"Did you guys... you know?"

She didn't say anything.

I grinned. "Mom, you did, didn't you?"

She sighed. "Yes, we did. Are you happy?"

"The question is, are you happy?"

I didn't think she was going to answer, but then she suddenly smiled and nodded. "It was nice."

"Nice?"

Her eyes widened. "Yes, nice, and that's all I'm going to say about it. It was very nice and we both enjoyed ourselves."

I laughed. "Okay. That's good to know."

She started mixing her ingredients for the noodles and a small smile crept onto her lips.

"What are you smiling about?"

She looked at me. "I'm just... happy."

"Happy? You mean you're in love, aren't you?"

Vanda's eyes sparkled. "Yes. I believe I am."

"That's great," I said, excited for her. "What about Jim? Does he love you?"

"Yes. He admitted it to me a couple of weeks ago."

"That's fabulous!" I said, surprised that she hadn't mentioned it yet. "So, when's the wedding?"

"Wedding?"

"Yeah. Aren't you two going to get married?" I teased.

"No. Of course not"

"What do you mean?" I said, feeling excited for her. "Why not? Has he asked you?"

She smiled. "He did, as a matter of fact."

"Then why not? You don't have to have a big wedding. You could elope in Maui, like Slammer and Frannie did. Or, pick another island or a totally different location. Even Vegas!"

She looked at me and chuckled. "It's a beautiful thought, but we aren't getting married."

"Maybe you'll change your mind after you think about it for a while?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she began rolling out the dough for the noodles. "You're in a great mood today," she said, changing the subject. "You must have slept well."

That and I'd had a wonderful dream about Trevor and me at a beach, playing in the sand with our baby. I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl, but we were having fun and I hadn't wanted the dream to end. "I'm still tired but I feel pretty good."

"Good."

The house phone rang and I got up to answer it.

"May I please speak to Vanda Nikolas?" asked a man on the other end.

"Sure." I held the phone up. "Mom, it's for you."

"I'll be right there," she said, rushing over to the sink to wash her hands. When she was finished, Vanda grabbed the phone and walked away with it.

As they talked, I started flipping through the channels but then stopped when I recognized the photograph of a woman on the news.

It was April!

"Oh, my God," I said, stunned at the news of her being 'Wanted' for questioning by the police. As I listened to the journalist, I learned that April's brother had been found murdered in Hayward, Minnesota.

"Okay. I'll see you next week," murmured Vanda. "Goodbye."

Not paying much attention to my mother, I started thinking back to the night April had helped us escape Mud and Skull. She hadn't seemed like a particularly violent woman, but I began to wonder if she'd killed her brother. Then when I heard that the murder had occurred a few days after we'd left Hayward, I knew it wasn't her. I wondered if the Devil's Rangers had anything to do with it and decided to call Trevor.

"I'll be right back," I said, flipping off the television.

"Where are you going?" she asked, looking a little troubled.

"Just to use my phone. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Who was that on the phone?"

Vanda took a little long to answer. "Nobody important. I'm going to start cooking the noodles and getting the cheese melted. The food should be ready soon."

"Okay," I answered, leaving the kitchen. I ran upstairs and grabbed my phone.

"Kitten, is everything okay?" asked Trevor, when I called him.

"I don't know, you tell me," I said and then explained what I'd seen on the news.

"It might be nothing but then again, it could be them," said Trevor, sounding a little worried himself.

"The Devil's Rangers?"

"Yes."

I let out a ragged breath. "Are they going to come looking for me?"

"They might try and that's why I want you to move in with me. Now, instead of later. I don't want to give them another chance to snatch you from your home, like they did last time."

"Yeah, but they snatched Brandy from your home," I protested. "What makes you think that they won't go looking for me there as well?"

"I won't let you out of my sight," he said. "If they show up, they'll meet me and their maker."

I smiled at his words. "That won't work. You can't watch over me every second of the day and I have school. You can't follow me to my classes."

He was silent.

"Trevor?"

"Okay, fine. I'll hire a bodyguard to watch over you when I'm not able to."

"I can't live like that. Being followed all the time. I'll feel foolish."

"Better to feel something than get killed."

I gasped. "Do you really think they're planning on killing me?"

"I think they're looking for revenge and coming after us is the only way they'll get it."

"What about that guy? The one who killed Skull? Can he help us?"

"We don't need his help, Kitten. I just need you to move in here with me. I'll put in a security system and you can learn how to use a gun."

"I already know how to use a gun," I said, feeling frustrated. "But, the hell if I really want to carry one around. I don't even have a Carry-and-Conceal permit." I doubted he had one either, but this was me and I wasn't interested in taking chances. Not when it came to the law and handguns.

"Then let me find someone to watch over you when I can't."

I touched my stomach, wondering what I'd gotten myself into. I loved Trevor with all of my heart, but now I was bringing another life into the world and its life was already in danger. "Why does this stuff keep happening? Can't you just call your other Chapters and come down on these guys all together?"

"Actually, I think Slammer is heading in that direction."

"God, I hope so."

"Until then, you're moving in," he said firmly.

"What about my mother? Will she be in danger?"

"I think she'll be fine."

"I don't know. Look at what happened to April's brother," I protested. "If anything happens to her I'd never be able to live with myself."

"We don't know if April's brother's death was even related to the Devil's Rangers. It's just speculation."

"I wish I knew how to get ahold of her," I said, chewing on my lip. "Then we'd know for sure."

My mother knocked on the door and then stuck her head into my room. "Your food is done."

"Okay," I said, trying to sound more chipper than how I felt. "I'll be right down."

Nodding, she left.

"I have to go and eat lunch," I told him.

"Okay. Remember, I'm going to meet you at Dazzle tonight. We'll talk to your mother together. About you moving in."

"She's going to freak out, you know. This is so much to lay on her." Too much.

"We don't have any other choice. She needs to know the truth. It's for her safety, too."

"I know."

"Did you tell her about the baby yet?"

"No. I wanted to wait until after the holidays."

"How are you handling it today? Better than yesterday?"

"I was feeling much better until I saw the news," I mumbled. "What about you?"

"I'm stoked about the baby. I could barely sleep."

"Stoked?" I replied, picturing his smiling face.

"Yes and not just about our child. I'm happy about us getting married and living together. Aren't you excited?"

"Yes," I replied with not quite as much enthusiasm. "I am."

He sighed. "Relax and don't let this shit worry you, Kitten. I'll keep you safe, this time. I promise."

I know you'll at least give it your best shot.

Chapter Thirty-seven.

"How'd she find out?" asked Tank after I hung up with Adriana. It was just after twelve and he'd asked if I wanted to drive out to Prairie Lake to do some snowmobiling before our meeting at three. He owned two Polaris Indy Eight-hundreds and the weather was now perfect for sledding, especially with the fresh snow.

I grabbed my leather jacket and pulled it on. "The morning news."

"Oh. I was hoping she'd miss it."

"Me, too."