Chapter One
October 29, 2033...
(One year after the takedown of Holly Geithner)
“Liam, Riley, it’s almost time to go,” Mackenzie
called out. “We have about eight minutes.”
He put the finishing touches on their lunches and
stood at the kitchen counter listening to his children hurry through the rest
of their routine. He grinned. After all the shit they’d been through, he’d
never regretted adopting both of his pups. They made everything a little bit
easier to bear. More so now, since their return from Everett, Massachusetts.
Liam was the first to join him. His son still had
some anger issues. Hell, Mackenzie couldn’t blame the boy, so did he. Holly had
ripped their family apart, little by little, for ten years, and he’d allowed it
to happen. Hindsight and all that notwithstanding, he knew there was something
wrong with Hayden’s aunt. He’d realized Holly wasn’t what she claimed to be as
early as a year into her being in Window Rock, and still he persisted with the
lie to protect Hayden. In the end, he’d been instrumental in tearing apart his
whole family once again.
A knock came at the back door, and Liam answered
it. “Morning.” He stood aside allowing
an excited Mikey into the house.
“Poppa!” The boy launched himself into Mackenzie’s
arms and clung to him. Mackenzie had been the first-person Mikey hadn’t called
by his first name. He couldn’t understand it, but he didn’t discourage the boy,
either. It would just take some time for him to settle in.
“Good morning, little wolf. Are you ready for
school?”
The boy nodded. “I am so ready.” He pointed to
Charisma who carried the twins. “I helped m-Charisma dress them.” There was
hesitation there, like the boy wanted to call Charisma mom or mother but wasn’t
sure if he should yet or not.
“You did?” Mackenzie placed the boy on his feet.
When Mikey did call Charisma mom, he knew his mated daughter would be over the
moon.
“Charisma said I’m a good helper.” The boy’s
soulful husky voice was endearing and adorable, but it had also worried
Mackenzie in the beginning. It’d only been a couple of weeks since Royce and
Charisma found out from different specialists, that the damage sustained to his
vocal cords was permanent. Worthington and all of those fucking PBH bastards’
experiments had destroyed a piece of the loving boy in front of him.
Danielle had offered to help fix him, but Royce
and Charisma declined. If the boy was in excellent health, why bother? Later,
if his condition worsened, they’d consider it, but until then, he was perfect
in their eyes.
Mackenzie agreed. “You are an exceptional helper.”
He scrubbed the boy’s head then went to Charisma to help her with the twins.
They were both dressed as little chicks still in their eggs. He tilted his head
in question and she laughed.
“Mikey saw them online. He loved it, so I got them
a set.” Charisma chuckled.
“I have an Indian costume, but I’m not wearing it
until Thanksgiving,” Mikey chirped.
“So, what are you going to be for Halloween?”
Mackenzie cocked a brow.
“A pirate. My costume has a parrot and
everything.” He spun in a circle. “It’s really cool. You’re going to love it.”
“I bet I will,” Mackenzie said. “Why are your brother
and sister wearing their costumes now?”
“There’s a party at school in two days,” Mikey
answered. “Mommy...” He glanced up at Charisma. “It’s okay to call you mommy
now, right?”
Charisma nodded with a smile, wiping away tears.
“You can always call me mommy, because that’s who I am.”
Mikey smiled. “Mommy is helping us put up
decorations and color with us. I didn’t want the twins to miss all the fun, so
I made them dress up today.” His little chest puffed up with pride, and
Mackenzie grinned like a fucking fool as warmth filled his chest. This little
boy had him and his family wrapped tightly around him. He might not be a
shifter-wolf, but he was theirs.
Charisma turned away for a moment to gather
herself. The smell of her love and surprise wafted through the kitchen. “Well,
it’s what mommy’s do best.”
“Don’t cry,” Mikey whimpered, a sob hitching his
voice. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“These aren’t sad tears,” she whispered. “These
are happy tears.”
“Oh.” Mikey wrapped his arms around her. “Is it
because I called you mommy?”
Charisma nodded.
“Is it okay to call you mommy? I just said it. I
didn’t ask per—”
Charisma wrapped the boy in her arms and hugged
him tight. “I’m mommy. You don’t have to have permission to call me such. I
love you so much, Mikey.”
“I love you, too, mommy.” Mikey grinned as he
hugged her tight.
Mackenzie stood off to the side, proud of his
growing family, and took another sip of his coffee. “It’s going to be a good
day.”
“Hey Charis—” Riley stepped into the kitchen. “Oh,
my God! They’re so adorable.” She went straight to Julius and Fern. “Whose idea
was this?”
Mikey peeked over at Riley and gave her a toothy
grin. “Mine.”
“I love it. They’re so cute.”
“Babies,” Liam muttered. “Makes everyone lose
their dang mind.”
Mackenzie snorted. For as much bluster as the boy
had, he didn’t mean a word of it. He’d had his eyes on the twins since the
moment they were born. “All right now, if you don’t get going, you’re all going
to be late.”
“Shoot!” Charisma sighed as she picked up the
twins’ car seats. “We’ll see you after school. If you need anything, just
call.”
Mackenzie handed Liam and Riley their lunches. “I
know. Have a good day, pups.”
He followed them out the door and waved when
Charisma’s mini-van pulled away. Mackenzie let out a breath and trudged back
inside. He didn’t have time to wallow in his self-pity. He had to meet Rapier
at a new site near the edge of the county.
With the success of the apartments in
Massachusetts, Rapier wanted to experiment in Window Rock as well. Lucky for him,
a few weeks ago, a developer picked out a site and opened it up for bidding.
Rapier jumped on it.
The eldest Dryer won the contract, and today, they
were going to stake out the foundation. The quickness of it all, surprised
Mackenzie. There were several steps that needed to be complete before they
could even think to frame out the grounds, however a leveling crew had already
been out there and had given them a nice-size pad of land to work off. The
developer had a good feeling about the area.
Rapier agreed.
Mackenzie grabbed his lunch pail and thermos then
headed back out the door to his truck. As he pulled out of the driveway, he
looked at the house and wondered if he should sell it and find a new place to
call home. There were too many memories in that place. Some were good. The
majority of them were bad. He hated the idea of uprooting the kids, but even if
they didn’t think he watched them while they were in Everett, he did. They were
freer there. He liked to think it was because they were pretending to be
someone else, but he knew it was due to them being away from the house they
called home.
Because, he felt it, too.
Even with Charisma and Royce trying to navigate
their relationship, being in Everett had been liberating. There were no
memories to haunt them there. There was no negativity. Staring at the
olive-green and white façade of the house he’d lived in for far too long, the
place was saturated in negativity. Maybe, his family needed a new start. A new
home to make happy memories in.
While Mackenzie drove to the new site, he tried to
run the numbers. Between the money he’d saved up over the last year while
working in Massachusetts and the little bit he’d put back over the last ten
years, he could swing a down payment on a new or newer home. What he couldn’t
do was pay two mortgages. He huffed a curse. He couldn’t even put them into an
apartment while he sold the house. It would eat up the savings he had.
For now, they were stuck while he looked for a new
place to call home.
Mackenzie turned off the main road and followed
the development signs. When he pulled up to the parcel of land, Rapier and
Saber were already there along with Kalkin, Jerome, and Christoph. Mackenzie
narrowed his eyes. The boy was still wet behind the ears when it came to being
the Alpha of his budding family. So, it begged the question, why was he there?
He got out of the truck and grabbed his shit
before strolling over to the waiting group. Mackenzie took in their posture.
Every one of them was tense, poised to pounce on whatever might be lurking. He
didn’t like it. After all the shit they’d been through, he hoped to have a
quiet rest of his life. He wanted to raise his kids and watch his grandchildren
grow. He was done with messing with things he had no concern for.
“Morning,” Kalkin said.
“Morning.” Makenzie nodded. “Did you bring
donuts?”
His brother laughed. “Nope. Keeley put me on a
diet.”
Mackenzie snorted. “Sure, she did.”
“It’s a fish diet. All I can eat.” Kalkin grinned.
Rapier groaned. “Jesus, it’s never ending with
you.”
“Sure ain’t.” He motioned for Mackenzie to join
them. “We have something we need to discuss and, since there isn’t shit for
miles, this is the perfect place.”
So much for living out his days in peace. “What
happened this time?”
Christoph stood a little taller, and the frown
between his brows deepened. “We have a problem.”
When didn’t they? Window Rock, in the last eleven
years, had been a hotbed of things going wrong or things happening. Somedays,
he wished he’d never told Rapier where he came from let alone returned. He had
a feeling today he’d be regretting it more. “Great.”
Jerome’s shoulders sagged. “I hate laying this
shit on you.”
Kalkin shrugged. “It happens. We knew when we got
involved with Aislinn all those years ago, this day would come. We figured
she’d be mated before it happened, though. Maybe this is a good thing.”
Rapier scrubbed his chin. “Have to give it to her
father, he is tenacious.”
A sixteen-year-old Aislinn had come to them after
her father, a high-ranking member of the Yakuza, agreed to sell her to
Christoph’s family as a way to form an alliance with the St. John’s. When
Christoph refused to follow their edict, the boy put a plan into motion to save
the girl and give her a new life. She’d had one, too. She renamed herself
Shelby and helped Keeley and Danielle in the orphanage, while taking online
courses at the community college. She’d also been adopted by Rashid and Melody,
becoming part of the Dryer family.
“Mine, too,” Christoph said. “He still thinks he
has an advantage.”
“He’s grasping for straws,” Jerome stated. “He
knows how much trouble he’s in once Shelby’s father finds him.”
“My father had to have tipped them off,” Christoph
stated. “Best place to start looking for her, is here. Where we’re bringing
everyone.”
“How’re your mates handling this?” Mackenzie
asked.
Christoph blanched. “Well...” He cleared his
throat. “We were waiting to tell you this.”
“Bell’s pregnant.” Rapier grinned. “We already
know.”
Christoph blew out a breath. “She was afraid to
tell you after all this came up.”
“Jasmine and Danielle figured it out when Jackson
said she was sick.” The Alpha lion winked at the boy. “She never should worry
about that shit.”
“I can’t even explain why she does,” Christoph
muttered. “But they’re hanging tough. They’re more worried about our new
arrivals and Shelby than anything.”
“Grandpa Rapier, has a good ring to it.” Kalkin
chuckled.
Rapier flipped him off. “Shut up. I hope, to fuck,
Ella mates the biggest fucking wolf with the biggest fucking dick. Just as
payback for that grandpa bullshit.”
“Fuck you,” Kalkin said. “Ella is going to be my
innocent little girl.”
Mackenzie covered his laughter with a cough.
“Anyway...” Jerome drew their attention back to
the current situation. “I have two agents who are being assigned to this case.”
He glanced over at Christoph. “It seems your father has popped up in some
pretty interesting places and jumped onto some interesting radars as of late.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. He is going to call in each
of his favors to keep from owing the Yakuza,” Christoph answered. “Where and
who is looking at him?”
“Scotland Yard, Interpol, FBI, CIA, NSA, OGA, the
standard,” Jerome answered. “We—all the agencies—believe he is coming here as
well as Shelby’s parents. Hence why we would like to imbed these agents with
you.”
Kalkin whistled. “OGA?”
Jerome nodded. “Black market shit no one will
touch.”
“OGA?” Christoph cocked a brow. “You lost me.”
“Other Government Agency,” Kalkin answered. “They
do the shit the government wants to keep off the books.”
Jerome motioned to a vehicle Mackenzie hadn’t even
been paying attention to when he walked up. Two men stepped from the truck. One
was built like Kalkin, all shoulders, arms, and chest with a lean waist while
the other one reminded him of Royce. More compact and stout. They were also
complete opposites. Where Malcolm had dark-blond hair and hazel-green eyes,
Ulysses had cropped black hair, dark skin, and obsidian eyes. “I’d like you all
to meet Ulysses and Malcolm. Ulysses is our undercover Yakuza member, while
Malcolm is more of our tech guru.”
Ulysses was biracial, black and Asian. “How does
that work?” Mackenzie hadn’t meant to blurt the question out, but what little
he knew about Yakuza, they were steeped in tradition and bloodlines.
“If you mean me,” Ulysses said, his voice deep and
heavily accented. “The kisama who raped my mom? My grandfather killed him. My
mom raised me and now lives in isolation.”
“And you joined the FBI to...” Kalkin narrowed his
eyes.
“Free my mother,” Ulysses answered. “And take down
the Yakuza.”
“He’ll do,” Kalkin said. “Rapier?”
“I have the perfect place for them,” the Co-Alpha
answered. “Mr. Tech Guru, you’re going to be working with Wy, my youngest
brother. Both of you will be wiring the electricity to the houses Christoph and
I designed that are almost complete at the compound. Ulysses, you’re going to
be working this site with us.”
Both agents grunted.
“Anything else?” Kalkin asked.
“No, that about covers it for now.” He smacked
both of the agents on the shoulder. “Do what Kalkin and Rapier tell you, and
both of you will be rewarded after this.”
Saber left the meeting first. Lynx had a checkup
appointment with Danielle, and then he had to do a final walk through of two
new houses their crew had finished building the previous week. Then Jerome and
Kalkin left, taking Malcom and Christoph with him.
Mackenzie
turned to Rapier and Ulysses. “Let’s get this mapped out.”
“Show Ulysses the ropes. I am going to find my
daughter to give her a piece of my mind,” Rapier said. “I trust you.”
“Don’t be too hard on her,” Mackenzie replied.
“I think I’m angrier at the idea she thought she
had to hide it from me. Don’t tell Kalkin, but I’m so fucking ready for this.”
Rapier grinned, puffing out his chest. “My baby’s having a cub.”
“Or laying an egg,” Mackenzie teased.
Rapier flipped him off. “Fuck off.”
Mackenzie chuckled. “Well, let’s get to work,
Ulysses. We have to get this all mapped out, so we can run the water/sewer
lines.”
The guy grunted. “What is this going to be?”
“Apartments when it’s done,” Mackenzie answered.
“We built a set when we were in Everett.”
“I read the mission file. Interesting family you
have, Mr. Raferty.”
Mackenzie stopped mid-stride. “My asshole of a
father was Mr. Raferty. You can call me Mac or Mackenzie.”
“Sorry,” he muttered. “Guess we’re both sticking
our feet in our mouths.”
“Guess so,” Mackenzie answered. “No hard feelings,
kid?”
“None, old man,” Ulysses quipped.
Cheeky asshole. The guy was going to fit in
just fine.
***
“Hey,
Aurora,” Keeley said as she opened the door to her house. “Sorry, it took me a
minute. The monsters are loose.”
Aurora stepped into the Raferty home and laughed.
Max and Aaron were chasing each other around the house, while Asher watched
with rapt awe. The boys were a bunch of roly-polys in their wolf form. Gabriel
and Natalie sat nearby watching them, giggling and clapping as they cheered the
twin boys on. In some respects, Aurora still couldn’t get over the fact she’d
ended up on pack/pride lands.
“Don’t worry about it.” Aurora laughed. “I might
be a smidge early.”
“Would you like some tea?” Keeley ushered her into
the kitchen. “It’s mint with a splash of honey and lemon.”
“Sure. I’d love some.” With her strict budget
since moving from Washington to Arizona, she didn’t have the ability to splurge
on frivolous treats. As it was, working for a grocery store that didn’t offer
insurance, left her feeling antsy any time Abby coughed wrong or sneezed.
Abigail, or Abby, as her niece insisted on now
being called, was at school. Kindergarten to be exact. It’d been one of the
first things Aurora did the moment they moved to town, get her enrolled. It was
perfect timing on Aurora’s part, Abby had just turned five, and the Window Rock
school district had extended its registration dates. Her niece needed structure
and a schedule and being in a school established it quicker than Aurora could
on her own, she jumped on the chance to send the little girl to school.
However, it came with consequences, too—sickness. She crossed her fingers when
she dropped Abby off, praying the cold her niece had when they arrived would be
the last. The doctor’s bills for a fifteen-minute appointment, left them eating
goulash more often than not.
“Great, have a seat,” Keeley said. “And don’t let
them get out of hand with you.”
Aurora laughed. “They’re fine. It is amazing,
though, isn’t it?”
Keeley glanced over her shoulder at Aurora and
grinned. “It’s the best part about being pack/pride. The miracle of life.”
“Yeah.” She nodded. Things hadn’t always been this
way for Aurora. One minute she’d been a normal eighteen-year-old, working
part-time while going to college full-time. She wanted to be a physical
therapist, someone who could help those when they were at their lowest. She’d
even contemplated trying to get in at Walter Reed, but as life always had a way
of messing up things, she put her plans on hold the minute her sister died
after giving birth to Abby.
“So, are you ready to start work?” Keeley joined
Aurora at the table and placed one of the glasses in front of her.
She hadn’t seen herself as a dispatcher, per se,
but when Abby got sick after they arrived, she realized a position with full benefits
was a must. “Sure. I’m kind of nervous, though. I feel like I’m not ready.”
When she first responded to the ad for the data-entry
position at Keeley’s security company, Vigilante, she received her first
introduction to the Raferty clan and the woman sitting next to her. They hit it
off pretty quickly. However, during the interview process, Aurora realized she
didn’t have the skills to keep up with the job’s demands. She was a more
hands-on type. When it came to muscles and bones and how the body moved, Aurora
knew it all. Being a hacker who could dismantle and rebuild sites within
minutes and hours, wasn’t something in her wheelhouse. She had very basic
computer skills and could navigate the internet well enough to check her email
and social media—which was limited.
Instead of laughing Aurora out, Keeley suggested
the dispatch job. Of course, the running joke had been, Keeley knew the
Sheriff. Wink-wink. Nudge-nudge. It hadn’t been more than two days from the
time she walked into Vigilante that she had an interview with Sheriff Kalkin
Raferty and had the job.
Kalkin or Sheriff Raferty, as he liked to be called
when on duty, gave her the whole rundown of the job. She’d be working rotating
twelve-hour shifts, three days a week. The time didn’t bother her so much,
until he announced that she’d be working the night shift, once she passed all
of the training required of every dispatcher. Since she’d moved there recently,
she didn’t have any friends or family to take care of Abby. Nonetheless, she’d
pushed it aside or had until Keeley offered up her services to watch Abby while
Aurora worked. Which, technically, was why Aurora was at Keeley’s house.
“It’ll get easier,” Keeley promised. “Kalkin, for
all his gruffness is a giant marshmallow.”
Aurora cocked a brow. “Are you sure we’re talking
about the same man?”
Keeley laughed. The light-hearted tinkling sound
cooled her tattered nerves. How the woman did that, she didn’t know. “I’m
sure.”
She took a sip of her tea and tried to smile.
“You’re worried.” Keeley tilted her head. “Why?”
Why?
Aurora snorted to herself. The biggest and technically only problem she had
with her new job was the fact it had been the night shift—7 pm to 7 am. In the
grand scheme of things, once she started getting paid regularly, she wouldn’t
have to worry about daycare cost or overnight cost, but until then, she was
shit out of luck.
But, for one major issue, she couldn’t complain,
and come what may, she’d make the sacrifices necessary to keep them cared for.
According to the Sheriff, they’d both be eligible for full health benefits on
the first day of her job. Something she desperately needed with Abby’s health
issues. It also meant she could start building a small nest egg for them, build
up a 401k, and save for Abby’s college education. They were home and could now
start to put down some roots. Something they both desperately craved.
Sure, she was going to accept Keeley’s offer to
watch Abby until she could find a permanent babysitter. It would be smart of
her to do so. It just wasn’t a long-term plan. Keeley had her own family and
Abby’s health issues were complicated. “I guess you can say I am a bit
overwhelmed.”
“Caring for Abby?”
For a split second, she wondered if Keeley could
read her mind. “You could say that.”
“You need a day off,” Keeley replied. “You need to
recharge.”
Aurora laughed. “If only that was possible.”
“It is.” Keeley grinned. “As a matter of fact, I’m
having a little party tomorrow night for Halloween. Why don’t you come? It’ll
be fun. You and Abby can finally meet the family.”
“I don’t know,” Aurora hedged.
“Oh, come on, what’s the worst that can happen?”
Aurora snorted. “So much could go wrong.” She
shook her head. “You...you barely know us. We’ve only been friends a couple of
weeks. I could be the...the Hillside Strangler or whatever.”
Keeley laughed again this time harder and longer.
Tears tracked down her cheeks as she sighed. “I think we both know you’re not.”
“What is your deal? What... What are you?” She
tilted her head to the side.
Keeley sat up a little straighter.
“I don’t mean that in a bad way. Seriously, no
disrespect. You’re different. You trust me without hesitation. You’ve taken us
in as though you’ve known us our whole lives. You’ve brought me...us into your
family as though we’re supposed to be here. I-I don’t understand.”
Keeley placed her hand on Aurora’s. “Sometimes,
kindred spirits know kindred spirits. I see myself in a young girl, desperate
to call someplace home. Come to the party. Meet our blended families. Find your
home.”
“Okay.” Aurora lifted her chin. “We’ll come.”
“Great.” Keeley beamed. “Just so you know, our
parties manage to run late. Once the kids are down, things tend to get a little
wild. If you’re not comfortable with that...”
Aurora swallowed hard. “O-okay.”
“Perfect, then we’ll see you tomorrow night.”
***
Mackenzie opened the door to the laundry room and
stepped inside. He was exhausted. After laying out the flags for the floor plan
to the apartments, he and Ulysses drove the stakes then tied off the area with
orange construction line. By the time they were finished, they had the property
mapped out and ready for the initial digs to lay the lines.
He kicked out of his boots then walked into the
kitchen. Liam and Riley were in the living room watching one of their crazy
shows, while Charisma stood at the stove making dinner for them. He frowned.
Since they’d returned home, she’d taken it upon herself to watch the kids after
school and make sure he ate. Usually, Royce would join them for dinner before
Charisma packed up all the kids and took them home.
“You really should stop doing this,” he said. “I
can cook for me and the pups.”
“You can, but Mikey loves Liam and Riley, and they
really like the twins. It’s a full-circle thing.” She kissed his cheek. “Ooff,
you smell.”
He grinned. “That’s what hard work gets you.”
“Well, go get a shower. Dinner will be ready in
fifteen minutes.” Charisma shooed him out of the kitchen.
When Mackenzie returned fresh from his shower,
Royce was there. He sat at the table with the pups while waiting on Mackenzie.
The conversation they had in Everett didn’t even scratch the surface of their
issues, and he blamed himself for that as well. Royce had too many bad memories
running through his brain. Mackenzie had caused the majority of them so, in
turn, he had to fix them.
“Smells good,” he said, taking a seat.
“Thank you.” Charisma beamed. “It’s a family
recipe.” She dug a spoonful of the casserole out of the dish and plopped it
onto the plate in her hand. The creamy goodness smelled heavenly. “My mom
called it poor man’s pot pie.”
There was nothing poor about the dish. The scent
of chicken and vegetables had Mackenzie’s stomach rumbling in anticipation.
Once everyone had their dinner in front of them, they dug in. He contemplated
telling Charisma and Royce about the new agents imbedded within Window Rock, but
he had a feeling his son already knew about them.
“So, Kalkin said you’re working with the new
agents,” Royce said, as though reading his mind. “What do you think so far?”
Mackenzie shrugged. “He’s a hard worker. The guy’s
name is Ulysses.”
“Why are new agents here?” Charisma placed her
fork on her dish.
“Aislinn,” Royce said.
Charisma frowned. “No.”
“Yes. We had a feeling this day would come,” Royce
replied.
“That poor girl,” Charisma said. “She’s only known
a moment’s peace here. What’s the plan?”
Mackenzie chuckled. “Nothing yet. We’re in a
holding pattern until someone makes a move. When they do, the St. Johns and the
Makino families will have wished to God they hadn’t stepped foot in Window
Rock.”
After dinner and once everyone had gone home,
Mackenzie grabbed a beer out of the fridge and went outside. He sat in his
rocker and stared out over the neighborhood. The days were shorter now. The
friendly noise of the neighbors having barbecue cookouts were gone, replaced by
crickets and the hum of the streetlights. Since he’d been busy with Ulysses, he
hadn’t been able to head into town to see about putting the house up for sale.
Hell, he hadn’t even discussed it with the kids.
They were old enough now. Fourteen and twelve, they should be able to make
their feelings known and have some input into where they would go or if they would
stay. Wasn’t like they hadn’t already completed one mission.
Mackenzie placed the bottle to his lips and took a
drink. His kids were made of stern stuff. A part of him was proud of how they’d
all turned out, even though he’d been a shit father to all of them, and he
second guessed every decision he made.
However, those decisions had put him where he was,
alone.
Again.
It didn’t say much about him, did it? He always
took the paths that led to heartache for everyone, including innocent fucking
children. His children. He glanced down the quiet street and shook his head.
Why the fuck did he have to be this way? Why did he have to always do the wrong
thing, hoping it was the right? Why didn’t he make the right decisions without
waffling?
He muttered a curse under his breath and stood.
Sitting outside contemplating his shit life for the umpteenth time wouldn’t do
a damn thing to change it. He had to want to change it, and so far, his wants
and what he actually did were two different things.
“Hey, dad?” Riley stood at the door.
“Yeah, pup?”
“Can I Facetime with Gretchen and Suzy from
school?” she asked. “They wanted to show me all the pictures from this year’s
Halloween party in Everett.”
“Sure,” he answered. “I’m glad you all stayed
friends.”
Riley grinned. “So am I.” A pensive look came over
her cherub face. “I never told them our real names.”
“You weren’t supposed to,” he answered.
“Does it ever get easier...lying?”
Mackenzie sighed. “No. Would you like to tell them
the truth?”
She frowned. “Do you think they’d believe me if I
told them?”
“Well, Charisma told Lizbeth the truth. She
believed your sister,” Mackenzie answered. “Would you like me to be there when
you told them?”
Riley bit her bottom lip. “They don’t know we’re
wolves, either.”
Mackenzie laughed. “You don’t have to tell
everyone about that if you don’t want to.”
“Good. It’s hard enough explaining why I left so
soon.” She glanced up at him. “Would you really sit there with me while I tell
them?”
“You’re my pup. I’d do anything for you.” He
pulled her into a hug. “Come on, let’s get this over with, so you can see all
those photographs.”
“Thanks, dad.”
“You don’t ever have to thank me, sweetheart,” he
murmured, leading her back into the house and up to her room.
Mackenzie sat beside Riley and held her hand as
she waited for her friends to answer the call, or whatever they did for
Facetime. The two girls appeared on the screen, and both of them wore the
biggest smiles. Their giggles were infectious, and Mackenzie understood why his
daughter liked them. They were a breath of fresh air when his daughter needed
it most.
“Harper!” they exclaimed then laughed. “We miss
you.”
“I missed you, too,” Riley said. “It feels like
forever.”
Both girls frowned.
“It does,” Gretchen said. “Hey, Mr. Rough. It’s
good to see you, but what are you doing here?”
“Likewise, girls. I’m here for a good reason.”
Mackenzie nudged his daughter. “Moral support.”
“Support?” Suzy frowned. “Why?”
Riley sighed. “I have something to tell you guys.”
“Oh, no... Are you sick?” Gretchen and Suzy
gripped each other’s hands.
“No.” Riley shook her head. “Do you remember the
big thing at the zoo last year?”
“Yeah,” Suzy said. “My parents have been talking
about it. Why?”
“The woman the police and FBI caught, is my...”
Riley swallowed hard. Her bottom lip began to tremble.
“Girls, this is hard for Riley,” Mackenzie said.
“The woman who’d been arrested was her adoptive mother.”
“Who’s Riley?” Gretchen asked.
“I am.” Riley sat a little straighter and wiped
away her tears. “My name is Riley Raferty. This is my father Mackenzie Raferty.
My brothers are Royce and Liam. My sister is Charisma. We were all working
undercover to take down Holly Geithner, leader of the Paranormal Bounty
Hunters.”
Gretchen and Suzy sat there in silence.
Mackenzie’s daughter vibrated with sadness and
anxious energy. “She wanted to be honest with the both of you. She hated lying,
and since the trial is about to begin, she thought now was the right time to
tell the truth.”
“I’m sorry,” Riley said. “Can you both forgive
me?”
“Whoa,” Gretchen said. “It makes so much sense
now. Why you left after only being here a few months. Why you were quiet...”
“When you met Riley, Holly had only been gone a
few weeks,” Mackenzie said. “We were all still in a state of shock.”
“The Sheriff we see all over the news now, he’s
your...” Suzy hedged.
“Uncle,” Riley answered.
“Whoa,” Gretchen whispered. “I have so many
questions.”
Riley tilted her head. “You mean, you don’t hate
me?”
The girls shook their heads. “Never. It sucks you
had to lie, but we get it.”
Riley relaxed. “I think I can handle it from here,
dad.”
Mackenzie grinned. “Yeah, I think so, too.” He
stood. “If you need anything, I’ll be right down the hall.”
“Thanks, dad,” she said with a smile.
Mackenzie ambled out of Riley’s room with a grin
on his face as he listened to part of their conversation. There’s something we’ve been meaning to tell you, too, Riley, your dad
is so hot. His daughter groaned. Well, at least Riley had her friends back,
and right now, Mackenzie would take it as a win.
Shattered is available now on Amazon KU!
Shattered is available now on Amazon KU!
