Hearing her name was heaven. Hearing it from a man who seemed to know her too well was torture.
“In fact,” he continued, “I’d have to say you look like hell. Not surprising since you’ve only been sitting still a few minutes at a time. I’ve followed you long enough. It’s time to come home. Good thing Blake knew Richard arranged for you to have this.” He patted the car. “You might have disappeared without a trace otherwise.”
Blake? Richard? I glanced at her hand and saw no recent signs of a wedding ring. However, I couldn’t say I was happy with all the male names the man was throwing around. But, whoever they were, she’d left them. From the things this guy was saying, though, she wouldn’t have a chance to get away unless someone helped her. I was ready to step forward when she straightened her shoulders and spoke.
“How’s your head?” she asked. “You went down pretty hard.”
I grinned. She had fight in her.
The man narrowed his eyes, but she didn’t back down.
“Walk away, David,” she said.
“You know I can’t.”
He took a step forward, and she nudged the boys behind her. That was my cue. As he took another step toward her, I took a few steps of my own. He finally noticed me when I was a few feet behind her.
“Does this man have any legal rights to these kids?” I asked. It wouldn’t change the fact that she was mine, but I needed to know how to approach the situation. No cubs should see their father get his tail handed to him.
“None,” she said, keeping her eyes on the man before her. “Their father recently passed away. This man is no relation to me or my stepfather.”
Not her husband, then. Good. I stepped closer, drowning in her scent as I stared down the man threatening her.
“Then you and your partner should walk away like she said.”
Michelle looked to the left and spotted the man who’d been creeping around the side of her car.
“Two to one,” the first man said with a grin. “Better for your health to move along.”
A half laugh escaped me.
“I’m not too worried about it,” I said.
As soon as she tucked the boys’ heads into her hips, I knew she understood what was going to happen. The men hadn’t figured it out yet, though. The talker drew a gun and aimed for me as his partner stepped out from the car, right between me and the gun.
I dove for the partner, knocking him between the cars so the kids wouldn’t see if they tried to peek. Then I drew back and hit him in the face harder than I intended. The bone of his nose crunched with the impact. The need to contact an Elder gripped me, and I mentally reached out to Winifred.
Winifred, I’m reporting an incident with a human. He started a fight with an unprotected woman. I broke his nose.
Thank you for reporting the incident, she said back to me.
I might have more to report in a few minutes.
Foregoing the use of my speed, I ducked around front of the SUV to circle the man with the gun. He knew what I planned because he took a step back, making his way toward me and further away from Michelle and the kids. I grinned and waited. As soon as he cleared the side of the SUV, I yanked him from their view. A punch to the head knocked him out.
Two men knocked out in the parking lot of a diner. I wasn’t paying attention to the name of the town. The woman’s safe.
Emmitt, I hope you have a good explanation for breaking our la—
She’s my Mate. She’s human and doesn’t know what I am, Winifred.
There was a brief pause.
Bring her home, Emmitt.
Home. Wiping any blood from my hands, I stepped out from behind the SUV, not knowing what to say. A comment about the weather was the last thing she’d want to hear.
“Thank you,” she said, staring at me with her big, wide eyes.
She looked worse than she had in the diner. My girl was going to crash hard, but I needed to get her away from the diner parking lot before she did. If the police were called, they would ask questions and try to put her back into the life she’d escaped, a life that didn’t include me.