Grayson grabbed her hand, “Come on. We'll go around back.”
Chloe's ear singled out the approaching footsteps of her father on the porch, “Oh god.” Her heart ached, she wanted to see her dad and hug him.
She missed him and now his smell had filled the air. She loved her cop-daddy's old cologne. It reminded her of when she was a kid. Before her mother was crazy and before things had gotten bad between them.
Beth opened the door and it got worse. “Henry, hello,” the woman's faint voice echoed up the hall.
“Chloe.” Grayson tugged on her, she didn't budge, “Chloe, you don't want to do this right now, trust me.”
Chloe cringed as Beth spoke again.
“How are you?”
Grayson moved towards her, likely to swing her over his shoulder, but she skipped back from him.
“Morning Beth, I need to speak with Roger.”
Chloe felt the tears as soon as his strong voice hit her, “Daddy.”
Grayson raised his hands slowly, “We need to do this at a different time, Chloe. He needs to understand what we are-” she knew he was going to try to halt her need to bolt.
“Chloe, look at me.” he gripped her, pulling her in, “Don't, he's going to freak.”
She stared up at him, tears streaming her cheeks, “Let me go.”
Grayson went to haul her away and whether or not he was right about Henry, she really didn't care. She tensed, her body shaking. Perhaps a bit more of a push would leave her shifted, she could feel the familiar burning budding within.
He dropped his chin, hushing her, “Chloe, don't do this.”
Chloe couldn't process anything he was saying anymore, because she loved her father and after what she'd been through, she needed him almost as much as she needed Grayson.
She weaved out of her mate's arms, slipping fast to the ground and bolting.
“Dad!”
She heard Grayson growl as she ran, but he didn't follow.
Henry turned his head up as she crashed into the foyer. Her father stared at her and she saw the blood drain his face. She figured it a similar look to a person seeing a ghost, because basically, he was.
She ran at him though, not caring if she was the un-dead, “Dad!”
Henry took in a sharp breath, “Chloe?” He stared, stepping back.
She hugged him. “Dad,” she murmured into his winter jacket. Cold, but cold didn't bother her anymore.
Stiff as a board, he hadn't made any real contact with her, yet.
“Dad!” she gripped him, “Dad, it's me.”
He shifted his weight and hugged her back.
Grayson walked into the foyer then, nostrils flared, agitation through the roof or that's what Chloe felt. He kept his distance though.
Beth looked between them, staying quiet. At one point, she seemed like she wanted to say something, but she ate her words.
“You're alive?” Henry tightened his grip on his daughter. “Chloe. he pulled back from her and cupped her face, searching her for damages.
Chloe couldn't breathe. He was holding her face so tight, she gasped for air, “Dad.”
Grayson tensed and she felt him do so, like a sixth sense had tipped her off to it, with a flashing neon sign that read; mate upset, mate upset!
Grayson walked forward, “Henry-”
Henry glanced to him, then down to Chloe, “Wait... what...” He turned around and looked at Beth, then to Grayson again like all the pieces were falling into place, in his mind.
“I'm okay, Dad,” she reassured her father, his grip increased on her shoulders. She made a soft noise of protest.
“Henry-” Grayson's expression mangled, “Just...”
Henry looked over to the seventeen year old werewolf and all comfort from her father was gone, “Why do you have her!” He looked to Beth and creased his brow, “You kidnapped my daughter!”
Grayson sighed, “Henry.”
“Dad, no-” Chloe tried, but Henry silence her.
“Why did you take her!” Henry yelled at him, pulling Chloe into his side, all the while staring Grayson down.
“I didn't do anything.” Grayson's voice broke and Chloe saw him trying to hold back on Henry. But he was boiling over; she knew this could end bad, if she didn't stop it soon.
“Bull!” Henry shouted. “I saw the damn wreck. Did you set this up! Is that why no one's seen you since the day she crashed!”
Beth came to Henry's side, “Henry, come sit down. It's not what you think,” she motioned to the living room.
Henry shook her off, “Let's go, Loe.”
Grayson stiffened and reached out for Chloe, grabbing her away from Henry, “No.”
“Oh, boy!” Henry pointed at him and ripped Chloe back, “You messed with the wrong cop!”
Beth put a hand to her mouth, “Henry, please. Grayson didn't-”
Henry swung around to her and she fell silent.
Chloe pulled away from her Dad, “Dad, I'm okay. Grayson didn't do anything!”
“There's no way you survived that MVA. This was all set up.” Henry turned to Grayson, “You sick little ass, I should arrest you right now! And I will. Brainwashing my damn daughter!”
“Chloe's fine, Henry! Look at her!” Grayson shouted at him, losing all his cool.
Henry brought his hand to his gun.
“Dad!” Chloe grabbed his wrist, “Dad, don't. It's fine. Let's go!” She knew, if angry enough, Henry would pull his gun on her mate.
Grayson's muscles tested the shirt he wore, “Chloe, no.”
She swallowed and looked to his fuming and angry self, “Gray, just stop.”
Henry grabbed her wrist, “Let's go!”
“No!” Grayson moved fast and grabbed Chloe.
“You let her go now!” Henry's voice was big and scary. She knew it was the voice he used only while working; the one that stopped people in their tracks and helped his level of intimidation.
“Grayson.” Chloe swallowed, she knew it would hurt him to let her go with Henry, but her dad needed to chill out and the only way he was going to do that was if she went with him.
Perhaps, Grayson had been initially right about not seeing Henry in that moment, but it was too late for regrets.
Grayson snorted, “Chloe, please, Little.”
Henry stared at him, “Back off, Grayson! Or I'll arrest you right now on the grounds of entrapment and kidnapping!”
Chloe took her dad's arm, “Dad, let's go.” She searched for shoes and realized she had none.
“Here, Chloe.” Beth offered her a pair of her boots and jacket.
“Thank you,” She said to his mother.
Grayson could be pegged as an angry mess and there was no way he would be calm any time soon. She was just sorry he had to go through it without her.
She met her mate's eyes, her father's death grip on her arm held her back from being able to touch or calm him.
“Bye,” her eyes promised him of her return. It wasn't like being ripped away from him felt nice on her either, but Henry was coming first in this situation or else something really bad would have gone down.
Henry whipped her out the door and over to the police cruiser in the drive before she had a chance to hear or see anymore of Grayson's pain.
“Dad.” Chloe mumbled as he opened the passenger door for her and let her sit down. She was wondering what kind of crazy police force let their cops go back to work after their kid was a write off only days before.
Henry got in and turned the vehicle on; silent. It wasn't a good sign and worse, it really left her to her own sick thoughts of leaving her mate; which apparently, had a death grip on her insides and it hurt, like a stabbing in her chest.
Henry eventually spoke though, breaking Grayson from her mind.
“Chloe.”
Chloe bit her tongue and stared at the dashboard, “Dad, just so you know, right now, you're not protecting me.”
“Excuse me!” Henry shot. “I don't even think I want to know what's happened. Do you even know!”
“Yes!” Chloe looked to him, “You need to accept it.”
He glanced to her, “Accept what! That you ran off with some boy!”
“Dad!” Chloe's eyes widened. “You think I ran off with Grayson! You think I crashed your truck for fun?”
“No, you listen to me!” he shot, “You're my daughter and I come before any stupid boy, do you get me!”
Chloe stared at him, “Dad, that's not the point-”
“What's the point, Chloe! That they've been hiding you the past week, or that it was all just a big huge lie?”
She creased her brow, “Dad-”
“I don't care what's happened. This is all done, Chloe.”
“What's that mean?”
“We're moving back to LA.”
“Dad!” Chloe screeched, “Are you nuts!”
“No, I'm really serious. I'm done with this crazy town.”
“Dad, you can't-” she was at a loss for words and she pretty sure, Henry Pryce had lost it as well!
“This was exactly what your mother was talking about, Chloe!”
Her mouth dropped open, “Dad, I don't think you really realize what's gone on...”
Henry looked to her, “Oh, I realize.”
“Dad, you just blamed me for running away and crashing your truck for fun!”
Henry looked to her, “Well, Chloe, isn't that what happened?”
Chloe stared at him, blinking. His voice dark, nonsensical.
She swallowed, staying quiet.
Henry turned the car into his driveway and the cruiser flew towards the house, stopping only at the last possible second.
She felt the seat belt lock up on her then release, “Are you on shift right now?”
“I was,” he snapped and got out of the car, “Get out, Chloe. Let's go.”
Chloe scrambled out and followed him to the house, “Grayson didn't do anything.”
Henry grunted and pulled his keys out, “He's just lucky, I'm not arresting his ass.”
Chloe swallowed, this was going worse than she had imagined. Grayson had been so, so right.
“I don't want to move. I want to be with Grayson.” Why those were her only words she was able to speak, she didn't know; really, it sort of seemed like a suicidal thing to say.
“You'll be staying far away from that boy!” Henry turned to her. “I told you, we're moving.”
“Dad, I can't move!” She screamed, about to spill everything!
Henry shook off his jacket, “We're moving. You don't have a choice.”
“Dad, you pushed me to hang out with him and now I love him!”
He laughed, “Oh, don't go there!”
“I'm alive. You should be thanking the greater powers for this!”
Henry pointed at her, “Chloe! I know what his older brother is like. Did you know their doing an investigation on the disappearance of his girlfriend?”
Chloe silence and stared at him. Had Colten gone to the police? That didn't seem like a very wolf thing to do.
“What?”
Henry nodded, “She's missing and we got word about it from the Silvertun Police force in Texas. She was last seen with Darcy Holtz. So we-”
She cut him all off, “When did you hear about this?”
“Just yesterday,” Henry grunted. “I came over today to see if he was there. Why, have you seen Darcy Holtz?”
Chloe swallowed and then shook her head, “No.” She had no idea what to say or what not to say. She didn't like Darcy, but she didn't want her Dad getting mixed up with the wolf world, they wouldn't spare him.
She wanted so bad to tell him what had really happened but she knew that would end with, him packing their bags and booking it out of Polar, Alaska. She had to figure out a way to stay and get everything fixed.
Henry creased his brow, “If you know something, Chloe. You need to tell me. Now.”
Chloe swallowed, “I haven't seen him. At all.”
“But, he's in town?”
Chloe shrugged, “I don't know.”
Henry was giving her his cop look, “Did Grayson Holtz kidnap you?”
“No,” she shook her head.
“Did he hurt you?”
“No.” she breathed, her emotion breaking and crumbling. All she wanted was Grayson in that moment. Her wolf side was not pleased with her. Her bond with him was screaming at her in consequence.
Henry lowered his chin, “Then what happened?”
She swallowed. Her need to be with Grayson Holtz would result in her throwing herself under a bus or over a cliff, whatever way one looked at it.
“I took Dodge to the airport. We got in a fight, I got pissed being here, sent the truck over the edge to fake my death and ran away. I'm sorry.”
Henry stared at her, “What?”
Chloe swallowed, she wished she hadn't been lying to him, but if she told him the truth, they'd be half way to Timbuktu by now and that meant, away from her mate and Tribune.