Chapter 13

Theo

Something is bothering Wes, and if he doesn"t just spit it out, I"m going to scream. I wanted to give him time, but as we pull up to the hospice house, I"m at my wits' end. I"m already on edge being here, and the threat of supernatural assassins or some shit offing me for money isn"t helping, so I end up just yelling at him.

"Just say it!" I shout way louder than necessary.

"Fuck, T. You don"t have to be so loud; I can hear you just fine," he grumbles.

"No, you"ve been fucking weird since we got into the car, and since your balls seem to have left you, I thought I"d help." My sarcasm is out in full force.

"It"s just . . . I"m sorry, okay? I should have insisted on coming with you, or at the very least been more supportive about your decision. You deserved to have me in your corner, not be another opponent."

Wow, that"s not what I thought he was going to say. He"s not wrong, but I won"t hold a grudge. "Thanks, Wes. Was that it?"

"Nik and Jasper are our extras for today. They"re meeting us here," he tells me as he puts the car in park.

"Anything else?" He shakes his head. "Then let"s get this over with."

I climb out and spot Nik"s light hair near the entrance, so I make a beeline straight to him and let him give me a bone-crushing hug. He doesn"t say much, just cups my chin affectionately as we separate. They wait patiently for me to indicate I"m ready, and then fan around me. Jasper leads us in, while Wes and I walk side by side. Nik brings up the rear. I feel like a mix between a criminal and a celebrity being shuffled from one place to another.

The nurses" station is busier than I"m used to seeing, but my favorite nurse sees me and waves us through with little fanfare, only ogling the pretty men accompanying me, and I really don"t blame her. The three men surrounding me could draw the eye of any man or woman.

When we reach Susan's room, I take note that the woman who birthed me is lying almost exactly as she was when I left last time. Her baths are usually in the afternoon a few days a week, so I understand why she didn"t look to have been changed at all, but they must have moved her for circulation or comfort recently.

The light hospital gown does nothing for her complexion, washing her out. Her hair is greasy, and her skin has a fake waxy look. I force myself to walk further into the room and sit in my usual chair next to her bed. I can hear Wes and Nik talking quietly, and I enjoy the familiar comfort their murmurs bring. Jasper sets up camp right outside the room while my chosen brothers pick places around the room to lounge, moving another chair away from the window in the process.

I sit there for over thirty minutes, just staring at her. I feel like I"m having an epiphany now that I"ve forced Wes and Nik to be in a room with this woman out of some false sense of obligation. I really think this might be the last time I visit her before she passes, and while I don"t regret visiting for as long as I have, I won"t be doing so again. I memorize her features and do something I haven"t done in any of my previous visits. I stand over her sleeping form and kiss her forehead. "I forgive you," I whisper against her clammy skin. My final goodbye doesn"t include the words, but anyone who heard it would know it for what it is.

I turn and catch Nik"s eye, nodding toward the door. No one speaks as I walk out of my mother"s room and let the silence continue through the main doors. I shoot Nik and Jasper a smile in thanks, and we split to head to our respective cars. Our footsteps echo in the parking lot, but I also hear a faint click, causing me to stop to listen better. Wes looks around the lot with a quick sweep, focusing on the north end.

An engine backfires a block or so down, startling me. Looking for the source, I don"t see Jasper coming. The breath is knocked from me as the fox shifter tackles me to the ground, covering my body and shouting near my ear. Now that I can place the noise as a gunshot, I feel like an idiot for thinking it was a car. The new popping sound makes me think a suppressor is being used on another gun, but even with my limited knowledge of firearms, I know a suppressor doesn"t mean silence. It just means you won't burst an eardrum if you aren"t wearing ear protection.

I twist my head to see if I can get eyes on Nik and Wes, but Jasper shoves my face into his chest, wrapping himself around me like a spider monkey. I can barely breathe, but his body is so tense I know it"s not over yet. A break in the gunshots has Jasper lifting from me, pulling me into a crouch and opening Wes"s back car door, shoving me in roughly.

"Stay down!" He motions for me to lie on the floor. "Wes! Get him out of here!"

It takes all my willpower to not peek out of the window, wanting to see the guys to make sure no one is hurt. The car rocks and the driver"s door is ripped open, and my best friend throws himself into the car, starting it before his door is even closed and slamming on the gas.

"Wes? Is—"

"Not now!" His tension raises my own. I don"t like him snapping at me, but I know he wouldn"t do it just to be a dick. Something happened.

The ringing of an outgoing call sounds through the car"s Bluetooth. It only rings twice before Grey"s voice comes over the line. "Hey, ma—"

"Attempt on Theo"s life at the Honor Hospice House. Jasper was hit twice; Nik was unresponsive when we got Theo into the car and bolted, so I don"t know his condition. We need backup or they"re dead. They have a sniper, Grey."

"FUCK! Okay, Ryker and Solomon are the closest to the facility—five minutes out. How many are there?"

"At least five, but we took three out. That leaves the fucking sniper and at least one other." Wes sounds so worried, and I can"t get the words Nik was unresponsive to stop repeating in my head. Jasper was shot twice while covering me. I feel like I"m going to puke.

The call must have ended, because Wes is addressing me now. "We have to take a weird way to make sure we"re not being followed. I"m sorry, it"ll be uncomfortable for a little longer." I make a sound of disbelief, like why do I care about an extra few minutes on a dirty car floor when our friends could be dying?

"He"ll be okay, T. Jasper is a tough one, and once he can shift a few times, he"ll be good as new. Same with Nik if we can get him to wake up." If. If. Fuck, it"s if he can wake up. Before I completely spiral, Wes yells at me again. "Hey! I need you to keep it together until we get back to the main house. I can"t lose my shit yet, and you know how I respond to you crying. Buck up, Theo. I need you to be strong for a little while longer, okay?"

I try to control my breathing, tears tracking down my face as I continue to lie on the floor. He"s right. Wes could never deal with seeing me cry; he ends up raging or shifting every time. Once he even sympathy cried, but I swore to never speak of it aloud again. That errant thought is enough to slow my tears and shallow breaths to a more manageable level.

"Good, that"s good. Bastian will meet us out at the house, and we"ll come up with another plan, okay? Jasper and Nik are going to be okay. They"ll be okay."

"I feel like you"re also trying to convince yourself, Wes," I croak.

"Maybe I am, but I also believe they"ll be okay. They have to be."