by Lynn Hagen
Tristan popped his shoulders as he twirled around. “I like it, sir.” He laughed when Quinn bobbed his shoulders, his arms swaying back and forth, and his lower body began to squat down and then rose back up.
“Old school, baby.” Quinn did something funky with his arms, like an ocean wave, and Tristan tried to repeat it. His arms seemed to tangle as he tried to parrot the move.
“Watch, watch.” Tristan did a pirouette and then entwined his fingers, doing the ocean waving thingy in front of his body.
“You’re getting it, jellybean.” Quinn laughed and danced in a circle around Tristan. He ran and grabbed his hat, tossing it on his head, and then ran back over to Quinn.
“Watch my feather dance, sir.” Tristan laughed as he bobbed his head, the feather taking flight. Tristan cracked up as Quinn grabbed his straw hat and joined him in head bobbing and dancing. He couldn’t remember that last time he had this much fun.
They danced through a few songs, having a blast. Tristan ran out of the room and slid down the hall, doing a Tom Cruise move, his borrowed purple socks taking him to the end of the hallway. Quinn did some sort of slide thing down the hall, finally making it to Tristan’s side.
They danced their way into the kitchen were Quinn grabbed some bottled waters and tossed one to Tristan. He drank it halfway down, wiping his brow free from sweat. “That was fun.” He panted as he took a seat at the table.
“Just a typical day in Quinn Chevay’s house.” Quinn jumped up onto the counter and took a seat. “I wanted to go to the jobsite and see how things are going. You want to ride along, jellybean?”
“Yes, sir.” Tristan wanted to get out of the house. He just feared Xavier tracking him down. The less time he spent in the public eye, the better off he would be, but he couldn’t live like a hermit.
“Then let’s head out.” Quinn hopped down, finished his water, and then tossed the bottle. Tristan kept his with him. Meeting new people always made him nervous and then his throat would dry out. The water would be handy. Maybe he should grab another one. Tristan ran into the bedroom and grabbed his sketchpad and a pencil. One never knew when they would need to draw.
“Ready?” Quinn called from the front door. He slid his feet into the flip-flops and then ran to catch up to his mate.
“Ready.” Yippy! I remembered not to say sir.
Quinn must have caught it as well because he smiled widely at Tristan. Oh man, was that a gorgeous smile or what?
Tristan clutched the pad to his chest and stepped through the door, hurrying to the car as he scanned the neighborhood.
“If you tell me who we’re looking for, I could better protect you,” Quinn probed. Tristan wasn’t ready to talk about it. If he brought it up or talked about it, that would bring bad luck, and Xavier would show up.
“I’m just very cautious, sir.” Dang it. Why did he get all jittery when he thought of that man?
“Okay, jellybean. I’ll leave it alone for now, but I would really like to know.” Quinn unlocked the car and they both slipped in. Tristan placed the sketchpad in his lap and watched out of the window as Quinn drove.
His eyes grew round when Quinn pulled into a very large jobsite. He could tell right away that it was a mansion and, from the looks of it, well on its way to being completed. It was beautiful. Tristan didn’t know the technical term for what was going on, but the interior walls were being put up. There were tarps flapping in the slight wind as many workers busied themselves around the house.
“Hey, Quinn. Good to see you.” A man came over and shook his mate’s hand and then stared strangely at Tristan. He didn’t like that look. It made him uncomfortable.
“This, Tristan, is Jake.” Quinn introduced him.
“Hi, Tristan.” Jake shook his hand. It made Tristan feel important to be introduced to Quinn’s friends. Like he mattered.
“’Bout time you got your ass back here.”
Tristan took a step back and started humming his favorite song instead of singing it. The man looked at Tristan and smiled warmly. “I know you. How are you, Tristan?”
Tristan knew him, too. He was at the house when they all discovered he wasn’t Torem.
“I’m fine, sir.” Tristan kicked at the dirt with his feet, unsure how he should behave around Quinn’s friends. He knew that friendship was important, so he needed to make a good impression.
“You want to walk around with me as I check the site out?” Quinn asked Tristan.
“No, sir. May I sit here and draw?”
“Okay, but I’ll be keeping an eye on you, so relax. No one here will let anything happen to you.”
Tristan felt like a total wimp when Quinn said that in front of the other men. He felt special when they were alone, but now everyone was looking at him funny. “Is he in some sort of trouble?” Dino asked.
He ignored Dino’s question and took a seat away from the workers. Tristan sat on the pine needle-covered ground and opened his pad. Once again he became lost as he stared at the house and then drew what he thought it should look like. He wasn’t that great of an artist, but it helped him relax.
Tristan hummed the song he and Quinn danced to, smiling at the silly way Quinn acted with him. He was quickly becoming Tristan’s best friend.
“Ready?”
Tristan blinked, looking up to see Quinn and Dino standing over him. “But we just got here, sir.”
“Jellybean, we’ve been here for three hours.”
Tristan looked down at his sketchpad and saw he had drawn the entire house with his added ideas. Where had the time gone? “Okay.” Tristan stood and brushed his backside off, following behind Quinn as his mate talked with Dino.
“I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Tristan’s heart began to race. If Quinn was coming into work tomorrow, who would be with him at the house?
Okay, no need to panic. He was an adult. He could handle being by himself. But what if Xavier found him? How would he get help?
The idea terrified him.
“You hungry?” Quinn asked Tristan as they got into the truck. Not really, but if Quinn wanted to go…
“Yes, sir.” Tristan’s earlier good mood was gone now. He couldn’t understand why he felt so depressed now. As if Quinn would leave tomorrow and Tristan would never see him again.
“Good, then we can head over to Theo’s.” Quinn started up the truck and pulled from the jobsite. Tristan snuck a peek at the handsome man. He looked like a well-rounded, happy person. Could Tristan bring all his baggage to Quinn’s doorstep? That wasn’t very fair. All the man had done was be nice and helpful.
Maybe it would be best to leave before Xavier caused his mate any trouble. Quinn had plenty of friends and a good life. He wasn’t about to spoil that. Tristan felt as if there was a large hole in his chest where his heart should be. The thought of leaving Quinn was agonizing, but it was for the best.
“Here we are, jellybean.” Quinn pulled into a spot in front of a tavern, and it looked lively inside. Maybe he could have a little fun before he left.
Tristan hugged his sketchpad as he got out and followed Quinn inside. The music was loud, multiple televisions were playing, and he could hear pool balls cracking somewhere in the back.
Laughter drifted all through the place, and a few loud cheers as some people whooped at the sports game they were watching. The smell of food wafted by him, and Tristan’s stomach growled. It smelled delicious.
They took a seat right at the bar, Tristan laying his pad in his lap. A ruggedly handsome gentleman walked over to them from behind the bar. “What can I get for you, Quinn?” The man smiled at Tristan, making him feel welcome. “I really like your hat.” He pointed with his dishtowel. “It’s cool as hell.”
Tristan’s hand fluttered up, touching the brim. “Thank you, si—” Tristan caught himself at the last second. He could see Quinn’s head snap around to him, a frown on his face. Tristan lowered his eyes and began to softly sing to himself. He didn’t want Quinn to look at him disappro
vingly.
“I’ll take a Michelob.” Quinn gave a gentle tug on Tristan’s shirt. “What do you want, jellybean?”
“A water is fine, sir,” he responded quietly. Fear kept him from looking up and seeing that look still on Quinn’s classically good features.
“Are you sure? You can have whatever you want.”
Tristan nodded.
“I tell you what, I’m gonna order you something else. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to drink it, okay?”
Tristan nodded again.
“Give him one of those virgin margaritas.” Quinn tapped him on his leg, gaining Tristan’s attention. “Or do you want alcohol in it?”
“No, what you ordered is fine, sir.” Tristan looked around the tavern. It was very homey, comfortable feeling. He stiffened when he recognized the men who found him wandering the dark and lonely country road and brought him here to this town.
Crap. His purpose wasn’t to deceive them when they found him and thought he was someone else, but it helped him get away from Xavier. But now he felt guilty as hell.
One of the men got up and walked over, a wide smile cutting across his face. “It’s good to see you feel better. Hi, I’m Sidney.”
Tristan shook his hand. “Hi, Tristan.”
The man laughed, his face lighting up. “I remember. Your hat is pretty cool.”
“Thank you.” He knew he made a right choice when he picked it out.
“Why don’t you come join us at our table? I ordered appetizers and wings.” He wiggled his brows and laughed.
Tristan looked up at Quinn. The man had his ever-present smile on his face. “Sounds good, we’ll be right over as soon as Theo’s slow ass brings our drinks.” Tristan smiled when Theo grunted and slammed Quinn’s beer down on the bar.
“Kiss my slow ass, fucker.”
“I love you, too.” Quinn laughed and grabbed his bottle, and Tristan felt his claws trying to emerge. Joking or not, he didn’t like it. He reached out and punched Quinn in his arm.
“What the hell was that for?” Quinn rubbed his arm.
“What was what for, sir?”
“You just punched me,” Quinn said in surprise.
“No I didn’t, sir.” Tristan slid off of his stool and walked over to Sidney’s table, feeling like hitting Theo.
“They’re only joking,” Sidney whispered to Tristan. “Quinn seems to have taken to you like a mama bear to a cub.”
Great, just what he wanted to hear. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, si—”
Damn it, he was going to break that habit if it killed him.
Sidney laughed and chucked him on his arm. “That’s right, deny it all.” He winked and took a seat. “Everyone, this is Tristan.”
God, a public introduction. Tristan wasn’t good at those. He barely did well one-on-one.
“Hey, Tristan. I’m Trevor, nice to meet you.” A tall, dark, and handsome man reached over and shook his hand. “Welcome to Crazyville. And believe me when I tell you Sidney put the ‘azy’ in crazy.”
“Shut up.” Sidney turned back to Tristan. “Have a seat.”
Tristan took a seat in one of the empty chairs, watching Quinn closely as he talked to Theo. Jealously was ripping through him like a lightning storm. He could feel his hands strangling his sketchpad.
“I’m Sammy.” Another man introduced himself. “I actually work here. But it’s my night off. Oh, I know, who works at a place and hangs out there, too? Well, have you seen this town? There’s nowhere else to hang at night.”
Tristan just nodded. The guy sure was a talker.
“I even have Knox working here now, too.” He laughed.
Tristan didn’t get it.
“I’m Knox, the man in question.” Another shook his hand. Tristan’s head was spinning with all of these names. There was no way he was going to remember them all.
“So, do you play bingo?” Sidney asked.
Bingo? “I’ve heard of the game.”
“Oh, then aren’t you in for a surprise. We meet on Wednesday nights. I’ll come get you this Wednesday so you can go with us.”
Tristan once again nodded. He’d never met people this friendly. He could smell shifter on two of them. One was human. And the fourth? He’d never come across that scent before.
“Oh, and this is Missy.” Sidney pointed to a barmaid approaching their table. “We were going to tie her up and drain her when we first met her. But since we found out she’s a lesbian and not after our mates, she’s just one of us now.”
Tristan’s eye began to twitch.
“You look a little green.” Trevor leaned forward, a concerned look on his face.
“That’s just his shirt.” Sammy laughed.
Tristan needed to get away. Not only were these people crazy, once again someone was making fun of his clothes. He couldn’t figure out what was so wrong with them, but being teased hurt his feelings.
“Excuse me.” He made his way to the back of the tavern, looking for a bathroom. Tristan ended up in a kitchen instead. He spotted a screen door and shot toward it. The workers didn’t seem to pay him any attention as he raced to get away.
Once outside in the back alley, he pulled in a lungful of fresh air. Now would be a good time to make a break for it. Before he became too attached to Quinn and before those people in there took him down the rabbit hole with them.
Tristan clutched his sketchpad to his chest as he ran around the brick wall and out onto the street.
Chapter Three
Hunter turned the order form around. “Check it over, Dino, and make sure that’s everything you need.”
The foreman glanced at the sheet, nodding his head as he read it. “Looks like everything.” He handed it back to Hunter. “We’re hanging out over at Theo’s. You should join us.”
It had been a long day. Maybe a night of being around friends would do him some good. How long had it been since he got out? A month, maybe two? “Sounds like a plan. I’ll be over there as soon as I close up.”
“See you there.” Dino saluted with his fingers as he left Hunter’s hardware store.
Hunter smiled. The foreman was one of the good guys. He emptied his register and filled out his paperwork, slipping the money pouch in the safe. Hunter shut the store down, walking the one block over to Theo’s.
He immediately spotted one of his friends sitting over in one of the booths when he walked in.
Sully, one of Alpha Zeus’s soldiers, was his good buddy. He clapped him on the back as he took a seat. “I know whatever you’re talking about is all lies.” He chuckled, giving his order to the barmaid.
“That’s only because you know me so well.” Sully laughed. “Where the hell have you been hiding out?”
“With all the construction going on, I’ve been chained behind that damn counter at the hardware store.”
“Hunter, this is Sidney, Trevor, Sammy, and Knox.”
Hunter nodded and reached across the table, shaking their hands. “Nice to meet you.”
“Hunter here runs Hunter Hardware if you haven’t made the connection.” Sully smirked as he took a drink of his beer.
Hunter eyed Knox. The shifters who lived in town had been there when Jackson ruled over them. It was dark days back then, the Alpha demanding thirty percent of their earnings, claiming it was for the pack.
They all celebrated when Zeus took over. The heavy tax was lifted and everyone could make a decent living now. Though the soldiers never socialized before, it was getting better now that Zeus was in charge.
It was a long process, but Hunter was getting to know some of them. Sully had pretty much thrown his friendship on Hunter. The guy was full of piss and vinegar and was fun to be around.
“So if you haven’t gotten out from behind that counter does that mean someone has been under there taking care of business for you?” Sully laughed when Hunter threw his beer cap at him.
“That would be none of your business. Go get laid and leave my sex li
fe alone.” As nonexistent as it is.
Business was booming since Alpha Zeus had decided to rebuild, and most nights Hunter was too tired to even use his hand. But Sully didn’t need to know that.
“Here comes the biggest troublemaker of them all.”
Dino came sauntering over. “All lies.” He chuckled and took a seat. “Glad you made it, Hunter.”
Hunter held his bottle up and then took a drink, feeling the friendship all around him in the tavern.
“Jaxxon and Ian are supposed to be joining us,” Knox said as he leaned over and whispered something into Sammy’s ear, who was sitting on Trevor’s lap. Whatever it was, the guy turned so red, Hunter thought he was going to have to turn a hose on him to put the fire out.
He knew Jaxxon and Ian were soldiers. Hunter knew all their names, he just didn’t know them.
“Where’d Tristan go?”
Hunter turned to look over his shoulder, and his brain took a dump. He couldn’t think of one word to say as his mate stood there staring at the crowd around the table.
“He excused himself. I think he went to the bathroom.” Trevor pointed in the direction toward the back of the tavern.
“But that’s the kitchen.” Sammy looked puzzled as he stared at Hunter’s mate.
“Why would he do that? Did someone say something to him?” the man asked. He had a sun-kissed heavenly face with sensuous eyes. But his jaw was set, clenching as it held back his anger. What was going on? Did his mate have another?
“No.” Sammy shook his head. “Trevor said he looked a little green, and I said something about his face matching his shirt.” Sammy looked contrite. “I wasn’t making fun of him, I swear.” The man seemed near tears, and Hunter was even more intrigued as to what was going on.
His mate cursed and headed to the back of the tavern. “Pardon me.” Hunter jumped from his seat and ran after the guy.
“Is there a problem I can help you with?” he asked as he caught up to his sexy mate.
“Who the hell are you?” The man walked through kitchen and looked around. “Has anyone seen a guy about five foot five, red hair, big red hat on his head with a feather sticking out of it?” he asked the personnel working in the kitchen.