“I can’t wait to meet them. So many children and parents were caught up in the misery Cracol caused. I’m glad he’ll never be able to hurt them again... Oh.” Cynthia put her hand to her mouth.
“What is it?” Hunter asked as they turned into the parking lot outside Bear Creek Protector’s offices.
“I have an idea of who might have sent me the letter.” Her face paled as she turned to look at him. “There was a mother who lost her child, her name is Michaela. Her son, Horatio, was never found during the police raids, the only connection was a jacket found in the farmhouse. He could have been trafficked, moved on elsewhere; however, some of Cracol’s men tried to hide the evidence they ever had children in their location.”
“They killed him?” Hunter asked in shock. He could not even begin to understand what evil must be in a man’s heart for him to be capable of hurting a child, let alone killing them.
“Perhaps. We never found him. But the mom did make a positive ID on a jacket that belonged to him. We managed to place him at the scene, but we never found where he went. He could have already been sold by the time we broke the ring.”
“Sold,” Hunter repeated the word, his mind filled with what he’d like to do to people who hurt children so terribly. But that was no excuse to threaten Cynthia and her children. And he made a vow then to protect them no matter what the cost.
Cynthia and her children were part of his family now, and family meant everything to a shifter.
Chapter Five – Cynthia
They exited the car and headed into the offices of Bear Creek Protectors. Cynthia couldn’t help imagining someone was watching her. The same someone who had threatened her? She didn’t know.
Or perhaps it was her imagination. She was tired and anxious, not a good combination where her mental health was concerned.
“It’s okay,” Jenna told her as she keyed in the security code and opened the door leading into the building. “We’re safe in here. Guy insists on state-of-the-art security.”
Cynthia took one last look over her shoulder as she ushered the children inside. “I can’t thank you enough for coming to get us.”
“And we’ll be there every step of the way until we figure this out.” Jenna shut the door behind them.
“You have enough to do with your two children.” Cynthia rubbed her forehead. “I never thought about how busy you and Flint were.”
“We’re never too busy for you and the children,” Jenna assure her. “If it wasn’t for you and Thomas and Laurel, we would never have met, and we would never have thought about adopting two children ourselves. We should be thanking you.”
“But what if I overreacted?” Cynthia asked as Hunter led them along a corridor and opened a door leading to a room where Flint was waiting for them.
“Hello, you two.” Flint knelt down on the floor and opened his strong arms for Thomas and Laurel to fall into. He picked them both up and hugged them. “I’ve missed you.”
“We missed you, too,” Laurel told Flint.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Jenna told Cynthia. “And even if you have overreacted, it’s good to see you all here.”
Cynthia nodded. “It’s good to be here.” She pressed her lips together, composing herself as she watched the children and Flint. “Even if our return has been full of surprises.”
Jenna glanced at Cynthia. “You mean Hunter?” She looked across the room to where Hunter was talking quietly to Guy.
“Yes.” She folded her arms across her body. When she decided to come to Bear Creek, she had no idea her life would change so dramatically. “I never expected to love again.”
“Oh.” Jenna nodded in understanding. “You thought you’d live alone and raise your kids with no room in your life for a man.”
“Something like that. I promised myself I’d spend time with the kids, watching them grow up. You know, be there for them. Now there’s a man in my life.” Despite her reservations, the thought of Hunter being in her life was comforting.
“Listen. I know you loved their father and lost him. That doesn’t mean you have to mourn him for the rest of your life. I’m sure he wouldn’t want that. You’re young and you have so much life to enjoy. Grab ahold of it with both hands and don’t let go. For your sake and for theirs. Hunter will make a fine husband and a wonderful father to the children.” Jenna placed her hand on Cynthia’s arm and nodded, although her expression showed concern.
“I know. It’s just after we went home...after the Cracol incident, I had this idea of how perfect our lives would be. I’d be home baking cookies, while the kids went to school. I’d be there for them when they came home from school.” She shrugged. “That’s all gone. And I have to deal with it.”
“Is that really what you wanted?” Jenna asked bluntly.
“Yes,” Cynthia answered too quickly. Deflated, she blew the air out of her cheeks. “I don’t honestly know. I had this idea of what a mom should be, and I wanted to be that ideal.”
“Hey, do you have any idea of how proud your children were when they saw the news report that you had helped smash the child trafficking ring?” Jenna smiled as she watched the children playing with Flint. “They understood what you were doing and why. They knew you were trying to make the world a better place.”
“Are you saying I should go off again and risk my life?” Cynthia held out her hands to Jenna. “Risk their lives.”
“No. I’m saying you need to find a middle ground. It’s not one or the other.” Jenna smiled sadly at Cynthia. “I’m only just beginning to realize the incredible responsibility that comes with caring for a child. I am also immensely proud and in complete awe of you.”
“Thanks, Jenna. You’ve made me feel better and given me something to think about. I have enough money in the bank that I don’t have to work while the kids are growing up. But the thought of being a stay-at-home mom is scary. What if I’m terrible at it? I guess I’ll find that middle ground you spoke of.”
“Great. Now, let’s try to untangle this mystery, shall we?” Jenna guided Cynthia into the room.
“Hello, Cynthia, good to see you again.” Guy came around from behind his desk where he’d been working on the computer while Flint occupied the children. He came toward Cynthia with his hand held out for her to shake. “I hope you had a good journey.”
“I did, thank you. I also want to thank you for helping me. I mean us.” She shook Guy’s hand. “I wasn’t expecting to be back here so soon.”
“Maybe back for good?” Flint asked with a wink and inclined his head toward Hunter, who was approaching with two cups of coffee in his hand.
“What did I miss?” Guy asked.
“Can’t you see it?” Flint looked from Cynthia to Hunter and back again. “They’re mates.”
“You are perceptive,” Guy commended his friend.
“Yes, very perceptive. And also very good at reading texts.” Jenna grinned at Flint. “I sent Flint a text from the car.”
“Ahh, I see.” Cynthia nodded.
“I thought you kept my secrets,” Flint complained as he kissed Jenna on the cheek. It was good to see them so happy and comfortable in each other’s company.
“The children already think you are a superhero, with super senses, they don’t need to think you are a mind reader, too.” Jenna leaned on Flint’s shoulder and sighed in contentment. “I’m sure our kids will think the same thing, too.”
“Once they settle in.” Flint put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and held her close. “They don’t know about shifters yet.”
“Why don’t you tell them?” Laurel asked. “Shifters are so cool.”
“You weren’t scared at all when you found out?” Jenna asked.
“Nope.” Thomas shook his head.
“Not when Flint’s bear is so adorable,” Laurel added.
Guy chuckled and received a glare from Flint, who said gruffly, “What can I say, I’m good with kids.”
“That is not what you sai
d when I asked you to go and meet Jenna with the children. I’m a bodyguard, not a babysitter,” Guy mimicked Flint’s deep gruff voice. “Wasn’t that what you said?”
Hunter collapsed in laughter. “You do a perfect impression.”
“Don’t you have a mountain you wanted to climb?” Flint asked drily.
“Not now. He’s in lurvve,” Guy joked.
Cynthia wiped her tears from her eyes. “Thank you for making me feel better. They say laughter is the best medicine. I agree.”
“But now we should get down to the reason you and the children are here.” Guy nodded toward the children. “Are we okay to talk?”
Cynthia glanced at the children. She would rather not talk in front of them but there was nowhere else for them to go. “Maybe they could watch videos on your computer, while we talk?”
“Sure. You can use Flint’s since he watches videos all the time instead of working,” Guy suggested.
Flint rolled his eyes. “I only watch videos to keep us updated on new business practices and legislation.”
Guy patted his old friend on the shoulder. “It’s good that we can still make each other laugh even after being friends all these years.”
“When we started Bear Creek Protectors, I wasn’t sure if we might need protecting from each other. But so far, we’ve done okay.” Flint went to his computer and typed something on the keyboard before he clicked the mouse and closed down whatever he was working on. “Thomas, Laurel, what do you want to watch?”
“I’ll find something.” Laurel slipped into Flint’s chair as he vacated it and took over control of the mouse. “Don’t worry, I know all about internet safety.”
“And I know our Netflix login details,” Thomas added as Guy pushed his office chair across to Flint’s desk and helped Thomas into it.
“Then you are set for an hour or two while we talk.” Cynthia went around the desk to the children and kissed them both on the head. “If you need us, just call.”
“We can go in the room next door,” Guy offered.
“I’m not sure about leaving them alone in here.” Cynthia’s stomach flipped with anxiety.
“The building is secure, they can’t get out and nobody can get in without the code for the door,” Flint reassured her in his rumbling voice.
“And I have a monitor set up in here.” Guy pointed to a small camera on the wall and then tapped the screen of his phone. “There.” He showed the image to Cynthia. “We can have eyes on them at all times.”
“It’s safer than if they were in a different room at home,” Jenna reassured her.
“Plus, you have three shifters to watch over them,” Hunter added. “Don’t forget that we have super senses.”
Cynthia nodded and relaxed a little. “How could I forget?”
Happy her children were safe, watching cartoons and not something totally inappropriate, Cynthia followed the others out into the corridor and into a room immediately adjacent. It was a conference room with a large round table in the center and several chairs evenly spread out around the outside. The table was highly polished and to the side of the room, pushed against one wall, was a long sideboard with coffee and tea making facilities and small packets of cookies.
“Help yourselves to whatever you want,” Guy said, slipping into professional mode.
“Thanks.” Cynthia sat down in the chair Hunter pulled out for her. She settled down and sipped the coffee she’d brought with her from the other room.
Guy sat to her right and placed the phone down on the table so she could watch the children, and Hunter sat to her left. Jenna and Flint sat across the table from her, their chairs dragged closer together. They had slipped from easy small talk and jokes to professionals all intent on discovering who sent Cynthia the letter and envelope and how much danger she and the children were really in.
“Do you have the letter?” Flint asked gruffly. “It would help to see the original. And the photograph.”
“I do.” She pulled out the envelope, still in its plastic bag, and placed it on the table.
“I’ll get an evidence bag. We can separate the envelope, letter and photograph.” Jenna got up from the table and went to the sideboard. Pulling open a drawer, she took out a couple of large clear bags and came around to stand next to Cynthia. “Your fingerprints are already on them, so if you could carefully take everything out of the envelope and slide them into these bags, we can send them over to the sheriff for him to test for fingerprints.”
“Okay.” Cynthia carefully took out the letter and slid it into the evidence bag and then did the same with the photograph and envelope.
Jenna sealed the bags and then placed them on the table. facing upward so they could all see the hand-written words and the picture of her two children playing on the swings at the park. Cynthia closed her eyes, not needing to read them all over again. They were imprinted on her brain, she could see them even with her eyes closed.
“What you took from me, I will take from you.” Guy read it out loud and then fixed Cynthia with a stare. “Do you have any idea what this might be referring to?”
“Not exactly,” she admitted. “I’ve been going over all the people who might bear a grudge against me.”
“And?” Jenna probed gently.
“It’s a longer list than I would like to admit.” Cynthia gave a wry smile. “Exposing bad guys comes with a price.”
“Top five?” Flint asked.
She thought for a moment. “Cracol. Brian Lautner, a drug dealer who used desperate widows as drug mules.” Cynthia rubbed her forehead, fighting with her conscience and her emotions. To name her next suspect felt like a betrayal. “But one person who might be responsible isn’t a person I took down.”
“Hey, it’s okay, you are just giving us ideas. We are not judge, jury and executioner,” Hunter assured her.
Cynthia nodded, grateful for his support. “There is a woman. Michaela Trent. Her son, Horatio, was one of the children who was abducted by Cracol. But he was never found. The police think the traffickers at one of the locations dumped the children to cover their tracks.”
“Dumped them?” Jenna asked in dismay. “You mean killed them?”
“No. Well, we have never found the bodies if they did, but then there are a lot of children who are unaccounted for.” She took a breath. “But this particular child...there was evidence he was there in this hideout on the edge of the forest.”
“The edge of a forest?” Hunter picked up on this. “Is there a chance the children could have been taken deeper into the forest and left to fend for themselves?”
“How would they survive?” Cynthia asked. She covered her mouth with her hand as the thought she’d shielded herself and Michaela from surfaced. “They weren’t meant to survive.”
“Some people—even bad men like Cracol—don’t have the stomach for actually killing children. So they might have taken them into the forest and left them. Left nature to take its course.” Flint’s gruff voice was filled with emotion.
“Then let’s go and take a look.” Cynthia looked down at Guy’s phone, remembering her promise to the children.
“We could go,” Guy told her. “You stay with Thomas and Laurel.”
She nodded. “Thank you.” But even as she said the words, she was torn in two between wanting to fulfill her promise to the children and finishing what she’d started. She’d promised the parents she’d spoken to that she would return their children to them safe if possible. Yet it seemed that she had inadvertently become the reason some of the children might be dead and that did not sit well with her.
Not well at all.
Chapter Six – Hunter
“We can leave tomorrow,” Hunter said. “While we’re getting ready, why don’t you call the mother you mentioned and find out if she sent the letter?”
“Do you think she would tell me?” Cynthia asked. “Surely she’d conceal it?”
“We’ll listen in,” Guy informed her. “We’ll record the call
and get it analyzed. Sometimes people say things, without actually saying them.”
Cynthia closed her eyes. “I understand.” Her bottom lip trembled.
“What’s wrong?” Hunter could sense her pent-up emotions. Cynthia was holding it in, holding back her tears.
“What if it’s not her?” Cynthia asked. “Where do we even begin?”
“We’ll investigate the rest of the people on your list until we figure out who it is. Hopefully, they will make a mistake or get in contact with you again and we’ll trace them.” Guy’s eyes narrowed. “But that’s not what’s bothering you, is it?”
“No.” Cynthia glanced at the phone again and a sad smile crossed her lips as she watched her children laughing at something they were watching. “I should have insisted we organized a thorough search of the forest. The local sheriff sent a helicopter with thermal imaging. But they could have been hiding somewhere, perhaps in a cave. What if we go there now and they’re dead because the forest wasn’t searched sooner?”
“Cynthia, you can’t blame yourself for any of this,” Jenna said gently. “You didn’t take those children. You didn’t send them out into the forest.”
“I still feel responsible.” Cynthia knew what Jenna was saying was true. “I don’t know why I’m so emotional about all this. I can usually detach myself from my investigations.”
“Because this had been part of your life for years. It’s all wrapped up with Thomas and Laurel. It’s the reason they don’t have their father.” Jenna put her arms around Cynthia and hugged her. “You’ve had a huge upset this morning. Don’t judge yourself too harshly.”
Cynthia took a deep breath and nodded, then she wiped her hands over her eyes, brushing away the tears. “If there is even the remotest chance the children are in the forest, we have to go and check it out.”
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