by Bianca D'Arc
And he had trouble in his past that might still be out to get him.
“So you think Timmons might be nearby?”
Grif ran one hand through his golden hair as he blew out a frustrated breath. “Hell if I know.” He had finished eating and began to clear the table. Lindsey got up and helped. “I might be imagining it, but I really thought I scented him—just the faintest whiff—a few times. Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe I just want revenge so bad, I’m manufacturing things that don’t really exist.”
She stopped by the sink, facing him. “Do you really think that?” she asked quietly.
His eyes met hers and she saw the serious concern and thirst for justice in his golden gaze.
“No,” he answered simply. With finality. “I feel like the showdown is coming sooner rather than later. I feel that danger is closer than we think, and while one part of me rejoices at the chance to tear Timmons limb from limb, another part of me worries for everyone around me. Timmons could try to use Belinda, or you, against me. He could try to hurt or kidnap either one of you as a way to throw me off balance. Which is why I’m having my brothers guard you both if I can’t be around.” He placed his open palms over her shoulders, holding her gaze. “Please don’t go anywhere without either me or one of my brothers. Your life could depend on it.”
She didn’t want to believe the danger was real, but he seemed so worried.
“I won’t,” she promised quickly. “But what about your brothers? Won’t they be in danger too? Timmons could attack them.”
“He could, but there wouldn’t be as much to gain and a lot more risk involved. My brothers would take a bite out of the bastard and they are all skilled fighters. Plus, if he wants to force a fight, it’s me he’ll confront. I’m the Alpha. Whoever wins in a contest for dominance in my Clan and wins, rules the Clan. Sick as it is, by mating with my sister, he has some claim to position in my Clan, even though he killed her. I’ve renounced him, of course, but there’s still that tie.”
“So if he wins a fight with you, he takes over Redstone Construction?” She didn’t really understand.
“No, kitten. If he kills me, he takes over my position as Alpha with the Clan. He might try to take the business too, but there are legal documents in place that would make that highly unlikely. Thing is, shifters place more stock in dominance than in money. Money can be made, dominance has to be earned.”
“He has to kill you?” She was shaking at the very idea of a fight to the death. “But why? What would he gain from being dominant over a group that hates his guts?”
“Killing the old Alpha is one of the ways to establish dominance beyond the shadow of a doubt. It isn’t done all that often anymore, but in the old days, it was pretty common. Of course, once Timmons killed me—which I like to believe is impossible—then my brothers would challenge him, one at a time, until they returned the favor. Still, it might be worth it to him to get the price off his head.” Grif let her go and turned away. “I put a bounty on him. Only by getting rid of me and taking my Clan can he rescind it. And if he managed to get rid of me, then my brothers stand about the same chances in a one on one fight with him. We’re all about equally matched. Personally, I think I can best Timmons in a fair fight, but he plays dirty. He could use you or Belinda to distract me or stir the anger of the cat beyond all rational bounds. Which is why I need to keep you both as safe as possible. If I thought sending you away would do it, I would, but for now, the safest place is with me, right here, where I can watch over you.”
She went to him and put her arms around him from behind. It didn’t take more than thirty seconds for him to turn around and return her embrace. He hugged her, rocking slightly back and forth, just sharing the closeness, the caring feelings. The love.
How did this man become the center of her world in such a short amount of time? Lindsey’s human side wanted to question it, but the cat who now lived inside her seemed to think all was right with its world whenever Grif was near. The cat recognized him. It accepted his dominance, his partnership, his care. It wanted to do all it could to please him and bring him those warm feelings of knowing someone in the universe put you before themselves, in return.
They were still hugging when the kitchen door opened and Matt ushered Belinda in before him. The air around them was fraught with so much tension, even Lindsey could sense it. She moved back from Grif, watching the two newcomers.
Matt had a deep frown on his face and his brows were drawn together in something like anger. Belinda just looked frightened.
“What’s wrong?” Grif asked before Lindsey could.
“I saw Timmons in town. Plain as day. He’s definitely here.”
“Sonuva—” Grif swore.
“He tried to talk to me in the store,” Belinda admitted in a shaky voice. “But I ran to Matt.”
“You did the right thing, munchkin,” Grif praise his baby sister, dropping to one knee to catch her in a fierce hug. She clung to him like a lifeline and Lindsey saw the way the siblings loved each other and depended on each other for strength and reassurance.
“Timmons made a run for it. I saw him as he left the store. He paused by the door and caught my eye.” Matt’s anger seemed to boil over as his fists tightened, his knuckles showing white at his sides. “I tried to pick up his trail, but he was gone. And so many people come and go through that door every day, it’s next to impossible to pick out one scent from hundreds.”
Grif released his sister and stood. “Lindsey, would you take Belinda upstairs? No going outside unescorted for either of you right now. I’m sorry about that, but your lives are in danger if he catches you alone.”
“It’s okay Grif. I’ll play inside for now,” Belinda offered, her young voice trembling. She was scared and Lindsey’s heart went out to her.
Lindsey reached out and put her arm around the youngster’s shoulders, turning to leave the kitchen. It was pretty obvious that Matt had more to say that he didn’t want to reveal in front of the child. Lindsey didn’t mind helping to shield Belinda from whatever it was that made Matt vibrate with anger, but she’d be asking Grif for the scoop the moment they were alone.
Chapter Twelve
The moment Lindsey and Belinda were out of earshot, Grif turned to his youngest brother.
“What?” That’s all he had to say. Matt was definitely eager to tell his Alpha the rest of whatever had happened in that store.
“When Timmons caught my eye, it was on purpose. Belinda was wrapped around me, trembling, and she couldn’t see Timmons, but I could. He stopped with one hand on the door and with the other, he drew a line across his neck as he nodded at Belinda. It was a clear threat to kill her. The bastard!”
Grif seethed, but had to be calm. He had to think this through.
“He was baiting you.”
“Sure he was, but the threat is still real. He’s killed before. He’s killed our sister before!” Matt was pacing now, anger almost overcoming him.
“I know.” Grif was angry too, but he had to do his best to remain level headed.
He’d learned his lesson when they’d lost their mother. Not one of the five brothers had been thinking straight and they had almost played into the hands of the murderers who’d wanted them to reveal their abilities and the existence of shifters to the human world.
Grif had spoken at length to the Lords of the Were, Tim and Rafe, about it after the fact. They’d been the ones to send their best man—Slade—to track the killers and prevent Grif and his brothers from doing something irreparable. It had been Tim who suggested taking time away from the Clan. The cabin wasn’t too far from where the Lords had their base as the crow flies, but the Rockies themselves created natural boundaries between Packs that kept them confined to certain geographical areas.
There were lots of wolf Packs spread over the Rockies. Logans’ Wind River Pack was one of the smaller Packs, but he was a capable Alpha who was drawing new members to him each day. Oftentimes, dominant, fair leaders like him would att
ract loners and those unhappy with their birth Packs. Logan’s little group had already gained more than a quarter of its current population since he’d taken over. That was the sign of a good Alpha and a Pack that might one day become a powerhouse.
All these thoughts zipped through Grif’s mind as he chewed on the problem of Timmons. He didn’t want to, but they probably needed the local Alpha on this. He lifted his phone and placed the call. As it rang, he left his youngest brother in the kitchen and walked into the living room to speak with the wolf Alpha.
“Logan? It’s Grif. I need your help.” He exhaled his frustration. High emotion would only get in the way of rational action. He had to strive for calm.
“Is your lady still in a bad way?” Logan asked on the other end of the call and Grif could hear the concern in the wolf’s voice.
“No, she’s better now. The frenzy has lifted for the most part. I can handle it from here on out.” He wanted that point to be crystal clear, though he’d always be grateful to the other Alpha for helping his mate stay sane when it could’ve gone either way. “Remember I told you how my sister was killed by her mate? Well, my younger brother saw the bastard in town today. I’ve been catching faint whiffs of his scent for the past few weeks, but I couldn’t be sure until now. Matt definitely saw him. He’s here and I believe he’s stalking Belinda. I can only assume he’s the next best thing to feral.”
“Damn,” Logan cursed. “Do you have a photo? And something to scent him by?”
“Yeah.” Grif sighed. He’d brought the items with him from Nevada, hoping he would never need them, but he’d been wise to come prepared.
“I’ll come over. The sooner we get the Pack on this, the sooner we can run him to ground,” Logan growled. “I won’t tolerate a feral shifter running loose in my territory. Especially not one that’s already killed another shifter.”
“Thanks, Logan. And I’m sorry we brought this danger to your territory.”
Logan was silent a moment as if considering how to reply. Finally he answered.
“No sweat, Grif. It’s probably not a bad thing to have the Redstone Alpha owe me one.” Logan chuckled as he ended the call and Grif had to follow suit.
By comparison, Grif’s Clan was much more highly placed in were hierarchy than Logan’s. The other Alpha could benefit greatly if he called in his favor at the right time.
“You think Timmons is feral?” Matt’s voice came to Grif from near the entry to the kitchen. He’d followed quietly, listening in on the call, but Grif didn’t mind. If he’d wanted the call to be private, he’d have gone elsewhere.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. And it’s something I talked over with Tim and Rafe the last time we spoke. We’ll never know if Jackie was his true mate. Only they know the truth of that, but if she was, now that she’s gone, his wolf has to be in deep mourning. The conflict between the wolf and the man who possibly killed his own mate…that kind of thing can drive a person around the bend.” Grif sighed. “Rafe tried to dig into Timmons’ past, but information was hard to come by. Before joining his Pack, he was a loner. No family ties to that Pack, and the Alpha there isn’t the strongest or most upstanding wolf in the woods. He tends to attract the dregs, though before his reign, the Pack was a good one. Since he took over though, the only new members are not exactly the cream of shifter society.”
“I wish we’d known this before allowing Jackie to move there.”
“Allowing?” Grif laughed. “You’re younger, but you should remember Jackie’s stubbornness. We never allowed her to do anything. She just did whatever she wanted and asked forgiveness later. The only one who could even attempt to curb her impulses was dad. After he died, she was a wildcat. That girl was a handful. And I loved her exactly as she was.” Grif had to fight the emotion that tempted to overcome him.
“So what are we going to do?” Matt’s tone was deferential, but strong. He might be the youngest of the brothers, but he was by no means weak.
He could be Alpha of the Redstone Clan as well as any of Grif’s brothers. They were all Alpha in nature and good men. It did Grif’s heart proud to know that his brothers suppressed their natural instincts somewhat to follow his lead, and that if something happened to him, the Clan would be in good hands.
“Logan’s coming over. We need to tell him what’s happening in his territory.” Grif’s thoughts turned to the grim business at hand. “He’s offered his Pack’s help and I’ll gladly take it. They know this land better than anyone else. But I’m also going to tell him I’m calling in more specialized help.”
“The Wraiths?” Matt named the group of former Special Operators who had gathered around Jesse Moore, a werewolf who lived reasonably close by. Members of the elite shifter team had come to help after the Redstone matriarch—their mother—had been murdered in Nevada.
Grif nodded. “As many of them as will come. I don’t care what it costs. The local Pack is strong, but young, and Timmons has outrun every professional tracker we’ve put on him. I want to run him to ground here. I want this threat over with so we can all get on with our lives and end this once and for all.”
“The locals may not go for it,” Matt warned.
“Too bad.” Grif was in no mood for counterpoint, though he knew his little brother had a valid thought. “That’s part of why I asked Logan here. We need to lay out the case for him and get his agreement. I expect you to help with that. Of the three of us, you’re the one with the glibbest tongue. You could sell sand to the Arabs, mom always said. I need you to use that persuasive power on the werewolf Alpha.”
“Done,” Matt was quick to answer. “Anything else I can do?”
Grif clapped his little brother on the shoulder, glad of his support. “Yeah, go out and tell Steve to make the call. He and I already discussed military contingencies. Tell him to call Jesse Moore and see what kind of help he can organize and when. We need them ASAP. And while you do that, I’m going to talk to Belinda and then try to explain all this to Lindsey.” He headed for the stairs. “Call me when Logan gets here.”
Grif went up to Belinda’s small room and found her there with Lindsey, sitting on the edge of her little twin bed. Belinda was in Lindsey’s arms, clinging and shaking with remembered fear. Lindsey looked up, patting the girl’s back and her eyes plead with him for a way to calm Belinda. He saw the true worry for his little sister in Lindsey’s eyes and once more thanked the Lady for giving him a mate with such a loving heart.
Grif cleared his throat to announce his presence. It was a sign of how upset Belinda still was that she hadn’t heard him approach. He’d taught her how to best utilize her sharp shifter senses from a young age, but she was in an emotional state of turmoil and still just a kid. He’d cut her some slack for the moment.
Belinda looked up and saw him. She moved away from Lindsey and tried to wipe her eyes and be brave and his heart broke a little more for the baby that had seen so much tragedy in her young life.
Grif held out his arms and Belinda crumpled, her tears flowing as she launched herself into his arms. He held her and rocked her, letting her cry for the moment. There would be time enough later to put on her brave face. For right now, she needed the outlet and he needed to hold her and know that, at least for now, she was all right.
He held her, sitting on the edge of the little bed, next to Lindsey, and let Belinda cry herself out. He’d done this all too often over the past few years. First when Jackie had died and then, just a few weeks ago, when Belinda had found their mother’s murdered body in the back garden.
Poor little mite. She’d had a lot more death to deal with than any kitten should.
When she stopped shivering, Grif drew away gradually, stroking her hair away from her face and smiling as best he could. They both knew the threat was real and Belinda had every right to be upset. He wouldn’t deny her those feelings. Her instincts were part of her and something that could only help.
Her instincts had sent her running for the safety of Matt
when Timmons had approached her earlier today. He wouldn’t fault that in a million years.
“It’s going to be okay, munchkin. I promise,” he tried to soothe her with his words and gentle hands on her hair.
“But he’s here! I saw him!” She was still understandably upset, but at least the crying seemed to be over.
“I know, sweetie. But believe it or not, that’s a good thing. It means he wants a confrontation and believe me, he’s going to get it.” Grif allowed a hint of his determination to sound through his voice. He’d been Alpha long enough to know when his people—in this case, his little sister—needed his strength more than his gentle side. “You may not realize it, but I’ve had people hunting him all over the world. He fled after Jackie died and that, more than anything else, tells me he was as guilty as I always thought he was. He killed her.”
Grif didn’t think he was telling the girl anything she hadn’t already figured out for herself, though he heard Lindsey’s little gasp. Shifter life was, by necessity, more brutal than human life. Lindsey would have to get used to that, and now was as good a time as any to start.
Belinda straightened away from him and dried her last tear. “You’re going to make him pay for what he did.”
Her strong tone in that little voice took him by surprise. Damn, he was proud of her. This might be the moment he’d witnessed the first stirrings of the Alpha he hoped lived within his little sister. She was young, but she’d always been strong. Maybe she was finding her backbone again, after all the hits she’d taken this past year or two.
Grif smiled at her, showing his teeth. “Justice may not have been swift in his case, but he cannot escape it.”
“Good.” That seemed to put an end to her tears as Belinda bounced back even more quickly than he would have believed.
