“This is one twenty three. You’re on the bottom floor.” The woman gave her a pitying look and Lauren popped up from her seat, giggling like a drunk
“Sorry!” she shouted again, using her ‘drunk girl’ voice before hurrying from the room.
Lauren could hear the woman muttering about foolish young girls as she raced back down the sidewalk. She knew she’d have to work fast before she was caught. Bypassing the room next to the one the maid was in, she kept moving until she found a room with partially open curtains three doors down. She could see a suitcase on the small round dinette table. After knocking twice, she used the keycard to slip inside.
She felt like such a jerk stealing a stranger’s clothes but she couldn’t run around in her jaguar form or naked. After a check of the bathroom confirmed the room was empty, she flipped up the top of the already unzipped black suitcase. T-shirts, bathing suits, jeans, shorts and long dresses filled it. Summer was over but the truly icy fall weather hadn’t set in yet. Still, it was pretty cold to be at the beach. Probably a snow bird from up north taking a break from real cold weather.
In record time she threw on a blue pair of loose cotton shorts and a simple V-neck black T-shirt. The clothes were one size too big and too long for her petite frame, but they fit well enough and more importantly, she wasn’t naked anymore. She also snagged a pair of flip-flops a size too big before hurrying out the way she’d come.
She practically flew down the sidewalk in the direction of the street, only stopping to drop the keycard in a bin that held mini-shampoos on the maid’s cart. Next stop, finding a phone and calling Max.
Though she was tempted to go to the front desk of the motel and ask if she could use their phone, she didn’t want to risk being seen by the maid or the person she’d stolen clothes from. When she reached the front parking lot of the motel she could see the other side of the turquoise and white sign that had been hidden from her before.
The phone number for the motel had the same area code as Max’s number. She was
still
in Gulf Shores. Hurrying toward the main road, she paused, looking both ways and trying to find a landmark. She sucked with directions on a good day and couldn’t figure out where she was since nothing looked familiar. Randomly guessing, she headed east.
Her flip-flops smacked against the sidewalk as she took in her surroundings, trying to find anything that looked familiar. It was just one motel or hotel after another. When she finally saw a pharmacy her heart rate sped up. Without cash she was pretty screwed, but there was a payphone. If anything she’d attempt to call Max collect. Now she was glad she’d memorized his number.
As she neared the store, a black sedan squealed to a stop next to her. Fearful it might be whoever had taken her, she tensed, ready to bolt when she saw her mother behind the wheel of the car.
Before she could respond, her mother leaned over lightning fast and threw the door open. “Get in.”
Ah, shit.
She was incredibly relieved to have been found, but still, she’d rather deal with her dad than her mom any day. A war of relief and panic waged inside her. Feeling like a twelve year old cub, she slid into the vehicle and put her seatbelt on.
Her mom didn’t say a word as she pulled into the pharmacy parking lot and found a space. When the vehicle was in Park, her mom turned to look at Lauren. Worry shone bright in her dark eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, totally unharmed.”
She let out a sigh of relief and tugged Lauren into her arms, which was awkward with the seatbelt. Lauren could feel tears on her neck as her mom hugged her in a death grip. Finally she pulled away and swiped at her wet cheeks. “We were ready to storm the Kincaid pack’s territory but his second-in-command informed us you were missing. Where have you been? What happened? Did anyone hurt you?”
Oh, they’d met Max.
And she needed to know if he was okay and where he was. “Is Max okay?”
Her mother’s lips thinned. “He’s fine. He’s out looking for you as we speak. You shouldn’t be worried about him anyway. Now tell me what happened, we’ve been worried sick.”
Relief slammed into her that Max was unharmed and she was also warmed by the fact that he was searching for her.
Lauren took a deep breath before launching into what happened. “I was on my way to find Max when someone—in the condominium—shot me with a dart gun. I was definitely drugged but I shifted to my cat before passing out. Then I woke up in jaguar form in an abandoned house about a mile back.” She motioned with her hand. “I have no clue who took me or why. I just got out of there as fast as I could in case they came back.” She pressed an unsteady hand to her stomach as a wave of nausea swept through her. “I’m pretty sure there are still drugs in my system.”
Dominga Hayes rubbed a hand over her face and shook her head. “You were shot with a dart gun? By one of those wolves!” She shouted the last part, anger overtaking her delicate features.
“Yes, and we need to figure out who did it.” And she desperately wanted to get back to Max. She already missed his scent on her. The most primal part of her wanted to be held by him and to hold him back.
“I don’t even know where to start, Lauren. You’re trying to put me in an early gave, I swear. What the hell were you thinking coming here? Those jewels aren’t worth your life! And now some lunatic shot you with a dart gun. If it happened in their secure condominium it had to be a wolf.”
And there it was. Her mom had a wicked temper and if she hadn’t been kidnapped Lauren knew her mom would have laid into her earlier than this. “Mom, I know, but—”
“No buts. We need to contact your father so we can leave. He will compensate the Kincaid pack for all their troubles and you will never come into this territory again.” She started the engine as she spoke.
Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. She might have done something stupid, but she wasn’t a child. And she wasn’t staying away from Max. No way. “Mom, I’m not leaving, but we’ll discuss that later. First we need to find out who took me and why.”
“It was one of those wolves. Who cares why? They were probably just angry a jaguar was in their territory and tried to steal from their alpha, which is all the more reason for us to get out of town as soon as possible. I want you safe. No one will ever take you again.” Her hands shook as she reversed the vehicle and guilt punched into Lauren at the sight.
Her parents loved her so much and she them. She was incredibly grateful to have such a loving pride but she couldn’t run away. “Mom, we can’t just leave. I gave Max my word I’d stay for a week. In return he’s giving us the brooch. And before you freak out, he’s not actually punishing me.”
“You’re sleeping with him.” It wasn’t a question. Her jaw was set in an angry line as she pulled back onto the road and headed east.
“Not…yet.” She so didn’t want to talk about this with her mom. Ever. “That’s not important anyway. I need to call him and tell him what happened.” He would be worried and she hated the thought of causing him any kind of pain.
“I need to call your father first.” Lips pulled into a thin line, her mother pulled her cell phone out of the center console. Before she could do anything, it rang.
Lauren saw her father’s name on the caller ID and inwardly winced. He was going to be so disappointed in her, which sucked. It would have been one thing to come home with the brooch and deal with their annoyance but it was totally different to have them find out now.
Her mother answered immediately and the phone immediately linked up with the speaker system in the vehicle, letting Lauren hear her father’s voice clearly. “Where are you?”
“I’ve found Lauren. She’s safe and unharmed, but has some things to tell you. We’re returning to the Kincaid compound,” she said on a sigh, as if it was the last place she wanted to go.
“No, take her and leave.”
Lauren bristled at the command. “Dad, I’m right here. We’re not—”
“Some lying female is saying you attacked and tried to kill her when she caught you trying to smuggle out the jewels.”
Surprise slammed into Lauren’s chest as she leaned back against the seat. “What? That’s not true!” And why would anyone make that claim?
“I don’t care. Dominga, get her out of town now.” He ended the call before either of them could respond.
Lauren turned to look at her mom, ready for an argument. There was no way she’d leave like this. She understood that her pride just wanted to protect her, but she had to iron out all this mess before it snowballed into something totally unfixable. Leaving was not the answer.
Max wanted to rip his hair out at the scene before him. Wade was pacing angrily in front of the floor to ceiling windows in the living room of Max’s condo, his wolf clearly agitated and ready to lash out if his extended claws were any indication. But he’d been surprisingly silent as his sister shrieked and screamed.
A bloodied Naomi sat on the wood floor, crying about how Lauren had attacked her. The jaguars, minus Dominga Hayes, were all on the other side of his expansive living room glaring daggers at the blond wolf while three of his own male packmates stood defensively between Naomi and them.
The sparkling brooch was in the middle of his coffee table where Naomi had slammed it down. She swore up and down that Lauren had attacked her when Naomi caught her trying to leave the condo. Lauren had supposedly dropped the brooch then attacked Naomi and left her for dead before making her escape.
Max couldn’t scent any lies coming off the blond. But his gut told him there was no way in hell Lauren had done this. Absolutely no way.
“Why would Lauren do such a thing when you’d already promised her the jewels in a week’s time?” Though untamed violence rippled off Lawrence, his voice was steady as he looked at Max. He was a true alpha, a good example of what one should be like. And Max missed his own alpha more than he ever had. He’d actually called Grant a few hours ago while they were searching for Lauren, but true to his word, his alpha had turned off his phone during his honeymoon.
Lawrence continued, his voice deepening in anger. “Unless you’ve abused my daughter in some way?”
Max snarled, even the thought of her in pain angering him. He didn’t bother answering because he didn’t trust his voice. Right now he was trying to keep his shit together. Lawrence had told him Lauren was safe and out of the city, which was the only reason he was managing to control himself.
She was safe. That was what mattered. He hated that she’d left with her mother because he wanted to hold her in his arms and figure out this mess. But first he needed to calm down his two irate packmates and try to figure out why Naomi was lying. Because he had no doubt she was. Grant had taken the two wolves in because they’d been desperate and had no pack, but Max didn’t
know
them and he barely tolerated Wade.
When Max, his packmates and the jaguars had been out searching for Lauren, they’d stumbled across Naomi on her way back to the condominium. Luckily tourist season was over so there hadn’t been many humans about, but it still surprised him
no
humans had seen her bloodied and shredded to ribbons. That alone was hard to believe. She’d already healed from her cuts—which had definitely been made by a shifter—but hadn’t cleaned up the blood yet because Max had ordered everyone to his place.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he started to ask Lawrence to give him some privacy so he could hash this out with just his wolves when the front door opened.
He couldn’t see her, but he could scent that amber and vanilla scent stronger than he ever had before. Shoving past the jaguars, he’d made it two steps down the hallway when Lauren launched herself at him. She was shaking as he held her, kicking his protectiveness into overdrive. He wanted to order everyone out and tell his pack and her pride they could deal with this mess on their own.
But as second in command, he didn’t have that luxury.
Her mother was behind them, giving him a cautious stare, but he ignored her. He tuned everyone out for a few seconds as he buried his face in Lauren’s neck and inhaled her sweet scent. It invaded his senses, soothing his primal beast. When he thought she’d been taken from him—he shut that thought down, not wanting his inner wolf to get even more agitated. He needed to find out where she’d been. She smelled odd, like another female.
As he started to set her on her feet, an angry shriek from behind him made his wolf go on high alert, wanting to hide Lauren from any threat.
Taking him completely off guard, Lauren shoved him hard with the kind of strength only a supernatural creature possessed. He stumbled but caught himself and turned just as Naomi launched herself in their direction. She’d jumped up and was using his loveseat as a springboard for an attack.
It registered that Lauren meant to protect him as she snarled defensively, letting her claws out.
Hell no.
Max tensed, ready to take Naomi, but before either he or Lauren could move, Wade sprung into action, tackling his sister to the ground as she screamed obscenities. The strong wolf had his sister’s arms pinned behind her back, his expression a mix of worry, anger…and sadness. “Get everyone out of here, Max. Please,” he gritted out as he struggled with the raging female.
The please took Max by surprise. Knowing that this situation didn’t need an audience—and he could take care of both these wolves with no problem if they attacked—he looked at his own wolves and they nodded without him having to say a word. Lawrence and Dominga Hayes waited until their jaguars strode out before looking at Lauren expectantly.