again. She had all the information she needed. Time to go. But now she
had another problem. She had a feeling Jaxon wouldn’t let her just go off to
the backwoods of Montana. But she also needed to stop this fight before anyone
got seriously hurt.
Mike
seemed to follow her thoughts. “You get going. I’ve got this.”
Andie
thought about the best way to stop the battle. She hoped to hell she didn’t
make things worse with what she was about to tell Mike to do. “Order the men to
stop fighting as soon as I’m out of sight.”
“Hell,
no. They’ll rip us to shreds.”
Andie
thought about Jaxon holding Ben’s neck in his teeth without biting. “No. And
when they do stop, tell Jaxon you’re with me. Just… don’t tell him I’ve left.”
“Got
it.” Mike shifted and started to move away.
“And
Mike?”
He
turned back to her.
“Thanks.
And watch your back when you return to Carstairs.”
Andie
didn’t wait to see his next move. She shifted and took a quick scan of her
surroundings. No one was watching or could see her. Jaxon stood just beyond her
sight, but she knew he was there. She felt flayed raw leaving like this. She’d
never thought she’d find love… had been too focused on her dare and her career
to think about it much. But now that she had, walking away – even to save him –
was possibly the hardest thing she’d ever done. Worse even than leaving her
father and friends still in Kyle and Walter’s clutches.
Her
heart shattering with every step, Andie turned and took off into the night.
Chapter 15
At
the sound of their leader’s order to stop, all four of the other Carstairs
cougars not only quit fighting, but they shifted and stood to attention. The
move was risky, given that his own cats might not be able to pull themselves
out of the mentality to kill, and these men were more fragile in human form.
Jaxon
immediately shifted as well. “Kellers, halt!”
His
men obeyed and shifted. Then Jaxon turned toward the Carstairs man who’d given
the order. “You want to explain yourself?”
“My
name is Mike Green. We didn’t come here to fight. We came for A.J.”
Jaxon
glanced at his men, who shrugged their shoulders, their expressions wary. People
outside his own dare didn’t know his nickname. “I’m Jaxon Keller. You’ve come
to join me?”
“No,
sir. We’ve come to talk with A.J. Reynolds, the mountain lion who came here to
ask for asylum weeks ago.”
Jaxon
narrowed his eyes. “And what exactly does A.J. stand for?” If these men were on
a fishing expedition - trying to figure out if Andie was here - he wasn’t going
to give that information away easily.
“Andromeda
Jaci,” Mike answered. “Although she hates that name.”
Jaxon
frowned, his mind racing. A.J. and Mike … those two names were familiar,
especially in tandem and associated with Carstairs. But he couldn’t think about
that right now. “Well, we’ll just have to ask… er… A.J. about that when we get
back to the compound,” he said. “Stay in human form. We’ll shift and lead you
back there to dress and be debriefed.”
Mike
glanced over his shoulder toward the woods and then looked back at Jaxon. He
nodded. “Lead the way.”
Jaxon
was the first to enter the locker room. He half expected Andie to be there
waiting but wasn’t all that surprised that she wasn’t. Not after the bombshell
he’d dropped before running out the door.
He
shifted and started pulling on his jeans. Without having to be told, his men
took out some extra clothes that they kept in this room and handed them to the five
Carstairs men. As soon as he was dressed, Jaxon waved William over. “Take them
to the main interrogation room,” he said quietly. “I’m going to track down
Andie and will meet you there.”
William
gave him a funny look.
“What?”
Jaxon asked.
“She
was out there,” William said.
A
tingle ran up the back of Jaxon’s neck. “Out where? In the fight?”
“Sure,
boss.” William
had another problem. She had a feeling Jaxon wouldn’t let her just go off to
the backwoods of Montana. But she also needed to stop this fight before anyone
got seriously hurt.
Mike
seemed to follow her thoughts. “You get going. I’ve got this.”
Andie
thought about the best way to stop the battle. She hoped to hell she didn’t
make things worse with what she was about to tell Mike to do. “Order the men to
stop fighting as soon as I’m out of sight.”
“Hell,
no. They’ll rip us to shreds.”
Andie
thought about Jaxon holding Ben’s neck in his teeth without biting. “No. And
when they do stop, tell Jaxon you’re with me. Just… don’t tell him I’ve left.”
“Got
it.” Mike shifted and started to move away.
“And
Mike?”
He
turned back to her.
“Thanks.
And watch your back when you return to Carstairs.”
Andie
didn’t wait to see his next move. She shifted and took a quick scan of her
surroundings. No one was watching or could see her. Jaxon stood just beyond her
sight, but she knew he was there. She felt flayed raw leaving like this. She’d
never thought she’d find love… had been too focused on her dare and her career
to think about it much. But now that she had, walking away – even to save him –
was possibly the hardest thing she’d ever done. Worse even than leaving her
father and friends still in Kyle and Walter’s clutches.
Her
heart shattering with every step, Andie turned and took off into the night.
Chapter 15
At
the sound of their leader’s order to stop, all four of the other Carstairs
cougars not only quit fighting, but they shifted and stood to attention. The
move was risky, given that his own cats might not be able to pull themselves
out of the mentality to kill, and these men were more fragile in human form.
Jaxon
immediately shifted as well. “Kellers, halt!”
His
men obeyed and shifted. Then Jaxon turned toward the Carstairs man who’d given
the order. “You want to explain yourself?”
“My
name is Mike Green. We didn’t come here to fight. We came for A.J.”
Jaxon
glanced at his men, who shrugged their shoulders, their expressions wary. People
outside his own dare didn’t know his nickname. “I’m Jaxon Keller. You’ve come
to join me?”
“No,
sir. We’ve come to talk with A.J. Reynolds, the mountain lion who came here to
ask for asylum weeks ago.”
Jaxon
narrowed his eyes. “And what exactly does A.J. stand for?” If these men were on
a fishing expedition - trying to figure out if Andie was here - he wasn’t going
to give that information away easily.
“Andromeda
Jaci,” Mike answered. “Although she hates that name.”
Jaxon
frowned, his mind racing. A.J. and Mike … those two names were familiar,
especially in tandem and associated with Carstairs. But he couldn’t think about
that right now. “Well, we’ll just have to ask… er… A.J. about that when we get
back to the compound,” he said. “Stay in human form. We’ll shift and lead you
back there to dress and be debriefed.”
Mike
glanced over his shoulder toward the woods and then looked back at Jaxon. He
nodded. “Lead the way.”
Jaxon
was the first to enter the locker room. He half expected Andie to be there
waiting but wasn’t all that surprised that she wasn’t. Not after the bombshell
he’d dropped before running out the door.
He
shifted and started pulling on his jeans. Without having to be told, his men
took out some extra clothes that they kept in this room and handed them to the five
Carstairs men. As soon as he was dressed, Jaxon waved William over. “Take them
to the main interrogation room,” he said quietly. “I’m going to track down
Andie and will meet you there.”
William
gave him a funny look.
“What?”
Jaxon asked.
“She
was out there,” William said.
A
tingle ran up the back of Jaxon’s neck. “Out where? In the fight?”
“Sure,
boss.” William
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