Chapter 24

Shit got real. Fast. I still can't seem to wipe the smile off my face this morning.

No matter how furious Ranger is—and he is fuming—it still can't rain on my parade.

I think it took him until he woke up today to realize that he can't shove me down in his basement…

Laken and I bonded, meaning any pain or discomfort I feel will filter through the bond and affect her.

Maverick and Gunner bounce their gazes between me and Ranger as he stomps around the kitchen, ranting about needing to find someone to shove in his torture dungeon.

"The housekeepers should be here in ten minutes," he growls at Maverick and Gunner. He looks pointedly at me before continuing. "I couldn't get Laken in for a doctor's appointment today. Although, I did try. She is scheduled for later this week. For today, we will be going to Charlottesville to purchase necessities for her." He looks back at Maverick and Gunner. "You're coming. I want someone watching our backs."

"The dogs will have to come too," Maverick says, shrugging. "They'll probably be happy to get out and go for a walk."

Having a bond is a unique experience. I'm learning pretty quickly that Laken's facial expressions do not necessarily match her mood.

She frowns, browsing the aisles of clothing, but she's not upset or dissatisfied with the options.

I'm pretty sure she's just overwhelmed with the price tags in the small boutique shop.

"I feel like maybe I should return the clothes Vale gave me," Laken whispers, smiling politely when she spots Ranger watching her browse the racks. "Most of it was from this store, and sweet Jesus, I'd be fine with Target."

I grab one of the dresses and whistle under my breath.

"Yeah, that is pricey." I shrug. "Don't worry. You could buy a new dress for every day of the year, and I guarantee you're not touching what that guy has to spend." I laugh as her eyes narrow. "I'm just playing. Also, I'm not as well off as your husband, so be gentle."

"Ohmigod, I actually forgot about that," she whispers, wrapping her arms around my middle. "I'm not incapable of buying things for myself. Or I wouldn't be if someone would kindly return my debit card."

"That would be an excellent way for our enemies to track you," Ranger says, grabbing the dress she looked at and verifying it's in her size. He adds it to the growing pile resting over his left arm.

"Won't they already know where to find me when you announce our wedding?" she asks, bringing up a very good point.

"My back-up residence is the only property listed in my name." Ranger selects the same style dress he just collected, except in a pale blue. "My home and the house I had built for Sparrow are legally hidden behind a persona I keep very close to the vest. I do enjoy sleeping peacefully. Even when I announced Kate's location to Andretti, I wasn't dumb enough to attempt to send him to my actual home."

"And you couldn't have housed Kate at your back-up property?" Laken asks, giving Ranger a damn impressive frown.

"No," Ranger says simply. "It's even more secluded than the compound. I use it as a mare's nest of sorts. I've told the two of you something very few know." He glances between us. "My colleagues at Assurance know the true location of my home, but outside of a select few, if I'm conducting business, it's done at my back-up property." He smiles at Laken. "Although, if I had anticipated your arrival in my life, I certainly would have planned better. I gain no satisfaction in knowing your senses are uncomfortable due to Kate."

The little omega's discomfort lights up in the bond. She pats my back before releasing me and heading over to Ranger. I'm pretty sure she's feeling guilty for bringing up Kate again. The bond gives me unparalleled access to her emotions, but not necessarily her thoughts, so there's no way to be positive.

"That was very sweet." She circles his waist with her arms, stretching up to kiss his jaw.

I exhale heavily.

I'm fully aware of her affection for Ranger. That lunatic is pretty much gone for her, if his conniving plan to marry her is any indication.

"I feel bad bringing it up again, and I do believe you," she says. "I also feel terrible about what happened to Kate. That petty comment slipped right out before I had time to even think it through. I'll work on being less defensive about her. My instincts are straight-up catty when I think about you with someone else."

"You certainly don't need to defend yourself to me. I also feel distaste when thinking about you with anyone else," Ranger says, raising his arm that's absolutely loaded down with dresses. "Now, would you like to try any of these on, or can we just check out?"

"Um, I better try them on," Laken says. "I also need bras and underwear. I got distracted by the prices and that extremely soft fabric."

"Fair enough." Ranger nods. "I'll ask them to begin setting up a dressing room for you."

We send our take-out orders to Maverick, and he and Gunner head to the diner to pick them up while Ranger pops into the small jewelry store.

He's only inside for ten minutes, and Laken and I sit in companionable silence on the bench out front while we wait.

Ranger doesn't say a word about his purchase. Instead, he leads us to the pharmacy, which he mentioned we would visit next.

It's a legitimate small-town mom-and-pop style pharmacy, with rows of first aid, medical supplies, contraceptives, and feminine care products.

I aim for the pain reliever section because I have a feeling that dealing with Ranger on a regular basis is enough to give anyone tension headaches.

Laken follows behind me, and I slow so she can catch up. She links her fingers in mine as we browse the aisle.

Ranger meets us with a giant handheld basket filled to the brim. My eyes bug when I catch sight of probably ten pregnancy tests, pads, tampons, and weirdly enough, like three brands of lube. "I also need to grab QuikClot before we leave, but yes, pain relievers might be necessary if we don't conceive during this heat."

Laken trips over her own feet. "I'm sorry. What now?"

"The post-heat cramps can cause discomfort." Ranger grabs several types of headache medicine. "Nothing with aspirin. That could exacerbate the bleeding."

I glance between them with less than zero idea what he's talking about.

"Female omegas menstruate the week after the heat if conception fails to occur," Ranger says helpfully.

"That was a major bonus of taking suppressants." Laken groans, burying her face in my chest. "I almost never had more than a few days of breakthrough bleeding when starting a new pack."

Ranger holds the basket out between them. "I picked several brands and varieties, but if you have preferences, feel free to grab them now."

Laken digs around in the basket, and Ranger quirks an eyebrow at me.

I'm not sure why it feels like he's blasting me for some perceived shortcoming.

I'm doing the best I can here, but I've had an omega of my own for less than a full day. The urge to stab him while Laken is preoccupied comes out of nowhere. They don't have a bond yet. It wouldn't hurt her a bit.

Dammit.

I don't like the thought that he knows how to take care of her needs better than I do. I'm going to do some research when we get back home.

On the way into town, we were a small convoy of two vehicles. On the way home, it's just us, since Maverick and Gunner headed back with the food while we were still checking out in the pharmacy.

Ranger sits in the front passenger seat as I drive. He bitches continually until I threaten to pull over so he can take the wheel.

"You two are adorable," Laken says from the back seat. "You bicker worse than an old married couple."

"Yes, well, I'd like to actually arrive at our destination," Ranger says blandly.

I raise a hand, flipping him off. Laken only laughs harder, and it feels like a win.

Ranger spins around in his seat. "I did try to get an appointment scheduled for you today, but one doctor is out of town until the end of next week. You'll be seen Friday."

Something vibrates in the bond.

It's difficult to decipher, but I think it's sadness or maybe nostalgia.

"You may use this to check your voicemail." Ranger passes back a cell phone. "Please make it quick. I have the Assurance tech specialist working from his end to…" He frowns as she takes the phone. "Scramble something. I don't know all the details, but he did give a small window for you to safely check to see if your test results came in."

"Thank you," she says, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror.

The bond fills with her sadness.

Yeah, that feeling is definitely her misery. I can't remember his name, but she's thinking about the guy from Chicago that she called while we were in Boston.

It's not a great feeling, but I get it. She had a life before she was kidnapped.

She'll have one after it too.

I sigh, turning onto the dirt road that leads to Ranger's house.

Laken's face turns to a frown as I glance at her in the mirror. "They didn't call in my prescription, and they said I need to call to get my test results. That's kind of weird. Then again, that doctor wouldn't hear a word I said when I asked for stronger suppressants."

"If you intend to call, make it quick," Ranger says. "If they can't give you the results quickly, we'll need to schedule another time to try again."

"Got it." Laken pulls the phone down and dials before bringing it back to her ear. It's silent for a while before someone answers the call. She gives them her basic information and informs them that she's calling back for test results.

We make it to the curve before Ranger's house, and as we come around it, something is off. The black SUV that Maverick and Gunner were driving is blocking the small dirt road. There's a car pulled off on the grass near the woods, and it's jacked up, with the back tire lying on the ground.

"Yes, that's me. Laken Spencer…" She goes on to verify her birth date and some other information, but my head swivels to Ranger.

"Drive past," he growls, yanking open the glove box.

The right side of the road has a higher embankment than the left, which is where the car is pulled off. I'm even more confused that I don't see Maverick or Gunner or the owner of the vehicle.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to fuck up the front end if I try to drive up on the right side," I tell him, still scanning the road and surrounding area.

"Do it," he growls.

Ranger drops a Glock into my lap, and I frown.

"I'm telling you, this thing isn't going to make it up that hill without bottoming out. I might be able to pull around the car on the left."

"Fine, but speed up considerably," he growls, checking the magazine on his weapon.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Laken chokes out. Her terror fills the bond, and it distracts me. "Are you sure? Do you have a date or anything?"

"Don't you think we should check on them?" I ask, slowing down behind the SUV. "You two stay here. I'll check."

"Hang up," Ranger growls.

"Listen, it's probably just some old people out for a drive. I'll check." I slam the SUV into park and pop open my door.

I'm not sure why it feels like I'm suffocating all of a sudden, and it takes me way too long to realize it's Laken's panic influencing my actions.