Abbey's Protectors [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 4] (Siren Publishing Menage & More) (13 page)

Taking a cleansing breath, she closed her eyes briefly and said a silent prayer for help and strength. Opening her eyes, she walked on shaky legs toward the small bathroom, glad that she had a private room—although she didn’t understand how that could be. Pulling open the door to the tall closet beside the bathroom door, she was relieved to see her backpack and duffle bag. Grabbing the straps of both bags, she dragged them out of the closet and closed the door quietly. Walking into the bathroom, she set the bundles down on the floor then shut the door and locked it behind her.

She sat down on the closed toilet lid and unzipped the backpack. Rifling through it quickly she found that her laptop was still inside it. She saw that her small zippered case was still tucked in the bottom of the bag. Pulling it out of the backpack, she unzipped it quickly and sighed with relief when she saw that all the money she had hidden away was still inside of it.

Zipping the small case closed, she dropped it back into the bag and secured its closure as well then reached for the duffle bag and opened it quickly. Pulling out clean underwear, a bra, socks, her jeans, and a heavy maroon sweatshirt, she set them on top of the duffle bag. She untied and stripped off the hospital gown, washing quickly in the tiny sink, careful not to cause any more harm to her bruised body and face. She decided the bandage covering her temple would have to remain in place for the time being. She wouldn’t risk infection. Turning, she took care of her bodily needs, relief filling her when she saw that she had her period, thankful for the proof that she wasn’t pregnant. There was no child that Peter could claim as his own. Dressing quickly, she zipped up her heavy hooded sweatshirt, glad for the warmth it gave her.

She pushed aside the sudden image she had of being pregnant with Hunter Stewart and Clay Forest. Her vivid dream of that possibility just didn’t seem to want to leave her mind. It didn’t matter what she wanted. It was a delusion that she couldn’t give credence to. Those men were nothing more than the ones who had found her and had taken her to the hospital. Her weird-ass dreams would have to back off.

Taking the black hair brush from the duffle bag, she quickly brushed her long, sable hair. She couldn’t help but let out a soft moan of pain as she pulled the brush through her hair and secured it in a ponytail at the crown of her head. Looking in the mirror above the small sink, she was startled to see the paleness of her complexion. The bandage that covered her right temple was just another reminder that she needed to keep away from any man—or men. The reminder of her injuries made her more determined than ever to continue with her plans.

Reaching into the duffle bag, she pulled out her sneakers and quickly put them on, tying them tightly before zipping up the bag and picking it up. She pushed one arm through the straps of the backpack then opened the bathroom door, closed it behind her, and stepped out into the hospital room. She walked toward the door quickly, listening intently to make sure no one was in the hallway. When she was sure there was no one outside the door, she opened it and slipped out of the room.

It took her only five minutes to make her way through the hospital hallway and down the stairwell to the ground floor. Walking with confidence through the front door of the hospital, she made her way out of the circular entryway to head down the street. From years of experience within her own company, she knew the importance of projecting confidence. No one questioned you when you walked with purpose. With a quick backward glance to make sure that no one was following her, she turned, squared her shoulders, and kept walking.

* * * *

Hunter and Clay walked into the private room where they had left their mate resting, stopping when they saw the empty bed. Turning toward each other, the concern that each man felt was clearly displayed on their faces.

They moved as one toward the small bathroom, standing before the closed door silently. Hunter raised his hand and rapped his knuckles on the door.

“Abbey?” he called to her. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”

Clay took a deep breath, desperate to scent their woman. The absence of her sweet fragrance made his stomach clench in fear.

“Hunter, she’s not in there,” he told him angrily.

“Where the hell is she?” Hunter’s voice boomed, growling as he yanked open the door to verify what both men instinctively knew already.

The empty bathroom greeted them. They breathed in deeply, taking in their mate’s scent, knowing she had been in the bathroom not long before.

Hunter turned and walked over to the small closet and ripped it open, pulling the door off its hinges and throwing it aside. His growls of anger filled the room and joined Clay’s as they saw that Abbey’s duffle bag and backpack were gone.

The control that both men prided themselves in having that allowed them to be competent and calm police officers flew right out the window. There was no control. There was no calm. There was only panic, anger, and sorrow.

Their mate had left them.

Abbey sat at the table that faced the large front windows of the room in the small motel she had been staying at for the past week. She faced the computer screen of her laptop and smiled at her two best friends.

“I said I’m fine,” she told them tiredly, rubbing carefully at her eyes.

“Abbey, you’re not fine,” Synthia told her firmly, her brown eyes flashing angrily as she viewed her friend through the computer camera. “You look like hell. Where are you? We’re coming to get you right now.”

“Absolutely not,” Abbey told her calmly. “You need to stay at work and keep things running smoothly just like we planned.”

“We can see the injury on your temple,” Shelly spoke up softly. “What happened?”

Abbey sighed and touched her right temple lightly. She really did feel better. Every day for the past few days she had found that she had more and more strength, and the injury at her temple and the pain in her left side really had improved. She just couldn’t understand why she ached so deeply in nearly every muscle of her body—especially in her chest.

“Peter shot at me,” Abbey told them finally.

“He what?” Synthia growled.

Abbey looked at her friend in shock before laughter erupted from her. She wiped at the tears that leaked from her eyes as the humor of her best friend losing complete control was displayed to her across the video call.

“This is not funny, Abigail!” Synthia snapped. “We need to call the police and have him arrested.”

Abbey sobered immediately. “Synthia, listen to me.”

Synthia was actually pulling at her long blonde hair and her brown eyes were flashing with anger. Shelly was equally agitated. She was rubbing at her face and her blue eyes were filling with tears. Synthia reached out and gently petted her sister’s dark brown hair, pushing it gently so that it hung behind her shoulders to the bottom of her back and allowed her to caress her shoulder to try to soothe her.

“Abbey, I don’t know what you think you could possibly say that would stop me from wanting to rip Peter’s throat out with my bare hands,” Synthia told her, her eyes flashing with the anger that was consuming her.

Abbey sighed heavily. The thoughts and memories that had been filling her head for the past week had twisted her into knots. She needed to tell the two women she considered her sisters everything she had experienced and felt.

“I have to tell you both something, but I don’t want you to say anything until I’ve finished. Okay?” She looked at both of them as they crowded together so she could see them both on the computer screen.

“Okay, Abbey,” Shelly answered quietly. “We’ll be quiet. We’re just worried about you.”

“I know, Shelly,” Abbey told her, smiling. “Just listen.”

Both women nodded and waited.

“I had packed my car and was ready to leave but the car wouldn’t start. I knew Peter had sabotaged it. I knew I was going to have to hike it out of there. When I was grabbing some supplies I would need, I saw that Peter had a gun. I didn’t wait around to see if he was coming for me. I just ran. I ran through the back property, and I was able to get to the cave I told both of you about,” she told them. When they remained silent, she continued. “He was shooting blindly and he grazed my temple. I hid in the cave, and I waited for a long time to make sure Peter wasn’t outside of it looking for me. I fell asleep and had a dream that my dad came to see me. He brought a woman with him who was really beautiful. She told me that I was going to meet two men who were destined to be my mates.”

“What?” Synthia asked, gasping softly.

“That’s what she said,” Abbey told her, shrugging. “She said they were part of a very special group of people that were gifted with the ability to shift into wolves.” She saw the two sisters look at each other and worried that they were going to think she had lost her mind. “The woman told me that the men would protect me. She said they were going to love me, and we would have children that would belong to all three of us. She said that each man would contribute DNA to create every child.”

“Abbey,” Synthia whispered.

“I know. Crazy, huh?”

“Yeah,” Shelly agreed, her voice barely above a whisper as her eyes widened with shock.

“She said I would recognize the men by their scent, and I would come to love them very quickly. She said I would also start to have visions about what our future would be like.” She waited for either of her friends to say something, but they both remained silent, looking at her intently across the video connection.

“Have you had any of those visions?” Synthia finally asked, pulling her sister closer to her as she waited for the answer.

Abbey nodded. “I’ve had dreams about the men holding our son and baby daughter. But the thing is—I’ve met the men I saw in my dreams. They were the police officers that found me and took me to the hospital.”

“Do you know their names?” Shelly asked.

“Hunter Stewart and Clay Forest,” Abbey told them without hesitation. “But it was just a dream, guys. In it my dad said to say hello to both of you, and the beautiful woman told me I could trust you with everything she said to me. It was a nice dream, I’ll give you that, but it was still a dream.”

Synthia smiled sadly. “I’m glad your dad said hello to us. We both miss him a lot,” she told Abbey softly. “And the beautiful lady is right. You can trust me and Shelly with the secrets she shared with you. We will guard them and you with our lives. You know that, honey.”

“What I know is that everything that I dreamed was because of my head injury. The two men were very kind to me and took care of me. I’m sure I just associated the dream with them because they protected me. I’ve always trusted my father, and I’ve always trusted both of you. I probably was thinking about you guys because I knew that you’re all I have left as part of my family. I know that I can trust both of you without worry. None of what that beautiful woman told me is possible. You both know that.”

The sisters were silent for a moment. Abbey could see the tension in her friends and worried about their reactions.

“But what if it
is
possible, Abbey?” Shelly asked her softly.

“But it’s not,” Abbey told her without hesitation.

Once again, the sisters looked at each other before turning back to face her. She watched them silently, her brows furrowed in confusion at the way her friends were reacting.

“I have to go,” she spoke up suddenly. “I really don’t feel well, and I need to sleep for a while.”

“In what way are you not feeling well?” Synthia asked her gently.

“I just feel achy. My chest hurts.” Abbey rubbed at her eyes tiredly. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m coming down with something.”

“Maybe you’re missing your mates,” Shelly offered softly.

“Yeah, right,” Abbey snorted. “I’m going to sign off now. You both need to keep safe. Don’t interact with Peter. Stay away from him. I’m not kidding. Just follow our plan and keep the company running smoothly. We’ve already put into place all the necessary legal documents to keep Peter’s grimy hands off the business and off of me. Taking this time away is the best decision I’ve made in a long time.”

“I think you’re right, Abbey,” Synthia offered. “If you had listened to me and Shelly, you would have stayed here to weather the storm and be right in the middle of the wrath of Peter. Plus, you wouldn’t have found your mates.”

Abbey snorted. “Synthia, I didn’t find my mates. What I found was a really great hallucination that was the result of head trauma and painkillers.”

“I don’t think so,” Shelly spoke up. “I think you’ve been blessed with the gift of finding the men who will be yours to love for the rest of your life. No one can ever forbid you to be with them.”

Abbey laughed softly. “You both have some serious fantasies about happily ever afters. You know that doesn’t happen in real life. We’ve been fed that crap from the time we were little. There is no perfect man, or men, for any of us.”

“I think you’re wrong, Abbey,” Synthia told her gently. “I think you’ve found yours.”

“No, I haven’t,” Abbey insisted. “Now you two better keep safe. Remember, you both have complete control until I’m back. Peter won’t be able to interfere with your work or the running of the office. I’ll keep in touch through e-mails. I’m going to keep myself scarce until my lawyer can get everything settled. I contacted him this morning. He filed the divorce papers five days ago. He’s also filed the revised will that I had him draw up last week.”