by Jools Louise
“We hate it,” Oliver said miserably. “It’s like this subtle kind of bullying that we don’t know how to stop. We haven’t done anything, to anyone.”
“Have you spoken to Ryder or the sheriff?” Noah asked, taking his plate to the sink and washing it. “Maybe they can find out something. It sounds as though this is a personal attack. Who would want to stop you opening this restaurant and being successful?”
Shark snorted. “Where do we start?” he asked bitterly.
“Our clan wasn’t happy about us staying in Sage,” Oliver said. “They’re equally irritated that we’re not bowing to family pressure and going home with our tails between our legs. The fact that we haven’t been run out of town, after Flashpoint’s attacks, must be pissing them off big time. We’re gay, as well, which is just the icing on the cake.”
“How did you end up working for Daniel?” Noah asked, referring to an old nemesis, one who had been responsible for locking them in that mine. “We were all fooled by him into thinking that we were actually guarding his wife, Kathleen, and their sons. I had no idea what we’d be asked to do until we had no chance to get away.”
“Yeah,” Oliver said sadly. “Those kids are lucky to have survived. Kathleen did what she could to protect them. I mean. Who the fuck does that to their own children? Hurting them, starving them, terrifying them. Daniel is just evil.”
They both heard a knock on the window and looked over to see a long line of people waiting, headed up by Noah’s friends. Axel winked at the astounded looks on the wolverines’ faces, and tapped his wristwatch.
“Shit, we’re supposed to be open,” Shark said, heading swiftly to the door to open it.
“You called them,” Oliver said, almost accusingly.
Noah laughed. “I texted, to let my guys know. Looking at the crowd, though, I didn’t need to bother. We’re about to get really busy. Best get our skates on.”
Oliver laughed, and then clasped Noah’s arm before he could move to the cash register. “Thanks,” he said simply. “This means a lot to us. It’s our bid for independence. We’ll be devastated if this doesn’t work.”
“Oliver, you have the best chicken burgers in town,” Noah replied staunchly. “No way is this going to fail.”
Oliver’s grin split his face, transforming him from attractive to stunning in a heartbeat. They high-fived each other, then prepared for the rush, as the first customers stepped up to the counter, studying the menu board.
Chapter Three
Fly finished with his final client, and cleared up his station. His hands ached from massaging customers all day. Facials, full massages, and various other treatments. He was tired but happy. It had been a good day.
“Shall we celebrate with a burger at Feeling Clucky?” Alfie said as he wandered over. Alfie was their resident nail artist, and had already finished for the day.
Fly smiled over at him. “Oh, but what about all that grease going on my hips?” he asked, playing the prissy queen to perfection, tongue in cheek, because he was really looking forward to trying out the new restaurant.
“What hips?” Alfie asked dryly, giving him the once-over. “Your ass is cute, but those hips need a little padding, sweetie.”
Fly laughed at the snarky comment, delivered with a wink. He and Alfie teased each other constantly, content with their banter, which was never nasty, just a playful exchange, as friends.
“After eating at Feeling Clucky, that won’t be a problem. Did I mention that Noah was working there?”
Alfie giggled. “Only about, oh, every five seconds, in between clients,” he said, his hazel eyes twinkling merrily. “Fly, honey, you’re smitten.”
Fly sighed without thinking, remembering Noah’s lips on him, and the promises the big bear had made. He shivered at what might happen later that evening. Noah was a mountain of a man, who’d been through far too much pain. Fly was more than smitten. He was well aware of the fact that he’d fallen for the big bear a while ago. He just hadn’t thought the guy reciprocated. They’d bickered more than conversed.
“Your face says everything,” Alfie said, still grinning. “I’m so happy for you. Both of you deserve to find happiness. I bet he’s amazing in the sack.”
Fly blinked, not looking at his friend. He felt his cheeks burning, feeling a little uncomfortable at the conversation. Where he came from, one did not discuss sexual prowess. “I hope so,” he muttered, and heard Alfie’s giggle again.
“You should see your face,” Alfie chortled. “I could fry eggs on those cheeks.”
“Quit bugging Fly,” Kaden said, walking over with a towel in his hands, drying off. “Nobody teased you about your mates.”
“I wasn’t teasing, I was complimenting,” Alfie said with an arch look. “I happen to think they’re the perfect couple. Noah is laid back and looks as though he eats bricks for breakfast. And Fly? Well, Fly is just Fly.”
“I can hear you,” Fly retorted. “Standing right here, sweetie.”
“I know,” Alfie shot back, rolling his eyes. “I just mean, you seem to fit perfectly. You’re delicate and needy, and he needs someone to need him…if that makes sense.”
Fly stared at his friend for a moment, processing. “Not bricks,” he said with a wink.
Alfie laughed at that. “I don’t want to know the sordid details,” he said, reading the look perfectly.
“Sure you do,” Kaden drawled, nudging Alfie with his elbow. “You two are all about the details.”
Fly chuckled at that one, nodding. “He’s not wrong,” he said to Alfie, wiping around his sink area, then placing all his various tools away. The foot spa went last, and he stowed it in its usual spot, then stood looking around for a second. “Towels,” he said, and grabbed the handle of the hamper which held all the dirty towels. “I’ll just put these into the washer,” he called as he wheeled the trolley away.
“We’ll wait, don’t worry. Would you like me to sweep up?” Alfie said, already grabbing the broom.
“Thanks,” Fly said, and went into the back room, where the washing machines and dryers were housed, essentials for a salon. Shoving the towels into the washing machines, he loaded the powder, then set the cycle and left it to run. It would take a half hour, so he could leave it to run, then come back in a while, and put them into the dryers.
He heard some people talking out in the salon, and wandered back, freezing in place when he saw who was there.
“Fly, darling,” his mother said, looking svelte and glamorous as she smiled her fixed smile. “I just had to come by and see how you were doing in your lovely little shop.”
“Mother, it’s not my shop, it’s Kaden’s,” he said, forcing himself to walk toward her. He saw the irritation on Alfie’s face. Kaden looked amused, and just a little pissed off. Fly cringed inside, wondering what she’d said this time. “I work here as the masseur.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter, does it,” she said airily, grabbing his shoulders as he stood beside her, and air kissing both cheeks. He refrained from rolling his eyes.
“Why are you here, Mother?” he asked bluntly, feeling a little sick. He wondered where his anti-acid pills were. Dealing with this woman always gave him reflux.
“Darling, is that any way to speak to your own mommy?” she asked, giggling in that annoying way of hers. He didn’t respond, merely stared at her with a carefully blank gaze. She huffed impatiently. “Well, I suppose, being out here in the wild west, it was inevitable that your manners would slip, darling,” she said with an arch look at Kaden, who looked casual and sexy at the same time, wearing ripped blue jeans, a tight-fitting T-shirt with the salon’s logo on the front, and his biceps bulging as he crossed his arms over his big chest.
“My manners haven’t gone anywhere, Mother,” Fly retorted sharply. “Why are you here? I’m still at work. This is what I do. You haven’t bothered to visit in the last few years, so why would you care now?”
His mother gave a shocked gasp, which he eyed with a disdainful
look. The woman was obviously trying for an Oscar with this performance. He waited for the fake tears and little sniffles.
“Darling, how hurtful,” she replied, fishing a handkerchief from her purse, and using it to dab at her eyes, right on cue. He glared. “You’re my only son. I was so worried about you when you went missing for so many months.”
“I’ve been here for over three years,” Fly reminded her, still scowling. “It never occurred to you to visit before.”
She laughed suddenly, a gleam of malice in her eyes. “Of course it did, silly boy,” she said, patting his cheek. “I was just waiting for you to come to your senses, that’s all. Your job with Daniel, that darling man, didn’t work out so well, and I thought you’d be back home soon after.”
He stared at her, reading the truth, and knowing she had something to do with that terrible time. She was a vicious woman, and he’d been embarrassed to admit he’d cried in the hospital when he’d called her, soon after he’d been rescued. She hadn’t been compassionate in the slightest. Instead of being concerned that he’d nearly died, she had castigated him for not being stronger, had informed him that he was a poor excuse for a man if he couldn’t withstand a little punishment for his actions against his employer. Fly had attacked the man for sexually assaulting his wife, Kathleen, one awful day in the woods near the mine. The fact that his mother seemed to know about that made him feel sick. He’d been insulted about his dress sense, his habits, his intelligence, his sexuality, and just about everything else, for as long as he could remember. Concern for his well-being had been low on her list of priorities.
“I live here, now,” he said coldly. “If you don’t mind, I have to clear up my station. I’m sure you can find your own way out.” He turned on his heel, feeling a little guilty as he left Kaden and Alfie to deal with her. He just wanted to be as far away as possible. She’d never accepted him, ever, and he’d only ever tried to please her. After he’d nearly died, and she had not once bothered to be kind, he’d given up the last vestiges of hope that she cared. He was her whipping boy, a target when she needed one to vent her bitterness on. With three failed marriages behind her, he supposed she needed something to occupy her.
He went into the back room again, and sat down at the table, staring at the towels tumbling around and around, suds flying around inside the cylinder, matching the whirring thoughts that clattered around inside his brain.
“She’s gone,” Alfie said quietly, coming to join him. He sat opposite and reached for Fly’s hand, squeezing gently. Fly felt tears in his eyes, and didn’t look up. He didn’t want to answer any questions, not then. “Why don’t I make us a cup of tea, and then we’ll wait for these towels together?” Alfie said, getting up and busying himself by the kettle.
Fly felt the tears overflow, and felt as miserable as he ever had. He sniffed quietly, embarrassed to lose control.
“She won’t be back,” Kaden said as he entered the room, sounding sympathetic. “If she comes back here, we’ll throw her out again, if that’s what you want.”
Fly glanced up finally, and met Kaden’s gaze. “I don’t want her here,” he replied, with no hint of his usual sass and vigor.
“Then she won’t be,” Kaden said firmly. “Are you okay?”
“She gave me the job with Daniel, your stepfather,” Fly said, staring at the table. “She said it was good money and I would be paid well for a couple of weeks’ work.” His mind went back to those terrible months in Colorado. “When I arrived, Kathleen and her sons were already there, and in a bad way. Noah and his friends were guarding them, but they were reluctant to obey Daniel’s orders. He wanted the bear shifters to hurt them, drug them, torture them. The bears refused. My job was to assess the mine itself, where we ended up being imprisoned. My friends and I worked hard, and the job didn’t take too long. We did what Daniel wanted, and finished in about two weeks. We weren’t comfortable with what was happening, but they had guns and Daniel made it clear what would happen to us if we didn’t complete our job.”
“Your mother knew what was going on?” Alfie asked, sounding horrified, putting tea bags into three cups as the kettle began to boil.
“I don’t know,” Fly said, and he didn’t. “I can’t believe she would condone such a thing against children, but who knows. She’s always been unkind to me, because I didn’t turn out how she wanted. I’m not butch, I hate any kind of contact sport, and I like painting my nails and dressing in girly clothing—her words, not mine. I can’t believe she’d be a party to what Daniel did, though.”
“How did you end up being imprisoned?” Kaden asked, sitting beside Fly. The cheetah shifter tensed a little, uncomfortable suddenly, since his boss was a big guy, and Fly was going to impart something that might make him fire Fly, despite their friendship.
“I followed Daniel and Kathleen one day. Daniel had one of his human guards take her into the woods, dragging her as though she was a sack of potatoes or something. Not any of us who were kept prisoner, but those who liked causing pain. None of those who ended up imprisoned hurt her or your brothers.” He met Kaden’s gaze bravely, wanting the man to know he’d had no part in what happened next.
“What happened?” Alfie asked, bringing over the tea and sitting opposite Fly and Kaden.
“Daniel had the guard strip Kathleen of her clothes, right there, in the woods. Then he ordered the man away. Kathleen was extremely fragile and no match for her husband. He attacked her, held her down when she screamed and struggled, and hurt her. I heard her cries for help. I tried to stop him, I really did, and ran toward them, trying to pull him off her,” Fly said, feeling sick again, as he had that day. “Daniel backhanded me, then turned on me, beating me. I fought back and shifted, scratching and biting him, but he was too strong. He shifted into his lion form, and nearly killed me. The next thing I knew, after I regained consciousness, was being down in that mine with the bear shifters. They’d been tricked into going down there, and then were locked inside for their disobedience. Even Daniel wasn’t stupid enough to take on bear shifters.” He met Kaden’s gaze again. “I couldn’t stop him from hurting Kathleen. I’m so sorry.”
Kaden was quiet for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. “My father is a little like your mom in a lot of ways,” he said after a while. Fly looked questioningly at him. “The man is never quite satisfied, and seems to want what other people have. If a neighbor bought a new car, he’d want a bigger car. If a friend went on vacation, my dad would have to go someplace more exotic. It was as though he was in competition with everyone. When we first moved in with Kathleen, and I met Sherman and his friends, it was okay for a while. Cracker’s sister was so sweet, and we clicked right away. But Daniel didn’t like our friendship. He made sure that he dealt with that, permanently.”
Fly knew what had happened. Stephanie, Cracker’s sister, had been murdered by a gang, hired by Daniel, because she’d been transgender. “You must hate him,” Fly said grimly.
“I loathe him,” Kaden said bitterly. “He had everything, and he destroyed it all, for money. That’s what it was about, control and money. Kathleen didn’t bow down to him, so he tried to destroy her. And her sons, his sons. He hurt them so badly.” He looked at Fly, his eyes sad. “Don’t be sorry,” he said. “My mom never speaks of that time, she’s determined to move forward, and not let him hurt her again, but the fact that you tried to protect her means a lot. You’re a good man, Fly. If you need to talk about your mom, or anything, I’m here, you know. As your friend. Not just as your boss.”
Fly nodded, biting his lip to keep it from trembling. “Thanks,” he whispered, and cleared his throat.
They moved away from the painful subject, and began discussing the day’s business, and what was on the books for the next day. Sipping tea, they waited for the towels to finish. Fly realized something that he hadn’t before. That he really did have friends. He felt as though this place really was home, now. God knew that living with his mother, with her various beaus and husbands
, he’d never felt that before. He’d always been a nuisance, a chore, someone to tolerate, and bring out on special occasions so his mother could play her role to the hilt, gaining sympathy for having such an awkward son.
“Don’t let her win,” Alfie said as they cleared up, the towels finished, an hour later. “She only has power over you if you let her,” he added. “We’re your friends, and we’re here for you.” He hugged Fly, and stroked his back gently. “Now let’s go get some chicken,” he said, more cheerfully. “I’m Feeling Clucky.”
They all laughed, the tension clearing at the comment, and headed off to eat.
Chapter Four
Noah turned from the drinks machine after filling an order for two Diet Cokes, fitted the lids onto the cups, then placed them onto the tray that sat on the counter. He smiled at his customers, thanked them, and watched them go to a nearby table to eat. He glanced at the next person in line, then grinned at the sight of Fly, Alfie, and Kaden standing there.
“Hey, guys,” he said, holding Fly’s gaze. He saw the flash of heat, the shared memory of that morning, and winked. “Hungry?” he asked, innocently enough.
“Flirt later,” Alfie said drolly. “We want chicken,” he said, waving at the two wolverines in the back, who were busy manning the grills and fryers.
Noah laughed. “Yes, sir,” he said, saluting the leopard shifter. “What can I get for you, sir?”
Alfie snorted, cocking his hip. “I fancy a Plucky Clucky,” he said, studying the menu, a smile on his face as he ordered. “With a Diet Coke. Mason and Jay already ate, so I’ll eat mine here, please. I’ll meet them at the bowling alley later.”
“I’ll have the same,” Fly said, smiling at his friend’s amusement.
