Chapter 9 #2
But there was no time to linger. She flipped on the shower and stepped in before it warmed. The shock of that was enough to chase away any remaining glow. Which meant that all too soon she was thinking about Theo and the ATF and all the horrible scenarios her imagination kept creating.
She showered in record time.
And when she stepped out, Carl was there handing her a towel. “There’s fresh clothes for you on the bed,” he said in a low tone. It was almost enough to distract her from the fact that he was fully naked and hugely erect.
“Uh—” was all she got out before he leaned in and turned the tap to cold. Then he pulled on the shower and stepped right into the icy spray.
Well, if he didn’t shrink up from that, he was one virile man.
Part of her wanted to stay and watch to see how long it would take.
It was one of her longtime fantasies to see a fine man lather up.
But that was just an indication of how far away from center she was.
How could she even imagine doing something like that when Theo might be caught in the middle of an ATF battle?
She hurried out of the bathroom and was dressed a few minutes later in borrowed leggings and an oversize sweatshirt.
A single whiff told her it was Carl’s, and she buried her nose in it while she listened to the steady pound of the shower.
Tonya wasn’t here yet, so she had a moment to linger in wow!
What they’d done—wow. The way he’d done it—wow.
The fact that even now, her skin was still tingling from it—double wow.
Then she pulled on her shoes and left the bedroom, her mind already shoving the experience into a tiny little box labeled “What Becca Did to Blow Off Anxiety.” It had no other meaning, which is why she felt excruciatingly calm as she faced Alan, who was just coming out of the kitchen with a sandwich.
“When was the last time you slept?” she blurted. He looked awful, with sallow skin and baggy eyes. And for such a handsome man, that was saying something.
“About the last time you did,” he said, though it was obviously not true. She’d spent hours knocked unconscious. “Did Carl tell you? They got an ID on the guy that Carl killed.” The words rolled out of him, then he abruptly winced. “I mean the guy who attacked…er…”
“I get it. The bastard with the tranquilizer gun.”
“And a sawed-off shotgun. They found his motorcycle stashed in the trees. Matched the license with the dental records and voilà, ID.”
She nodded. “Who was it?”
Alan shrugged as he stuffed a badly done chicken salad sandwich into his mouth. She could smell the cheap mustard from across the room. “Tonya will be here in ten. She has all the details.”
Meanwhile Carl came out of his room, still towel-drying his hair.
He had on jeans slung low on his hips and an unbuttoned flannel shirt, this one green.
It set off his eyes, which distracted her from the kissable expanse of his muscled chest. “How’s it going out there? What’s the mood?” he asked his brother.
“Tense. Everyone knows about the attack. They’re worried for Theo and anxious about…” He shrugged. “Everything.”
Meanwhile, Alan’s eyes darted back and forth between the two of them while Becca did her best to keep a neutral expression. Nope, she hadn’t just had a couple screaming Os while he was outside holding things together.
Carl tossed the towel into a basket by the door to the basement.
It was overflowing with laundry, and his toss toppled a pile of shirts and socks onto the floor.
Wow, these men needed a housekeeper badly.
She was wondering if she had time to throw in a load—it was the least she could do—when Carl picked his phone off the counter and let out a low whistle.
“Okay, so ten calls from Tonya might be overkill.”
“We thought you’d had a seizure or something.”
“I was resting.” Wow, the way he said that made it sound possible…not. Even she knew Carl resisted anything related to rest.
Alan didn’t look like he believed it either, but he decided not to comment. “Anything from the wolves?”
Carl shook his head. “Nothing. Though Tonya probably has kept Bryn up to date.”
Then there was more conversation about people she didn’t know and how they were reacting to the situation.
Becca listened, trying to keep track of the names while she dialed Theo’s number.
She didn’t know why she kept at it. If he had his phone, he would have responded by now.
So she listened to the sound of his recorded message just to hear his happy voice telling her to leave a message.
Where was he?
Carl’s arm landed heavy and brusque across her shoulders as he pulled her into a hug. It wasn’t a gentle movement or remotely subtle. But the sudden weight of him felt solid, and she leaned into his embrace.
“We’ll find him. He’ll be fine and have a great story to tell his grandchildren.”
She chuckled, the sound more choke than laughter. “He’s not even dating yet. Let’s not leap straight to grandchildren.”
“They’ll be here before you know it.”
Maybe, she thought, the idea both reassuring and depressing.
She’d thought about what would happen when Theo went off to college, met a girl, and settled down.
The idea pleased her to no end, but part of her wondered exactly what she’d be doing while Theo was living his life.
He was the only family she had. Everyone else was gone.
She didn’t want to be a hanger-on in his life, but what else did she have?
A business and the ability to make castle cakes for other people’s children.
Fortunately, Officer Tonya chose that moment to burst through the front door.
She moved efficiently as she held up a hand for silence.
She was on the phone, listening intently, so everyone waited in silent for her.
Which was helpful for Becca, who was busy tucking away all thoughts of her empty future in favor of finding Theo in the here and now.
“Excellent,” the woman said into the phone. “I’ll meet you there.”
She thumbed off her phone, then looked at the three of them. Her eyes narrowed at Carl, who still had his arm draped across Becca’s shoulders, but at her look he dropped his arm, stepped around the coffee table, and confronted the officer.
“What’s going on?” His tone was all alpha, demanding a report.
She took a deep breath and obeyed his command. “Got the warrant. So the kid you killed was from a militant compound about thirty miles northwest of here. Moss family.”
Even from behind and only looking at Carl’s back, Becca could see him flinch at Tonya’s phrasing. But the officer kept talking, apparently oblivious to any reaction.
“ATF has been dying to get inside there, and now we’ve got the excuse.”
Alan piped up from the other side of the couch. “He tried to kill Carl. That’s not an excuse. That’s a felony.”
The officer nodded in an offhand way. “Whatever. We’ve got the warrant and are moving on the compound now.”
Becca stepped around Carl. “What about Theo?”
The woman hesitated for only a moment, then shrugged. “Everyone’s still watching.”
“Those that aren’t about to raid a militant compound,” Becca countered.
“We’ve got a ton of civilian watchers.” Then she squared to pin Becca with a hard stare. “Isn’t it better to know if he’s there or not? If he’s been captured by these wackos, then we’ll get him out.”
“Or get him killed!”
The woman shook her head. “Not going to happen.”
“You don’t know that.” Becca didn’t know why she was being so contrary. What better option did they have?
Officer Bitch pursed her lips. “There are no guarantees, Ms. Weitz. But I can tell you this: we’re trained professionals and we’re going to do everything we can to keep your nephew safe.”
Becca wished she found that reassuring. She didn’t. And from that well of unhappiness, her next words just formed: “I’m coming with you.”
“No.” Then the woman turned to the men. “None of you are. This is not a spectator sport.” Tonya took a deep breath and looked hard at Carl. “I recognize your authority, Maximus, but the government does not. I can’t—”
“I know,” interrupted Carl, and Becca could tell by the tight set to his body that he chaffed at being sidelined. “That’s why we’re going to sit well back from the police and wait close by for news.”
Tonya’s eyes narrowed. “ATF will never allow—”
Carl spoke right over her. “If Theo’s there, he might need to see his aunt. And I’ll be there in case you need an alpha shifter. Doesn’t matter the species, everyone responds to an alpha.”
They did? Apparently so, because Tonya’s expression tightened until she looked like she was sucking on a lemon. But she still argued.
“You’re injured. Doc said you needed to rest for a week.”
That thought alarmed Becca, but there was nothing she could do about it. Even she could see Carl wasn’t going to be denied as he folded his arms across his chest. “Doesn’t matter. You know I have to be there.”
Apparently she did, because she shot him an angry glare.
“Besides,” he added, as he headed for his coat, “you already knew I was coming. That’s why you stopped off here.”
“It was a courtesy stop—”
“Whatever.”
Becca scrambled, too, pulling on her shoes and coat. Meanwhile, Officer She-Bear turned to pin Alan with her disgruntled fury. “You’re not coming.”
He didn’t say a word. He just stood there looking at her, his entire body tall and absolutely still.
“It’s dangerous work,” the woman continued, punctuating it with a glare.
Alan lifted his chin. “I’m not the one you’re angry with, Tonya, so bitch at someone else. I’m not in the mood.” And with that he set down his plate, grabbed his coat and car keys, and was out the door before anyone else.
Which left Officer Tonya standing in the middle of the room fuming silently. Becca almost felt sorry for her, but a moment later the woman recovered and fast marched out the door. She would have slammed it in Becca’s face if Carl hadn’t rushed forward to catch it.
“Don’t worry about her,” he said softly as he gestured to his truck. “Hope that in an hour, this will all be over and you and Theo will be joining me for a hearty dinner of steaks badly cooked by my own hand.”
“You’re a bad cook?”
Carl snorted. “It’s hard to mess up a steak, but I’ve done it several times.”
“Then I’ll cook. You just see that Theo is there at the table.”
“Deal.”
Then they rolled out right behind Alan’s car and Tonya’s squad car, all three of them heading to the Moss family compound of militant crazies.
If she weren’t so frightened for Theo, she probably would have laughed at the absurdity of it all.
She was a baker with no military skills whatsoever.
And yet here she was rolling out in a convoy like she was part of a band of badasses.