by Becca Van
“Tammy? Are you all right?” Carter asked.
“Yes.” Tammy turned to Crag and placed her hand on his thigh. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you. I got lost in my memories.”
“Do you want to talk about what’s upsetting you, darlin’?” Crag asked.
“No. I’m okay. Really.”
“No, you’re not.” Crag stroked a finger down her face. “I can smell your anxiety, darlin’. Don’t you go getting yourself into a lather. Carter and I won’t leave you alone with him.”
“I know. Thank you. You have no idea how safe I feel with you two by my side.”
“That’s a good thing, baby.” Carter slowed the truck to the posted speed limit when they hit the outskirts of Durango. “We like to know you feel safe, and don’t ever doubt that we will protect you with our lives.”
The thought of losing Crag and Carter caused pain to pierce her heart, and Tammy was hit with the realization that she was in love with her two werewolves. Now that her mom was no longer alive and Ralph’s personality had changed, she had nothing left in this town. As she directed Carter through the streets, she took in the familiar sights because she knew that this was the last time she would be back. Her life was changing for the better, and she was going to be a mate to two sexy werewolves.
“It’s the last house on the right,” Tammy directed Carter. He slowed the truck and then stopped close to the curb.
“Just remember that we won’t let him touch you again, darlin’.” Crag leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. “He’ll have to go through both of us to get to you.”
“Thank you.” Tammy turned to face Carter when he reached over and released her seatbelt.
“You don’t have to thank us, baby. We want to make sure you’re safe. Don’t you realize by now that you mean everything to us?”
Emotion clogged Tammy’s throat, and she had to swallow before she could speak. “As much as I want to continue this conversation, do you think we can wait until we get back home?”
Carter smiled at her and then looked over at Crag. “Sure thing, baby. Let’s get you packed and back home with us where you belong.”
Carter got out of the truck at the same time Crag did. Crag reached in and pulled her across the seat before lifting her down. Tammy started up the walkway to the front door and sighed with relief when her men came up on either side of her. She fished the house keys out of her purse, put the key in the lock, and opened the front door.
A low, rumbling growl erupted from both her men, and then she was picked up and moved away from the door.
“What…”
“Shh,” Carter breathed in her ear. “Don’t talk.”
Carter ran back to the truck with her in his arms, opened the passenger door, and placed her on the seat. “Stay in here no matter what happens and lock the door.”
Tammy didn’t get the chance to ask him what was going on because he pushed her legs out of the way and closed the door. When he pointed to the lock, she pushed it, and then he ran toward the front door of the house she had lived in all her life.
Tammy was scared and wanted to know what was happening, but she didn’t want to disobey Carter and walk into a situation she had no idea about and end up putting herself or her men in danger.
She glanced at her watch and with each passing minute became more anxious. When she saw Crag come out the front door, she sighed with relief and then looked behind him to see Carter following behind. Her men were safe, and that was all that really mattered to her right now.
Crag must have gotten the car keys from Carter because he pointed them at the truck and opened the locks. Carter was standing in the middle of the front lawn talking on the phone, and by the serious expression on his face, whatever he was talking about had upset him. Crag opened the door, reached in, and pulled her into his arms. He didn’t lower her to the ground like she expected but hugged her tight against his hard body.
Dread formed in the pit of her stomach, but she wrapped her arms and legs around Crag’s neck and waist and clung to him. He shuddered, and then he eased his hold on her so he could look her in the eyes.
“You’re not going in there, darlin’.”
“The sheriff is on his way,” Carter said as he walked up to them. He pressed his front against her back and hugged her from behind.
Carter’s words finally sank in, and Tammy wiggled and pushed against Crag’s shoulders trying to get him to release her, but he tightened his hold again.
“Let me down, Crag.”
Crag reluctantly lowered her to her feet, but he kept a hand wrapped around her wrist. Tammy turned to face Carter. “What do you mean the sheriff is on his way? What’s going on?”
Carter lifted her into his arms and then sat down on the grass with her in his lap. “Tammy.” He paused to take a deep breath. “Someone broke into the house and wrecked everything.”
Tammy covered her mouth and thought about the things of her mother’s she had wanted to bring back with her. She tried to get up, but Carter just held her tighter. “Baby, whoever it was, killed your stepfather.”
“What? No, that can’t be right.” Tammy started to struggle in earnest, but Carter didn’t let her go.
Crag squatted down in front of them and gripped her chin. “Your stepfather is dead, and whoever killed him threatened you. A message was left on the wall. Apparently your stepfather owes someone money and he couldn’t make their payment deadline. The message left was for you to bring them the money or you would be killed next.”
“My. God.” Tammy lifted a shaky hand to cover her mouth. Her stomach churned and she felt sick. “Is there nothing that can be salvaged? None of my mom’s things survived? Nothing?”
“No, baby. I’m sorry.” Carter cradled her as she started to cry.
Tammy couldn’t stop the tears once they started to flow. Even though she didn’t really have much to do with Ralph, he had made her mother happy for the most part and that was all that had mattered to her at the time. She would never have wished the man dead. Although most things could be replaced, the few things she’d had of her mother’s had had a lot of sentimental value to her, and to her they were priceless. Nothing would ever be able to replace those.
Crag rubbed her shoulder and arm, and Carter rocked her until she finally managed to stop crying. She wiped her face and then looked at Carter. “Can I please go in there and see if I can find something of my mother’s things?”
“No,” Crag answered in a firm voice. “You’re not going in there, Tammy. I don’t want you to see what those fuckers did to your stepfather.”
Tammy nodded and then looked toward the drive when the sheriff’s car pulled up. He and his deputy got out of their car and walked toward them, but Crag stood up and went to meet them.
“If you promise to stay out here and not try to go inside, I can look around to see if I can find something of your mom’s,” Carter said.
“Would you?” Another sob escaped, and Tammy took a deep breath.
Carter stood up, taking her with him, and walked over to his truck. He placed her on the seat and then palmed her cheeks and wiped the moisture from her face with his thumbs, being careful not to hurt her fading bruises.
“I will, but I can’t promise you that I’ll find anything, baby. Everything of value looks like it has been cleaned out.”
Tammy nodded and tried not to get her hopes up, but she really wanted to have something of her mother’s.
The sheriff nodded toward her, and then all three men disappeared inside. Tammy kept her eyes riveted on the open doorway to the house she had lived in with her mom and prayed that Carter would find something.
She heard a car coming down the street. The loud bass of the subwoofer was booming and disturbing, but as she turned to look, the noise was shut off. The car came to the end of the street, turned into a driveway, and then backed out again. The man in the driver’s seat seemed to be staring at Carter’s truck, and then he looked at her. Tammy became a lit
tle uncomfortable under his scrutiny, but when he drove back down the street and disappeared around the corner, she relaxed again. He had probably taken a wrong turn and was trying to figure out what all was going on because of the sheriff’s car in the driveway.
Ten minutes later Carter appeared in the doorway and headed straight for her. He reached for the waistband of his jeans and under his T-shirt, removed a photo frame, and then handed it to her.
Tammy reached out with shaking fingers and took the picture. It was a photo of her and her mom, taken just before they found out her mom was sick. Her mother looked so happy in the photo with her arm around Tammy’s shoulders. She would never forget that day. It had been on a Saturday. Her mother and Tammy had spent the whole day in the garden, and after showering, Ralph had offered to take them out for dinner. It was one of the few times Ralph had smiled at her. Usually he totally ignored her. She ran her finger over her mother’s face and then gave Carter a tremulous smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, baby. You’d better hide that. I took it without the sheriff seeing. Everything inside is now considered evidence, and I think he would be pissed if he knew I took something from a crime scene.” Carter reached into his pocket, and when he pulled his hand out, Tammy caught sight of a gold chain.
He reached out, took one of her hands in his, and turned it palm up. Carter placed the necklace in her hand.
The gold chain had a unicorn on it. Her mother had given it to her for her sixteenth birthday. Tammy had always believed that magical creatures could exist, and her mother hadn’t dissuaded her from her beliefs. She didn’t care that Ralph had scoffed and snorted every time she talked about mythical things. Her mom had never told her she was being childish or ridiculous.
“Thank you.”
Carter removed the chain from her hand, opened the clasp, and secured it around her neck. When he let it go, he lifted her hair out from beneath the chain. Just as he finished, the coroner showed up. The sheriff and Crag exited, and the sheriff waved to her and Carter before going to meet the coroner.
Crag stopped in the open doorway of the truck. “Scoot over, darlin’. We’re heading back to Aztec.”
“But…”
“The sheriff has the phone number to the pack house and will contact you if he needs to. It’s going to take a while before your stepfather’s body will be released for burial. The sheriff is going to notify Ralph’s brother so arrangements can be made when they can be.”
“Okay.” Tammy was glad that she didn’t have to contact any of Ralph’s family. She’d only met his brother once, and that time had been more than enough. It had been just before her mom and Ralph were to be married, and she overheard Roger telling Ralph he thought he was stupid taking on a ready-made family. Tammy was just glad her mother hadn’t been around to hear the two brothers talking. The discussion had escalated into an argument, and that was the last time she’d seen her stepfather’s brother.
Tammy slid across the seat and buckled up. Crag got in after her, and Carter walked around the truck and got in the driver’s seat. Moments later they were on their way back to Aztec.
When they got to Aztec, Tammy was surprised when Carter pulled into a parking space near the strip of Aztec’s shopping center and turned the truck off.
“What are we doing?”
Crag palmed her face and turned her head toward him. “We are going to get you some clothes, darlin’.” When she opened her mouth to speak, Crag placed a finger over her lips. “I don’t want to hear any arguing. You need things to wear, and we are going to be paying for everything. Do you understand?”
Tammy could see by the resolute look in his eyes that it would be futile to argue, so she sighed with resignation and nodded her head.
“Good.” Crag got out and then reached in to help her out. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Crag and Carter dragged her from shop to shop and didn’t stop buying things until they thought she had a decent wardrobe. Tammy hadn’t had so many clothes before, and even though the two men made it a fun shopping expedition, she felt guilty that they were spending their money on her. They were only bar attendants and wouldn’t be earning a huge wage. Finally Tammy decided to take a stand. They were about to lead her into another shop, but she moved to the side of the door and refused to enter.
“Enough. As much as I appreciate what you’re doing, you can’t possibly afford all of this stuff.”
Carter moved closer so no one would overhear them. “Why would you think that, baby?”
“You’re bar attendants.”
“Yes, we are.” Crag smiled down at her.
“Buying clothes is expensive. I have more clothes than I am ever going to need,” Tammy said.
“Tammy, we can afford to buy you anything you want, darlin’,” Crag said.
“How?”
“The Friess Pack owns nearly all the businesses in Aztec, as well as properties. Every member of the pack gets a share of the profits, baby,” Carter explained.
“You do?”
“We both do,” Crag said. “The Reynolds Pack worked the same way. I sold all my shares back to the pack and bought into this one. We could buy you twenty wardrobes full of clothes and not even make a dent in our savings, darlin’.”
Tammy sighed with relief, but she still wasn’t going to let them spend any more money on her. They’d already spent way too much.
“I’m glad I’m not sending you both broke, but no more.”
“Okay, but don’t hesitate to ask for something you need. All right?” Carter asked.
“I’ll think about it. I need to get a job.”
“We’ll talk about that when we get home. Carter and I were thinking about setting up our own business, but we need to talk to our Alphas about it first.” Crag glanced at his watch. “I’m hungry. Let’s go to the diner and get some lunch. I could really go for some bangers and mash right now.”
“What?” Tammy asked.
“Some sausages and mashed potatoes with gravy, of course.”
“Of course. Now why didn’t I know that?” Tammy smiled at Crag and held his and Carter’s hand as they directed her across the street toward the diner.
“No worries, darlin’, by the time I’ve finished with you, you’ll be talking just like me.”
“God, I hope not.” Carter smiled down at her and rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, too.
“Nah, I think I’ll leave the bangers and mash for another day. What I’d really like to sink my teeth into is a juicy rare steak with some dead horse on it.”
Tammy screwed up her face in disgust, and Crag threw back his head and roared with laughter.
“You should see the look on your face. I thought you were about to throw up. Tomato sauce, darlin’, or in your case Ketchup.”
“The things you say.” Tammy giggled.
She felt a bit better after Crag had made her laugh, and by the glint in his eye, that was just what he had intended.
Chapter Ten
Crag could see that Tammy was exhausted after such an eventful day and wanted to order her to bed. After lunch they had driven straight back to the pack house and were now sitting in their living room enjoying a cup of coffee. She had been too quiet, so he had joked around on the way back home, telling her more colloquial Australian sayings, and she had laughed along with Carter.
When she leaned back in the sofa and her eyelids began to droop, Crag took the mug from her hand and placed it on the coffee table. Tammy leaned into him with a sigh when he placed an arm around her shoulders and shifted her closer. She nuzzled her face against his chest, and then her breathing deepened and evened out. Carter had gone to tell their Alphas about what had happened to Tammy’s stepfather and about the threat to their mate’s life.
Crag really wanted to be able to claim and mark Tammy. He didn’t want her to be able to walk away from him or Carter, and it would make their lives easier to keep her safe if it became necessary. They would be able to communicate
with her telepathically after a while and find her more easily if she was ever in trouble. Crag leaned down and kissed her on the head. It wasn’t just him that wanted to claim her. His wolf had been pushing at him over the last couple of hours, and it was getting harder to keep control of his inner animal. But he was determined to stay in control. The last thing he and Carter needed was to have an angry woman on their hands, and he had no doubt that if they took her choices away Tammy would be angry, and rightly so.
It was his and Carter’s job to protect her and make sure she was happy. Seeing her so upset this morning had nearly broken his heart, and he hoped to never see her that way again.
Crag looked up when he smelled Carter. His mate was coming back after talking to their Alphas, and he was eager to learn what they had said. Sure enough, a few moments later Carter walked in the door. He looked at Tammy and then sat down on the sofa on her other side and placed his hand on her thigh. Wolves were very tactile and needed to touch their mates often. Crag shifted so that the arm he had around Tammy connected with Carter’s shoulder, too.
“I told Jonah, Mikhail, and Brock what we found. He contacted Jake, Devon, and Greg Domain to beef up the security around the pack land and house. Jonah sent out an alert through the common pack link for everyone to be more vigilant.”
“Yeah, I heard that. Do you think whoever killed her stepfather knows where she is?” Crag asked.
“I doubt it,” Carter replied. “From what Tammy said last night, even she didn’t know where she was going.”
“It would be pretty easy for them to track her if they have her mobile phone number. They could have gotten that information when they searched and then ransacked the house.”