by Becca Van
“Okay.” She sighed. “I’m hungry and thought I’d go and find a store to get us something to eat.”
“I’m hungry, too, baby.” Justice dug into his pocket and pulled out the truck keys. “There should be something open in Crosby, but if not you could always drive back to Ambrose to get us all some lunch. In fact, I think that would be better. I can call Tatum and leave an order so it will be ready by the time you arrive. Do you have any preferences?”
“No. I’m so hungry right now, I could eat a side of beef.”
“I know the feeling.” Justice grinned as he rubbed his belly and made the call. He met her gaze when he disconnected. “The special of the day is lasagna, so I ordered that for all of us.
“Sounds good. I’m already salivating. Thanks.” Sierra took the keys Justice handed her.
“Did you bring your cell phone with you, honey?” Rhys asked.
Sierra shook her head. “I didn’t think I’d need it since I’m working with all of you.”
“Take mine,” Justice said and held his phone out toward her. “Weldon is on speed dial one and Rhys is speed dial two. All the other shifters’ contact numbers are in the phone, too.”
“I’ll be fine. There’s no need to worry. I’ll drive straight to the diner and back here again and take the shortest route. I should be back in about forty to forty-five minutes.”
“Maybe I should come with you,” Weldon said.
“Go.” Justice nodded.
“Won’t you need Weldon’s help?” Sierra asked.
“We’ll manage,” Rhys said. “Your safety is more important, honey.”
“I agree.” Justice opened his arms, and she stepped into his embrace and hugged him.
Weldon’s cock twitched when she licked his neck and hummed. “Hmm, you taste good.”
“You’re playing with fire, mate.”
Sierra giggled went up on tiptoes and kissed Justice on the chin. His brother lifted her into his arms and slanted his mouth over hers. As soon as he broke the kiss, he passed her over to Rhys. Rhys kissed her as if he was starving, and if he was feeling anything like Weldon was, he was famished but not just for food. If he hadn’t been leaving his brothers in the lurch, he would have said fuck lunch, driven back home, and spent the rest of the afternoon in bed making love to his mate.
“Do you want me to drive, darlin’?” Weldon asked as he guided Sierra to the truck with a hand on her lower back.
“No, I want to.” She grinned up at him impishly. “Don’t you trust me to get you to the diner safely?”
“I’d trust you with my life, mate,” Weldon said sincerely, and he already had. Even though she didn’t know it, his animal would have eventually gone insane if she’d decided she didn’t want to be their mate.
Weldon opened the driver’s door to the truck and lifted her up onto the seat. After he helped her move the seat forward so she could reach the pedals and the steering wheel, he jogged around to the passenger side and climbed in. When they both had their seatbelts on, Sierra started the car, adjusted the mirrors, and drove down the driveway. There was country music playing softly on the radio, but he was more intent on watching the love of his life. She was so fucking gorgeous, he’d never get sick of looking at her. She’d put her long wavy red hair up into a ponytail, and while she’d been wearing a hat to protect her skin from the sun, it was currently on the back seat.
“What?” she asked when she glanced in his direction.
“Nothing, I just like looking at you.”
She blushed and smiled shyly at him before turning her attention back to the road. “The other women thought it would be a good idea to hire you, Rhys, and Justice to do their yards, as well.”
“I don’t know what we’d do, since they have established gardens,” Weldon said.
“I think Elsa wants to update the yard for her guests to the B&B.”
Weldon shrugged. “We can talk to her and her men when we’ve finished this job. I liked your idea regarding the hot-houses. They could grow fruit and vegetables, as well as herbs.”
“Pixie loved that idea, too, but I don’t think any of them thought about fruit and veg. I’ll have to mention it them.”
“You’re going to have us so busy we’ll have no time to spend with you.”
“I don’t think that’ll be the case, Weldon. Once all the yards are up to par, maintenance won’t take anywhere near as long as establishing things.”
He grunted.
A little while later, Sierra pulled into a free parking space outside the diner. Before she and Weldon could get out of the truck, Tatum walked out with a large brown paper bag in his hand. Weldon lowered his window.
“Thanks, Tatum. Can you put it on our tab?”
“Sure thing,” Tatum replied, then leaned down and met Sierra’s gaze. “How are you, Sierra?”
* * * *
“I’m well, thanks. How are you, your brothers, and Pixie?”
“We’re all happy the music festival is over.” He frowned. “I think we’ve all talked Emmy into not planning any other events for a while. It’ll be nice to have some peace and quiet for a change.”
Sierra nodded and hoped her amusement wasn’t showing. She’d heard all about Tatum’s grumbling about how he hated when Ambrose was packed full of people. In fact, the other women had mentioned that none of the shifter men liked having a lot of people around.
Emmy had explained that she’d originally started bringing more people into town hoping that all the men would find their mates, and since they had, the men were starting to voice their opinions about wanting their quiet country town back. Sierra didn’t have the heart to tell them that having lots of people in town was good for the economy. Especially since she’d also just been informed that all the men were rich because they’d won the lottery.
“I’ll let you get back to it,” Tatum said as he stepped back from the truck, turned, and hurried back to the diner.
Sierra started the ignition, then headed toward Crosby again. Her stomach growled loudly as she inhaled the enticing scent of hot lasagna. She couldn’t wait to get back to Justice and Rhys so they could all eat their lunch together.
Even though she’d only been mated for a couple or so days, Sierra didn’t like being away from any of her men. She wondered if she was becoming as possessive as they were and found she didn’t mind in the least.
A few weeks ago, she had nothing and no one, and now she had three wonderful, handsome shifter men, and they were all hers. She was happy and looking forward to the rest of her life with Weldon, Justice, and Rhys by her side. Now that they had the mating bond connecting them, she couldn’t imagine her life without them in it.
Every day she was feeling more and more of what they did, and even though feeling their emotions through the link could be disconcerting, she wouldn’t change it if she could. She was starting to be able to differentiate who was feeling what, and though she hadn’t asked if they could feel what she did, she didn’t really need to. The scene Rhys had made at the barbecue had proven that they could. At first she’d been a bit embarrassed over his reaction to her uneasiness, but everything had worked out in the end.
Sierra liked that her men were willing to stand up for her, because no one else ever had in the past. She just hoped that she didn’t end up with any of men’s aggressive traits.
Chapter Eighteen
Daniel couldn’t believe his luck. He’d been sitting in his truck just down from the diner eating his hamburger while watching the people of Ambrose go about their business when a truck had pulled up about ten yards down from him. He’d done a double take when he’d seen the cunt in the driver’s seat smiling and looking as if she had every right to be happy.
He’d quickly scarfed down the rest of his burger and waited to see where she was going, but the cunt hadn’t even gotten out of the vehicle. The huge ass, serious-looking man who’d served him when he’d placed his food order had walked outside and handed over a take-out bag. Apparently
, the slut had managed to wrap the men in this town around her little finger, but he didn’t give a shit. All he cared about was getting to her and finding out where his wife and son were hiding.
Daniel threw his trash onto the floor, and when he saw the reversing lights on the truck the bitch was driving, he put his seatbelt on and started his own vehicle. He remained where he was until she was a good distance down the road, and after checking his mirrors, he pulled out of his parking spot and followed.
He made sure to keep to the speed limit as he drove behind the other vehicle, and the farther they got away from the town of Ambrose, he slowly picked up his speed. Excited anticipation roiled in his gut, but he tried to keep it at bay. If he got too eager he might fuck things up and ruin his one and only chance of getting to the bitch. He was also concerned about the big guy he’d seen in the front passenger seat of the other truck.
When he made his move, he was going to need to somehow incapacitate the asshole. The last thing he needed was the bastard intervening and destroying his plans.
Once he had his hands on her, he was going to beat her until she told him what he wanted to know.
With a push of a button, he brought a map up on the navigation system. While making sure to keep his eyes on the road, he zoomed out on the screen trying to figure out where the bitch was headed.
There was only one town close by in the direction they were heading, so he guessed that was where they were going.
Daniel decided he’d have to make his move soon, because if he waited too long and got too close to the town of Crosby, other people might see him creating havoc. Although there had been no law in Ambrose, he couldn’t be sure about the same in the upcoming town.
He pressed down a little harder on the accelerator, slowly breaching the gap between the vehicles. When he saw a turn coming up, he pushed his foot down even more. The corner was the perfect place to make his move. A smile curved his lips as he played the scenario out on his mind. Coming at the vehicle from the passenger side would deal with the big man sitting in the front seat next to the bitch, as well as damage the truck.
He be on that cunt seconds later.
* * * *
Sierra glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the other truck about five hundred yards behind her, and then gazed back at the road. She and Weldon chatted about the plants she’d chosen to put in the garden beds close to the Starr couples house.
Her belly growled as the delicious aroma of lasagna permeated the cab of the truck, but there were only about ten minutes of driving left and then she and her men could eat their lunch.
She slowed down as she got closer to the corner in the road, once more glanced in the rearview mirror, and gasped. The truck behind them must have been speeding, because he was close enough for her to see the outline of the man behind the wheel. She couldn’t quite make out his features since the sun was shining on her and the other vehicle’s windshield, but she knew the driver was a male.
“What’s wrong, darlin’?” Weldon asked as he started to turn around to gaze over his shoulder.
Sierra didn’t even get the chance to answer. One minute, she was driving the truck, the next moment, the other vehicle swerved to the left and plowed the front of his truck into the side of theirs. She screamed, gripped the steering while tightly, and tried to keep control, but it was a lost cause. The vehicle teetered up onto two wheels and seemed to hover there for a bit, and then the truck tipped over. She braced herself as much as she could, pressing her hands against the roof, but she was still thrown from side to side as the truck rolled.
It came to a stop on the roof, and she panted for breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She was shaking and sweating but suspected that was because she was in shock. Sierra turned her head toward Weldon and groaned when pain shot up her neck. Panic ensued when she saw that her mate’s arms were hanging down and his eyes were closed. Tears welled and fell when she saw the gash on Weldon’s forehead and the blood dripping profusely into his hair and onto the inside of the roof.
“Weldon!” she cried as she reached toward him, her intention to apply pressure to the bloody wound. Just as she pressed her palm against his forehead, the driver’s door was wrenched open and a muscular arm reached in to release her seatbelt.
Sierra groaned as she lowered her chin toward her chest to protect her head, which was already pounding as if she had a drum set playing inside her skull. “Help me. Call 9-1-1. My boyfriend is hurt.”
The man outside didn’t respond verbally but grabbed hold of her upper arm hard enough to hurt, then he was dragging her from the wreck and hauling her to her feet.
She blinked, trying to clear her blurry vision as she met hard brown eyes.
The man grasped hold of her other arm and shook her. “Where the fuck is she?” he yelled in her face, his spittle hitting her cheek.
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please, you have to call an ambulance.”
“Like fuck, you don’t know what I’m talking about.” He released one of her arms, reached down toward his belt, and when he raised his hand again, Sierra began to shake harder. He was holding a knife.
Comprehension, fear, and horror warred inside of her.
There was only one person who had it in for her, and she had a horrible feeling she knew exactly who this man was.
She tried to tug her arm out of his hold, but he just gripped her harder. It felt as if instant bruises formed on her skin, and while she tried to stop herself from gasping in pain, she knew he heard her when his lips twitched.
Sierra knew she had to get away or he’d hurt her again or worse. Just as she curled her hand into a fist, he slammed the hand he was holding the knife in against the side of her jaw. She saw stars, her ear started ringing, and the thundering concerto in her head got worse. She pulled back against him harder after regaining her breath and tried to kick him, but she must have somehow given her intentions away, because he turned slightly to the side and her foot glanced off his thigh.
“You’re going to tell me what I want to know in the end, so you may as well save us both some grief,” he shouted at her and shook her so hard she was sure she heard her neck and head rattling.
When she heard Weldon moan, she glanced that way, but that was a mistake.
She never saw the fist coming at her face again, but she sure felt it. This time the pain was so bad she could feel herself swaying on her feet, and though she tried to remain standing and conscious she was fighting a losing battle.
Her knees buckled, and she cried out as she fell toward the ground, but she passed out before she hit.
* * * *
The inside of Weldon’s head was hammering like a jackhammer, and while he tried to figure out and remember what was going on, he forced his eyes open. After blinking a few times to clear the blurriness from his sight, he stared incomprehensively at the roof. When he inhaled through his nose, the scent of blood and spilled food saturated the air. He turned his head, groaning as pain pierced his skull, but he was a shifter and he could already feel the pain lessening as his body healed itself.
He inhaled again, and a low rumbling snarl started in his chest and came out from between his parted lips. Clarity returned like lightning, and he gazed about for his mate, but he couldn’t see her. The driver’s side door of the truck was open, and he hoped like fuck she hadn’t been thrown from the car and killed.
Not caring that he could hurt himself further, he unclipped his seatbelt, using the palm of his hands to brace his body against the truck roof and eased himself from the seat. Instead of trying to open his door, which was caved in and damaged, he crawled out of the truck through the driver’s door.
He stumbled as he got to his feet, and when he was steady, he walked around frantically searching for Sierra. The scent of another male permeated his nostrils, but so did his woman’s terror. She was missing, and from the footprints on the ground and scuff marks, she’d put up a fight.
Weldon was feeling strong
er with each passing second, and as he ripped off his clothes, toed off his boots and socks, and called to his wolf, he contacted his brothers through their private family link.
“Sierra’s missing.”
“What the fuck do you mean, she’s missing?” Justice growled.
“Some motherfucker crashed into the truck. I hit my head on the passenger dashboard and the passenger side window and was knocked out when the truck rolled. She’s not here, but I have the scent of the fucker who took her.”
“Son of a fucking bitch,” Rhys snarled.
“Which way was the bastard heading?” Justice asked.
“He doubled back toward Ambrose,” Weldon said. “I’m tracking them with my wolf.”
“We’re coming,” Rhys said.
Weldon’s wolf ran as fast as he could with his nose in the air as his animal followed the trail. The stench of gas was strong, but man and beast knew they had to hurry before the smell dissipated. His claws clicked on the asphalt, and his muscles bunched and lengthened as he ran faster and harder trying to ignore the aches and pains in his body.
“Everyone, Sierra’s been kidnapped. Be on the lookout for my mate,” Justice said through the pack link.
“What does the motherfucker look like?” Tatum asked. “Weldon?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see the fucker’s face. He’s driving a black Ford F-150. Number plate starts with 9C.”
“You heard them,” Tatum said. “I want everyone on this now. Broden, make sure you bring your medical equipment.”
“Already on it,” Broden said.
Weldon had been running for about ten minutes and was concerned over how faint the gas aroma was. Just as he put on another burst of speed, he caught something out of the corner of his eye, so he skidded to a stop and backtracked.
Fresh tire tracks lead off road, and after sniffing the ruts, he followed them into a field with long grass.