Man to Man [Wolf Creek Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (16 page)

“I think he was planning on getting me, and then we were all supposed to get out of here. Timmins showed up with a few of his cronies before we could leave. Virgil made me hide with the kids while he confronted Timmins.” Ethan bit his bottom lip, chewing on it as he glanced back toward the bedroom for a moment.

“Ethan?”

Tears filled Ethan’s eyes. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I watched from the upstairs bedroom window as Timmins carried Virgil out of here. Virgil wasn’t moving. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead.”

“I think he’s alive, Ethan,” Donovan said. “If Timmins wants to control your brother, the best way to do that is having you under his control.” Donovan pointed toward the front window. “I’d be willing to bet our friends out there are here to kidnap you and take you to Timmins.”

“Really?” Ethan whispered. “You think Virgil is still alive?”

“I don’t see any reason for Timmins to harm your brother, not yet. He seems to have some sort of obsession with your brother.”

“Oh yeah.” Ethan nodded rapidly. “Timmins has had a thing for Virgil for as long as I can remember. Timmins is old enough to be Virgil’s father. Hell, Virgil even went to school with one of Timmins’s sons. They were friends, too, until Timmins started making passes at Virgil when he went to visit the son.”

“Sounds like a great dude.”

“He’s a sick fuck,” Ethan said. “He has a wife and six kids. He’s not even gay. But he’s definitely obsessed with Virgil. He’s been after my brother for years.”

“That may work in our favor then,” Donovan said. “If we can get past our friends out there and get back to the Wolf Creek Pack, we can gather a rescue team. My brother, Chase, has a few friends that kind of do stuff like that for a living. I’m positive that they will help us rescue your brother.”

Ethan looked like he wanted to hug Donovan, but obviously knew he shouldn’t. He even raised his arms and bounced up on his heels like he was going to leap in Donovan’s direction, but then he settled back and nodded at Donovan.

“Thank you,” he said instead.

“Let’s just make a plan to get past your unwanted guests, and then we’ll see about finding your brother, okay?”

Ethan wiped at his eyes. “Yeah.”

“Do you have a back door?” Jim asked.

Ethan frowned. “Of course I do.”

Jim guessed it was an unusual question. Most homes had a front door and a back door, but not all of them. Jim didn’t want to make any assumptions about anything. He was in over his head as it was. Mistakes on his part could get one or all of them killed. He couldn’t afford to make mistakes, or assumptions.

“Donovan,” Jim said as he glanced at his mate, “would you help Ethan gather the children and whatever they might need? I’m going to scout around outside.”

Donovan wanted to argue. Jim could see it in his face. Thankfully, Donovan nodded and headed for the bedroom where the children were. Jim wasn’t stupid, though. He knew he would hear about that little bit of high-handedness at some point. Donovan wouldn’t let something like this go.

Jim turned toward Ethan. “Where’s the back door?” Ethan pointed through the archway that led to the kitchen. “Okay, go help Donovan get the kids ready to go. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need to make sure the coast is clear.”

“You’ll be careful, won’t you?”

“Ethan, I’ll be fine.” Jim smiled, hoping to reassure Ethan. It didn’t work. If anything, the man’s face fell even more. “Ethan, go help Donovan. The children need to be ready to go by the time I come back, and they seem to know you. They will be more comfortable if you’re in there with them.”

Ethan grimaced but nodded his head. Jim watched as he turned and followed Donovan into the bedroom. Jim shook his head and walked toward the back of the house. He stopped next to the window next to the back door and peered through the small slit made between the wooden frame and the curtain.

He watched for several moments, looking for any sign of movement. There wasn’t any, but Jim still felt like someone was watching the house. He knew someone was in the woods, but it was too quiet outside, too still. There didn’t even seem to be a wind blowing. Nothing moved.

Jim started to turn away from the window, intent on opening the door and going outside, when the slight movement of a tree branch caught his attention. Maybe it was more that the leaves on the branch moving caught his eye. Jim wasn’t sure, but it had been the first movement he had seen since he reached the backdoor.

The movement stopped as fast as it had started, and that was when he knew someone was there. No bush, leaf, or branch started and stopped that fast. It would have been a slow, gradual stop of motion, unless someone had stopped it on purpose.

Jim stepped back from the window and the door. Going out the back door didn’t seem like much of an option, but neither did the front door. Jim turned away from the back of the house and hurried to the front. He was just stepping into the living room when Donovan and Ethan stepped out, a child in each of their arms.

“The back door isn’t an option.”

Donovan’s brown eyebrow arched in such a way that Jim instantly wanted to fuck the guy right into the faded wallpaper. The man was arrogant, but he had reason to be. He was good at what he did. Still, Jim had to reach down and readjust himself. Donovan’s arrogant arch turned into a quick smirk.

“The front door it is, then,” Donovan said as he started for the front door. Jim shook his head ruefully and followed after, allowing Ethan to go ahead of him. He wanted to keep the smaller of them between him and Donovan for protection.

Just as Donovan reached for the doorknob, there was a sudden loud boom, and then the front window exploded inward. Glass shards rained down on everyone. Jim heard Ethan scream as he grabbed him and tossed the man and child both to the floor. He saw Donovan drop to the floor and cover the little boy in his arms just as he followed Ethan down and covered Ethan’s body with his own.

As soon as the glass stopped falling, Donovan sat up and shoved the little boy onto Jim’s arms. He jumped up and scooted closer to the window, peeking around the edge. Jim’s eyebrows shot up when Donovan started swearing like a sailor.

“They blew up my truck.”

“Damn!”

How in the hell were they going to get out of there now? It wasn’t like the children could walk all of the way to Wolf Creek. Jim doubted the smallest one could walk to the back of the yard. They’d never make it.

“What now?”

“Back door?” Donovan asked.

Jim glanced down at the child in his arms and then to the one Ethan was cradling. Things were not looking good. He glanced back up at Donovan, not wanting to speak the words forming in his mouth but knowing he had to.

“There will be a fight.”

Donovan nodded.

“We don’t know how many of them there are.”

“I know that, too, Jim, but what other choice do we have?” He pointed toward the window as if to make his point. “If they have balls enough to blow up my truck, what’s to stop them from blowing up the house next?”

Ethan let out a low cry.

Jim glanced at Ethan again for a moment, watching as the man tucked his lips in. He knew Ethan was scared, but the man was trying to be brave. Jim commended him. He was scared, too. He was just better at hiding it.

“Ethan, do you have anything you can tie this little one to your back with?” Jim asked. “If Donovan and I need both of our hands to fight off whoever we encounter in the backyard, you’ll have to take both of the kids. I think it would be easier if we could find some way to tie the little girl to your back.”

“I Cawie.”

Jim blinked as the little girl stuck her thumb back in her mouth after speaking. He started chuckling, the sudden tension he had been under draining away a little. “Okay, Miss Carrie.” Jim smiled at the little girl and then looked back at Ethan. “Can you find something to tie Miss Carrie to your back?”

“A bed sheet maybe?”

“That might work,” Jim replied. “Do you think you can handle both kids?”

Ethan shrugged. “What other choice do I have?”

There wasn’t really another option. Jim and Donovan needed to have their hands free to fight, and possibly shift if needed. Both would be hard to do with a child in either of their arms. They could only hope that Ethan stayed safe while they fought.

Jim climbed to his feet and walked into the bedroom. He set Joey down on the floor next to him and ripped the flat sheet off the bed. When he stared down at Joey, the little boy held his hand out like he wanted Jim to take it. Not knowing what else to do, Jim took Joey’s hand and walked him back into the living room.

When he walked back into the living room, Donovan stared at him, lifting his eyebrow in silent question. Jim could feel his face heat up, he just didn’t know why. He had nothing to be embarrassed about. There was nothing wrong with holding the little boy’s hand.

Was there?

“What?” Jim asked when Donovan started to grin.

Donovan reached over and stroked his hand down the side of Jim’s face. “You look good like that.”

“Like what?”

“With a kid.”

Jim’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Maybe we should try it one of these days.”

“Try what?”

“Having kids.”

Jim stared for a moment, not knowing how to answer that. He wanted kids. He had always wanted kids. He just didn’t think they were in his future after he mated with Donovan. Maybe he was wrong.

“Fine, but I’m knocking you up first.”

“Deal.” Donovan chuckled.

Jim walked over and picked Carrie up. He held her in his arms as Donovan ripped the white sheet into several long strips. When that was done, he held Carrie to Ethan’s back as Donovan tied the strips around her, securing her to Ethan.

The moment he stepped back, Joey grabbed at his hand again. Jim smiled down at the little boy, not knowing what else to do. What did he know about kids?

“Okay,” Donovan said as he patted Carrie’s back. “That should do it.”

When Jim tried to pass Joey off to Ethan, the little boy tightened his grip and whined softly. Jim drew in a deep breath and squatted down in front of Joey. Joey’s face was filled with fear when he peered back at Jim.

“Joey, I need you to hold Ethan’s hand and not let go, no matter what. Can you do that for me?”

Joey’s eyebrows drew together. His lower lip slid out.

Jim just about melted on the spot. He knew wolves were territorial and tended to protect all of the children in a wolf pack, not just their own. So, he wasn’t surprised when he felt a sudden overwhelming protectiveness toward the two small children.

But he was shocked down to his toes when felt Donovan’s grip his shoulder.
“It’ll be okay, Jim,”
Donovan whispered through their bond.
“We’ll keep them safe and get them back to your pack.”

Jim nodded like he understood when he really wanted to howl. The anger and sorrow he felt for Joey and Carrie at the loss of their parents made him want to go outside and destroy everyone that had caused fear to fill the little brown eyes staring up at him with such trust.

Jim had to swallow his anger down before he could look back at Joey. He didn’t want to frighten the young boy with the rage that filled him. “Donovan and I are going to keep you all safe while we go into the woods, Joey. We’re going to play a game of hide and seek. I need you and your sister to be as quiet as you can so the others don’t know where we are. Can you do that for me?”

Joey sucked in his lower lip as he nodded his head vigorously. “I can do that.”

“Good boy.”

“I like hide and seek,” Joey added.

“I’ll just bet you do.” Jim smiled and stood. He led Joey over to Ethan. This time, he had no trouble handing Joey over to Ethan. In fact, the little boy leaned up on his toes and started talking to his sister, telling her about the game they were about to play.

Jim walked over to Donovan and gestured for him to follow a little ways away. He didn’t want the children to overhear him, but Ethan needed to. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Truthfully, babe, I’m winging it here.”

“I know.” Jim grimaced. “I’m kind of in the same boat. We know there are people out back, and we know there are people out front. And the surprise party they are planning for us is one I have no intention of attending.”

“I’m open to suggestions,” Donovan said.

“We run for it. It’s the only thing we can do under the circumstances. I’d like to stay and fight”—Jim glanced over at the children, curling his upper lip back as he growled—“and teach them a lesson on how children should be treated, but getting Joey and Carrie to safety seems more important.”

“I agree.”

“Good, then we’ll protect Ethan and the kids as they run for the woods. The second they reach the tree line, we take off after them. From then on out, we just need to keep going as fast as we can. We shouldn’t stop for anything, not until we know we are no longer being followed.”

“Okay.”

Jim stared to walk back over to the children but was stopped by Donovan’s hand on his arm. He looked down at Donovan’s hand and then raised his eyes up to meet his mate’s. Donovan’s other hand curved around the back of Jim’s neck, pulling him closer until their bodies smashed into each other.