Kate Allenton (13 page)

    
The helicopter landed thirty minutes later in a small airfield in the middle of a cornfield.

    
Ethan hopped out and helped her down. They were met by an old guy who held out his hand.
“Well, as I live and breathe. I don’t believe it…the prodigal son has returned.”

Ethan grinned and shook the old man’s hand. “It’s good to see you too, old man. The years
have been kind to you, George.”

    
Cathy stepped up to them.

    
“I see you’ve brought company. Did you plan on staying for a spell? I’m sure Martha wouldn’t
mind setting some extra plates.”

Ethan’s smile slipped. The creases in his forehead deepened. “I’m sorry. We can’t stay, and
neither can you.”

     
Ethan pulled out a gold medallion coin from his back pocket, flipped it through his fingers, and
tossed it to George. The old man’s eyes widened. His mouth parted, but he nodded just the same.
He pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Ethan. “Get going, son. You don’t have any
time to waste.”

     
Cathy exchanged a concerned look with
Tessa. Was this
old man the contingency plan? Ethan
pulled Jonah’s arm around his neck and clasped
him by
his waist. “Ladies, let’s go.”

     
Instead of following blind, she moved up next
to
him. “Who’s the old guy and what’s with the
medallion? Is that like a super-secret code? And
exactly
where are we going?”

     
“You ask a lot of questions.”

     
Cathy shrugged. “And you don’t answer nearly enough.”

     
“The old guy is the first commander I had when
I
joined the military and the medallion is more
than just a coin. It’s a sign we came up with a long
time
ago that means it’s time to get the hell out
of dodge and to destroy any proof I’ve been there.
As to
where we’re going, you’ll just have to wait
and see.”

     
A tractor drove by them and stopped next
to the
helicopter. The blades spun to life, and Cathy
turned, walking backward as she watched George
give her
two thumbs-up before he piloted the
craft, landing it onto the back
of the rig. “What are they doing with the
helicopter?”

Ethan didn’t even look back. “They’re moving the chopper to a new location to destroy the
tracking devices.”

     
They continued walking, crossing the field toward a shiny, brand-new black chopper sitting like
a sore thumb in a cornfield. Out of place didn’t begin to describe the shiny surface surrounded by
corn stalks. Evening hours were approaching and quickly. The sun had begun to lower behind the
horizon, and the heat of the air was shifting into something a bit cooler. Ethan pulled open the door
behind the pilot seat and helped Jonah inside. He moved around to the passenger side and opened
the doors. “Ladies....”

He slid behind the controls, threw on a headset, and began pushing buttons until the blades
whirled to life.

     
Cathy slid the headset over her ears. “Mighty convenient to have another one waiting.”

     
He glanced at her, and his eyes twinkled with mischief. “Growing up around Black, I learned
early on to have a backup plan.” He shrugged. “Just in case.”

     
What could she say to that? Thank god? Nope, she had nothing. Cathy remained quiet the rest
of the ride. She’d get answers whenever they finally got where they were going.

    
Cathy glanced down at Ethan’s watch that she still had around her wrist and twirled it to read
the face. Thirty minutes later, they were landing. Not at an airport like she’d imagined but behind a
log cabin situated on a lake. The lone house was dark and desolate. Trees surrounded the house and
camouflaged it from above. She wouldn’t have
seen it
from the air. Cathy looked up. The sky was
hidden from view directly above.

She followed quietly behind Ethan, glad she
wasn’t
still with Edward, glad she hadn’t called
Black and agreed to the nut job’s plan. Ethan took
out
the keys the old man had thrown him and
unlocked the door. She stepped in behind him and looked up while turning in place. It looked

smaller from outside. She would have never guessed there were vaulted ceilings inside. She ran her
hand across the wooden wall and stepped down
into a
living room. Plush cream-colored carpets
covered the area and met the stone fireplace on
the wall
across the room. The coffee-colored sofas
looked comfortable enough, although if she knew anything about Ethan, they were there to sit on,
and the decorative ambiance was for his guests.
She
turned back to him. “Nice place. Is it yours?”

    
Ethan’s lips quirked. “Yep…bought it after
I met
you.”

    
Well, that was a weird thing to say. Maybe
he’d been
searching the market; maybe he’d just liked
the place. “Where are we?”

    
“Home.”

    
“We can’t hide from him. He’ll find us.”

    
Ethan clicked his tongue and crossed his arms over his chest. “We aren’t going back until we
have a game plan. And even then….you’ll be staying here.”

                                                   
Chapter 8

    
“Like hell—” she started to protest.

    
“You guys can argue later. Jonah needs a place
to
rest.” Tessa helped Jonah down the steps into
the living room.

    
Ethan nodded. “You two can take the spare
room
on the bottom level so Jonah won’t have to
climb the stairs.” He led them out of sight down
the hall.

Cathy peered out the window into the darkness.
The
move was out of habit if nothing else.
Paranoia was becoming standard practice. Darkness quickly cloaked the lake she’d seen when flying
in. It had been one long-ass day. She’d gone from
being
kidnapped, confronted by Black, lied to by
Edward and found again by
Ethan, who evidently had gotten her out of a sticky
situation. Her eyes
were drooping, her arms fatigued, and the muscles in her shoulders were tied up in knots. Cathy
patted the vials still in her pocket. Breathing a sigh of relief and thankful she could relax for at least a
minute. The stress from the day was wearing her down.

    
Exhausted, Cathy sank down into the comfortable couch cushion to wait for Ethan. Half of the
time she had to save her friends had dwindled away from her. Not hearing back from Tara put a
wrinkle in any plans Cathy could make. In a few hours, Black would know that she wasn’t at

Edward’s anymore. In a few more hours, she was going to have to make the decision of her life.

    
She laid her head against the couch. Unable to hold her lids open, she let them slide shut.

                                                      
****

    
Ethan got Tessa and Jonah settled into their room. They were going to have to share since there
were only two rooms in the cabin. Cathy might not be happy when she figured that out, but he
hadn’t been worried about sleeping arrangements when he’d whisked her away from Edward’s

compound. Did he honestly think Edward would have hurt her? No. The answer came fast and
resolute, but men did crazy things for revenge, and Ethan wasn’t taking chances with his mate.

    
Mate…well, his intended mate, the woman he was going to marry. Now all he had to do was
get her to agree and keep her alive to follow through.

Ethan lifted Cathy up in his arms, cradling her petite frame against his chest. Her eyes never
opened, and yet, she snuggled deeper into his warmth. This was how things were supposed to be
with her. He was supposed to take care of her
and love her
and enjoy getting to know everything
that made her tick. Black was going to pay with
his life.

    
Ethan carried her up the stairs to his bed. A
bed that
he’d bought with her in mind. He’d
wanted a place they could make a home, a place
to whisk
her away to….and not because they were
on the run. He’d wanted to show it to her under
different
circumstances, happier circumstances.
Ethan strolled into the room, pushed the covers
to the
end of the bed, and settled Cathy down on
the mattress. He removed her shoes but didn’t dare
try
and remove her clothes. He eased the covers
back over her and went back downstairs, leaving
her to
rest. Just because everyone in the house was
getting settled didn’t mean he could rest. No, now
more
than ever, he needed to make sure he

wouldn’t be surprised.

    
Ethan walked into the kitchen and grabbed
a beer
from the fridge. He popped the top and
pulled out his cell phone. He speed dialed the one
man
who threatened his future. The call was
going to suck but couldn’t
be put off any longer. He needed a reprieve, just one
or two extra days
with Cathy to get her to see the light.

    
“She’s with me,” Ethan announced into the phone.

    
“What’s the matter, son? Was she getting too cozy with the Alpha?”

    
“Screw you, Black, and for the last time, I’m not your son.”

    
“Why are you calling me?” Black asked, his tone condescending, as if he had better things to do.

    
Ethan set down his beer, rested his elbows on the counter and closed his eyes. Needing extra
time wasn’t something he’d planned. “I’m going to need more time to convince her that she belongs
with me. If you attack now, then I’ll lose her for good and should you make the mistake of letting
that happen, I’ll kill you myself.”

    
Black was silent. His breath was deep and steady over the line. Was he thinking about it? Was
he trying to keep Ethan on the line in order to track their whereabouts? Ethan glanced up at the
clock on the stove. “You’ve got one minute before I disconnect. Tell me your answer.”

    
“Fine. She has until the end of the weekend to give me her decision. I just hope, for your
benefit, that she chooses wisely because, if she doesn’t, I’m going to enjoy killing everything and

everyone she loves. Not only that, but I’ll make her watch. The only real choice she’ll have then is if
she wants to die with them.”

    
“You still haven’t explained why it’s so important she joins your cause, and don’t try to tell me
you’re doing it for my own happiness, because
we both
know you’re not.”

Black’s low chuckle came over the line.
“You’re right;
I’m not doing this for you…her gifts
mixed with mine, I’ll be unstoppable.”

    
“How do you even know what powers she
has?”

“Years of extensive research, study, and observation. Your mate is quite gifted and stubborn
too.”

    
A noise sounded behind him, and Ethan swiveled around. The room was empty. He snapped
his gaze to the stairs; they were empty. Shit.

    
He disconnected the call and shoved the cell
in his
pocket. He drew in a deep breath, inhaling
the doctor’s scent. “You can come out now.”

    
Tessa stepped out from around the corner.

“You’re manipulating her?” Her tone was accusing. Had she heard the entire conversation?

“I’m giving the Phantoms more time to come
up
with a plan of attack. I’m not manipulating
her. I’m manipulating him.”

    
Tessa moved to the fridge and pulled out a soda. “Do you mind?”

    
He shook his head. He didn’t need this right now. He had his own issues to work out with
Cathy. He didn’t need her suspicion on top of everything else. “Is Jonah sleeping?”