Three Mates for Judith by Cara Adams Page B

the gate to the farm had been left wide open, there was no other car coming. If Lutterworth wasn’t in the truck coming from the rear of the property, they were shit out of luck. He desperately wanted to know where that truck was but wasn’t prepared to phone and ask in case he distracted the men from their task of protecting the pack.
    Naftali and Nelson were sitting on the floor by the bus door. They would be needed to help capture the six men entering the house. Tony must have locked the front door when he’d gone inside because one of the teenagers—and all the attackers appeared to be teenagers—smashed a window, and the kids entered through it.
    As soon as they were inside, he said, “Open the bus door to let my brothers out and wait two full minutes before pressing the horn.”
    Judith found the switch, and the bus door opened and then closed. Nahum phoned Zebulun. The Alpha had contacts to the various government agencies, but he didn’t. However, Zebulun would be able to call the right person in Amory’s absence.
    “We’re at Cherise’s farm. Most of the pack is out running, and six teenagers in an SUV have attacked the farmhouse from the front and there’s another truck attacking or about to attack from the rear. The kids are safe in the bus, and I’m with them.”
    “I’ll get you help.”
    Zebulun clicked off the call, but Nahum didn’t know if that was to protect him or so the older man could ring for help. Either way he’d just have to wait and watch.
    Judith said, just loud enough for the children to hear, “Put your hands over your ears now.”
    A heartbeat later, the bus horn blasted through the silence. Just before it started he thought he heard glass breaking, but he couldn’t be sure. He knew his brothers were able to defeat a passel of kids, even if they had weapons. But the two older men wouldn’t be able to move fast and might not have perfect hearing any more. Hopefully they’d have plenty of cunning.
    Nahum would be perfectly happy to hear they tripped the kids up and sat on them to tie them up. He kept watch on the front of the house, and Judith had her eyes above the level of the window, watching the driveway and the road. That was okay. They had to know someone was in the bus. He just didn’t want them to know about the children and women there. Especially Maia. He didn’t plan on delivering her babies six weeks early if she went into labor from shock.
    Elsie, Leah, and Zoe crawled up the aisle on their hands and knees and sat by the door.
    “If any of those kids escape, we’ll take them down for you. I hate that my father has caused all this trouble with his stupid boy gangs,” said Elsie.
    “I don’t think you women—”
    “I hope you’re not about to say something sexist,” came a fierce whisper from Judith.
    Nahum hid a grin. He would have called his thoughts protective, rather than sexist, but right now, annoying four very determined women wasn’t a good idea.
    “No, ma’am. Hit the horn again the moment they come out of the house and, with your other hand, open the door. Hopefully, the noise will confuse them and they’ll go back inside,” he said instead.
    “Nice save,” said Elsie very softly.
    Apparently he hadn’t fooled his Alpha’s mate any more than he’d fooled the woman he wanted.
    It seemed like a very long time that nothing happened, and some of the children started to become restless. Nahum wanted to order them to get back down on the floor, but likely their muscles were starting to cramp, and he couldn’t risk them becoming angry and unhelpful. If they got off the bus, he’d never be able to protect them. It was a better, although not good, scenario to have Lutterworth discover that the children were here.
    And then everything happened at once.
    The house door exploded open, and three intruders ran out at full speed.
    Judith opened the bus door and put her fist on the horn, startling everyone with the long, loud noise. Elsie, Leah, and