by Zola Bird
The younger man had learned something since their last encounter, though. He stuck to his guns, hammering it hard in the tight turn. Too hard and he’d go over the edge. Greg knew that. So did Tom. Greg slipped up between Tom’s car and the rock wall. There was room, but not a lot.
Go for it.
Greg sped through the gap. Almost made it, too. But Tom sandwiched him in. Metal ground as the sides of their cars briefly touched. Stupid move. If either of them wanted to win, they needed an intact car to do it. Tom forced Greg into the rock wall. Two could play at that game. Except there was a cliff on the other side of Tom’s car and Greg was no murderer. Greg tapped his brakes and lost his side mirror as Tom zoomed ahead.
It went on like that, cat and mouse, and all Greg could think about was how he had driven Tom to this point. They had been friends once. Bears in the city. But a woman had come between them. And that woman had died. Now, while no amount of racing could change what had happened, this race, this last contest between them, could influence the future. Greg had already lost one woman. There was no way he was going to lose Amanda.
Greg sped on, neck and neck with Tom until they reached the final stretch. Greg knew it would come down to their nitrous-oxide-fueled boost bottles at the end. Somebody would have to take the plunge first, but not too soon. The person who boosted last would win. Greg could see Tom in the driver’s seat as they raced down the straightaway. You needed nerves of steel for this game. Nerves of steel and the willingness to wait out your opponent.
And Tom didn’t have them. He speared his vehicle down the straightaway, hitting his boost. Tom’s car took off ahead of Greg’s, but Greg wasn’t worried. He knew Tom would run out of juice and Greg would take the lead. But as Greg looked ahead, he saw a problem. The road had been deserted for the entire race, but now he saw a semi-truck. It appeared to have stalled in the oncoming lane, right before the finish line. There would be no room to overtake Tom at the end of the race.
Greg had to do it now.
He brought it up to the redline and hit his own boost.
Greg was rocked back into the seat as his car flew ahead. Tom was already losing speed, but Greg was going on strong. He rocketed up right beside him, the two cars inches apart. Going the distance. Going for speed. But only one of them could squeeze past the semi-truck first. Only one could be the winner.
Tom stared over at Greg.
Greg glanced over at Tom.
Too bad, bear. You lose.
Greg redlined his car. He didn’t care if the engine blew. Another second and a half and he’d have it. He’d squeeze past the semi-truck before Tom. He’d win. But then he saw Amanda. She had stepped into the road, just behind the finish line, holding the flag.
What are you doing there? Move!
She needed to get out of there. They continued to grind on, two cars’ widths heading for a single lane. Greg hammered it. But so did Tom. They were going fast. Really fast. If one of them didn’t clear the semi-truck first, they would do more than wreck their cars. People could get hurt. Amanda could get hurt.
They were neck and neck, facing down the narrow squeeze, but it was too dangerous.
Somebody had to man up. Somebody had to make the call.
Greg knew he couldn’t be a part of something like this again. Something had to give and that something was him. Greg tapped the brakes. And in a split second, Tom accelerated ahead of him and entered the single lane before Greg. Greg sprinted to the finish line on Tom’s tail, but Tom crossed the line first.
**********************
By the time Greg got out of his vehicle, Tom was already surrounded by spectators. To the victor went the spoils. But Greg didn’t see Tom as the victor. Not under the circumstances. Not when people’s lives had been at risk. Tom broke free from the crowd.
“I suppose we won’t be seeing much more of you,” Tom said.
“The road was too tight. You know it as well as I do.”
“You’re just a sore loser,” Tom said.
“And you’re dangerous.”
“I still won,” Tom said.
“I suppose you did. But you and I are going to talk,” Greg said quietly through clenched teeth.
Amanda wormed her way through the crowd. “Let’s get out of here, Greg.”
“No. He said he wants to talk, we’re going to talk,” Tom said.
Greg took Tom aside to the forest beyond the road.
“You endangered Amanda,” Greg said. “She was standing down there.”
“And for the last time, you lost,” Tom said. “Time to pack your bags.”
“You could have killed her,” Greg said.
“Well, I guess I missed this time,” Tom said.
How dare he be so cavalier.
Greg felt a rage so intense take possession of him that he was powerless to stop it. He shifted. Greg didn’t care that his bear had welled to the surface with such frightening intensity that he hadn’t even consciously chosen to shift. He could not believe Tom had deliberately endangered his mate.
Greg’s bear leaped forward as Tom shifted before him. Tom’s bear retreated, backward into the forest, but Greg’s bear was on him within seconds. This was no playful skirmish of frisky cubs. This was war, and Tom was far out of his territory, not to mention a smaller bear. Greg’s bear pounced on him, swiping with his powerful claw. Tom’s bear bit at Greg’s neck, but Greg’s bear responded with another vicious swipe to the head. Tom’s bear was bleeding now. He let out a whimper, but Greg’s bear bit at his rival’s neck, going for the kill…
“…Greg.”
Greg thought he heard something in the back of his head.
Probably just that whiny Beta, Tom, begging for mercy.
“…Greg.”
Beg on, Beta. I’m not stopping now. Not after, what you’ve done.
“Greg, please let him go, this isn’t you.”
Shut your foul mouth, Beta. You’re dead to me.
“Greg. Please stop. It’s me, Amanda.”
And Greg turned, blood on his snout, to see Amanda standing there, tears in her eyes. He lifted his paw, freeing Tom’s bear. Tom’s bear ran into the forest, and in that moment, something in Greg switched over. Without even realizing it, he shifted back to his human form. And Amanda turned away, leaving him standing naked and alone in the forest.
**********************
Amanda couldn’t believe what she had seen, and she wasn’t referring to the bears. You couldn’t work at a place like Wild Alpha Auto for as long as she had without suspecting something was up. Not to mention that her best friend Jada was terrible at keeping secrets. No, Amanda had known about Greg’s bear for some time and had gotten more or less used to the idea. The fact that Tom was a bear was a surprise, but given Greg’s shifter status, it hand’t taken her long to wrap her mind around the idea.
No, it wasn’t the shifter thing, but rather Greg’s behavior that freaked Amanda out. Greg had always been firm but caring and kind, however, when she saw his bear tearing into Tom, he was none of those things. And she hadn’t liked what she had seen.
Amanda needed to talk to Greg about what she’d witnessed, but he didn’t come into work the next day. Brandon said he’d called in for another personal day. However, Tom showed up. Tom’s car had seen better days, but he was healthy as a horse, only the tiniest of scratches visible on his nose. Amanda overheard him speaking to the other detail guys in the wash shack.
“It’s not always speed,” Tom said. “It’s will. You need to have the will to do what the other guy won’t do.”
“Is that what you did?” Amanda said, entering the shack.
Tom looked up. “I won, didn’t I?”
“You crossed the finish line first, if that’s what you’re asking,” Amanda said.
“You’re just pissed your boyfriend didn’t put it down on the track,” Tom said.
“Greg’s a bigger man than you’ll ever be. And I mean that in more ways than one.”
“Oh
hh… them’s fighting words.”
“Do yourself a favor, Tom. Next time you sleep around, A—tell the girl what you are, and B—” Amanda raised her thumb and forefinger measuring a three-inch distance. “Do it with somebody who won’t kiss and tell.”
Tom blushed as the two other guys in the wash shack broke into laughter and Amanda left without another word.
**********************
Amanda went to see Greg right after work. His apartment door was open, so she poked her head in.
“Greg.”
Greg looked up from an open cardboard box. Pictures had been taken down from the walls and a mattress sat on its side in the hall. Greg was packing.
“What are you doing?” Amanda asked.
“Moving.”
“Why?”
“You know the deal. Loser leaves Wild Summit. I lost.”
“But you lost on purpose. You said it was too dangerous to push through to the end.”
“A bet’s a bet, Amanda.”
Greg sealed up the box with packing tape.
“Is this because I saw your bear?” Amanda asked. “Or because Tom is a bear too? Or because you almost killed him?”
“It’s not about that,” Greg said, looking up from his packing.
“Then what’s it about? Tell me.”
“It’s about doing the right thing. For everybody involved.”
“You know what, Greg? I don’t think that’s it. I think something happened in your past. Tom knows about it and he’s holding it over your head. And don’t make this about your bear, either. I saw him and I’m fine with him. This isn’t about doing the right thing for everybody. This is about doing the easy thing for you.”
Amanda didn’t know what else she could say. So she left.
**********************
Greg finished packing. Dealing with Amanda had been hard. But it was better to sever ties now. He knew what Tom would do if he stayed. Tom would reveal what had happened in the city so many years ago, and that was something he didn’t want people in Wild Summit to know about. No, better that he leave now. Quietly. Before things got a whole lot worse.
Of course, there were loose ends. And not just Amanda. Much of Greg’s life had been lived in Wild Summit. He’d gone to school there. Worked there. And now he was going to leave there. The irony was that if he hadn’t been so attached to the place, he might have stayed. But not with what Tom held over him. He couldn’t bear the community knowing.
Greg needed air. He decided to take a walk to clear his head. The apartment was basically packed. The movers could do the rest. He knew where he was going. His father had bequeathed him a place in the city several years ago. It was sitting empty, but now that he was getting out of Wild Summit, he was happy to have it. It was a place to go to. A place to start over.
He still had to tell Brandon, of course. And Jeremy and Peter. They’d smooth it over with their father. Not that it needed smoothing over, but Greg didn’t like leaving them in the lurch. Still, Greg had a no-questions-asked policy with Brandon. If something was serious enough, there were no questions asked. And this qualified. Maybe later, when things had calmed down, he could explain himself. But for now, he just needed to get out. He’d have to duct tape the mirror back on his car, of course. His ride had gotten pretty banged up during the race.
What upset Greg, more than leaving his friends and his home, was leaving Amanda. His bear bristled at the indignation. He had finally found her, the woman who was his true mate, and here he was leaving town. But it needed to be done. His beast was wild. He had come very close to killing Tom last night, and whether he wanted to or not, the situation hadn’t warranted it. There was no imminent threat. No, letting his bear make the decisions would be bad for the both of them. What Greg needed now was time. Time away. Time to plan what came next.
As he walked through town, however, his mind kept circling back to Amanda. Her sparkling eyes, the laughs they had shared together. Her trust in him had been shaken. He had seen it in her stare. He wished she hadn’t seen his bear attack Tom. But he knew Amanda well, and he knew that she would be fine without him. Better than fine. Still, as he passed by Romeo’s, he felt a stab of longing. It didn’t matter. He was doing the right thing. But he couldn’t escape the feeling that he should at least tell her why.
**********************
Amanda diced onions. She didn’t understand Greg. Not even a little bit. She wasn’t kidding about his bear. The bear thing didn’t scare her. Maybe if she hadn’t known Jada and her experience with Brandon, it might have, but not now, even if the whole thing was a bit freaky. Greg was worried about something, though. That much was obvious. And it was something big.
Amanda continued to slice and dice. She had way more onions than she’d ever need at this point, but she didn’t care. She kept chopping even though she had started to cry. And it wasn’t just the onions that had done it to her. It was everything. Tom. Greg. The race. The fight. Now this. It was too much. Only the chopping offered her any salvation. She had no idea what she’d do with all of the onions. Maybe make one hell of a French onion soup. She was chopping so hard that she didn’t notice the door of her apartment open behind her.
“Hello, Amanda.”
Amanda recognized the voice. She turned. “Tom, how did you get in?”
“I borrowed your spare key the night I stayed here.”
“I didn’t lend you my key.”
Tom kicked the door closed behind him.
“Sorry. I guess I meant to say I took it.”
Amanda felt a chill run up her spine. Was this really happening? Tom didn’t look like he was paying a social call. He looked angry and it scared her. What was he doing here?
“Tom,” Amanda said. “I want you to leave right now.”
Tom laughed. “The way I see it, you and I have some unfinished business.”
He stepped toward her.
“And what business is that?”
“Our date.”
“You didn’t show up.”
“I’m here now.”
“Get out,” Amanda said coldly, raising her chopping knife.
“Why? You going to cut me?”
“That’s right,” Amanda said with more confidence than she felt. “Get out or I’ll cut your tiny dick off.”
“Yeah, about that,” Tom said with a sardonic smile. “Don’t talk about my dick. Especially in front of other people.”
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll have to show it to you again.”
Tom strode up to her.
“Stay back,” Amanda warned, her voice cracking.
And Tom rushed in. Amanda came down with the knife. Hard. She wasn’t about to let this man touch her. Except Tom was fast. She aimed down for his chest, but he turned to the side. The big knife stabbed his arm.
“Ouch!”
The knife was stuck there, blood oozing out. He pulled it out of his biceps with a grimace. “That wasn’t nice.”
Tom tossed the blade across the room.
“Tom, whatever you think about me disrespecting you, the best thing you can do now is go.”
“Is that so?”
Amanda knew she was almost out of options. She had to get out of there. She had to run. But Tom stood in the kitchen, blocking her escape. He had backed her into a corner. What could she do? Be nice. Maybe that was the best way. Maybe he’d take mercy on her. Screw that. This monster wasn’t going to take mercy on anyone.
Come on, just a little closer, Amanda thought.
Tom advanced.
And Amanda kicked him square in the balls.
“Ohh…” Tom groaned.
Tom bent over and Amanda rushed past. But before she could get by, she felt his hand in her hair. Tom pulled back, and in the next instant, he had an arm around her neck, strangling her. Was this it? Was this the end of her bad day? Of her life?
“Let her go,” a voice growled.
Amanda gasped for breath as she turned her eyes to
the front door. Greg stood in the doorway, immovable, his broad body blocking out the sunlight.
“Or else?” Tom said.
“There is no or else.”
And Greg shifted into his bear. Ferocious and untamed, he leaped forward, charging them. Amanda saw nothing but fur and teeth. It was scary. Even though Amanda knew it was Greg, the bear was almost more frightening than the man who was holding her. But instead of bowling them both over, Greg’s bear leaped over the countertop.
Greg was behind them now. Amanda turned. She saw a paw swipe. And then she felt a prickly sensation on her neck. She looked down to see Tom’s arm growing fur. A second later it was no longer a human arm. It was the forearm of a bear and it released her as it swiped backward.
Amanda ran for the door, but when she got there, she turned to see that Tom had shifted as well. Tom’s smaller bear leaped over the counter and into the living room, Greg’s bear charging after it. Already Tom’s bear was cornered and bleeding. Amanda knew she should run, but she was frozen in place. Tom’s bear stood up on its hind legs in front of the picture window. Greg’s bear roared, charging ahead in a full-body tackle. Glass smashed, and the next thing Amanda knew, both bears had tumbled out the window. After that, Amanda heard only roars and yelps, but she saw no more.
Chapter Eight
Amanda went to Jada’s house that night. She was too afraid to stay at her own place, too afraid of what might happen if Tom returned. She didn’t see Greg at work the next day, but she knew that he was safe, because he had called Brandon later that morning to let him know that he was all right. It upset her greatly that Greg hadn’t been in contact with her. She had tried calling him several times. Why hadn’t he picked up?
As far as Tom went, she wasn’t sure what had happened to him. She needed to talk to Greg to find out, but she realized that he needed to be ready to talk. They had things to work out between them, big things, but he would have to come to that conclusion on his own. Amanda went by her place after work to pick up some things. When she got there, the repairmen were still at work replacing her window. Amanda had no intention of staying by herself in her apartment that night, but she was hungry, so she changed into some comfortable clothes, and strolled down the street to Romeo’s. A small pizza would do her nicely, thank you very much. Romeo’s had a takeout window next to the sit-down restaurant and she ordered her pizza there. “Small triple cheese, veggies, and ham. Olives but no anchovies, please.”