28. Ranger

TWENTY-EIGHT

RANGER

"I'll drive you and wait downstairs."

Josh had recently returned to the city, and Matt was visiting him to introduce him to his new nephew. I was very protective of my mate, but when it came to our son's safety, it was difficult letting him out of my sight.

There were days when I brought Storm to work. I had a corner of my office set up as a nursery. Thank gods I was one of the pack's Betas, and while I wasn't the Alpha and didn't have a corner office as Flint did, my space was huge and could have accommodated three or four kids.

When I mentioned that to Matt, he groaned, saying he wasn't giving birth again any time soon and two was a nice round number. Much as I'd have loved a football team of kids, my mate had to carry the babies, bring them into the world, recover from the birth, feed them exclusively for months, and parent them with me, for the rest of his life. His word was final.

"It's okay. My brother can bring us home." Matt was standing on the sidewalk, holding Storm in his car seat. "Go back to work."

Josh was making my mate lunch, and I wasn't welcome. I got it. I was mafia and Dane had been too. Dane's bozos had kidnapped Josh and used him as bait to get Matt. Josh blamed me. Heck, Matt blamed me as well and it was two months before he'd even talk to me.

But Storm was my son too, and the near fiasco with Dane was burned into my brain. When Emilio almost screwed us over, it messed with my head and my sense of trust. Though to be honest, as a shifter, we were always aware of the world around us, and as members of the most prominent shifter mafia organization, we were always looking over our shoulders, anticipating the next betrayal or coup.

As Matt had pointed out, it wasn't the most stress-free lifestyle, but it was what I knew, and I was surrounded by people I loved. Not many people could say that about their work. It wouldn't be enough for some, but it was what I was willing to accept.

Understandably, Josh saw me as the enemy and refused to have anything to do with me or our family. He hadn't seen Matt since before he left, though they'd talked and texted plenty. He'd only agreed to meet Storm if I wasn't around.

"Riggs will be outside the apartment."

Matt sighed. "Nothing is going to happen."

"I know, because Riggs will be there."

My mate rolled his eyes before kissing my nose. It was his thing. Sort of like my hand holding, but mine was comfort and warmth whereas the nose kiss was quirky and playful.

"Fine. But I'm telling him to stay in the stairwell until I'm inside the apartment."

I agreed because poor Josh was understandably jumpy since he almost died at the hands of a mafia boss. Since he'd returned to town, he rarely ventured outside other than to go to work, but at Matt's insistence, he'd promised to appreciate this big beautiful world again.

But me being Matt's life partner was a hurdle Josh couldn't get over, hence me being banned from family reunions.

I'd offered to provide Josh with a bodyguard after his near-death experience and to pay for therapy, but he refused. Matt explained that being followed by guys who were a stereotype of everything humans expected of mafia—huge, burly, broad shoulders, tattooed, and carrying guns—was off-putting and heightened his brother's anxiety.

"Okay. You have my number." That was my catchphrase, kind of like a crutch, a prop, or a walking stick, and I repeated it when Matt and I were apart.

"Let me see." Matt scrolled through his phone. "What was your name again?"

"Hilarious," I deadpanned, and he hoisted the baby bag over his shoulder before holding the carrier up so I could blow Storm a kiss.

Riggs gave an almost imperceptible nod before opening the building door, and my loved ones disappeared.

How long will lunch take? My beast adored Storm, and like me, didn't appreciate when he wasn't with us.

An hour? I could eat in five minutes, but they'd be talking. How much talking could there be? Ten or fifteen minutes? Could I expect Matt to scarf his lunch, take a pic of Storm with his uncle, chat a little, and be out the door in under thirty minutes?

Diaper change? My beast wasn't entirely sure why babies needed diapers, saying there was nothing wrong with pooping in the woods, but he understood it was a rinse-and-repeat situation.

That would take up another few minutes.

I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel. Three minutes had passed. Now four. I texted Riggs who said it was quiet in the apartment.

The phone ringing sent me into alert mode. Matt referred to it as anxiety, but I didn't experience that or I never used to. Mr. Cool-and-Collected, that was me. Until my mate almost died twice and we had our son, and now I was the definition of a helicopter parent.

"What?" I barked into the device. I never spoke to Flint that way, and he should have told me to show some respect. But he gave me a pass. He had assigned me a job this evening. This was payback for being out of the office in the early afternoon.

But a violent shriek punctuated the air, and I dropped the phone on the floor. I was out of the car and almost at the building entrance when Flint's muffled voice yelled, "What's going on?"

Josh's apartment was on the third floor, so I bounded up the stairs, my beast in my ear urging me to go faster.

I ran multiple scenarios through my head in those precious seconds.

Dane had survived. Unlikely.

Some of his henchmen had regrouped and were coming after Matt. But why? What was the value in killing him? Because he destroyed the business, their livelihood, way of life? That was reason enough. But why had they waited so long?

According to the police commissioner, they had almost completed Operation Clean-Up and most of Dane's men were in custody. Anyone who was a higher-up in The Obsidian Circle was in jail and only guys in low-key positions were still free. Unlikely those men would be going after Matt because they had little invested in the organization.

Not knowing what I'd find, I imagined Matt covered in blood, weeping over Storm's lifeless body, while some minor mafia figure held a gun to my mate's head demanding money.

When I flung myself in the door, Storm was on the floor in his baby carrier, gurgling and kicking his legs, unaware of the menace in the room. Thank gods. I stood in front of him, ready to protect him with my life.

But someone did have a gun, and it was pointed at my mate's head. Josh had my mate in that classic hostage pose with one arm around his brother, using him as a shield while resting the gun's barrel against Matt's brow. My mate was beseeching Josh not to pull the trigger.

Riggs's gun was aimed at Josh's head, and my man was an expert marksman. Like me, he had a wolf inside him.

I couldn't make sense of what I was seeing. Josh was hollering that he needed safe passage out of the city. Was this unresolved trauma from the day Dane used him as bait?

"Get Storm to safety," Matt shrieked.

No way was I leaving my mate, so I shoved the baby carrier into the kitchen and our son looked at me, his trusting expression making my heart contract and my eyes well up with tears.

Not now , my wolf berated me.

"Tell him what you told me," my mate cried.

"You're so fucking stupid, Matt." Josh's expression morphed from defeated to triumphant.

"He wanted me dead," Matt spat out.

"What?" I was trying to wrap my head around why Josh was doing this, while my beast was preparing to rip out Josh's jugular.

"My own brother. He set it all up," Matt sobbed. "Just-just n-now I told him… I said… the police had rounded up almost everyone in The O-Obsidian Circle." He choked and added that they were certain they knew the identities of two members who were still free.

Through Matt's garbled speech, I deciphered that information had freaked out his brother, resulting in what was before me.

Josh sneered, his flared nostrils distorting his face. "You sniveling little worm. You ruined everything." Spit flew across the room. "And I aimed to fix it accidentally on purpose by taking you to La Luna Noir."

"Why?"

"I was working for Dane, and he discovered your true identity and what you were up to. He gave me a choice. My life or yours, but I didn't want to kill you myself." He rambled on about panicking and telling Dane that Matt was sharing information with La Luna Noir. "I figured Dane would do the rest."

There was a clatter of footsteps in the corridor and Flint and Hunter appeared on either side of me. I ordered Hunter to get Storm far away from the building.

Matt whimpered, "My little boy."

"He's fine, Matt," I assured him. Our son was safe, but my mate wasn't.

Froth spilled over Josh's mouth as he spoke. "I arranged with Hawk, who'd got himself in a similar position with Dane as me, to let us into La Luna Noir headquarters."

Hawk? Damn! A member of the Nightfall pack, our ally. Sewell, the Alpha, would have to deal with him.

"Oh my gods," Matt shrieked. "That's how I recognized Hawk. I saw him talking to you on the street once when I was passing by your place."

My belly churned, not with hunger, but a combination of anger and fear. Would my beast be quick enough to attack Josh before he pulled the trigger? Or did Riggs have to put a bullet in Josh's head.

"We can fix this, Josh. I can make it all go away," Flint spoke up. "That is in my power. But not until you release Matt."

Josh laughed, a hollow sound that I'd heard from people who had one option. "Tell your man to lower his weapon."

I jerked my head at Riggs, and he put his gun down.

Making sure my wolf was at the forefront of my gaze, I stared at Matt.

"Do not kill him," my mate begged. Even though his brother was willing to end his life, my mate wanted him to live. He was a better person than me.

"I'm the one with the pistol." Josh cocked the gun.

Ready? I asked my beast.

Since I heard the scream .

Don't aim for his throat. We need him alive .

I gave my beast his fur and he leaped across the room, raking his claws over Josh's back. Just before my beast made contact, Matt stamped on Josh's foot while elbowing him. Josh screamed, and the gun flew across the room as he collapsed, blood streaming over his body. I shifted back and kicked the gun away while Matt flung himself toward me before yelling for Hunter and tearing down the stairs to Storm.

On the sidewalk, I cradled my mate and son. Someone must have phoned the police and ambulance because they swarmed the building, but Matt refused to move, weeping over Storm who was unhurt.

Flint and the police superintendent massaged the situation, allowing us to go home with Storm and agreeing to be interviewed at another time.

Later, with Storm asleep, I washed the remaining blood off my mate in the shower. He insisted on bringing our son's crib into our room. Neither of us wanted Storm out of our sight.

The rest of the family rallied, bringing food and bunking down in the spare bedrooms and nursery. Luckily Storm was too young to remember today, but Matt and I would never forget.

I wandered into the living room because of the murmured voices of my family, leaving the bedroom door ajar in case Matt woke up. But he stumbled out almost immediately, wanting to bring the crib with Storm in it.

"I'll stay with Storm," Uncle Arnie offered, and Matt agreed.

"I have more details," Flint said. He explained Josh got into debt and took out a loan with a loan shark, our friend Dane. It was an age-old story. Once immersed in the shady world of Dane's businesses, Josh found himself performing menial tasks to pay off his debt that never decreased. And now he was going to jail.

"I blamed myself for all of it." Matt clung to me. "But it was my brother the whole time. The guy I looked up to my entire life." He sobbed, and when his tears dried, he sat up. "So in Josh's head, him betraying me and having Dane put a bullet in my head for supposedly double-crossing him somehow distanced himself from being responsible for my death?"

I'd witnessed people twist themselves in knots, rationalizing that they weren't behind a killing. It was the dead person's lack of loyalty that ended their life.

"I think so. He offloaded part of the guilt onto Dane, saying it was your fault if you died because you'd fucked with the Alpha."

I put his mating hand on my cheek. "But no matter what happens around us, our family will always stick together."