And look how that had turned out. He couldn't let it happen again.
She tilted her head to the side, a cute gesture that any other time might have made him melt a little. Now it annoyed him.
“I'm not asking your permission,” she challenged.
“Molly, you know what almost happened to Onyx? That is what will happen to you if you set foot back there.”
“But that was different.”
Hecate help him, but she pushed every one of his buttons. “Molly, you almost died in that cave. How can you be so reckless?”
As she flicked her hand in the air, dismissing his concerns, the edges of his vision blurred red. “I don't think whoever it was meant to nab me. My parents wouldn't do that to me.”
He spoke in slow, clipped words. “Molly, someone working with cat shifters took you. They are capable of that. Whether they meant to grab you or Onyx, you could have died. Now they have sent Enforcers specifically to grab you and bring you back.” Ivan did not mention he had known a few rotten Enforcers who'd abused shifters before returning them to their families. One of many reasons he needed to keep Molly out of their hands.
Molly's stance changed dramatically. She propped her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “Listen up, my baby sister is back there. If they're willing to set Enforcers after me just because I left home at twenty-one years of age, what the hell are they going to do to her? I need to check and make sure she is okay.” She let out a huff of air and rolled her eyes “My parents aren't going to kill me.”
He grunted instead of the string of curses he wanted to let loose. She'd do this with or without him. The determination vibrated across her features.
Fuck. Why did he have a thing for stubborn women?
She wouldn't be talked out of it. A trying session of excessive talking it out would be futile. As strong-willed as she was, they would just lock horns if they continued to argue. Better he go with her to make sure she stayed safe. He'd be there to make sure nothing happened to her.
“Fine. But you're not going in alone.”
“You'll go with me?” The hopeful tone of her voice aggravated him. Did she really think he would let her go back unprotected? Did she think his offer to go with her meant more than it actually did? Or worse, did she think he wanted to be introduced to her parents? It didn't matter. She needed his protection.
“Of course, I told you I would keep you safe. I meant it.”
Her shoulders dropped, all the tension easing from her face. “Thank you.”
“You're going to listen to me and do everything I tell you to though.” Ivan hated the harsh tone of his voice. He hated himself even more for the pained look that flashed across her face. But he had to make her understand the risks of going back.
Tense silence filled the truck as they hurtled down the highway toward her former home. Molly watched the scenery, her stomach twisting in knots thinking of seeing her mother and father again. Although neither of her parents were particularly loving people, they weren't cruel. They would, however, be very angry with her. She hated to admit it, but she knew her defection had brought them shame in their tiny community. While she regretted the trouble she had probably caused them, at the time there had been no other choice. Being mated to Zane would have been a hell she could not have endured.
She snuck a glance at Ivan. Clearly he was still pissed with her. He gripped the steering wheel with confidence, guiding the huge truck through the narrowing, twisty roads. Even though they'd spent quite a bit of naked time together, she couldn't get over how good he looked fully dressed. His muscled arms on display in his green T-shirt made her stomach flutter. She couldn't bring herself to be mad at him. Even though she wouldn't admit it out loud, his concerns for her safety came from a good place.
A different sort of unease coiled through her the closer they got to her hometown. Unpleasant memories of growing up in Cattail Hollow surfaced, threatening to overwhelm her. She sat back, resting her head against the seat and closing her eyes. All her life, she remembered feeling inferior to the other girls, especially Anita Holliday who'd teased her mercilessly for being chubby up until seventh grade. If it wasn't her weight, Anita looked down on her because her family didn't have as much money or live in a nice enough house. It wasn't until after her twentieth birthday when she learned Anita's father was the Alpha of their clowder that it made more sense. It still didn't lessen the years of feeling inferior that she'd gone through.
When Anita had also decided to run from her arranged mating, it had shocked Molly. Since they'd left home, she'd worked hard to put aside her distrust and loathing of the other girl, only to be stabbed in the back again.
“You asleep, catling?” Ivan's smooth, deep voice seemed to soothe all of her jitters.
She flicked her eyes open and turned toward him. He sat in profile staring at the road ahead.
“No.”
“You're so quiet. We can go back if you're not ready to do this.”
“Thank you but I need to check on Becca. I've been really selfish not thinking of her well-being all this time.”
“Tell me about her.”
Molly's cheeks bunched up into a grin as she thought of her little sister. Her constant shadow at home.
“Well, she's ten, but she's always acted older than her age. I was eleven when she was born, so my parents made me take care of her. If I wanted to go out with my friends, I had to take Becca. Kind of kept me out of trouble having a toddler tag along everywhere you went. I resented it at first, but...” she stopped as hot tears clouded her vision.
Ivan's big hand rested on her leg and squeezed. “It's going to be okay.”
“I hope you're right.”
They were silent after that, except for the few directions Molly volunteered when he asked for them. Tension tightened her body as they approached the familiar road leading into town. Only one church served their community. After leaving home, Molly discovered church in the real world meant something very different than it had in Cattail Hollow. Cars filled the parking lot on both sides of the looming, stone structure. Molly's eyes rapidly searched through them for her parents' vehicle as they drove by.
“Turn left up here.”
Her home sat at the end of the street. The smallest one.
“It's the peach one with white trim.”
Ivan grunted as he shifted into a lower gear. His sharp gaze darted around the street. Searching for threats she supposed. He appeared to be cataloging every last thing he saw.
“You're on a dead end. I'm going to turn the truck around so we can make a quick exit if we need to.”
A little over dramatic, but okay. It made sense. He eased the vehicle around and pulled up to the curb of her house. She hopped out and rounded the front of the truck. Behind her, Ivan threw open his door.
“Molly, stop. Wait!” he hissed.
“Come on. You can come in with me. I just want to grab some stuff, then we'll go by the dance school so I can see Becca.”
He muttered a curse as he quietly pushed his door closed. He swept out a hand in front of them, letting her know to lead the way. The second her feet touched the stone path leading to the front porch, nostalgia and longing gripped her. She'd taught Becca to ride a tricycle right here.
Shaking her head, she kept moving forward. A quick glance over her shoulder showed her Ivan was walking with his back toward her, so he could see the neighborhood. Deciding he'd watched one too many action movies, she jammed her hand into her pocket and pulled out the key to the front door.
After trying the lock with no success, it dawned on her that her parents had changed the locks. A sick feeling swirled in her stomach. It didn't have to be because of her. Something else could have happened that forced them to change the locks, but, deep down, she knew the truth.
Ivan nudged her to the side. “Here, let me.”
He pulled a thin packet out of one of his seemingly endless cargo pockets and flipped it open. Selecting two slim metal tools,
he poked them into the lock and wiggled them around. He crouched down while he continued to work the lock. After a few tries and a dozen curses, the front door swung open.
Molly worked her throat muscles, trying to swallow over the lump that had formed. Ivan stood to the side, patiently waiting for her to muster up the courage to enter.
“I'm right here, Molly.” No judgment. Just calm strength radiating from him. Her heart jumped a little. She believed him. His words were the push she needed to cross the threshold.
Nothing inside had changed very much. Everything stood neat and orderly, the way she remembered it. She headed to the back of the house where her bedroom lay. The signs, stickers, and posters that had always decorated her bedroom door were gone. She pushed inside and found the room empty.
Every. Single. Thing. Gone.
All traces of her presence scrubbed clean. She turned in circles, disbelief clouding her mind. The girly pink walls she'd been surrounded by growing up were now a bland shade of ecru. The only furniture a desk and dresser she didn't recognize. She flung open the closet door and found it empty as well. All the clothes she'd left behind, gone. She turned in circles, stunned. When she stopped, she found Ivan's large frame filling the doorway.
“What is this room?”
“Nothing.” A sob escaped her throat as she pushed past him into the hallway. Her sister's room sat catty-corner, and she ducked inside. Nothing much had changed in here. Dance trophies lined the shelf over her sister's white desk. All her sister's clothes hung neat and tidy on matching hangers in the closet. The Goldfoot girls were not allowed to be messy.
Understanding was written all over Ivan's face as he watched her step out of her sister's room.
“It's okay, Molly.”
“No, it's not.”
She stormed down the hallway into the living room. She knew what she'd find when she entered it, but she had to see it for herself.
Every single photograph she'd been in had disappeared. Bare spots stood out on the walls where family photos and school portraits had vanished. Other photos of her sister and more recent photos of just the three of them were prominently displayed. The thud of Ivan's boots along the hardwood made her turn around.
“They erased me. It's like I never existed in their lives.”
Ivan's reluctance to bring her here had as much to do with her mental health as her physical safety. Cat shifters took loyalty to their clowder very seriously. They would not have accepted Molly's defiance without retaliating, even if it was something as futile as getting rid of her belongings and all photographic evidence of her existence. The larger fear of what else they might do lingered at the back of his mind, pushing him to get moving.
“I found this in your sister's room.” He handed over the folded, wrinkled photo he'd found inside the white wicker nightstand next to the sister's bed.
Molly grasped it, and a smile lit up her face. “I have the same one. At least they let her keep something.”
He nodded, no point in sharing his thoughts with her. The photo wouldn't have been stuffed in the back of her nightstand drawer if she had her parents' blessing. Becca probably had a defiant streak just like her big sister.
She handed the photo back to him, and he turned to put it back where he'd found it. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Molly go into the kitchen. When he returned, she was seated at the kitchen table staring into space.
“We should get going, kitten.” The longer they stayed, the more uneasy Ivan became. The screaming in his gut had reached impossible-to-ignore levels. This whole setup reeked of wrongness. It had been too easy to slip into town unnoticed. Break into the home, search it, and still not see a soul. Ivan had learned to trust his instincts the hard way. The hair at the back of his neck prickled, a sure sign they needed to leave now.
A car door slammed outside. Molly's eyes widened at the sound, and she jumped out of the chair, knocking it to the floor. Shit, this was bad. Ivan had closed the door after they entered, but it would only take a second for someone to realize the lock had been breached. His eyes darted to the back door, and he pointed at it. Molly nodded and got behind him. Her soft hands clutched the back of his T-shirt, the warmth of her body soaked into him punctuating his need to protect her. He unlatched the door and opened it without a sound. They stepped out onto the overgrown grass. A wooded area stretched beyond the back of the house. Good escape route if they needed it, but for now he still wanted to get to his truck and get them the hell out of here. Voices drifted from the front of the house, but he couldn't make them out. A little girl's squeal.
“That's Becca!” Molly whispered in his ear.
He nodded silently. Closing his eyes, he opened up his other senses. Sniffing, he scented two males and two females at the front of the house. He listened hard for sounds of any more men. He hoped like hell they'd just go into the house. Ivan headed to the corner and stepped around.
“Molly!?” A deep voice came from behind them. Ivan spun around, shifting Molly behind him so he could face the threat. Her little hands dug into his shoulder and bicep as she tried to move past him.
“Dad. It's me.” She stepped up next to Ivan.
A scowl marred the older man's features. “Who the hell is this?”
“A friend of mine, Ivan.”
The old man's eyes widened, then narrowed. His gaze darted back and forth between them. “What do you think you're doing, sneaking around here after the way you left? And bringing some strange man with you?”
This was going south quick. With caution, Ivan stuck his hand out. “Mr. Goldfoot, my name is Ivan Bast.”
His offer to shake hands was ignored. “Bast. I know you. You're Lynx.” His angry gaze turned on his daughter. “You rejected the prestigious mate we chose for you to slut around with this...lynx?” He uttered that last word with barely disguised disgust.
A low growl rumbled from Ivan's chest. No one, not even Molly's father, spoke to her like that. The other male he'd scented stepped up behind them, and Ivan snarled.
“Zane?” Molly clearly knew the other male.
“Someone said they thought they spotted you, so I came to see if it was true. How are you Molly?”
Ivan watched her stiffen, stand up straighter, and jut out her chin. “I'm fine. That's what I came to talk to my parents about.” Her tone made it clear she wasn't interested in talking to him.
Ignoring the obvious slight, Zane jerked his chin in Ivan's direction. “Who have you brought with you, Molly?”
“Ivan Bast, and you are?” Ivan didn't bother offer his hand to shake this time. He really wanted to change positions. Having one man behind them and one in front of them made his instincts scream.
“Zane Williams, Molly's fiancé.”
Molly's jaw tightened. “Stop saying that! We're not getting married. We are not mating, Zane. Get it through your thick head.”
“Molly!” her father scolded.
Anger gripped Ivan. Aspen hadn't been lying. She had a fiancé, but, in all the time they'd spent together, she'd neglected to mention it. Zane's eyes narrowed as he finally noticed how close they stood to each other. The smile vanished off his smug face. “I guess you're right. I don't like anyone's sloppy seconds.”
Ivan growled again. “Watch yourself.”
“No, it's fine. This is exactly why I had no intention of mating with you, Zane. You're a pig.”
“That's enough, Molly!” her father shouted. He walked toward Zane, keeping a wide distance from Ivan and Molly. “You need to leave. You're not our daughter anymore.”
Molly flinched, and Ivan wrapped his arm around her. He hustled her toward the front of the house.
“Molly!” A little girl's shout came from inside, the door flew open, and a tinier version of Molly sprinted down the steps, thumping into them. She wrapped her arms around Molly's leg. “I've missed you so much!”
Molly pulled out of Ivan's embrace and knelt down, taking her sister's hands in both of hers. “I've missed you too, squi
rt.”
The girl giggled, and Ivan found it impossible not to smile just a bit.
“Get away from her!” An older woman with pale gold hair came out of the house. Molly released her sister and stood.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Don't call me that. You're nothing. No one to us now. You rejected your family, your culture, your chosen mate. Go on.” She jerked her chin toward Ivan's truck. “Go on. Scat.”
Becca burst into tears. Anger and helplessness stirred inside of Ivan. The poor girl shouldn't have to witness this. He looked down at her. “It's okay, sugar.” Her eyes lifted to him, and her mouth formed a small 'O' shape before she gifted him with a faint smile.
“Don't you speak to my daughter. Don't even look at her.” Molly's father came around the other side of the house, Zane trailing behind him. Molly knelt down and hugged her sister, whispering in her ear. The little girl nodded and whispered something back that made Molly chuckle. They parted, and Mr. Goldfoot snatched her away, pushing her inside the house.
“If you're not off this property in the next five seconds, I will shoot you both.”
“Dad—”
He held up his hand, cutting her off. “Don't ever call me that again. You're nothing but a disgrace to this family.”
Zane smirked as he stood next to her father. “Don't worry when your sister's old enough, I'll mate with her instead.”
Molly gasped, but Ivan grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the truck. “Keep your filthy hands off my sister!”
Ivan opened the driver's side, pushing Molly into the truck and across the seat. He spared a glance at the house, but everyone had gone inside. Becca's pale little face stood out, pressed against the glass of the window at the corner of the house. Guilt nagged him, but the girl seemed okay for now. Molly was the one in danger. He needed to get her out of here this second.