Chapter Four

Kayla didn’t remember the entire drive from Lubbock to Canyon. All she knew was it took much too long. When Justin finally did pull up to the small building that served at the Canyon Medical Center, she jumped out of the vehicle.

“Kayla, wait!” Justin called after her.

Ignoring him, she rushed through the automatic doors, bypassing other people, and running straight to the nurses’ station. “I’m looking for my father, Marcus Webb. He was shot.”

The young woman looked up startled then smiled kindly. “Yes ma’am, we’ve been expecting you. If you’ll take the elevator to the sixth floor, we’ll call up for Chase to meet you.”

“Sixth floor?”

“Yes, Ms. Webb. Your father has been moved to a private room. You’ll be taken directly to him.”

Sagging against the counter, Kayla wiped at her eyes. She hadn’t realized she’d been crying. “So…he’s okay?”

“I am so sorry!” the young lady stood as she reached over and grasped her hand. “I thought you had been in contact with the Beta—uh, Chase. Your dad came through surgery fine and is resting comfortably. He woke about half an hour ago.”

“Thank you,” Kayla managed. She sensed a presence behind her and turned to see Justin and Randy hovering close by. “He’s okay,” she told them.

“Of course,” Randy replied as he embraced her. “Let’s get up there and see him now.”

Twisting back around to the nurse, Kayla held out her hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. I’ll call up to his floor now so they will be expecting you.”

Randy kept his arm around Kayla’s shoulders, for which she was grateful. Still a little bit shaky, she needed the support.

They didn’t speak again until the elevator doors opened.

“Here we go,” Randy said gently.

Stepping out, she immediately recognized Chase Lawson. The Beta of the Pack was leaning against the wall with his hands clasped together. Kayla had met the man a couple of times but it had been a while.

Since she’d left home right after she graduated at eighteen, the few times she’d been in Chase’s presence she’d been underage and more worried about small teenager needs than the Pack.

During her visits home, she’d stayed around the house with her dad. A loner and a bit of a recluse, her father didn’t like to leave their place. She knew Chase visited him often and the two men had become close friends.

Now that she was face-to-face with the high-positioned shifter, Kayla wished she’d paid closer attention to what her father had said about him.

Maybe then she wouldn’t have been so shocked by the man’s good looks.

Tall, dark, nicely built, and mouth-wateringly handsome, Chase Lawson appeared to be in his early thirties A few strands of gray at the sides of his black, short hair gave him a distinguished edge. His deep chocolate eyes met hers as he smiled with perfect white teeth.

In other circumstances, she wouldn’t have thought twice about seducing him.

Chase pushed off the wall, standing tall, then moved his slim, sleek body closer.

Kayla had to curl her hands into fists to keep from reaching for him. His gaze, full of compassion and caring, met hers. Randy tightened his arm around her shoulders, yanking her attention away from the hot shifter and back to the present.

What in the hell am I thinking? Checking out the Pack Beta while her dad lay in a hospital bed? She needed to get a hold of herself.

“Ms. Webb, I’m relieved to see you made it safely,” Chase said as he held out a hand.

Stepping away from Randy, she placed her palm against Chase’s. The jolt that flowed between them almost had her jumping. Instead, she smiled. “Call me Kayla, please. Thanks for meeting us.”

“Of course.” He dropped her hand and looked at her two friends.

“This is Randy O’Hare and Justin Salvatore, friends of mine.”

Chase shook hands with both men. When he faced her again, any signs of the attraction that had sparked between them had vanished. “I’m sure you’d like to see Marcus. He woke a little while ago but, because of the pain meds, he almost instantly went back to sleep. The nurse did say that his reaction is normal and he will be in and out for a while.”

“Makes sense,” she murmured, trying to figure out why he’d change in his demeanor. In seconds, he’d gone from kind to businesslike.

“He’s just over here.” Chase waved for them to follow.

In front of the door stood a well-muscled man. Taking a discreet sniff, she recognized him as a shifter. As they approached, she tensed at his stance and cold gaze.

“Since we still don’t know who is responsible, I have assigned a guard to Marcus until further notice.”

“Thank you.” Having her father protected was a huge relief—one less worry. She stayed close to Chase as they entered the small room. “Oh, Dad.” Rushing to his bedside, she peered down at her father.

He looked both better and worse than she expected. With the sheet folded down, revealing a white bandage on his shoulder, Kayla got her first look at his injury. Placing her hand on his upper body, she thanked God that his chest moved under her palm.

While his face remained drawn and thin, he still seemed as strong as ever.

“I’ll inform the doctor that you’re here. He will want to speak with you,” Chase said behind her.

She watched as he hurriedly left.

“Interesting,” Justin murmured, stepping up beside her.

“Hmm?” she asked, distracted. The man’s ass was just as fine as the rest of him.

“Earth to Kayla!”

Jerking her head back, she smacked Justin’s hand away from in front of her face. “Stop it.”

Chuckling, he elbowed her. “Nice guy.”

Knowing she had been obvious in her interest and not really caring about being teased, she ignored him.

“Kind of hot,” Randy added. “I wonder if he’s single.”

Kayla was so not going there. Instead, she returned her attention to her dad.

He’d never been hurt in all the time she could remember. Traveling so much when she was young, Kayla had lived half the year with her grandparents until her dad would come home. While her childhood might not have been normal, it had been happy.

She’d loved her grandma and papa. After they’d been killed in a car accident when she was only ten, her father had retired from his government work and they’d moved to Canyon to settle down.

Still uncomfortable around other people, her father hadn’t been involved deeply with the Pack. Kayla had gotten to know the members better since she did attend school and made friends.

In all those memories, she could never remember her dad even coming down sick.

Now that he’s been injured, she needed to stay home with him. He’d bitch and complain but she was certain remaining home with him would be for the best.

While he never pressured her to come back to Canyon, he did love it when she came to visit. Kayla could never see herself living in a small town for the rest of her life.

Or away from other people, like her dad.

Kayla loved being around others. As an administrative assistant, she made schedules and phone calls all day. Organizing her boss’s business meetings and keeping up with notes made her feel important.

Although it wouldn’t be easy, she knew her boss would be able to deal without her if she took a couple of weeks off. She’d have to call and tell him her father had an accident and she was needed at home. He’d want to know why her father had been shot and Kayla hated to lie to her boss but it wasn’t as if she could tell him the truth. She didn’t have those answers. There shouldn’t be a problem with the request. Rarely did she use all of her vacation time anyway.

Aware that Justin and Randy had moved into a corner to speak quietly, Kayla sat on the side of the bed, still keeping her hand on her dad’s chest.

She’d get him healthy again. Make sure their Alpha found out who was responsible, instead of worrying about what had happened the previous night.

Being in Canyon would keep her away from whoever had been hunting her.

Returning home might just be the best plan.

Justin’s cell rang. Glancing up at him, she saw him wince.

“It’s my sister,” he told them.

Justin had left a message for Angel about what had happened. She’d send Randy back with Justin and let the two men work on what was really going on in Lubbock.

Once she knew everything was okay here with her father, maybe she could talk to Chase about her own mystery.

First and most importantly, she had to get her dad out of the hospital and on his path to healing.

* * * *

Chase cursed himself as he stalked down the hall looking for the doctor. Talk about unprofessional.

He’d practically been drooling over Kayla Webb.

As Beta and the man who was with her father when he’d been shot, the last thing the girl needed was him staring at her like a piece of Grade A beef.

The minute he had seen her, Chase’s mouth had gone dry as his heartbeat increased and desire roared straight to his cock.

If Chase had written a list for his perfect mate’s traits, Kayla would have been the woman.

Her shiny brown hair was pulled back away from her face, revealing her soft dark eyes and pert nose. She wasn’t short, so for a man just at six feet tall, he could easily look into her eyes.

There was more muscle and sculpture to her body than he was used to from the women around Canyon. The spark that had sizzled through him at the very first touch had instantly hardened his cock.

He hadn’t even seen the two men accompanying her until the man with his arm around her moved. That had quickly drawn his attention and highlighted how he was supposed to behave.

“Hey, Barbra, can you tell the doctor that Marcus’ daughter has arrived?” he asked upon reaching the nurse’s station.

“Sure thing, Chase.” Barbra picked up the phone.

He strolled away.

Now that Kayla was there and the guards had been arranged, there really was no reason for him to continue to hang around. Marcus might not even want to see him now.

Kayla probably wouldn’t want to set eyes on him, either, once her father informed her how Chase had frozen when the incident had happened.

Yeah, it would be a lot better for everyone if Chase just took off. So why wasn’t he? Finding himself a couple of doors down from Marcus’ room, Chase stopped.

He could hang around Barbra or go back to the waiting room. That way, he would still be close if something happened but he wouldn’t be in the way.

Staying close and discreetly hidden was even better.

Mind made up, Chase started for the other end of the floor when the elevator opened and his Alpha and brother stepped out.

“Hey, bro.” Max strode over and gripped his shoulder. “You hanging in there okay?”

Rolling his shoulder to dislodge his brother’s hand, he nodded. “Of course.”

“Why aren’t you with Marcus?” Shawn questioned, glancing between him and the room.

“His daughter and friends arrived. I just had Barbra page the doctor so he could speak with her.”

“Great, I have a few questions of my own,” Shawn said, strolling forward.

Hanging back, Chase waited for the other men to enter.

“What are you doing?” Max asked, after realizing Chase was with him.

“They don’t need me in there. I should take off.” He waved his hand in the opposite direction.

Frowning, his brother changed course and marched back to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he assured Max. Of course, he was lying but his brother was the last person he wanted to have this conversation with. Chase just needed time to get his head on straight.

“Then why are you leaving?”

Sighing, Chase wasn’t sure what to say to get Max to back off. As close as the two of them were, this was Chase’s problem and he didn’t want Max involved.

Besides how embarrassing it would be to let his brother know what a big failure he really was.

“Talk to me, man.”

Raking his gaze over his brother, Chase recognized the stubborn set of his jaw and concern in his eyes. “I just need to get away for a bit. That’s all. With Marcus’ family here and now you and the Alpha, I’m not needed.”

“Okay, if that’s what you want. I’ll tell the others you’ll be by later.”

“Yeah, sure.” Spinning around, he hurried back to the elevator.

Stopping his escape, Shawn called him. “Chase! Marcus is awake and asking for you.”

“Fuck!” he murmured. No choice in the matter. Chase spun on his heel.

Max was still standing in the same spot. Avoiding his gaze, Chase rushed to Shawn’s side. He could get through this then he was going home and losing himself in a bottle of tequila.

“You’re awake,” he said with fake happiness.

Marcus sat up with his daughter at his side. “I told you I was too mean to die,” Marcus replied with his usual gruffness.

“Yeah, you did, old man,” he agreed. The room seemed a lot smaller filled with so many people.

Kayla’s two friends stood in the corner by the window. Both men openly stared at him. Paying them no mind and turning his back on Shawn and Max, Chase made the effort to look only at Marcus.

“Come here, son,” Marcus commanded.

Leaning forward, the strength with which Marcus grabbed the back of his neck surprised Chase.

“Thank you.”

Staring into Marcus’ face, Chase had to swallow hard to clear his throat. The emotions in the man’s features were unexpected. Unable to say anything, he simply nodded.

“Mr. Webb.”

At the doctor’s arrival, Chase took his chance to distance himself from the others in the room. Putting his back to the wall, he observed as the doctor spoke with Marcus and Kayla.

Shawn shouldered his way into the conversation. Chase thought everyone should leave and was about to suggest it when Marcus started to raise his voice.

“While I appreciate you patching me back together, I am going home!”

Oh, hell. Chase should have predicted this argument.

“Now, Marcus, you need to recover,” Shawn advised.

“Mr. Webb, you were in surgery only a few hours ago,” the doctor tried.

“Dad, listen to your doctor,” Kayla added.

From his position, Chase could see Marcus was about to lose his shit.

“How about a compromise?” he suggested, joining the small group.

All eyes turned to him.

“At least stay overnight. If you are still feeling well enough to go home tomorrow instead of a few days, we can revisit the subject. One night, Marcus.”

The silence in the room seemed to turn to tension as no one moved.

“One night,” Marcus finally grumbled.

Like a balloon popping, the atmosphere immediately eased.

“I’ll let you visit for a few more minutes but after that, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask most of you to leave. If my patient insists on checking himself out early, I will make sure he is well rested when he does go.”

A chorus of affirmatives followed the doctor out.

“I really wish you would reconsider,” Shawn told Marcus. “He’s just looking out for your wellbeing.”

“I can take care of myself,” Marcus argued. “All I want to know is if you found the son of a bitch who shot me.”

Chase should have hightailed it out with the doctor. Sliding his feet back, he retook his stance against the wall.

“No,” Shawn said roughly. “Bastard got away. But we got his scent. We’ll keep a guard at your door here and watch the house.”

“I don’t need any damn protection. I can take care of myself.”

Opening his mouth to argue, Chase quickly thought better of it. Shawn could strong-arm Marcus if he had to. It would be better if the Alpha handled this.

“You’ll keep the guards,” Shawn told him. “Right now we have a gunman lose, who could go after all of us. The Pack is on high alert. My family will be kept safe.”

Marcus didn’t say anything but his gaze left their Alpha until it landed on Chase. Chase didn’t look away until Marcus did.

“You think they found me?” Marcus finally asked Shawn.

“I don’t know. It’s a possibility.”

“What are you talking about dad?”

“Maybe I can help answer that.”

The room came alive with activity as a new voice joined them.

Chase jumped at the woman’s voice as Max and Shawn practically pounced on her.

“Hey!” The tall man who had arrived with Kayla jumped forward. “Get your hands off my sister.”

“Where’s the guard?” Chase demanded angrily.

The noise level rose until Chase couldn’t hear anything in particular. Whistling sharply, he gained everyone’s attention.

The woman held by Max and Shawn smiled as she glanced over at him.

“Thank you, Mr. Lawson.” She then turned to Marcus. “How are you, Marcus?”

“Fine. You can let her go,” he told the two protectors. “She’s not here to hurt me.”

Shawn and Max released the woman, who nodded to them. “Gentlemen.”

The young man with matching features to the woman moved forward quickly. “Angel, are you okay?”

She waved away his concern, instead hugging him. “Yes, of course.”

“Sorry, Alpha,” the guard said from the doorway. “She showed a badge and said she was authorized to enter.”

“It’s okay, Jeffrey. She just took us by surprise,” Shawn assured the young guard.

“I apologize for interrupting. I tried to call Justin but my call went unanswered so I just came up here. Angelica Salvatore.”

As introductions were made, Chase took in the newcomer. She had the same black hair and crystal clear, blue eyes as her brother. About the same height as Kayla, she was probably around five seven or so. Intelligence gleamed from her gaze as she locked it on him.

“What are you doing here?” Marcus asked the question Chase was dying to voice.

“After the incident with Kayla and Randy last night, Justin called. When word about your shooting came in—and since they were already on the way—I detoured here instead of heading onto Lubbock.”

“What incident?” Marcus and Chase asked simultaneously.