Untamed: an Alpha's Love (Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance) (10 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY
TWO

"It's Charmaine," she sobbed into the phone when Jamison answered. Gasping for air and trying to force all the words out at once, she babbled nonsensically that Parker was in trouble until he cut in.

"Slow down," he urged her in a firm, steady voice. "Take a breath. Where are you?"

She sucked in some cool air and exhaled slowly. "I'm at home, and something's happened to Parker. I don't know who or why, but someone has him!"

"Whoa, whoa. Tell me,
very slowly,
what happened."

"He left about three hours ago to pick something up from home. I couldn't get him on the phone, so I borrowed Lena's car and came home. I just got here and his car is halfway up the driveway, still running, lights on, door open. I thought maybe he ran over an animal... I ran into the bushes and called and called... and then I went looking for him. He's not anywhere... his phone was still in the console..." She was rambling again, but Jamison seemed to be getting the picture.

"That's not like him at all, you're right," he agreed grimly. "Are you in the house?"

"No..." She cast a frantic look around the driveway, as if Parker might materialize out of nowhere. "I'm in the driveway..."

"Charmaine, I need you to get out of there right now. I'm sending someone out there to check on things. Can you drive?"

"I think so." Her heart was pounding out of her chest but she forced herself to take a few more steadying breaths.

"Good. Go to Lena's. Keep Parker's phone with you, but don't answer it. I'll meet you there as soon as I can. Christine's missing, too, and I've got to pull some men back." There was a sharp click and Jamison was gone.

She approached the house, tapping on the phone to check her app again. Still no sign of entry. If the house hadn't been breached, it wasn't a robbery. Someone had obviously just grabbed Parker. And they could come back...

Get it together
, she commanded herself.
You won't help anyone standing on the walkway like a useless idiot. Go back to Lena's.

Getting back to her car was terrifying. At the bottom of the walkway she paused and considered the distance to her car door. About sixty seconds to turn and run back the way she came. Or she could get to her front door in about thirty seconds. She clenched her keys in her fist and raced to Lena's car. Inside she locked the doors as the engine growled to life. Without hesitation she spun in the gravel and tore back down the lane. Parker's car still sat blinking forlornly on the right side of the driveway. She kept going until the red lights disappeared in her rear-view mirror.

The road up to the hills yawned ahead of her, dark and deserted, and she pressed her foot down on the gas until she had the Honda going as fast as she could comfortably take it. She didn't care about the speed. She had to get to Lena and Maddie.
What if whoever has Parker is after his family, too? What if they've gotten to them already?
She allowed herself those thoughts because it kept her from thinking about the possibilities of what was happening to her husband.
Someone could be hurting him, torturing him. He could already be
—

Her doubts got the better of her and she called Jamison again. "Tell me the truth," she snarled into the phone. "Do you have him? Is this some elaborate plot to kill my husband?"

"I don't have Parker," he answered, seemingly taken aback by her tone. "And I wouldn't kill Parker."

"You want to be Alpha."

"Yeah, I do. Or I did. I knew I'd never become Alpha on my own, not with Parker around. My plan was to turn the pack against him and take over. But I didn't want this, Charmaine, I swear." His voice was tinged with panic.
He's scared, too
. "I wanted his job, I admit it. But I was never after his life. You have to believe me."

"Prove it to me and find him then." She hung up and she silenced the whispers of doom inside her head. Parker was okay, they just needed to find him, and fast. She hoped she'd made the right decision trusting Jamison. There was no other way to help him, not that she knew of. And then his earlier words finally registered with her.
Christine's missing, too.

Suddenly everything came into focus, and she dialed Scottie's number next, praying that he would answer.

"Hi, Charmaine." His voice was subdued.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't get ahold of Christine. We had plans, and..." his voice trailed off. "I think she went to Christopher," he mused, as if he were talking to himself. "I think I'm going to head over there right now, in fact, and see if that motherfucker has my girl at his house."

"Scottie—" her heart pounded in her chest. "I don't know what's going on, but there's something you need to know about Christine. She's not Jamison's sister. She's his wife."

"What?" His voice was incredulous. "No, she's his sister. His wife—why would you say that, Charmaine?"

"She's his wife, Scottie," she insisted firmly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I should have. I don't know what the hell is going on with her or why she's pretending to be his sister or what kind of weird game they're playing, but—"

Scottie interrupted. "No. No. You're wrong. I was there, at his house. He introduced her to me as his sister..." He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again his voice was confused, heartbroken. "Why would he... Why would they..."

"You have to believe me. I've met her. Parker told me they were married and they have an open relationship. She was using you for information. And now I think she must've been trying to get that information for Christopher. She's not with you and she's not with Jamison."

"It doesn't make any sense..." He was tongue-tied, a first for Scottie. Charmaine felt a pang of sympathy for her dearest friend.
He finally shows some interest in someone else and this is what happens.
A hysterical giggle bubbled in her throat and she swallowed it down. Poor Scottie.

"It doesn't. But I need your help. Parker is missing. I think he's been kidnapped and I think Christopher is behind it. Christine might even be involved somehow. I'm heading back to Parker's parents' house. Do you have any idea where Christopher might have taken Parker?"

"No," he said sadly.

"Scottie, are you okay?"

"No."

"You should come to Lena's with me. I'll pick you up on the way."

"Sure." It killed her to hear him so defeated. If nothing else he could keep her company while she waited for Jamison, and maybe she could distract him out of his funk. Though he'd been dealt a pretty big blow. That wasn't the kind of thing a person just got over.

Charmaine had no idea where Parker was or when she'd see him again, though now that she'd calmed down a bit she didn't think he'd been harmed—yet. Wouldn't she feel it? As his Mate, wouldn't she know if he was hurt, or— She would. She was certain of it. Wherever Parker was, whoever he was with right now, he was alive and unharmed and would come back to her. His face came to her mind, those clear green eyes soft and loving. She wouldn't lose him.
Couldn't
.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Déja-vu
. They huddled in the living room once again—Charmaine, Lena, and Maddie, their faces solemn, waiting for any news about Parker. Maddie couldn't take her eyes off Scottie, who sat forward in his chair, his elbows on his knees, every once in a while looking up at the women and giving them a reassuring smile. If they hadn't all been scared out of their minds it would have been cute to watch Maddie mooning over her friend.
I remember that age
, Charmaine thought.
Everything seemed so important. Especially cute boys.
She smiled as
Maddie asked Scottie if he wanted a bottle of water and practically tripped over herself getting one when he said yes. "I'll take one, too!" Charmaine called after her, winking at Scottie. He flushed bright red and shook his head at her to say,
Don't even think of teasing me about it
.

The door opened, startling them all. Parker stepped across the threshold, his face battered but otherwise in one piece, and Maddie yelped from the kitchen doorway. Charmaine was across the room in a second, leaping into his arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. He cradled her to him as if he hadn't seen her in weeks, his lips pressing all over her face. He was cold and she burrowed into his open jacket, trying to warm him with her heat. Frigid fingers twined in her hair and he tipped her back for a soft kiss. "I'm okay," he murmured. "I'm okay, Baby."

"I was so scared," she wept into his neck.

"You saved me," he said. "You called Jamison. He's the one who got me out of there."

"What happened?"

Parker cleared his throat and looked over her shoulder at his tearful mother and wide-eyed sister. "Hey, it's okay," he promised them, and Charmaine remembered she wasn't the only one with claims to her husband. Reluctantly she drew her arms from around his neck. "I'll tell you everything later, I promise," he murmured, loosening his grip on her to step toward his family. "I'm fine, really," he assured them all. "Everything's going to be okay."

***

Later, when everyone was all cried out, Parker and Charmaine drove home, Scottie in the backseat and Jamison following behind them in his own car. Jamison and Parker had men picking up the pieces of the day's events and needed some time together to strategize. Charmaine wasn't about to let her husband out of her sight. "Bring him to our place," she said firmly, ignoring Parker's surprise. Jamison had redeemed himself, at least somewhat, and she'd rather have him in her house than have Parker disappear again.

As for Scottie, he'd tagged along like a lost puppy until even Parker whispered, "You can't leave him alone like this. Let's take him home with us so he's not alone. What do you think?" She'd glowed with gratitude at Parker's generosity.
This amazing man of mine
, she thought, flinging her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his for the hundredth time that hour.

Charmaine had never experienced anything quite as awkward as being in a room with two men who'd been fooled by the same woman. She sat with the men at the table, and once he was a few beers in, they glimpsed a side of Jamison that surprised even Parker.

"You know how I met my wife?" The older man shook his head. "I won her in a game of pool." He let the shock sink in before continuing. Everyone gaped at his frank admission. "We were passing through Portland on our way to a convention. She flashed those eyes at me, and I—well, I was young. I thought that was it, you know?" He took a long swallow of his beer and managed half a grin. "She was with an older guy who was supposed to be Alpha, but he'd been crippled. His own son, only eighteen, took over his pack, and he was already Mated. So I guess when she met me... I dunno, I guess she sniffed me out. Or maybe she made me what I was. I hadn't been all that ambitious, but she gave me so much confidence, so many dreams—I
wanted
to believe that what she saw in me was real. And Dominic was good to me. Like the father I never had. I would've never made a move against that man. And yeah, I was jealous." He looked at Parker. "You were the real son, not me. I looked at you and all I could see was that old cripple. I couldn't stand to be a has-been who couldn't even hold on to his woman. And yet here I am, exactly that."

Scottie cleared his throat, his voice thick with drink and emotion. When she gets her hooks in you, man, it's like nothing in the world," he agreed. "I can vouch for that. She made me feel like a king. We were together all of a week, and she had me thinking I could take over Vella."

Charmaine stifled a surprised cough.

"Okay, I know how ridiculous that sounds. But see what I mean? I never gave two shits about being Alpha. Christine, though, she lit a fire in me. She gave me confidence." He glowered at Jamison, reminding him of his role in the ruse.

"Sorry, brother."

Scottie shrugged. "It's okay. I finally got over you, though," he grinned at Charmaine.

"Oh, so she's that amazing?" she asked acidly.

Scottie grinned and exchanged glances with Jamison. "You have no idea," they assured her in stereo.

"Spare me the details, please." She smiled at Parker who held his hands up as if to say,
Hey, I never touched her.
Across the table
Jamison extended his hand to Scottie, who finally took it. "So where is she now, this paragon of womanhood?" she asked.

"She's with Christopher," Parker said. "They took off together once they had me locked up and guarded. Who knows where the hell they went."

"Knowing Christine, she's taken him on some wild goose chase," Jamison said wryly. "He has no idea what he's in for."

"He can't be Alpha if he abandons his pack, though," Parker mused. "What the hell is he up to?"

"I think he's planning to sell the company, if he hasn't already. Christine won't care if he's got all that money."

"Good, maybe they'll disappear altogether," Charmaine retorted. Parker looked at her, surprised, and she stared back at him defiantly, her chin raised. "My brother kidnapped you, Parker. He was going to kill you. I never want to see him again. It would be too awful to wish they were dead, so here's wishing they just don't come back." She raised her glass of water and clinked it against their three beer bottles.

"So Charmaine, Parker tells me you're coming to the Council Meeting next week to speak to the Elders about the treaty," Jamison said.

She looked at Parker, surprised, and he shrugged and grinned back at her. "Yeah..." she replied, trying to recover from her shock."Yeah, I have some things to say on the subject, and I'm hoping I can be helpful in negotiating an agreement we can all deal with."

"Looking forward to it," Jamison said with a genuine smile.
Okay, so he's not the worst,
she thought
. He's still a bit too touchy-feely for my taste. But he did save my husband's life.

"Me too. But if you boys will excuse us, I'm pretty tired, so I think I'm going to go to bed. Not too long, Baby, okay?" She blew a kiss at Parker and left them in the kitchen to talk business without her, suddenly not feeling the slightest bit left out.