Chapter 1 #2
The question, asked in a soft voice, yanked me out of my spiral. “Yes.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I found a young woman standing at the head of a small group of enforcers. A bright-pink curl hung over one shoulder, having come loose from her bun. She smoothed her hair back, a nervous tremor in her hand, and fixed a smile in place.
That was as far as she got before the guy next to her elbowed her in the ribs.
“Oh.” She flushed a shade pinker than her hair. “I’m Becca.” She stuck out her arm. “Becca Spears.”
Uncertainty crawled along my spine, but I shook hands with her. “Nice to meet you, Becca.”
“We work with Sloane,” the guy, who looked fresh out of high school, explained. “She’s badass.”
Warmth ignited in my chest, and a smile burned on my lips. “She is, isn’t she?”
“We’ve wanted to meet you forever,” Becca rambled, “but we kept our distance until you got to know the magnus better. Then Sloane joined up, and she talks about you so much. I can’t believe she’s your best friend.
An enforcer! Like us. That’s so cool. Not to say that our magnus is snooty, he’s not, but he’s our magnus, you know?
And I thought with you being an alpha’s daughter—and the magnus’s mate—”
A jolt zinged through me at the reminder that, of course, his clan knew he and I were mates.
Not just the betrothal but the whole shebang.
Which, now that I reflected on what I had learned, explained why they had shown him such grace after his breakdown.
They had known Rían’s pain wasn’t superficial, that he believed his mate had been killed and sold for parts.
“Forgive Becca.” Her friend set his hands on her shoulders. “She gets excited.” His expression pinched as he cleared his throat. “I’m Rand Sturges, by the way. I should have led with that.”
“No worries.” I waved away his concern. “We’ve all got a lot on our minds today.”
“Sturges, Spears,” a familiar voice snapped out. “Get back to your posts.” Relief swamped me as Liam strolled toward me, checking me over before nodding to himself. “You’ll have to excuse the newbies.”
“They were very kind to me.”
“You sound surprised by that fact.”
Doubt crept into my mind, polluting it with anxiety. “I’m a Sartori.”
“They’re not going to hold you accountable for his actions.
You were a child when you were taken. You had no choice in the matter.
” He gripped my right shoulder, much as Rand had done for Becca, and told me, “Not everyone is strong enough to look back on their lives and ask themselves the hard questions.”
“Like how big of an idiot do you have to be to stay in an abusive relationship before you’re considered TSTL?”
“The thing about those relationships is, they often start out normal. Even when they get twisted, they’re still your normal.
Especially if you have nothing for comparison.
Why would a kid think their parents, the people who are supposed to love them more than anyone, want to hurt them?
It takes time and often a fresh perspective to understand the actions and motivations you’ve been trained to view as normal aren’t.
Not even close. That’s why Sartori kept you isolated from your peers.
It’s easier to control someone if they have no one else in their corner.
” He patted me once then dropped his arm.
“That doesn’t make you too stupid to live.
It makes you human. Just like everybody else. ”
“Thanks,” I rasped, still figuring out what to do with this new side of Liam that was actually nice to me.
“The Walshes aren’t perfect. Not the clan, and certainly not the family.
But we love each other, support each other, and encourage each other as best we can.
We don’t get that right all the time either, but it’s about the effort, you know?
As long as you’re putting in the work, things will get better. ”
“That sounds like a nice philosophy.”
“Good.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “You’re family, Ana, so you’re stuck with our motto.”
Throat closing as I struggled with a response, I managed to get out, “I can live with that.”
“Why did you follow me?” He raked his hair off his forehead with a practiced swoop. “Do you have some weird obsession with me?”
Yeah. Uh-huh. I was the one with an obsession.
Not the guy who walked clear across town with a weak excuse like checking to see if I had my phone when he knew Rían wouldn’t have let me out of the house today of all days without it, just to put eyes on Sloane.
“Sloane asked me to get a message to Seamus. She’s waiting with Jess at the ballpark. She’s requesting a pickup, if possible. Jess overheated quicker than I anticipated, and she’s having a tough time cooling down.” I hooked a thumb over my shoulder. “I’m heading to GSG to pour her an ice bath.”
“I’ll send Seamus over ASAP. He’s at the gas station, I think, but he’ll be back anytime now.”
The days of passing messages by word of mouth would soon be over. One call or text, and we would cut out the middleman. Aside from Sloane, who openly stalked me via a friend-tracking app, I wondered if Rían or Liam would ask for the same consideration. To be allowed to track my movements.
Given the way things were going, and the fact Carmichael had gone quiet, I might offer whether they asked or not. Asked? Yeah, right. They were too sneaky for...
Damn it.
I bet a bit of sleight of hand was the reason for Liam’s earlier endearment.
Coz my foot.
A quick check proved he had not only added his contact info but himself to the friend tracking app too.
Though he could have asked me first, I wasn’t mad about it.
When I first suggested using my lingering pack bond to track Carmichael down, it had seemed like a good idea, but the reality was much scarier.
If Carmichael got his hands on me again, I wouldn’t have the advantage of him taking me to the pack lands, where I knew my way around.
And I wouldn’t get the same darling-daughter treatment I had in the past. Not that my reception had been warm last time either.
Odds were good with his prize back in his sights, and Rían’s dedication to me as his proof I could shift, he would rather dissect me than risk losing out on his own personal wish factory again.
“Good deal.” I waved and set out for GSG, pausing when Becca fell in step with me. “Hello again.”
“Liam asked me to walk you to GSG and stick around until Sloane arrives.” She ducked her head. “If that’s all right with you.”
“I don’t mind the company.” I rubbed the base of my neck. “It’s smart to have someone with me. I should have thought to ask you or Rand myself, but I’ve gotten spoiled to the idea of Brentwood as a safe zone.”
Though, given the recent car bombing, I was reminded of how often safety was an illusion.
“It’s nice here.” She sucked in lungsful of air.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is like living in one of those Hallmark movies.
Brentwood is adorable.” She beamed up at me.
“I can’t wait to see what you guys do for Christmas.
I bet there are parades and holiday markets and food stalls and—”
Blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth, and a wrenching cough sprayed droplets across my face.
Confusion puckered her brow, her lips parting as if to ask a question, but her eyes rolled to show white.
No, no, no.
“Becca?” I looped my arms around her waist, holding her upright. I scanned her as best I could, but I couldn’t find an injury. “Hold on, okay?”
Pink foam poured down her jaw, her body jerking, and her breath whistled through her teeth.
Afraid I would drop her if she kept thrashing, I eased her down onto her back before thrusting my arms in the air and summoning every bit of fire I could scrape from within me.
We had gone far enough I couldn’t be certain the others would hear cries for help, but they would see this signal.
Even if I had to burn out, I would make sure of it.
“Stay with me.” I scrabbled a safe distance away, since my control was zero. “Help is on the way.”
From where I stood, I couldn’t tell if Becca was still breathing, and that fear caught in my throat.
All I could do was send up this flare to the others and pray I hadn’t lied to her.