RaleighPointRescueSue (3 page)

Mac watched in fascination as two beautiful plump lips
fastened around the straw, eyes hooded, and sucked in obvious relief.

Lisa opened her eyes fully again and gazed at him.

“I thought I dreamt you,” she said, her voice soft and hesitant.

Mac didn’t know whether to shout and bang his chest in
elation at the sound of her voice or to just wrap her up in his arms and growl
at anyone who had dared to lay a finger on her.

“You’re still here.”

Mac’s gut ripped at the bewilderment and surprise. He heard
the mistrust and fear of years in those three little words. He tried to reign
in his eagerness. Going all
King Kong
badass on her at the moment wouldn’t win him any prizes.

“I’m not going anywhere, Lisa. I know all this is as
confusing as hell, and you’re probably frightened. I know you’ve been hurt, but
you don’t have to worry about that anymore. We just want you to heal and relax.”

Lisa’s eyes widened, and her breath hitched. “Doctor Madden?”

“Well, if you mean the bitch that was in charge of that
sorry excuse for a hospital they had you
in,
you don’t
have to worry about her ever again.”

Mac hesitated. He could see confused thoughts racing through
her brain and knew she was still a long way off from being able to process
anything.

“Where am I?”

That was a sensible question at least.
“Raleigh
Point, just outside of Raleigh Town, about a hundred and thirty miles east of
Springfield.”

Mac couldn’t help it; he kissed her forehead again.

* * * *

Lisa lay still. She remembered him doing that yesterday. She
couldn’t seem to work out who this man was. He lay next to her, kissing her,
like he had all the time in the world. She wasn’t even frightened, and that
bewildered her even more. She screwed her eyes up, trying to work through the
fog that usually surrounded her brain. To be honest, most of her last few years
had been a fog, and she suddenly realized she was thinking clearer.

They’ve forgotten the
drugs!

Maybe, maybe if she was quiet and still seemed out of it,
they wouldn’t give her anymore for a while. Dr. Madden had been yelling at the
orderlies yesterday, saying she was being transferred. She’d tried to fight
them as usual, and then it got a bit confusing again. She wasn’t sure where
this big guy fit into it at all. She eyed him warily. Thick black hair hung
messily over a wrinkled forehead. He was staring at her but smiling. Not like
she was some weird exhibit, the way they had all looked at her at the hospital.
His eyes were amazing, brilliant blue, like the sky. Well, on television
anyway. It was always blue on television. Pain formed around the sudden lump in
her throat. She made a noise. It could have been a whine. She hoped it wasn’t a
sob. She turned her face away.

A soft finger traced her cheek. All her body quivered.
Desperate, needy.
She wanted to lean into that touch, but
was terrified if she moved, it would be taken away. She’d lost enough. She didn’t
want to be dependent on something else. Everything always got taken away. The
lump in her throat burned. Her head moved barely. His touch seemed to be
magnetic. Warm. Something pulled at her insides. She tried not to turn, but the
burning in her throat eased as the gentle finger stroked her face. Carefully,
slowly, she leaned in. The finger became a palm. Warm.
Strong.
Holding her.

“Lisa?”

She shivered and dared another glance. Wide lips curved in
half a smile on a strong jaw that needed a shave. Maybe he kept it like that?
She wanted to shake her head. She sounded so old. Even in her head. The guys on
the TV didn’t shave. Maybe it was the new thing. What did she know? Sudden
anger flared. Who cared about the guy? Not her. She willed herself to stay
still. Not draw any attention to her being more awake. She slid her eyes
reluctantly away.
Focus.

Maybe this was her chance to escape. She knew she was
strong.
Wicked,
they had called her.
Lisa had to stifle a gasp as the word rang through her head. She was wicked.
She knew she was. She remembered a foster mother screaming it at her as she was
dragged away from her last place because the woman’s sick bastard of a husband
had tried to touch one of the little ones again. Lisa had broken his arm,
wrenching it off the little kid.

She knew it was wrong. She didn’t regret breaking his arm,
but her temper terrified her. When she got angry, she was so strong. She’d go
for weeks with no problem, and then all of a sudden, she’d wake up one day,
burning, and God help anyone who got in her way.
I’m wicked.
Desolate tears wanted to break free, but she couldn’t
even summon the energy for crying. There was no point. There was never any
point.

The guy raised himself up on one arm to look at her. He
could see her face screwed up tight.
“Lisa, honey?”

She didn’t know what to say. She tried calling him
the guy
in her head again, but she knew
it was no good. His name was Mac.

“Lisa, look at me.” If she ignored him, maybe he could
become just
the guy
again

“Lisa, I said look at me.”

Lisa’s eyes opened wide at the power in his voice. She
should be scared. He was messing with her head, because she wasn’t scared, not
really. She trusted his voice.

“Now,” he said getting out of bed, “I know this is confusing
as hell, and I know you’ve been in a bad place for a long time. I’m not going
to bombard you with a lot of information. Just know you are safe, no one’s
gonna
hurt you ever again. My brother Riley is going to
come in here in a moment.
Riley’s a healer, a good one.”

She could nearly hear her pulse speed up.
A healer?
He looked at her
steadily, waiting. She blew a long breath out, and he nodded.

“When Riley has checked to be sure you’re healing okay, my
sister Cassie’s
gonna
help you get comfortable. You
can either eat here or downstairs if you’re ready to brave my family.”

Lisa watched, amazed as his face softened on a grin as he
mentioned his family, and a spurt of jealousy shot through her.

There was a soft knock on the door, and a woman walked in.
She looked about the same age as her, with a smile that crinkled her freckled
face surrounded by red curls.

“Hi, Lisa, I’m Cassie. How are you feeling?” The woman
asked, but Lisa couldn’t answer her as she was too distracted by the huge man
that followed her. Power vibrated off him, and she scrambled up the bed
quivering toward Mac.

* * * *

Mac steadied her and put his arm around her, startled by her
strong reaction to Riley. God, if she thought he was scary, wait till she saw
Zack. He had at least another five inches on the pair of them.

“Riley’s not
gonna
hurt you.” Mac
drew her in protectively, humbled that, in her fear, she had instinctively
sought him out.

 
Riley sat on the
edge of the bed below her, trying to assume the most non-threatening position
he could and his voice lowered by an octave. “Hi, Lisa, I’m Riley, Mac’s
brother. I know your side’s probably still hurting you a
lot,
and I want to check to see how those broken ribs are healing. I just want to
feel your side. I promise I’ll be gentle.” Smiling, he blew on his hands to
warm them up.

“Come on, let’s get you comfortable.” Lisa stiffened briefly
as Mac pulled her onto his lap. His big arms comfortably surrounded her. She
took a shuddering breath, and she leaned back into him. God, he felt like he
could take on the world when she did that. Lisa flinched slightly as Riley
touched her arm, but she still leaned back. He moved slightly and smiled when
she followed.

“Good girl.” Mac kissed her head as she relaxed. In no time,
Riley had checked her ribs and nodded a satisfied grin to Mac.

Mac lifted her
unprotesting
body and
stood her next to him, careful not to let go until he knew she had her balance.
“I’m going downstairs while you get showered.”

Lisa made a grab for his arm. “I…”

“Cassie’s
gonna
help you get
ready. I’ll just be downstairs.” Mac glanced at Cassie for confirmation. “If
you need me, tell Cassie. She’ll shout for me.” Mac brought his cell out of his
pocket and left it on the nightstand. “I’ll be with Riley.”

Cassie nodded and smiled. “We’ll be quick. You’ll feel much
better.”

Mac stared as the silence lengthened. He’d caught her
agonized reaction before she’d turned away. He thought she’d want privacy, and
to be honest, he needed some time just to sort his feelings out. He felt like
he was just getting off a rollercoaster that he’d been stuck on for about ten
hours. He moved uncomfortably and turned to tell Riley he was
gonna
wait up here until Lisa was ready. Lisa’s stiffened
shoulders made him feel like he was abandoning her. He stared at her back, willing
her to look. If she turned, he would stay. He sighed silently and followed
Riley out of the room.

Lisa turned just as the door closed.

Chapter Three

Mac put out a hand to stop Riley. “I need to borrow your
phone.” Riley nodded and handed it over then turned to go. “Riley.” Mac shook
his head to get Riley to stay and leaned on the bannister waiting for Brett to
answer.

“Riley?”

“It’s Mac.
Got a problem.”
If that isn’t the
understatement of the century.
He could imagine Brett grinning.

“I know she’s there okay. Zack called.”

“Yeah, Brett, but it was weird. He told you they were
getting ready to move her?”

“That’s what Dr. Michaels—”

Mac interrupted “Brett, one of the nurses was a shifter.”

Riley’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment, and a soft gasp came
from Brett.

“What the hell?” Brett started.

“Look, it was weird. There was no way any shifter wouldn’t
have known what Lisa was, even if they didn’t know her alpha status. I just can’t
believe any shifter would leave her in that place, without at least, I don’t
know, a phone call?”

“
Mmm
… let me make some calls.
Mac?
It may be a good idea for you to make some.”

Mac nodded and hung up. He knew Brett meant his F.B.I.
buddy, Daniel. Daniel was a cat, a huge, four hundred pound tiger.

“You didn’t say,” Riley said.

Mac handed the phone back. “Not exactly time.”

Riley shook his head.
“Of course not.
I take it Brett’s going to do some digging?”

“Yeah, and he wants me to call Daniel.”

“Mac, do you think we should bring breakfast upstairs to
her?
A bit quieter up here.”

Mac’s bear bristled. She was his. He wanted to show her
around.

“She’s not a bloody prisoner. I want her to feel at home.”

They walked to the kitchen.

* * * *

Cassie headed for the bathroom. “It can be a bit crazy
around here, but you get used to it pretty quickly.” She chuckled and turned
the shower on, adjusting the temperature. “Now, I’ve put out all the toiletries
I think you’ll need. I’m going to grab you some spare clothes, so I’ll leave
you to get showered in peace.”

Lisa’s mouth fell open, as Cassie turned to leave. She was
stunned. She hadn’t been allowed to shower on her own without an orderly
present in as long as she could remember. Embarrassed images came flooding
back. It was always supposed to be a woman orderly, but sometimes it hadn’t
been. Familiar anger grew, and she had to bite her lip and force her hands
down.
No,
she wouldn’t lose her
temper. So far, this had been the best place she had ever been, and she wouldn’t
let her anger make them send her away.

Lisa looked in awe around the bathroom. She had never seen
such a beautiful room. Sleek, black marble countertops hugged cream shelves.
The shower stall was nearly as huge as her room back at the hospital. She
undressed quickly, keeping her face averted from the mirror. She stepped in,
and years of tension fell from her shoulders under the warm spray. She simply
stood, not moving for two full minutes while she relaxed.
Warm,
safe.
Nicest place on earth.

She needed to wash her hair and studied the numerous little
bottles on the ledge. She opened a few before choosing one that smelled of
flowers and lathered her hair up carefully. When she’d finished and had wrapped
herself in a huge fluffy blue towel, there was a soft knock, and Cassie put her
head around the door.

“I’ve got a few spare clothes with me. You should be able to
choose something from them you like until we can get you your own.”

Lisa’s head lifted sharply. She was going to get her own
clothes?

Cassie saw her surprise and frowned. She came into the room
to sit on a stool. “I know this is all frightening for you, and there are a lot
of things that I will let Mac explain, but try not to worry. Now, I’ll wait outside.
You shout when you’re ready, and we’ll go and get breakfast.” Cassie smiled
again and headed for the door, clearly not expecting Lisa to answer her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Blue-green eyes smiled back. “You’re very welcome. Shout for
me when you’re done.”

Lisa sat heavily on the stool after Cassie left, her eyes
going to the pile of bright clothes. She shook her head in disbelief. When was
it all going to start going wrong?
Because it always did.
Sure as eggs
is eggs
.
Smiling softly, she could hear the sound of Mrs. McAllister in her head. She’d
been a group-home mother.
One of the nicer ones.
She
cautiously lifted up a pink sweater and rubbed it against her face.
Warm,
soft.
Wow, underwear. She picked up a scrap
of lace and held it to her cheek.
Delicate.
Probably
wouldn’t fit her. Breathing slowly, she pulled them on. Breath hitched. They
fit her fine. Then she scowled. What did it matter? They were all just taking
pity on her.
Playing dress-up.

She fingered the bras cautiously. She hadn’t worn one for a
long time and wasn’t sure how comfy they’d be, so she placed them back on the
pile. Embarrassed, she wasn’t even sure she’d know if one did fit her properly.

Cassie knocked and put her head around. “Sorry, I should
have asked would you like me to do your hair for you.”

Lisa’s face flamed as she cautiously looked at the girl staring
back at her from the mirror. Was that really her? That mass of cuts and bruises
and sticking up tangled brown hair despite the conditioner she’d found? Who was
she kidding? She knew she was ugly. They sometimes thought she’d been too
drugged to hear them the nights when the orderlies had checked on her. But she’d
heard them. They’d laughed, said that none of them would ever be that
desperate.

Feeling the familiar anger rise in her, she clenched her
fists and fought it back down. She mustn’t lose control, ever.
Wicked.

Lisa suddenly went rigid. She had been so busy concentrating
on forcing her anger back down, she had missed Cassie coming up behind her, and
the first touch of the brush on her hair made her gasp. Cassie didn’t seem to
notice. With a soft touch of her hand, she urged Lisa to sit while she murmured
about what a lovely color her hair
was,
how they could
go for a salon visit next week and get it properly cut, and wouldn’t it be fun
to have a girl’s day to themselves? Then Cassie had chuckled and added
something about having to convince the guys to let them out of their sight.

Lisa was utterly bewildered. No one had ever spoken to her
like this, and she found herself blinking back tears. Cassie didn’t seem to
notice as she seemed to think Lisa’s hair was dry enough, and they should go
eat before all the guys got everything.

Cassie held out an arm to link with Lisa.
“You
hungry?
I’m starved.”

Lisa, glad that Cassie seemed to realize her legs were still
a bit wobbly, clutched her arm and followed her out.

Lisa was concentrating too hard to notice any rooms they
walked past as they headed closer to where a loud conversation could be heard.
Cassie opened a big door, and Lisa flinched automatically at the noise. Two
harsh breaths and she
was
ready to run. Noise beat
down on her. Walls were moving. Shouts echoed inside her like they had in the
hospital. She froze.

Then magically, he was there.
Mac.
Bright blue eyes calmed her, and firm hands steered her to a seat.

“Sorry, I forgot how rowdy they can all be. Just ignore them
all.”

Riley, she knew, and he brushed his hand across her arm
gently to quiet
her the
same as it had earlier. She
was quite grateful to be sitting between him and Mac. Riley was laughing with
another big guy.
Oh my God,
big guy
. He was huge.

The big guy turned, and Lisa gasped. He was holding a baby
and started strapping him in a rocker.

“There are six of us altogether. My younger brothers are
away at college in Atlanta.” Mac laughed. “Those two over there are the oldest.”
He pointed at the giant. “That’s Riley’s twin Zack. Then there’s the baby of
the family.” Mac grinned at Cassie. “Mom and Dad stopped after that. I think they
were in shock.”

“You mean they finally had me and realized they couldn’t
ever improve on perfection.” Cassie grabbed a slice of bacon off Zack’s plate
while he was distracted. “Let’s face it; they had to keep trying with you guys.”

Cassie shrieked as Zack lifted her off her feet and grabbed
the bacon back. Lisa jumped at the noise, and Mac put his arms around her. She
held her breath. No one had noticed. No one was looking at her. Lisa forced her
breaths to be steady. There was nothing to be scared of. Mac held her.

Words.
Someone was speaking.

“Actually, Lisa, I met you yesterday. I was your taxi
driver, but we never got introduced.” Zack smiled softly and nodded to the baby
in the rocker. “This is my son, Codie.”

Lisa stared at the baby. He was fast asleep. Gorgeous black
curls framed his face, and he looked chubby in all the right places. Something
sharp jabbed at her stomach, and she put her hands across her middle
protectively. She’d loved hanging out with the little ones when she’d been in
the group homes.
At least before they’d taken her away.
She hadn’t been trusted then.

She remembered a little, dark-haired toddler who had run
into her room at the hospital by mistake. He’d tripped as he charged in and had
started crying. She’d hurried over to see what the matter was before two
orderlies had run in. They’d thought she’d done something to the kid. Her door
had always been locked after that whenever visitors were in the building.

She shrank back and ignored the careful look Riley gave her.

Just then the door opened, and two kids walked into the
room. Cassie immediately grabbed them for a hug. The little one, a boy who
looked to be about six or seven, just smiled quietly, but the older one,
possibly a teenager, swaggered into the room and stood patiently through the
hug. He had a resigned
what are you
gonna
do
look on his face, and Zack chuckled as Alex
made a beeline for him. Something stabbed at Lisa again when she saw his eager
acceptance of Zack ruffling his hair.

Lisa gulped at the loaded plate Cassie put down in front of
her. Eggs, bacon, waffles, mushrooms were all balanced on what looked like two
rounds of toast. Lisa couldn’t remember seeing that much food on her plate ever
before, and she certainly wasn’t capable of eating it all.

Lisa, uncomfortably aware she hadn’t said one thing, looked
up at Cassie. “Thank you.”

Mac squeezed her leg under the table, and she was suddenly
very glad he was there.

Lisa nibbled on some bacon and pushed her toast around a
bit, her throat closing at the sight of all that food. Hoping no one was
looking at
her,
she raised her eyes and came face to
face with the teenager’s dark ones.

Alex, Zack had called him, was staring at her with a puzzled
look on his tanned face and then he grinned. “Come on you have to eat—us alpha’s
got to stick together.
Ow
.”
Alex whined as he had clearly got a kick under the table from Zack. “What? I’m
just saying.”

“That’ll do, Alex,” Mac said emphatically.

Lisa looked at Mac, her chest tightening. His face was
closed, tight, hard. Something she’d done had upset him.
And what is an alpha?

“I was just trying to be friendly,” Alex said sulkily and
glared at Lisa like it was her fault.

Lisa could feel the burning inside her start.
No,
not here.
She
couldn’t lose her temper here. She fisted her hands by her sides.

“Well, cool it for now, okay?” Cassie ruffled Alex’s hair.

“Forget it,” shouted Alex and stood and turned.

“Sit down,” barked Zack. “You will treat Cassie with
respect.”

Alex angrily shoved the table, and that was it. The tenuous
thread on her control broke, and she roared and pushed the table back at Alex.
Temper swirled about her, she couldn’t hear anything. She couldn’t feel
anything. Flames of red hot anger burned through her. Her vision went red. Just
as she grabbed the edge of the table, two powerful arms surrounded her and
lifted her back into Mac’s hard chest.

“Stop.
Stop right now.” The
powerful voice echoed around her and zeroed on her inside. A feeling of peace
washed over her, and she urgently needed to comply. Just as her anger had so
quickly ignited in her, it was gone. Her strength left as well, and if Mac hadn’t
been holding her, she would have been on the floor. She heard an agonized cry
and realized it was her. Strong arms lifted her, folding her to him.

She gave one gulp, and her eyes flooded with tears. No, she
didn’t cry. Not anymore. With utter and complete despair, she curled into the
big arms that were holding her. She’d lost her temper. They would drug her.
They would drug her, and they would send her back.
Wicked.

* * * *

Mac wanted to cut his own throat.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
What on earth had he been thinking,
dragging her into breakfast with them all? He tended to forget his large,
boisterous family could make even the most outgoing people nervous, let alone
some poor kid that had probably only seen the same four walls for a long time.

She was going through her mating cycle, too, which made
everything ten times worse. Riley had warned him, but he thought he knew
better. Striding out of the kitchen, he took the stairs two at a time. Quickly
going into her room, Mac sat down on the bed. Lisa kept crying. She was trying
to heave in huge lungs-full of air as if there wasn’t enough oxygen in the
room, and she shook all over.