Shattered

by Tl Reeve

  “Go home to your mate,” Kalkin said when they stepped outside. “Put all of this out of your mind, by fucking your mate.”

  Easier said than done. “Sure, but someone, I won’t name names, gave her the morning shift, and the kids are at school.”

  “I mean it, though,” Kalkin said. “When she gets home tonight and the kids are in bed, fuck it out with your mate. Be ready to testify tomorrow.”

  Mackenzie grunted. “You have such an eloquent way of speaking.”

  “Keeley says the same.” Kalkin patted Mackenzie on the shoulder. “We’re almost through with this.”

  “Are we truly ever free or finished with PBH?”

  Kalkin snorted. “No. I’m learning we’re not—may never be, no matter how hard we try. However, this case might end it for a longer period of time this go around.”

  “We can hope,” Mackenzie muttered. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, tomorrow,” Kalkin replied. “Oh, and Mac?”

  Mackenzie paused. “Yeah?”

  “It was me who gave her the morning shift.” His brother grinned.

  “I know, meddling asshole.”

  Kalkin laughed. “Good to see you’re still a dick.”

  Mackenzie flipped him off as he headed for the exit. “Asshole.”

  The rest of the day passed in relative ease. He gave Aurora space, knowing full well he hadn’t been easy with her during the full moon. The night in the clearing, he’d taken her three times before being able to carry her out and at least sleep without the searing arousal gripping him by the balls. He’d meant to ask her once again, to move in with him and the kids, but time slipped away. Unfortunately, when he woke Sunday morning, she was gone—day shift at the Sheriff’s Department.

  So, maybe Kalkin was right. He needed to fuck it out with her. Talk through everything and try again. He hated to admit, but his life was still in a constant state of being fucked up. No matter what he did, it seemed like, he couldn’t get ahead of everything and make things right. Hell, he didn’t even know how to communicate with his mate. It seemed like they were going about their business like nothing had happened, and it didn’t sit well with him. Shit, if he was honest with himself, he’d done the same thing with his children. From Royce to Riley, they’d all floundered with him, and it’d been his fault.

  His point had been proved the minute Liam walked back into his home after being at the community center. The boy was sullen. He’d come home withdrawn and a bit angrier than he’d been before he went in. Mackenzie tried to get the boy to talk to him, but Liam refused. Kind of like you, old man. Mackenzie snorted. However, unlike so many other times when he’d let things lie, he took matters into his own hands. He made an appointment to talk with Maria.

  Mackenzie pulled up to the orphanage as fat snowflakes began to fall, a rarity for them so early in the year. He shoved his hands into pockets after he got out of his truck and hurried toward the house. He stepped inside and shivered as the warmth infused him. The hum of activity was minimal which didn’t surprise him. Most of the children had returned to school or were with Mark in the small school building behind the house. After pulling off his coat, he walked down the hall to Maria’s office and knocked. He hadn’t talked to the girl much other than when Charisma brought her to the house for dinner. She was quiet, bookish, but she also had a razor-sharp tongue when push came to shove.

  “Mackenzie, I’m glad you could make it.” Maria grinned as she stood aside, allowing him to enter.

  “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice,” he replied, taking a seat.

  “Not a problem.” She followed him into her office, then took a seat at her desk. “I was a little surprised when you called. What can I do for you?”

  “It’s Liam,” he said.

  She frowned. “Ah.”

  “He’s been... Off.”

  “Off, how?” She folded her hands on her desk.

  “He’s sullen. Angry. He’s withdrawing from us—more than usual,” Mackenzie qualified. “When he came home, he didn’t eat much, and the boy can put away food like it’s nobody’s business.”

  “Have you tried talking to him?”

  “I have,” Mackenzie answered. “It’s strained. Most of it’s my fault, I think. With this trial going on and the last year of, well, everything, our relationship isn’t the best. Nonetheless, I know you were in charge of the teens during the full moon, so I hoped if anything, you could help me out.”

  “If I had to guess?” Maria glanced up at him. “I think he’s found his mate. I mean, I’m no expert in all things shifter related, however I’ve been around them long enough.”

  The air rushed from Mackenzie. “Son of a bitch.”

  “I don’t know who yet, but I can keep an eye out,” she stated.

  “Are you sure?” A mate. At his age? Sure, Liam was almost the same age as Caden when Marjorie raped him and bore his child... But, Liam, finding his mate? It didn’t make sense.

  “Call it intuition. He was acting different than the other boys were. He was edgier. He paced. He stared at nothing. He was twitchy, anxious. And, whereas when the other boys would shift before going to bed, shifting made it worse for Liam. I ended up placing him in solitary, so he could try to gather himself.”

  Solitary was a sensory deprivation chamber of sorts for shifters. It locked out smells and sounds and allowed the hypersensitive shifter the ability to relax without worry. “Jesus.”

  She frowned. “Can I be honest with you?”

  Mackenzie laughed. “Have you not been already?”

  “Touché,” she answered with a small grin. “I think this has been going on for longer than you realize.”

  Again, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, though it made sense. Mackenzie had been consumed by everything happening around them. He missed all the signs until it was almost too late, and in some instances, was too late. “My God, I can’t even take care of my children properly.”

  “Don’t do that to yourself,” Maria said. “Besides, it won’t do any good.”

  No, it wouldn’t. “I’ll try to talk to him.”

  “Maybe someone his age would be better,” she said.

  “I’ve tried. I thought he was working through it with his cousins.”

  “Maybe it’s not the right ones.” She gave him a knowing look.

  Shit. Had he missed it? Could it be Liam needed to talk to Tate instead? “Thanks for this. I appreciate it.”

  “Don’t worry. In five years, it won’t matter.” She had a point. “He’ll be able to express himself the way he desires.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  When he stepped out of the main office, he spotted Hayden exiting the clinic with Emmeline and Asher. The little girl clung to Hayden while Asher napped against her chest. Pride filled him. After all the bullshit, Hayden still persevered. He exited the building and waited for her outside. When she glanced up, he raised his hand in greeting.

  “Hey, Uncle Mac, everything okay?”

  He crossed the lot and joined her. “Yeah, I needed to talk to you for a moment. I guess, maybe, I should have done this at Thanksgiving.”

  “Sure.” She hooked her thumb at the car. “We’re going home for some lunch, care to join us?”

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  He followed her back to her house and noticed the subtle changes she and Nico had made since moving in. They were making it their place and again, the sudden welling of pride surprised him. Mackenzie got out of his truck and followed her to the door. Once inside, Hayden placed Asher in his playpen while Emmeline sat down at a smaller table and began to color one of her books.

  “So, what did you want to talk about?” Hayden washed her hands then set about making lunch.

  “The locks.”

  She stilled. Tension filled her. “You don’t have to explain.”

  “Yes. Yes, I do.” He blew out a breath. “I thought it would protect you from the truth. I thought if you knew Holly and I weren’t mates.
.. Shit, I guess I don’t know what I thought would happen.”

  “I bought it,” she said. “All of it. I even understood why, especially the day I believed I caught you and Holly having sex.”

  “It wasn’t me,” he replied.

  “Figured that out,” Hayden quipped. “Later, much later. But, if it wasn’t you, who was it?”

  “Truth?”

  “No, keep lying to me, Uncle Mac,” she snarled, sounding just like Kalkin.

  He chuckled. “Sometimes, the truth is worse than the reality.”

  “I’m a big girl now,” she said. “I need to know. If we’re going to tell each other the truth, might as well start here.”

  He nodded. “Okay. I believe the man you saw with your aunt, was your biological uncle.”

  She stared at him for a second. When his words registered in her mind, the blood drained from her face and a green tinge crept into her cheeks. “Oh, God. So gross. He... He... They had that kind of relationship?”

  “I think so,” Mackenzie said, keeping an eye on Hayden. “I smelled a man in the house once. I couldn’t place the smell.”

  “He looked like you from behind.”

  “Even more so why I think it was Henry,” Mackenzie whispered. “Until recently I kept my body trim, whether it was due to not healing well or because I worked myself to death with Rapier, isn’t the point. Worthington and I had the same body type—I noticed in pictures—so it could have been easy for Holly to sneak him in and do their thing.”

  “Added bonus,” Hayden said, “if I did happen to overstep the boundary, I’d be none the wiser.”

  “You would have now,” he said. “When your senses developed you could have smelled the difference.”

  “Jesus, Mac,” Hayden murmured. “She didn’t have any restrictions, so you made them.”

  “And, you were an unintended victim of those circumstances,” he replied.

  She shook her head. “I’ll be glad when this is over, and we forget she ever existed.”

  Her words had bite. “You are a vicious little sprite, aren’t you?”

  Hayden laughed. “I’ve learned everything I know from watching all of you, Uncle Mac. If it wasn’t for you and Kalkin and Royce and my dads, who knows, I might have been a Geithner, not a Raferty.”

  Mackenzie shook his head. The thought of their Hayden not being a part of the family tore him up. “Nope. There’s no doubt in my mind, you’re Raferty, through and through.”

  The next morning, Mackenzie woke early. He made lunch for Riley, Liam, and Abby then grabbed a shower and got ready to head to the courthouse. The backdoor opened as he poured coffee into his cup, and Charisma stepped inside with Mikey and the twins. Their cheerful presence took some of the edge off. He’d felt uneasy since the night before and, though he and Aurora had sex twice, he couldn’t relax. He’d contemplated going for a run but didn’t want to leave his bed or his mate.

  “You look like you’re about to shit yourself,” Charisma teased.

  “I feel like I could,” he replied.

  “Did Kalkin call?”

  He shook his head. “Charles said it might not be a bad thing if we didn’t get a call. I’m choosing to believe that’s the case and not something nefarious.”

  “Then you shouldn’t be worrying about it. It’ll all work out.” She wrapped her arm around him and hugged him. The warmth of Charisma’s embrace pushed back some of the cold fingers of dread spreading through him.

  Giggles from his daughter and Abby along with the clomp of their feet on the stairs pulled him and Charisma apart. Riley, a sullen Liam, and Abby joined them moments later. Riley went straight for the box of cereal, while Liam threw himself in a chair, and Abby rushed to Mikey’s side as if she hadn’t seen him in days.

  “Hey, how about you take Riley and Abby to school? I’ll take Liam. I have to be to court by nine, anyway, and it’s on the way,” Mackenzie said.

  Liam’s gaze snapped to his, and a tint of pink spread across his nose. “Dad...”

  “I think we should discuss some things, and it’s better to not do it around the girls.” Mackenzie shrugged. “Besides, I think you’re old enough for coffee, too.”

  Riley whined. “I want coffee. One of those iced-mocha thingies with all the whip cream and caramel.”

  Charisma laughed. “We’ll get one after school without the boys.”

  “Coffeecoffeecoffeecoffee,” Mikey repeated several times.

  “What do you say, boy?” Mackenzie groused.

  Liam nodded. “Sure.”

  Once they stopped by the cafe in town to grab their coffee, Mackenzie drove toward the middle school. He tried to keep the conversation light, not too prying, but enough so he could gain a little bit of information from his son, which Liam held back on.

  “I wanted to ask you a question,” Mackenzie said. “I don’t want you to be embarrassed or ashamed.”

  “I already am,” Liam grumbled. His cheeks were bright pink as a frown built between his brows.

  “I want to help you. So, a simple yes or no answer will do and know no matter what, I love you and it’s not going to change.” Mackenzie took a sip of his coffee.

  Liam licked his bottom lip. “One question?”

  He nodded.

  “Okay,” his son agreed. “Ask.”

  “Would everything you’re feeling, be easier to express if you were talking to Tate and Lorenzo?”

  Liam turned his head. His surprised features, in any other situation would have made Mackenzie laugh, right now, he appreciated Maria’s astuteness while simultaneously wanting to hug his son. “How did you—?”

  “Remember, you only have to answer, yes or no.”

  His son swallowed hard. “And, you won’t be ashamed of me?”

  “Never!” Mackenzie snapped. “I love you, Liam. You and Riley. I knew you both belonged to me the minute I laid eyes on the both of you. You never have any reason to feel ashamed or scared or embarrassed.”

  Liam blew out a breath and nodded. “Yes. Talking to them would be easier, Dad.”

  “Then consider it done. I’ll find a time that will work for both of them and set it up.” By the time he dropped Liam off at school, the boy seemed a bit more relaxed and not so uneasy. Or maybe Mackenzie was projecting it on him.

  Once Liam got out of his truck, he continued on to the courthouse. He’d been apprehensive for the last two days. He was sure the evidence they collected would be for naught. Holly would get away with everything. While he’d been lying beside Aurora, he promised himself and his family, if Holly was acquitted of her misdeeds, he’d kill her himself. It only seemed appropriate since he brought her into their family. Which meant Kalkin was still on the hook for his promise—take down Mackenzie because he’d gone feral.

  As he pulled into the parking lot, the area was surrounded by reporters and Sheriff’s deputies. They surged toward the doors of the courthouse, their excited chatter almost too much for Mackenzie to take. So far, the press had been cooperative when it came to giving everyone space during the trial, now they acted like ravenous fools.

  “Took you long enough,” Kalkin said, wrapping his arms around Mackenzie’s shoulder when he finally exited his pickup. “This way.”

  His brother pulled him in the direction of the back entrance. “What the fuck happened?”

  “The judge allowed our evidence and denied the psychological profile Walker provided to the judge about Hayden. Anyway, now Holly’s attorney has been making the rounds, decrying the justice system and trying to sway public opinion.” Kalkin’s lip curled.

  “How’s it going?”

  His brother laughed. “I think the press wants to know what the evidence is more than they’re agreeing with Holly. Come on, the trial will start in five minutes.”

  They hurried through the courthouse to the room where they trial was being held. Mackenzie entered first, then Kalkin. Already, Royce, Charisma, Keeley, Danielle, and shit, his whole family sat along a bench near the bac
k. Up front, Nico and Hayden along with Emmitt and Logan filled the first row. He made his way down the aisle and sat beside Nico. The soft murmur of the chamber surprised him. Heck in the first couple days of the trial, there’d been no one, just those who’d been meant to testify and Mackenzie’s family. Now it seemed all of Window Rock and then some, were there.

  “The place is a madhouse,” Nico muttered.

  “I met the press on the way in,” Mackenzie replied. “They’re ravenous.”

  Hayden snorted. “Who knew my uterus and my mind would be the talk of the town?”

  The snarky snap of her tone settled Mackenzie. “Well it’s an important uterus and brain.”

  Nico barked out a laugh. “Crazy old man.”

  Mackenzie shrugged.

  “All rise,” the bailiff said, as the door the judge used opened and the man in the black robe entered the courtroom. “Come to order. Judge Stanley Wright presiding.”

  The judge sat. He banged the gavel then cleared his throat. “You may be seated. Good morning, everyone. May I remind you all the witnesses are still sworn in. Mr. Franks, please redirect your witness.”

  “Your Honor,” Mr. Walker said. “I object. We haven’t been given enough time to review the evidence or the report attached to it. For all we know this is another attempt for the Raferty family to lie.”

  “Overruled,” Judge Wright remarked. “This is a settled matter. The paperwork which you went over in my presence matches up. I allowed it due to extenuating circumstances. Now, Mr. Franks, proceed.”

  “The State calls Hayden Raferty-Lopez back to the stand,” D.A. Charles Franks said.

  Hayden stood then made her way to the witness chair. When she was situated, she stated her name once more for the record. “Good morning, Your Honor.” The smile she flashed the man was filled with death and purpose. The spark his niece had been missing returned with a vengeance

  “Good Morning, Mrs. Raferty-Lopez,” D.A. Franks said. “You’ve had a traumatic weekend.”