Chapter 14
Ryan stared at the most beautiful, fierce, loyal, and stubborn woman he’d ever known.
He saw it all the time when working with the gangs.
Loyalty trumped common sense. Obligation to brothers-in-arms forced people to make stupid choices, take insane risks, and forgive the most heinous crimes.
And werewolves had that particular psychosis in spades.
They were all about the pack, which was indeed their greatest strength.
But when the leadership went bad, it was their greatest weakness.
Frankie was trying to fix things from inside, and two months ago he would have supported her wholeheartedly. But the problem was too big and too dangerous now. It was time for law enforcement to step in. And that meant him since he was the only shifter on the police force.
But before he could say anything, before he could make the woman see reason, her phone rang, distracting them both.
She leapt on it, thumbing it on and answering with a desperate, “Noelle?” Her gaze connected with his, and she nodded.
“That’s great!” Her voice was happy, but her expression fell, and she tried to speak but kept getting interrupted.
“I understand, but—” Her shoulders sunk.
“They’re fine. Why don’t—” Her gaze cut to the ceiling.
“I know, Noelle. Thank you. You know, we can—” She looked at her phone, then dropped it back onto the bedside table. “She hung up.”
He arched a brow in query and she gave him the bullet points.
“Brady will show us where the serum is held, but not until he gets some sleep. He’s wiped out, plus Noelle and her sister are drunk.” She held up her hands in defeat. “I tried to find a way around, but she was barely coherent. We’ll just have to wait. He’ll come over here when he’s ready.”
“Do we know when that will be?”
She shook her head. “We just have to wait.”
Not his favorite words, but he understood patience. Sometimes it was all he had. So he nodded, but before he could say anything, Harley toddled into the room rubbing his eyes.
“Where’s Mommy?” he asked, his voice high and tight.
Noelle scrambled sideways and quickly dragged on an oversized shirt. Ryan moved equally quickly as he hauled on his sweatpants. Meanwhile, Jaxon joined his brother in the doorway. “Mommy?”
Ryan finished with his pants and scooped up both boys, one in each arm. “Mommy’s not here right now, but I am. What say we—”
The two started crying as if they’d timed it together. Wails in stereo, straight into both ears. Ryan winced as he tried to comfort them, but it didn’t work. It was the middle of the night and the kids wanted their mother.
“Come on, Jaxon,” Noelle tried as she pulled the child out of Ryan’s arm. “Don’t cry. I’m here.”
That left Ryan able to support Harley with both arms as the kid squirmed and worked himself up into a major fit. “Hey, buddy, why the fuss?” he tried as he started heading to the boys’ room. The kid wailed even louder.
Meanwhile, Frankie took the opposite approach.
She sat down on Noelle’s bed and murmured something to Jaxon.
He quieted quickly as he nuzzled into her neck.
Ryan frowned at her, wondering how she’d done that when Harley was screaming like he was being tortured.
Fortunately, she had the answer. In the pause where Harley had to take a breath, she spoke up loud enough for the both to hear.
“Harley, do you want to lie down here with me and your brother? We can rest right in Mommy’s bed until she comes home.”
The kid pulled it together in a split second.
He nodded tearfully and reached out to her.
Well hell. Ryan carried the boy to the bed where Frankie had stretched out with Jaxon snuggling her on her left.
Harley went to her right, curling into her side as if she were his whole world.
Which left Ryan standing there in shock as the boys settled down.
Meanwhile, she flashed him a rueful smile. “Noelle says they do this to her every night. They wake up and won’t be quiet until they can sleep with her like this.”
He nodded, seeing everything he craved spread out before him: a woman and children, all snuggled together on a bed.
As he watched, he saw the stress of their argument melt from Frankie’s body.
She dropped kisses on both boys’ head then extended her legs and exhaled with a sigh.
He tucked them in, gently pulling the blanket over all three bodies.
“Do you need anything?” he whispered.
She shook her head, her eyelids already drooping. Then just as he was about to leave, she called out to him. “It’s a big bed. There’s room if you want to join us.”
“Do you want me to?”
Her eyes opened, and she gave him a tired smile. “It’s up to you, bear. Do you join the puppy pile here? Or sleep alone in the next room? It’s all a matter of choice.”
Prudence told him to keep his distance. Setting aside their earlier argument, he was still a bear, and she was a wolf. No sane person entered a cross-breed relationship without careful thought. And yet, no part of him wanted to go slow. He wanted her and them.
So he climbed into bed. He had to lift Jaxon and resettle the boy. He worried he was upsetting things needlessly, but a moment later, the child flopped over and dropped his head onto Ryan’s arm. It was sweet and allowed him to stretch out his hand to stroke Frankie’s shoulder.
“This okay?” he asked.
“Mmmm,” she answered. Her eyes were closed, Harley had started sucking his thumb, and everything was quiet outside.
He didn’t think he’d fall asleep. And frankly, he worried that if he did, he’d have a nightmare and wake everyone up. But he didn’t want to leave, and so he resolved to stay awake and just bask in the feel of warm, innocent bodies sleeping next to him.
He basked. And soon, he slept.
* * *
Ryan woke with a jolt at the sound of keys turning in the front door lock. He was out of bed and heading to face the intruder before he fully cracked his eyes. Unfortunately, his movement woke the boys who leapt up and started calling out.
“Mommy?”
“Is it Mommy?”
He held out his hands to block them from coming out of the bedroom, but by that point the door pushed open. It was Noelle looking happy, but with dark sunglasses covering her eyes.
“Mommy!” both boys cried in unison. He could see her wince, even behind the dark glasses, but her smile was genuine as she squatted down.
“Shhh, boys,” she said as they rushed into her arms. “Geez, you’d think I’d been gone for a month.”
“Nah. More like a week,” Frankie said as she stepped out from behind Ryan. She was fully dressed, though her hair was an adorable mess. She waved as another man stepped into the doorway behind Noelle. He was large, the muscles in his forearms bulged, and Ryan recognized him immediately.
It was the man who had shot him in the sewers.
“Hey, Brady,” Frankie said.
“Hey,” the man’s rumbling voice answered. And though he seemed casual enough, his gaze was trained on Ryan and his stance was that of a man who was ready for a fight.
“Did you two have any breakfast?” Frankie asked. If she were aware of the tension mounting between the two men, she gave no indication of it.
Neither did Noelle as she groaned, “Not after what I drank last night.”
Frankie chuckled, a warm, happy sound. “I’ll bet.” Then she crossed into the kitchen. “Ryan, be a doll and start making the coffee. I need some caffeine.”
Ryan turned toward her without taking his eyes off Brady. Meanwhile, Frankie kept talking.
“And while he’s doing that, Brady, would you please tell Ryan that you’re sorry you shot him? That you were under orders then, but it isn’t going to happen again.”
Brady shifted uncomfortably where he stood. “Still under orders,” he muttered.
Frankie stepped out from behind the counter.
“Really?” she challenged, as she got straight in Brady’s face. “Since when do you take Raoul’s orders?”
His gaze dropped hard and heavy onto Frankie, and Ryan had to stop himself from moving to protect her.
This was a dominance fight right in front of children.
If Frankie couldn’t win this, then she wasn’t going to win over any of the wolves.
Fortunately, Noelle wasn’t stupid and immediately ushered her kids to their bedroom.
“Time to get dressed,” she said firmly, as she shot Frankie and Brady a worried look.
Meanwhile, Brady was squaring off with Frankie. “It wasn’t Raoul’s order,” he said.
Frankie cocked her head. “You sure about that?”
Brady frowned, and his expression tightened. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I’m sure.” He ducked his head as he looked her in the eye. “You’re asking a lot here,” he said.
“Really?” she challenged again. “I’m asking you to think for yourself.
Hopping up the pack on serum is insane. It isn’t ‘vitamin water’ and you know it.
You also know going to war against the bears is stupid.
Hell, everything about that serum in wrong.
So, you tell me, is it asking a lot for you to stand up for what’s right?
To stop poisoning a city in trouble? To not risk your life on—”
“Okay, okay,” Brady said, holding up his hand. “I already said I’d show you where the shit is.” He glanced uneasily over her shoulder at where Ryan stood ready to fight if Frankie needed him. “Just don’t ask me to be friends with him.”
Not a problem. At least it wasn’t for Ryan, but apparently it was for Frankie who exploded into motion.
While Brady had been looking at Ryan, she slammed a hand hard into the middle of his chest. His breath exploded out of him as he fell backward against the wall.
His eyes widened, and his mouth curved into a snarl.
Ryan took a single step forward. He was ready to rip the guy’s face off for that snarl, but Frankie was there going nose to nose with the bigger man.
“Do you think this is a game?” she snapped. “You shot the man twice, and he hasn’t killed you. And do you know why?”
A rumble started low in Brady’s chest, but Frankie cut it off with a hand to the man’s throat. Ryan couldn’t believe it. What man or wolf would let a smaller female do that to him? But Brady allowed it, though the fire in the man’s eyes said how much he hated it.
“Answer me!” Frankie snapped.
“Why?” said Brady, the word more like a low bark than spoken language.
“Because I told him not to.”
That wasn’t true. He wasn’t killing the man because they needed the guy and because he didn’t kill people unless he had to.
What was true was that he wasn’t arresting Brady.
That’s what he did to men who shot him, and the only reason he was holding off was because Frankie wanted to do this her way.
And for the moment, he was letting her. If she failed, then the guy would show them the serum while in handcuffs.
Meanwhile, Frankie wasn’t done. She had her hand on Brady’s throat while she asked her last question. “Who do you follow?”
His answer was gratifyingly quick. “You,” he said, and again the word came out as a bark.
Frankie eased back on his throat. “Do you know what you have to do now?” she asked.
He ducked his head, and when he lifted it, he turned to Ryan. “I’m sorry I shot you. I was under orders, but I’m not now.” He lifted his chin. “As long as Frankie’s okay with you, then I’m okay.”
Huh. Pack leadership handled with finesse.
Bears didn’t mix it up often, but when they did it was big and bloody.
Frankie had just established dominance over the very big werewolf without so much as sharpening a fingernail.
She used logic and force of personality.
And it worked. Ryan relaxed his shoulders.
“Will you show us where the serum is being kept? And how it gets into the water system?”
Brady nodded. “Soon as you’re ready. It’s best if we go there. It’s hard to find on a map.”
“Anybody defending it?”
He nodded, and his gaze cut to Frankie. “Jer and Paul, but they shouldn’t be there now.”
She blew out a breath. “If they are, I’ll take care of them.”
Like hell she would. The cops would take care of them, but that was a fight for a later moment. Especially as Noelle stuck her head out of the boys’ bedroom. “All good out here?”
Frankie spun on her heel with a grin. “Yup. All good.” She headed back to the kitchen, and with her back to Brady she waggled her eyebrows at Ryan. “It’s all under control.”
He snorted. She was way too happy with how easily Brady had bowed to her wishes. Especially since the guy had come over here with his decision already made. What was she going to do with someone who wasn’t already on her side? Did she really think they’d all submit from just her tone of voice?
He opened his mouth to ask her that very question. Something to temper her cockiness, but she cut him off.
“You going to call your cop buddies in on this or not?” she asked.
“I am. Stupid to go in without backup.”
“That’s what I thought.” She glanced at Brady. “Give Ryan the details. We roll as soon as the coffeemaker finishes.”