Attagirl, Mais. You let them know that she’s well protected, and maybe they’ll get the message that she’s off limits.
Opening his eyes again, Teaghen saw Kianna and Alex heading back to their table, a frown marring his beautiful mate’s face.
“What the hell is going on, Teaghen? Seriously, I’m a big girl and can go to the bathroom all by myself,” she bitched.
“Settle down, Kia. I sent Alex to keep an eye out for you because we’ve got some strangers in here asking about you,” he told her.
“What? Where are they?”
* * * *
“How do you know they’re looking for me? They could be just businessmen stopping for lunch on the way to the city?” she asked, but from the undertone of fear he detected in her voice, Teaghen knew she was scared.
“I noticed a Ford Expedition following us since we left the prison. They were waiting in the parking lot for us when we came out from seeing Sean. I’m pretty sure they are some of Ray’s cronies. They’ve been pumping Maisy for information, but she’s not giving them anything, but she’s certainly making sure that they know you’re well protected.” Teaghen stood and let Kia slide back into the booth. Alex sat across from him with his back to the men at the far side of the diner.
Maisy had finished taking the men’s order, and she placed it on the Lazy Susan for the cook.
“Maisy’s bringing our food over now. We need to see if she was able to find out anything from them,” Duncan said.
With her arms full, Maisy came to the table and started depositing their food in front of them. All the while, a frown creased her forehead.
“What’s up, Maisy?” Teaghen asked her. He hadn’t seen that look on her face before. Maisy was one of the most upbeat people that he knew, and he’d never known her to frown before. Something was definitely wrong, something that had her really worried.
“They smell evil, alpha, pure, unadulterated, evil,” Maisy said quietly, her hand shaking as she poured coffee for them. “I don’t know what they’re after, but they aren’t as friendly as they’d like me to believe, so it might be in your best interest to give some of the betas a call to come and bring you back to the compound.” Raising her free hand up as if in surrender, she continued, “I know you boys can take care of yourselves and your mate, but I wouldn’t put it past these guys to have more men waiting in ambush for you up the road a ways.”
Duncan pulled out his cell, stood, and walked with Maisy into the kitchen. Teaghen pulled Kianna in close and whispered into her ear, “Eat up, baby. It won’t take long for Derek and the boys to get here, and once they’re here, I want to move quickly. I trust Maisy’s instincts probably as much as mine or my brothers’, and if she smells trouble, then nine times out of ten, there’ll be trouble.”
* * * *
Kianna was scared. Was this why Bubba had left her the ranch, so that he could continue to torment her even from the grave?
She knew when she had come here that she would cause a stir and that Ray would probably try to pull a few nasty tricks to get her to leave. She’d been prepared for that. She wasn’t prepared to come back to a ranch that was a drop-off point for smugglers or that her brother would actually try and have her killed. Had the world gone fucking mad? She knew from her experiences during childhood that evil existed. She understood it more and more with every punch or kick that Bubba gave her, but Ray’s evil was something completely different. His mind was so far gone from the norm, he’d even tried to have Sean killed in prison. He was crazier than Bubba ever had been.
“Sweetheart…? Kianna…?” Teaghen’s voice brought her thoughts back to the men at the table.
Alex slid closer and put his arm around her shoulder and nuzzled her neck. “I can smell your terror, baby. Don’t worry. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“But, what about the three of you? You may be strong and all wolfie-like, but you can’t outrun a bullet, and you certainly can’t stop one.” Kianna leaned into Alex’s warmth.
Kianna saw the smile on Teaghen’s face at her concern. She loved them as much as they loved her, and she wanted to protect them as well.
“Honey, that’s why Duncan is calling some of our security team in. We know we can protect you as well as each other, but why even chance getting hurt when we don’t need to. Our security team is well trained and will make sure that you, above all, will be protected.” Teaghen kissed her temple, picked up her fork, and handed it to her. “Now eat, so when they get here, we’ll be ready to roll.”
Once she started to eat, her stomach began to settle a bit, and from having not felt very hungry an hour ago, she certainly gobbled her salad up quickly.
Duncan had come back to the table, and he and his brothers were talking quietly about general day-to-day things that went on at the compound. She listened intently, loving the sound of each of their voices.
She giggled to herself that because Alex hadn’t wanted to lift his arm from around her, he looked hilarious trying to eat a burger one-handed. She felt the heat rise in her face as she thought about how good it felt in their arms. Realizing just how much they all had come to mean to her brought another smile to her face.
“Well, that is a much better look on your face, baby.” Teaghen smiled back. “What were you thinking about that made you smile like that?”
She snuggled closer to Alex a little more and said shyly, “I was thinking about how much I love all of you.”
All three men stopped whatever they were doing and turned to look at her.
Had she said something wrong? Maybe she shouldn’t have told them how she felt? They hadn’t really said anything about their feelings. Yes, she knew she was their mate, but what did that really mean?
“Don’t,” was all Duncan said before placing a finger under her chin and lifting her face so that she could meet his gaze. “Don’t you dare think that we don’t feel the same as you, baby. We all love you more than we can say, and to hear you say you love us as well is the best gift.” Duncan leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips.
Alex turned her to face him, kissed her on the nose, and said, “If you hadn’t come back here this year, sugar, we had made plans to come and get you. We have known that you were ours for a long time, but as we’ve told you before, you needed to be given time and space to grow up. You needed to grow into the strong woman that you are.”
* * * *
Teaghen could feel the eyes of the men across the room on them and wanted nothing more than to rip their throats out. If they were hired goons of Rays, then they should have done a little more research on their targets. Kianna had already been hurt by Bubba and Ray, and he and his brothers were not ever going to allow her to be hurt again, and if that meant Ray had to die, then so be it.
Chapter 12
Derek and the others pulled up in front of the diner and watched the strange men from his position in the truck. Picking up his cell, he called into the diner to let his alphas know that he and his men were there and ready for any unexpected events. He was glad when Teaghen picked up quickly.
“Hey, Teag, we’re outside ready and waiting, but I wanted to let you know that Anthony spotted two vehicles parked off the road by the compound entrance, and then I noticed we had developed a tail on our way here. Be prepared for a fast and bumpy ride back.” Derek knew that they’d make sure that they made it back safely to the compound, he just didn’t like not knowing exactly what type of firepower, if any, these guys might have. He’d been part of the alphas’ security team for many years, and he and his men would give their lives to protect Teaghen, Alex, and Duncan. Their alphas were good men who treated everyone in the pack as part of their family. No one was ever left to struggle on their own.
“We’re on our way out now, Derek. Do you see the three at the front by the window? I don’t know who they’re working for, whether it’s Ray or his cronies, but they’ve been trying to get information about Kianna out of Maisy.”
Derek burst out laughing.
“I bet that didn’t go well for them, did it?”
Knowing Maisy as they all did, he was well aware that she could make you think she was answering your questions when they all knew she was getting more information than she was giving.
Derek watched as Teaghen, his brothers, and their mate exited the diner and headed for their truck parked on the far end of the lot, the three strangers not far behind them.
Still holding the phone to his ear, Derek said, “Damn, boss, they’re not even trying to hide the fact they’re following you.”
“Just watch our backs until we get Kianna in the truck. When we pull out, have Tony and his boys cut them off, and you and the rest of the men follow behind us. If there’s going to be trouble, I’d like to have the man power advantage so that none of us have to shift.”
“Got it, boss. I let Tony know to cut our guests off. Did you want them to have a word with the boys as well?” Derek asked.
“See what information they can get from them without doing too much damage, all right? And Derek, make sure Tony gets any weapons they have. I don’t want them being able to use them on any of us at a later time.”
“I’ll make sure he knows, Teag. We’ll be right behind you when you head out.” Derek placed his cell back in the case on his belt and radioed Tony the rest of his instructions. Tony would make sure their new friends stayed put awhile, and when they did let them leave, they weren’t going to be armed.
* * * *
Alex opened the door and helped Kianna into the backseat, all the while making sure that Teaghen’s instructions were being followed. He didn’t know why he even worried about it. Derek and Tony were two of the best security men in the business and he was also proud to call them good friends. They would make damn sure that Kianna and his brothers were well protected. As his brothers climbed into the front and Teaghen started the engine, he noticed that Duncan smiled and waved to the three men sitting in the Expedition. As Teaghen pulled out, the men started to pull out behind them, only to be cut off by Tony and his men. Alex watched behind him as he saw Tony open the door and pull one of the men from the truck and push him up against the side of the truck as two of their other security men grabbed the other two. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he faced forward again and pulled Kianna in close to him. They weren’t out of the woods yet, he knew there were still the men waiting for them outside the compound.
Hopefully, by the time they arrived, some of their men would have been able to disperse the unwanted visitors.
“When we get closer to the compound, baby, I want you to put your head in my lap and keep it there until I tell you to sit up, okay?” Alex asked her.
“Really, Alex…? I don’t think this is the time for you to get frisky with me. Couldn’t you wait until we got home?” Kianna gave him a big smile and kissed his cheek quickly.
He hadn’t expected an answer from her because whether she agreed with him or not, her head was going in his lap, and he was going to keep her covered. There was no way they would allow there to be any chance that something would happen to her. But his sweet little mate just had to tease him.
“You just wait until I get you home, little one. Then you can suck my cock all night long if you want.” Alex smiled right back at her.
Their trucks had all been designed and built specifically for them, so they were all pretty much bulletproof. Not because they had a lot of dealing with people shooting at them, it was just something they decided to do after Sean shot Steven. They realized that, although they tried to live peacefully, eventually progress was going to try to invade on their land, and they wanted to be prepared for any eventuality. Maybe it was a bit paranoid, but it wasn’t like one of the pack could go to the hospital if they were shot by a poacher while on patrol. They were shape-shifters, and unless it was a silver bullet, they would heal much too quickly to be able to explain it to hospital staff. Even if it was silver, as long as it was removed fairly quickly, they would still heal. It would take their bodies twice as long because of the silver poisoning, but they would survive. That’s one of the reasons they had the hospital built in the barn at the compound. And should any of them need further treatment, they had made damn sure they had a place for a shifter to go.
“While I have my head in your lap, are you sure I can’t play a little?” Kianna asked him with a little smirk on her face.
“No playing, or I won’t be able to concentrate, baby. I’m hard enough around you all the time anyway. I don’t need you playing with my cock while I’m trying to protect you.” Alex looked back fiercely at her. He could feel how frightened she was and knew she was only trying to lighten this up, but he wanted her to be aware of how serious things could get. Her life was more important to them than anything, and he wasn’t going to play around when it came to making sure she was taken care of.
Alex could tell by the way her face dropped that he might have been a little harsh with his mate. Quickly, he reached down beside her and undid her seat belt and lifted her onto his lap. Nuzzling into her neck, he said, “I’m sorry, baby, I didn’t mean to sound so callous, but the thought of you getting even a scratch is enough to make my wolf crazy.”
* * * *
Kianna cuddled into Alex’s warmth and said, “I know I’ve brought all this trouble here to you, and I’m sorry. I never thought that it would be this bad.”
Sighing, she closed her eyes and tried to forget, for just a few moments, about Ray and all the shit he had caused and was continuing to cause. Maybe if she just gave him the ranch he’d leave her and her men alone, but she didn’t think so because there was more to what Ray wanted than just the ranch. Sean had said they’d used it for years as a place to land planes carrying items in and out of the country that they didn’t want the authorities to know about. Did Ray think she knew more than she did? Did his partners want her dead because she might talk to the authorities? Whatever Ray’s reasons for wanting her gone, it wasn’t just about the ranch. That she was sure of.
* * * *
Glancing in the rearview mirror, Teaghen quickly noticed the look of uncertainty that crossed his mate’s face. They needed to get a hold of Ray and ring the truth out of the little weasel. Kianna was not going to be placed in danger any longer than they could help it, and the only way to ensure her safety was to deal with Ray and his cronies head-on.
He looked over at Duncan and saw he also watched their mate, and the look of desire he saw in his brother’s eyes was probably mirrored in his own.
Teaghen’s meanderings were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.
Tapping the button on his Bluetooth that he’d placed in his ear the moment they’d left the diner, he answered, “Yeah, Teaghen here.”
“Eyes open, we’ve got company, boss,” Derek told him. “They’re coming up fast from behind, and it’s not the guys from the diner. It’s a different vehicle.”
Teaghen quickly relayed the message to his brothers and gave Kianna a nod to indicate it was time for her to listen to what Alex had told her earlier. He turned back to watch the road but heard Alex quietly praise her for doing what they asked of her.
“We’re just about home, baby, so don’t you worry about a thing. Derek and the boys will make sure you get to the compound safely,” Teaghen said.
Teaghen wanted to reassure her that, no matter what happened, everyone knew how important their mate was to them and her safety was paramount, but he knew his mate pretty well by now and was well aware that if he told her any of that then she would blow a gasket because she would be worried about their safety. So he left it at that and hoped she was okay with it.
Looking in the side mirror on the truck, he could see a light-colored truck racing up behind Derek. They were only about two minutes out from the turnoff to the compound, so he pressed the accelerator down a little to speed them along. He could just see the gravel road when he noticed that a group of men stood outside of some waiting cars just at the entrance. Not knowing if there were more hidden around, he
didn’t slow down as he took the turn onto the compound’s road.
Gravel spit up at the men as he took the turn hard, but the moment he made corrections to keep their truck straight, he gunned it, Derek right behind him.
Teaghen didn’t think that even Ray would be stupid enough to come on to their land to start something. After coming to a hard stop in front of their house, he shut off the engine and turned to make sure that his family was all right.
“You all okay?” he asked.
Reaching back between the seats, he pushed the hair that had fallen over Kianna’s face behind her ear and right away saw the terror on her face.
“Baby, you’re safe now. You can sit up now so that we know you’re okay,” he quietly crooned to her and watched as his mate opened her eyes and looked directly at him.
“He’s not going to stop, is he?” she asked softly.
Closing his eyes briefly, he tried to gather thoughts together. He wished he could tell her that Ray would eventually tire of his games, but he knew that would be a lie. And lying was something they would never do to her. They may not always tell her everything at once, but they would never openly lie to her.
“Don’t worry about Ray now, Kia. We’ll make sure that he’s taken care of quickly.”
There was a tap on the window beside him, and Teaghen opened it so he could speak with Derek.
“They didn’t come onto our lands, boss, but they’re still waiting at the end of the road. Tony just called with an update as well.” Derek took a step back from the door as Teaghen opened it to get out.
Bailey, Debbie - Kianna and Her Three Alpha Wolves [Featherstone Pack] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 14