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Morgan turned to look down at Dr. Taylor. “Is he dead?” he asked impassively.
It was hard to tell, but I tuned my wolf’s hearing and listened for the plodding beat of his heart, the rattle of his labored breath. “No, he’s alive.”
“That’s too bad,” Morgan said, surprising the hell out of me. “That asshole had it coming.”
Where I thought my mate would’ve been terrified by the violence in me, he looked to be almost as furious as I was. His eyes were dark as he glared down at Eric. “Fuck you, Eric,” he spat, giving him a sharp kick in the ribs.
I desperately wanted to pull him into my arms, but I resisted. Instead, I grabbed a handful of snow and used it to wash my hands clean the best I could. “It’s not too late,” I said, considering the possibility. “I could just end him now, ensure that he’ll never bother either of us again.”
“Can’t kill… Still alive…” I heard someone whisper, like an echo of what I’d just said, except it wasn’t Morgan who said it. My head snapped to the body on the ground. His lips were split, making it hard for him to talk. “Still… alive…” he said again.
I sneered down at him. “Yeah, I know. You’re lucky I didn’t tear out your throat, as much as my wolf wanted to.”
“N-No.” Dr. Taylor took a series of wheezing breaths, his eyelids fluttering as unconsciousness crept over him like a shroud. “Your… father…”
Suddenly it was like my body gave up the fight against the weather, the cold seeping into my very core and turning the blood in my veins to ice. “What did you just say?”
He wasn’t saying anything now, though. The man was limp on the ground.
I bent forward and grabbed the front of his jacket, lifting his sagging torso off the ground. “Hey! What did you say?” I gave him a shake, his head lolling on his neck. “My dad is alive?!” I didn’t want to believe a lie, but I couldn’t stop the glimmer of hope from sparking to life inside me. “You’re lying! You killed him! He’s dead!” The words were choked off with a sob, tears dripping down to mix with the blood.
Somewhere in the distance, I swore I heard the squeal of tires. Morgan gripped my arm and tried to pull me away, but my fingers were still tangled tight in Eric’s shirt. I didn’t want to let go until I got answers. “Jude, we have to go. They’re coming!”
I knew he was right. I forced myself to release Eric, and he fell back in the stained snow. Shock weighed me down. I was barely able to get my body to move, and without Morgan’s help, I probably wouldn’t knelt there in the snow until Dr. Gray’s backup arrived to imprison me again.
“Give me your keys. I’ll drive,” Morgan said, but when I made no move, he reached into my pocket and fished out the keys. He pressed the unlock button, and the truck’s headlights flashed. “Get in, quick!” he said, shoving me roughly inside, along with his suitcase, then slamming thedoor behind me and running around the hood to climb in behind the wheel. The roar of engines could be heard now, getting louder, and Morgan cranked the key and slammed down on the gas pedal, propelling us in the opposite direction as quickly as he could.
I stared blindly out the windshield, not seeing a thing. “My daddy… he’s…” I felt nothing, I was entirely numb.
Chapter 16
Morgan
I slammed my footdown on the gas pedal, the force of our momentum pressing me back into the seat. I kept one eye on the road, the other on the rear-view mirror. We needed to put as much distance between us and that crime scene as possible. Would Jude be arrested for attempted murder? But it was self-defense! I would testify!
Just as I was skidding around the corner, I saw several SUVs come roaring up the street behind us, screeching to a halt. They were black, the same model as Eric’s. They certainly weren’t cops. Who were these people?!
And then, I straightened out the truck, speeding off toward the busier downtown area, and the trucks were out of sight.
Jude had called Eric Dr. Taylor. I tried to imagine Eric’s face on the doctor who’d done those atrocious things tomy mate. He hurt him, an innocent child, killed his family one by one. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, the truck’s speed ticking up as I lost track of my temper.
Jude, he… he was going to give himself up to that monster, was willing to go back to that house of horrors, all to save me. I was grateful, obviously, but mostly I was fucking pissed!
“I am so fucking mad at you!” I snapped, angry tears tracking down my hot cheeks. I dashed them away with the back of my hand, swerving around a taxi going far too slow. “I do not want to live in this world without you. You hear me? You will never hand yourself over to them. Never!”
Jude didn’t answer. He just kept staring blindly out the windshield, not talking, not crying. He was just… empty. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the trauma he was reliving. Memories from his childhood after coming face to face with his abuser. I had zero doubt that he would’ve killed Eric if I hadn’t stopped him. Maybe I shouldn’t have interfered…
But was what Eric said true? Was Jude’s father alive?
I immediately felt bad for having yelled at Jude. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I’m not mad. I love you.” I reached across the seat and took his hand in mine and squeezed. He squeezed back, though weakly, but I took that as a good sign. My mate was still in there.
So, I did the only thing I could for now—I drove. I kept watching behind us to see if we were being followed, but I didn’t see anyone. I didn’t even know where I was headed, but I assumed his pack was located somewhere near to where I’d always seen him, so that was the direction I went. We soon left the city and headed down the highway.
Little by little, Jude seemed to come to his senses. He stroked his thumb over my knuckles, his breathing evening out. Finally, he seemed to come out of his stupor, blinking at me. “Pull over.”
I did as he asked, flicking on my hazards and pulling out along the shoulder. I hopped out from the driver’s seat and met him on his side of the truck as he was getting out. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him, and after a moment, he brought his arms up and pulled me close.
He buried his nose into his favorite spot against my neck and breathed deep. “Thank you,” he whispered, his lips tickling the sensitive flesh. “You saved me back there.”
