Bruised MC Bear (Beartooth Brotherhood MC Book 3)

by Bella Love-Wins

  “Good morning, Mr. Jackson,” Axe greeted the older man, out of respect for his elders and nothing else. He nodded over at him, noticing the man’s face and physical build was an almost exact carbon copy of Kade’s, except for the spattering of gray hair on his sideburns.

  “So I hear the two of you found out some things about Natalie and Alain,” Mr. Jackson asked. “Care to share what you know?”

  Nancy turned from her spot in the front seat, posture tight as she avoided Kade. “All we have is your name, and a few others. Please Keith, just tell us the truth.”

  The old man sat silently for a few moments, looking out of his window pensively. “I suppose we could say this all started when Natalie and I were in high school. I was in my senior year, and she was a freshman. We were the only two shifter teens in town back then, so we quickly figured that out right off the bat.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “I was a bit of a rebel back then, and I may have told her that once I turn eighteen, I’d show up at school in my panther form, just as a prank, you know? I guess you could say that Natalie took it upon herself to make sure I didn’t do anything foolhardy around the human kids. Anyhow, it was about a week before my birthday. I had driven my car to school, but it was a real beater. The alternator acted up all the time. The thing wouldn’t start that afternoon, so I walked, figuring I’d take the shortcut behind the school that ran right through the woods to the back of my house. That was the fastest way to borrow some jumper cables and be back on the road.”

  “So, you met my mother in the woods?” Nancy asked, probably hoping he would move the story along to get to the point.

  “Actually yes I did, dear,” he confirmed. “Natalie lived three houses down my street, so she took that route every day. Well, we walked into those woods that day, but we didn’t walk out. Not on our own. Some men in camo snuck up on us. They overpowered me and covered our heads in black bags or something damned near invisible to see out of. We both tried to fight like hell, but there were too many of them. They shoved us into the back of a van and took us to a facility somewhere up the highway. All I remember after that was someone injected me in the arm. I passed out, and when I woke up, Natalie and I were sitting slumped over at the side of my garage. She said they did the same thing to her too.”

  “Did you tell both your parents?” Nancy asked.

  “Of course we did. Natalie’s folks had a meeting with my old man. My mother had passed on already, so it was just him. They didn’t know what to make of it. I mean, what would have been the point of going to the police? After a lengthy discussion, they carried us to the only doctor in town they trusted. Doc took our blood and requisitioned a bunch of tests. Everything came up normal. After extensive tests and back corner inquiries with some Louisiana witches we had heard about, we all left it behind us, and just moved on, you know? Natalie and I barely kept in touch, except for the fact that our parents remained neighbors right up until they passed on. Years later, I met Kade’s mother. Natalie got married to Alain. We had you kids, then about six years before Natalie and Alain were…before they passed, I came home from work to find a note shoved under my front door, warning me that I was in danger.”

  “Who was it from? Colonel Travis or Director Riley? Or was it from Vincent Belmont?”

  “Neither. It was from Natalie. She never stopped trying to figure out what they had done to us. Of course, I went to see her and Alain that evening. She believed that Colonel Travis and Director Riley had some knowledge about a secret off-the-books project…one that experimented on us. Shifters, vampires, you name it. Anything supernatural was fair game.”

  “What did she say about Vincent Belmont?”

  “Nothing at all.” Mr. Jackson’s phone rang somewhere in his pocket. He pulled it out and turned off the volume. “That’s your mother,” he said to Kade. “I never knew the vamp back then. Actually, I only met Vincent through you, Nancy. Anyway, after we spoke, I moved the wife and Kade out of Nevada altogether. We settled down in Utah. Years later, some old neighbors phoned me about Natalie and Alain’s passing, but not in time for the funerals. It was such a shame I couldn’t be there.”

  He shook his head, agitated. “My wife and I tried to reach out and help you kids, but Child Welfare Services were being real hardasses. They wouldn’t even give us a contact number. I had no idea when Kade announced he was getting hitched to you, Nancy, that you were Nancy as in Natalie and Alain Voltaire’s daughter…not until I met you, dear. And even then, what was I supposed to tell you? That your ma and I were abducted and possibly experimented on? That she may have saved my family’s life? And don’t go blaming Kade for any of this. This is the first he’s hearing of the full story.”

  Kade’s phone rang. He ignored it, and a second later, Nancy’s phone buzzed.

  “It’s Tilly,” Nancy said after pulling the phone from her purse. “Tilly is Keith’s wife, Axe. It must be urgent if she’s tried all our numbers.” She swiped the call answer button and put it on speakerphone. “Hi Tilly. Sorry we didn’t answer sooner. I’ve got you on speaker for Kade and Keith. Are the kids all right?”

  “Yes, dear. They’re fine. Perfectly safe. It’s just… I think you need to come over right away and see for yourself. Hurry.”

  Nancy’s eyes shot up to Kade, then to Mr. Jackson. “We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  Axe wasn’t surprised that Nancy sped the entire way to get to Kade’s folks’ house about three miles away from the residential development where Nancy and Kade lived. She even beat the two SUVs over there. He followed her past Kade’s bodyguards into the front door of the older ranch-style home.

  “Tilly?” She shouted from the front door. “Asher, honey? Annalee?”

  “We’re out back,” said the voice Axe assumed to be the kids’ grandmother.

  Axe followed Nancy through French doors that opened onto a wooden porch. The backyard was a large, fenced, lawn-covered space, lined with massive old sequoia trees.

  “Tilly, this is my brother Alexander,” Nancy said quickly to the older woman sitting on the porch swing on the left of the French doors. “Alexander, Tilly. So, where are the kids? What happened?”

  “Nice to meet you, Alexander,” Mrs. Jackson greeted him, taking her sweet time to get to her feet and shake his hand.

  “Hello,” he said briefly, acutely aware that if Nancy did not catch sight of her kids stat, she was liable to shift to bear form and rip someone’s head off.

  “Asher and Annalee are sitting under that tree in the far corner,” she said, pointing to a spot about a hundred and fifty feet away. “Go and see for yourselves. I can’t even begin to tell you. I never knew it was possible at all… just go look.”

  Nancy dropped her purse on the porch and started running to get to them. Axe walked at a good pace, but picked up to an all-out run to get to Nancy’s side when she made a sudden stop in the middle of the expansive lawn.

  “Oh my Lord,” she exclaimed. “Look.”

  “What the fuck?” Axe could not believe what his eyes were seeing. Asher and Annalee were sitting under the sequoia tree, all right—but in their animal forms.

  That was impossible.

  These kids weren’t even ten, let alone of age.

  Natural born shifter children did not turn until they made it to their eighteenth birthdays.

  Yet here were Asher and Annalee—a bear and a panther.

  “How do you think this happened?” Nancy asked, eyes fixed on the one spot.

  “Hell if I know,” Axe answered.

  Kade and Mr. Jackson came to their sides, and also froze.

  “I reckon we have our answer to what happened to Natalie and me all those years ago,” Mr. Jackson said.

  Nancy turned to him. “What? What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, I’ve never seen kid shifters take on their animal forms before age eighteen. Look, Nancy. I’m awful sorry I never told you and Kade what I knew. After the doctor told our parents that our bloodwor
k was completely normal, I just assumed things were fine. Then years later, Tilly and I had Kade, and he was fine. Natalie had the two of you with no issues. I just put it all to rest. But looking at these kids now, well, think about it. They have Natalie’s genes from you, and mine from Kade here. It has to be the only viable explanation.”

  “But why now?” Kade chimed in. “Why today? They’ve never…turned before.”

  “I can’t even hazard a guess.” Mr. Jackson turned back to his wife, who was still standing on the porch. “Tilly, did anything unusual happen?”

  “Honey, you’re asking me if anything unusual happened?” Mrs. Jackson shouted. “Of course something unusual happened! Those kids turned! That’s not unusual enough for you?”

  Mr. Jackson shook his head. “No, I mean before they turned.”

  “No…well, maybe. We were in the kitchen. You know how the kettle makes that loud popping sound sometimes? That sound startled them, and they just bolted out of their chairs and turned right here on the porch.” She pointed to a spot near the door. “See, those are the clothes they were wearing. It’s all torn up now. They haven’t moved from that spot under the tree since.”

  Axe had heard just about enough. “Nancy, stay with the kids. Maybe Vincent will have some answers. Angel and I are going back to the clubhouse, and I’ll make a stop at Vincent’s on the way. If he doesn’t have any details, we’ll go down the list until we know the truth. Oh, and I’m borrowing your car to get back to your place.”

  “No need,” Kade told him. “We still have that meeting. Let’s go talk to some people first.”

  25

  Angel

  Angel stood with her robe tight around her body, looking out the window for a while, unsure what to do. She had enjoyed having almost the entire day to herself, but now that night had fallen, she wondered what was going on. The men outside that Kade left to protect her had no answers. Nothing that they were willing to share with her, anyway. As much as she tried to convince herself that she was frustrated, deep down, it was the fear that gripped her. She was still in the middle of a dangerous situation, and their lives were on the line. No game of submission or night of screwing each other’s brains out would change that.

  She went still as men’s voices echoed through the hallway. They were quiet enough, but their rough timbers reached her easily. Soon, she was standing at the door with her ear pressed against it.

  “There’s no way this can be connected to what happened back then,” Axe said. “How the fuck did Giovanni end up joining forces with someone inside the government? And why did the government want to experiment on our parents anyway? Those armed men didn’t storm our house to question them. They were on a mission. Shoot to kill. Now we know it was probably because my mother knew too much. So what do they want with me now? And if it’s about whatever is running in my veins, why aren’t they after Nancy too? Or you?”

  “We still don’t know enough,” Kade answered.

  “Was anyone tailing Nancy before I showed up? Or you?”

  “I don’t know. I can only assume they have been. Look, we need to move everyone tonight. You, Nancy, my parents, the kids, and your girl. You’re going underground until we know more. Completely off the grid. Silas is on board, and Vincent’s already made all the arrangements.”

  Kade’s voice sounded uncertain for the first time since they had arrived. What did completely off the grid look like? It sure didn’t sound like time at the Ritz.

  “How long? Fuck. I can’t do this to Angel.”

  “I don’t have an answer for you. Don’t go assuming anything yet, though. Giovanni’s a slick son of a bitch. This rumor about his association to a government contact could be complete bullshit to scare us. We’re taking precautions to protect everyone, but I would not put too much thought into it just yet.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Axe grunted out. “Silas may be on board, but he knows I’m better off at the clubhouse. I respect whatever you chose for your parents, and for Nancy and the kids. I’ll talk to Angel, but ultimately, where she and I are concerned, it’ll be my call.”

  “Fine,” Kade said.

  That was Angel’s cue to make a dash for the bed to act like she had not heard a thing.

  She sat there for a second, processing what she had heard. Whatever happened to his parents as a child was on his doorstep again, possibly threatening to finish the job of ending it for Axe and Nancy. For both their families too? But why? God, could she even handle the answer? And Axe had to be kicking himself for dragging her into the middle of this chaos. She suddenly wanted more than anything to give him some sort of comfort.

  While her head was a riot of emotions, Axe returned to the room.

  “You heard, didn’t you?” he asked. “I can already see the terror on your face.”

  She nodded. “Where are we going?”

  “Get your things. I’m not sure if we’ll go with them, but if we do, even I can’t know,” he said, looking away as he seemed to contemplate the last few words.

  “Are we all leaving together?”

  “No. We’ll split up to improve our chances…” his voice drifted off, clearly unable to voice the risks.

  She studied his face. He seemed different, troubled somehow. “Did something happen while you were gone?” she asked in a whisper.

  “Happened? Yes and no. It’s more like new facts came to light. Have you ever stood stock still in the middle of a city street when a Mack truck is headed right toward you at top speed? You know it’s coming, and you know it’s bigger than you. You’re too big to stand still, yet it’s so ominous and intimidating, it freezes you in one spot?”

  Angel gave him a somber shrug. “Sorry, Axe. I can’t say that I’ve ever done such a thing.”

  He looked out the window, seeming to gaze far into the distance. “Well, that’s how I feel right now. It’s like what I thought was a seriously vengeful but manageable problem has just turned into something so big, spanning three generations in my family, and in Kade’s, we just learned. And now, it’s coming our way. Those lights on the horizon are way closer than they appear. They’re blinding us, scaring us, and no matter how fast we run, we may never get far enough to get out of the way.”

  She stepped into his arms, craning her neck to look up into his eyes. “Will you be upset if I tell you that you’re kind of scaring me right now?”

  “I don’t know what to say, doll.” He put his arms on her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “I’m really sorry…for all of this, but most of all for causing you to be pulled into the middle of it. Let’s get on the road.”

  “If it’s as big as you’re saying, and relates to your families, are you sure they’ll care to come after me?” she asked, resting her chin on his chest as she looked up at the grave expression on his face.

  “Pack up and get dressed. We’re leaving.” He pulled away and started collecting his things. “Don’t ask me to take that chance.”

  His message couldn’t be any clearer.

  She was in this with him until the bitter end.

  Taking a breath, she scooped up the clothes she had bought during her shopping trip with Nancy and picked out a flannel red-and-black, plaid lumberjack shirt and black tights.

  “Are we going to be okay?” she asked.

  “Hey,” he said, reaching for her hand. He stepped up beside her and pulled her into his arms. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  26

  Axe

  Axe spent the first hour of their trip updating Angel on every detail he had learned since his trek to Mom and Dad’s storage locker this morning. By the end of his run through, Angel was in tears and exhausted. She soon rested her head on his shoulder and dozed off. Although Axe had a splitting headache from the gravity of processing all the facts at once, it helped him to make up his mind about where he would go next.

  Vincent.

  His name could not be on the list by coincidence. He had to have a piece of this puzzle. Kade’s f
ather had laid out the scope of events, and sure, it was logical for a longstanding state politician and an army Colonel to have played a part in a conspiracy of this magnitude. Vincent’s name just did not fit in with the rest. Not when he was the one who had turned up to save Axe and Nancy on the night of the murders. His eyes were tired from all the driving, but he did not make a single stop until he was outside the gates of Vincent’s mansion.

  He didn’t have to use the buzzer to be let in. Some members of the perimeter security detail were his men from the clubhouse. One of them waved him in and radioed a message to announce him at the main house.

  Victor was waiting at the front door when he rolled up.

  They wasted little time with pleasantries and introductions. Less than five minutes after arriving, Axe parted ways with Angel so he could grill Vincent privately. A housecleaning staff led her to get some sleep in one of the many bedrooms upstairs. Axe and Vincent retreated into his study.

  “I imagine you must think I had some part in this,” Vincent said from his office chair, his usual spot in the room.

  “I’m not thinking anything. I’m asking, because I don’t trust anyone as much as I do you, Nancy and Silas. Maybe Angel too, but that’s beside the point. Your name was on that list, Vincent. I would really like to understand why my mother would group you in with a fellow victim and two powerful men who could have orchestrated Mom’s abduction as a teenager, and later returned to murder Mom and Dad.”

  “I need to update you on what’s happened since you left your sister’s.” Vincent must have registered the immediate alarm on Axe’s face, because he quickly added. “Nancy’s fine. They all are. Nothing’s happened to them.”

  Axe pressed his hands to his temples. “Jeez. Try not to scare the fuck out of me like that, brother. It wasn’t easy ditching that burner phone and being completely out of communication with everyone for all that time. So what’s the update?”