“Also true, I suppose. But your dad did the best he could under a difficult situation. Let me ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“Did your parents know who I was to you?”
She nodded. “I think so. My mom knew. It was the first thing she said when I came in the house. ‘Antoine? But I thought you and Austin…’ She never said anything else. I’m sure the look on my face spoke volumes. I assume she told my father because he never mentioned it again, either.
“Considering my parents were a perfect match made in Heaven, I think they hurt for me every day of their lives. They never asked if I wanted to move someplace where shifters were more abundant.
“I suspect they intentionally moved to a place where I wouldn’t be confronted all the time with my own kind. It was kind of them, actually. Made my life easier. I was never going to mate anyway, so why bother to pretend?”
Austin cringed. He thought about his own life. “Now that you mention it, my parents did the same thing. They knew about us. They never told me until yesterday morning when I went to the brewery to face them, but they knew. That would explain why they never pushed me to mate or questioned me. I dated, but they never said a word. My siblings didn’t, either.”
“Yeah, family knows stuff. Sometimes more than we’re willing to admit to ourselves.”
He smoothed his hands down her neck and over her shoulders until he wrapped them damn near all the way around her waist. “I like this shirt,” he segued to change the subject to something lighter. Anything.
She smiled. “Adriana picked it out. She’s sweet. I never really knew her. She was seven when I moved away.”
“Yeah, she’s grown into a wonderful young woman. Both my sisters have. I don’t know why neither of them has found a life partner yet. Nor has my brother Alton. Perhaps all of them have a secret side story they haven’t told. The only one who was always a misfit was Antoine. Why was the oldest such a dick?”
“I don’t know, babe. It just happens sometimes. Nature over nurture.”
His heart beat a little faster when she called him babe. Trying to pretend it didn’t affect him, he kept talking. “I know it’s wearing on my parents. They put up a good front, but they have been hurting ever since Antoine attacked Heather. And now with you…”
“I could see the strain on your mother’s face this morning. I know it hurts her. But she has to know I don’t blame her. I never did.”
“Warning you, she’ll spend her life doing little things to make it up to you.”
“That makes me feel bad.”
“She does it for Heather too. It’s in her nature. She might not talk about it all the time, but she’ll go out of her way to ensure you know she’s sorry in subtle ways.”
“Like bringing me clothes at the crack of dawn. That was thoughtful. She was always kind though, even when we were dating.”
“Yeah, that’s my mom.” He loved her to pieces. She was the best mother he could have asked for, and he was so proud of her for holding her shit together and not falling apart over the actions of her oldest that were out of her control.
“I had a good life, Austin.” Her voice dipped to a more serious tone. He wouldn’t have thought that was possible, but she managed it. “We didn’t have much, but we had love, and my parents made me feel cherished every day. It was hard when my mom was sick and dying. It was harder on my dad. He loved her so much. But he still pretended to be okay, for me. I know his greatest worry was leaving me alone.”
Austin had never been as emotional in his life as he had been since Nuria returned to town. A tear slid down his face.
She wiped it away with her thumb and kissed his cheek.
He didn’t deserve her. But here she was, consoling him when her life was upside down for fifteen years.
“Don’t say it, and stop thinking it.” She’d read his mind. “You’re not to blame for your brother’s actions any more than your mother.”
“That may be, but I’m culpable of neglect. Complacency.”
Chapter Twelve
Nuria continued to stare at the only man she would ever love. She’d put her walls back up a few minutes ago, blocking him once again, but that wouldn’t keep him from reading her emotions on her face. Even without the mental connection, he’d always been in tune with her feelings.
“My dad will be here soon,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “You still insist on going with him to see Turner?”
“I have to, baby.”
She took a deep breath, knowing he wasn’t going to like her next statement. “Then I’m going too.”
He jerked back a few inches. “What? No.”
She lifted a brow. “You going to get all alpha on me and start spewing some shit about needing to protect my delicate female feelings while insisting I stay here and pace the room while you go fight the evil bad guy?”
He chuckled. Thank God. Because she definitely didn’t want to have a fight with him over some ill-conceived need to be manly. “You make my entire gender sound like a bunch of jackasses.”
“It’s more like I’m suggesting you not be one if you ever want to stand a chance of getting your dick anywhere close to my pussy.”
He laughed harder. “That mouth. You definitely didn’t have that mouth on you when you left here fifteen years ago.”
“Well, I’m not a kid anymore. And I don’t want you to think I’m the kind of woman who will kowtow to some dominant male behavior. I’m nobody’s subordinate.”
“Don’t I know it,” he teased. “And for the record, I don’t think I would have ever been attracted to you if you were. If I remember correctly, one of the first times we met, we were in the fourth grade, I think, and we collided in the hallway before school. You dropped your lunch box, and I bent down to pick it up. You were fit to kill. I thought you were going to punch me. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you on the spot when you made it clear your anger was aimed at my good manners as a gentleman rather than from knocking your lunch out of your hands in the first place.”
She slapped his chest, remembering that day well. “That’s because we both came around the corner at the same time, you idiot. It wasn’t your fault any more than it was mine. I didn’t like you fawning over me. The other kids teased me for weeks.”
He chuckled again, his eyes wrinkling at the corners.
God she loved that sound. She had missed him so much. For a decade and a half she had forced herself not to think about him too often. Now that she was back, her memories flooded into place.
He stopped laughing and held her gaze. “I missed you, Nuria.”
“I missed you too.”
Could they bridge the chasm? Maybe. But when she stopped to think about what happened, it still hurt. Would the pain lessen? Only time would tell.
“My dad’s here,” he announced before she heard the car. Austin kissed her again briefly on the lips. “Better get your shoes, my feisty, self-sufficient little warrior.”
“If you’re so worried about me, I’m surprised you intended to leave me here alone in the first place. The big bad wolf might have come to eat me,” she teased.
He winked at her as she headed for the bedroom to grab her shoes. “Never intended for you to be alone, babe. My mom was on her way here until I told her not to bother.”
Yeah, he was so good to her. And she had no doubt he would be for the rest of her life if she let him.
The ride north seemed much longer than two hours. Nuria rode in the back of the SUV with Austin at her side. Allister drove. George sat next to him. Bernard and Henry sat in the middle row.
She wasn’t sure if it was good or bad, but the relative privacy of the back of the Suburban meant Austin never stopped touching her. He held her hand in his lap or hers or set his palm on her thigh or draped his arm around her shoulder the entire ride.
It wasn’t as if they were teenagers sneaking a feel while no one was looking, but Nuria wasn’t accustomed to anyone touching her. W
hat was more unnerving was how it made her feel, and she had no doubt the two Arcadian Council members at the very least knew where her heart leaned.
The members of the council had powers greater than anyone. While most grizzly shifters could only communicate telepathically with their immediate family members and mates for long distances and everyone else only in close proximity, the council had far-reaching abilities that boggled the brain. In addition, their sensitivity was heightened, giving them more details about everyone around them than anyone else was privy too.
By the time the six of them pulled up to a warehouse on the outskirts of a small town, Nuria’s nerves were frayed.
“You could wait in the car, you know. You don’t have to be brave all the time. No one would blame you.”
She smiled at Austin and replied in equal silence. “Not a fucking chance in hell.”
He chuckled out loud, making everyone glance his way with a smirk.
“What is this place?” Austin asked. It looked like a bunker in the middle of nowhere in case of a nuclear attack. The last mile of road they’d taken had been gravel, and the aluminum-sided building sprawled out between thick groves of evergreens. Obviously dozens of trees had been cleared to make space for the building.
The ground was covered with about an inch of fresh snow, which also hung from the heavy branches of the trees.
George tipped his face back and inhaled. He lifted a brow and nodded toward everyone, silently giving the signal that they needed to stand down. Wait. Not surprising considering the scent of weed was overpowering the smell of pine and fir that should have been dominant.
Nuria watched his face as his gaze grew distant, obviously in communication with his superior, probably the head of the Arcadian Council herself, Eleanor. Nuria had never met Eleanor, but she had heard the woman was formidable. Fair, but formidable.
The moment George shook off the gaze, someone exited the warehouse. A tall man, skinny. Aged beyond his years.
Nuria gasped. It was Turner Garsea. She knew him to be forty-two. This man looked sixty.
He ambled toward the group, trying to look casual.
“Why doesn’t he look shocked or concerned by our arrival?” she silently asked Austin.
“Because either Henry or George alerted him to our presence and suggested he come out and greet them.”
“I see.” Of course. “Did George also alert someone higher up?”
“I’m going to assume.”
“Turner looks cocky.”
“He smells guilty.”
“Of what? I mean besides drug use. Do you think he’s dealing?”
“I think this entire warehouse is filled with illegal drugs.”
“Fuck.” She took in the enormity of the structure. Who knew how deep it went underground?
“Turner Garsea,” George began. “You don’t want to invite us inside?”
“I’m running a business here. It would be disruptive to my staff for members of the Arcadian Council to traipse inside as if they were on a raid.” Oh, yeah. Turner was cocky as hell. No one spoke to any of the forty members of the council like that. It was unheard of. It could land you in prison in a heartbeat.
“You might want to curb your attitude, Turner,” Henry stated flatly. “We aren’t accustomed to being treated with anything less than the utmost of respect. Respect that’s earned and demanded.”
“Of course.” Turner rubbed his hands together as he finally got close enough to come to a stop. “No disrespect intended. I simply want to spare my employees from the distraction.”
“Do you take me for a fool?” George asked, his voice rising.
“No, sir.”
“Then stop lying. It makes you look like an idiot.”
Turner’s face grew more contrite, the smile disappearing as he swallowed hard. “What can I do for you folks today?” He glanced around at the group. “Hey, I know you.” He pointed at Austin. “Aren’t you one of the Tarben boys?”
“That would be my son,” Allister provided.
Turner glanced at the older man. “Right.” His gaze shot back to where Nuria stood half a pace behind Austin. “You’re Orson’s daughter. I’d recognize you anywhere.”
For all her bravado, she did feel compelled to keep a barrier between her and this filth.
She might have been out of touch with her shifter side for a number of years, but she knew bullshit and filth when she scented it. Turner Garsea was a very bad man. If she could sense that, the council members were probably about to leap out of their skin.
“This isn’t a social call,” George continued.
Turner dragged his beady eyes from Nuria to George. “What can I do for you?”
George lifted another brow, obviously finding something interesting. “So, you do remember Nuria Orson?”
“Yes, of course. She lived next door to me as a child. She moved away several years ago.” He jerked his gaze back to her. Evil flowed off him to contaminate even the ground around him. “You were like fifteen or something when your family moved, right? Have you returned to the area?”
“Don’t answer him, babe.” Austin’s words were sharp and quick. Not that she’d found her tongue anyway.
George waved a hand through the air to get Turner’s attention. “Interesting reaction, Turner.”
“Reaction to what? Some chick I used to know when she was a kid?”
“The chick who sent you over the edge in a rage when you accused her father of stealing an enormous sum of drug money from you the day after he left town. Did you forget that detail?”
Turner sucked in a sharp breath. Nuria realized two things. One, he had not remembered about the money at all. And two, he was shocked that so many people knew about it.
“Wade was kind enough to fill us in on the details after he tried to burn Nuria’s house down this week.”
“Wade? I don’t know anything about him. Haven’t spoken to him in years.”
“Really now?” George’s stance widened. He crossed his arms over his chest and tipped his head down to glare at the skinnier, shorter man. Turner was taller than most humans. At least six-foot-five. But George was six-eight.
Turner lifted his hands out, palms up. “Why would I lie about that? My brother’s an idiot. Always has been. Whatever he told you was probably a lie. He’s always been jealous of me and my brain.”
“A brain you use to run a drug lab and transport your shit all over North America?” George asked.
Nuria was shocked to hear the older man cuss. It wasn’t usual, but he was clearly fuming angry.
“Who told you that?” Tuner asked, shifting back and forth on his feet while he dropped his hands to wipe them on his jeans.
“Not why we’re here, Turner,” George continued. “Came here to ask what you did with the money, but I don’t need to ask that, now do I? Obviously it funded the startup of your drug trafficking business. Looks like it’s pretty lucrative. Fifty big ones will do that.”
Turner’s face enhanced to a lovely shade of red, his mouth open but no words coming out.
Nuria was shocked when Austin chuckled into her mind. “Nice play. George was bluffing.”
“Wow. I underestimated my brother. Never thought he had enough brains to figure out who really took the money. I can’t believe he was able to piece that together enough to tell you.”
“He didn’t.” George let that sink in. “You just did.”
If Turner’s face could get even redder, it did. And then it went totally white. “I…I didn’t take no money.”
“Really?” Henry interjected. “I’d be careful what I said if I were you, son. You’re in a pile of trouble that reaches higher than you can dog paddle. I suggest the next words that come out of your mouth be filled with fact and not your warped fiction.”
Turner closed his mouth, tightening his lips.
For a moment, no one said a word.
Nuria was shocked, not only by the admission and the insanity of the discovery but al
so by the foresight of the council members.
Finally Turner spoke again, his words falling out from between his lips rapidly and with no forethought. “That bitch’s father deserved to take the fall. He was nothing but a pain in my ass for threatening to turn me in. But he was wrong about me. Thought I was just using.”
Nuria hadn’t realized her father had had multiple altercations with the two brothers.
“He was too dumb to know the difference. But Wade knew the man kept riding our ass. When I saw the fucker take off in the middle of the night with his family, obviously running from something, I knew he was the perfect fall guy.”
Nuria glanced at George, judging he was going to remain silent and let Turner continue to bury himself.
And she was right. Turner got agitated, leaning back and forth from one foot to the other. Perhaps he wouldn’t have been so forthcoming if he hadn’t been high, but his eyes were bloodshot, and she realized he was fidgeting and sweating not from getting caught so much as from drug use.
Turner continued. “I took the money. I’m not sorry, either. My brother was too stupid to keep up with my dreams. It was easy to convince him Rawling Orson stole it and ran off. I cut Wade loose and left town as soon as I could.”
Turner turned his gaze back to Nuria. “Always wondered what crime your dad committed to make him run in the night like a thief. It was perfect for me. Thank him for me.” He had the audacity to smirk as if he wasn’t fueling the fire of his own downfall with every word.
No one said a thing.
“So? What did he do?” Turner asked Nuria.
“My dad?” Nuria blurted out without thinking.
Turner rolled his eyes. “That’s the dork I’m talking about, isn’t it?”
“Son, I think you’ve said enough,” Henry interrupted. “Don’t speak to him, Nuria,” he added into her mind. “He’s not worth it.”
Suddenly, the presence of several other beings filled Nuria’s senses and her peripheral vision. At least a dozen giant grizzlies stepped out of the woods, shifting into human form seamlessly as they continued to walk toward the warehouse.
“You’re going to need to come with us, Turner Garsea.”
Grizzly Beginning (Arcadian Bears Book 2) Page 12