Page 30 of Broken By Her Mate
“Ugh. He’s such a liar… but he’s still so good-looking. You at least hooked up with him, right?”
“Cora. Focus.” Laila’s face almost caught fire because she did indeedhook upwith her ex. But Cora didn’t need to know that.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. What’s going on? Why did he need to get you away?”
Laila walked to the window to peep outside. Tolliver was nowhere in sight. He was probably at the front of the shop, checking for mysterious shifters. “I was in danger… I still am.”
Cora blinked and then started to rub her flour-dusted hands down her thighs. It was a nervous gesture of hers that Laila had picked up on. “Danger? Goodness, Laila, are you okay? What do you mean—”
“Cora, calm down.” Laila could hear the girls’ increasing heart rate. She knew Cora had latched on to her in a way. The only family the younger woman had was her father, who didn’t treat her very well. She was Cora’s only other family, which was why Laila insisted on coming back. She really wanted to check on her bakery and apartment, but her main intent was to make sure Cora was okay and tell her what was happening.
Cora took a deep breath. “What kind of danger are you in?”
By the time Laila finished the story about rouge wolf shifters, kidnapping, and breeding rings, Cora’s mouth practically touched the hardwood floor. “You have got to be freaking kidding me! How does that even happen?”
Laila shrugged. “People are sick, and they do messed-up things. Tolliver and his crew still don’t know the true intent of the criminals—why they’re taking specific female shifters.Tolliver said you’re not a target so you should be okay, but I wasn’t satisfied with that. I wouldn’t be comfortable leaving you here alone without you at least knowing what’s going on. I just want you to watch your back, okay?”
“Of course.” Cora wrapped her arms around herself. “As much as I miss you, you need to leave Laila. What if those people are watching the bakery, waiting for the moment you show up? You could be in danger right now.”
Laila released her breath and walked over to Cora. Her wolf could sniff out Cora’s anxiety from a mile away. “Thanks for your concern, but I don’t want you to get worked up.”
“That’s easier said than done. You know I love you.”
Laila’s heart melted. “I know, kiddo. But I’ve got Tolliver on my ass every minute of the day. He’s made himself my bodyguard.”
“Why do you sound annoyed by that?” Cora asked. “I’d be happy to have a handsome bodyguard.”
Laila rolled her eyes. She probably would, too, if said handsome bodyguard hadn’t broken her heart years before. “It’s just hard being around him sometimes, that’s all.”
Cora nodded. “I get it.”
Just as Laila was about to share that things with Tolliver had gotten complicated, the door burst open. The women gasped and turned to the door hanging on its hinges. Tolliver stood there with his face twisted into a scowl as he assessed the room. His eyes glowed amber with his wolf ready to surface. Seeing that Laila was fine, his shoulders relaxed.
“What the hell, Tolliver? You broke my door.” Laila stared at him in disbelief.
“You disappeared,” he growled.
“I told you I was coming up to speak with Cora.”
“I couldn’t hear or feel you. I knew some kind of magical block was being used. I feared the worst.”
“I asked Cora to soundproof the room,” Laila confessed.
Tolliver’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Why?”
“Girl talk?” Laila’s sheepish look didn’t amuse him one bit. “All right, fine. I wanted to tell her what was going on without you going postal.”
Tolliver ground his molars. “I would have preferred you kept the information to yourself.”
“I know, but I didn’t feel comfortable keeping her in the dark. One of those shifters could show up here one day. She needed to know.”
Cora held up a finger. “First of all, I’m hurt you wouldn’t trust me with this Tolliver.”
“I only met you a few days ago,” he said, exasperated.
“It doesn’t matter now.” Cora shrugged. “I’m in on the secret. By the way, how did you sense a magical block?”
“My sister is a witch,” he explained. “I know all your little secrets.”