Page 51 of Run Free

It took a moment for his words to register to my brain. Thomas was in trouble. I didn’t understand how Gage had gotten involved.

“Oh Gage, nothing’s going to happen to me. You don’t need to worry about that,” I said, realizing at the end of it all, that’s what was freaking him out the most. The doctor side of me could follow his line of thought and understand what he was going through, but he couldn’t spend his life worrying about something bad happening to me, either.

I hugged him, and he held on tightly. His body was shaking. In all the time I’d known him, and with everything he had suffered and pushed through, this was the only time I truly saw him scared.

“You don’t know that, Clara. Nothing was supposed to happen to Mark, either. There are consequences to doing the right thing. I had to live through them once, please don’t ask me to do that again.”

I nodded against his chest. “Okay. Let’s go away for a few days and calm down. Then we’ll figure out what to do next.”

I was worried for my brother and wondered how serious the threat was. It hadn’t been that long ago when the Larken wolves attacked Cole and tried to go after Thomas, too. Were they at it again? I racked my brain for any other potential threat and couldn’t think of even one.

“We need to stop back by the house on the way out. I need to let my family know we’re leaving. I don’t want everyone to go into a panic because we disappeared.”

“No need,” he said. “Thomas already knows the plan.”

“Do we have some place in mind we’re headed at least?”

I wanted to be supportive. I had demanded so much of him and even when he clearly let me know he hated it, he still went along. I couldn’t let him down when it meant so much to him.

“I have a place in mind,” he confessed.

“Okay, let’s go,” I agreed.

As we headed back outside, a strange car was sitting in my driveway. Fear pricked the back of my neck. I had been so focused on Gage that I hadn’t even heard it pull up. That wasn’t like me. I was always aware of my surroundings.

A man and a woman exited the vehicle and Gage froze. His hand found my arm to stop me and tightened the closer they got. He pulled me behind him, sheltering me from their view.

“What are you doing here?” he said in a stone-cold voice.

The couple stopped. I could see the woman’s face and she looked grief-stricken, not at all the threat I had first feared.

“We’ve been looking for you for a long time, son. Please. We just want to know you’re okay,” the man spoke.

I gasped. Son? Gage’s parents were here?

“Look at you, you’re all grown up and so handsome,” his mother gushed. I could tell she was crying.

“And look at you, you’re alive. Imagine my shock when Cora Collier told me that just this morning. Why is she alive, Dad? She conspired to kill you. Mark’s dead because of her. Is that something we’re just supposed to forget?”

“Gage, that’s enough,” his father said in a harsh tone.

“Oh, forgive me, is that supposed to be a secret or something? I mean, after all, you gave Uncle Mick a hero’s death, so I suppose we just swept the entire situation under the table? And the last time I saw you, Mother, you were screaming about how I’d killed my brother, but I didn’t kill Mark, Mom. You did.”

“Gage, I said that’s enough. I think we should reserve this conversation for private. I suppose it was a mistake coming here.”

I took my mate’s hand and stood proudly beside him.

“Unlike the two of you, I have no secrets from my mate,” he said viciously. I watched as both of his parents flinched at the accusation.

“That was a long time ago. A lot has changed since that night, Gage. A lot changed because of that night. We love you so much. Just knowing you’re alive and well means the world to us. Both of us,” his mother said.

“You can invite them in, if you’d like,” I whispered and saw the look of hope spark on his parent’s face.

“We were leaving, remember?” he pleaded.

“I know, I just don’t want you to have any regrets,” I told him honestly.

He thought about it for a minute, still staring down at me like I had the answer to all his questions. Then he kissed my head and nodded.

---