Fighting For Their Mate (35 page)

“Announce yourself,” came the voice from above them.

Tyson leaned close to the speaker. “We’re Tyson and Ford Summerville with Bailey Nash.”

The door clicked and they entered. “Are there cameras watching us, too?” If they were into surveillance, she bet there were. A quick shiver slid up her spine.

Tyson shrugged. “It’s for our protection. Be happy.”

She didn’t know why she was so nervous. Mackenzie would be there and she was nice. According to her, the three other women were fully human. They climbed the steps to the second floor and entered. About ten men—all fit and big—were standing in the living room. A group of women gathered at the center island in the open concept kitchen. The home looked like a New York loft apartment, complete with brick walls, exposed pipes, and hardwood floors.

Mackenzie rushed over. “Hey, I’m glad you could make it.”

Two men who Bailey had met at the conference room, stepped over to Mackenzie’s side. “Nice seeing you again,” Brandon said.

“You, too.”

“Girl time.” Mackenzie smiled, wrapped an arm around Bailey’s shoulder, and led her over to the island. “Let me introduce you. The men only want to talk shop. Bo-ring.” She smiled and introduced her to Liz, Chelsea, and Elena.

“Congrats, Liz, on your marriage,” Bailey said. This was a party to celebrate the couples’ nuptials.

She grinned. “Thank you. The honeymoon was fantastic.” She told them all about her Alaskan cruise.

Bailey had always wanted to visit Alaska. “What was your favorite part?”

“I think the men loved the day we had in Juneau. We hiked into the woods and those two had such fun racing around.”

“Did you meet any real wolves?”

“No, but we saw a few bears and a moose.”

Bailey would have to ask her men about their encounters with other animals.

Mackenzie nodded to Bailey. “I wanted Bailey to meet you all because she’s a bit uncertain about what to tell her parents about being with two men.”

Elena groaned. “I had it bad.”

Elena with beautiful skin and shiny black hair appeared to be Hispanic. “Your parents were upset?” Bailey asked.

She chuckled. “My mom would be Pope if it were allowed. When I told her, I swear she was unable to speak for days.”

“She was that upset?” That wasn’t good.

“More than upset, but I told her it was my life and that I loved the men.”

That was what Bailey planned to do. “My father is a senator, so if the papers get wind of anything, it might ruin him.”

“Ooh, that’s tough,” Chelsea said.

Elena nodded. “I’m the ruined one. I’ve sinned and am going to hell, but while I’m alive, I’m going to have the time of my life.”

Everyone chuckled.

Bailey felt sorry for Elena’s mom, too. “She hasn’t forgiven you?”

Elena shrugged. “She’s softening. I think that once she meets Clay and Dirk, she’ll understand what wonderful men they are. All mothers want their daughters to be happy.”

Bailey hoped that was true. She glanced over at her men. Several of the others were huddled around Ford and Tyson, listening intently to what they had to say.

“Your men look at home here,” Mackenzie said.

“They do.” She’d seen a change in both of them. Being in the company of other professionals seemed to make them happy.

“Do they have a specialty?” Chelsea asked.

Bailey turned back to the group. “Yes. Ford is a master fighter and Tyson is an expert with weapons.”

She smiled. “We could use them here.”

They probably could do more good at The Pack headquarters than back in their hometown in North Carolina. Ford’s cell rang and her senses shot to high alert. Who would be calling him, especially on a Saturday night? Maybe it was their dad wanting to check on them.

Ford looked at his phone and then glanced up at her. When he didn’t smile, her stomach tumbled. She prayed it wasn’t bad news. Ford walked down a hallway, probably for privacy. Tyson followed.

“I wonder what that’s all about?” Bailey asked, thinking the women might know.

“Nothing bad, I hope,” Liz said.

Oh, no.
Was it Cam and Spence? Had something happened to Clare and Tatum? “Excuse me.”

Bailey maneuvered her way through the crowd to the hallway. She waited and listened to the one-sided conversation. The words, “yes, sir,” punctuated every sentence, and the tension in her shoulders loosened. It wasn’t about her sister, but why was the General calling on a Saturday night?

Ford disconnected and said something low to Tyson. “What do you think?” he asked his brother in a louder voice. He looked up and motioned her to come near.

“What is it?” she asked.

“General Armand has offered us a permanent position with The Pack.” He smiled.

She was thrilled for them. “That’s wonderful.”

Tyson stepped closer. “What are your thoughts on the matter?”

“This seems to be something that you want, so I’m happy for you.”

Ford gently clasped her arm. “This isn’t a decision we want to make without your input. Could you be happy living here?”

Bailey’s knees weakened. They’d said she was theirs, but they’d never discussed logistics. “Yes, but…” She didn’t know how to ask them where they saw themselves in a few years. Were they asking her to settle down with them?

“Honey, really? You’re still questioning our love?” Tyson asked. “After all we’ve been through? The doubt on your face kills me.” He turned to Ford. “Not the best place, but I think this is what our woman needs to know.”

“You’re right. We were planning on doing this later, but here goes.” Ford reached into his pocket, extracted a blue velvet case, and both men dropped to their knees.

Her pulse soared so high that her mouth turned dry. Ford opened the case, and the sparkle of the diamond solitaire nearly blinded her.

“You, Bailey Nash, came into our lives when we least expected it,” Ford said, his voice thick with emotion.

“Or needed it,” she couldn’t help but add.

He smiled. “That, too. Be that as it may, we knew you were the one for us the moment we neared. But it was our hearts that you stole, and keep stealing each and every day.” He glanced over at Tyson who nodded. “As the eldest, it is my privilege to ask if you’d do us the honor of being our wife.”

She was so stunned that she couldn’t even form the words.

Tyson stood and gathered her in his arms. “Take all the time you need, honey. If you want to be engaged for ten years that’s okay, but we would like to start a family someday. With you.”

Tears of joy streamed down her face. She loved these men with her whole heart. She truly believed her parents would be happy for her, too—someday. It might not be until her dad finished his career in Washington before he could celebrate with her, so she’d have to be patient.

“Yes.”

She was about to say more, but both men converged on her, taking turns kissing her. From the bulges in their pants, they wouldn’t be staying long at the party.

Ford grabbed her hand. “Let’s go tell everyone that we are their newest members of The Pack, and to introduce you as our future wife.”

She’d never seen her men happier, nor had she been more excited about her future either.

*     *     *

Four days later

General Armand had called a meeting for eight o’clock sharp Wednesday morning. Tyson didn’t like leaving Bailey by herself, so Mackenzie said she’d take her out shopping for clothes in the morning, and Chelsea Wilson, Drake and Kurt’s fiancée, said she’d take Bailey house shopping in the afternoon since she was a realtor.

No way did he and Ford want Bailey wandering around on her own. Before Statler moved to Falling Pines, he had been a lawyer in Gulfside, Florida where The Pack headquarters was located. No telling what other Colters might be here.

Because one of Mackenzie’s men worked for the local sheriff’s department, Sam promised to have the deputies keep an eye out for anyone hanging around their hotel. Tyson and Ford realized that they couldn’t keep her a prisoner for life, but they would keep an eye out for her. The sooner Statler and the lab were taken down, the happier they’d both be.

Bailey had already talked about taking photos around Gulfside once Ty’s neighbor sent the camera to them, but she agreed to give the General a few weeks before venturing out on her own.

The General strode into the conference room, along with another man, who he introduced as Chris. Given he walked in with a laptop, Ty figured he was the technical guru.

“I wanted to give you a status report on our retrieval operation of the captive women,” the General began. “Our ace in the hole is a female nurse by the name of Sarah Osmond. She’s been undercover at the lab since it opened. I’ve sent Jay Wagner and Riley Bishop up to Canada to make certain she remains safe.”

Ty glanced over at Ford. Sarah had been the nurse in charge of taking care of Tatum.
Did you suspect she was working for The Pack?

Not a clue. Here I thought when I delayed her from heading back to check on Tatum that she fell for my charm
. He looked up at the General. “Did Sarah know we were undercover?”

“Yes.” He looked around.

The General must have had his reasons for keeping that a secret.

A picture of a molecule appeared on the screen. “We’re currently working on a substance to stop these enhanced wolves. I won’t go into detail, as I’m no biochemist, but suffice it to say, work is ongoing. Until we succeed, I’d like to ask Ford and Tyson to do some demonstrations for you on street fighting. They were undercover in the lab to train Statler’s men.” He looked over at them. “Hope you didn’t show them all your tricks.” He smiled.

“No, sir.”

The General nodded. “I want us to be better than they are. Any questions?”

No one said anything.

“We’ll start our training tomorrow.”

Ty had to ask. “Sir, when you do take down the lab, Ford and I would like to volunteer our help.” He’d have to make sure Bailey was locked in a vault during that time.

“And so you shall.”

The General left and the men dispersed. “Let’s go tell Bailey about the General’s plan,” Ty said.

“When we do go, it might be safer if we take her up to Pittsburgh and drop her off at her sister’s. Cam and Spence can watch them until we string Statler up.”

“That’s sounds great.”

They exited the building, and Ty inhaled the sweet scent of jasmine. Coming to Florida was definitely the right choice. He bet Bailey would love long walks on the beach, and maybe even a cruise on the bay.

Ford slipped in the driver’s side. “We should do something special with Bailey this weekend.”

He liked that idea. “Being a photographer, maybe she’d like to go to Busch Gardens or to Sea World.”

Ford nodded. “That, or we can see about starting a family.”

Ty grinned. “Now that’s what I call a special night.”

The End

Don’t miss the next installment of
HART TO HART (Montana Promises, Book 4)
. While this is part of a contemporary series, it can be read as a standalone.

Here’s an excerpt:

Prologue

D
arkness wrapped itself
around Ellie Hart like a thin blanket, only tonight it brought little comfort. As she hurried to her car in Old Alexandria, Virginia, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. If she hadn’t left the art gallery to pick up more punch cups, she wouldn’t have had to park so far away upon returning.

Brr
. She tugged her wrap tighter across her chest to fend off the brisk November air. Wearing the bejeweled shawl instead of her fall coat had seemed like a good idea earlier in the day. Now? Not so much.

Ellie picked up the pace, but she wasn’t able to go as fast as she wished. High heels weren’t made for speed. The heavy footsteps about a half block behind her didn’t worry her—at least, they didn’t at first—but the street was too quiet tonight, and the thudding of the heavy heels echoed off the tall buildings.

What was up with the lack of pedestrians? It was ten on a Friday night. People in the Washington, D.C. suburbs were always about—but they weren’t now for some reason. She chanced a glance behind her. Instead of some creepy man, two young girls stepped out of a bar and headed in her direction. Oh, well. Her imagination must be in overdrive.

Just keep going
. Clutching her purse tight against her chest, she spotted her car in the next block.
Yes!
As she neared, that strange sensation of being watched crept up her spine again. She shook it off and dug her hand into her purse for her keys. It must be the residual unease from the strange phone calls she’d been receiving this past week. Heavy breathers were the worst.

She unlocked her car with the remote then stepped into the street to edge her way to the driver’s side. Only then did she notice another Gerbera daisy hooked under the windshield wiper. She plucked it from under the rubber strip, hoping for a note this time, but didn’t see one. Damn.

Had her ex-boyfriend, Brian, put it there hoping for a reconciliation? Or had it been Hilton, her co-owner of the gallery? Yeah, it must have been him—to thank her for the success of tonight’s showing. But when had he placed it? When she’d dashed out to pick up more cups, the flower hadn’t been there. Strange.