by Anya Nowlan
If there was one thing River hated, it was losing money. That much Troy knew.
Troy willed himself to hope for the best, which was something he was not used to, seeing as planning for the worst was what had kept him alive all these years.
I’ll make this work, he told himself.
It took them about thirty minutes before they were both ready to leave. Hailey was holding the keys to her place and pacing anxiously near the door as Troy retrieved his car keys.
A sinking feeling formed in Troy’s gut as they left the safety of the apartment and strode into the elevator. They rode down to the parking garage in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
I hope we’re doing the right thing, Troy mused as the doors spread open and they stepped into the damp basement.
Their steps echoed on the concrete as they made their way to Troy’s truck.
The drive over to Hailey’s apartment building was mercifully short. Neither of them spoke throughout the entire drive, though Troy kept sneaking glances at Hailey. She looked mesmerizing with the street lamps flooding light over her features.
Every nerve in Troy’s body was on edge. He just wanted to get this over with and have Hailey back at the safehouse where he could be sure she was out of danger.
After parking the car at a safe distance and cutting the headlights, he scanned the surrounding darkness with practiced thoroughness. Any hint of motion that shouldn’t be there, anyone looking a little too relaxed, the glint of a scope…
“So?” Hailey asked quietly after a while.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone lurking about,” he acknowledged, but he still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his gut. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have to be careful.”
She nodded and they got out of the car, walking casually towards the multi-story building.
Every cell in Troy’s body was humming as they stepped inside. He guided Hailey towards the stairwell, not wanting to get boxed into an elevator if things weren’t as they seemed. Keeping his body in front of Hailey’s, he stalked up the steps, his ears trained on every sound he could pick up.
When they made it to her floor, he got out of the stairwell first, checking for anyone who seemed out of place. The hallway was empty and he could hear nothing emanating from behind Hailey’s door. It seemed they were all clear.
Looking a little too good.
Hailey pushed in after him, standing on her tiptoes and pointing at her door inquiringly. Troy nodded and she got her key out. With soft steps, they walked up to her former home and she slid the key in the lock, turning it slowly.
The door opened and they slipped inside, with Troy still keeping in front of her, just in case. They didn’t turn on any lights and Troy didn’t need them anyway. Hailey’s place smelled different than he had remembered. The scent of rose and lavender was almost overwhelming, making him scrunch up his nose.
This isn’t right…
Beneath those aromas, something familiar jumped out at him, something that made his lips pull back in a snarl. He reached back to grab at Hailey’s arm, trying to shove her out the door, but she had already closed it behind her.
The light in the living room switched on and shadows gave way to a tall frame standing in the middle of the apartment.
Culliver grinned at him, eyes burning yellow and a glint of metal reflecting from his hand.
“So glad you could stop by,” he said, teeth bared.
Thirty
Hailey
Hailey sucked in a shocked breath at the sight of Culliver. She stepped back, flattening herself against the door. Troy stood before her, shielding her with his body.
No, not him. Anyone but him!
Fear mixed with anger as the reality of what was happening sank in. Culliver seemed to be alone, but the gun he was aiming at Troy’s chest gave him all the leverage he needed. Hailey had never felt such hate before as she did now for Culliver.
A hot terror settled in her chest with the realization that this bastard now held Troy’s life in his hands.
“No one thought you’d be stupid enough to return here, but I had a hunch you would be,” Culliver said, his slimy voice making bile rise in Hailey’s throat.
He had a huge bandage stuck to the back of his neck and his jaw was slightly purple, but other than that, he looked all too ready for action. Damn shifters and their accelerated healing.
“Step away from the door,” he ordered, waving his weapon at them and nodding to the side.
Troy stepped forward, still firmly in front of her.
“Let her leave and you can do whatever you want with me,” he said, holding his palms up.
“No!” Hailey immediately objected.
She couldn’t possibly let him sacrifice himself for her. She wouldn’t allow it. Culliver would probably torture him to death.
Blinking back tears, she realized she could no longer imagine her life without Troy in it. Not only was he the father of her unborn child, he was the only man she’d ever met that managed to make her weak in the knees and keep her on her toes at the same time.
With him, she felt loved and wanted and free to be exactly who she was. He challenged her, made her laugh, made her feel appreciated and important. All she wanted was more time with him.
It terrified her to think she might not have it.
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan to take him up on that,” Culliver assured her, a nasty smile stretching his lips. “I have no interest in letting you go, honey. Now get in here.”
“Come on,” Troy muttered to her and Hailey nodded bravely.
With a growl, Troy strode from the hallway into the living room and Hailey followed closely behind.
“I am going to enjoy this,” Culliver sneered, picking up a pair of handcuffs from the coffee table beside him and tossing them at Troy.
Pure horror flashed across Hailey’s entire body. Whatever Culliver was planning to do, it wasn’t going to be pleasant. As soon as Troy put those handcuffs on, Culliver would have complete control over the situation.
Culliver waved his gun at Troy, licking his lips while nearly bouncing on his feet. He looked giddy with excitement and it disgusted Hailey.
“Put one around your wrist and let’s take this party to the bedroom. You can attach yourself to the bed post and watch me show your girlfriend the time of her life,” he said.
If he keeps talking I might just vomit.
She could read the situation easily enough. If it weren’t for her, Troy wouldn’t hesitate to go for Culliver, bullets be damned. She was a liability for him. If they wanted any chance of getting out of the situation in one piece, she’d have to do something to allow Troy to make a move without worrying about her.
Hailey slowly and carefully reached her hand out, hoping Culliver didn’t notice the gesture. She placed a finger on Troy’s lower back and traced an arrow pointing downwards, praying he got her message.
Troy gave her just the slightest nod, his whole body shaking with the loud growl emanating from his chest.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion after that, but almost simultaneously at the same time. Or at least that’s how it felt to Hailey, with adrenaline pumping through her veins and making her ears hum.
“What are you waiting for?” Culliver thundered as Hailey suddenly threw herself on the ground behind Troy.
As soon as she was down, Troy rushed forward with a fierce roar. A gunshot echoed through the room, followed by a loud crash as Culliver landed on her glass coffee table with Troy on top of him, breaking through it.
Sharp shards went flying everywhere. Hailey squeezed her eyes shut, yelping. When she opened them again, the men were rolling around on the ground, growling and snarling at one another, fists flying.
Glass crunched beneath their clothes as they thrashed around, each trying to gain the upper hand. Hailey got to her feet, looking for a way to help Troy. Culliver’s gun was lying on the floor, but with how close he and Troy were at the moment, she wouldn�
��t dare fire it in fear of hitting the wrong target. She wasn’t even sure if she could get to it without Culliver lunging for her.
If he got his hands on her, she knew that Troy would be effectively paralyzed out of fear for her and their child.
She was left to anxiously stare at Troy and Culliver fighting, her heart thumping in her ears.
Culliver used his knees and hips to launch Troy off him, sending him tumbling into the couch. Next, he got on all fours as his shape began to twist, face elongating into a muzzle and spine curving into a feline shape right before her eyes. Troy followed suit, morphing into a giant lion with a speed that made Hailey’s head spin.
Her living room looked absolutely tiny all of a sudden, with two huge beasts pacing on each side of it, teeth bared and claws sinking into her carpet, pushing furniture out of their way with their sheer size. Culliver’s fur shone under the overhead lighting, bright orange contrasted by deep black. Troy shook his impressive mane, golden eyes glowing dangerously and tail twitching.
Troy pushed himself forward, the muscles in his hind legs bulging, and flew at Culliver, flattening the tiger under his considerable weight. Culliver tumbled over to one side, swiping wildly at Troy, who brought a heavy paw down on his opponent’s face.
Culliver howled in pain. When Troy lifted his paw, Hailey could see deep, bloody gashes covering the whole right side of the tiger’s face. Culliver somehow managed to right himself and get back on his feet, roaring loudly. Putting all is weight on his hind legs, he lifted his front paws and sank them into Troy’s shoulders.
Troy’s growl shook the room as he struggled to break free of Culliver’s grasp. Hailey’s hands flew over her mouth as she watched on, unable to help the man she cared so deeply about.
Culliver can’t win, he just can’t!
Troy whipped around under Culliver’s claws, jerking his spine from side to side and spraying the surrounding furniture with blood. The tiger lost his grip and tumbled backwards and Hailey couldn’t help the victorious yelp that escaped her throat.
She had seen enough gruesome death for one lifetime, but in that moment, with Troy’s life on the line, a dark part of her yearned for more. She wanted to see Culliver ripped to shreds, so he could never threaten her future with Troy ever again. So that he could never hurt another innocent again, like her parents or the countless other people whose lives he had ruined.
Troy got low to the ground and leaned back on his hind legs before charging forward, sinking his teeth into one of Culliver’s front paws. He yanked his jaws back and dug his heels into the ground, pulling the leg right out from under the tiger.
Culliver’s paw bent at an unnatural angle and he cried out, desperately trying to get back on his feet. The lion suddenly released his bite, but just as the tiger was scrambling to get up, he crashed into the animal, pinning him down. In a blur of motion, Troy’s bared teeth clamped down over Culliver’s trachea.
Even from where she was standing near the hallway, Hailey could hear the sickening crunch that followed.
Troy gave the tiger’s neck a couple of more shakes for good measure, before pulling his bloody mouth away and turning his golden eyes to Hailey. Blood dribbled from his maw and his breathing was heavy, his tail swishing from side to side. The sight would have been absolutely terrifying, if she hadn’t known it was Troy underneath all that primal, animalistic power.
Culliver slowly faded back into his human form and so did Troy, groaning softly as his shape folded and morphed. Hailey turned away from looking at Culliver’s maimed and lifeless body. The man was dead, marked clearly by the fact that his body was turning slowly from the tiger to the human again, the shifter leaving his shell.
Hailey focused on Troy instead. Just moments ago she had wished for the Culliver’s grisly death, but now that Troy was no longer in danger, her bloodlust quickly dissipated.
She ran to Troy, carefully wrapping him in a gentle embrace, avoiding the gashes and bite marks marring his body. Indescribable relief flooded through her, making her tremble slightly, even as tears sprung to her eyes at the sight of his injuries.
“You’re alive,” she gasped.
Reminded of how bad Morrison had looked after his fight and how quickly he had recovered, she took in a deep breath and managed to calm herself a little. Troy’s wounds would heal, and she would be by his side as they did.
“I’m okay,” he said softly, swaying slightly on his feet. “We need to get out of here, someone has probably already called the cops.”
In a nice building like Hailey’s, that was a given. They didn’t need to get hauled into a jail cell right now, not when they were this close to making their future a little brighter.
“You’re not okay, but I’ll take it. Just one more thing,” she replied, rushing to one of the potted plants on her windowsill.
She dug her fingers into the soft dirt and pulled out a memory stick, holding it up so Troy could see. He gave her a weak thumbs up before glancing at the destruction all around her.
“Good thing you’re going to be relocated, because I’m pretty sure you’re about to get evicted,” he commented, chuckling.
“This place would have been too small for three anyway,” she answered with a smile, grabbing his hand and yanking him towards the front door.
Hailey was perfectly fine with the notion of never having to come back here.
Epilogue
Hailey
Hailey’s eyes were glued to the little man sleeping soundly in his crib as she softly closed the nursery door before her. Troy stood at her side, arm draped over her shoulders.
“I thought he would never go to sleep,” he commented, before kissing her temple.
“He is definitely a handful. Just like his daddy,” Hailey replied, poking him in the side.
They stood at the door, listening, for a couple more seconds, before making their way to the living room. Warm Santa Monica evening sun streamed in through the large windows of their new home, coloring everything golden. It was modest, but clean, sunny and homey.
Perfect.
Hailey sank into the couch with a sigh, kicking her feet up with a satisfied yawn.
Life had been blissfully boring since they left Chicago and Hailey found being a mother even more fulfilling than she would have thought. She started consulting for a small law firm part-time, which satisfied the lawyer part of her brain even though her main focus was raising her son.
After all that had happened, she could do with a little bit of the calm life for a while.
Troy had decided to take some well-earned time off, having been embedded in the Crimson Claws for over a year. If the news were anything to go by, Chicago’s premiere criminal organization was in some seriously hot water, which pleased Troy’s bosses at The Firm to no end.
Since he had played a substantial role in the Claws’ recent downfall, no one at The Firm objected to him taking an indefinite vacation. Though, going by what Troy had told her about his bosses, she would not have been surprised if he got another phone call to head into work at one point.
Hailey was more than prepared to level him with arguments against exactly why he shouldn’t do that if Troy even considered taking them up on it!
Leaving the Windy City behind had been quite an adjustment for Hailey at first, but it was made a lot easier by having the man she loved at her side. Now, she couldn’t be happier. The life she had tentatively envisioned was hers, sand between her toes included.
If she had known how much she would love spending time at the beach, she would have moved a long time ago.
Troy hummed a song she didn’t recognize while flitting about in the kitchen. He was a surprisingly good cook, it turned out, which was great since Hailey’s skills didn’t reach past boiling water.
“Don’t forget, Blade and Samantha are coming over for dinner tonight,” he called out softly, checking the contents of their fridge.
It was just their luck they got relocated to the same city Troy’s handler li
ved in with his mate. They were the first friends Hailey made there, and she had immediately fallen in love with Samantha’s candor and quick wit. She smiled to herself, looking forward to a nice evening.
She strolled into the kitchen, hugging Troy’s waist from behind.
“Have I told you I love you lately?” she purred, resting her cheek against his back.
“Probably, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it again,” he replied, a smile in his voice.
“Well, I love you, and I especially love the fact that you’ll be cooking tonight and not me,” she teased, running her fingers over his ribs.
“Oh, the usual fare of Chinese take-out not working for you?” he asked with a quirked brow, grinning.
“Don’t you sass me!” Hailey gasped with a giggle.
Troy turned around, pulling her into a tight embrace. His blue eyes glinted in that way that only his did, making heat spread across her body.
“I wouldn’t push it if I were you, unless you want me to put you over my knee,” he growled, a grin tugging at his lips.
“Promises, promises,” Hailey replied with an exaggerated sigh as her insides melted.
She didn’t know what she had done to deserve this man, or the family and life they shared, but she sure as hell knew she was the luckiest woman on Earth. It hadn’t come easy, of course, but it had been well worth the fight.
At first, before they moved to Santa Monica, Hailey would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, images of bloody tigers chasing her fresh in her mind. But each time, Troy would wrap his strong arms around her and tell her everything would be alright.
And he was right. Slowly but surely, the nightmares faded away and a deep calm settled into her chest. She and Troy had been through so much together, that Hailey had no doubts they could face anything that life could possibly throw at them.
Not only was she safe and sound with her little family, but her parents were also close by. They had opened up their business in Santa Monica and the Claws seemed to be little more than a dark memory now.