A thought flashed through her mind: Maybe I'm more like my father than I thought.
“You might be more of a shifter than I am,” Marcus said, echoing her thoughts. “It's been a long time since I've met a client that cares more about her work than the well-being of those around her.”
“Marcus,” Addy started, but didn't continue her sentence. What could she say? He was right, wasn't he? She had come here strictly on business: meet up with a shifter, let him escort her to a meeting between her and Joe, and be back in a few days. Her father trusted her to complete her task.
So what was the problem? She'd only been with Marcus for a few hours, but her thoughts floated back to the car wreck. She'd been hurt, but she was worried about him. And Marcus was worried about her, more than himself. Before Russ had shown up, she had saw how anguished Marcus had looked. She had wanted to comfort him, to tell him it was going to be okay, but that wasn't how things were supposed to go. He was supposed to protect her and she was supposed to focus on her job. But could she keep it up?
“You don't have to be like that,” Marcus said, sitting back down. “That's one thing I've learned. Because of my family.”
“Be like what?” Addy asked, but she already knew.
“You don't have to cut yourself off from everyone else. There's more to life than being part of a shifter Clan. More than protecting clients for money. You can be happy. I can be happy. I've learned that from a few of my friends. Guys that have changed how I view the world.”
“I don't know about that, Marcus. Being part of a shifter Clan is a lonely life, devoted to the Clan. I'm okay with that.”
“I was, too. Until I was on a job with one of the bravest guys I know. Clive was protecting this woman and a group of us were called in to help him. Things went bad. We lost a friend. And following my Uncle's orders, I commanded the other shifters to abandon her to certain death. My friends ignored my orders. At the time, I felt so betrayed. Now, I realize that I was wrong. I don't know if I can ever forgive myself. That woman would have died if it were up to me. I messed up, all because I was trying to be part of the Clan. Sometimes, I don't think I'm cut out for it anymore.”
Addy reached out and grabbed Marcus's hand.
Marcus lifted his head up and she saw how badly everything was weighing on him. She couldn't imagine his pain: torn between his friends and his Uncle, the Clan, the business he would take over. Wondering if there was anything more to life than service to his Clan.
And then everything hit her. She was the same as Marcus had been. She'd only cared about doing her father's bidding. Making sure that the Clan would survive. She had devoted hours – years – of her life to the Clan, something she could never truly be part of. Brokering deals between the Clans wasn't all she did. She did all of the finances, vetted new recruits and clients, protected secrets that would wrack a normal person with guilt. She'd done it all for the Clan. Was it worth it?
“Is there really more to life than working for the Clan? Is it possible to lead a happy life?” she asked, quietly, unsure.
“Yes,” Marcus said, and then Addy was leaning into him. Marcus wrapped his large arms around her body, careful not to put any pressure on her stomach. Her arms wouldn't reach all of the way around his large body, but she held him just the same. Burying her face in his chest, she smelled him: primal, manly, sexy, but most of all, safe. She hardly knew this man, yet she felt that on some level, they were meant for each other. They had both been taught that the only thing that mattered was the Clan. And both of them had found that there was more to life.
She found herself kissing his neck, wetly, quickly moving her mouth up across his smooth chin and towards his lips. Her lips found his, moving gently over them, slowly and lovingly. Marcus kissed gently back, lips moving in perfect tandem to hers. Carefully, he lowered her back onto the bed, lips never leaving her own.
She broke the kiss, smiling. “You promise that there's more to life than just the Clan?”
“We can make something more,” he answered.
“I want to believe you.”
She nuzzled up against his warm body, taking a look around their dark and dingy motel room. She realized that she didn't want to be anywhere else at the moment. Addy closed her eyes, and somehow, was asleep within seconds.
Addy awoke peacefully, feeling herself still in Marcus's arms. Sunlight was streaming in the window. The clock read nearly 9 o'clock. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept so late. I don't want to leave this man's arms, she thought, but she slowly got herself up. Marcus groggily woke up, wiping sleep from his eyes.
“What time is it?” he mumbled.
“Just about 9.”
“Nine? How did we sleep so long? We need to get moving.”
Together, they climbed out of bed. Marcus helped Addy to her feet. Her stomach was still tender, though she felt better. She popped another antibiotic pill. Marcus was already to the door, peering out and making sure the coast was clear. She walked over to him and put a hand on his back.
“Can we really make this work?” she asked. She'd fallen asleep, dreaming of the life they could live together.
“Yes. But only if we want to.”
She nodded, and hands linked, they left the hotel room together.
It was easy to flag down a cab and head towards King's Security Solutions. Addy wondered if they were walking into a trap, but Marcus was confident that Joe wouldn't risk attacking them inside of his own HQ. Attacking her would only cause her father's Clan to attack his own, which is something Joe would definitely want to avoid.
When they pulled up to the building, Russ and another shifter Addy didn't recognize were out front, waiting. The other shifter was large, almost as large as Marcus, but with a thick head of hair down to his shoulders.
“Addy, this is Clive,” Marcus said.
“Hello,” Addy said, extending a hand.
“It's a pleasure to meet you,” Clive said, his voice rough and deep. I'm glad to have this man on our side, she thought.
“So what's the plan?” Marcus asked, immediately down to business.
“Joe, Foster, and Lockwood are here,” Russ answered. “Clive and I aren't on good terms with Joe, so we'll wait outside, but we'll be listening and we'll be close. You two head inside and talk things over with Joe and the Elders. It might be possible to come to a peaceful resolution, now that his assassination attempts have failed, I'm not holding my breath. He may feel trapped and attack.”
“If that happens, we're prepared to move in. Jace and Emma are inside, waiting and ready to arrest Joe. Not our usual style, but we want to avoid as much trouble as possible.”
“Emma?” Addy asked, surprised to learn another woman was involved in their plans.
“She's a police officer. Dating Jace,” Marcus said. Relieved to find that everything seemed to be under control, Addy smiled. The shifters had a well thought out plan ready to go. Things are going to go smooth, she knew.
“Of course, she's in civilian clothes. Joe and the others have no idea that she's in on our plan. Things are going to go smooth. If they don't, Zoe is standing by with our medical gear.”
“Zoe?” Addy was liking the plan more and more.
“Russ's girlfriend. Another doctor,” Marcus offered.
“And how does your girlfriend fit into this?” Addy asked, the question directed at Clive, knowing that somehow, he had a girlfriend involved.
“She's a lawyer. She's going to ensure that Joe and the others wind up in jail if they decide to break the peace.”
“It sounds like we're prepared,” said Addy, ready to get the meeting over with.
The meeting room was decently sized, a bit larger than her father's. Nearly 20 chairs surrounded the large conference table in the middle. Joe sat at the far end, windows illuminating his shape. With the light behind him, Addy couldn't see his expressions very well. On the sides of the table next to Joe sat the two Elders, Foster and Lockwood. As far as Elders went, they were
some of the younger ones Addy had met, though they were still older than most shifters. They still have the same air of arrogance, she noticed.
Elders were well respected members of bear shifter Clans. Getting old wasn't enough to become an Elder. An Elder had to be knowledgeable of Clan politics, full of wisdom of the old ways, and cunning. They were dangerous, even if they didn't look it in their old age.
On the far end of the table sat Marcus and Addy. Addy was close to Marcus, though she tried not to look nervous and dependent on him. Her father had taught her the art of calmness and how to get what would benefit their Clan. She hoped it would work here. She recognized that they were balanced precariously on a knife edge: Joe had already made an attempt on her life, so another wasn't out of the question. But everything she'd learned of him had told her that he was a cautious man by nature. In a situation like this, it's extremely possible that he'll agree to the deal, if for no other reason to save his own pelt, she hoped.
“Marcus. I'm glad you're okay. When I heard that you'd been attacked… I didn't know what I would do if I lost my only nephew,” Joe began. “And you, Miss Croft, how could I ever forgive myself if you were injured before we had a chance to discuss our Clans working together?”
Well, that didn't take long, Addy thought. He's already acting like he had no part in the attack. Covering himself. Smart, but it won't work.
“Joe, do you or the Elders have any idea who is behind the attack?” Marcus asked, playing along. Addy gave Joe a worried look, showing that with everything going on, she was concerned.
“We think it was Ramsey and what's left of his Clan. I have men looking for him even now.”
“Why would Ramsey attack Addy?” Marcus asked. Addy watched Joe raise his eyebrow at Marcus's use of her name. “Why would he attack me?”
“He's set in his old ways, against shifters working with humans. It's pathetic, but we'll find him, and we'll get to the bottom of this. For now, Miss Croft, be assured that you're safe here. There are plenty of shifters here willing to protect you. My nephew seems to have an interest in you, and he'll keep you safe. Most of all, I'm here to keep you safe.”
Addy felt the innuendo hidden in Joe's words, but she ignored them. “That's good to hear. Let's get down to business, Mr. King.”
“Ah,” Joe said, leaning back in his chair. “A woman who wants to get down to business. I respect that. I like you.” Addy nearly shivered at that last sentence. Beside her, Marcus tensed up. She could practically hear him growling a threat aimed at Joe. Carefully, she moved a hand underneath the table and squeezed his knee. At her touch, he visibly relaxed, though she could tell he was still on edge.
“My father wants to propose a sort of business arrangement. A type of merger. As you know, our Clan focuses almost exclusively on running protection for businesses, such as clubs, construction sites, and the like. We realize that we're missing out on a large portion of protection services. Likewise, your Clan focuses on providing protection to individual clients. My father believes we can benefit from each other's experiences.”
“And how does he propose we do that?” Joe asked, though she could that he didn't really care. He's just playing along, leading me along.
“He wants our Clans to combine our resources together.”
“No,” the Elder called Lockwood grated.
“Now, Lockwood. Don't be hasty,” Joe said, smiling at Addy. “She may be on to something.”
“Our Clans will still remain independent of each other. You'll be able to run your Clan how you see fit. But we'd like to send some of our shifters over to you to learn how you guys run your Clan. And you can send some of your men to our Clan. They'll learn valuable information on how we run our protection services.”
“Learn our secrets, you mean,” Foster bit off.
“No,” Addy started, but was cut off by Lockwood.
“We're not interested in giving up our methods. What would stop you from learning our business and putting us out of business?”
“My father eventually wants to combine our businesses. His idea is one gigantic protection service business, run by our two Clans with joint leadership. If we pooled our resources, we could service a larger area. Expand. Bring other Clans into the fold. It's time for us to stop living in the shadows. We could make a successful push to show that shifters can integrate into society.”
“It does sound like a good idea,” Joe agreed, though contempt blazed in his eyes. “But I'll leave the decision up to my most trusted advisers. Lockwood?”
“No.”
“Foster?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Marcus?”
Beside her, Marcus noticeably jerked. And she suddenly realized what Joe was doing: he was putting more trust in Marcus, making him a trusted part of the Clan, trying to sway him over to his side.
“Yes,” he answered, surprising even her. The two Elders let out deep growls, the hackles on the back of their necks standing up. Even in their old age, Addy knew that these were dangerous shifters.
“Well, the Elders outnumber your vote two to one. I'm sorry, Miss Croft, but I don't think our Clan is ready to work with outsiders.”
“I know it was you,” Marcus growled, his golden eyes brighter than she'd ever seen before. Joe visibly stiffened and the Elder's growls died in their throats.
“Excuse me?” Joe asked, though he knew exactly what Marcus meant.
“You ordered Judge and others to kill Addy and me. I know it was you.”
Joe was on his feet in an instant, hands spread flat on the table and leaning forward. Rage was building in his face. “How dare you accuse me of that! I told you that Ramsey is behind what happened to you!”
“You're in league with Ramsey, Joe. Don't try to deny it anymore. I don't want to be a part of this Clan. My father would be disgraced to learn what you've turned it into.”
“So that's how it's going to be, Nephew?”
“It is, Uncle,” Marcus answered.
Joe looked like he was going to sit back down, but at the last second, he lunged forward. Before Addy or Marcus had a chance to react, Joe was halfway across the table, shifting into a bear. His clothes shredded as his claws left gouges in the table, closing in on Addy with blinding speed.
“Russ!” was all Marcus had time to bellow before Joe was on them. He pushed Addy to the side. She fell, hard, knocking the wind out of her. Marcus was trying to shift, but Joe was already on him. On the other end of the table, the two Elders were shifting. Addy caught a glimpse of the one on her side of the table, Lockwood: pelt gray, heavily scarred, and dangerous as he rushed at her.
She scrambled up, pushing a chair uselessly in front of the bear's path. The doors exploded open, splinters of wood spraying across the length of the room. Two bears rushed in immediately, followed by Russ and a woman with a large gun. She raised the rifle, pointing it at Lockwood. With an extremely quiet shot from a gun so large, Lockwood dropped to the ground. Addy looked at his still form, a tranquilizer dart buried deep in his neck.
One of the shifters crashed into Foster, the two bears crushing the table under their weight. More wood exploded as the two bears wrestled, crushing chairs as they fought. Fangs and fur flew everywhere. Addy dove to the side as they crashed down exactly where she'd been standing a split second earlier.
“Marcus!” she screamed, turning back to him. The second shifter tackled Joe, both bears tumbling away. As they rolled off of Marcus, Addy dropped to her knees. He hadn't had time to shift before Joe had got to him. One of his forearms was shredded, blood covering his entire body, but he didn't appear to be hurt anywhere else.
Knox (BBW Bear Shifter Moonshiner Romance) (120 Proof Honey) Page 54