hortly. “I wish. No, baby, the son of a bitch is gone. Somehow in the confusion when you all arrived at the hospital, he managed to walk out, right under everybody’s noses. We suspect he’s pretty well connected here in the hospital. Then too, maybe when Marco and I, uh…”
“When you pitched your little tantrum?” Tucker smiled, noting that even his face hurt when he did. “Yeah, probably. ”
Gavin flushed and tightened his grip on Tucker’s hand. “I’m sorry, honey, but we were frantic. I left Marissa to watch you, and when you and Nicky never came back outside, she went inside to investigate and found Adam unconscious. ”
“Marissa? Why Marissa? I know she hates me. ”
“She doesn’t hate you, baby. She’s just very aggressive and protective of me. We’ve been friends for a long time. She kept out of sight in the trees because she knows how you feel about her. ”
“Hmm,” Tucker said, trying to sound noncommittal. That she was protective of Gavin, he believed. But he’d seen her eyes when she looked at Gavin, and she didn’t feel only friendship for him. Of that, Tucker was positive.
“Anyway, in all the confusion, it took a few minutes for them to realize you and Nicky were missing. By the time Adam came around and filled us in, it was almost too late. We took off for Tate’s house as quickly as we could, but there was no one there. We know now that he had you in some kind of secret safe house for him and his men, right in the middle of town. ”
“Those Hunters he was talking about?”
“That’s right. From what Nicky told us he’s reactivated the Hunters. Some of the shit he said was just incredible. ”
“Like the fact that he’s Elias Winters’ son?”
“Yes—his illegitimate son. That would makehim Logan’s half-brother, if he’s telling the truth. Did you know that Logan was the son of Elias Winters?”
“I don’t know. Not really. A lot of relationships to keep up with. ”
“I know, baby,” Gavin said soothingly.
“Did Nicky tell you about m-my mother?”
“Yes, baby. It almost killed your dad to hear it. He knew, of course, that she’d been married before, but she never gave him a name or much information at all on the guy, telling him it was an episode in her life she wanted to put behind her. All he knew was that she’d been in an abusive relationship and that she’d left behind a child with her ex. I guess that child was Logan. Your father never really knew his name. Your motherwouldn’t discuss it much. Told himhe’d threatened to kill her and the child, as well as her parents if she hadn’t left the boy with him. Richard wanted to go back for him, and they’d made plans to do just that before the accident. He would still have gone through withit if her parents hadn’t disappeared, taking you with them. He was so heartbroken and distracted, he never thought much about it again. ”
“It’s a lot to take in. After my grandparents passed away, I thought I was all alone in the world. Now to find out I have a father and a half brother. And my poor mom. She never had a chance to rescue Logan or enjoy her life with my dad. It’s all just so sad. She had her whole life in front of her, and she was finally happy. ”
“I know, sweetheart, but at least you know nowyou’re not alone at all. You have me, and your father and now Logan. It’ll be good for Logan, too. Marco talked to me a little while when you and Nicky were sleeping. He said Winters told Logan before he died that he killed his mother. He’ll be glad to know she had a little happiness before it happened. And that it gave him a brother. ”
Tucker nodded. “I only met him for a few minutes, but he seems like a nice guy. ”
“He is. Marco says he’s Nicky’s best friend. ”
Tucker gave in to a massive yawn. Though he fought against it, he could feel his eyes closing.
“You need to get some sleep, sweetheart. Go ahead. I’ll be right here. ”
“No, get in bed with me. Please, Gavin. I want you to hold me. ”
Gavin climbed onto the bed beside him as Tucker scooted over to make a little room. “Mmm, that’s nice,” he murmured as he pulled Gavin’s arms tightly around him. “Don’t leave. ”
“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. I may never let you out of my sight again. ”
Epilogue
A week passed. Nicky and Tucker had been released from the hospital and brought back to Marco’s lodge to recuperate. Richard and the other wolves from Tennessee had gone home, and Gavin and Tucker were scheduled to leave the next day. Dr. Cornsilk had asked Tucker to stay nearby for a week or so to make sure there were no lasting effects from the injection he’d been given, a crazy combination of steroids, growth hormones, and methamphetamines. The high dose of meth alone would have been enough to cause the extreme aggression the pets exhibited, but he wasn’t sure what caused the pets to have some of the same characteristics as the wolves—things like superhuman strength and speed. The doctor was still running tests, but he thought that the combination of substances in extremely heavy doses reacted somehow with the Werekin metabolism. Melinda’s body was yet to be found, but human remains had been recovered from a burn pile at the rear of the safe house, and it was feared they were hers.
No trace of Jeremy Tate could be found either by the authorities or the wolves, who had their own form of retribution planned for him. Considering the things Tate had told them, though, he’d be back. They had little doubt of that.
“I don’t see why I have to stay in bed,” Tucker said, feeling grouchy and out of sorts . It was late afternoon, six days after he and Nicky were released from the hospital. Tucker was thoroughlysick of all the coddling he’d been receiving, and ready to get back on his feet. Gavin was lounging on a recliner next to him, watching a NASCAR race. Tucker despised NASCAR races. “Nicky’s been up and around for a few days now,” he said, trying to get Gavin’s attention.
“Nicky wasn’t hit by a Taser, nor was he hit on the back of the head and knocked unconscious by overzealous police officers. You had a mild concussion, baby, and the doctor said you needed to rest for at least a week. ”
“Rest, yes, but not be confined to a bed, naked and helpless. ”