“I’ll be mailing it in, then,” she said. “Thanks so much again.”
Char said her good-byes and then hung up the phone, speechless. Clay would have never done something like that. Anonymously good. She slumped on her desk, cheek resting on her hand, and sighed.
Jamie saw her and came over to sit in front of her desk. “You doing okay? Who was that?”
The other woman seemed genuinely worried, so Char told her.
Jamie listened intently and then sat back with a nod.
“That was nice of him, if it was him.”
Char nodded. “I suppose so.” Her head was still spinning. Despite the lies, she was starting to be able to form a picture in her head of who he was. It was hard, sifting through what was him trying to be his brother and what was really him, but she was doing her best.
“You look tired,” Jamie said. “You sure you want to stay here?”
Char nodded. Her phone rang again, and not wanting to bother Jamie, Char stood and walked to the other side of the room to answer it.
The voice on the other side when she answered chilled her to the core.
“Hi, Charlotte,” Clay said, his voice silky smooth. She was about to hang up when she heard him let out a hiss. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I’d listen.”
She gripped the phone. “Why?”
“And I’d take a few more steps away from your friend if you don’t want her hurt.”
So Char did, trying to look normal as she secluded herself near the back exit. “What’s going on?”
“The lease is expiring on your building,” he said.
A chill when through her again. They needed that building. They sheltered women there who were at very real risk. “What do you want?”
“I just want to meet with you,” he said.
“Fat chance,” she said.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I’m on the way to meet with your landlord. If you aren’t with me, I’m going to buy it up front and raze it to the ground. If you are with me, I might be open to negotiation.”
She looked over at Limes and Jamie, who were talking. Then she saw Jamie double over, holding her stomach, and dash off to the bathroom.
She saw Limes go after her, saw Jamie blush and tell him something, and then utter shock registered on Limes’s face.
Then she realized Jamie was pregnant and she’d just told her mate.
She watched as the big man stood there in shock, and then a huge smile spread over his face as he put up a hand to hide it.
She wanted that with Mark. She just wanted to be happy.
But the voice cracked again on the other line. “You come alone or no deal.”
Should she really risk everything for a building, even one that had meant so much to her and so many other women? But Clay would make good on his threats; she knew that. And she knew he could be dangerous, that he had men on his side.
She also knew if she got in his car, she wouldn’t be going to the property offices. She’d be going back to Clay’s mansion, to be his prisoner again.
She eyed Limes, still standing there looking smitten, staring lovingly at the door his mate had disappeared through. She couldn’t involve them now. She couldn’t risk Jamie getting hurt.
She couldn’t risk losing the building forever. And she had one idea how things might work out. She knew Clay. Knew he liked to play games. Knew she’d be safe, to a point.
“I’m coming,” she said.
“Come outside and make sure you aren’t followed,” he said, voice smug with triumph. She thought of the way he’d trembled against the glass when Mark attacked him.
She couldn’t keep running from Clay. She couldn’t let him ruin the lives of innocent women, and she had a plan, even if it was risky.
“All right,” she told him. She hung up and walked over to Limes with folded arms. “Want me to check on your mate in the bathroom?”
He nodded. “That’d be great, thanks.”
She walked into the restroom and knocked on the stall with the closed door, behind which she could hear Jamie being sick. “You okay, girl?”
“Yes,” Jamie said weakly. “Or I will be.”
“Congrats, by the way,” Char said, unable to keep the smile from her voice, despite the situation she was heading into. She just had to have trust she was stronger now. That she cold hold Clay off until help got there.
“Thanks,” Jamie said.
“Okay, if you’re fine, I’m going to head back out,” she said.
“Okay,” Jamie replied.
When Jamie was preoccupied again, Charlotte quietly opened the bathroom window and pushed herself out of it. Then she closed it behind her so no one would know where she’d gone. Her final move while still hidden from view was to pull out her phone, write up a quick text, and send it before anyone could see her.
Then she stepped out into the street, just as an unmarked black sedan pulled up. Men stepped out and pulled her in, and she went quietly. As they pulled away, she saw Limes look over with wide eyes, running toward the door, but it was too late.
She was caught, they were safe, and all that was left was to trust in her mate.
Fourteen
Bronson paced around his disheveled, younger twin brother, wondering what had gotten into him.
Mark was always so straitlaced, so tightly wound, so responsible.
Not right now, as he sat in Bronson’s office, still wearing clothes like Hercules, his booted feet propped on Bronson’s desk, getting dirt everywhere.
There were bottles on the ground, indicating his brother had attempted to get drunk last night, which wasn’t easy for shifters. And from his rumpled appearance, he suspected Mark might have spent the night.
“I heard what happened with you and your mate,” he said.
Mark spun on his chair and looked at him with red eyes. “Come to celebrate?”
“Why would I celebrate?” Bronson asked, taking a chair across from him. “I would have liked it to work out. I knew it was unlikely, given that it was based on a lie, but I wanted it to.” He looked around. “Not to mention if it had, you wouldn’t be trashing my office right now.”
“You can afford to fix it. Or I can. That’s the problem,” he said.
“You don’t really think the problem is you’re rich, do you?” Bronson asked, staring in disbelief.
“No,” Mark said in resignation. “I think the problem is I lied. That I wanted what I wanted and went for it without thinking how it would affect her emotionally. I wanted her safe, and I made sure of that, and then I messed everything up.”
Bronson eyed him carefully. “It’s never too late to fix it.”
“She kicked me out. She’s with Jamie and Limes now.”
“She needs time,” Bronson said, folding his arms. “Give her a little bit and see if that changes how she feels.”
“It’s not fair,” Mark said. “No matter what happened between us, she could throw me out so easily just because I wasn’t you. Why should I hope she’ll change her mind? She didn’t want me when she met me, and she didn’t want me again when she found out it was me. She only wanted you.”
Blue eyes that were eerily like his stared at him bitterly, and Bronson swallowed, not knowing what to say. “She doesn’t want me. She wants you. She just doesn’t know it yet. She needs time to sort it out.”
“One freaking lie,” Mark said. “One freaking lie can undo everything good that I did. It almost doesn’t seem worth it.”
Bronson walked to him and grabbed him by the collar. “Stop moping and snap out of it, man.” He shook Mark slightly and then set him back in the chair, marveling at how big his twin had gotten since being in training. “We all had a hard time winning over our mates. It wasn’t going to be easy for you. But it’s always worth it.”
Mark waved a hand. “That wasn’t what I meant,” he said. “I didn’t mean it wouldn’t be worth it to win her. I meant it wasn’t worth it to lie.”
“You can’
t do anything about it,” Bronson said. “Not until she’s ready. Then you grovel like crazy, tell her you only did it because you’re insanely in love with her, and put your pride aside and forgive her for tossing you out without giving you a chance.”
Mark swallowed, leaning over to rest his head on the desk. “Sounds easy enough.”
Bronson laughed and put an arm around his brother’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go get you cleaned up.” He looked at the bottles. “You sober?”
“Unfortunately,” Mark said. “I never really tried drinking, but I guess it doesn’t work that well. Though I do have a headache.” He groaned as he stood.
“You look like hell; that’s for sure. Drinking isn’t a habit I’d take up if I were you.”
Mark nodded. “Hopefully, I’ll win my mate over soon and not have a need to.”
They were halfway to the door, Mark walking right behind Bronson, when Mark’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out to glare down at it.
He cocked his head, looking slightly confused, and then Bronson saw a look of intense fury cross over his twin’s face.
“What is it?” he asked, reaching for the phone.
Mark handed it over, looking blankly ahead for just a second. “Is Herc around?”
“He’s out in the garage I think. I can call him,” Bronson said.
“Do it,” Mark said as Bronson looked down at the text.
“Damn,” he said. “I can’t believe Limes let her out.”
“Knowing Char, it wasn’t his fault,” Mark said, looking like he was trying to hold back panic as he swung open the office door and charged toward the exit. “We need to go now. Whatever plan she has in mind, it’s time sensitive. I don’t trust anyone when it comes to her.”
Bronson rolled up his sleeves and ran out with his brother. “I’m grabbing Hercules. We’ll meet at your rental truck, okay?”
Mark nodded grimly, already headed in that direction.
“Mark, it’s going to be fine,” Bronson said. But he didn’t blame his brother for not responding. If it were his mate in the situation, he’d be worried as hell, too.
Mark was genuinely furious as he charged down the garage floor to his truck, unlocked it, and swung in. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he couldn’t seem to calm it no matter how much he knew he needed to.
Bronson and Hercules would be there in seconds, and he knew it was better to go prepared than to rush out alone. But the thought of Charlotte in Clay’s clutches was driving him up the wall.
He’d never been so angry. He could deal with the fact that she’d rejected him and thrown him out without trying to deal with his side of the story. He could deal with the fact that how much they loved and cared for each other seemed to mean nothing in the face of one little lie. But he couldn’t deal with the fact that she’d put herself in danger, even if she had given him the info she hoped would help him save her.
Even if a little part of him was proud and happy his mate would trust him to come for her in time.
But if he didn’t, his whole world would crack in half and be forever irreparable.
Bronson insisted on taking the driver’s seat, and Mark took the passenger seat. He had to admit he was probably a little too worked up to drive.
Hercules jumped in the back, and they were off, following the map to the address Char had given them.
On the way there, he looked down at his phone, at the text she’d sent again.
Mark. Sorry, but I had to do it. Clay could have hurt others if I didn’t. But I know you’ll come. Then she’d added the address.
At least, no matter how pissed she was with him, she trusted he would come save her.
He was angry and proud at the same time. But he also knew this wouldn’t fix everything. He knew she would still need time to think. Time she would have once she was safe.
Now that Clay had kidnapped her, the Bear Claw dudes could do whatever they wanted to him and leave what was left for the police.
Not that he thought there would be much once the others knew he was a wife beater.
Ugh, if he put one hand on Charlotte… His stomach twisted viciously, and he put a hand to it, and Bronson looked over at him as if to ask if he were all right.
He put up a hand to let him know it was fine. It would be fine if they just drove faster.
“I’m looking at the address by satellite, and I’m thinking we might want to enter by rooftop,” Hercules said. “It’s giant with a lot of perimeter alarms, but I found a break we can sneak in through, and then we can go up the walls and break in through a glass ceiling over one of the rooms on the top floor.”
“Fine,” Mark said. “As long as we get there soon.”
“I’m driving as fast as I can,” Bronson said. “We’re no good to anyone if we get arrested.”
But it wasn’t fast enough for Mark. He didn’t care if they got pulled over. If they did, he’d simply turn into his bear and tear away from any cops and find his mate anyway.
It was simply a matter of nature.
And the fact that he was crazy in love with her.
He should have told her more. He should have told her everything. That he knew she was his mate and that was the only reason he acted ridiculous.
He hoped it wasn’t too late.
They finally pulled up to the estate and parked the truck several houses down and then snuck along the tall, dark-green hedges that surrounded Clay’s giant estate.
They found the breach Hercules had mentioned, a gap in the cameras, and silently slid through.
He saw men out in front of the mansion, not looking their way, but no sign of Clay.
That meant he was inside with Charlotte.
How horribly he’s going to die depends on how much he’s touched her, Mark vowed.
He wasn’t an accountant or a millionaire or a bodyguard at this moment. He was just a ferocious bear shifter hell bent on taking back his mate.
They scaled the walls, using their semi-shifted claws to get up the side of the building quickly and quietly, and then they moved carefully over the roof to the room with the glass top.
“They’ll hear us when we break in,” Bronson said.
“Yeah,” Mark said. “So we’ll have to find her quick.” He closed his eyes and focused. “I’m going to shift so I can follow her scent the second we’re in.”
“Okay,” Bronson said. “We’ll follow.”
“And guys?” Mark asked.
“Yes?” Hercules and Bronson said in unison.
“When we find him, I’m taking point. It’s my mate.” He began to shift. “I know everyone thinks I’m a rich prick, but I’m also a giant fucking bear. And I’m going to save my mate.”
Then without a word, he launched his huge, furry body through the glass, shattering it and falling to the ground below with a crash.
Fifteen
Char watched Clay with narrowed eyes as he paced across the floor in front of her.
Despite the elegantly embroidered carpets and beautiful furniture, she hadn’t missed this place at all. Leaving it had been freedom.
Being back was nearly suffocating.
But running just wasn’t going to work anymore. It was time to confront him, and she knew backup was coming.
She could shift, but he could shift into a bear also, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to fight him.
She needed to keep him talking. Clay loved to hear himself talk.
“You didn’t need to leave me,” he said.
“You didn’t need to keep stalking me,” she retorted.
He folded his arms and faced one of the giant stained-glass windows that led outside. “I love you. Of course I’d come after you.”
“You need to let go of the building.” She still wanted to know what his angle was. Though he’d stalked her for years, ever since she left him, he’d never approached her like he had today. Did he really want her back, or was he just waiting to punish her?
“I’ll let go of the building i
f you come back to me,” he said. “In fact, I’ll buy it and sign the title over right away, as soon as you agree to marry me again.”
She shook her head violently. “No. I can’t. Why would you even want me to? Why are you so obsessed with me?” She narrowed her eyes on him. “You don’t even like me.”
His dark eyes went a little darker as he turned on her, expression menacing, stance tensed. “Why would you say that? I love you.” He strode across the room and used his hand to tilt up her face.
She looked up at him defiantly. She wouldn’t show him fear. Not ever again. “You need to leave me alone, Clay,” she said firmly. His hands twisted painfully in her hair, but she wasn’t going to let him see any reaction.
“You bitch,” he said. “I own you. I brought you out of the dump you were working in. I gave you everything. And you just walk out on me? You think there aren’t any consequences for cheating on your husband?”
“I didn’t cheat on you and you know it. We’re divorced.”
He wet his lips maniacally, and she hated when he got this look in his eyes. If he’d ever shown her that look when she was dating him, she never would have married him in the first place.
But he’d been charming, and she’d been desperate after her mother’s death.
She felt his hands in her hair and wondered how long it would be until Mark and the others showed up.
Clay was quickly unravelling, and she might not have a lot of time. If she had to, she would fight him in bear form. Even if he shifted, it would be a fairer fight. Her grizzly was fairly large. She was full bear and sure one of his reasons for noticing her was because female bear shifters were fairly rare.
“What are you thinking about?” Clay asked. “Thinking that huge bodyguard you hired will come to save you? He’s just a poser. Just a rich guy who hires other people to do his dirty work.” He jerked Char up against him so her face was just inches from his. “He’s not coming.”
She was pretty sure he was, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be pretty when he did.
Bear to the End (Bear Claw Security Book 5) Page 10