"Tom's not wrong, you know? It did feel good to be useful. Phoenix has somehow weaseled his way into a job in the laboratory. And we hardly ever see Kano since Lucian asked him to help with the irrigation problems." Darcy shoved a final handful of brochures into the wall holder, before crossing his arms over his chest. "You know what? If safe jobs could be found for those two, I'm sure we can do something around here. Tom's absolutely right—having a purpose today felt good.”
When another pain hit me, Tom noticed my wince because he was facing me. He instantly came around and pressed his hands to my stomach with a far-off look in his eyes. After several seconds, he nodded to himself before dropping his hands. "I think it was gas. But you're getting close enough we need to pay attention. I know Dr. Diego warned about Braxton-Hicks contractions, but babies do come early. I'm not saying Gidget will, but we should definitely keep track."
A car door slammed outside, startling all three of us. Darcy clutched his stomach, then took a few steps away from the door, coming closer to us. "Reach out to Lucian. I don't know who’s here, but it's not good. We need protection. I feel the danger so deep, it’s in my bones."
I didn't hesitate, especially as the door began to open. "Lucian! Are you nearby? Someone pulled up, and Darcy says we’re in danger."
He answered immediately without bothering to question whether he was truly needed. "Are you still in the tasting room, or are you home? I'm in the middle and can be in either place in a couple minutes. I just need to know which way to run."
"The tasting room. Hurry, charming. Darcy's gut is never wrong." The door opened, and the bright sun hitting me in the face temporarily blinded me after sitting all afternoon in this dimly lit room. Even though there were plenty of windows, the wood-paneled walls and leather stools made the place feel dark, despite the so-called romantic lighting. I couldn’t make out anything about the shadowy figure in the open doorway, other than she was female. Or at least dressed femme. The door swung closed right as my eyes began to adjust, and I did a double-take.
Despite being every bit as nervous as I was, Darcy took a protective stance in front of me, as if his small frame would help. "M-mistress? W-what are you doing—I mean… H-how are you doing? It's been so long since we've seen you."
Tom came around the counter, confidently crossing the floor as if she was a normal customer dropping in. He snagged a brochure from the wall and tried to hand it to her. "As happy as we are to see you, I'm afraid you've caught us after-hours. Rules are rules, and if we bend them for anybody, we'll have to do it for everybody. So as much as it pains me, I'm afraid we'll have to invite you to come back tomorrow during our regular business day."
Her hand rested inside a big red purse hanging at her right hip, draping across her chest from the opposite shoulder. As her hand came out, metal gleamed before she even finished removing the gun. Batting away the brochure Tom was still holding, she removed the safety with a loud click. "I've heard quite enough rules for one lifetime, thank you very much. Now get over there with your friends, young man. I have some things to say."
Before we had a chance to find out what, the door swung open again, and two young guys came in. The younger one couldn't have been any older than Colt, so figuring out who they were was easy. I'd like to say Josh appeared familiar, but I didn't remember enough about Two to recognize him. Alex somehow managed to look exactly as I pictured him, like an average guy in his early twenties with a pleasant face and brown hair. And kind eyes. He definitely had those.
Josh tried to say something to his mother, walking her over to one side of the room while Alex came closer with a curious, yet anxious, smile. "I'm sorry we interrupted you. Our mom hasn't been feeling her best. By any chance, would one of you happen to be known as Thirteen?"
Nudging Darcy with a poke in the side, I couldn't help smiling at the friend who'd saved me, despite the tension in the room. Part of me was hoping keeping it might help defuse the situation. "You got me, although these days I go by Charlie. Since you didn't ask, I’ll volunteer. I named myself after my favorite author Charles Dickens. I think we can agree Dickens would've been a horrible choice with awful nicknames nobody wants to hear."
Alex looked like he wanted to laugh but didn't dare. He'd always been so happy-go-lucky in our interactions. I couldn't help but wonder what the heck he'd been through in the past three and a half months. He swallowed, then managed another smile. "I'm glad you got out of there. I was so worried when I couldn't take you the whole way. Did Ford help you? I’m only guessing since you ended up with his pack."
"Surprisingly, not at all. Although I do have an ironic thing to share about Ford when we find time to really chat." The tension was getting thicker, and Josh and his mother were in the corner, exchanging a whispered argument. "And when we do, I'll tell you about how I met my true mate. Who, funnily enough, is the Alpha here. So yeah… my life completely changed. Thank you for not being dead. I was so scared when Jones fired his gun."
"You and me both, Thirt—ah, Charlie. It went down exactly like I told you it would. I shifted back, and Jones took one good look at me and freaked out. I meant to get in touch with you sooner, but I couldn't find the, uh, link we used. I guess I was out of range? And then Mom took us—”
His mother interrupted him. "No, Joshua. I know exactly what I'm doing. I don't need to take pills, and I don't need to go back to my silly doctor. I need to talk to the boy and find out where your father went. He's not dead. I would've felt it in my soul. You don't have to be someone’s true mate to have a deep connection transcending time and space, you know."
Josh was muttering something, but I didn't have a chance to try to eavesdrop because the door flew open, and Lucian came striding in with my father and Pedro. Before any of us had a chance to process the new arrivals, Mistress surprised us all. Grabbing Josh's shoulder, she spun him around, then wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him against her side and pressing the barrel of her gun to his temple. I knew she meant business. It was obvious in her cold, dead eyes.
Holding his hands up to show he was unarmed, Lucian edged toward her. "Ma'am, you don't want to do anything rash. Let's put down the gun and have a conversation."
Shaking her head, she snarled at my mate. "Back off. I was trying to have a conversation when my ungrateful boys interrupted, and now you and whoever those two are. How about everyone leaves and lets me finish my conversation with those omegas over there, huh?"
"I'm afraid I can't, ma'am. My mate is pregnant over there, and it's up to me to keep him safe. We can have a conversation. I'm sure my mate will agree. But first, you need to put down the gun."
The gun slipped as she started yelling, but not enough to get Josh free from danger. "I'm not dropping my gun, and I'm not leaving. I'm done with people like you telling me what to do. Don't patronize me with half-truths and boldfaced lies. People lie to me all the time, and they think I can't scent it, like I have a broken sniffer or something. Second I drop this gun, you're going to forcibly drag me out and probably turn me over to the territory chief. No, I merely want to know where to find my husband, and I will be on my way."