“I understand.” Mia looked over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Now, there’s something else I need to say. Uhm—” She stopped suddenly and shook her head. “Never mind. It’s not my place.”
“What is it?” Penny searched the other girl’s face. There was a flash of apprehension in Mia’s eyes. “Please, I owe you a lot. Just tell me.”
Mia’s eyes scanned the room, then she hunched her shoulders forward. “Well, it’s about Ben. And … what he is.”
“Huh? What do you mean? I know he’s a bear shifter.”
“Yeah, but … did you see him that night he shifted at The Den?”
Penny nodded.
“No bear is that big. Not even shifters.”
“No?”
“No. Grizzlies, like Ben, are one of the biggest, but even they grow to ten feet max. I’m only six feet myself when I shift.”
Penny shrugged. “He’s big, so what?”
Mia lowered her lashes. “It’s not just his size. The way he lost control like that? Shifters don’t do that. I mean, not the ones in their right mind.”
Penny grabbed the edge of the table, her fingers digging into the wood. “What are you saying?”
“Well, there have been rumors. I went to the same high school as him. I was two years younger.”
“Did something happen?”
Mia paused, biting her lip. “It’s none of my business really.“
“No, please, tell me.” Penny’s heart was racing, but she wanted to know.
“Ben, he’s different. So big and … dominant. There was this incident when he was at homecoming and he nearly mauled another student because he couldn’t control his bear. Good thing the kid was a shifter and healed fast. If he had been human … he would have died instantly.
Penny couldn’t control the gasp coming out of her mouth. “And then what happened?”
“No one knows for sure, but they probably paid off the family.” Mia looked her straight in the eyes. “Penny, you should be careful. He’s not what you think he is. He’s … well, some say he’s got a monster bear.”
Penny stopped breathing. Fury was choking her. When the feeling passed, she expelled a breath. “You don’t know what you’re saying. Ben’s no monster.” Surely there was a good explanation. She stood up. “I think I should go.”
“Penny, wait!” Mia grabbed her hand, her grip firm. “There’s something else.”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Penny tried to pull her hand away.
“He doesn’t want you to know.”
“Know what?” she asked.
“He and I—” The door slamming open cut Mia off. A group of women with young kids walked in, chatting as the children laughed and scrambled toward a group of tables in the corner.
Penny took the chance to pull her arm away from Mia and make a run for the door. She walked back to where she had parked her car, rubbing her arm. Mia’s grip was so firm she left marks. What was she trying to say? Penny huffed. No, she didn’t want to hear anything Mia had to say, not if she was going to talk about Ben that way.
It was still a couple of hours until her shift but too late to go home. She contemplated going to Ben’s, but she didn’t have a key. Plus, it sounded like he’d be tied up all day. After giving it some thought, she decided to just park at The Den and stay in her car until it was time to clock in.
By the end of her shift, Penny was exhausted. Not just physically but emotionally, too. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Between the coldness and the snide looks, getting the wrong drinks from Heather, and no one helping her out, being at The Den was draining.
Then there was Mia. She’d avoided the other girl all night, though Mia tried to corner her several times. She didn’t want to listen to what she had to say. If anything, she’d rather Mia ignore her, like the other girls did.
The work she once enjoyed was making her miserable, and she wasn’t sure she could last much longer if they kept treating her like this. She didn’t want to tell Tim; what could he do anyway? Tell the other girls they needed to be friends? Besides, she knew what happens when you tell someone in authority about people bullying you—you get labeled a tattletale and things get worse.
Penny didn’t bother to say goodbye to anyone. She got changed, clocked out, and headed to the parking lot. As she was about to unlock her car, her phone began to ring. The name BEN flashed on the display. She wanted to weep in relief. “H-hello?”
“Penny.” He sounded aggravated. “Where are you?”
“I’m just leaving work.” She bit her lip. It was nice to hear his voice. “Should I drive over now?”
He let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry, Penny. Something came up.”
“Is it bad?” She tried not to let the disappointment in her voice sound obvious.
“I can’t explain now. But I’m not coming home.”
“Oh.” Her heart sank.
“I think you should sleep at your house tonight.”
“Sure, that’s no problem at all.”
“Good.” He paused, and she heard voices in the background. “Sorry, I gotta go. Lock your door, okay? Do you have Kate’s number? Call her if you need anything.”
“Sure.”
The voices grew louder in the background. Was he at a party? “Penny, I—”
“You should go,” she said, cutting him off.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll swing by The Den. I—”
“Bye,” she whispered as she took the phone away from her ear and let the call drop. She leaned against the side of her car, her shoulders stooping. What was going on? Ben sounded agitated on the phone. Was he mad? And why couldn’t he come tonight?
Penny sighed and climbed into her car. She needed to get some rest. No use getting worked up over this. She and Ben could talk in the morning. Putting the car into gear, she drove out of the parking lot.
Driving home from The Den was automatic at this point, and Penny found herself zoning out as she pulled onto the highway. Her thoughts kept straying back to Ben. They’d been apart for almost twenty-four hours now. Was he at some party? She didn’t mind if he was, but she just wished he would tell her.
She was so distracted, she didn’t notice the headlights approaching from behind her. “Argh!” She covered her eyes with her hands as the glare blinded her when she tried to look in the rearview mirror. “Jerk.” Some asshole in a jacked-up truck with his lights on, most likely.
Penny huffed and moved to the other lane, hoping they would pass. Instead, the vehicle switched lanes as well, and moved even closer behind her.
Her heart beat against her ribcage. “Don’t panic,” she told herself. She switched lanes again, and the truck followed her.
Annoyance was replaced by fear. It was strange because she’d never been scared driving alone back in Houston. But then again, no one had ever followed her.
She stepped on the gas, pulling as far ahead as she could and going over the speed limit by a few miles per hour. The truck sped up, too, and now her heartbeat was going a mile a minute. “Oh please, go away,” she said aloud. Her exit was coming up, and they came up right behind her. Were there going to follow her all the way home? She racked her brain, trying to figure out what to do. An idea popped into her head, and she was suddenly thankful for whatever articles she had read that told her to do this.
Penny pulled off at the Greenville exit. The truck followed her. Instead of turning toward home, however, she went the opposite direction. Right into the parking lot of the Greenville P.D. The truck sped right past the police station and she let out a long sigh of relief. What the heck was that about? Was that guy drunk? Or was it just some asshole looking to get his jollies off?
She waited for a few minutes and then started her car again. She thought about giving Ben a call. Maybe the sound of his voice could help calm her and stop her hands from shaking.
She fished her phone out of her purse and dialed his number. It rang and then went to voicemail. Maybe he couldn
’t talk. He did ask her to call Kate if she needed anything. But then again, what would she tell her? It was silly now.
Penny straightened her shoulders. No, she should just go home. It was just some jerk driver being a Jerky McJerkface for the hell of it. She shouldn’t bother anyone because she was being a silly worrywart.
Chapter 14
Ben turned off his phone and frowned. Penny had sounded strange. Was she okay? Maybe she was just tired.
His bear disagreed. It wanted him to drop everything now and be with her. And he wanted to, badly. This was the longest he’d been away from Penny and being without her made him antsy. But he couldn’t. She would be safer tonight, away from Blackstone, especially after what he’d discovered earlier this morning.
“Everything okay, son?” James Walker asked as he came up behind him.
“Yeah, dad, it’s all good.” He slipped his phone back in his pocket. He was itching to tell his dad and mom about Penny being his mate. So many times he wanted to pick up the phone and let them know. But this was something he wanted to tell them face to face so he could see their reactions. Surely, they’d be ecstatic. And when Penny said she’d come to the wedding, he knew that was when he would introduce her to them. It would put less pressure on her since it was a big family event, rather than a dinner where she would be meeting just them. He couldn’t wait. He told his cousins not to tell anyone about Penny yet, even his sister, and they agreed.
“Sorry we couldn’t come earlier. Flight was delayed and then your mom wanted to make sure her dress was ready,” James said. “I’m sure if she knew she’d be stuck at Blackstone Castle instead of coming to see you, she’d have put off that errand until tomorrow.”
“It’s fine, dad,” he said. “Is everyone here?”
James nodded. “Yeah.”
Father and son walked back into the trailer where Matthew, Jason, their father Hank, Luke, Nathan, and his father Clark were waiting. They were all gathered around the large table in the middle.
Since Matthew’s wedding, Hank Lennox had told them about his plan to bring the Shifter Protection Agency to Blackstone. They were still working the details out with Aristotle Stavros, but everyone had agreed they would help and pitch in. While Stavros said it was unlikely that the anti-shifter group targeting Blackstone would attack again at the wedding, they weren’t taking any chances, which is why it was necessary for them to patrol the main hot spots they might strike.
“So,” Hank began. “Ben, tell us what you found.”
Ben rubbed his hand down his face. “I was out with one of the Rangers last night, patrolling the mines. Everything was fine until about three a.m. We were in one of the older caves, the one from about three years ago, which we had shut down.”
“What did you find?” Matthew asked.
“Fresh trace scents. Two or three different ones, but similar.”
“Similar how?” Clark Caldwell asked.
“They were all bears, I’m pretty sure.” Ben felt the muscles in his shoulders tense up, remembering how his own bear had raised its hackles when it scented the intruders. “There were some tracks, too.”
“Shifter bears?” Jason asked.
“They must have been because that cave’s pretty deep,” James said. “I remember that one. No wild animal would just wander in there. We also boarded it up pretty well.”
“What about humans?” Hank asked.
Ben knew what Hank was asking. There was a chance the humans who tried to blow up Matthew’s wedding could be back, which is why they were doing the patrols in the first place. “No, Uncle Hank. No signs of humans.”
“Nothing at the castle or hotel either,” Matthew said. “We’ve got patrols 24/7.”
“I don’t get it. Bears? Are they working with the anti-shifters now?” Luke said.
“Could be related. Could be something else entirely,” James said. “Or we may be worrying about nothing. Maybe it was a couple of teenagers fooling around.”
“It doesn’t feel right,” Ben finished. His instincts were screaming at him. There was something wrong.
“All right,” Hank said. “We’ll have to be even more careful. All the women will be staying at the castle just in case, so it's easier to keep an eye on everyone.”
“I hate to ask all of you to keep patrolling,” Jason said. “This threat, it could be nothing.”
“We’re happy to help, bro,” Nathan said. “Better safe than sorry. I don’t want to end up in pieces if they manage to sneak another bomb in.” He shook his head and laughed. “I hope this is the last wedding we’ll have to be in.”
Jason chuckled. “Me too. I’ll be glad when all of this is over.”
Ben looked at the men around him. Though Nathan’s joke had broken some of the tension, it was obvious they were all still worried. He just hoped his instincts were wrong.
Ben wished he could go home and collapse in bed after spending the night roaming the woods. There was nothing he wanted more than to curl around Penny in his own bed. But there was work to be done at the mines. With Jason leaving for his honeymoon in a few days, they had to re-work the production schedule. Plus, there were a couple of things he had to take care of.
“Dr. Philipps, come in,” he said to the older man who was standing by the doorway of his trailer office.
“Thanks for making time to see me today, Benjamin,” Dr. Scott Philipps said.
“Of course, have a seat.” He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. “What can I do for you?”
Dr. Philipps took off his glasses and put them in his shirt pocket. “Well, Benjamin, as you know, I’ve been with Lennox Corp for almost twenty years now.”
“Has it been that long?” Dr. Philipps had been their chief geologist for as long as he could remember. He’d been a young boy when the doctor was hired. They never had such a position before, but his dad had recommended they get one to do research on blackstone and other minerals in the mountains. Dr. Philipps’ work had been tremendously helpful, especially in searching for veins and determining more efficient ways of mining blackstone without harming the mountains.
“Time does go by quickly. Anyway, that’s why I needed to talk to you.”
“Oh.” He could guess what this was about.
“Yes, it’s time I retire. I love working here, but you know, I think I’ve earned some time off.”
“Of course.” Ben nodded in agreement. “You’ve been valuable to us, and I hate to see you go.”
“Thank you for understanding. But I don’t want to leave you in a lurch.”
“I’m sure we’ll find someone. Not as brilliant as you, but we can manage.”
“I can stay on for a few more months, maybe until we need to move to another vein. But I do have a recommendation for a replacement,” Dr. Philipps said. “As you know, I take summers off to teach back at my alma mater. I have a brilliant student who might be a fit for the job.”
“Well, give me his resume, and we can see if he’s a good fit.”
“She, actually,” Dr. Philipps said, “but I assure you, Dr. Robichaux is an utmost professional and highly sought-after in our field. And she’s a shifter, if that makes any difference.”
“I’m sure she’s a fine candidate. Go ahead and send over her resume, and I’ll look into scheduling an interview.” They chatted for a few more minutes, until Dr. Philipps excused himself so he could contact his student.
Ben glanced at the clock. It was still early in the morning and, though he wanted to call Penny and hear her voice, he didn’t want to disturb her if she was still sleeping.
“Boss! We need you in the smelting room.”
He turned toward the door, where one of his guys was sticking his head in. “All right, I’m on it.”
Ben spent the rest of the day working, his mind occupied with all of the things he had to do. It was a good thing because he couldn’t wait to leave. He tried to call Penny to see if she wanted to catch dinner, but she wasn’t answering. Maybe she was drivin
g or something, though it was still too early.
The long day was getting to him, so he thought he’d go home and nap or at least shower. Penny probably wouldn’t appreciate his smell from the last twenty-four hours of patrolling and then working in the sweltering mines. He drove home, thinking of Penny and how me missed her. Maybe I can convince her to clock out early, he thought. He couldn’t wait to see her.
He parked in front of his cabin, cutting off the engine, his mind still on Penny. However, as soon as he walked up to his front door, he smelled it. The same traces of a scent that had been in the caves.
Ben whipped around, scanning the tree line. There was no one there, but this was bad. His bear knew it, too. That unknown scent was making the bear uneasy. “Calm down,” he said aloud. He had to keep his head.
He walked around his home, trying to find more traces, but he couldn’t smell it anywhere else. That wasn’t unusual. There had been a light drizzle this morning, so the rain would have washed away any trail.
“Fuck.” He slammed his fist against the wall, leaving a dent in the middle of one of the logs. What the hell was going on?
He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed his dad’s number.
“Ben?” James asked. “What’s up?”
“They were here,” he said, then explained what he had found.
“Shit. I’m coming now. I’ll bring Luke or Nathan with me.”
“Good,” Ben said. Then he thought of Penny. It was a good thing she wasn’t in Blackstone but … if someone had been following him home, they might know about her. Why wasn’t she answering her phone today? “Shit.”
“Son?”
“Sorry, dad,” he said. “I gotta go.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have stuff to take care of.” He had to make sure Penny was okay. His bear was angry now, snapping and growling at him. “I’ll explain later, okay?” Maybe Penny should move into the castle too, just in case. This wasn’t how he wanted to introduce Penny to his parents, but if she was in danger, he didn’t have a choice. “I’ll meet you back here, okay?” He hung up and ran to his car.
The Blackstone Bear: Blackstone Mountain Book 3 Page 12
