Chapter 15
Nathan
My phone buzzed with a text from Krystal. I glanced down at the message, and my heart seized in my chest.
CODE RED. Someone broke into my house. We’re OK but get over here NOW.
I turned to Gavin, showing him the text and trying to keep my voice calm for the sake of the kids. "We need to get the kids somewhere safe. Now."
He nodded, immediately grasping the situation's urgency. He quickly corralled Elle and Bryce while I texted them. Thankfully, Erin and Ashton, my dragon-shifter neighbors, were home. "Come on, we're going to visit Ashton and Erin for a bit," I said, guiding them out the door. My house was positioned on my property so that it seemed to be just another neighborhood house, but my closest neighbor was an inn. It was annoying at times, having inn guests going back and forth, and I’d had to put a fence up on that side of the property to help discourage any wanderers from coming over onto pack land, but the tradeoff was that I really liked Erin. She was a dragon now that she’d found her fated mate in Ashton. I’d known him for years but had been getting to know him better since he’d mated with Erin.
We hurried next door to the Montgomery Inn. I knocked urgently, and Ashton opened the door, his brow furrowed.
"Nathan, Gavin, what's going on? Is everything all right?" he asked as we ushered the kids inside.
"Emergency situation. Can you and Erin watch the kids for a bit? We need to handle something," I explained tersely. I’d told him about as much over text.
"Of course, they'll be safe here with us," Ashton said. "Kids, head on to the kitchen. Erin is just pulling some cookies out of the oven.”
Elle and Bryce exchanged a worried glance, but as they walked away, Elle glared at me. She didn’t like being handed off to babysitters at her age but knew better than to argue with me.
As we walked back toward the door, Ashton said, “You just missed Zaden, actually. He headed out to check on the restaurants while he was up."
"Are all the dragons awake now?" I asked curiously, despite the tense circumstances.
"No, still just me, Drake, who you've met, and Zaden so far," Ashton replied. A small smile spread across his face. "Oh, and Nathan, Erin is pregnant. We just found out."
"Congratulations, man. That's incredible news," I said, clapping him on the shoulder. Gavin echoed the sentiment. If only we could celebrate properly, but Krystal needed us.
"Thanks. Be careful with whatever this is. The kids will be secure here, don't worry," Ashton said. I nodded gratefully, knowing the children couldn't be in safer hands than with the dragon alpha.
Gavin and I sprinted out the door and jumped into his police cruiser. He turned on the lights and headed toward Krystal's house, dreading what we might find. I prayed she was unharmed, that we weren't too late. Hang on, Krystal, I'm coming...
We raced up the front walkway and skidded to an abrupt halt. I blinked in disbelief. Krystal, Rissa, and Tavi were sitting on the porch steps, looking shaken but unharmed. I could see into the house behind them through the front door. It was wrecked, and the smell of animal blood drifted out.
"What are you two doing out here?” I glared at Rissa and Tavi. I didn’t know they were here too. My mate had been in danger, and I hadn’t even realized. “Why didn't you immediately leave?" I demanded, equal parts relieved and agitated to see them.
Gavin stood tensely at my side, hands clenched.
Rissa held up a calming hand. "It's fine. We searched the place. Nobody's here now, but whoever it was is seriously pissed off. They made a huge mess inside."
Red flickered across my vision. "You did what? Without backup?" I snarled.
Gavin stepped forward, voice rising. "Of all the reckless, foolish—"
"We're not helpless," Tavi snapped back, leaping to her feet. "We can take care of ourselves."
"This isn't a game," I shouted over her. "Krystal’s house is tossed, and you decided to just waltz in and—"
"Enough!" Rissa stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a piercing whistle. Everybody froze as she glared at us.
"This macho caveman act isn't helping. What's done is done," she said firmly. "Let's focus on what we need to do next to keep everyone safe. Okay?"
I dragged a hand over my face and exhaled harshly. Rissa was right. Losing my cool would only make things worse. We needed to get Krystal somewhere secure, then hunt down the bastard targeting them.
"You're right," I ground out. "I apologize. Walk us through exactly what you found."
As Krystal described the violently ransacked house, I had to tamp down my fury.
Gavin and I headed inside to survey the damage ourselves. The acrid stench of anger and malice hung heavy in the air, making my hackles rise. Torn clothes littered the floor, and dishes lay shattered in the kitchen. A lamp had been hurled against the wall, leaving drywall crumbled on the carpet.
A thought nagged at me as I picked my way through the chaos. Why target Krystal? She was a single mom focused on raising her son, not the type to make enemies. Unless...
I met Gavin's grim stare across the living room. He pulled a worn photo of the missing woman from his pocket, her smiling face a near mirror image of my niece.
"Krystal, this woman looks exactly like you," he said as we rejoined the others on the porch. "There has to be some connection."
Krystal threw up her hands. "You already asked me about this. I've never seen her before. I don't recognize the name or the family. We even looked her up on social media. There is nothing tying me to this poor woman."
My jaw clenched. As much as I hated pushing Krystal, we were running out of options. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Maybe it's time we talked about Bryce's father," I said quietly.
Krystal went rigid.
She twisted out of my grip, eyes flashing. "Uncle, I love you, but we agreed not to talk about that," she bit out.
I held up a hand. "I know. And I'm sorry. But you won't tell us who he is, and now it's clear you're being targeted. This psycho could be anyone. Even him."
She blanched, but her expression hardened. "You think I haven't considered that?"
Krystal's shoulders slumped. She looked exhausted and frightened. The sight made my chest ache. I'd failed to protect her from this, but I'd be damned if I let it go any further.
She took in a deep, shuddering breath, covering her face with her hands.
She was silent for a long moment, weighing her options.
Finally, she lowered her hands and fixed me with a fierce glare.
"Fine. But if this information gets to my son before he's old enough for me to tell him, I will personally rip all of your throats out. "
I nodded solemnly, and the others followed suit.
Tavi rubbed her back soothingly. "We promise to keep the secret. You have our word."
She closed her eyes briefly, steeling herself. "I was at a concert in Nashville, and this really hot guy hit on me. I was feeling particularly wild and crazy that night, so we had a one-night stand. Yes, we used a condom; that much is clear in my memory. But no, I wasn't on birth control."
Krystal's voice wavered slightly as she continued. "I woke up the next morning, went home, and never saw him again. He told me his name, but I couldn't remember it. I'd been drinking too much. I've been calling him 'Bob' in my head ever since."
I frowned, puzzled. "Why 'Bob'?"
A deep blush crept up Krystal's neck, and she leaned in to whisper, "It stands for 'battery-operated boyfriend.'"
I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut. "I really didn't need to know that. I changed your diapers."
She shrugged, a hint of her usual mischief glinting in her amber eyes. "Hey, you asked."
I shook my head, trying to clear the unwanted image from my mind. My wolf growled, restless and on edge. We had a lead now, but it only raised more questions. Who was this mystery man, and why had he resurfaced after all these years? What did he want with Krystal and her son?
I met Gavin's gaze, seeing the same determined resolve reflected back at me. We would get to the bottom of this, no matter what it took. For Krystal, for Bryce, and for the safety of our pack.
"Listen, I had no way of contacting him," Krystal said quickly, moving on. "And then six weeks later, I found out I was pregnant."
I leaned back against the porch railing and folded my arms. "Well, that's not so bad. A lot of people get pregnant after a one-night stand."
Krystal rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah, but most people get the contact info of the guy they slept with!" She buried her face in her hands, her voice cracking. "What am I going to tell my son when he wants to know who his father is?"
Rissa chimed in. "Well, I would recommend one of those ancestry DNA test kits, but it's not like our kind can do that."
"Exactly!" Krystal threw her hands up in exasperation.
I rubbed my chin, brow furrowed. This unknown male was a real problem. "Well, if he somehow found out you had his son, perhaps it infuriated him. Maybe that's why he's targeting you."
"But why would he attack a woman who just looked like me?" Krystal asked.
Tavi spoke up softly. "What if he thought it was you? It’s been a long time, and maybe he was drunk, too."
Krystal paled, eyes going wide. "God, that's disturbing. And dangerous." She wrapped her arms around herself. “Yeah, he was pretty drunk that night, too.”
Seeing her fear, my protective instincts kicked into gear. I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Okay, that's it. You're coming home with me. Go pack a bag for you and Bryce. Enough for a week."
"I think that bastard cut up most of my clothes," Krystal said miserably.
"We'll get you covered on clothes until you can go shopping," Tavi said as Rissa nodded.
"Can you take a week off work?” I asked. “I don't want to have to station wolves there with you for every shift if possible."
She took a deep breath and nodded. "I have some vacation time saved up. I'll call my boss first thing. I can tell him the truth. He is Kendrick’s dad, after all."
Kenneth was a good man and had been managing Z’s Place for a good decade or longer. "Good." I squeezed her shoulder. "We'll keep you safe. I promise."