by Celia Kyle
Lauren paused by the cash register and pulled up table eighteen’s ticket. The push of a few buttons had the bill printing. She reached down and stretched to snatch the thermal paper from the printer. The move tugged on the bite and she hissed out a breath when the pain zinged through her. Groaning, she grabbed the slip and stood, rubbing her shoulder, and wishing away the ache.
“You okay, doll?” Nellie’s concerned voice came from her right and she turned to face the older woman. She’d owned and operated the diner for as long as Lauren could remember and she looked to her as a surrogate mother of sorts.
“Fine. Just a little…” Bear bite? “thing,” she finished lamely.
Nellie snaked her arm around Lauren’s and tugged her toward the kitchen. “C’mon now.”
“Nellie, I’ve got table eighteen waiting—”
The woman snatched the slip from her and shoved it at one of the other waitresses. She didn’t even pause in their travels. Steal and shove and it was done.
Dang it.
They kept moving past the kitchen and into the back office. The small space was cluttered, almost claustrophobic once they occupied the tiny area.
“All right now, let’s see what we’ve got.” Nellie tugged on Lauren’s top and bared her shoulder before she could voice a protest.
Now rhinos dressed as butterflies took up residence in her stomach. “It’s… it’s not… The thing is…”
“The boy got a little excited, hmm?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I tripped and fell.” She was proud of herself for that lie. Even if it was a lie and her wound was so blatantly a bite.
“Uh-huh.” Nellie raised a single brow. “Honey, there are some things I don’t know, but I know a claiming bite when I see it.” The air in Lauren’s lungs froze, chest refusing to move. “Breathe, honey. Just breathe.” The older woman took a slow, deep breath, encouraging Lauren to do the same. Ha! Easier than it looked.
“How…? I didn’t… You can’t tell.”
Nellie rolled her eyes. “Honey, I’m just human enough to slink under the radar and just enough bear to be friends with the Abrams brothers’ granddaddy.” She held up her hand, holding her thumb and forefinger a hairsbreadth apart. “Was this close to mating the old coot, but he had ideas about a fated mate, and I had ideas about college.” She shrugged. “Broke my heart for a little while, but then I met my Edward.” She released Lauren’s top and clapped her hands together. “C’mon then, let’s doctor this a little and get some over-the-counter pain medication in you and you’ll be as good to go as you can be.”
“Nellie…”
“Oh, hush. Van’s a good man, better bear. He’s like his granddaddy. Out of all of them, he’s the one. He had more than a little trouble with humans when he was young, that whole family did, bless their hearts. Now he’s the Enforcer and they see and do the worst. Make’s ’em biased. Van more than most.”
“What—”
“Order up!” Edward yelled from the kitchen. It broke their little moment and sent Nellie into action, bustling around the small space, gathering what they needed. In minutes, Lauren was patched up.
The second she passed into the dining room, she was on automatic, smiling as she refilled glasses and passed out checks. After a little while, the throbbing ache lessened to a dull pulse. Annoying, but not debilitating.
Before long, the breakfast rush was gone, only a few customers lingering at the counter. And then there was Mia, the Itana, munching on toast in the back.
Damn it. She needed the woman gone so she could head over to her old apartment and argue with the greasy landlord. The last thing she wanted was Mia to see where she lived, see that her brother-in-law was mated to some trashy, dirt poor woman. Money didn’t make her, didn’t substantiate her worth, but there were a lot of people who thought differently. Those who looked at someone who survived paycheck to paycheck as something less than them.
Lauren didn’t want to be seen that way. Least of all by her mate’s family. Or worse, her mate. She wanted to get in, grab her stuff, deal with the landlord, and then get out again. All before Van caught her.
Mia had to ruin her plans by tagging along.
Smiling, she approached Mia’s table, coffee carafe in one hand. “Hey, Ita—” She cut herself off before she outed Mia. “Hey, Mia, can I get you more coffee? Breakfast?” She checked her watch. “It’s nearing the lunch shift. Did you want a sandwich? Grilled cheese?”
“Grilled cheese?” Mia looked so hopeful. “With real, full fat mayo and bad-for-me cheese?”
“Um, sure?” Lauren wasn’t sure what kind of answer the Itana was looking for.
The pregnant woman wiggled out of the booth and wrapped her arms around Lauren in a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. Ty keeps throwing away all the good food and is making me eat vegetables and low-fat everything and… granola. What do I want with granola?”
“I’m sure he wants you to be healthy through your pregnancy.”
Mia snorted. “Happy pregnant women make healthy pregnant women. I should get sick or really fat to spite him.”
She smiled and shook her head. “For now we’ll stick with grilled cheese.”
“And greasy potato chips.”
“And greasy potato chips,” Lauren confirmed. “It should be out in ten minutes or so.”
That bought her ten minutes, plus she could get Nellie to deliver it and maybe chat up Mia a little. All in all, she could probably squeeze out a half hour to disappear and then return. The furniture wasn’t even hers. So a handful of bags with her few belongings and she was free.
“Yum.” Mia clapped her hands and practically bounced.
All righty then.
Lauren headed back to the kitchen, heart rate increasing with every step. In and out, in and out. She kept reminding herself of the plan as she slipped into the kitchen. Not wanting to bother with the computer system, she wrote up an order ticket and popped it in front of Edward at the grill so he could whip up Mia’s lunch.
The man simply nodded in acceptance, so Lauren went hunting for Nellie. She found the woman leaning against the counter, chatting up one of the regulars.
“Hey, Nellie?”
The older woman turned toward her. “What’s up, honey?”
“I’m gonna take my break real quick. Mia’s got an order in. Do you think you could take it over when it’s ready?” She leaned closer to whisper in Nellie’s ear. “And maybe stall her for a little while?”
She pushed away from the counter and propped her hands on her hips. “What are you up to?”
Lauren did her best to appear innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh.” Nellie stared, waiting her out.
Damn it.
“I wanna pack up my stuff. Talk to the landlord. I don’t…” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t want her seeing that, or him knowing about it, Nellie. Thirty minutes.”
She was still so thankful that Keen had agreed to keep her living conditions a secret.
“Honey, you know—”
“Please.”
Nellie sighed. “Hurry and don’t think I won’t rat you out if you’re not back in half an hour.”
Lauren dropped a kiss on the older woman’s cheek. “You’re the best.”
“Uh-huh.”
Not wanting to be around in case Nellie changed her mind, Lauren darted through the kitchen door and toward the back entry. She snagged her purse on the way. Now she had to bolt around the building, ducking down so she couldn’t be seen through the walls of windows, and hit the sidewalk. Her apartment was only two blocks down. A quick jog there and back. Easy peasy, no harm, no foul.
Less than a minute later she realized there was no peasy that went with easy.
Damn it.
Mia leaned against the corner of the building, smile wide and one hand protectively cupping her belly. “Language.”
Lauren resisted the urge to growl. “Mia, fa
ncy meeting you here.”
“Yup. To think, I’m sitting there, waiting for a luscious grilled cheese sandwich with greasy chips, when I hear someone chatting about leaving and doing something or other and all that other stuff. I admit, I stopped listening after that person got to the ‘leaving’ portion of the plan.” She pushed away from the wall and closed the distance between them. “Especially considering that person promised Van she’d stay at work. Interesting, isn’t it?”
She couldn’t help it, she whined, “Mia, you don’t understand.”
The Itana stopped beside her and wrapped an arm around Lauren’s waist before urging her toward the sidewalk. “I know what I heard and, while I disagree with everything you told Nellie, I do understand. It’s going to take time for you to trust Van. Your mating is maybe a minute old, so you’re worried. As for how the family will feel…” Mia rested her head on Lauren’s shoulder. “The family is so, so happy that Van found his mate. You could have two heads and they wouldn’t care. Your parents could be ax murderers and the trait passed down from generation to generation and they wouldn’t bat an eye.” She huffed. “So what we’re gonna do is go to your apartment and pack things up.”
“But…”
“And then we’re going to come back here. Ty and Van will be none the wiser. You can’t outright lie, you can, however, tell them we had assistance in getting your belongings to the diner.” The Itana grinned. “I assisted you and you assisted me.”
“Okay then.” Lauren wasn’t going to argue too much.
It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth. But it still wasn’t a lie.
“We need to go right at the sidewalk.”
“Right it is!” Mia’s joy was infectious. “And then it’s back for that moan-worthy grilled cheese.”
Shaking her head, Lauren led the Itana toward her apartment. Nerves clawed at her belly, but bringing Mia was better than being followed by Van.
It didn’t take long to reach her place, Mia’s chatter making the trip seem shorter. Then again, that could have been from the rising tension inside her.
The Itana’s babbling didn’t increase or slow, merely remained steady as they climbed the rickety stairs, gripping the railing around the fourth step and then clutching the wall at the eighth. Mostly because the rail was sorta… gone there.
Her prattle continued as they gathered her few keepsakes, tossing them into a few duffels she dug out of the closet. When all was said and done, she had three bags and one black garbage bag containing the rest of her clothes.
Her life fit in four bags.
How pathetic did that make her?
A lot.
Shaking her head, she pasted a smile on her face. “That’s it.”
Mia looked down at the pile at their feet. “Yeah?”
When the Itana looked at her again, she ignored the pity in her gaze. Lauren didn’t need pity. She’d long ago grown out of pity parties. She wasn’t about to have one today.
“Yup.” She grabbed the three duffels and held out the bag of clothes. Honestly, it probably weighed all of five pounds considering Keen had snared most of her outfits and whatnot when he’d swung by.
Again she thanked god he’d kept his mouth shut about her shithole apartment.
Lauren tromped down the steps first, taking her time and making sure she braced herself with each one. If Mia slipped and fell, she’d be there to catch her. The last thing she needed was a pregnant Itana breaking her neck on the stairs.
Before long they were on solid ground and toward the sidewalk.
“Lauren? What about the landlord?”
She groaned. After showing Mia her apartment, she really didn’t want her meeting the asshole landlord of Pine Place. She shook her head. “My landlord? Brubaker?” She waved her hand pretending to not care when inside, she really, really did. “Naw, I’ll call him.”
“You sure? We could—”
“What do you think you’re doing? Skipping out on me? Rent’s late!” The man’s raspy voice grated her nerves and Lauren gritted her teeth before turning to face him. The man was tall, fit, and would probably be attractive if he showered and shaved. Ever.
As it was, she held her breath as he approached.
“I asked a question,” Brubaker, Bru, barked at her.
Squaring her shoulders, she answered him, careful not to show any weakness. She’d been at his mercy when she barely scraped together enough to afford the place. Now she was Van’s mate and she lived in a gorgeous house. She still didn’t make a lot, but she wasn’t poor any longer. She wasn’t alone any longer.
She wasn’t alone…
The thought struck home, reverberated deep inside her. She wasn’t alone. She had someone to lean on. She had someone who’d always be at her back.
She had Van. She had a family.
Fuck this jerk.
Mia leaned into her. “Language.”
Smiling, she stuck out her tongue at the Itana. “I’m moving out. You get half my deposit because I didn’t give you notice.” She dug into her pocket and tugged out the slip of paper she’d written on that morning. She’d jotted down Van’s address, knowing she’d need it for Bru. “You can forward the other half here.”
“Deposit?” Brubaker spit on the ground, narrowly missing her feet. He wanted to intimidate her. She wanted Van to come over and beat him to a pulp. “I think there’s some damages that’ll cost you the rest of that deposit. Those nail holes in the wall and such.”
Dick. Prick. Fucker.
Mia leaned in again. “Langua—”
“I get it, I get it.” Lauren huffed and wondered how the woman managed to know. “Look, Brubaker…” Her voice trailed off as Mia stepped forward, drawing the landlord’s attention.
The Itana wiggled her nose and breathed deep, repeating the process twice more before finally releasing the air in a heavy whoosh.
Then she adopted the mantle of authority Lauren had yet to see. “I believe in adhering to any contracts signed, don’t you? Now, Brubaker, is there a reason you missed the gathering last week?”
Huh?
“Look, lady—”
“Itana.” Mia quietly corrected him and then it hit Lauren between the eyes.
The landlord was one of them, er, her or something. She was a bear, but wasn’t a bear, to the clan and she still hadn’t figured out how to refer to bear-bears and human-bears.
The change in the male was instant. The cocky, asshole attitude shifted to one of deference, respect, and a hint of fear. Lauren really liked the fear aspect.
“Itana.” He tilted his head to the side. “Lauren will get her full deposit. Mailed directly to this address.”
“Good. And you weren’t at the gathering because…”
Brubaker gulped. “Well…”
“The Itan will see you this evening. We can all discuss this little building you’re running and your place in the clan. Am I clear?” Mia’s voice was hard and firm, the smiling woman she’d been with moments ago now gone beneath the power of her position.
“Yes, Itana.”
Mia jerked her head in a quick nod. “Good. I’ll see you this evening.”
With that proclamation, the Itana spun and stomped down the walkway to the sidewalk. Lauren hurried to keep pace, the woman’s strides eating up the ground as she headed back to the diner.
When she finally caught up with Mia, she said the only thing that came to mind. “Holy shit that was awesome.”
“Language.” The woman shot her a grin. “And yes, it was.” Then, the big, bad ass woman bounced. “Totally awesome.”
Then things got quite a bit less awesome. Like, holy shit that’s bad.
The squeal of tires washed over her moments before a dark blue SUV caught her attention. It roared toward them, front bumper aimed in their direction and its speed increased with every passing second.
Lauren froze, heart beating a frantic rhythm and terror overtook her, invading her body in a tsunami of panic. As if time stood still,
she looked to Mia, noted her wide-eyed stare and fear overpowering her features. The Itana clutched her belly, hand resting protectively over the tiny bump, and Lauren did the only thing she could.
Gathering every ounce of strength inside her, she shoved Mia, slamming her body against the Itana’s until the woman stumbled aside. That left Lauren in the path of the vehicle, her feet tangled among dropped bags, leaving her a target for the driver. She locked eyes with the man behind the wheel, noted the yellow of his irises and the long canines that extended past his lip.
The SUV was ten feet away.
She hoped it was quick. Hoped she wouldn’t suffer.
Five feet.
Then… A heavy weight slammed against her, forcing the air from her lungs as she collided with the concrete, the massive bulk holding her firmly against the ground. The roar of the SUV’s engine filled her ears, but the true, agonizing pain she expected didn’t come. Instead, aches from her smash into the concrete traveled through her.
“Damn it, Lauren.” Van’s trembling growl filled her ears and she’d never been so happy to be yelled at in her entire life.
Chapter Fifteen
Van almost lost her. Feet. Inches. That SUV’s bumper rushed Lauren and he pulled every ounce of strength his bear possessed to get to her. Even then, it’d been a narrow escape.
Two hours later and his animal still hadn’t calmed. It’d pause for a moment, soothed by his attempts at reasoning with the bear, only to have the beast get riled once again.
Fuck. He couldn’t stop replaying the moments in his mind. His frustration over Lauren leaving the diner with Mia. Anger that she’d left the safety of her job and trekked to her old apartment.
Then he’d somehow missed her at the apartment. Instead of finding Lauren and Mia, he’d found a dirty bear begging for forgiveness and would the Enforcer put in a good word with the Itan on his behalf. At that point, Van would have agreed to anything if it meant getting to Lauren a second quicker.
After that, he’d taken off at a slow jog, anxious to be at her side.
He came around the corner in time to see her shove Mia to the ground. She froze directly in the path of the SUV, centered between the vehicle’s headlights as it barreled toward her. He’d never been so scared in his life, never ran so hard, or demanded so much of his bear.