Page 38 of Stolen Mate

“Not at all. I just know people in both departments.”

“Oh, good. I probably shouldn’t have asked that; it’s none of my business.”

Tess smiled. “It’s fine. There was only concern in your tone. I don’t think it’s ever wrong to be concerned.”

Journal Entry, July 4th

It might be Independence Day for the rest of the United States, but in my corner of the world, I feel anything but independent. I have my freedom, though, and I think the sheriff here will see that Henry and his goons don’t make another play for me.

The look on Henry’s face when I confronted him and his men with a sawed-off shotgun in my hands and another shotgun leaned up against the doorway was pretty funny. My guess is they never thought some heavily pregnant female would dare to defy them. They thought wrong.

Maybe I’ll put up a high-power electric fence to keep the bastards at bay. I’ve almost got enough money stashed under the hearth to get that and some kind of alarm system for the cabin. I won’t be taken back. Nor will they take this baby—not while there is breath in my body.

P.S. I also had a high-powered rifle just inside. If the two shotguns hadn’t stopped them, I could have ducked inside and barred the door.

Once again, Tess was struck by the indomitable attitude Teresa must have possessed. Turned without her consent, thrust into a world not of her choosing and completely unknown to her, she had adapted and triumphed over her captors. She had won her freedom and was prepared to do whatever it took to protect herself and her baby.

God, how she would have liked to have met her. To have been able to sit and talk with her—amazing. Tess didn’t wish for a different childhood or parents—she had the best of both, and as Teresa had hoped, she’d had a sibling and a house with a yard and a swing in the back. But she would have loved to meet her birth mother; if for no other reason than to tell her thank you.

Tess wished she’d known the whole story, or at least as much of it as they had been able to figure out. She would have loved to have been able to comfort her mother as she was dying, assuring her that it wasn’t her fault Teresa was dead. The fault with that lay solely on Henry’s head. He could have stopped Teresa’s mate from going after her and ensured that he left her and her child alone, but he didn’t. Instead, from what little she’d learned, he had berated and challenged the man to go after Teresa and bring her back to Akiak, keep her in line and get her bred again as soon as possible.

There was no way that would have turned out well. Tess had no doubt her mother would have responded—most likely violently—and who’s to say, perhaps Derek, Annie, and Zak might not have split from Henry and Akiak the way they did.

The flight to Seattle was long but made less tiring by being in first-class and being able to nap comfortably. Not having any checked baggage made it easy to walk to where she’d parked her SUV. Once inside her vehicle, she backed out of the parking spot, paid her fee, and headed for home.

She called Lara. “Hey, you.”

“Tess. Where are you? Are you back?”

“I am,” she said, glancing in the rearview mirror and spotting what she thought might be a tail. “I just got in. Want to meet at the Sound View Café? My treat.”

“That sounds great, but wouldn’t you rather go crash? How about if I pick something up from Biscuit Bitch and meet you at your loft? I can go over and get it opened up for you.”

Tess was exhausted, and her sister knew her all too well. Biscuit Bitch was one of her favorite places to get breakfast, although the Sound View Café was a close second.

“That would be amazing.”

“Great. I’ll call the clinic and tell them I’ll be in a little late. I’ll head over to your loft and open it up and call in our order. Then I’ll run down and get it. You want your usual?”

Tess’s usual was the Hot Mess Bitch, consisting of a biscuit topped with sausage gravy, shredded cheddar, garlic grits, two scrambled eggs, a split and grilled Louisiana Hot Link, and pickled jalapeños. Lara generally went for the milder Gritty Scrambled Cheesy Bitch, which was the Biscuit Bitch’s best seller. It was made with a ‘big-ass biscuit,’ country sausage gravy, shredded cheddar, two scrambled eggs and a scoop of garlic grits.

“Yes, please. There should be plenty of coffee and the cream should still be good.”

“Great, I’ll see you when you get home. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too. I’ll call when I’m taking my exit.”

“Sounds good. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Tess had no worries about Lara betraying their secret. Her sister would understand the importance of no one knowing about the shifters. Tess only hoped she would want to come to Alaska and become a polar-bear shifter. It shouldn’t be too hard to convince her it was all real. After all, Lara loved paranormal romance books that had various kinds of shifters.

She had almost convinced herself that she’d been paranoid at the airport, thinking she was being followed, but decided to play it safe and so took whoever might be following her on a wicked trip through the city and its surroundings. Seattle could be a bit tricky to navigate if you didn’t know your way, and Tess was betting she knew it far better than anyone following her.

Once she was convinced there was no one tailing her, she headed for her loft, phoning Lara to let her know she was off the freeway. Tess had never been so happy that her loft had excellent security, including a gated entrance into the underground parking lot. Once she was parked, she headed to the elevator, taking it to the fifth floor, which was where her loft was. Her mother had called it the ‘penthouse,’ but the only difference in any of the ten units was ceiling height and view. All ten had access to the rooftop common area.

She opened the door to the loft and could smell the heavenly aroma of Biscuit Bitch’s food. There was no doubt in her mind that someone would have to open one much closer to home than Seattle. Tess shook her head—so Derek was now her mate and Seattle was no longer home. Damn.

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