by Barb Shuler
“We have a welcome kit for you as we discussed on the phone. Once you take them to a vet in your area, you’ll need to wean them off of this food and onto one of your choosing. Don’t just switch the food. Their tummies will start to backfire and trust me, you do not want that.”
“Mix in a little of the new and with each time you put less of the old, correct?”
“Yes. They will do a lot of sleeping; they’ll play a good bit as well. They love to be out in the grass. You said you were getting a kennel for them?”
“Yes, so when we are at work they are corralled.”
“Good idea. They have a few toys in that bag. Also a little water and food dish. Janna—”
“Their treats are in there too. I put two leashes that matched their collars, another blanket, and some of the coupons for doggy stuff are in there too.” She beamed.
“Thank you, such a sweet girl.” Mrs. Susie hugged her granddaughter with one arm and met my gaze. “If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call.”
“Yes, ma’am, thank you. I’m going to take this stuff out to my truck, then come back for them.”
“I can carry them for you.”
Before I could protest, the little girl picked up the basket and started out the door. I chuckled as she talked to the pups. “You have to be good now. No chewing on socks.” She stopped at the truck and I opened the door so she could put the basket on the seat.
“Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome. Bye!” She turned and ran back up the walk to the main door.
I strapped the basket in—yes, I was that guy now, and climbed in once everything was secure.
I pulled my phone out and texted Jay.
Dalton: Got the delivery.
Dalton: There are two of them.
Dalton: Can you get more supplies? Another food/water dish and a bed. Two should fit in that kennel.
Dalton: Maybe just one big bed?
Jayden: Dear God. Chill. I got it. Drive safe.
Dalton: Be back in three hours.
The drive home was uneventful. I stopped for gas, let them out to potty, and by the time they hit the basket again, they were asleep. To be that lazy, if only. I pulled into the driveway and shook off the fatigue that six hours of driving would give you and climbed out of the truck. Now that I wasn’t being watched by a little old lady and a child, I could make one trip with the dogs’ bags and them. I balanced the basket on my hip and made my way up the steps.
Jayden was to leave the supplies she got for me in the spare room. For now, that would be the puppies’ home, until Mia came home and followed the trail of paw prints. There were multiple bags in the corner and a crate, already set up. I was excited for Mia to get home this afternoon. The bar was closed, but she had to go in for a supply run, which I didn’t worry over because Nick, Angus, and Liam were all there with her. They hadn’t known they’d be stacking boxes today but, hey, that’s work for you.
I got the kennel set up with the potty pads, a bowl of food and water, and their big bed. This kennel was huge, so there was plenty of room for everything and for them to walk around.
I scooped them both up and held them. I walked to the living room and sat on the couch. “Your mama will be home in a couple of hours. We have time for a quick nap, then we’ll set up the trail for her to follow. She is going to love you both so much.”
I kicked my legs up on the couch, using my toes to kick off my trainers, before I fell back onto the soft cushions. I was beat. I tucked both puppies into my side, between me and the couch, and yawned. Only a little nap. I had to get things done before my girl got home. I wanted this to be a perfect surprise for her.
24
Mia
It had been a couple of days now since Sylvester showed up at the club and injected Jay with liquid GHB. Ty, Max, and I had rushed her to the hospital. Thankfully, her cat burnt it off quicker than normal and they released her. I didn’t like the idea of taking her home, so I set up our spare room for her. Ty was less than happy with that, but he was made to give in. I gave her something to help put her to sleep and made her breakfast the next morning. She didn’t remember much after Sylvester hit and drugged her. She knew there was someone with me, but didn’t know who. Not wanting to push her over the edge, I didn’t tell her that it was Ty and Max there with me. Her cat could only handle so much and I was worried about the nightmares, so I left it.
When Dalton met us at the hospital, I finally felt myself beginning to calm down. After seeing her like that, I wanted to go crazy and burn shit to the ground, but I didn’t. I wanted to bring Sylvester back so I could kill him with my own two hands, but I couldn’t. I may have pouted when Dalton came in and told us he took care of it. Why should he get to have all the fun? Bastard just laughed at me though. He almost got a headache for that too. He was lucky that I loved him.
Sitting at the bar, Jay moved over to me, leaning in close. “Mia, I love you, but will you get a hobby and stop watching me? Surely you and the ogre could be doing more interesting things than this.”
“He’s busy and I’m here, so suck it up.”
She rolled her eyes at me and threw a cleaning rag. “I am so getting your shadow back.” I waited until her back was turned, reached over, and moved a bottle so that it was out of line with the other ones. I slid off my chair and made it to the door before she was cursing me. “For fuck’s sake! Mia, I will kill you! You and the ogre!”
“Don’t bring up my fucking shadow then!”
Her cursing followed me out as I laughed all the way back to my office. Moving over to my vision board, I took another look at what I wanted the restaurant next door to look like. My phone beeped from the desk and I saw Ty’s name on the screen.
“Yes…”
“Can I have a word please, Mia?”
“Sure! Which one would you like? You can’t have fuck. I am quite partial to that one.”
“Mia!” He growled.
“Hold on, I’m coming.” I hung up the phone and dropped it on my desk, leaving my office and heading for the back door. “I’m outside if anyone is looking for me.”
“Six feet under if you don’t stop touching my shit!”
“Bite me!”
“Pass!”
Opening up the back door, I stepped out and saw Ty waiting by his truck.
“Okay, so what’s wrong? Who’s twisted your boxers, Ty?”
He took a deep breath, and I could tell he was doing that thing that D did when he silently counted to ten in his head. A large part of me was enjoying this.
“You could give Max and Kody a run for their money. Just so you know.”
“Where are they then?”
“Mia, will you please let me into the bar? I can’t explain why, but I need to make sure Jay is okay. Even if she doesn’t remember me being there.”
“Ty, I love you like the pain in the ass brother I never had, but no. I have that rule in place for a reason and no near death experience will have me reverse that.” I let out a breath and looked around. “Maybe…if things calm down and people stop putting a hit on my life and the girls, I can think about letting you in one by one. She would have to be okay with it, though. I can say the words and just as easily lock you back out again. Hell, if D pisses me off badly enough, I can do it to him too. He’s already broken two doors. He would stroke out if we made it three.” Ty cracked a smile at that and nodded. I looked over his arms and noticed his tattoos. He was a wall of muscle with long brown hair that he kept tied up and tattoos down his arms. Reaching over, not thinking about it, I pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. “Ty, who does your tatts?”
“The ones I can reach, I did them. A guy back in Wyoming did some. Liam did my back, though.”
“You two are in the wrong industry.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, been told that a time or two. It’s just a hobby for me.”
“Well, if you’re ever looking for a new canvas, I want one right here.” I laid my han
d over my heart. As cheesy as it may have been, I wanted a wolf so that I could take a piece of D with me wherever I went.
“I’m sure we could arrange something. Surprise for someone?”
I nodded.
“Well, next time he is distracted by something shiny, we can get it done. I’m not copping the blame though!”
“Deal!” Turning away from Ty, I went back into the bar. With things slowly getting back to normal around here, we could relax and get back to enjoying our new home.
A couple of weeks passed with no incidents. I was still feeling guilty as hell for not trusting Jay and D’s instincts when it came to Sy; it was making me kinda psycho. I swear Jay was going to kill me at any moment. I hated having to leave Dalton on my day off, but he had an appointment out of town and we needed supplies for the bar. Putting on my big girl panties, I went and got my shit done, with my shadows of course, before going back home. When I pulled in the driveway and saw Dalton’s truck there, I couldn’t help but relax. I would be ignoring the world tonight and so would he. We needed some alone time together, so I was going to take advantage of him and this opportunity. Unlocking the front door, I set my keys on the hall table after locking it again behind me. I moved through the house and stopped dead. Dalton was asleep on the couch with something on his chest. I raised a brow and stepped closer, and one of the things lifted its head. It was a puppy! Not just any puppy, it was my dream dog.
“Aww!” I set my bag down beside the couch and reached over and scooped it up. “Aren’t you just the cutest!” I looked down at another one asleep curled up on his chest and my heart melted. He got two so they wouldn’t be alone when we were out. If it wasn’t for the fact that I worked in a bar, they would be coming with me. Sitting down next to him on the couch, I leaned forward and kissed Dalton.
“Honey, I’m home.”
He blinked a few times before the small monster in my arms yapped at him. It was too little to be a bark, but someone was trying to get his attention.
“Shit! That was only supposed to be a nap. I wanted to surprise you!”
“You did! How long have you been planning this?”
“A while now. I had to make sure that I found the right one. I couldn’t pick between the two of them, so they both came home with me. One is hyper and playful, the other is chill as fuck.”
“Do they have names?”
“Not yet. I thought I would leave that up to you. They’re both girls.”
“Well, I think little Miss Chill there should be named Belle.” I didn’t mention that growing up, Beauty and the Beast was my favorite children’s story. I had always wanted a Belle and now D had given her to me. “Why don’t you name this one?” Scratching the one in my arms behind the ear, I watched him think.
“I don’t know why, but Roxy seems fitting for her.”
I laughed as she growled at D. Sitting her back on his chest, I leaned down and kissed him again. “Roxy it is.”
“One little thing you need to know…”
“Oh? What’s that babe?”
“My wolf thinks they are his.”
I shook my head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Hey, I tried to tell him they were yours. You know the asshole never listens to me.”
“Maybe he’ll share with me. He loves me, after all.”
Dalton shifted on the couch. Taking advantage of that, I moved to lay down beside him, my head resting on his chest as I watched Roxy play-fight with his hand. Belle just slept. When Roxy jumped to get his fingers, she landed on Belle, who opened her eyes and growled at her.
“She’s so my dog. Roxy is as crazy as your wolf is.” I looked up at Dalton and smiled. He kissed me and I melted. This man really was the other half of my soul. He knew how much I had been struggling, and no amount of him telling me that what happened wasn’t my fault had me believing it. I knew I would have to ease up on Jay and give her room to breathe, but I worried about her.
“Speaking of my wolf, I need to let him out, but I don’t feel ready to leave you. It’s been a while since we’ve had a night out. Feel like some star gazing with me?”
Nodding, I kissed him before standing up. “I’d like that. Let me change into something more comfortable while you get the girls settled and then we can head out. I would take them too, but I don’t want them getting hurt or anything.” I knew his wolf wouldn’t let anything happen to them, but accidents did occur so I would rather be safe than sorry.
Heading into the bedroom, I kicked off my heels and unbuttoned my jeans. Slipping them off, I walked over to my closet and pulled out a pair of hiking pants. I didn’t wear them often now, but back in Wyoming, D and I used to go out into the woods a fair bit; he made sure I had the best gear so my legs didn’t end up scratched and I was comfortable. After getting a pair of socks, I slipped on my hiking boots and grabbed a light hoodie in case it got cold later. Leaving the bedroom, I went and took my phone from my bag and slid it into one of the pockets. Before I could move, D had scooped me up and tossed me over his shoulder.
“Dalton!” I smacked my hand against his ass. “I can walk!”
“I know, but this is more fun!”
I huffed and crossed my arms as Dalton locked up the house and carried me out to his truck. He opened the driver side door and set me down. I shoved my hand against his chest.
“You are such an ogre!”
He just chuckled as I got in, squealing as his hand smacked my ass.
“Payback for you doing it to me.”
I pinched his side. “Keep it up, buddy, and I will stop doing a lot of things to you.” My lips curled into a smirk as he narrowed his eyes.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me, buddy!”
He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into a headlock as he reversed out of the driveway; I laughed when he let me go.
“Jerk.”
“You love me.”
“Never denied that.” I leaned into him as he headed toward the pack lands. It would be good for him to let his wolf out for a bit, especially when he doesn’t have to kill anyone. It had been a while since I had spent any time with him. After claiming my puppies for his own, he needed out too so he could get to me. That would mean tonight, when we got home, there was more of a chance of him leaving us to relax. I hoped.
Dalton pulled up at the spot and parked the truck. He got out and passed me the keys, stripping to nothing and winking at me before letting his wolf take over. I put his clothes on the front seat, locked up, and turned to see him sitting there, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. I laughed, stepped forward, and kissed his nose. He nuzzled my hand until I moved it to scratch his head, behind the ears.
“Come on, let’s go exploring.”
25
Dalton
Being Alpha to a pack of misfits was a ‘job’ that I loved. No matter how many times I wanted to choke one of them, usually it was Max or Kody, they were always there, ready to jump into a fight even if it wasn’t theirs. They were my pack, my family. Each one of them had done so much for both Mia and I over the last month. Lost sleep, did extra patrols, worked at a bar, and did I mention all that lost sleep? They were troopers and without them, I’m not sure I could have kept Mia and the girls safe. I’m grateful to them that I didn’t have to choose between her safety and my boys.
Not that it would have come to that. Like I said, we were all one big dysfunctional family.
I made a face as Roxy and Belle looked up at me from the kennel. I hated leaving these sweet babies alone while we worked, but it had to be done. Mia was at the bar with the girls, setting up for tonight. The bar opened in an hour and with it being a Friday night, it would be ridiculously busy. I’d come home to shower and change before heading that way only to be side-tracked by the cuteness in the kennel.
“Don’t give me those eyes.” I walked over and reached through the kennel slats and gave them each a little scratch behind their ears. I could go to my office and work on
some paperwork. If something happened and I was needed, I’d just be across the street. I could take them up there with me. Then scoop them up on the way home.
No, Mia was at the club so that meant I needed to be there too. I stood, gave the girls one more glance, and headed back to the front of the house. If I didn’t leave now, I’d never get out of here…alone, that is.
I shook my head as I hurried to my truck and climbed in. Fifteen minutes later, I was parked in my spot beside Mia’s car and scanning the lot. I pulled the earpiece from the console where it had been charging, slipped it in my ear, and put the small battery pack in the pocket of my cargo pants in the event it was needed.
With the click of a fingernail, it was turned on.
“There’s no way those are real!”
“Why do women dress like that?”
“Look at that ass, though…”
I shook my head at Kody and Max. Slipping from my truck, I cleared my throat.
“You’re supposed to work security, not be the fashion police. Focus, boys, focus.”
“What? Inquiring minds want to know. Do women think less clothes will make them prettier or something?” Max asked, sounding confused.
“Ah, boys, that’s the question for the ages. Don’t try to sort it out now; just focus on your jobs, please.”
“On it, boss.”
“Oh shit, her ass is about to fall out of that—”
“KODY!” I snarled. “Shut the hell up before someone overhears you.”
“Uh, sorry, boss.”
He wasn’t sorry in the slightest. I couldn’t help but chuckle. These kids were going to give me grey hairs. I went in through the back door of the club. My fingerprint was all I needed to get in now. No codes, this was much safer. You could enter a code, but it would go straight to the emergency department, which was another safety feature I added. Thanks to the new upgrades, everyone that worked here would be safer.
The moment I walked in the back door, my wolf perked up. His mate was close. I rolled my eyes as he pranced and pawed at me to get out. Damn asshole.
