Page 36 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Steff froze mid keystroke and shot a questioning look at me that saidwhat the fuck?I sat up straight in my chair, not sure what she meant. The implication was there, but not the full thought.

“Mariah? What does that mean?”

Her lip quivered, and tears shone in her eyes. Jordyn lowered her face to the table and covered her ears with her hand. They suddenly looked much younger than teenagers. Young, scared, and carrying some terrible secret.

Mariah sucked in a trembling breath, then spoke in a forced, calm voice. “Our school—the private school we went to before we moved—it was a pretty nice school, and a lot of the kids were rich or well off, you know? Their parents were doctors or lawyers,CEOs, and stuff. Except, some of those kids had dads who were… I guess… criminals or something? Mafia people?”

“I get what you mean,” I said.

“Well, after Mom broke up with Luis, some of those kids started talking. They said he hung out with their dads. There was a rumor going around that Luis…” She took a shuddering breath. “That Luis killed our dad so he could get my mom. Like, he liked Mom and killed Dad so he could date her. That’s crazy, right? It has to be crazy.”

I leaned around the table and gathered Mariah into my arms, holding her close as she sobbed into my chest. Steff glanced at me, wide eyed, and mouthed,holy shit.This was a fucking nightmare. No child, no matter their age, needed to know and deal with this kind of shit.

“I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep the two of you and your mom safe,” I said.

Mariah sniffled as she pulled away from me. “Thanks. Um, is it okay if I start dinner??”

“Yeah, totally fine. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I’ll help,” Jordyn said as she slid her chair back.

She came over and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. The moisture from her tears soaked into my collar. My heart felt like it was going to burst. Mariah nudged Jordyn, then they headed into the kitchen. When I turned back to Steff, he was smiling at me.

“What?” I asked.

Steff gestured at me. “This whole family-man thing looks good on you, bro. It suits you.” I glared at him, but he merely laughed. “Quit with the big-bad-bodyguard routine. Let your heart feel what it feels.”

After everyone had finished and cleared out, Harley woke up from her nap. She came down the stairs, rubbing her eyes and yawning, as we were putting the dinner dishes in the sink.

“Where is everyone?” she asked.

“They left. The crew finished up, and my guys helped them get loaded up and out. We saved you some dinner. Hungry?” I said, wiping my hands on a dish towel.

“Sounds great,” she said.

“I’ll heat it up, Mom. Tate was going to show you the security system,” Mariah said.

Frowning, Harley came the rest of the way down the stairs. “The girls already know how to operate it?” she asked.

I shrugged. “Kids easily pick up on stuff like this. Here, let me show you.”

Leading her to the wall beside the door, I pointed out the new control panel. “This will set and control your security system. There’s also a display where you can pan through and see all the cameras.” I clicked through each displayed as I named them off. “Outside back door, outside front door, outside garage door, inside back door, inside front door, and one at the top of the stairs aimed at the landing. That should be enough to cover all the bases. Steff set up your phone so these feeds go right to you. You can bring up the video feed anywhere and anytime. You’ll see a new app on your home screen for it. The camera feeds also go to the server at my office.”

“We also installed firewalls on all your devices, the girls’ included. It’s probably way over the top, but you can’t be too safe. Blayne had them put in some reinforced door locks, too. Much stronger than what was on there before. I’m pretty happy with it all. What do you think?” I was like a child trying to show off, but I couldn’t help myself. The team really had done a magnificent job.

Harley shook her head in disbelief. “It really does seem like too much. Is all this really necessary? I was thinking a simple alarm would be sufficient.”

I slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her to the side, away from the girls. The feel of her skin through her clothing sent a pleasant shiver through me, but I didn’t let it show on my face.

I leaned in and whispered, “The girls are really worried. When I showed them everything, it made them feel better. They are very worried about you.”

Sadness cloaked her eyes, and she gave a sharp nod. “Okay. It’s fine, really. I just didn’t want to impose too much.”

My hand slid down to her lower back, and flashes of our night together in New York played through my mind. My hands had been all over her. Every inch of her body knew my touch. Heat slowly moved up my spine, and I pressed my body against hers. I could hear Harley’s breathing start to pick up. I wanted a replay of that night. A second chance to feel her writhing beneath me, gasping and clutching at me. The dragon growled deep in my chest as she moved closer to me.

“Tate?” Harley whispered as my face inched closer to hers.

Her hand moved up and slid along my stomach. I was barely able to control myself. I was inches from kissing her, tasting her again, when Jordyn called out.

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