Standoff
Page 38
Cade looked to Gabe. “I’ll be there in about an hour. Can you send Lex and Jack this way in about half an hour please?”
Once everyone had filed out and Grace’s belly was full and round like a melon, she sat back with a sigh.
“Don’t you ever, ever f**king do that again.” Cade’s wolf flashed in his eyes. “Do you know what it felt like? Seeing you there? Watching you die? Because I won’t do it again. Ever. Damn you for getting out of that car. Damn you for not changing on the way back once Megan had transformed. Why did you wait?”
She turned and straddled his lap, curling into him like a kitten. “In the first place, I’m sorry. I am. I can’t imagine but the idea of seeing you that way makes me sick to my stomach. I didn’t do it on purpose. It wasn’t like I planned it but she was out there all alone. Bleeding out. Your sister was dying because she tried to protect me and I’m a doctor! I’m her Alpha and it was my duty and one I did without hesitation. And I’d do it again. I waited because I wanted to be sure she survived the transformation. I knew once I changed I’d be out and if she needed me once we got here to the house and I was a wolf, how could I help? You’d have done it. I didn’t do it to be heroic or anything like that. I did it because it’s what I needed to do. I’d be pissed if you did it too, I’ll say that up front. I’m into equal opportunity hypocrisy. But I want you to understand I didn’t do it to be flip and I did it knowing I was taking a chance. But I couldn’t not act.”
“I don’t know why you had to go and be all reasonable and stuff. I was perfectly happy to be mad at you for being stupid and thoughtless and now you go and make sense and I have to agree.”
He’d never scrub the memory of how she looked there, just as she collapsed, from his brain. The terror still stank on his skin. He’d wanted to kill Lex and Jack for letting her get into danger. Had blamed himself. Blamed Ben for calling her out to Chicago. But in the end, she was right. She did what an Alpha did and she did it well.
People that had snubbed her just a few days prior had sent flowers and made phone calls to check in on her health. Of course she hadn’t thought of publicity when she did it, but it sure as hell had been a fabulous bump in how the rest of Cascadia perceived her.
Lex tapped on the door just a bit later and entered with Jack, whose hair was still wet from a shower.
He fell to his knees before her, hanging his head. “I failed you.”
Grace leaned down and kissed his hair, drawing him back into a sitting position. “You didn’t. You did your job admirably. You took out the threat effectively and you saved lives. I was getting out of that car to help Megan. I would have done the same to help any of our wolves out there in need. I didn’t ask you in here to yell at you.” She looked up and Jack and smiled at him too. “Or you. Sit down.”
“What’s up then, shortstuff? God.” He went to her and hugged her, breathing in her scent. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Cade didn’t feel jealousy, a reaction he found interesting. He understood Jack’s need to touch her and be sure she was all right. He’d have felt the same way about Nina, especially before he mated with Grace.
“I am too,” she said as Jack moved just a few inches away and sat. “I called you both in here to see how the investigation into who tipped Pellini Group wolves off to our location was going.”
Lex looked to Cade and raised an eyebrow. Admiration raged through Cade at how perceptive she was. She’d nearly died and still hadn’t missed a thing.
“We don’t know. Perhaps a cell phone call was traced when you left Chicago. The only people who knew were me and Cade and the people on that plane. I know sure as hell it wasn’t me or Cade and I can’t see why any of you would want to get shot at.”
“Did you check all our cell phones? I didn’t call Cade when we took off. Tegan called when we were in the car on the way. No, wait, she called the pilot to tell him to ready the jet. Who called here?” Grace sat forward and the hair on Cade’s arms rose.
“I just got a text message. I thought it was from you.”
“I can’t even upload photos from my cellphone! I don’t know how to use the text messaging thing.”
“You can stitch up a knife wound and you don’t know how to text?” Cade was amused.
“Yes, well one of them is useful. You tell me which you’d rather have in a pinch.” The look on her face made him want to smile but he decided it would be wise not to appear to patronize her.
Lex leaned out and told Dave to bring Cade’s BlackBerry.
“It had the correct info. The time you’d be arriving. Little x’s and o’s, you know love and hugs.”
She wrinkled her nose. “And you thought that was from me?”
“Well sure! Is it too much to believe you’d send love?”
She snorted. “No. But really, do I seem the x and o type to you?”
“The pilot? Did we check him?” Jack asked.
“Yes. The same guy who’s been flying our Pack around for fifteen years. He’s clean.” Lex opened up Cade’s BlackBerry and looked at it, scanning the message.
“The company? You go through a company for this pilot?”
Lex looked at Jack and stood. “Shit. Let’s go.” He didn’t wait for Cade’s permission, he knew what had to be done and Cade knew his brother enough to know he’d do it. If anyone had betrayed them, they needed to be questioned and then dealt with. His mate was nearly killed, as was his sister. There was no forgiveness for such behavior.
Once everyone had filed out and Grace’s belly was full and round like a melon, she sat back with a sigh.
“Don’t you ever, ever f**king do that again.” Cade’s wolf flashed in his eyes. “Do you know what it felt like? Seeing you there? Watching you die? Because I won’t do it again. Ever. Damn you for getting out of that car. Damn you for not changing on the way back once Megan had transformed. Why did you wait?”
She turned and straddled his lap, curling into him like a kitten. “In the first place, I’m sorry. I am. I can’t imagine but the idea of seeing you that way makes me sick to my stomach. I didn’t do it on purpose. It wasn’t like I planned it but she was out there all alone. Bleeding out. Your sister was dying because she tried to protect me and I’m a doctor! I’m her Alpha and it was my duty and one I did without hesitation. And I’d do it again. I waited because I wanted to be sure she survived the transformation. I knew once I changed I’d be out and if she needed me once we got here to the house and I was a wolf, how could I help? You’d have done it. I didn’t do it to be heroic or anything like that. I did it because it’s what I needed to do. I’d be pissed if you did it too, I’ll say that up front. I’m into equal opportunity hypocrisy. But I want you to understand I didn’t do it to be flip and I did it knowing I was taking a chance. But I couldn’t not act.”
“I don’t know why you had to go and be all reasonable and stuff. I was perfectly happy to be mad at you for being stupid and thoughtless and now you go and make sense and I have to agree.”
He’d never scrub the memory of how she looked there, just as she collapsed, from his brain. The terror still stank on his skin. He’d wanted to kill Lex and Jack for letting her get into danger. Had blamed himself. Blamed Ben for calling her out to Chicago. But in the end, she was right. She did what an Alpha did and she did it well.
People that had snubbed her just a few days prior had sent flowers and made phone calls to check in on her health. Of course she hadn’t thought of publicity when she did it, but it sure as hell had been a fabulous bump in how the rest of Cascadia perceived her.
Lex tapped on the door just a bit later and entered with Jack, whose hair was still wet from a shower.
He fell to his knees before her, hanging his head. “I failed you.”
Grace leaned down and kissed his hair, drawing him back into a sitting position. “You didn’t. You did your job admirably. You took out the threat effectively and you saved lives. I was getting out of that car to help Megan. I would have done the same to help any of our wolves out there in need. I didn’t ask you in here to yell at you.” She looked up and Jack and smiled at him too. “Or you. Sit down.”
“What’s up then, shortstuff? God.” He went to her and hugged her, breathing in her scent. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Cade didn’t feel jealousy, a reaction he found interesting. He understood Jack’s need to touch her and be sure she was all right. He’d have felt the same way about Nina, especially before he mated with Grace.
“I am too,” she said as Jack moved just a few inches away and sat. “I called you both in here to see how the investigation into who tipped Pellini Group wolves off to our location was going.”
Lex looked to Cade and raised an eyebrow. Admiration raged through Cade at how perceptive she was. She’d nearly died and still hadn’t missed a thing.
“We don’t know. Perhaps a cell phone call was traced when you left Chicago. The only people who knew were me and Cade and the people on that plane. I know sure as hell it wasn’t me or Cade and I can’t see why any of you would want to get shot at.”
“Did you check all our cell phones? I didn’t call Cade when we took off. Tegan called when we were in the car on the way. No, wait, she called the pilot to tell him to ready the jet. Who called here?” Grace sat forward and the hair on Cade’s arms rose.
“I just got a text message. I thought it was from you.”
“I can’t even upload photos from my cellphone! I don’t know how to use the text messaging thing.”
“You can stitch up a knife wound and you don’t know how to text?” Cade was amused.
“Yes, well one of them is useful. You tell me which you’d rather have in a pinch.” The look on her face made him want to smile but he decided it would be wise not to appear to patronize her.
Lex leaned out and told Dave to bring Cade’s BlackBerry.
“It had the correct info. The time you’d be arriving. Little x’s and o’s, you know love and hugs.”
She wrinkled her nose. “And you thought that was from me?”
“Well sure! Is it too much to believe you’d send love?”
She snorted. “No. But really, do I seem the x and o type to you?”
“The pilot? Did we check him?” Jack asked.
“Yes. The same guy who’s been flying our Pack around for fifteen years. He’s clean.” Lex opened up Cade’s BlackBerry and looked at it, scanning the message.
“The company? You go through a company for this pilot?”
Lex looked at Jack and stood. “Shit. Let’s go.” He didn’t wait for Cade’s permission, he knew what had to be done and Cade knew his brother enough to know he’d do it. If anyone had betrayed them, they needed to be questioned and then dealt with. His mate was nearly killed, as was his sister. There was no forgiveness for such behavior.
