15. Tate

FIFTEEN

TATE

Steff and Blayne had their heads bent together over a laptop. Steff's systems were of the highest quality and nearly completely impenetrable. In all our time owning this firm, I'd never known anyone to break through what he cooked up. I'd requested our top-of-the-line system to be installed in Harley's place. We only installed two or three of them a year, and the last one we'd installed had in Vail at the Speaker of the House's vacation home. It was as safe as I could make Harley's house without stationing an armed guard at each entrance.

Leaving Blayne and Steff to work and direct the team, I went over to Miles. He was working his way through more background information on Luis and his known associates. He wanted to be sure we had every scrap of information we could on him.

I slumped down on the couch beside him. "How bad?"

Miles stopped typing and looked at me. "Well, let's look at it. Broad scope. Ninety percent sure he knows Harley is pregnant. He's traveled across the country." He held up a finger. "Mind you, he traveled that far without so much as warning Harley. That already tells me he has bad intentions. Then he vandalizes her car. It was almost manic in its thoroughness. That shows psychological instability. This makes him dangerous, and makes it very difficult to predict his next move. He still has a sense of self-preservation, otherwise he would have attacked her right on the street. As awful as that would have been, he probably would have been stopped by bystanders or police and been arrested. Harley may have been injured, but we'd know he was safely locked up."

"That being said, the most dangerous thing I've found is the possible ties to the mob. It would be less worrisome if I could find something overt—an arrest record, court summons, things like that. I can't find anything. He has known associates that go back to his time in freaking middle school. Almost all of them are deeply entwined with the mafia. Two and two always makes four, but from everything I'm seeing, I can't guarantee it. But if he does have mob ties, he's dangerous. More dangerous than the typical jilted boyfriend. Shit, man, he could be a killer. I don't like it."

Miles's description of the situation was not reassuring. This Luis guy was trouble, and not the typical type of trouble. He was dangerous and unpredictable.

First hunters, and now this? I sighed and rubbed my temples to ease the headache forming behind my eyes.

"All right," I said. "Looks like you guys have all this handled. I'm going to check on Harley."

Miles had already turned back to his laptop screen. "Sounds good."

It was quiet upstairs. I could hear the girls' murmuring voices coming from the room at the end of the hall. Harley's room was dark, and when I peeked my head into the room, it looked like she was sleeping. Not wanting to be creepy, but still wanting to check in on her, I stepped over to the side of the bed.

She was curled into a ball, hugging the pillow tight. Mascara tracks ran down her cheeks and onto her pillowcase. She'd been crying in her sleep. I clenched my jaw as my dragon snarled and gnashed inside my head. It was as pissed as I was at seeing her so vulnerable and sad.

Without thinking, I eased myself onto the bed and pulled her into my arms. Half of me hoped she would accept the comfort; the other half readied itself for her to lash out and slap me for assuming she would. To my relief and surprise, she not only accepted it, but cuddled closer to me. Her body molded to mine as she burrowed deeper into my arms and chest. My heart began to race, and I hoped it wouldn't wake her.

But then she spoke, and I did my best to listen and take it all in. "I'm so afraid, Tate. I don't know what to do. I really thought moving out here was the best thing for us. But now? I'm scared. Luis is dangerous."

"Why did you ever get involved with this guy?"

She sighed into my chest. "He put on a good act. When we first met, he seemed so nice. He took care of me, he was nice to the girls, and he offered to help in any way he could. He even pulled some strings and helped me get the girls into a private school. Everything was great for the first few months. I'd been hesitant to take things from casual to more serious. It was just so difficult. Sam had been gone for almost three years when I met him, so it was tough. Things started changing when we were officially a couple. He treated me more like a possession. Controlling and manipulative. Then I started suspecting that he was cheating on me. It was a week or two before I met you, but he tried to make me think I was crazy."

"I'm sorry." It was all I could think to say.

"Yeah. Me, too. It was a toxic situation. I'd finally gotten proof of his cheating, and I broke things off over the phone. He actually tried to tell me I'd brought it on myself. And then the stalking and the harassment started. When I was getting the restraining order, Maddox—Sam's old partner on the force—told me he, Luis, might have targeted me years ago. Sam had been investigating the mob, and… well, I might have caught his eye back then. I never knew anything about that part of Luis's life, but after all that has happened, it makes sense."

"Holy shit," I murmured.

She nodded against my chest. Then, surprisingly, she chuckled. "My life is pretty fucked up." She lifted her head and looked at me. "I wanted to get away from Luis, but then I found out I was pregnant. I felt terrible. I didn't even know who the father was."

I grimaced. "I'm also to blame. I didn't think to use a condom."

I couldn't tell her that I never wore condoms because I had no need for them. Shifters couldn't catch or transmit STDs. Also, until not that long ago, I didn't believe a shifter could impregnate a human woman. In all my life, I'd only known shifter men and shifter women to have kids. It was so damned crazy, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

"I'm sorry I put you in this position. I should have done more for you," I said.

Harley raised herself on her elbow and looked at me. Her face was a mask of confused surprise. It sliced my heart that she was surprised by my apology. Had I really been such a dick that it was too unbelievable to think I would apologize? Shit, what kind of asshole had I been?

I cupped her face with my hand, the skin of her cheek warm and smooth against my palm. "Harley, I promise you aren't alone. Not in whatever is happening with Luis, and especially not with the baby. I'll do whatever is in my power to keep you safe. You, the girls, and the baby. No matter what it takes."

Harley smiled and snuggled into me again. After a while, her breathing deepened and evened out. I lay there holding her, my head a mess of thoughts and feelings. My need to protect Harley and her family was growing stronger with each passing second. Fed by the dragon inside me, it was almost primal in its strength.

Harley, fully asleep, rolled away from me, and I used that moment to slide out of her bed. She didn't even stir as I packed her pillows around her to take my place. Before I closed the door, I glanced back at her. She looked peaceful and calm. That was good. She'd been through enough. She deserved to rest a little.

The door to the girls' room was open, and they were nowhere to be seen. The noise and commotion the guys were making downstairs must have stirred their curiosity.

Sure enough, I spotted them at the bottom of the stairs, watching the chaos. Steff had set up several laptops on the kitchen table and was working on them. When I got to him, I realized most of the devices weren't his. There were two laptops, phones, and a tablet, which probably belonged to Harley and the girls.

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?"

Steff looked up and nodded. "Yeah. Firewalls. That way, no one can hack them. No trackers, no slave cameras or speakers, fully secure. I don't want that jerkoff getting a foothold inside the house after all the work we're doing to secure the place."

Everything he said made sense, but I was having a hard time listening. Instead, I was stifling a laugh. Steff stopped and frowned at me. "What's so funny?"

I leaned toward Steff and said, "I think you have an admirer."

His frown deepened, and he spun in his chair. Jordyn saw him turn to look and quickly darted her eyes away."

"Oh lord," Steff said. "What am I? Like the hot teacher or something? Gross. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's a nice kid, but… gross."

"Bro, I spent the day with her a while back. She's going to be a force when she gets older. Anyway, how're things looking on the install?"

Steff glanced around then said, "Looking good. Should be done soon."

"Okay, I'm gonna check on the kids."

Mariah and Jordyn saw me coming toward them, and they smiled weakly. "Ladies, you want to come have a seat? Take a load off?"

They nodded and followed me to the table. Steff moved his computers aside and smiled at the girls. Before I could sit down, Mariah asked, "Is Mom okay?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Yeah, she's up in her room, napping. Are you guys all right?"

I didn't believe their quick nods of assent. I could tell they were pretty shaken up. How could they not be, though? The day had been traumatic for a grown woman. How could anyone imagine her kids would fare much better?

Mariah stared down at her feet. "Please protect our mom. Please." Her voice was thick with unshed tears.

"She's all right?—"

"I'm scared of Luis," Mariah cut me off. "I'm afraid he's going to take her like he took our dad."

Steff froze mid keystroke and shot a questioning look at me that said what the fuck? I sat up straight in my chair, not sure what she meant. The implication was there, but not the full thought.

"Mariah? What does that mean?"

Her lip quivered, and tears shone in her eyes. Jordyn lowered her face to the table and covered her ears with her hand. They suddenly looked much younger than teenagers. Young, scared, and carrying some terrible secret.

Mariah sucked in a trembling breath, then spoke in a forced, calm voice. "Our school—the private school we went to before we moved—it was a pretty nice school, and a lot of the kids were rich or well off, you know? Their parents were doctors or lawyers, CEOs, and stuff. Except, some of those kids had dads who were… I guess… criminals or something? Mafia people?"

"I get what you mean," I said.

"Well, after Mom broke up with Luis, some of those kids started talking. They said he hung out with their dads. There was a rumor going around that Luis…" She took a shuddering breath. "That Luis killed our dad so he could get my mom. Like, he liked Mom and killed Dad so he could date her. That's crazy, right? It has to be crazy."

I leaned around the table and gathered Mariah into my arms, holding her close as she sobbed into my chest. Steff glanced at me, wide eyed, and mouthed, holy shit. This was a fucking nightmare. No child, no matter their age, needed to know and deal with this kind of shit.

"I promise I'll do everything I can to keep the two of you and your mom safe," I said.

Mariah sniffled as she pulled away from me. "Thanks. Um, is it okay if I start dinner??"

"Yeah, totally fine. Let me know if you need anything."

"I'll help," Jordyn said as she slid her chair back.

She came over and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. The moisture from her tears soaked into my collar. My heart felt like it was going to burst. Mariah nudged Jordyn, then they headed into the kitchen. When I turned back to Steff, he was smiling at me.

"What?" I asked.

Steff gestured at me. "This whole family-man thing looks good on you, bro. It suits you." I glared at him, but he merely laughed. "Quit with the big-bad-bodyguard routine. Let your heart feel what it feels."

After everyone had finished and cleared out, Harley woke up from her nap. She came down the stairs, rubbing her eyes and yawning, as we were putting the dinner dishes in the sink.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"They left. The crew finished up, and my guys helped them get loaded up and out. We saved you some dinner. Hungry?" I said, wiping my hands on a dish towel.

"Sounds great," she said.

"I'll heat it up, Mom. Tate was going to show you the security system," Mariah said.

Frowning, Harley came the rest of the way down the stairs. "The girls already know how to operate it?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Kids easily pick up on stuff like this. Here, let me show you."

Leading her to the wall beside the door, I pointed out the new control panel. "This will set and control your security system. There's also a display where you can pan through and see all the cameras." I clicked through each displayed as I named them off. "Outside back door, outside front door, outside garage door, inside back door, inside front door, and one at the top of the stairs aimed at the landing. That should be enough to cover all the bases. Steff set up your phone so these feeds go right to you. You can bring up the video feed anywhere and anytime. You'll see a new app on your home screen for it. The camera feeds also go to the server at my office."

"We also installed firewalls on all your devices, the girls' included. It's probably way over the top, but you can't be too safe. Blayne had them put in some reinforced door locks, too. Much stronger than what was on there before. I'm pretty happy with it all. What do you think?" I was like a child trying to show off, but I couldn't help myself. The team really had done a magnificent job.

Harley shook her head in disbelief. "It really does seem like too much. Is all this really necessary? I was thinking a simple alarm would be sufficient."

I slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her to the side, away from the girls. The feel of her skin through her clothing sent a pleasant shiver through me, but I didn't let it show on my face.

I leaned in and whispered, "The girls are really worried. When I showed them everything, it made them feel better. They are very worried about you."

Sadness cloaked her eyes, and she gave a sharp nod. "Okay. It's fine, really. I just didn't want to impose too much."

My hand slid down to her lower back, and flashes of our night together in New York played through my mind. My hands had been all over her. Every inch of her body knew my touch. Heat slowly moved up my spine, and I pressed my body against hers. I could hear Harley's breathing start to pick up. I wanted a replay of that night. A second chance to feel her writhing beneath me, gasping and clutching at me. The dragon growled deep in my chest as she moved closer to me.

"Tate?" Harley whispered as my face inched closer to hers.

Her hand moved up and slid along my stomach. I was barely able to control myself. I was inches from kissing her, tasting her again, when Jordyn called out.

"Mom, dinner's ready."

We broke apart, coming back to our senses. I bit back a curse as Harley disentangled from my embrace and moved toward the kitchen. I stood there for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself. Had she felt the same way? It had seemed like she had wanted this as much as I did. There was no way to be sure now. I shook it off and went back into the kitchen with everyone else.

While Harley ate, I hung around, talking to her and the girls. We laughed and enjoyed each other's company. It was a great night, even though the day itself had been pretty terrible. It was nice. Harley sent the girls to bed early since they started school the next morning.

"I'm not really sure how I'm going to get around after they get to school," she said after they went to bed. "My car is trashed."

"Don't worry about that. I'll get you guys wherever you need to go."

"Tate, you've done too much already. That's a kind offer, but Emily can probably help out."

"Who's Emily?" I asked.

"She's a new friend I made. I met her on the Fourth of July. She's really nice. I think she'd be fine giving us a ride if we needed it."

"Okay. Well, if you do need anything, please call me."

"Tate, I live across the street. I think I can find you."

"Nope. What if you're not at home? Or I'm not at home. Here." I grabbed her phone and dialed my number, then saved it. "Now, you can get me whenever you need me."

Not wanting to overwhelm her anymore, I stood to leave. She needed to rest. An impulse came over me to finish what I'd started earlier. We'd been interrupted before, but the girls were in bed now.

"I'm going to head home. Goodnight, Harley." I leaned down and kissed her.

My lips pressed against hers. She stiffened in surprise, then relaxed a moment later, her lips parting to kiss me back. When the kiss broke, I let myself enjoy the look of stunned surprise I left on her face.

"Make sure you lock up as soon as I leave."

"Uh… okay, yeah. Good night."

Outside on the porch, I stood by the door. I didn't leave until I heard Harley punch in the code. Once I heard the beep that indicated the alarm was activated, I headed home. What the hell was I actually doing?