Rise to Embrace [Rise of the Changelings, Book 3] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove)
Page 15
“We are in the armed services and only have a day pass. My wife was very adamant about coming down here.” Brooke leaned in, winking at the man. “You know how persuasive woman can be.”
“Well,” the man said, appearing flustered, “do come in.” He stepped aside and allowed them entrance. “Although I’m not sure how helpful we can be. You are aware that martial law has been declared. We were very certain the children in our care would be taken away.”
Brooke stopped his lip from curling up into a snarl. “But until then, it wouldn’t hurt to have a look, would it?”
Again, the man looked uncertain about what to do. Apparently whoever ran this place wasn’t here at the moment, and this man was in charge.
“I–I don’t see why not,” the man stammered and then led them down a long corridor. Brooke was beginning to think that luck was finally with them when he heard the front door close loudly.
“Francis, what are you doing?”
Brooke turned to see a man standing there staring at all four of them curiously. He wasn’t in the least bit intimidating, but the hairs on Brooke’s neck stood on end. There was something off about this man.
“This couple and their brother wanted to adopt.”
The man’s smile broke up the set lines of his face. “I am—”
“Anthony Oswego,” Willow said in surprise. “Alpha Garrett told us you were dead.” Brooke and Deluca had their guns drawn before the quick inhale of breath finished in Willow’s throat. Deluca was pointing his at the portly man while Brooke had his nine millimeter aimed at Anthony’s head.
“Why don’t you tell us why Garrett hired a dead man? What does he have to do with this place?” Brooke asked.
Anthony lowered his hands, his pleasant smile turned mocking. “Why, Garrett owns the Calvary Home of Salvation.” When the man took a step closer, Brooke shot a warning shot to the right of the man.
“Trust me, I’ve been trained by the best. You don’t want to tempt me.”
The man chuckled. “I’ve heard the military—”
“Nah, buddy. My pappy taught me how to shoot a tick off a dog. He had Hawkeye rank—the highest score in shooting—in the service and was one of their best snipers. I have been shooting a gun since the age of three. If you want to find out how well I was trained, take another step.”
Just the thought of Brooke’s pappy made him homesick. It had been months since he hung out with both his fathers. He missed Dad as well. Maybe he needed to call them to make sure everything was okay at home.
“I trust you are telling the truth,” Anthony said. “But that doesn’t detract from the fact that Garrett owns this place.”
“Who’s funding it?” Deluca asked. “I know damn well Garrett can’t afford to keep his experiments going on his own. The man may love to live comfortably, but he isn’t that damn wealthy.”
“Now you are trying to make me spill all our little secrets,” Anthony said. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. Garrett would be most unhappy if he found out I ratted him out.”
“Garrett has been arrested,” Willow shot venomously at Anthony. “Your precious alpha won’t be coming back.”
Brooke was really getting tired of Anthony’s mocking smile. The man didn’t seem one bit put off that he had a gun aimed at him. “Do you think he will stay gone long? Garrett knows too many secrets to stay locked up. Trust me, little girl, one phone call and he will be a free man.”
Willow growled at him. “Where is my damn son?”
This time Anthony snarled at Willow. “Do you mean Garrett’s son?”
Deluca had to grab Willow when she shifted and went after Anthony. Brooke kept his gun aimed at the man standing by the door. “Shift and I’ll kill you before you turn furry.”
“You will not take Garrett’s son!” Anthony said indignantly. “He is our prized project.”
Brooke shot Anthony in his shoulder just as Deluca released Willow. He kept his gun aimed as Deluca grabbed Francis. “Take me to Kell or I’ll make you bleed and then drop you off in the middle of the local pack.”
Brooke watched Francis hurry away with Deluca as Willow tore into Anthony. He moved closer, making sure he had his woman covered. “Why was Enrique’s birth certificate with Garrett, and why was his father’s name circled with question marks next to it?”
The man growled loudly, his muzzle elongating. Brooke grabbed Willow, pulled her back, and then shot Anthony in his knee. “Tell me!”
Willow stood there snarling and snapping, her body stance promising to finish the job if the man didn’t give Brooke the answers he wanted.
“I would rather have her tear me apart than have Garrett come after me. He is already going to kill Francis for giving his son away.”
“He’s not Garrett’s son,” Brooke said as he pressed the gun into Anthony’s temple. “He’s my son, and if Garrett comes anywhere near him, I’ll make sure he is breathing through multiple holes in his chest.”
“You can’t defeat him!” Anthony shouted. “He’s unstoppable.”
“Boy,” Brooke said with a low whistle. “He sure as shit has your brain all screwed up. Trust me, he can be stopped. I’m going to make sure he is stopped.”
Brooke didn’t take his eyes off of Anthony as Deluca returned with a sleeping infant in his arms. Willow shifted, her hand hovering close to the pup.
“Is this him?” Deluca asked.
Willow pulled the blanket aside to reveal the tiny baby’s shoulder. There was a birthmark in the shape of a bird in flight on his flawless skin.
“That’s him,” Willow said with a sob. “That’s my Kell.”
“Then let’s get out of here.”
“There are more infants here,” Deluca said between clenched teeth.
“Then we need to find out what changeling dominates this town and send him to pay Anthony a visit.”
The three backed away from Anthony, who lay there a bloody mess. Willow growled at him one last time before heading toward the door. Brooke hated the fact that she was naked. He wanted to gouge Anthony’s eyes out just for seeing her like this.
“Get in the Humvee and get dressed,” Brooke ordered as they raced toward the back of the building. “I need to call Rick and find out what pack lives here.”
Brooke dialed Rick as Willow reached into the Humvee and grabbed her backpack. She was dressed and grabbing for Kell in under three minutes. Deluca handed the child over and helped Willow into the backseat.
“Please don’t tell me you have more distressing news,” Rick said when he answered the phone.
Brooke told him what happened and what they discovered.
“The werejackals own that territory. I’ll give Logan a call.”
“Thanks.”
“Congrats on getting your son out of there,” Rick said. “But I need you to find a motel and sit tight. I’m heading your way.”
Brooke listened to Rick tell him about Sasha turning traitor and how Nate was bringing the alpha with him. Brooke knew Rick was sick and tired of the people he thought he could trust, or at least had an alliance with turning on him.
“I’ll call you with our location when we get settled.” Brooke hung up and then hurried into the Humvee. He pulled away and prayed the werejackals burnt this place to the ground.
Willow couldn’t believe she was finally holding Kell in her arms. It felt like a dream come true. She ran her hand over his tiny head, amazed at how soft his auburn hair felt under her fingers. He had tiny streaks of red, the same color as her hair, and his nose was definitely Willow’s.
“He’s a handsome little fella,” Deluca said as he ran his rough-looking knuckle down the side of Kell’s cheek.
“He is,” Willow said and then held her breath as Kell opened his eyes. They were the same emerald-green as hers, except his looked breathtaking. “Hi, Kell,” Willow said gently with what sounded like a mixture between a laugh and a sob. She wiped at her eyes as her son stared at her. Never before had she felt so much joy,
so much relief this consuming. She felt as though she had her life back.
“Hey, Brooke, I think he’s going to be a quarterback like you were in high school,” Deluca announced from the backseat.
“How so?” Brooke asked as he glanced at Willow from the rearview mirror, giving her a mischievous wink.
“He’s a sturdy little guy.”
Willow agreed. For an infant, he had broad shoulders and a solid frame. She sat him up and laughed when he grabbed her finger and began gnawing on it.
“I think he’s hungry,” Deluca said as he ran his large hand over Kell’s hair, giving him goofy smiles. “We need to stop and get him some formula and diapers.”
“I think he’s teething,” Willow said. “Peanut used to do the same thing when she was a baby, and I can feel something hard hitting my finger.”
“We need to get him a teething ring then.” Deluca reached over and tapped Kell on his nose. “Mom is going to be so thrilled.”
“Mom?” Willow asked. She had never heard the two men talk about their family. She remembered Brooke speaking about someone named Pappy, but under the circumstances, she hadn’t wanted to interrupt him when he was threatening Anthony.
“Brooke’s mom. She has been after him about giving her grandbabies. Now she has three.”
Willow could see the love in Deluca’s eyes when he spoke of Brooke’s mother. She could tell he worshipped the woman. “And your mother?”
Deluca shrugged. “I’m not very close with my family. It was Brooke’s mom and dads who treated me like one of their own.”
Willow leaned sideways and kissed Deluca’s jaw. “I don’t have a family either.”
“Yes the hell you do,” Brooke bellowed from the front seat. “You, Kell, Peanut, and Trisha have a family. My mom is going to spoil those kids rotten. And I’m not even going got get started on Dad and Pappy. Those two are going to be wrapped around all three of the kids’ fingers.”
“And Laura is going to love you as well, Willow,” Deluca said as he slid an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head.
“How do you know?” Willow became a little worried. These two men obviously loved Brooke’s mother fiercely. She wasn’t sure she would measure up. Willow had the two on the run from their own government and damn near got both of them killed a few times. She couldn’t think of any mother who would love a woman that had put her sons in danger.
“Because we love you.”
Willow blinked back the tears threatening to spill as she gazed back down at Kell. She knew the bond would grow deeper the longer she was mated to these two men. But what she hadn’t been prepared for was an instant acceptance into not only their lives, but their family as well. She wasn’t in this alone, and from the way the two men protected her and the kids, she knew they would do whatever it took to keep them safe.
Chapter Seventeen
Deluca stood in the aisle of the convenience store and felt absolutely and utterly lost. He glanced at the different packages of diapers and hadn’t a clue which one to get. He picked up the size one and knew they wouldn’t fit Kell. The boy was way too big for those little things. Maybe one butt cheek would fit in the diaper.
He put the bag back and picked up the packaged marked size two. Trying to figure out which diaper he needed to buy was worse than when Deluca took two weeks to decide what truck he wanted to purchase. It seemed that decision was easier than picking out diapers. He shuddered at the thought of having to pick out formula.
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the clerk was watching something on the small television he had on the back counter. Deluca poked the bag open with his finger and then pulled a diaper out.
He just stared at it.
What in the hell was he supposed to do with this? It was one big Band-Aid. He would be the first to admit that he had never been around babies and had never changed a diaper. But it looked like it would fit between Kell’s legs.
Deluca grabbed the bag he had opened and then looked around for the formula. He didn’t see it anywhere. Maybe he could get the kid a six-pack of juice boxes. How old did an infant have to be to drink one of those things? Kell was sitting up in Willow’s lap on his own. Shouldn’t he be drinking from a cup?
His eyes slid over to the cooler where the drink boxes were sitting on the cooler shelf.
Grape or cherry?
Apple. Deluca liked apple. Maybe Kell would share with him.
He grabbed a six-pack of all three flavors and then headed toward the counter. It was only a convenience store, but Deluca looked around to see if he could find anything else for Kell. He spotted the beef jerky and grabbed a few packs.
Those were for him, but if Kell wanted some, Deluca would share.
“I’m really hoping the jerky and juices are for you,” Brooke said as he walked in. “Kell is only six months. He needs milk.”
Deluca stared down at the counter and felt embarrassed that he had grabbed the juice. Hadn’t Willow said milk? But he thought…never mind. “They’re for me.”
Brooke walked down the aisle with the diapers and grabbed a size three, setting them on the counter. “Since you opened the bag, we have to get the size two as well.”
“Will that be all?” the clerk asked.
“I need some baby formula,” Brooke said as he pulled out his wallet. “I need it to be soy and easy to digest.”
Deluca grabbed the juice and jerky and walked from the store.
“Hey,” Brooke called as he caught up to Deluca. “What’s your problem?”
“You!” Deluca said as he spun around. “Could you have made me feel any more inadequate in there?”
Brooke shifted the bag in his hand, his amethyst eyes searching Deluca’s face. “I’m not sure what’s going on with you, but I don’t need your shit right now.”
“Of course you don’t,” Deluca said as he pointed a jerky-filled hand at Brooke. “Brooke, the man who always has it together. Brooke, the man who always knows what to say to the ladies. Brooke, the man with the perfect fucking family. Why would he care if he just made Deluca feel like he was a fucking idiot? You know, just because I’m clueless when it comes to kids doesn’t mean you can make me feel like a total moron.”
“No,” Brooke said as he narrowed his eyes. “You’ve always managed to do that so well on your own. And for your goddamn information, Willow told me what diaper size to get and which formula to pick out. How in the hell would I know? I’ve never had to take care of a kid.” Brooke dropped the bag on the ground and shoved his finger into Deluca’s chest. “And you have some nerve, Deluca. It’s you who always gets the ladies. I’m always the one stuck with their friends or relatives.”
“Name one woman you were stuck with.” Deluca growled out the words. He was sick of feeling like the reject of the pair. He loved Brooke like a brother, but living in the man’s shadow was daunting at times. Yeah, Deluca was fucking fabulous at sex, but that didn’t amount to a hill of beans when it came to taking care of a family.
“Thelma.”
Deluca stopped ranting inside his head and just blinked at Brooke. His friend had caught him from left field on that one. “Suzie’s friend from high school?”
“Come on, Deluca. Tell me you would have dated her.”
Deluca shook his head as he thought back to the girl who had become obsessed with Brooke. “No, but I thought maybe you were going through a phase.”
“God hasn’t invented a phase like that. The only reason I went out with Thelma was because she was Suzie’s friend. Did you know she was a psychopathic stalker when you stuck me with her? I had Pappy tell her I had left for the service three months before I actually went.”
Deluca thought back to the time he was dating Suzie. She was a sweet gal, but not someone he would have taken home to Brooke’s mom. Suzie was a little too giving when it came to the charms of guys. Half the football team knew her intimately. “Is that why you refused to go anywhere with me that summer?”
“But you’re smooth as hell with Willow.” That was something that bothered the shit out of Deluca. Anytime he was around Willow, Deluca became a sex-craved jerk. He wasn’t sure what to say to her or how to act. She had him feeling like his insides were turned all around. It was different with Kell. Deluca could talk about a baby. But if Willow wanted to discuss something deep, Deluca was screwed.
Brooke snorted. “Dude, I wing it and hope like hell I get it right. I’ve never been smooth with any woman. I always went out with your date’s sister or cousin or friend. Tell me you are that thickheaded that you didn’t notice that little detail?”
Deluca had, but he just thought Brooke was moody at the time. They were teenagers after all. He never knew his best friend was that damn shy around women. Brooke was a looker. It shocked Deluca that he wouldn’t have all the self-confidence in the world. The man had that dark and mysterious look that women craved. “Maybe,” he finally admitted.
“And if you bad-mouth Mom, Dad, and Pappy again, I’ll slug you. I got real damn lucky with them. I thank god every day that I have them.” Brooke leaned against the Humvee, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Besides, you know they wouldn’t trade you for the world.”
Deluca ran a hand over his head, feeling the insecurities rising up in him once more. Never before had he been in love, and he felt like he was running in a thousand different directions when it came to telling Willow just how he felt. “I don’t have a damn clue what I’m doing when it comes to Willow. She’s like this,”—Deluca waved his hands toward the sky—“and I’m like this…” He waved his hands toward his head. “God, I can’t even get my thoughts together when it comes to her.”
“She’s beautiful, feisty, has a killer-ass body, and is the sweetest gal I’ve ever met. Don’t you think I wonder why she picked us? Trust me, Deluca, I’m just as clueless as you are.”