A Lion's Chance: A Crimson Hollow Novella (3 page)

A
s the night
settled over them, she needed to get out of the cabin and think. For the last week, Ginger had been focused on Swift and trying to keep her thoughts away from Liam. Occasionally she’d seen him around the village but they hadn’t spoken since he’d turned his back on her and walked out. She had considered going to him. Maybe if she could explain things to him, then, he’d understand.

Each time she found herself near the guards’ cabin, her courage seemed to abandon her. What if he refused to see her? His anger would have had days to marinate, possibly growing strong with each hour. He wouldn’t listen to her explanation but then again, she wasn’t even sure what she’d say to him if he did. Everything she rehearsed sounded like an excuse. She could list the reasons why she wasn’t able to do it, but, as time passed, she realized she was scared. Rather than push forward, she was letting it hold her back. She wanted to bust through it and find happiness, even if that meant living life with a lion.

Not knowing what else to do, she focused on Swift. The progress Garret had hoped she’d make with Swift was not happening. Every day, she visited with the fox, spending hours together. Mostly they used the time to get to know each other. She had hoped that if they could form a bond, it would be easy for Swift to open up, but that didn’t happen. Every time she brought up the past and Swift’s former tribe, the woman would shut down communication.

Not being a therapist, Ginger began to wonder if she was doing more harm than good. Sin and Garret urged her to keep trying. They needed to bond over the traumatic events they’d gone through and allow Ginger to help Swift; otherwise, they were out of options. The fear rising within Swift had begun to affect the tribe. If they didn’t do something soon, Jase, Sin, and Garret would have bigger issues to attend to.

Ginger tried to use the fact they had both witnessed murders to bring them closer. This was the only common ground that would allow for her to help the fox. For the most part, Ginger had worked through what had happened to her in order to move forward with her life, but she had a reason to do it—Garret. Her brother wouldn’t have let her give up. Now she needed to help Swift find the one thing that would make her fight. She deserved a life and Ginger wanted to help her get it back.

If Ginger needed further motivation, she had to look no further than Zoe. Sin and Garret had taken in a teenage fox when her tribe had suffered a similar fate to Swift and Sin’s tribe when they were children. The repeat of events and Zoe’s arrival at the tribe’s land had brought Swift’s memories back. Now, Zoe blamed herself. She reminded Ginger a lot of herself at that age and the idea of her blaming herself for Swift’s mental stability didn’t sit well. Zoe had witnessed enough before coming to Crimson Hollow and was still adjusting; she didn’t need to deal with more.

Ginger continued along, weaving between the trees and not following any sort of path, or paying attention to where she wandered. Wherever she went, she was still safe as long as she didn’t venture outside the village’s perimeter fence. Off in the distance, she could see two bears engaged in a playful fight. The taller one went to tackle his companion but he ducked, sending the tall bear rolling over him into a pile of leaves. They were having a good time, which only served to remind her of happier days when she’d try to sneak up on Garret and tackle him, but somehow he was always ready for her. She’d attack from the back and they’d roll on the ground, but he always gained the upper hand and she’d end up on her back with him on top of her. Childhood had been simple. The weight of the memories Tap and the lion had left her with didn’t affect her mood every day. She longed for those kinds of times.

Lost in her memories, she roamed around the tribes’ land, with no idea where she was going. Her wolf pushed her forward, as if it knew something she didn’t. Moments later, she stepped around a tree and found a hole in the fence. She glanced around, looking for one of the guards. Hadn’t Garret said there were several of them patrolled the perimeter? Where were they? Had someone tried to come in? Boards lay splintered and tossed in from the fence, not outwards. Someone had tried to get in, not out. Anxiety rolled within her but she kept going. She needed to see if there was anyone on the other side of the fence.

“You shouldn’t be here,” a familiar voice called from behind her, but she couldn’t place it.

She spun around to see Liam jogging toward her. “What’s happening?”

“Just go back to your cabin, or at least closer to the rest of the tribe.” He continued past her, without even slowing down.

“Liam,” she called to him, and he turned to look at her. “Can I help?”

If there was danger, she wasn’t going to run from it. The place was full of innocent people and children. She couldn’t turn and walk back to them knowing she did nothing to stop whatever might happen.

“Get the fuck off me!” a deep voice yelled from the other side of the fence.

“Stay behind me and away from him. Got it?” Without waiting for the answer, he turned and headed for the opening in the fence.

Who was she supposed to stay away from? What was going on? Were they in danger? The questions tumbled through her thoughts but she didn’t have a chance to voice them. Instead, she followed after him.

She stepped through the opening in the fence and there, slammed up against the tree, she saw a truck, the front end bashed in and smoke steaming from the engine. A young boy, no older than eight, leaned against the side of the vehicle, blood streaming down from a cut above his eye. Where was he going? Why were they driving a truck through the area where there was no road? Were they a threat to the tribe?

At the far side of the truck stood Jase and another, subduing a man. He screamed and fought them as they brought him to the ground. The alcohol from the man’s breath tarnished the air around them as she took in the situation.

“Stay here,” Liam ordered without looking at her as he made his way over to help Jase.

She listened to him for about five seconds before she refused to stand there helplessly, and made her way over to the young boy. Human. Interesting. “What’s your name?” She squatted down in front of him.

“Billy.” He held his dirty hand to his head, trying to keep the blood from dripping into his eyes. “My dad…is he…in trouble?”

“How about we worry about your head right now and let the guys handle your dad?” She tore the bottom of her shirt, ripping off a large portion to apply pressure to his cut. Gently, she pushed his hand away to get a better look at his wound. No glass, which was good, but the cut was long and deep enough that it bled profusely. Good thing she didn’t get woozy at the sight of blood.

“My dad…he didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay, Billy.” Pressing the cloth to his head, she tried to soothe him. She wanted to tell him things would be okay, but how was she supposed to do that when she didn’t know what Jase and the others were going to do to the man?

If drunk driving with his son in the truck wasn’t bad enough, he could have killed them both. Why had he tried to drive his truck through the fence? More concerning was, why he tried to hightail it out of there afterwards? He had been in such a hurry that when he threw it in reverse, he lost control due to lack of reflex and drove head on into the tree. What kind of parent risked their child’s safety like this?

“Dad drinks a lot.” He glanced toward his father. “That’s why Mom left him. She doesn’t like me around him but I had no choice. He took me from school.”

“Does your mom know?”

The boy shook his head, at least as much as he could with her applying pressure to his cut. “I wanna go home.”

“Soon, sweetie, soon.” She glanced over to the men and found they had managed to subdued him. Someone had located handcuffs and got his hands behind his back and his legs shackled. Interesting, but she didn’t have time to consider this; she needed to talk to Liam. “Sweetie, can you stay right here and hold this to your head? I’m going to see about getting you home. Okay?”

“Promise?”

“Stay here and be a good boy. Okay?” She took his hand and placed it over the cloth. “Hold that nice and tight. I’ll be right back.” When he did as she asked, she stood and slowly walked toward the men. She wanted to catch Liam’s attention instead of going over to them. They might have the man subdued now but the drunk had been rowdy enough that Jase needed help to get him to the ground without hurting him. There was no doubt that if Jase hadn’t been concerned with hurting the human, he’d have knocked his ass on the ground in a blink of an eye.

With a comment from Jase, Liam threw a quick look in her direction before he said something to his Chief that she couldn’t make out what he said over the hollers of the human. He jogged toward her, but his gaze wouldn’t quite meet hers. “What’s wrong?”

He stopped a couple of feet in front of her, clearly keeping his distance, and her wolf leaped forward, wanting her to do something to ease the heavy tension between them. “He’s been kidnapped.”

“What?”

“Billy.” She nodded to the young boy but kept her gaze on Liam. “His father took him from school and his mother doesn’t know. We’ve got to get him back to his mom. She must be worried sick.”

“Take him back to your cabin and see if you can patch up his head. If you can’t, maybe the nurse can, or we’ll take him into town to the doctor’s office. Once we get the bleeding stopped, we’ll take him back to his mother.”

“What’s going to happen to his father?”

“You afraid we’re going to kill him?” He raised an eyebrow at her in question and when she stumbled over an answer, he shook his head. “Sheriff Rogers is on his way to pick him up. We’ll get a team to patch the hole in the fence and they can start repairing it tomorrow. Meanwhile, guards will be stationed here to ensure no one can use this weakness against us. Now go. I’ll fill in Jase and meet you at your cabin in a few minutes.”

He didn’t wait for her to say anything before he turned and headed back to the others. For a moment, she just stood there. The strain between them was thick and her wolf snarled at her, demanding that she do something to fix it. How could she do that? They were supposed to be mates but she hadn’t been willing to accept it. Now that she had been there for a bit, getting used to his scent that seemed to be a permanent feature to the air, she was growing used to the idea. Could she accept what existed between them? If she did, would he still be willing to accept her or had he adjusted to being denied a mate?

The thought of her having caused a rift between them deeper than she could overcome tightened her chest. Upon seeing him again, she realized that she did want to know him better. He was her mate, and while it still made her edgy, she wanted to know the man he was. Maybe she could once and for all put the memories of Tap and the lion behind her.

A
s the miles sped past
, the tension grew within the cramped quarters of Liam’s truck. He’d asked for Garret or one of the other guards to take her to reunite the boy with his mother, but Jase had refused. The others had their own duties and Garret and Sin had their hands full with their ward, Zoe. This was up to him, or they could turn the boy over to Sheriff Rogers and he’d take care of it.

Sheriff Rogers would place the child in a foster home until arrangements could be made to reunite the boy with his mother, Becky Lane. That wasn’t an option for Liam. Billy had been through enough and he wanted his mother. Six uncomfortable hours, round-trip, locked in his truck with Ginger was nothing when he considered how long it could take for his mother to make arrangements to come pick up Billy.

Ms. Lane cared for her own ill mother and she’d have to find someone to look after the woman in order to make the trip.

Liam sighed. What was he doing? Nothing, but sulking over the loss of his mate. He could take Billy back to his mother. There was no reason to involve Sheriff Rogers and to make sure of it, Liam had picked up Ginger and Billy before the sheriff could arrive. No doubt there’d be a few heated words over that later but for now, Jase could handle it.

Ignoring the posted speed sign, he pressed the pedal a little closer to the floorboard, speeding his old truck up. They had another forty minutes before they’d arrive in Billy’s hometown and the sleeping boy could settle in his own bed instead of being curled against Ginger.

“Shouldn’t you slow down?” Fear laced her voice as she held onto the boy tighter.

“This is nothing. I’m barely doing…” He glanced down at the dashboard.
Eighty-two.
Okay. Maybe he should slow down.

“Barely do what?”

“Okay.” He eased off the gas and allowed the truck to slow down. Seventy was the legal limit, and he focused on not going over it. There was no reason to frighten her. Though he had to admit that having her finally speak to him was progress. Besides talking with Billy before he fell asleep, she hadn’t said a word since they left the tribe.

What the hell do I expect her to say? Hadn’t she already said all she needed to?
Her absence from his life in recent days had confirmed that she didn’t want him. She was his mate and he wanted her, but he wouldn’t push himself on her and he sure as hell wouldn’t beg.
I must accept that this is how it’s going to be.

“Please, Daddy, I don’t wanna! No!” Billy screamed, his little fists beating against Ginger’s side.

Billy’s screams startled Liam enough that he swerved. Thankfully, no other cars were around. He righted the truck so that he was in his own lane before quickly checking his mirrors again to make sure he could pull off.

“Shh, sweetie. It’s okay.” She tried to comfort the little boy but he didn’t seem to hear her. “Billy, wake up.”

Pulling onto the shoulder of the road, he put the truck in park as it came to a stop and shifted the young boy into his lap. Billy continued to pound his fists against Liam’s chest but it was better for him to take them than Ginger. Even though the boy’s hits weren’t painful, the idea of his mate suffering the blows made his lion angry. “You’re safe now, Billy. Come on, wake up for us.”

“I didn’t wanna go. I want Mommy!” His eyes fluttered open.

She unhooked her seatbelt and scooted across the seat. “I know, sweetie, but we’re almost there.” Careful to avoid the bandage over his forehead, she pushed some hair away from his face.

“Will he come back and get me? I’ll be in trouble for causing problems. He’ll punish me.” Billy leaned against Liam’s chest and looked between them.

“No one is going to hurt you,” Liam told him firmly before looking at her. He wanted to ask her if Billy had told her of any abuse, but he couldn’t do it verbally with the boy in his lap. Yet, she seemed to understand and shook her head.

“Will your mom punish you, or just Daddy?” she pushed and Liam knew she was concerned they were about to take the boy to an equally bad situation. Maybe they should have waited for Sheriff Rogers.

He shook his head. “Never Mommy. Daddy punishes Mommy, too. He says we’re evil.”

“You’re not evil.” She took the boy’s hand in hers and squeezed it gently. “He has a problem and there are people who are going to try to help him. Don’t you worry about him. Now come over here and let Liam drive so we can get you back home to your mom.”

Slipping off Liam’s lap, he wiped his cheeks with the backs of his hands and came back over to sit next to her. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll be home soon.” She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and held him tight against her.

“You okay now? I’m going to get back on the road.” With a nod from Billy, Liam glanced up at Ginger. Worry creased her forehead, making him want to reassure her, too. What was there to say? Was it even his place? She denied him. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled back onto the road and sped toward the Lane household. They drove alone in silence for miles before Billy spoke again, busting the bubble of stiffness that seemed to settle over them.

“Is he going back to prison? Like last time he hurt Mommy?”

Back to prison? Hurting Mommy?
There was more to the story that Liam wanted to know. The boy was kidnapped from his school by his father. Was there a protection order in place? There were steps that the mother needed to take and he was going to see to it. Next time something like this happened, Billy might not be as lucky as he’d been this time.

“I don’t know,” she finally answered as Liam continued to question the situation unfolding around him.

The rest of the ride was quiet, passing without any further issues, and Liam stayed lost in his thoughts. Situations like this made him glad to be a shifter. There was no falling in love with the wrong person. They mated and once the mating took place, there was no leaving each other. Shifters might drink but it was nearly impossible to get drunk and they sure as hell didn’t attack their spouse or children. They had problems of their own, but for him, the benefits far outweighed the disadvantages.

As he turned onto Billy’s street, he sat up, nearly bouncing in his seat until he spotted the woman standing on the porch a few houses down. “Mommy!” Billy waved frantically and climbed onto Ginger’s lap, taking hold of the door handle as if he was going to jump out with the truck still moving.

“Wait a minute,” Liam warned, pulling the truck to the side of the road.

He had hoped Billy would be asleep by the time they arrived so he could have a conversation with Ms. Lane, but that would have to wait until the boy was reunited with his mother. He shut off the engine and opened his door, while Ginger and Billy got out of the other side.

“Billy!” Ms. Lane jogged toward them, tears rolling down her cheeks. Billy ran toward her, meeting her in the middle of the street. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him. “Oh, Billy!”

“Mommy!”

Giving the Lanes some privacy, Liam leaned back against the hood of his truck. Ginger stood off to the right of him, so he could still see her out of the corner of his gaze. Damn, she was beautiful. Beautiful and off limits. She didn’t want him and he wouldn’t force her to accept him. Though one thing had changed in the last bit of their trip—the tension had dissipated a little, making their closeness seem less straining. Would it stay gone, or would it return once they were alone and on their way back to Crimson Hollow?

“You were good with him.” She kept her voice low as she continued to watch the family reunion.

“So were you.” He wasn’t sure what else to say to her, but just then Ms. Lane rose to her feet, interrupting them.

“Billy, go on inside. Grandma has been waiting up to see you. She’s in her room. She’s been waiting up to see you.” When the boy did what she asked, Ms. Lane stood there for a moment, watching him until the door to the house closed. Then, she came to stand next to them. “Thank you for bringing my son home.”

“You’re welcome.” Liam straightened so that he was no longer leaning against the hood of his truck. “When Billy told us that you were caring for your mother, we knew it would take you longer to find someone to sit with her than for us to bring him home. This is where he needed to be.”

“Sheriff Rogers called about an hour after we spoke. He…”

“Is livid.” He finished. “Don’t worry about the sheriff. I already spoke to him when we stopped to get gas. He likes to do things his way but in the end it would have been the same outcome. You have custody of Billy and allowing Sheriff Rogers to handle it would have taken longer for him to get back home. He wanted his mother and we wanted to see that happen. He’s been through enough.”

“For the last time.”

“Ms. Lane…your son was concerned he was going to be punished by his father. Is his father abusing him? Is he abusing you?” Ginger shifted from foot to foot and shook her head. “That sounds harsh and nothing like I rehearsed in my head since he told us.”

“But the question still needs to be asked,” he added. “If you or Billy are in danger, maybe we can help.”

Ms. Lane wrapped her arms around her chest, hugging herself, and refused to meet their gazes any longer. “Billy’s father is a great man when he’s not drinking but at the first sip of alcohol he’s someone you don’t want to be around. He’s a different man when he drinks, full of anger, hate, and violence.”

“Is that why he was in prison?” he pressed, wanting more answers before he could be satisfied that Billy would be safe there.

She nodded and hugged herself tighter. “I got stuck working a double and I couldn’t get word to him. Our phone had been shut off because he decided to spend the money on alcohol. When I got home, he attacked me. I was still on the porch when he grabbed the bat. My neighbors called the police.”

The pieces fell into place and Liam looked at Ginger, who didn’t seem to understand it yet. Maybe she hadn’t seen the news, so she didn’t know who he was. “Mr. Lane wasn’t released from prison, was he? He’s the escaped convict.”

“Escaped?” Ginger inhaled deeply, making him wonder if she had seen the news report after all.

Ms. Lane nodded. “He’s supposed to be serving a twenty-five-year sentence. This should have never happened. Billy should have been safe!”

“You both will be now. Wait here for a minute.” He went around the side of his truck, grabbed a little notepad he kept on the side of his door, and jotted down his name and number. “Ms. Lane, this is my name and number. I want you to keep it and if you need anything, and I mean anything at all, you call me.” He pressed the paper into her hand.

“We’re not that far and we can be here quick,” Ginger added.

We?
He liked the sound of that but couldn’t get his hopes up. Rather, he kept his attention focused on the other woman. “My cousin is a lawyer and he’ll give you a call in the morning. He’s going to make sure we get years added onto Billy’s father’s sentence so this can never happen again.”

“Thank you.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you both for everything. Thank you for protecting my baby.”

“Everything’s going to be fine now.” With his gaze on Ginger, he returned the hug. The whites of his mate’s eyes changed to a yellowish color. She wasn’t happy about him embracing another woman.
Is my wolf jealous?