Whole-Hearted: A Malsum Pass Novel

by Kimberly Forrest

  “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” Her mother pulled up on the outer handle and jiggled it a few times but the door didn’t budge, so she smacked her hand against the roof. “Open this door, Connie, you’re scaring me.”

  Connie was scaring herself. She was actually contemplating putting herself back in the hands of Graydon Brooks. She had to, for Tanya. Pressing the palm of her left hand against the glass, Connie started the SUV with tears in her eyes. “I love you, Mom.”

  Putting the vehicle in gear, she turned her head to look out the back window as she reversed out of the parking spot. She could hear her mother screaming at her to stop. Asking what she was doing, pleading with her daughter not to do this but Connie’s mind was made up as she drove away. For better or worse, this was going to end tonight.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Connie drove in silence. She couldn’t bear to turn on the radio and hear the happy Christmas music that she and her mother had been singing along with earlier. One thing she was glad about is she’d had enough sense still kicking around in her scared brain to buy herself some time. Graydon Brooks hadn’t known that she was already in the area for her therapy appointment. Roughly two hours is what it would have taken had she been leaving from Malsum Pass, depending on traffic. Now she needed to use the time to come up with a plan.

  Her phone started ringing so Connie pulled over into a Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot. It was probably her mother, or if her mother had called her father, it was sure to be him, or possibly even Jacob. Oh, God, Jacob. The thought of never seeing him again, never touching him again – no. She couldn’t think like that. She would see him again.

  Glancing down at the face of her phone as the call went to voicemail, she saw the number was the therapist’s office – her mother, most likely, using their phone. She took a deep breath, and then another to try to regain her composure. She dialed Jacob’s cell. Since he was in Malsum Pass, he wouldn’t have service, but she wasn’t actually calling to talk to him. She just wanted to hear his voice in hopes that it would give her the strength and courage she needed.

  “You’ve reached Jacob Pierce of Pierce Construction, leave a message and I’ll call you back.”

  She closed her eyes. “Hi, Jacob. It’s me. I, ah,” she let out a little shudder as an uncontrollable shiver passed through her body. “I love you.” She sniffed, hating that tears were blinding her. “I’m so happy you never gave up on me, Jacob.”

  Connie hit the end button before a loud sob broke free. She needed to get control. She needed to think. She needed to come up with a plan, strategize, find a weapon; anything to give her the upper hand. Closing her eyes, she prayed. She prayed for strength, she prayed for courage, and maybe, a little divine intervention. When she opened her eyes she looked in the rearview mirror and saw a white vehicle with a light bar on its roof and Police in large block letters down the side, City of Burlington written underneath.

  Could the answer really be that simple? Shifters avoided police entanglement as a rule. Too many questions. Too many lies. It was one of the reasons the fur traders had been able to flourish. Shifters never involved human police, even to help locate their missing young. So would Graydon Brooks assume she wouldn’t go to them? Surely if she talked to this police officer and explained the situation he’d be able to get Tanya out of there safely. After all, Graydon Brooks wasn’t crazy enough to hurt Tanya with police as witness, right? That would be suicide. As long as the police didn’t go in with sirens blaring, this just might work. Taking a deep breath, Connie smoothed a hand over her hair, more out of habit than vanity and followed the cop inside the store.

  The smell of freshly brewed coffee and assorted sweets met Connie’s nose as soon as she stepped through the door and she inhaled the pleasant aroma. Buying a coffee was tempting, but with her nerves already frazzled, the caffeine probably wasn’t a good idea.

  The line at the counter was long, the police officer in full uniform directly in front of her. He was a tall African-American male, probably in his late thirties, with a gold wedding band on his left hand. She wasn’t sure why his marital status soothed her, she had no idea of the man’s character, but she wanted to believe that someone who loved his wife would be eager to help a female in trouble. Connie gathered her courage, inhaled deeply to try to calm the shaking of her limbs, and stepped up beside the man.

  She cleared her throat, both to get his attention and to ensure her voice didn’t crack when she spoke. When he looked down at her, curiosity lit his dark eyes rather than irritation, and Connie felt that much more certain she was making the right decision. Before she changed her mind she blurted, “Please, I need your help.”

  Jacob was just finishing up an impromptu shopping spree when he checked his cell and saw that he had missed a call from Connie. Smiling, he tucked the small bag with her Christmas gift inside under his arm and brought the phone up to his ear. He listened, his smile slipping by degrees. Growling, he listened again and then a third time. He could hear the tears, hear the fear laced through the sweet words, and his gut twisted with worry. No mistake, that message was a goodbye. Whatever had happened, Connie thought she may not come back and it was killing him. He tried calling, but it went to voicemail.

  He needed to think. She had been heading to an appointment with her mother, but Margaret Tully didn’t have a cell phone he could call. Had they been taken by the fur traders? Had the bastards laid in wait for Connie to leave the safety of the town? Too many questions with no answers forthcoming. Desperate for even a small shred of information, Jacob dialed the bed and breakfast. When David Tully answered, the male sounded frantic. Connie and her mother had arrived at the appointment, only for Connie to abandon her mother at the parking garage. Margaret Tully was out of her mind with worry. Connie had seemed upset about a phone call she had received, but Margaret couldn’t tell her husband anything more. David was about to drive up to Burlington to retrieve his wife and attempt to find his daughter. Jacob would join him. He had to do something or he would go mad.

  Jacob drove like a wild man back to Malsum Pass to find David Tully heading to his vehicle with a rifle cradled in his arms, and a hand gun tucked into the front of the male’s belt. Jacob didn’t waste time on conversation, just jumped into the vehicle. While David drove, he kept checking his cell, waiting for service. As soon as they passed that invisible line, he started calling, and then texting, growing more and more agitated at the lack of response on the other end. Was Connie even alive?

  Jacob felt the burn of tears behind his eyes and grit his teeth. His female was strong, smart, and fierce – he would not give up hope. She was alive and he would find her. Closing his eyes, he sent up a little prayer. Please let her be safe, please.

  They were halfway to Burlington when the text finally came through, and the clamp that had been squeezing Jacob’s chest eased somewhat.

  Connie: Safe. With PD. Explain l8r. <3 xo

  With a shout of joy, he let David know. They still didn’t know what was going on, but just the knowledge that the female they both loved with all their heart was safe was enough for now.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Connie chewed absently at her thumbnail, while her heel bounced rhythmically off the floor. The officer had given her a ride to the station where he had taken her statement. Connie had told him as much as she could about her previous stay with Graydon Brooks in New York. Her hands were tied as far as telling these humans about the fur traders, but she could certainly use the story that had made national headlines not all that many years ago: suspected human trafficking ring.

  The police had had her call Graydon Brooks’ number and pretend that she had forgotten the address he’d given her. They’d wanted to record the male and have proof that Tanya was being held against her will. They’d gotten what they had needed in spades.

  The call had been answered on the second ring. “Missing the sound of my voice, little wolf? How sweet, but your lovely friend is running out of time.”

/>   Connie had cringed at the moniker, hoping the police wouldn’t focus on that little tidbit and ask questions, but steeled herself to finish this. Playing up her role as the stereotypical dumb blonde, Connie sniffled and sobbed out, “I forgot the address. Is Tanya all right? Please let me talk to her.”

  Graydon let out an exasperated huff. “It shouldn’t surprise me that your brain ended up getting the short end of the stick. Lucky for you, you’re beautiful.” A shuffling sound like Graydon was moving the phone around and then Tanya’s frantic voice came through, “Connie, stay away. He’s a monster –“

  There were a few garbled sounds like Tanya had been gagged and Connie closed her eyes and prayed once again for strength. “If you’ve hurt her,” she choked out, but Graydon Brooks just laughed. “You’ll do what? Please, tell me what you’ll do. Hit me over the head again?” A low growl came through the line. “I still owe you for that.” Then the address for the meet was recited in slow, precise tones like he was talking to a child. “You have,” there was a pause like he was checking his watch, “twenty minutes. Don’t be late.”

  The call was disconnected and Connie looked at the officer sitting across from her. His face was grim but he had nodded and stood. “We’ll get him, Miss Tully, don’t you worry. We’ll get your friend out of there and that son of a bitch will be behind bars before nightfall.”

  Connie nodded, stood, squared her shoulders, shook out her hands and feet, and took a few deep breaths to psych herself up. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

  The officer had stared at her for a few moments, a little smile just slightly lifting the corner of his mouth. “By ‘we’, I meant the police, Miss Tully. You’ll be staying here.”

  Connie frowned. “But, don’t you need me to lure him out?”

  The officer chuckled and shook his head. “I appreciate your enthusiasm and willingness to help, but despite what you may have seen on T.V., we don’t actually use civilians as bait.”

  Oh, well, that made sense. “But, what if Tanya needs me?”

  “We’ll have medical personnel standing by. As soon as she’s safe, we’ll let you know. Until then, you’ll stay here.” He stated firmly. “Rescuing one woman is enough, don’t make us worry about you as well.”

  She couldn’t fault the man’s logic, but now she was going mad with the wait. Sitting in a hard plastic chair, waiting for news, imagining a gun fight breaking out in downtown Burlington, Tanya caught in the crossfire, that nice officer being shot and someone having to tell his wife… Connie dropped her head into her hands and groaned.

  “Miss Tully?”

  Connie lifted her head and looked toward the door where another uniformed officer, this one a woman, poked her head into the small office where Connie had been told to wait. “Your family is here.”

  As soon as she had finished with her interview, she had checked her phone. Seeing all the missed calls from Jacob, knowing he must be worried, she had quickly shot off a text. His response had been that they were on their way, and she couldn’t have been more grateful. She needed her family close right now. What strength she had was just about gone. Connie stood on wobbly knees as Jacob and her parents were ushered through the door into the tiny, cramped space. Maybe it was because, for a while there, never seeing them again had been a real possibility, or maybe her nerves had been stretched too tight for way too long; whatever the reason, the sight of them had her collapsing against them with a sob. All three gathered her into their arms and Connie burst into tears.

  It seemed like days had passed, but in actuality, it was just over an hour later when the call came through that Tanya had been rescued and had been transported by ambulance to the hospital while Graydon Brooks was being taken into custody. The male’s arrogance had been his undoing; so sure that Connie would do exactly as she had been told and simply hand herself over. He hadn’t been prepared for her to involve the police.

  Connie had gone from waiting at the police station to waiting at the hospital while the doctors examined Tanya. Tanya’s parents arrived shortly after Connie and her family. First Tanya’s mother and then her father pulled Connie into a tight hug as they all cried in a mixture of both worry and relief.

  When the doctor came into the waiting room, he addressed the group. “She is stable, at the moment. The trauma,” the doctor cleared his throat and then continued. “She suffered multiple contusions and lacerations. From what we can tell from the marks on her body, her assailant must have had a dog. She has been bitten and scratched in several places. The wounds have been cleaned…”

  Connie closed her eyes and silently screamed. Prison was too good for that son of a bitch. He deserved nothing less than shifter justice for what he had done to Tanya. He deserved to have the entire pack tear him apart.

  Feeling Jacob’s arm tighten around her shoulders, Connie opened her eyes. Normally, she would have smiled at him to let him know she was okay, but she couldn’t muster the strength. He kissed the top of her head and she gratefully rested it against his broad shoulder. “He’ll get his.” She heard Jacob whisper. “He’ll get what’s coming to him eventually. Alek’s team will know where he is now, and they know a lot of people. He’ll never hurt you or anyone you love again.”

  Connie took comfort in both Jacob’s words and the underlying conviction. Connie, Rin, Tanya, and every other female that that male had traumatized, they’d all have justice if the Malsum Pass pack had their way.

  “I love you, Jacob.”

  Jacob gave her another hard squeeze and let out a low growl of appreciation. “I have loved you forever, Constance Tully, and I’ll continue to love you until the day that I die.”

  Epilogue

  Connie awoke on Christmas morning to a picture perfect blanket of fresh snow outside her and Jacob’s bedroom window. With a soft smile, she nuzzled back down into the blankets and pressed herself closer to the warmth of Jacob’s body. With a yawn and a stretch, Jacob came awake as well. Sleepy eyed he murmured “Merry Christmas” and Connie kissed his cheek before returning the sentiment.

  After the Graydon Brooks incident, Connie had stayed close to Tanya for the next several days, both for her own peace of mind as well as to help Tanya settle back into her apartment and answer any questions she might have – and Connie knew she would have plenty. Jacob had stayed with her at a hotel, while her parents had returned to Malsum Pass and the bed and breakfast.

  Tanya had been reticent at first; staring off into space, lost in her own thoughts, but as the days passed, she began to act more and more like the effervescent woman Connie knew and loved. When Tanya began to open up, Connie’s first instinct was to protect the shifter secret, but she knew she had to be straight with Tanya. Her friend hadn’t been asked to be drawn into that hell, and she deserved the truth. She’d taken the information surprisingly well in Connie’s opinion. Of course, seeing a shifter up close and personal, actually experiencing the reality, had to have been an eye-opener and Tanya had insisted that both Connie and Jacob shift for her so that she could see the truth and reassure herself that she was not crazy.

  Connie had worried that Tanya would hate her, hate all shifters because of the abuse she had endured at Brooks’ hand, but Tanya had been willing to believe Connie when she was told that Graydon Brooks was an exception to the rule – that not all shifters were evil like him. As with humans, shifters also had their good and their bad and Connie had hoped that Tanya would not judge them all by his measure.

  Proving exactly what a true friend Tanya was, she never blamed Connie for any of it. She was going to meet with Connie’s therapist and attempt to heal, but she had no desire to cut Connie from her life. She was even willing to keep the reality of shifters a secret. By the time Connie and Jacob left for home, Connie felt her bond with Tanya was stronger than ever.

  It was a shame that the same could not be said for Victoria. Connie continued to hope that they would one day reconnect as friends, but currently Vic was distant whenever they spoke on the phone, q
uick with an excuse why she couldn’t talk longer and she refused to discuss Francoise Rousseau or his business dealings. For Victoria’s sake, Connie hoped she was proven wrong about her friend’s fiancé.

  Graydon Brooks was being held without bail. Currently, he was facing a slew of charges including kidnapping, and assault. He was also now smack dab in the middle of Alek’s, Dev’s, and Sam’s radar. If the bastard even so much as breathed wrong, they’d call in a favor and have him eliminated. For now, they were satisfied that the traitor was behind bars and no longer able to hurt anymore women.

  The laptop Connie had stolen and turned over to Dev had uncovered a wealth of information including addresses of other facilities the fur traders used, a list of shifter assets in their employ, names of investors who were now under surveillance, and a list of shifters who had been previously thought missing or dead whom with any luck, would soon be released and returned to their families. Thanks to her, the empire the fur traders had built, was crumbling around them piece by piece.

  Alek’s team was calling her a hero, her town was calling her a hero. While the attention and praise was lovely – if a bit overwhelming – Connie had no desire to be in the limelight. Her dreams consisted of a little shop she could call her own, and walking hand in hand with Jacob, her head held high. The former was in the works, the latter, finally a reality. She was done feeling bad about her past, it was over and she had finally moved on. For the first time she felt whole; like she was a vital part of the pack instead of the town joke. She was strong and on the road to being stronger still.

  “I can feel you smiling.” Jacob said, kissing the top of her head and Connie realized that her mouth had split up into a content little grin right against the skin of his chest. “I love it. You have the best smile.”