Page 85 of Baseball and Shifters

“You okay?” I whisper after a long beat.

She nods, her voice soft and sleepy. “Better than okay. That was… everything.”

“Yeah,” I say with a smile. “It was.”

Rachel’s breathing slows, her fingers still gently running through my hair. I’m content to stay like this forever. Locked away with my mate, happy and sated. I press another kiss to her shoulder and then one to her cheek just because.

She smiles, lashes fluttering as she meets my eyes. “You always in a good mood first thing in the morning?”

I chuckle. “When it starts like this, how could I not be?”

She hums, a little pleased sound that makes my dragon purr. I pull her in tight, intending to get as much time with her as possible before the world creeps back in.

It’s been a week since my dad told us about Everett. Rachel has spent nearly all of her free time with me or my pack brothers but thanks to a lucky out in yesterday's game, I got the prize of her warming my bed last night. In this moment, none of the bullshit with Trent or her asshole father can touch us. It feels like we’re finally claiming a little slice of peace.

But then…

Bang bang bang.

The door shakes under someone’s fist.

“Hey!” Bas’s voice is muffled but urgent. “Lovebirds! I know you’re in there. Unless one of you died mid-orgasm, I need you both out here. Now.”

Rachel groans and drops her forehead to my chest. “Can’t we just pretend we didn’t hear him?”

“Tempting,” I sigh, threading my fingers through her hair. “But if Bas is pounding down the door like that, something is definitely up.”

“Fine,” she mutters, sitting up and reaching for the nearest shirt. It’s mine but I’m not complaining. She pulls it on and stands, her legs a little wobbly, and shoots a smirk over her shoulder. “You coming? Or should I tell Bas you need another five minutes to recover?”

I toss a pillow at her, but I’m grinning like a crazy man when I get up and throw on some gym shorts. Foregoing a shirt, I follow my sweet mate out of the bedroom and into the living room. There we find not just Bas, but the twins as well. All three of our pack mates are sitting eyes glued to the screen. Bas sitson the edge of the couch, knuckles white around a throw pillow. Liam’s jaw is set, and Lucas grips the back of the couch so tightly his fingers pale. On the TV a woman in a navy-blue pantsuit is talking and what she’s saying I almost can’t believe.

“A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Ranger St. James, former Shifter Tribunal Member for The Eternal Council. This comes on the heels of a unanimous vote held yesterday by the remaining Council members to remove him from his position. St. James is wanted on multiple charges, including domestic abuse, and child endangerment. He is also currently under investigation in connection with the disappearance of Everett Linx.

“Authorities executed a search warrant at his home to take him into custody this morning. Unfortunately, St. James is in the wind. His staff is currently being questioned. The public is being urged to report sightings, or any information regarding the whereabouts of either Ranger St. James or Everett Linx. All tips will be treated with urgency and confidentiality.”

Holy shit. Why didn’t Dad tell me this was coming? I had no clue the council was voting him out.

What can it mean that they can’t find him? That can’t be good.

I need to text Dad.

Rachel

The broadcast cuts to commercial, but the words echo like they’ve been carved into the walls. I collapse onto the couch. My mouth is dry, eyes wide, but I can’t seem to blink. I just keep staring at the screen like I’m waiting for it to change. Bas sits next to me, eyes still trained on the TV like the reporter may pop back in any second to say they’ve found him.

An arrest warrant has been issued for my father. And he’s gone. Missing. On the run.

I’m frozen, it’s not fear. Not exactly. It’s colder than that, sharper. A tight coil deep in my stomach, winding tighter with every breath. I don’t know if I want to scream, cry, or throw something, maybe all three. But I don’t do any of it.

I just sit there, my hands clutching the hem of the shirt I’m wearing, trying to hold onto something, anything that doesn’t feel like it’s slipping through my fingers. Bas is the first to move. He takes my hand without saying anything, threading ourfingers together like that simple touch might ground me. And it does, a little.

“He’s running,” Lucas mutters. “He knows it’s all coming down on him.”

Derrick exhales, smoke curling from his nose. “Fucking coward.”

“Maybe,” Liam says, his voice low and tight, “but desperate is dangerous.”

They’re all angry. I can feel it, like lightning through the bond. All heat and protectiveness with a violent undercurrent of something darker.

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