Fighting For Their Mate (9 page)

She typed, “I love Tatum,” and handed it back to him.

Ford read it silently, and then placed the phone face down on the bed. “Ty, what did she write?”

He grinned. “I love Tatum.”

Holy shit. “That was amazing.”

The smile on Tyson’s face disappeared. Too bad, because it changed his whole appearance. He was already hot, but when he smiled, he was way past amazing.

Stop it
. Christ. She needed to focus on her sister. “How do you plan on freeing Tatum?”

“We don’t know.” Ford picked up his phone and stuffed it back in his hip pocket. “Before we can figure that out, I need to see about our fate.” He glanced to his brother. “Are we sure about this? It might backfire.”

“We have no choice.”

What were they talking about?

Ford nodded and dialed a number. “Is Mr. Statler in? This is Ford Summerville. It’s urgent.” He stood and paced. “Yes, sir. I’m afraid there’s been an incident.” He relayed how she’d darted across the road, and jumped in front of a truck. The vehicle tried to stop, but couldn’t. That wasn’t quite the way she’d described her death, but it was just as good. “She died immediately. No, sir. We’ll be in as soon as everything is taken care of.” He swiped a finger across the screen.

Tension rippled across his body. “What did he say?” she asked. The answer would determine her future.

“Mr. Statler’s tone can best be described as steely with a dash of death.”

“That happy, huh?” Tyson cleared his throat. “What else did he say?”

“It’s what he didn’t say that has me worried. Next time we go into the facility, no telling if we’ll come out.”

Bailey didn’t like hearing that. They might be werewolves as they claimed, but they were nice men who were even willing to let her go. Unfortunately, her options were dwindling fast. If what they said was true, the Colters believed she held the secret to their future—or rather her body did. From now on, she’d have to be super careful. If Statler’s men spotted her, not only would they lock her up without a key, they’d know Tyson and Ford lied about her death. They’d be branded as traitors and killed.

As crazy as that sounded, she didn’t wish that on them. Some might call her naïve, but she believed these men were good.

“We need a plan.” It was what her dad always said when he was faced with a tough decision.

They glanced at her. “There is no
we
here. You, young lady, are staying put. We don’t want you anywhere near the lab. If they knew you were alive, you’d be a wanted woman.”

Wanted or not, she wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing. “Then I’ll go to the motel office and call my dad.” Two could play at this game.

If two men could turn into steel in a flash, these two could. “You can’t do that, Bailey,” Ford said. “It would be like walking one of those little gray aliens up to the White House lawn with the intent of proving to the world they exist.”

She and her parents had that discussion many times. While her father believed other forms of life might exist, the human race wasn’t ready to learn they weren’t alone in the universe. The stock market would crash; panic would ensue. The same thing might happen if she convinced her father that werewolves were real.

“Fine. I won’t say a word if you find my camera for me.” She had an idea.

“I thought we all agreed the photo you took of Brad and Tom was probably destroyed.”

She never liked admitting that she’d lied. “That’s not why I want my camera. Since you’ve been so honest with me, I’ll be with you. I backed up my photos to Dropbox.”

“You did?” Tyson rushed over and hugged her. He let go a second later, but his warmth actually brought comfort and relief.

“Yes, but I’ll need access to a computer if you want to see the photos.”

Ford sat on the bed again. “If you have access to that photo, why do you want your camera so badly? I want the truth.”

“I’m a professional photographer. I have a telephoto lens on my camera, along with a doubler. I was thinking I could hide quite far from the lab and take pictures of who goes in and who comes out. I thought it might be helpful later on to identify the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.”

Ford shrugged. “Perhaps, but as far as we know, they’ll all be bad.”

“Even the scientists and nurses? Are you certain they’re there by choice?”

Tyson’s lips turned down. “She’s got a point, bro. We didn’t sense any of the nurses had shifter blood.”

“Fuck. She’s right,” Ford said, more excited than she’d ever seen him. “It’s possible we could recruit some of the nurses to help us. Maybe one of them would turn a blind eye when we escort Tatum out.”

The men actually thought she had a good idea. Their plan of bringing Tatum out had adrenaline coursing through her. Her mind spun. “My nurse, Clare, didn’t seem happy. She never said anything specifically to that affect, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she had to be there.”

Tyson nodded. “I’ve spoken with her, too. She appeared worried and a bit depressed.”

“You would, too, if you had to do bad things to people,” Ford added. He stood. “How about we head to the facility? Ty, you can drop me off in front of the furniture store. I’ll head in through there to the lab. While they’ll know it’s me by my scan, I’m thinking neither George nor Nate will be able to watch me enter, as there aren’t any cameras there. They might not alert Statler to my presence.”

“Do you know where they keep my stuff?” she asked. She didn’t want to consider they’d destroyed it all.

He shook his head. “No, but I’ll snoop around. If I find your camera, I’ll bring it out the same way I came in. If Statler does question me, I’ll tell him I needed to tell Ty something. I’ll say, he needs to deal with your body.”

That sounded good to her.

Ford held up a finger. “If I can get your camera gear, do you promise you’ll do as you say? We can’t have you anywhere near that lab.”

“I totally get what would happen if I were caught. I just want to help and will be calmer if I do. I’m not the inactive type.”

Tyson looked over at Ford. “We could send the photos to General Armand.” He faced her. “He’s our Pack boss.” He looked back at Ford. “If we have Bailey share her Dropbox photos with General Armand, he could look at the photos and do a background check on the nurses and doctors.”

“Cool.” She really liked how they treated her as an equal. Maybe there was something to this mate stuff after all.

“Let’s go,” Tyson said as he helped her off the bed. “Sorry about the accommodations.”

“That’s okay.” She glanced down at what she was wearing. “Is there any way we can stop at a store so I can buy a few more things?” She stilled. “Oh, shit, I don’t have any money. If you could lend me some, I promise to pay you back.”

“Sure,” Tyson nodded. “I might pick up some stuff, too. I think Statler would think it odd if we left our little room at the lab with a suitcase.”

“I’m sorry I’ve caused you so much trouble.” She really meant it.

Ford opened the room door. “It’s no trouble at all. We’re in this together now.”

Bailey didn’t want to get her hopes up, afraid to believe these men were as good as they seemed. It was never fun to have your dreams destroyed.

Once more, the men sheltered her as they rushed to the car. She doubted this dump had surveillance cameras around, but she couldn’t be sure.

This time, they had her sit in the back. Before Ford got in, he pulled two blankets from the back. “I want you to lie down and cover up from head to toe. If someone should stop us, I don’t want him to see you.”

Way to make this already scary situation worse, but she completely understood that any mistake on her part could cost all of them their lives. “Okay.”

H
aving a seemingly normal conversation with Tyson and Ford while sprawled out on the floor behind the driver’s seat covered in blankets was a bit odd, but Bailey wouldn’t complain. Because Ford was about to risk his life to go back into the lab, she hoped her contribution would be beneficial not only to Tatum but to the other girls as well.

She prayed those asses hadn’t tossed her gear in a dumpster. If they had, she didn’t feel right borrowing a few thousand dollars to buy another camera.

The car stopped and the driver side door opened. “I’ll text you if I find something,” Ford said. “If I can’t locate her gear, take Bailey away from here. We don’t need anyone spotting her.”

Her nerves shot up her arms and down her legs. As soon as the door closed, Tyson slid into the vacated seat, but he didn’t drive off.

She wanted to hurl. She wasn’t cut out to be a spy, but for her sister’s sake, Bailey had to do this.

Think of anything but getting caught.
Bailey concentrated on the good times she and Tatum had on their AT adventure. Their first night on the trail, they’d laughed so hard trying to get their hammocks strung up. Eventually, they gave up on the rain fly, praying the skies would remain clear. Bailey sighed. Tatum, Tatum. A tear leaked out and she swiped it away.

But dreaming wouldn’t get her sister free. Her focus needed to be on these two men. The more she understood them, the better she could cope.

Bailey readjusted the blanket over her face. “How did you two get involved in saving the world?” They seemed perfect for it. They were big, strong, and pretty much indestructible.

Tyson chuckled, put the car in gear, and drove off. Ford must have made it inside without being arrested. Good. Knowing he was safe—at least temporarily—helped ease the ache in her belly. Or should it have made it worse? Any second, this Statler dude could find him and question him. Would Ford fold? Would he give her up in exchange for his life? A knife to the throat could be a powerful motivator.

Stop it.

A few minutes later, Tyson pulled to a stop and kept the engine running. “The Pack has branch offices all over the United States with the main one in Florida. My dad runs one near Asheville.”

She hadn’t given thought to the idea of them having parents. “That’s not even a day’s drive from my folks.” If she were their mate, would they be willing to drive that far? Bailey still hadn’t come to grips with any of this. What was going to happen after Tatum and the women were free? Would these two let her go, especially since they claimed this was their one chance at finding a mate? She still wasn’t buying it.

Stop worrying
. That was unproductive. She wasn’t even sure she’d be alive in a few days. Bailey adjusted the blanket so that part of it supported her head. The floor wasn’t very comfortable. Then again, neither was being strapped down on the bed with a tube in her arm. “Continue with your story.”

“About a year ago, we got wind of an arm’s deal going down in our neck of the woods. When Ford and I served in Afghanistan, guns became my specialty, whereas Ford’s was hand-to-hand combat. Dad, and a bunch of the other shifters, tried unsuccessfully to find any information on the dealers. These Colters were that good. Out of options, my father suggested Ford and I go undercover to see what we could learn.”

How could a father send his sons into something so dangerous? Oh, yeah. The same way all parents send their sons and daughters into the military. “How were you able to blend in? Can’t a werewolf tell the difference between a Pack member and a bad Colter?”

“All Colters are bad, but no. It’s the same with humans. You look at someone and judge them, but can you be sure you’re right?”

“No.” People took one look at her straight teeth, nice clothes, and fancy car and assumed she was a rich snob. The rich part was true, but she was no snob.

“It took Ford and me about eight months to gain their trust.”

“Wasn’t it hard to pretend to be friends with those horrible people?” She could never do it.

“Harder than anything I’d ever done in my life, but I believed it was what I was put on this earth to do. Against humans, a werewolf is practically unstoppable. Someone has to prevent the bad ones from trying to take over the world.”

She thought he was exaggerating until she analyzed it. “Oh, crap. Do you believe a lot of murders are committed by werewolves? Once they killed their victim, they could shift and slip away into the night.”

“Precisely. It’s pretty damned scary, isn’t it?”

She had no idea something this terrible was going on under the noses of the American people. “What about your mom? Does she fight crime, too?”

“No. Women can’t shift. She does her part, though, by being supportive. We see well at night, so we’re often out late hunting. She stays home and worries.”

Poor woman. That must be tough. He said they hunted. “Do you kill animals and eat them?”

“No, baby. We’re not savages. That’s not to say I don’t love a good romp in the woods or a rare steak—but I get mine at a restaurant just like you humans. Running in wolf form helps clear my head. Hold on. Got a text from Ford. Yes! He’s got your camera. We’re heading back to the parking lot.”

Relief poured through her as the SUV lurched forward. As excited as she was to have her camera back, being near this lab renewed her anxiety. Sweat beaded on her forehead and acid rose up into her throat.