Romance: Wanted by the Alpha Lion (A BBW Paranormal Suspense Romance) (Heroes of Shifter Creek Book 2) (79 page)

Chapter 13

Brock hung his head, rubbing his forehead with finger and thumb. Chase spoke quietly, knowing he’d given the boss a headache. “If Erin gets charged with murder or manslaughter, and I have to make a choice, I’m going to choose her, Brock. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I won’t bring that kind of drama into the MC. And I’ll stand by her during any trial, just like I will anything she faces, for the rest of my life.”

But when Brock looked up, he wore a rueful smile. “You know, my old man beat my mother on a daily basis. That’s why I get so violent about men beating women. In other circumstances, I might make a different decision, but that son of a bitch got what he deserved, and I’m glad it was Erin who got to take vengeance.”

Chase sat down on the bench at the precinct next to him, not quite sure where the conversation was going. Erin was being questioned, and Chase had already been released after answering questions that were more like a browbeating. When Brock spoke again, Chase held his breath. “I’m probably going to regret this, but I’m going to back you both. You’re both employees at the hotel, and you’re a Cobra. All of your brothers will be behind the two of you, if she goes to trial. And I’ll hire the best lawyer we can find.”

That was profound. One of the rules the Cobras adhered to was that, in criminal disputes, the club wasn’t going to be a part of it. And if you brought the criminal drama to the MC, you would promptly have your patch removed. The fact that Brock was not only breaking that rule but stepping in and demanding the entire club back Erin was unheard of. But he was right in doing it, and he had enough power to assure everything would work out.

“I’m proud of you, Chase,” he said, shocking him again. “You’ve finally found that inner peace. I found the same thing when I met Tanya. It’s nice, isn’t it?”

Chase nodded with a smirk. “It’s incredible, except when I’m worried about her. But she’s everything now. Every move I make, I choose based on how it affects her and the two of us together.”

Brock laughed. “Oh, yeah, you’re sprung alright! Welcome to the club, bud. And if you thought being a Cobra was hard, wait till you get deeper into the Sprung club.”

Chase laughed with him but was cut off as Erin flew out the door leading to the interrogation rooms. He stood and caught her as she launched herself at him. “Oh, god, it’s over, Chase! It’s over!”

He hugged her so tight he finally worried he was cutting off her breath, and he let go, pushing her back to arm’s length. “So, you’re free to go?”

She beamed and nodded, though she was crying pretty hard. “No charges. It’s a clear case of self-defense against a maniac. Can you believe it?”

It was the truth, so he definitely believed it. But he was still relieved, the stress of the situation having him so stressed his muscles ached.

“Congratulations, Erin,” Brock said, pulling her into a hug. “I’m happy for you. And I assume this means I’ll be seeing a lot more of you around the clubhouse.”

She nodded eagerly, and Chase cleared his throat. Erin gave him a questioning frown, and he said, “I was thinking that, maybe, after our talk earlier, we might think about something else.”

“Like what?” she asked, sounding hesitant.

He reached out and pulled her against him, gazing down into the pools of her silvery eyes. “Well, I thought maybe, since you’re moving in with me and all, you might like to be my old lady.”

She rolled her eyes. “I thought that was a given, Chase. I’m in love with you. I don’t want to see anyone else. I’m all yours.”

He shook his head. “That’s not quite what I meant. I’d actually like to make an honest woman of you, Erin.” She gaped at him, understanding now, and he grinned. “I know it’s fast, but it’s not like we have to run down to Elvis and get married tonight. But I want to know that you’re going to stay, and I can’t stand the thought of you feeling like you’re not worthy of being a wife. I love you, Erin, and I want you by my side. Always.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but the smile on her face and the tears that poured even heavier told Chase what her answer would be as she asked, “Do I get to take your name if I accept?”

“Oh, I’m old-fashioned. I insist on it.”

She threw her arms around his neck. “Then, yes, I’ll marry you. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Chase winked at Brock over her head and said, “How about that, boss? Am I full-fledged member of this new little club of yours?”

Shaking his head and laughing, Brock said, “I’m tempted to make you the damn president, kid.”

And Chase would willingly accept, if it meant keeping Erin.

***

THE END

Chapter One

Cecelia

              “Pick me up,” Michael pleaded, holding his little arms out wide. Cecelia couldn’t resist. He was too adorable with his trusting blue eyes and little blonde head. She lifted Michael up into her arms, bobbing the four-year-old as his sister and brother ran around her feet.

              Cecelia Conrad didn’t usually cave to the adorable. With her raven-black hair and dark green eyes, she preferred the night over the day, mystery over mirth. But something about children lightened her spirit. It was why she had studied child development in college, and why she’d looked for work as an au pair upon graduating, eventually landing a job with the Johannsson family.

              They were a beautiful bunch with their Scandinavian blonde hair and bright blue eyes – all except the father, who looked more Mediterranean than Scandinavian. The children took after their mother, Diana Johannsson, a hardworking woman with a genuine smile.

              On a normal day, Cecelia took care of the children while Diana ran her own marketing company and their dad played big man at his law firm, but this wasn’t a normal day. They were on vacation, trading in the buzz of the city for the restfulness of the wilderness. As Cecelia held Michael on the porch of the log cabin where they were staying, if a two-story timber palace could be called a cabin, she looked out into an endless forest.

              “You’re an angel,” Michael sang, twirling a piece of her nightshade hair around his finger.

              Cecelia smiled and set him down. “Go play,” she encouraged. It was a good thing she did. As soon as Michael’s feet touched the ground, he hiccupped and turned into a bear cub.

              “Oops,” he said when he changed back into a boy, covering his mouth. “I hiccupped.”

             
Thank mercy the clothes of shifters return with the flesh
, Cecelia thought as she watched Michael and his siblings run around.
Otherwise, I’d spend all day redressing triplets.

              Nearby, Diana sat in a cushioned lounge chair drinking a pink lemonade Cecelia suspected had a shot of something special added to it. Between sips, she chatted loudly on her phone. “I miss the city already,” she groaned. “There’s no cosmopolitan on the Great Frontier.” She paused. “Yes, mother, I know we can come home at any time, but this will be good for us. We have bear in our blood. We need wide open spaces.”

She laughed as if she’d just told a joke, but then her face fell. “Mother, not this again. There’s no danger out here. You’re being oversensitive, like the time you thought the triplets were drowning at sea and it turned out they were only watching Sponge Bob. You need seer spectacles.” She laughed again.

Cecelia tuned the conversation out. Fixing a button on her purple flannel shirt, she wondered what it was like to shift. She never had, and she never would. Most of the members of her family were shifters, but the gene wasn’t always passed down. Her older brother was a shifter. At will, he turned into a big brown grizzly, but his heart was gentle, at least when it came to those he felt he needed to protect. He was in the military, using his abilities for good.

“My mom’s at it again,” Diana called from her lounge chair, tucking her phone away. “Being a seer is only a gift if you can see straight.”

That was something else Cecelia had missed out on – special gifts. It was rare, but some shifters could do extraordinary things, like see what others could not or make the earth tremble with a stomp of their foot.

“What is she worried about this time?” she asked.

“She thinks we’re in danger out here in the woods. I told her the only danger here was my husband’s barbequing skills.”

“The fearsome three are running around so much, they’d eat a plate of dandelions if you gave it to them.”

“They may have to if he burns everything again. I was thinking… there’s a tree house down the path. Why don’t you take the children there to play for a few hours? There’s something else I want my husband to set on fire.”

Cecelia tried not to cringe. Diana had no filter. It was one of the reasons she loved her, but sometimes it was too much. “I predict a fourth cub soon,” she said as she began rounding up the kids.

“So did my mom,” Diana called as they headed for the path. “That was three years ago.”

They were being watched. Cecelia could sense it. She may not be able to shift into a bear like her brother could, but she still had the instincts of an animal. As the children climbed within the tree house, Cecelia circled the clearing, hunting the hunter.

              “Who’s there?” she demanded, peering into the thick wood around them.The feeling vanished.

             
It’s the wilderness
, she told herself.
There are lots of critters watching us out here. Squirrels. Owls. Deer. It’s harmless.

              Still, she could not shake the uneasiness away, so she decided to bring the children back to the house. She’d given their parents plenty of time to have their fun. After a semi-edible dinner on the porch, Cecelia put the kids to bed, tucking Michael in last.

              “Tell me a story,” he begged. “The one about the three bears.”

              “Can you promise me you won’t hiccup?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

              “I’ll try,” he said, pronouncing his
r
like a
w
.

              “Okay. I’ll tell you a story.” She sat next to him on the bed, and he cuddled into her arms. Children loved curvy nannies. Being big and beautiful worked in her favor as an au pair. In her arms, the children felt nourished and safe.

              “Once upon a time, there was a girl thief named Goldilocks. While Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear were away, the horrible girl snuck in and stole all the porridge.”

              “Boo!” the children cried together, all three listening in.

              “Not only did she eat all the porridge, but then the lazy girl slept in their beds. When Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear returned to the house, they were so upset, Baby Bear started to cry, which thankfully scared the girl thief away.”

              “I like that story,” Michael said, yawning. “But it made me sleepy.”

              “Then shut your eyes, Baby Bear,” Cecelia hummed. “All of you.”

              “You’re not Goldilocks,” Michael proclaimed as he closed his eyes. “You’re an angel. You watch over people.”

              “I’m no angel, but that’s sweet of you to think so,” she said as she walked to the door to shut out the lights. “Goodnight, Baby Bears. You sleep tight, and I’ll keep the monsters away.”

***

Cecelia didn’t sleep well. Her room was on the far side of the cabin, away from the family so that she could have her privacy. There was no noise; silence surrounded her. Coming from the clamor of the city, perhaps it was the silence that unsettled her sleep, filling it with terror.

              She kept having nightmares, first of her brother fighting in his war, and then she was in a dark room, black like tar, with men’s voices surrounding her, hushed like whispers. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their whispers danced around her like a den of snakes.

              She woke groggy, but she was glad to be awake. The early dawn was a relief. There was nothing to fear. The world was as it should be. Needing coffee, Cecelia threw on her purple flannel and went to the kitchen. The family would rise soon – first the kids then the parents. Leaning against the kitchen counter with the mug of coffee next to her cheek, she breathed in her last moments of peace before the day really started.

              The peace lasted a lot longer than she expected. The kids should be up causing a ruckus by now, hitting their little paws against the pots and pans as she made them scrambled eggs and toast. Afraid they were bouncing around on their beds or tossing their toys around like confetti, she went to check on them, but they weren’t there, so she searched the rest of the house.

              “Where are you hiding, Baby Bears?” she called, pulling the curtain back from the sliding glass door that led out onto the porch.

              There was nothing, only the unsettling silence.

              Deciding they must be with their parents, she knocked on the bedroom door, expecting Diana to shout at the kids to go leave with their CeCe, but again – nothing. Risking the embarrassment, she opened the door. The room was empty.

              Cecelia wasn’t the type to frighten easily. Anger often preceded her fear when trouble presented itself, but not this time. Something was wrong. Very wrong. The part of her that wanted everything to be okay tried to convince her that the family had gone for an early walk or were fishing for their breakfast, but she pushed the nonsense away. Families on vacation didn’t rise before the sun, not when little kids were involved.

              To be sure, she ran outside to where the minivan was parked in the drive. It was still there, glinting silver in the sunlight. That wasn’t all. Embedded in the hard mud was a fresh set of tire tracks – tracks that had not been there the day before.

              Overcome with emotion, Cecelia fell to her knees in the mud. The family was gone, stolen in the night.

***