by L. P. Maxa
“Penelope is gone, you’ll never fucking see her again. Don’t try to find her, you won’t walk away next time.”
They left him there on the dirt. Bleeding and in the worst pain of his life. It wasn’t from his cuts or bruises, it was from his heart. His soul.
His life had just ended.
Chapter Seven
Baze
“But what happened next? Did you ever see her again?” Molly shook her head, tears in her eyes. “This is the most tragic thing I have ever heard.”
“How did that work? The bonding process started. How did you not go crazy from the pain and the mood swings? How did she survive it?” Linc was holding on to Madden’s hand, the earlier sarcastic humor completely wiped from his face.
“That was the last time I ever saw her before today. Her dad took her away.” Baze stood, his heart heavy. “I looked for her, I tried…I don’t know where she went.”
And as for the pain? He’d lain awake every night for months in agony. He pleaded for hours on end, praying to the universe that she wasn’t going through the same thing. He begged whoever was listening to let him take it all. He’d endure pain for the rest of forever if she could be spared.
“When the pain finally stopped, I felt empty.” At that point he was no longer addressing his pack; he was speaking his truth out loud to himself. Finally putting words to his existence. “I felt like without the pain, she was truly gone.” So he’d created his own form of remembrance. He gestured to his own body. “The tattoos.” He’d started to crave the sting of the needle; it reminded him of his girl.
But he couldn’t focus on the past, not right now. He needed to look toward the future; he needed to figure out how to keep his pack safe.
“It’s time for everyone to pack a bag.” Baze looked at Jace, giving him a nod, letting him know that their backup plan needed to be put into motion. “We’re all leaving campus until this is over. It’s too dangerous here, Franklin’s reach is too extensive.”
“What? We’re a third of the staff at St. Leasing. We can’t all pack up and leave town. That’s insane.” Corey got to her feet, excruciatingly slowly, her pregnant belly hindering her movements.
Jace came farther into the room. “We put this failsafe in place last week. The Feds know, they’re going to help. Until this is over, we’re all staying at one house. It’s farther up the mountain, easier to protect.” Jace held his hands wide. “We’re all sitting ducks out here in the open, literally in a row.”
“We will have to go to work in shifts. Half of us will stay home, the other half will come into town.” Baze got to his feet. “I’ll take Pen up there now, get her settled. Tonight, once it’s dark, Jace will bring the rest of you.”
“Hold on a fucking minute here, man.” Dom rose, gently making Corey sit back down. “I need more information than it’s a home in the mountains. You want me to move my pregnant mate to some random house? How is it easier to protect? Whose house is it? How do you know Franklin can’t get to us there?”
Baze had hoped that they’d never have to use Plan B. He’d hoped they’d break Ox quickly and get the Feds the information they needed to put Franklin away. But going after Pen, a girl who few people in his life knew about? Things had gone from dangerous to scary in only a matter of days.
“The house belongs to me.” Jace lifted his chin, knowing all the questions that were about to be hurled his way. “I bought it with my own money after Franklin lost custody of me. It’s money I made with investments separate from anything to do with his crooked dealings. I had the house outfitted like a fortress. I wanted to have somewhere safe, somewhere he could never hurt me again.”
Jace had told Baze about the house once they had started working on Ox together. He wasn’t breaking like they’d hoped and Jace said that it was only a matter of time before Franklin retaliated. They were brainstorming, throwing around ideas about ways to keep the rest of the pack safe, when Jace brought up the mountain home he’d purchased. He’d never told anyone about it before. And at first, he’d seemed ashamed that he’d wanted a safe space, a place he could truly feel at ease.
Baze had done the best he fucking could to make Jace understand that he was strong and smart, not at all weak. The next day Jace had come to him, offering his sanctuary to the whole pack when the time came and they needed it.
“Wait. You bought a fucking house? How come I didn’t know this? How come we don’t have parties up there every fucking weekend?” Jasper sent his twin a what-the-hell glare. “How could you, bro?”
Jace rolled his eyes, his usual response to most of his brother’s antics. Much like Baze’s typical response to Linc. “I had the money, and I needed the safety net. I needed to know that I could disappear if it ever came to that.” He looked around the room. “And now we all can. There is only one way on and off the property. It’s surrounded by mountain range on three sides. Twelve-foot-tall steel panel fencing and enough cameras to make Big Brother jealous. Brooks and Grimes will be monitoring the camera feeds at night, taking—”
Keller scoffed. “Brooks and Grimes? Are you serious? They’ve gotten Riley beat to hell and two informants killed. Why the hell should we trust our safety to those two assholes?”
“Those two assholes are putting their lives on the line for us. They’re letting us torture a man who should have been brought in for booking days ago. They could lose their badges, and they could go to jail.” Jace was taking the brunt of this fight, and Baze felt bad for it. But his mind was centered on Penelope. He could barely think past the fact that she was here, that he could touch her. “Brooks and Grimes want my father to go down as much as the rest of us. And right now, this is the best way we can think of to protect everyone. Now pack your fucking bags, we leave tonight.”
“Is he allowed to talk to us like that?” Jasper raised his hand in the air.
“Yeah. Right now, he’s allowed to talk to you and everyone else in this room like that.” Baze pointed at Madden. “Don’t tell Matias where we are going. You want to catch up with him, do it during your days on campus.” He looked at Molly. “Today is your day off from the studio, don’t go by there.” He bent low and lifted Penelope into his arms. “Do not do anything that goes against your routine. Wait until the sun goes down to pack anything besides clothes. Keep away from windows as much as you can.”
When he and Jace had planned this, they’d hoped they’d never have to put it into motion. But Franklin was digging deep, doing his best to hurt them all where it counted the most. Baze knew that as soon as he left here Jace would send Riley’s mom and stepdad tickets for a surprise vacation. And then his own mother and stepdad would be sent to a completely different end of the world. Trying to get to them would stretch Franklin’s already dwindling resources pretty thin. He’d now lost his two main men.
“I haven’t seen Penelope in ten years, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t searched for her.” He met the eyes of his packmates, needing them to understand how serious things had become. “Franklin dug far enough into my past to find a girl that for all intents and purposes looked like nothing more than a high school fling. He found her when I never could. He threw her on the street to send me a message.” Baze shook his head. “He’s hurt Corey, Riley, and Madden. He’s beaten his own sons beyond recognition. Franklin is more dangerous than any of us thought, and it’s time we start acting like it.”
Chapter Eight
Baze
The drive up the mountain took almost an hour. He kept circling through town and down back roads, making sure that he wasn’t being followed. He even drove to the hospital and sat in the parking lot for a bit. He figured if he was being watched, they’d think he was taking Penelope in and come back to check on him later.
The thing they all had going for them with Jace’s house was that no one knew it existed. Not Franklin, and not any of his crew. Jace bought it under a different name with money that he’d hoarded in cash from a young age. There was no trace back to him; therefore, f
ingers crossed, they would be safe there for the time being.
His dash lit up with an incoming call and he hit accept quickly, not wanting anything to wake Penelope before she was ready. “What’s up?”
“Hey, man, we need to talk about this. You drop all these bombs on us and then straight walk away?” Dom was using his pissed-off coach voice. “Since when is Jace your second in command here? I wasn’t aware our pack actually had a pecking order.”
Dom was the first mated male, and he usually took on the role as leader. Which Baze was happy to give him; it meant less stress and bullshit coming his way. But when it came to everyone’s safety, when it came to this crap with Franklin? Baze was taking point, and his pack was going to have to fall in line. “Look. Jace has been with me day in and day out trying to get Ox to crack. That kid goes to school and then comes to a concrete prison to torture a man he’s known his whole life.”
“We’ve all offered to help you; hell, we’ve basically begged you to let us help.”
Dom had, they all had. “You have a pregnant mate, Keller has Molly, and Linc recently bonded with Madden. You all have so much to lose.”
“And Jace doesn’t? Fuck, Baze, he’s a kid. You said it yourself.”
“I feel guilty every second of every minute Jace is working beside me.” Or without him because the kid was damn near a machine. “But he knows this life, he knows what he’s doing and what it takes. And he’s saving our asses with this house.” Baze took a deep breath, fisting his dark hair in frustration. “I’m not our leader, and neither is Jace for that matter. But in this instance, he and I are running point. We’re in charge of this, and I’m not going to budge.”
“Be in charge, that’s fine. But you’ve got to keep us in the loop. You’ve got to let us know what’s coming so we don’t get fucking blindsided like that again. Okay? I mean fuck, man, you have a mate? Jesus. Why didn’t you say something?”
Because it hurt too much. Because it was easier to pretend that she wasn’t out there somewhere, living her life without him. “She’s…she’s hard to talk about.”
“We’re your family, Baze. We’re your pack.”
Baze heard Dom, loud and clear. And if he wasn’t such a heartless bastard, he would have teared up at the sentiment. Instead he uttered a near silent, “I know.”
Dom sighed, knowing that was the only emotion he was going to get out of him. “Jace is a tough little shit.” He let out a disbelieving laugh. “After you left, Linc gave him lip about us having to get new phones and Jace grabbed his off the table and broke it into four pieces with his bare hands.”
That sounded about right, Jace was tough as nails and smart as hell. He had the brain of a diabolical underworld crime lord and the face of a fallen angel. That kid would get far in life, but Baze was almost positive that it would be done outside the confines of the law.
Baze chuckled. “That kid knows what’s up, Dom, I promise. I trust him, no reservations.”
“Okay, then we will too. All I ask is that you let us in a bit, keep us in the loop.” He paused before adding, “See you soon.”
When Baze finally parked his truck behind their new home and turned off the ignition, he felt utterly exhausted. He looked to the right, watching the sleeping girl in his passenger seat. He reached out, running his fingers down her soft cheek.
He’d always dreamed he’d see her again, but he never actually thought it would come true. He assumed he was destined to walk alone through life, constantly searching out punishment and pain any way he could justify. He knew there would never be another for him, no one would ever compare to his bumblebee, so what was the point in even trying?
Baze carried Pen inside, using one hand to hold her and one hand to go through all the fingerprint scanners Jace had installed. This place was Fort Knox on steriods, and Baze was so glad for it. His pack, and now his mate, would be safer.
He put Penelope in the room he’d claimed for himself when Jace had given him a tour a few days ago. It was on the second floor; they’d decided to leave the first-floor guest room for Dom and Corey since watching her waddle upstairs these days was painful, if not comical.
Baze had been witness to all his best friends meeting their mates and claiming them. He had been there as they became bonded males. And through it all, he’d kept his mouth shut about his past.
It was easy when they were four bachelors living life like they were still in college. But once everyone started to pair off, it got harder. It started to hurt more and more, until eventually it felt like his heart was seconds away from shattering all over again. But still, he stayed quiet. And now, his girl was here. His forever was within reach and his heart finally felt like it was on the mend.
Penelope only had traces of shifter magic and her healing sleep couldn’t last much longer. He pulled up an armchair, bringing himself closer to the bed. He’d wait, he’d watch her sleep. He’d be here when she woke.
He’d be right next to her.
The only place he’d ever wanted to spend eternity.
Chapter Nine
Baze
He’d closed his eyes to rest, but he knew the instant that Penelope was awake. He knew her gaze on him, could sense the change in the room. It was like he could almost feel her eyes raking over his skin. He lifted his lids and met her stare, reveling in the honeycomb color he’d missed so damn much over the last ten years. He took a deep breath, working overtime to fill his lungs with air.
“Where are we, Baze?”
Her voice was like a balm to his soul, even though she sounded groggy. After her father had taken her from him, he’d listened to old voicemails she’d left on his cell over and over until finally his phone had broken and they’d been lost forever. “You’re in a safe house, in the mountains outside of town.”
“What town?”
Did she really have no clue where she’d been dumped? How long had she been held? What had they done to his girl? Fuck. Was she even still his girl?
“Haxton, Colorado. One of my packmates found you on the street outside their house.” He leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands together in front of him. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
“The man who took me, he loaded me into his car and then he hit me over the head with something.” Her eyes started to scan the room, taking in the blank white walls and the window across from the bed. “His name was Franklin.”
Baze clenched his hands tight, trying to hold on to his temper. Losing control right now wouldn’t help anyone. “How long did he have you?”
“Days? Maybe a week? He said it was all your fault, that you and your friends were the reason I was there. The reason he had to hurt me.” She cocked her head to the side, wincing like maybe the movement was painful. “Is it, Baze? Is it your fault?”
“Yes.” And no. “Franklin is a criminal, and we’re trying to put him away.” He cracked his neck and steeled his spine. If she could talk about all of this devoid of emotion, then he could too. “He’s hurt a lot of innocent people, and a few not so innocent. His sons are players of mine, they’re part of my pack. We’re trying our best to keep everyone safe but—”
“But you forgot about me. You forgot I was still out there, connected to you.”
She was like a robot, like a pod person. The Penelope he’d loved was full of fire and flare and passion. She’d have been up on the bed yelling at him until she was red in the face, and then she’d have launched herself at him, kissing away the anger.
“I couldn’t find you, so I assumed no one else could either. It was so long ago, and we were kids. I never thought in a million years he’d go after you.” Baze looked down, trying to gather some composure. “I never forgot about you, Pen, not for a second.”
She put her palms on the mattress, carefully lifting herself into more of a seated position. “Could have fooled me.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty damn serious, Baze Carter. I haven’t heard from or seen you in a
decade and then suddenly I’m ripped away and kicked around in the name of some vendetta against you and your pack? What the actual fuck?” She threw her hands in the air and he almost wanted to smile. There was the girl he remembered. “And it wasn’t like my father shot me into outer space.”
“I looked for you. I looked for you constantly, for years.” And he had. Private investigators on his measly part-time waiter wages. Internet searches and dead ends were his constant companion all through college. “I never in a million years thought that Franklin would find out about you, let alone find you.”
“Well, he did,” she scoffed. “Asshole has a fucking mean back hand.”
“He hit you?”
“Of course he hit me. What did you think? He waved a feather around and all these bruises magically appeared on my body?” She sighed, slumping down into the pillows that appeared to cost more than his monthly salary. “I want to go home, Baze. I want to forget that the last week ever happened.”
He was having a hard time clearing his mind of the images Penelope’s words had conjured. Franklin was a fucking dead man. When Baze was through with him, the Feds would need dental records to identify the body.
“Baze.” She leaned forward and snapped her fingers in front of his face, bringing him out of his bloody daydream. “Did you hear me?”
“Yeah.” And he had. “You can’t go home. Not until Franklin is caught and put away. That’s why we’re at the safe house.” He glanced down at his watch. “The rest of my pack should be here soon. We’re all staying here for the time being.”
“I’m trading one prison for another?” She sent him a withering glare. “I get to meet the rest of your pack too. Goody.”
He wasn’t sure if her sarcasm was warranted. Was she jealous of his pack? Did she feel left out? “They can be your pack too.” He reached for her hands.