Jace nodded and turned to the front, a puzzled look still on his face.
They kept quiet for the rest of the hour-long drive back to the safehouse, each immersed in their own thoughts. Piper no incentive to explain anything, not until she had a better handle on why Jace was helping her. Maybe he was genuinely concerned about Noah. The River brothers’ pack had that gung-ho attitude, for sure—they did help out with rescuing Cassie after all.
Her bad guy radar was telling her Jace was one of the good guys. Her wolf had been desperately panting after him since the moment he showed up, and it would be nice to think he was helping out because he liked that hot kiss in the kitchen as much as she did. But coming after her at the Joint Base? That was a lot of risk to take, and Piper was sure someone as hot as Jace River didn’t have to work that hard for a bed partner. There was more to it than that, but she didn’t have a handle on it yet. And Piper didn’t like things she didn’t understand. It made her twitchy—not knowing what was happening was a good way to get strung up in a Nicaraguan warehouse in the jungle. She’d had enough of that for a lifetime.
When they arrived at the safehouse, Piper was surprised to see how busy it was. The place was filled to the rafters with shifters, mostly male and definitely hot. She was swimming in male flesh once again, all of it shifter. Her wolf was going nuts.
There were a few females as well, and Jace quickly introduced her to his mother, who met them at the door. She had gorgeous silver hair with streaks of white flowing in long waves to her waist. If Piper didn’t know better, she would’ve thought Mama River was a witch, with her regal beauty and slender limbs. Piper certainly hadn’t expected the warm hug and hadn’t returned it at all. Then, suddenly, she was being ushered into the kitchen. A strange sense of guilt washed over her as Jace’s mother shoved a plateful of gorgeous-looking pastries, fruits, and cheeses at her, along with the giant glass of milk. The guilt turned into a vague sense of being insulted—Mama River was treating Piper like a child—but it was obvious that this was the warm sort of childhood Jace and his brothers had. The kind she never did. She was a giant bag of emotions over this—the sense of insult and guilt was now being thrashed with a heavy dose of envy—but it was all quickly washed away by a flush of craving. The food beckoned, her stomach growled, and there was no denying she was famished. Her 3 am adventures had stretched without a break into the afternoon of the next day.
Piper smiled at Mama River and dug into the food. Jace and his mother both had grins on their faces, although Jace’s was a little more amused than pleased. Daniel seemed baffled that she had decided now was a good time to eat, but it wasn’t like the Colonel had given her anything.
People wandered in and out of the kitchen, but they didn’t take much notice of her tucked in the tiny eat-in table in the corner. After she spent a minute of blissful silence devouring the delicious treats, two shifters strode into the kitchen, trailed by a younger woman. It was obvious the men were related to Jace, only older: same towering, bulked-up bodies with a hardness that came from military service, not just the shifter gene; same dark, intelligent eyes; same confident alpha walk. Their faces were all hard planes and kissable lips, but they also had a touch of the softness she saw in Mama River’s open concern for her—it was like kindness personified, touching their faces with a glow that came from lives surrounded by people they loved.
One of the men glowed more than the others, the one with his fingers laced with the girl’s. She was a curvy, dark-haired beauty, and anyone with eyes could see the man was madly in love with her.
“Hey,” he said to Jace, “I’ve got some good news for you. But first, tell me—” He cut himself off as he noticed Piper at the table, scarfing down pastries. “Oh! You must be Piper.” He dropped the girl’s hand and strode over.
Piper regretfully put down the chocolate croissant she was about to devour and rose up from her chair. She didn’t say anything, just tried to gauge his intention.
He extended his hand and a smile. “I’m Jaxson River. I hear you have a brother we’re going to find.”
Her heart couldn’t help responding—a smile snuck on her face without her permission. She shook his hand. “I hope so.” The words came out more emotional than she intended, so she ducked her head and tried to get a grip on herself. She dropped his hand and backed up a little to gain space. The girl arrived at Jaxson’s side.
“Hey, I’m Olivia.” She offered up her small hand.
Piper leaned over to shake that, too, then retreated again. “Piper Wilding.”