“Leslie, get back inside.”
“Well, look who is up the duff again,” Marshall mewed, his voice sending a chill up her spine.
“Don’t talk to her. What are you doing here, Marshall?” Tucker demanded of his younger brother.
“I came back to take what is rightfully mine.”
“And just how do you plan to do that? The council has already made their selection. It wasn’t you.”
“Yeah, but you fed them a whole bunch of bullshit, now, didn’t you, brother?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Tucker replied.
“You and your mail-order wife and kids. Did you think I wouldn’t find out about that? Did you think I would take what you did with my tail tucked between my legs? You underestimated me.”
“You don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Oh, I think I do. So do you. So does she,” Marshall said, nodding toward Leslie, who continued to stand just outside the back door, frozen in place.
“Yeah?” he said, turning to one side and calling back to someone who had been standing out of sight behind a storage shed at the back of the club.
Leslie couldn’t believe her eyes. She felt completely nauseous as Blane stepped out and stood beside Marshall. His eyes fell to her stomach and a smirk crossed his face.
“Cheating on me, my darling?” he said sarcastically.
Leslie’s eyes widened and she found that she couldn’t speak. Tucker glanced toward her, seeming confused for a moment, but he was quickly caught up by Marshall.
“Did you know she had a husband? One that she’s still married to. That makes you both bigamists, doesn’t it?” he said casually.
“Not to mention, kidnappers. Where are my girls, Leslie?” Blane snarled at her.
He walked past Marshall, getting closer to Tucker. Pausing, he looked at him and then back at Marshall, who had cut his hair and now they could hardly be told apart.
“Goddamn, you didn’t tell me you two boys were twins, Marshall.”
“You didn’t tell me those girls were yours,” Marshall replied.
“Well, you know. I didn’t want you to get all emotional and decide you didn’t want to mess up the lives of little girls or some shit,” Blane replied.
“Assholes of a feather,” Tucker said. “Leslie, go back in the clubhouse and find Gus. Stay with him.”
“That fat old bastard can’t protect her or anyone else,” Marshall laughed.
“He won’t need to,” another voice said from the door as it opened.
A half-dozen other shifters stepped out into the back area of the club and stood behind Tucker. One of them held the door, motioning for Leslie to step inside. She shook her head no, standing firm.
“Well, it looks as if all the strays are piling out into the yard like a bunch of curs,” Marshall laughed.
“You need to leave, Marshall. Take your bitch boy with you,” Tucker said.
“You better watch who you’re calling bitch boy,” Blane growled. “You can keep my cunt wife, but I’m not leaving here without my girls.”
“Then you won’t be leaving here,” Tucker told him, not an ounce of emotion in his voice.
“We’ll see about that,” Blane shot back.
Everything seemed to happen in fast forward after that. Blane didn’t wait, he began to shift and everyone in the yard followed suit except for Leslie. She opened the door and stepped inside, locking it behind her and making a run for the girls.
“I need help,” she gasped to whoever was nearby.
Mari and Gladys were beside her immediately.
“What is it,” Mari asked.
“There’s a man outside. He came here to take my girls. I need to hide them. Where can I hide them?”
“What man?” Gladys asked.
“Marshall and someone he brought with him,” she said, keeping Blane’s identity quiet for the time being.
“Give them to me,” Mari told her. “Where is their stroller?”
Leslie pointed toward the folded stroller, finding it hard to breathe. She gasped, having a hard time getting the words out.
“Leslie, calm down. You’re in no condition to get so upset. Come on. Come with us and we’ll get the girls away.”
“No. I have to stay here. I need to get back out there.”
“And do what?” Gus said in a loud voice as he entered the room. “Gladys, help Mari get the girls into their stroller and take them over to the crew quarters on the other side. Here’s the keys to room 20, upstairs. It’s empty and you can hole up in there. I’m sending some of the guys to guard the hallway in case anyone comes looking. Leslie, you go with them.”
“I’m not leaving Tucker out there alone any longer than I have to,” she said.
“In case you haven’t noticed, you’re about to drop a load more kids. You can’t afford for them or you to get hurt and Tucker will have my hide if I let you go back out there. He’s got all the help he needs.”
Gladys and Mari took the girls out in their stroller with Leslie walking reluctantly behind them. Gus moved along behind her, making sure she didn’t turn around and go back outside. They pushed the stroller with the still half-asleep girls up the wheelchair ramp to the second floor where Mari opened Room 20. Mari pushed the stroller into the room and Gladys brought in Charlie behind her.