A Baby Daddy for a Werewolf Silencer (2 page)

He shook himself and opened his eyes. This wasn't helping. He
would not be able to remember even if he forced himself, but if he tracked down
Parker... Perhaps he could at least encourage his memory.

Just as he thought this, Jensen's phone rang. He considered
ignoring it—it was the customer line, not his private one—but in the end, he
decided against it. He wanted to make a decent, honest living, and to do so, he
needed business.

With a sigh, Jensen abandoned his reviewing of the files and
picked up the phone. "Amaretto Bed and Breakfast. How can I help
you?"

He tried to sound welcoming, but he must have only
half-successful, because when the answer came, it sounded a little uncertain.
"Err... I'm looking for a... Mr. Jensen Moore," a woman said at the
other side of the connection.

Jensen blinked, disquiet stirring in his heart. He didn't
know why. He didn't recognize the voice, and really, the woman could be anyone
at all and have absolutely no suspicious intentions. Hell, she could truly be a
customer, although that didn't explain how she knew his name. In any case, if
Jensen's past had taught him anything, it was to be cautious.

More grateful than ever that he'd been wary enough to link
his land line to the rest of his systems, Jensen typed a few commands on his
computer and activated the tracking application.

"This is he," he said slowly as the program did its
job to figure out the caller's location.

"My name is Alicia Cook. I'm a friend of Parker's.
Parker Knight."

Jensen remembered Parker mentioning Alicia, the mother of two
that Parker had been helping when this whole thing had exploded in his face.
"Hello, Mrs. Cook," he replied, even more interested than before.
"What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was actually wondering if you've heard from
Parker. Given his abrupt departure, I was concerned."

Jensen stole a look at the screen, noting that the program
had already pinpointed the caller's location and identified the number as
belonging to Alicia Cook. Deciding that, for the moment, this sufficed as
precaution, he replied, "Well, I was actually looking into that too. I'm
afraid he didn't tell me much before he left."

"Oh." Alicia sounded disappointed. "I...
just... I'm very worried, Mr. Cook, for Parker, and for my son. You might be
aware that Parker recently befriended my eldest, Gavin."

"Parker only told me bits and pieces," Jensen said.
"He's very respectful of the privacy of his friends."

"Ah, yes. That's true. Well, Gavin and I were estranged,
but I wanted him to care for my other two children when I was injured. That's
why Parker dropped by to visit you to begin with. And then, I'm told there was
an attack on your establishment and it had some sort of connection to Parker's
new boyfriend?"

"Quite." Jensen scowled, remembering the possessive
way Finn Simmons had treated Parker. "I tried to ask Parker what he was
involved in, but he insisted he could handle it. To be honest, I'm not sure if
that's the case."

He paused as he skimmed over the new information on his
screen. His tracking program gave him some extra details on Alicia Cook,
including her employment, marital status, and information on her children. She
seemed harmless enough, and if she could give him a nudge in the right
direction, Jensen knew better than to waste the opportunity. "I've been
attempting to find them. Do you have any sort of information that might help,
things your son might have told you?"

It was insanely difficult to find any sort of relevant data
on the Simmons family. Every time he thought he was on to something, it turned
out to be a fake trail. It had unsettled him a great deal, since no one covered
their tracks like that if they didn't have anything really suspicious to hide.
Even the doctor who'd helped Jensen through his concussion—William Orwell—had
disappeared into the ether.

Mercifully, Alicia could indeed help. "Well... I
remember they said they were going to Wisconsin. I believe the property was
owned by Finn's brother, Saul."

"Any other names you can remember? Dates,
locations?"

He was already typing, making lists, his mind working
furiously as he took in the data. Alicia might never know just how much she
helped, but with every single detail she gave him, he was closer to finding
Parker and his companions.

Finally, Alicia was out of things to say. "Well? What do
you think? Can you find him?"

Jensen skimmed his list with far more detailed information
and grinned. "Yes. Definitely."

****

Erdi didn't know how much time had passed between his last
beating and Baqir's next visit. For the most part, his wounds had healed, but
he had received medical attention for it, so that didn't provide him with an
adequate frame of reference.

When the door opened, he sat up, or at least tried to,
insofar as the chains allowed him. Baqir gestured to the guards who obediently
reached for the bindings and undid them.

"It's time to meet with your new Alpha," Baqir
said. "Come on."

Erdi struggled to his feet, eyeing the other silencers in the
room warily. He was almost expecting a trap, but he knew Baqir well. There was
no reason his Malik would have gone through this elaborate deception just to
kill Erdi. If Baqir had wanted Erdi dead, it would have happened already.

Despite this knowledge, Erdi couldn't help but be surprised
when Baqir led him to his former room. "Wash up and get dressed," he
instructed. "Quickly now. We don't want to leave your new Alpha
waiting."

Erdi silently complied. He washed as quickly and efficiently
as possible, even if the water felt heavenly after so much time spent in the
filthy cell. The faster he got out of here the less chances there were that
he'd lose this opportunity to become something other than a silencer.

He wasn't given privacy to pull on his clothes, not that he
expected it, or even minded. Baqir tapped his foot impatiently, looking more
and more irritated with every second that passed.

The moment Erdi was ready, Baqir grabbed his arm and forcibly
dragged him out of the room. His claws dug into Erdi's arm slightly, but the
pain was only a reminder of what he stood to lose and what he could gain.
Freedom from the guild. It almost seemed too good to be true.

Outside the safe house, Baqir shoved him in an already
waiting black van. Some of the other silencers got in with him, while Baqir
slid into the seat next to the driver.

As they departed, Erdi leaned against the wall of the van and
schooled his features into complete neutrality. He knew they all considered him
a traitor, and rightly so. The scourging mark on his face would forever remain
a reminder of what he'd done. But he couldn't bring himself to regret it. He
never would.

He didn't know what Saul Simmons had been thinking when he'd
pressed Baqir to free Erdi. After all, gratitude only went so far, and Saul's
tiny pack could hardly withstand the pressure of a silencer guild, especially
now, with so many problems plaguing the rest of the Simmons family.

Erdi wondered what had happened to Dean Simmons and Andreas.
He hoped at least Andreas had survived. He liked the enforcer. The man was
competent and had made sure Erdi didn't have to step in a large number of
times. Erdi was grateful to him for that. As for Dean... Erdi didn't have much
hope with regard to the older Alpha wolf. It was too bad, really. Now that he'd
met his human mate, and knew how hard it was to accept the impossibility of
their relationship, he had new appreciation for Dean.

Silence fell over the van, no one really in the mood for much
conversation. After all, their kind were called silencers for a reason. They
attacked from the shadows. Quiet was their friend. Words weren't needed in
their line of work. It was for the best, since Erdi had nothing to say to any
of them—at least, nothing that he could utter without risking both his life,
and that of many others.

The trip lasted quite some time, and Erdi was beginning to
doubt Baqir's goodwill when the van finally slowed down and stopped. One of the
guards opened the car doors, while the other grabbed Erdi's arm and
unceremoniously shoved him outside. It was only due to his extensive training
that Erdi didn't fall flat on his face.

Baqir didn't even acknowledge their behavior. He was already
talking to another werewolf—to Saul Simmons.

Saul looked exactly like he had the day Erdi had left for the
Gathering. It felt strange, because to Erdi, it seemed so distant, the memory
coming to him through a veil. He'd focused on preserving his recollections of
his mate, but the rest of it had stopped being so important. To see him now,
like this, made Erdi realize that his stay had probably not been as long as
he'd originally believed.

Finn was with him, his arms crossed over his massive chest.
His jaw clenched when he first caught sight of Erdi, and Saul must have sensed
something was wrong too, because he turned away from the conversation and
focused on Erdi.

A heartbeat later, he was glowering furiously at Baqir.
"This wasn't what I had in mind when I asked you to hand him over to
me."

"I care little of what you had in mind. The guilds have
rules, and Erdi broke them. Now take him and go, before I change my mind."

On cue, the guards shoved Erdi toward Saul and Finn. Erdi
ended up more or less in Finn's arms, while Saul bared sharp fangs at Baqir.
"You will pay for this."

 
Erdi caught Saul's arm and shook his
head. "He's right, Alpha. We should go."

Saul might not have been so easy to persuade, but Erdi's use
of the word Alpha seemed to snap him out of his angry trance. "Very well.
I trust we'll never see each other again, Malik."

"For your own good, I hope you're right," Baqir
replied.

Finn directed Erdi toward a waiting Jeep. They entered the
car, with Finn taking the wheel, while Saul and Erdi slid in the back.

"They hurt you," Saul murmured as Finn started the
car.

"It was unavoidable." Erdi ran his fingers over the
scar on his cheek. "This is a reminder of what happens to traitors, Alpha.
Truly, I was lucky to get away with just this."

He didn't explain the fact that luck had very little to do
with it. He didn't say that Baqir had been in his right to kill Erdi. The
scourging might have left him scarred, but he hadn't even lost his eye.

All things considered, the permanent damage Erdi had received
was limited, maybe even negligible. Saul obviously didn't realize it, or maybe
he didn't want to. Erdi could have explained all of it, but he didn't want to
point out Baqir's intervention. It could easily cause his brother to be
questioned within the guild, which could prove to be disastrous for both of
them.

After a few seconds, Saul seemed to understand, a knowing
glint appearing in his gray eyes. "I see. Well, at least it's over. Now...
Do you want to join my pack?"

It was an official and necessary request. Saul might have
pushed for Erdi's release with this excuse, but he couldn't actually force Erdi
into joining his pack. Maybe it was exactly the look in Saul's eyes that caused
Erdi to hesitate.

Saul and his family deserved better. The man had a child now,
and was trying so hard to keep his son and his mate safe. How could Erdi
endanger that? Even he wasn't so selfish.

"Saul... Do you know what you're doing here? Do you
realize who you're extending this offer to?"

Saul's expression softened and he squeezed Erdi's shoulder.
"Of course. To a friend."

Erdi shook his head. "I'm not who you think I am, Saul.
I'm not a good man."

If not for Jensen, he would have probably gone ahead and
killed both Parker and Finn. The thought nauseated him now. He'd tried so hard
not to think about it, but after spending some time with the couple, he'd also
learned Parker was pregnant. The knowledge that he'd come so close to murdering
an innocent unborn almost made him wish he'd died in Baqir's clutches. It
clicked with something in Erdi's brain as he automatically wondered just how
many of the men and women he'd killed had been in similar situations.

He tried to push back his emotions, to shove them to the back
of his mind like he'd done in the past. This time, the voices refused to be
silenced. Suddenly, Erdi couldn't see Saul anymore. All he could see was the
faces of the people he'd taken out, all coalescing into one single image—that
of Jensen, dead eyes staring at him accusingly.

He distantly heard Saul shouting, but he couldn't understand
it, could barely understand what he was doing here. He was choking. Blood was
in his mouth, in his lungs, flowing over him, flooding him. He could see
himself pushing the trigger or wielding a blade, and he tried to stop it,
clawing at the illusionary image.

And then, a wave of power pushed its way through all of it,
reaching out to Erdi. A part of Erdi didn't want to take the offered hand, not
when his own were stained with so much blood. But the steadiness of that
presence encouraged the other side of Erdi, the one that still craved
acceptance. He reached back.

The next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes, blinking
dazedly and focusing on the concerned faces of Saul and Finn. At one point,
they must have stopped the car, because they were on the side of the road,
watching Erdi carefully.

Erdi opened his mouth to apologize for his unexpected fit,
but nothing came out. Thankfully, Saul didn't require him to speak. "It's
okay now, Erdi. You're okay. You're not alone anymore."

Feeling as weak as a pup, Erdi slumped against the shoulder
of his new Alpha. He might have been embarrassed about the show of weakness,
but he couldn't bring himself to care.

His new pack didn't know who they'd let in. Erdi would do his
best to keep it from them. Somehow, he'd repay them for accepting him without
question. It was what Jensen would have wanted—and it was the right thing to
do.