The Great Disapurrance: BBW Shapeshifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) (15 page)

A
rlen leapt
at the phone when it rung. The number was unknown, but it had to be Graham.

“Hello?” he asked, more than anxious to get any and all information his friend had managed to get access to.

“I got to the logs and am looking at the GPS now. The van Travis signed out stopped in front of The Langham Hotel. My best bet is that’s where you’ll find your lady.”

“Thank you, Graham, I owe you big time.”

“And don’t think I won’t collect,”
Graham replied with a chuckle.
“Good luck,”
he added in a more serious tone before hanging up.

The tiger inside Arlen gnashed its teeth, more than ready to go get Sienna back. He pulled up The Langham’s website, studying the rooms they had available.

She has to be in one of the suites,
Arlen reasoned.

He had been looking up any information he could find about the Marquez family. From the pictures of Antonio and Carmen at different charity events, he could tell these were people who didn’t settle for anything but the best. There were two suites, on the eleventh and twelfth floors, that looked like they would meet a billionaire’s standards. He’d have to figure out which one was the right one when he got close enough.

Antonio was bound to have a security detail, which meant things could get messy.

Arlen didn’t fear for himself. Whoever the unlucky men guarding Sienna were, they were no match for a shifter commando like him. But things could get out of hand very quickly and he didn’t want to put Sienna in danger. He needed a plan that would get him close enough to make sure she was safe before he made a move.

With the wheels in his head already turning, he got into his car and headed downtown. All he could think about during the ride over was seeing her again.

His single-mindedness scared him. Once he got close enough to smell her, he knew he might not be able to control himself. The heat was still roiling through him, making him unpredictable, but adding that in with the fact that he felt his mate was in danger… Spirits help those who chose to stand in his way.

After arriving at his destination, he parked close by to the hotel and forced himself to wait and take in his surroundings. He had to make sure The Firm wasn’t still involved. He couldn’t afford to get dragged in by them now, not when he was so close.

Can I trust Graham on this?
he wondered for a moment.

But what choice did he have?

Twenty minutes passed and he didn’t spot anyone suspicious or remotely familiar hanging around. He rolled down his window and took deep breaths, drawing the scents of the city into his lungs. All he could detect were normal, everyday smells, no hint of shifters around.

Just as he was about to get out of the car, he spotted someone he recognized.

You looked shorter in the pictures,
Arlen mused, as he watched Antonio Marquez get into a town car, escorted by a bodyguard.

Good, two fewer opponents to worry about upstairs.

Itching to get to Sienna, Arlen grabbed his backpack and jumped out of the car as soon as Antonio was out of sight. He entered the hotel by melding into a group of guests, following them into an elevator.

Everyone had already gotten off when the doors dinged open on the eleventh floor, where he knew the Regent suite was located. Holding the doors open and looking around the hallway, he could immediately tell Sienna wasn’t there. He whiffed at the air once more just to confirm.

He could pick out her scent from any sea of smells, and there wasn’t a trace of it on this floor.

She has to be on the next one,
he thought, pressing the button marked ‘12’.

The doors slid open once again after only a few seconds, and he took a deep breath, searching for that one scent that was burned into his nose. The smell was faint, but unmistakable.

Sienna was definitely there.

His skin hummed just at the thought of being able to touch her again and a smile spread over his lips.

His training was the only thing that kept him rushing out of the elevator and running towards the Infinity Suite. It was a good thing, too, as some soft rustling and a murmur of voices quickly told him there were at least two men guarding the door to the rooms. There could be more of them inside.

I have to play it safe. For Sienna’s sake.

With no idea how trigger-happy these guys were, Arlen couldn’t risk a full-frontal assault in fear of Sienna getting caught in the middle. He wrapped his fingers around the straps of his backpack, smiling slightly.

Luckily, he had come prepared for just such an occasion.

* * *

A
vicious wind
beat at Arlen as he re-checked the ropes he had anchored onto the side of the roof.

Wouldn’t want this trip to be cut short,
he mused, looking over the side of the skyscraper.

He had plenty of rappelling experience, but most of it was on the sides of mountains, not down glass and metal. There couldn’t be that much of a difference, right? Putting his feet through the harness and tightening it at his waist, Arlen could feel his heart starting to beat faster.

Sienna was so close, all he had to do was get her. And make sure she was unharmed in the process. He clipped himself onto the rope attached to the rooftop, giving the locking carabiner one last look-over before deciding he was all set to go. Pulling on some gloves, he started moving closer to the edge, back first.

The wind knocked him slightly off balance as his feet left the safety of the roof and pressed against the side of the building instead. He took a moment to steady himself before tugging the locking mechanism near his waist, giving the rope in his hands more slack.

Slowly and carefully, Arlen began to lower himself down the building, aiming for the windows of the Infinity Suite. He had studied the floorplans and guessed Sienna was most likely in the guest bedroom, so that was his target.

Hopefully she’ll be alone in there when I appear behind the glass like a budget version of Batman.

Bending at the knees, he kicked off once again, his boots sliding on the smooth surface of the mostly-glass building. Every floor he passed took him closer to his goal, but also seriously increased his chance of being noticed.

All he could do was hope the people inside thought he was a window-washer or something along those lines, and didn’t think to inform anyone about the man dangling outside in the breeze. Not that he expected a hotel like this one to be all that prepared for random capeless heroes rappelling down the sides of their building.

Arlen lowered his pace as he got to the twelfth floor, taking a few steps to the side. He did it so he could take a peek through the window first without his whole body being on display. The grip he had on the rope tightened as he stopped at what he hoped was Sienna’s bedroom.

Craning his neck, he peered inside. The room was empty, but he was sure that was where he would find Sienna as there were no other suites on this floor. Locking off his rappel device, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a glasscutter, gripping it tightly as a sudden gust made him waver.

No room for errors now.

Pressing the metal tool against the window, he began carving out a circle he could fit through, going slowly enough so the process wouldn’t make too much noise. When he was almost done, he grabbed a large suction cup with a metal handle from his bag on his back and attached it to the middle of the circle.

Here goes nothing.

Arlen had one hand on the suction cup’s handle while the other was making the last cut needed for the hole in the glass to be complete. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he realized he was done and tucked the glasscutter back into his backpack.

Steadying his feet on the edge of the window, he gave the suction cup a careful push. The handle suddenly felt heavy in his hands as the glass circle detached from the rest of the window with a soft plop.

Leaning forward, he set it down on the nearest surface – a wide table which seemed to serve no other purpose than to look majestically decorative - as carefully as he could, before slowly climbing inside the room. Wind whistled at his back as his feet made contact with the floor and he rushed to undo the harness, lest it pull him back outside.

So far, so good.

Sienna’s smell was overwhelming now, filling his nostrils. He perked up his ears, trying to determine how many people were in the suite. The sound of footsteps closing in got his attention.

His animal side bristled at the soft footfalls approaching the room, ready for action. Trying to contain his tiger, who was all but ready to leap out of his skin, was a challenge all on its own.

Rationalizing with the shifter side of one’s self was basically a losing battle most of the time anyway, but add in a mate’s safety and all reason was thrown out the closest window.

Which would be especially convenient now, seeing as there was a huge Arlen-sized hole in it.

He flattened himself against the wall behind the door, hand hovering on his sidearm. But he could tell even before the door opened using the weapon wasn’t going to be necessary.

It was Sienna who stepped into the room, looking puzzled at the breeze hitting her face. Her eyes focused on the window first, her mouth opening as she turned back toward the living room.

Before she could say anything, Arlen clamped a hand over her mouth and spun her around to face him, closing the door behind her in the same smooth motion. She stood still, shocked, for a good couple of seconds before pushing his hand away and wrapping her arms around him.

Arlen let the hug go on a little more than he perhaps should have under the circumstances, squeezing her tightly before gently grabbing onto her shoulders and holding her at arm’s length.

Her hair was in an elaborate updo and she looked distinctly uncomfortable in the tight dress she was wearing, but the fire in her eyes was still the same.

My mate.

“You’re really here,” she whispered, running her hands down the sides of his face.

His tiger was suddenly as tame as a kitten. All the tenseness he had been wearing evaporated as if it had never been there. He’d found her. The joy he felt was staggering.

She looked tired and scared. He could tell even through the makeup she was wearing that one of her cheeks was redder than the other. And there was a hand-shaped bruise around one of her forearms.

Arlen ground his teeth and forced his rage down, focusing on what he had to do next.

Get her out of there.

“I’m here. But now we have to find a way to
not
be here.”

Sienna nodded vigorously, waiting for instructions.

“Are there any guards inside?” he asked quietly, glancing back at the window.

With different equipment, he’d consider taking Sienna with him out through the way he got in. But twelve floors was a long way down and he didn’t have the right gear to ensure Sienna’s safety. They’d have to do it some other way.

“Yes, two guarding the suite’s door. And then there’s my mother.”

“Okay, can you get your mother out of the way? I’ll take care of the rest.”

Her eyes were wild and her breath quick, excitement at seeing him so obvious. It warmed him to the core. But he couldn’t bask in it quite yet and Sienna seemed to understand that as well as he did.

She gave him another nod before opening the door and yelling out to the parlor.

“Mother! I’m feeling sick again, can you please bring me some of those ginger pills?”

She’s sick?
Arlen thought, concerned, before focusing on the bigger issue.

Someone sighed in the living room as heels started to click on the floor, first towards the kitchen and then to Sienna’s bedroom. Arlen hid behind the door again, as Sienna’s mother got closer to the room.

Sienna pulled the woman inside as soon as she arrived, box of pills in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.

“Go, now,” Sienna whispered urgently as her mother’s mouth hung open at the sight of the window.

Arlen cracked his knuckles and strolled towards the parlor.

Time to let loose.

I
t was almost
comical the way the guards’ eyes widened in unison as Arlen barreled toward them with a growl. One of the guys reached for his gun, but a knee to the abdomen made him forget all about that plan.

Arlen couldn’t allow them to get a shot off. It would draw too much attention. He didn’t want the guards on the other side of the door to jump in just yet, and he couldn’t risk hotel security or the police getting involved and messing things up. This was going to be a nice, clean getaway if he had any say in it.

As the man Arlen kneed in the stomach was still regaining his composure, the other guard tried his luck, raising his fists and charging at him. Arlen ducked the man’s attempts at punching him easily and followed up with a quick succession of blows to the man’s head and stomach.

The guy was a bloody heap on the floor mere moments later.

The first man was reaching for his gun again, probably figuring bullets were a better bet than fists seeing how his buddy had fared. Arlen brought his foot down on the guy’s hand, hearing bones crunch under his shoe.

The man cried out in pain and Arlen silenced him with a kick to the temple. Next, he picked up the guns and threw them across the floor.

Sienna’s face popped out from the doorway of her room, her eyes swinging from him to the guards sprawled on the floor. She rushed to his side, holding on to his arm like she was afraid he was going to disappear at any moment.

The sound of heels hitting wood brought his attention to Carmen, who was carefully stepping into the parlor and looking around suspiciously. She still had the glass in her hand.

“It’s okay, I’m not here to hurt you,” Arlen said in the most soothing tone he could muster, wrapping an arm around Sienna’s waist as they faced her mother.

Carmen gave him a measuring look before raising an eyebrow at the security guards, groaning on the floor.

“So this is him?” she asked, turning to Sienna.

Apparently I’ve been a topic of conversation,
Arlen thought, just a little pleased at that.

“This is him,” she confirmed. “I’m going to leave with him now. Please don’t try and stop me.”

Arlen was confused by their whole dynamic. It was probably best to keep his mouth shut until he could get a better grasp on what was going on. These were family matters, after all.

Carmen glanced back at the guards, pursing her lips.

“Darling, I don’t think I could even if I wanted to.”

“If you ever want to see
us
again, it will have to be without father around, you understand?” Sienna asked.

Arlen had a feeling she was talking about a lot more than what was actually said out loud. He frowned, looking down at the firecracker of a woman by his side. She looked so put together and he just want to run his big hands through her hair and muss it up, bring back out the wild woman he loved so much.

Carmen nodded and Sienna went to one of the tables, picked up a pen, and scribbled something down.

“This is my e-mail address. You have to promise not to tell him about it,” Sienna said, holding out a piece of paper.

Carmen looked unsure as she stared at Sienna’s hand.

“Alright,” she conceded after a couple of seconds and Sienna handed her the note.

“Is your mother staying here?”

Seeing Sienna’s bruises had only confirmed what he had already suspected – that Antonio was a violent, abusive man. Maybe Carmen was also a prisoner of his, even though Sienna wasn’t acting like it? He couldn’t in good conscience leave someone to suffer.

“My place is with my husband,” Carmen declared, squaring her shoulders.

Sienna didn’t seem surprised by that at all so Arlen dropped it. He didn’t have time to argue. It was only a matter of time before someone started investigating reports of a strange man climbing down the side of the building and he didn’t know when Antonio was coming back.

There was only the issue of the two guards still posted outside.

“There’s one more thing I have to take care of. Stay away from the door, this shouldn’t take long.”

Sienna and Carmen backed up as he reached for his sidearm, no longer concerned with keeping things quiet. He’d have Sienna out of here before anyone could ask any questions. The rush from the fight was still pumping through his veins when he pushed the door open, two sets of surprised eyes fixing on him as he took aim.

“What the h-“ one of them started, the words warping into a scream.

Two quick shots was all it took for the men to be squirming on the floor, holding on to their kneecaps as blood seeped out through their fingers.

I must be feeling particularly generous today,
he mused, holstering his gun.

Arlen emptied their holsters without much resistance and threw the guns inside. Before rushing to Sienna’s side, he grabbed the men by their collars and slammed them together roughly, making both of them loll back, unconscious.

“That should do it,” he muttered to himself, glancing out the corridor quickly.

“We have to go,” he said softly, taking her hand.

“Goodbye, mother,” Sienna said and turned on her heel to leave with him.

They exited the suite and walked to the elevators, calmly and quietly, as if they hadn’t left four men bleeding on the floor in their wake. Sienna held his hand in a death grip, even as her expression was carefully neutral. He had a feeling she wouldn’t feel safe until they’d left the hotel far behind.

The ride down was quick, and in a matter of minutes they were already clearing the lobby and stepping outside into the crisp Chicago air. Arlen led them to where his car was parked and they got in. Sienna relaxed into the seat as soon as he started the engine and took off.

“I hope this isn’t a dream,” she sighed, her head falling back as she looked at him.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” he replied.

Arlen set course for the little apartment he’d managed to rent with cash while he had been waiting for Graham to come though. He was anxious to get to a place where they could sit down and talk. Sienna spent most of the ride staring out the window, looking like she had a lot on her mind.

He pulled into the parking lot of one of the shadiest apartment buildings he had ever stayed at, but it wasn’t like he’d had a lot of time to find a place to say. The landlord accepted cash and asked very few questions.

They got inside and Sienna let out a deep breath as he closed the door behind them. He guided her to the small bed that he’d covered with a clean blanket and they sat down together. Sienna still looked a little nervous and preoccupied, but she smiled when she turned to speak to him.

“You didn’t have to come for me. You’re going to be in even more trouble now,” she chided him, but the disapproval in her voice was halfhearted at best.

“Of course I had to come for you. Sienna, I love you. I know it’s crazy, but I do.”

The moment he said the words, he felt relieved. Even if she didn’t feel the same, he had put it all out there, no regrets. His tiger was coiled tight, waiting for a response. Sienna’s eyes welled up before she practically charged at him, drowning him in a fervid kiss.

Arlen scooped her into his arms, matching her passion with elated enthusiasm.

Sienna pulled away after several heated kisses, tears streaming down her face.

“I love you, too, and I don’t care how crazy that is. But… there’s something I have to tell you.”

The swell of emotion in his chest was almost too much to bear. Of course, he had secretly hoped Sienna felt the same way, but to have it confirmed was something else. He couldn’t remember feeling happier than he did right now.

It was
amazing
, really. He had his animal to guide him, but she? She could only trust her heart.

And she trusted
him
with it.

“You can tell me anything,” he replied, gently running a hand down her shoulder.

Sienna took a deep breath as Arlen was still grinning from ear to ear, totally unaware of the bombshell that was about to be dropped on him.

“I’m pregnant.”