Chapter 130 Chapter 130
“No, please not again.” Jake’s voice made them both turn.
Shae saw him standing there with his hands on his hips and shaking his head at Gage.
“No what not again?” Kelsey asked in a tone that said she already knew and was unimpressed. “Gage. Why are you half naked?” She turned and looked at Calum then her head snapped around to Devin as he walked out of the hallway. “What’s going on?”
Rayne moved around from behind Devin. “They’re leaving us here. Again.”
Kelsey gave Gage a narrow-eyed look. “Shocker that is. What I want to know is why they’re all ready for a fast shift.”
Jake lifted his hands and backed away. “Not my plan. Obviously.”
Gage sighed and then looked at his mate. “Dev and I are just going to make sure it’s stays fair.” He waved a hand down his half naked body. “This is just in case.”
Shae stood there, hugging her arms around her waist, not sure if it was her place to speak or not, but it was her mate going down there as well. “I’m glad your staying up here with me. I don’t feel well at all, and Calum says he can smell my cat.”
Kelsey and Rayne both turned to her at once, sympathy on their faces.
“We’ll be right here with you.” Rayne said in her gentle way.
Her mother and Aunt Marilyn walked in the door and stopped to look at everyone. Shae could see the tension on their faces. Her mother stopped and looked at her.
“Shae?”
Waving a hand at her, Shae stepped as close as she dared to Calum without touching him. Being near him made her feel slightly less awful. “Apparently, my cat is working on making an appearance soon.”
Her aunt’s face lit up, “well you tell her, to just put the brakes on for a little bit.” She looked around, “I’m too old for too much to be happening all at once.”
Calum cleared his throat and looked at Nona, then her mother and aunt, “Can you ladies stay up here with her, I’d feel better if she had all of you.”
They nodded, and Nona turned back to the kitchen. “I have a tea that helps, I’ll get some steeping.”
Calum turned back to Shaelan, as he did the bell at the hall rang out.
Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and came over to the window. You could taste the anticipation in the air. Slowly people started to come out of their homes below.
“Jake?” Calum said in a quiet tone without turning from the window.
“Yeah?” he answered from somewhere behind Shaelan.
“If this starts to go south, you get all these women the hell out of here. Just in case.”
A chill ran down Shae’s spine, she turned to look up at Calum. His green eyes caressed over her face. She couldn’t breath.
“Will do, Cal.” Jake answered quietly.
Rayne turned to Devin, “Nothing better happen, just in case.” The emotions in her voice clear.
Calum turned back to look out the window again, there were a lot of people standing in front of the hall now.
“Cal doesn’t lose,” Gage was saying quietly to Kelsey.
Exhaling slowly, Calum turned to look at Shaelan and tipped her chin up so she was looking at him. “I have too much to come back up here for.” He said.
She wasn’t sure if it was to her or the others, but she couldn’t stop looking at him to check. “You better come back up here.”
He nodded, and kissed her mouth softly.
She watched him walk out of the house and could barely draw air into her body as she did. She watched the three men go down the stairs, her whole body was shaking. It was all she could do to stand there and not run after him. The other women stood beside her and the emotions she picked up from them was the same. The three men walked down the steps slowly, looking like honed warriors, the way they moved. Shae turned to looked at Nona and she didn’t know why, but she didn’t look as worried as the rest. She had to hold on to the thought that her mentor was always right.
Halfway down the stairs, Calum spotted Brock standing in the middle of the crowd, playing the fake Brock. He was looking around as if he was trying to figure out who had rung the bell, even though it had been him.
“I didn’t realize how many people were here.” Gage said, surprised.
Calum had to agree with that, there had to be at least fifty people, that he could see so far and others were still walking in that direction. He didn’t see any children. Hopefully there was some plan in place that young children went somewhere else and not to the hall when the bell rang.
“See anyone that looks like a maniacal lunatic yet?” Devin asked with a growl in his voice.
Just as Calum went to answer, the crowd parted and three men walked between them. “Anyone of those three work for you?” He zeroed in on the one walking beside the man clearly leading. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew it was Jerome. “The one on the left doesn’t get away.”
“That who did that to Chad?” Gage asked.
Calum growled low. “He’s carrying the gun, so I’m going to say yes.”
“Then he shot Gene as well. We’ve got him.” Devin said so low that his words were barely a whisper.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs and started walking toward the crowd, it parted for them as it had for the other men, the only difference Calum could see was the faces they walked by didn’t show fear. In the eyes watching the three strangers was hope, hope that they were going to end their nightmare.