plate for strangers? Not many. This was my fight, my problem that I brought to your door, and instead walking away, you all chose to make it your fight, too. For that, I’m forever in your debt.”
Chaz smiled slowly. “I’ll make sure to collect, my love,” he said in a sultry voice.
Sherman chuckled at that. “Are you ready for a large extended family?” he asked, jerking his head in the direction of the backseats.
Chaz laughed. “Sweetie, I already have a large extended family. A few more will be welcome. I think we may need bigger premises, though.”
“Yeah, somehow I don’t think we’ll all fit in the apartment, now.” Sherman grinned.
“We’ll figure something out,” Chaz said confidently. “There are still a few of the older properties on the outskirts of town, and I heard the other day about a parcel of land that’s being sold off, not far from Two Spirit Ranch. With the town expanding, the government is selling off some of its property, subject to planning approval. “
Sherman stared at the dark road ahead, seeing a glimmer of light on the eastern horizon. He glanced at his watch, noting they were only a couple of hours from home. That word, “home,” sounded like heaven in his mind. He thought about living on a property, surrounded by lots of space, where they could all run. His crew were putting down roots, as well. Jester and Misty looked as though they had found their mates. Cracker definitely had, and with two mates he was going to be busy. Fester had already been looking around to find a possible business venture. He’d been talking about opening a sweets shop with Cracker. Go figure.
“How much land is there?” Sherman asked suddenly. There was no response, so he looked over at his mate and saw him gently snoring away, fast asleep. Smiling, he gathered him closer, kissed his cheek, and then spent the remainder of the journey planning for the future.
Chapter Ten
The clinic was packed, with nearly forty new patients still needing medical care. Chaz had finished at work and now wandered through into the main ward, gazing sadly at yet another group of victims. He wondered when that would end. They’d spent years fighting and finally stopping the cult and their allies, and the fall-out was just only starting to be realized.
He still couldn’t quite believe that they had found eight more wolverines at the mine in Colorado, plus five cheetahs, twelve wolf shifters, and six bears. Bears! He’d never heard of bear shifters. Cheetahs were rare enough, but bears were unheard of. The one thing they all had in common was that they were extremely gaunt, some emaciated, and needed a lot of ongoing care. The psychological scars would probably remain forever. Murphy would be kept busy.
“Hey, Chaz!” Lex greeted him, smiling wearily. Lex ran the clinic with his husband, Leo, who had recently qualified as a nurse. Lex was a leopard shifter, and former veterinarian who had taken extra classes to learn about human biology, and was now well-versed in shifter medicine, too.
“Lex, how’s it going?” Chaz asked, giving the man a hug and handing him the large cup of coffee he’d brought with him. He carried a large tray with more beverages for the rest of the nursing staff, plus a sack containing goodies from Café Anglais and Scrumptious, the waffle and pancake house owned by Kevin and Kieran.
“You just saved several lives!” Lex said, grinning as he sniffed the heavenly brew, then took a long sip, closing his eyes as he savored the caffeine hit.
Chaz smiled back. “No, you save lives,” he replied, glancing around at all the beds. The most severe cases were in the next ward, fifteen in all, including the six bears, five cheetahs, and four of the wolverines. Those had been physically abused and bore some serious wounds. Kathleen and her sons were kept together in another ward. The rest, wolves and wolverines, remained here. “John said he’d bring some more snacks over, if it’s okay, for some of the patients.”
“Yeah, he mentioned it this morning,” Lex said. “He’s baked some special pastries for the children and the healthier patients.”
They heard the door open into the ward, and in strode John and Cameron with their brood of children, who chattered excitedly. Murray and Primrose were giggling together, and ran straight for the next ward, where Kathleen and the boys were.
“Quietly, guys,” Cameron said. “Kathleen is still pretty sick, she may be sleeping.” Instantly the four-year-old scamps put their fingers to their lips, shushing themselves comically, and crept on tiptoes. When they reached the door, they glanced back hopefully.
“We can’t open the door, Daddy,” Primrose said sweetly, at full volume, forgetting to be quiet.
John laughed behind his hand, earning him a chiding glance from his husband. “I can’t help it,” he protested. “They crack me up.”
Cameron rolled his eyes, then pulled him closer, kissed him hard on the mouth, then went to open the door for the giggling children, who raced inside excitedly. Oscar and Ruby, who were seven years old now followed their siblings at a more sedate pace, leaving John and his eldest two, Olivia and Kristoff, fifteen and sixteen respectively.
“Here’s some more baked goods we made earlier,” John said, grinning goofily after his mate.
“Go ahead, hand them out,” Lex said, laughing at the love-struck Brit. John seemed to cause mayhem wherever he went, and now that he was a dad, it had only gotten wo
rse.
“He doesn’t seem to be improving with age,” Chaz teased, knowing John could hear him.
“Dad says he’s like a fine wine,” Kristoff drawled, sounding just like John for a second. He certainly had the drollness down pat.
“Mellow and bit fruity?” Chaz asked, grinning.
Kristoff chuckled, high-fiving Chaz. “No, his definition is that he’s smooth, colorful, and packs a punch.”
Chaz and Lex burst out laughing, nodding. “He’s not wrong,” Chaz retorted. “Especially when he’s sent off with a bag of explosives.”
“Hey!” John replied, shaking his head at the teasing. He handed around the large plate of croissants, eclairs, doughnuts, and cookies to the eager patients who ate them with evident relish.
The banter continued for a while, until Pace and Zack, quickly followed by Joe, Mick, Cody, Murphy, and Rafe, wandered into the clinic.
“Oh, great, now I’ll have to go get more pastries,” John protested, rolling his eyes.
“No, you won’t,” Mick retorted. “MJ’s can provide sustenance, too. Meals on wheels, at your service.” Jamie came in, wheeling a large trolley, which steamed gently. Chaz rushed over to help him with the doors.
“That smells fantastic,” he said, sniffing the fragrant odors.
“We decided that these guys need building up, and no offense, Lex, but hospital food sucks,” Jamie said, winking at the doctor.
“I cannot tell a lie,” Lex replied, shrugging. “I’m just glad we have so many talented chefs in town willing to donate to the cause.”
“I’ll help dish this out,” Chaz said, removing his jacket and hanging it on a hook beside the door. Clad in chinos and a blue button down dress shirt, he was wearing his work-day gear. He rolled up his sleeves, then helped Jamie to dish up the delicious looking stew, mashed potatoes, and green beans.
“Thank you,” each of the patients said gratefully, tucking in eagerly.
