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Chapter Three

Tegan

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I wriggled away from my captor, who happened to be a big, strong hunk of man with a beard who rumbled as he abducted me.

Definitely a shifter, but I wasn’t sure what type.

Moon knew I was more than grateful to not be standing at the altar right now. I’d been minutes away from saying I don’t and causing a whole new set of problems. But I definitely didn’t have being in a speeding getaway van with two beasts I’d never seen before on my bingo card.

But that was only one of the problems. Gideon’s wolves were pissed off—and for once, I couldn’t blame them. They were running after the van and somehow managing to keep up with it as it sped away from the Moonlight Mates Ranch.

I wasn’t sure if that comforted or terrified me.

“I rescued you, like you hired me to do.” The man who’d grabbed me sat upright and peeled out of his jacket. His dress shirt clung to the muscles I’d already known were there…but now was not the time to admire them, or have any warm, fuzzy thoughts about him in general.

“Who are you?” I subtly checked to make sure my boobs had stayed in my wedding dress after getting picked up and thrown into a van. By some miracle, I’d managed to avoid a nip slip.

“Barrett Guardian. Sawtooth Security.” He lifted his hand, but stopped and smirked. “Guess we’re past the handshake stage.”

“Just a little bit.” I had texted Sawtooth Security, and the gruff bear shifter who called me back said he’d be in touch when he formulated a plan. Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine “in touch” would equal bearnapping.

“Prove it,” I said, trying to control the shake in my voice. Reality was setting in. Even if this guy was from Sawtooth Security, my troubles were far from over.

Why didn’t I believe him? After having my every move filmed for the last six weeks and absolutely no privacy, it was totally possible that someone had overheard my phone call. This abduction could be to thwart the Sawtooth Security’s rescue efforts.

Color me paranoid, but Gideon had a lot of bad dudes working for him.

If he’d go as far as forcing me to marry him, this stunt could also be firmly within his wheelhouse.

Barrett Guardian huffed out a frustrated sigh. “When I called you back the other night, you joked that the only reason you had my business card was because you’d had a late night hankering for blueberry pancakes.”

“I have a sweet tooth. Sue me.” I had to admit I liked that he remembered those details. And it was almost enough to sell me that he was who he claimed to be. But. “You could’ve been standing outside of my tent and overheard the conversation.”

He raised a brow, like he was considering me tossing me out of the van and to the wolves. “I got you out of marrying Silverclaw, didn’t I?”

“For now, but what are you gonna do about them?” I pointed out the window at the beasts who were miraculously keeping pace with us. “They’re gonna catch us.”

“They won’t. I guarantee.” Barrett loosened his shirt, and I was drawn to the patch of hair that became visible as he undid the buttons. He was big and burly, which boded well for his Sawtooth Security claim.

But until the adrenaline stopped pumping through my veins at warp speed, I reserved the right to be slightly skeptical and totally pissed at him for the way he handled this.

“Everyone saw what you did. There were cameras everywhere!” I reminded him. Most dudes I hung out with would never admit to watching reality shows. It was possible this bear had underestimated the overwhelming presence of cameras. “There’s no way you’ll get away with this. I’ll be worse off than before.”

“I can drop you off here, if you want.” The driver pumped the breaks, punctuating his statement. I held out my hand not to crash into the front seat. “Or you can trust us.”

Barrett’s mouth was set in a hard line. I wasn’t sure who’d pissed him off—me or his partner in literal crime.

My money was on me.

The feeling was mutual, my dude.

A rumble emitted from deep inside him.

No, I absolutely could not like that. I needed to make sure I was safe before I developed a case of Stockholm syndrome.

“You called me,” he reminded me. “How would you have handled this situation differently?”

What a frustratingly sensible question. “Maybe we could’ve done this in a more discreet fashion? Like you could’ve let me know you were coming, for starters.”

He shook his head. “Wouldn’t have worked.”

“Why not?” I demanded. At least if he’d given me a heads up, I wouldn’t have been in danger of peeing my fake wedding dress. It would’ve served him right if I had. I held in my snicker at the thought. “Like this is better? I’m in so much trouble right now. Those shifters will drag me back to Gideon. They’ve kept up with us this long, and they’re gonna be pissed off when they sink their claws into me.”

Barrett huffed. “You think I’d let them do that?”

“Gideon will be even more ruthless after this stunt,” I continued. “He showed up on a reality show and forced me into a real marriage contract. They made me sign it. This isn’t over.”

“No, it’s not.” Barrett motioned out the window.

I gasped. Oh, hell no.

There was a helicopter sitting there with its rotor blades spinning.

“Is that for us?” I squeaked.

“Yeah. Come on.” He offered his hand.

I didn’t move.

“I can carry you, if you prefer.”

I narrowed my eyes at him so he would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I did not prefer.

“If we don’t go now, those shifters will catch you.” His tone softened. “I won’t be able to protect you from what happens next.”

“I’m afraid of flying.” I could barely even look at the thing. “Especially in something so tiny.”

Those wolves who’d chased us were getting into formation. They’d have me back at the altar in no time.

I couldn’t move. There was no way I could willingly get in that thing. Barrett grabbed me again and ran to the helicopter.

The wolves were so close. We’d barely gotten the doors closed before the pilot lifted the tiny aircraft off the ground. Some of the wolves were still hanging onto the rudders as we rose.

“I’m confused,” Barrett said. “I thought you said you worked for the adventure tour company. Didn’t that involve flying?”

“Only on the ground.” I squeezed my eyes closed. If I couldn’t see how far up we were, I wouldn’t be scared of it. And I’d never know what happened to those shifters who tried like hell to catch us.

“Listen.” He took my face in his hands. I willed myself to open my eyes. Barrett Guardian, if this bear was who he claimed to be, was a beautiful man. His eyes were dark and flecked with gold, but more than that, they were kind, like he actually gave a shit about me. It wasn’t something I encountered often, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure how to handle it. “I know this is asking a lot, but I really need you to trust me.”

I nodded. He pulled me in close, his body rumbling against mine, and for the first time in a far too long, I could let myself feel safe.