Apex

by B. A. Stretke

  Chance shook himself and sat up on the edge of his bed. He needed to get that guy out of his mind. He may have been ruggedly gorgeous, but he could also kill Chance with his bare hands. He’d obviously offended the man by staring and if he’d found him in the kitchen, Chance probably wouldn’t be alive right now. He needed to keep that truth first and foremost in his mind.

  …

  Calum moved from the building to the sidewalk out front of the rehabbed apartment building and waited for Kyle to call him back. He'd scoped the area wanting to be familiar and aware of his mate's environment. The area was quite a bit run down and by the looks, he was getting by passersby and the people hanging out, it appeared that a plethora of illegal activity was present within a two-block radius of his mate's home.

  He would have to convince his mate to move as soon as he had the opportunity to meet him. This area was not safe and he was surprised that someone as timid and fearful as his little blond mate would live in such a place. He circled the area and the apartment building a couple more times and then returned to his cycle still parked down the block from the café, and headed to the Laramie Inn.

  Bryn had rented five rooms, making it two per room. They’d learned, over the years, that any more than two to a room made management uneasy. They were a rough bunch and they looked like people you’d want to avoid, but with that said, they were also decent, honorable men who lived to serve their Chieftain, Calum Keith and their King, Duncan Adair. They respected the respectable and never, deliberately, brought harm to the innocent or the weak. They were ten men on a quest that finally, after a century, was beginning to bear fruit.

  Calum entered his room and Kyle was there on his laptop working away. Bryn and Alrick were seated at a small table. They were each drinking a beer and Alrick handed one to Calum as he too took a seat at the table.

  "Tell us, Calum, is he your mate?" The hope and anticipation was there in Bryn's tone and shone clearly on Alrick's face as they both waited for Calum's answer. The implications would be life changing for them all.

  Calum stared at them for a moment, deliberately making them wait. “Yes, the blond man seated at the counter at the café is my mate. I have no doubt.” Calum watched their combined looks of hopefulness turn to bursts of excitement. Alrick rarely showed his emotions but they were there for everyone to read. He knew what it meant and how it would affect them and their Circle back home. It was a miracle, a miracle they’d been searching out for the past one hundred years.

  “You know what this means?” Bryn asked, but it wasn’t a question. “We stay, this is our place.” Bryn slapped the table. Calum nodded and shifted his gaze to Alrick who was shaking his head with a guarded smile on his face as if he was afraid to believe what he was being told.

  "It's true Alrick; I found my mate here in this town in the middle of nothing." Calum reiterated for Alrick's benefit. He was rewarded with a true smile and a nod of pure joy.

  “I found him Calum, the newest member of the Dragon’s Blood motorcycle club, Clan Keith and the Shetland Dragon Circle.” Kyle’s announcement had all three men giving him their complete attention. Kyle hit a couple more buttons and then turned the screen to show them a large picture of the smiling blond man. Calum felt his heart move into his throat as he stared at the fine-looking young man.

  He stared silently at the image on Kyle’s screen, overwhelmed by the youth and beauty of his soon to be mate. Calum had watched him from afar and knew he was special, but to look deeply into those sky-blue eyes and see the innocence and joyfulness staring back, was soul stirring.

  “His name is Chance Bashford. He’s twenty-one years old, five feet, six inches tall and one hundred fifteen pounds.” Kyle continued to read off all the facts before adding his personal commentary. “He lives at 2430 W. Spruce, Apartment 3C. It appears to be a seedier end of town. He rents a room from his cousin Blake Bashford. Blake looks like a bad biker wannabe.” Kyle gave a sneer obviously not impressed. “Chance works at the Loveday Salon and Spa as a receptionist and cleanup. Graduated high school and completed one year of college. He has two older brothers and his parents are still alive.” Kyle swiped through a few pages and then continued.

  "The family is not close based on the fact there are no family photos anywhere online. I also picked up a piece of correspondence, Chance attempting to contact his parents, but there was no response. That piece was dated two years ago and there has been nothing since. Parents retired to Southern California and both brothers work in New York. Just not a very close family, I guess." Kyle glanced over to Calum. "He seems like a good kid from everything I've been able to dig up. He's just a man living his life and trying to be happy as far as I can see. His best friend is Dane Knight, cook at the Grand Avenue Café."

  Calum kept saying the name over and over in his mind, “Chance, Chance.” It was strong and fit his mate perfectly. His dragon stirred as he thought of his mate, Chance Bashford, and their future together.

  "He was born here in Laramie and has lived here his entire life. The only family he has remaining in the area is his cousin Blake Bashford." Kyle looked up at Calum with his green eyes shining bright and wearing a smug smile. "Congratulations, boss, your mate is lovely. If mine is even half as gorgeous as your Chance, I will be extremely satisfied."

  Each man in the room was looking forward to the possibility of finding their own mate, here in Laramie, Wyoming. The discovery of Calum’s mate opened the door for others to find theirs in this dusty little corner of the world.

  “What are Chance’s hours at the Salon?” Calum asked.

  "Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to closing which is at approximately 7 p.m. He gets an hour off for lunch anywhere between noon and 3 p.m. and a couple of breaks depending upon clients." Kyle supplied easily.

  “Are you planning to confront him at his place of employment? You do know that he’s afraid of you.” Bryn’s expression said it all. He was worried that Calum would rush in and make matters worse rather than better.

  “No, I would never put my mate into such an awkward position.” Calum rolled his eyes at Bryn’s implication. “But I do plan on waiting for him outside the Salon tomorrow at 7 p.m., sharp.” He raised his eyebrows at his brother waiting to see if Bryn had anything else to add, but he merely nodded.

  “Good plan.” Alrick chuckled.

  "He's so cute, Calum," Kyle added with considerable enthusiasm.

  "That he is, Kyle," Calum responded to Kyle's description. Calum drained his beer and moved over to sit next to Kyle.

  “Would you tell me what you can about his cousin, Blake.” Calum was deeply concerned for Chances safety. His cousin lived in a bad section of town and he didn’t like his mate living there. Calum wanted to know why Blake lived in such an area and why Chance would agree to move in. The atmosphere was obvious with the illegal activities happening right in the open. Either Chance was clueless to the ways of the world or he settled when he decided to rent from his cousin. Either way, Calum intended to get him out of there as soon as possible, preferably, immediately.

  It took Kyle less than a minute to bring up everything on Blake Bashford. “He’s thirty-two and works security at a local bar called Night Whispers. It looks like a dive and caters to hard cases and lowlifes. He’s been a part of numerous arrests relating to his position at Night Whispers. Possession, assault, theft, etc.” Kyle turned to look directly at Calum with a dire look in his eyes. “What the hell is your sweet mate doing living with this scum?”

  Calum shook his head. “Maybe he feels a loyalty to family, considering the others left him on his own. Chance might believe that Blake is all the family he has left.” Calum searched hard to come up with a plausible reason for Chance to be living there.

  “I doubt that, boss. It got into Blake’s email and he’s not very complimentary of your Chance. He calls him everything in the book and Blake has the extended edition of the book.” Kyle looked pained by the messages.

  Calum read a few of the emails highl
ighted. He noticed one particularly disgraceful description Blake had included in an email to someone named Z-ded and Calum’s furry began to boil. “That fucking piece of shit will learn to keep his fucking opinions to himself.” The air in the room began to get heated as Calum blew smoke and flames from his nose and mouth.

  Calum quelled his beast but the anxiety of his dragon was ever present. The thought of his mate living with someone so dangerous and dismissive was unacceptable. The sooner he met Chance and convinced him of their bond, the better.

  “You need to get him to safety. This guy is bad news.” Bryn commented as he leaned over Calum’s shoulder and stared at Kyle’s screen. “Look at the guy standing next to him in that picture.” Bryn pointed at the screen. “That emblem on his leather jacket belongs to a rogue wolf pack in Colorado. Why is Blake hanging with a character like that?”

  …

  Chance remained in his room watching a movie on his laptop. Blake didn't like him out in the living room when he was home. Blake said Chance bothered him so Chance always stayed out of his way. Blake had threatened to kick his ass a few times since he'd moved in and Chance didn't want to push it. Blake was in no way as scary as that biker guy at the café but still, he was bigger and meaner than Chance.

  Thoughts of the guy from the café came flooding back and soon Chance realized he was no longer watching the movie on his laptop. His mind was full of the muscled magnificence of the dark rider. Chance grinned to himself at the apt description. Now that he felt relatively safe, he could allow himself to appreciate the vision of the man. If Chance hadn't been scared out of his mind, the thought of such a specimen of masculinity following him was sort of exciting. Although, if he'd caught him and beat his ass, it wouldn't have been quite so exciting.

  He turned off the movie and closed his laptop when he heard voices from the living room. Blake had some friends over and Chance couldn't stand Blake's friends. They were a bunch of jerks that tried to be hard asses but only succeeded in being bigger jerks. His door was locked, but for good measure, he got up and pushed his dresser over in front of it.

  Sometimes Blake’s friends decided it would be funny and entertaining to harass him. Chance didn’t find them funny in the least and he didn’t feel like dealing with their immaturity and abuse tonight.

  Chance turned out his light and got ready for bed in the dark so as to not draw the attention of the men in the living room. He crawled into bed and pulled the covers up around him like armor against the bad element outside his bedroom door.

  Chance woke a few hours later to the sound of someone pounding on his door and pushing at it as they tried to get in. He sat up and looked around frantically for an escape but saw only the window to his left. It was big enough for him to get out but he was on the third floor. The ledge just below the window was wide and hopefully, he could walk it to the apartment next door.

  “Come on, open up.” It was the drunken voice of one of Blake’s friends. Chance hated those guys. They pretended to like him in the beginning and made him believe he was one of the crowd. That was until one night a few weeks ago, when they started getting rough with him, both verbally and physically. Blake had just sat there and did nothing to help him. If it hadn’t been for the one called Zack, Chance would have been badly beaten and possibly assaulted. Zack had made them stop, but even he wasn’t someone you would consider good or kind. They were all dark and useless as far as Chance was concerned.

  The yelling continued as Chance pulled on his jeans and t-shirt. He quickly slipped on his shoes and slid out of the window just as he heard his dresser moving against whatever force they were using on the door.

  He pressed his body against the brick wall and shuffled along the ledge toward the apartment window next to his. Apartment 2C had been empty for several months and he prayed the window was not locked. He heard the crash of his dresser hitting the floor as he opened the window, thanked God and stepped into the vacant apartment. Without hesitation, he hurried to the door and dashed out into the hallway and ran down the stairs.

  Chance heard them yelling and stumbling out into the hall. They knew he was trying to escape and they were excited by the opportunity to give chase. They were yelling and laughing as they tore after him. Chance put on every bit of speed his short legs could produce as he pushed to get out of the building and into hiding somewhere. Zack wasn't among them; there was no one to stop them this time. Chance knew that if they caught him, they would hurt him, badly.

  …

  Calum stood outside as the rest of his men settled in for the night. He stared up at the stars and centered his dragon. Something was disturbing him; the night was restless. He thought of his mate in that neighborhood and he shuddered. He wanted the vulnerable little man away from the elements surrounding him. He wanted to bundle him up and bring him to the safety of his protection, but that wasn’t possible, not yet.

  Calum needed to go back and check on him. His dragon was urging him to go and Calum never second guessed his dragon. He woke his brother to inform him that he was going back to his mate’s apartment building to check things out. Bryn understood and offered to go along, but Calum was confident he could handle whatever presented itself. Scum bag humans and lowlife wolf packs were nothing to a dragon on a mission.

  Calum brought his bike up to the front of the rundown building and parked it along the curb. He nailed each person around with a threatening stare. He made it clear, if they touched his bike, they would die. Everyone quickly averted their gaze and hurried on down the street.

  Calum stepped onto the sidewalk and looked up at the old converted school building. He felt it stronger now, as he drew nearer he began to taste the panic. His mate was in distress; there was no mistaking that acrid scent stinging his nose. He focused on the front doors just as Chance dressed haphazardly came bursting out the doors and ran down the steps towards him.

  Calum rushed up to him but Chance stopped abruptly, fear coloring his expression. Three men that Calum recognized as wolf rushed out the doors after Chance but also halted when they spotted Calum. “Come to me, Chance.” Calum reached out his hand and beckoned him forward.

  …

  Chance didn’t know which way to run. Behind him were three nightmares that would make his life a living hell if they caught him, and in front of him was the scary biker dude who wanted to throttle him for staring. He kept looking back and forth from the biker in front of him to the goons behind him. Finally, without knowing why, he moved towards the biker who was holding out his hand and calling to him.

  This was probably a huge mistake, but something in his gut told him the big biker was the safer choice. Step by step he moved closer and soon he too reached out his own hand and took the large calloused hand of the biker. “Please don’t kill me.” Chance whispered under his breath as the man pulled him closer and moved slightly to stand in front of him. The sweet smile he received was completely unexpected and seemed out of character for the dark, serious man.

  “You’re safe with me, Chance.” He spoke again, this time his tone was softer but still rough and gravely. “Stay behind me.” He added with a stern glance.

  The statement sounded distinctly like an order, and Chance had no plans on disobeying. The guys coming after him were standing back and eyeing up the new arrival. The fact that they'd stopped and been obviously weighing their options was enough for Chance to pin his hopes on the scary biker.

  "We don't want any trouble with you." The one with the longest hair and the forced sneer said as he tried to look not intimidated. "He belongs to us." The words were spoken with less confidence. The three of them began looking at each other questioningly when the tall, dark man defending Chance did not answer them. But his stare was clawing at them.

  They were afraid, Chance could almost taste their fear and it was delicious. He stole a quick glance at the mountain standing in front of him and wondered as to his own safety. He'd made a choice and now he would have to accept whatever came of it.


  “I belong to no one.” Chance said through gritted teeth as he balled his hands into tight fists. The man in front of him glanced back over his shoulder at him and a small grin warmed his otherwise grim expression. Chance couldn’t help but smile back.

  “You should get out of our way or you will deal with all of us.” Said the dunce who just didn’t seem to the get the fact that this guy was not impressed by any of them. Chance stayed still as the big biker took a step forward and planted his feet further apart and did that neck crack thing that just put your teeth on edge.

  “Come and take him, if you think you can.” The big guy stared them down for a few moments waiting for any takers. Suddenly the loud mouth of the three decided to take a run at him. It didn’t end well considering his buddies did not back him up.

  The fight was over before it started. The big guy grabbed loud mouth by the throat and raised him off the ground as his two buddies ran away. They didn’t go back into the apartment building but rather ran to their pickup and took off leaving their friend to whatever the big guy had in mind.

  The big guy brought him up close and spoke very clearly as the loud mouth squirmed in mid-air. “You will leave Chance alone. If you so much as glance in Chance’s direction, I will end you. Are we clear?” Chance was amazed at his savior’s strength and composure. He acted like this shit happened every day and was not particularly worth his time or effort.

  After getting an agreement, the big guy tossed loud mouth to the ground. He watched silently as he dragged himself to his feet and vacated the area as fast as his unstable legs and damaged lungs could move him.