The Baby Shift- Utah

by Becca Fanning

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you.” She turned to go on her way.

  Penny nearly jumped out of her skin. Another man stood on the other side of her like he’d appeared out of thin air. He didn’t say anything, only reached for her with black-gloved hands. Penny took a breath to scream, but a ragged cloth was shoved over her face from behind. It stank horribly, the smell filled her nose and mouth instantly. Arms gripped her, dragging her into the dark space between two buildings. She struggled, but the fumes from the cloth were doing something to her, making her head fuzzy and her limbs heavy. The thick cloth muffled her cries.

  Oh god, she thought with panic. I’m going to end up dead in a ditch somewhere. Oh god, this is it…

  But this wasn’t it.

  A furious growl erupted from the shadows of the alley behind her. She saw the men turn toward the sound. Their arms went rigid around her. What were they looking at? Penny twisted to try and see, but it was too dark, and her eyes wouldn’t focus. All she could make out was a huge, cat-like shape emerging from the darkness. She heard a guttural cry that made her deepest instincts scream Run!

  One of the men let her go. “What the hell is—”

  The cat thing bolted forward and pounced on the man before he could finish. The second man screamed and released Penny. She toppled to the dirty concrete, the rag falling from her face.

  Now she could see everything. The first man lying still on the ground a few feet away. The second man running to get out of the alley. The huge, yellow and black spotted jaguar charged after him. The jaguar leaped, tackling him to the ground. It clamped its jaw’s around the man’s shoulder and dragged him kicking and flailing back into the alley. The jaguar dumped him face down into a pile of trash bags and held a massive paw against the back of his head while he struggled. After a while, the man’s movements weakened, then stopped altogether.

  Penny wanted to get up and run. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. But whatever substance had been in that rag was doing its job, and she knew she only had a few moments of consciousness left.

  The jaguar turned to her then. Its fierce golden eyes gleamed in the yellow light from the street.

  Penny gasped and scrambled weakly back until her shoulders hit the brick wall behind her. “No,” she whispered.

  And then the jaguar changed. Its body twisted and morphed, its face elongating into a human one, its limbs changing into the arms and legs of a man. He straightened. Even in human form, he looked savage, hard muscles gleaming with sweat, black hair falling into his face. There were tattoos all over his arms and chest, making him look alien.

  Penny dimly recognized him. Just before blackness overtook her, his name rang in the haze of her mind.

  Decker Allan.

  Penny

  Penny bolted awake. Terror coursed through her, but she didn’t know why. She sat up and looked wildly around. The familiar dingy furniture of her apartment surrounded her. She lay on the couch covered in a blanket.

  Penny frowned, heart thudding. Had her fear been the result of a dream?

  “Hey,” said a male voice behind her.

  Penny yelped and threw herself off the couch, whirling to face whoever had spoken.

  A man stood in the middle of her living room. His face instantly recalled foggy images to her memory. The restaurant. The questions about Lucius.

  Penny backed away. “You…” she said, voice quivering. An empty beer bottle stood on the coffee table. She grabbed it and pointed it at him.

  “It’s okay,” Decker said. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

  She glared. “How did you get in here?”

  “Your keys,” he said.

  Penny stared, confused. “How did you know where I live?”

  Decker shifted uncomfortably. “That’s kind of complicated.”

  More memories poured into her head. The alley. The two men. The jaguar. Penny’s breathing quickened. “Those men… They tried to kidnap me.”

  He nodded. “Yes, they did.”

  “You…saved me.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  She swallowed. “You’re a shifter.”

  Decker gazed steadily at her. “Yes, I am.”

  A moment of silence ticked by. “What do you want?” she demanded.

  His hands were raised in that calming gesture, but his gaze was cool and sharp. “I just want to help you.”

  Penny narrowed her eyes. “You were asking about Lucius. What do you want with him?”

  “I was sent to find him.”

  “By who?”

  Decker looked exasperated. “That’s not really important.”

  “It’s important to me,” Penny said. Her arm was starting to ache from holding the bottle up. “Answer the question.”

  “What’s important right now,” Decker said, ignoring her demand, “is that I find Manning, so you won’t be a target anymore.”

  Penny had no idea how to respond to that. Why would she be a target? Why would Lucius? She glared at Decker. “Why should I trust you?”

  “Because you have to,” he said. His tone was irritatingly certain. “You have no one else.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “There have been no men in your life since Manning. You have no family and no friends who you trust enough to rely on.”

  Penny’s mouth fell open. “I say again,” she said, struggling to stay calm, “how do you know that?”

  Decker glanced around the small, grimy room they stood in. “There is no male scent in this apartment,” he said. His glittering golden eyes roamed over her body, making her face heat. “Or on you. Ergo, you haven’t been in a relationship with a man in a while.” He seemed strangely pleased.

  Penny’s face was completely red. “You’ve been smelling my apartment? And me?”

  He shrugged. “It’s automatic. Try walking into a room and making your eyes not see everything and let me know how that goes for you.” His tone was teasing, playful. It should have annoyed Penny, but oddly enough, it calmed her a bit. If he felt comfortable joking around, maybe this whole weird situation was not as bad as it looked. Or maybe he was just the kind of man who could joke about anything he wanted.

  She lowered the beer bottle slowly. “Okay, so you’re right about the relationship thing. How did you know about my family?”

  But Decker shook his head. “No time for Sherlock and Watson. Though there is one thing I’m curious about…” His eyes searched her face. “You haven’t threatened to call the police yet. Why is that, I wonder?”

  Penny’s throat tightened. He may have saved her life, but no way was she going to explain to him how scared she was that the authorities would walk in here one day and see the squalid living spaces, the piled-up bills, the mountain of student debt. She was terrified that they would see all that and decide that this was no place for a three-year-old girl to live. She was terrified that they would take Caroline away from her. What would she have to live for if her daughter was gone?

  Decker’s cool, teasing expression had changed into one of confusion and concern. It was like he was reading her thoughts. Or maybe the fear was plain on her face. “Penelope,” he began.

  A key rattled in the lock of the front door, making Penny jump. Her eyes flew to the clock on the wall. It was nearly eight. “Oh god,” she breathed. She made for the door, realized she still held the beer bottle, set it quickly down on the coffee table with a loud thunk, and squeezed past Decker toward the front door.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Penny glanced frantically between him and the door. “Um…” The doorknob was turning. She couldn’t very well stuff him between the couch cushions, could she? “Just behave yourself,” she hissed.

  Decker

  * * *

  Decker’s body tensed when the door swung open, but all that appeared was a short, elderly woman and a little girl with curly brown hair.

  “Mom!” the girl cried, running into Penny’s open arms.
/>   Penny gathered her up and kissed the top of her head. “Hey, munchkin,” she said. Decker knew she was exhausted and confused, but none of it showed in the big smile she gave. “How was your day with Mrs. Teresa?”

  Decker watched them, unable to keep the surprise from his face. His mate had a kid, a kid who she clearly loved. In the past, he’d thought little of children, but seeing the deep affection Penelope had for her daughter gave him a strange pleasure he’d never felt before.

  “It was okay,” the girl said, answering her mother’s question. Her bright blue eyes fell on Decker. “Who’s that guy, Mom?”

  Penny glanced at him. He saw the nervous hesitation in her gaze. “That’s one of Mom’s friends, Caroline.”

  Caroline spoke directly to Decker. “What’s your name?”

  Amused, Decker approached and held out his hand to Caroline. “The name’s Decker,” he said.

  Without hesitation, the little girl grabbed his first two fingers in her tiny grip and shook them up and down. “I’m Caroline,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”

  Decker grinned. “Pleasure to meet you, too.”

  Penny looked between them with an odd look on her face, then turned to the elderly woman. “Thanks, Teresa. Was she okay today?”

  Teresa smiled. “She was quite herself. See you tomorrow, Penny.”

  Penny. Until now Decker had only known her as Penelope.

  “Wait,” Penny told Teresa. “Let me go ahead and pay you for this week.” She crossed the room, still holding Caroline, and reached for her purse which Decker had placed on the coffee table when he’d brought her to the apartment.

  “Oh, it’s alright Penny,” Teresa said, waving casually. “I can wait until Friday just like the majority of the workforce.” She smiled kindly.

  Decker glanced at Penny. Her free hand gripped the strap of her purse. Her half-dyed hair spilled loose and tangled around her shoulders, and her eyes looked hollow. She seemed deeply tired. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course.”

  A look passed between the two women, and Decker understood intuitively that Teresa knew Penny didn’t have the money to pay her.

  Penny sighed. “Well, thank you. Same time tomorrow?”

  Teresa nodded, said her goodbyes, and left.

  The apartment was silent for a few moments. Then Caroline said, “Can Decker stay for dinner?”

  Penny looked at her daughter, then at Decker. There was wariness in her gaze. “Sure, sweetie. Can you go get the chicken nuggets out of the freezer please?”

  “Okay.” Penny set her down, and she darted into the small kitchen.

  Penny moved close to Decker as if to speak, but Decker beat her to it. “She’s adorable,” he said, speaking low.

  Penny looked caught off guard. “What?”

  “Your daughter.”

  “Oh…” Penny glanced toward the kitchen, her face softening. “Thanks.” She turned back to him, and the softness was gone. “Earlier you said that if you find Lucius, I won’t be targeted anymore, right?”

  He gazed down at her. Her face was drawn, but her eyes were bright with intelligence and determination. They were blue eyes, just like Caroline’s. “That’s about the size of it, yeah,” he said.

  Pans clattered in the kitchen, making Penny turn her head. Decker caught a whiff of the scents clinging to her hair. Old linens, fried food, fruity shampoo. But underneath it all was the simple scent of her, sweet and earthy.

  Just like that, he was aroused, blood boiling, heart thudding, manhood pulsing. He wanted to throw her onto that couch and take her then and there. He wanted to know what his mate felt like, what she tasted like. He clenched his fists, fighting to control himself. It wasn’t easy. He’d never had a reason to hold back before. If he made his approach to Penny too hastily, she would bolt, and he might never be able to convince her that he was the one meant for her.

  Penny turned back and gave him an odd look. “Are you okay?”

  He swallowed, forcing his features to relax. “Fine. You were asking about Manning.”

  “Right,” Penny said. She rubbed a hand across her forehead. “Look, I’m just going to be upfront.”

  He watched her, waiting.

  “I don’t trust you.”

  Decker nodded, fighting to keep the teasing smile from his face.

  “However,” Penny went on, “you’re the only one who knows what’s going on. And you saved my life,” she added grudgingly.

  “I did, didn’t I?” Decker mused, a hint of a smile slipping through his defenses.

  She glared at him. “As such,” she continued pointedly, “I have decided to let you stay.”

  His eyebrows shot up, and his grin widened. “Little forward, don’t you think?”

  Red flushed into Penny’s cheeks. “Not here at my house, dumbass,” she hissed, glancing toward the kitchen to make sure Caroline wasn’t within earshot. “I meant stay around to solve this problem. After that, you can go back to wherever the hell it is you come from.”

  “You know,” Decker said thoughtfully. “I’ve been called a dumbass plenty of times, but no one has ever made it sound as sexy as you just did.”

  Penny’s mouth hung open for a moment. Her lips were raw in places like she’d been chewing on them. Decker imagined what it would taste like to run his tongue across those lips, wondered if he would be able to taste the saltiness of her blood.

  Then her lips pressed hard together. “Whatever,” she grumbled. “Just…tell me what to do.”

  Her blush still burned bright red, but Decker made himself grow serious. “Tonight, have chicken nuggets with your daughter,” he said. “Are you working tomorrow?”

  “Not until after lunch,” Penny said.

  Decker nodded. “Will Caroline be around in the morning?”

  Penny paused. “I can arrange for Teresa to pick her up sooner than usual.”

  “Good. I’ll be here tomorrow morning. We can figure out what to do then.”

  Penny looked hesitant.

  “Or, I can just stay here and—”

  “Tomorrow morning it is,” Penny cut in, giving him that glare again.

  He half-grinned. “Been a while since a beautiful woman turned me away,” he said.

  Penny rolled her eyes, but her blush flared up again. “Far too long, if you ask me.”

  Caroline appeared with a little pink apron tied around her waist. She grabbed Decker’s hand and pulled him toward the kitchen. “I need help reaching the plate cabinet,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Anything for you, Princess,” Decker said. He dropped Penny a wink as he passed her. “Looks like I’m staying for dinner after all.”

  Penny

  “…and that’s why I need to hear back from you, Lucius. Soon. Please call me back. Please.” Penny took the phone away from her ear and hung up, an ill feeling curling in her stomach. She glanced at Decker, who leaned against the kitchen counter. Ever since he’d walked in the door that morning, Penny had felt odd. There was a pressure in her chest, like a magnet in her rib cage was being drawn to one inside him. She did her best to ignore the feeling. “How was that?” she asked.

  “Superb,” he said. A smile tickled the corner of his mouth.

  Penny huffed unhappily. “I just hope it works. Saying all that crap about needing him back almost made me gag.”

  “Yeah, I know.” There was a note of sympathy in Decker’s voice. He watched her like he could read the thoughts running through her head. The magnet feeling tugged a little harder.

  Penny let herself stare back for a moment, taking in the angular shape of his face and jaw, the sharpness of his eyes. When they were half-lidded, as they were now, it was easy to mistake them for bright brown rather than the deep gold that they really were. Penny wondered if he did that on purpose to conceal the fact that he was a shifter.

  Images of the jaguar from last night rose in her mind. Was that savage predator really the same being as the man before her now? He had the same rippl
ing musculature, the same prowling walk. But still, for man and animal to be one and the same…

  “You never told me who sent you to find Lucius,” she found herself saying.

  Decker straightened. If his jaguar ears were visible, she imagined they’d be perked in her direction.

  “No,” he said. “I didn’t.”

  “Who was it then?” she asked.

  He watched her carefully. “Is it really necessary for you to know?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “If you feel the need to conceal it, then yes, it is necessary.”

  He let out a low chuckle. “Have you ever heard of the Red Ledger?” he asked.

  A newspaper headline came vaguely to mind. “The name sounds familiar. Why? What is it?”

  “The Red Ledger is a bounty hunter,” Decker said. “The mob bosses and crime lords of Chicago go to him when someone steals from them. They pay him handsomely to find the bastards, bring them back, and make them pay for what they stole.” His voice had grown low and husky like he was sharing the deepest part of his soul. “He never loses a target. Never lets a mark get away.”

  Penny stared at him. Her hand gripped the edge of the counter. “Oh god… You’re him, aren’t you?”

  A smile, slow and cold. “I didn’t come up with the name,” Decker said. “Don’t know who did. But it stuck.” He shrugged. “And now I have myself a reputation.”

  “Lucius,” Penny said quietly. “Did he steal from someone?”

  Decker nodded. “Big time.”

  “How much are they paying you to get him back?”

  He told her.

  Penny gaped. “That’s… That’s not legal, is it?”

  His smile became playful. “I can count on you not to call the cops,” he said. “Can’t I?”

  Penny couldn’t decide whether to give him a terrified stare or an annoyed glare. “What makes you think he’ll respond to my reaching out to him, anyway? I haven’t heard a whisper from him since Caroline was born.”

  “It’s a hunch,” he said, shrugging again.