Chapter Twelve
“Girl, if you keep showing up with bite marks we’re going to have to sign you up for blood transfusions.” Felix laughed at Abby.
Moe grinned at his mate’s embarrassment. She looked adorable with pink cheeks. They were back at the diner since no one could or felt like cooking. He and Abby were picking up dinner for Rhys who had declared himself exhausted and decided to stay in bed to wait for their return.
It was a weekday so the bar would be opening a bit later than usual. As the owner, Moe decided he could open and close whenever he wanted. They were also picking up dinner for Peyton who had started a new zombie game.
Moe looked around. It seemed like they weren’t the only ones who had forgone making dinner. The diner was packed, and more than one mate was sporting bite marks.
“Yeah, well, look who’s talking? Your hickey has definite indentions.” Abby stuck her tongue out at Felix, who laughed.
“Damn right. It’s not good unless they mark their territory.” He winked.
Abby looked around the diner. “Where’s Rebecca?” she asked.
“She’s bringing Aidhan from home. She called me and said she didn’t feel like cooking so we’re meeting here,” Aleks said from their usual table.
“Even though it’s packed in here, it feels empty without her,” Abby remarked.
Moe had to agree. Even Salsiby the jerk was here tonight.
“She’ll be here soon, then you can go over house stuff with her.” Moe stretched.
His mates had given him a thorough workout earlier. Damn if Rhys hadn’t turned him out with his dirty talk. He was mid-stretch when he felt a pain in his back. It was sharp and sudden.
“Ouch! What was that?” Abby asked, turning to look at him accusingly.
“Sorry, I think I pinched a nerve or something.” Moe twisted in his seat, the pain a faint memory.
“When we get back to the bar I’ll rub your back for you.” Abby patted his leg, a look of concern on her face.
“Thank you, AbbyGirl.” Moe kissed her nose, which she scrunched up at him.
Moe watched as Abby got up and walked over to Sebastian and Ashby. He knew she was itching to play with the babies. He could feel it through their bond. Thirty minutes later he looked at his watch.
“Abby, we better get going. Rhys will think we’ve forgotten him.” Moe flagged down Ma and put their order in.
The diner door opened and Rebecca stood there. Her panic filled eyes darted around the diner. She looked from person to person and finally to Aleks.
“Please tell me you have him!” she cried.
Aleks was up and moving in an instant.
“Becca, where is Aidhan?” he asked. His hands shook when they came away from her head bloody.
“I don’t know! I parked in my spot in front of the diner. I opened my door and dropped my keys. When I stood back up someone hit me from behind. Where is he?!” Rebecca wailed.
Connor jumped the counter and he and Duncan took off out the door. Maddox was beside Rebecca with gauze, examining her head.
Abby pushed tables out of her way to get to Rebecca’s side. Maddox had Rebecca follow his finger. Abby could see that Aleks was torn between staying with his injured mate or joining the hunt for his son.
“Find my nephew,” Abby said.
Aleks looked down at Abby and nodded. He kissed the top of Rebecca’s head. “I will find him.” He turned and ran out.
“I’d prefer to take her to the clinic,” Maddox said.
“Not without my baby. I’m staying here.” Rebecca adamantly refused to move. Sighing, Maddox wrapped her head.
Gabriel, Liam and Bran were on their phones ordering wolves, lions and vampires to scour the town.
“He could be anywhere!” Rebecca sobbed. Her knees gave out and Abby and Maddox easily supported her. They helped her to the chair next to Moe who wrapped an arm around Rebecca.
“We’ll find him, Rebecca,” Moe said soothingly.
He was itching to get out there and find the son of a bitch that took Aidhan.
He was not only their next Arkadion, but he had somehow become their beacon of light, a promised future of smiles and laughter.
Looking around he knew that everyone in the diner felt the same, until his eyes landed on Salsiby.
The smaller man’s eyes shifted around the diner nervously.
Rebecca felt him tense and followed his line of sight to the weaselly-looking man.
Without saying a word she stood. Ma and Pa were so busy helping to organize search efforts they didn’t see the look in her eyes.
Now Moe understood what Abby had meant when she had retold the story about the swim team.
Right now Rebecca had ‘baby psycho’ eyes.
Abby, seeing Rebecca’s face, put him between her and Rebecca and anyone who could stop them.
She followed her best friend as she walked to the lawyer.
Rebecca reached into her purse and pulled out her gun.
Without even stopping, she used her fisted gun as brass knuckles and she punched Salsiby as hard as she could.
His howl of pain silenced the diner. Seconds later Rebecca had her gun barrel to his forehead.
“Where is my baby?” she whispered coldly. There was no hysteria now. She was one pissed-off mother doing whatever it took to find her baby.
When Bran moved to intercede Moe placed himself directly in the wolf Alpha’s path and shook his head. Surprisingly Maddox made no effort to intervene. In fact he stood beside Moe blocking Bran and Liam from getting to Rebecca.
“I helped deliver that baby. If that bastard knows anything he better start talking, because even if her shot doesn’t kill him, I’m not treating him.” Maddox’s eyes were teal. Here was the tiger, not the doctor, and the tiger was protecting Rebecca’s cub.
“I don’t know!” Salsiby yelled, grabbing his nose, staring up in fear at the gun. Even though she was human it was as if even Rebecca could smell the lie. She pressed harder. Everyone could see the indention she was creating in his forehead by pressing so hard.
“I will give you until the count of three to tell me where my baby is and then I will kill you,” Rebecca explained.
“You can’t the council…”
“The council can kiss my ass. I want my baby!” Rebecca screamed.
“You might not want to provoke the woman who is holding the gun to your head,” Abby said casually.
Moe could feel it through their bond that no matter what happened, Abby would stay by Rebecca’s side, even if it meant banishment.
“One.”
“I don’t know!”
“Two.”
“Please, I don’t know anything!” he screamed.
Rebecca tilted her head to the side and pulled back the hammer cocking the gun. Behind them the happy tinkling of the diner door’s bells seemed out of place.
“Moe,” was the pain-filled whisper that had everyone turning their eyes from Salsiby to the door.
Moe felt ice flood his veins. Peyton stood leaning against the doorway, blood dripping down the side of his face. He had left the bar. He left the bar!
“Peyton, what happened? Where is Rhys?” Moe moved faster than he could ever remember moving to get to the smaller man’s side.
“Gone. I heard something in the bar area so I paused my game. Someone came up behind me and knocked me out. When I woke up, I went upstairs to find Rhys because I was scared, but he’s not there.” Peyton swayed.
Maddox pushed Moe out of the way and began examining Peyton.
“That abomination has the Arkadion heir. I told you! I told you, didn’t I? He has a taste for blood now after mating. He has drunk straight from the source, he can’t be trusted. He’ll kill us all!” Salsiby yelled dramatically.
Abby decked him without even turning her eyes from Peyton effectively quieting the man.
“Rhys is gone,” Abby whispered, her terror-stricken eyes met Moe’s. He closed the distance between them and pulled her in his arms.
“We’ll find them. We’ll bring them home.” Moe kissed Abby and they both helped Rebecca to a chair. Peyton’s arrival had knocked the fight out of the tiny woman.
“I’m going to help in the search.” He was about to head out the door when Connor, Duncan and Aleks came back in.
“Fresh snow covered the tracks, it’s a wet snow, the scent is gone too,” Connor said quietly.
Rebecca began to wail. Aleks walked over and dropped to his knees in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Bran, Liam. Widen the search. Check the woods,” Pa said, holding Ma close.
“He’s innocent, I know he is,” Abby whispered, as Moe rocked her back and forth.
“Fate. Please. If you’re listening, if my baby is with Rhys, please help Rhys to save him,” Rebecca sobbed.
Moe prayed right along with her.
“That monster has probably already drained him dry,” Salsiby muttered.
This time it was Aleks who punched the small man, and from the sound his fist made, it would be a while before he got back up again.
* * * *
Rhys opened his eyes. Or he thought he did. All he saw was darkness. He blinked slowly and his eyes adjusted to what little light there was. He was in a room. A cold room. He could smell earth. He went to sit up and groaned. His back was killing him. He reached around and felt for a wound.
Whatever it was had healed but he knew it had been bad. He had been stabbed deeply. He could tell since his clothes were sticky and drenched in a lot of his blood. He felt hunger begin to gnaw at him. He had used what precious little blood he had to heal. He needed to feed.
He looked around and slowly was able to make out tall shapes, like bookcases.
There was only one small window high up on one wall.
Moonlight streamed in through the dirty panes.
He took a deep breath, he smelled something familiar.
A second later he heard a tiny cry, his eyes widened.
Lying in the center of the moonlight on the floor was baby Aidhan.
He crawled over to the child. Hands shaking, he made sure the baby wasn’t hurt. He saw no marks, but Aidhan’s little hands were like ice. He went to scoop him up, but hesitated. The hunger made itself known again. Shaking, he backed away.