by Sadie Hart
Witness protection. Rift let the words wash over him, stunned. He looked at Gaston again and the old man smiled.
“I called them here. I figured it was your best chance at keeping your daughter safe. Brandt and I go back a long time.” He shared a look with the Hound that Rift didn’t even begin to understand, but there was definitely a history there. Something that bordered close on friendship. “You’d be free to live a life not on the run, with Kinsey safe from her last pride.”
Brandt raised his eyebrows at Rift. “While Cane Creek has no proveable history of violence, we trust Gaston’s sources on this. We would like to offer you and your daughter a refuge of safety.”
It was a hell of an offer, one he’d never seen coming. STE didn’t offer witness protection on a whim. And for a rogue who could have easily been accused of kidnapping his daughter, it was unheard of. It had to be Gaston’s push. But for them to trust a lion-shifter, even one of Gaston’s power and wealth, Rift could scarcely believe it.
But if he went into witness protection he’d never see Sawyer again.
Kinsey would never see Grace.
What kind of life would they have?
As a part of Mace’s new pride, they had the promise of security, one that Rift could provide. He wouldn’t need a fake identity and a hideaway house. They could live in the open and have a shot at happiness.
Rift shook his head, “I’m sorry but...”
“Rift,” Gaston stared hard, but Rift couldn’t take that offer. Not if there was any chance he could give Kinsey the life Mace was offering. Not if there was any chance that he could see Sawyer again. Have a chance at getting her back.
“Mace offered me a place in his pride.” He looked at Mace to make sure the other lion was still there, that he still had his back, and Mace grinned, leaning into the doorway.
“Figured Cut and I could use a third.”
“If they involve the Hounds, they could take your daughter Mr. Callahan. If you go into the Retrieval Program, only the Retrievers handling your case would know where to find you.”
“They won’t involve STE. They want me and my daughter dead. It’d hardly be smart for them to pursue us through Enforcement channels and then kill us later.” Rift lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “And I don’t want to take Kinsey away from this. She has friends here, the first feeling of a family and pride she’s ever had. I’ve never had the option, or the desire, to join a pride before now. If we can make this work, I want to try it.”
“And if you can’t? This offer isn’t open indefinitely.”
“We’ll make it work,” Mace said, his voice ringing with finality. He had every ounce of command in his speech as his father did. Rift couldn’t help but smile.
“I think we’ll get on just fine.”
“We weren’t aware you had any other option,” the female Hound said, her gaze darting to Gaston.
“Mace brought the possibility to my attention this morning, but I wasn’t sure.”
Mace shrugged. “I don’t think anyone was. I talked Rift into it this morning and took him out to meet Cutter. We didn’t know for sure until then.”
“And I still wanted Rift to have the other option.”
“Well, then,” the woman said. “I think our job is done. If you’re sure?”
Rift nodded. “I’m sure.”
There was a tentative knock on the door and they all turned to see Grace standing in the hallway, her face pale. Her golden locks curled around her face but she ran a shaky hand through her hair and looked from her grandfather to Rift and back again. Finally, she settled on Rift. “Have you seen, Kinsey?”
Her voice wavered. The fear in her words made Rift’s heart slam in his chest all over again. His stomach knotted.
“I thought she was playing with you.” Rift deliberately forced his voice to sound calm, keeping the edge of a growl out of it. Grace didn’t need to be scared. No matter how badly Rift wanted to roar and snarl.
He wouldn’t be able to handle it if something happened to his daughter.
Mace placed a hand on his shoulder, friendly, but also restraining.
Grace shook her head, refusing to look at him.
“After you left with uncle Mace she said she wanted to be alone.” Grace scuffed her shoe against the carpet. “Last I knew she went inside to cuddle with Rona, but when I went to get her for dinner she wasn’t there.”
Shit. Rift fisted his hands to keep himself under control. He took in a slow, deep breath. “Thank you, Grace. Let’s go see if we can find her.”
But as cool and calm as the words sounded, he felt like his world was crashing apart around him. First Sawyer, now Kinsey.
“We’ll find her,” Mace said, and Rift hoped to hell the other lion was right.
Chapter Fifteen
They’d done it. Tavis couldn’t believe it. They’d stalked into Boulder Pride, and there had been Jenna’s daughter, wandering around the forest fringe completely alone. It’d been so easy. A shudder wracked his spine and he gulped down a deep, steadying breath. Something thunked in the back of the vehicle and Tavis glanced in the rearview mirror to see Sans and Jerome laughing in the back seat.
One of his brother’s goons leaned over the seat, his hand raised. “Keep moving like that kid, and I’ll give you a reason to fight those ropes.”
“Sans, you’ll do no such thing.” Tavis fought to keep his voice harsh, even when adrenaline and fear still pumped through his veins. He checked his mirrors again. Still no tail. So far, they’d made a clean getaway.
“Wasn’t going to kill her. Just give her a good knock on the head until the bitch stayed quiet. And stopped kicking my seat.” His voice dropped to a deadly growl, but Tavis heard Rift’s daughter give a muffled snarl in answer.
She hadn’t stopped fighting since he’d had the two idiots snatch her. They’d almost lost her back on pride land when she’d tried to shift and bite through Jerome’s hand. He glanced at the bandaged arm. It would have been humiliating to have been beaten by a thirteen-year-old girl. A fucking child.
“Leave her alone,” Tavis said. They already had a three-hour head start, but he didn’t trust it. They needed to get back to their pride before Boulder discovered what had happened.
“You think the Boulder Pride will back Callahan?”
God, he hoped not. Rift was a rogue. Surely the whole of Boulder Pride wouldn’t give a shit about his problems. “We’ll simply say we were taking back the child that was stolen from us. Dougal will take care of it. Call my brother and let him know we’re on our way.”
It would give Dougal time to prepare. Tavis found himself smiling. Dougal would make sure Jenna said what needed to be said if the Reyeses came knocking.
But Tavis doubted it. Rift had always been alone, always acted alone. When he came for his daughter, it’d be alone.
***
Darkness clutched at the evening sky, slowly leaching the light of day into nothing but shadows. Rift watched as the wolfhound zig-zagged back and forth across the lawn and padded after the dog. His lion’s nose was good, but the canine’s was better. And Brandt Lawrence had far more practice tracking missing people than Rift did.
The only skills he’d used over the years in lion form had been his beast’s strength. Hunting was something deeply buried in the creature’s instinct, but not something Rift had ever had any actual experience doing, and once again he found himself rather useless. He recognized Kinsey’s scent, but following her thin, wavering trail had left him walking in circles. She’d been all over the yard the past few days. Hell, from what Rift could discern today, she’d spent quite some time just wandering back and forth between the houses.
It was enough to make a man dizzy.
And frustrated as hell.
He poked his broad muzzle back into the grass and inhaled. The variety of smells slammed through him. From the herd of children that had scampered across the lawn today, to the lions that paced back and forth between the houses, to Sawyer, to Kins
ey and Grace, to simply Kinsey, to the Hounds—Rift grunted as his head started to pound.
Then Brandt let out a sharp bark and Rift bolted after him, close enough to see the lean dog tearing off into the forest. Rift barreled into the brush, his mane snagging on trees. He gulped down a breath and froze. This was a scent he recognized and it left him cold.
Tavis Slade. Sans and Jerome. Three out of the four Cane Creek pride males.
And they’d been here.
Tangled in their scent was Kinsey’s. A roar bellowed out of him and Rift dug his claws into the soft dirt, as the challenge ripped free of him. They’d gotten her.
Seconds later Brandt trotted back into view and shifted, the shaggy silver dog fading into the form of a man, neatly dressed. His hand hovered over his gun as he looked at Rift. “Shift.”
He resented the command. He owed this Hound nothing. He bared his teeth, but Brandt still didn’t pull his weapon.
“Did you recognize those scents? Because they took your daughter to the road and she got in a car with them. So you tell me, were they people she was supposed to leave with?”
Rage and loss poured through him and Rift snarled. He would get her back. He’d hunt those bastards down and rip them apart for this. Mace stepped up behind him. “They’re not Reyes men,” he said and Brandt nodded.
Finally, Rift wrestled control from his beast and shifted, pulling himself back from the lion’s raging aggression and into the furious form of a man. “Cane Creek. Tavis, Sans, and Jerome. And they just fucking waltzed in here and took my daughter.”
Rift turned and looked at Mace. Maybe witness protection was the way to go after all.
Because if this huge pride hadn’t been able to keep her safe, how the hell were the three of them supposed to do it?
“We’ll get her back,” Mace said. Anger rippled through his words as he looked at Rift, but there was something deeper to the outrage. Something Rift understood on a primal level.
Lions protected their prides, and Kinsey was one of theirs now. And for the first time, Rift had someone at his back.
Then Brandt stepped up next to them. “The scent is a few hours old. They have a nice lead on us.”
Startled, Rift turned to him. This wasn’t a place for Shifter Town Enforcement. This was between him and Cane Creek.
“This is a kidnapping now.”
“Technically Sawyer and I kidnapped her first.”
But the smile on Brandt’s face told him there was something he didn’t know. Something he should. But the Hound shook his head. “Trust me on this, we have your back. Now let’s go make some phone calls.”
***
Sawyer stretched out over the hotel bed. The place was nice, better than any of the fast motel rooms she and Rift had fund while on the run. The moment the thought crossed her mind she felt the pang of regret, the empty, gaping hole of loss in her chest. She hadn’t thought leaving them would be this hard.
But everything reminded her of Rift and Kinsey.
From the bad music on the radio, to the open highway, to her hotel room.
She squeezed her eyes shut. How long would it take for the pain of walking away to lessen? She’d given them their out, their chance at safety, but she couldn’t help regretting every second of it. What if there’d been another way?
She scrubbed a hand over her face, rubbing at her forehead. There hadn’t.
A knock sounded at the door, startling Sawyer. She rolled up to sit on her bed. Who’d be here? She hadn’t even bothered to call and tell her father where she was staying. The only person she’d called had been...Lennox. A small smile touched her face and Sawyer slipped off the bed to pad toward the door.
“You didn’t have to come,” she called through the door as she undid the locks. But the moment it opened to the familiar face of her old boss, Sawyer was glad she had.
“Oh, Lennox, she’s beautiful.” The little golden-haired baby in Lennox’s arms stirred, her beautiful brown eyes blinking open as she looked at Sawyer. Sawyer felt her heart melt. “I’m impressed the guys let you take her with you.”
Lennox snorted at that. “Let me? Please.”
She handed little Taige over, and Sawyer cradled the baby gently against her chest. The little girl made a soft cooing noise and Sawyer laughed. “True enough. But how’d you get a vacation without the two of them?”
“I needed an excuse to visit Mel, and they are busy with work this weekend.” She grinned as she let herself in and set the diaper bag by the door. “And I’m still on maternity leave.”
Sawyer couldn’t help the pang of guilt. “Except when you’ve been helping me.”
“I didn’t mind at all.” Lennox made herself comfortable on the bed while Sawyer rocked little Taige in her arms. “If anything, I’m glad I could help.”
That was Lennox for you. She always worked. Always. But if anyone was able to save the day, it was her.
Sawyer looked down into Taige’s golden eyes and smiled. She was a beautiful little lion cub. She looked so much like her mother, except for the feeling of lion just under her skin. Lennox was a dog-shifter. A Rhodesian ridgeback, to be exact. “I think the only thing she got from her daddies is the fact that she’s going to shift into a lion. She looks just like you.”
A motherly glow of pride surrounded Lennox as she gazed at her baby. “And thanks to you, she’ll grow up knowing she can be whatever she wants. Even if she wants to be a Hound like her momma. You opened that door when you became the first lioness to become a Hound for Enforcement.”
Sawyer felt her cheeks heat at the compliment. Nothing would stop this little girl. Even if Sawyer hadn’t opened the door, if Taige had wanted to be a Hound like her mom, Lennox would have made it happen.
“Thanks to me,” Lennox added as she looked at her daughter, “She’ll know she can fall in love with whoever her heart chooses.”
Her boss’s words slammed into Sawyer and she swayed under the blow. Life wasn’t that easy, but she hoped Taige would never know that. She hoped that whoever Taige’s heart chose would be perfect for her.
“Sit down, Sawyer.” Lennox tilted her head at the bed.
Sawyer took the command for what it was and sank down onto the bed next to Lennox. She kept her attention firmly locked on the baby in her arms. “You didn’t fly all the way down here to show off your little girl.”
“To you? No. Mel, yes. But, when I realized that you haven’t even left the state, I figured we needed to talk.”
“Lennox—”
“You know that when I met Kanon and Tegan, relationships between ridgebacks and lions were nonexistent. It just didn’t happen. And considering I was supposed to be arresting Kanon, it was the last thing that should have happened.”
Sawyer had always wondered how Lennox had fallen for the two lion males. She’d only ever known snippets of the story, never the beginning. Not in detail, at least. This time Lennox told her everything. Filled in all the details she’d never known.
“Kanon was a job. And he’d been accused of murder. But if I’d simply followed orders, he’d have been dead and Torres never would have been caught.”
Torres, a man who had later killed several shifters, including children, and tried to frame Sawyer’s family. Torres who had captured and tortured her brother, Rulon, and had later abducted Sawyer and her sister Gilly.
“Why do you think I backed you when you took Kinsey?” Lennox touched her arm. “Sometimes we have to break the rules to save someone.”
“I know.”
“I’m not dumb, Sawyer. I recognize the sound of heartbreak in your voice, whether you’re on the phone a hundred miles away, or sitting right next to me.”
“I love him. I love them both.” She dared to look at Lennox then. “But I can’t do witness protection. I can’t.”
“Then maybe we should have found a different way.”
“There wasn’t another way. Not one that kept them safe.”
Lennox’s hand tightened over her w
rist. “We never even tried. For your heart, shouldn’t you at least try?”
Sawyer felt her heart leap into her throat. Desperate. She wanted so badly to believe, longed with all her heart to hope. And as she looked into her boss’s eyes Sawyer realized that if anyone could find another way, it would be Lennox.
Lennox who’d already pulled the impossible once for Rift and Kinsey.
Maybe she could do it again and find a way to make it work for all of them.
Chapter Sixteen
Waiting was going to kill him. Rift paced across the front lawn, his gaze flicking from the house to the STE vehicles still parked out front. If anything happened to Kinsey while he was sitting here twiddling his fucking thumbs, he was never going to forgive himself. A strangled growl tore from him and Rift craned his head up into the darkness, his gaze locked on the somber stare of the moon.
“You hanging in there?” Mace stepped up beside him.
“About as well as I can. I just want to go get her. Now.”
“And that’d be suicide.” Rift turned on the other man, bristling. He wanted a fight, but Mace didn’t back down. He stood steady and strong and open. “And Cutter’s on his way. If they haven’t figured out anything by the time he gets here in an hour, then we’ll leave. But you can’t go in there alone. Kinsey won’t have a father if you do. Is that what you want for her? To be stuck there because Jenna’s the only parent she has left?”
Rift’s mouth opened but no words came out.
No, that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted Kinsey safe. To give her a home where she could have a normal life. A pride. Rift twisted away. “No.”
“Then you wait until the rest of your pride gets here.”