A Mate's Bite(47)

“Restaurant. Other side of town,” she wheezed.

“Which one?” Karla asked.

Jordan loosened her hold on Kass’s throat and dropped her on her ass on the floor this time.

“Forked Steak House,” Kass muttered from the ground, glaring at both of them with an angry pout as she rubbed her throat.

Karla and Jordan glanced at each other. They knew the place. It was near Mason’s club. It had also been closed the past couple of weeks for remodeling. Karla picked up her cell phone and dialed Nate.

“Hey, we’re waiting for you guys. We have a surprise for Jordan.”

“Nate we figured out where the people that want Jordan are located.” She rushed the words out so fast they tripped over each other. Finally, she’d been able to help get some information that would help find a bad guy. Running sweaty palms on the sides of her dress, she shifted on her feet. Her stomach knotted, and fear and anxiety built inside her. What would happen now?

“Tell me.” His tone went from soft and sweet to deep and low. She heard the rumble of his wolf in his words.

She gave him the information she’d gotten from Kass.

“We’ll take care of it. You stay with Jordan and don’t do anything to get yourselves in danger.”

“We won’t.” She cleared her throat, slipped a strand of stray hair behind her ear, and tugged on her earring. “Nate?”

“Yes, love?”

“Be careful.” She hated sounding like a worrywart, but the last thing she wanted was anyone getting hurt.

“We will be.”

She hung up the phone to a sick sensation in her stomach. Giving Nate that information would help find the people looking to harm Jordan but also placed him in danger’s path. She wasn’t sure she liked that. She didn’t want Nate hurt. She loved him. But she knew he was a protector, and he’d do whatever was necessary to keep his family safe.

Kass coughed and threw herself on a sofa. She rubbed her hand on her throat. Though Jordan hadn’t left any marks, it appeared she’d scared Kass senseless.

She dug through her handbag, ignoring the little voice screaming for her not to give her shit.

Karla shook her head at the way Kass glared at Jordan. “Kass, you should go back to your hotel. Don’t try to leave. The enforcers will want to talk to you, and if you leave, they will hunt you down, and it won’t be pretty.”

Kass shoved to her feet. If looks could kill Karla would definitely not be around with all of Kass’s evil glares. “You and Kel never loved me.”

“We will never have the relationship you want. Life is not all about you. It’s not about you getting whatever you want without care for others feelings or repercussions. And that’s not love. You don’t love family with the actions you’ve taken. You certainly don’t love me. Love to you means what you can get from the next person. My life is here, with people that love me for me, not for what they can get out of me.” Saying the words had a deep cleansing effect in an area of her soul that had suffered years of pain and abuse.

Kass left without another look back. The door slammed behind the woman she once thought family. Karla’s heart had already been broken when it came to her sister and mother. But it felt like spikes were being hammered into her chest when she realized the lengths Kass would go to for money.

“I’m sorry.” Jordan hugged her close. “But you’re right about something.”

She turned to her friend. The one out of all of them that could probably understand why Karla was the way she was. “What?”

“We do love you. And we’ll love your babies as much if not more than you can imagine. There’s no need to be scared to have sisters anymore.” She smiled. “You have me and Ellie and Emma and Nic. We’re all here for you.”

She was right. For the past eight years, they’d been more family to her than Kass and Laura. Time and again, they had stood firmly by her side, helping her cope through bad dates, awful days at the job, illness, and now pregnancy.

“Thank you.” Karla threw her arms around Jordan to give her a tight hug for being such a wonderful friend. One of her real sisters, their bond stronger than any other out there. Bubbles of happiness expanded in her chest. She pulled away with that knowledge. Jordan, Ellie, Nic and Emma were the sisters she’d always wanted. The sisters who had never deserted her and would always have her back. “I didn’t stop to think that I already had a great family with you guys. That I didn’t need to be closed in.”

Jordan smiled, the golden ring slowly seeping from her eyes. “It’s okay. I had Aric in my life for what felt forever, but I couldn’t understand why he and his family wanted me around. But there comes a moment where you have to dive in and take a chance on those who have proven they care.”