by Ripley, Meg
Everything was working out perfectly. His work life was practically soaring, and now his home life was starting to settle down. He and Cathy were getting along much better now that they’d had their little talk. The children still gave her trouble, but he was confident she would get them sorted out. He knew she genuinely cared about them, and that was more than he could say even for their own mother.
His mind recounted walking in on her getting out of the bathtub. Jackson had already known Cathy was a stunning woman, and even the conservative clothes she wore while on the job weren’t enough to disguise the tantalizing body lying beneath. But the hints at her curves under her clothing were nothing compared to seeing the real thing. Her breasts were heavy and full, slimming down to a neat waist and smooth hips. Soap lather clung to her body, sliding down slowly, suggestively. It had been more than his dragon could bear, and he had frozen on the spot, unwilling to look away, even though his human conscious knew it was the right thing to do.
Once he’d finally made a hasty exit from the bathroom, he thought he might have to fire her. He didn’t know how he would look her in the eye—especially with his engorged member firmly pressing against his zipper, begging to be freed. He’d seen her in a far less than professional state, and it was going to be impossible to talk to her without thinking of the way her wet skin glistened in the candlelight. As he climbed the stairs, he wondered what the future held for the two of them. Would she stay despite all the difficulties of working with him and his children? Or would she meet some young guy and run off to get married, leaving him without childcare once again?
His dragon nagged at the back of his mind with another question. He tried to push it away, but it was determined. Could the two of them end up like Damien and Brianna, trying to keep things professional as long as possible before finally succumbing to their carnal desires? Was Cathy as attracted to him as he was to her? Damien had warned Jackson, after all. He’d denied the possibility, but that was before he had seen just how scrumptious Cathy was, this brazen, fair-skinned woman who had the power to drive his inner beast completely wild like no human had before.
All thoughts vanished when he reached his office and discovered that the door was open a crack. He had all his employee files in there, as well as the safe, so he was very careful about keeping the door shut and locked. Only Mac had a key, but he was just as diligent as Jackson was.
His heart froze when he noticed the piece of paper that had been carefully placed in the middle of his desk. Jackson always kept his desk clear, and what lay on it was nothing he immediately recognized. He picked up the paper and carefully unfolded it.
Shut down Bliss immediately, or you will lose what’s most important to you.
His fingers shook in anger and he could feel his talons threatening to emerge as he read it over several times. This could only be another one of Babcock’s threats. So far, none of them had panned out very well for the man, but Jackson didn’t like the implications. He immediately snatched up the phone and dialed his house number. It rang and rang, but no one answered.
Jackson practically flew down the stairs. Mac was nowhere in sight, most likely manning the crush of patrons at the front door. He spotted Damien, still standing near the corner of the stage, and Cameron was no longer with him. Jackson shoved his way through the crowd and took Damien by the arm, practically dragging him aside. He had to tell someone his plan, and the record executive was one of his best friends.
“What’s going on?” Damien had seen the look of panic on Jackson’s face. “Is everything okay?”
“No.” Jackson held up the note he’d found, the paper now crumpled in the grip of his hand. “I think Alex Babcock might be threatening my family. I called the house, but there’s no answer. I’m heading over there to make sure they’re okay. It might just be another bluff, but I have to make sure.”
Damien nodded his understanding. “I’m coming with you.”
“You don’t have to do that. You have things going on here.”
His friend’s dark eyes were serious. “I know I don’t have to. But the band is doing fine, and some things are more important than business. I know you would do the same for me, so let’s go.”
The two men shoved through the remainder of the crowd and headed out the back door, shedding their suits before shifting into their dragon forms. Jackson tossed his head back as the sensation of the change shivered down his spine, ejecting tiny spikes along the back of his head and down his back. Brilliant gold scales rippled down his body, replacing his skin with the armor that he always carried beneath it.
Damien followed suit, transforming into his onyx-scaled form, and once their majestic wings pushed through their shoulder blades, they took off, flying high over the Los Angeles nightlife toward Beverly Hills.
Chapter Eight
In an effort to get the children away from the TV screen for a little while, Cathy had insisted that they go to the park after an early dinner. To her surprise, they agreed eagerly instead of arguing that they wanted to watch the latest episode of Family Ties. The evening was a cool and pleasant one, but the trip hadn’t quite gone the way Cathy had planned.
“Jonathan, I can’t even begin to tell you how disappointed I am in you,” she said sternly as they made their way down the sidewalk toward home. “You were exceptionally rude to those children. There’s no reason that you can’t share the monkey bars. You don’t own them, you know.”
He gave no response, walking along next to her with hunched shoulders and a scowl on his face.
“When you leave the house,” Cathy continued, “you’re representing your family. It’s shameful to act that way. You’ll make everyone think the Caseys are rude, selfish people. I know that’s not true, and your father would be disappointed in you as well.” She wasn’t completely sure that was true. Her connection with Jackson was a better after their talk the other night, but Cathy still didn’t know exactly where Mr. Casey stood on everything. In general, he seemed to be a believer in the notion that kids would be kids, and that there wasn’t much point in trying to change them. She made a mental note to discuss Jonathan’s behavior with him as soon as she had the chance. “Do you understand me, young man?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry.”
Cathy blinked. Jonathan had never apologized without being specifically prompted, and he sounded almost sincere. She would take what she could get, and she smiled to herself at the new milestone.
Jessica, on the other hand, had been as sweet as pie the entire time. She had insisted on skipping the entire way to the park, she played nicely with a few other little girls that were about her age and had insisted on holding Cathy’s hand for the duration of walk home.
Cathy reminded herself that this was exactly what she’d been hoping for. It was progress with these children who practically had to take care of themselves during their young lives, and nothing was going to happen overnight. If she could make this much of a difference in only a few weeks, there was no telling what she might be able to do with them over the next year. For the first time in a while, she felt as though she had a goal in life, and she loved it. She loved them, even though they still resented her when she tried to get them to eat their vegetables.
As they turned the corner onto the next palm tree-lined street, Cathy caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye that she didn’t like: a sleek black sedan turning with them, slowly pacing them from a distance. Cathy tried to tell herself that it was just her imagination, and she was being paranoid since she had never lived in a big city before. But there was something about the situation that unsettled her, and it was better to be safe than sorry.
“Hey, I have a fun idea!”
Jonathan turned to her, his brow wrinkled in confusion. “I thought I was in trouble.”
“I think we’ve already dealt with that. I want to test your navigation skills.”
Now it was Jessica’s turn to give her an odd look. “Navitation?”
“Navigation,
” Cathy corrected. “Let’s try taking a new way home. Turn here, Jonathan.”
He did as he was told, but he didn’t seem very happy about it. “I thought you said we were going to do something fun.”
“Yes. Now you have to tell me where we’ll turn next if we’re still going to get back to the house.”
“Oh, up there!” Jessica jumped up and down as she pointed excitedly toward the next street. “I recognize those pretty purple flowers. We pass by those when we drive down to the store.”
“Good job,” Cathy commended her. But she had to force the enthusiasm into her voice, because the vehicle was still following them. She walked a little faster, scanning the sidewalks for a friendly face she could stop and have a neighborly chat with, just so she wouldn’t be alone. But everyone was indoors, watching TV or still eating their dinners.
When the house was within sight, Cathy decided to change tactics. “Okay. Here’s a new game. Why don’t we have a race to the house and see who can get there first?” She pulled her key out of her pocket, keeping it ready in her fist and hoping she could manipulate the tumbler fast enough.
“Yeah!” Finally, something Jonathan was excited about. “Get ready, get set, go!”
The children took off. Cathy was fit, but she couldn’t compare to those young legs. Still, she pushed her body as fast as it would go, reaching the door immediately after the kids did. Her fingers shook as she unlocked the door, and she slammed it shut behind them once they were inside.
“That was fun!” Jonathan yelled.
“Let’s do it again!” Jessica piped up.
But Cathy was too busy looking out the window. The black car had indeed come down their street, and it now passed slowly by the house. At least they were inside, and they were safe. Still, maybe she should call the police.
“Welcome home,” announced an unfamiliar voice behind her.
Cathy swiftly turned to see a man standing in the middle of the living room. A scar ran down one cheek, and he was grinning confidently at them. He had several other men flanking him on either side, all of them impeccably dressed.
“Who are you?” Cathy demanded as she stepped forward, putting herself between the children and the strange man. “Get out of this house, immediately.”
“Oh, we will. But not until we’ve got what we came for.”
Cathy had always imagined that burglars came in the middle of the night, dressed in black, but if these guys wanted to walk away with some stereo equipment, then she wasn’t going to stop them. “Fine. We’ll just get out of your way.”
“That won’t be necessary.” The man flicked a finger, and the thugs at his side darted forward.
Cathy threw herself at the brutes, but she had no way of stopping them. They were incredibly powerful, and when she tried to prevent one of them from grabbing Jessica, he practically tossed her across the room with one hand. She fell to the floor, only to be grabbed by a third man. Her arms were wrenched around behind her back, her hands tied together at the wrists. She could hear Jonathan and Jessica screaming and crying, and her heart broke a little more with each sound.
She twisted and shoved with every ounce of energy she had. Her foot met with the crotch of one man, but it wasn’t enough to stop them. A black van screeched into the driveway, and they were hustled out and loaded into the back of it. They got the children in first, and then Cathy knew she could no longer fight. She had to be with the children, at least. The back doors slammed and the van took off.
Jessica huddled next to her, tears streaking down her fearful face. The kidnappers hadn’t tied the children’s hands, and the little girl wrapped her arms around Cathy’s waist. “Why are they doing this to us, Cathy?”
Even Jonathan scooted over and leaned on her arm. “I’m scared,” he whispered.
Tears of anger and terror burned at the backs of Cathy’s eyes. She didn’t know who these men were or why they had taken them. She wondered if it was simply because they knew Mr. Casey was wealthy and they could get money out of him. It didn’t really matter what the reason was behind their actions, because no reason was worth having these poor children being terrified out of their minds. Cathy was scared, too, but she knew she needed to be strong for them. She laid her cheek on each of their heads, wishing she could put her arms around them. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”
There were no windows in the back of the van, so Cathy had no way of keeping track of where they were headed. The ride seemed to last an eternity, but she wasn’t sure she was happy when the vehicle finally stopped. It meant there was just another opportunity for these guys to hurt them. “Just stay close to me,” she whispered to the kids.
The back door of the van flew open, revealing the scarred man who seemed to be in charge. “Come on.”
Cathy put on a brave face and climbed out, the children immediately behind her. She followed the man into a warehouse, knowing she had no choice, considering there were at least four other men escorting them from the van into the building. Judging by their strength, Cathy had already surmised that they were shifters. There was nothing she could have done to stop them, and she didn’t like that. If it hadn’t been for Jonathan and Jessica, she would have been cursing the dragons up and down.
The inside of the building was vast and echoey. Dust danced around the lightbulbs far overhead on the distant ceiling. A few crates were scattered around, but the place didn’t look like it had been used for its intended purpose for quite some time.
The scarred man pointed at the floor at one end of the building. “Sit.”
Cathy kept her eyes on him and the others as she obeyed, glad that the children were doing as she asked for once. They stayed immediately by her side, clutching at her hands even though they were tied behind her back. “What do you want?” she demanded.
“I just want you to sit down and shut up for right now,” the man retorted. “The boss will be along soon, and if he wants to talk to you, then he’ll talk.”
Poor Jessica was crying so hard now that she was silent, tears rolling down her face and splashing onto the concrete.
“It’s okay,” Jonathan said, reaching across Cathy to touch his little sister’s hand. “I’ll protect you. I bet these guys don’t know who I really am, and that I brought my teeth and claws with me.”
It was the sweetest thing she had ever heard come out of his mouth, and it nearly made Cathy want to cry as well. But she had to make sure that Jonathan was safe. “That’s kind of you, dear, but I’m pretty sure they’re shifters, too,” she whispered. She glanced up to see if their abductors were listening, but they were talking amongst themselves about twenty feet away. “Let’s save your secret weapon until the last moment.”
“I can do it, too,” Jessica pouted, swiping at her tears. “I just don’t do it very much because it’s itchy.”
It would have been a horrible time to laugh, but Cathy was so endeared by Jessica’s sentiment that she had to bite her tongue to stop the giggle that swelled up in her throat. “Is it itchy now?”
She nodded, a determined look on her face. “You know, when the scales come out? It always itches when they go back, too.”
“She’s human, Jessica. She doesn’t know.”
Unfortunately, Jonathan’s remark was far too true. Cathy wished desperately that she had some sort of defense against these men. They could get up and make a run for it, but they would never make it out of the warehouse without being caught. She studied the room around her, looking for some sign of hope.
The sound of a vehicle pulling up outside made her heart lift, but the man who walked through the door wasn’t anyone she recognized. He was dressed in a dark suit that matched his eyes and his hair, and his mouth was a thin line across his tanned face. The sight of him made Cathy’s stomach clench in on itself.
“Well, well, well. Looks like you boys did an even better job than I expected.” He turned and smiled at the man with the scarred face. “Who’s the woman?”
The other man shrugged.
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask her.”
“Untie her, at least. It’s not like she’s going anywhere.” He laughed at his own joke, and he extended his hand when one of the other goons had cut Cathy’s ropes loose. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Alex Babcock.”
Cathy reached out shakily. She knew that name; she had heard it from Mr. Casey. This was either a very good sign or a very bad one. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” she said as politely as she could.
Alex took her hand in his, gripping hard and yanked her to her feet. His dark eyes glittered as they raked down her body and back up to her face. “You’re a pretty thing. Why don’t you come with me for a minute?”
The children scrambled to their feet and clung to her legs. Alex was still gripping her hand firmly, reminding her that his question was just a rhetorical one and she had no choice but to go with him. “It’s all right. You two stay right here, together, and remember what I told you.” She shot a meaningful look at Jonathan, silently pleading with him not to shift into a dragon and bite someone.
He looked as though he was about to argue, but he nodded silently and took his sister’s hand. The two of them sat down again, huddling together on the concrete.
“Be good,” she reminded them firmly.
Alex pulled her across the big floor of the warehouse to a door at the other end of the building. He opened it and flicked on a light switch, revealing an office space that was just as dilapidated as the rest of the place. An old desk sat in the corner, two of the drawers sitting at odd angles where they had come off their tracks. A few moldy cardboard boxes rested in the corner. The one window in the room was high on the wall, showing only the blackness of night that had fallen.