Chapter Two
The letter was in a plain white envelope. He had found it on his desk, unopened. That itself was enough to cause concern. His secretary was responsible to open and sort all mail, except for the ones marked confidential. There was no way she’d put an unmarked envelope on his desk like this.
Clifford sniffed the envelope, finding it scented heavily with perfume. Too heavily to smell the scent of whoever had put it there. He wrinkled his nose as he gagged on the smell. If this was another one of the janitors trying to bed him…
His eyes brightened for a moment, but he shook his head. Lori would never do something like this. Unless she was teasing him, doing exactly what he had told her drove him crazy. He didn’t have any lack of female attention. Sorting out the ones that wanted to have fun like he did against the ones desperate to bag themselves a rich husband, though…
Humming under his breath, Clifford lifted the envelope to the light before slitting it open with his letter opener. Out slid a picture of… a pregnancy test? Clifford frowned as he flipped it over. Neat writing was scrawled on the back in thick black lines.
Congratulations. You must be thrilled that the human Lori Rowlands carries a new generation of the Boone clan. Enjoy your happiness while it lasts. M knows about the human’s pregnancy and will not allow the child to be born. The hope for your clan’s revitalization will die with it.
Clifford stared at the note. He read it, then read it again. Then flipped over the picture and looked down at the test again. What. The. Hell?
Lori had made no indication of being pregnant when he had seen her the previous day. But then… she wasn’t exactly the type to share her personal life story. And she had been looking a bit green lately. A bit lethargic. And there was a subtle change in her scent…
She was pregnant.
Clifford sat still, hand clenched over the picture for a long moment. The thought came to his mind that the police would want fingerprints and he dropped it. As his thoughts shattered across his mind like a crystal chandelier on marble tiles, he just sat there, shell-shocked. Lori was pregnant. The threat seemed to think that it was his baby. He was going to be a father.
Let’s freak out over that later, Clifford told himself firmly. With a deep breath, he gathered himself back together and grabbed his phone. Moving quickly, he dialed an old friend.
“Tristen Cade, leave a message.”
Clifford bit back a swear. Answering machine. “Tristen, it’s Cliff. I need to talk to you. Call me as soon as you get this.”
His necktie was feeling too tight, so he ripped it off with one hand as he shoved his cell back into his pocket. If freaking out over the fact that he was going to be a father was going to wait until later, then freaking out over the threat to Lori and the child’s lives was his present concern. His stomach twisted itself into knots as he left his office.
“I’m out the whole day,” he snapped at his secretary.
“But Mr. Boone—”
He didn’t slow as he charged down the stairs. He knew exactly who ‘M’ was. Mark Bauman. The leader of the Bear clan–more like gang–that had wiped out Clifford’s clan. When he said he was going to end Lori and the child she carried, he meant it.
Clifford drove as fast as he could to Lori’s apartment building. He had been there often enough to know where to go. He didn’t wait to be buzzed in, instead using the lift-and-pull trick to get inside that Lori had shown him once when she had forgotten her keys. When he got to her apartment he heard voices from inside.
“Lori!” He kicked the door opened to find her and her sister, Jasmine, putting on their jackets. Lori’s eyes widened at the sight of him. “Thank goodness. You have to come with me right now.”
“I—What?”
There was no time to explain. For Bauman to know that it was Lori’s pregnancy test, he would have had to be inside of her home. And who knew what he had left behind? Clifford acted on instinct. She carried his child. It was his responsibility to ensure that no harm came to her or the baby. His job, no matter what the cost, to protect them.
He seized her around the waist and flung her over his shoulder. “It’s for your own protection,” he said as he darted back down the hallway.
“What the hell are you doing?” Lori screamed at him.
A loud yowling roar filled the hallway. A glance back showed him Jasmine’s form changing. Her clothing tore to shreds as she changed into a jaguar. Clifford cursed once, then allowed his own Bear to come to the forefront. Lori yelped as he shifted beneath her; fortunately, as his grip on her loosened, her fingers dug into his bright white fur. Her legs clutched to him, keeping her in place as he leaped down the stairs.
This really wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Clifford huffed as he put on a new burst of speed. Bears weren’t known for their endurance, but neither were jaguars and he’d been training. If he could keep out of range of her claws—
Pain burst on his leg and he whipped around instinctively. Jasmine had her fangs and claws dug into him. Her eyes flashed.
“Jasmine, no!” Lori screamed. “No, let him go! Let him go!”
The jaguar looked confused. Her grip tightened, which was all Clifford needed to break free and continue on his way. Within minutes they were out of the apartment and he was stowing Lori in the passenger side while assuring her that she was going to be fine.
“Oh my god,” she breathed as he ripped from the parking lot. “I don’t believe it. You just abducted me!”
Clifford winced as he stepped on the gas, making them go even faster. “Yeah. I guess I did.”
***
Lori seemed shell-shocked all the way to his house. She had shouted and cursed at him for half an hour as he drove until he finally pulled off to the side of the road and explained what exactly was going on. Then she had been silent all the way to the large house he shared with his sister, niece, and mother. The building was divided into four sections connected by locking doors to give them all privacy. Clifford showed Lori to a guest room and sighed.
“I acted rashly, but it was only because I was afraid that they’d come after you,” he said.
Lori sat on the bed and wet her lips. “You didn't even ask me if I’m pregnant.”
He thought about telling her that he didn't need to, but that would only freak her out more. So instead he nodded and looked her in the eye. “Are you?”
“...Yes.” Lori wrapped her arms around her middle. “But you should have asked me before kidnapping me.”
Clifford sighed. “I imagine the police will be here soon. Your sister doesn't seem like the type to let something like that go.”
“If I had my cellphone I could call her. I doubt she’ll call the police right away though. Jazz has always had bad experiences with the cops.”
Almost as if on cue, at that moment the door flung open. Clifford tensed as he jumped up and whirled. It was only his sister, Natasha, but she glared at him as though wanting to rip his head off right then and there.
“What the hell? I just got a call from the matriarch. You freaking kidnapped a human?”
“Not kidnapped,” Clifford tried to protest.
Natasha glowered at him and then turned to Lori. “Come with me. I’m taking you home. And you, Cliff, you’ll be lucky if all your convictions aren't overturned and all the innocent people you helped stay out of jail aren't tossed back in!”
“That isn’t how the law works.”
“Did I ask for your opinion?”
Clifford glanced at Lori, then took Natasha’s arm and pulled her out. His sister hissed under her breath and nearly ended up punching him, but he released her just in time. In a low voice, he explained everything that had happened. By the time he was done, her face was pale and both hands were pressed over her mouth. Just his luck, though, that as soon as he was finished his mother and niece, Serena, came charging up the stairs. Well, Serena charged. Hayley looked more or less like she always did, as though this was a very amusing situation.
“Before you start, he’s actually got a good reason,” Natasha interrupted as Serena opened her mouth.
Clifford explained again. By the time he was done, even Hayley looked concerned.
“So, you’re saying that the girl is pregnant?” Hayley said, grim-faced.
Clifford nodded. “She just found out herself. Didn’t even have time to tell me. Bauman is watching us both. The fact that he was able to get into her apartment and my office is worrying. I know that I might have overreacted, but if I didn’t act, he could have killed her. I told Lori a bit about what happened, but I don’t want her to know about the feud between our clans, okay? She’s going to be under enough stress as is.”
Serena dug her hands into her chestnut-brown hair, the same color as her bear. “You were really stupid, Uncle Cliff. Regardless of the circumstances, you should never have kidnapped her. You know as well as anybody the backlash the clan might face over this. It doesn’t matter if you’re technically part of another clan, Grandmother adopted all of you into this one. With the tensions that are going on right now… I have to go call her and explain what’s happening. Maybe she will be able to fix this mess.”
Clifford didn’t miss the glare that she sent him. He rubbed his eyes, not looking at any of the women. He knew exactly why they were all so mad at him. Even if his mother was starting to grin again, as though she had gotten a puppy for Christmas.
“I couldn’t wait,” he stated again. “Not with that madman out there.”
“I’m going to talk with her.” Natasha headed for the guest room. “And she’s not staying with you, Cliff. She’s going to come over and stay with me on my side. This is terrifying enough without having to deal with you.”
Clifford frowned at his sister. He opened his mouth to state that it was an offensive statement, but Natasha disappeared before he could. Hayley patted his shoulder and grinned.
“So. My second grandbaby is finally on the way, huh?”
Clifford sighed.