Page 51 of Rescued

Mikey said, “You’re an organizational wizard.”

Breanna laughed. “More like Tom Sawyer. You know, in that old story where he’s supposed to paint the fence and he gets all his friends competing to do it for him? Kinda like that.”

Mikey said, “Well, I’m not good at organizing or getting other people to do the work. And I hate it.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

Mikey sighed. “Because I’m trying to be a good mate to Gunn. He kind of got to be alpha by accident, when the old alpha died. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like… a magical, tangible bond that holds the pack’s shit together. If they didn’t have a strong alpha, messed-up wolves like Sanchez would go rogue. They almost did, when Gregor was killed. Gunn pulled them back from the edge, but the downside is, now he can’t leave them. He’s like that little circle in the middle of a wheel, that all the spokes attach to. Without him…” She mimed all the spokes falling apart.

Wow. Breanna had known Gunn was the leader, but she hadn’t understood how it worked with wolves—or that it was something you couldn’t take back.

Mikey said, “We broke up when it happened, because he didn’t think I could come here. And when I finally did—well, you know how Thanatos and some of the guys feel about women. It’s an uphill battle.”

“That’s a lot for you to take on,” Breanna said slowly.

Mikey said simply, “I love him. Gunn and I are true mates. It’s sort of like what humans call soulmates, only it’s a magical bond. Like the alpha bond, only different. For shifters—especially wolves—it means we’re loyal for life. We were fated to be together, and neither of us will ever love anyone else. We make each other stronger, and the bond brings out the best in both of us.”

Wow. She said it all so matter-of-factly, like it was a given. “That sounds… amazing,” Breanna said. And also a little bit scary. “I can’t imagine knowing that the person you’re with will never leave you—will never love anyone else.” No wonder Mikey was so confident in herself.

“Too bad humans don’t get that,” she added wistfully.

Mikey said, “Well, once in a while they do, with shifters. The alpha of my home pack has a human mate. But it’s still a true mating.” She grimaced. “Unfortunately, being the alpha’s true mate didn’t turn me into an organizational wizard. I’m more the kick-ass-and-take-names type.”

Breanna patted her on the shoulder. “If you want, I can make some sketches for you to put up where the guys can see them, of what you’re wanting to do with the barn. And maybe just a few spreadsheets and organizational plans, to get you started?”

“You’re a fucking angel,” Mikey said. “Whatever you drink, I’ll buy some for you.”

Chapter 22

So Breanna ended up making uber-man-cave drawings for Mikey, to show the guys. In fact, she didn’t even have to finish them to get the wolves interested—the guys saw them in progress when they came in to watch TV or pick up cookies. Or beg for more cookies, when she ran out.

Mikey was able to start putting together committees before the drawings were even done. But of course, they didn’t call them committees. They were squads—with missions. Pool table and TV selection missions.

“Switch told me soldiers understand squads,” she said to Mikey. “And missions. Committees sound like bullshit to them.”

“Girl. Whatever works.”

As the days went on, though, nobody seemed to be able to come up with a solid way to go after Quentin. In fact, they uncovered a probable link to him and some dirty FBI agents, which meant that if anything happened to him—like, say, an assassination—the Feds would be all over it.

Breanna got more and more uncomfortable with the fact that she was holding out on her secret stash. What if they could use that somehow, as leverage to go after Quentin?

She didn’t like lying to Switch, or holding out on him. And it wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. She knew by now he didn’t care about the money, and he would never try to take it away from her.

But she wasn’t so sure she trusted Thanatos. No one here was completely sure what his motives were, and he answered to no one.

If Thanatos somehow could use the bearer bonds Breanna had to lure Quentin in, she was pretty sure he wouldn’t give them back to her. He’d have Quentin’s money, and she’d be working in Wal-Mart. Or engaged to a plumber.

Plus, she couldn’t stop thinking about Kimberly. She was the one who had found out about the bonds, and how to get them. It was only an accident that Breanna was the one who’d ended up with them when they almost got caught, and that they’d split up.

It was only an accident that Breanna was the one who’d gotten saved.

She was getting more and more scared that Kimberly was dead. But if she wasn’t—if she was still out there hiding somewhere—then Breanna couldn’t just abandon her.

And she couldn’t just let someone else take the bonds, without Kimberly having a choice in it. They were her safety net too—her one chance at a better life.

They both still needed them, for their fresh start. Switch was good-hearted, and he was sweet underneath all that smart-ass talk, but they obviously had no future together. Part of her wished what they had would never have to end, that he would fall in love with her. Maybe even have that true mate thing.

It would be amazing to have someone who looked at her like Gunn looked at Mikey. His hard face went all soft, and he was always touching her, like he couldn’t quite stop. And to know that person would do anything for you, and would always be loyal…