Page 14 of Cruel Revenge (Jacky Leon #12)

CHAPTER TEN

I found everything I needed in Heath’s office.

I knew everything about Courtney Lane, a name most refused to say in my presence or even Heath’s.

I knew what she looked like. I knew what sort of jobs she’s held over the years.

She was recently married to a wealthy businessman.

She didn’t have any known connections to the supernatural world.

She’d never gone deeper than werewolves, and that was mostly her sleeping with Heath.

I copied that file and took it back to my office. I put the original back where I found it, not wanting to leave it out for Heath to be surprised. He could talk to me if he wanted to know what I had done.

Carey was missing most of the day, going out to dinner with the werewolves.

She gave me a bright smile as she left, and they promised to stay in my territory.

That was all I needed to hear. For dinner, I picked the best restaurant I could for security, a singular building with only two entrances and exits, then bribed the owner to effectively be closed the next evening.

It cost six figures, a wire transfer I could make, but would catch the eye of my accountant, who called minutes later.

“I just need the venue for tomorrow and need the privacy. That covers the food costs, the staff paychecks and large tips for all of them, and their lost business.”

“It does more than that, but fair enough. I’ll note it and adjust the monthly budget with it in mind.” The accountant didn’t keep me long. After I gave him a quick thank you, he hung up.

It was nearly ten when Carey came home and poked her head in the office.

“I was hoping for an update?” she said nervously.

“Here.” I had written the restaurant and its address down for her to tell her mother. She took it and beamed.

“Thank you!” Then she was gone.

It was midnight when Heath tentatively entered my office.

“Hi Jacky…” he said, moving slowly to my desk.

“You’re going to ask why I went into your office and went through your files.” I looked up from the file I still had on my desk, a picture plain as day.

“You made copies of something.” He looked down in an obvious way, seeing the file. “Is something wrong?”

“I need a promise first,” I said, not bothering to close the file as I stood up. It was already out there, in the open. He knew its contents since it was his work that had put it together.

“I can’t make promises when I don’t know the problem.”

“I want a promise you won’t interfere. I made a promise myself not to involve you so that this something could happen the way Carey wants it to.”

“I need to know what’s going on, because whatever this is, you needed to go through my office, and you know I have to ask about that.”

“Carey wants to meet her mother,” I said, sighing.

Heath paled, but he didn’t waver.

“When? How?” he asked, his words deceptively calm as his Talent activated and hid his emotions before they could reach my nose.

“Her mother reached out. Got her cell number. Used a private investigator. You know how it works,” I said, crossing my arms as I leaned on my desk once I moved to the other side of it. “Carey wants to have dinner with her.”

“I see,” Heath murmured.

“And she thinks you will stop her from doing this, so she came to me about it this morning,” I continued. “Apparently, you and I getting married spurred this from her mother.”

“Of course… major life change. A new stepmother might force a biological mother to act when nothing else had before,” Heath whispered, nodding, before looking for one of my extra seats.

He wasn’t shaky as he walked to sit down, but he was certainly as shocked as I had been.

I didn’t say anything as he rubbed his face, taking it all in as well.

When he finally looked up, there was something mournful in his eyes.

“She thought I would stop her?” he asked, clearly hurt by that.

“She did,” I confirmed, closing the distance between us.

I leaned to kiss his head and sighed into his hair.

“She’s obviously picked up how much you and Landon don’t like her mother and figured it wouldn’t be possible if you, and he, knew.

As for taking you, she just felt you wouldn’t let her really talk to her mother if you were there. ”

“The latter is possible,” Heath admitted.

“Yeah…” That much was obvious. He would be cutting in to stop her mother from saying whatever she wanted to Carey.

“So she approached you to set up a chance to have dinner with her mother and…”

“I’m in charge of all security. I’m taking her entire security detail. They don’t know yet. I’ve paid for a clear restaurant, so it will just be us.”

“You’re going,” he said, looking up, his energy changing.

“I am,” I promised. “She wants me to.”

“Good. That’s good. I would shut it down if she wanted to go alone. But you’re going.” Heath quickly stood up, and his Talent dropped. Now I could smell all the fear and sadness. The hint of rage. And the security of knowing I would be there.

“I wouldn’t have agreed if she went alone, either. I won’t sit at their table, but I’ll be very close, in the room, hearing everything. I’ll be ready to get her out in any event.”

“Exactly.” Heath nodded, looking more comfortable now. It didn’t last long before over feelings came surging back to the surface. “I can’t believe this is finally happening.”

“Me, neither,” I mumbled. The fragile feeling came back, my heart shrinking as I fought not to feel the sting of this. Carey’s real mother was back, and I just had to accept that I was going to lose this precious girl, and it was slowly destroying me. I suddenly couldn’t breathe.

“Oh, Jacky…” Heath noticed, and he was next to me before I could take a full breath. His arms wrapped around me, squeezing.

“It hurts,” I admitted into his chest, tears flooding my eyes. “That this woman is back and…”

“She can’t compete with you,” Heath whispered, beginning to rock us back and forth. “It’s not a competition at all.”

“I love her. I love Carey so much it hurts. I’ve watched her grow up now and—” A gut-wrenching sob escaped as I clung to him.

“She loves you, too,” he reminded me, his voice low, his lips next to my ear.

“And she deserves this. She deserves to meet her real mother!” I tried to pull away, shoving my hand between him and me to try to wipe my face, but he didn’t let me go. “And I’m over here scared that I’m going to lose her. She was never mine to begin with!”

“You aren’t going to lose her.”

“But this is her?—”

“This is the woman who abandoned her and never bothered to reach out, even when Carey was on the news and missing. You were with Carey in those days. Her mother never came for her before this. She’s probably only showing up now because a real woman, one with principles and honor, is finally stepping up for Carey.

She doesn’t care about Carey. She’s never loved her. ”

“I’m so scared ,” I cried. “Courtney is her real mother and?—”

“Courtney’s doing this to exert control. She was never good with other women. She had issues with jealousy. She’s going to hate that you’re there. There is nothing for you to be scared of.”

“But Carey?—”

“Carey knows from experience who her mother is,” Heath growled softly, cutting me off. “She’s lived with the reality that her mother never wanted to be with her. Jacky, you’re spiraling. And it’s okay that you are because this came out of nowhere, but you have to breathe.”

I looked up at him, seeing his eyes were ice blue, those of his wolf form. In his eyes, I saw gold reflected back.

“Oh.” I exhaled the air from my lungs as I realized just how unraveled this made me.

“You are fierce and glorious. You are beautiful and powerful. You have been by Carey through thick and thin. You encourage her to grow and learn and explore the world. You stand by her in her best and worst moments. You put your life on the line for her. You have to be strong for her tomorrow. I know you are scared that Courtney will be able to take Carey from you, but I promise that Courtney isn’t even capable of being even a fraction of everything you are.

Carey will recognize that immediately. She’s too smart and perceptive not to.

” He touched my cheek. “You are irreplaceable.”

It took a moment, but those words sank in.

I pulled him down to kiss him, making sure he couldn’t pull away or stop me.

I was pushed into my desk, then lifted onto it as he proved he could more than keep up with me.

We didn’t go further, though. Once we were both wound up, we stopped.

I let him go, and he took a single, small step back, allowing just a bit of air between us.

“Thank you,” I whispered, trying to smooth out his shirt again.

“It’s the truth. No thanks required,” he murmured, grabbing my hands. “Keep touching me like that, and we’ll have to save the rest of this conversation for tomorrow. I think we should discuss more of the logistics tonight.”

“Yeah, we should,” I agreed, but I couldn’t remember where I put the rest of my plan for the next day. I had to get off my desk to find it.

“Are you going to wear an earpiece and communicate with my wolves?” Heath asked as I was too frazzled by everything to talk for a moment as I tried to find what I was looking for.

“Yeah, I am,” I confirmed, nodding quickly, the movement jerky.

“I was thinking that Stacy and Benjamin would guard the back door while Arlo and Kody would guard the front. They’ll keep some distance and probably stay in human form.

They’re young, so I don’t want them in wolf form, since their wolf forms are smaller… ”

“They’re all good with firearms, and it will stop them from accidentally biting anyone. Being in wolf form is for more experienced guards. Good call.”

“Thank you. I’ve actually already talked to them today about how guarding will be this week with me. I think I did well.”

“I heard,” Heath said with a small smile. “I think you did, too. Stacy was impressed with how you took charge and laid out your ground rules for how the week was going to work. She did add that she had the idea of keeping one of them on shift in the guardhouse. She made the schedule for that.”

“She’s a smart girl,” I said, feeling a little lighter, but my chest was still sore from the tears.

“I don’t like this, but I know it’s because I’m just scared her mother will win her over.

I’m probably going overboard on security.

It’s a simple dinner. We got to choose the location and the time.

I get to handle the security. I’ll be there. ”

“Carey and you are family,” Heath said, rubbing my back gently. “And she is yours.”

“But she’s not, Heath.”

“I know logically we might both know that, but our hearts know otherwise,” Heath said softly, kissing my cheek. “Your heart knows the truth.”

“But does hers?” I asked softly, feeling the tears come back. “Does she know that she’s the daughter I keep wishing was really mine?”

“Maybe it’s time you told her,” Heath said as he used his thumbs to wipe the new tears away, my face cradled in his hands. “After dinner, you should tell her.”

I nodded, accepting that it was really time for me to say something to her. She had to know that much. But not before meeting her real mother.

“It scares me how much I would do for her sometimes,” I admitted.

“Parenthood is like that,” Heath said kindly, humor and suffering mixed on his face and in his scent. “We scare ourselves sometimes.”

“I’m not overstepping, am I?” I had always worried and wondered.

“I plan to marry you. You’ll be her mother one way or another.

If anything, if you didn’t love her so much, I wouldn’t have wanted to marry you so much.

Your love and acceptance of my children mean a lot to me.

The fact that we’re on the same page, most of the time, about the important things with Carey…

only reminds me how right we are for each other. ”

“Should we tell Carey you know?” I asked, turning to kiss one of his palms.

“I think so, but perhaps after you get into the car with her, while I’m in the Tribunal.

I can’t get away to go with you two. I would love to, but Carey is old enough to ask for a private dinner with her biological mother…

mostly private. She doesn’t want me there, and that…

” He sighed. “That does hurt, but I understand her reasoning. Why don’t we go over the security again?

I can make edits if I feel the need, then we can go to bed. ”

“Let’s do that,” I agreed. Sleep seemed like a great idea for my weary, bruised heart.