Babies for Nikki (48 page)

Ever since they had realized that Dean was Mitchell’s triad partner, Mitchell had finally been able to shift into his wolf form. It had been an event that Jace valued beyond reason since it had been Mitchell’s wolf that had protected Laurie from her ex-husband when he had come to the ranch with the intention of harming her.

Mitchell looked at Dean nervously. Dean nodded in encouragement.

“Go ahead and tell Jace what you told me,” Dean told him firmly. “It’s important.”

Mitchell shook his head in agreement. “Alpha, I had a flash of a vision that the men from my old pack followed Laurie, Janine, and Nikki.” Mitchell hesitated. “I saw them taking Nikki.”

“Did you see when this would happen, Mitchell?” Jackson asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Mitchell shook his head. “I didn’t get any specifics from the vision, but I feel like it’s something that will happen soon.”

The door to the office burst open and Alex and Butler rushed inside. Alex’s wolf beat against his chest, demanding to be set free. Butler was in no better shape. All they could think about was getting to their mate.

“Jace, Nikki is at a pharmacy twenty minutes from here,” Alex told him quickly, anger evident in his voice. “Laurie and Janine are with her, but they’re safe inside the store. Boyd is with three other wolves, and they’ve taken Nikki.”

Jace bolted to his feet and rushed from the office. Jackson was close on his heels.

Laurie!
He knew his voice was booming in her head but the fear that shot through him was uncontrollable.

I’m safe, Alex. So is Janine. But Nikki’s been taken. There were four of them, and they took Alex’s truck.

We’re on our way, baby. Stay put. We’ll call Hunter and Clay and see if they’re close enough to stop them and get Nikki back. Dean and Mitchell will be coming to get you and Janine.

Jackson’s soothing voice settled her slightly, but only getting Nikki back safe and sound would erase Laurie’s fears. She would deal with her mates’ anger later. For now, they needed to concentrate on protecting Nikki.

“Dean, you and Mitchell go and get your mother and Janine from the pharmacy twenty minutes down the road,” Jackson told them as they all rushed into action.

“Mom isn’t here?” Dean questioned. “Why didn’t she ask one of us to go with her?”

“We’ll find that out once we get her back home,” Jace growled. “And we’ll make sure she doesn’t ever leave without protection again. If I have to cuff her to my arm, I will.”

“Even though Nikki is new to our pack, she should know that she shouldn’t leave without taking Lucian and Cole with her,” Butler grumbled, his anger and fear making his usually calm demeanor almost nonexistent.

Jace looked at both men. “You both do know that your mate doesn’t exactly follow orders, right?”

“You mean just like our mate, Jace?” Jackson pointed out calmly.

Jace growled. “Yeah, just like our mate,” he answered angrily.

“I’m going with Dean and Mitchell,” Mia spoke up as she ran to keep up with the men’s long strides.

Jace halted immediately and turned to face her. “Absolutely not, Mia,” he told her angrily. “I will not have one more woman from our pack put in jeopardy.”

“You’re telling me that the only reason you’re not allowing me to go is because I’m a girl?” Mia yelled. “Don’t even tell me you’re going to go there.”

Jace stepped toward her slowly, reaching up to frame her young face with his hands. “Please, daughter,” he told her quietly. “I can’t help my instincts to protect you.”

Jackson’s gentle hand touched her hair softly as he stood beside them. “You belong to us now, little one. It’s our right to care for you and see that you’re always safe.”

The anger bled from Mia immediately. She had never been treated with such care from a father figure before. In that moment, she realized that Jace and Jackson truly were fathers to her and Dean.

“Okay,” she finally agreed, not happy about it at all. “But are you at least going to fuss over Dean and Mitchell to be careful?”

Jace smiled down at her, leaning forward to kiss her forehead lightly. Jackson hugged her before turning to face her brother.

“Dean,” Jackson began.

“I know. Be careful. Got it,” Dean answered quickly. “Now let’s go. We have to get Mom and Janine. And I’m going to have a very serious talk with Mom on the way back.”

Jace smiled and watched as all three cubs ran toward the lodge. Turning back to Jackson, Butler, and Alex, he became serious once again.

“We need to get to our mates quickly,” he told them as he ran toward the lodge.

“Nikki is injured,” Alex told them as they ran for their trucks. “She thinks her hand is broken.”

“And she’s pregnant, Jace,” Butler added. “She just found out. That’s why they went to the pharmacy. To buy a pregnancy test.”

Jace nodded, turning to Lucian and Cole as they came out onto the front porch of the pack home. “Double the security around the women of the pack. None of them are to go anywhere without an escort. I don’t care if they just want to go and get groceries. They can get as angry as they want. None of them are safe. If we have to fight them in order to protect them, we will.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Lucian answered immediately, taking out his phone and contacting the other sentries.

“And keep an eye on Mia,” Jace added. “I don’t want her leaving to try to go with Dean and Mitchell to get her mother.”

Cole’s attention snapped to Lucian. “We’ll do that, Alpha,” he promised, his eyes flashing golden at the mention of Laurie’s daughter.

“I’ve got Hunter on the phone,” Jackson told them as they rushed toward the parking area in front of the pack home. “He and Clay are off duty. They’re at the hospital with the Jane Doe they found.”

“Damn!” Jace muttered. “Call Carter and Doc and have them meet us with Carter’s truck at the front of the lodge.”

Jackson nodded. “What do you want me to tell them, Jace?”

Jace couldn’t prevent the growl that escaped him as his wolf paced angrily within him.

“Tell them we’re going to get all of our mates and bring them home.”

Nikki fought her way back to consciousness. Something was wrong. She couldn’t focus.

“Why is it so dark?” she mumbled.

Then she remembered. The panic that flooded her system nearly made her throw up. Taking slow, deep breaths, she forced herself to calm down. She had to get herself under control. There was no way she was going to let Boyd intimidate her.

She stilled, concentrating on her surroundings. It was quiet. She thought she might be alone. Taking stock of herself, she realized that she was lying on a bed, and she was fully clothed.

“Thank goodness,” she whispered.

She was still blindfolded. Her arms were tied above her head to a metal headboard. She grimaced slightly when she tried to move her arms. Not only were they sore from the position they had been in for God only knew how long, but her wrists were raw from the rough braided rope that secured them. She flexed her right hand slowly, opening and closing it carefully, wincing at the pain. She moved her fingers individually, thankful that each responded fully despite the fact that they felt stiff and swollen. Maybe nothing was broken after all.

She moved slightly on the bed, pushing her body up toward the headboard. She hesitated and listened, checking to see if there was any movement from her surroundings. Hearing nothing, she pushed herself further up on the bed until she was able to touch her forehead with her hands. Twisting her hands, she struggled to grab the cloth that covered her eyes. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out as her wrists were rubbed raw from her exertion. After several failed attempts, she finally grabbed the very edge of the blindfold and pulled at it in one continuous tug. Pulling her head back as the blindfold reached her eyebrows, she sighed with relief as her vision was restored.

She blinked at the sudden flash of light and tried to get her eyes to focus. Looking around the small room, she realized that she was in a very small one room cabin. It looked as if it wasn’t used that often. Dust covered everything, and there was a stale odor in the air, confirming her thoughts.

It was a barely furnished room, with only a bed, a door that she assumed led to a bathroom, and a small kitchenette. The large fireplace against the far wall was cold, and there was supply of wood and a set of fireplace tools covered with cobwebs beside it. It would seem that it had been a long time since anyone had ever used this cabin. Thankfully, she was alone.

She closed her eyes and took a breath to center herself. When she opened them, the blue of her eyes sparked with determination as she pushed herself up further on the bed so that she could reach the ropes around her wrists with her teeth. With painstaking patience, she bit into the ropes and pulled at the knots. She struggled with them without stopping. She had to get free before anyone came back.

The cabin door opened with a slam, and she pushed herself back down onto the filthy comforter and pillow beneath her. She stared at the man who entered, forcing herself to stay calm when she saw Boyd walk toward her.

“It never ceases to amaze me that Beckett’s pack wastes their time with such weak humans,” he sneered as he walked toward the bed. “You have a smell that’s offensive,” he added.

“Says the guy who looks like he hasn’t had a shower in weeks,” Nikki snapped.

Boyd moved closer to the bed, his menacing growls increasing as he stood beside her. His top lip curled up, and his canines lengthened. Taking a deep breath, his eyes flashed golden as he took in Nikki’s scent.

“Well, it seems you’ve got a little secret,” he said quietly.

Nikki’s heart pounded in fear. She could feel the anxiety mounting in her body and had to fight not to let the terror take hold of her.

“That will make it all the more sweet when you die and take your whelp with you.” His voice was calm and deadly. “That’ll be perfect. Your mates will suffer twice before I kill them.” He walked toward her and reached out to grab the material of her shirt and pulled her toward him.

Nikki nearly vomited at the stench of his breath. His skin was covered in dirt, and his clothes reeked of filth. Hygiene was certainly not his friend. He disgusted her in all that he was. Having him threatening her babies and mates sent real fear straight to her heart and settled with a sickening thud in the pit of her stomach. She met his gaze with determination. No matter how afraid she was, she was not going to let him see it.

“You’re either overestimating yourself or underestimating my mates,” she told him calmly.

“Oh, no, sweetheart,” he told her smugly. “I’m going to make sure they know you’re dead, and when they shift to attack I’ll be ready. I’ve got two silver bullets with their names on them.”

The vicious growls of two wolves broke the silence outside the small cabin. Boyd let go of Nikki’s shirt, smiling with satisfaction.

“Don’t worry,” he told her as he turned and walked toward the cabin door, taking the gun from the drawer of the small table beside it and checking to be sure that it was loaded with the silver bullets that would kill any wolf shifter. “You’ll be joining them in hell very soon.”

* * * *

Dean drove quickly toward the small shopping center not far from the Circle Three Ranch. Mitchell sat silently beside his triad partner. He could feel the worry Dean was feeling. With each passing day, their connection strengthened, and he was thankful and amazed that he was actually finally part of a triad partnership.

“Are you okay?” he asked Dean quietly.

“I will be as soon as we get Mom,” Dean answered evenly. “She has to be more careful.”

Mitchell nodded silently. He knew Dean was upset, but he also knew that Laurie needed to be in control of her life. It didn’t feel good to be under everyone else’s rule. Mitchell knew that from firsthand experience.

“Dean,” he began, sighing softly as he decided how to tell his friend what he needed to hear.

“What?”

“When I was with my old pack, I was disrespected, beaten, and treated as if I was responsible for everything bad that happened. I was never allowed to go anywhere or do anything without permission.” He looked at Dean seriously and smiled sadly when he felt the instant sympathy from his partner.

Dean glanced at Mitchell quickly before returning his attention to the road ahead. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Mitch,” he told him honestly.

Mitchell nodded. “I’m only telling you this because you need to understand that your mother deserves to live her life without feeling that she’s lost her freedom. She’s a great lady and the best mother. She shouldn’t have to feel guilty for leaving pack land today. There had to be a good reason that she left with your aunt.”

Dean was quiet for so long, Mitchell was afraid he had crossed a line in their new partnership. He sighed and looked out the window. Whether he had or not didn’t matter though. It had to be said. For Laurie’s sake.

“You’re right, Mitch,” Dean said finally. “We felt the same way when we wanted to leave the ranch to go to the movies and they wanted us to take security with us.” He turned briefly to look at his triad partner. “Thanks.”