Page 44 of Cruel Revenge
“Really?”
“I did,” Heath confirmed. “And it was no more time than they were out for their classes. They’re all taking classes now, like Carey. Any one of those moments could have put them at risk. I didn’t think, with Jacky there, that something was going to go wrong.”
“Because there had been plenty of chances and no one had taken them before. Because who comes this close to our homes and her territory? Is that what you were thinking?”
“Yes,” Heath admitted to the werewolf he had known for a good long time. He’d watched Stacy and Kody grow up, except for those years he’d been in Jacksonville without any other werewolves. He owed it to Shamus to be fully honest.
“Didn’t you think it was weird that her mother finally came back?” Shamus said, his words getting hotter, more passionate.
“Jacky and my engagement is public knowledge. Carey is getting older. All I thought was that Carey deserved the chance to speak to the woman who birthed her,” Heath said, shaking as he recognized his mistakes without yet speaking them. Knew Jacky’s mistakes. Even Carey’s. So many mistakes were becoming so clear to him. “Jacky had made a good plan. It had coverage, and it used everyone to their strengths. Carey didn’t want me there for personal reasons. I listened to that voice. So did Jacky. It was just a dinner to us. The group could defend a simple dinner. Should have been a nothing evening.”
“They were teenagers,” Shamus growled softly.
“They were trained. The only one not a legal adult is Benjamin, but he was in the comms truck, not asked to potentially fight or physically defend anyone. They are now Carey’s official guard. They can go to places like college classes without standing out too much. They all wanted to do the job. You helped train them,” Heath reminded him. “You encouraged Kody and Stacy to find their own roles and jobs in the pack.They picked this. Remember?” Heath turned some heat back on Shamus. “They were the older ones as well, with far more training than Arlo and Benjamin. Imagine how Teagan feels right now, please. Actually, no, Shamus. Myhumandaughter is missing, too, remember?”
“Jacky would kill anyone for her, though. There’s a chance Jacky has her back already, and they’re safe. We don’t even know where mine are.”
“We don’t know what happened except what humans have fucking put on the news, and she would do anything for your children, too. She went out of her way for all of you before. Remember?” Heath’s nostrils flared. “Don’t pick a fight with me right now, Shamus. I’ll answer questions, but the blame game can wait until we figure out exactly where everything stands.”
“Is that an order, Alpha?”
“Don’t do that to me. After fucking everything, don’t do that,” Heath said, but didn’t put power in it. It was a request, man to man. Father to father.
“I’ll address you?—”
“I could have made you wait with Ranger,” Heath reminded him with a snarl. “I can stop and order you to walk back right now.”
That made Shamus sink a bit.
“Wow. Father to father,” he said, the words full of acid. “The walk home threat.”
A year-long friendship full of loyalty and trust was breaking.
“If you want a different pack after this, just tell me,” Heath said, trying to control his own breathing, his Talent fully enveloping him so he could maintain some level of control.
Shamus didn’t reply.
“And let’s be honest,” Heath said, his mind turning to the events of the evening. “As Subira said, the witches did fatal damage to Jacky. That’s what made the necklace she waswearing activate to force her Change so it would heal. Even if any of this pack was there… if it wasn’t the teens, it would have been you, Roselyn, and Piper. Maybe Carlos instead of you. But if they could do that to Jacky, what chance did anyone really have? They would have been more than ready for any werewolves there, except for maybe me and Landon and werewolves at our level. We’re stronger than Jacky. No one else in the pack is.”
“I know,” Shamus whispered.
“I’m not going to rest until we know everything and have accounted for everyone. If any of ours are hurt or worse… I won’t stop until we’ve gotten revenge,” Heath promised.
“Thank you, Heath,” Shamus said, a little stronger.
Improvement. Thank the gods.
Getting into Tyler was a nightmare. Worse was getting to the restaurant. There were press vans on the other side of the street in the far parking lot. The entire parking lot was taped off. But the worst part was that the road was closed, with a police officer standing in the middle of the road, redirecting traffic.
Heath made the turn anyway as the office held up his hand, yelling.
“Landon, stand up,” he ordered, and the massive brown wolf revealed itself in the bed of his truck, making the officer take several running steps back as Heath opened his window.
“That’s my son, Landon,” Heath called out to the officer, who was reaching for his gun now. “You don’t want to shoot him. It will go very badly for you.”
The officer was shaking as he looked at Heath for only a second. Landon was standing perfectly still.
“You can’t… you can’t come down this road, sir.”
