Chapter 78
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Mal
Reunions
I’m terrified as I wait in the SUV with the two guys. As impossible as it is, I still worry my father or one of his guys—or one of my brothers—will ambush us.
Reason keeps reminding me Morning meticulously planned this. Plus, Alizée gave it her seal of approval, so it has to work.
Right?
Still, I can’t help worrying. What if my father tracks her? What if he was home and she couldn’t leave? What if she changed her mind?
What if she ratted us out because of her fear? Being out of contact with Todd is the worst part.
It feels like forever before the other SUV pulls into the shopping center and parks next to us. A moment later, Todd opens the back passenger door and steps out, looking around. I can’t see past him.
The guy in the front passenger seat also gets out, looking around, before moving to the back hatch, while my front passenger dude gets out to help.
Then Todd turns back to the door and…
There is Mom. He helps her out, his head on a swivel as he opens the back door of my SUV.
She blinks when she sees me, stares at me for a long moment before diving across the backseat and tackling me, wrapping her arms around me.
Then I’m crying, she’s crying—it’s a whole snot-fest. But at some point, Todd climbs in behind her, they’ve finished loading her bags in the back, and we’re underway.
She cups my face in her hands, trying to convince herself I’m alive and well. “God, I was so worried about you!” she gasps through her tears. “I was afraid he’d killed you and was lying to me!”
“Nope. I’m sure he wishes he had, but I’m not dead yet.”
She sits back to wipe her face, and that’s when she finally realizes…
Her gaze widens, her jaw dropping. “You—you’re pregnant?”
“Um, yeah. Surprise?”
I’m not sure if this is a horrified or happy scream because she surprisingly gives Iris a run for her money in the vocal department.
I’ve never heard her raise her voice, much less scream.
The driver swerves a little and glances in the rearview mirror.
Then Mom throws her arms around me again, and she’s happy-sobbing.
I’m not used to Mom openly expressing so much emotion, but then again, Dad is an asshole.
Todd sits there wearing a smug smile with his arm casually lying along the back of the seat. He’s put on his seatbelt, and I’m sure he’ll lovingly scold me later for not wearing mine.
“Told you I’d bring her back, baby,” he says through our mate bond, making me smile.
Mom gets this bout of tears out of her system and the front passenger hands her a box of tissues. Now she’s laugh-crying and finally meets my gaze. “Who’s the lucky wolf?” she asks.
I smirk. “Yeeeah, about that.” I point behind her. “Meet Todd Shilling, your soon-to-be son-in-law, as well as my soon-to-be baby daddy. Also, he’s an elk. And we have a mate bond.”
Her jaw literally gapes as she turns and stares at him. “You’re…an elk?”
He nods. “Hope that’s not a problem, ma’am.”
I’m worried this might be a bad thing, but she throws her arms around him in a hug that finally frees me to fasten my seatbelt. “Oh. My. God!” She sits back and seems to really see him now. “You’re so tall!”
“Yes, ma’am.” He glances at me and I drop him a wink because I’m evil like that.
“So that’s why you smell like Mal!”
He smiles. “I’m happy with that.”
“Mom, put your seatbelt on,” I say.
“Oh. Oh, yeah.” She does. “Oh!” She grabs her purse from where it ended up on the floor, and now it’s my turn to cry again as she hands me May-May. “I packed a few of your favorite books, too.”
The world blurs as I clutch May-May to my chest, shocked that out of everything, this, being reunited with my stuffed bunny, is what completely knocks my legs out from under me. Mom holds me as I sob, rocking me, whispering how sorry she is that she couldn’t protect me and that she loves me.
I finally pull myself together—again—and hold my bunny while Todd takes over telling Mom the bare-bones plan. She holds my hand like she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she lets me go.
“So…we’re flying to Maine?” she asks.
“No. We’re driving. Not to Maine. We want people to think you and Mal are heading to Maine. Your phone and someone pretending to be you are flying to Maine, with Mal’s phone. People will think you’re traveling together. We’re changing vehicles in the hangar.”
“You’re not telling me where we’re going, are you?” she asks.
“Sorry, no,” he says. “Just a precaution. Nothing personal.”
“I understand.” She turns to me again, touching my stomach. “I want to say something that I hope doesn’t upset you.”
Ruh-roh. “Just say it, Mom.”
She sadly smiles. “I always suspected you were gay. From when you were a kid, even before I realized you were an omega. You were so different than your brothers and, honestly? I loved you for how different you were. I saw the sweet, pure energy, the kindness, and I was terrified your father would burn it out of you like he did with your brothers. You’re going to be an amazing dad. ”
Okay, I’m crying again. I hug her as best I can with our seatbelts on. “Thanks, Mom.” It feels soooo damned good to have her arms around me.
That’s when it strikes me that, until I was an adult, the only person I can remember hugging me was Mom.
Ever.
“I just hope wherever we’re going that you’ll set me up with a new identity,” she grimly continues. “I never want to see that bastard again. Hell, I don’t even want contact with my other sons. I don’t care if you have to fake my death—I’ll walk away from everything as long as I have Mal.”
“You never have to go back,” Todd assures her. “We have the resources and manpower to protect you both.”
Fortunately, Todd’s not going into the fact that she likely won’t have a husband or other sons by the operation’s conclusion.
That can wait until later.
“He’ll be so upset.” She sighs, tipping her head onto my shoulder.
“But I despise my husband. Sad to say, I despise my other sons, too. Because they’re trying to emulate him in every disgusting, despicable way.
I hope it doesn’t make me a horrible mother to say I’m ashamed I gave birth to any of them.
Except Mal.” She kisses my cheek. “He’s the best thing in my life and the best thing I ever did. ”
My face heats. I’m not used to gushing praise from her. “Thanks, Mom.”
Morning meets us at the hangar and takes custody of Mom’s phone and other electronics, along with the passcodes and passwords to her socials and email.
He hands them off to a woman who hurries away to kick off the next stage on their end, while we’re transferred into a van with signs on the sides identifying it as belonging to an airplane maintenance company.
We change vehicles three times in the next hour before we finally end up in the one ferrying us home. It’s an hour before dusk, but this windowless cargo van, outfitted with comfortable seats, doesn’t allow us to see outside. There’s even a small functional toilet nook tucked in the back.
Todd sits on the seat opposite me and Mom, and wears a satisfied smile as Mom leans against me as I hold May-May.
We’re an hour into the final leg of our journey when she finally notices our rings. “You got married?”
“Not yet,” I say. “Engaged.”
“Need to take care of someone first,” Todd says, his voice grim.
She sits up. “When do I hear everything?”
“We will tell you once we’re home.” He glances at the time. “About four more hours.”
We talk very little. I think Mom’s afraid to let go of me for fear she’ll wake up from the best dream ever.
It’s not quite midnight yet when we arrive home, where Jax and Shawn await us.
Todd climbs out first and helps Mom, then me. She looks around, amazed, closing her eyes and deeply inhaling.
“Is this home?” she quietly asks.
I take her hand. “It sure is. You’ll love it here, I promise.” Jax and Shawn walk over, and Todd makes the introductions.
She catches me off-guard when, unbidden, she sinks to her knees in front of Jax and tips her head back, fully exposing her throat. “Sir, I pledge myself to the Ocala Pack, and to do anything, whatever it takes, to rid the world of Rudolph Sterling.”
Jax studies her before touching her throat and then extending a hand to help her stand. “Welcome, Freya,” he says. “We need to get through the next stage before we have further discussions about that, but your gesture is appreciated and noted.”
Meanwhile, I dart inside because I have to pee. I broke down and used the little chemical toilet once, but that was only because I was desperate.
Everyone’s made it to the living room when I emerge. “Mom, can I get you anything?”
She shakes her head, awestruck over…everything. She sits on the sofa, next to Todd, and I join them while Jax resumes talking.
I tune out. I’m home, and I don’t need to know any of this. All I know is I’m amazed Mom is here.
And it renews my faith, chases away my doubts.
Alizée, that amazing little fucking witch, was absolutely correct.
Except…I’m almost waiting for a shoe to drop, and I sense Mom is, too.
“When will we know what happens?” she asks Jax.
“The next stage is underway,” he says. “Sterling hasn’t raised any alarms about you yet, but we suspect that might happen in the next few hours. Once we know he’s sent people to Maine, the next part will be set into motion.”
“And then? Will it be safe for me to go home?”
“You shouldn’t be there,” he says. “We can only guarantee your safety here, with Mal and Todd.”
Her next comment breaks my heart. “I don’t think I know what safety is anymore.”
It sucks Jax obviously has experience with people who show up here traumatized. “I’ve known Todd nearly all my life. I promise, you’re safe here, with our pack.”
Before the others leave, all her things are moved into the guest room she’ll use while she’s here.
Hopefully for a long time, even if it will cut down on our nakey time.
Still, totally worth it. It’s 1:00 am when it’s finally just the three of us.
Todd has us sit at the table while he makes us dinner.
I only ate breakfast this morning, too fricking nervous to see straight, much less keep more food down.
Mom holds my hand, and I struggle to stay centered in this moment and not feel bitter that these few hours of contact are the most I’ve had with her in the past few years. Like she feared my father would know it if she expressed love for me.
“You’re sure he can’t find us?” she asks.
“He hasn’t found me yet,” I remind her.
She smiles and stares at my baby bump. “I wish I could throw this in his face.” Her smile fades. “How do we explain where we are?”
“Don’t worry about that, Mom,” I assure her. “Morning and Jax and the others will deal with that.”
“All you have to do,” Todd says, “is what we tell you to. Once it’s safe for you both, we’ll plan the next step.”
It’s nearly 2:00 in the morning when Todd and I finally collapse in our bed. Mom already went to bed, and I don’t hear any noises from her room.
I nestle in his arms. “How bad was it?” I ask.
“Went better than expected. I said what you told me almost immediately, and it was like it lit a fire under her.” He kisses my forehead. “I need to work at the barns tomorrow, but I want you to stay here with her.”
“What is the next step?”
“You can’t tell her.”
“I won’t.” He heavily sighs and nuzzles me again. “They’re arranging an ambush to take out Sterling’s goon squad. Then they’ll take out him, and your brothers.”
I shudder. “Promise?” I whisper.
He kisses me. “I promise.”