STRAYED

by Amber Lynn Natusch

  “It does. Thank you.”

  “He'll always have a home with me, Lyla. He and I are family.”

  “I can see that you two love each other, Ruby. I'm glad he has you. It's just that he's had a rough life. I want him to be happy, by whatever means possible.”

  I smiled tightly.

  “I want that too. He deserves that and so much more. I can't undo wrongs he sustained, but I can do all that I can to ensure things go right for him from now on. You are planning on sticking around to help out with that, right?” I asked. “Or has something changed that I don't know about?”

  “No. That hasn't changed. I just feel—a little like I’m on the outside looking in,” she said softly. “And your apartment is busting at the seams.”

  “That it is, but we could always kick one of the guys upstairs out of their room. Whoever drew the short straw would get over it eventually.”

  “You mean Alistair would get over it eventually,” she countered with a chuckle. I laughed in agreement.

  “That is exactly what I meant.”

  * * *

  When we rolled into town, I realized that Lyla had completely dodged the shopping mandate that I had set forth at the beginning of our trip. That would have been fine if she'd had more than a backpack of belongings when she'd showed up. Eventually she was going to have to beef up her wardrobe, if for no other reason than the fact that wherever I was, blood seemed to be shed. And that stains. Permanently. Like it or not, she would need more clothes.

  I knew where we had to go.

  Biting the proverbial bullet, I made my way toward Better With Age, my anxiety rising with every second as we approached the shop. The day had been nice―really nice―and I wasn't ready for that to end. Then I remembered that there had once been a time when Ronnie could have pulled me out of a slump and set me back on my feet, though usually not gently. Knowing that her softer, Veronica side had been pulled to the surface by her relationship should have made me more confident that my experience at her shop would be pleasant. But I knew Ronnie well. She could read people like a wizened cop. If even the slightest hint of my post-break-up sadness bled through, she would be on me like a shark on chum. It would take all of one minute for Veronica to revert back to Ronnie, and the interrogation would begin.

  It was not a challenge I was up for, especially not in front of Lyla. We may have spent the day bonding, but spilling about Sean in front of her felt like too much. I wasn't ready for that kind of girl time. That was reserved for Peyta and me.

  The familiar tinkling of bells chimed through the tiny store as Lyla and I entered. Ronnie looked over her shoulder at us with a smile, diverting her attention away from the customer she was tending for only a second. Bullet dodged, if only for the time being.

  “Jeans are over here,” I said to Lyla, indicating the rather obvious wall of expensive denim to our left. “And don't even try to get out of this. You will shop, and you will like it. Understand?”

  She sighed and nodded.

  “What size are you?”

  “I don't know...six? Four? Eight?”

  “No, not American sizing. European.” When she didn't answer, I turned to find her eyeing me as though I were a strange, exotic bird. “What? What did I say?”

  She shrugged.

  “I have no idea. I never really paid attention to that stuff.”

  “Right,” I clipped, remembering that a life of leisure was hardly the past she'd lived. “Well, you'll need the same length as me since your legs are long too.” I stepped toward the wall of cubbies filled with jeans and started grabbing armfuls of them. We were going to figure out really quickly just what size she needed. “Here,” I said, thrusting them into her arms before ushering her toward the curtain that enclosed the changing area. “Don't come out until something fits.”

  She didn't look happy when she entered the closet-sized room. The glare she wore spoke volumes. Before she could begin to object, I snapped the curtain shut; the sound of the metal rings on the metal bar cut through the hipster music in the store.

  I turned and made my way over to some of Ronnie's more utilitarian items, knowing that, in all reality, Lyla would likely need function over fashion. With a sigh, I started thumbing through the hangers of vintage rock tees and other random goodies.

  “Holy shit, Ruby!” Lyla's voice shrieked before the curtain blew wide open, exposing a very wide-eyed Lyla wearing some very tight jeans. “These are 250 dollars!”

  “And worth every penny,” I countered, admiring how they fit.

  At that moment, Ronnie not-so-subtly cleared her throat, demanding my attention. My eyes darted over to find her ringing up her patron. She didn't look pleased about Lyla's outburst.

  I guess you won't be shopping with Veronica after all.

  “Doesn't look promising,” I muttered under my breath to Scarlet, who, as usual, had hit the nail on the head.

  “Have a wonderful day,” Ronnie called out to the middle-aged woman as she walked out of the shop, multiple bags in hand. The second the old wooden door banged shut, Ronnie was out from behind the counter and at my side.

  “Who's your potty-mouthed friend?” she asked with a hint of saccharin sweetness to her voice.

  Not good. So not good.

  “Ronnie, meet Lyla. She's a friend of Cooper's from high school. She came to visit him.”

  Ronnie's eyes narrowed.

  “You don't say,” Ronnie drawled, taking a step toward Lyla, who stood steadfast under her scrutiny.

  “Yep,” I said quickly. The familiar damp sensation on the back of my neck was hard to ignore. I knew Ronnie well enough to know when she was up to something―angling for something. We were in deep shit.

  I just didn't know why.

  “Those look great,” Ronnie said with an award-winning, saleswoman smile. “Let me pull a couple others for you to try on.” She crossed right in front of Lyla without flinching in the slightest. But why would she, right? She didn't know that Lyla was anything other than a human Cooper used to know. Right? “So, you and Cooper were friends back in the day, huh?” she asked casually. Ronnie was never casual.

  “He and my older brother were best friends. I grew up with Cooper at my house constantly.”

  “Hmmm,” Ronnie hummed. “That must have been nice. Cooper is such a great...man.”

  This is not going to end well.

  Lyla, smart cookie that she was, saw that something was amiss with Ronnie's behavior―or maybe she could see the sweat slowly beading on my brow―and got into character fast.

  “Well,” she airily laughed. “I'd call him more of a boy myself, but that's just how I remember him.”

  “Interesting,” Ronnie purred. “Maybe that's just because he hasn't changed much since you last saw him.”

  “No,” she said, losing some of her feigned lightheartedness. “I would say he's changed quite a bit.”

  “Hey, Ronnie,” I started, scooping the two pairs of jeans she had taken from the shelf out of her hands. “Lyla needs a great jacket. Got anything I'd approve of?”

  “Well, Ruby, that all depends. What does she need this jacket for?”

  “I don't know. The cold? Looking awesome? Whatever.”

  Ronnie's eyes narrowed on the tiny room Lyla stood in, looking past her to where Cooper's jacket hung high on the hook on the wall.

  “Didn't you bring one of your own with you?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “It's a bad time of year to be in New England without a coat.”

  “I didn't really think my packing through,” Lyla clipped, her expression changing from friendly to fierce.

  “I see that,” Ronnie said with a wry smile. “Not to worry. I've got something really warm in the back. Fur lined and everything. You'll be so warm in that thing, not even the bite of the winter ocean air will faze you.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Lyla replied. Her words were nearly a growl.

  “I'll be right back.”

  Ronnie sauntered through the be
aded curtain divider. The second she was out of sight, Lyla's fierce stare was on me.

  “Want to explain?” she rumbled, keeping her voice as hushed as possible.

  “No. Not really.”

  “She knows.”

  “You have no idea what I know,” Ronnie called from behind the curtain. “I don't appreciate you dragging strays into my store, Ruby. I especially don't enjoy you trying to pawn them off as human.”

  “I wasn't aware that I needed to formally disclose their werewolf status to you before entering or tell you their life stories either,” I shot back. “And I didn't try to pawn her off as human. I just didn't tell you that she wasn't. That's not my story to tell, though you seem to think that you should be able to share my info with whomever you see fit.”

  “That's different,” she volleyed, pulling her hands from behind the counter and placing them on top of it. Thankfully, neither was holding her Glock.

  “How do you figure?”

  “What I do for you is in your best interest.”

  “Oh, how I love hearing that line,” I mocked.

  “I'm sure you don't, but that hardly makes it any less true.”

  “Who are you?” Lyla interrupted, taking a step toward the counter that sheltered Ronnie. I caught her arm to restrain her, though she didn't necessarily need it. She hadn't coiled for attack. Not yet, anyway.

  “Ronnie is Peyta's mother, and she has an interesting story when it comes to the supernatural, Lyla. I'll fill you in on that later. For now, I think we'll pay for the jeans you have on and head out.”

  “I think that might be best,” Ronnie added tightly. It made me miss Veronica.

  “Sounds good to me,” Lyla replied, though she stood unmoving. Her gaze remained fixed on Ronnie; the two of them continued to mad-dog one another. Nothing good was going to come of that.

  “Just wear those out,” I told Lyla, tugging her back toward the dressing room. “Grab your stuff, and I'll meet you in the car. Okay?” She said nothing, but did as I requested. It was refreshing to have someone listen to me for once.

  Something is very wrong here, Scarlet added, as though I needed her affirmation. I was already well aware.

  Once Lyla was out of the building, I turned my growing anger to Ronnie. When Lyla and I had arrived, I had expected Ronnie to easily see through my defenses and begin picking at the breakup scab that was just starting to heal. What I did not expect was for her to go all Matlock about Lyla.

  Answers were in order.

  “Where's Reed?” I asked casually as I made my way over to the register to pay for the jeans. “I know he's not here because your mood would be infinitely better.”

  “Out of town on business.”

  “Well, I hope for the sake of all who know you that he returns soon.”

  Her haughty expression soured.

  “I don't like you bringing strange wolves in here.”

  “Your daughter is married to one, or have you already forgotten?”

  “Hardly,” she scoffed. “I lose sleep over that fact nightly.”

  “You shouldn't. There isn't a being alive that would do more to keep Peyta safe.”

  “Let's not go down this road again, all right?”

  “Fine. But you will tell me what the fuck that nonsense with Lyla was all about,” I demanded. “You can't just assume everyone I know is a werewolf. I know humans too.”

  “Yes. I know you do,” she replied, pinning hardened eyes on me. “You also manage to get them killed.”

  Ouch.

  “True, but I do manage to keep some of them alive, especially one who, despite her own psychotic efforts to get herself taken out by her ex-husband-turned-werewolf, is still alive and kicking.”

  “Touché, Ruby. I'll give you that.”

  “Damn right you will.”

  “Here's the thing, though,” she started, casually taking my credit card from my hand. “You don't see danger where I do. You don't stay five steps ahead of chaos. My ability to do that has kept me alive against all odds.”

  “Right. But what does that have to do with Lyla?”

  “Nothing directly. I said that to make a point.”

  “Which was?”

  “Don't lie to me. Ever. I will see through that shit like a freshly cleaned window.”

  “I didn't lie―”

  “You omitted, which is just as bad,” she interrupted. “You think that someone from Cooper's high school past would see him today and not notice that he hadn't aged appropriately?”

  “He was Changed after that.”

  “You think his appearance is the only thing that could be different about him?” she countered. “Hardly. Humans may not be aware of it, but their minds have a hard time processing the subtle differences in people they know who have Changed. Those werewolves stupid enough to try to reinsert themselves back into their old lives never stay. Something about them will always seem off to those who loved them. There was no way that Lyla would have come to visit and stayed if she were human. Ironically, it was your lie that gave her away.”

  “Fine. I fucked up. But I still fail to see the need for all the dramatics.”

  “I was feeling her out,” she replied stiffly. “Yet another thing I do that is in your best interest. Whether you agree with my methods or not, Ruby, I look out for you.”

  For a brief moment, I felt guilty. The thought that Ronnie had been looking out for me had never crossed my mind. What a convoluted mess our relationship had become.

  “So,” I started, trying to distract myself, “what's the verdict?”

  She paused for a moment while she handed my credit card back to me.

  “She's a bitch, but she's all right.”

  “Interesting,” I mused. “How'd you come to that conclusion?”

  “Well, I think the bitch part is pretty obvious, but she put herself between you and me when she thought I was acting in a threatening way. She gets points for that.”

  “I'll be sure to let her know.”

  “Don't bother. She doesn't give a shit about what I think,” she replied with her signature grin. “If she did, I'd have to take a few of those points back.”

  “Right. Okay then,” I said, tucking my credit card back in my wallet before dropping it into my purse. “So we're good?”

  “Never been better.”

  I said goodbye and made my way to the car that was parked outside―the one with a still-fuming Lyla sitting in the passenger seat. I felt completely discombobulated by our encounter with Ronnie. In some ways, it was nice to know that the pit bull was still in there somewhere, but she'd seemed on edge. Easier to set off than usual. The nagging question that my brain couldn't get past was why.

  Scarlet seemed to share my concern.

  There's a wildness to her that I haven't seen since the Rev was in play.

  “I know,” I mumbled under my breath while I walked around the back of the TT.

  Ronnie is a liability when she's spooked.

  “Like I don't know that.”

  Consider this a healthy reminder.

  “I'll add it to the CF list,” I retorted as I reached for the door handle. “Maybe it has to do with Peyta. Maybe she's hyper aware of what comes and goes around here now that P is tied to the pack.”

  Not an unreasonable conclusion, but you’d best tuck this away in the back of your mind for now. The last thing we need is Ronnie doing what she does best.

  Boy was Scarlet right about that.

  * * *

  “Ladies,” Janner called out when Lyla and I poked our heads into the upstairs apartment to check on their progress.

  “I see no blood on the walls, so it couldn't have been too crazy while we were gone.”

  “No. Though Alistair did manage to put a nail through his hand after he closed the shop and came up to help us, but he's fine.”

  “He screamed like a little girl when he did it though,” Cooper called from the back bedroom.

  “Oh, bloody hell, I did not!” Al
istair retorted, walking into what would soon be their living room. The floor plan was almost identical to mine but with an extra bedroom and smaller kitchen. I knew they were just going to come down and eat with Cooper and me anyway. Why waste the square footage?

  “I believe you, Ali,” I said with a wink. The smile it brought to his face made me laugh.

  “Did you girls get all the retail therapy you needed?” Cooper asked, coming to join Alistair.

  “Ruby bought out most of Boston. I got a pair of jeans from some crazy bitch in town.”

  “Ah, I see you've met Ronnie then, or did you literally take the pants off of some crazy lady?”

  “No!” she shouted playfully, lunging to smack his arm. “Hardly. I met that Ronnie character. She is something.”

  “Isn't she?” he replied.

  “I don't understand how, but she knew what I was. How is that possible?”

  “That is far too complex of a discussion to get into at the moment,” I interjected. “Just know that there are humans in this world who know what we are. And I imagine that more than a few of them are dangerous.”

  “Including Ronnie?”

  “Including Ronnie, though she isn't a danger to any of us. At least not directly.”

  “And me?” she pressed.

  “Nothing is a threat to you on my watch,” Cooper growled, his beautiful hazel eyes glowing amber.

  “Yeah, Ronnie isn't going to do anything to you unless you fuck with her, in which case Cooper will go crazy alpha on her, so you're fine,” I explained. “She was just feeling you out at the store. Or at least that's what she told me.”

  “Feeling me out?”

  “Trying to make sure you were on the up and up. She claimed to have been looking out for me. She's a mom. I guess that instinct is hard to turn off.”

  “I guess so,” Lyla muttered under her breath.

  “Are you feeling a bit better, love?” Beckett called, emerging from the bathroom. He reeked of plumbing glue.

  “I am, thanks. Getting out was good for me.”

  “It was good for me too,” Lyla added with a tight smile.