Chapter 39

"Ifeel like I was tricked," I say, turning away from the window and frowning at Locke.

"They said they would call. It hasn't even been half an hour," Locke says, wrapping his forearm around the back of my head as he pulls me to his chest. "You can feel that they're safe."

"I know." I snuggle closer to his armpit with zero shame. He smells like bergamot and citrus. It helps to settle my frazzled nerves. "Does this mean Adair and Kurran backed out of the meeting?"

"Not likely." Locke moves his hands to my ass and lifts me until I wrap my legs around his rear end.

"Just remember, you're not shacked up in here alone." Annika laughs from her spot on the other hotel bed. She sits between her alphas, with her back against the headboard.

Locke quirks an eyebrow. "There's a bathroom, and it would be a decent distraction."

I laugh, moving my nose to his throat. "Thank you for trying to boost my spirits."

"Always, kitten." He walks us over to the bed next to the bathroom and stretches out. "I know you wanted us to be out there, close to the action, but it's safer here in the hotel."

I get it.

The place they picked to meet is in the middle of nowhere. It's unlikely they would come into town and attack a widely populated hotel.

I snuggle close to his chest. "I'm just grateful you're here with me."

Every minute seems to pass exceptionally slowly.

Locke purrs, sliding his huge hand up and down my back.

"You might want to hop up," Annika says, surprising me.

"Why?" I push up on my knees, rubbing at my eyes.

"Because Grady and Kane are getting closer." Annika laughs. "I had a feeling those assholes weren't going to call."

Yeah, I got that feeling a while ago, when Locke mentioned how much safer the hotel was.

The door lock clicks, and a second later, the door pops open. I scramble off Locke's lap as Annika and her alphas pop up like they're double checking that it really is our guys.

My eyes land on my sister, and my knees go weak with relief.

Ranger's shaggy curls pop into view above her head, and Tanner's wide shoulders come into view behind him.

I take my steps slowly because Lyra looks a little skittish, but at some point, she meets me in the middle for a hug that makes my entire body shake as I try to hold back the tears.

When our mom died, our dads basically fell apart. They still went to work and stayed together as a pack, but they barely functioned. They certainly didn't have the emotional capacity for two teenage daughters.

"I missed you. I'm so glad you're okay." I squeeze the hell out of her.

"Me too. You and I need to talk," she whispers.

"Hey, Lyra." Annika pats my sister on the shoulder. "You look like shit, but I'm glad to see you're in one piece." She smiles at me. "Me and my guys are going to bounce. We'll be in our room if you need anything."

They funnel out, and the door closes loudly.

"I need the bathroom. Does anyone have clothes I can wear?" my sister asks.

"Yeah, I'll grab you some of mine," I say as she heads toward the bathroom without a backward glance. The door closes, and I run to hug Tanner and Ranger. "I think I'm going to need a minute alone with her once she's done."

"Are we heading back home or staying here for the night?" Locke asks as Tanner kisses my forehead.

"We'll stay for the night," Ranger says. The water in the shower turns on, and my stoic alpha bends to give me a quick kiss. "I had a conversation with Lyra that I'm sure you'll hear about. Mercer is sending a team of two of the new hires to accompany her to the airport and all the way to the welcome desk at the rehab I mentioned. Merrick has her on a seven a.m. flight to California. She didn't seem interested, but we'll give the two of you a bit of space to talk it out."

"Thank you." I stretch to steal another kiss. "I love you."

"Mmm, you always taste so sweet." He nuzzles his nose to mine. "I love you too." His words make my insides light up and give me extra strength for the battle I have a feeling is coming with my sister.

Tanner grabs my hips, yanking my back to his chest. He pulls my hair aside and licks down my neck, sending a pulse through the bond. He nips at my ear and says, "I'm happy to stay with you."

I shake my head. "Nah, I think I need to have this conversation one-on-one."

Locke comes up to frame my front and bends, giving me a licking, sucking kiss that makes my knees weak. "We'll be next door in the room we rented solely for the equipment."

"Equipment?" Ranger scoffs. "I learned my lesson last time. Having a room adjacent to Sparrow's is not a pleasant experience."

Lyra sits on the bed a few feet away from me, but I honestly don't think we've ever felt further apart. She picks at her nail, and I'm so frustrated that I start fidgeting as my toes stretch and curl over and over again.

I know I'm physically stimming, but my anxiety is high, and it's like there's too much energy coursing through my body while I'm completely mentally exhausted.

"Annika seems nice," I say, trying to break the ice. They were roommates in Vegas, but I realize pretty quickly that it isn't as innocent of a topic as I intended.

"Annika looks out for Annika. Just remember that," she says, rolling her pale eyes. "She's how we got involved in this whole mess to begin with."

I nod. "Yeah, I was really bitter about that too. Did those guys hurt you or?—"

"I'm fine, Laken. They were so uncoordinated and pathetic that I probably could have gotten away if I really tried."

"But you led them to reach out to Ranger." I frown, trying to follow her thought process. "Because you knew he needed to kill them to finish wiping out the Andrettis?"

"They were able to get you back under way shittier circumstances. I figured it would be safest to know the same guys were coming to rescue me."

"I know you know where Ranger lives. Why didn't you tell them?" I ask, tilting my head.

"Because you're my sister. I didn't want them calling in backup. You could have gotten hurt. I never wanted you anywhere near any of this."

I stretch out a hand and squeeze her thigh. "Why steal from Will?"

"Why not?" she scoffs. "He's a cheating dick, and it's not like we couldn't use the money. I thought he deserved a little revenge for the way he treated you."

Well, I'm not going to dispute that, but I'm pretty sure he's more than paid for what he did to me.

What he did to Locke is another story. It's obvious I ended up with the right guys. I'm clearly just as vengeful as any of them.

"I don't even see how you can be mad at me about that. The two of you weren't together." She huffs.

I don't care.

Or I wouldn't if it only negatively impacted Will.

It's that she used me to get what she wanted without even consulting me.

"Have you made a decision on what you'd like to do? Ranger is offering to pay for another treatment facility. He called in some favors and found a spot in California. You can leave in the?—"

"You knew your bonded alpha was going to threaten me?" she hisses, slapping my hand away. "You know he kills people, right? He's a serial killer, like the kind you see on TV."

I bite my cheek to stop from snapping something I can't take back—like threatening to murder her with my bare hands if she even thinks about running her mouth and putting Ranger and the rest of our pack at risk.

"I love you," I bite out. "I want you to be happy and fulfilled. More than that, I want you to be healthy. I hope you'll accept the flight and inpatient treatment that Ranger set up." I climb off the bed. "We'll make sure you get replacements for all the necessities—clothes, shoes, toiletries, and stuff like that. If you stick it out the entire time, then I'll try to help you find an apartment and a job, but either way, I think it would be best if you wait with Annika in her room."

Lyra shakes her head. "I'm not going back to rehab. Have your alpha change my flight to Vegas. I'm going home."

A million logistical questions run through my mind.

How will she get her car from Chicago to Vegas?

She hasn't been there in a while.

I don't think she or Annika have paid the rent, so logically speaking, I would assume they've been evicted.

Not to mention, wondering what happened to all her stuff.

The power is probably off, and if she hasn't paid her car insurance, that was likely canceled too.

The unfortunate thing is…

She's already made up her mind.

I can see it on her face.

I'm pretty sure, at this point, I've just got to let her live her own life.

My hands fidget by my sides, but I nod. "I'll let Ranger know."

Karma is in a full-on crazy puppy mood when we get back home after collecting her from Vale's house. She's got the puppy zoomies as she slides across the wooden floor, body checking the wall and taking off after her ball.

Locke grins, stopping it with his foot and kicking it back so she can attack it.

"It's good to be home." Ranger slides up behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle. His palm teases over my stomach. "Life will certainly be interesting with a puppy and a baby."

"That, it will." I laugh, tilting my head until he bends to kiss me. It's a quick meeting of our mouths, and then he pulls back.

"I'm afraid I need to check on my last guest." He pecks a final kiss on the edge of my mouth as I try not to laugh.

I honestly never saw my life veering in this direction, but I have zero fear when it comes to any of my guys.

Ranger steps away, heading for the hallway that leads to the basement. I aim for the couch because I'm beat. The yellow ball flies past my feet, and Karma lunges after it.

Locke tosses himself down next to me on the couch as I get situated.

My forehead wrinkles as I remember something I've been meaning to ask him. "What happened with Kennedy?"

Locke chuckles. "Apparently, Will wasn't the only individual she was seeing. They broke up that day after her doctor's appointment, when it came to light she was considerably further along in her pregnancy than either could have guessed."

"So, if she is pregnant, the baby isn't Will's?"

"Correct," Locke agrees. "How are you feeling about Lyra?"

A grunt escapes as I shrug, scooting closer until Locke tosses an arm around my shoulders. I'm disappointed that she went back to Vegas. And a lot bothered that I didn't feel like we were in a good enough place to even tell her I'm pregnant.

I know she has her own trauma and baggage. I'm just not sure how to get through to her, but I did give her my new number and have her promise to call once she gets settled in.

No one tells you how hard it is to enforce healthy boundaries when you love someone.

"Fair enough. New subject," Locke says, running his fingers down my hip. "Are you excited to settle in and hunt for baby stuff?"

Tanner comes over, scooping up Karma and dropping her in my lap.

"I know I am." He chuckles, taking a seat on my other side. "Can you imagine if it's a girl? Wait about fifteen years, and Charlottesville will have a rash of male teenagers disappear."

Locke snorts. "That's the perfect reason to hope for a boy. At least, at first. That way, he can handle any little fuckers who come nosing around."

I laugh as Karma climbs my chest and licks my chin. "I missed you too."

"Well, tomorrow will be dedicated to basement cleanup." Ranger comes back into the room. "Today, I say we lounge around and do nothing." He takes a seat in his club chair and smiles.

"That sounds heavenly to me," I say, grinning back.