Chapter 17 Dylan #2
I grin, leaning back in my chair. "You might not be, but I'm pretty sure Wyatt is.
And Silas won't be far behind. You'll be left in the dust if you wait too long, man.
My sister doesn't think she deserves anything good.
Doesn't think she's worthy of being loved or wanted or cherished.
Vincent spent two years convincing her she was worthless, and even though she's getting better, those wounds run deep. "
Hunter's expression softens, understanding dawning in his hazel eyes. He sets the phone down on my desk carefully, like it's something that might explode.
"Help her think differently," I continue, my voice rougher now with emotion I'm trying to keep in check.
"Show her she deserves everything. The grand gestures and the quiet moments.
The passion and the tenderness. All of it.
Don't let her convince herself she's just the nanny, just temporary, just convenient.
Make her understand that she's wanted for who she is, not what she can do for you. "
"I think I can do that," Hunter says quietly, and there's a determination in his voice that makes me believe him.
The desk phone rings, cutting through our conversation. I glance at the caller ID and grimace. The main office. Probably Colonel Hayes wanting an update on the training schedules I was supposed to have finished yesterday.
"Gotta go," I say, standing and grabbing my notepad. "Keep the phone if you want. Let Silas and Wyatt see the messages. Just... be smart about it, okay? Don't do anything that's going to land you in jail or get you court-martialed."
Hunter nods, already pocketing the pink phone. "Dylan?"
I pause, looking back at him.
"Thank you. For trusting us with her."
The words hit me harder than I expected. Because that's exactly what this is, isn't it? Trust. I'm trusting these three broken Alphas with the most important person in my world, trusting them not to hurt her, not to let her down, not to be one more person who takes advantage of her soft heart.
"Don't make me regret it," I say, but there's no heat in the words.
Just honesty. "She's been through enough.
If you're going to do this, if you're going to court her and bring her into your pack, then you need to be all in.
No half measures. No backing out when things get complicated or scary. She needs steady. She needs permanent."
"She'll have it," Hunter promises. "From all of us."
I nod, satisfied, and head toward the main office.
But my mind is already spinning, thinking about Vincent's increasingly desperate messages, the way his threats are escalating.
He's getting bolder, more reckless. It's only a matter of time before he does something stupid, something that forces a confrontation.
And when he does, I'll be ready. We all will be.
Maddox catches up with me in the hallway outside Colonel Hayes' office, his longer stride eating up the distance. "You okay?" he asks quietly.
"No," I admit. "But I will be once we nail Vincent's ass to the wall. The messages are getting worse, Maddox. More violent. More specific. He's planning something."
"Then we need to move faster." Maddox's jaw sets in that stubborn way that means he's already planning something. "Get the restraining order updated with the new evidence. Maybe see if we can get someone to track his location, figure out where he is and if he's actually making moves toward town."
"I'll call the lawyer this afternoon," I promise. "And I want to loop in some of our contacts in law enforcement. People who aren't in Vincent's department, who won't tip him off or cover for him."
"Good plan." Maddox pauses outside the office door. "You really think the Kanes are good for her?"
"I think they're exactly what she needs," I say honestly. "And I think she's exactly what they need. They're all broken in their own ways, all trying to figure out how to live again after loss. Maybe they can help each other heal."
Maddox smiles, warm and genuine. "I'm glad. She deserves to be happy. And those kids deserve to have her in their lives. Did you see Isaac's face when she made those chocolate chip pancakes last week? Like she'd performed a miracle."
I laugh despite the heaviness in my chest. "She's good with them. Natural. Vincent tried to convince her she'd be a terrible mother, that she was too broken and selfish to take care of anyone. But look at her now. Those kids love her, and she loves them right back."
"She's going to be amazing," Maddox agrees. "Now go deal with Hayes before he sends out a search party."
I knock on the Colonel's door, mentally preparing myself for whatever lecture is coming about missed deadlines and proper procedure.
But even as I walk into the office and start making excuses about the training schedules, part of my mind is still on that pink phone and the hundreds of hateful messages stored in its memory.
Vincent Reeves is a problem that needs solving. And I'm going to make damn sure he never gets close to my sister again.
Even if I have to destroy him to do it.
The meeting with Colonel Hayes drags on for nearly an hour, covering everything from training rotations to budget allocations to some new initiative from higher up that requires mountains of paperwork.
By the time I escape, my head is pounding and I'm seriously considering retiring early just to avoid this bureaucratic nightmare.
Maddox is waiting at my desk when I get back, his expression serious. "Hunter left about twenty minutes ago. Said he needed to talk to Silas and Wyatt about something important."
I don't need to ask what that something is.
Hunter's going to show them the phone, show them exactly what kind of threat Vincent represents.
Part of me wishes I'd kept it to myself, handled it quietly without involving the Kanes.
But another part, the part that knows I can't protect Amelia from everything alone, is glad they're being brought into the loop.
"How bad is it going to get?" Maddox asks quietly.
"Bad," I admit, sinking into my chair. "Vincent's escalating. The messages are getting more violent, more specific. He's not going to let this go. Eventually, he's going to show up in town looking for her, and when he does..."
"When he does, we'll be ready," Maddox finishes firmly. "All of us. The Kanes included. Amelia's not alone anymore, Dylan. She's got an entire pack of people ready to protect her."
"I know." I rub my hands over my face, exhaustion pulling at me. "I just wish she didn't need protecting. Wish she could just be happy without having to look over her shoulder constantly."
"She will be," Maddox says with the kind of certainty I wish I could feel. "Give it time. Let the Alphas court her properly, let her build a life with them. Vincent will slip up eventually, and when he does, we'll have him. And then Amelia can finally breathe."
I want to believe him. God, I want to believe him so badly.
But I've seen what Vincent is capable of. I've seen the bruises he left on my sister's skin, the terror in her eyes when she showed up at our door in the middle of the night. I know exactly how dangerous he is, how unpredictable.
And I know that before this is over, Vincent Reeves is going to regret every single thing he ever did to my sister.