Crossing Paths: A Brooklyn Shifters Romance Book 1

by Daphne Snow

  "Do you really think I'd let that monster get away with this?" She looked at him skeptically and he'd known why.

  "It wouldn't be the first time you let a bad man go free." He refused to acknowledge her words. Thankfully she didn't push the issue further. Instead, she sat on the plush chair in front of his desk. She sighed and clasped her hands together in front of her. Her eyes darted around the office most likely realizing it hadn’t changed one bit since she’d last been here several years ago.

  "The damage is extensive Alexander." He growled running a hand through his hair. Since he thought he lost her his composure was waning, he was barely keeping it together as the hours ticked by.

  "I know that. "She looked at him coldly.

  "What?" He snapped and she didn't even flinch. Of course, she didn't, it was what he expected from her. Her own trauma having conditioned her to be unfeeling, unmoving on the outside. Alexander knew her two well though her silence meant whatever was on her mind was troubling.

  "I need to run some tests before I can give her anything. So her healing could take months instead of weeks."

  "Why? What's wrong?" He narrowed his gaze suddenly suspicious of her intentions. He never had been before, not until he had his mate in his life.

  “Whatever issues you have with me do not take them out on her.” He growled his eyes flashing hot emeralds.

  "Don’t look at me like that. I'm a doctor now, i'm not that person anymore!" Her voice was steeled and he felt the cold wash over him as she curled her lips in an insulted frown.

  Ashamed he removed his gaze from her. It'd been a long time since he'd heard her raise her voice at him. Her Russian accent was heavy when she was angry and her eyes daunting. She stood and adjusted the gold band on her finger a moment before continuing.

  "If everything comes back clear she'll heal in no time. If not we need to have a more in depth conversation about her recovery or lack thereof." Before he could ask what she meant she left, each clack of her heels bringing strained memories.

  A half an hour passed without him moving so much as a muscle as he tried to come to terms with all that had happened so soon. A knock at the door brought Blackwell in, a fair-haired man being pulled along by two guards behind him.

  "I've brought our conversation piece." He could see his friend who normally smiled, had a hardened expression. He had seen the horrors in that house and what they'd done to the old lady. He knew how much Frannie had suffered.

  Blackwell was on the scene stopping the ambulance she was in before Alex was. His friend was already having her loaded into an unmarked van with Sonya on the phone. He had taken care of it all whilst Alexander just roared and raged his mind filled with fear and hate.

  After that he had men scouring the subway where she was found. Neither of them could laugh or smile about this.

  Alexander flicked his wrist, a gesture for the guards to drop the man. He thudded to the floor, his face beat red, his glassy blue eyes wide in shock and confusion. He stood ready to fight in a flash.

  "Who the fuck are you? What the hell do you want? I don't know what Mick told you but I sold all the guns already. Fucking bastards been trying to sell a product he doesn't have." In a swift motion, Blackwell grabbed the man by the back of the neck and threw him forward back to the ground.

  Gunrunning, Alex should have known. Even though he had heard of Zelik he didn't want to look him up in his database. Anything or anyone that pertained to his mate he wanted to hear from her. With the exclusion of the information, he already had on her parents.

  "We are being decidedly calm and trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. So why don't you shut your mouth." His eyes gleamed with the challenge of a fight but then faded. As the man stood more quietly and more cautious now Alexander questioned him.

  "Mr.Husik, where were you two nights ago? I know you weren't at home. My people sent you away." Realization dawned on him and his fighting spirit seemed to dampen considerably.After they had found Costas stuffed into a trash can on the side of the building they had rushed him to see Dr.Gorky.

  The other guard was killed. Costas would make it, his legs had been broken in four places but he would survive. He had told Alex about what happened right before they had been taken by surprise. That included the outburst Zelik had in front of the house.

  "Your Alexander Benson." He stated his Brooklyn accent thick. He nodded confirming his conclusion and Alex was being surprisingly windless about this encounter.

  It was apparent by Zelik's surprised response to the question that he had nothing to do with the incident. He likely didn't even realize what had happened. The man was a ticking time bomb but Alex could tell he wasn’t a killer. At least he wouldn’t kill his own family.

  Alex gestured for him to sit and the man clearly wanted to. Alexander didn't really feel like having a fidgety bomb standing around. He sat straightening his clothes as he went. He wore a vested suit though significantly cheaper quality than what he and Blackwell normally dawned.

  "I was at a friend's." He shared after a moment and Blackwell visibly rolled his eyes.

  "We found him outside of Honey's Den. They said he'd been blackout drunk for at least the last day. Almost kicked him out a few times because the girls were complaining." The man looked like he wanted to fight that statement with his fist rather than his words but a glance in Alexander's direction stopped him. They could both smell the whiskey coming off the man in waves. It made his nose wrinkle.

  "What's your involvement with Wilfred Kaiser?" Zelik looked from him to Blackwell and back but didn't flinch. He had to give him props. He was a strong willed man.

  "He wanted muscle and I could provide. Once I found out what he really wanted it for however it fell through.” His eyes darkened and his jaw clenched fervently. “I don't do trafficking." Alex nodded approvingly.

  “Did he say anything about feral beasts?”

  “He mentioned that there was money to be made, stuff about fighting pits with some less than tame shifters. That's the initial reason he said he wanted muscle was to keep them in line. After he started talking about bloodlings and trafficking I told him to fuck off.” Alexander looked towards Blackwell; they both held the same look of pure confusion on their faces at this.

  "Why?" Alex saw the flicker of a flame in the man's blue eyes and briefly considered that.

  "Kaiser kidnapped your sister and Francesca two nights ago. He planned to use them as part of his plans to get money from me and I am assuming to get guns from you." His eyes widened in shock; he didn't believe him.

  "No no no that's not possible. I just saw them, they were fine!" Zelik jumped up and ran his hands through his hair several times before looking back at them. Alexander tensed ready to tackle the man if he exploded.

  "You're serious." Reluctantly he nodded.

  "Where are they now? Where is my sister! Where is Francesca? I need to see her!" Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw Blackwell furrow his brow probably thinking the same thing as he was. Why was he more concerned about Frannie than his own sister?

  "We couldn't find Mina. Francesca said she led Kaiser away before he could kill her. We can only assume he still has her. Probably alive so he can get something from you. Francesca is here, where she belongs." He seemed to consider this for a moment. His eyes were downturned looking at the carpet as he continued to pace, barely leashed anger radiating from him.

  "I want to believe you didn't have anything to do with this-"

  "Of course I didn't! I would never...not to Frannie." His words were whispered at the end before he turned back to look at him, his blue eyes blazing bright with fire. "Not to Mina, she's my sister!"

  Blackwell slapped a heavy hand onto the man's shoulder pushing him back onto his seat. Alex could barely move. He was just so angry about everything. About Kaiser and the damage, he had dealt to his woman. About not telling Francesca about what had really happened. And now he was mad at Zelik because it seemed the man had a particular interest in his m
ate.

  Alex was afraid if he moved even an inch his control would snap. His face remained like stone as he continued. "We will find Mina and the other girls Kaiser has. If you have information or any way to help we could use it." He nodded his breathing heavy as the stoked fire in his eyes began to dim.

  “I'll do whatever I can. I got some guys that were visiting from Philly. They were talking to Kaiser. I can start with them.” They all nodded clearly forming a quiet pact to take this asshole to hell.

  Sonya came in then her gaze directly at Alexander and disregarding the others. "She's awake and asking for you." He shot up forgetting everything and everyone as he followed the doctor with both men hot on his heels.

  When the door slid open Frannie was still on her side but turned back to the window and she was crying. Her eyes went wide as soon as she saw Zelik. She paid no mind to Alex which only made him angrier. She is our mate, why does she seek out another. Fey refuses my words. We should kill the leopard man! We will render him limb from limb and show our mate who she belongs to.

  Axl's words which were so dark and trembling with aggression flooded into Alex's mind. He wanted to kill Zelik just from the pure joy on Frannie's face.

  But he couldn't. She would hate him more than she already had. Zelik strode past him bumping him on the shoulder as he went. He knelt at her side whispering to her. The tender caress he gave her and the pure shock on her face spoke volumes to him. It was all too much.

  He lurched forward, his hand changing form the heavy grizzly paw bringing him down to the floor.

  "LOCK IT UP!" Someone shouted from behind him or was it next to him. He didn't know anymore. Frannie screamed her eyes so wide and scared. She was terrified.

  Zelik stood before her blocking the almost completely formed bear's vision of his mate.

  Before he could even try to move he was being hauled back with not even a full leg still in human form. The doors to the bedroom shut and Axl came bursting through roaring and swiping at everyone and everything.

  Chapter 17

  The days and weeks that followed Alexander's meltdown Frannie found herself mostly alone. She called her job back in California to ask for more time off which her boss had agreed to as long as she took it unpaid. So she did. She didn’t have any other choices after all but wasn’t quite ready to bite the bullet and quit her job.

  She then called her landlord a sweet old man who told her someone had already called and paid her rent in full for the next year. Frannie of course could only assume it had been Alex. Him taking care of her though just pissed her off more. She didn’t want to owe him anything at the end of the day. Especially not with his other woman being the one to to tend to her wounds.

  The doctor whom she'd come to know as Dr.Gorky or Sonya as she preferred to be called, came every couple of hours either to draw blood or to check her head and back.

  Sonya was nice enough. Frannie supposed if she had to play second fiddle to anyone, Sonya was it. She was beautiful and clearly intelligent. The woman seemed to genuinely care about her and her relationship with Alex. Quietly asking questions as she examined her. Frannie could hardly ever think of how to answer though. What happened between her and her mate was her business and she wasn't exactly inclined to inform his lover about any of it.

  So she kept silent. Only ever answering her when she asked if she was in pain or feeling noxious. They were curt, straight-to-the-point answers, yes or nos. As the days wore on Sonya started looking at her with a mixture of pity and annoyance whenever she opened her mouth.

  By the end of every single short visit, she'd normally sigh and tell her to drink more or eat more. That her body would scarcely heal if she didn't. But Fran could hardly stomach anything. The searing betrayal from her 'mate' had killed her appetite. She felt empty.

  She had found out later what had happened when Blackwell visited.

  The man was so enigmatic she couldn't tell what to make of him. She had decided she liked him though once he told her he was already looking for Mina. He had come for any and all details she could provide him. Frannie of course provided everything she could remember.

  Frannie didn't miss the look of stormy anger in his pale silvery blue eyes when she told him how Kaiser branded Mina. He wrote down every little thing not missing a beat when she started to prattle on. He was determined to find her best friend and the other women and she appreciated that more than anything.

  When she had asked if he knew what was said to Alexander, he admittedly hesitated before telling her. Threx had threatened Alex, said he should watch out. Told him Kaiser was watching her. She was clearly a target and Mina and Ya-Ya had been collateral.

  It'd only made her undoubtedly angrier. She would have gone back home or stayed a few days with Alexander if she'd known. Anything to not drag her burdens and issues back to the Husik house. She clearly wasn't safe and it was her fault Mina and Ya-Ya had been hurt in the process. If only...

  The words would ring in her head over and over again. She would have done everything differently if only...

  Ya-Yas funeral was held shortly after she was found. Frannie couldn't attend on the account of her back. She put up a fight about it the whole time. Zelik though promised her he would video call the whole funeral for her. He had kept his promise. The extended family Fran had never met and friends she'd only seen in passing were there. Everyone was crying and laughing reminiscing about the old woman. She and Zelik both agreed they wished Mina was there too.

  He was helping in the search for her and the other women. His apparent friendly status with the common thugs was able to open a few doors for them and they were getting closer. The flutters of hope were getting more frequent. She hung on every word when he regaled her with the latest updates. He held nothing back and she learned a lot of how deepin he was with the shadier aspects of Brooklyn.

  He stopped by her room often to check on her. More frequently than Sonya sometimes. The man had made it very clear he had nothing to do with any of it in the first place. There were times in the decade they'd known each other that Frannie thought he was a monster. But she never thought him capable of this. Even when Mina had looked at her with questioning eyes she knew deep in her heart Zelik couldn't have done this to them. Frannie had believed him the first and several times after he had announced his innocence.

  The only thing that threw her for a loop was how soft and kind he was being. She wasn't used to this Zelik. She assumed he would blame her, tear her a new one for involving Mina. But he hadn't if anything he blamed Alex for it all. Told her, he was supposed to keep her safe. Said that she would have been safe if she was with him.

  His constant musings about her safety made her think maybe Zelik had seen her as more than his little sister's annoying friend. She never asked though, not wanting to ruin the bond they were starting to create. As well as the fact it simply didn't matter to her anymore. Her heart had room for one person and her mind was only ever filled with images of him.

  Of course, he never visited not after he shifted and started snapping at everyone. She occasionally heard him in the night. When everyone else had left for the day, Sonya would leave her with pain killers. Zelik would return to the streets looking for Mina. And Blackwell, well Fran didn’t know what he did when he left. But after they did the house would be quiet normally only the crunch of footsteps outside from the guards audible.

  But if she listened closely, she could hear his muffled steps on the carpet as he approached the door but he never came in. At least not while she was awake and he always seemed to know when she was awake.

  Frannie chalked it up to the somewhat shared emotions. When she could feel him he always felt angry or sad. His emotions a blaring red in her mind alongside a small white light she couldn't figure out yet. It started as the smallest speck but it'd grown larger throughout her stay. It didn’t seem to emit any emotion she could identify but it never faded and only ever got stronger.

  She wondered what he saw. Wondered what he wa
s doing. When she thought too much about him though her heart would ache and Fey would whine. But the bruise like ache had gone away since she had come back. So Frannie had done her best not to think at all. Just like Fran, Fey had locked out Axl. But Frannie had been unsure as to why.

  Fey told her nothing though, Frannie assumed she was just as depressed as she was.

  It was almost six weeks later when she saw him again. She woke up her back sore and aching but much better than when she had first been hurt. The healing was significantly slower than she thought it’d be. The doctor had assured her it was going well though and there were underlying circumstances as to why she refused to help boost her system into overdrive to heal faster.

  Whenever Frannie asked though she outright told her she wasn't ready to hear it or that she needed to heal more beforehand.