Rather than dealing with explanations to Rhonda, they elected to wait at JJ’s house. Eric insisted they complete the inspection, forcing himself to care that the downstairs area—his living space—appeared completely finished. There was even electricity again. And water. “I wonder if this means Garth and I can move in again. Once I have him back, that is.”
Though a shadow crossed her face, she nodded. “It probably does. I confess, I’m almost afraid to go upstairs and see my place.”
Which right now was the last thing he wanted to do. He couldn’t keep from checking his watch, dismayed to see only ten minutes had passed since Felts’s call. “We’ve got time,” he said grimly. Actually, he wanted to start pacing, outside, where he could see the Protector’s car pull up. Waiting infuriated and worried him. Especially since he didn’t know if they were really bringing Garth or not.
Judging from the nervous apprehension on JJ’s face, she needed a distraction almost as badly as he did. “Let’s at least go take a look. Then we’ll wait outside on the front porch.”
She didn’t move. “I’d rather just go outside now. I can’t take the suspense, the not knowing.”
This he understood. But he also knew it would be worse if they just stood there staring at the street, waiting for the vehicle to appear. “Come on,” he urged. “Upstairs. Let’s take a look. We’ll hurry.”
Reluctantly, she followed him up the stairs. They’d just reached the landing outside her living space when the downstairs front door flew open, hitting the wall with a thud.
“Freeze,” a male voice shouted. “No one move. We’ve got this place surrounded. Eric Mikkelson and Julia Jacobs, you’re under arrest.”
Eric’s first instinct was to shield JJ with his body. He wasn’t sure what kind of game the Protectors were playing, but he didn’t want her risking her life for his mess.
“We’re here,” he shouted. “Upstairs, on the landing.” The hammering in JJ’s living area stopped, which meant the contractors had heard him. Perfect. It never hurt to have witnesses.
“Come down with your hands up,” Felts ordered. Good, at least he wouldn’t be dealing with a total stranger.
He glanced back at JJ. Her petrified expression warred with the outrage in her eyes. “Put your hands up,” he told her quietly. “And don’t lower them until they say you can, no matter what.”
She nodded. “But why?”
“I have no idea.” Turning, he raised his hands and began making his way, step by step, slowly down the stairs. “Stay behind me.”
When they turned the corner, he saw Linda Felts, her weapon drawn, flanked by two others who, judging by the auras, were also Protectors.
“Where’s my son?” he demanded, shooting her a hard look.
“He’s safe.” Her own hard glare infuriated him. “But we have a few questions for the two of you.”
He’d already started shaking his head before she’d finished speaking. “Not until I have my boy.”
“Are we being charged with something?” JJ asked, stepping out from behind him, in complete disregard of his instructions. “If so, you’d better charge us. And I’ll be contacting an attorney, so if you do charge us with something, I’ll be wanting to speak with her first.”
After a quick, startled look, Felts shook her head and laughed. “Honey, we’re Protectors. You know that. We are definitely not human law-enforcement. As Pack, we operate by our own rules, not the ones the human police and FBI have in place. You’re under Pack law now. You don’t get an attorney.”
JJ swallowed, but to her credit, her expression remained undaunted. “I still have the right to know the accusations being made against me.”
“Hello?” Rhonda was coming up the porch steps. “JJ, is everything okay in here? I saw you and Eric come back and then—” She stopped short as she entered the foyer and saw Linda Felts and her two armed agents. Fear flashed across her face, though she quickly hid it. “What exactly is going on here?” she demanded.
“That’s what I want to know,” JJ replied. “These people just showed up and claimed they’re arresting us, but they won’t say what the charges are. Not only that, but Eric’s baby has gone missing and these people supposedly found him, but won’t give him back to us. I think you need to call 911.”
Involving the humans. Exactly the last thing the Pack Protectors would want. They’d really have a difficult time making explanations, since they couldn’t tell humans the truth.
“Pack Protectors?” Her expression grim, Rhonda looked from one to the other. Linda Felts jerked her head in a grudging nod. She could tell by Rhonda’s aura that she, too, was a shape-shifter.
“I thought your job was to uphold the law,” Rhonda continued sternly. “Not break it. Stealing this man’s child and now threatening to arrest them without good cause doesn’t sound like the Pack Protectors we all know and love.”
Wow. Even Eric was impressed by Rhonda’s confident and authoritative tone. He saw the way Felts blanched, but the Protector stuck to her guns.
“This is none of your concern,” she said coolly. “I suggest you simply turn around and march right back to wherever you came from. Unless you want to be arrested, too.”
Instead of appearing worried by the threat, Rhonda laughed. “Just try it,” she said. “I’m sure even corrupt Pack Protectors have to draw the line at cold-blooded murder.”
JJ gasped. Clearly, the thought of being killed hadn’t occurred to her. It had to Eric, though. And he knew he couldn’t allow it to happen, because Garth needed his father.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Rhonda declared, crossing her arms. “Not until I’m certain my friends here are safe.”
Felts made a sound of disgust and holstered her weapon. “Stand down,” she ordered, and the other agents did the same. Jerking her thumb toward Rhonda, she met Eric’s gaze. “Who is this woman?”
“JJ’s next-door neighbor. The three of us have been living with her while JJ’s house is repaired.”
“From the fire,” Rhonda added helpfully. “Now I’m wondering if you Protectors had anything to do with setting that?”
JJ gasped again. “This is a mess” she managed to mutter.
“Isn’t it?” Rhonda’s voice was a mixture of gleeful and disgusted. She still seemed poised to attack at the slightest provocation. Inside, Eric’s bear reacted to the hostility emanating from her and reared up, massive head cocked in interest. The urge to change, right then, right there, rocked Eric, but he managed to wrestle his other self quickly back into submission.
When he looked up, Rhonda was watching him with what he could only describe as a satisfied gleam in her eye.
“I don’t understand any of this,” JJ said quietly. “We were going to a safe house with your agent. Someone attacked us and—”
“Our agent was killed.” Felts looked from JJ to Eric, her expression cold. “This is the second agent we lost while working with Eric. This time, we’ve received reputable intel that you two knew this was going to happen.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Now furious, Eric glared at the Protector. “Explain our motives, please. And identify the source of this so-called reputable information. Because from where I stand, that is nonsense. It defies all logic. Not only was JJ knocked out, but I was injured in the shootout, and my baby was taken. How could you—how could anyone—possibly think I’d be okay with that?”
“It’s not you we’re concerned about.” Felts swung her gaze around and pinned JJ with it. “It’s her. One of the suspects we have in custody has told us Julia Jacobs did this in a twisted plot to gain control of your child.”
Stunned into silence, Eric struggled to make sense of her words. JJ appeared equally shocked, already shaking her head. He waited for her to deny the accusations, but she remained silent. Even Rhonda now eyed her friend with suspicion and doubt in her gaze.
He thought about his ex-wife and how completely Yolanda had fooled him. Was it possible that he’d been tricked again, this time by a warm and giving redhead?
No. “I don’t believe it,” he declared, earning a grateful look from JJ. “If she wanted Garth, she’d had numerous opportunities to take him. She’s been my friend and his, and she’d never in a million years do something like this.”
“Thank you.” JJ finally found her voice, gratitude and something else resonating in it. “He’s right. I don’t know what’s wrong with you people, but I’m not the bad guy in this situation. I’m also a victim here.”
“What have you lost?” Felts asked, her tone skeptical.
JJ stared at the other woman. “My home, for starters. Is it true? Were the Protectors behind the fire?”
“No.” Of this Felts appeared certain. “You never even came onto our radar until you decided to tag along with Eric and his son.”
“Speaking of my son,” Eric interjected. “Do you really have him safe or was that a ruse to get us to come in? Because so help me, if he’s still out there somewhere, in danger from a bunch of religious fanatics, I’ll—”
“Garth is fine. He’s being looked after by our people.”
Eric sagged with relief. Meanwhile, Felts continued holding his gaze. “We’ve arrested two people for his kidnapping. Your ex-mother-in-law and her nurse.”
“What?” He blinked. “I visited my ex-mother-in-law yesterday. There’s no way she could have been involved. She has dementia.”
“There is some cognitive impairment,” Felts conceded. “But she’s still largely functional. We’re still questioning her and the nurse. There are several more people involved in this. Julia Jacobs was specifically mentioned as one of them.”
“By whom?”
“Does it matter?” Felts barked. “Why aren’t you more concerned that your supposed friend apparently betrayed you?”
“Because I don’t believe it.” Deliberately, he reached out and gathered JJ close. “And you still haven’t explained to me exactly why you do.”
Clearly frustrated, the Protector grimaced. “There are other things in play that we aren’t at liberty to reveal yet. When the time is right, we will.”
“But my son is safe, right?” Even though they’d already said he was, Eric wanted to hear it again.
“Yes.”
“Then why won’t you let me have him back?”
“We have to deal with all threats first.” Felts dipped her head toward JJ. “There’s no way we’re letting him around anyone who might mean him harm.”
While he appreciated their concern, he didn’t understand why Garth was suddenly so important to them. Something wasn’t right with their story.
Aware now, more than ever, that he had to be careful, Eric swallowed. “Was there ever even a real cult who wanted him? Or was that some bizarre story you cooked up for whatever reason?”
Again Felts glanced at Rhonda, who watched the exchange with avid interest. “I’m not comfortable with discussing this in front of your neighbor.”
He agreed. “Rhonda, you should go. JJ and I will fill you in later.”
“Are you sure you two will be okay?” Rhonda asked.
“Yes. Please leave. The sooner I can get through this nonsense, the faster I can see my son.”
Though she huffed, Rhonda turned and went out the front door. “I’ll be in my kitchen if anyone needs me,” she called. “Just shout. I’ve got really good hearing.”
Once she was gone, Felts sighed. “Your ex-wife might not be dead.”
Convinced he must have heard incorrectly, Eric asked her to repeat herself.
“I said we believe Yolanda is still alive. And she’s behind the attempt to steal Garth. She wants her son, according to her mother. And she’ll stop at nothing to get him.”
He shook his head in denial. “But you found her body, with Jason’s, remember? A positive ID was made, or so I was told.”
“And you still haven’t explained why you think I’m involved in all of this,” JJ added, her arms crossed and her expression tight. “I didn’t even know Eric until he rented the bottom floor of my house.”
“Do you know a Shawn DeLeon?”
JJ’s expression froze. “Yes.” Her clipped response seemed at odds with the stark look of fear in her eyes. “What about him?”
“He has friends who are Pack Protectors,” Felts began. “Actually, his older brother, Frank, is assigned to Eric’s case.”
“Brother?” JJ frowned. “How is that possible? Shawn is human and Frank is Pack.”
“Shawn is Frank’s adoptive brother. It turns out that his parents took him in when Shawn’s mother was killed in a subway accident.”
“Frank DeLeon is related to Shawn,” JJ repeated, as if she didn’t believe it. “The Pack Protector who is helping Eric with his case.”
“Exactly.” Now Felts sounded bored. “And if you have a problem with that, you’ll need to take it up with Frank.”
“If you want to, JJ, we will. I keep waiting for him to make a reappearance,” Eric stated. “I’m sure he could help you sort through everything. Frank DeLeon’s a good guy.”
“Maybe so.” JJ cleared her throat. “His brother, Shawn, is not.”
Eric looked from her to the Protector. “What does DeLeon’s brother have to do with any of this?”
“He asked his brother to help him locate you,” Felts said, eyeing JJ. “He also gave us some information that led us to believe you are more involved in this case than you let on.”
“I’d be careful of believing anything Shawn DeLeon has to say.” JJ sounded brittle, as if made of glass and about to shatter at any moment.
Still not understanding, Eric caught JJ’s arm. “Was he your former boyfriend?”
Swallowing hard, JJ held his gaze. “Yes.”
“He said fiancé,” Felts corrected.
“No. We lived together, but were never engaged. And I broke it off a couple of months ago.”
“Again, not according to him.” It almost sounded as if Felts was enjoying herself. “He said when he refused to allow you to get pregnant, you ran off. And that you are so desperate for a baby, he’s worried you planned to steal one. Is that what happened here, with Garth?”
“No.” Keeping her chin up, JJ swayed slightly. Then she squared her shoulders and met Felts’s gaze. “He’s not only a liar, but he’s dangerous. I’m sure he’s furious that I dared to leave him. After all, he regards me as his property. Please don’t let him know how to find me.”
Felts cocked her head. “I’m sorry to say it’s a bit too late for that. He already knows.”
Eric caught JJ as she slid silently to the floor.
* * *
When JJ opened her eyes again, a jolt of sheer terror made her gasp. She sat up, her head pounding and her mouth so dry it might have been full of cotton.
“Hey.” Eric’s voice.
Blinking, she tried to focus, finally succeeding as he moved closer, into her line of vision. She saw that they were still inside her house, downstairs in Eric’s living room. He’d evidently carried her there and placed her on his sofa.
“You’ve got to get me out of here.” She didn’t bother to try and hide the panic in her voice. “If Shawn comes after me, I’m as good as dead.”
“Are you serious, or...?”
“Or what? Being dramatic? I can’t tell you how many times he’s threatened to kill me if I ever left him.”
“Is he human or Pack?”
“Human.”
Eric shook his head. “Then you were never in any real danger. Any wolves can defend themselves against a mere human.”
“What?” She couldn’t help but stare at him in rising horror. “You know the edict. I can’t harm a human while in my wolf form. I’d be hunted down by the Protectors.”
“Not if it was in self-defense.” He seemed too calm, his voice flat and rational, she realized. Almost as if he was humoring her.
Then she remembered the lie Shawn had told the Protectors. A falsehood Eric apparently believed. That stung, but then again, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t wonder which was the truth if their situations had been reversed.
“I would never hurt Garth,” she said. “And I promise you, I had nothing to do with his abduction.”