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Clawson hung up. I stared at the phone, irritation beginning to simmer. What could be so urgent that Clawson couldn’t handle it himself? What fresh hell were we about to face this time?
“Tori, Camila, hurry up!” I called.
Once everyone was in the car and seatbelts were secured, it was like déjà vu as I drove the familiar route to the town hall and parked outside. I didn’t want Camila to have to suffer through whatever was waiting for me inside the familiar building. I watched as Tori showed Camila some silly cat videos on her phone, but the girl wasn’t really paying attention. It was painfully obvious her thoughts were hundreds of miles away in a hotel room in Cedar Rapids.
“Can you ladies wait in the car for me?” I asked, and Tori looked up. She nodded, and I knew she understood my reasons for asking her to remain in the car.
I quickly got out of the car and hurried inside. Just as I approached the front steps, Dean Aldrin appeared in the doorway in that unnerving way of his, followed closely by Jaxon Hyde. Clawson stood behind them. I was taken aback when I saw the men, and I raised an eyebrow at Clawson.
The only reason I could think for Jaxon and Dean’s presence was to carry on our discussion about including more newcomers in the patrols. We’d spoken briefly about it yesterday after therun, and I’d promised to talk to him about it again during the week. But Clawson knew we were in a rush. Why hadn’t he just passed on my apologies?
“Sorry, guys, I don’t mean to be rude, but something urgent has come up, and I’ll be out of town, maybe for a few days. Can I call you later in the week?” I turned to leave.
“Actually, that’s why we’re here.” Kyle stepped out from behind Clawson. I hadn’t seen him there.
“What the fuck is going on?” The irritation I’d felt when we left the manor had morphed into frustration. With every beat, my heart pounded against my chest, its rhythm echoing in my ears. With a low growl, I spat out, “I don’t have time for this shit.” I checked my watch. “My plane is wheels-up in thirty. If any of you are here to talk me out of leaving, save your breath. I have to get that girl’s family back.”
Clawson raised his hands in surrender. “Nothing to do with me, Ridge. I just made the call.”
“It wasn’t Clawson, Ridge. I arranged this.” Kyle stood in the doorway, his shoulders tense and fists clenched at his sides. His voice was strained and tight. “You’re planning on taking my little sister into a potential fight with hunters, but you didn’t think to take me? I know the hunters better than anyone here. Iwasa fucking hunter, Ridge! I worked with my father for five years. I have a deeper understanding of their tactics and how they operate than even Tori.”
He paused, looking away into the distance. As I absorbed his words, the car door opened. I turned around to see Tori walking up to us. She twisted her fingers in front of her.
At the sight of his sister, Kyle’s anger vanished. He slumped against the doorway. When he spoke again, it was with a more reflective tone.
“There are choices I made in that life I truly hate and wish I could change,” he confessed, his eyes locking on mine. “I can’tdo that, but I can try and make it right. You and Tori are more than capable, I don’t doubt that, but there’s only two of you and a terrified teenage girl. I thought it would be wise to have backup.” A cunning glint came into his eye. “And I figured Tori’s father had a right to know what you were planning.”
Tori moved closer to me and gripped my hand. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she seemed lost in thought. I couldn’t tell if it was her brother’s words or her own doubts about her father that had affected her.
Jaxon’s gaze flitted between me and his daughter. “Ridge, we’re here to support you. Kyle told us the ordeal this girl and her family were subjected to. We can’t allow the hunters to keep terrorizing our people. They pick us off like fish in a barrel. You brought us here to aid in the fight, so let us help you. You’ve said it yourself—we’re stronger together. Wouldn’t it make sense to increase your numbers and improve your chances of achieving a positive outcome?”
I glanced again at Tori, unsure of her feelings on bringing the two men along. The more they spoke, the more I was seeing things from their point of view.
Tori’s eyes darted to where Camila still sat in the car, then flickered to me. “I think they all have a point, Ridge. If we’re going to do this, we need to do it right. Isn’t this what you’ve been encouraging all the shifter packs to do, to work together for the greater good? This is the perfect opportunity to show other shifters and paranormal creatures that accepting help isn’t a weakness. It’s the smart thing to do.”
Tori’s words stunned us all speechless, she had hit the nail on the head. My mate really was amazing. She was smart, talented, beautiful, andmine. I couldn’t have been prouder or more in love.
“Thank you. All of you,” I said, acknowledging each of the men in turn. Jaxon was right. I had been gathering all the packsand shifters to unite and fight the hunters. I was building a stronghold to keep our people safe, for people like Camila, and I had to let them aid in their own survival. The support from those willing to stand by my side gave me a renewed sense of purpose to ensure the best outcome for Camila’s family.
“Jaxon.” I nodded to each of the men in turn. “Kyle, Dean. We could use all the help we can get.”
My car wasn’t big enough for all of us to travel together, so we had to split into two vehicles. for safety’s sake, in case there were any hunters lingering outside town trying to pick up any shifters as they came and went, each vehicle took a different route to my private airfield. A journey that typically lasted me ten minutes took over twenty as we changed our route to make sure we weren’t being followed. Both Tori and I were on high alert for any signs of hunters.
For one of the few times in my life, I was grateful for my wealth. Having my own private plane and airfield meant there was no fear of the hunters there, as I trusted my guards. Once we landed in Cedar Rapids, it would be a different story. I had no influence on the security at that airfield, and though it wasn’t large, it was big enough for hunters to lie in wait, waiting to attack.
Every unfamiliar face caused my muscles to tense, ready to defend my mate and the vulnerable Camila. I didn’t like how unsafe it felt to be anywhere but Blackwood Creek right now. Although I was proud to make that town a haven for shifters, I wished the rest of the world wasn’t so dangerous.
“Stay close,” I murmured as we boarded the plane. Tori’s hand found mine, our fingers intertwining, providing a sense of comfort amid the tension.
Once we were all boarded and in the air, I relaxed a little. The hunters couldn’t touch us up here. When the hostess let us know it was safe to do so, we all undid our seatbelts, and the six of usgathered together in the small seating area to discuss what we’d do upon landing.
“I’ve arranged for a minivan to pick us up at the airfield in Cedar Rapids,” I said. “It should be large enough for all of us, but we need to get from the plane to the leasing agent.” If it had just been Tori, Camila and me, we wouldn’t have been so noticeable. But with three shifters—two of whom were large alphas—a vampire, an ex-hunter, and a teenage girl? We were going to stand out like a sore thumb.
Everyone spoke at once, but it was Dean’s idea that made the most sense. “Why don’t I pick up the vehicle and use my power of persuasion to drive it onto the runway? I can tell them I have some dignitary who needs anonymity in case the press is there. Then we can all get into the car without being seen.”
The idea of boarding the vehicle on the tarmac was risky. If there were hunters at the airport who recognized my plane, they would certainly be on high alert. We had to be extra careful. It was a calculated risk, but one we had to take. Camila had already endured so much, we couldn’t afford to let her be exposed any further. We needed to reunite the girl with her mom and brother as quickly and safely as we could.
It was a fairly short flight. When we landed at the private airport in Cedar Rapids, Dean wasted no time in retrieving the van I’d rented and driving it alongside the steps leading down from the plane, thankfully without any close calls along the way. With Jaxon at the front, then Kyle, Camila, Tori, and me bringing up the rear, we disembarked and settled ourselves into the van, ready for stage two of the plan: drive to the hotel where Camila’s mom and brother were holed up.
