by Faith Gibson
“Do I think what? You can ask me anything.” Nora took the platter Sadie was rinsing and began drying it.
“Do you think I should change my name? Maybe disappear? I mean, what if Hayden can’t figure out who’s after me? I don’t want to be out somewhere with Mateo and always looking over my shoulder, wondering if the people I’m passing on the street are out to get me.”
“That’s certainly a possibility. Another is you could take Mateo away from here and hide out somewhere safe until the person after you is caught. Then you could come back as Sadie Alvarez, not someone different.”
“I don’t want to be Mercedes Alvarez. I never did. Maybe Nolan can help me at least get back my last name. For eight years, I have wished I could go back to being Sadie Rodriguez. As for getting away, I have nowhere to go or the means to get there.”
“Oh, but you do. When I said our family had your back, I meant it. You don’t have money now, but you will. And even if you never had another penny to your name, you don’t have to worry about that. I know Hay makes good money between his bike business and the jobs he takes on the side. He’s not going to let you and Mateo want for anything. And I don’t mean the way Juan did. You’ll have choices, Sadie.”
“But he doesn’t know me. I’m just a job to him.” Sadie knew she sounded like a broken record, but she was trying to be realistic.
“You really aren’t. This may sound odd, but sometimes you meet the right person at the right time. Take me and Dev, for instance. I was engaged to my high school sweetheart. We dated for years off and on. Just like any other teenagers, we’d have a fight, break up, then get back together. My dad and I were like oil and water because we had the same temperament. Both stubborn. I thought by marrying Donnie it’d get me out of the house, away from my father. It wasn’t like I was madly in love with the boy, but he was nice enough. Handsome. Set to graduate college with a good job. Then one day, I was headed to the florist to talk about flowers for the wedding. I tripped on the sidewalk, and the most stunning male I’d ever seen caught me before I could hit the pavement. One look in his dark eyes and I knew. He was the one I was meant to be with.”
Sadie handed over the last dish and unplugged the sink, rinsing the suds until the basin was clean. She glanced over at Nora. “Then what happened?”
Nora got a dreamy look in her eye as she dried the dish. “He asked me out for coffee. I explained that I had been on my way to the florist to pick out flowers for my wedding. You know what he said?” Sadie shook her head. “He said, ‘No,’ then he grabbed my face and kissed me right there in front of Zeus and everyone. And it wasn’t a chaste kiss either. Devon Ellis kissed me like a male possessed, and I guess he was. Or maybe obsessed is a better word. Then he dragged me into the florist and proceeded to tell them I wouldn’t be needing their services.”
“And? Don’t keep me hanging here,” Sadie complained, but she did so grinning.
“Let’s just say we didn’t make it to the coffee shop.” Nora wiggled her eyebrows.
“No!”
“Oh, yes. If I thought his kiss was possessive, the way he—”
“Nora!” Devon yelled through the back door. Sadie jerked around to look at him, fully expecting him to be pissed, but he was wiggling his finger back and forth at his wife.
Nora threw her head back, laughing. She then blew her husband a kiss before leaning against the counter, her smile beaming. “Several hours later, I called Donnie and told him the wedding was off. Devon took me home to pack my things, and I moved in with him that night.”
“What did your parents do?”
“There wasn’t anything they could do. I was twenty-two. My father was pissed, but that was nothing new. My mother was smitten by Devon’s charm. That might have been part of why my dad was so bent out of shape. I think if Devon had crooked his finger at her, she’d have left my dad. I think even if I’d met Devon after I married Donnie, things would have turned out the same.”
“You’d have left your husband?”
“Without a doubt. Devon and I were meant to be. We aren’t the only ones in our family with similar stories. When you meet that one perfect being, things just kind of fall into place. Maybe it’s the same for you and Hayden, maybe not. What I’m trying to say is don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. If you have feelings for him, don’t hold back.”
“But what if he doesn’t feel the same way?”
Nora reached out and brushed a tendril of hair behind Sadie’s ear. “I don’t think that’s something you have to worry about. Now, why don’t you go sit with Mateo? Unless you’d like to help me bake a cake? I happen to know Hayden loves red velvet.”
Sadie peeked into the living room where Mateo was sitting in Jericho’s lap. “I think Mateo is fine where he is.”
Chapter Nineteen
Hayden
The next seventeen minutes were the longest of Hayden’s life. Spyder pulled down the long driveway, and Hayden was out of the SUV before the male had it in park. Several Hounds were stationed around the house, but Hayden only acknowledged them with a chin lift before striding inside. Something sweet filled the air, taking his feet straight to the kitchen when he didn’t find Sadie in the living room, where Mateo was playing with Grayson. Hayden had only met his little cousin once, but the boy looked exactly like Nolan’s son, Jonah.
Sadie was sitting at the island with Nolan while Nora stood leaning against the counter. Hayden nodded at Devon’s mate as he crossed the room. With no hesitation, he strode up to Sadie and pulled her to her feet, wrapping her up tight. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply.
“Hayden?” Sadie hugged him back, running her hands up and down his back. “You okay?”
“I am now.” Hayden released her and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Sorry.” He took a long look at her amber eyes before stepping back. Nora was smirking.
Nolan, however, was frowning. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. How are things going here? Do you think you can help Sadie?” Hayden couldn’t tell them what was going on. Not yet.
“I’m not going to lie; it won’t be easy. If Juan set up any accounts in Sadie’s or Mateo’s names, that money is theirs. I’ve put a call in to a friend who lives across the border. He is going to do some digging for me. Looking at previous similar incidents, the government will likely seize his assets. At least those in his name. If he didn’t go through the proper channels after taking over Ramirez’s house here, then it and everything in it will be up for grabs. His men and sister could step in and claim it, setting themselves up against rival cartels. Since we don’t know who his second-in-command is or was…” Nolan held his hands up.
Hayden pulled out his phone and sent a text to Lucy, asking if she or Henry could do some checking into the bank account situation. “What else?” he asked, once that was done.
“I asked Nolan to help get my name changed. I never wanted to be an Alvarez, and now that he’s dead,” Sadie whispered, “I don’t want to be associated with him in any way.”
Hayden could understand that. He knew it was too soon to be thinking about her last name becoming Lazlo, so he kept that to himself.
“I need to let Lucy know about the name change. She’s looking into getting your birth certificate. Right now, we need to discuss something else.” Hayden rubbed the back of his neck. He hated to tell her about her family, but she needed to know the truth. He stepped closer and took her hands. Her eyes widened, and he gripped her hands tighter. “Your mom and brother… they’re missing.”
“What? How…? When…? What?” Sadie’s knees buckled, and Hayden grabbed her before she could fall. He banded an arm around her waist, and she grabbed a fistful of his T-shirt.
“With both you and Mateo missing from the attack on the house, we sent someone to watch over Gloria, but when Jericho got there, she was gone. The house had been ransacked. I called Dominic to tell him about you, but Kodiak informed me Dominic was also missing.”
“Y-you ta
lked to Koda?” Sadie’s voice was barely a whisper.
“You know him?” Hayden shouldn’t be surprised. Not with the way the large male had spoken about Sadie.
“Yes. He came to the house a lot with Dom when my dad was out of town. He was like a father to me, and I think he was secretly in love with my mom. They never did anything like touch or kiss, but I often caught looks they shared when they thought I wasn’t watching.”
“I think you’re probably right. And I’m pretty sure they got together after your father was killed. He mentioned she was important to him. But here’s the thing. Lucy said some bikers went to the house here in New Laredo and met with Antonia and the guards she has with her. I told Kodiak I have you and Mateo. Sadie, I can’t be sure he didn’t give your location up.”
“No!” Sadie pushed away from Hayden. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“You don’t understand. Your mom is…” How could he explain about mates without telling her the truth of himself and his family?
“Hayden, I think it’s time,” Nora said.
“Time for what?” Sadie asked.
“Do you want me to leave?” Nolan lowered himself to his feet. “I can go sit with the boys.”
“Please. We don’t need Mateo walking in during show and tell.”
Nolan inclined his head and left the room. Hayden looked at Nora, and she assured him with her eyes this was the right thing to do. Hayden took a deep breath and released it.
“There’s something you have to know about me. About my family. It’s going to be hard to believe, but after I’ve told you, I’ll show you proof.”
“Show me what?” Sadie took a step back, her pulse quickening and her eyes dilating.
Nora moved over to the island, resting her forearms on it. “Remember when I mentioned Lions and Jericho made a joke about it? He wasn’t kidding. My family, we’re shifters. We are Gryphons – half Lion, half Eagle. We can change into either animal or both at the same time. We were put on Earth by Zeus to watch over humans.”
Laughter bubbled from Sadie’s throat as she shook her head. She looked from Nora to Hayden. “Do you believe this?” she asked him. In response, his Lion rumbled. Sadie gasped and took another step back. “Oh, my God. How did you do that?”
“Because he’s Gryphon too, Sweetheart. Most of our family are shifters. I know it sounds impossible, but it’s the truth. We can show you if you like.”
“By turning into a-a-an animal?”
“Well, we can’t shift into our Gryphon inside the house without wrecking it. They’re pretty big, but we can show you our Lion or our Eagle.” Nora let her Lion’s fangs elongate, and when she held her hands out, they were no longer human but her Lion’s paws. Claws and fur were on display.
“Holy shit! Is this some sort of trick?”
“No. Hayden, why don’t you show her your Lion?”
“Sadie, do you want to see me? The real me?”
“I-I-I don’t know. This is all too much.” Sadie looked around the room, and Hayden followed her eyes as they locked on the block of knives on the counter.
“Would it make you feel better to be armed? Nora, hand Sadie the butcher knife.”
Nora didn’t hesitate. They both knew they could defend themselves were Sadie to try and swipe at one of them. Sadie took the knife and held it in front of her. Her hand was shaking so hard Hayden was afraid she was going to hurt herself instead of one of them.
“Do you want just a partial glimpse or the whole shebang?”
“Partial. No, the whole thing. Holy crap on a cracker, I can’t believe I just asked you to turn into a jungle cat.”
“Technically, lions don’t live in jungles, but then neither do I. Except when all my brothers are around. Then it can get a little crazy.” Hayden tried using humor to lighten the mood, but Sadie was still shaking. He prayed the female didn’t have a heart attack when he shifted.
“Okay, I’m going to shift. I want you to know I would never hurt you. Not in my human form and not as a cat. I’ll sit really still, and if you want, you can pet me. I vow on all that’s holy, I will not hurt you.”
Sadie’s head bobbed up and down, but her grip tightened on the knife. Instead of stripping, Hayden toed off his boots, then he let the beast loose, shredding his clothes. Once his Lion was free, Hayden sat back on his haunches and waited. Sadie gasped, her free hand covering her mouth. She looked from him to Nora and back.
Nora walked around the island and set her hand on Hayden’s back. “He’s still Hayden. He can hear you and understand you in this form.” Hayden swished his tail back and forth across the kitchen floor and waited. Sadie lowered her hand and reached toward his massive head. He kept his eyes on the knife because it was still pointed his direction. “It’s okay, Sweetheart. He won’t hurt you.” Nora leaned against his back, wrapping her arm around his neck. It was odd to be hugged in this form, but he knew what Devon’s mate was trying to do.
“Havyk! We’ve got… Oh, hell.” Spyder stopped just inside the back door. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got incoming. Four SUVs. Guess that answers our question as to whether or not Kodiak would give up Sadie for his mate.”
Hayden’s Lion roared, and Sadie screamed right before she fainted. Hayden shifted back, and Nora waved him off. “Go. I’ve got her. Nolan! Bring the kids. Hayden, go grab some of Devon’s clothes. You can’t go outside like that.”
Hayden rushed down the hallway to his nephew’s room and threw open drawers until he found a shirt and pants. The sweats were a little tight, and he didn’t bother grabbing underwear, but modesty was the least of his worries at the moment. When he left the bedroom, Nora was ushering the boys to the back of the house, while Nolan carried an unconscious Sadie. Hayden bristled at the sight of his female in another male’s arms, but he pushed back against wanting to rip her away from his nephew’s hold.
“I’ve already called the police. Stall as long as you can,” Nolan said.
When Hayden got to the front door, it was like a scene from a movie. Gryphons were mighty creatures, but they were no match for the weapons aimed at them. Four black SUVs were parked haphazardly. Hayden counted seven males holding rifles, and leading the group was Antonia.
“Give me my nephew,” Antonia commanded. She was standing beside the open door of one of the vehicles, a handgun pointed at Hayden’s chest. The Hounds Devon had called were scattered around the property, some standing and some among the trees in their Eagles. Hayden had to hope the cops weren’t on Alvarez’s payroll.
Stalling, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Your nephew? Who the fuck are you?”
Antonia snarled. “You know who I am, and I know you have Mateo in that house. Juan Carlos doesn’t take lightly to his son being kidnapped. Either you send him out now, or we start shooting.”
“Juan is dead, so his thoughts on the matter don’t count now, do they?” Hayden wasn’t sure whether or not Antonia had received word of Juan’s demise, but he needed her focus on something other than Mateo.
“You’re lying. My brother is safely tucked away.”
“Are you sure about that?” Hayden wanted to tell her the truth, but he couldn’t without incriminating himself, Spyder, and Judge. “When’s the last time you heard from him? And he’s not really your brother, is he? He’s the man who took over when your father went to prison. The man who turned you into a guard instead of taking you into his bed where you really wanted to be.”
“Shut up! You don’t know anything.”
“I know what I saw. What I heard. That night in the club, you stood closer to Juan than his wife did. You wanted to be the one on his arm, being admired. I saw the way you glared at Mercedes. The way you couldn’t take your eyes off them while they commanded the dance floor. But you were there to do a job, weren’t you? You were there to make sure Juan’s wife was safe.”
“Shut up! If you don’t shut the fuck up, I’ll kill you all and that bitch too.” Antonia pulled the trigger, the bullet hitting the house
less than a foot from where Hayden stood. He dove onto the porch, and the other Hounds scattered.
“FBI, drop your weapons!” a voice shouted from the cover of the trees. Antonia and her men turned toward the voice and fired. They had remained beside their vehicles, but their focus had been on Hayden and the house. Hayden remained on his stomach as several agents returned fire from various locations around the property. He was torn between going in the house to check on Sadie and remaining where he was so he didn’t become a target. When Antonia’s pistol was out of ammo, she reached into the vehicle and pulled out an assault rifle. Before she could pull the trigger, a bullet slammed into her shoulder from behind. The female stumbled, but it didn’t stop her. Antonia turned the rifle in Hayden’s direction, and he knew then he would never have the chance to be with Sadie. He didn’t close his eyes, though. If death was coming, he wanted to see it.
Antonia’s eyes widened when a bullet hit her in the chest. She dropped to her knees, then her body slumped to the ground. Hayden released a shaky breath, but he still didn’t move. Even when the air around him went silent, he lay frozen against the porch. Only the rumble of several motorcycles broke him from the stupor he was in. Hayden rose to his knees when Kodiak parked his bike. The large male stood and walked over to where the FBI agents were looking down at the dead bodies of Antonia and every male but one she’d brought with her. Hayden remained where he was as Kodiak shook hands with one of the agents. When Kodiak turned toward Hayden, his face was lined with worry. That was what brought Hayden to his feet. What sent him rushing the larger male, claws out.
“Havyk, no!” Spyder yelled, but Hayden’s Lion was on a mission to take down the bigger male who’d put Sadie in Antonia’s sights. Hayden shifted midair, oblivious to the FBI agent pointing a gun at him. Kodiak lunged. Not at Hayden, but at the human. Hayden landed, sliding to a stop a foot from where Kodiak had shielded Hayden from the gun shot. Kodiak grunted, holding onto the agent’s hand. Now that Hayden wasn’t trying to kill Kodiak, he got a good look at the other man. Tomás. Hayden shifted back, and stepped around Kodiak. Tomás’s eyes were wide, and he was struggling with the large biker.