“You’re very welcome.”
Dean squeezed Mia’s hand, unable to talk. He was more than relieved. He didn’t know what he would do if something ever happened to his sister or his mother. The three of them were a team. They always had been, and always would be.
The doctor turned and walked to the door, reaching out to open it, then hesitated and turned to look back at the three of them. “There was a call that came in to the main switchboard that was forwarded to me a little while ago. It was from a man who claimed to be your father. He wanted to know the status of your condition.”
Laurie’s heart stopped beating. Oh, God. He knows where we are!
“I don’t have a father,” Mia spoke up strongly. “He died when I was a baby.”
Laurie looked at her daughter, stunned. “Mia?” she whispered, unsure what to say.
“Don’t give out any information about me to anyone who calls. The people in this room are my only family. No one else should even know I exist.”
The doctor nodded and left the room without another word.
“Mom, I told the police that Patrick was driving the car that ran me off the road,” Mia told her, her voice strong and sure. “They said they were going to pick him up for questioning. Hopefully, they’ll see the damage to his car and hold him for a while. Then I’m going to press charges.”
Laurie nodded. “Good.”
Mia smiled for the first time and relaxed against the pillows. Laurie lay down next to her, gently holding her daughter’s hand as she did so. Dean lay down on the other side of her and did the same.
“So, how’s your vacation, Mom?” Dean asked, smiling at the feeling of finally being able to relax.
“It’s really nice,” Laurie told them honestly. She hesitated a moment, unsure how to tell her children about Jace and Jackson. “I think I’ve finally found love.”
Mia and Dean looked at her in shock. “Really?” Dean asked smiling, one eyebrow quirked with humor.
“Yes, Dean, and don’t tease,” she warned her son.
“I’m not,” Dean began.
“Yes, you are. Shut up, Dean,” Mia told him quickly. “So who is this guy, Mom? Does he treat you with respect?” As always, Mia’s voice was filled with concern.
Laurie blushed and lowered her eyes. Here goes nothing. “It’s actually two men,” she began hesitantly.
Mia laughed out loud, wincing slightly at the pain it caused her sore muscles. “Go, Mom!”
Laurie blushed but couldn’t help but laugh at her daughter’s enthusiasm. “They are the owners of the lodge where I’m staying. They’re wonderful men. The whole community there is amazing. Nothing like I’ve ever seen before. They’re all in triad relationships. It’s different, but it seems to work for them. I’ve never seen people so happy.” Laurie hesitated, thinking through what she wanted to say to her children. “Jace and Jackson seem to feel that we were fated to meet to form a triad. They want us all to be a part of their family. They want you two to be with us. They say that because you’re my children, you’re their children, too. They value their family and friends, and they treat me with such tenderness and caring it makes me afraid.”
“Of what, Mom?” Mia asked quietly.
“I’m not exactly the best judge of men,” she whispered.
“Mom, don’t let your lack of judgment over Patrick ruin your future,” Dean cautioned her seriously. “That was a long time ago, and you’re not a shy seventeen-year-old anymore.”
“Mom, you’ve been alone for a long time,” Mia told her quietly. “We know you’ve given up a lot to take care of us. If you’ve found someone, or two someones, who care about you, you shouldn’t let that pass you by. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved. Don’t make a mistake and throw it away.”
Laurie smiled across at her two angels. “When did you two get to be so smart?” she asked them sarcastically.
“We were born that way,” Mia answered sleepily. “We take after our mother.”
Laurie smiled and snuggled against her daughter. She reached out to take hold of Dean’s arm as he embraced the both of them.
Mia grumbled and pushed at Dean. “Geez, Dean, you’re squishing me!”
“Quiet, brat,” he told her calmly. “You scared the crap out of us, so just be still and let us hold you.”
“Mom!” Mia whined.
“You heard your brother,” Laurie answered, smiling into the pillow as she lay next to her daughter. “Quiet, brat.”
Chapter 19
The large black wolf appeared, slowly emerging from the edge of the tree line and making his way to the private lodge of the pack. A blue shimmer of magic encompassed him, and Jace appeared, walking purposely toward their home. After a long run, he felt refreshed and ready to take on more pack business. It was moments like these when Jace was thankful for his wolf. Since he and Jackson had mated with Laurie, he no longer feared his wolf overpowering his humanity. Her presence centered him. He was able to embrace both parts of himself with little worry. He knew Jackson sensed his peaceful acceptance, and that had helped Jackson resolve his worry about his own wolf, as well as Jace’s.
When Jace stepped up onto the back porch, he could feel that something was not right. Walking quickly into the house, he made his way up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and headed straight for their bedroom. Opening the door quickly, his heart thudded in his chest as he saw the opened suitcase on top of the bed. Some of Laurie’s clothes were scattered inside it. He knew in that instant that she was gone.
Everything in him broke at that moment. Jackson! He screamed through their bond, reaching forward to steady himself against the bed, unable to stop the pain clutching at his chest.
Jace, what’s wrong?
She’s gone. His voice was dead. As dead as his heart.
He didn’t know how long it took for Jackson to reach their room, but he could sense his best friend’s pain as he stepped toward the bed and sat down beside him slowly. When he looked up at him, he saw the pain and anguish on Jackson’s face that he knew mirrored his own.
“She’s left us?” Jackson whispered, unable to wrap his head around the concept of never seeing their mate again.
Jace stood slowly and looked around the room, trying desperately to make sense of the scene before him. “Why would she leave without taking her things?”
“Maybe she wanted to leave quickly so we wouldn’t try and stop her,” Jackson offered, his voice filled with pain and loss.
Jace pulled the phone from its cradle on the bedside nightstand and dialed the front desk. It seemed an eternity before he heard Janine’s voice answer.
“Janine, have you seen Laurie?” he asked, his voice firm. There was no way he was going to deal with any of her shit right then.
“No, Alpha,” Janine answered quickly, knowing his tone meant not to mess with him.
“Has anyone seen her?”
“I’ll check.”
Jace waited while he heard Janine’s muffled voice ask whoever was next to her if they had seen Laurie. Jackson stood and made his way toward Jace, waiting silently beside him.
“No one in the lobby has seen her,” Janine told him quickly. “Alexander and Butler are in their suite, and I haven’t seen Lucian and Cole.”
A growl left Jace’s throat, and he slammed down the phone, cracking the base. Stalking through the bedroom, with Jackson following quickly behind him, he made his way back down to the kitchen, going to the laundry room to retrieve his clothes and pull them on with angry tugs. Picking up his phone, he looked at it briefly and saw that he had two missed calls. He pushed the button to call and retrieve his messages. Each moment of not knowing where his mate was made him more uneasy.
“Alpha, this is Luc. Your mate just left the compound, and she was very upset. It looked like she was crying. Cole and I are going to follow her to make sure she’s safe.”
Jace’s heart was beating painfully in his chest. Laurie left, and she was crying? What had happened? The message en
ded, and Jace pushed the button to retrieve the last message.
“Alpha, this is Luc. We were unable to locate your mate. By the time we got to our truck and made our way out to the entrance of the ranch, there was no sign of her. We took a chance and drove to the highway, but we’ve seen no signs of her. We’re on our way back to the compound now.”
The immediate tightening in Jace’s chest made him reach for the chair before him. He didn’t remember heading into the kitchen, but there he was. Sitting down, Jace took a deep breath, making every effort to calm himself. Jackson’s hand on his arm did nothing to soothe him. He needed Laurie. They needed Laurie. He could feel his tenuous hold on his control slipping. Looking up at Jackson, he saw the strain on his face. He knew Jackson had heard the messages, and he could feel the despair that was consuming him as well.
Ending the connection, Jace pushed his phone into his pocket then turned and left the kitchen. Jackson immediately followed him. There was no doubt in Jackson’s mind that Jace had a plan.
Jace took the steps two at a time, with purpose and determination, until he reached the suite of rooms that belonged to Alexander and Butler. Taking a deep breath, he made an obvious effort to calm himself before raising his hand and knocking twice on the door.
They could hear the heavy trod of feet approach the door before it was pulled open and Butler stood before them, his eyebrows raised in surprise to see his alpha and beta standing before him. Without hesitation, he took a step back and gestured with his hand to allow them entrance into the room.
Jace nodded to Butler, then to Alexander, before turning to walk toward Nikki as she sat on the oversized brown suede couch against the far wall of the living room. Nikki’s eyes widened in surprise as the two mountainous men made their way toward her. Looking them over from top to bottom and back again, she could see how Laurie had lost her heart to them so quickly. They were stunningly gorgeous. Both were well over six feet tall, with bodies wrapped in bulging muscles. Their faces were rugged and beautifully manly, if there was such a term. Their eyes were ice blue and soft brown, but it was the pure pain and concern that looked out at her from those eyes that caught her heart. She could tell by their actions that they truly cared about everyone.
She was pulled from her appraisal of them when she heard the warning growls emanating from Alexander and Butler as they took their place on either side of her on the couch. She turned to them and was surprised to see that both men’s eyes were flashing golden, and it looked like their incisors had elongated as they looked at Jace and Jackson.
“Down, boys,” Nikki told them, patting their legs reassuringly.
Jace nodded abruptly. “Nikki, I know you need to rest, but we need to know if you can help us get in contact with Laurie.”
“Why? Where is she?” Nikki asked worriedly.
“We don’t know,” Jackson told her quietly.
“Give me my purse, Alexander.” Nikki pointed to the end of the couch where her bag sat next to him. “Laurie wouldn’t just leave like that. Something has to be wrong.”
Jace nodded, glad that Nikki affirmed his suspicions. He waited silently while Nikki pulled her phone from her purse and flipped it open, pushing speed dial to connect to Laurie’s phone.
Nikki looked up at the two men, her forehead creased with concern. “It’s going straight to voice mail. She doesn’t have her phone on.”
Jace handed Nikki his phone. “Program her number in for me.” His voice brooked no room for refusal.
Nikki didn’t even hesitate, taking his phone and quickly programming Laurie’s number into it. Turning to Jackson, she put out her hand to take his phone to do the same for him.
“What happened?” Nikki asked them, trying to stand but wobbling a little. Both Alexander and Butler were by her side immediately, reaching for her arms to grip them while wrapping their arms around her waist to hold her steady.
“Mate, you need to be careful,” Butler warned her gruffly.
“Oh, shush.” Nikki pushed at him, not budging him an inch. “And stop that mate crap.”
“Nikki,” Alexander warned her.
“You be quiet, too,” Nikki warned him, ignoring both of them to focus on Jace. “What happened?” she repeated.
Jace rubbed his hands over his face, taking a deep breath to try to calm himself. “She was upset by what happened at the mall. She blames herself for what happened to you and Julia.”
“She is not responsible for what Pigface did!” Nikki nearly shrieked.
Jace stared at Nikki in shock. Then a smile crept over his face.
“Pigface?” Jackson asked, his voice tinged with humor.
“Her ex,” Nikki explained, waving her hand to dismiss the name she had always given him. “For as long as I’ve known Laurie, he’s had her convinced that every bad thing he did, every bad thing that happened, was her fault. He’s been harassing her for the last fifteen years that they’ve been divorced, and for the entire five years that they were married. God, I hate that guy!”
Nikki looked up at Jace and Jackson, and her eyes narrowed as she sized them up. “I’m only going to warn you both one time,” she told them quietly, raising her index finger to point at them both. “If you disrespect Laurie in any way, if you hurt her in any way, if you crush her spirit and make her feel worthless again, I will rip your dicks off.”
“Nikki!” Alexander and Butler both gasped at the same time.
“Honey, you can’t threaten our alpha and beta,” Alexander told her sternly.
“Watch me!” Nikki nearly shouted at them. “I’ll do the same to you if you think you’re going to tell me what to do or what to say!”
“Alpha.” Butler stepped forward and lowered his head. “Please accept our apology.”
Nikki grabbed Butler by the shoulder and pushed with all her strength. “Don’t you dare apologize for me, you big Neanderthal!”
Butler turned to face her and reached out to hold her tightly against his chest. “You will calm yourself, woman, before you injure yourself further,” he warned her angrily.
“You will get out of my face before I show you just how I’ll injure you, you big jerk!” Nikki struggled against Butler’s chest with no results. When Alexander stepped up behind her and encircled her in his embrace, she lost her fight, exhaustion overtaking her.
“Please, Mate,” Alexander whispered against her neck. “Please don’t tire yourself. I couldn’t bear to see you suffering again. It rips my heart out.”
Nikki stopped struggling immediately. Alexander’s genuine concern for her took her by surprise. No one except Laurie and her children had ever cared if she was ever hurt in her entire life.
Standing between the two men who held her so gently, she was powerless to stop the feelings of yearning she had to truly belong to them. And if that didn’t scare the shit out of her, nothing would.
Pulling away from both of them, she was aware that she was only able to do so because they allowed it. Turning, she faced Jace and Jackson again. “I will not apologize for what I said,” she told them, her voice strong and sure. “I will not allow you to hurt Laurie.”
Jace smiled down at Nikki. “You have nothing to apologize for, Nikki,” he told her honestly. “Laurie has a good friend and protector in you. But you don’t need to worry. Jackson and I would never hurt her. We want to protect and love her for the rest of our lives.”
Nikki remained silent for a moment before nodding when she accepted what he had said. “All right then. See that you do.”
“We will,” Jace promised, smiling. “We both like our dicks exactly where they are.”
Nikki laughed despite her worries. “I’ll bet Laurie does, too,” she teased.
Chapter 20
Laurie’s heart was racing as she turned onto the long driveway that lead to the Circle Three Ranch. It had been a long three days. Each day away from Jace and Jackson actually made her physically ache. She didn’t understand it, but she couldn’t deny the need she had to be wit
h them, to touch them. She hadn’t been sleeping, and she knew she looked awful. The panic attacks she’d been having had also taken their toll on her. She hadn’t been able to eat much, feeling nauseous and exhausted almost constantly.
She and Dean had stayed at the hospital with Mia until she was released, going back to their apartment and packing up what little they had. Since it was a furnished apartment, there really wasn’t much for them to take. It took them no time at all to pack their few personal items, their clothes, some picture albums, and their materials for school.
Laurie had all three of their cell phones changed to new, unlisted numbers that were blocked, so they wouldn’t show up on caller ID. They contacted the college that both Mia and Dean would be attending in the fall to give them the address of the Circle Three Ranch so that any materials they needed would be sent there. They also put into place restrictions so that no information would be given out to anyone but the three of them. They couldn’t take any chances that Patrick would be able to find them and hurt them.
Laurie also took the time to close out her bank accounts, taking what meager savings she had and carrying the money and all their personal documents in a small fire safe she had tucked away in the trunk of her car. Dean’s car was packed to overflowing, as was Laurie’s, but it felt good that they were getting away before Patrick was released from jail. Hopefully, it would be a while before his new girlfriend could post bail.
When they had left their apartment, they had made plans to separate and travel around the Colorado area in opposite directions for a day, just in case they were being followed. Only once they were sure they were not being followed did they head toward their true destination. The last check-in phone call Laurie had received from Mia let her know that they were about two hours behind her. Laurie was actually glad for this, so she would have some time with Jace and Jackson before the kids arrived at the ranch. She didn’t know what she would do if the men decided they didn’t want her or her children after all.
“At least the cars are packed, and we can just move on if they don’t want us,” Laurie told herself as she drove toward the ranch.
Bernard, Lynnette - Laurie's Loves [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 23