by Milly Taiden
The gunshot rang in her ears again and she cringed, waiting to fall over lifelessly.
CHAPTER 31
She continued to wait. Then she popped open an eye. Either heaven looked exactly like her uncle’s foyer, or hell did. But her uncle lay sprawled on the floor in front of her, blood pouring from the side of his ruined head.
“Finally.”
Amerella whirled around to see Detective Freeman leaning against a doorframe.
“You okay, Amerella?” he asked. He stumbled forward, his arm and shirt covered in his own blood. She jumped up to help him sit on a chair.
“I’m fine, but you and Frank aren’t. I heard sirens and thought they were coming here. Maybe they got stuck at the guard gate.” She went back to Frank and continued pressure on his back. The blood didn’t seem to slow. Did he have to shift for being shot twice? How did she get him to do that?
“Amie!” Mom Dubois came through the front door, dressed in a robe and flip-flops. “Oh my god. Frank!”
“He was shot twice and I think he needs to shift.” Amerella said the words so quickly she was breathless at the end. “Make him shift, Mom, now.”
“I—I can’t.”
“You’re his mother. You can make him do anything!” Panic rose in her voice. She was going to lose the only man she ever loved. After he did finally save her. She leaned over his body. “Frank, you have to shift or you’re going to die. Do you hear me? Shift. You have to do it for me. For our son!”
Mom got to her feet and ran to the door. “Butch, Butch! We need you inside.”
Amerella then noticed that half of Frank’s hometown stood outside the front door, all dressed in robes and housecoats. Why? Then she remembered Frank’s mom in a robe after shifting. Had everyone in the town shifted? Wait. All the animals she heard in the ballroom, all the roars and howls. They were from the townsfolk shifting and fighting to save her.
These people she’d befriended a few days ago put their lives in danger to save hers. Another wave of emotion rolled over her. She could barely deal with the fact that she was losing Frank. She needed a very tall margarita. Make it three.
Mom came back, Butch in tow. “He needs to shift to heal, Butch. Only you can make him do that while he’s unconscious.”
The meat man paled. “I haven’t done any alpha commands in a long time, my love. But I’ll try.” The man knelt and laid a huge hand on Frank’s head. “François Dubois, I command you to shift.” Nothing happened. Amie shrank away, feeling the sheer power of an alpha. She’d never felt raw power emanate from someone. It was like standing next to a wire with electricity coursing through it. The hair on her arms stood. Mom gathered her into her arms.
Butch cleared his throat. “I won’t say this again, boy. As your alpha, I demand you shift into your cougar”—he leaned down to Frank’s ear—“now!”
Frank’s motionless body shuddered. Bones cracked and skin stretched. Butch continued mumbling in the cat’s ear, hopefully encouraging Frank’s subconscious to heal his body. So much happened in so short a time that Amie couldn’t comprehend all she witnessed of his body changing. She blinked, and a bare Frank lay on the floor, breathing and with no gaping wounds. Her son still had a father.
• • •
The next day, Amie had the Running Winds bring Francis to her house. She couldn’t wait any longer to have the two men who owned her heart meet each other. She missed her son dearly. And as much as she wanted Frank to meet him from the moment he’d taken her to his home, it had been best if she’d kept him hidden until things settled with the family. Today, she’d have her baby home.
She rushed out to the back, where some of the townsfolk had stayed behind to keep them company for a few days—just to make sure everything cleared up without Frank needing backup. They gathered for a barbecue in Amie’s backyard.
Movement made her look down.
“Mommy, Mommy!” a high-pitched voice called to her. Her heart filled with joy to see her son after being away from him. Her baby jumped into her arms and she hugged him like she was never letting go. “I missed you so much, Mommy. But Grandpa and Nana and me did so much stuff. I have to teach you to put worm on hook to catch a fish. You get your pwetty fingernaiws dirty, but it wash off, right, Nana?”
The two Running Winds walked closer, with Mom Dubois at their side.
“Yes, French fry, dirt will wash off,” Nana said, hugging Amie and her son in her arms.
Frank stared at the boy, saying nothing.
Amie sighed, nerves making it hard to say anything. “French fry, I’d like you to meet someone.” She turned to face Frank, still staring wide-eyed. “This is Frank. Say hi to him?” The boy buried his head in her shoulder. She laughed. “Since when have you been shy when meeting someone?”
Her son put his tiny arms around her neck and whispered into her ear, “Mommy, he has the same thing in him that’s in me.” At first she didn’t understand, but then it clicked. Of course; that made sense.
Frank snapped out of his daze. “Hey, little guy. How old are you?”
Partially turning from her neck, her son held up three fingers. “I free,” he said.
Frank laughed. “Free, huh?” The boy nodded and dove back into her shoulder.
Amie smiled and quietly whispered to her son, “Remember when I told you your daddy was lost and I couldn’t find him?” Her son nodded, his head down. “Well, I found him.”
The boy gasped and sprang back with such power that he broke her hold on him. Before the child fell, Frank reached out and snagged him, bringing the boy to his chest, arm under his bottom. Both sets of identical male eyes met and went wide with surprise at the sudden change.
Amie lifted her hands to her chest, wringing them with worry. This could be the last time she ever saw both her loves together.
“Frank,” she said, “I’d like you to meet your son, Francis Capone Dubois. French fry, this is your daddy.”
Francis’s mouth dropped open to join his still-wide eyes. “You’re my daddy?” His little face scowled and his fists popped onto his hips. “Where have you been, young man? Mommy’s been wooking for you a wong time. Me, too.”
Frank hugged the little guy to him and laughed at the reprimand. “Just like your mom.”
Mom Dubois raised her hands in the air. “Woo-hoo! I have a grandchild!”
Several at the barbecue clapped and cheered.
Amie pulled her son from his father. “How about hanging out with Gram Jean for a minute while I talk to your daddy?”
“Okay, Mommy. But just a minute. I have wots of quesions to aks.” She couldn’t help but laugh at the tot’s serious face. Gram Jean and the others headed toward the food on the main picnic table.
Amie tentatively glanced at Frank. Was he ready to run screaming?
“Tell me now. How did this not come to light when we were in school?”
“Yeah, about that,” she said. “After you proposed in college, you stayed at school to finish exams and I went home to tell Uncle Giuseppe we were getting married, and that I was pregnant. I was going to surprise you when we were together next.
“But Uncle didn’t react like I thought he would.” She paused for a breath and courage. “He said if I married you or ever saw you again, he would kill our son.” She broke down in tears. Her heart hurt so much remembering what she went through having to text him that she could no longer see him.
Frank took her into his arms. “Fuck, Amie. Don’t cry. I understand how hard that must have been. I would’ve agreed with your decision. But why would he do that?”
She sniffled. “He wanted control of my trust fund.”
“Money. It’s always money, it seems.” He kissed her forehead. “We can start fresh, love. I love you and our son.”
EPILOGUE
“That’s a great idea, Ms. Capone,” the senator from New Mexico said on th
e phone. “I don’t think you’ll have any problem naming the restored opera house after the deceased senator. If anything needs to be passed here in DC, then I’ll make sure it goes through quickly.”
“Thank you so much, Senator,” Amerella said. “I can’t thank you enough for your help with this. Our senator started the bill, and I felt it important to Las Vegas to complete the renewal. I’ll get the paperwork started and let you know if I hit any snags. Have a great morning, Senator.”
Amerella hung up and breathed a sigh relief. The past couple of weeks had been packed with problems that had to be solved immediately. The other townsfolk had gone home and left her, Frank, and their son to get better acquainted and become a real family. She’d never been this happy in her life. Having both of the people she loved most living in the same home with her had filled her heart with joy on a daily basis.
Even better was watching Frank with their baby. He’d turned out to be an amazing father. More than she could have ever expected him to be.
Her cousins and rest of Uncle’s family had no complaints about her taking charge of the business after Giuseppe’s and Tony’s deaths.
She told the family that her plans included shutting down illegal activities and switching to legal businesses and charity works. They groaned when she told them they would have to live more frugally. No more renting yachts for a month to party away the time. She gave them the option of finding a job, and that shut them up quickly.
She needed to talk with Detective Freeman to close any files still open. He was finally ready to retire, having taken down the Mafia boss. Even though the boss was dead, Freeman had all the evidence he needed to prove his obsession had been worth the while.
The gun in Ragusa’s hand—which he’d used to almost kill Frank and her, and did use to kill the witch—touted the Mafia boss’s guilt. Joey got his justice in the end. If not for his gun being easily picked up off the desk, things could’ve been different.
The door to the study opened and Frank struggled to get through. Seemed the balloons he held weren’t cooperating, trying their best to stay outside the door. Amerella sat back and smiled. He was such a great guy.
“Don’t peek yet,” he said, wrestling the flowers now falling from the bouquet. “This is a surprise.”
Amie laughed at his antics. She loved him. Never stopped, really. Things would be very different now. Frank set flowers, a box of chocolate tied to balloons, and a card on the desk. “Happy birthday, my love.” He pulled her out of her chair and kissed like there was no tomorrow. Damn, she wanted to go back upstairs after that.
“Are you ready to go?” Frank asked. She looked around the desk at the piles of shit needing attention, then grabbed the box of chocolate. “Let’s hit the road.” She untied the balloons and took Frank’s hand.
With time being short, they flew up and rented a car to drive into town. Mom Dubois had invited them to a luncheon to celebrate Amie’s twenty-sixth birthday. She couldn’t believe how quickly the past few weeks had zipped by. Seemed only a few days ago when she’d first arrived at the town.
The closer they got, the more nervous she became. Only looking over her shoulder and seeing their sleeping toddler calmed her down.
Frank took her hand. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Amie rolled her eyes. She’d never get used to him smelling her moods. “I feel really bad about what Tony did to destroy the town just to get me. There are people who worked their entire lives to make a living, and in five seconds it’s all gone. Do you think the town will hate me? Should I duck down in the seat when we drive through?” She started scooting beneath her seat belt.
Frank laughed. “Don’t be so worried. If they hated you, my love, they wouldn’t have saved you that night. Or stayed after and made sure we were safe.”
She remembered back to that night when she was meant to be a sacrifice for a demon. Several from town rallied and flew down with Frank to meet up with Detective Freeman. When they got to the property, Amie’s scent was easily detected on the iron gate hidden off to the side. Her trail led to the tall windows, which were covered with curtains.
Frank had told them to wait there and be ready to charge the front door when he called. As it turned out, the curtains came down (because she grabbed them, taking the fabric down with her), and they saw the ritual getup. When Frank bounded through the double doors in his cougar form, the windows were shot out behind him, and all the shifters simply jumped into the ballroom from there.
She was thankful Frank had kept her from seeing the nightmare and bloodbath the room held. Certainly she would’ve had bad dreams for some time if she had seen it. But knowing others cared enough about her to do all that warmed her heart.
Frank rounded the corner coming into town. Her eyes bugged, and she gasped. “Oh my god, Frank. Stop. Let me out.” Amie rushed out of the car to stand at the new glass door for Wolf’s Hair and Makeover Salon. Oh my god. This was so great. Of course, it was past eleven thirty, so the shop was closed. She had to find Sherri and congratulate her before she left.
Amie leaned against the door and cupped her hands around her eyes. The space was twice as wide as it was before, the vacant building sharing a wall with hers now gone. She had new chairs, washbasins, and booths. The place looked fresh and fabulous.
Frank put a hand on her shoulder. He held a sleeping Francis in his arms. “You want to see what happened to Dorothy’s restaurant?”
She swallowed hard, hiding her eyes from where the restaurant was across the street. “I don’t know.” She looked into his eyes. “Do I?”
Frank shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s not pretty.”
Her heart squeezed. Dorothy loved her place and was going to redesign a part of it using ideas Amie and she had discussed. Amie turned, parted her fingers in front of her eyes, and saw it. She wanted to die. Fire-scorched cinder blocks marking the back and side walls were all that remained. Tears spilled from her eyes.
Frank held their son with one arm and pulled her close with the other, and kissed her head. “Walk with me around the corner.” They turned onto the street where Bob’s restaurant stood, safely out of the way of the RPGs used that horrible day.
The building had new glass doors and a new name: Bob’s for Breakfast, Dorothy’s for Dinner. Amie turned to Frank, almost jumping up and down. “Did they get back together? Are they sharing the space?”
“Mom said they were. And with the insurance money Dorothy received, they remodeled the place, and it’s better than it ever was, she said.”
Amie pulled on the door, but it was locked. Then she realized the place was empty. “Why are they closed? Nothing’s wrong, is it?”
Frank kissed her again. “Let’s get back in the car. Mom’s waiting.”
“But—”
Frank guided her along the sidewalk to the car. After belting Francis, making sure she was strapped in, and backing the car from the parking spot, they continued down the street.
“Now, this is another surprise, so close your eyes and don’t open them until I say, okay?”
Amie giggled with anticipation. She loved surprises, but giving them was more fun than receiving. She put her hands over her eyes to make sure she didn’t give in to temptation and peek. What did Mom have outside that she couldn’t see? Frank parked and helped her from the car, and they walked several feet in the grass, then stopped.
“You ready?” Frank asked. “Go ahead and look.”
She dropped her hands, and the whole town shouted “Happy birthday!” Instead of Mom’s place, they were in the park. A huge banner read Annual Town Picnic Lunch. Under that was a smaller banner: and Amie’s 26th Birthday.
She couldn’t hold back the tears that sprang to her eyes. This was too much.
Frank said, “This is all because of you, sweetheart. Not just your birthday, but the community coming together for the first time I’ve
ever seen.”
That didn’t help the flood of drops rolling down her cheeks. Mom Dubois immediately went to the car and grabbed a waking Francis from the backseat, taking him in her arms to a group of playing children.
As Amie’s eyes skimmed the women in the crowd, she saw the five suitcases’ worth of clothing she’d brought when she’d first arrived. The clothes looked so much better on someone instead of hanging in her closet to perhaps never be worn.
A particularly tight group of women gathered around the main food table. Jeffry stood with them, laughing and talking like the group had been friends for years. He looked healthier than he had before. He wasn’t as pale and his face was filled with joy. If anyone could get someone through a dark place in life, these women could.
She’d never been this happy, except when her son was born. She searched the area, looking for him. Then she saw Alice and her kit crew moving her way. Amie laughed.
“Alice, got your ducks—I mean, kits—all in a row?” Amie took the woman’s hands.
“Gotta round up the young ones to eat.” Alice gave Amie a hug then stepped back. “I’ll talk to you all later.” Amie watched the line of what looked like twenty kids with fluffy white hair marching in time. Sheesh. How did the woman do it? One was enough for her.
Mom and Butch, hand in hand, greeted them. Amie smiled and tittered and squeezed Frank’s hand. He smiled at her, thinking her excited over his mother and Butch being a couple. His mom looked happy—not just her expression, but her whole body shined with happiness.
“Glad you’re here,” Mom said, giving her a hug. “Happy birthday, Amie. Hope your day is great.”
She smiled up at Frank. “So far, it’s been fabulous.” She turned back to Mom. “And thank you so much for the surprise party. I was really worried people would be mad at me for hiding in the town and getting it blown up.”