"You okay?" Slade looked at Jill, her eyes searching her again for injury.
"I"m fine." She gave him a small smile.
"I demand you get my husband here, right now!" Alice stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by angry Warriors.
Jill"s head snapped toward Alice, then she looked up at Slade who nodded. "I"m in charge," Slade announced to each Warrior. "No one interferes."
Each Warrior spread around the room, making a circle. Jill walked toward Alice who laughed. "Oh, so you think you can take me, breed?" She took a swing at Jill who moved her head slightly as Alice"s fist went past her face.
Jill elbowed her in the neck. "There"s no thinking about it, b.i.t.c.h." Jill turned, ready for Alice"s attack. Alice flew herself toward her. Prepared, Jill thrust kicked her in the stomach, sending her into Jared, Damon and Sid, who pushed her back in the circle.
Alice picked up something off the ground, throwing it at Jill who flinched, giving Alice the opportunity to take her down. Alice got a few good hits on Jill, but Jill swept her foot, rolling so she was on top of Alice. Jill unleashed her rage, but then stopped, climbing off Alice and stood. "Get up!" Jill demanded.
Alice stood, wiping blood from her nose. "You are nothing, breed." Alice took another swing and missed.
"Can"t you come up with something different than breed? Be a little more creative because breed is not an insult to me," Jill taunted before punching out, hitting Alice in the jaw. "At least I mixed it up, you stupid s.l.u.t."
Alice screamed, running at Jill who grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground. Jill reached over and s.n.a.t.c.hed a piece of gla.s.s from the broken window, holding it at Alice"s throat. "You don"t even know how badly I want to slit your throat right now," Jill sneered, pressing the gla.s.s deeper. "If these Warriors didn"t need their vengeance on you, I would kill you with no remorse." Jill tossed the gla.s.s away, then brought her fist back across Alice"s head. Using her hand, she pushed up off Alice"s face, turned and headed toward Slade.
Slade watched everything and never felt more proud of her. He took her in his arms, his eyes searching every Warrior in the room who was hurting from the day"s events.
"Steve would have been d.a.m.n proud of you." Adam grabbed her hand, squeezing it.
"So the little d.i.c.k died, did he?" Alice had clambered to her feet. "I was there you know. I orchestrated the whole thing today. Telling them who to shoot. I could have killed you all." Alice laughed, pointing at each of them like a lunatic.
Slade felt Jill"s hand tighten against his waist.
"Poor....what was his name....? Alice"s smile was the purest form of evil.
"You are not even worthy to say his name you sick b.i.t.c.h." Jill hissed, not even looking her way.
Alice ignored Jill, but the anger that quickly flashed across her face indicated that she heard every word. "There he was, coming out of the bathroom like a f.u.c.king idiot. I did you guys a favor. He wasn"t Warrior material. None of the Warriors who died today were Warrior material or they wouldn"t have died." Alice looked at them all, her eyes swinging back to Jill. "Look at me, breed. Didn"t you hear me? I ordered him to die and he never knew what hit him."
Slade watched as Jill and Adam made eye contact. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Jill reached for Adam"s gun. Slowly, she turned her head to stare directly at Alice.
"He was a Warrior, you b.i.t.c.h!" Jill"s voice cracked as she raised the gun, pulled the trigger, hitting Alice in the forehead. Jill didn"t watch as she hit the ground. She just turned, shoved Adam"s gun in his waiting hand and pressed her face into Slade"s chest.
Each Warrior in the room began to chant, one foot stomping with one arm swung across their chest at their heart. Slade looked down, pulling her chin up. "They are honoring you."
Lifting her head, her eyes searched each of theirs. All of them had suffered loss. "No, they are honoring the family we lost today." Jill fully joined along with Adam and Slade, following in on the chant which honored the ones who had fallen at the hands of Alice.
Slade wanting nothing more than to take her in his arms and carrying her away from the madness where she would be safe, but as he watched her join the other Warriors he had never been more proud.
Chapter 25.
Jill sat outside the former Halfway House. Sloan had received official orders that the law had been overturned after he sent all the information George Groper had given them. They had also found the Mayor, who was being escorted to jail to await trial on a very long list of charges. Jill watched the happy reunion of families. She also watched others walk off into the night alone, having no one.
Bowing her head, Jill tried her best to keep the tears in, but she couldn"t help it. Steve should have been with them. He would have been so excited, running around helping whoever needed help, shouting out jokes to anyone who would listen and laugh. He was such a big part of the changes unfolding; she didn"t feel right celebrating.
Feeling a tender touch on her shoulder, Jill looked up into mismatched eyes. "Why are you so sad?" A girl who was plain yet pretty, smiled sadly down at her. Flaming red hair framed her face.
Jill sniffed, wiping her cheek. "I lost a good friend tonight."
"I"m sorry." She sat next to Jill. "Was it because of what you guys did here?"
"Oh, no," Jill rea.s.sured her. "It was earlier today, but he did so much to help the shutting down of this place. He should be here."
"Well, I thank you and your friends." She stood to walk away. "I"m really sorry you lost him."
"Do you have anywhere to go?" Jill stopped the girl.
The girl shook her head. "I have no family, but I"ll be fine." She waved, turned and walked away.
"You about ready to go?" Slade took her into his arms, holding her tightly. Jill held on and nodded, her eyes not leaving the girl who walked slowly past reuniting families.
"That"s the girl who showed me where you were," Slade said, following her line of vision.
"She doesn"t have anywhere to go." Jill looked at him. "She has no family."
Kissing her forehead, Slade smiled. "What"s her name?" He laughed when her smile beamed across her face.
"I love you," came out of her mouth before she could stop it. Horror filled her stomach with swirling nausea.
His smile faded as he stared back at her horrified expression. Picking her up, he kissed her hard and deep, holding her tightly.
"Come on, guys!" Sid walked past. "Get a room or some s.h.i.t."
Jared also pa.s.sed them. "Come on. Jax just got back."
Jill looked at Slade who was looking at her, but not saying a word. Okay, that was telling. She felt like a fool.
"Come on, dammit," Jared called out. "I want to get the h.e.l.l out of here sometime tonight."
Slade held her hand briefly, following Jared. "I"ll be back." He jogged across the street after the girl.
Jill watched as the red-haired girl shook her head, but Slade didn"t give up. Finally, the girl nodded and walked beside him across the street toward them. Jill gave her a comforting smile as she moved closer. "I"m Jill." She smiled, hoping to ease the girl"s fear.
"I"m Katrina Beach." she smiled shyly.
"Well, I"m glad you decided to come with us, Katrina." Jill touched her arm. "Wait here for a second, okay?" The girl nodded, making her way to sit on the curb.
Jill headed over to where Jax was talking to Slade and the other Warriors. When Jax saw her coming, he took a step toward her, but stopped when she eyed him warily.
"It"s me, Jill," Jax frowned. "I"m sorry that happened to you. I have not seen my brother in a long time."
"Can you do what he does?" Jill asked, still a little weary. "And exactly what and how does he do what he does?"
Jax looked around at everyone and sighed, "In my tribe we had shifters."
"I thought all shifters were extinct," Jared frowned. "I mean I haven"t seen one in probably a hundred years."
"There were really shifters?" Jill"s eyes widened. "I thought those were just..."
"Stories?" Jared bared his fangs at her, then pointed at hers. "We were stories once, too."
Jill shrugged. "Sorry, it"s just weird."
"My mother was a shifter and my father was a Chief." Jax looked at each of them. "And yes, I have the ability also. When me, my sister and brother were turned, we continued to have our shifter ability, but not only can we shift into animal form, we can shift into human form."
"I"m sorry, but how f.u.c.king cool is that?" Sid laughed, but then frowned. "Although, if you ever shift to look like me or whatever you do, I will kill you."
"How dangerous is your brother, Jax?" Damon asked, not looking too happy. "And don"t you think you should have given us this information when you first came onboard?"
"Very," Jax replied with a sneer. "And I rarely shift. As I said, I haven"t seen my brother for many years, but he needs to be found."
"Oh, we"ll find the son of a b.i.t.c.h," Slade replied, his stare deadly. "No one threatens mine."
Jill frowned as she glanced up at Slade. She was really confused. Was she okay if he didn"t really love her? After all, she said it to him, not meaning to, but there it was. While he kissed her, that wasn"t the same as saying it. Actually kissing her didn"t mean anything at all. People who didn"t love each other kissed all the time. Okay, she was too tired to sort through this.
"Jill." Slade was staring at her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Jill nodded, frowning. "Why?"
"Because I"ve said your name three times." Slade intense stare made her fidget.
"I"m fine." Jill gave him her best fake smile. "Now, let"s go."
"Lola!" George jogged toward her.
Jill smiled at him. "My name"s Jill."
He smiled, taking her hand. "Jill," he laughed. "I should have known that wasn"t your real name. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you. If you ever need anything, just let me know. I"ll make sure you have a direct line to my office."
"So you"re going to be Mayor?"
"I"m going to be Mayor," he announced, a large smile spreading across his face. "Thanks to you and your friends."
"I"m really happy for you, George, but I suggest you cancel your membership at a certain club." She grinned at him.
"Done." His face turned bright red.
"And never think she will give you a lap dance again, Mayor or not," Slade growled down at him, taking two hundred dollars out of his wallet and handing it to George. He then patted George on the chest as he grabbed Jill"s hand, walking away.
All the way back to the compound, Jill and Katrina talked. She found out that her parents had thrown her out after she had been turned. She had been living on the streets doing odd jobs to make money here and there. Katrina"s story was very similar to her own. Even though Katrina was Adam and Steve"s age, she seemed older than any of them. She had endured so much without the support Jill had been lucky enough to have. She also told her of some of the things she had undergone in the Halfway House, which made Jill want to kill Alice all over again.
Getting out of the car, Jill waited for Katrina. Slade again took her hand. Jared, Sid, Duncan, Damon and Jax were walking in front of them with Adam and Dillon coming up beside them. As soon as they entered the compound, a flood of sadness washed over her. Glancing at Adam, she knew he felt the same way.
She really needed to go to her room before she lost it. Her gaze caught Sloan giving Slade a huge smile and a nod. Looking up at Slade"s happy face made her want to puke. Everyone looked happy, even the women who were all waiting for their Warriors to return. What the h.e.l.l was wrong with everyone? Steve was dead. Were Jill and Adam the only ones who were heartbroken? Jill dropped Slade"s hand like it burned her, tears gathering in her eyes.
"This is bulls.h.i.t," Adam told her, turning to leave. "I"ve got to get out of here."
"Hey, where you going?" Sloan yelled at Adam, causing everyone to turn to look. "We"ve got something"
"I"m getting the f.u.c.k out of here. I lost a great friend today, a best friend, and if you guys want to celebrate, then be my guest." Adam growled, pointing at everyone. "You got a problem with that, then f.u.c.k you!"
"Actually, I do have a problem with that, you a.s.shole," a familiar voice came from the game room behind Sloan. "I get shot coming out of the p.i.s.ser, claw my way back from death"s door and you want to leave? d.a.m.n straight I have a problem with that, so f.u.c.k you."
Jill froze. Her eyes searched the direction Steve"s voice came from wondering if she was having a hallucination from the stress and heartbreak of the day, but then he was there, walking out of the game room, his eyes finding hers.
"And you still owe me a true heartfelt thank you for taking that paintball with your name on it." Steve grinned at her, spreading his arms wide. "I"m back, b.i.t.c.hes!"
Jill got to him first, throwing herself at him, hugging him tightly. Tears ran freely down her face; too choked up with her emotions, she couldn"t speak. Couldn"t say a word. Adam hugged them both and they all stood like the biggest p.u.s.s.ies ever, hugging each other and crying.
"How?" Jill touched his chest. Pausing, she peered up at him. "Oh, my G.o.d."
Steve batted his eyes at her. "Pretty, ain"t they?" He nodded toward Slade. "He turned me. Despite being possibly thrown in prison and losing his doctor"s license, or whatever in the h.e.l.l they call that....he turned me."
Sloan stepped in. "I spoke with the Council and received special permission, even though it had already taken place. So Slade is safe from prison time and will continue to be our doctor." Sloan focused on Jill, Adam, Dillon and then Steve. "I just want you to know that you all did me and the other Warriors proud. With the attack against the Warriors and the response of all trainees, the Council has awarded all of you Warrior status, even though the initiation was not completed."
Jill waited for the excitement to hit her, but it didn"t really come. While there was excitement there, she wasn"t ecstatic. She wondered what the h.e.l.l was wrong with her. It was what she wanted most...wasn"t it? Her eyes went to Slade who stood watching her. She gave him a small smile, turning her attention back to Sloan.
"And Steve, because of your sacrifice to another trainee, you have also obtained Warrior status even though you were officially out of the test before the trouble started." Sloan gave a rare smile to each of them. "Congratulations. You did us proud today. Unfortunately, the Warrior ceremony will be placed on hold until all the funerals are completed. I expect all of us to attend each funeral and will be letting you know when those are."
"Can we have a much needed drink now?" Sid growled, a tinge of anger in his voice. "And salute our brothers who were lost today."
"I want everyone in my office..." Sloan winked at Jill when the Warriors groaned. "First thing in the morning."
"That"s more like it." Jared grinned, heading into the game room. "Drinks are on me."
Lana smiled at her as she pa.s.sed and Jill stopped her. "Lana, this is Katrina. She needs a place to sleep. Is there any way you can help her out?"
"Of course. I"ll take her to Sloan to get his permission." Lana took the girl"s hand. "Come on. I"ll introduce you to everyone first."
Jill walked away and smiled when she heard Steve flirting with Katrina. They would be a cute couple. She felt bad leaving the girl, but she was not in the mood. Taking two steps, she looked up to find Slade in front of her. He lifted her chin to look into her eyes. Jill really tried to stay strong, but she just couldn"t do it. It was all too much. She pulled her chin away, dropping her head. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as the sobs overtook her control.
Slade didn"t say a word as he picked her up, carrying her toward her room. Shutting the door, he sat on her bed and held her. Once her sobs slowed down, he lifted her chin. "A little too much for one day?" He gave her a small smile.
"Why didn"t you tell me he was okay?" Jill looked at him confused.
"Because I wasn"t sure if it was going to work. We were losing him on the way to the hospital. I took a chance, Jill," Slade sighed. "I"ve never heard of a half-breed being turned into a full-blood. So far, he seems absolutely fine, but until I came in tonight, I wasn"t sure. Sloan stayed here with him. It was a chance, Jill. I didn"t want to tell you or anyone else until I was certain."