by Milly Taiden
From around the corner, she heard Beast’s voice. The anger in it stopped her in her tracks.
“Listen to me,” she heard him say, “you stupid piece of shit. Do you not realize what you’re doing? You need to fix this, or I will destroy your shitty excuse for a company.” The words were loud barks, as if he were having a hard time holding himself under control. “This town doesn’t need small businesses like yours—"
Isaline stepped back, shocked by his words and the heat in his voice. Who was he talking to?
She’d known he was a business man that could get his way and was no-nonsense, but the way he growled at whoever he was talking to was horrible. How could anyone bully another person that way?
“Isa?” Beast came around the corner and stopped. Anger flowing in her, she turned her pissed expression to him.
“Stay the hell away from me.” She stepped back.
“What?” Beast’s face was pale with confusion. “Isa...what did you hear?”
24
Isaline glared at him. “I heard enough. I don’t know what the hell was going on, but I can’t believe you’d bully someone like that. Is that the true you?”
He stepped toward her. “No, Isa. Let me explain—”
She turned on her heel, headed through the home. “I don’t want to hear another word. I don’t care if you’re amazing at what you do in the business world. In the real world, we speak to people with respect. That tone of voice and that anger, you need to work on yourself. Trying to intimidate a small business is not ever right in my book!” She stomped into the open area where several of the workers had turned at hearing her yelling. “I want you out of my town—”
Halfway across the room, a loud rent of creaking and breaking wood come from overhead. The group working on the floor froze and looked directly up. Instantly, Isaline knew what was about to happen.
Terror driving her forward, she raced toward the group screaming for them to run, move, get out of the way. Then next thing Isa saw was daylight coming through the shattered deck boards attached to the top of the rafters.
The ground shook like a small earthquake hit them, knocking her off her feet. But she knew it was the impact of the top section of the house caving in. Right over the people working.
Screams erupted from the room in the habitat home, then sudden silence. Dust from the collapsed roof filled the air, hiding the devastation from those around the scene. Stunned, Isaline lay on the ground covered in shingles and pieces of wood. She didn’t know which way was left or right in the thick air. Her lungs filled with debris and she coughed.
“Isa!” bellowed in her head. Someone was calling her name, but she barely heard it over the ringing in her skull. Sitting up, she continued to cough while scraps from the edges of torn material floated down.
Arms picked her up and carried her out into the fresh cold air. Beast set her down and brushed hair from her face while she breathed in clean oxygen. “You okay, Isaline?” He ran his hands down her arms, ribs, and legs. “Does anything hurt?” he asked. She could only shake her head, focusing on him.
He kissed her and leaned his forehead on hers. “God, you scared me, woman.” He swallowed gulps of air with her. “Listen to me, okay?” He took her face in his hands and locked onto her eyes. God, he was so gorgeous even with white dust smeared on his face. “Here’s what I need you to do. Get that first aid kit you bought this morning from the car. Bring it here so we can help until emergency service arrives.” He tilted his head the side. “Looks like Evie is calling 911. First responders should be here shortly.”
He helped her up. “Now go.”
With panic barely held at bay, she ran down the sidewalk to her car at the end of the line. Fumbling with the keys in her pocket, she felt for the fob and pressed whatever button her thumb landed on. When she yanked on the door handle, her shaking hand slipped off, the door not budging.
Pressing all the buttons on the keyless entry, she heard the door locks pop up and grabbed the handle again. This time it opened, and she snatched up the kit and ran to the house. Sirens in the distance calmed her immediately. Help was almost here.
Coming upon the construction home, she gaped at the scene of almost half the house crumbled in on itself. People covered in powder either limped through the fallen walls or were helping others out.
She looked around for Beast but didn’t see him. He must have gone inside to bring out the injured. Isa set her kit next to a man sitting on the ground, a gash on his head bleeding. “Anything hurt, Cam?” she asked, opening the plastic lid and pulling out a square packet containing an alcohol swab.
He shook his head, coughing.
“Good. Now, sit still and let me have a looksee at a little cut here.” Cameron jerked a bit when she applied the swab to his wound, but otherwise he seemed fine.
“Your boyfriend there is a pretty stand-up guy,” Cam wheezed. “I heard what the foreman said to him. I would’ve decked the guy right in the face.”
Frowning, she asked, “What did the foreman say?”
“The bastard threated your guy to keep his mouth shut about something. Whatever it was, was going to cost the construction company thousands of dollars to fix and he wasn’t doing it. Said the house was safe.”
She grunted at that. Fucking hell. Of all the times for her to jump to conclusions. Beast hadn’t been threatening a small business, he’d been trying to make them be accountable and do the job right. Obviously, it was wrong. With all the men laying shingles at the same time—that weight itself was enough to bring it all down.
“Your man was mad at that prick and got right in his face. I don’t know what he said, but it worked. The dick walked out, all red-faced and huffed.”
She knew what her man said. He used whatever means he had to make sure the right thing would be done. And his capabilities included power and using his animal’s authority to make it happen.
Scolding herself mentally for misinterpreting, she owed an apology to Beast the next time she saw him. This was another reason emotions sucked. They made her all insecure about how she felt and if she was seeing the real person in Beast.
A tall, wide-shouldered male stepped from the rubble with a woman in his arms. He carried the lady toward her and set her down. He quickly kissed Isa on the head, then wiped off the white powder covering his lips after the caring gesture. “Be right back, love.”
Isa pulled out another pad, adoration and pride churning through her for the brave man she’d chosen. She’d learned another thing about Beast. He went to bat for the little guy. Even if he wasn’t interested in living in the small town, hopefully she could change that. He seemed happy to make sure those in it were living a safe life.
With each day that had passed, he showed her what an amazing man he was. And none of what was a part of him had anything to do with the money he had or the power he wielded. It was all him. Beast. The man she’d fallen for.
25
Standing outside the house while medical techs attended the injured from the roof collapsing, Beast glanced at the text from Fierce and laughed. He knew it.
He dialed Mrs. Primrose.
“Mr. Harte—Beast. So good to hear from you today. Have you decided to leave my bakery alone and move on to other business ventures?” she asked with hope.
A loud chuckle escaped him. “Not in this lifetime, Mrs. Primrose. Not in this lifetime. I need to change our plans, Mirabel.”
“Oh,” she said, a curious note to her voice. “Why is that? Isn’t this contract important to you?”
He shook his head at the question and glanced at the food tent where Isa waited for him. “It is. It’s very important, but I have something else I need to do this weekend. How’s Monday evening?”
“Well…I guess if there’s no other choice. May I ask, what do you have to do, if it’s not too nosy of me?”
“I’m taking my mate for a weekend date.”
She gasped. “That sounds very nice, Beast. I hope you have a fantastic tim
e.”
He chuckled at how excited she sounded. “I will do my best to ensure she does. See you on Monday, Mirabel.”
He sent Fierce a list of things to handle and then turned to the tent where everyone not injured was having lunch. She’d found an empty table where she waited for him.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he said, kissing the top of her head. He’d never realized how much he’d missed out on not having a mate. Now that he’d found Isaline, he knew he couldn’t live without her.
“Hey, I got you something to eat,” she gave him one of those addicting smiles that lit up her face. “I need to talk to you.”
He sat in front of her, watching as the tent started to empty out of those who ate before them. “What’s up?”
She glanced at his plate and then at his face. “I hope a chicken sandwich is good? The food is donated by a local restaurant and we don’t really get choices.”
“Chicken is great. I’m not that much of an asshole to complain about food at an event like this.”
She winced and bit her bottom lip. “Yeah, about that. I’m really sorry I said what I did before.”
“Isa, you don’t have to—”
“No,” she stopped him, “I do. I’ve been struggling with my feelings for you and even though I know you wouldn’t do anything bad, I let my insecurity get the best of me and believed the worst of you for that moment.” She gave him a troubled look and the scent of her concern reached him. “I don’t want you to think I’m judgmental. I’m not. What I did was wrong, and I should’ve asked you instead of assuming anything.”
His heart thudded hard in his chest. From the moment he’d arrived, Isaline had never treated him like most people did. To her, he was like any other man. Not the rich and powerful Harte. To her, he was just Beast.
“Thank you for that, love. I understand.” He picked up her hand from the table and brought it to his lips. “One of the things you’ll never have to worry about, if you decide to give our relationship a chance, is us arguing, Isa.”
She blinked. “Ever?”
“No. People can talk and resolve their problems without an argument. Besides, I care about you too much to ever want to see you upset.”
A slow grin spread over her lips. “People have disagreements, Beast. I imagine we’ll have lots of them.”
“Probably. But your opinion should be valued as much as I value my own.”
She leaned forward and pressed his hand to her cheek. “You say stuff that makes me feel all happy inside. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I only speak the truth.” His gaze locked with hers. “No matter what happens, Isa, know that your feelings are what’s important to me. Some decisions are beyond our control.”
“Today, I’ve learned so much about you and your past. I wish I had more interesting things to tell you about me. My desire to travel the world will happen one day.”
He squeezed her hand. “Where’s one place you’d love to go?”
“Egypt. The pyramids look like a magical place and I love the history of them. I wish I could see all the wonders of the world.”
“We’ll make it happen, love. You’ll see.”
26
After a full day of helping build the house, they went to dinner. Then Beast drove her home and she couldn’t wait to get a few moments alone with him. When she pushed her key into the door’s lock, the door opened with just her touch. She stood frozen, knowing instantly something was wrong. Beast put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back against him.
“I’m assuming you locked this before you left,” he said.
“Yeah,” she choked, “sure did.”
He walked her backward then turned them around to the cars. He opened the driver’s side door and gently pushed her in. “If I’m not out in ten minutes, you drive to the police station and bring them here.” Beast headed inside.
Sitting there, coming out of her initial shock and surprise, she started to feel silly from overreaction. This was her small hometown. Seldom did anything happened. But sometimes they did. Maybe she had forgotten to lock the door when she left. Maybe her mom had forgotten to lock it before she went to spend the day at Zuri’s place.
Getting out of the car, she followed Beast’s path inside her house. Why would anyone want to break into her mom’s house? It wasn’t like she had anything worth money. Her mom’s most expensive thing was the car she and her sisters had bought her. Inside the house, things weren’t old, but they weren’t brand new, nor expensive.
There are still bad people out there, she could hear Zuri’s voice in her head. She remembered the last time she’d spoken to Tyson Force, the town sheriff, he’d mentioned dealing with some break-ins, but she thought he’d caught the men who’d done it. Maybe he hadn’t.
Before stepping in, she called out to Beast to let him know she was there. She didn’t need him tackling her thinking she was an intruder sneaking around in the dark. When he didn’t answer, she flipped the living room light on, and again froze in her tracks.
If she thought she was shocked before, that was nothing compared to now. Now she felt like she’d fallen into an absolute nightmare. This was her home, but yet, it wasn’t. Complete devastation greeted her.
Her heart immediately squeezed in pain at the destruction. Pictures on the wall had been smashed where they hung, many having crashed to the floor. Table lamps were not only on the ground but crushed like someone took a Louisville slugger to them.
Furniture was tossed around, and seat cushions ripped with stuffing halfway pulled out. Her dad’s easy chair, the one her mom had kept even though it was a thousand years old, but nobody had the heart to tell her to throw out, had been totally torn apart.
This wasn’t a robbery. This was an act of vandalism. An act of hate. But that made no sense. Who would want to do this to her mother?
“Isaline,” Beast growled behind her, startling her, “I put you in the car for a reason. Your safety.”
“I know,” she said, looking around, “but I don’t understand.” The emotional impact of seeing her living room trashed settled in. Unwanted tears swelled, and she wiped them away.
Beast wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry, Isa,” he said. “Whoever did this is gone.” She let him hold her. How would she tell her mother? A sudden thought occurred to her and she peeked at the kitchen door where her dad’s old fishing rod still hung. It was in one piece. Thank god.
“Is...is the rest of the house like this?” She was afraid of the answer and squeezed her eyes closed.
“Let’s focus on what’s in front of us,” he soothed.
Oh god, it was that bad. He walked her back outside to the car and settled her into the same place he did earlier. Then he pulled out his cell. He called 911 for her. Second time for emergency responders in such a short period of time. Hopefully, she’d never have to dial that number again.
She sat numb, her emotions settling, or she was going into shock. Beast knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. “Isa, I need you to think.” She nodded, wondering what he wanted that made him look so serious. She liked him better when he smiled. His no-nonsense face was too sexy for any man to have. It melted panties instantly.
“Isa?” he said, bringing her from her thoughts.
“Hmm,” she replied. She’d forgotten he was talking.
He sighed and scrunched his brows closer. His fingers brushed down the side of her face. “Stay with me, Isa. I need you to focus. The police will be here in a moment.” Sirens in the distance punctuated his statement.
That snapped her out of the mental haze she had fallen into upon seeing the disaster of her house.
His smile momentarily brightened seeing her back to her old self, then retreated to his worried face. “Do you know anyone who would do something like this?” She shook her head. “How about anyone being mad at your mom?” Again, she shook her head. He sighed.
“It looks like some kids took batting practice at everything,” she said. Kids
could be so vicious. Especially when they were bored. The school wasn’t too far away and there were a lot of kids who lived in the area. She knew for a fact her mother had no enemies. Everyone loved Mirabel. Maybe some angry teens decided to have some fun at her expense. That was the only logical reason.
The first police car turned onto her road, and Beast stood to greet them. She just leaned against the back of the seat and closed her eyes.
After an hour of answering questions and watching a myriad of people walk in and out of her home, she was asked to come inside by the police. Beast rested his hand in the small of her back, giving her his support through the ordeal.
“Isaline,” Tyson, the town sheriff, said, “I’m so sorry about this.”
She sighed. “Thanks, Tyson.”
“Is your mother okay? I haven’t seen her anywhere.”
She gave a sharp nod. “She’s been spending the day with Zuri and little Savannah.”
His look was sad. “We’ve taken photos and brushed for prints. That’s about all we can do for now. We need you to go through and inventory any missing items. Let us know what you find missing. It might provide clues to who did this.” Isaline nodded. No words came to mind that needed to be said.
“If you hear anything or think of anyone that might have had reason to do this to your mom, let me know. And please, let me know if you need anything,” Tyson finished.
“Thank you,” Beast said for her and shook his hand.
Isa set her bag on the window ledge since that was the only place not damaged. Beast closed the front door after the police left. He took her into his arms again. “What do you feel like doing?” he asked.
27
“Like you said,” Isaline replied, wanting to have the place cleaned up before her mom got home. “One room at a time.” She made her way to the kitchen, the entire length cluttered with broken tokens of things she loved. From the pantry, she pulled out a box of trash bags. “You open a bag,” she said, “and start throwing stuff in.”
