Jacqueline wrapped her hands protectively around her stomach, causing Edmund to laugh. “Benjamin will never find you, and when it’s time, I’ll do to you as I did to your mother. As your eyes glaze over in death, you’ll watch as I cradle your pup in my arms.” He whistled as he headed toward the door to the room. It seemed things were looking up. He had lost most of his rogues, but the revenge he was going to get on the enforcers using his daughter was going to make it all worthwhile.
* * * *
Jacqueline realized she had made the dumbest mistake of her life the moment she climbed out the window behind the man she had thought of as her father. She’d been thinking only of saving Tessa and Nico at the time, but the minute the window shut behind her, Ben was the only person in her thoughts. She wanted to turn and run back inside to him immediately, but she knew there was no way. She’d given up her life to save three, and she was okay with that, but she knew Ben would be devastated. Now, she knew it wasn’t just her life she had given up. Jacqueline cradled her stomach. She had a tiny life growing inside of her, and there was no way she would sacrifice herself now.
She had no doubt the man had been telling the truth about her being pregnant. Edmund Percival was a man who loved to hurt people in the most awful ways possible. Telling her he was going to kill her and take her child, exactly as he had done to her mother, was something he knew would destroy her.
“I can fix the formula. I can give you the rogues you’ve always wanted.” Jacqueline shouted the first thing that came to mind to keep Percival from leaving the room. She didn’t have only herself to think about anymore.
Percival paused at the door before turning back to her. “I’m listening.”
“Not only did I do something to the previous formula to kill the rogues, but I also adjusted it to make them more docile.”
“My dear, I already know everything you did. At this moment, I have a team of scientists working to reverse what you’ve done and give me the formula I was supposed to have in the first place.”
“They’ll never figure it out.” Jacqueline held her breath as she stared at Percival. She prayed he saw the truth in her eyes. “I made sure no one would ever figure out what I did. I covered my tracks well. You need me. I can do this for you.”
Percival smiled, and Jacqueline was reminded of a cat toying with a mouse just before it killed the mouse.
“I’m guessing there is a price.”
“Yes. I’ll stay here and work on the formula for you. You guarantee my safety while I’m here, and once you have your proof that the formula works, I get to walk out of here unharmed with my child.” Jacqueline tried to put on a brave front, but underneath, it was all an act. Her knees were shaking so hard she was sure he could hear them knocking together.
Instead of responding to her offer, Percival started laughing as he turned and left the room without saying anything. Jacqueline leaned her back against the wall and slid down until she was seated on the floor. She held her head in her hands and couldn’t stop herself from replaying the sound of Ben’s howl. When she had heard the howl as she stumbled through the woods behind Percival, she’d had no doubt it came from Ben. The sound had caused the hair on the back of her neck and arms to stand on end. Her eyes had immediately welled up with tears from the mournful sound, but Jacqueline had held them back, not wanting to show weakness in front of Percival.
Now, she had nothing holding her back. Jacqueline let the hot tears flow as she sat there. The ache in her chest grew with each passing minute away from the man she loved. She also cried for the mother she had never known and the pain she had gone through.
Jacqueline allowed herself to wallow in her grief, but only for a few moments. That was all she could spare as she wiped her face and ended her pity party. There was no way she was going to let Percival have her baby. She would fight to the bitter end to keep it safe. Jacqueline also knew Ben would come for her. He would search every inch of the earth until he found her. When he did, Jacqueline planned to be alive and waiting on him.
She paced as she thought. Jacqueline didn’t know how long shifter pregnancies were, but based on a human, she had nine months, and if she had to, she planned on using every bit of that time to find a way to escape or at least make it easier for Ben to find her. She had no idea how long she had been pacing when the door to her cell opened.
“I’ve been thinking about your offer,” Percival said as he strolled in with his hands laced behind his back. “You make me happy by giving me my rogues and I’ll let you live and keep your child, but you’ll stay here with me. I think I like the fact that your mate will suffer knowing you and his child are out there somewhere, yet he can’t find you. Maybe I will send him videos of you and the whelp from time to time just to let him know what he’s missing. I think that is a fitting punishment.”
Jacqueline wondered what had happened to Percival in the past to cause him to become so sick and twisted. The man was cruel beyond belief. She forced herself not to cringe as he came near, only to scream out when he grabbed her hair and wrenched her head back.
“Make no mistake about it. If you betray me again or do anything to the formula that I don’t approve of, I will kill you.” He hissed in her ear. “Instead of your precious mate wondering when he will receive the next video, he will fear when the next piece of your body will turn up.” Percival yanked on her hair one last time as if to drive his point home before placing his hands behind his back again and whistling as he strolled out of the room.
Jacqueline shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. She had been given a reprieve it seemed, and it wasn’t one she was going to take for granted. She would make Percival think she was working on his precious serum, but in the meantime, she was already formulating a cocktail in her mind just for him. Someone needed to rid the earth of Edmund Percival, and if that someone was her, then so be it. She deserved a little revenge for what he had done to her mother.
Chapter 15
Four Months Later
The phone ringing caused Ben to growl. He’d barely slept at all lately, but it seemed that, when he finally did fall asleep, there was always something to wake him right back up. Snatching the phone up, he stabbed at the button to answer. “Who is this and what do you want?” He couldn’t be bothered to care if he was being rude.
“Ben?” the voice on the other line whispered.
Ben froze. If it wasn’t for his shifter hearing, he would have never heard the voice. “Jacqi?”
“Yes, it’s me. I need you to listen because I don’t know if I’ll get another chance to call you. He keeps me so guarded this is the first chance I’ve had in four months. Percival is keeping me prisoner at the old estate you blew up. There’s an underground bunker there about a mile behind the old mansion. I need you to hurry because he thinks I’ve been creating a new rogue serum. I’ve been putting him off, but if I don’t show Percival results today, he’ll kill me.”
“God, little mate, I’ve missed you so much.” Ben swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Just hold on a little longer. I’ll be there to get you.”
“I know you will. I have to go, but I wanted you to know that I love you, and I’m sorry for everything.”
The click on the other end of the line let Ben know his mate had hung up, but that didn’t stop him from holding the phone up to his ear, desperate to hear her voice again. It had been four long months without Jacqi. Four months of not knowing where she was or if she was being taken care of. The only thing that kept him sane was his family. He considered Mitch, Tessa, Ken, Ryan, and Nico his family, and they had all helped him cope.
Jumping up from the bed, Ben yelled for Mitch as he began to throw on clothes.
When we find Percival, I want to be the one to tear him apart.
Ben felt his wolf pacing in his head, anxious to get to their mate. Ever since Jacqi had disappeared, his wolf had lost his playful side. There was no more wanting to have fun, and Ben regretted the loss. He’d loved that his wolf had been
so carefree because it kept Ben from being too serious. He hoped when they got their mate back safe and sound, his wolf would get his playful nature back because Ben really missed it.
“What’s all the yelling about?” Mitch asked as he rushed into the bedroom.
“My mate just called. We leave in ten minutes.”
Mitch looked as though he wanted to ask questions, but he just nodded. “I’ll let Ken know. Ryan will stay here to guard Tessa and Nico.” He left the room, leaving Ben alone again.
Ben went to Mitch’s office, where he and Ken were already there loading up on weapons. Ben grabbed a bag off the floor and began stuffing it with explosives. If he had to blow up the whole forest to find Jacqi, then that’s what he would do.
* * * *
“Stop stalling and show it to me,” Percival growled as he stalked into the room.
Jacqueline knew his patience was wearing thin and there was no way she could put him off anymore. One of his guards had followed in behind him, and she knew the wary-looking man was her guinea pig. She couldn’t blame him for his reluctance.
Over the past four months, all of the guards had made it clear how much they had despised her. They all knew what she had done and she was the reason why almost all of Percival’s rogues had died already.
“The formula better be ready, or I’ll make sure you suffer before I kill you.”
Jacqueline had grown used to Percival’s threats, but she knew today he meant it. Her time had run out. With shaking hands, she grabbed the two syringes with clear fluid she had already set aside and shoved them into her pocket.
“Lie there,” she told the guard and motioned toward the gurney set up in the middle of the room. She looked over at Percival. “I have to strap him down so he doesn’t kill me when I turn him rogue. Can you help with the straps?”
Jacqueline let out a sigh of relief when the man stormed across the room. She needed him distracted for her plan to work. “Make sure the straps are good and tight.” She needed the guard out of the way so he couldn’t stop her when she made her escape.
When the guard was strapped down, Percival turned toward her with a look of anticipation on his face. Jacqueline pulled a tray close to her and picked up a vial containing a light brown liquid. She stuck a needle down into the top and filled a syringe with the fluid. Percival rubbed his hands together and grinned.
“When I inject him, he will have what looks like a seizure before passing out. When he wakes, he will be everything you’ve asked for.”
“Well, don’t just stand there like an idiot. Give it to him.”
Not wanting to anger the man, Jacqueline did as she was told. She stared into the wide, panicked eyes of the guard as she lowered the needle to his arm and injected him. Just as planned, the man’s eyes rolled back into his head as his body began to jerk. The serum was a cocktail of three drugs she had combined together. The first caused the seizure, the second was a sedative that should have knocked him out for hours, but with enhanced shifter healing, it would only be minutes. The final medicine was a hallucinogenic just in case her plan took a little longer. If the guard woke up before she could act, then she needed his behavior to be altered enough for Percival to think the serum had worked.
While Percival’s attention was solely on the guard, Jacqueline slowly made her way around the gurney toward him. She reached into her pocket and pulled out one of the syringes. It contained a cocktail she had made just for Percival and was intended to kill the man. The lethal combination in the syringe would kill him quickly, which was more than he deserved, but Jacqueline didn’t care, as long as she was free of him for good.
Taking a breath to calm her nerves, Jacqueline lifted the syringe and stabbed it into Percival’s neck. She had her thumb on the plunger and had started pressing it down just as a large explosion shook the ground. Jacqueline was thrown away from Percival and lost her hold on the needle. She was unable to brace herself because she used her hands to cradle her stomach, which caused her head to bounce against the floor several times before she came to a stop against something solid.
The room had gone dark, and Jacqueline wasn’t sure if it was from the explosion or the head injury she surely had. She smiled, not caring either way because her mate was there. She felt Ben coming, getting closer and closer with each rapid beat of her heart.
“You bitch! I will kill you for this.”
She heard Percival groan and saw him staggering to his feet through the smoke filling the room. Jacqueline gasped as every nerve in her body felt as though it had begun to vibrate at the closeness of her mate. She couldn’t see him yet, but she could hear booted steps getting closer and closer. Percival must have heard them as well because he paused his steps toward her and hesitated as if trying to decide if he had enough time to kill her. Evidently, he decided she wasn’t worth it because he turned and ran into the other direction.
“Don’t worry, little one,” Jacqueline whispered to her baby. “Daddy is here to take us home.”
Ben came into the room just then, and Jacqueline felt her pulse soar at the sight of seeing him. She watched as he scanned the room until those chocolate eyes of his finally landed on her. When he saw her, he rushed over and dropped to his knees. He gently lifted her into his arms and cradled her.
Jacqueline felt safe and protected for the first time in four months. “Hi,” she whispered as she smiled up at him. Now that she knew he was there and wouldn’t let anything happen to her, she gave in to the throbbing of her head and let the darkness wash over her.
* * * *
Ben pulled his little mate against his chest and held her as tight as he could. He hadn’t been able to let her go since he had found her lying on the floor in Percival’s bunker. They’d gone back to Mitch’s home, and he had immediately carried her up to his bedroom. After gently undressing her, he put her in his bed and climbed in behind her. He needed to feel her skin against his, to feel her warmth, and to smell her spicy cinnamon scent. Ben needed all of those things to let him know his mate was really there and it wasn’t some dream.
He ran his hand down to her stomach and rested it on the swell of her belly and smiled. When Jacqi had gone away, her stomach had been flat. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to tell her she was pregnant. Now, his pup was resting there, safe and sound.
“We both missed you.”
Ben lifted his head at the sound of Jacqi’s voice. “You have no idea how much I missed the both of you. I thought I was going to go crazy.”
Jacqi turned over on her back so that he was above her. “I’m so sorry, Ben. He got into the house somehow, and all I could think was that he was there because of me. I couldn’t let Tessa and Nico be hurt because of that. You have to believe me. If I had known I was pregnant, I would have never risked my life like that.”
Ben kissed the tears from his mate’s eyes. “Shh, little mate. You did nothing wrong. From what Tessa told us, you saved their lives.”
“Does she hate me for what I did? I said some awful things to get her to go into that safe room and close the door without me.”
“No one blames you for what you did. Tessa understands, and so do I. I’m just glad I have you back.” Not able to resist any longer, Ben leaned down and kissed her. He meant to take it slow, but as his mate’s scent surrounded him and her taste exploded on his tongue, four months of longing for her caught up with him. Ben lost control. As he deepened the kiss, his mind told him to take it easy and slow down, but her moan and the way she writhed against him spurred Ben on.
He pulled back, panting when breathing became absolutely necessary. “I need you, little mate. I’ve missed you so much. I thought of nothing but you every second you were gone, wondering if you were hurt, if you were cold or hungry. I was in hell not having you by my side.” He didn’t give Jacqi a chance to respond. He wasn’t trying to make her feel guilty. He just wanted to her know why he was desperate to have her. His skin was crawling with need.
Ben rested his forehead against
her as he stared down into her eyes. They were shining with unshed tears, but he didn’t smell any sadness or despair coming from his mate. All he smelled was her arousal growing stronger as he trailed his fingers down her chest, lightly circling her breast until he got to her nipple, which was already standing at attention for him. Taking it between his forefinger and thumb, he pinched it and grinned when Jacqi shuddered and moaned. She arched her back, pressing her breast further into his hand, and Ben stared at the column of her neck that was revealed to him.
He saw his mating mark on her shoulder. The scar had been red and swollen the last time he had seen her. Now, he still saw the mark, but it had faded. Ben’s mouth watered to mark her again, to let her know she was still his. He felt his teeth begin to lengthen at the thought and felt his control slipping even further.
Leaning down, Ben clamped his mouth on her shoulder and flicked his tongue over her mark. His mate cried out in his ear as she spread her legs and wrapped them tightly around his waist. He felt the moist heat from her as his cock lined up perfectly with her pussy from the move. Ben flexed his hips several times, making his cock slide easily along her wet cunt. He made sure the tip of his cock bumped her swollen clit several times while he assaulted her mark with his tongue.
Jacqi finally threaded her fingers through his hair and held his head against her as she shouted her orgasm to the ceiling. That was all Ben could take. Gripping her thighs, he pulled until she released her hold on his waist. He rolled his mate to her stomach and lifted her so she was on all fours with her perfect ass swaying in his face. Ben bent down and lapped at the fluid that had gathered on her thighs before straightening.
Forever Is Not Enough [Council Enforcers 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 13