Chapter 17
“I think I’m going to explode.” Lia Snow sat back on her couch in her suite at the Ursa Lodge and rubbed her distended belly. “When is this kid coming? I can’t take it anymore. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I just want to hold my baby.”
Elaine sat next to her and patted her friend’s hand. “It’s so uncomfortable at the end, isn’t it? Andy was a bit early, but Layla was two weeks late. She had to be induced. By the time those two weeks were through, Lloyd was afraid to look at me.” She laughed. “There is nothing that terrifies a man more than seeing his wife through her pregnancy.”
“I know,” said Lia. “Poor Ry. He keeps asking what he can do to help. There’s nothing he can do, short of yanking his offspring out of my body. I may have told him so yesterday. You should have seen his face. I think he was relieved when you said you would visit this morning. He appreciated a chance to hang with Connor and your kids, you know, with the added benefit of escaping his moody wife.”
“Aw, poor man. They mean well, but they just don’t know what it’s like. Don’t worry. Ry won’t hold it against you. You are carrying his child.” Elaine grabbed Lia’s empty glass of water and brought it to the kitchen to refill it. When she returned to the couch, Lia was regarding her through sheepish eyes. “What’s on your mind?”
“Elaine, I’ve been feeling guilty about something.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I haven’t exactly been overenthusiastic about you and Connor.”
Elaine shrugged it off. “It’s okay. I didn’t expect anyone would be. I barely know what to think about it myself.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know, and you’re entitled to your thoughts.”
“You know I support you, and I hope Connor knows it too. Maybe I’m just emotional because of the baby, but for some reason, I’ve had trouble adjusting to the idea.” Lia’s eyes flooded with tears.
Elaine hugged her. “Oh, don’t cry. You shouldn’t feel bad. I know how much Lloyd meant to you.”
Lia wiped her eyes. “It’s just…he died protecting me and Charlotte. I suppose a part of me feels very protective about his memory too.”
“Of course.”
“But I don’t want you to think I’m not happy for you because I am. You and Connor are so good together. I guess I just needed a bit of time to get used to the idea.”
“Me, too. Trust me. I still have lots of questions, but with everything going on, I haven’t had a chance to talk about them with Connor.”
“Are you having second thoughts?”
“It’s not that. I guess I’m worried about jumping from one man’s life right into another’s. Sometimes I think I should take a bit of time to myself before making a commitment. A few months ago, I thought Lloyd’s death would kill me. Now I’m starting to see that doesn’t have to be my fate. I’ve learned I might be able to survive his loss, but I want to be able to say I survived it because of my own strength, not Connor’s. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah.” Lia smiled. “You don’t want to jump into Connor’s bed prematurely.”
She laughed. “In fairness, I think he jumped into mine.”
They were both quiet for a time.
“He loves you,” said Lia. “You do know that, right?”
Elaine nodded.
“Do you love him?”
“I love so much about him. Do I love him romantically, the way I loved Lloyd? I don’t know. Maybe, or at least I think I’m getting there. Am I ready to put it into words?” Elaine glanced at her lap. “No.”
“You need time.”
“I do, but I don’t want him to hate me because I can’t give him what he needs right now. I’ve spent so much time pushing him away. I’m scared if I tell him my feelings, I’ll lose him.”
“You will never lose Connor. He’ll understand better than anyone could.” Lia grabbed her hand. “Elaine, when you were in Alaska, he didn’t even date.”
“He didn’t?”
“Not a single flirtation, from what I heard. He’s been waiting for you the whole time, even if he wasn’t aware of it.”
“How long do you think he’ll be willing to wait?”
“For you? A long time, I’d guess.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I know I’m right. That’s the thing about being pregnant. I sit down a lot so I get to observe people. Believe me, the past couple of months, I’ve seen everything the Ursa has to offer.” Lia sat up and grabbed her stomach. “Whoa.”
“Are you okay?”
“Elaine?” Lia’s breathing hitched. “We’re good friends, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So you wouldn’t mind if I just started peeing myself right here, would you? Because I think I just did.”
Elaine looked at Lia’s lap. Her maternity jeans were soaked down the length of her inner legs, and the wetness was starting to puddle on the floor. “You’re not peeing yourself. Your water just broke!”
“Oh shit. That’s what I was worried about.” She began to hyperventilate. “I’m not ready for this. Why did I tell Ry to go out with Connor? Shit, shit, shit! Can you text him?”
“He’s probably already picked up on your state of mind telepathically but sure. Don’t worry. He’ll be here. You can do this. I’ll text Josh, too.” She smiled in encouragement. “Your baby boy is coming.”
“My baby boy.” She started crying all over again. “I’m going to be a mom.”
“You’re going to be a great mom. Now breathe.” She stood and went to make the call in the hallway so she could speak freely without agitating Lia.
As Elaine whipped her cell phone out of her pocket, she was surprised to see a call coming in. She didn’t recognize the number. Perhaps Ryland was calling from somewhere inside the resort. “Hello?”
“Hello, Elaine. This is Royal Hill.”
She froze.
“I’m going to give you some instructions. I want you to listen carefully. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good girl.” He chuckled. “I’ve captured two of your friends. Marcelle Burgess and the good doctor are currently moldering in an underground cell.”
“You’re lying. Josh is at his clinic, and Marcelle is in Europe.”
“How strange. I’m sure I checked their ID on the way in. Oh well, if you’re so sure, I can just kill these two strangers right now and save everyone some trouble.”
“No!” She reminded herself to keep her voice down. “No, please. What do you want?”
“It’s rather simple. I want you. I’ll need you to pay me a little visit so we can discuss our future.”
“And if I don’t pay you a little visit?”
“Then I’ll butcher your friends. Don’t test me, Elaine. I have nothing to lose.”
“Where do you want me?”
“The abandoned highway rest stop at Exit 25. Do you know the place?”
“Yeah.”
“Be there at noon. Come alone. If I see you have company, I will tell my man to kill your friends.”
Noon? She needed to stall for time. Swallowing her revulsion, she tried to draw out the conversation. “I’ll come, but I need more time.”
“Oh, dear. I don’t like a woman who makes demands. We’re going to have to work on that.”
“Please. You’re asking me to desert my children. At least give me some time to say goodbye. I won’t tell anyone, I swear. I don’t want you to kill my friends.”
The pause seemed interminable.
“Do I sound stupid to you? I know exactly how long it takes to get from Gemini Island to Exit 25. We’re working on my schedule, darling, not yours. You get until noon. Even that is generous. Don’t be late and don’t even think of alerting your friends or the police.”
“Okay. I’ll be there.”
The sound of the call disconnecting sounded more like a gun being fired.
“Elaine?” called Lia. “Is Josh coming?”
Elaine schooled her features into a mask of calm and returned to Lia. “Um, Josh might be delayed. I want you to take some deep breaths for me while I call Connor, okay?”
The door to the suite crashed open. Ryland burst in, followed by Connor, Andy, and Layla.
“Lia!” Ryland rushed to her side. “I’m here. I’m here, baby.”
“Ry.” Perspiration dotted Lia’s brow. “Josh is busy. He can’t come.”
“Let me call Fleur,” offered Connor. “She delivered Charlotte’s baby. I’m sure she can help.”
While Connor made the short call, Elaine’s brain whirred. For the first time in a long time, her heart seemed to leap into its former off-kilter beat. The awkward noise pounded in her head, taunting her with its irregular rhythm. Don’t you dare, Elaine threatened her unpredictable organ. Keep your shit together!
“Fleur and Jani are on their way,” said Connor.
While Ryland worked on removing Lia’s soaked jeans, Elaine pulled Connor aside. “I just got a call from Royal Hill.”
“What?” He grasped her arms and searched her face. “What did he say?”
“He has Marcelle and Josh. He’s going to kill them if I don’t meet him at noon. On my own.”
“Fuck. That’s less than two hours away.”
“I know,” she whispered. “What do we do? Connor, we have to think of something. We can’t tell Ryland and Lia. They have enough to worry about right now.”
“Let me think for a minute.”
Layla walked over to them, excited. “Mommy, Auntie Lia’s going to have her baby!”
“I know, sweetie. I know.” Elaine crouched down to her daughter’s level. “Will you do me a big favor? I want you and your brother to sit in the bedroom.”
“But I want to help.”
Andy jumped up and down. “I want to help too!”
“Okay,” said Elaine. “I know how you can be a big help. Connor just called Fleur. I need you guys to stand at the door and wait for her. Can you do that?”
“Okay, Mommy.” Layla grabbed her brother by the hand, and they took up spots on either side of the open suite door. They both stood straight and still, waiting to flag Fleur down.
In the meantime, Ryland eased Lia to the floor where he’d placed a couple of blankets.
Lia buckled as the first contraction hit. She grunted.
“Don’t worry, Auntie Lia,” called Andy from his position. “Mommy said having a baby is just like having a big poop.”
Lia’s eyes rolled back, and she let out the first of several bloodcurdling screams.
* * * *
Marcelle regained consciousness sometime before sunrise, only to find she and Josh had been locked in some sort of cell. They were in a dingy basement, but she had no idea where. Royal Hill and his goon Seb stood on the opposite side of the bars. She was disheartened to see Hill had another minion but shouldn’t have expected any less. Turds like Hill always had people around them.
“I apologize for the rustic accommodations,” said Hill. “I use this cell as a holding place for some of the creatures I use in my work. Some of them lack manners. The last occupant was a nasty lynx shifter who pissed on the floor. I realize the smell is foul, but you won’t be here long.” With a grin, Hill headed for the stairs. “Let’s go, Seb.”
Seb turned the key. His mouth turned down at the corners, like a petulant teen who hated his job at the mall. He wouldn’t look Marcelle in the eye.
Was it possible she spied some remorse in the henchman’s averted gaze?
Maybe, when Seb came back, she could talk some sense into him.
Right now, she just wanted Josh to wake up. Her tranquilizer had worn off, but he was still groggy. Of course, he’d taken two shots. He lay naked on the cold floor of the cell next to her, his body battered and bruised, blood at his lip.
If she ever got her hands on Hill, she’d kill him.
The maniac had actually introduced himself as she came to. He’d said he had plans for her and her boyfriend and that they needed to “be good.” As long as they cooperated, he wouldn’t kill them.
She hadn’t believed a word. He would kill them as soon as he no longer needed them. He had to be planning something for Gemini Island. It was the only thing she and Josh had in common. If only she could get a message to Ryland.
Josh stirred and groaned. He must be in pain.
Royal Hill would die, and she would make sure to flip him off at his funeral.
“Josh?” She laid a hand on his side, on one of the few spots on his body without a visible wound. “It’s me.”
“Marcelle.” He opened his eyes, looked around the cell, and sat up quickly. His eyes started to roll back in his head.
“Don’t move. You’ve been hurt. I’d really like you to stay conscious.”
“Are you hurt? Where are we?”
“I’m fine.” She filled him in on all the details she’d learned so far.
When she finished relaying the information, his mouth twisted. “I’ll kill that goddamn motherfucker.”
“My, my, doctor. This, from the man who once apologized to me for saying shit.”
“I need to get you out of here.” He hung his head and grimaced. “My head hurts.”
She snuggled up next to him and rubbed his thigh. Hell, they were naked and locked in a cell together. As far as she could tell, they’d already skipped a few dates. There was no place for false modesty here. “Just try to breathe for a minute.” She sat quietly next to him. “There. Are you still with me?”
He looked at her, his eyes full of wonder. “I’m with you.”
“Those blue eyes.” She grinned. “It’s how I knew you were the second bear. You saved my life.”
“I did a piss-poor job of it.”
“You had no way of knowing Hill was out there somewhere, lurking like a creep.”
“I saw you from my condo window. Your doe was running through the streets. I’ve never felt such fear in my life.”
“You tracked me down?”
He nodded.
“Wow. You really are my hero.”
His eyes made a quick pass of her nude body, but it wasn’t because he was checking her out. His gaze was too full of anxiety. “Are you cold?”
“No colder than you are, I’d imagine.”
“They couldn’t even spare a blanket, huh?”
“I don’t think they’re worried about our wellbeing.”
“Do you know these people?”
“No. This has something to do with the Ursa. I’m sure of it.”
Josh adjusted the way he was sitting. His face contorted momentarily in discomfort, but he gritted his teeth. “Are you injured?”
“Nope. Just you. I’m so sorry, Josh.”
“I’ll heal. Don’t worry.”
She sat quietly, not knowing what to say and yet wanting to say so much. How did she even begin? How did she explain his eyes lit up her world better than the Paris skyline? She had no words for the magnetic pull she’d felt from an ocean away.
“Marcelle,” he began for her, cupping her cheek. “I…I missed you.”
She licked her dry lips before smiling. Not that it mattered. They still cracked. “I missed you too.”
“Why did you really leave France?”
“Honestly? France sucked. I hated Paris.”
“How could you hate Paris?”
“Because you weren’t there.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, making all the scratches on his neck dance. “You’re my mate.”
“You’re mine.”
They gazed at each other, and every trace of pain on Josh’s face disappeared when he smiled.
“I wish I’d said something to make you stay.”
“I wish I’d never left.” He pulled her onto his lap so she was straddling him. She eased herself onto his lap, not wanting to hurt him. “Your wounds.”
“I don’t care. I want to hold you.” He dug his hand into her braids and dragged her closer.
She nestled against his chest. “This is weird, isn’t it? We don’t even know each other.”
“It’s weird, but it’s good. This is right.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We’ll get out of here. I just know it.” He kissed her face and looked into her eyes. “I’ll die before I let them touch you.”
The very thought made her doe whine in terror. When tears appeared in her eyes, Josh kissed them away.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay. I promise. I just found you. I’m not letting you go. We haven’t even had a real drink yet, you know, one that doesn’t come with cream and sugar.”
She giggled, but it sounded hollow.
“I hate the idea you were unhappy in Paris. When we get out of here, I’m going to take you back to Europe and we’re going to do it in style. Fine dining, fancy hotels, table service at swanky clubs, the whole nine yards. How does that sound?”
“It sounds like you’re a big spender, Doctor Douglas. Am I going to have to teach you about budgeting?”
“Marcelle, you deserve the best, and I’m going to give it to you.”
“I just want you.”
“Are you sure? Because I haven’t had a goddamn vacation in years. I was kind of counting on Paris.”
She laughed and wriggled atop him, happier than she’d been since the day she left him on Gemini Island but miserable at the same time. For the first time in her life, she felt she was at home, but what good was it if her home was about to be demolished?
His cock throbbed against her. Her body reacted in kind, despite her sadness.
“I’ve been dreaming of this,” he whispered in her ear. “Of being able to touch you. But I had a different setting in mind, one with clean sheets and soft pillows.”
“And I bet we didn’t reek of sweat and blood in your dream.” The enormity of the moment hung heavy on her heart, no matter how relieved she was to feel his body next to hers. “Josh, what if the next few moments are our last?”
He lay back, protecting her from the rough surface of the unfinished floor, and pulled her toward him. “They won’t be, but let’s make the most of them anyway.”
* * * *
If Seb Capobianco had to look at that disgusting excuse for “art” one more time, he’d fucking hurl.
“Put Jinny over here,” ordered Hill. “Not there, you dumbass. Over here by the window.”
Seb slid the large crate over to Hill.
“I never had to explain myself to Vadim. It’s too bad the two of you couldn’t change places.”
Only Vadim had gotten himself killed. Seb was smarter than that, even though Hill gave him no credit.
Hill opened the crate and moved aside some of the packing material so he could gaze at his dead sister’s face.
What a fucking maniac.
He always knew Hill was off his rocker, but he’d had no choice but to work for the man. Once the job started venturing into unsavory territory, Seb hadn’t complained, not out loud anyway. He’d always been a crook. Crime wasn’t his issue.
However, having to watch him in that nightmare gallery full of fucking horror show statues was about all he could take.
He hadn’t signed up for this shit. Seb had been having nightmares for months.
He had expressed his concerns to Vadim a while ago.
The Russian had merely pointed at him in warning and said, “Just do as you’re told.”
So much for camaraderie.
And now, here they were, in one of Hill’s many properties, a seemingly abandoned house at the edge of town, with some lady and a fucking doctor locked in the basement dungeon.
A doctor. The place would be crawling with cops in no time.
Seb’s sense of self-preservation warned him away. Hill was going down and soon.
He would not go down with the bastard.
“Mr. Hill, would you like me to take your mate out of the box? I could set her up by the window so the rising sun will illuminate her pretty highlights.” Madonna mia, now I’m talking like the pretentious piece of shit.
“No. I just want to look at her right now.”
He was in one of his funny moods. Good. Seb had seen Hill contemplate Jinny’s face for hours on end before.
“Very well, sir.” It was time to put his plan in action. “If you won’t be needing me, I’d like to check the perimeter.”
Distracted, Hill waved him off.
Seb wasted no time. He supposed he could have released the prisoners. Together, they could overcome Hill. It might be helpful to have a doctor on his side when it came time to plead his case, but if he slipped into the basement, Hill would know something was up.
The best thing Seb could do right now was secure his own future. If he succeeded, the cops would find the doctor and his girlfriend, hopefully alive.
Careful not to jangle the car keys in his pocket, he headed outside. When he got into the first of the two cars parked out front, he tried his best to close the doors quietly. Hill might hear the engine start, but he might not. When he was focused on Jinny, God bless the woman’s soul, Hill wouldn’t notice if a fire raged around him.
Moving quickly, Seb raced toward Lake Gemini and into town. Although he put miles between him and Hill, he still expected his boss to pop up at every intersection. Sweat dampened his clothing but he kept his eyes on the road, despite wanting to look back.
Once in town, he proceeded toward his destination. Although every fiber of his criminal body screamed in outrage, he parked the car at the police station. He got out, walked in, and addressed the officer at the front desk. “I need to speak to the man in charge.”
The officer inhaled, detecting the scent of another shape shifter. “That would be—”
“Me.” Another officer, a bear shifter, appeared at the back office door. He walked out, eyes narrowed. “Chief Drew Maitland. And who are you?”
Seb grinned. “I’m about to become your best friend, Chief, as long as you play nice with me. Tell me, how would you like to take down an organ trafficking empire?”