Even worse, though, was that Ric went out of his way to protect his mother. He hadn’t planned to tell her about any of what his father had done, and his cousin Van had promised to say nothing as well. But they should have made Irene promise the same thing, because once she’d found out that neither male had said a word, she’d picked up the phone and called Jennifer Van Holtz herself, telling her everything. About the money that was stolen, the attack on Ric and Stein, and what would now happen to her, her eldest son, and her idiot husband. Irene had held nothing back, proving once and for all that Dee liked that strange full-human woman more than she could say.

“I don’t want you to worry about anything,” Jennifer told her son. “We’re going back to Colorado. We’ve already discussed it with my parents and the Alphas and it’s done.” Dee didn’t know if it would be that easy. She didn’t see someone like Alder Van Holtz happily slinking off into the mist because he was told to by the cousin he loathed and the mate he didn’t take seriously.

Honestly, the wolf should be grateful that he wasn’t a Smith. The Pack either would have run him off by now or just tossed him into the lake with Ralph the alligator and let them fight it out.

Dee chuckled at the thought and both mother and son looked over at her.

“Sorry. Just thinkin’.”

Forcing a laugh, Jennifer wiped tears from her eyes. “My, my. You must think I’m such a mess, Dee-Ann.”

“Not at all, ma’am.”

“Please. Call me Jennifer.” She petted her son’s arm. “I’m not staying. I just . . . wanted to see you.”

“When are you heading to Colorado, Mom?”

“Soon. Before . . .” She cleared her throat “Well, it looks like your Uncle Leo will be taking over the Pack. At least for now.”

Dee blinked and asked, “You have an Uncle Leo?”

“It’s short for Leonard.”

“Leo? As in—”

“Yes. My grandfather had a sense of humor.”

“Clearly.”

“Well, as you know,” Jennifer went on, “Uncle Leo and your father do not get along. So, I decided to get us moved out sooner rather than later.”

“I’ll see you before you go.”

“And you’ll come to visit, won’t you?” And Dee’s heart broke a little at the need in the woman’s voice.

“You know I will.”

“And you’ll bring your Dee-Ann.” She took Dee’s hand and gave that brave, pathetic smile. “Both of you will come, yes?”

“Absolutely,” Dee told her, because there was no way in hell she’d let “her” Ric go to Colorado on his own. Not without Dee there watching his back. And maybe she’d bring Rory .. . and Sissy . . . and Bobby Ray. Maybe her daddy, too.

Just as a precaution, of course.

Dee waited while Ric escorted his mother to the door. When he came back, she asked, “You all right?”

“I will be.”

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “In this together,” she reminded him. “Don’t ever forget that.”

CHAPTER 30

M ace Llewellyn gazed at the two youngsters that Blayne Thorpe had brought with her to “help” her babysit Mace’s son so that he and Dez could likely spend less than five minutes at some ridiculous charity dance. He would normally never go, but Niles Van Holtz had suggested their attendance. Mace didn’t want to think too much on why the Van Holtz Alpha would suggest that, because he already knew why.

So that he and his sisters, who would also be attending, would have an acceptable alibi—just in case.

“So I hope it’s okay that I brought them,” Blayne rambled on. Cute girl but she could go and go with the talking. “They’re very reliable and good with kids!” She grinned and Mace nearly sneered back at her. A mutt who wouldn’t shift to her human form and a bear-hybrid female that glowered like she might kill everyone at any minute. In fact, she’d managed to put Dez’s dogs under the couch with little more than that glower, even his sweet little pup was hiding under there. Dez’s dogs hadn’t had that reaction to anyone since Mace had first walked into this house. So, yeah, not sure he was buying the

“great with kids” line but, whatever. He knew Blayne would take great care of Marcus and that’s all that mattered on these nights when his cheetah nanny was off.

“No Novikov?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation going while simultaneously trying to will his wife to appear.

“Practice tonight.” And she launched into more talking that Mace really wasn’t listening to.

Eventually, his wife rushed down the stairs, Marcus in her arms.

“Sorry, sorry.” She handed their son over to Blayne and Marcus hugged her tight, kissing Blayne on the cheeks and nose. So young and yet already exhibiting his father’s smooth moves.

“Stop looking so proud,” Dez warned him as she dragged the dogs out from under the couch and put them in their individual kennels in the office. A good idea since Mace didn’t want to come home later that evening and clean their piss off the floor because the bear hybrid made them panic.

Dee quickly returned and grabbed a silk wrap while putting Blayne through her usual coplike gauntlet. “You have all my numbers, plus the direct contacts to the precinct, Marc’s doctor—Oh! And where’s your phone, Blayne? You always leave your phone buried somewhere.”