15. Allie
Allie
S o many eyes on me made me nervous. I’d never been the center of attention for an entire family before, especially not under circumstances like these. My hands trembled in my lap as I tried to meet each gaze without flinching.
Dungar commanded the head of the table like the natural leader he was, his sheriff’s badge catching the morning light.
The other brothers sat with their mates, creating a solid wall of support that was comforting yet made me feel more exposed.
These people barely knew me, and here they were, gathered at dawn because they were worried I was in danger.
The silence stretched until Sel rose and disappeared into the kitchen with Holly. Within moments, he returned carrying a large tray loaded with steaming mugs, the scent of something herbal and soothing filling the air.
“Tea and breakfast,” he announced. He passed mugs around the table. When he placed one in front of me, I lifted it, the pottery toasty warm in my cold fingers.
Holly appeared from the kitchen, carrying an enormous platter that made my stomach growl despite my anxiety.
Delicate fruit tarts with glazed berries, flaky croissants that looked like they’d been painted with butter, cinnamon rolls the size of my fist, and what appeared to be some kind of orc pastry I didn’t recognize but looked incredible.
“Eat,” she said, setting platters in various locations on the tables. “I don’t care how nervous you are. An empty stomach won’t help anyone think clearly.”
She had a no-nonsense way about her that reminded me of the best kind of teacher, someone who cared enough to be bossy. As if to prove her point, she selected one of the pastries and placed it on a napkin in front of me.
“That’s a honey cake,” she said. “Sel’s specialty. You’ll love it.”
The simple kindness in her gesture made me want to cry. Here I was, bringing danger to their peaceful town, and they were feeding me and offering comfort like I was a beloved family member instead of a stranger with a target on her back.
I took a small bite of the honey cake, and the sweet, delicate flavor was the perfect distraction. Around the table, the others were also reaching for pastries, and the atmosphere gradually turned less formal, more like a family breakfast than a plan for possible war.
Dungar waited until everyone had finished eating before speaking. “Allie, I need you to tell us everything you know, especially about these people. Names, descriptions, how they operate, what resources they have.”
I took another sip of tea, using the moment to gather my thoughts. The warm liquid helped steady my voice.
“First, I have to confess something.” My shoulders curled forward until I realized what I was doing and straightened them. “My real name is Allison Wilson. I used a fake name with you, and I apologize. But I did it to protect myself. But I prefer Allie.”
I found acceptance in their faces, which made it easier to keep going.
“Will Carmichael is the leader of the people after me. He runs a business called the Vexalar Syndicate. They’re not street criminals or petty thieves. They’re organized, well-funded, and have contacts everywhere. Government, law enforcement, private security firms.”
Greel leaned forward, his usually stoic expression focused entirely on me. “How many people?”
“I don’t know exactly. Will travels with at least two bodyguards, and he can call in more when needed.
They have access to military weapons, surveillance equipment, probably vehicles that can’t be traced.
” I paused, remembering the black SUVs that had appeared outside my apartment building the week after my father’s funeral. “They’re not amateurs.”
“What do they want from you specifically?” Becken asked from where he leaned against the counter, his arms crossed on his chest and his expression more thoughtful than threatening.
“From what I discovered in the few papers he left behind, my father was forging art for them. They think he has the originals. Stolen artwork that’s worth millions.
” I set down my mug with hands that were steadier than they’d been minutes ago.
“When Dad died, Will decided I must know where they’re hidden. ”
“And do you?” Aunt Inla asked, her weathered face kind but serious.
“No. I went through everything in his apartment after the funeral. If there were stolen paintings or sculptures hidden somewhere, I would’ve found them or evidence they existed.
” The old pain of my father’s rejection mixed with my current fear.
“My dad and I weren’t close during the years before his death.
He pushed me away, stopped taking my calls, acted like I was a burden. Now I understand why.”
Hail’s fingers found mine under the table and squeezed them.
“They won’t stop,” I said, my voice stronger now. “I believe they killed my father’s partner when he wouldn’t give them information. They hurt people who tried to help me while I was hiding. They’ll tear this town apart looking for me if they have to. They don’t care if anyone else gets hurt.”
Silence fell over the table as everyone processed this information. I watched their faces, expecting to see fear or regret, second thoughts about getting involved. Instead, I found determination, and it shocked me. Not one of them looked like they wanted to back down.
Grannie, who had been quietly stirring her tea, spoke up. “Well, that settles it then. We’ll have to be smarter than they are.” Her matter-of-fact tone made it sound like outsmarting a criminal syndicate was as simple as planning a church bake sale.
“Alright.” Dungar lifted a pen over a pad of paper to take notes.
“First, we’ll need to involve other law enforcement.
While I’m confident we could handle this alone, and our treaty gives us quite a bit of leeway to do so, this is bigger than orc business.
I’ll reach out to my contacts and let you know what they say. ”
“I’m sure they’ll want to be involved,” Tark said.
Dunger nodded. “It may take them a few days to get back to me with any sort of plan, which means we’ll need to handle things here until we have something in place.
Let’s talk precautions.” He tapped his right tusk with the tip of the pen.
“Until we know more about what we’re dealing with, we keep it simple.
Allie doesn’t go anywhere alone—always with Hail or one of the brothers if Hail’s not available.
We keep an eye out around town, check in with each other regularly. ”
“I can swing by the pottery barn each morning,” Greel said. “Make sure things look normal.”
“I’ll make sure someone’s always watching Main Street during business hours,” Ostor said.
“And we all carry our phones,” Tark said. “At the first sign of trouble, we call for assistance.”
Dungar nodded, making notes. “Simple and smart. We’re being careful, not paranoid.”
The casual way they divided the tasks impressed and humbled me. These males were organizing their entire lives around keeping me safe.
But Holly was frowning, her mind clearly working through the logistics.
“Wait a minute. How are we going to guard every building in town? We’re running an active tourist operation here.
People are coming and going constantly. If everyone’s spread out, guarding, there’s no one to give the tourists the experience they come here for. ”
“She’s right.” Jessi’s glance took in all of us. “Regular surveillance could look suspicious. Tourists will notice. They’ll gossip. The bad guys will hear.”
Greel grunted his agreement. “We could close down the town.”
“That’s not a bad idea. We could close until this is finished.” Dungar scratched the back of his neck.
My stomach dropped. I’d been so focused on the protection they were offering that I hadn’t considered how impossible this would be. I wouldn’t allow them to guard me if that meant destroying what they’d built here.
“No.” The word burst out of me. Everyone turned to look my way, and it was all I could do not to cringe under their stares.
“I mean, you can’t close the town because of me.
You’ve worked hard to build this place, and there are people depending on the income.
Tourists who’ve planned vacations, staff who need their jobs… ”
“It’s only a-a business,” Hail said. “We can re-re-rebuild when this is over.”
“But it’s your dream,” I said. “All of your dreams. I can’t be the reason you have to halt everything you’ve worked for. That could cause irreparable damage.”
Aunt Inla reached across the table to pat my hand lying on the table. “Dreams are replaceable. You’re not.”
The kindness in her voice made my throat close off, but I shook my head. “There has to be another way.”
Hail looked around at his brothers. “What about my-my-my ranch house?”
“Continue,” Dungar said, tapping his pen on the paper.
“It’s isolated, away from town. Open ter-ter-terrain all around it. W-w-we can see anyone coming from cliks away. Only one location to-to…defend effectively. We know every bit of that property. If we hid there…”
Hide?
Becken straightened from his position against the counter. “That’s actually not a bad idea. Much more defensible than trying to cover the whole town.”
“And it would let us keep the town open,” Holly said, her face brightening. “No one would suspect a thing.”
“Plus,” Tark said. “They’ll search, but if they don’t find Allie or see her anywhere, they’ll think she left town. When all the while, she’d be in hiding. Especially if we make it look like business as normal in Lonesome Creek.”
Dungar was already taking notes. “We could rotate guard duty out there. One brother on watch at night, while Hail covers the days. The rest of us will maintain regular operations in town.”
“Perfect,” Ruugar said.
I looked around the table, relief rushing through me that they wouldn’t have to close the town. But another worry was already taking its place. “For how long?”
I didn’t like the thought of hiding. It felt too much like running.
“Until they’re gone or we’ve captured them.”
I slumped in my chair. “They won’t believe I’ve left. If they don’t find a new trail that leads them away, they’ll be back, over and over again until they find me.”
“If they come back, we’ll be ready,” Greel said grimly. “By then, Dungar should’ve heard from other law enforcement. We could enact whatever plan they propose, assuming we agree it’ll work.”
“What if they figure out where I am?” I asked. “That’ll put all of you in danger.”
“They won’t,” Hail said. “And even if they do, they’ll-they’ll g-g-get more than they bargained for.”
I was reminded of him strapping on his sword with smooth confidence. These orcs might look like gentle cowboys, but they hid steel underneath their kindness.
“Besides,” Greel said. “Whoever’s on duty won’t be alone. We’ll have backup plans, communication schedules, ways to get reinforcements quickly if needed.”
“And it gives us time to set up the trap.” Dungar’s expression shifted into what I was beginning to recognize as his sheriff mode. “Let’s look at this from a variety of angles. When she disappears, they’ll search, of course. We could use that against them.”
“How?” I asked.
“We can watch them, see how they behave. Then when the rest of the team is here and we have a plan, you can come back to town, pretend you think they’re gone, and we’ll spring the trap. Do you have any images of them?”
“Will’s face is plastered on all the social media pages. He’s slick, but he loves to attend New York shows.” I scrolled into my phone and passed it around, everyone studying the various pictures of Will and the guys who worked with him.
Dungar studied my phone the longest before handing it back.
“Good. Now we know who to look for.” He scanned the group, his gaze finally landing on me.
“You’ll drive from town to a prearranged meeting spot that’s well hidden.
There, we’ll take your car and hide it. While they continue trying to track where you went next, we’ll sneak you back into town. ”
“No way,” Hail growled. “We’re not put-put-putting her in danger.”
“You’re putting yourselves in danger,” I pointed out. “This is ultimately my battle.”
“Ours,” he said.
“Alright, ours . That still gives me some ownership. I don’t want to hide, not for long, that is. For a little bit, while you guys do some analysis to see how they move and buy time until the outside law enforcement is involved, but not longer than that.”
It was time to make a stand.
“If the key is making them think you’re still in town…” Becken frowned, thinking, before his face cleared. “Gracie? You look the most like Allie.”
“Absolutely not,” Tark growled.
“Who else then?” Gracie asked, oddly enough, giving me a wink. “I think you could pass as Hail, Tark, and if you stay by my side at all times, I’ll be safe. Unless you’re suggesting you won’t be able to protect little ole me.”
Now she really was winking my way.
Tark snarled. “I could be Hail. You could be Allie. Except we’re not putting you in danger.”
“If you need bait, it’s going to be me,” I said. “You’re already risking so much for me. They may not believe she’s me and if you try too hard, they’ll suspect you’re setting up a trap.”
“She has a point,” Becken said.
More than a point. “Hail can protect me. You have a place to take my car?”
Dungar nodded.
“If you think they left some men behind, I’ll hide, but once Dungar and the outside law enforcement has a plan, one I’m sure uses me as bait, I assume I’ll be striding around town like I don’t suspect a thing.”
“With full pro-protection,” Hail said.
“And once your trap is ready, we’ll capture Will and his men.” I studied each face, seeing the concern there. “I can do this. I want to do this. It’s my fight, and it’s only fair I be the one leading the charge.”
“ We will lead the charge, mate,” Hail said, his hand squeezing mine.
“Mate?” Beth cried out. “Show us!”
Hail lifted my hand with the mark, and everyone cheered, grins ringing the room.
Then we got back to planning how we’d set the trap once we were sure Will and his guys were in town.
Any plan was better than running. I could see that now. And I was both humbled and grateful to have the support of this family.
My family? I was beginning to believe it was so.
I leaned into Hail’s side as we went through it one last time, each person giving great suggestions.
“I like this,” Dungar said once we’d finished. “It’s simple yet effective.” His gaze met mine. “Soon, you won’t have to worry about them any longer.”