As the miles sped past, the tension grew within the cramped quarters of Liam’s truck. He’d asked for Garret or one of the other guards to take her to reunite the boy with his mother, but Jase had refused. The others had their own duties and Garret and Sin had their hands full with their ward, Zoe. This was up to him, or they could turn the boy over to Sheriff Rogers and he’d take care of it.

Sheriff Rogers would place the child in a foster home until arrangements could be made to reunite the boy with his mother, Becky Lane. That wasn’t an option for Liam. Billy had been through enough and he wanted his mother. Six uncomfortable hours, round-trip, locked in his truck with Ginger was nothing when he considered how long it could take for his mother to make arrangements to come pick up Billy.

Ms. Lane cared for her own ill mother and she’d have to find someone to look after the woman in order to make the trip.

Liam sighed. What was he doing? Nothing, but sulking over the loss of his mate. He could take Billy back to his mother. There was no reason to involve Sheriff Rogers and to make sure of it, Liam had picked up Ginger and Billy before the sheriff could arrive. No doubt there’d be a few heated words over that later but for now, Jase could handle it.

Ignoring the posted speed sign, he pressed the pedal a little closer to the floorboard, speeding his old truck up. They had another forty minutes before they’d arrive in Billy’s hometown and the sleeping boy could settle into his own bed instead of being curled against Ginger.

“Shouldn’t you slow down?” Fear laced her voice as she held onto the boy tighter.

“This is nothing. I’m barely doing…” He glanced down at the dashboard. Eighty-two. Okay. Maybe he should slow down.

“Barely doing what?”

“Okay.” He eased off the gas and allowed the truck to slow down. Seventy was the legal limit, and he focused on not going over it. There was no reason to frighten her. Though he had to admit that having her finally speak to him was progress. Besides talking with Billy before he fell asleep, she hadn’t said a word since they left the tribe.

What the hell do I expect her to say? Hadn’t she already said all she needed to? Her absence from his life in recent days had confirmed that she didn’t want him. She was his mate and he wanted her, but he wouldn’t push himself on her and he sure as hell wouldn’t beg. I must accept that this is how it’s going to be.

“Please, Daddy, I don’t wanna! No!” Billy screamed, his little fists beating against Ginger’s side.

Billy’s screams startled Liam enough that he swerved. Thankfully, no other cars were around. He righted the truck so that he was in his own lane before quickly checking his mirrors again to make sure he could pull off.

“Shh, sweetie. It’s okay.” She tried to comfort the little boy but he didn’t seem to hear her. “Billy, wake up.”

Pulling onto the shoulder of the road, he put the truck in park as it came to a stop and shifted the young boy into his lap. Billy continued to pound his fists against Liam’s chest but it was better for him to take them than Ginger. Even though the boy’s hits weren’t painful, the idea of his mate suffering the blows made his lion angry. “You’re safe now, Billy. Come on, wake up for us.”

“I didn’t wanna go. I want Mommy!” His eyes fluttered open.

She unhooked her seatbelt and scooted across the seat. “I know, sweetie, but we’re almost there.” Careful to avoid the bandage over his forehead, she pushed some hair away from his face.

“Will he come back and get me? I’ll be in trouble for causing problems. He’ll punish me.” Billy leaned against Liam’s chest and looked between them.

“No one is going to hurt you,” Liam told him firmly before looking at her. He wanted to ask her if Billy had told her of any abuse, but he couldn’t do it verbally with the boy in his lap. Yet, she seemed to understand and shook her head.

“Will your mom punish you, or just Daddy?” she pushed and Liam knew she was concerned they were about to take the boy to an equally bad situation. Maybe they should have waited for Sheriff Rogers.

He shook his head. “Never Mommy. Daddy punishes Mommy, too. He says we’re evil.”

“You’re not evil.” She took the boy’s hand in hers and squeezed it gently. “He has a problem and there are people who are going to try to help him. Don’t you worry about him. Now come over here and let Liam drive so we can get you back home to your mom.”

Slipping off Liam’s lap, he wiped his cheeks with the backs of his hands and came back over to sit next to her. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll be home soon.” She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and held him tight against her.

“You okay now? I’m going to get back on the road.” With a nod from Billy, Liam glanced up at Ginger. Worry creased her forehead, making him want to reassure her, too. What was there to say? Was it even his place? She denied him. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled back onto the road and sped toward the Lane household. They drove alone in silence for miles before Billy spoke again, busting the bubble of stiffness that seemed to settle over them.

“Is he going back to prison? Like last time he hurt Mommy?”

Back to prison? Hurting Mommy? There was more to the story that Liam wanted to know. The boy was kidnapped from his school by his father. Was there a protection order in place? There were steps that the mother needed to take and he was going to see to it. Next time something like this happened, Billy might not be as lucky as he’d been this time.

“I don’t know,” she finally answered as Liam continued to question the situation unfolding around him.

The rest of the ride was quiet, passing without any further issues, and Liam stayed lost in his thoughts. Situations like this made him glad to be a shifter. There was no falling in love with the wrong person. They mated and once the mating took place, there was no leaving each other. Shifters might drink but it was nearly impossible to get drunk and they sure as hell didn’t attack their spouse or children. They had problems of their own, but for him, the benefits far outweighed the disadvantages.

As he turned onto Billy’s street, he sat up, nearly bouncing in his seat until he spotted the woman standing on the porch a few houses down. “Mommy!” Billy waved frantically and climbed onto Ginger’s lap, taking hold of the door handle as if he was going to jump out with the truck still moving.

“Wait a minute,” Liam warned, pulling the truck to the side of the road.

He had hoped Billy would be asleep by the time they arrived so he could have a conversation with Ms. Lane, but that would have to wait until the boy was reunited with his mother. He shut off the engine and opened his door, while Ginger and Billy got out of the other side.

“Billy!” Ms. Lane jogged toward them, tears rolling down her cheeks. Billy ran toward her, meeting her in the middle of the street. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him. “Oh, Billy!”

“Mommy!”

Giving the Lanes some privacy, Liam leaned back against the hood of his truck. Ginger stood off to the right of him, so he could still see her out of the corner of his gaze. Damn, she was beautiful. Beautiful and off limits. She didn’t want him and he wouldn’t force her to accept him. Though one thing had changed in the last bit of their trip—the tension had dissipated a little, making their closeness seem less straining. Would it stay gone, or would it return once they were alone and on their way back to Crimson Hollow?

“You were good with him.” She kept her voice low as she continued to watch the family reunion.

“So were you.” He wasn’t sure what else to say to her, but just then Ms. Lane rose to her feet, interrupting them.

“Billy, go on inside. Grandma has been waiting up to see you. She’s in her room.” When the boy did what she asked, Ms. Lane stood there for a moment, watching him until the door to the house closed. Then, she came to stand next to them. “Thank you for bringing my son home.”

“You’re welcome.” Liam straightened so that he was no longer leaning against the hood of his truck. “When Billy told us that you were caring for your mother, we knew it would take you longer to find someone to sit with her than for us to bring him home. This is where he needed to be.”

“Sheriff Rogers called about an hour after we spoke. He…”

“Is livid.” He finished. “Don’t worry about the sheriff. I already spoke to him when we stopped to get gas. He likes to do things his way but in the end it would have been the same outcome. You have custody of Billy and allowing Sheriff Rogers to handle it would have taken longer for him to get back home. He wanted his mother and we wanted to see that happen. He’s been through enough.”

“For the last time.”

“Ms. Lane…your son was concerned he was going to be punished by his father. Is his father abusing him? Is he abusing you?” Ginger shifted from foot to foot and shook her head. “That sounds harsh and nothing like I rehearsed in my head since he told us.”

“But the question still needs to be asked,” he added. “If you or Billy are in danger, maybe we can help.”

Ms. Lane wrapped her arms around her chest, hugging herself, and refused to meet their gazes any longer. “Billy’s father is a great man when he’s not drinking but at the first sip of alcohol he’s someone you don’t want to be around. He’s a different man when he drinks, full of anger, hate, and violence.”

“Is that why he was in prison?” he pressed, wanting more answers before he could be satisfied that Billy would be safe there.

She nodded and hugged herself tighter. “I got stuck working a double and I couldn’t get word to him. Our phone had been shut off because he decided to spend the money on alcohol. When I got home, he attacked me. I was still on the porch when he grabbed the bat. My neighbors called the police.”

The pieces fell into place and Liam looked at Ginger, who didn’t seem to understand it yet. Maybe she hadn’t seen the news, so she didn’t know who he was. “Mr. Lane wasn’t released from prison, was he? He’s the escaped convict.”

“Escaped?” Ginger inhaled deeply, making him wonder if she had seen the news report after all.

Ms. Lane nodded. “He’s supposed to be serving a twenty-five-year sentence. This should have never happened. Billy should have been safe!”

“You both will be now. Wait here for a minute.” He went around the side of his truck, grabbed a little notepad he kept on the side of his door, and jotted down his name and number. “Ms. Lane, this is my name and number. I want you to keep it and if you need anything, and I mean anything at all, you call me.” He pressed the paper into her hand.

“We’re not that far and we can be here quick,” Ginger added.

We? He liked the sound of that but couldn’t get his hopes up. Rather, he kept his attention focused on the other woman. “My cousin is a lawyer and he’ll give you a call in the morning. He’s going to make sure we get years added onto Billy’s father’s sentence so this can never happen again.”

“Thank you.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you both for everything. Thank you for protecting my baby.”

“Everything’s going to be fine now.” With his gaze on Ginger, he returned the hug. The whites of his mate’s eyes changed to a yellowish color. She wasn’t happy about him embracing another woman. Is my wolf jealous?