by L. P. Maxa
“It’s my turn to meet with the investigators. Coach Hardy was going to go with me so he could listen in and hear everything firsthand. But he found Corey asleep on her desk and took her home. So. Wanna come with me?”
“Not really, but I’m guessing Dom told you to come and ask me. Which means, I gotta.” Keller scrubbed his hands down his face. As boring as this was going to be, at least it would be a good distraction from Molly.
They set out across campus, walking side by side. “Coach, I don’t know why I told Corey. I mean, I do, she scares me and it’s really hard for me to lie to her. But I don’t know why.”
Keller clapped him on the back. “You love her. She’s family. She’s pack. It’s hard for me to lie to her too. Even if you would’ve attempted it, Coop would have seen right through you. Plus, eventually Molly would have caught you at the bar.” Keller wanted to leave it at that, he really did. But a couple weeks ago Coop had come to him and asked him to have the talk with Riley. She wanted to make sure that he was being responsible and respectful.
Keller attempted to be an adult and set the kid on the straight and narrow, but the conversation had somehow taken an odd turn. Which was how he’d ended up getting Riley an in at the Moon Bar. Now, thanks to Coop and his new mate, he was feeling guilty about it all. “You’re being careful, right? Like we talked about? It’s all fun and games right now, but one day you’ll find your forever and you’ll want to be able to give them, uh, everything? You feel me?”
Riley chuckled. “Listening to you try and talk about safe sex is just as hilarious this time around as it was the first.” He ducked when Keller tried to smack him on the back of the head. “Coach, are you trying to ask me if I’m using condoms?”
Keller sighed. The little shithead. “Yes. In the most passive, indirect way I possibly can.”
“Yes. I am being extremely careful. You don’t have to worry about that with me.” Keller watched out of the corner of his eye as the kid’s cocky smile fell. “I know what it’s like to accidentally make a baby you didn’t want. I would never put someone through what my dad put my mom through. Never.”
“Riley, shit, I—look, I don’t know what to say here.” Riley’d had a tough go of it early in life. His dad bailed on his mom before Riley was even born. If his stepdad hadn’t come along, Riley would have been alone during his first shift, completely in the dark about what was happening to him and why. Since Riley was such a happy guy, Keller sometimes forgot about what he’d gone through.
“It’s okay. Hey, speaking of finding your forever, congratulations. Miss Molly is great.” Riley smiled again, and this time it stuck.
“Thanks, man.”
“So, accidentally mating? Not too careful of you, huh?” Riley ducked and Keller’s hand sailed over his head a second time. “I’m just saying, practice what you preach, brother.”
Keller snorted. “Yes, it’s all very funny. Keller accidentally claimed his mate. Ha, ha.” He was actually having fun with Riley. Instead of feeling like he had to babysit one of his players, he felt like he was hanging out with one of his friends. But, like, for real hanging out, not Moon Bar hanging out. Ugh. They’d ruined that term.
“To be honest, man, the claiming was the easy part. I mean, I, uh, changed in front of her and everything. She handled it all really well. I just don’t know what to do now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like should we move in together? Should we spend more time getting to know one another? Do I propose? She has this cat, and it hates dogs. It hates me. Can I live with a cat? Coop and Dom made it all seem so easy, so seamless.”
Riley held up a finger. “First of all, don’t compare your relationship to Corey and Dom’s. Don’t compare your relationship to anyone else’s. That’s a really dangerous habit to form. Second, you need to talk to Molly. I’m sure she is having the exact same thoughts you are. Remember, you are in this together. You’re a team. Act like one. Third, don’t ask her to get rid of her cat. That’d be a dick move.”
Keller slowed his steps, more than a little shocked. “When the hell did you get so damn smart?”
“It’s all those older chicks I’ve been hanging out with. They have magazines laying around all over the place. I’ve read some pretty insightful articles this month.”
“You read when you are with these girls?” Keller laughed. “Are you sure you’re doing it right?”
Riley chuckled, smugly. “Oh, I’m doing it just fine. Most of them need a little nap before we hang out another round. I can never sleep until at least round three—too much energy, I guess.”
Keller nodded in approval. “All right man, good for you. Maybe, uh, leave out details like that around Coop and Molly though.”
Riley smirked and opened the door. “Why? Think they’d be jealous of my stamina?” Riley wasn’t quick enough this time—Keller’s hand made direct contact with the back of Riley’s head.
Chapter Twenty-One
Molly
Molly knew she should get out of her car. She had been sitting in Keller’s driveway two minutes too long to be normal. But she couldn’t stop her hands from shaking, or her heart from racing. She was nervous and excited and blissful and scared. All at the same damn time. She didn’t even know that was humanly possible.
Only hours before, she had walked into Corey and Dom’s house and wished she could be part of their crazy group, and now she was. As Keller’s mate.
Wow, Keller’s mate. Molly could barely wrap her head around what that meant. She had gone from single to bonded with a shifter in less than a week. Her whole life had been completely turned upside down. Everything she thought she knew… The whole world seemed different now. And, god help her, she was happy. Crazy happy. Like, couldn’t stop smiling happy. She felt loved and cared for, her heart felt…full.
Except, Keller had accidentally claimed her. Hell, she basically forced him to claim her. Part of her was fearful that he thought he’d made a mistake. Like, if she hadn’t started things between them last night, would he have ever told her the truth? Would he have ever claimed her?
She rested her head against the steering wheel. Damn, she needed a drink. Molly jumped and let out a little shriek when someone tapped on her window. She looked over and saw Keller, leaned down and peering inside her car chuckling. Wow, he looked good. His jeans hung low on his hips and his white t-shirt was tight against his chest. She was almost afraid her mouth had started to water at the site of him. She opened the door and climbed out. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“I’m sorry, darlin’. Why were you sitting in your car? I’ve been waiting for you to come inside for five minutes now. Were you waiting on me to come open your door? Is that something I should have done?”
Molly sighed, embarrassed. “No. I wasn’t waiting on you. I was calming my nerves but I’m better now.” She truly was; being in his presence and feeling his skin against hers had put her at ease. “You ready to head to Corey’s?”
Keller placed his hands on her shoulders and stooped down to her eye level. “Is something wrong? Did you change your mind? About me? About all of this? Talk to me. Please.”
“No, I didn’t change my mind. Of course not. I, uh, this has been a big day, you know? Lots of information and changes. But, actually, I was sitting my car thinking that above all else, above the nerves and the fear, I’m happy. I’m so happy that we’re together and that you can finally be yourself around me. Your whole self.” She wanted to ask him if he was happy too. Ask him if he regretted the claiming, but she couldn’t get the words out. Now wasn’t the time anyway—they needed to get to Corey’s.
He trailed his hands down her arms before taking her hand as they made their way across the front yard. “I know I’ve given you a lot to think about. And I know that there is still a lot for us to talk about. But me and you? We’re a team. We’ll figure all this out together, okay?”
“Okay.” Molly smiled and felt relieved. He was being so sweet and understandi
ng. She felt ridiculous for being nervous in the first place. When they made it to Dom and Corey’s back door, Molly put her hand on the knob and took a deep breath. She gasped in shock when she walked into the house. There was a banner that said, Welcome to the family, Molly. And there were flowers everywhere and a big tray of cupcakes.
“Oh my gosh. You guys are so nice. Thank you so much. This is really great.”
Keller put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Corey walked up and grabbed her in a tight embrace. “We are so happy for you and Keller. And I am beyond thrilled to have a sister here now. Between you and this baby, the boys are well on their way to being outnumbered.”
When all the congratulations were said and all the hugs given, everyone sat down at the table to eat. Molly looked back into the kitchen. Even though the food was in bowls and platters on the table she could see the takeout containers in the trash. “Not that I’m complaining, this Italian food is amazing, but do any of you guys cook?”
“I cook. Sometimes.” Corey took a sip of her water, her eyes darting around the table like she was waiting for someone to dispute the fact.
Linc didn’t disappoint. “Heating frozen corn dogs is not cooking, Corey.”
“Oh yeah? I didn’t hear you complaining when you ate four of them. Nor when you polished off half a tray of brownies on Tuesday.” Corey turned her attention back to Molly. “I would much rather bake than cook.”
“You know, I can cook, I don’t mind at all. If you’ll let me know in advance when there is a dinner scheduled I’ll go to the grocery store and I can cook here.” Molly was curious as to how much money these guys spent on takeout each month. There were five shifters including Riley and every single one ate like he hadn’t had a meal in months.
Keller put his hand on Molly’s knee under the table. “Gorgeous and she can cook? How did I get so lucky?”
Molly returned Keller’s smile and then addressed the rest of the table. “Okay, so how does this work? Does someone call the meeting to order?” When Keller had invited her to their dinner/meeting at Dom and Corey’s tonight, he’d given her the lowdown. This was the time they used to talk about shifter stuff, the investigation, the kids. All the supernatural secrets. “Is there like a scheduled list of topics? Does someone take notes?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Keller
He leaned over and kissed his mate’s neck. She sounded so adorable asking if they took notes during their pack meetings. He really didn’t want to be here at all. He wanted to be in his bed with Molly writhing underneath him. There would be no pain tonight, only pleasure. From here to eternity, only pleasure.
Baze laughed. “Uh, no. It’s an extremely informal meeting full of cussing and insults. Usually ending in everyone drinking and talking about baseball or murder.” He picked up his beer bottle and took a pull, case in point. “But we do have some things we need to go over tonight. Everyone except for Corey has met with the Feds, correct?” He waited until everyone nodded yes then continued. “I know my questioning went well, easy and short. And the same with Linc and Dom, right?”
Linc leaned back in his seat, rubbing his stomach. “Yeah, mine took like five minutes. They asked me what I knew, I told them not much. And that was that.”
“Same here. Just a couple questions and I was free to go.” Dom pulled Corey’s chair closer to him and put his arm around her shoulders, already protecting her from what Keller had to say. They all knew that the Feds’ accusations against her were going to piss her the hell off.
Baze sighed. “So that leaves Keller and Riley. Keller, we’ll let you go first.”
Keller took a swig of his beer before clearing his throat to start. “Mine didn’t go so well. It started out okay but then Brooks walked in and made some comments about Molly.”
She turned her head to look at him, a confused expression on her face. “Uh, what? What kind of comments?” Keller had wanted to leave Molly out of the investigation drama, but he couldn’t. It was clear that Brooks was trying to use Molly against him for some reason.
“He made some remark about how he had spent the morning with you and how amazing you were. I knew he must have gone to yoga, and that he was trying to get a rise out of me. I did my best to not react and eventually he let it go. But, he asked me some pretty intense questions after that. Questions about the history of violence with the baseball team, Henderson’s allegations, and about our player’s tempers. It seems like Brooks is digging. He, uh, also made some comments about you, Coop.” This was the part they were all dreading.
She sat up straighter in her chair. “What did he say?”
Keller glanced over her head at Dom before he continued. “He mentioned that maybe you cleared the team to play because you were engaged to Dom. That maybe you faked the evaluations.”
Coop scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. I wasn’t engaged to Dom when I did those interviews. No one even knew we were dating. He’s reaching.”
Keller shook his head, draping his arm over the back of Molly’s chair. “Not so much of a reach. He knew you were three months pregnant with Dom’s baby. That proves y’all have been together almost from the start.”
“Whatever. I’ll set him straight when it’s time for my interview. No big deal. I can show him all the notes I made on the players. He can’t accuse me after I prove up. I have documented evidence.” She tilted her head. “But why the hell did he ask you about me and not anyone else?”
“I was wondering that myself. I have no idea where that guy is coming from with me. Or why he would bring you into it.” Keller was honestly baffled about what Brooks’s hang-up was when it came to him. Could it be jealousy? He barely knew Molly.
Baze spoke up. “Brooks wasn’t there for my questioning. Was he like that with anyone else?”
Linc shook his head. “He wasn’t there during mine.”
Dom pulled his arm from around Coop and put his hands flat on the table. “Wait. What? He wasn’t there during mine either. What the hell is going on? Riley, was he there for yours?”
“Oh yeah. He was there.” Riley looked over at Keller and he gave a slight nod of his head, letting him know it was okay to continue. “I told them all about Franklin. All the things Jace and Jasper have said about their father. They’ll have no choice but to go looking for him now. The twins met with them too and corroborated my story. It’s all set. But, uh, Brooks asked me a lot of questions about Corey. He even asked me about Molly and Keller’s relationship. His questions got so off topic that Agent Grimes basically had to shut him down. And I already asked Jasper and Jace—he didn’t do that with them.”
Baze ran his hands through his hair, agitated. “Keller went with you this morning, right? Maybe Brooks saw you and Keller together and decided to see what he could pull out of you?”
Keller held his hand out, palms up. “I’m at a loss. I have no idea what that guy’s problem is. He has rubbed me wrong from the moment I met him. It’s almost like the two of them are conducting two separate investigations. Grimes is all about this shifter bullshit, but Brooks? His beef seems to be all personal.”
Molly spoke up. “He’s come to sunrise yoga a few times since he’s been here and he asked for my number that first morning in the coffee shop. He came up to Corey and me at the baseball game. He’s been to Moon Bar. We’ve been around him several times. I can usually spot a creeper from a mile away, but he’s never made me feel uncomfortable.”
Coop nodded in agreement. “Me neither. I’m with Molly. I can usually get a pretty good read on a guy. But he seemed fine. Polite, respectful.”
Baze took a deep breath and rubbed at his temples, a sure sign that he was getting stressed out. “Well, he is up to something. I absolutely hate to say this, especially now that there are two bonded males here, but I think it’s going to be up to the girls to help us figure this out.”
Keller tensed up, his body going rigid at the thought of Molly be
ing around Brooks again. Baze held his hands out, placating. “Just hear me out before you two go postal. Corey has to meet with the Feds. There is no avoiding it. We’ll do what we did with Riley, and one of us—not you, Dom—will sit outside the door and listen. Corey, let those pregnancy hormones fly. Don’t take any shit. Call him out. Try to push his buttons. Maybe if he gets angry enough he’ll let something slip.”
Corey giggled. “That actually sounds like a lot of fun.” She turned to Dom and kissed his cheek to try and stop the bitch-fit they all knew was coming.
Didn’t work. “Nope. Not gonna happen. She’s fucking pregnant, Baze. I’m not about to let her go piss off some man who may or may not be after us. You’ve lost your mind.”
Riley raised his hand, his cosmic baby bond rearing its head. “I second that.” Keller couldn’t blame either of them.
Corey put one hand on her belly and one hand on Dom’s arm. “Babe, I promise you that I would never do anything to put our daughter in danger. I’ll have one of the guys right outside the door the whole time.”
Dom took her hand off his arm and put it on his heart. “What about after that, huh? What about when you are walking to the cafeteria or when you get home five minutes before Riley does? You two are my heart. I don’t want you in jeopardy.”
Corey smiled sadly. “We might already be. Who knows what Franklin has up his sleeve or why Brooks is targeting me? At least this way we have a shot at figuring out why.”
Baze leaned across the table, addressing Dom. “One of us will be with her the whole time, man. I promise. We won’t let her out of our sight. I won’t let anything happened to your girls.” When Dom didn’t protest any further, Baze continued, “All right, next we have Miss Molly. Chat him up after class. Find out more about his personal life. Where he lives, how long he’s been part of the bureau, why he hates Keller. Ask him for coffee and keep him talking. Can you do that?”
