Page 37 of Lightning Strikes

Chapter 13

Mac

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I smile at the photo that Angela sent me this morning of her bloated stomach after she ate too many biscuits. I can’t wait to see her belly stretched out with her pup. Our pup. I have all three cabins packed up and ready to go, just need to check out Ang’s storage unit in town and decide on the moving trucks stopping by there… depending on what’s in it. All of the important shit is in Daren and Katarina’s bedroom in boxes…

Dad and I have been working out asses off getting it all done within a week so we can get settled in New York… In the almost forty years he’s been mated to my mom, this is the longest they’ve ever been separated from each other. Perks of this small town living with nothing better to do, and no money to travel.

Adam has invited me to meetings, but I’ve just ignored them all and sent my dad to them. He loves to strategize and wants this pack to thrive… I just have too much to do and really don’t want to be around our alpha. If there was a way for me to have stayed in New York and not come back… I would have taken that.

I check the time and see that it’s close to noon and Max is lookin’ ready for another long run. We hit six miles this morning, but apparently has had a power nap and is ready for more.

I pack Scout up in her new carrier get her bag settled and ready for the flight, then head over to my dad’s so that he can watch Max and the kitten for a bit. She’s getting more active and I’ve let her walk around my bed and follow the smell towards her bottle when it’s time to eat. I imagine Angela bawled her eyes out when I sent her the videos. Won’t be long until she’s done with her box and ready to be more independent.

“Mac. Where you off to?” He grabs the carrier and smiles at the tiny, fuzzy black kitten and raises a brow at me.

“Just another run with Max, then I’ll drop him off when I go to town to check out Angela’s storage unit. Need anything from town?”

He shakes his head and waves me off as he steps back into his home and shuts the door. I stretch out my arms and legs and cluck my tongue at Max. “Well, let’s get a move on, boy.” We set off straight through the forest and pass Ang’s house and property. We race through the trees, shrubs, and come up on the garden that she’s been working on and frown when I see a batch of flowers that I’ve never seen before.

They look and smell a lot like the Golden Melia plants… But have more petals and look more like a daisy. I pull out my phone and take a few photos of them… I pluck a few to put in my pocket for my dad to look at. Why would Angela be growing something so similar to the contraception flowers in her garden? I shrug and we continue on our run before circling back once we’ve wasted enough time.

After a quick shower and dropping Max off with dad, I head out into town to grab a few burgers and drive to the storage unit. Thankfully Ang left the keys for her unit in her cabin so I walk through the doors and head to the second floor. It was a pain in the ass to move everything up the stairs, and I’m fucking glad Alpha Deacon is sending shifters to move everything so I don’t have to deal with the heavy lifting again.

I shove the key into the padlock and raise the door. I groan as I look around at the room filled to the brim with boxes and move through the narrow aisle we left so that I can read the scribbled words along the cardboard.

I sigh as I step back out and lock up before heading home to add to the notes for the movers to load up everything from all three cabins and the storage unit. Luckily the house has so many extra bedrooms so we won’t clutter the place with boxes and shit to go through.

I press the Bluetooth button on my steering wheel and murmur Angela’s name as I turn down the volume as it rings. I look up into my rearview mirror right as someone crashes into my truck along the driver’s side and I grunt as I’m thrown into the window. As soon as the truck stops, I jump out and chase the driver that jumped out of his totaled sedan and tries to run. My vision is blurry, but I’m healing rapidly as I stumble after him and from his backside, I’m pretty fucking sure it’s Morrow.

“Hey!” I call out and sigh as I pump my legs faster as I rapidly blink against the blood running into my eyes now. That explains the blurriness.

I tackle the shit stain to the ground and he places a gun against my head.

“Fuck you.” Morrow murmurs and I can smell the alcohol permeating the air around my face from his breath. I frown at him and raise a brow. “You’re coming with me, Daniels. Don’t think I won’t fucking shoot you.” I close my eyes as I slow my heartrate… then punch him square in the face. He pulls the trigger and I feel it blow through my right shoulder and I bite my lip as I’m thrown back from a kick to the face and hear him laughing.

“Yeah, I got him. Come pick us up.” He chuckles and pats my face. I’m biding my time to see if the idiot talks. “You should have known better than to try to fuck me over. I own this town.” He winks at me and keeps the gun sighted to my face as he steps back and tilts his head to the left and right and I wince when his neck cracks. I’ve always hated that damn sound.

“What’s your problem with me, Morrow? You’re a dirty cop and can’t have that much money and pull in this town.”

He glowers at me and leans forward, close enough for his nose to touch mine. “You don’t know shit. I have everyone in my pocket except for your little friend Leroy… He will be taken care of soon enough. I will be the new mayor and work my way up to the entire state... You’re a fucking thorn in my side, fucking up my plans since your pansy ass stepped foot in my precinct.Yougot Sanders killed.Youruined your own life and chances at a good life. I could have made you a rich man, Daniels. Instead you’ve fucked me over at every turn. The recording, getting the other captains to listen to your lies, and now my daughter and my job.” He hums and licks his lips.

My eyebrows furrow as I blink at him. “So you’re going to… kill me… because I caught you?”

He chuckles and tilts his head at me with a glare. “You’re not too bright… Might be why you’ve never been promoted. You with your fancy degree, a haughty attitude, and believing you’re better than me?”

I feel my phone repeatedly vibrating in my pocket and I’m fucking glad that I grabbed it. Hopefully Angela wasn’t still on the line after the crash and the pursuit… and gun shot. Luckily there’s enough blood on my shirt and over the wound so that Morrow can’t see that it’s already halfway to being healed externally. I feel the burning and itching where the skin is closing.

“So where to next?”

He smiles and shrugs. “Guess you’ll have to see.” He looks over my head and nods and before I can turn to see what’s going on, something pricks my neck and everything goes black… Fuck. Instead of listening to his fucking nonsense, I should have taken him out and called it in.

Fuck.

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