NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team

by Chelsea Handcock

  “Good! Now while you were out dispensing your special justice, I managed to capture myself a little troll.” Jacks glanced back at the putrid man lying on the ground by Cash, a look of disgust on his face. “I suggest you get your shit together, so we can find out what the fuck is going on. I’d also like to know if we should be expecting any more guest anytime soon.”

  Fuck! Dalton had fucked-up and he knew it. Bas threw him and Ethan some sweats. Dalton had no idea where the man had gotten the garments, but he was thankful. Facing the enemy naked would only add to his humiliation. Dalton listened as the others got to work interrogating the intruder who happened to be Derrick fucking Hamilton. The putrid man was incoherently babbling, and Dalton knew this would take longer then he wanted.

  Senior and Charlie Team showed up. Jacks explained what was going on and Senior had Charlie take the mangy human away. Dalton was sure the man would never be found again, but they would get the answers they needed. Senior didn’t mess around and that filthy human knew what and who they were now.

  “Listen up, we need to get the base secured before we let the women out of the safe room. Charlie is going to do the interrogation of the little turd and get back to us. I don’t sense any more intruders, but we need to lock this place down. Liam is going to report back with his findings. Only then can we release the women.” Looking straight at Dalton, Jacks asked, “Are we in agreement?”

  Dalton knew the man wasn’t asking, but telling him how it would be. The bloodlust was still riding him, but had diminished some. He wanted nothing more than to remove that piece of shit scum from the planet, but Jacks was right, they needed the answers more. He would just have to wait.

  Chapter 45

  Emma was going to jump right out of her skin, she needed to know what was going on and if everyone was safe. She wasn’t going to be like Ryleigh, uncontrollable and scared. She’d made a promise to herself and her child to be strong. As soon as she got out of this room, she was going to hunt Dalton down and hug him. Not yell and scream and demand answers, just hug him close to her, so she knew he was safe and everything would be all right.

  They had been in the safe room for hours, and no one had come to the door to give then the all clear. Ryleigh had explained when Jacks or one of the guys gave the all clear, there would be four beeps that would sound through the room; once that happened, they needed to put in a code to open the door from their side. Only the team knew the code, another failsafe. If they couldn’t get to them, then Declan would come, prompting the code. The safe room was stocked with enough supplies to last a month.

  Emma didn’t want to wait another minute, let alone a month. She wanted to believe Jacks as safe and that Dalton and the guys made it in time, but they had no idea. Apparently, Jacks had cut the feed into the safe room. Normally, they would be able to see what was going on throughout the lodge as well as the surrounding property. For some reason, he decided to keep them in the dark and that freaked them out. What didn’t he want them to see?

  Ryleigh wasn’t enduring any of this well. Mia had to restrain her physically several times as she attempted to get to the door and put the code in. Only Kenna’s cries were able to stop her. Emma had decided that if giving up her daughter for a little while kept her sister sane, she was all for it. She didn’t give Ryleigh a choice, thrusting the infant into her arms. Thankful for the distraction, Ryleigh and Kenna both calmed and for the last hour or so, Ryleigh had Kenna in her arms, rocking her slowly, crying softly.

  Much to Emma’s relief the four beeps sounded and Mia rushed for the door, entering the code. Ryleigh looked at her puzzled.

  “Jacks knew you would never stay, so he changed the code, only giving it to me right before he closed the door,” Mia said sympathetically.

  Ryleigh was hurt, her hormone fueled emotions taking over. She would make Jacks feel a little of what she was feeling at the moment, frazzled and a bit betrayed. She stormed out of the room, walking right past Jacks and into a large man’s arms. Emma had never seen this man before. The small, Hi Dad, Emma heard coming from Ryleigh explained a lot. So, this was Declan. He was a handsome man, large like all the guys on Alpha team, but his vibe was different. He was MORE somehow, Emma couldn’t put her finger on it. He looked to be in his forties, but not much older. Emma saw the love he had for his daughter, the way his eyes soften when she walked towards him, the loving protective embrace as he wrapped his arms around her, Ryleigh glaring at Jacks from her dad’s arms. Jacks giving a resigned sigh.

  “Listen, ladies, I know you have a lot of questions and we’ll get to them, but the guys and I need to clean up and check the perimeter. Senior is going to stay with you for a bit.

  Emma looked for Dalton instantly, but he was nowhere to be found and her stomach sank. Holding Kenna close, she wanted to ask about Dalton, but figured Jacks had enough on his mind. She also figured if something had happened, he wouldn’t be so nonchalant, right now. After all Mia was the only doctor and he hadn’t asked her to patch anyone up, right? She followed the group out to the great room hoping Dalton was waiting out there for her.

  The Alpha Team walked into the room freshly showered moments later. Some were a little bruised and battered, well at least Dalton and Ethan were, but no worse for wear. Emma wanted to get on her knees and thank someone. She settled for walking right into Dalton’s open arms, the safest place she could ever be in.

  When Dalton walked into the great room, the first thing he did was seek out his. He needed her, he needed to calm down and having her in his arms was the fastest way to do that. Once they made eye contact, Emma bolted right to him; the wave of relief nearly brought him to his knees. He knew he’d been extremely tense, but hadn’t realized to what extent until this moment. His relief turning to elation, he felt like he was on top of the world. She was safe and so was Kenna. Both of them were in his arms, and he was never letting them go.

  “I love you, baby,” he murmured while he held them close.

  “I love you too, Dalton. I was so worried!”

  “I know honey, everything is done now. Just let me hold you a second before we get into all that’s happened, okay?”

  Emma was more than willing to give Dalton as much time as he needed. Being in his arms was second to none. It was almost like they were the only ones in the room. She didn’t hear or see anyone else for a few precious moments, only her little family, Kenna, Dalton, and herself. Sure, she considered the rest family as well, but these two were more, they were the center of her world.

  Emma finally snapped out of the moment hearing Ryleigh’s raised voice. Her sister was having another melt down, demanding answers. Emma could understand the need, but she would never understand the attitude. Jacks hadn’t done anything wrong in Emma’s book. He did what he had to do to keep them all safe and anticipated every possible angle. Could Ryleigh honestly fault the man for that? Shouldn’t she be as grateful as Emma and Mia seemed to be? More questions for another time. Right now, she needed answers to the more pressing questions. How did that man find where she was and what was he planning to do if and when he found her?

  When they started explaining what all had transpired that day, she wanted to puke. They had felt the explosions, but didn’t realize one was a direct hit to the lodge. There was also another one that had a malfunctioned and failed to detonate; had it gone off, the lodge would’ve sustained heavy, possibly fatal damage, Jacks informed them. The people who had attacked, placed it right at the gas lines. There wouldn’t have been anything left.

  “Julius Abernathy was behind your abduction and impregnation,” Dalton said after he cleared his throat. Ryleigh gasped. “Ryleigh told you about him, right?”

  “Yeah, he was her brother and pretty screwed up. He had her kidnapped, held in a cage, and was going to rape her all to get money and pay her back for his parents being in jail.” Emma was surprised at her own voice, she’d said those things in such a nonchalant way. Was this going to be her and Kenna’s life from now on? Explosions an
d attacks?

  Emma didn’t understand people like Julius Abernathy. He seemed to have everything, money and power, and he still wanted more. He was selfish and psychotic. She was glad he was dead, for Ryleigh’s sake as well as her own. The asshole had paid to impregnate her. Who does that shit?

  “Yeah, that’s him,” Jacks growled, “walking over and removing Ryleigh from her Dad’s arms. Her actions had stung him earlier. He let her have her tantrum because he knew she felt betrayed. However, he’d reached his limit, and she needed to be reminded who was boss, even if it was in a subtle manner. Emma was shocked. These guys were all Alpha, but Declan was more, and Jacks had acted like it was no big deal to remove Ryleigh from his grasp.

  Continuing as if nothing had just occurred between them, and positioning Ryleigh where he wanted her, without skipping a beat. Jack’s continued.

  “Okay, so we were able to detain one of the guys who attacked our home. Derrick Hamilton. We were able to discern that he and his brother, and Harlan Jones, the HR Director at Davis, were old school buddies. All of them were greedy as fuck and equally sick. Abernathy commissioned them to find some of Franklin’s babies. They were able to narrow down their search by using rumors some the children were placed in the system. We still don’t have all that information, Harlan is supposed to have it. We’ll be checking that out as soon as possible.” He explained that it was a process of elimination from that point on.

  “Apparently, you were the sixteenth file clerk Jones had hired and the only one who proved to be a match,” Jacks informed Emma sympathetically. “Once you were hired, the assholes needed the time to determine if your genetics were a match for what Abernathy wanted. The information you read about Ryleigh wasn’t what got you taken Emma. We don’t even think they know about it.”

  Emma was relieved to hear that but numb. Everything was coming to a head, and she didn’t know what would come out next.

  “Abernathy wanted to make a pet for his own personal use, create what his parents couldn’t and prove he was better. Who really knows what goes on in a sick mind like his. He offered Jones and the fucking Hamilton brothers a huge payoff to make that happen,” Jacks said, shaking his head in disgust. “He also said that Jones and Hamilton could have their own pets after he got his, sick Fuck that he was. On a good note, they had never let Davis Defense or Pandora know what they were up to because ultimately, they didn’t want anyone or anything to interfere in their personal plans.”

  “When Eli killed Abernathy,” Bas picked up where Jacks left off, “the three didn’t have a money train any longer, so they decided to pursue their own individual twisted agendas. Dennis was fixated solely on you Emma that’s why he stayed on at the facility as your only captor. When you escaped, and killed his brother Dennis, Derrick went off the rails. He killed Harlan Jones and has spent been hunting you down. He was able to get a last location of his brother’s car.

  “Oh, no,” Emma exclaimed, placing her had in front her mouth. “Ruby’s Diner.”

  “Yeah, baby, the asshole went to the Diner,” Dalton said softly.

  “Dalton, is she okay? He didn’t hurt her, did he?”

  “She was roughed up a bit. As soon as we found out, Declan sent another team to help her. She was a little worse for wear, but mad as hell. She’s more worried about you than some bumps and bruises, her words, not mine. We had told her about you having an abusive ex and if anyone came sniffing around, to let us know. But Hamilton didn’t give her a chance to make the call. Held her and her cook captive until the cook finally broke, giving the douche our general whereabouts. We try to keep the base secret, but there are a few locals who do know or have an idea where we live. It’s such a small community and people talk.

  This won’t happen again,” Jacks promised, looking at his men, promising if it ever did, there would be hell to pay. “We left some stones unturned and that’s not acceptable. Not for any of us, there’s too much at stake. We can’t change the fact that our base isn’t secret, but we can put more security measures in place.

  “Anyway, Bas said Harlan Jones was found murdered in his home three weeks after you escaped. Derrick is the one who torched the facility. He found his brother and buried him on his family’s land. The two men who came here with Hamilton were hired help, drinking buddies of his. The plan was to either get you and Kenna or take you out.”

  “What we have to do now is get into Harlan Jones’ house and office,” Dalton picked up the story. “Everything strongly suggests he was working independently from Davis Defense or Pandora. Honey, we believe you and Kenna are safe, for now, but we’ll get the proof we need to confirm that.”

  Emma was relieved, but she just wanted some alone time with Dalton. Some time in his arms to calm her nerves and help her face another day. She also knew the guys were sugarcoating everything that had gone down, and she was okay with that. They had done their jobs, and she wasn’t going to cause them one second of discomfort asking or demanding answers.

  The only one who concerned her at the moment was Ethan. His bear was close. His eyes had the shifter glow, his jaw clinched so tight, she was sure he would need a good dentist. Something went down out there, and it was still riding the stoic man. Emma wished she could help, but she knew it wasn’t her place. Not to mention, she didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t a hugger like Ryleigh, and she never offered platitudes before. She would think of something, it just wouldn’t be tonight.

  “Listen, it’s been a long day and a longer night. Why don’t we all catch some shut eye and reconvene at 0700 for a meeting?” Jacks announced.

  Emma walked with Dalton and Kenna to their room. She was so tired she didn’t even remember undressing and getting into bed. Thank God for Dalton. Emma knew he would take care of Kenna. After several minutes or more, Emma felt the bed move, but more importantly she felt the heat of her mate’s body as he pulled her closer.

  “Love you, baby,” Dalton whispered.

  “Love you, too,” Emma replied. “Dalton….?”

  “Shh, baby, sleep, now. We have time to figure out what comes next.

  That’s exactly what they did. The next week went by with the Team in meetings and Ryleigh combing through her data. Mia stayed on to help, but would be leaving soon. Emma tried to get back to normal, cleaning the lodge, cooking for the guys, and taking care of her precious girl. One morning she woke up with a ring around her finger and Dalton staring at her. He never asked her to marry him.

  “I want to make this official as soon as possible, in the human way, but I would like to wait for all the Team to be together.” He didn’t need to say anything more. He wanted Wyatt to witness their joining; Emma had no problem with that. “I want to give you the wedding of your dreams.”

  She kind of longed for a romantic proposal, but that wasn’t her man’s style. Telling her what would happen and offering her the world on a silver platter was Dalton’s style, that suited her just fine.

  Emma loved her new life and family. She still had questions, and one day, she would get around to asking them, but for right now, everything was right in her world. She was getting married, mated, and fate had blessed them. What more could she ask for?

  Epilogue

  Jacks felt like a heel, but he knew enough to realize that the facts this meeting would bring to light would only upset Ryleigh. Emma was a different story, she only had the basic knowledge of what all was going on. Shifters were in danger. Women with Shifter DNA were in danger, and Kenna her sweet little girl would always be in danger. That was enough for one person to carry on their shoulders. He had asked Dalton if he wanted her to know more and he didn’t, not right now. Then there was Mia. She was in the lodge and had every right to know what was going on, but Jacks didn’t know enough about the woman to trust her completely, and it wasn’t as though he could ask Ryleigh about it.

  Coming down the hall from his office, he noticed all his men except for Wyatt waiting. He hoped the man could get his mission done quickly; they all needed
to be together. Giving his men a nod, Jacks opened the door to his office, knowing they would follow. He hoped this meeting in the middle of the night had a different outcome than his previous one with Senior. The secrets needed to stop on some level. Walking to the desk, he brought up the secure line that would connect them on the video conference with Senior.

  Once Senior’s face came into view Jacks wanted to deck him. He was the picture of calm, sitting behind his desk, sipping a scotch. Well, at least this time it wasn’t Jacks secret stash.

  “I see you’ve made your decision. No more secrets from the team, but where are the women?”

  “I have my reasons for keeping them out of this and that’s all I’m going to say. Let’s get on with this.”

  Jacks wasn’t looking at his men; he knew they would have questions, and he would answer them, but they needed this meeting to be done first. After that, they had time.

  “First, let me ask you a question, Jacks. Does everyone here know everything we have discussed or do I need to start from scratch?”

  Jacks looked at this team guiltily. Of course, the bastard would call him out. Jacks might respect the man, but, right now, he didn’t like him all that much. Only Cash had all the facts. He had been the only one to come to him after the last meeting he had with Senior. He had hoped the others would, but they never had and then they found themselves in a shit storm of epic proportions, so he let the matter lie. Not anymore.

  Ethan spoke first, surprising everyone. Ethan usually watched, like Dalton, rarely questioning direct orders or SOP. But he was observant when the others were not.

  “Nope, looks like we all need a bit of a refresher there, Senior,” Ethan drawled. “I, for one, would like to know why I had to wait outside of Mia’s room like a creeper, waiting for her to fall asleep.”