Surrounded by Secrets (11 page)

Josh moaned, agony pouring out of him. “With every second, that
woman
is getting farther away from here with my wife. My
baby
. My life!”

“I said she was a bitch,” Toby barked. “She forced her way into a job. Then she gets you drunk and gets you to mate with her, and now she’s taken Mikaela. She’d been fucking playing us all along.”

“She used you, son,” Thomas said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Jeffery tried calling in some reinforcements, but for as many people as we need here, they had to confront the Lyons for approval. They know everything now. But it doesn’t matter. We must do whatever it takes to find Mikaela before Lillian hurts her, too.”

Hurt? No, Jack wasn’t being hurt. He was being killed. He couldn’t breathe. The gaping hole in his chest was making it difficult for him to even move. He couldn’t even see. Everything was blurry.

Then he felt wetness touch his cheek, and he roared as the emotion spilled over. If Lillian was so evil, there was only one thing that could be done. She knew too much, and she was out to harm his family. She couldn’t be allowed to get away with it.

And live.

He looked at Josh. If they stood a chance of finding them, they couldn’t wait for help. “Let’s go.”

* * * *

They were deep in the woods. Lillian’s insane father had doused the house and his car with gasoline and lit everything. He’d made her carry Mikaela, whom he’d drugged, because he was too weak from his battle with her. At first Lillian had refused to carry her, but then he started pouring the gas all over the place and said he didn’t care, that Mikaela could just burn and he could go grab one of the others to sell. She’d had no other choice but to carry her friend out of there because she wouldn’t let anything else happen to Mikaela if she could help it.

Thankfully, her father hadn’t suspected Lillian was lying about being bitten. He was a large man, so if she stood a fighting chance with him, she’d have to shift and attack him in her feral form. But she’d have to wait until they got to a point where she could put Mikaela safely out of harm’s way.

She didn’t need her father killing Mikaela and running off.

They’d been hiking for hours, though, and they could still see the smoke in the distance. If that fire wasn’t contained, thousands of acres and years of work would be ruined. But more important to their immediate situation, they could be trapped in a burning forest.

It was now or never. Lillian had to do something before her father guided them even farther into the woods. She saw a rock embedded in the path and tripped. She went down on one knee and screamed, all the while carefully keeping Mikaela from sliding off her shoulder and falling.

Her dad grunted and turned around. Lillian struggled to stand and hopped on her foot. “I need a break.”

“Damn it, girl. We don’t have time for this.”

“Five minutes.” She shuffled over to the edge of the path, making sure her limps were exaggerated, and gently released Mikaela, propping her up against a tree. When she stood, she tried stretching, but made sure she didn’t favor her “sprained” ankle.

Lillian hobbled back toward her dad, but continued past him a ways, scouting the path, hoping it looked as though she was eager to get away with her father and not away from him. “So how much farther do we have?” she asked as she wiped the sweat from her brow and faced him.

“About three more miles.”

Shit. That’d take at least two hours with her carrying Mikaela. Lillian wasn’t sure if it’d be faster to go back the way they came once she got them away from her father or to continue on the path.

Then again, maybe there was someone waiting for them at the end of the trail. She couldn’t take that chance. She glanced at the orange glow of the forest below and knew she had only one choice.

They’d have to go back.

Which meant she really didn’t have any more time to waste.

“I need to pee,” she mumbled and headed toward the edge of the trail to seek out cover to take off her clothes.

“Hurry up. We gotta get a move on.”

“Okay.”

Once she was out of sight, she quickly shucked her clothes and shifted, amazed at how natural it felt for her to be like this now. It was a part of her, a part she hadn’t even known she was missing until she’d found it—found Jack. God, and he thought she’d betrayed him. Would he forgive her once he knew the truth, or would he still hate her for what her father had done to Mikaela? She hoped Mikaela woke up soon. She’d been out for about three hours now, and Lillian was worried what that’d mean for the baby.

Lillian sunk as close to the ground as she could and crawled to the edge of the forest. Her father was at the edge of the trail opposite her, taking a leak.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, knowing that she’d have to stop her father with any means necessary. It was him or them, a decision that was made the moment he’d kidnapped Mikaela and taken them both hostage.

She charged, but a sound to her right just before she hit her father caught her by surprise. She looked just in time to see another lion reach him first and feel another one knock her to the ground, stealing her breath.

“I’m going to kill you,”
Jack raged as he rolled with her. She heard the other lion screaming in his head and knew it was Josh, but the growls he was making as he ripped her father’s throat out drowned out the oaths he was swearing.

“Stop! You have to help Mikaela!”
Lillian struggled with Jack, but he was far too strong for her.

“That’s what we’re here to do. I can’t believe you’d actually betray me like this. And to think I actually thought I fucking
loved
you. Shit!”

His admission distracted her enough that she lost her footing and tumbled over again.

“It’s not what you think, Jack. Please.”

“Mikaela!” Josh screamed as he ran around in his human form, naked.

Lillian shifted, her hands now fisting in Jack’s fur as she tried pushing him off her. “She’s beside the oak tree on the south side.”

Jack shifted and grabbed her hands to hold them above her head. “You think you’ll have a fighting chance like this instead?” he asked, incredulous.

“She’s over here! Help me!” Josh sounded frantic.

Jack hesitated getting off her to help his brother. His eyes narrowed, and his grip tightened. “Fuck!”

Jack jumped up and ran toward Josh. Lillian scrambled to her feet and shuffled over there.

“You stay the fuck back!” Jack roared at her as he helped Josh lift Mikaela.

“She’s bleeding everywhere. Oh God, what did you do to her?” Josh bellowed.

“I-I didn’t do anything. My father took her and drugged her. I don’t know what he gave her. Just please help her.”

Josh hoisted Mikaela up into his arms. “Kitten? I’m here, baby. I’m here.” Then he looked at Jack.

“We’re going to run through the trees to get to the house faster. I need you in front to forge a path for us since I won’t be able to block limbs while I carry her.”

Jack nodded. “On it.” He started to turn, but stopped and looked at Lillian. His hands were fisted, and his arms were shaking. His eyes the hardest, coldest she’d ever seen. He was lethal, and in that moment, she’d never feared him more. “You are dead to me, Lillian. If I ever see you again, I’ll make you dead to everyone else. You so much as breathe a word about my family to anyone, I’ll hunt you down like the rabid little animal you are and kill you slowly. And after that, I will
bathe in your blood
!” He yelled the last words, the force of them ruffling her hair as he screamed at her.

Then he turned and ran with Josh right on his heels.

Mikaela had been rescued. It was what she’d wanted, but as she slumped to the ground, naked and crying next to her father’s dead body, all she could think was she’d lost the only family she’d loved in a very long time.

Because she knew from the look on Jack’s face and the force of his words that he’d never let her explain or ever forgive her if he learned the truth from somewhere else.

She was all alone now.

Chapter Ten

Jack paced outside of the room where four doctors were working on Mikaela. Josh was a wreck, and their father and brothers were teaming around him to try to comfort him. He could tell Josh was barely hanging on to sanity while his wife and child fought for their lives. The only time he’d seen Josh cry was when their mother had died, but that was different. His older brother looked as if he was ready to welcome death if the doctors didn’t come out of the room with good news.

Jack’s own destroyed heart paled in comparison. He didn’t deserve to feel agony after what Lillian had done to him. How could he? If he’d thought with his head and not his dick, maybe this could’ve all been avoided. Josh and Mikaela would be just fine, and Jack would be his lonely, bitter self. No, he’d fucked up again, but this time it was much worse than just attacking Ariel. In the end, he hadn’t really hurt her. He’d scared her, freaked himself out, but they’d both emerged from the incident unscathed. This time he’d caused serious damage, damage he’d never be able to forgive himself for.

Because no matter what Lillian had done, he still loved her—hated her with every breath he took, but loved her. Endlessly. And that was why he’d never be able to move past this. He should’ve killed her in the woods, destroyed her diseased mind and made her suffer for the damage she’d caused.

But he couldn’t because he was weakened by his feelings for her. And yet, it wasn’t as easy as letting someone else take her out because he knew he would never allow anyone else to hurt her either. If there was any saving grace for Jack, it was that Lillian hadn’t acted alone.

When he and Josh had picked up the scent of Lillian and Mikaela, there’d also been the scent of her father, verification on what the rest of them had just learned right before Jack and Josh began their search.

Rodrick Lyons had people looking for Jack’s mother ever since she’d disappeared, but when she’d died, he called off the search, finally trying to honor her wish of solitude. However, Rodrick had learned that a few of his investigators had taken it upon themselves to continue the search in hopes of collecting the large reward for her and her family’s discovery. When he’d called Thomas to tell him this, he’d also informed him there was a paper trail of money transfers to Lillian’s father.

The scheme had turned out to be much more elaborate than first assumed. Josh had been enraged, and Jack had used that as his opportunity to suggest Josh go after her father while he dealt with Lillian when they found them.

Jack wasn’t worthy of his family’s love or respect because he knew he’d save Lillian in the end, and that in and of itself was a betrayal to the men who loved and worked with him day in and day out.

“She’s going to be fine, you know.” Ariel’s murmured words startled him, and he turned to face her.

“I hope so.” Jack crossed his arms and rubbed them to comfort himself as he stared down at her.

He knew Ariel was referring to Mikaela, but Jack was worried about Lillian being stuck in the woods while the blaze was uncontained. Lillian’s father’s house had burned, and the area had smelled of an accelerant. Jack wasn’t a fire investigator, but the incident reeked of arson. Fires weren’t uncommon this time of year, but they’d gotten a lot of rain lately, and there hadn’t been a storm last night to ignite the forest. If the house had succumbed to its demise from an unattended candle or an electrical issue, the area wouldn’t stink of gasoline. And Lillian was still out there. Maybe the universe would smile on him and rid this world of her without his involvement. But even the thought of Lillian being hurt . . .

“How’s Josh?” Ariel asked softly.

“He’s a wreck.” What else could he say?

“How are you?”

“Huh?” Jack rubbed his face with both hands to force his emotions to stay back. He wouldn’t allow them free. Not right now. Not ever. Anything he felt for Lillian would stay locked behind a vault, never to see the light of day. It was bad enough he loved her, but he’d be damned if he dwelled on that. He’d meant what he’d said in the woods. Lillian Caldwell was dead to him.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Jack. I know you’re hurting. You look like, well, you look like your wife just died and you’re trying to pretend everything’s okay.”

“I don’t have a wife.” He crossed his arms.

“Your mate, then.”

“I don’t have a mate.”

Ariel took a slow breath and watched him. She seemed as if she were looking for the right words to say, but Jack knew that was fruitless.

“You’re hurting right now. You might never fully recover from what Lillian did to you. But please know that none of us . . .
none
of us blames you. You are as much of a victim here as Mikaela is.”

When he tried to deny that, Ariel lifted her hand to stop his protest. “Her wounds are physical. Those are the kinds that heal the fastest. Yours are emotional and can be just as devastating.”

“I don’t care about me. It’s Mikaela—”

“
I
care about you.” Then she wrapped her arms around him in the tightest hug she’d ever given him.

Jack instinctually clutched her to him a little closer, finding the embrace more than comforting. It was a lifeline. “Everyone is important in this family, and that includes you, Jack.”

“Thank you,” he mumbled into her hair as he held her. He didn’t fully believe her, but it was nice to hear.

“Hey, angel,” Rob said beside Jack, so he let go of his brother’s mate and stepped back.

“Hi, Robbie. Any news?”

“Yeah, one of the doctors just came out. All the tests they’ve run have been good, and it looks like they are both going to be fine.” Rob smiled. “He said Mikaela is coming to now.”

The relief was so profound that Jack would’ve buckled if his knees weren’t locked.

“The investigative team that Lyons sent is headed here to talk to her. She’s asked to speak to Josh.”

Rob hesitated, rolling up on his toes and back down before looking at Jack, saying, “And you.”