Page 15 of The Alpha's Surrogate

Callahan watched the two men carefully. They looked tense, like springs pulled taut. He walked slowly till he stood directly behind Josie. He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her gently toward him. “Josie, who are your guests?”

The two men were older than him, but were both remarkably built. The one standing by the counter with the ghastly scar and sunken eyes was most likely an enforcer. While he looked menacing, his counterpart screamed of danger. He was definitely the leader of the pair.

His icy-blue eyes looked like something out of a children’s bedtime nightmare storybook. Callahan’s best guess put both men north of fifty, pushing sixty hard. Not the kind of men you found in a delicate young woman’s kitchen alone, in the middle of the night.

The blue-eyed man smiled and held his hands out placatingly. His smile was supposed to put Callahan at ease, but it achieved the opposite result. His grip around Josie tightened and he pulled her closer to himself.

“I think there’s been a big misunderstanding,” the blond man with blue eyes said. “We apologize for that. My colleague and I here are…old friends with your Josie. We had an urgent matter to discuss with her. We’re on the same page, and we’ll be getting out of your hair now.”

The second man took the cue and flashed a smile of his own, tipping an imaginary hat at Callahan. “Apologies for the misunderstanding, sir.”

The two men walked toward the kitchen door, and Callahan edged Josie away from them, keeping himself between her and the men. He didn’t bother with pretensions of niceties. He didn’t trust them, and he made no attempt to hide the fact.

“It was nice to see you again, Josie,” the first man said. “I look forward to hearing from you soon. Don’t bother seeing us out, we’ll find our own way out. Good evening.” And with that, both men marched out of the kitchen.

Callahan waited until he heard the front door shut, and then he followed slowly behind and clicked the door shut. At least, he tried to, but the front door appeared to be broken.

He felt a deep fear surge in his chest as he surveyed the damaged door. It looked like someone had forced entry into the house. He didn’t need to think too hard to wonder who that someone was. He couldn’t have arrived here at a better time.

He walked back into the kitchen and found Josie sitting in one of the kitchen chairs. She was staring at the blade fastened on her kitchen table. He pulled a chair close and sat down beside her. He was angry, but expressing his anger now was only going to drive Josie into a shell.

There was a box of pizza on the table, and one slice was missing. Josie made no move to touch it. For all Callahan knew, she was made entirely of stone. He watched her, thinking of what to say. She was yet to say a word since he’d arrived, and he wondered why.

After he’d left the surrogacy center, he had a distinct feeling that something was wrong with Josie. He had a hunch, and all his attempts to ignore that hunch failed.

So, he’d gotten in his car and come down to Silver Peaks in search of her. Dr. Stephanie’s stern warning about avoiding personal relationships rang in his mind, and he had discarded it accordingly. He didn’t care about any of that. The only thing that mattered to him was Josie.

He’d sensed the were-bears around the same time he’d heard voices drifting through the open front door. He followed the sound as quietly as he could to the kitchen, and walked in to see the two men accosting her.

Whatever they’d said to Josie was enough to stun her into silence. If Callahan knew anything about such men, he knew they would be back. What would have happened if he hadn’t arrived when he did? What would happen when next they came, and he was off in Whispering Oaks?

He took a deep breath. “Josie? Can you hear me?” She nodded but didn’t turn to look at him. He scooted closer. “I need you to tell me who those men were, and what they wanted with you. I don’t believe they were your friends, and I would like it if you didn’t claim as much.”

“Why do you care?” she muttered under her breath. “They’re gone now, aren’t they? I don’t think you should think about them. Besides, it doesn’t concern you. I would appreciate it if you left the matter well alone.” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

Callahan looked at her incredulously, and for a moment he thought he might lose his cool. He reined himself under control and tried again. “You’re right, Josie. It’s none of my business. But I am worried. Were they bothering you?”

“I can’t talk about it,” she replied. “I’m sorry.” She reached for her soda cup and Callahan watched as her hand shook as she picked it up to sip from it. She noticed it and held her hands under the table.

Callahan lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. Although he knew that the men had left, he could see fear written all over her face. She was terrified. “Josie. What was that about? Were you being threatened?”

“Can you stop?” she snapped angrily, her face twisting. “I’ve told you to leave it alone. I have nothing to say to you! I don’t need you running to save me. I’ve been taking care of myself for as long as I can remember, and you haven’t been in my life for a decade.

“You don’t get to pop in out of the blue, acting like a freaking savior. I told you I have everything under control, and I do. I don’t know what else you want me to say, but this is not the time!”

The force of her rebuke caught him by surprise, and he was stunned into silence. His surprise turned to frustration. It was typical of her to keep things to herself until they became too difficult for her to bear alone. All these years later, and that part of her remained unchanged.

He hated how closed off she got in the middle of a storm. He remembered fights they’d had in the past when he’d prodded her to share her problems. She never reacted kindly in such situations, and he’d learned the hard way to leave her alone. Still, he hated it.

This was different, though. Regardless of what she said, he knew what he saw. Something was off about those two men, and whoever they were, they terrified Josie shitless.

He didn’t plan to back off so easily, especially considering the fact that she was about to carry his child. Dr. Stephanie had called him to inform him that Josie was a perfect match and they were moving forward with her as the surrogate.

He needed to know that she was safe and protected. Not just for her sake, but for the sake of his child as well. Now that he’d made the decision for surrogacy, and it looked like a reality, he was more than eager to make sure that nothing unfortunate affected the process.

He lifted Josie’s chin again. “Now, I’m going to need you to listen to me. Your front door is splintered. I’m guessing your ‘friends’ helped themselves in. This house is not safe for you, and for that reason, I’m taking you back to Whispering Oaks with me.”

Her face twisted with disgust and she pulled her head away from his hand. “You don’t get to tell me what to—”

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