That was a damn good question.
“No, not until I’m twenty-five. Do you think he plans to hurt Mom? He knows she won’t put him ahead of me in her will, and if he was getting rid of me, maybe…”
“Fuck,” said Amory.
He pulled out his cell phone and started typing furiously. A few minutes later he took a call that he didn’t put on speakerphone. He walked right to the back door of the van and leaned in the corner of it, grunting occasionally and answering in monosyllables.
Favian glanced at Judith, who looked frightened again, Elsie, who looked worried, and JJ, who picked up Elsie’s hand and patted it. That’s what he should be doing. Taking care of his woman. Their mate. This all had to be an incredible shock to her, yet she was handling it well.
When Amory returned, Favian said, “Where is Lutterworth right now?”
“Why is he Lutterworth? Why aren’t you Parker?” asked JJ.
“I don’t know where our father is, and he took Mom’s name because she refused to change her name. She’s never completely trusted him.”
“With reason. He’s not trustworthy,” said Favian very softly. It was the truth, but there was no need to offend his three kids.
Amory said, “Lewis Lutterworth, AKA The Fixer, has vanished. He argued with his second wife, Cherise, last night again, and she told him to leave the house, which he did. But no one knows where he is.”
“Fucking hell. Maybe he is up here after all. Maybe we’ve just brought Elsie and JJ right into the center of the danger,” said Favian.
“Stop the damn truck. We’ll head back home immediately,” said Brayden.
“There’s no need to act quickly. The relevant authorities are on the case. We’ll be as safe with Zebulun and the pack as we would be anywhere else,” said Amory.
“You’re safer here. No one can come onto our traditional lands without a dozen people knowing about it. Stay close to the house and you’ll be well away from any potential danger.” Zebulun spoke with authority, but Favian wasn’t completely convinced.
“Well, damn. I thought I was finally going to start school tomorrow.”
“You are. Our father doesn’t know anything about you,” said Elsie.
Favian wished he was sure that was true.
* * * *
In his head, Amory knew the pack lands were the safest place for his mate and her siblings. There was only one road into the forest, and it was locked with a high wire gate, and fences carrying warning signs indicating the area had been a munitions testing zone and that there were unexploded anti-personnel mines, land mines, and improvised explosive devices throughout the land.
If anyone breached the gate or the fence, an alarm would ring in half a dozen houses ensuring the invaders didn’t get far.
In fact, there were no explosives and never had been. It was a precaution the Alpha at the time had taken when the population in the area started to grow and occasional hunters ventured onto the land.
There’d been stories and photographs in the local newspapers featuring the mayor shaking the hand of a highly decorated army general, pictures of soldiers driving tanks, and then pictures of soldiers erecting the wire fence. Over time, the pack had strengthened their defenses, but apart from the occasional intrepid local youth, no one had attempted to go onto their land.
Once or twice Zebulun had set off some very noisy firecrackers when he’d been advised that kids planned to explore the land, but Amory had never heard of anyone actually breaching their security. Which didn’t mean it couldn’t happen. Lutterworth seemed to be quite determined, and he had access to the cash for bribes and equipment.
JJ was installed with the MacRae family. Roz and Josh’s two sons, Cal and Deke, had already hurried him away to their basement to meet all the boys around his age from the pack.
Judith had been settled into Zebulun’s own house, with his wife and sister looking after her, and Amory, Favian, and Brayden, with
“No, not until I’m twenty-five. Do you think he plans to hurt Mom? He knows she won’t put him ahead of me in her will, and if he was getting rid of me, maybe…”
“Fuck,” said Amory.
He pulled out his cell phone and started typing furiously. A few minutes later he took a call that he didn’t put on speakerphone. He walked right to the back door of the van and leaned in the corner of it, grunting occasionally and answering in monosyllables.
Favian glanced at Judith, who looked frightened again, Elsie, who looked worried, and JJ, who picked up Elsie’s hand and patted it. That’s what he should be doing. Taking care of his woman. Their mate. This all had to be an incredible shock to her, yet she was handling it well.
When Amory returned, Favian said, “Where is Lutterworth right now?”
“Why is he Lutterworth? Why aren’t you Parker?” asked JJ.
“I don’t know where our father is, and he took Mom’s name because she refused to change her name. She’s never completely trusted him.”
“With reason. He’s not trustworthy,” said Favian very softly. It was the truth, but there was no need to offend his three kids.
Amory said, “Lewis Lutterworth, AKA The Fixer, has vanished. He argued with his second wife, Cherise, last night again, and she told him to leave the house, which he did. But no one knows where he is.”
“Fucking hell. Maybe he is up here after all. Maybe we’ve just brought Elsie and JJ right into the center of the danger,” said Favian.
“Stop the damn truck. We’ll head back home immediately,” said Brayden.
“There’s no need to act quickly. The relevant authorities are on the case. We’ll be as safe with Zebulun and the pack as we would be anywhere else,” said Amory.
“You’re safer here. No one can come onto our traditional lands without a dozen people knowing about it. Stay close to the house and you’ll be well away from any potential danger.” Zebulun spoke with authority, but Favian wasn’t completely convinced.
“Well, damn. I thought I was finally going to start school tomorrow.”
“You are. Our father doesn’t know anything about you,” said Elsie.
Favian wished he was sure that was true.
* * * *
In his head, Amory knew the pack lands were the safest place for his mate and her siblings. There was only one road into the forest, and it was locked with a high wire gate, and fences carrying warning signs indicating the area had been a munitions testing zone and that there were unexploded anti-personnel mines, land mines, and improvised explosive devices throughout the land.
If anyone breached the gate or the fence, an alarm would ring in half a dozen houses ensuring the invaders didn’t get far.
In fact, there were no explosives and never had been. It was a precaution the Alpha at the time had taken when the population in the area started to grow and occasional hunters ventured onto the land.
There’d been stories and photographs in the local newspapers featuring the mayor shaking the hand of a highly decorated army general, pictures of soldiers driving tanks, and then pictures of soldiers erecting the wire fence. Over time, the pack had strengthened their defenses, but apart from the occasional intrepid local youth, no one had attempted to go onto their land.
Once or twice Zebulun had set off some very noisy firecrackers when he’d been advised that kids planned to explore the land, but Amory had never heard of anyone actually breaching their security. Which didn’t mean it couldn’t happen. Lutterworth seemed to be quite determined, and he had access to the cash for bribes and equipment.
JJ was installed with the MacRae family. Roz and Josh’s two sons, Cal and Deke, had already hurried him away to their basement to meet all the boys around his age from the pack.
Judith had been settled into Zebulun’s own house, with his wife and sister looking after her, and Amory, Favian, and Brayden, with
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