Page 32

Daniel would get his answers, but not tonight. Turning the corner, he watched as Jamie walked up to Caroline, who gave her a hug. They talked for a few minutes, but then Jamie turned and looked right at him as if she knew he was there. They continued to stare at each other until Caroline said something, taking Jamie's attention away.

“Hey, son,” Duncan said, walking toward him. “Big night, huh?”

“Yeah,” Daniel replied, his eyes still on Jamie.

“Daniel?” Duncan questioned, gaining his full attention.

“I'm good,” Daniel replied, hearing the concern in Duncan's voice. The problem was, he wasn't good. Not even close. The noise in his head was becoming too much, and all he wanted to do was rush toward Jamie and touch her just to quiet the bastards again. Yeah, he definitely needed to get the hell out of there.

“Listen, I've got something I have to do,” he lied. “Tell Mom I love her and I'll see her later, okay?”

“Sure.” Duncan glanced in the direction Daniel had been looking. “You sure you're good?”

“Yeah.” Daniel clapped Duncan on the back, then glanced once more at Jamie, who was staring straight at him. Forcing himself to turn away, he headed down the hallway before he did something stupid.

He'd faced demons without backing down, but walking away from the one person who could silence them was turning out to be one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

CHAPTER 15

Becky held her stomach as she walked down the steps toward Sloan's office. She'd taken a shower and was getting ready for bed when the first real pain hit. Women always said childbirth was the worst pain a woman could endure, but also one that was easily forgotten. Becky had believed that until now. Because when that first real labor pain hit with your second child, those memories came rushing back with a vengeance.

She was in labor. There was no doubt about it. Her water hadn't broken yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

After putting on a loose-fitting, long dress, she'd grabbed her shoes and headed downstairs. Seeing the light on in Sloan's office, she smiled, wondering how her mate was going to react to the news. She was surprisingly calm, although the excitement was definitely there. This wasn't her first rodeo, and she knew what to expect. Sloan, on the other hand, was a different story.

Stopping in the open doorway, Becky watched him writing something in a file. He looked up, giving her a smile that quickly disappeared when he noticed the shoes dangling from her hand.

“Hey, I thought you were going to bed.” Sloan slowly stood, his gaze moving from her shoes to her stomach.

“Don't panic,” Becky said, keeping her voice calm. “But I think we need to call Dawn and head to the compound.”

Sloan didn't say a word. He jumped over his desk, took the shoes from her hand, and carefully picked her up.

“Are you okay?” he demanded, carrying her to the chair he'd made sure was always available for her. He settled her into it before bending down to put on her shoes.

“I'm fine.” Becky watched him finish with her shoes, then frowned when he hurried over to grab his keys. “Why aren't you calling Dawn?”

“Because she's already there.” Sloan scooped her up again and headed for the front door. “Lana's having her baby.”

“What?” Becky gasped, forgetting about her own situation for a moment. “When? Why didn't you tell me?”

“Because I thought you were sleeping, and you need your rest.” Sloan opened the door and carried her to the car, carefully settling her into the passenger seat.

“Sloan, that's something you wake me up for.” Becky frowned as he shut her door and hurried back up the steps to lock the house. By the time he climbed behind the wheel, she was still staring at him. “How long has she been in labor?”

“A couple of hours or so.” Sloan started the car and pulled away from the house, his attention shifting between the road and Becky. “Are you sure you're okay?”

As if her body had been waiting for him to ask, another contraction hit, this one stronger than the last. Becky shifted in her seat, her hand automatically going to her stomach as she tried to find a more comfortable position.

“Mmm-hmmm.”

“Don't lie to me, Becky.” Sloan reached over and grabbed her hand, his grip tightening when he noticed the look on her face.

“Don't start getting bossy on me, Sloan,” Becky shot back as she breathed through the pain tightening around her stomach before it finally eased. She released a slow breath, relieved when she could relax against the seat again.

Sloan gave a half grin but remained silent, continuing to hold her hand as he concentrated on the road. Becky kept her breathing slow, trying to remain calm as thoughts bounced around in her head. Seriously, what were the chances of her and Lana going into labor at the same time? Then again, nothing about her life had been normal since meeting Sloan Murphy, which she was perfectly fine with. She'd take her man over normal any day, but a sudden thought had her glancing his way.

“Sloan.” Becky tried to keep the worry out of her voice. He was staying pretty calm at this point, and she didn't want to push it.