A Baby Daddy for a Werewolf Silencer (3 page)

Chapter Two

"I'm not sure this is a very good idea."

Jensen watched warily as Alicia threw another bag in the
trunk of his car. "Of course it's a good idea," she replied
cheerfully. "We all want to see Gavin. Don't we, boys?"

From the backseat of Jensen's car, Jack and Kyle nodded
enthusiastically. Jack grinned. "We miss Gavin very much."

"Besides, we're uncles, Mr. Moore," Kyle said in a
serious tone that somehow managed to be cute. "We have to be there for
Shannon."

Jensen rubbed his eyes tiredly. He had no idea what Alicia
was thinking. He'd warned her this might be dangerous, but she'd insisted she
couldn't leave Gavin to his fate. Since she didn't have anyone she could
entrust her younger children to, they were coming along.

Alicia pulled him aside, her decided expression turning
haggard, pleading. "Look, Mr. Moore. I know you think this is a bad call,
but... I can't abandon Gavin again, even if he isn't actively at risk. My heart
tells me Gavin wouldn't allow his son to be raised in a dangerous environment,
and would have never agreed to having Jack and Kyle with him if it put them in
jeopardy. We have to do this. For all of us."

Something in her tone told Jensen that, for all their youth,
the kids were just as concerned for their brother. Jensen sighed, but he knew
when he was beaten. "Fine. We should go then. If we leave now, we should
be there by nightfall."

After quite a lot of work, Jensen had managed to dig up some
files on the properties of one Saul Simmons. He might not have known what to
look for if not for Alicia, but armed with the information she'd provided, he'd
pinpointed their most possible location—a small town near the Great Lakes
called Willow Cove.

The property itself didn't have an unusual history, but it
was pretty reclusive, reminding Jensen of a safe house. The fact that Jensen
had managed to find the files at all—without having to resort to riskier
hacking—suggested the police or WITSEC weren't involved. Most of Jensen's
theories were pretty wild, but then, he'd had a few close calls in the past. He
was entitled to some paranoia.

Jensen locked up the bed and breakfast and got in the car.
Alicia slid in the seat next to him, while the children cheered in enthusiasm.
Their sheer optimism was contagious, and Jensen found himself smiling despite
his general tendency to see the empty half of the glass.

For the most part, it was the children who kept his spirits
up throughout the drive. Having grown up in an orphanage and then with adoptive
parents, he'd always wanted a real family. His less than stellar past made that
unlikely, but still, it was nice to see the genuine love between Alicia and her
boys, and the affection they obviously had toward Alicia's other son, Gavin.

They stopped for lunch and the children cheered when Jensen
treated them to chocolate cake afterward. Alicia looked a little embarrassed,
but Jensen smiled at her, careful not to acknowledge the source of her
insecurity. "They're lovely kids. You know, I'm kind of glad you brought
them along. I'm sure Parker will be thrilled to see them."

The diversionary tactic worked, because Alicia's parental
pride took over. "Thank you. Parker is indeed very fond of them, and it
goes both ways. I owe him a lot. He helped me through a very difficult time in
my life, and I won't ever forget that."

From story to story, the journey continued. Jensen was
careful to only reveal bits and pieces about himself, and Alicia didn't prod in
exactly what methods Jensen had used to find out her son's location. The
conversation finally died out when they approached Willow Cove. The children
began to fidget in the back, and Alicia stared out the window, tapping her
fingers against the glove compartment and practically vibrating with
anxiousness.

For his part, Jensen focused on the road. He would prefer not
to have to stop for directions, so he had to be careful, especially since
evening had already fallen. Thankfully, he had his trusty GPS to rely on, but
even Google Maps—which had always struck Jensen as scarily accurate—couldn't
quite give him enough information on where he was headed.

"We might be better off finding someplace to sleep and
going tomorrow," he said with a sigh.

Alicia's face fell, but she nodded. She probably realized
Jensen was right, because she didn't protest when Jensen pulled over.
"You're right, of course. Jackie and Kyle need to rest. Did you look up a
hotel here?"

Actually, Jensen had, since he always liked to be prepared,
and he'd anticipated the chance that they might have to stay overnight. He'd
decided against reservations since he preferred not to broadcast his intentions
anywhere, but Willow Cove wasn't exactly a tourist attraction, so they
shouldn't have any trouble finding rooms.

Dinner was necessary first, if not for him and Alicia, for
the children. He parked in front of a diner and was about to slide out of his
seat when Jack let out a noise from the back of the car. "Look, Mommie.
It's Dr. Orwell."

Jensen followed Jack's gaze, half-thinking this was too good
to be true. But no, there he was—William Orwell, the doctor who'd helped Jensen
through his concussion. The man was walking on the sidewalk with a muscular
stranger by his side. They were both carrying bags and talking with serious
expressions.

William's companion suddenly froze, and his gaze zeroed in
straight on Jensen. A shiver went over Jensen's spine. Their car was far enough
that it shouldn't have drawn attention, and Jensen might have missed William
Orwell's shopping spree if not for Jack. But the distance didn't seem to be a
problem for the doctor's friend. Jensen might not have been able to see him
very well, but he had an uncomfortable feeling that the stranger had no such
issues.

Jensen found himself in a peculiar situation. Whoever the
stranger was, one thing seemed clear. He was dangerous. Jensen usually handled
such matters with great discretion—that is, through a wise retreat and wiping
all traces of his presence. His advantage was always in staying hidden and
watching from the shadows, but obviously that wouldn't work now.

At the same time, Jensen couldn't really make himself leave.
After all, he'd come here for a reason. Besides, it was far too soon to make
decisions when he didn't have any information to go on.

"Hey, kids, do you know who that is—the man with Dr.
Orwell?"

Kyle nodded. "That's Mr. Simmons. He's Saul's dad. He's
nice."

Nice. Jensen could have described his impression of the elder
Simmons in many ways, but nice wasn't one of them. He remembered Alicia
mentioning the man—Dean Simmons—in their previous conversations, and to some
extent, that calmed his nerves.

Dean Simmons whispered something in William's ear, and the
doctor visibly tensed. He passed the bag to Simmons, and then headed toward
Jensen's car, now looking for all the world like nothing out of ordinary was
happening. His companion had already disappeared down the street, possibly in
another car.

In no time, William reached Jensen's vehicle and knocked on
the window. The action finally snapped Jensen out of his trance. He opened the
door and slid out of the car, smiling widely even if he didn't feel anything
remotely resembling amusement. "Well, fancy meeting you here, Dr. Orwell.
We were just actually coming to visit."

"Visit," William repeated, blinking several times
like he couldn't believe what Jensen was saying. "I see."

He looked past Jensen's shoulders at Alicia and the kids and
smiled kindly. "Hello again. It's nice to see you all well."

"Hello, Dr. Orwell," Alicia said, acknowledging the
man with a nod. The children followed her example, all the while eyeing William
curiously.

"I admit you took me a little by surprise here,"
the doctor offered. "We're not exactly ready for guests, but I'm sure
Gavin will be thrilled to see you."

"He's okay then?" Alicia said as she got out of the
car too.

"Of course." William actually managed to sound
surprised. "Why wouldn't he be?"

There was no real way to answer the question that wouldn't
sound offensive. Besides, William's words and smile seemed so very genuine. If
Jensen hadn't known any better, he'd have thought the doctor was truly happy to
see them.

"So we can see them then?" he asked, trying, but
possibly failing to control the suspicion in his voice.

"Naturally." His expression sobered and his smile
fell. "The truth is, Mr. Moore, my son is quite ill. He needs a lot of
rest and a minimum of agitation. But I had Dean call Gavin and Parker, and
they'd be happy to come to town to see you."

Jensen suppressed a wince. That concern was real. Jensen
might not know Dr. Orwell very well, but even he had been able to tell the man
was incredibly close to his son Jessie. He wouldn't lie about something like
that. It had obviously been a bad idea to intrude like this without even
calling beforehand.

Alicia seemed to think the same. "Oh, I'm so sorry for
intruding. We... I was just—"

William shook his head, interrupting her. "It's okay.
You were worried about Gavin. Of course I understand. It's just the situation
that's not ideal. I know Gavin wanted to talk to you once things settled... But
then this happened, and well, we've all been a little... Well, you know."

"But he will be okay, won't he?" Jack asked, lower
lip trembling.

"Naturally. Don't worry about Jessie, young man. He's receiving
the best of care. And speaking of which... I think you were probably planning
on having dinner before I interrupted so rudely. Come on. I happen to know
Molly bakes an amazing cheesecake."

The children took this as their cue to leave the car. Together,
they followed the doctor as they headed toward the diner. Jensen trailed after
them, musing over William's behavior. He didn't know why, but he had the
feeling there was more to William's attitude than his son's apparent illness.
In all likelihood, it wouldn't be easy to find out.

****

Erdi's first thought when Saul drove into Willow Cove was
"what am I doing here?" Naturally, in his long years, he'd been
through all sorts of settlements, but this sort of quaint, quiet place could
never be a refuge for a silencer. Not to mention that the proximity to the
Great Lakes made the entire area a neutral zone. Saul had only been allowed to
settle down here because his pack was more like an extended family than
anything else.

It made Erdi's anxiousness stir once more, but this time he
managed to keep it in check. His Alpha and Finn gave him space, while telling
him a few details on where he would be staying.

"The second house isn't ready yet, so it's a little
crowded," Saul explained, "but I have faith we can make it
work."

Erdi doubted any location his Alpha could place him in would
be worse than his cell or even some of the accommodation he'd had during past
missions. He didn't say that, however. Instead, he just nodded. "I'm sure
we can. The last thing I want is to inconvenience you."

"No inconvenience," Finn offered. "You're
pack."

Not for the first time, it occurred to Erdi that Finn had
left his very pregnant mate to come pick him up. It meant more to Erdi than he
could say, and he was humbled by all the trust and the effort the Simmons
brothers were putting into this.

Saul had also told him what had happened at the Gathering,
which had surprised him to no end. The idea that Dean Simmons had somehow
managed to change his sentence was mind-boggling, but at some level, it made
Erdi... happy. Or at least, as happy as he could ever be. Dean Simmons was a
good man, and he deserved to finally have a life with his mate and his sons.

Erdi's thoughts drifted slightly when he passed by the town
diner. He didn't know why, but something stirred in his heart, familiar, yet
not, deeply unsettling, yet so comforting. Erdi scanned the street, but there
was no one around who could have caused the strange sensation. Sure, its source
might have been inside one of the buildings, but Erdi didn't get the chance to
investigate it. The progress of the car put distance between Erdi and the cause
of the feeling, or rather, between Erdi and his mate.

Erdi couldn't lie to himself or pretend. Jensen was here.
Erdi had only felt like this once in his life, during the attack, when he'd
first found Jensen and then had been forced to leave him. The sensation of
wrongness was exactly the same.

He had the urge to just leap out of the vehicle and pursue
that instinct, and he always listened to that part of him. Miraculously, he
managed to hold back.

If Jensen was here, the likelihood of it being a coincidence
was slim at best. He must have decided to come visit Parker. Erdi's presence
was irrelevant, since Jensen didn't even remember him.

For Jensen's own good, things had to stay that way. The human
deserved better than an assassin for a mate.

So despite his wolf's protests, Erdi endured. He buried his
claws in the upholstery and held on, focusing on controlling his heart beat and
his breathing.

Saul must have realized something was wrong, because he shot
Erdi a concerned look. "Erdi? Are you all right?"

Erdi nodded. His earlier fit wasn't his proudest moment, and
he couldn't afford to lose it again, no matter the reason. "I'm fine.
Thank you for your concern, Alpha."

He considered mentioning Jensen's presence, but if he did
that, he'd have to explain how he knew about it, and he wasn't looking forward
to his Alpha's reaction to such news.
 

Saul didn't push, but he did keep a close eye on Erdi for a
few minutes. When it seemed obvious that Erdi wouldn't freak out again, the
silence in the car grew less strained. Erdi was thankful for that, even if, in
his heart, he felt the burden of the increasing distance between him and
Jensen.