Ken had got the key fob for the Saleen from Dewi so he could put his laptop bag in the car, as well as several clean casserole dishes he was taking home from food he’d made and brought over to them during the past few days.
Dewi was almost finished wrapping up the story when Ken walked out onto the lanai…
Carrying the obnoxiously mint green helmet.
Which, she now noticed, was emblazoned withSoBeMi Scooters! RENT ME TODAY!in bright coral pink letters. With a phone number and website.
Everyone went quiet and focused on Dewi.
Except Joaquin, who stuck his hands in the back pocket of his jeans and stared at the concrete.
Ken cocked his head at Dewi. “I know I wasn’t out here for the whole story, so maybe I missed something, but mind telling me wherethisfits into the narrative? Because I’m reasonably certain it was not in the Saleen when you left this morning. Especially since we drove it yesterday when we came over to visit, and I sat my laptop bag exactly where I found this helmet.”
Duncan and Badger both cleared their throats and looked at Joaquin, who tensed and slowly met their gazes. Before Dewi could dive toward Joaquin with the intention of putting a hand on him to shut his trap, he folded like a wet paper bag and filled in all the blanks. When she tried to interrupt both Badger and Duncan pointed at her in warning to be quiet.
Her face heated as she and Ken stared at each other.
When Joaquin finished relating the considerable epilogue to their original report, silence descended upon the group for several long, uncomfortable moments.
She felt anger radiating off Beck. “Toldyou she was extra when it comes to revenge!” Beck said. “No one listens tome, though. Not like I’ve known her since she was born and spent over adozenyears working with her as her partner!No!Howcould Ipossiblypredict Dewi would go off half-cocked like that!”
Dewi glared at Joaquin. “IknewI should have Primed you to keep your trap shut before we left Miami. Snitches get stitches, you know.”
“Dewi!” Ken barked, surprising all of them but probably Dewi the most. “What in theactualfuckinghellwere you thinking!”
“I was thinking about getting that baby back safely! Come on, it was a freakingscooter. A cheap, slow-ass, discount brand knock-off scooter. It wasn’t even a Vespa! It’s not like it was a crotch rocket or a Harley or something! Shifted, I could almost run faster than the damn thing moved. And I grabbed the helmet, too. Don’t I get credit forthat? Obviously, I didn’t get hurt! There was more risk to my pride wearing that damned helmet than there was risk of harm to my person.”
Badger slowly shook his head and focused on Ken. “What’ll it be, lad? Yer her mate. We’ll defer to ye on this. How ye wanna handle it? I wouldn’t blame ye if ye want to call Peyton and order her chained to her desk until the babe is born.”
Dewi started to explode in outrage when Duncan reached out and touched her shoulder, but he didn’t Prime her her to be silent. “May I please say something first?” he said.
Ken nodded.
“I know we all wish Dewi would take things easy,” Duncan said. “But she’s correct that a baby’s life was at stake. Two babies, actually. We had no idea if Hannah was safe, or locked in a car, or where she was.”
“Ha!” Dewi crowed at Beck, jabbing a finger at him.
“And yes, itwasreckless and impulsive how she acted—”
“HA!” Beck crowed right back at her.
“Thatbeing said,” Duncan continued, “therewereextenuating circumstances. If she hadn’t taken immediate action, albeit extreme, no telling what might have happened if the man had escaped. If the lead disappeared, she might have had to go to the jail to try to talk to Henry or Fawny, meaning more witnesses, meaning more risks. And meaning more time passing before recovering the baby.
“If this was a case of her chasing someone in a less dire situation over far less critical stakes, I would likely agree it was reckless disregard for her own well-being. But weighing all the factors brings me to the conclusion that it was necessary.” He looked to Joaquin. “Were there other viable options immediately available to pursue him?”
“I—” Joaquin’s jaw snapped shut and he pondered his words before speaking, glancing at Dewi as if weighing each one before finally putting them together in a sentence. “He had a head-start on us already, then grabbed the bicycle and took off. I couldn’t have caught him on foot unless I’d shifted, and that obviously wasn’t an option. And even if it was, maybe not even then, as fast as he was moving. Dewi was farther ahead of me and had a better view of him, and I had the car keys on me because I’d parked it. There’s no way we could have caught up to him in a car because there was too much traffic and too many pedestrians. Too many places for him to zip off and get away. Honestly? I was going to swipe a bike from someone, the way he did, but Dewi reacted faster. I ran back to get the car to follow her. And we were in contact at all times via radio.”
“It’s not like I went for a joyride,” Dewi added. “And like Joaquin said, I couldn’t have chased him down on foot unshifted even if I wasn’t pregnant. He was on a bike and had a head-start on us. I didn’t want to lose him. If it’s any consolation, the scooter was less exerting than riding a bike. Definitely easier than running.”
Beck’s jaw remained clenched as he slowly shook his head. “Why amIsuddenly the voice of reason around here?”
“She’s not a human, son,” Duncan said. “She’s a Prime Alpha wolf.”
“She survived the beatin’ Endquist gave her when he likely would have kilt ye, had ye been there instead of Ken,” Badger added.
“She’s also standingrighthere,” she muttered.
“But she wasn’tpregnantthen!” Beck argued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Dewi could have swapped places here with you or Duncan to stay here with Tamsin today!”
