Wounded Bear
Whiteheart Clan Book 2
Chloe Peterson
Contents
Author's Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
A Word From Chloe
Author's Note
Wait! This book is the second in the series, and while each has a standalone couple and happy ending, they are best read in order.
You can find the first here:
1. Outlaw Dragon
Enjoy!
1
"What in the world?"
Emma stared at the text on her phone with her mouth slightly open. According to the message she'd just received, her mother had sent her two hundred dollars. It wasn't the amount that was ridiculous; it was the entire situation.
Rita Parker, Emma's mother, had never been in a position to lend anyone money. In fact, Emma regularly sent her mother money to help the older woman stay on top of her bills. Rita sending money was a major red flag.
Emma gritted her teeth when the most likely scenario finally dawned on her. Her mother had a new boyfriend. One who didn't mind taking care of her.
Emma scoffed. "Yeah. Whatever that means."
Tucking her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, Emma turned to read the clock on the far wall of the restaurant. Her break was ten minutes away, but with an empty floor, Emma had to risk the wrath of her manager to get to the bottom of things.
Emma tugged her apron off and wiped her hands down her jean-clad thighs. Her manager, Owen, was a stickler for the rules. Something they butted heads over multiple times. The fact that Emma, a client favorite, was about to ask for a favor, wouldn't sit well with him.
It's not like I have a choice, Emma thought.
The last time her mother started turning down her assistance, things went sour. Upon meeting the gentleman in question, Emma's warning bells had immediately gone off. That was nothing new considering the type of men her mother dated. But this particular character reeked of slime.
Emma had tried to question her mother about him, but her mother was none the wiser. Rita met all kinds of men on her part-time shifts at the convenience store of the gas station around the corner. Emma hated the fact that her mother worked so close to alcohol, but that was all the work she had managed to keep.
"Enough dawdling." Emma pulled her shoulders back and headed to the greeting desk of the restaurant. It wasn't the fanciest place, but it wasn't a diner either. Emma didn't love her job, but she loved the tips that a lot of the regulars gave her. Losing her position wasn't an option.
"What is it?" Owen asked, folding his arms and widening his stance.
Emma bit the inside of her cheek and willed her blood pressure to drop back down. Owen was the same age as her, twenty-four, but he acted like he was a lot more mature and experienced than her. Owen loved talking down to her in a condescending tone, all the while smirking and making jokes that no one found funny. It seemed that he was in a rotten mood today, which didn't bode well for Emma.
"I wanted to take my break a little early."
Owen raised an eyebrow. "You've still got ten minutes left."
Thank you captain obvious, Emma thought.
"I know, but I have a bit of a family emergency. I'll be back early."
"What is it? Is your mom in trouble again? You really should get her some help, you know."
Emma wanted nothing more than to connect her clenched fists with Owen's broad face and knock the fake gold tooth right out of his mouth. She hated how people judged her and her mother's relationship from the outside without knowing a thing.
If they did, they'd know that Emma only sent her mother money when it was time for her to pay her rent. Her mother may have been an alcoholic, but she still had the desire to survive.
Anyone that took the time to get to know Emma better would also know that her father's death when she as a child, had sent her mother into a depression that led her to the bottle. Emma and her sister, Amy, had fended for themselves, but as soon as she turned eighteen, Amy had taken off and never looked back.
Emma spoke to her sister every once in a while, but her mother had been her responsibility ever since she was fifteen. They had ups and downs, and Emma eventually learned how not to enable her mother, but Owen knew nothing of this, and her correction of him might lead to the loss of her job, so Emma kept it all to herself and lowered her head in mock shame.
She sighed. "I know. It's just hard right now. But if anything happened to her, I'd never forgive myself."
"You're lucky I'm such a kind boss," Owen said, his voice laced with insincerity. "Go, but I expect you to open early tomorrow to make up for this."
"Thanks." Emma rushed through the doors of the restaurant, then walked around the building to the back parking lot.
"Cocky bastard," she muttered. She'd love nothing more than to quit her just above minimum wage job and do something she was passionate about, but Emma had never graduated from college, and the need to pay the rent of her tiny apartment and send her mother enough to help with her rent put those desires on the back burner.
Emma got into her beat-up Toyota Corolla and backed up out of the parking lot. She took a few deep breaths and willed her frustration away.
There was a time when anxiety and frustration ruled her days. She was in her early twenties then, but a community college lecturer, whose night classes she'd attended briefly, had taken the time to have a brief conversation with her.
Emma remembered the older woman pulling her aside one night, and asking why she was always late to class. After an out of character emotional outburst, Emma explained her need to check in on her mother, make sure she ate, then get her to work on time. Emma's lecturer had told her that all she could do to stay sane and happy was control what was within her sphere of control.
Those words had been simple, but powerful. After that conversation, Emma had made a series of changes that enhanced her life. She moved out and tried to find a balance between searching for her happiness, and helping her mother. Emma still struggled to make ends meet and was painfully single.
Who has a perfect life, anyway? she wondered.
Emma drove past the corner gas station and parked next to the curb outside her mother's tiny, but resilient home. Coventon, Kentucky was a decent place to live, but there wasn't much in the way of modern development. And as such, old houses like her mother's were still in the majority.
"Who could that be?"
Emma frowned as she got out of her car and studied the car parked in front of hers. It was a black, sleek sports car whose make she couldn't identify. What she did know for sure was that its owner was filthy rich, and as such, out of place in their neighborhood.
The sound of her mother's door opening shifted Emma's attention. When her head snapped to face the house, she saw a tall, dark-haired man lower his head to kiss her mother.
Emma's eyes bulged as a cold shiver ran down her spine. It was happening again. Her mother was dating some slimeball she'd probably met at work or out at a bar somewhere. Now Emma would have to insert herself back into the whirlwind that was her mother's world to keep the older woman safe.
Emma marched up the pathway to her mother's door and stood with her arms folded. She cleared her throat, and the man turned around. His eyes were dark brown, almost black. And the crafty way they roved over her body made Emma want to wrap an arm around herself and
curl up into the fetal position.
"You must be Rita's daughter," the man said, his voice void of any warmth.
Emma knew she resembled her mother in a lot of ways. They both had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and tall but curvy frames. What Emma didn't appreciate was the subtle leer in the man's eyes or the air of power he exuded.
"And who are you?" Emma asked, drawing on a strength she didn't know she possessed. This man had just looked at her like she was an insignificant plaything, the kind that could be discarded without a second thought. What was her mother doing with him?
"Honey, be nice," her mother called, stepping past the man in a skimpy robe. "Derek was just here to visit me. I didn't know you'd be popping by."
Emma squeezed her eyes shut and fought down the nausea that rose up within her. What was her mother doing now? Prostituting? Dating wealthy men to get a leg up?
Emma may have hated that her mother worked in a store with so much alcohol, probably buying a bottle every night before clocking off. But at least she was a functioning alcoholic, working and doing her best to stay out of trouble.
When it came to Rita's dating life, Emma found her old anxiety creeping back up. The last time her mother found a man to take care of her, she'd overdosed, and the hospital bills alone had rocked Emma's world and forced her to quit school.
"Well, I'm here now, and I'd like to talk to you," Emma sighed.
Her mother drew a sharp breath ready to give her a chewing out. It was a positive sign because it meant she was sober in the middle of the day when she usually got stoned, but Emma couldn't appreciate that fact because Derek quickly raised a hand and silenced her mother.
A fresh swell of rage rose in Emma, but before she could throw caution to the wind, and act entirely out of character, Derek spoke.
"It's alright. I'll be on my way. I don't want to interrupt important family time." He turned around and squeezed Rita's waist while pecking her on the cheek. "Nice to meet you," he said before brushing past Emma.
Once he was out of earshot, Rita huffed. "Why do you always have to be so rude to anyone I date?"
Emma threw her hands up in the air. "Because you never date anyone decent."
Her mother scoffed. "I hate to break it to you honey, but they don't make a lot of them like that anymore. Your father was one of the last ones, and he's long gone. Why can't you let me be happy?"
"Is that what you're calling it? You date all these aggressive guys that want to control you, and for what? A more comfortable life? A little extra money for booze?"
Rita's nostrils flared, and Emma swallowed thickly. She'd gone too far. That was the weird thing about her relationship with her mother. In some ways, Emma was the parent, but at the end of the day, Rita was her mother, and she deserved respect.
"I'm sorry, but I don't like him."
Rita shook her head. "You don't even know him."
"I just saw him raise a hand and silence you. You don't deserve to be treated like that. He also drives a pretty snazzy car but doesn't strike me as a businessman. What does he do? Did you even ask him? What if he's like Gerald and involved in something horrible? You don't deserve that kind of risk."
"And I didn't deserve to lose the love of my life and get saddled with two children. I guess that's how life goes." Rita snorted. "I need a drink. I'll be inside if you want to talk."
Rita spun on her heels and left a shocked Emma standing outside of her house. In all her years, Emma had never heard her mother voice the truth so plainly, but hearing it in the emotionally heightened mood of the day sent a sharp pain through Emma's chest.
Her mother was depressed, and it seemed the only person who could make it better was long gone. Emma knew from a few drunken rambles that her mother thought her father was her soulmate. But Emma didn't know the remedy for living with one half of your heart gone.
"Ugh! Why is everything so damn complicated?" Emma folded her arms and drew circles with her foot. She could go inside and apologize to her mother, but then that would mean she'd have to sit there and watch her mother throw back shots like she was a nineteen-year-old frat boy.
Rather than get upset all over again, Emma decided to leave things be for now. She'd come to visit her mother over the weekend. Maybe even treat her to lunch, and hope for the best.
Emma turned to head to her car and saw that Derek was still parked by her mother's house. From what she could see through the car window, he seemed to be in a heated discussion of some sort. Emma knew that Derek was dangerous, and while he didn't look as slimy as her mother's exes, there was still something off about him.
Don't get involved, a quiet voice said in her head. It's not your place.
Emma got into her car and placed her hand on the driving wheel, gripping it tight. Derek was wealthier than any of the men her mother had dated. That logically meant that he was into something more substantial.
Emma knew from experience that unless she faced her mother with solid proof, there would be no getting Derek out of her life. Her mother loved to bury her head in the sand, but she still had a strong sense of preservation. A year ago, when Emma presented her with incriminating photos of her drug-dealing ex, Rita had broken things off. Even she didn't want to get into a deeper mess than her life was already in.
Derek started his car and sped down the street. Emma took a deep breath. "Fuck it!"
She turned out onto the road and followed Derek a safe distance away. Her P.I skills weren't professional by any means, but she'd learned a lot from following her mother's drug dealer ex. Emma knew that she was falling into the co-dependency thing again, by giving in to her need to fix her mother's life. But what could she do?
Her mother was dating someone who was very likely involved in illegal activity. All Emma needed was a little proof. Then she'd get her mother to dump Derek. The fact that she'd reacted not so favorably to his presence would give Rita the perfect excuse.
"I can't believe I'm at this again. Maybe I should move away as Amy did." Emma sighed. She'd never be able to do that. Not when she knew that her mother needed her.
Derek turned into a tiny back road beside a restaurant. Emma drove past, not wanting to be spotted, and parked at the front of the restaurant. She hopped out of her car and rushed in.
Derek was probably in the employee parking lot around back. All she needed was a way to get to him and stay hidden. Emma was sure he'd give himself away. And if the conditions were right, maybe she'd even get to snap a few incriminating photos to give to her mother as proof.
Emma walked up to the kind looking portly woman at the reception and gave her best sheepish smile.
"I'm sorry, but I need to use your bathroom."
The woman frowned. "I'm sorry, sweetie. But it's customers only." The woman looked at the label on the right side of Emma's work shirt. "Isn't the Ivy only ten minutes from here?"
Emma's eyebrows shot up. She hadn't thought of the fact that she was still in her uniform. She needed to think fast. Derek was probably well into whatever shoddy business he was conducting out back.
"It is, but I've got a girl problem. I'm on lunch break, and I can't go back to work all messed up." Emma mouthed the word period for emphasis.
The older woman fanned herself as a hot flush crawled up her face. "Oh, my. Well, come on, then. Can't have you making a mess of yourself."
Emma nodded gratefully and followed the older woman, who gave her the keys and directed her to a room at the back. Once she left, Emma rushed past the bathroom to the back door of the restaurant. Prying it open, she heard Derek's low cold voice ring out.
"Tell me something, Aaron. Do I seem like the type of guy that hands out money for free?"
"N-no," came the reply. Whoever was on the other side of Derek's anger sounded like he'd just seen the devil himself. The man's voice was hoarse and full of pity.
Emma pulled out her phone from her pocket, and held it in her hand, ready to take a photo when the opportunity was right. Her hands shook as she pried the door
open a little further, but she felt confident in what she was doing.
Emma had followed her gut and followed Derek. Now, she got the confirmation she needed. All Emma needed was a photo to convince her mother. Otherwise, her mother would call all that she heard hearsay.
"When I asked you to get me access to the governor's house, what did you say? Hmm?"
The sound of broken sobs filled the air, as Derek continued. "You said you could do it. No problem. All you asked was that I give you money for your wife's medical bills. But then you disappeared on me, and now I find you working in a shitty little restaurant under a false name. Bad move Aaron. Bad move. I own this city. I told you that from the beginning. But you decided to make a fool of me."
Emma heard the sound of bone-crunching, followed by a wail. "Shut him up," Derek said. Aaron's sobs were now muffled, but then Emma heard them grow in volume. Needing a closer look and an explicit photo before hightailing out of there, she poked her head out of the door.
At that moment, Emma wished she'd listened to her inner voice because what she saw would haunt her dreams for days to come. Derek crouched on the ground as every part of his body bulged. Black fur covered his neck, and seconds later, a massive panther stood in his place. And then, in a flash, he pounced on Aaron, his massive jaws snapping his head off his body.
"Oh, my god!" Emma dropped her phone and slapped a hand over mouth. Her hands shook, and she felt her knees grow weak. She couldn't believe what she'd seen, but there stood a panther in Derek's place.
Emma's chin trembled as she fought back the tears that threatened to fall down her face. The last thing she needed was to draw even more attention to herself. She bit the inside of her cheek and did her best to force as much air through her nostrils.
Wounded Bear (Whiteheart Clan Book 2) Page 1