Make A Wish (Dandelion #1)

by Jenna Lynn Hodge

  “What’s up, Boss?”

  “I think I got her.”

  “Wait a minute. Can you repeat that? I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”

  “You heard me perfectly, Griff. I think I have a lead on Jules. I need you to get the team together so we can go check out the address.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Click.

  I climbed into my car feeling something that had been slowly fading—hope. I mentally went over the conversation I’d had with the woman inside the rental car shop. It wasn’t hard to get the information I needed from her—she was practically drooling over me. A fact that had kind of repulsed me from the start.

  The woman said that a muscular man rented the van for twenty-four hours. He returned it after only three hours of use, saying that he only needed it for just a short time. When it was returned, his arm was bandaged and in a sling. She’d asked him what happened but he’d just given her more money to keep her questions to herself.

  Everything in me screamed that this was the man and if my suspicions were correct, Juliette had fought him.

  My girl was a tough cookie.

  “Hold on, Juliette. I’m coming,” I whispered into the silence of my car.

  ***

  Two of the pack’s range rovers sat outside the address of the man who’d rented the car. The tinted windows hid us from sight, making it easier to maintain eye contact with the property.

  A man with long braided orange hair walked out the front door and climbed inside an old brown hatchback that was rusting around the bottom of the front and back bumpers.

  As he pulled from the driveway, I paged the second car and told them to follow him. They were also advised that when they reached the destination where the man was going, they were to wait it out until I got there. No one made a move without me being present—that was an order.

  When the man and the second Range Rover were out of sight, I climbed out of the car, Griffin on my heels. The rest of the team was told to stay in the car with Saylor, whom I really hadn’t wanted to come in the first place.

  She refused to cooperate and got her way when Griffin and Eve came to her defense. Though I loved creating that friendship between them, it was beginning to bite me in the ass.

  Griffin went around the front while I slipped through the fence going around the back through the backyard. I drew on every one of my wolf senses—especially sniffing in hopes of catching wind of her alluring scent—but I couldn’t find it.

  I walked to the back door, twisting the handle with all my strength, and it snapped as if it was nothing more than a mere twig. I already knew that no one was there. My hearing proved that but I walked inside and checked it out anyways, confirming what I knew to be true.

  “Griff, let’s go. She isn’t here. Call up Jax and see where they are.”

  Griffin complied, and within five minutes, we were on our way to meet up with the rest of the team. We pulled into a Walgreens and saw the other pack car parked off to the side. I climbed out and went to them.

  “Hey, Sir. He made another stop at a different residential building. Ran inside and came back out immediately to leave. We followed him here, but he hasn’t come back out yet.”

  “Did you get the address for the other home he stopped at?”

  “Yes, Sir, we sure did.” Jaxon reached behind him into the backseat and grabbed the notepad straight out of Alec’s hand, handing it to me through the window.

  “Okay. I’ll be in touch.” I pivoted and walked back to the car.

  For the most part, my emotions were in check and my wolf agreed with the plan of action we were taking. We were finally making some headway and I was confident that we were on the right path to finding her.

  “Where to, Beau?” Saylor popped her head into the front seat, a big grin on her face. It was easy to tell she was worried, but she was trying to stay strong and positive for everyone else. I admired that about her.

  “We have one more address to check out right now. You wanna be the navigator?” I smiled as I handed her back the GPS.

  “Sure, why not? It’s not like I’m doing anything else right now,” she joked as she punched in the new address and we headed out.

  The house we pulled up to was a beige one-story house with weeds overflowing the yard. There wasn’t a thing special about it. It was hidden off the beaten path, no other houses within sight.

  The moment I stepped foot onto the grassy yard, my wolf senses kicked into gear and the smell—the one that I’d dreamt about for months—came flooding to me. The scent was slightly different than I remembered it being but it was unmistakable. It was her. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick message to Eve, short and to the point.

  She’s here. Keep Saylor in the car—by any means necessary. It could be dangerous.

  I walked the perimeter of the house with Griffin in tow before realizing the front door was the only entrance point. I knocked loud and hard, my wolf hearing picking up the shuffle of feet coming our way. The door cracked open, the top chain lock still latched, and a male’s brown eye met ours.

  “What do you want?”

  Without responding to the man, I slammed my fist into the door with all the forces of strength I could call upon. The chain broke completely in half, leaving the door to swing completely open.

  “Bind him. I’ll find her.”

  “Yes, Boss.” Griffin grabbed the man. Though he was somewhat large, his muscles were pretty much non-existent. “He’s a wimpy one, should be no problem.” Griffin smiled as he grabbed the rope that had been hanging from his belt and, with one swift motion, had the man’s hands bound to his ankles. Griffin stood, eyeing the man, as I walked from the room to collect Juliette.

  Her scent grew stronger and I mentally kicked myself for hesitating outside the door that I now knew her to be behind. I wanted to see her, but I wasn’t prepared to face the condemnation I was sure would be in her eyes. With a deep, unsteady breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.

  It took a few seconds of straining for my eyes to adjust to the darkened lighting. There she sat leaning against the wall, sitting on the ground with her knees just inches from her chest.

  “Who’s there?” Her voice came out raspy and fearful, her eyes squinting through the dim lighting as if she was trying to make out who I was.

  “It’s me, Jules. It’s Beau.”

  “Beau? Really, it’s you?” she asked hesitantly, as if she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, maybe instead of standing there, you can get me the hell out of here.”

  She sounds pissed, I noted while I walked over to her and bent down, fidgeting with the metal chains. When they wouldn’t easily come open, I called on my werewolf and yanked them in my hands, pieces falling to the ground.

  “Okay, I’m not gonna ask how the hell you just did that.” She held her hand out expectantly for me to help her up, a notebook clutched in her other hand.

  I lifted her like she was a feather setting her on her feet. As I pulled back from her, she lost her footing and stumbled against me.

  JULIETTE

  I knew the moment he’d noticed. He no longer looked me in the face, his darkened eyes pinned on the small belly protruding from my tiny, thin frame. I ignored his incredulous stares and rolled my eyes, walking away from him and into the hall. I felt him near me as he followed but I wasn’t in the mood to further evaluate that feeling.

  A man I’d never seen before had Miguel tied up in the front room. He kept his eyes on me for a moment and then glanced between me and Beau. I ignored it, savoring the image of Miguel tied up like I had been. It was definitely sweet justice.

  I wanted so much to walk out of this place—to never see Miguel, Miles, or this building ever again, but I couldn’t do it.

  “Where’s all the damn research, Miguel?”

  “What?” He played as if he had no idea what I was saying. My hand flew through the air as I smacked him clear across the face. I could hear all
three men in the room pause, probably shocked by my reaction, but I didn’t care. He was only getting a small taste of what he’d given me.

  “Give me the damn research.”

  I held my hand out, ready to repeat the process again, but he stopped me.

  “Okay, Okay, Okay… It’s over there, in the top drawer. Key is around my neck.”

  After I had the key safely in my hand, I tossed it to Beau. “Get everything.” I turned back to Miguel. “Can I ask you something, Miguel?”

  He just nodded his head. I continued.

  “What the hell did Miles want with me? Aside from basically using me as a human experiment, what would have happened to me or my child after he had gotten what he needed?”

  “You don’t deserve to hear this, Juliette,” Beau spoke up.

  My head whipped around and I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him. “You, of all people, don’t have a freaking say in what you think I deserve. You’ve made that blatantly clear.” I turned back to Miguel, waiting for him to speak. “Well?” My anger was rising and I was so sure any minute I was going to go ‘crazy-ass-pregnant-woman’ on his hide, or burst into tears. I was never sure which.

  “He was going to wait till you gave birth to the child and then he intended to kill you both, just before turning over the research and your two bodies to the medical board.”

  I once again slapped him across his other cheek before leaning down and whispering into his ear—I couldn’t help it. I felt as if someone lit a fire under me, I was furious.

  “I hope that when you’re lying awake in that jail cell for the rest of your life, my image haunts you. If you ever come near me or my baby again, I will make your wildest nightmares look like a walk in the park. Try me.”

  I stood back up and turned to the man who I didn’t know and smiled politely at him. “Thanks for all your help. He’s all yours. Do what you want with him, but please make sure that he rots in a cell for the rest of his life, and not a solitary one either. He deserves to have to go through the beatings and sufferings that I did.”

  “You got it, Juliette,” he said, smiling.

  With my head held high, I walked through the front door into the fresh air. The first thing I saw was Saylor beside a big car, holding her arms out as she ran towards me.

  We collided in a big hug, tears streaming down our faces as we cried, relishing in the moment of finally being back together again. Saylor’s tears subsided, but she held me tight as mine freely fell from my eyes for much longer.

  “Man, sweetie, you look like hell.” Saylor smiled, gently wiping the remaining water streaks away from my cheeks.

  “I feel like hell.” I half smiled before pulling her back into a hug. “Gosh, I missed you so much. I knew you’d come for me.”

  “You weren’t getting rid of me that easily.” Saylor laughed.

  The weight of the world finally eased from my shoulders; we were complete again.

  When we managed to break apart, I pulled Saylor down beside me on the grass.

  “We need to talk.”

  “Are you and the baby okay?”

  “Say, chill. We’re as fine as we can be, under the circumstances. Guess who my kidnapper was?”

  “Oh no… Do I wanna hear this?” Saylor asked. She looked las if she was contemplating covering her ears.

  “The lab tech who took my blood in the hospital when we went to the ER.”

  “NO!” Her expression took on a look of confusion, giving me the perfect opportunity to continue.

  “Yeah and guess who the lab tech from the hospital is?”

  “Oh no… Who?” Saylor wasn’t liking where this conversation was headed, that much was clear.

  “M-max.”

  “Max, as in the Max? The one from when you were a kid?”

  I nodded, memories of the pain I’d gone through coming to the forefront of my mind. I was so tired of crying.

  “Oh, I’ll kill him.” She stood and started stretching her legs, preparing to go after him.

  My sweet friend.

  “Don’t… Please. I just want this all to be over with,” I pleaded. “He isn’t in there anyways. Not to mention, now I have to deal with the whole Beau thing, so thanks for that,” I hissed. “I wasn’t ready to deal with him and now he knows. I mean, I’m fat,” I pouted, not caring for a second that I sounded like a baby.

  “Oh sweetie, you are the most gorgeous pregnant girl ever, though you will definitely need your hair done. Maybe makeup too, to cover the bruises.” Saylor ran her finger over the splotches on my face. “ And don’t get me started on your belly. You have the perfect baby bump, so cute and small. It looks more like you had two really big meals back to back.” She winked and I couldn’t help but laugh. This moment was one that I’d cherish forever.

  GRIFFIN

  A police cruiser had shown up and loaded the wimpy kidnapper into the back. Beau talked to the cops for a while and had convinced them to talk with Juliette another day, giving her the chance to rest and recoup.

  “She’s sure something, Boss.” I smiled, walking up beside Beau, who was watching the girls laughing and crying, as he leaned against the pack vehicle. “I like her spirit.”

  “I don’t remember her being like that. The girl I knew wasn’t angry or violent.”

  “When people go through experiences like that, it changes them. Juliette not only had to look after herself but also her unborn child. There’s no saying what she had to go through,” I reasoned, knowing full well I was making an extremely valid point.

  “She looks pretty roughed up, doesn’t she?”

  “That she does.”

  “You know, I didn’t know she was pregnant. Saylor never let me in on that fact.”

  “If you don’t mind me saying, Boss, perhaps it wasn’t her place to tell and maybe the child doesn’t belong to you.” I knew that the baby did, but I had promised Saylor that I wouldn’t tell Beau, and I damned well was going to keep that promise.

  “I need to talk to her.”

  “Oui patron, vous le faites. Mais lui donner le temps de se reposer en premier.”

  “I intend to give her time to rest first, Griff. What am I, an animal?” I arched my eyebrow at him. “Don’t answer that,” Beau said in amusement before turning to face the girl whom he’d spent so much time searching for.

  “Wish me luck.”

  “Bon chance.” I winked and turned, walking up to Saylor and asking her for a moment of her time.

  “Smooth,” she whispered in my ear while I pulled her off to the side, leaving Juliette and Beau together—alone.

  “I know.” I smiled my goofy grin at her, which only managed to make her giggle.

  BEAU

  “Can we talk?” I asked hesitantly. Looking at Juliette was making me even more nervous. Her eyes were cold.

  “Why?”

  “You aren’t gonna make this easy on me, are you?” I sighed, rubbing my hand through my long hair.

  “Why should I, Beau?”

  “Okay, I totally deserve that.” I cringed and Juliette softened her demeanor momentarily.

  “Fine. We can talk. But I need to eat and take a shower first… I’m so gross.” Her face scrunched up as she looked down at her messy clothes. “Okay?”

  “Sure.” I reached down and helped her up into the vehicle. Everyone piled inside. The nightmare was finally over.

  BEAU

  “Ughh… That was so good!” Juliette lay back on the bed rubbing her now full stomach—after eating a big juicy cheeseburgers and fries. It was cute watching her excitement as she bit into each bite. “I missed real food.” She turned her head and smiled at Saylor, who couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I’m usually the fat one who can’t get enough food. Now look at you.” She giggled some more.

  “Psht… Shut your face. I’m eating for two over here.” Jules winked and sat up, peeking over at me. That was the first time she’d addressed the wolf in the room—so to speak—since we’d left the house sh
e’d been kept locked up in.

  I tried to do the math in my head, trying to figure out if the kid she’s pregnant with was mine but I just didn’t know. I’ve never really been around many pregnant women, so I couldn’t even guess how far along she was by looking at her.

  If it was mine, there wasn’t a doubt I’d be excited— nervous and surprised, but excited nonetheless.

  Juliette looked at Saylor, a small flicker of pain flashing through her eyes before disappearing. Some unspoken understanding flowed between them and Saylor nodded, rising to her feet.

  “Well, I’ll be outside with my good headphones on. Don’t mind me. Good luck you two and try not to kill each other.” She smirked as she grabbed her phone from the counter and walked to the door.

  “I’d never hurt her.”

  “Too late,” I heard Juliette mumble quietly to herself and it nearly broke my heart.

  The door quietly closed behind Saylor, leaving us to sit in a death-like silence, almost as if it was a game to see who’d break first.

  “I never should have left you after the night we shared. It wasn’t like me to do that and I’m truly sorry.” I hung my head feeling so much shame for my actions. I was just at a loss for words on how to explain myself. She couldn’t know the truth—she’s human.

  “I forgive you.” They were three small words that I hadn’t been expecting her to say to me. I was prepared for yelling, crying, anything but that.

  "The one thing worse than a person hating you, is you yourself hating you. I know that more than anyone; and nobody—not even you, Beau—deserves that. I forgive you, but I’m not ready to trust. I can’t. Not yet.”

  I wanted to mention the baby, to hear for once and for all whether the child was mine, but I was also afraid of what I’d hear. If it wasn’t, then that meant she had moved on with someone else and I wasn’t sure my heart could fathom that.

  “Do you know why I was angry with you?” I didn’t speak but shook my head ‘no’. “Even now, I struggle with how I’m feeling about everything that happened between us. I tell you, these damn hormones aren’t helping.” She half-smiled at me before continuing. “When I woke up and you weren’t there, it was almost like a reassurance that I wasn’t worth it. Growing up in the group home, it was a really difficult environment for a shy, awkward kid like me to be in. I was constantly being told I’m worthless, that I’d never amount to anything. And because that’s all I’d heard, I believed it.”