Staci took a deep breath and forced herself to take a long, hard look at herself. Had she changed so much? What had changed really?
She frowned and turned her phone over absently in her hand. After Ethel married and moved overseas for her husband's job posting, they'd called each other only on occasions. To wish each other happy birthday, happy new year, or when they had news to share. Her sister had called to tell her about her pregnancy. Staci had flown over for the birth of her niece, but that was it. Her niece was about ten months old now. Her sister had shared pictures of the baby, but they hadn't really talked much. They were just so busy with their own lives.
Staci swallowed painfully. She had moved to a new town and she never even thought of telling her sister.
Why?
Pride, she realized. She'd let pride get in the way.
Ethel had always been the tall, beautiful, elder sister. She was smarter, prettier, more successful, and now she was happily married with a lovely baby.
Staci didn't want to look like a failure compared to her big sister. But—nobody was comparing now. Her mother and aunts used to remark, “Why can't you be more like Ethel?” Staci hadn't realized how much she'd let those comments affect her. But her mother and aunts were no longer around. She shouldn't let them cast a shadow over her relationship with her only sister.
Marcus was right. He had encouraged her to call her sister and tell her about her new life in Shadow Point. “Just talk to her. She might be busy with her baby, but I'm sure she has time to talk to her little sister.”
Staci sucked in a long breath and facetimed her sister. She had a lot to tell her sister, yet she wasn't sure what she would say to Ethel.
“Hey.” Ethel picked up the call and her face appeared on the screen. She looked exhausted and Staci suddenly realized that it was past midnight over there. “Oh! Staci, is everything okay?” Ethel asked.
“Yes, yes, I...I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was so late.”
“That's okay. I was just feeding Chloe. I'm up at all hours, so it makes no difference whether it's night or day.” Ethel laughed and squinted at the screen. “Where are you? Your house looks...different.”
“I, um, I moved. I'm still with the same bank but I transferred to their branch in Shadow Point.”
“David is okay with that?”
“We're no longer together.”
“Oh Staci...”
“It's okay.” Staci shrugged and smiled. “He's got a new girlfriend.”
“He's moved on so quickly?” Ethel began to sound angry. “Screw him. I don't give a shit about how that jerk is doing! How are you doing, Staci?”
Staci smiled, a lovely warm feeling spreading through her heart. She didn't expect Ethel to be so angry on her behalf.
“I'm okay,” Staci said. “In fact, I...”
Ethel's eyes rounded. She gasped and waggled her eyebrows. “You have met a new man. And he's hot!”
“H-how did you know?” Staci squeaked.
“You have that look on your face.”
Staci giggled and told her sister a little about Marcus. Ethel seemed pleased and excited to hear about her new life in Shadow Point.
“Beck's Builders? Wait, let me look that up,” Ethel said and grabbed her tablet. “Ah, there. Nice website, but there's no photo of Marcus Beck.” Ethel looked disappointed.
“I haven't got a picture of him myself,” Staci confessed.
“Facetime me the next time you're with him. I'd like to say hi to him.”
“Really?”
“Really. I'd like to talk to the man who's making my little sister so happy.”
After chatting for about half an hour, Staci saw her sister yawn and said quickly, “I'll let you get back to sleep now.”
“Okay. I'll call you...tomorrow?”
Staci nodded then asked, “How come...you haven't called me for so long? I mean, I didn't call either, but...”
Ethel frowned and bit her lip. “You just seemed...so busy. With your job, your boyfriend...and you didn't seem to want to talk much to me. I thought...”
“You thought I didn't care,” Staci said. “And I thought you didn't care.”
Ethel sighed. “I...” She gasped suddenly and pointed, “What's that?”
“What?”
“I...I thought I saw someone behind you.” Ethel's eyes were wide.
Staci frowned and turned around. “No. I'm alone at home.”
“Oh. For a moment, I thought...” Ethel shook her head. “Maybe it's just the light. It's very late now...”
“Yeah. I'll call you tomorrow?” Staci made it a question. It felt really good to talk to her big sister, but she didn't want to impose. Ethel had a baby, a family, and she was working part-time. She might not have time for idle gossip and…
“Oh yes!” Ethel's eyes lit up mischievously and Staci laughed. Her sister did want to gossip, and her sister did have time for her. “Call me when you're on that hot date with Marcus Beck!”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Staci put her phone down on the dining table and went to put her glass in the sink. She was really glad she'd called her sister. It was wonderful to see Ethel's face and hear her voice. “I should make the effort to visit her more often,” Staci said to her glass. “I should let my niece get to know her Aunt Staci better.”
Sensing a movement behind her, Staci twisted round abruptly. Her living room was dark but somehow she sensed that she wasn't alone in the house. Didn't Ethel start and point at something behind her just now? Her sister had seen something, maybe someone behind her.
Staci got up slowly and flicked on the living room lights. Her eyes darted from corner to corner, but everything seemed to be in order. Her things were untouched, and she saw no one lurking in the hall.
Scanning the house, she left the lights on in the kitchen and the living room as she walked cautiously to her bedroom. She would just sleep with all the lights on in her house tonight. It was silly but it made her feel safer.
Staci changed into a big comfortable t-shirt and brushed her teeth quickly. She was about to crawl into bed when she heard a step outside her bedroom door.
She froze and stared at the door. Did she imagine the sound? As she moved towards the door, she saw the door knob turn.
Choking down a scream, she lurched towards the door to try to lock it. But the door slammed open and she stumbled back in shock.
“Wh...who are you?” she wheezed as she snatched up the nearest object her fingers could reach. It happened to be a clothes hanger. With shaking hands, she brandished the hanger in front of her like a sword.
The man laughed as he stepped into her room. His gray hair was tied back in a low ponytail and his eyes were like coal, hard, black and flinty. He wasn't very tall but the way he moved told Staci that he was dangerous. Very, very dangerous.
The man moved soundlessly, like a predator, and with the smallest movement, a knife appeared in his hand.
“What do y-you w-want? Just who are you?” Staci stammered, backing away.
The man's eyes glittered menacingly. “I used to be a bear tamer. I've been searching for my bears. They've run away, you see,” he went on in a deceptively calm, reasonable tone. “They attacked me and escaped.”
Staci knew at once who he was. “You...you are Bazl.”
He gave her a wide smile and pretended to be impressed. “You know my name. You must know Marcus and his brothers very well. You trust him. And he...loves you.”
Bazl twirled his knife through his fingers and gave a mocking laugh.
“You're not dead,” Staci whispered, shaking her head. “Marcus didn't kill you.”
“Oh, he stabbed a knife in my belly and left me for dead. Then he ran off with my bears. So you see, I have some unfinished business to see to. I will not die before I finish Marcus Beck off. He destroyed me and I swear I will see him destroyed!”
“No...”
Bazl's hollow laugh
ter died suddenly. He locked his eyes on her and snarled, “I have waited so long for this.”
Staci backed into a corner and held the clothes hanger out in front of her. It wasn't a very effective weapon but it was better than nothing. She could aim for his eyes and kick him where it mattered.
“I wanted to go after the twins, but they're no longer small, defenseless bear cubs.” Bazl smiled as he prowled towards her. “A human woman is a much easier target. I don't want to hurt you, but I will enjoy hurting him.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Marcus's eyes opened and he sat up uneasily. His bear growled and clawed at him, forcing him to throw his legs over the side of the bed and stand up.
As he snapped on his bedside light, his phone chirped and vibrated insistently. Marcus frowned at the unknown number on the screen. Someone was calling him from overseas.
“Hello?” he growled. Who would call him at two o'clock in the morning? It was probably a wrong number.
“Hello,” a female voice answered. “Is this Marcus Beck?” she asked tentatively.
“Yes, I'm Marcus. Who is this?”
“I...I'm Staci's sister, Ethel. I don't know if...”
“Yes, Staci's told me about you,” Marcus said at once. “Hi, Ethel. What can I do for you?” His tone warmed immediately but he was still confused. Why would Staci's big sister call him in the middle of the night? Unless…
“I'm really sorry to call you at this hour, Marcus, but I'm worried about Staci,” Ethel said.
“Staci...” He was already yanking a t-shirt over his head.
“Yes. I was talking to her tonight. She looked and sounded really happy, but...I thought I saw someone behind her when I was talking to her. Staci turned around to look but she saw nothing. I told her it was probably just my imagination but after I put down the phone, I just felt that something was wrong. I tried calling her back but she's not picking up. I'm really worried. I looked up your number on your website and called you. I'm overseas so I can't go check on her, but...”
“I'm on it,” Marcus told her at once. “I'm grabbing my car keys as we speak. I'll drive over to Staci's house right now and I'll call you back.”
“Thank you, Marcus...”
“Thank you for calling me, Ethel.” He paused and said, “Staci is lucky to have you. You're a very good big sister.”
“No I'm not,” Ethel said. “I was too...ah, never mind that now. Please...just call me back.”
“I will.”
Marcus rushed out of his room and ran down the stairs. He saw Joshua hurry out of the kitchen with a sandwich in his hand. “Where are you going?” Joshua demanded, cramming his midnight snack in his mouth.
“Staci...” Marcus snapped, throwing the front door wide open and racing towards his car.
Joshua rushed after him, but Marcus was already reversing down the driveway. With a squeal of tires, he roared down the street, speeding to Staci's house.
He leaped out of his car and pounded up the front steps to the little house. All the lights were on in the house. The front door was slightly ajar and he burst into the house, bellowing her name.
He went to her room and saw drops of blood on the floor. It was Staci's blood. The scent of her fear hung in the air, and he detected the scent of another human male.
He inhaled sharply, and tried to order his thoughts and emotions. The scent was horribly familiar, but in his pain and confusion, he just couldn't place it.
Marcus felt his claws elongating, and he was about to let his angry bear take over when he heard the sound of another car screech to a halt in front of Staci's house. His brothers came clattering into the house, speaking and shushing each other together.
“Marcus!” Joshua crashed into his shoulder.
“Where's Staci?” Jax asked, looking around. “Ah! No...”
The twins stared at the droplets of blood on the floor and their eyes widened. They were sniffing hard, and they had the same look of cold fury in their eyes. They recognized the scent of the man who had taken Staci. It was the same man who had killed their mother, captured them and tortured them for years.
“Bazl,” Jax and Joshua growled. “Bazl is not dead!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Staci opened her eyes and gasped in pain. She tried her best to ignore that throbbing pain at the back of her head as she wriggled against the ropes binding her wrists and ankles.
She cried out in shock as a spider ran across her bare feet. Blinking hard, she looked around and saw peeling, cracked walls and boarded up windows. It looked like she was in an abandoned house. There were some old, dilapidated houses at the edge of town, so Staci hoped that she was still in Shadow Point.
Bazl had knocked her out with a sharp blow to her head, and she had only been vaguely aware of the sound of a car engine. She had heard no other sound as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
“Good morning,” Bazl said pleasantly.
Staci jerked her head in the direction of his voice. Bazl was sitting on a stool, watching her in the dark. His blade gleamed as he spun it in the air.
Standing up, Bazl walked over the pieces of wood strewn on the floor. There was an upturned table at the corner, and one of the table legs had been snapped off, leaving behind a sharp, pointed spike. Bazl bent to pick up the broken table leg as he made his way to her.
He tapped the table leg against his palm and smiled down at her. “Where would you like me to start?”
Staci shook her head mutely. What was he going to do?
Bazl crouched down and clucked his tongue. “You can scream all you want. No one will hear you. There's no one on this entire street. Just rows of old houses that have been earmarked for demolition. I have been watching Marcus Beck for some time, so I know every nook and cranny of this town. He thinks I'm dead.” Bazl sniggered. “Revenge truly is a dish best served cold.”
Staci flinched when he reached out to touch her. “Pretty,” Bazl mused. “I've seen Marcus Beck with a few females, but he's never been with the same woman for more than one night. You must be real special to him. He even brought you to meet the twins.”
Staci swallowed painfully. “Y-you saw...”
“Of course I saw. I make sure I see everything. But nobody sees me, because—no one sees a dead man.”
Staci bit her lip and resolved not to make a single sound. She knew that Bazl was going to hurt her bad. He was going to torture her before killing her. He would hurt Marcus by hurting the woman he loved.
He wanted Marcus to live knowing that Staci had screamed for him in the last hours of her life. She had screamed for him to save her, and he hadn't come.
No. Staci clenched her jaw tightly. She would not scream. She would endure everything and stay silent.
I'm not afraid, Marcus. And I'm not in pain. I don't regret knowing you. I love you, and please tell Ethel that I love her too.
Bazl studied her for a moment. He pulled a dusty camcorder out of his jacket and set it on the floor. The clunky recording device was old but apparently still workable.
He pressed a button on the recorder and said jauntily, “Let's get the show started.”
Staci took a deep steadying breath as Bazl threw his jacket on the ground and swung the table leg like a baseball bat. This was going to hurt. Bad.
She glanced at the recorder on the ground and worked hard to keep the fear out of her face. She didn't want Marcus to see how scared she was.
Staci looked down, refusing to let Bazl see the panic and distress in her eyes.
She squeezed her eyes shut just as the table leg connected with her shoulder. Staci toppled sideways and her cheek landed hard on the floor. Her eyes watered as the violent, savage pain racked her body.
Staci gritted her teeth and refused to scream as another blow landed on her back.
She made no sound as she swallowed the blood in her mouth. She wished she could stop her tears but they just kept flowing of their own accord.
Don't cry, Staci, she ordered herself. Don't let him see you cry!
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Marcus pulled his car silently to a stop at the end of a dark, deserted street. Jax and Joshua were in the backseat, and they both leaned forward to peer through the windscreen.
“You sure she's here?” Jax asked.
Joshua glared at his twin. “Of course he's sure. She's his mate! His bear will find her even if Bazl drags her to the ends of the earth.”
“Ah, the mate bond,” Jax said, but he was still staring at Marcus. “Is that how it works? You can feel her?” he asked Marcus quietly.
“Yes.”
Joshua's frown deepened as he stared out the window. “There's no one in this neighborhood,” he muttered. “These houses are all about to be torn down.”
Marcus didn't reply. He got out of the car and scanned the length of the dark street. Staci was near. He could feel it. But he could also feel that she was trying to block her emotions from him.
Marcus's claws stabbed into his palms. His chest tightened and he had to force air into his lungs.
He knew what Staci was doing. She was trying to block her pain from him. She didn't want him to know how frightened she was, and how much she was suffering.
He would kill Bazl. For real this time.
The bastard would wish that he had died the first time.
A low, deadly growl rumbled from his throat as he stalked down the street. Jax and Joshua hurried after him, their eyes frantically scanning each empty house that they passed.
“Where…?”
“Shhh!”
“Shh yourself!”
Marcus ignored his brothers' furious whispering and kept walking. He took a sharp whiff and his eyes flashed feral. Snarling, he started to run.
Staci was in that small, crooked house at the end of the street. The house was half hidden behind tall weeds and grasses, but he knew she was inside. He could scent her blood. Staci was bleeding, and she was in a lot of pain.
Bad Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 1) Page 5