Chapter 22

Seeing Charlotte in a man's lap was a bit disconcerting for her grandfather. He watched as his Elite Team surrounded them along with another male who favored his son's friend and son. Standing beside him was a woman with red hair and freckles. He also noticed she was armed with a 9mm in a shoulder holster. There was a grim expression on her face, as well as the face of the man standing next to her. Taking a deep breath, he looked around behind him as Stone, Caden, and Jack. All three grandsons were heavily muscled and were tall, but the young man holding his granddaughter stood up holding and Graeham had to tilt his head back. He had to be 6'6. Maybe taller. But, he walked by them and gave all five of them a fierce glare. He noticed that his son's friend, Anders's wife joined them.

Without turning around to see where they had gone, he heard Anders say, "Jaxson has gone to their bedroom to try to calm Charlotte down, sir. After talking to your nephew, he could barely get her to eat. Let alone stop shaking."

Anders looked at this son and his son's mate, then at his mate. They all nodded their heads.

"Hear what I'm about to tell you and take it to heart. Anyone with eyes in their heads can see the care the five of you have for Charlotte. But you need to understand something. She is a grown woman with rights all her own. She has chosen to accept my son as her mate and Alpha, and if you try to take her away, he will fight to the death for her."

Looking at the three men that Charles and Graeham brought with them, he said this, "How many of you, if it were your wife and someone tried to take them away because you wanted to 'protect them.' How would that make you feel? How do you think that Charlotte feels? As I said, she is a grown woman and she has been through enough. She damn sure doesn't deserve any more shit because her family thinks that she is too delicate to take care of herself."

"We'll stand with them against you, sir. No doubt. Jaxson is family. The kind of family that is found in the middle of hell. Those kinds of bonds never go away. We can always find another job and if you choose to blacklist us, well then, that sir speak a lot about your character, not mine." Hunter turned and faced the older Alpha. "Besides, I believe we have all been offered positions if we want them."

Graeham was stunned. He knew about shifters. Few people knew, but a one-time head of security had been a wolf shifter. He had been strong and had a sense of smell that was unbelievable. It had saved his life more than once when he was younger, that sense of smell. Not to mention that the best team he had was willing to turn on him if they tried to remove Charlotte from this place.

To say he was stunned was putting it mildly. He usually had the best of everything, because he demanded it. But even loyalty had it's limits. He knew that in his heart, there was not enough money on the face of the Earth to sway them. They were loyal because they had fought together in whatever situation it had been.

Greaham nodded, more to himself than anyone else. "Very well, I would like to speak to Charlotte."

"I'll see if my brother will allow it," Rio said.

"Alone." Rio stopped dead in his tracks.

"NO." The word was snarled out in a guttural tone.

"Rio please, I can't control your bear like I can Jax's. Please don't. Not in here. Not in my beautiful kitchen that Jaxson designed with me in mind." Charlotte was quietly standing behind the men at the entrance to the kitchen. Going around her three cousins, her uncle and her grandfather, she entered the kitchen and went to hug Miney.

"Do you think I should Momma Miney?" She asked so quietly.

MIney felt her heart turn over at the title and Anders felt his squeeze. She smiled down at the girl who had been tied to their family in the best way possible.

"Yes, dear. I think it is a fine idea. How about you and your grandfather go sit at the table on the back porch and talk? I'll get you two some coffee."

Charlotte nodded and looked over at her grandfather and nodded her head towards the back door that led to the porch where they would have dinner every night. Just as she was about to step through the door, she heard a low rumbling growl and realized that it came from Jaxson. Turning, she ran back to him and pulled him down for a soul-deep kiss. Then, before she chickened out, she followed her grandfather outside.

Jaxson watched his mom take a carafe of coffee, some sugar and cream outside for them to drink so that no one would have the excuse to disturb them. When she came back in Charlotte's three cousins stepped in the direction of the back door. He took one step and walked into their path.

"Just where do you think you are going, huh?"

"To be with Char. She is fragile and so very delicate." The biggest one said.

Jaxson and Rio laughed at them. "Fragile! Delicate. Boy, you need to pull your head out of your ass. That is one of the toughest women I know. My mom is human and mated and married to a bear shifter and she is strong. Both mentally and emotionally. But I think my sweet Charlotte has her beat."

The three scoffed at what Jaxson was saying.

Then Rio spoke up. "It's true. That girl has grit. Doesn't she, Mom?"

"That she does, boys. That little girl has been through a lot and survived, and it has made her so very strong." Miney said.

"The girl you used to know, the delicate little thing, too fragile to be alone, is gone. Try her. She just might surprise you. But be warned, the first one of you who lays a hand on my woman just might lose it." Jaxson allowed his hand to shift to a paw with razor-sharp claws and held it up for all to see.

The men were sufficiently fearful to understand that they were dealing with something that they didn't understand.

"Now maybe you didn't hear your grandfather. He asked to speak to her alone. Not with your three present. By himself. So, that's a hard no. You three and you," Jaxson pointed at Charlotte's uncle, " you stay inside."

Jaxson and Rio could hear her telling her grandfather about her life. Her job as a nurse, the disillusion she felt after seeing so much death and how it had almost turned her to alcohol for comfort. Her working with Rio and the things that she discovered. Running and being hunted. Being tortured and dumped on this property, intentionally by Rio. Who had committed her torture and why? Jaxson finding her and nursing her back to health with the help of the town doctor. Rio showing up and killing Marco and Tony. The confrontation with Bill and the call to his boss in the state capital. The evidence on the SD Card that she had carried in her body, knowing it was the only way to hide it. Putting all of that information together, realizing that the evidence was more than they could have ever imagined.

The person behind everything sent them a news brief about the federal judge in Washington being murdered just minutes after issuing the warrants and international capture orders. Calling a 'friend' to help cover their tracks while the arrests and possible assassinations are carried out. She had withheld nothing. She was crying silent tears as she told this to her grandfather. All the while, he was so proud of her. She had been through so much, but she didn't shrink back from it. No, she faced everything head-on.

Rio and Jaxson stared at each other while she told that story. Then they both heard something that they thought they would never hear.

"He says that he will see my face every time he closes his eyes and that he will hear my screams for the rest of his life. But, Granddad, if he hadn't done those things, I would have been in much worse shape when Jaxson found me. The two that he killed? Their specialty was rape and sodomy. They liked to cut off fingers and toes. Slowly. If Rio hadn't done what he did and then dumped me here on his family's property, there is no telling what would have happened. Because of that, Granddad, I will be eternally grateful to Rio for that. Because of him, I met my destiny. The love of my life is right inside that kitchen, waiting for me to tell him I'm okay and to walk into his arms and tell him that I am staying. Because if you try to take me away from him, I will fight."

Jaxson and Rio could hear the steel in her voice as she told this to her grandfather.

"You have been through a lot Charlotte. Your mom and dad would be so mad at me, but young lady, they would be so proud of you. You have really grown into being a fine young woman. You know your own mind and you aren't afraid to use it. You have learned how to speak up for yourself. There was a time when you would have just lowered your head and let someone else lead you around, make your decisions for you. But this version of Charlotte? I like her. She's still soft where it matters, but she has discovered the steel in her spine. And for that I am grateful." Graeham hugged his granddaughter and held her close to him for long minutes. He knew that the next time he would see her would be on her terms, not his. Not only that, he had meant every word he had said to her. If this was where she wanted to be, then that was fine with him. The young man in the house was crazy about her. While he knew about shifters, he didn't know about mates. What they would go through if they were forced to separate from each other. Even before their bond was completed. He wasn't sure that he wanted to think about his granddaughter like that. But, she was right. She was an adult and not only that, she had earned the right to have a say in her life.

Charlotte pulled out of her grandfather's embrace. Looking at him, she smiled. "They're waiting on us. Waiting for us to let them know that everything is fine and that I am staying and that you will not be causing any future problems for them. Waiting to start lunch. There are a lot of hungry men in that kitchen and a couple of hungry women too. Let's go in and Amber, Miney, and I can start lunch. Hope you're hungry. Shifters eat a lot. They have a very fast metabolism so they are always ready to eat. Isn't that right Jax."

Looking up as she opened the door, he didn't disappoint. He picked up up and let her wrap her legs around his waist and he held her. "That right, sweet mate." "

Looking around at the large kitchen, Graeham finally took a good look at his granddaughter's future in-laws. The power radiating off of them was strong and even he felt it. He also noticed the quality of their clothes, the heavy and thick gold wedding bands each wore. also notice the quality of the material used to refurbish this house. The top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances. The quality of the maintenance of the outbuildings. How well the yards were maintained. All of it spoke of time and attention. Great care taken. Even normal maintenance could be expensive.

The people had money. A lot of money. He would bet that if he checked, this was not generational wealth. This was hard fought for, hard-earned money.

"Investments and hard work."

"Pardon?" Graeham said.

"Our clan wealth came from careful investing. Diversified investing. My grandfather was a WWI veteran and they didn't believe too much in backs. After WWII, he decided to try the stock market. Auto industry, Bell phone companies, then when I took over the clan, I diversified into the modern era, including microwaves, cellular technology companies, internet providers, semi-conductors recently. Among other things. Rio will most likely take that part over. He always had a head for that kind of thing." Anders looked over to Jaxson, who was sitting in the Alpha position at the table, holding Charlotte. We don't have your kind of wealth, of course, but we aren't hurting and Charlotte will never want for anything. Especially love." Indicating where his son was sitting, still holding his mate.

Someone's stomach rumbled and someone else laughed. "Goodness. Time to fix you men some lunch from the sound of it." Miney said.

"I'll help, Momma Miney," Charlotte said.

"Sweetheart, you sit right where you are. Besides, I don't think my son is going to let you up any time soon. Amber, Rio, and Anders can help me. It's just sandwiches and chips." She said with a smile.

She pulled tomatoes, pickles, and onions out of the fridge to be sliced. Lunch meat was piled up on plates, bologna, roast beef, ham, turkey, salami. Then a plate of cheese, pepperjack, cheddar, gouda, provolone, American. Then came the mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, mustards, regular, and Dijon. Then she pulled out the lettuce and bread.

Jaxson as Alpha and his mate were first. The Rio and his mate. Then their parents. Then the rest of them, including Charlotte's grandfather and uncle.