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“Kyle can’t help that he was raised to be this way.” I stared at her, defending my brother, even though I wasn’t completely sure he deserved it. God, I missed him, and that broke my heart.
“Does Ridge know thatyouwere raised as a hunter?” Audrey wasn’t being accusatory or cruel but was genuinely interested. Her head was cocked and her eyes were soft as she watched me, then she seemed sorry to have asked. Something I’d never have expected from her.
“To be fair, I wasn’t raised like that my entire life. It’s complicated.” I looked toward the door and then back at Audrey. “But no, I haven’t told Ridge. And I’d prefer it if you kept this quiet for now. Please. You know whose side I’m on.”
I never thought I’d come to the day I’d be pleading with Audrey Greenthorne to keep my secrets, but here I was.
“I will. But even if he is your brother, if he even poses a single threat of any kind to the people I care about, I won’t hesitate to take him out this time.”
Relief had me nodding furiously.
“That includes you, Tori. If he hurts you, I’ll end him.”
I blinked, not believing what I’d heard. I wasn’t sure I’d heard her right. It was my family who had Blackwood Creek in their sights, and Audrey didn’t know what I’d been through or that I’d been on the run from them. Forty-eight hours ago, she’d despised me, had been the first person to point the finger at me when tragedy had struck. Luckily, that mess had been cleared up, but her saying she had my back was throwing me for a loop.
Clearing my throat, I said, “I just want to use him as leverage against the hunters and get some answers from him. We might learn something that could help protect Blackwood Creek from future attacks.”
I looked her square in the eye and hoped she didn’t catch my lie. Seeing Kyle after spending years alone had opened something in me that I’d locked away. I missed having my brother in my life. If I could prove to Kyle that shifters weren’t anything like we’d been brainwashed to think, maybe I could get my brother back.
“Audrey, I want to apologize to you.”
It was my turn to stun her, and her face went blank. “What the heck for?”
“For the hunters taking you in the first place. I’ve been on the run from them for so long, and I’m worried I put a target on every citizen in Blackwood Creek. That was never my intention. I never wanted that.” Shame spilled out with my words. I didn’t think I’d ever rest easy after the hunters had infiltrated the town. “I’m so sorry you went through this.”
“Girl, you have nothing to apologize for. Blackwood Creek would’ve been on their target list eventually, given all the shifters living there. So stop being a martyr and go get us some of that complimentary breakfast.”
The sincerity in her words struck a chord, and I believed her. Despite my preconceived notions of her being a spoiled rich kid, Audrey surprised me with her unexpected actions at every turn.
“I could eat,” I said with a shrug.
“I’ll accept fresh fruit and Greek yogurt options only. None of those pathetic muffins or stale cereal.” Audrey scrunched up her nose at the idea of less-than-stellar food options.
Laughing as I left to get us some food, I couldn’t help but think how strange it felt to befriend the young woman. I couldn’t deny my sense that I could trust her, and trust wasn’t an easy feat for me. But I liked it. I liked it a lot.
It wasn’t much later when we piled back in the rental and I administered another dose of the sedative to keep my brother passed out. There was no suspicion that the hunters had found our trail yet, so I drove directly to the Denver airport where Ridge’s plane was ready and waiting for us. The motel where we’d spent the night was a little outside of Denver, so it was a long drive to get to the airport, but nobody questioned me driving after witnessing my skills the day before.
Now that Diana was awake, there was more chatter, as she had several questions about what had happened. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on the way one looked at it—she’d been out from the drug most of the time.
“Does anyone want to tell me what happened? Who were those people? How did we get out of there?” Diana’s questions tumbled out of her, and her fear was palpable. “I vaguely remember being in a cell and my wolf panicking when I couldn’t smell Margo…” She shuddered. “Oh my goodness, when I couldn’t smell Margo, I thought the worst. I thank the gods it was me they took and not Margo. If people think an alpha is their worst nightmare, they’ve clearly never come up against a mother on the rampage. Has anyone let her know where we are? She’ll be so worried.”
“She’s fine,” I assured her. “Ridge texted her and told her we were all safe and on our way back.” From the rearview mirror, I saw the tension leaving Diana’s body. “You should have seen her going up against Clawson and demanding he bring her with us. She wasn’t overly enamored that we’d left her behind, but she’s at the B&B waiting for you to come home.”
Clawson muttered something under his breath about willful women. Though Diana visibly relaxed at hearing Margo was safe, she still wanted someone to answer her questions.
Audrey was watching me, and despite our moment earlier, the thought crossed my mind that she might spill my secrets after all. She turned to Diana. “Hunters. They came into town and grabbed us, drugged us, and moved us to their compound.” She continued filling Diana in, leaving out some of the more harmful bits.
Yet another stab of guilt to my gut. I’d done this. I’d placed these people—people I’d come to care for—in danger. I’d been surprised by Audrey’s reaction to my past and her not outing me. But realistically, my continued presence in town posed a danger, and once they knew the truth, most of Blackwood Creek’s residents wouldn’t share Audrey’s sentiment. I’d be asked, under no uncertain terms, to leave.
It might be better to go of my own volition rather than wait for the inevitable.
That thought left a strange ache in my chest. My wolf bristled at the very idea of leaving Ridge. She’d have to accept it, though. I couldn’t let these people be hurt any more than they already had.
Another glance in the rearview mirror showed that Clawson watching me, like he was trying to figure out a difficult math equation. He’d been slightly off with me since he’d spoken with Ridge alone, but I didn’t know what they’d discussed. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d been the chief topic of conversation.
After all, Ridge wasn’t talking much, either. He was more subdued than usual, but he kept smiling at me. His hand was on my thigh, and he leaned over periodically to kiss my cheek or brush my hair out of my face. The constant affection was wonderful, but it didn’t stop the nerves from vibrating through my system.
I wanted to know what the men had discussed about me, and how long I had before having to leave the small, charming town they so dearly loved and needed to protect.
