As she ran her fingers down his back, she asked softly, “Can you...talk to me about these scars?”
Josh tensed as he felt her fingertips brush over his criss-crossing scars. Some of the scars had faded over the years, but there were some wounds that were too deep. Those scars never faded.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes to try to block out the memories, but still, the horrific images came unbidden to the front of his mind.
“When Jax and I were cubs, our mother was killed and we were captured by a bear tamer, Bazl. Bazl tortured and brutalized us, and forced us to perform in a circus. He beat us so savagely that he damaged Jax's ear forever. It's my fault. If I had protected Jax, he wouldn't be deaf in one ear now.”
Bella put a hand on his shoulder but she didn't speak. Josh forced his anger down and went on, “Marcus saved us. He was working in the circus at the time, and he witnessed Bazl's cruelty. He rescued us and the three of us ran away together. We came to Shadow Point, and Marcus got to know Nick. They started Beck's Builders. Marcus is our big brother. Jax and I owe our lives to him.”
Bella wrapped her arms around him and said, “You may lash out at me, but I'm going to say it. It's not your fault, Josh. What happened to your mother and your twin is not your fault.”
“I should have protected them. I was the elder brother, the older son.”
“And I'm sure you did try to protect them. You did your best. But you were just too young at that time.”
“My mom and my brother…”
“They don't blame you. And they would be really mad at you for blaming yourself. I'm sure Jax has fought with you over this many times before. He told you to stop beating yourself up, didn't he?”
Josh stared at her, then nodded once.
“You're too hard on yourself,” she said.
He quirked a lopsided smile at her. “I thought the same thing about you.”
“Did you?” She laughed a little. “I guess we're more alike than we realize.”
Taking his hand, she said solemnly, “I promise I'll let got of my self-doubt. But you have to promise me that you'll let go of your guilt. We'll help each other and take small steps together. We can do it. I know we can,” she said firmly.
Josh squeezed her hand and yanked her to him. Hugging her, he said, “I'll do everything to be the mate you deserve, Bella. I promise.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Bella pulled the two apple pies out of the oven. With a satisfied smile, she set them on the kitchen table and pulled off her oven gloves. The pies looked and smelled heavenly.
She picked up the smaller of the two pies and went to the door. That larger apple pie was for Josh and his family. Josh had mentioned that his niece, Ashley, loved apple pie with ice-cream more than anything in the world.
Bella walked over to her neighbor's house and rang the doorbell. “Celia! Celia, are you home?” she called out as she rapped smartly on the door. “I brought you a freshly baked apple pie.”
She shifted her weight from foot to foot as she waited. A minute ticked by. At the sound of a birdsong, she glanced behind her. The neighborhood was really quiet at this time of day. It was a weekday, and most people were at work. It was her day off, and she'd spent the day cleaning and baking. Her house looked really homely and lovely now. Housework was cathartic, and she felt like a new person, seeing her little house so spic and span.
Of course, having mind-blowing sex definitely put a spring in a girl's step as well.
Bella cleared her throat noisily, hoping Celia wouldn't see her blush when she opened the door. Josh had been coming over to her place almost every night for the whole week. They just couldn't seem to get enough of each other.
Josh has asked her over for dinner with his family this evening. She had already met his family at the wedding, but Josh said that his brothers wanted to welcome her properly into the family.
“That's right. We're your family now,” Josh had chuckled at the look of bewilderment on her face. “The morning after we mated, Jax and Marcus were grinning from ear to ear when they saw me at the work site. They could smell your scent all over me, and—they saw the shit-eating grin on my face.”
Bella realized she was smiling as she rang the doorbell again. She smiled a lot more these days. She was in love, and she was happy and alive. It was an amazing feeling.
She waited for a while more and her brows began to furrow. Celia was home almost every day. Her arthritis made it difficult for her to get out of the house and walk for long. She only went out for her weekly bridge game at the community club on Saturdays, and her buddies always came round to pick her up. Celia's best friend, Meredith, would drop by every Monday and they would go to the shops together to grab some groceries and have tea at their favorite cafe. Celia liked order and routine in her life, and her neat, no-nonsense house reflected her personality. Everything was in its place, and her lawn was well-maintained. Meredith's son came to mow her lawn every fortnight.
Bella knocked on the door more urgently now. “Celia, are you in there?”
Had the elderly woman fallen down and was sprawled helplessly on her bathroom floor?
Bella's eyes widened in alarm and she put her hand on the knob. The front door eased open soundlessly. Bella shook her head, feeling the first stirrings of fear. Celia always locked her door. The woman was very careful and fastidious. She never left things lying around, and she never left her doors unlocked.
Bella stepped quickly into the house. Her eyes scanned the living room anxiously. The place wasn't ransacked, and nothing was broken. The polished floor squeaked as Bella hurried into the kitchen to check. Nope, Celia wasn't there.
She put the pie shakily on the kitchen table and moved towards the closed bedroom doors. She was about to call out again when she heard a muffled sound behind one of the doors.
She tiptoed towards the door and held her breath. There was a muted thud and a soft whimper.
Bella didn't wait. She wrenched the door open and ran into the room.
“Celia! No...” Bella gasped at the sight of Celia huddled at the corner of her bedroom. The poor woman was bound and gagged, and her rounded eyes darted to the black-clad figure crouching by her cupboard.
The figure turned and straightened up at Bella's entrance. There was a mask over his face, but she recognized his eyes.
Involuntarily she took a small step back. “Harlan,” she said in horror.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Bella stared at her ex-husband in utter shock and horror. “W-what are you doing here?” But even before the question left her lips, she already knew the answer.
That scum hadn't changed one bit. He was still trying to take from her. Steal from her. Bella felt the rage boiling up in her.
He wanted her heirloom, that beautiful emerald ring that her grandmother had left her. The ring had served as her engagement and wedding ring because he was too cheap and broke to get her a real ring. And now, he was here to steal the ring from her so he could sell it and get cold, hard cash for it.
But how did he even know that she had passed the ring to Celia for safekeeping? In her fury, she ignored the question and lurched forward to yell at him. “I know what you're looking for, Harlan! You want my ring, my grandmother's ring. It's not yours, Harlan. If you want money, you should try earning it. Yes, don't look so appalled. Many people do it. They hold down a job and work for their money. You should try it.”
Harlan glared at her and his hand twitched at his side. It was then that she noticed that he was gripping a knife.
She swallowed but she refused to be intimidated by this good-for-nothing piece of shit. He had taken so much from her during their marriage, and now, even after the divorce, he was still trying to get something from her. Something priceless and irreplaceable, a tangible memory of her beloved grandmother.
She knew that her grandmother would never have approved of her marriage to Harlan. And with good reason. But her gra
ndmother would turn in her grave if she simply let the scumbag walk away with her ring.
Harlan took off the mask and smiled. There was no need to hide his identity since she clearly recognized him. He raised the knife, but he didn't point it at her. In a flash, he pressed the blade to Celia's face and said, “Give me the ring, Bella. If I hurt her, it's on you. Just give it to me, and nobody gets hurt.”
Bella tried to hold Celia's gaze to reassure her, but the woman had squeezed her eyes shut with fear.
“What do you need the ring for?” Bella asked, her eyes sweeping the room quickly. She had asked Celia to keep the ring for her, but she had no idea where Celia had hidden it. And it seemed that Celia had refused to divulge its hiding place to Harlan. She had bravely kept mum, forcing him to search for the gem himself. Celia's clothes had been pulled from the cupboard and were strewn all over the floor. Drawers had been overturned and her toiletries and lacy underwear were scattered at the foot of the bed. Celia certainly had a fine collection of sexy, luxurious underwear. Who knew that underneath her long skirts and buttoned-up blouses were barely-there thongs and hot, push-up bras?
Bella bit back a smile and focused on Harlan. The guy was delusional if he thought she was going to just hand him the ring. She owed him nothing.
But Harlan always had a skewed sense of reality, didn't he? He thought the world owed him a living, and he thought he was better than everyone else, so much better that he didn't have to work for what he wanted.
“Give me the fucking ring, Bella! I need it to settle some debts,” Harlan yelled.
Bella almost rolled her eyes. He was always in debt, always living beyond his means. Nothing had changed. “Harlan, there is nothing here for you,” Bella said evenly. “You...”
“Bullshit!” Harlan yelled. “Don't lie, Bella. I saw you hand the ring to her.”
“You saw…?” Her eyes widened. “You've been...watching me?” She finally focused on what he was saying and she tasted bile at the back of her throat. She had come to Shadow Point to get away from her ex and her old life. But her past couldn't seem to leave her alone. Just how long had he been stalking her?
As if he could read her thoughts, Harlan laughed. “Yeah, I know you have a new man now. You're screwing your contractor. Fucking the hired help, are we, Bella?” he sneered. “Just how much are you paying the guy to nail you?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Bella balled her fist to stop herself from rushing forward and giving him a stinging slap across the face. He was goading her, trying to get a rise out of her.
No, she wasn't wasting her emotions on him. She wasn't going to get mad. He couldn't hurt her anymore.
“Get her to talk,” Harlan said, moving the knife down to Celia's neck. “The bitch won't say where she hid the ring. Get her to talk, or I'll slit her throat.”
“That won't be necessary,” Bella said coolly. “I know where the ring is.”
When Harlan narrowed his eyes at her, she pointed at the shoe box beside the cupboard. “It's in there.” It wasn't of course. Bella had no idea where her clever neighbor had hidden it. She just knew that Celia would keep it absolutely safe for her.
Celia opened her eyes and blinked in confusion. Bella managed to give her a quick, assuring nod.
Don't worry. I know what I'm doing.
Celia nodded back and held her breath as Harlan pounced on the shoe box.
Quick as lightning, Bella barreled forward and grabbed the lamp from the bedside table. With all her might, she raised the lamp and smashed it over the back of Harlan's head.
The lamp shattered and glass and metal pieces rained down on Harlan's back. He bellowed in pain and shock, and stumbled back clutching his head in both hands.
“You bitch!” he screeched. “You...fucking...bitch!”
He stood up and swayed on his feet. There was a trickle of blood from the side of his head, and he pressed his hand to his temple and cringed. Staring at his bloody hand, Harlan made a sound of disbelief and anger.
He lunged for her and Bella twisted away just in time. His knife sliced through the air and he crashed into the wall. Cursing viciously, he whirled round and screamed, “Where is the fucking ring, Bella? Just give it to me, you bitch!”
“No.”
That simple, straightforward answer stopped Harlan in his tracks.
“What did you say?”
“I said no,” Bella repeated. “You are not getting anything from me, Harlan. If you want something, earn it.” She sighed and added, “Grow up, Harlan. It's high time you grew up.”
Harlan blinked at her. His eyes seemed to clear for an instant before his features contorted in rage. He was furious because she was right, and she had shamed him. How dare she!
Roaring, he charged at her with the knife. Bella gasped at the crazed, murderous look in his eyes. He wasn't just a thieving bastard. He was completely unhinged. Why hadn't she realized how unstable he was when she was married to him?
Bella screamed when his knife narrowly missed her by inches. She ran to the door, but he was faster. Kicking the door shut, he yanked her back by the hair and pressed the knife to her throat.
“Are you going to say no to me now?” he hissed.
She closed her eyes briefly and clenched her fists. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she slammed her head back forcefully.
There was a sharp, satisfying crack and Harlan released her abruptly.
Bella fell forward and she scrambled away in a blind panic. Turning around, she saw Harlan clutching his broken nose and howling. Blood spurted from his crooked nose and he was screaming in pain.
Standing up, Bella faced him and panted, “That's right, Harlan. My answer to you will always be no.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The crew was just packing up at the work site when Josh dropped the box of tools he had been carrying on Damien's steel-capped work boots and ran straight for his car. Damien let out a string of colorful, inventive curses as he hopped up and down on the spot. But Josh didn't have time to explain anything to his brothers and work mates. He just knew he had to get to Bella right away.
He pulled up in front of Bella's house with a screech of tires. Leaving the engine running, Josh bolted from his car and ran straight to Celia's house. He knew exactly where his mate was, and he could feel her burning anger like a lightning bolt. Her anger called to his bear, and his beast had reared up in answer.
The door of Celia's house was ajar. He knew the layout of her house well. His crew had remodeled her kitchen and bedroom just a few months back.
Josh followed his mate's scent and rushed to the bedroom. A man was waving a knife at Bella, scowling and swearing as he covered his dripping nose with one hand.
His bear roared at the sight of someone threatening his mate. Joshua slammed into the guy and felled the bastard with surprising ease. The guy didn't seem too steady on his feet, and he screamed and kicked like a girl.
Josh twisted the man's wrist and made him drop the knife. He pulled his fist back to punch the daylights out of the piece of shit and the man screamed again. The coward actually screamed and tried to shield his face instead of fighting back.
What a wuss.
Josh snarled and socked the man in the jaw. His claws sliced out and he was about to stab into the bastard's chest when Bella held his forearm and stopped him.
“Don't kill him.”
Joshua shook his head, trying to clear the red haze from his eyes. “Why not,” he growled. His bear wanted to take the enemy out once and for all. Just kill the scumbag and be done with it.
“He deserves to be in jail. Not in the ground,” Bella said softly.
Joshua whipped his head round. “Who is he? He hurt you, didn't he?” His eyes were still feral, glowing with the rage of his beast.
“He's my ex-husband, Harlan,” Bella answered. “No, he didn't hurt me. He can never hurt me again.”
Josh heard familiar footsteps running th
rough the front door. His twin came bursting into the room, his eyes wide and anxious. When Jax saw Josh on the ground with Harlan, Jax growled and unsheathed his claws.
“I'll finish him off,” Jax snarled.
Josh shook his head at his brother. “We're taking this one alive.”
“Why,” Jax snapped, glaring at Harlan.
Josh turned to look at his twin. He and Jax shared a connection that couldn't be explained, couldn't be broken. They could understand each other without words, and knew what the other was feeling. And they always had each other's backs. As boys, they usually shrugged off a blow that was aimed at themselves. But they would fly into a terrible rage and get into a violent brawl if someone hurt their twin.
Jax was outraged on his behalf, and he had rushed after him without question. His brother would kill for him, just so that Bella wouldn't have to watch her mate kill her ex-husband.
“He might be scum, but he doesn't deserve to die,” Josh said with deceptive calm.
Jax scowled. “But he hurt her. And her.” Her jerked his head at Bella and Celia.
“And he'll pay—just not with his life.” Josh worked hard to reign in his predatory instinct and blood lust. “Call the Sheriff,” Josh instructed his brother. “Winston Knight and his deputies won't go soft on scum who prey on defenseless, elderly ladies. Don't worry. He'll be put away for a long time.”
Jax grumbled under his breath but pulled out his phone. He glanced at Bella and huffed, “You okay?”
“Yes.” Bella had managed to untie Celia and was helping the lady stand up. She gave Celia a hug and whispered, “I am so, so sorry, Celia. I should have taken the ring back at once. This wouldn't have happened if...”
Celia patted her shoulder. “I'm okay, aren't I? And I wasn't really afraid. I was just playing along. I pretended to be so shell-shocked that I was speechless. I just babbled nonsense, but I'd never tell him where I hid your ring. Hmph!”
Brash Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 3) Page 6
