“Did you hear what I said?” Parker asked.

“What?”

“You need to come down to the station and make a statement.”

Liam nodded and glanced back at December, who still hovered by the back door. She clutched the doorframe. It took all his willpower not to rush over to her and gather her in his arms and comfort her. Either it would embarrass her or she’d reject him. Or both.

“You should have broken more than his thumb,” Parker growled.

Liam grunted his agreement. “Listen, whatever our differences, I think it’s obvious we both care about that woman. I know a guy in security. The best. I want to have a system installed at December’s house and her store. Can you convince her to let me do it?”

Parker muttered something under his breath but nodded. “Yeah, I’ll convince her.”

Chapter 19

Ana turned off her phone and shoved it into the front pocket of her jeans. With balled fists, she fought her rising temper. She couldn’t believe what Connor had just said to her. She knew he’d said the words in anger, but the middle of her chest ached nonetheless. And for all she knew part of him meant what he said.

She opened the front door to the main house and froze when she saw Teresa at the top of the stairs. All thoughts of her argument with the man she loved dissipated.

Her cousin’s damp hair was pulled back into a messy knot, as if she’d just gotten out of the shower. She clutched the balustrade tightly. But she was awake. “Hey.”

“Teresa.” A burst of joy filled her and Ana couldn’t get out more than her cousin’s name. She flew up the stairs and nearly bowled her over in a giant hug. Before she could stop herself, a stupid sob caught in her throat. Tears rolled down her face as she held on to her. She knew she was probably gripping her too tight but couldn’t stop. When Teresa cleared her throat, Ana pulled back. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Are you hungry? Why are you out of bed without help? What can I get for you?”

A tired grin lit up Teresa’s face. “Calm down, woman. I’m very hungry, and Carmen was here not too long ago. She said she had to take care of something but I thought she’d be back by now.”

A thread of alarm wormed its way into Ana’s head. Carmen would never have left Teresa if it hadn’t been important. Still, it was starting to snow really hard outside. Just like in her dreams. But Carmen had promised her she’d stay away from the woods. Pushing down her fear, Ana slid her arm around Teresa’s shoulders and helped her down the stairs.

“All the food has been checked, so whatever you want to eat, I’ll get for you.” She opened the pantry, then the refrigerator and started rambling off what they had.

“Maybe yogurt and an apple,” Teresa finally said.

Ana raised her eyebrows. “That’s it?”

“To start. I’m not sure what I can keep down. Oh, and some ginger ale.” Teresa leaned back in her chair and stretched. Even though her face was tired and drawn, a spark of color had returned.

As Ana set the foodstuff on the table, the front door flew open and Ryan rushed in. He froze when he saw Teresa. “You’re awake.”

Her cousin’s cheeks tinged pink as she nodded.

“I’m glad.” There was a hot promise in those two words. Even Ana could hear it. And the lust that came off him spiked off the charts. Ryan opened his mouth as if to say more but he shook his head. “Ana, have you seen Vivian?”

“No. Why?”

“She and Lucas were playing hide-and-seek, and it’s been over an hour and Lucas can’t find her. He just told me, or I’d have been here sooner.”

Ana looked worriedly at her cousin, not wanting to leave her alone. “Will you be all right by yourself?”

Teresa nodded and shooed her away. “Don’t worry about me. Go find the little she-cat.”

Ana hurried out the front door with Ryan. “Where was the last place he saw her?”

“In the barn. I found faint tracks in the snow leading out the back door, but with the snow falling the way it is, they won’t last long.”

The snow would also slowly begin to cover the little she-cat’s scent. He didn’t voice it aloud but Ana knew he was thinking the same thing she was. At such a young age, it could mean death for Vivian if she got stuck out in the cold with no food or shelter. “Who have you told?”

“I rounded up Noah and Erin. They’re at the barn, waiting.”

“Have you seen Carmen?” she asked as they hurried across the yard.

He shook his head.

She pushed down her growing alarm. Carmen was smart, and Ana could only manage one crisis at a time. And maybe Carmen and Vivian were together.

Once they made it to the barn she started barking orders. “We each take a horse and track in opposite directions. I’ll take the west field; you three figure out which fields you want. If anyone finds her, we check in.” She fished out her phone and turned it on. The voice-mail icon flashed. Five new messages. She cleared the screen. “Everyone understand?”

When they murmured agreement, she saddled Adalita and rode out. If anything happened to Vivian, she couldn’t bear it. The little she-cat had burrowed her way into Ana’s heart so quickly it had taken her by surprise.

She dug her heels into Adalita. Her Andalusian immediately increased her pace. The shrill jingle of her phone in her pocket made her heart jump. Maybe someone had found Vivian.

When she saw Connor’s number, she almost answered but instead pressed the END button. She couldn’t talk to him right now. Not without yelling. Maybe I should have. His last words hung heavy in her heart and remained etched in her brain.

She’d been so convinced he would leave her again, so convinced he’d left her for another female, she hadn’t even thought of the possibility that he’d asked her father to mate her. For nearly fifty years her father had never said a word.

Her father had been a hard man. A hard Alpha. But he’d been a good leader. Fair for the most part. He had been a little biased against other shifters, though. Not overtly; he just hadn’t liked outsiders. Her mother had always said it was because he wanted to protect the pack. But he’d known her feelings for Connor and he’d never forbidden her to see him.

Could her father really have threatened to cut her off from her entire pack if she’d mated with Connor? She pressed a hand to the middle of her chest and rubbed her sternum. Even thinking about that made her want to cry. She’d tried to hide how depressed she was after Connor had left, but her mother and father had known. Hell, her father had tried to mate her to someone else not long after, but she’d adamantly resisted. At the time she’d thought he was trying to help her get over Connor, but maybe she’d been wrong.

None of that changed the fact that Connor wasn’t opening up to her. Wasn’t letting her into his life. He’d demanded she mate with him from practically the moment he’d arrived. He’d never said anything about love either. Sure, he wanted her but he’d said he wasn’t good enough for her. His demands could just as easily be some weird way to get back at her father.

As more thoughts bombarded her, she rubbed her temple. Now wasn’t the time to worry about this. A little cub was missing and Ana needed to find her. The deeper she ran into the woods, the more dread filled her. Her horse’s tracks were almost covered by the falling snow. She might have a higher body temperature than humans, but it was starting to get really cold. Vivian was so tiny in her shifted form and her coat wasn’t very thick. She could freeze to death.

“Vivian!” Her voice carried with the wind, so she paused and listened. When she didn’t hear a response she tried again and again until she was hoarse.

At least it was still early afternoon so they had daylight left. She started to shout when her cell rang. Shuddering in her thick coat, she fished out her phone again.

She didn’t recognize the number but thought it might be Connor calling from a different line. Despite their argument and her conflicted feelings, she needed to tell him about Vivian. “Connor?”

A familiar male laugh filtered through the line. “Guess again.”

“Taggart. What do you want?” she asked through gritted teeth. Hearing his voice now was like alcohol on an open wound.

“I think the question is what do I have that you want?”

Oh, shit. He had Vivian. She heard it in his smug tone. She swallowed back her fear. “What are you talking about?”

He made an obnoxious tsk-tsk sound. “I found that she-cat wandering around. It’s a dangerous place for such a young one to be out unprotected.”

“What do you want, Taggart?”

“I want that piece of land we discussed earlier.”

“Fine.”

He paused. “No argument?”

She cringed at his question. Maybe she should have negotiated, but this was Vivian they were talking about. What was she supposed to do? “I’m not going to barter for a little girl’s life. You want the land? I’ll deed it to you.”

“Good. I’ve already got the contract drawn up. Meet me in twenty minutes or I kill the cub.”

“I can’t be there in—”

“Find a way or she dies. You know I’ll do it too. Meet me at the property line, south side. And come alone.” He disconnected before she could argue.

Shit, shit, shit! Taggart was dirty enough to use a cub. Considering Vivian wasn’t lupine, Ana had a sick feeling he’d have a much easier time killing her if he wanted. Most shifters couldn’t kill a defenseless cub regardless of species, but Taggart was a psychopath. She’d already seen how little he thought of females. Why would cubs be any different? She tried calling Connor but it went straight to voice mail. The sound of his deep voice soothed her. He was probably going to be pissed, but she couldn’t wait around for anyone to meet her. Taggart didn’t make idle threats and she had no doubt he’d kill Vivian if she was late. Then he’d just find another way to get to her until more and more people she cared about died.