Page 9 of Rejected Mate Bride
“Hold on,” Jasper said. “We’re kidnapping a kid? Nuh-uh. Boss, we don’t do that shit.”
Camden’s black ops squad followed a strict set of unwritten rules, and he knew they were bound to push backabout participating in this when they didn’t have all the information.
“Sofia is my daughter,” Flora said fiercely. “We aren’t kidnapping her, we’re rescuing her. If you aren’t man enough to help an innocent child, then we’ll do it without you.”
Camden was stunned by her outburst, but Thompson laughed, and even Marbles gave her a grin. Jasper held his hands up, palms outward, as if he was simultaneously protecting himself from the onslaught of her passion and offering an apology for misunderstanding.
“My bad,” he said. “Continue.”
“As Flora said, it’s her daughter who’s being held there,” Camden said. “She and I are going to slip in, but we need your eyes to make sure we aren’t spotted or apprehended. This mission isn’t on the books with the pack, and we need to make sure our names and faces don’t get back to Alpha Sier or the Ironbrand pack. Got it?”
They nodded in agreement, and the five of them headed toward the edge of town where Flora had lived with her daughter and parents.
The house was small, easily the least valuable home in the entire pack. As newcomers with a human daughter, the Jones family had been given the worst lodgings. Outside, there were no vehicles in the driveway.
“Stella and Ben aren’t home,” Flora whispered nervously.
“Will Sofia have been moved somewhere else?” Camden asked.
Flora pursed her lips and shook her head. “No. They probably left her here by herself. They have better things to do than take care of her.”
Camden signaled for his men to disperse, and they found their positions surrounding the house. They were completely hidden, but he knew they would be able to see in all directions. When they were in place, Camden led Flora to the back door and placed a piece of tape along the glass near the lock. With a sharp rap with the butt of his knife, he broke the window. After peeling off the tape and the attached glass, he was able to reach inside and unlock the door, which swung outward.
Flora gave him an appreciative glance and headed inside, straight up the stairs, where she stopped in front of a door that was padlocked from the outside.
Camden gritted his teeth. He had known about the cruel treatment Flora had suffered at the hands of her adoptive parents, but seeing the proof like this—a lock to keep in a small child—was almost too much for him to bear. He wrenched the lock from its place, metal ripping through the wood, and flung it onto the ground at his feet. Standing aside, he allowed Flora to go inside.
“Mommy?” a small voice said.
“I’m here, baby,” Flora said. “Mommy’s here. Come on, grab your doll. We’re leaving.”
“I’m hungry, Mommy,” the girl replied.
Another wave of anger coursed through Camden. He wondered when the child had last eaten, and whether she was being punished for her mother’s disappearance.
All because of me, he thought. At least he had agreed to come back and get her today, but that did very little to ease the guilt he felt.
“We’ll get you something soon,” Flora promised. “But we need to hurry before Stella and Ben come back. Come on, sweetie.”
They came out of the bedroom, and he glanced down at the girl. She was thin, clearly underfed, and she had dark circles under her brown eyes. She was in no condition to walk the distance back to the cars.
“Can you carry her?” he asked Flora.
At once, Flora hoisted Sofia up into her arms. “Sofia, this is Camden,” she said. “He’s going to help us leave for good, okay? Just like I promised we would someday.”
“Hi,” Sofia said, waving her tiny fingers at him.
Camden smiled at her and waved back before leading them back down the stairs and out of the house. He gave a bird whistle, and three whistles replied. Within seconds, the squad surrounded them, and they hurried out of sight of the houses.
They walked quietly back to the cars, and when Flora started to slow down, Camden reached for Sofia.
“I can carry her,” Flora insisted. But a second later, she relented.
Sofia went willingly to Camden, wrapping one arm behind his neck as the other clutched her doll tightly. Her head rested on his shoulder, and for the first time in a long time, Camden felt like he had done something he could be truly proud of.
Chapter 5 - Flora
Holding Sofia in her arms again, even though they had only been parted for a few hours, made Flora feel like she was floating on air. When she had woken up in Silverrose, she had been terrified. She hadn’t known if she would ever get to see her daughter again, but now she was here, and they were leaving Stella and Ben behind for good.
