Out of the Shadows (21 page)

It probably had to do with all the
things she needed to get done before she left tomorrow morning. Sarah was going
to run things, but her sister had no idea what she was doing. Lark wanted to be
sure everything was in order at The Cookie Jar so everything ran smoothly for
Sarah.

“I really appreciate what you’re doing for Emily…for all of
us,” Marcus said, glancing her way.

Lark gave him a small tight lipped smile.

“I would hope if the roles were
reversed Emily would do the same.”

“She would. Em took quite a liking to you. I hope when all
this blows over, you’ll still consider her for a position at The Cookie Jar. I
know she would enjoy it and she wouldn’t stop talking about it after you and
Dev squared off over it a few weeks ago.”

Lark laughed, how she could forget their heated debate. He
had been so infuriatingly handsome, yet a real ass at the time.

“Of course, I haven’t found anyone to fill the position and
I’d love to give it to her.”

“I just want her to be happy, for her to finally be able to
live. She’s been sheltered her whole life,” Marcus said.

“Marcus, look out,” Vincent cried out, his arm jutted into
the front seat, finger pointing in front of them.

Marcus slammed on the breaks, the car skidding and
screeching to a halt. The smell of burnt rubber filtered into the cabin as Lark
peered out the window into the white abyss — she couldn’t see a thing.

“What in the world?” Marcus exclaimed turning to Vincent a
peeved glare on his face.

“There was something in the road,” Vincent frowned, eyes
narrowing into tiny slits.

“Clearly not,” Marcus snapped indicating the vacant road in
front of them with a wave of his hand.

“It was probably a deer or something,” Lark said, squinting
to see through the fog.

Vincent flopped back into the seat letting out a huff.

“I don’t know, but I saw
something-”

A scream bubbled up in Lark’s throat, as something struck
the side of the car. The car shook and shifted to the left. Heart thumping in
her chest, she gripped the door handle as her seat belt clung to her, holding
her in place.

Her car door was thrown open. Warm, angry hands reached in
grabbing her. Screaming, she swung with both her hands, but could only do so
much pinned to the seat. Her seat belt whooshed up catching on her arm.

Lark shrieked as someone yanked her
out of the seat. Feet dragging against the road, she fought to free herself.
She stomped her foot, and thrust her elbow into solid flesh. Her assailants
grip tightened an arm wrapping around her throat putting her in a choke hold.

Lark’s eyes bulged as she was lifted off the ground, her
feet dangling beneath her. Determined not to panic, she thrust her foot back as
hard as she could, connecting with something firm. The vice on her neck
loosened, and she pitched forward. Free for a moment, she sprung to the side.
She twisted, and landed a right fist in the man’s jaw sending him reeling back.

Terrified and heart pounding a mile a minute she tried to
find Vincent and Marcus in the foggy mist. She couldn’t see them but could hear
the sickening thuds of fists connecting with flesh. Horrified, she forced her
eyes to focus on her immediate surroundings. She needed a weapon.

The strap of her purse caught her eye. The gun Gene had
given her was nestled in the bottom of it. She’d never taken it out, not
knowing when or if she would need it.

Triumphant, she threw a left hook, pain ricocheted up her
arms, but she was determined not to give up. Grasping behind the man’s neck she
lifted her knee as she shoved her attackers face down. Turning, she dove toward
the car. It was only a foot away.

Lark gasped as someone wrung her arm behind her back at the
same time something struck the sensitive flesh above her collarbone. A prick
sent tingles shooting through her neck and down to her arms and legs like
liquid ice. Eyes heavy, she blinked, once, twice, then fell into darkness.

The doorbell chimed, jarring Devon
out of a deep sleep. The sun had barely begun to filter into his window. He
groaned, he was not a fan of being woken up at five in the morning. He briefly
remembered Lark waking him with a sensual kiss and promising to see him later.
If he closed his eyes, he could still feel her soft body wrapped around his.

Foreboding rolled over him as he
leapt down the stairs two at a time. The flicker of red and blue lights did
little to assure him that everything was okay. Muffled voices met him as he
briskly walked to the front door, yanking it open.

“I understand. Yes of course, I will let you know,” Gene
mumbled, his hand scratching the back of his head.

“We can have it towed to the impound lot if needed,” a
police officer said handing Gene a piece of paper.

“What’s going on?” Devon asked, gritting his teeth, eyes
drifting from Gene to the officers.

“They’re just following up about the accident with the Jeep
last night,” Gene’s eyes met his, telling him he needed to go along with the
story. “Apparently, we forgot to shut one of the doors the dome light was on.”

“Right,” Devon replied, a tick forming in his jaw. His eyes
drifted to the green SUV parked at the side of the house. He closed his eyes,
and let out a long breath. They couldn’t afford for him to lose his cool in
front of the officers. It would only raise questions.

Lark had been in the vehicle
. H
e was
certain of it, and even more certain this was Emmett’s doing. Questions swirled
in his head. Why hadn’t Daniel warned them? Had his brother betrayed them after
all? Did Daniel even know?

The front door clicked shut and the floorboards creaked as
Gene approached him.

“What happened?” Devon snapped, swiveling to face his
cousin.

“I don’t know yet. I saw them this morning. They left in a
Jeep about two hours ago. I sent some guys on paws to check it out,” Gene
rubbed a tired hand over his face.

Devon punched the wall, a cloud of plaster exploded into the
air sending debris and paint fluttering to the floor. Ignoring the pain in his
hand, he struck out again. This time a picture frame careened to the floor, the
glass shattered on impact.

“Enough,” Gene commanded, clamping a heavy hand on Devon’s
shoulder.

“We should’ve seen this coming.” Devon turned knocking
Gene’s hand away.

“I’ll try to contact Daniel and find out what is going on,”
Gene said.

Devon strode to the door. He was through playing games and
waiting around.

“We need to go after them.”

“What are you going to do by yourself, Dev? They’re several
hours ahead of you. We know where they’re going. Vincent and Marcus may already
be dead. We need to think of a plausible way to rescue Lark. We can’t run in
with some half cocked plan and hope it works out.”

Devon exhaled, banging his palm on the wall. Gene was right.
They needed to think —
he
needed to think. Lark’s life depended on his
choices, as well as Emily’s.

“I’ll call Daniel.” Devon shoved off the door and stomped to
the stairs. Gene was too diplomatic. Devon was confident he could get the
information from Daniel a lot faster his way.
I
f Daniel
had betrayed them, he wanted to be the one to handle him.

“Don’t say anything stupid,” Gene called after him.

***

Lark groaned, her head throbbed like she’d been hit with a
sledge hammer. Eyes opening into tiny slits, she rolled over. The warm soft
comforter moving with her. Inhaling deeply, the familiar woodsy scent of Devon
filled her nostrils.

“Devon?” she murmured, her mind fuzzy. She didn’t get drunk
often, but she felt like she’d guzzled an entire bottle of Jack last night.
Although, she was fairly certain that had not happened. She searched through her
foggy brain trying to sort through her memories.

“I’m sorry, he’s not here,” a soft feminine voice answered.

Lark’s eyes popped open. She sat up, fighting the dizzying
nausea that threatened to pull her back under. A middle aged woman with
brownish-grey hair sat on the edge of the bed. Familiar hazel eyes studying
her.

“What…” Lark’s heart accelerated, as she shoved her
disheveled blonde locks from her face. The sheets smelled like Devon, but she’d
never been in this room before. The navy walls closed in on her as her memory
returned.

Hand flying to her neck, she flinched, greeted by a tender
spot and what felt like a tiny scab. Panicked, she flew off the bed, bolting to
the door.

In a blink the woman blocked her path, eyes soft
sympathizing, but body unwilling to move.

“I wouldn’t do that,” the woman’s voice calmly cautioned
her.

Lark sucked in deep breaths, in a vain attempt to control
her frazzled nerves. Goosebumps erupted on her flesh as a cold chill shot down
her spine.

“What…what happened? Where am I?” She stammered, eyes
flicking around the room, scoping out an escape route. There were none. She
could tell from the window they were on at least the second floor of a house,
and the freakishly fast woman blocked the door.

“Relax, sweetie,” the woman said in a lilting voice, warm
hands descending on her shoulders. “Come and sit with me.”

Realization dawned on her as she connected with the older
woman’s eyes.

“You’re, Claire, Devon’s mom.”

A soft smile slid across her features erased the few
wrinkles that covered her face. “How is he?” A slight edge filtered into her
voice as she hesitantly looked away.

Lark swallowed, anger seething in her.

“Well, he was fine, but I imagine
now
that he’s learned about this-“
she paused indicating the room. “-he’s probably
pissed.”

Claire’s face fell, her greenish-blue eyes misting.

“I can only imagine what you must
think of me,” she whispered.

Lark quirked a brow. She may be Devon’s mother, but she was
also the woman who had turned her back on her son. She had half a mind to let
her know exactly what she thought but held her tongue. First things first, she
needed to figure out what was going on. Cooperating for the moment seemed the
best option.

“Believe it or not, Lark, I am your friend. Perhaps the only
one you have at the moment.” Claire’s gaze held hers as she walked to the bed
and sat on the edge. “Please have a seat, there are some things we must
discuss,” she said, motioning toward the bed.

Lark ground her teeth. Eyes narrowed, she crossed her arms
over her chest and leaned against the wall. If Claire thought she was going to
just sit on the bed and have a chat, she had another thing coming.

The elder sighed, shaking her head.

“I can see why Devon likes you. You’re
as bull-headed as he is. That is a good thing, I think.”

Lark continued to glare, she didn’t know what to say
.
She
thought
remaining quiet with a peeved expression probably was the best way to go for
now. She needed answers, and losing her head wasn’t the way to get them.

“This
was Devon’s room,” Claire said, indicating the
room.

The blue walls and denim blue bedding kind of fit what she
would expect from him. In fact, it was similar to what she remembered in his
bedroom at the farmhouse.

“My husband plans to hand you over to the leader of the Gulf
packs; he will be here tonight for dinner. You and…Emily will leave for Santa
Fe first thing in the morning. From there-”

“Where is Emily? Vincent and Marcus, what happened to them?”
Lark asked before Claire could continue.

“If you agree to the rules of our household, I can bring
Emily to you. Vincent and Marcus are being held for questioning.”

Lark closed her eyes
and rubbed
her temples. She
didn’t want to think about what kind of
questioning
was going
on. Then there were the rules. It wasn’t that she didn’t value rules
. I
t was the
types of rules these people had that worried her. If only she could get her
phone she could text Devon or,
wait a second.

“Where is my purse?”
Lark
questioned, her hands shaking with nervousness. They may have gotten her phone,
but she had something else in there — something far better.

“Your phone has already been
removed from the front pouch.”

“I have-”
think,
think, think! “-
medicine. I need my purse. My blood pressure
medicine,” Lark gasped, placing her hand to her chest.
Seriously?
Is that the best you could come up with?
She berated herself. Would they
have checked the inside of her purse, she could only pray they hadn’t.

Claire gave her a skeptical look, but nodded slowly.

“I’ll have it brought to you. First
,
the
rules.”

Lark acknowledged the other woman with a slight tilt of her
head.

“You’re not to try and escape. You will do what is asked of
you. Finally, you will join us for dinner this evening and meet with Mr.
Juarez. He is the gentleman whose home you will come to live in,” Claire said
as she stood and walked to the door. “I’ll send Emily to you, and have your
purse brought up.”

Lark watched her leave and waited for the lock to click
shut. After several long moments she realized that it hadn’t been locked.
Chewing her lip, she twisted the cool metal knob, the door pulled open. Devon
and Gene had been right. But where could she go? For the moment following the
rules and waiting for Emily seemed like the best option. With a sigh, she flopped
onto the bed.
How the hell am I going to get out of this?

***

“I swear, Dev, I had no idea,” Daniel said as he answered
the phone.

Devon scrubbed a hand over his face. In a split decision he
decided not to argue with his brother.

“Fine! What is going on?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”

“How could you not know?” Devon threw the comforter back
onto his bed as he paced the length of the bedroom. He needed to do something,
sitting and waiting was not his style.

“I was setting everything up for a midwife to come to the
manor. Natalia, the other wolf, will deliver any day now.”

“She’s pregnant?” Devon asked, halting his movements. “Why
is this the first I’m hearing of it.”

“I’m not entirely sure we can get her out whenever you
follow through with whatever your plan is. She’s skittish,
and
doesn’t
trust anyone. We have to consider Maddie and Amelia too,” he said referring to
the two teenage wolves.

“Where is Lark?” Devon growled, he would concern himself
with the other wolves after Lark and Emily were secured.

“She’s fine
. M
om has her in your old room. She
hasn’t been hurt. She came to a few minutes before I left to make this call.”

“Vincent and Marcus?” Devon held his breath waiting for the
answer.

“Alive, for the moment. Father is-” he paused and Devon
heard him inhale loudly over the phone causing it to crackle. “-questioning
them.”

Devon sat on his bed, it creaked as it dipped beneath him.

“Fernando Juarez will be here this evening. I don’t suppose
you have a plan in place?”

“Of course not,” Devon mumbled, throwing himself backwards
and staring at the white spackled ceiling.

“I’ll do what I can. Father will be trying to charm the
alphas this evening and tomorrow. Whatever you and Gene come up with needs to
be done before Sunday morning.”

“I’m on my way, meet me at Taco Tico at eight tonight.”

“Dev-“

“Just be there,” Devon growled. “I’m sure you can find away.”
Seething
with anger and annoyance,
he hung up the phone.

“That doesn’t sound like much of a plan.”

Devon looked up to see Gene standing in the doorway.

“Daniel’s always been better at
taking orders than giving them. He’ll show up.”

“I suppose that is why you’ll be an alpha, and he’ll be a
beta.”

“Yes well, I’ll rally my troops.”

“I’m going to send some of my men with you, Dev. This needs
to end now before it gets further out of hand.”

Preston cleared his throat popping his head into the room.
Sarah stood next to him, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her arm shook
as she blinked up at him.

“Please get my sister back,” Sarah pleaded, her blue eyes
rimmed with red from crying.

“I plan to,” Devon replied giving her a slight nod. He would
get Lark back.

***

Lark shot up at the soft knock on the tan door. She bit her
lip, not entirely sure she wanted to invite whomever it was inside.
Unfortunately, as the knob turned it didn’t appear she would have a choice.