Twin Wolf Trouble (Shifter Squad Six 2) (11 page)

“Oh my Lord, aren’t they precious! And there’s two of them! Oh, Barkley, you didn’t tell me we were going to have the cutest little visitors in the whole wide world!” she said, squeezing Madeline’s hand with one of hers, swinging Raze onto her hip with the seasoned ease of a woman who had obviously raised more than one child of her own, and giving her husband an excited look over her shoulder.

“Well, the more the merrier, isn’t it?” the tall, hulking man—Barkley—noted, grinning through his bushy beard. “Connor called me and let me know that we’d be having some guests staying over. What’s ours is yours. We go way back with Connor. I assume you two are Tex and Thatch,” he said, nodding at Madeline and then turning his attention to the two men.

Almost instantly, both of the wolves straightened up, practically saluting the big bear when they recognized the name.

“Colonel Reims, it’s an honor. Sergeant Tex Crawley,” Tex said.

“We’re sorry to intrude, sir. Sergeant Thatch Crawley,” Thatch said as well.

Barkley waved his hand dismissively and then shook hands with both Tex and Thatch, grinning like the sweetest damn grizzled biker in the world. Madeline could spy at least ten different tattoos on his arms, and his sleeves were only rolled halfway up. He was obviously already in his sixties, judging by the gray in his hair and beard, but his pale gray eyes were sharp as hell and he was so fit that he could have probably taken the wolves on and given them a run for their money.

“It’s no intrusion. Connor’s friends are my friends. Call me Barkley. And this is Mary, my wife.”

“Pleasure, ma’am,” Tex and Thatch said in unison, Madeline smiling at the bright-eyed, jovial woman who was busy swinging Raze in her arms.

“It’s Mary, not ma’am! And don’t you forget it, okay? You think Barkley’s scary, you should see me when I get too many boys calling me ma’am like I’m old!
Psh
! And what are the names of these two little angels? And you, my sweet! Oh, you look positively pale! Come, I’ll get you some coffee and a muffin or something. Is your blood sugar okay?” Mary asked, swinging her free arm around Madeline and walking her deeper into the big compound.

“Um, thank you! I’m sure it’s fine, it’s simply been a long day. I am Madeline. The boy you’re holding is Raze and the other hellion is Rhone,” Madeline said, failing to stifle a little laugh at how motherly Mary was.

She made Madeline think of her own mother back in Louisiana. The twinge of pain that shot through her was no laughing matter, but she braved it and followed Mary to the second floor and through a long corridor leading into a kitchen. Mary instructed her to sit down and so she did, though Raze remained firmly on Mary’s hip as the woman flew through the kitchen like a whirlwind.

There were small windows overlooking the train yards, and Madeline figured they were in some kind of an old maintenance building, rebuilt as a sort of a bunker and a home. She could spy a number of bikes outside, mostly chromed-up hogs, and bright lights somewhere above them.

“Can I ask, Mary, where are we?” Madeline queried, perking her ears to hear if Tex was coming to bring her Rhone by any chance.

It felt odd being away from one of her boys for even a second. Any other time, she would have immediately gotten up to go find him, but something in her told her that if there was anyone in the world she could trust her babies with, then it would be their fathers!

“Oh! You’re in the Bear Den, my dear. Barkley decided after the whole military thing played out for him and our kids all grew up that we were done with running around. So we settled down, bought this place, fixed it up, and he got to do what he always wanted to—open a bar! He’s always loved motorcycles and now he splits his time between fixing them up and running the bar downstairs. Best behaved biker joint you’ll ever visit, I can promise you that,” Mary said with a cheerful laugh, putting a steaming mug of coffee in front of Madeline and a bowl stacked high with freshly baked muffins.

They smelled divine. Madeline couldn’t resist. She hadn’t had a bite to eat since the small sandwich she’d grabbed in the morning with Fiona, and plenty had happened since then to make her stomach grumble and protest. Biting into it, her eyes rolled back in her head slightly.

“Oh wow, these are delicious,” Madeline said, covering her mouth as she blurted the words out before she’d properly swallowed.

“Family recipe. Barkley loves them,” Mary replied, beaming as she sat down with Raze on her knees. “Now, my dear, tell me what have you gotten yourself into with those wolf boys of yours?”

“They’re not my wolves,” Madeline protested, a blush on her cheeks. The last thing she could call them were
hers.

“Really?” Mary asked, pursing her lips a bit in good-natured surprise. “Don’t tell me these babies aren’t theirs. They have their daddies’ eyes down to the little golden flecks! And I can recognize Alpha wolves when I see them, so don’t you go telling me any lies here, my dear. I’ve seen far too much to fall for any smoke and mirrors,” Mary said with a grin and a wink, scruffing her hand through Raze’s hair and making the boy giggle.

Madeline sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. Well, Mary had her there.

“No, they are the fathers of Raze and Rhone. But before today, they didn’t even know that they had kids and I wasn’t going to find them and tell them.”

“Why not?” Mary asked, not a line or note of accusation in her voice.

“Because… well, because we had a one-night stand and it was safer for me to stay away from them and anyone else I knew. And I can’t expect two wolves like they are to change their lives for kids they didn’t plan. It wouldn’t be fair on them. It was my decision to keep the boys and I can raise them on my own. I just need a little help right now to get them to safety and after that, it’ll all be okay again.”

Madeline wanted desperately to believe the words she was saying. But did she, really? Biting the inside of her mouth to get her emotions in check, she wasn’t so sure if she did. Mary clucked quietly, turning Raze toward her and cocking her head to the side as she smiled at the boy.

“What do you think, Raze? Could your daddies ever walk away from you now? I don’t think so! I think your mommy is strongly underestimating the bond between a shifter and their kids. You watch and see!”

Madeline could feel her blush getting deeper and darker and she took a sip of her coffee, trying to swallow it all down. Not only the embarrassment, but the day and everything that had happened in it. She knew she was supposed to be safe now, for the time being, but she certainly didn’t feel entirely safe. Her physical body was not in danger and she knew her boys were protected, but what about her heart?

Madeline felt like her heart had come under direct fire and there was no way out. And what if Mary was right? What if there
could
be something between her and Tex and Thatch? Could she really have the family she had dreamed of when she told the twins about how she wanted to bring children into a happy, complete home?

Stop dreaming, Madeline. Fairytales don’t come true. Especially when there are men with guns after you,
she scolded herself, taking another bite of the muffin.
 

CHAPTER TWELVE

Thatch

Thatch stared out of the window, squeezing his phone in his hand. In the back of his head, a million thoughts were running at the same time, all clamoring for his attention and all failing to monopolize it. There was too damn much going on and he couldn’t concentrate on any of it.

The night had been uneventful. They’d bunked in separate rooms, Madeline together with the babies and he and Tex in another room above the bar. Barkley kept a tight ship and after they’d explained to him what had been going on, his expression had gotten just as grim as Thatch felt. This was no small problem that could get whisked away. Thatch knew that. Tex knew that. They were all sorts of screwed and no one currently had a plan on how to handle any of it.

Tex, the bastard, had gotten out of Bear’s Den before Thatch had gotten out of bed, borrowing one of Barkley’s choppers. They’d discussed having to go and pick up some additional supplies from Dutch and the rest of the team, and fill Connor in on what was going on in person. Thatch had hoped that he could be the one to do it, but Tex had been up way earlier than he usually was and by the time Thatch realized what Tex was doing, it was too late to stop him.

So there he was now, staring out of a window, while his blackmailer was blowing up his phone with calls and texts and every curse word known to man or shifter alike. Thatch gritted his teeth. He hadn’t bothered to pick up the phone. In the state that Blake must have been in currently, foaming at the mouth with rage, there was no point in trying to talk to him. He’d spew insults and threats in Thatch’s direction and he was in no mood to deal with that.

He’d missed the meetup time, but he couldn’t go and leave Madeline alone in the house, even if Colonel Reims was one of the most badass SEAL legends ever known. Still, Thatch would never leave Madeline, Raze, and Rhone without either him or Tex being present in a situation like this.

His thoughts were going down another dark path, ignoring the important topics as usual, when he heard soft footsteps behind him. Whipping around, he caught sight of Madeline, tucking her hair behind her ear and smiling at him bashfully. His stomach twisted at the sight of her. Spirits above, she was as perfect as ever and the way her body and mind called to him was bordering on ridiculous.

“Morning,” she said, offering him a cup of coffee. “Mary insisted on staying with the kids for a moment so I could grab some breakfast. Do you want to join me? I heard Tex is out running an errand of some sort.”

At the exact moment Thatch accepted the coffee, the cellphone rang again in his pocket and Thatch closed his eyes with a low growl on his lips, thumbing it onto silent. When he opened his eyes again, Madeline looked at him curiously, her beautiful eyes shaded with worry. He cleared his throat quickly.

Dammit, Thatch, you’re scaring her. Get your head together.

“I’d love to join you,” he said, smiling as he stepped forward.

Madeline looked relieved and she led him into the kitchen, her hips swinging maddeningly as they walked down the narrow corridor. They made it into the kitchen and Thatch was thankful for the seat because he was pretty sure it was going to be difficult as hell hiding his hard-on from her for too long. Staring at her juicy body did that to him, especially knowing that she was the mother of his pups.

His
pups. His and Tex’s. It still boggled his mind and he hadn’t properly had the time to sit down and really talk it over with himself to understand the full extent of what it meant to him. But he knew one thing for certain—he was one happy wolf, all things considered. Even with countless threats hanging over his head, he could still appreciate the fact that he was now a father. And his beautiful mate was sitting down for breakfast with him.

“Sorry, Madeline. It’s been… a challenging few days,” he admitted, stacking some pancakes and eggs and bacon on his plate, the table heaving under the mass of food Mary had put out for them.

“Really? I didn’t even notice,” Madeline scoffed, sipping at her coffee. “I mean, sorry too. I don’t mean to be snippy,” she said with a sigh.

“Hey, you can have as much attitude as you want around me and Tex. You know that, right? I don’t think you could do a thing wrong in our eyes at this point,” he said earnestly.

Madeline paused, her fork in the air with a bite of pancake on it. She frowned slightly and Thatch had to catch her gaze again as she looked down, suddenly seeming rather taken aback.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No. Not really. It’s just… well. I kind of hid Raze and Rhone from you two. I don’t think that’s something that can be excused so easily,” she said, gnawing on her lower lip.

Thatch straightened up in his seat, dropping the utensils. He reached out his hand and tipped her chin upward so she was looking him in the eyes, her big gray eyes gleaming with what could turn out to be tears if he didn’t say the right thing or tell her exactly how he felt.

“There’s nothing to forgive. You had no way of finding us. You didn’t even know our last names and it’s not like we’re on SassyDate,” he said, ignoring the screaming desire to lean in and kiss that worried pout off her lips.

“But I didn’t try,” she said with a small voice, twisting the knife in his heart a bit further.

“It’s okay, Madeline. We’re getting to know them now. As soon as things settle down, as soon as we figure things out with your safety, we’ll all sit down and talk this out. But I need you to know right now that you did nothing wrong. We should have known that this could happen too. With the right woman… well, let’s say I’m not surprised that you got pregnant.