by Tl Reeve
“I’ll deal with him first.” She split off from her boss.
As she approached, the scent of sandalwood and cedar filled her nose. Her steps faltered. She knew the scent. Missed it. Broad shoulders, curly blond hair, and thickly corded muscular arms were all she could see, until he turned his head. Shawn. His strong jaw framed his straight nose and full lips. Yearning filled her, and her wolf reveled in the fact her mate sat nearby. He shouldn’t be here. If someone had followed him and word got back to Magnum, she’d die and so would Shawn because he found her. Paranoid as it sounded. Her fear of the vicious alpha she escaped, ran deep.
“Shawn,” she whispered, afraid if she uttered his name any louder, he’d disappear or worse yet, not be him.
The corner of his lips kicked upward as he turned in his seat. “Aren’t you a sight, little Brie?”
Her heart gave a heavy thump. “Why are you here?”
“I needed to talk to you.”
She licked her lips. Fear gripped her insides. Her gaze bounded off of the exits while also scanning the area for any threats. “Listen to me. Get into your car and leave. Don’t return, either. It’s not safe here for you or me.”
Shawn shook his head. “No one is going to hurt you.”
“Don’t do this to me. It’ll kill me if Magnum comes after you.” Her hands trembled as anxiety rushed through her.
“Listen to my words,” he murmured, taking her hand in his. Warmth pushed away the nervous edge. “Magnum is dead.”
The chattering of the diner grew distant. Magnum was dead? How? Who? She shook her head. No, it’s a ploy. Something new the vicious alpha started, a new way to torture everyone. She shook her head. It couldn’t be real. A dream, for sure. A demented, sick dream she’d wake from any minute now. Brienne closed her eyes and counted to ten. When she opened them, she’d be in bed, waking up.
Brienne cracked her eyes open. The diner returned in roaring clarity, and Shawn still sat in the booth next to her. “No. You’re lying,” she snapped. “He’s not dead. Who’d kill him? Who’d save us?”
“Drew,” Shawn answered. “Can you sit with me?”
“No. I have to work, and you need to leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he growled. “I’m staying here until you talk to me.”
Rubbing her forehead, she sighed. “Fine, it’s your funeral. At least I have protection here. A lot more than you do.”
“It’s going to be fine. When you’re done with your shift, come talk to me. There’s so much you need to hear.” The way he pinned her with his light-green gaze—the absolute conviction and sympathy in his voice made her want to believe him.
Could she trust him? He was her mate, after all. Still, what if he’d been given some cock-and-bull line as well? What if it was all a ploy to get the females back to the pack? Which would mean he’d be working for Magnum, too. Her thoughts weren’t rational by any means, but someone like Shawn didn’t just show up.
Her head spun, and her stomach turned to water. “I’m not sure if I should.”
“If you don’t like what I have to say, I’ll leave, and you’ll never have to see me again.” He leaned back in the booth, giving her space. “No one will find you either. I promise.”
She scented no deceit. “One conversation.” She kept her distance. “Then you leave and never return.”
“One conversation.” He nodded. “It’s good to see you again, Brie. I’ve missed you.”
She’d missed him, too. “Order something so you can stay.”
“Whatever the special is,” he said. “Haven’t you missed me?”
Yes. “It’s good seeing you, too. I’ll get your order.”
Brienne walked away from his table. She wanted to climb up into his lap and rub all over him. She missed him. She’d wondered where he went and what he’d done with his life since leaving the pack. He appeared well and…built. Her mouth went dry. The last time she’d seen Shawn, he’d possessed the body of a young man—all gangly arms and legs, not properly filled out. His body now consisted of a seasoned wolf—muscular in all the right places.
“Who is he?” Ashley came up beside her. “He’s got the eyes of a predator stalking its prey.”
“Uh, he’s a friend from home.” Better to give a little information than none at all and raise suspicions.
“Is he taken?”
Brienne swallowed a possessive growl. “Yes,” she bit out, clipping his order to the turnstile above the counter.
“Damn,” Ashley replied. “Does he have a brother?”
Brienne shook her head. “No.”
“Boy, what bug crawled up your butt and died?” Ashley, her best friend and member of the Rosewood pack, gave her the stink eye while clipping her order into place next to Brie’s.
“Nothing. Everything. I can’t talk about it. Do you mind if we switch sections? I’ll take yours and you take mine?” She needed to put some distance between her and Shawn. If she didn’t, she’d take everything he said at face value. Brie couldn’t allow herself to be taken advantage of, or kidnapped and brought to Magnum. Magnum is dead. She wished she could believe him.
“Sure, I don’t mind. I’ll grab his order, too, so you don’t have to.” Her friend grinned. “Maybe I’ll get the down-low on him.”
Brienne inclined her head then headed to Ashley’s section. If she allowed herself the time to dwell on what could have been, she’d run over to Shawn and ask him to take her home. Not yet. Soon though. You can call Gee and ask him if what Shawn told you is true. And potentially give away some tidbit to tell the bastard alpha where she resided? Hell no. She’d wait out Shawn, then when he finally left, she’d move on too. Her wolf howled in outrage at the thought of Shawn walking away without her or vice versa.
Ugh, stop thinking about him. You have work to do. She gave herself a mental slap and approached a couple sitting at one of the tables
For the next five hours, she went from table to table getting a mini break every so often. She didn’t have time to think about anything besides work. Staying on task comforted her. Kept her curiosity at bay. Because she wanted to hear what Shawn came to say. If she allowed herself to trust him, she’d leave her life in Rosewood behind.
Of course, with the idea of actually trusting Shawn came the necessary questions. What if Magnum really had died? Who became alpha? Ryker? She shivered at the thought. The man did all of Magnum’s dirty work, including killing whole families because they threatened the sanctity of his pack. No, if Ryker had become alpha, she’d never go home. She’d never call or send letters. She might miss everyone, but she didn’t miss them enough to lose her life—selfish as it may seem.
“It’s after ten,” Ashley said. “He’s still there.”
Yeah, tenacious was his last name. “He’s waiting on me. I promised to talk to him.” She placed the salt shaker back on the table then grabbed the pepper shaker. “Did he order anything else?”
“Peach pie.” Ashley grinned at her. “How about you go on over and bring it to him, and I’ll finish out my section?”
Helpful much? “Uh, I’m not sure. I don’t want you getting bogged down.” Brie had already handed the last table their ticket. In fact, filling the salt and pepper shakers was the last thing she needed to do. Everything else was set for the next shift.
“It’s fine,” her friend assured her. “Go on. If he’s waited all night, whatever he has to say must be important.”
“I don’t know,” Brie hedged. Having to sit down and listen to Shawn tell her about what had been happening in their pack made her stomach clench. She didn’t need to know about any more death. She didn’t want to hear about the poor conditions her pack mates and family endured. “I’m not ready to hear what he has to say.”
“No time like the present. What’s it going to hurt?”
Everything. “If I’m not back in ten minutes, come and get me.”
“Sure. But, if you’re enjoying y
ourself or if it looks like it’s heating up, I’ll leave you to it.”
“Deal.” Brienne pulled her apron off and took a deep breath. Whatever happened in the next few minutes with Shawn would decide how she proceeded with the rest of her life. No pressure.
Chapter Three
“While I appreciate the offer, I must decline,” she blurted out, coming to a stop beside him. Not exactly what she meant to say. “Hi, it’s good to see you,” was more along the lines of what she’d been going for. “I mean, I’m nowhere near done with my shift and I can’t allow Ashley to do all of my work for me. It’s best if you return home. I’ll call you or someone when I’m ready.” There, she’d gotten it all out for Shawn, and now he could leave.
Shawn cut his gaze at her as he took a sip of his coffee. “You’re playing chess with me, aren’t you?” He took the plate with his peach pie out of her hands.
“Excuse me?” She blinked a few times, shocked by his question.
“I sucked at games. I never won.” He placed the plate on the table while turning slightly toward her. His cool, light-green eyes assessed her. A sense of nervous awareness slithered down her spine with his obvious perusal. “I was always stuck on strategy,” he admitted. “Predictions never allowed me to see the forest for all the tress. I spent the majority of my time trying to figure out what everyone else was doing.”
“I don’t understand what this has to do with me.” She was confused by the tangent he was on.
“I lost because they were making their moves while I tried to be one step ahead. I guess it’s what makes me a good tracker. People, even wolves, are creatures of habits and patterns. It’s how I can find someone or something.” Shawn took a bite of his pie, chewed, and swallowed. “So, tell me, what move you’re on, and I’ll tell you where I am, then we’ll compromise.”
“I’m not on any move.”
“Sure you are. Sit down already. I’m not going to eat you…yet. I always eat dessert before the main course.” He gave her a cheeky grin and pointed to the bench across from him.
Her wolf warred with her. A part of her wanted to stay standing and tell him to fuck off and leave her alone. After what seemed like forever, she relented and took the proffered seat.
“Perfect. Let’s throw pretense out the window, okay? You have a set of answers ready to go for every question I’m about to ask you, right?”
Asshole. “When it counts, sure. Doesn’t everyone?” The more they played this silly game, the more uncomfortable and agitated she grew.
“I suppose so. It keeps us safe. Keeps us from getting hurt, which is understandable after everything we’ve been through as a pack. I get your worry. I get you’re afraid—”
“I’m not afraid.” Her shrill voice made her wince. An, I-got-you smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Fine, I’m a little afraid.”
“It’s normal. I’d be worried there was something wrong with you if you weren’t. I spent the first couple of years away from the pack being afraid.” He took another sip of coffee then another bite of pie. “It’s why I’m here, too.”
He knocked her off-kilter, giving her a serious case of whiplash with his statements. “Uh, okay. What happened to you?”
His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You almost speak in riddles. Just when I think I understand what you’re getting at, you switch direction and go off on another tangent. I swear you have a major case of attention deficit disorder, with hyperactive tendencies.”
“Are you psychoanalyzing me? Trying to get into my brain?”
“Nope, just making small talk.” Brie shrugged. “Trying to guess which rabbit hole I fell down.”
“Well in that case,” he stated. “I flip subjects for a reason. It keeps you thinking. Keeps you out of your head. Your answers are significantly more reliable and authentic this way.”
“So you like confusing me.” She nodded. “Interesting.”
Shawn shrugged. “Not really. I have one more question for you, Brie.”
“Oh? What?” Dread settled like a lead weight.
“Are you willing to listen to what I’m telling you? Actually believe it and not turn me away like I’m some delusional person out to hurt you?”
Brienne thumbed the napkin in front of her, mulling over his questions. “I should say no.”
“Okay.” He pushed the empty plate away from him then folded his hands. “Can you look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t miss Claire and Fern, or your family?”
Shit. No, she couldn’t. She missed them every day. She missed the hills. The scents. She missed her friends. Her home. Dammit, she missed it all. However, not enough to give up schooling and return too soon—or deal with their insane alpha. “A little,” she hedged, still trying to keep her desires secret.
“I think you’re lying. In fact, I’m more than positive you are.” He leaned forward. “You’re hiding. You have no inclination to return to the hills…yet, anyway.” When she didn’t refute any of it, Shawn continued. “You’re on your tenth move. You’re setting up for the kill.” He moved an imaginary chess piece into place. “Checkmate. I can see it.”
“How?”
“Because, I already have you in a corner.”
“You’re mighty cocky, Shawn. I don’t remember you being this presumptuous before.”
“You’re deflecting.” He flashed her a small grin.
“This is ridiculous. I should have never sat down to talk to you. I should have had you removed by one of Lance’s enforcers,” she huffed. “Good night, Shawn. Go home.” She stood. Brie needed to get out of there before she continued to listen to him. He mesmerized her…or hypnotized her. Damned confounded man.
“I get it,” he said, stopping her in her tracks. “I think you’re staying here and using Magnum as an excuse. You, in some strange way, believe if you go home, you’ll be a chew toy for an alpha long since disposed of. It’s okay, though. I understand your irrational fear, even if it is rational for you. I commend you on your dedication. It’s great. Nevertheless, you have nothing to fear anymore.”
Checkmate.
“Speaking of which, I have a report due next Monday because I’m in school and all.” Liar, liar, pants on fire. His shocked expression gave her the advantage…finally. “This is supposed to be my week to work on it.” She let loose a whopper of a lie. “There is a motel nearby. I’m sure you don’t want to go home at this time of night. Not after driving all this way for nothing.” She stayed rooted in her spot.
“Don’t you dare walk away,” he snarled when she finally took a step forward. The commanding timbre of his voice shook her to her core. Her wolf rolled over and exposed her belly. Her heart hammered. Her mouth went dryer than the Mojave. “Not after dropping the school bombshell on me.”
“Shawn,” she whimpered before licking her lips. “Whatever you were told, I can’t do this.”
“Funny, Tinks didn’t say a thing to me. She gave me a state to start my search. Nothing else.”
What? Her stomach dropped, and she went weak-kneed. Gripping the edge of the table hard, she sat. “You tricked me.”
“How?”
“You made me assume someone sent you here to Rosewood to make me go home.”
“No, I didn’t. Your guilty conscience played games with you. Made you jump to conclusions you shouldn’t have,” he corrected.
Brienne sighed.
“You’re bound to go a little bat shit and get paranoid when you’ve run away and have no clue what’s happened in your pack. It’s human nature and our wolf nature as well.” He shrugged. “We don’t like being cornered. It feels like we’re being caged.”
“You can say that again,” she mumbled. “It’s not…I mean…I want to go home.” She returned to the table and took a seat.
“Not now, though?” he added. “Because of school.”
“Right. I can return after the end of the semester.” She’d won this round.
“I graduate then.”
“How about a compromise?” A bit of playfulness colored his tone. “It’s a small compromise.”
“Nothing, I have a feeling, is small about you or your schemes.” She gave him a droll look.
“Perhaps.” He gave her a cocky smirk.
“I think I have a headache.” She groaned.
Shawn grunted. “Luckily, I’ve got all night.”
“No, please no.” She held up her hands, warding him off. “What is your compromise?”
“I want one week in the hills with you,” he replied. “Only one.”
“If I say no?”
“If you say no, I’ll make sure you never have to come home. I’ll also make sure Claire understands you’re happy, healthy, and fine.” He held out his hand.
“Why?” she whispered. “Why would you tell them anything of the sort?”
“Because if you don’t or won’t give me one week on pack land with you, then I’ll know you’re serious about not coming home. Plus, the bullshit fairy tale you keep telling about going home at the end of the semester is to make yourself feel better.”
“What about Magnum?” she questioned. “How will you deal with him?”
“I told you, he’s dead. Drew has taken over the pack, and things are slowly changing. If you give me the week, I’ll prove it.”
Maybe Magnum is dead. Did she have the wherewithal to see this for herself? Could she take that leap of faith? “One week?”
“Yep. One.”
Brienne mulled it over. The idea of Shawn telling anyone she didn’t want to come home and wished they’d leave her alone burned her soul. Her heart lurched at the idea. Her wolf howled in agony. “If you return tomorrow, I’ll give you my answer.”
Shawn let out a breath and nodded. “Tomorrow. I’ll be here at the diner at eight in the morning. I’ll also make sure Drew is aware you’re coming.”
“Because Drew is the new alpha? Why would you tell him anything if I haven’t agreed?”
“Call it a sneaky hunch.”
Oh great. What have I gotten myself into?
