Family

by Crissy Smith

  “You too. Glad you made it back safe.”

  Max nodded but didn’t say anything. Yes, he had returned safely, but… No, he couldn’t think about that now. Instead, he noticed his brother’s obvious worry. Max offered Chase a small smile before giving his full attention to Alex.

  The Wilson family was one of the oldest members of the Pack. Chase, of course, was closer to them, living as a Pack, but Max still had a connection with the family. He’d been out of the country when he’d received word that the Wilson parents had been killed in an accident.

  Chase had been devastated and had told him how hard it had been on the kids. It seemed Alex had stepped up and done a good job getting his siblings through the grieving process.

  “Coffee?” Max picked up the pot from under the counter.

  Chase and Alex nodded.

  He poured three cups then slid the first two across to them. “So, what’s going on?”

  They exchanged a look that stood the hair up on the back of Max’s neck. “What?”

  “We need your help,” Alex said.

  “Of course,” he offered. He would do whatever he could to help any of the Pack members. Even though he hadn’t quite fit in with the kids growing up, they had never been mean to him. Their Alpha would not have allowed it.

  Max didn’t understand why he was different from everyone else. What had gone wrong to make him unable to shift? But it was what it was and there was nothing he could do about it.

  “Good.” Chase drew his attention. “Do you remember Cassandra?”

  “Your younger sister?” he asked Alex. He could picture the freckle-face girl with skinned knees, running around in shorts. She had always been tagging behind Alex and Chase as the boys had grown up. “Sort of.”

  Alex nodded. “We need security for her.”

  “Why?”

  As Alex and Chase filled him in on what was going on, Max found himself growing angry. He knew he had to get a handle on his reaction, though. After his last mission, he had gone through a debriefing and had been shown several techniques to control himself. The military did not want him to go off on civilians.

  But the thought of anyone threatening a member of his Pack made his blood boil. He listened intently as Alex explained the entire situation.

  “What do you need from me?” he asked when the man was finished.

  “Cassie won’t agree to move into the main house. She wants to stay in her residence and studio. I’m not comfortable with her being alone.”

  “You want me to watch over her?” he asked, surprised. He wasn’t a guard. He didn’t have a position with the Pack. His brother was the Alpha’s second, his Beta, but after Max had left for the Navy, he’d given up any rank within the Pack.

  “Yes,” Chase answered. “Alpha Shawn agreed. We’re doubling all security for the Pack, but we want Cassie to have someone with her full-time.”

  Max owed his Alpha a lot for always supporting him. Hell, he owed his brother, too. Chase had welcomed him back with open arms. His brother let Max stay in his house and had given him a job. “Okay, when do you want me to start?”

  Alex sighed heavily and dropped his head. “Thank you.”

  Max wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of guy. Normally he did everything he could to avoid contact with others, but he found himself reaching over and patting Alex’s shoulder. “Sure, I’m glad to help.”

  “I knew you would be,” Chase said proudly.

  Max warmed to his brother’s praise.

  “Chase can go over everything with you.” Alex stood. “I need to get back to the house. Cassie is with Jacob right now, but he has to work today.”

  Max nodded and waited until Alex was out of the door before turning to his brother. “What else?”

  Chase rubbed his hands roughly over his face. “Alpha Shawn is concerned about the publicity the gallery is getting. Several of the artists, Cassie in particular, have gotten a lot of attention. Last week we received a threat that if we didn’t cancel the upcoming show, we would regret it. It was from the Church for Humanity, the people the wolves have had problems with ever since we went public. Our Pack didn’t go public, and Shawn isn’t sure how much longer he can hide us if the Church has targeted us.”

  “Is that really a big concern? From what I’ve seen, there have only been a few issues since the shifters announced their presence.”

  “It’s a concern,” Chase told him. “The Coalition between all the shifter species is brand-new. We’re hoping that will protect all shifters, but until we know for sure, we still want to remain secret. Some of the human lawmakers are talking about forcing shifters to register.”

  “Register?”

  “Yeah, so they can have a database on all of us.”

  “That’s not right,” Max said in disgust.

  “I know. Shawn is talking with the council about what we can do, but he’s worried.”

  “Well, I’ll do what I can,” Max promised.

  “Good. How are you feeling?”

  He knew his brother was concerned. Chase might not know everything that had gone down with his last mission, but his brother knew him well. Chase had also witnessed some of his nightmares.

  “I’m fine.”

  Chase didn’t look like he believed him but didn’t push. “Scott’s coming in. I thought we could grab your stuff, then I’ll follow you over to the Wilson ranch.”

  “Sure.” Max picked up the empty coffee cups. “Let me just finish cleaning up real quick.”

  “Okay, I have to grab a few things from the office, anyway.”

  Max went back into the kitchen to wash the last of the pans he’d used earlier. He didn’t like leaving a mess. His brother might own the diner, but Max always pulled his weight. He hoped he would be an asset for the Wilson family. He remembered they had always been so happy. Very similar to his own. They’d never treated him any different either.

  He was scrubbing the last pan when Scott Little walked in the back door.

  “Hey, man!” Scott waved at him.

  Max inclined his head since his hands were still in the water. “Thanks for coming.”

  “No problem,” Scott assured him. “Didn’t have anything planned today anyway.”

  Scott attended the community college in the next town over and was an okay kid. Max enjoyed their shifts together as well as Scott’s quirky humor.

  “You about ready?” Chase called from the front of the diner.

  Max rinsed off the pan then placed it in the strainer. “Yeah.”

  He waved to Scott as he joined his brother out front. He grabbed his jacket and keys from under the counter. Together, they left.

  One of his first purchases when he’d returned to the States had been his Harley. Chase had tried to get him to use one of the Alpha’s many vehicles, but Max enjoyed riding the bike. He craved the freedom that the motorcycle provided him.

  He’d found that the best time to ride down the canyon was just before sunset. The gorgeous views on the back of his Harley could not be seen the same way in a truck or an SUV. Max threw his leg over the bike and turned the key. The machine came alive under him. He couldn’t suppress his grin. Yes, motorcycles were dangerous, and he loved every single second he was on his.

  Chase waved at him as he climbed inside his truck.

  Chase’s house was just outside the city limits. He needed to be close to the Alpha in case any problems arose. The fifteen-minute ride was smooth and without a lot of traffic. Max’s brother was ahead of him as they both drove in the same direction.

  The Wilson ranch was farther inside the canyon lands. He would be able to take his bike there and hopefully would have time to ride some of the private roads. Plus, there was good hiking around the Wilson place. He didn’t know if Cassie Wilson hiked, but he sure hoped so. It would be nice to be able to get some fresh air and just be away from everyone and everything.

  He pulled up beside his brother’s truck then turned the engine off. Chase’s abode was small compare
d to a lot of the other Pack houses. But the three-bedroom structure was enough for them. Chase had welcomed the company when Max had come back to town. Their parents had offered to let Max stay with them. However, he was glad Chase had suggested they live together. He loved his mom and dad, but at forty, he didn’t want to live with them again.

  “I’m going to take a shower while you get your things together,” Chase informed him.

  Max nodded and made his way to his bedroom. He didn’t have a lot. Just clothes and a few things he’d kept in storage. Even the furniture in the bedroom was his brother’s.

  Finally, Max felt like he was putting roots down. Eventually, he would buy his own home and concentrate on discovering what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Whether he’d stay in Canyon or move on, he wasn’t sure. He had time to decide.

  He grabbed two duffels out of his closet then started to pack. He didn’t know how long he would be needed at the Wilson ranch. It was better to have too much stuff than to have to leave Cassandra to go pick up what he needed.

  He threw in jeans, T-shirts, boxers, socks and a light jacket. Back at his closet, he reached up to the top shelf and brought down the lock box. Max carried the box to the bed and sat.

  It had been six months since he’d opened it.

  He removed the keys from his pocket and carefully unlocked then lifted the lid. Inside was his favorite gun. A .45 Desert Eagle.

  He ran his fingers over the stainless-steel barrel and sighed. He hadn’t held a weapon in his hand since he’d left the Navy. He wasn’t sure he would even be able to fire it again.

  As he sat on the bed, he could still smell the smoke from the last gunfight. He hadn’t been shooting his Desert Eagle that day. The M4 that he’d had on his shoulder had run out of ammo and Max had looked down in horror when he’d realized the entire team had used all the bullets they’d brought with them.

  The house they’d been hiding in was small. Evan Cruise had lain at Max’s feet, wounded and crying out in pain.

  Deep down, he’d feared that was it. They were all going to die over in some godawful place and no one would know all they had wanted to do was rescue the captured aid workers.

  The missions were classified and Max wondered if Evan’s family would even be given his body.

  The guerilla fighters who had gotten the jump on them had still been shooting into the house. Max had knelt beside his friend and gripped Evan’s hand. He’d been in charge of his five-man team. It’d been up to him to get them out.

  “You okay?”

  Max started at Chase’s voice. He slammed the lid closed on the gun box and stood. Quickly, he stuffed the container at the top of one of the duffels and faced his brother. “Yeah, just about done.”

  Concern was evident on Chase’s face. Max had to ignore it. He wasn’t ready to talk about what he’d been through. Actually, he couldn’t speak to anyone about anything. He rushed into the bathroom then quickly packed everything he would need for the next several days.

  When he returned to the bedroom, Chase was zipping up one of the bags. Max dumped his toiletries into the other then closed it. They each grabbed one as they headed out of the door. Max was relieved that Chase wasn’t pushing him. He knew that he would have to share something with Chase soon. At the moment, his brother was giving him time.

  “I’ll take your bags over for you,” Chase offered.

  “Thanks.” He passed the second duffel to his brother. Ready to go, he strode to the bike.

  He could probably find the Wilson ranch on his own, but any time he had a flashback he was always a little shaky. He needed a few minutes to get his bearings, but he would have to follow Chase so he wouldn’t get lost.

  Chase backed out and Max waited until the dust settled, then followed. He was happy to have something to keep his thoughts off what he’d been through.

  Hopefully this new job would help him clear his mind.

  It took longer than he expected to reach the Wilson property. He slowed at the large gate where Chase was waiting. His brother waved him through and Max drove on. He pulled off to the side as Chase closed and locked the gate again.

  Max was glad to see that they were indeed taking precautions on security.

  Chase climbed back into his truck and started south. Max followed, using his senses to get familiar with the area. The main house loomed in the distance, a strong, solid structure that appeared inviting. Max could remember the barbecues that he and his family attended there when he was younger.

  Even with the passing of their parents, it looked like the Wilson children had kept the property up. Green grass filled both sides of the paved road. As he pulled next to his brother and turned off his motorcycle, he could hear horses not far from him.

  He turned his head to see if he could spot them and couldn’t. He hadn’t ridden in over a decade. His family didn’t keep animals, and in the service, he hadn’t had the opportunity. Excitement had him swinging off his bike. He’d always enjoyed the freedom of being on the back of one of the large animals. Luckily, even though the horses could sense the predator in a shifter, as long as a mount was treated with respect it didn’t have any problems accepting shifters as riders or caregivers. The stallions and mares sure were trusting. In that regard, Max was envious of them.

  “They still have horses?”

  Chase nodded. “Yeah, Alex puts a lot of time into them.”

  “I thought he worked in the gallery.”

  Chase waved his hand. “He does. But his love will always be the horses first.”

  The front door opened and the subject of their conversation stepped out. “Hey, guys.”

  Smiling widely, Alex stomped down the stairs to greet them. He’d changed out of his slacks into jeans. Max was relieved to see Alex more relaxed, and glad he had agreed to help. It was great to be needed again.

  They shook hands and Alex motioned toward the house. “Cassie’s inside. Let’s talk here before you go over to the house.”

  Max nodded and followed Alex and his brother.

  The cool air hit him as soon as he walked inside. Max hadn’t noticed just how hot he was until the air conditioning blew over him.

  He must have made a sound, because Alex glanced back at him. “Cassie keeps the air on frigid. She can’t stand being hot.”

  Since Max had spent way too much time in deserts and jungles, he agreed with her. “Feels good.”

  Alex grinned. “You’ll fit in just fine.”

  He hung back, taking in the homey feel of the ranch house. The Wilsons had money, but he wasn’t uncomfortable walking through the hall. The simple touches around the place were welcoming, not intimidating.

  The hall opened into a large living room with beautiful wood flooring. Dark-brown leather couches dominated the space and a huge flat-screen television was placed over the stone hearth. In the corner, standing by the curved bar, was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen.

  She smiled wide when their gazes met. “Wow! You grew up.”

  Max opened his mouth to respond then closed it again quickly. There was no way this sexy creature in front of him was Cassie Wilson. Gone were the braids and the crooked teeth. Instead, she had a pixie cut of short brown hair with streaks of blonde. She had to be only five foot five or so. She was tanned and had a body built for a man’s hands. He had to clench his teeth to keep from reaching out for her.

  He groaned mentally. Not what he had expected. Cassie Wilson was an attractive woman. Her soft chocolate eyes sparkled with amusement as she licked her lips.

  Fuck! His cock hardened painfully. Max struggled to push aside his carnal needs and remember there were two other people in the room.

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  About the Author

  Crissy Smith lives in Texas with her husband, daughter, and three Labrador retrievers. The three dogs love to curl up under her computer desk and nap while she writes. It doesn’t leave a lot of room for her but what’s a woman to do?

  When not writing or reading, she enjoys hunting, camping and shooting. But she has a girly side too and is addicted to pedicures and coffee.

  She has been writing since she was a teenager and still loves everything to do with the paranormal. Her stories and characters all have a place in her heart. She loves the Alpha male, the dominant werewolf, and the Master vampire, which find their way in most of her books.

  Learn more about the characters she has created at her website where they have their very own page. It will be updated from time to time to let you know what’s going on with them. Also you can find out who will be in the next book.

  Crissy loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website details and author profile page at https://www.totallybound.com