There was no doubt about it, Ava was weird. The Clan, on the whole, took advantage of that weirdness, so even though Chris’s stance was kind of irritating. Jessie was glad Ava had someone at her back at last.
“What was I supposed to do?” she demanded. Just because she was pleased he was standing up for Ava, didn’t mean she wouldn’t fight toe to toe with him. “Leave him to rot in there? The man’s not going to see the light of day in forever. He’ll go insane if he can’t shift. God only knows who’ll die if his Wolf decides enough is enough and wants to come out and play.”
“It doesn’t sound like he’s all that in touch with his Wolf,” Chris pointed out, folding his arms over his chest. “Coming out to play isn’t something that might ever happen.”
She snorted. “He batted someone to death, Chris. How much more in touch with his Wolf do you want him to be? You really think he can withhold a shift for the rest of his life?”
Spyder suddenly developed a coughing fit at that, and even Ava snickered.
“She’s got you there, babe.”
Chris scowled and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’m tired of the entire fucking MC depending on you to wipe their asses.”
She shrugged. “I’m used to it.”
“And she loves it,” Jessie pointed out. There was no malice as once there would have been, just solid gold truth. Ava got off on all the little acts of naughtiness she undertook.
Jessie would have to be blind to not notice that.
Well, apparently the rest of the Clan had failed to notice, so maybe she was wearing contacts.
Ava patted his hand. “It’s okay, babe. She’s right. I like a challenge.”
“There are challenges and there are challenges. This is just too much. It’s a fucking pissing contest.”
Ava shot him a look, and it was so filled with love and gratitude that it made Jessie’s heart stutter with warmth. Even though Ava was like a robot in some ways, it was nice to see the mate bond affected her like any red blooded woman.
Once she’d finished turning Chris into a pile of mush, she flashed Jessie a glance. “I’ve already arranged for Savannah to be transferred to a different social worker.”
Jessie gawked at her Ava’s speed. “No way. That’s incredible.”
The other woman shrugged. “I guess. If she has a new case worker, it will be easier to get through the cracks.”
“What are we going to do with her though? Joe says his mom’s petition for custody is consistently refused.”
“I know, I read the file. The court thinks she’ll let Savannah visit her father and they want to avoid that.”
“Could we adopt her? Or foster her or something?”
“She’s not a puppy or a kitten, Jessie,” Spyder remarked, sinking back onto Ava’s sofa. “She lasts a lot longer than Christmas morning.”
She shot him a glare. “I’m well aware of that.”
Ava pulled a face. “I doubt we could convince them of that. I mean, what case worker, even an overworked, stressed out, and underpaid one would agree to let a little girl live in an MC clubhouse with hundreds of men stomping through every day?”
Jessie cleared her throat. “Yeah, I didn’t think that through, did I?”
“Not really. No,” Ava mocked, but there was a warm, teasing glint in her eye as she spoke. “Still, we might be able to get Justiss, Graver, and Toni involved. After all, he’s got more influence than the MC. More money, too. Plus he lives off site on the MC’s housing development. Records don’t show that though. The subdivision is in a different name. Also, Toni’s a doctor. Respected in the community and she’s the director of her clinic now. Plus, she specializes in Shifters, so the theory works with the news that Savannah is a Wolf pup. She’d need someone who’s down with the different species of Shifter. Who better than someone like Toni?” She pursed her lips and Jessie knew she was sinking into a different world; one where fact and logic took over everything else. “Leave it with me,” she said after a moment’s quiet. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Ava,” she replied, her tone overloaded with gratitude.
Chris glowered at her. “Where’s my thanks? I’m the one without my mate for the evening.”
“Good thing you’re on duty then, isn’t it?” Jessie pouted. “You think I’d dump this on Ava’s shoulders when I thought you had a free evening. That stings, Chris. That really burns.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Your dad’s right. You are a pain in the butt.”
She grinned because he said it affectionately. “Have fun. I switched your duty with Mack’s when I was visiting with Annette and no one was looking.”
He scowled. “What the hell did you do that for?”
“Because you like talking to him about philosophy of course. It was either him or Roger.”
Chris grunted. “Okay, you did me a favor. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
She chuckled, stood on tiptoe and pecked his cheek. “Have fun.”
He swatted her aside and she fluttered away, not stopping until she reached the sofa where she dragged her mate onto his feet.
As they stepped out into the hall, he asked, “Do I even want to know?”
“Probably not.”
“Since when did bikers read philosophy?”
She snorted. “You’d be surprised at what the brothers get up to. We’re, and now you, are around for a hell of a long time. We diversify.”
“What about Roger? What’s so bad about him?”
“He likes fly-fishing. A lot. Chris, on the other hand, loathes it.”
Spyder grinned. “I get it now.”
She winked and tugged him toward her. As their torsos clashed, he dipped his head and pressed a kiss to her lips. As he swept her away in the lash of his tongue against her bottom lip, she groaned, then moaned a little harder when he pulled away almost as swiftly as he’d started the whole thing.
Before she could pout, he held up a hand to silence her. “There’s a guy in your room.”
She frowned, strained her ears. “How do you know that? I can’t hear anything.”
“Well, I can.”
She nudged him in the side. “Do you think that’s your gift from the Goddess?” she asked, excitedly.
They’d almost given up waiting on the gift, and she didn’t like to mention it but she had super hearing and she couldn’t hear jack.
He rolled his eyes at her. “No. I doubt it.” His whisper was enough for her to strain her ears. “Any of the brothers would have waited outside for us, right?”
She nodded, and finally understanding his point, she froze. “Without a doubt. Do you think Joe’s spoken with Martinez already?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m about to find out.”
Before she could do more than blink, Spyder had the door open. The room was lit with a low lamp in one corner; she assumed to stop the light from shining under the door. But before she could take note of a few shadows grappling together, she let out a shriek as someone was thrown against the wall. The subsequent crash and bang was almost deafening. An explosion of dust and rubble poured out of nowhere, and she choked as she inadvertently swallowed down a mouthful.
“What the hell?”
She blinked.
That was Sammy’s voice; His shaken, scared, and pained voice.
Jessie rushed in and switched on the main light. What she saw when she did had her gawking all the harder.
Spyder had thrown his brother against the wall.
His brother who had to weigh at least two hundred pounds.
And Sammy hadn’t just collided with the wall. He’d punched through the dry wall.
She could see into the hallway thanks to the hole he’d made with his head.
Spyder was on his knees at Sammy’s side now. In the time she’d spent gawking at the chaos her mate had made in their room, he’d clambered over to his brother and was apologizing.
“What the hell were you doing in here in the dark
anyway?” he groaned as his hands fluttered uselessly over his brother’s form. She could see why. The force Spyder had used had induced a nose bleed. Blood was gushing all over the goddamn place.
She grimaced at the carnage then rushed into the connecting bath to grab a towel. By the time she was back in the bedroom, a small crowd had gathered around the door.
“What the hell’s going on?”
Of course Mars had to be there, didn’t he? Just had to witness this little fuck up.
“Just a small incident,” she started, but he immediately held up his hand.
“I run a clubhouse and a Clan that sees over two hundred goddamn Bears roaming around the halls at any given moment, and all of them, combined, haven’t created this level of destruction in at least twenty years!” he roared.
Stomping her foot, she snapped, “Dammit, Prez. We didn’t want Sammy to know about that.”
“Sammy?” he blurted out. “Spyder attacked Sammy?”
“We thought he was somebody Martinez had sent. We heard somebody creeping around my bedroom.”
“I wasn’t creeping around,” Sammy denied. “You have cable TV in here. I wanted to watch a show. That’s all.”
Mars shook his head. “How the hell did you destroy the wall?”
Spyder swallowed as he stared up at the Prez. “I don’t actually know, Mars.” He pulled at the neckline of his T-shirt. “It doesn’t make sense. I just pushed him against the wall. I didn’t even do that much.”
Jessie cleared her throat again, and this time, snatched his attention. He’d been focused inward, and Jessie would bet her signed copy of The Secret that he’d just been chatting to his mate via their telepathic bond.
“I’m sure you were just riled up, Spyder. Hell, today’s been stressful. We’re all on edge. You thinking Martinez was after us was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Mars scowled at her, then softened. “I suppose it must have been... concerning. For an intruder to get in, that was a significant security breath.”
She nodded quickly and flared her eyes at Spyder. He wasn’t looking though, just busy pressing the towel she threw at him against Sammy’s nose.
“Right, that’s it. Enough gawking,” Mars roared, and the spectators swiftly retreated.
“Thank Annette for me, Mars,” she said softly when he was the last Bear remaining.
He cocked a brow. “We all have our secrets, I suppose. At least now we don’t have to worry he won’t be able to protect you.” He eyed the damage on the wall. “But you can pay for that out of your own money. Seems you managed to save enough up to run off. You can put it to good use now.”
Her appreciative smile died a quick death, and his grin told her he knew she was mad. But hell, he was the Prez. It wasn’t like she could throw her shoe at him, was it?
Swiveling on his heel, he whistled as he strode off. With the room cleared now, she scrambled over to her mate’s side and knelt close to Sammy.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “We can get the healer to tend to you. You know her, and I know you like her. Pip can help. Or Major. Whichever.”
With the towel pressed to his nose, not much of his face was visible save for his eyes. They were wide.
“She’s a Shifter?” he demanded, his voice muffled through the thick cotton terry.
“Yes. I’m a Bear Shifter.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he directed the question at his brother.
“I was going to. I just wanted you to settle in first. You know how you can be, Sammy. If you hadn’t liked it here, you’d have made a fuss, and I want you to settle in here and be happy. Like I told you, I’m relinquishing my hold on the MC, and I know Jessie’s parents will be happier if we stay here for a little while.”
Sammy blinked at them both. “You didn’t trust me.”
His accusation had Spyder flinching. “That isn’t true,” he replied softly. “Of course I trust you.”
“Then she doesn’t.”
There was a lot of venom in that one word, and it had Jessie flinching. She’d known for a few days that Sammy didn’t like her. He avoided her at all costs, going so far as to leave a room when she entered one. It was so beyond obvious that it was almost comical. Well, it would be if it wasn’t really important to her that Sammy like her.
She’d simply decided that giving him space and time was the best course of action, but now, in the face of his utter dislike, she felt tears prick her eyes.
“I do trust you,” she stated calmly, but her words were husky with emotion. “I have nothing to hide.”
“She’s telling the truth, Sammy. I was the one who wanted to keep the Shifter Clan on the down low. Admit it. You can be stubborn. Even though you love this place, if I’d brought you here, knowing that, you’d have hated it on purpose.”
Sammy scowled. “What’s she done to you? How come you could throw me like you did?”
Spyder blew out a breath. “He has a point,” he told her in an aside. “It certainly wasn’t me in control. I have no idea how, what just happened is even possible.”
She snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course it was you. It’s your gift, don’t you see?”
“My gift is to turn into the Hulk?”
A laugh escaped her. “I don’t know. It was too dark to see if you turned green.”
He rolled his eyes but his snicker had her lips twitching. When she turned to look at Sammy, seeing he was still looking at her like she was evil incarnate, she softly asked, “Why don’t you like me, Sammy? Have I done something to upset you?”
From what she’d seen, Sammy was like any other twenty-two year old man. A selfish prick most of the time who thought more with his penis than he did his brain. But equally, his skill, focus, and dedication in the workshop were beyond crazy, and he was neat as a pin. There were times when he was very young, and she sensed the learning disabilities Spyder had discussed with her, but not often.
There was no reason for her to excuse his dislike of her away with any ‘disability’ he might have.
Ava lived with hers, and she led a regular-ish life. Well, if a person could consider hacking and managing the account department of a national conglomerate singlehandedly, that is.
Things had changed. Disability was no longer as set in stone as once it had been.
Sammy was quite capable. He just had his quirks, that was all.
“You’re going to take Spyder away from me,” he said on a rush, sounding very naive.
She shook her head. “Why would I do that?”
“Because that’s what women do.”
She frowned. “That isn’t fair, Sammy. I’m not like that.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Maybe not yet, but they never are at first. How many girlfriends did Dad have, Spyder?”
“Now that’s really not fair, Sammy. We both know that Dad was the reason most of those relationships broke up.”
“That isn’t true. He was a great boyfriend.”
Jessie huffed. “Have you ever had a girlfriend, Sammy?” When he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, but shook her head, she quirked a brow at him. “Then how do you know what a good boyfriend looks like?”
He pursed his lips. “He treated them well.”
“No, bro, he didn’t,” Spyder denied. “He treated them terribly. And they weren’t girlfriends, Sammy. They were club whores.”
Sammy blinked at that, but Jessie was having a hard time holding in her chuckles. “There have been a few around here, you know. You don’t have to whisper the word around me.”
Spyder grimaced. “I didn’t want you to think...”
“What? That you slept with them? Of course you did. That’s what riders do.” She blew out a breath, and directly at Sammy, said, “But what we have isn’t a regular relationship, Sammy. We’re mated to one another. I can’t cheat on him and he can’t cheat on me.”
“How do we know she isn’t lying?”
“My mom and dad are mated. As are
Annette and Mars, Kiko and Mischa. There are plenty more mated couples around here. Ask them.”
“They could all be lying. To make you look good.”
She snorted. “Now that’s taking this conspiracy too far.” She patted his leg. “Come on, Sammy, stop being silly.”
“I’m entitled to be silly. Spyder just threw me through a wall.”
“Just your head,” Spyder corrected.
“Is that supposed to make the ache go away?” Sammy complained.
“If it’s hurting that badly, then we’ll go to Pip.”
“No.” Sammy held out his hands. “I’m fine. I just need a few Ibuprofen.”
She shrugged. “If you’re sure. But later on, if you change your mind, you know to go to Pip. She’ll help you, and you’ll feel like you were born yesterday. That’s how relaxed you’ll be.”
He studied her with no little suspicion and she grimaced. “Come on, Sammy. Take me on trust, like I’m taking you on trust. It’s not my fault you saw lots of bad relationships when you were a kid. I saw heaps of good ones and I can still understand why you don’t have faith. People lie. But I have no need to lie. And no one, I mean not a single damn person on this Goddess given Earth could love your brother like I do.”
“Do you really? Love my brother, I mean?” he demanded, focusing on that question with a single-mindedness that stunned her.
There was no prevaricating. She simply reacted. “Yes. I do. I meant every word.”
“And I love her,” Spyder said softly, catching her look with a small smile.
He slumped against the wall.
“If I’m being honest, I never expected to have my mate tell me he loves me while his brother is in the room.”
“Yeah, bro, you’re cramping my style with the flowery romantic shit.”
Sammy eyed him over the towel which he was still pressing to his nose. “Like that would be hard.” He cleared his throat then let out a pained moan as that one gesture obviously had a cascade of aches raining down on him. He must have shoved the pain aside though because his tone was bright as he said, “If you’re sure you love one another then I have to be happy for you.”
Spyder snorted. “Not that I’m complaining, but where does it say that?”
He shrugged. “It’s like a law.”
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