Toni leaned a little to the side, hoping to see Garrett behind Caelen ready to pounce on the men. No one was there, though. Where was he? He didn’t run away, did he?
Caelen put his hands up. “Hey, no denying on my part, man. The caves exist and one of the entrances is in this house. If you guys want to come on in, I’ll take you to it.”
Everyone stood outside, dumbfounded. What was going on? Why would Caelen be so welcoming? And where was Garrett, dammit?
The guy holding Toni was the first to speak. “Okay then. It’s about time you animals showed us some respect.” He turned to his men holding Kira and Carly. “You two wait here. If we’re not back in a few minutes, off the women. And make it messy so we set an example for the others.” He then looked at the other two men. “Both of you come with me and the lady here. She’s our insurance once we get to the cave.”
Little Dick pushed Toni toward the front door Caelen held open for them. The two men followed.
“Don’t you hurt her,” Kira yelled, fighting the jerk holding her. “Garrett will shave your balls off with a dull razor.”
Little Dick laughed. “Too bad he isn’t here to join in. His plans don’t have him back until later. You don’t think we’re stupid enough to do this when he’s around, do you?”
The four of them walked through the doorway into the house. Caelen closed the door. “This way, guys. It’s at the back.”
The breakfast scent in the air that once smelled good almost made her gag. Garrett wasn’t in the house. He ran when she was in danger. Her heart fell to her feet, crushed and stomped on. She thought he was perfect. He was until this.
Caelen opened the door to a room she hadn’t been in before. The room looked to be storage for the most part. But the items in the storage, she didn’t have any idea what several of them were. No toilet paper or paper towels or dish soap, but industrial strength cleaners, thick washing pads, and super-strength scrubbies. She hadn’t been in the master bath yet. Oh my god, how bad was it?
A scraping sound came from where Caelen stood against the wall. A door she hadn’t noticed was open. Where had that come from?
“Ah,” Little Dick said. His hand on her arm tightened. “No wonder we couldn’t find it. The bastard had it well hidden.” He shoved her toward it. Caelen flipped a switch and a warehouse looking space came alive.
What was all this? Huge stainless steel vats lined a wall with tubes and pipes stringing them together crisscrossing the ceiling. Metal shelves held hundreds of clear glass bottles. A sour, rotten stench pushed her closer to puking. The farther in they walked, the colder the air got. The light dimmed as the walls narrowed to a two-person-wide hallway. Were those barrels stacked against the wall? And was the wall now made of rock? What the hell was this place?
“What kind of shit is your boyfriend into?” Little Dick asked. “Illegal moonshine, huh? May have to add that to my side jobs. Bet it makes a nice coin or two.”
Toni turned and raked her nails across Little Dick’s face. “Leave Garrett alone. I swear to god I will kill you if you so much as touch a hair on his head.” Even though her mate abandoned her, she still loved him and would fight for him.
She was so distracted by what she saw behind Little Dick that she missed his fist swinging for her face. Her head snapped around and she stumbled to land next to the dead bodies of the men who had followed them into the room, throats slashed by a knife or one fucking sharp, big-ass kitty claw.
Little Dick’s mouth fell open. “What the fuck?” He raised his gun and swung around to where Caelen stood, but he wasn’t there. He must’ve run farther down the rock tunnel. Dick twisted around to face her, gun raised. “Come out, whoever you are, or I’ll kill her.”
Was Garrett hiding in here? Had he not abandoned her after all? Dick pulled back the hammer on the revolver he held. Toni wanted to cringe and squeeze her eyes shut, but she was stronger than that.
Dick stretched his arm out and looked her in the eye. “Sorry, chicky. Nothing personal.” She sucked in a breath as a clawed, furry paw raised behind Dick. The sound of ripping material and Dick’s scream echoed through the cavernous room. Toni scrunched into a ball and covered her ears. The gun he held landed on the floor.
A moment later, a wet, scratchy tongue swiped up the side of her face. Ugh, it felt like sandpaper. She looked up to see her beautiful mate’s feline. “Garrett,” she cried and wrapped her arms around his fluffy neck. “I was so scared you left me.”
Pops and the grinding of bones had her clenching her jaw. That couldn’t be a great feeling, to shift. Next thing she knew, strong arms were around her. “Don’t you ever think that again. I will never leave you, no matter how dire the situation. You are my life.” Garrett pulled back and held her face in his large hands. “I love you and only you. I will give my life for you. Don’t ever forget that.”
He laid a kiss on her hot enough to dry her tears.
“I hate to butt in,” Caelen said. “Well, maybe not that sorry, since it’s not fair that I don’t have my mate to kiss.” He stood in the narrowed space with rock walls. Her mate couldn’t help but growl since that’s what she wanted to do.
Garrett stood and scooped her into his arms. “The other guys should have arrived by now. Hopefully they have everything under control outside.”
“But how would they know?” she asked.
He kissed her. “I called them before coming in here. I heard you talking outside and knew immediately what they wanted. I’m sorry you were involved. I won’t let danger ever touch you again.”
Toni rolled her eyes. “Knowing this group, I doubt that’s possible.”
30
Garrett sat on the couch with Toni wrapped tightly in his arms. He’d come too close to losing her today to let her go.
“Baby, you have to loosen your grip. I can’t breathe,” Toni whispered.
“Sorry, I just can’t handle the thought of losing you. I just found you.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I promise. I’ll be by your side until we take our last breaths side by side in several decades.”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Jeff said as he sat on the couch opposite them, “but we arrived a few minutes late, after the goons had started talking. What did they have to say? Was it the cartel? Can we take them down yet?”
The ladies shook their heads and grimaced as he cursed in frustration. “Sorry, the impression we got was they were doing this on their own. They were part of the cartel, yes, but they were trying to gain favor with their boss.”
“Fuck,” Chris said as he rubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. “Good news is your ex is alive and being treated at the local hospital. He was beaten pretty badly, but he should make a full recovery.”
Toni nodded and tears filled her eyes. Garrett wiped them away. “We can go see him if you want. I know what he did and I know the price he paid to try to keep you safe. I’ll forever be in his debt for that alone.”
“If this was the cartel, but not the boss man, are the teenagers a separate issue?” Luke asked from his place by the fire where he held Kira tightly in his arms.
“I don’t know, to be honest. They said nothing about that. What about you guys?” Jeff asked the assembled group who all agreed they’d heard nothing. “I’d be surprised if it had been them. These guys are low level thugs. They wouldn’t have the power or supplies to pull off something that involved and intricate,” Jeff finished.
Garrett sighed and squeezed Toni closer to him. “At least one thing is taken care of. Toni is safe and out of their watchful eyes and yes, even Jared is free. That’s a win for the good guys in my book.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. Something has to give soon. They can’t keep hiding this from us forever. We will put a stop to it and save our cubs,” Bastien declared.
Everyone left soon after, and Garrett carried Toni to his bedroom and laid her down, intending to climb next to her and show her how glad he was they were alive. There was a knock at the door fol
lowed by a muffled, “Son?”
“Shit, that’s my parents. You ready to meet your in-laws?” Garrett growled in frustration.
“Only if I can do it standing up and not laying on this bed like a wanton woman ready to ravish their only son.”
Garrett chuckled and pulled her to her feet. “They’re going to love you as much as I do.”
“I don’t think that’s possible, but it’s sweet of you to say. And don’t worry. I won’t ask to see naked bath pictures until later.” She winked as she headed out the door and down the hall to his booming laughter.
Epilogue
There was no denying the word on the tiny display. A single word that changed her life. And she only knew before Garrett because he’d gone out on a business trip right after their quickie before he left for the airport. She continued staring at the stick, a smile wide on her lips.
Life was about to get a lot more interesting.
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Hi! I’m Milly Taiden. I love to write sexy stories featuring fun, sassy heroines with curves and growly alpha males with fur. My books are a great way to satisfy your craving for paranormal romance with action, humor, suspense and happily ever afters.
I live in Florida with my hubby, our boys, and our fur children “Needy Speedy” and “Stormy.” Yes, I am aware I’m bossy, and I am seriously addicted to iced caramel lattes.
I love to meet new readers, so come sign up for my newsletter and check out my Facebook page. We always have lots of fun stuff going on there.
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Also by Milly Taiden
If you liked this story, you might also enjoy the following by Milly Taiden:
Sassy Mates / Sassy Ever After Series
Scent of a Mate Book One
A Mate’s Bite Book Two
Unexpectedly Mated Book Three
A Sassy Wedding Short 3.7
The Mate Challenge Book Four
Sassy in Diapers Short 4.3
Fighting for Her Mate Book Five
A Fang in the Sass Book 6
Also, check out the Sassy Ever After Kindle World on Amazon
Also by Milly Taiden
Shifters Undercover
Bearly in Control Book One
Fur Fox’s Sake Book Two (Coming Soon)
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Bound in Flames Book One
Bound in Darkness Book Two
Bound in Ashes (Coming Soon)
Bound in Eternity (Coming Soon)
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Wolf Protector Book One
Dangerous Protector Book Two
Unwanted Protector Book Three
Black Meadow Pack
Sharp Change Black Meadows Pack Book One
Caged Heat Black Meadows Pack Book Two
Paranormal Dating Agency
Twice the Growl Book One
Geek Bearing Gifts Book Two
The Purrfect Match Book Three
Curves ‘Em Right Book Four
Tall, Dark and Panther Book Five
The Alion King Book Six
There’s Snow Escape Book Seven
Scaling Her Dragon Book Eight
In the Roar Book Nine
Scrooge Me Hard Short One
Bearfoot and Pregnant Book Ten
All Kitten Aside Book Eleven
Oh My Roar Book Twelve
Raging Falls
Miss Taken Book One
Miss Matched Book Two
Miss Behaved Book Three
Miss Mated Book Four
Miss Conceived Book Five
FUR-ocious Lust - Bears
Fur-Gotten Book Two
Fur-Given Book Three
FUR-ocious Lust - Tigers
Stripe-Tease Book Four
Stripe-Search Book Five
Stripe-Club Book Six
Night and Day Ink
Bitten by Night Book One
Seduced by Days Book Two
Mated by Night Book Three
Taken by Night Book Four
Dragon Baby Book Five
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Sinfully Naughty Vol. 1
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Contemporary Works
Lucky Chase
Their Second Chance
Club Duo Boxed Set
A Hero’s Pride
A Hero Scarred
Wounded Soldiers Set
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