Loving Laney

by Lorna Jean Roberts

  “What are you talking about?”

  He sat on the coffee table in front of her, drawing in a deep breath. “Someone tampered with those brakes, kiddo. The brake line was slit, causing it to leak fluid. Any guesses who would do that?”

  Laney shook her head. “N-no, why would anyone want to h-hurt me?”

  “What about that?” He nodded toward the bedroom. Again, she shook her head.

  “No. I just don’t understand.” She shivered. Someone had tried to hurt her, to deliberately terrify her. Looking up, she met the serious gaze of the werewolf in front of her.

  His appearance would frighten most people—he completely dwarfed her, with hands the size of her head and wide, thick muscle covering his arms and chest. A thin, jagged scar ran from the top of his right ear to end nearly at his mouth, pulling at his wide mouth, giving it a slightly crooked appearance. Laney gulped, wondering how he’d gotten that scar. Just how much did anyone know about this man? Was it a coincidence that he’d been so close when her brakes had failed? Had he really just arrived? Or had he already been here releasing the spiders?

  A dark chuckle sounded. “Kiddo, do yourself a favor and never play poker.”

  “What do you mean?” She shifted back into the sofa, surreptitiously looking around for a weapon.

  “I mean your thoughts are written all over your face. I’ve got no reason to hurt you. I didn’t even know spiders would terrify you like that.” His eyebrow rose in silent query but she shook her head. She didn’t want to share her nightmare, not with him, not with anyone. Laney relaxed slightly. If he wanted to hurt her, then he could have done so at any moment since he’d entered the house.

  “What say I get rid of the spiders so you can go to bed?”

  Laney shuddered. “I-I think I’ll sleep in the spare room. At least until Cooper gets home.”

  Cain stared at her. “He needs to know about this, Laney.”

  She nodded. “I’ll tell him when he gets back.”

  “See that you do. Because I know he won’t be happy if he has to hear it from me.”

  Now that was an understatement if ever she’d heard one.

  *

  Laney raced for the ringing phone, a towel wrapped around her precariously. She cursed softly as she dripped all over the floor. She would have let the machine pick it up, but it was close to the time that Cooper usually rang so she decided to race for it.

  Laney grasped the handle of the phone, aware her heart was racing, not from her short sprint, but from the idea that Cooper might be on the other end. Honestly, she was like a lovesick teenager. It was sickening, even to her. But did that mean was she going to stop? Hell no!

  “Hello,” she said breathlessly, hoping to hear Coop’s sexy drawl in reply. That man made talking on the phone a very, very hot experience. She’d never understood how phone sex actually worked until now.

  The sound of deep breathing came through the receiver. Disappointment hit her hard, followed closely by anger. She’d sprinted through the house sopping wet for a damn breather!

  “Hello?” Disappointment sharpened her tone, but she held on in case it was just a bad connection.

  “Hello, mouse.”

  Laney swallowed sharply as her stomach revolted, shooting bile into her mouth.

  “W-who is this?”

  “Is that anyway to speak to your Daddy? I’m coming home for you, mouse.”

  Laney barely stopped her gasp of shock. It took her a moment to push past the instinctual paralyzing fear and unfreeze her vocal chords.

  “My father is dead. I don’t know why you think this is funny but don’t call here again.” Laney hung up the phone sharply, terror streaking through her veins, causing relentless shivers to run across her skin. She sank slowly to the floor, her hands covering her ears as the phone immediately began to ring again.

  She stared up at it in fear, much as one might stare at a childhood nightmare come to life. She sat, staring as she clasped her bent legs close to her chest and rocked herself in terror.

  *

  “That’s weird.” Cooper frowned. He folded his cell phone.

  “Hmm?” Marcus murmured, his attention on the laptop sitting on his knee. A sudden jolt had him grabbing at the computer and growling good naturedly at Josiah, who was driving the Hummer limo they were traveling in.

  “Laney’s not answering the house phone.”

  Marcus looked up at the note of concern in Cooper’s voice. “You think something’s wrong?”

  “She’s probably out shopping or something.” This came from Josiah.

  “Maybe, but she knows I call about this time.” Cooper wasn’t convinced.

  “Can’t expect her to sit around waiting for your call,” Josiah offered.

  “We’ll be home shortly, anyway.” Marcus tried to reassure him.

  “Yeah, I suppose. I just have this feeling.”

  *

  God, what a coward she was, sitting here, afraid to move, afraid to even leave the house. What did she really think was going to happen? Did she honestly believe that the ghost of her father was haunting her? That a ghost had managed to pick up the phone, dial her number and threaten her? One little phone call was all it had taken and here she was, ready to hide under the covers and shiver and shake until Cooper came home to rescue her.

  Which was the last thing he needed. Cooper needed a mate who was strong, who was fearless and capable, not a little sniveling runt who ran to him with all her problems, who was scared of her own shadow. She could see his ideal mate now—tall, confident, fearless and independent.

  “Well, you can’t have him,” she yelled aloud at the imaginary woman, jumping to her feet. The towel slipped to the floor unnoticed as she clenched her fists. “He’s mine!” Ridiculously she felt better now, having chased away her imaginary competition.

  But if she couldn’t give him up to someone more worthy, then she was going to have to become that fearless warrior woman.

  Even if it meant having to face her fears head-on.

  Ten minutes later, Laney stood in front of the house she lived in as a child. All her old fears came back in a rush, physically rocking her on her feet with their intensity. She moved one step forward, forcing herself to approach the two-story timber house while every cell in her body screamed in protest.

  In order to walk inside that house, to face her demons, she was going to have to contain her terror. As a child she’d learned how to suppress her fear, to push it into that box deep inside. Laney fed her fear into that box, feeling it quiver like a washing machine on spin.

  She could see the child she had once been, too thin, wide-eyed with long, scruffy blonde hair. The child was afraid, so afraid that Laney longed to hold her, to comfort her, to tell her everything would be all right. But she couldn’t. She didn’t even believe that herself.

  While the little child inside her sat and rocked, afraid and alone, Laney opened the door and stepped inside. Her breath left her in a rush as nothing happened. No one attacked her or yelled at her, there were no ghostly appearances.

  Nothing.

  Moving slowly through the house, Laney ran her hand over objects, touching things lightly, flinching at the memories each room held. She held that child inside tightly, not allowing her free. If she did, well, she wasn’t quite sure how to recapture her.

  Laney kept her breathing shallow and quiet, a habit so ingrained she didn’t even realize she was doing it. It also helped to keep her nausea under control as she approached the door to the basement. It was a large door made of steel and easily a foot thick.

  Trembling, she clasped the door handle while the child whimpered, covering her head. Pushing the door open, she jumped slightly at the creaking noise before shakily reaching for the light switch. It took two tries before she managed to turn it on. Part of her had been hoping the power had been cut off so she would have an excuse not to enter. But now she was compelled to take a step forward. She’d come so far but it still wasn’t enough. She had
to do this. For Cooper.

  Laney took two careful steps, both hands clasped tightly around the rail. She paused a quarter of the way down, leaning heavily on the rail as her legs trembled. She tried to take a breath but found it escaped her, her airways closing in as spots danced in front of her eyes. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. She had to get back upstairs, get outside.

  Turning, all she saw was a dark blur before she was pushed heavily, her body hurtling down the stairs into inky darkness.

  *

  Laney awoke slowly, disoriented, with the sharp, bitter taste of blood on her tongue. Panicked, she sat up quickly and let out a low moan of pain, her hands clasping her head as it throbbed in protest. Something wet brushed her hand and she drew it back to see blood coating her palm.

  God, what had happened? She ached all over, even her damn elbows hurt. Careful to move her head slowly, she stared around her. Oh no. She shook violently, causing her aches to intensify. The basement, she was in the basement. She’d fallen down the steps.

  A whimper escaped her lips and she tried to rise. The need to flee sent adrenaline pumping through her veins, enabling her to ignore her aches and bruises for the time being. But she couldn’t quite manage to get to her feet. Instead she crawled her way to the stairs and, using the rail, dragged herself up until she was standing. For some reason one of her ankles wouldn’t work properly and she had to hop up the stairs, using the rail for balance.

  By the time she reached the top she was sweating, both with exhaustion and panic. The panic overrode all else, the sheer need to escape driving her forward. Tears of frustration and confusion coursed down her cheeks as the door refused to budge. She pushed and pulled, banging, yelling, screaming aloud for help until she was hoarse.

  It was hopeless, though. The door wouldn’t budge and no one would hear her from down here. Falling to the small landing, her back against the door, Laney curled up into a ball and rocked, weeping hysterically.

  She was trapped down here with her nightmares, and this time no one could help her escape.

  *

  Cooper walked through the house. Laney’s scent lingered in each room, reassuring him that she’d been here recently. But he found no clue as to her whereabouts now.

  “She’s not answering her cell phone.” Marcus’ voice was tense as he strode into the room.

  “I’m worried,” Cooper admitted. “My car is here, which means she’s on the estate. But I still have a bad feeling.” He reached for her through their mate bond but it was silent. “Where the hell is Justin?”

  Both men looked over as Justin raced through the door. As third-in-command, he’d been in charge of the pack while Cooper and the other enforcers had been away.

  “Sorry, I was across the other side of the estate. What’s going on? Why are you home early?” Tall and thin, he lacked some of the muscle of the other wolves but made up for it in sheer cunning and speed.

  “Have you seen Laney?” Cooper asked, having to look up slightly into the younger man’s eyes.

  Justin shook his head. “Nope, haven’t seen her all day. Wait while I check in with those on patrol.” While he checked in, Marcus and Cooper waited impatiently.

  “Is there anyone she would visit?” Cooper asked.

  “In the pack? No. Zachary never let her have relationships with others, and any time she managed to form a friendship he found some way to ruin it.” Marcus’ voice was bitter, angry, and rage surged through Cooper once again at the pain of his mate’s childhood.

  “Rex said he saw her earlier today, but no one’s seen her since. Think something’s happened?” Justin looked over at them in concern.

  “Maybe, maybe I’m just overreacting. But I’ll feel better if we find her.”

  “So let’s track her,” Marcus said. Cooper nodded, reaching to pull off his shirt for the shift.

  “Let me,” Marcus started to strip. “You’ll want to save your strength for when we find Laney.” Cooper agreed, he’d want plenty of energy to either yell at her for worrying him or to deal with whatever had caused her disappear. Changing between wolf and human form was tiring. Most of the pack would have to spend a good amount of time in wolf form before changing back, and even though both Cooper and Marcus were strong enough to switch easily between the two forms, it still sapped at their strength to do so.

  Twenty minutes later, Cooper stood in front of Zachary’s house, Marcus standing beside him in wolf form. He gazed up at Cooper in question, but Cooper just shook his head, motioning for Marcus to stay put as he walked toward the house.

  “Laney?” he called out, entering the hall. Even before he’d learned what had been done to her here, this house had repulsed him. It stank of fear, horror and cruelty, and that had been one of the main reasons he’d refused to live in it. That, and it was a horrid monstrosity of a house, far too “lord of the manor” for him. He’d only been in the house twice before and both times he’d never moved beyond the living room.

  “Laney? You in here, sweet?” He took a deep sniff. In human form his ability to use scent to track wasn’t as well developed, but she’d been here recently enough for him to follow her path.

  Wandering through the house, he followed the path she’d taken while urgency rode at him, telling him to find her now. Finally, he came to the huge steel door that obviously led to the basement.

  Furious that she’d come here by herself after promising him she wouldn’t, he took a deep breath to calm himself. He didn’t know what sort of state he would find her in, but the last thing she probably needed was him riding her ass. Or spanking it.

  He went to twist the handle then realized the deadbolt at the top of the door had been pulled across. Frowning, Cooper stood back for a moment. He was certain that her scent led through this door, yet the deadbolt was locked on the outside, which could only mean one thing.

  “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, suddenly terrified. Throwing back the bolt, he quickly opened the door and raced down the stairs, yelling her name.

  “Laney, damn it, where are you?” He frantically scanned the dark basement. Its single light bulb barely lit the center of the room, leaving the outer areas in dark shadow.

  “Laney?” He searched around, unable to see her, but her scent was ripe in the room. Tinged with fear and terror, her scent drove him crazy, causing his protective instincts to go into overdrive.

  A soft whimper caught his ears and he turned toward the sound. It came again, low and scared. Dropping to his knees, he peered under the bed that stood against one wall. Two familiar brown eyes stared back at him.

  He sat back on his heels in relief. She was okay, she was okay. Sure, she was terrified, so afraid that she was hiding in wolf form. But she was alive, anything else he could deal with. Quickly pulling out his cell, he rang Jay and directed him to come wait outside with Marcus, adding to their protection while he figured how the hell to get Laney out from her hiding place.

  “Sweet, you sure did scare me. What are you doing down here by yourself, baby? I’ve gotta say that I’m mad at you, really mad that you would come here by yourself. You want to come out and explain that to me?” He paused, taking a breath, but she didn’t move.

  “I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I’m thinking you must have a good explanation for disobeying me, but the longer you take to tell me, the more upset I’m going to get.” Cooper heard her stir, but she still didn’t come out. He could easily drag her out but he didn’t want to use force, too much force had been used on her in her short life.

  He dropped his voice to a low croon. “I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through, what happened in this room, and I’m never going to be able to unless you talk to me. You need to talk to me, Laney. You’re not alone anymore. I can help. I want to help, but I can only do that if you talk to me, little one. I don’t know what you’re thinking. Do you think I can’t take it? That I can’t deal with what happened to you?

  “Do you not trust me with your secrets? I jus
t don’t know. I don’t know what I can do to help you if you won’t let me in.” He sighed, the silence of the room speaking for itself, and then he rose, moving toward a large metal hook that was securely attached to the wall.

  “He used to chain me to that.” A soft voice spoke behind him and he turned to find her sitting naked on the ground beside the bed, her knees drawn to her chest, her eyes locked on the hook.

  “And then what, baby?” He spoke quietly, gently.

  She shrugged. “Sometimes he’d just leave me there, standing, waiting with my arms aching, the need to go to the bathroom tormenting me, my stomach rumbling with hunger.”

  “And other times?”

  “Other times he’d chain me there and beat me with a cane, or his belt, or his hand. His hand was the worst. It was more personal when he hit me, slapped me.” Her voice was surprisingly calm, scarily so, as though she was reciting something that happened to someone else.

  “And this?” He moved to a small, coffinlike container that rested against the wall to his right. He didn’t touch it, but he could see the silver joining, and could only imagine the pain one would suffer inside it. He turned to see her shivering, trembling from what looked to be a combination of shock and sheer, blinding terror.

  “That’s the container I was telling you about. I used to be so afraid I’d run out of air. Sometimes he’d move it, pretend he was going to take me away in it, b-bury me alive.” Her voice started to crack, a lone tear traveling down her cheek.

  “And the bed?” She looked up at him in surprise and he knew he had to tighten the lid on his rage.

  “I know he didn’t rape you, but…”

  She shook her head.

  “No, he never did anything to me sexually, he wasn’t ever interested in me like that—this was his playroom. He’d bring women down here and play with them. He used to have whips set out on that wall.” He looked over to where she nodded at the bare wall to his left. He could see small hooks where they must have hung.

  “I don’t know where they went.” She looked around as though they would suddenly reappear to torment and hurt her.

  “It doesn’t matter, baby, this place can’t hurt you anymore. Not if you don’t let it.”