by Ramona Gray
“No,” Cooper said.
“Cooper, you can’t go in there on your own. It’s too dangerous. Wait for the police.”
“Like you waited when your mate was in danger?”
He could hear Grayson sighing. “Fuck. Promise me you’ll wait for Wes at the very least. He’s on his way over there.”
“I promised her she’d never have to be afraid again, Grayson.” The words stuck in Cooper’s throat. “I promised her, and now there’s a shifter who might hurt her or kill her and it’s all my fucking fault.”
“It isn’t your fault.”
“It is! If I hadn’t taken Landon as a client, if I hadn’t let Daisy keep tutoring Anna -”
“Daisy is a grown woman and you can’t tell her what to do, Coop,” Grayson said. “This isn’t your fault. Besides, maybe Xander isn’t doing anything but picking up the housekeeper. He could be playing the long con, right? And if so, then Daisy is perfectly safe. We know where Xander lives, the police will arrest him, and this’ll be over.”
“He’s not just picking up the housekeeper,” Cooper said.
“You don’t know that for certain,” Gray said.
“Landon isn’t home tonight. He’s at some fucking charity function which means Daisy and Anna are there alone.”
There was a heavy silence before Grayson said, “Well, fuck.”
“If this asshole hurts my mate, I will tear him apart,” Cooper said. “I love her, Gray. I love her and I can’t live without her.”
“I know. She’ll be all right.”
“I have to go. I need to call Lusa.” He hung up without waiting for a reply and pulled up Lusa’s number from his contacts.
She answered on the second ring. “Hey, Coop, what’s up?”
“I need your help.”
* * *
“Anna, I’m so proud of you. You answered every question correctly.” Daisy set the notebook on the small desk in her bedroom and swiveled in the chair to face Anna.
The teenager was stretched out on her bed and staring at her phone. She sat up, grinning at Daisy. “Yesterday my teacher said she was impressed with my improvement.”
“I’m not surprised. You’re doing great.”
“Great enough to take an ice cream break?” Anna said.
Daisy laughed. “Sure.”
Anna slid off the bed and the two of them headed downstairs to the kitchen. “We’ve got mint chocolate chip, rocky road, pecan praline, and vanilla,” Anna said. “We just stocked up.”
“That’s a lot of ice cream for just you and your dad,” Daisy said with a laugh.
Tabitha looked up from where she was sitting at the island with her phone in her hand. “They both have an ice cream addiction. But it works out well for me because I’m also an ice cream addict.”
Anna grabbed bowls from the cupboard. “How come you’re still here, Tabs?”
“I took my car in for an oil change this morning so my BooBear is picking me up. He’s running a little late.”
“BooBear.” Anna snorted and rolled her eyes.
Tabitha grinned at her. “It’s an adorable nickname and it suits him. He calls me BooBunny.”
“Okay, BooBunny,” Anna said. “You want some ice cream while you wait?”
“Nah,” Tabitha said. “He should be here -” her phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen. “And here he is. Bye, ladies.”
“Bye, Tabs.” Anna grabbed the ice cream scoop. “Don’t forget to set the alarm.”
“You bet.” Tabitha blew her a kiss and walked out of the kitchen.
“What kind do you want?” Anna held the scoop over the containers of ice cream.
“Mint chocolate chip, please.”
“Two scoops or three?”
“Two is good.” She sat down at the island and watched as Anna put two generous scoops into a bowl. She handed it to Daisy, took two scoops of the rocky road for herself and put the ice cream away before sitting down next to her.
“I like your scarf, by the way.” Anna eyed the long and narrow scarf wrapped around Daisy’s throat. “It matches your hair.”
“Thank you,” Daisy said.
“Did you crochet it yourself?” Anna picked up one end and studied it.
“No, my mate did.”
Anna laughed. “Seriously? The tattooed lion dude crochets?”
“How do you know I’m talking about Cooper?” Daisy said.
“Because I have eyes? I was there when he put his arm around you at the office, remember?”
Daisy grinned. “We weren’t actually dating then.”
“Shifters are, like, ridiculously possessive, right?” Anna said with a roll of her eyes. “It’s freaking annoying.”
Cooper’s possessiveness didn’t actually bother Daisy all that much. She supposed it was a combination of being in love with him and her need to feel wanted and loved by someone. She understood Anna’s feelings about it though. Cooper might be possessive, but he wasn’t controlling, unlike Anna’s former boyfriend Xander who had gone beyond possessive to controlling.
“How are things going with Scott?” Daisy said.
Anna shrugged. “Still doing the friend thing. I’m not sure I’m ready to date again or - hey, you’re back.” She stared in surprise at Tabitha.
Tabitha sat down next to her. “Mick needed to use the bathroom.”
“Mick? Don’t you mean BooBear?” Anna said.
Tabitha laughed and grabbed the spoon from Anna’s hand. She ate the ice cream and then licked the spoon in an overexaggerated manner before handing it back to Anna.
“Gross, Tabs.” Anna made a face and slid off the stool. “Did you reset the alarm when you came back in?”
“You know it,” Tabitha said. “We’re safe as bugs in a rug in here.”
Anna tossed the spoon in the sink and grabbed another one. “Hey, what are you doing tomorrow night? Dad has another charity thing and Brittany’s party got cancelled because her mom caught her smoking weed in the back yard last night. You wanna hang out after you’re done work? We can order in sushi and play some Call of Duty.”
“Sure,” Tabitha said. “Mick’s working so my night is free.”
Daisy spooned some more ice cream into her mouth before pulling her phone out of her pocket. She would text Cooper quickly, just to say hello and remind him to pick up milk on his way to pick her up. Before she could call him, there was motion at the kitchen door. She glanced up when the man walked into the kitchen, her stomach dropping. He had shaved his beard into a goatee, but she recognized him easily enough.
The man Tabitha was dating was Xander.
Horror filled her body, and her fingers went numb as her phone fell to the island counter.
Tabitha smiled at Xander as he joined her at the island. She slid her arm around his waist. “Hey, honey. I want you to meet Anna and Daisy. Anna is David’s daughter and Daisy is her tutor. Anna and Daisy, this is Mick. He’s… Daisy, what’s wrong?”
The spoon fell from Daisy’s fingers to join her cell phone. Anna turned at the sound, and Daisy nearly fell off her stool when she shrieked and backed away.
Tabitha flinched and stared at her. “Anna? What’s wrong?”
Daisy jumped off the stool. Her legs were weak and trembling and familiar fear was enveloping her body, stealing her breath and making it impossible to think clearly. She stumbled over to Anna, putting her arm around the girl’s thin shoulders.
Anna’s body was trembling like a live wire and when she wrapped her arms around Daisy’s waist, she could feel the icy coldness of Anna’s hands through her t-shirt.
“Daisy,” Anna whispered.
“What’s wrong?” Tabitha stood, glancing at Xander when he curled his hand around her arm. “What?”
“Tabs,” Anna said in a quiet and terrified voice. “Get away from him. That’s Xander.”
“What?” Tabitha frowned. “Anna, honey, this isn’t Xander. This is Mick, my boyfriend. He’s a lynx shifter, not a cheetah shifter.”
“It’s Xander,” Daisy said. “He lied to you.”
Tabitha stared at Xander. “BooBear? Tell them you’re not Xander.”
He didn’t answer. He was looking at Anna and he purred loudly. “It’s so good to see you again, sweetie.”
Tabitha’s eyes widened. “You fucking asshole!” She tried to yank her arm free, punching him in the chest when he didn’t let go. “Let go of me!”
He growled at her. Both Daisy and Anna cried out when he grabbed the back of Tabitha’s neck and squeezed so hard, she screamed.
“Shut the fuck up, you stupid little whore,” he snarled before shaking her.
Crying, Tabitha tried to wrench free and he growled again before slamming her up against the island. “Stop fucking moving.”
He bared his fangs at Tabitha and raised his hand to show her his claws. “Move again and I will slice your fucking throat open. I swear it. Are you going to be a good girl and hold still?”
Her face red and biting her bottom lip compulsively, Tabitha nodded.
Xander sighed and then smiled at Anna. “Have you missed me, my love?”
Anna’s shaking increased and Daisy could see tears sliding down her cheeks. Her own terror was threatening to swallow her whole and she couldn’t stop staring at Xander’s fingers. His nails were still long with deadly sharp claws and she closed her eyes as a vision of Josh’s slit throat went through her mind. For a minute, she was so scared, she thought she might wet her pants.
You’re braver than you think, my mate.
Cooper’s voice was so vivid, she could almost believe he was standing next to her. He wasn’t, she knew that, but she was still somehow comforted. Her fear eased to the point where she no longer felt frozen and her lungs started working again.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “It’ll be okay, honey,” she said to Anna.
Be brave, my mate.
“You need to leave,” she said to Xander. “Right now.”
He ignored her, staring intently at Anna. “Have you missed me? You’re all I’ve thought about. I love you so much, sweetheart.”
“I don’t love you,” Anna said. “I hate you. I want you to leave.”
“Don’t fucking say that!” Xander shouted.
Tabitha cringed and Anna squeezed Daisy’s waist until it felt like her ribs might crack.
“I love you. I gave up everything for you,” Xander said. “And you just fucking walked away like what we had didn’t matter. Do you know how much you hurt me?”
“I’m sorry,” Anna said. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
Xander smiled at her and the madness in it sent chills down Daisy’s spine. “I know, sweetheart. It was your parents. They put those ideas in your head, told you I wasn’t right for you. But they’re wrong. You know that, right?”
Anna glanced at Daisy before nodding. “Yeah, okay.”
“We are meant to be together. You are my mate.”
“I can’t believe you lied to me,” Tabitha said. “You are such a -”
“Shut the fuck up!” Xander roared before he slammed Tabitha’s head against the island.
“Tabitha!” Anna screamed.
Tabitha’s eyes rolled up in her head and she crumpled to the floor like a broken toy. Anna tried to dart toward her. Daisy held her still, shaking her head. “Don’t go near him, honey.”
“You killed her,” Anna sobbed. “You son of a bitch. You killed her.”
Daisy’s phone buzzed and the familiar chime of Cooper’s ring filled the kitchen. She edged toward the island and Xander shook his head before pointing one claw-tipped finger at her. “Don’t you even fucking think about answering it.”
She froze where she was, eyeing his claws as he smiled at the crying Anna. “Don’t cry, sweetheart.”
“You killed her,” Anna said as Daisy’s phone stopped ringing. “You killed Tabs.”
“She’s fine,” he said dismissively. “She’s only unconscious. C’mon, sweetie, we need to go.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Anna said.
He growled at her. “Don’t you talk back to me. You are going with me and that’s it.”
“I won’t,” Anna said.
Cooper called her cell phone again. Daisy could have cried with relief. Cooper knew something was wrong. He had to. He wouldn’t call her twice in a row like this when she was tutoring. He was probably on his way over right now. She just needed to keep Xander distracted for a little while.
If you’re wrong, you’re dead and Anna is kidnapped by a maniac.
She wasn’t wrong. She couldn’t be wrong.
Xander glared at her ringing phone and rubbed at his temples like his head hurt. He paced back and forth in front of the doorway. “This is supposed to be fucking easy. Why are you making this so hard?”
Daisy eyed the knife block that was sitting on the counter. It was a few feet away but if she was quick –
“Don’t even think about it.” Xander stopped pacing and stared at her. “I am very fucking fast. I will gut you before you even get close to the knives.”
“My mate is a lion,” Daisy said.
“You think I don’t know that? You goddamn reek of him,” Xander said.
“If you kill me, he’ll hunt you down. There won’t be anywhere you can go that he won’t find you,” Daisy said.
“Well, it’s a good job I’m not gonna kill you then, huh?” Xander said. “Anna, it is time to go.”
“I told you I’m not going with you,” Anna said.
“You will or I’ll kill Tabitha,” Xander said.
Anna paled and Daisy squeezed her shoulders. “She needs to pack some stuff.”
“She doesn’t. I’ll buy her new shit,” Xander said.
Daisy shook her head. “You have to let your mate take some personal stuff with her. You can’t expect her to leave everything behind.”
“Daisy, what are you doing?” Anna said.
Daisy stared at Xander. “Fifteen minutes for her to pack up some clothes and personal items isn’t going to make a difference. Her dad won’t be home for hours and my mate isn’t picking me for another hour.”
Xander stared at Anna, and Daisy made her voice soft. “Fifteen minutes, Xander. Don’t you want your mate to be happy?”
“Fine,” Xander said. “She can pack up some shit.”
“Great.” Daisy took Anna’s hand. “We’ll go up to Anna’s room, pack her stuff, and be right back.”
Xander snorted. “Do you think I’m fucking stupid? We all go to Anna’s room together.”
“Daisy?” Anna whispered.
Daisy squeezed her hand. “C’mon, honey. Let’s get your stuff packed so you can leave with your mate.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Cooper’s lion roared in anger when it saw the car in the driveway. Fear combined with relief that Xander was still there clawed its way up the back of Cooper’s throat as he shut off the truck.
Of course, there was the possibility that it wasn’t Xander’s car, but he knew in his gut that it was.
Our mate! Protect our mate!
His lion tried to surge forward and take control. Cooper battled him back with every ounce of his willpower.
Let me free!
“Not yet,” he said as he called Lusa’s cell phone. “You can’t get into the house without me. Just wait.”
“You at Landon’s place?” Lusa’s voice was crisp and all business and Cooper felt a surge of affection for his IT person.
“Yes. Were you able to log in remotely to the office server?”
“Of course I was,” Lusa said. “I don’t run a chickenshit operation on our servers, boss. I’m ready to go when you are. But maybe you should wait for the police?”
“No,” Cooper said. “My mate is in danger, Lusa.”
“I know, but -”
“I’m not waiting,” Cooper said. “Who knows how fucking long it will take them to get here. Disable the security system.”
&nbs
p; Faintly, he could hear Lusa typing and then she said, “Done.”
“Thanks. I gotta go.”
“Coop, wait. The doors will still be locked, and Landon had thick deadbolts put on every door. You won’t be able to break them down.”
“I’ll break in through a window,” Cooper said.
“Landon had security film put over the glass, new window locks, and wireless window alarms that aren’t attached to the main security system put on all the first floor windows.”
“Fuck,” Cooper said.
“It was my goddamn idea,” Lusa said. “Sorry, boss. But Landon’s got French doors off his bedroom balcony, left side of the house. When I was setting up the system, he had no plans to secure those doors with additional locks or alarms. The lock will be easy to pick.”
Cooper opened the glove box and grabbed a small leather pouch. He slid out of the truck, closing the door gently before jogging toward the left side of the house. He opened the gate to the wooden privacy fence and eased into the yard as Lusa said, “If you can climb to the top of the property fence, you could potentially reach the bottom bars of the balcony.”
He stared up at the bottom of the balcony and then the top of the fence before muttering under his breath, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“You can make the leap,” Lusa said. “I know it’s far, but you’re a goddamn lion. You’ve got this. Or you could do the smart thing and wait for the police.”
“Daisy needs me.”
She sighed. “Be careful, Coop.”
He ended the call and stuck the phone and the leather pouch into his pockets before grabbing the top of the six-foot privacy fence and boosting himself up. Balancing one foot on a fence post and the other on the narrow top edge of the fence, he glanced at the quiet and dark neighbour’s house on the other side of the fence before looking at the balcony. He could see easily in the dark and he studied the iron-wrought rails and cement floor. It was at least a twenty-foot leap to the balcony and without a running start, the odds of him making it were –
We can make it, his lion snarled. Our mate needs us!