She wouldn’t leave that damn computer to save her life. he’d met some determined people in his life, shit, he was one of them, but Ryleigh took the cake. Earlier when he tried to get her to take a break, she brushed him off. He tried distracting her, but again she blew him off like he was an annoying child. He was a grown fucking man, and she was acting like a child. Didn’t she have a clue how blessed she and Jacks were? In Dalton's mind, her responsibility was to the child she was carrying. The team would deal with the rest. It was their job to protect and figure this mess out, not hers.
Shit, he liked Ryleigh, he even respected her, but she wasn’t thinking clearly. She needed to take better care of herself and the baby she was now carrying. He knew that Ryleigh was committed to finding any and all information she could get on The Pandora Group, but this was ridiculous; he had no clue how Jacks handled this crap. She looked like hell and smelled worse than Wy or Bas did after getting caught up in their hacking for days on end. To make matters worse, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do about it. With his buddies, he would’ve badgered and ridiculed them until they took the break they needed. With Ryleigh, he felt he needed to be gentler, he was a woman after all. He didn’t deal with the ladies who had come into his life long enough to find out how their minds worked. He was in way over his head.
His experience was either pulling them out of horrible situations for work or trying to get them into bed for a quick fuck. he’d never tried anything more because he hadn’t had a reason to. But now with Ryleigh being a part of their family, he felt an obligation to try, but she wasn’t making it easy on him. That was why he was standing in the kitchen trying to figure out why in the hell Cash, their second and the cook of the group, left him instructions to heat up the lasagna he’d made before he left at 550 degrees. Dalton wasn’t a complete tool; he knew that the instructions were wrong. Could he cook like Cash? Hell no. But was he a fucking idiot? Not fucking likely.
If Ryleigh were his woman, he would’ve picked her up and tied to his bed to make sure she got the rest she so desperately needed, but he wasn’t her mate; he was only a member of the team. Being distracted by his trip down memory lane, talking with Jacks, and trying to figure out what the hell he needed to do about Ryleigh, Dalton never realized that he’d followed Cash’s instructions to the letter until it was too late and smoke was billowing out of the oven. Damn military training. he’d been taught to follow his superior’s orders without question, and distracted, he’d done that, making an ass out of himself. Shit.
Chapter 3
Cash was tired, more tired than he’d felt in a long time. After flying most of the Alpha Team down to help out Bravo and Echo, he immediately turned around and flew back to Alpha’s home base, so he could keep an eye on his Alpha’s mate. He was happy to do it, he considered Ryleigh to be family. She was sweet and funny, and best of all, she kept Jacks on his toes. He couldn’t have picked a better mate for his best friend and Alpha.
Seeing the lodge as he crested the hill, all he could think was, it was good to be home. His bear was itching to go for a run, but that would have to wait. He was too damn tired, dog-tired, which is a funny way for a bear to feel. The boys of Charlie Team, all Wolf Shifters, would never let him live those thoughts down if they ever found out. He certainly wasn’t going to tell them.
Nestled deep in the forest, the old hunting lodge was gorgeous. It took Cash’s breath away every time he saw it. It was home, the one place he could be calm and be himself. Made in a time before prefab was popular, each log had been hand-hewn. The place was perfect for a bunch of bears. Surrounded by thick, old growth forest on three sides and the lakeshore on the fourth, it was a heaven for both man and beast. He often tried to think what others saw when they came upon the place. To him it was home, but looking at it through a stranger’s eyes would have different results. The lodge was huge once having been owned by a conglomerate offering the true wilderness experience to its guests. It was over 10,000 square feet of living space and boasted floor to ceiling windows which allowed nature to come inside, at least that was what the realtor’s description had said. Cash wanted to laugh; they were guys who only cared that they had a place to lay their heads at night and enough room to let their bears run wild without the fear of humans catching them. The team owned 100 acres and a nature preserve owned another that surround the lodge. This was their safe haven. The other teams had similar places, but to Cash, this was home. The sight of the ten-foot mahogany double doors at the top of the stairs always welcomed him.
Maybe he could go out for a bit after he made sure Ryleigh and Dalton were doing okay. Jacks had been acting weird on the flight, agitated and fidgety. Cash had never seen him acting that way. Jacks was the epitome of an Alpha, vigorous and cool-headed. For him act so unlike himself, Cash knew something was wrong. Jacks was always cool under pressure. Even as kids, nothing fazed the man. Cash assumed it was because his Alpha was leaving his mate for the first time, but he was surprised when Jacks stayed on the plane after everyone else piled out. Remembering the conversation brought a smile to his face.
“Man, I need to you get back to them as soon as possible. I don’t feel right about leaving Ryleigh with only one of us to guard her,” Jacks implored.
“Jacks, you know Dalton will protect her with his life, any of us would,” Cash said, trying to assure his Alpha.
Cash was floored. Jacks knew that Dalton was totally capable of taking care of Ryleigh and the lodge. He and Ethan were their Enforcers. Dalton was no slouch, and for Jacks questioning Dalton’s abilities to protect his mate was uncalled for and unusual. Dalton had been watching all of their backs since they were kids.
“Yeah, I know. But I just got her, and now with the baby coming… I just…,” Jacks started to stumble with his words. “Man, please. You are my best friend, my second in command, and I would feel better if you were with her too.”
“Wait a minute. Baby. What baby?” Cash asked, astonished.
“We found out right before Kayden called. Her scent changed, man. I’m going to be a Dad.”
“Fuck. Congratulations, man. I couldn’t be happier for you and Rye.”
Cash couldn’t remember ever seeing his Alpha and best friend so happy. He thought he had at his and Ryleigh’s wedding, but this was different. Jacks was freaked and upset about leaving Ryleigh with only one of the men. Typically, Jacks would’ve been barking orders and demanding that he get his way, but he was asking this time. He seemed more grounded, and Cash knew that was because of the claiming.
“Thanks man,” Jacks responded. “It's just, with all that Eli said to Ryleigh when he was holding her, I’m more freaked out than ever. Nothing can happen to either of them. I know I wouldn’t survive, I can feel it. My bear is tearing me apart for being away from her, and I’m not helping the situation. I’m totally paranoid. What if the associates find out she’s pregnant? They could... Fuck, man, please get back there and protect my mate and cub. Wyatt thinks this mission will be quick and Kayden said Josh could fly us back. I want to bring back Mia, Ryleigh’s doctor, when we come. I need to make sure everything is okay with the pregnancy, and Ryleigh won’t let anyone else touch her. She isn’t showing it, but I know she’s worried about the baby too. Eli put too many doubts in her mind. I don’t want to risk anyone else finding out until we have some idea of what we’re in for. I can’t fight shadows, and it’s seriously fucking with me.”
“Jacks, brother, I got your back, always have and always will. Ryleigh and the little one are included in that. You know, she’s family now. Damn, I’m going to be an Uncle. That’s so cool.” Giving Jacks a man hug and a slap on the back, Cash grinned, “Now, Alpha, go and bring home the bacon, and I’ll cook it up nice and tasty. I have my marching orders and so do you. I’ll get back to them a soon as possible.”
Chapter 4
Shaking his tired head, Cash was happy for the first time in a long time. His past had dictated much of his life. Losing his mate so young had destroyed a
part of him. The Alpha Team was changing, first with Ryleigh, and now with the baby. He was happy for them and believed that, sometimes, change was good, he wanted to believe that. If he couldn’t have a happily ever after, he wanted his friends to experience it. But it still hurt.
Unfortunately, when he shook himself out of his memory, he also noticed something was very wrong. Walking in the front door, the relief he felt of being home was gone in an instant. The entire bottom floor was filled with smoke and seconds later the smoke alarms started to blare. Cash pulled his weapon thinking, fuck, not again. What was it with these fuckers trying to burn them out? He heard someone running down the hall. Aiming towards the intruder, he lifted his weapon while cocking it. He would kill the bastards this time. The smoke cleared enough for Cash to see the person who had been running was Ryleigh. Cursing under his breath, he dropped his weapon to his side and motioned her over. But her face was visibly green, and the little brat ran the other way.
What the fuck is going on? Cash went to go after her, when Dalton, the fucking dumbass, came out from the kitchen holding a smoking pan.
“Oh, shit. Hey, you’re back,” Dalton stated, seeming surprised by his arrival. “Could you open some windows and reset the alarm? I was trying to make Rye some dinner and kind of got distracted.”
No way was that true; Dalton never got distracted. He was always alert and waiting. Cash knew it came from his childhood and the crap his dad used to pull. He was thought Dalton believed none of the guys knew, but they all did. Something else was going on with his friend, and when he had a fucking second, he would find out exactly what the fuck that was. It was then that Cash noticed the pan he was holding was one of his, and he raised his weapon once again.
“Is that the lasagna I left for you to heat up? Dude, you better be able to save that pan. How in the fuck did you fuck it up? I should’ve just left you something to nuke. You can’t even boil fucking water.” Cash finally holstered his weapon. “Get this shit cleaned up. Ryleigh took off towards the bathroom looking shades of green I’ve never seen before. Don’t touch anything else in my kitchen, asshole. I’ll heat up some soup for her when I get back.”
“Sorry. Listen, you need to talk with her. She wouldn’t leave the fucking computer. I was just trying to help, but you know my skills don’t exactly work with rational women, let alone crazy ones like Ryleigh,” Dalton joked.
Cash wanted to laugh, but he was just too damn tired. Ryleigh was a nut. He loved her like family, but the woman was anything but rational. She was fixated and determined, which were good traits until you mixed them with desperation, and he feared that was exactly where his friend was right now. Desperate.
“Fuck, open up some windows,” Cash demanded. “I’ll try to figure out what is going on with our crazy charge.”
Yeah, that would be easier than figuring out why men were from wherever that saying said and women were from Mars, Dalton thought. Ryleigh didn’t make any sense to him. Hopefully, Cash would do a better job. Wanting to get the hell out of Dodge, Dalton decided to go and escape the drama that was sure to come.
Dalton started to walk back to the kitchen to get rid of the smoking pan. he was happy that Cash was back to deal with Ryleigh. Cash had always dealt with women better than the guys. Dalton didn’t know how to deal with Ryleigh, and he didn’t want to deal with Cash at the moment. His Alpha apparently didn’t trust him as much as he thought. Having Cash make a round trip so quickly spoke volumes, but then again, maybe Dalton needed to get his head out of his ass.
“Don’t worry about the soup. You look dead tired, but if you can hold down the fort for an hour, I’ll go down to Ruby’s and pick up some dinner for all of us,” Dalton suggested. “You know it’s better than anything out of a can.”
Cash needed to check on Ryleigh. So, like an ass, he was standing in the common room yelling at Dalton while he went into the kitchen to get rid of the burnt food. They all had a better-than-average hearing spectrum, but he needed to be close in case Ryleigh called out. He considered her family and Jacks had put him in charge of her care.
“Thanks, man,” Cash yelled toward the kitchen, “I don’t have it in me to cook right now. Hey, did you hear from the team yet?”
“Yeah, Jacks called after I put the lasagna in,” Dalton replied. “I don’t think that heating it up at 550 degrees was the smartest, but that’s what you wrote down, and who am I to question the chef?” Dalton laughed.
Cash walked back into the kitchen.
“I didn’t tell you to use that temperature.”
“Look at the note yourself, dude.”
“Fucking Ethan and his damn pranks,” Cash growled. “What did Jacks have to say?”
“They found Zoey and Milo. Apparently, they hadn’t been taken, but were trying to follow after Milo’s guys who were. They both took some major hits and that doctor from The Holly Group, Mia, patched them up. Zoey went back with Kayden, which didn’t sit with Milo very well, and all hell broke loose again. Jacks had to break up a fight between Milo and Kayden. He didn’t go into detail, but it must have been pretty bad because Jacks sounded more bear than man. The good news, if you can call it that, is Pandora was definitely behind the abductions. The bad news is they now have two Shifters at their disposal, Rock and Grayson.”
“Shit, man. Those two are mean motherfuckers. How in the hell did Pandora get their hands on them?” Cash questioned.
“Kayden found darts at the scene, and Mia ran some tests. What she found scared the crap out of the group; it was a tranquilizer laced with an inhibitor. Mia thinks it was used to suppress their ability to shift and metabolize the tranquilizer.”
“Fuck, this shit just gets better and better, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, Ryleigh was talking to Zoey when I left the communication center to get dinner, and well, you know what happened next,” Dalton said, motioning toward the burnt lasagna.
“Shit, man. Sorry for jumping down your throat and for the gun. It’s just with what Eli tried to do back at the temporary base, my mind went to the worst-case scenario.”
“So, it looks like the Alpha Team is expanding,” Dalton said. “When are Jacks and Ryleigh going to make the announcement?”
“Figured that out, huh? Jacks told me on the plane before I came back. How did you know?” Cash inquired.
Cash was ashamed he hadn’t noticed the change in Ryleigh’s scent. he’d been trying to stay away from the happy couple because of hope it was bringing all his memories and shattered to the surface. He was the Second on the Alpha Team and he needed to act like it, not hide from the things that made him uncomfortable. It was his job to keep them all safe and right now, he felt like he was failing. He wasn’t the type of man that hid when things got hard. Fuck.
“Her scent changed, not to mention the mad dash she makes to the bathroom about every hour on the hour lately,” Dalton explained. “I hope she isn’t like some women and coffee is the culprit because, dude, I need my coffee.”
Cash was grateful that Dalton hadn’t called him out on not noticing Ryleigh’s pregnancy. For a second, he wondered if he was the only one and then it didn’t matter. He failed his team in this small way and he wouldn’t let it happen again.
“I think you’re safe, man,” Cash laughed. “She mainlines coffee back in the office all day.”
“Shit, that can’t be good for the cub. Maybe we should take the coffee maker and hide it from her.”
“No way in hell,” Cash asserted. “I like my balls right where they are. Jacks made the baby and he can deal with the momma.”
“I can pick up some decaf when I’m in town. Maybe if we change it out, she won’t notice. I can also get some crackers and ginger ale,” Dalton suggested. “I read somewhere that type of shit helped.”
“Sounds good, man. I’ll check on Ryleigh, but make it quick because my bear has been itching for some time and if I don’t let him have it soon…” Cash warned.
“Yeah, man. I get it. I’m in the same sh
ape. It's been over a month,” Dalton admitted. “When I get back, we can take turns walking the perimeter and solve two problems with one stone.”
It had been longer than that for Dalton, but he wasn’t going to tell Cash that. He’d always had a bit of a problem with his bear from the start. His beast was more controlling and more demanding than the other guys’ bears, at least he assumed it was. The other guys never seemed to have any problems after their first couple of years, hardly noticing the pain of the change. For Dalton, it was different. he’d been holding off his shifts longer and longer, hoping it would make a difference, and he would be able to control the beast better, but it only seemed to piss it off more. He would have to talk with Cash or Jacks soon, he wanted to put it off for as long as possible.
“Sounds good. I’m going to check on the little momma,” Cash laughed, “Never thought I would be saying those words.”
Chapter 5
Cash walked down the hall to the bathroom Ryleigh ran to earlier and knocked.
“Rye are you okay?”
When he didn’t get an answer, but heard the unmistakable sounds of her losing the contents of her stomach, Cash entered the small room. Seeing Ryleigh in that state tore at his heartstrings. He grabbed a washcloth from under the cabinet and wet it with cool water, crouched down behind his friend, and held it to the back of her neck. Ryleigh moved from her position over the toilet to lay her head on the cool ceramic tile. Cash went to remove the washcloth, thinking to get her a glass of water, but Ryleigh held his hand.
“Please, Cash, leave it there. It's helping some,” Ryleigh requested.
“Okay, hon. Is there anything you need?” Cash asked. Cash felt sorry for her. She looked absolutely miserable. Ryleigh needed to take a break from the data they had collected and concentrate on herself and the baby for a while. She also desperately needed a shower and some serious hair care. Cash had no idea that a woman’s hair could turn into a rat’s nest. It was bed head, but way beyond that.
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 30