Page 54 of Broken By Her Mate
Benny snorted. “Two stooges? Well, then, that makes you the third stooge.”
Francisco chuckled at that.
“Shut up.” Cora rolled her eyes. “Looks like I’m your ride out of this hellhole. Let’s go, guys,” Cora sauntered back to the car, leaving Laila to gawk at her.
Laila wasn’t sure whether to be pissed that Cora had been so close to danger or grateful to her for the save just now. Tolliver seemed to have forgotten about the whole conversation about her inability to shift. Crisis averted… for now.
Chapter 19 - Tolliver
Tolliver leaned against one of the floor-to-ceiling windows in Zach and Hayley’s house. The alpha and his wife had been accommodating the small group consisting of Tolliver, Laila, Cora, Francisco, and Benny after the attack on them. Tolliver had insisted that he didn’t want to bring the rest of the Black Ops in on everything yet because the target on Laila seemed more personal than the other kidnappings. Zach had agreed. He was just as curious and concerned about the bull’s eye on Laila’s back as Tolliver was.
They were all gathered in the living room, waiting for the tea and coffee Hayley had offered. Everyone was quiet. Laila sat huddled beside Cora. Tolliver could see that she was still shaken up… So was he. Not even the ever-talkative Benny and Francisco had anything to say. They understood the gravity of the situation. One of their own was being targeted, and they weren’t certain why.
Zach sat in a winged back chair, watching everyone with steepled fingers. Tolliver had known him since they were kids. The alpha’s lord of the manor pose meant his mind was going a hundred miles per minute, thinking about the possibilities of why Laila was being hunted. One of his people, being in any kind of danger, didn’t sit well with him.
His gaze flickered to Tolliver, and his eyebrows shot up. Tolliver looked away from him to focus on the full moon. Just as he knew Zach well, Zach knew him, too. He knew Tolliver was hanging on by an emotional thread. He felt like he was responsible for Laila almost getting hurt or taken tonight. It was a close call, and he was still slightly angry with himself. His idea of taking Laila out on a date was a terrible one. Guilt pricked him in the chest.
Hayley walked into the room, carrying a tray, and interrupted Tolliver’s guilt trip. “All right, everyone, I’ve got tea and coffee.” She placed the tray on the center table. “Please, help yourselves. I have to put Kyle to bed.” She walked to Zach and gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Do you need help?” he asked her.
“No. You take care of things in here. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay.”
Tolliver watched them with a pang of longing. Zach watched Hayley walk away with stars in his eyes. A part of him envied their easy interaction and reciprocated affection. Could he and Laila ever have that again? Was there a future where they tucked their children into bed together? He glanced at her and found her watching the couple, too. As if she felt his eyes on her, she glanced at him, blushed, and then looked away.
Zach’s attention returned to the group as they helped themselves to the tea and coffee Hayley had brought. The clink of spoons against cups broke the silence, though no one spoke yet. Tolliver finally detached himself from the window to pour himself a black coffee, but he went right back to his position and proceeded to stare out the window.
Zach’s piercing gaze locked onto Tolliver. Sensing his friend’s mood, he directed his question at someone else. “All right,” he began. “Let’s hear it. Walk me through exactly what happened tonight.”
Laila cleared her throat. “Tolliver and I… went out for dinner.”
“Like a date?” Zach asked.
Tolliver caught the underlying teasing note in Zach’s voice and gave him a seething look. It seemed everyone except her was rooting for Laila and Tolliver to get back together.
“Well…” She shifted uncomfortably and took a sip from her cup. “I suppose…”
“I see,” Zach hummed. “And you were attacked after?”
“We sure were,” Francisco said. “Benny and I agreed to help by patrolling the safe house's perimeter. Three wolves practically pounced on us.”
“They made every effort to get past us to aim for the safe house,” Benny interjected. “We figured they were Mercer’s guys going after Laila and warned Tolliver.”
Letting out a sigh, Tolliver continued the story. “We left immediately, but the three shifters gave Benny and Francisco the slip and attacked us. We fought them off.”
“And you said one of them ran?” Zach asked.
“Like a bitch,” Benny snickered.
Fransisco jabbed him in the side with his elbow.
Zach stroked his jaw, deep in thought. “He likely ran right back to Mercer. They had to be Mercer’s guys.”
“I’d bet on it,” Tolliver murmured, staring into his cup with a deep frown.
Zach’s gaze zeroed in on the strange face next to Laila. “And you are?”