Anna and I ran as fast as we could. We made it to the side of the building before I dared to look back. Three of the men had made it out of the window and were running after us.After we rounded the corner, I saw how far we were from the gate. I could see Victor’s car parked on the other side of the heavy metal slat barrier along with a half dozen police cars. But the gate was still closed and locked.The men were about to come around the corner, and there was no chance I could get to Victor before they caught us.“Hide, my love,” Victor said in my mind. “Hide until I can break down this gate and get to you.”“Hurry, but be careful, Victor,” I replied. “John Cameron ordered his men to kill me and you.”“Hide, sweetheart,” Victor repeated. “I’ll be there to help you soon. John’s time to terrorize us is over.”“We must hide until Victor breaks down the gate,” I told Anna.“Where?” Anna asked as we frantically looked around.There were barrels next to the building, two pickup trucks and
John’s eyes glared at me with raw hatred. “Rodney, get Kirk from the packaging room. Tell him I need him to help me escort Miss Wilson to the tunnel. We are taking her with us. If Victor wants her back alive, he’d better make sure the cops let us go.”“Yes, sir,” Rodney said and let go of me.I turned around and faced him. “Using me as a hostage won’t help any of you. You’re all going to prison. Give up now, and things may go easier for you.”Rodney raised a hand to hit me, but then he changed his mind. “Shut up. I’m not going to jail.” He ran from the room as if he wasn’t coming back.John assumed Rodney left to do his bidding and turned to me with an unsettling grin.“You’ll behave yourself and do exactly what you are told,” he warned. “I won’t tolerate any nonsense from you.”He went to the door to the hallway with a puzzled expression on his face and called out. “Rodney, where are you? Kirk, it’s time to go!”Nobody answered.“Where are they?” John grumbled.“I’ll find out,” I sai
“John has lost his mind,” Alex said. “It’s unbelievable he would dare break onto my estate. How he has fallen.”Why was John here? Why didn’t he run away somewhere with his fortune hidden in offshore bank accounts?“His hatred of me and Daisy is poisoning his mind,” Victor said.“I agree.” Alex moved closer to the screen and studied John as he pounded on the front doors.The pounding echoed through the foyer. John continued to beat on the doors and began screaming something that we couldn’t make out inside the house.“What is he saying?” I asked.A louder thump made me jump when John kicked the door as he tried to break into the house.Alex turned on the intercom to try to calm the crazed Alpha. “John, the police are on their way. Please tell me what you want. I’ll help you.”“Your daughter has ruined my life!” John bellowed. “She’s always in my way, and Victor has the leadership position that should be mine. I’m here to demand he fight me according to the old laws.”Alex turned off t
I couldn't stay inside and watch Victor being attacked on the screen. John’s back legs were injured, but there was nothing wrong with his powerful jaws and sharp teeth.And, of course, someone like John Cameron would attack Victor from behind even though Victor showed him mercy. He was evil.After struggling with the lock on the front doors, I ran outside in time to see Alex shift. His magnificent deep brown wolf pulled John’s wolf away from Victor and held him by his throat on the ground.John’s wolf struggled to free itself, but Alex’s wolf tightened its grip on his throat and growled until the smaller wolf howled in frustration and lay still.I ran to Victor. He stood next to Benson, holding a hand over the right side of his head. Blood ran from between his fingers.“How badly are you hurt?” I asked as I began looking him over for injuries. Besides his head, there were scratches on his back that weren’t deep and should heal quickly.“I’m okay, sweetheart.” Victor gave me a reassuri
“I’ll have to think about it,” I told the news executive.Turning my articles into hour-long news shows sounded intriguing, but I wasn’t sure what was next for me.I was working hard to graduate early and marry Victor before I did anything else.“Take your time and think it over. We would give you a lot of creative control over each episode.” He handed me his business card. “I understand you’re studying for your degree. We can wait until you graduate if that's important to you.”I glanced at the card and saw his name was Mike Abbott before I gave him a warm smile. “Thank you, Mr. Abbott. I’ll let you know as soon as I'm sure what’s next for me after graduation.”He shook my hand. “I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully working with you.” He nodded at Victor. “Mr. Klein, it's nice to see you again.”Victor nodded back, and we watched Mike Abbott walk toward a waiting limo.Victor put an arm around my shoulders and walked me inside the mansion.“Doesn’t Mike Abbott’s offer tem
After dressing quickly and rushing to the hospital, we found Justin pacing outside a hospital room on the maternity floor.He looked frazzled. It made me feel guilty for not answering my phone when he called to tell me about Amy.“How is she?” I asked, clinging nervously to Victor.“They gave her something to stop the contractions,” he answered in a shaky voice. “I don’t know if it worked. The doctor is with her now.”I hugged him. “Amy and the baby will be okay. This is the best hospital in Denhurst. They handle cases of early labor all the time.”His eyes filled with hope. “Really?”“Absolutely,” Victor insisted and patted his shoulder. “They know what they’re doing here.”“She’s been working too hard at the shelter,” Justin grumbled. “It’s too much for her now, especially while she’s keeping up with her classes. I begged her to hire someone to help her.”“I didn’t know she was still working that much at the shelter,” I said. “She complains about being tired at school all the time.”
The jury deliberated for three days. Finally, the phone call came that they had come to a decision, and we hurried to the courthouse.Taking seats behind the DA, we waited for the judge to enter the courtroom. I watched the jury file into the room first and take their seats. There was no sign of the verdict on their faces.“Why am I nervous?” I whispered to Victor.John had an odd look of confidence on his face. The word smug came to my mind.“Don’t worry,” Victor whispered back. “There’s no way John will be found innocent.”I tried to let Victor’s words calm me, yet I knew it was still possible for John to walk away from these charges. He had the devil's own luck.The bailiff entered the room and had everyone stand. When we took our seats again, my stomach fluttered, and my heart raced.I wanted John to be somewhere he would never bother us or hurt anybody else again. He couldn’t get away with his evil schemes ever again.The jury foreman passed the verdict to the judge via the baili
“We’re at the lake, but we’ll get to the hospital as fast as we can,” I told Justin. “Give Amy a kiss for me, and tell her I’m on my way.”“The doctors said first babies can take a while, so don’t break the speed limit and drive safe,” Justin replied. “See you when you get here.”I hung up and leaped out of the boat. “Amy ‘s baby is coming!”“Is she and the baby okay?” Victor asked.“They should be,” I replied. “The baby is coming a little early, but the doctor told her at her last check-up that everything would be fine if it were born soon.”“Let’s go,” Victor led the way back to my truck. He tossed the cooler into the back and climbed behind the wheel. He knew I was too excited about the baby to drive.Victor drove as quickly as he could without jeopardizing any lives, but it felt like hours before we arrived at the hospital.I could barely contain my excitement while we waited for the elevator to take us to the fourth floor. Resisting the urge to run, I clutched Victor‘s hand as w