Meanwhile Carl came out of his room, still towel-drying his hair. He had on jeans slung low on his hips and an unbuttoned flannel shirt, this one green. It set off his eyes, which distracted her from the kissable expanse of his muscled chest. “How’s it going out there? What’s the mood?” he asked his brother.
“Tense. Everyone knows about the attack. They’re worried for Theo and anxious about…” He shrugged. “Everything.”
Meanwhile, Alan’s eyes darted back and forth between the two of them while Becca did her best to keep a neutral expression. Nope, she hadn’t just had a couple screaming Os while he was outside holding things together.
Carl tossed the towel into a basket by the door to the basement. It was overflowing with laundry, and his toss toppled a pile of shirts and socks onto the floor. Wow, these men needed a housekeeper badly. She was wondering if she had time to throw in a load—it was the least she could do—when Carl picked his phone off the counter and let out a low whistle.
“Okay, so ten calls from Tonya might be overkill.”
“We thought you’d had a seizure or something.”
“I was resting.” Wow, the way he said that made it sound possible…not. Even she knew Carl resisted anything related to rest.
Alan didn’t look like he believed it either, but he decided not to comment. “Anything from the wolves?”
Carl shook his head. “Nothing. Though Tonya probably has kept Bryn up to date.”
Then there was more conversation about people she didn’t know and how they were reacting to the situation. Becca listened, trying to keep track of the names while she dialed Theo’s number. She didn’t know why she kept at it. If he had his phone, he would have responded by now. So she listened to the sound of his recorded message just to hear his happy voice telling her to leave a message.
Where was he?
Carl’s arm landed heavy and brusque across her shoulders as he pulled her into a hug. It wasn’t a gentle movement or remotely subtle. But the sudden weight of him felt solid, and she leaned into his embrace.
“We’ll find him. He’ll be fine and have a great story to tell his grandchildren.”
She chuckled, the sound more choke than laughter. “He’s not even dating yet. Let’s not leap straight to grandchildren.”
“They’ll be here before you know it.”
Maybe, she thought, the idea both reassuring and depressing. She’d thought about what would happen when Theo went off to college, met a girl, and settled down. The idea pleased her to no end, but part of her wondered exactly what she’d be doing while Theo was living his life. He was the only family she had. Everyone else was gone. She didn’t want to be a hanger-on in his life, but what else did she have? A business and the ability to make castle cakes for other people’s children.
Fortunately, Officer Tonya chose that moment to burst through the front door. She moved efficiently as she held up a hand for silence. She was on the phone, listening intently, so everyone waited in silent for her. Which was helpful for Becca, who was busy tucking away all thoughts of her empty future in favor of finding Theo in the here and now.
“Excellent,” the woman said into the phone. “I’ll meet you there.”
She thumbed off her phone, then looked at the three of them. Her eyes narrowed at Carl, who still had his arm draped across Becca’s shoulders, but at her look he dropped his arm, stepped around the coffee table, and confronted the officer.
“What’s going on?” His tone was all alpha, demanding a report.
She took a deep breath and obeyed his command. “Got the warrant. So the kid you killed was from a militant compound about thirty miles northwest of here. Moss family.”
Even from behind and only looking at Carl’s back, Becca could see him flinch at Tonya’s phrasing. But the officer kept talking, apparently oblivious to any reaction.
“ATF has been dying to get inside there, and now we’ve got the excuse.”
Alan piped up from the other side of the couch. “He tried to kill Carl. That’s not an excuse. That’s a felony.”
The officer nodded in an offhand way. “Whatever. We’ve got the warrant and are moving on the compound now.”
Becca stepped around Carl. “What about Theo?”
The woman hesitated for only a moment, then shrugged. “Everyone’s still watching.”
“Those that aren’t about to raid a militant compound,” Becca countered.
“We’ve got a ton of civilian watchers.” Then she squared to pin Becca with a hard stare. “Isn’t it better to know if he’s there or not? If he’s been captured by these wackos, then we’ll get him out.”
“Or get him killed!”
