Impassable Force: Force of Nature Series (7 page)

Austin laughed. “Mom, you do know that the
boy
is twenty-seven years old, don’t you? I don’t think he’ll like you calling him that now that he has himself a mate.”

“Like he’s going to be any older than me.
I think he enjoys me calling him that. Makes him think I love him or something.” Austin looked at her again, and she smiled. “Yes, son, I love him. He’s like a son to me. Both of them are. I just wished…someday I wish I had more time.”

Austin felt his heart take a twist.
He knew that she was getting up there in years and thanks to Phil, who had given her a little of the gift he had, she’d been around longer than she would have been under normal circumstances. But he could see she was getting tired. And he had to stop and think that his mom was over seventy years old. He didn’t want to think about her leaving him.

“Mom, are you happy?”
She looked at him, then at CJ before she nodded. “You would tell me if you needed anything, right?”

“Whatever would I need?” She huffed at him. “Of all the things to say to me. I have more grandchildren than most people
. I have eight of the best sons in the world, friends that would and have given me more love than some children do. And the best of all, I have you right here where I can see you every day if I want. What a thing to say. Do I need anything? What would I need, I ask you again?”

Austin glanced at CJ and saw her fighting tears. He hadn’t meant to make any of them upset
, but he didn’t want to lose any of them either. He pulled into the drive and turned to look at his mom.

“I love you more than I thought possible.
And even though over the years I’ve wanted to burn your spoon, it holds the fondest memories a man could have.” She hit him between the eyes with the spoon so fast he had to blink several times before he could speak. “What the hell was that for?”

She opened the door and started out before she looked at him with a smile.
“I’m just creating memories for you. You do like memories, don’t you son? You wouldn’t want to deny your poor old mother giving you memories before she dies, would you?”

When she shut the door and made her way to the house
, he looked at CJ as she sat beside him. She was laughing so hard she was wiping at tears. Austin didn’t understand women and doubted he ever would. Getting out, he went around the car to get his daughter and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“You should know that when she’s gone I’m going to burn that thing.” He kissed her cheek and went up to the house still talking to Aerial.
“Come on little girl, let’s see what the poor boy has gotten himself into now.”

Shawn was wai
ting for him when he entered. Austin had no idea why but he’d never really trusted the older panther. But his wife had been giving him treats since he’d been a little kid. It was funny how things moved around so that you met in the middle more often than not. He handed over Aerial when he asked for her but wondered if she’d be all right. Aerial looked at him as if to say, “I’ve got this, Dad.” And that was another thing he’d never really cared for about the man, his lack of a smile. Ever. Aerial toddled after Shawn, holding his finger and looking up at him like she was slightly leery of him, yet, like a baby, still wasn’t sure why. Austin decided that he’d have the man investigated as soon as he got back to his house. Austin went to the study where he heard voices.

“I do not have to see your brother. I’m perfectly fine.” Austin looked at Molly when she got up to pace and thought she looked great but said nothing. “Are you going to be this way if I get shot again?
And I’m pretty sure I will. Or I might just shoot you.”

“
Are you planning on getting shot again?” Austin was wondering the same thing when his mom asked her. “If you do then would you mind not telling me until you’re healed up? That way I can beat your ass and not have to worry about it hurting you more. I’ve never met a woman more bent on…well, that’s not true. All the women in this family seemed to have a flair for getting hurt one way or another.”

Molly huffed before she spoke.
“I’m a big girl and I’m pretty sure I can take care of myself. And no, I’m not planning on getting shot, but it is part of the job. And before I forget, Martin is coming over. He’s going to the…we’re going out to the….” Austin knew what she was trying her best not to say. She was going out to where it had happened, where she and her sister had been shot.

“I’ll go with you.”
They all stared at Jodie who walked in the room. “I might be able to see stuff you won’t. Also, congratulations are in order I guess.”

The flush on Molly’s face was funny
, but he wisely kept his laughter to himself. He looked at Randy, who was sitting there like he was waiting for the hammer to drop or something. He’d not moved or said anything since he’d come into the room. Austin went to sit next to him.

“I guess you didn’t kill her.”
He looked at him, and Austin could see the fear in his eyes. “I’m not mad. I’m not even surprised. Are you okay with changing her?”

“I don’t know…it’s like…she’s my mate and I’ve only just realized that I love her. And I could have killed her.”
Austin started shaking his head when his mom came to sit on the other side of Randy. “She could have died when I bit her. What the hell was I thinking?”

Bam
!
The spoon was out and whacking Randy in the head quickly. Randy looked at his mom as he rubbed his head. She looked ready to do battle. Austin decided this had less to do with memories and more to do with her making her point stick. He was pretty sure it would too.

“What were you thinking when you changed her? Having her in your life for the rest of your days? Or were you just thinking she was a good lay?” Randy flushed darker and closed his mouth tight.
“I know what you were thinking. You were thinking you’d get us all over here and let your mate suffer through this on her own. Look at her.”

The
y both did, and Austin could see the fear in her eyes, too. She was not just afraid but terrified. He heard his mom ask Randy what he’d told her about her being a wolf.

“I didn’t say anything to her. She woke up about ten minutes after I talked to Austin and then she came down here. I told her we needed to talk
, but she kept talking about getting her sister’s murderer taken care of. I don’t even know if she knows that she’s a wolf now.”

“She knows. But since you’ve been worried about Austin beating you for not asking for permission, she’s been worried that you feel you’ve made a mistake.”
Randy looked at him, then at his mom. “You know that you have to ask permission, but not one of my sons ever did. And even if they had, it was too late. The girls in this family are here to stay. Go to her, boy, and tell her you love her.”

Randy stood
, then sat down. When he stood the second time, his mom gave him a little push. He went to Molly and pulled her into his arms, and she looked ready to crumble as he held her upright. Austin had a feeling the girl was barely hanging on, and this would break her. She looked up at Randy, and even from across the room he could see the relief in her face.

“Everyone,” Randy said to the room while never taking his eyes off Molly
. “I’d like you all to meet my mate. We’re going to get married as soon as it can be arranged, if she’ll have me, and also, she’s my wolf. And I’ve never been happier than I am right now in my entire life.”

He kissed her then
, and Austin looked at his mom. “How do you do that? How do you know just what to say to make things perfect?”

“I’m a mom.” He waited for more
, but she stood up and went to the couple. As far as Austin was concerned, that didn’t explain anything. But he did get up and congratulate the couple, too. This was the oddest start to a morning he’d ever had.

When Martin and Dallas showed up a few minutes later, Shawn announced lunch.
He moved out of the room as if he expected them all to follow. Aerial came into the room, and he leaned down and picked her up in his arms. He thought it odd for just a few seconds that she didn’t smell like the panther at all. When as one they moved out of the office toward the door, Austin stopped and looked at the board leaning on a chair. It was finished.

“Christ.”
He looked at Tristian when he appeared beside him, his voice full of awe. He had to agree, Randy did a better job than he’d thought he would when Tristian asked him if he could work on it. The way it was lined up and color-coded, it looked like he might have spent days on it working nonstop.

“I didn’t do it.” He looked at Randy when he spoke. “Well, I helped
, but Molly did the most of it. She said it was driving her crazy and she needed it finished. I think she really enjoyed doing it. And once she explained to me how she was working it, it sort of flew together. She has a great mind, and I loved watching her make this work for us.”

“
She does, and I knew that you’d be good at this sort of thing too. But that makes me think that I need to talk to you about something now rather than later.” Austin looked at the board, knowing that he’d have her do the same to his bylaws when things settled. “I need a partner. Another alpha, and I’d like for it to be you.”

“No, you should ask your brothers.”
Randy started away, then stopped. “I’m honored, but I really don’t think I’m the man for the job. I’m young, and we both know that they’ll never accept me as much as they would one of your brothers.”

“I disagree. And my brother
s, all of them, agreed you’d be the man for the job. They all said that they’d follow you quicker than they would anyone else they knew. And your law degree will help you with the humans, and with you being a part of my family, you know how I like things run. You could do things your way to a degree, but I truly think you and I would work very well together.”

“You’re serious.”
Austin nodded and Tristian patted him on the back. “I don’t know what to say. I’m…well, I just don’t know what to say. I’d have to talk it over with Molly, of course.”

“Talk what over with Molly?”
Molly walked into the room as she asked. “Actually, you can tell me over lunch. I’m not holding it up because you guys are in here bonding or something. I’m starved and you’ll be shit out of luck if you don’t get in there soon. Dallas is filling his plate again already.”

He followed them into the dining room and stopped. Christ, this room was bigger than his living room and kitchen combined.
Austin looked at Dallas and could see his mind working too. They had to have the next council meeting here. There was plenty of room and nobody would have to share a seat. Now he had to work on Randy being his second alpha. The house and room alone would be nice, but the man could help him more than he knew.

Austin sat down at the table and was passed several platters at once. He also noticed that more food was being brought from the room beyond
, and wondered how long they’d been cooking. As soon as he bit into his steak, he moaned. Oh yeah, he thought. This was the way to have a luncheon.

Chapter
7

The ground looked no different than the other surrounding area. Molly got down on her knees and ran her hand over the grass, and thought about the blood that had been left there. Her sister was gone, and she was no closer to finding the one who did this than she’d been the day it happened. She knew from the reports that Carter hadn’t shot them, but she knew as surely as she was sitting there that he’d had something to do with it.

“The shooter came from the west
, you told me.” She looked up at Martin, who had shown up just as they were finishing lunch. He’d been made a plate of food, and she’d made him sit as she went over the files he’d brought her. “You said five shots, but according to the doc, you guys had been shot seven times total.”

“I didn’t hear them
, I guess, but yeah, the shots came from that way.” She looked at the grass again and closed her eyes. “There was no time between the impact and the sound. So since a bullet can travel at about 1,865 feet per second, and times about 1,100, that means he was within a thousand feet of us. It had to be that close or I would never have heard it.”

She stood up
, and they started west. Molly tried to think who would be good enough to fire from that range and not miss his target. Reid and Randy came up to walk on either side of them, and Martin explained what they were doing as she led the way.

“
We’re going to have a look at the area the shots might have come from. Probably nothing there, but we gotta try. Could be he left a casing or a butt of something. Don’t know if the shooter was a smoker, but we’ll never know unless we have a look-see.” Randy took her hand, and she let him. Her body seemed to hum with something, and she wasn’t sure how to ask about it without feeling stupid.

“It’s your wolf. She wants to come out and help you. She can feel your stress.” She looked at Reid when he spoke. His wink embarrassed her for some reason.
“You’ll get the hang of it.”

“We’ll go out and play when we get back to your house.” She looked at
Randy and wondered if he knew that he kept calling it her house. It was her sister’s house, not hers. She was only staying there because…well, because. When Randy spoke again, she felt him in her mind and nearly stumbled.

“Careful.
And you should know that if you reach out, you can read other people’s thoughts too. I had it given to me by Jodie, and she assures me that you have it as well.”
There was no way she was going to look into other people’s heads. His laughter made her realize he was listening to her.
“You might be surprised to know that you can learn a great deal about someone if you do it right. Like your boss there, he’s wondering if now that he’s retired, Austin will put him out to pasture or let him work on projects like some old feeble person. I think he’ll be a good addition to our security team. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

“You think he’d do that?
Austin, I mean, do you think he’d do that to my friend?”
She looked at Martin, just realizing how old he looked.
“I didn’t know he was a wolf until your brother told me. How is it he could work in the department and no one noticed?”

“The same way your butler and his wife worked with you
r sister and she never noticed.”
She nodded.
“Also, you have a were tiger as well as a bear working for you and—”

“Okay. First of all, it’s not my house. If anything, it’s my sister
’s. And failing that, it’s got to be our house. I’m not the only one living there, and won’t be so long as we can be together. Unless, of course, you’re wanting to get rid of me. But then, why the fuck did you change me if you were? If that’s the case, I’m going to murder you in your sleep. If you ever sleep. I haven’t had a full night of rest since I met you and you had sex with me.” She realized she was shouting out loud when someone behind her laughed. Turning, she looked at Reid and saw that Martin had moved ahead of them. “You think this is funny? I don’t. I’m living in a house that I should hate but can’t because I can see my sister in there. I have more money than I’ve…hell, I’ve never in my life dreamt I’d have any, and now I have too much. I’m a wolf mated to a lawyer, and I have no job and no prospect of finding one until I can get this settled. And let’s not forget that I have a man out gunning for me. Did I miss anything?”

“Nope, I think you pretty much covered it. But you should know several thing
s right off. The house belongs to you and Randy. If you don’t want it, sell it. If it makes you happy, then by all means keep it. You can certainly afford to. And that brings me to the money. You’re a good deal richer than you thought. I don’t know if Randy’s had a chance to tell you yet, but he’s worth millions himself. Not like you, but he could support you if you wanted to walk away from what your sister wanted you to have. You have a lawyer for a mate. Good for you. It might make you think twice before you turn to a life of crime, or you could be really good at it knowing all the laws. As for you having a job? Not a problem either. You don’t need to work, so you can hold out for anything you want.” Reid winked at her again. He did that a lot, she thought. “As for you reading people’s minds? You should search the mind of your brother-in-law while you’re getting used to the way to do things. It might help you in figuring out who he hired.”

“Fuck me.” She looked around and then at Randy. “This mind reading thing? Does it apply to everything or just people?”

He looked over her shoulder, and she knew he was asking Reid. Then he looked back with a nod. “Anything you touch will give you some feedback. What did you have in mind?”

She took off running in the direction that Martin went.
She looked back to where Austin and Dallas were standing where they’d been shot, and figured it was about nine hundred feet. Taking off her boots and socks, she dug her toes in the ground and moved around when she didn’t get anything. She did this several times until she knew where the man stood. Smiling, she leaned down and dug around in the dirt until she found what she was looking for. Without touching it, she asked for a baggie, and Martin handed her one. She held up the wad of gum and looked at Randy.

“We have DNA.”
Martin looked around the area, and so did she. If there was gum, then there might be more. She dug deeper in the ground and laughed when both Randy and Reid did the same.

“I might have to steal this idea when Jodie and I are out on a hunt.”
She nodded, not really sure what they did for a living other than him being a doctor. Randy leaned over and pulled a small ring out of the dirt. It looked as if it might have been there for a very long time, so they kept looking.

They found more than they needed. Some old coins that Martin said he’d look into, some jewelry that she thought was old but really didn’t know
, and a shell casing. It wasn’t from the high-powered rifle that she’d been told had been used, but they kept it anyway and marked it as evidence. They were moving back to where she had been hurt when she felt something stir in the air. She looked up when she saw a beautiful bird fly over and then land near Reid. When she shifted, Molly took a step back from Jodie.

“I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”
Molly shook her head as Randy took her hand. “I’m a shifter with a little more. I can take the form of anything and anyone. Even you.”

The shift from Jodie to herself was amazing.
Even her clothes were the same. Molly took a step back when Jodie took one toward her. It was just too freaky.

“I guess you could do a lot of damage to someone if they thought…
.” She looked at Randy. “He could think she was still alive. My sister…she could freak him out a little if he thought she was still hanging around.”

“I don’t understand.”
Then the light seemed to go off. “Holy Christ, we could haunt him. Make him think that he failed all the way around.”

“And what would you gain from this?”
Martin looked at the group of them and started to nod his head. “If you did it right, went to him with all this spit and fire, you could scare him enough that he’d give it up before he could think. I’m assuming you’re talking about the shooter?”

“No, I’m thinking we get the shooter from the back door.
Go and see Carter, scare him into calling the man he hired, and then we nail both their asses. I don’t know if he would actually know the shooter. And even if he did, it might not be his real name.” Molly felt her mind working out all the details as she made her way back to the house. “I don’t know how to do this changing stuff, but I could learn. Then go in and tell him what a bastard I think he is for trying to kill me and—” Someone touched her arm and before she could think about who it might have been, she flipped them over and onto the ground. Her gun was at their chin before she blinked away her instinct.

“You didn’t even think, did you?” Molly looked down at Jodie and shook her head
, thinking the woman was going to kill her. “Nah, I’m impressed. You took me down like I was nothing. I love it. When you and Randy take the alpha job, you can be his enforcer. It will scare the shit out of those bad-assed males.”

She looked up at Randy when he cleared his throat.
“I never said I’d take the job. I’m not even sure it’s a good idea that I even think about it. We just got mated, and what if Austin decides that someone else is more suited for the job?”

“What alpha job?” Molly got off Jodie and helped her up. She looked at Austin when Randy didn’t answer her. “You thinking of quitting
, old man? I understand from most of the people I’ve talked to that you’re the shit when it comes to ruling people. Not that you’re going to rule me, but you’re supposed to be really good at it. Are you thinking of quitting while you can still get around without a walker?”

Nancy
laughed but moved toward the house without saying anything. She’d met them in the yard a few minutes ago. Molly had heard about her, too, and also her lethal spoon. One of the brothers—she thought it was Connor—had said that it was worse than a gun and just as painful to be hit by it. She looked at them when she realized no one was answering. She glared at Austin.

“I offered him a job
, and he said he’d talk to you about it before he accepted.” Austin looked at Randy, then back at her as he continued to explain. “I’m more sure now than I was before he could help me out. It would be a huge responsibility, but you’d get a lot in return.”

“I don’t need any more money.” He nodded
, and then she turned to Randy. “You should do it. You’d be very good at it. And I know a great many people look up to you. Most of the people I have talked to said you were going to represent them if they needed help.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking my plate will be full for a while.”
Randy took her hand and slowed them down so that the others could get well ahead of them before he told her what he was thinking. “I want the job, but we’d have to work together on it. And since you’ve…we’ve made no decisions on the house or the money, I thought I’d wait to see what you wanted…we wanted to do.”

“
Do you like living here? I don’t mean in the neighborhood, but this house.” She looked at the house and fell in love with it all over. She was getting over the fact that Mary didn’t like the house because Carter had lived there with her. But he’d be in prison soon and they’d have nothing more to worry about concerning him. “I love that I can go into certain rooms and find bits of her there. And some of the memories you and I are making are wonderful too.”

“I want the house. I know it’s really huge
, but if we take this alpha job, we’re going to need something big. Not to mention when we have children, we want them to have as much room as possible to grow.”

“Children? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.
I don’t even know how to hold one, much less raise one.” He pulled her to him for a kiss. “What was that for?”

“You didn’t say no.
The rest is easy from here.” She didn’t know how he’d gotten to that conclusion but moved toward the house with him. She saw Shawn and went to him when he motioned for her to come to him.

“Miss?
Will the family be staying for dinner as well?” She looked at the room now overflowing with adults and children. Where the hell had they all come from? “If so, might I suggest that we bring in more help? I will not be able to serve them all with just the staff we have now.”

Molly put her fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle.
Everyone in the room froze in mid-step. Even the babies stopped and looked at her. This was kinda cool, and she thought she’d remember this the next time they all got together.

“Who’s staying for dinner?”
Everyone raised their hands, and Austin raised both his. “Okay. I’m thinking…steaks, potatoes, and maybe, I don’t know, burgers for the kids?”

“I’ll make a pie or two if there’s room in the kitchen.”
Shawn nodded at Mrs. Force, and she went around him to the kitchen. They both grinned when they heard her say “Oh my” as she entered.

“You’ll need to call in some pack.”
Molly looked at Randy, who nodded at Austin’s suggestion. “And call the grocer. They’ll be able to bring you supplies that come from our pantry until you get your own set up. You’re entitled to use it if you run low so long as you contribute it when the monthly shopping comes around. Mom can set you up the account to use for your pack.”