Page 29 of Shelter for Shay (Broken Heroes Mended Souls #2)

SHAY – EARLY SATURDAY MORNING

T he grandfather clock in the hallway struck two.

Shay sat curled on the edge of the couch, her legs tucked under her, fingers wrapped tightly around a mug of untouched tea. The living room lights were low, casting soft gold against the tension hanging in the air.

Todd paced in front of the fireplace, one hand tugging at his hair, the other gripping his phone like it might shatter. Becca sat beside Shay, her hand firm on Shay’s knee. She hadn’t said much, but her presence was grounding, a quiet strength that held Shay’s frayed edges together.

“We should’ve sent this to Moose the second you got it,” Todd said for the third time, waving the plastic bag holding the letter. “Hell, we should’ve driven it to the damn FBI.”

Shay shook her head. “You read what it said. If we make a wrong move?—”

“They already know Moose is coming,” Todd snapped. “You think they don’t? You think this letter wasn’t sent to shake you? It’s a warning, Shay. And they expect you to fall in line. But if we act. If we do the unexpected, they won’t see that coming.”

“Maybe, but I’m already worried about you two being here. If Blake and his goons are watching, they must think I’ve told people. If I’ve told anyone, then?—”

“Then we’re dead,” Becca said quietly. “Moose too.”

No one spoke.

Todd stepped away from the window and dialed the light down another notch.

Shay set her tea down with trembling hands. “I just—I can’t risk it. I can’t be the reason something happens to him. I can’t be the reason something happens to anyone. You two should leave.”

“We’re not going anywhere.” Todd’s expression softened.

He crouched down in front of her, his voice quieter now.

“But we have to be smart. Edmonds sent that note when he did because he knew you’d have the weekend to sit and stew in it.

He wants you to be good and scared for deliberations.

He wants you rattled enough to sway the room.

Maybe not outright lead them—but just enough doubt to fracture the verdict. ”

“That’s a tall order,” she mumbled. “I know I’m not supposed to talk about it, but the evidence in this case is overwhelmingly compelling. I’m sure it will be unanimous.”

“All the more reason to screw with you now.” Todd squeezed her hands. “I’ll send the note from my phone. Encrypted. It won’t trace back here. I’ll forward it to Moose, Andy, and Jacob. Just the image of the note. No message.”

Shay hesitated but finally nodded.

Todd tapped quickly, sending the image off into the digital void. Then he set the phone down like it had burned him.

Becca let out a long breath. “Okay. Now what?”

“Moose should be here soon, so we wait,” Todd said. “We stay put. Lights low. Doors locked.”

It felt like a plan. Or the best they could manage. Until the sound of tires skidding across gravel shattered the calm.

Shay’s heart slammed into her ribs. Todd was already moving, pulling back the curtain with two fingers, eyes narrowing.

The house had gone quiet. Too quiet. Then?—

Tires. Gravel. A snap. A crash. Wood splintering. The back door.

“Get behind me,” Todd barked, turning just in time to meet the first man rushing in—tall, broad, and armed.

Two more followed.

Shay tried to run. A scream tore from Becca’s throat. Todd threw a punch, connecting with someone’s jaw, but was immediately tackled and slammed into the wall.

“Don’t,” one of the men shouted, dragging Becca backward. “No one move unless you want to get hurt.”

It happened so fast. Rope. Duct tape. A blur of fists and grunts.

Shay fought, teeth bared, arms flailing, but the largest of the three had her by the waist, hauling her off the ground like she weighed nothing.

“Heard your boyfriend is on his way,” the man snarled in her ear. “Also heard over the police scanner that someone wanted eyes on this place. Something about a note. Should’ve kept your mouth shut.”

“Todd,” she cried, reaching back—but her friend was already gagged and bound, blood on his cheek and fury in his eyes.

Becca was sobbing. Her gaze locked on Shay’s.

“Don’t fight,” the man growled. “You’re worth more in one piece.”

They dragged her through the kitchen, her heels catching on the linoleum, her voice breaking on a scream as she was shoved out the back door.

Cold air. Pine trees. The hum of a waiting SUV.

The last thing she saw before the door slammed shut was Todd’s terrified face.

Then darkness.

And silence.

And the knowledge that everything had just changed.

Forever.

Moose – Saturday Morning | Shay’s House

Moose’s SUV skidded to a stop in front of Shay’s house, gravel scattering beneath the tires.

A police cruiser was parked at the curb.

Moose’s heart dropped to his gut. He slammed the vehicle into park, barely registering the hiss of the brakes before flinging the door open. His boots hit the ground, followed instantly by Thor, Kawan, Lief, Sloan, and Jupiter—each one already scanning, their instincts dialed in.

No one had to be told this wasn’t a drill.

He took the porch steps two at a time. The front door was wide open, and the first person he saw was a familiar state trooper.

Andy Harmon’s presence meant local law enforcement was already inside. Good.

But it also meant shit had gone sideways.

Moose crossed the threshold fast, his pulse pounding like war drums. The house smelled like lavender, blood, and adrenaline. Fear clung to the walls. Something primal told him he was already too late.

The furniture had been knocked askew, a chair overturned, and duct tape dangled off the arm of the sofa like a warning.

Becca sat rigid on the couch, her face blotchy, hands clenched in her lap. Todd paced like a caged animal, one side of his face bruised and swelling, his shirt smeared with blood—his or someone else’s, Moose didn’t know.

Andy stood near the window, scribbling notes, jaw locked. At the kitchen counter, Jacob Donovan—the DA—held a folder in one hand and a burner phone in the other.

“Where the hell is she?” Moose asked, barely keeping the growl out of his voice.

“Take it easy,” Andy said.

“Just answer the fucking question.” He inched closer, puffing out his chest.

“She was taken about forty-five minutes ago. Three men. Clean, fast, masked up. Knew what they were doing.” Andy lowered his chin. “I need you to remain calm.”

Moose sucked in a deep breath as Thor rested a hand on his shoulder as if to ground him.

“Were they armed?” Lief asked, stepping in beside Moose, his broad shoulders eating up the space. It seemed like a dumb question, but it was more about what they had, not if they had them.

“Yup,” Todd said tightly. “One of ’em waved a piece at Becca. Another had a stun baton. Hit me with it after I clocked the first guy.”

“Did they say anything?” Jupiter asked, already pulling out his tablet to connect with satellite feeds. “Anything that gives us a direction? An idea of where, what, and why?”

Todd looked at him, then Moose. “One of them said something about Shay’s boyfriend making noise. About her not backing down. They knew Moose was coming. They’d been listening to scanners, so they knew Andy wanted eyes on the house after I sent the note.”

Moose’s hands curled into fists. He turned to Andy. “You get anything else?”

Andy nodded grimly. “Someone sent me a tip—anonymous. Claimed you kidnapped Shay. Included photos. Surveillance-type. You and Shay were walking together, but it wasn’t in a romantic way.

It showed you holding a piece at her side.

And it came ten minutes after I got the note from Todd.

It’s a setup, Moose. They want to paint you as the aggressor. ”

“Edmonds,” Moose muttered. “Has to be. Trying to shift the spotlight.”

Jacob looked up. “He’s not just shifting it.

He’s detonating it. Late last night, I received an anonymous packet.

Photos, documents. Proof that Shay Whitaker is Blake Edmonds’ biological daughter.

I just got off the phone with the judge.

He’s preparing for a mistrial, which means I have to decide if I want to retry the case. ”

Thor’s eyes narrowed. “What’s the angle there? Are you worried that you won’t get the right verdict? Is the defense worried?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s a slam dunk for a conviction.

The evidence is way too compelling. But one never knows.

However, my guess is that when Edmonds learned that Moose was on his way and that Shay slipped Todd that note, who turned it over to Andy, he figured he was fucked when it came to that jury. ”

“So, why kidnap her?” Becca asked. “Why even bother to tell her he’s her father? Why does it matter?”

“It’s about control,” Moose said coldly. “He wants Shay silenced and I believe it’s for more than being on the jury. I think this goes deeper.”

“My old FBI agent instincts are kicking in.” Jacob nodded. “The letter. The mistrial. The kidnapping. Margaret and the LLC. It’s all connected.”

“Yeah,” Sloan said from near the door, “but the only thing we care about right now is where the hell they took her.”

Becca looked up, voice low and shaky. “The cabin. The one Margaret used to go to. The one she said belonged to an old family friend. Shay’s mom used to go there.

She never took anyone. Never explained. Just said it was where she could ‘clear her head.’ But she only ever went when things got…

heavy with one of her students. Shay and I used to beg her to let us go, especially when we got older, but she said her friends were private people and it was a favor they extended her sparingly. ”

Moose pivoted. “Could she have met Edmonds there?”

Becca hesitated. “I would have no idea. It’s not like she went there often. Maybe five or six times over the years.”

Kawan leaned into the conversation, all six foot three of him like a shadow on the wall. “Secluded cabin, no neighbors, private access? A place that means something. That matters to both him and Margaret. That’s where he’d take her.”

Thor pulled out his phone. “Coordinates?”

Becca nodded and rattled off the address.

Jupiter’s tablet pinged. “Got the satellite image. It’s remote. Not actually on the lake. One road in, but a big hill. Dense tree cover. No visible power grid. Could be off the books completely.”

“Sounds like a black site,” Lief said. “Or a graveyard.”

“No one’s dying today,” Moose said, his voice iron.

“Jupiter, pull regional comms. Look for shortwave or encrypted signals. Sloan, get eyes on back channels—see if any chatter went dark after the grab. Kawan, check traffic cams, route patterns, anything that might’ve picked up the SUV. Thor, get my gear from the truck.”

Everyone moved.

Andy crossed to Moose. “We’ll back you. Quietly. I’ll file a report saying the suspects fled north. Buy you time.”

“Thanks, man. That means a lot.” Moose met his gaze. “You believe she’s Edmonds’ daughter?”

Andy hesitated, then nodded. “I also believe that doesn’t change a damn thing.”

Moose turned to Jacob. “I’m going to give you the number of a girl I know. She’s scary when it comes to what she can do behind a screen. Her name’s Ry. Call her. Tell her to trace that anonymous packet. I want proof that it came from Edmonds. We nail him from both ends.”

“What kind of trouble will I get in by using her?” Jacob arched a brow.

“I’m sure you can find a way to make it legal.”

“I might have to jump through a hoop or two, but I’m sure between the bullshit State was just fed and what my office was given, I bet I can get someone to sign off on this.” Jacob nodded.

Moose looked around one last time—at the broken furniture, the blood on Todd’s shirt, the hollow pain in Becca’s eyes. He exhaled once. “Let’s move.”

They didn’t need words. Just a nod from Moose, and the rest followed without hesitation.

Six men stormed back out the front door—operators, SEALs, brothers.

And Moose, dead center, already burning with the knowledge that somewhere in the woods, the woman he loved was being held by the man who’d owned her past.

But not her future.

Not anymore.