by W. H. Vega
She heard the TV blaring, and she walked into the living room. Not surprisingly, her mother was passed out on the couch, a half empty bottle of vodka on the coffee table. Gabby shook her head in disgust.
She heard a sound upstairs, and she hoped it was Lucy. She tiptoed up the steps and saw light coming from under Lucy’s door.
“Lucy,” she called quietly, knocking on the door.
The door jerked opened and Lucy stood there in her pajamas, a look of surprise on her face.
“Gabby! You scared me! What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“It’s a long story. I don’t think I can explain it now,” Gabby said, “but no one can know I’m here, okay?”
Lucy narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on, Gabby?”
“Please, Luce. I just need to get my thoughts together. I’ve had the most hellish few days, and I need someplace to stay. I promise that I’m not in trouble, but it’s not safe for me to go back to my apartment.”
“Gabby, you’re worrying me!” Her eyes anxiously looked Gabby over. “And you’re filthy. What the hell is going on?”
“Let me shower, okay? Then I’ll try to explain it to you.”
Lucy finally nodded. She turned around and pulled one of her drawers open, tugging out a fresh t-shirt and shorts. “Take these,” she said, thrusting them into Gabby’s hands.
“Thank you,” Gabby said gratefully, before turning down the hall and heading into the bathroom.
Chapter Twenty
“What?” Zane roared into his phone, staring at it in disbelief. He knew that Michael had heard because he swore loudly and was now pacing back and forth. Michael quickly pulled out his own phone and made a call.
“I’m sorry,” Alicia sobbed from the other end. “I was so wrapped up in what had happened to Liam that Grayson and I didn’t hear anything!”
Zane felt bad because he knew how devastated Alicia was over Liam, but he was pissed that she had mentioned Grayson. How could neither one of them have heard Gabby leave the house?
“I know,” he said, “I have to go. Michael and I need to take care of this.” And before Alicia could say anything else, he hung up.
He looked over at Michael who had also just hung up with someone. “I’ve got guys heading out to pick up her scent. We need to find her before another bear does,” he growled.
Fuck. If the Cruentus or Atrocitas came across Gabby first—well, he didn’t even want to think about it.
“Think, Zane,” Michael ordered, “Where would she go?”
“Her apartment? The hotel?”
Michael nodded. He quickly dialed a number and barked those places into the phone. “Let’s go,” he ordered, “We need to get out there and help too.” He began taking off his clothes and Zane followed suit. Once he was stripped down, he let the shift take over. It was simple since his emotions, especially anger, were so close to the surface. Whenever he was feeling any strong emotion it made the bear within him that much stronger.
He roared loudly as his four paws thudded to the ground. He ran down Michael’s driveway, but skidded to a stop.
Was it even possible?
He pressed his snout to the earth, and sure enough, he picked up Gabby’s scent. It was strong. Which could mean only one thing—she had been on Michael’s property. And not only that, but she had been there recently.
What the fuck? How had they missed her? They had been so involved in their own conversation.
He took off after her scent, and he heard Michael growl behind him as he picked up Gabby’s scent too. They raced down the street in pursuit of her.
Chapter Twenty-One
“So are you going to tell me what the hell is going on now?” Lucy asked impatiently, sitting on the edge of her bed as she watched Gabby towel-dry her hair.
“I don’t really know where to start,” Gabby said honestly, glancing at Lucy through the mirror. “Yesterday at work,” she faltered, trying to find the right words. Lucy waited expectantly.
“Someone tried to hurt me,” she finished.
“What do you mean?” Lucy demanded.
“I was alone in the lobby and a man came in and pulled out a knife on me.”
“Oh my god, Gabby! Why did you not say anything?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose. It was just—so bizarre. And I was so exhausted and tired over everything, but then today—I found out more information, and I’m just—I’m afraid to go back to my apartment.”
“Oh Gabby,” Lucy cried, pulling her in for a hug. “I had no idea you were going through all of this. And after that bear chased you last week!”
Gabby limply hugged Lucy back, wishing her sister knew the full story.
“Luce, look,” she said seriously, pulling back to look at her younger sister, “I can’t stay in Russet Falls. I know this sounds totally crazy and wild, but I’m going to have to leave. And I need to know that you’re going to be okay.” She knew she sounded like a crazy person, and from Lucy’s reaction, Lucy thought she was a crazy person.
“Gabby, you can’t just leave,” she said slowly. “I mean, I understand that you’re afraid, but that’s why there are police and protection and things like that. I mean, you can’t just leave!” she exclaimed.
“I know, I know. It sounds crazy.”
“And you can’t leave me!” Lucy said anxiously.
Gabby’s face twisted in pain. “Trust me, I don’t want to.”
“Then we’ll leave together!” Lucy cried, her face lighting up. “I don’t want to stick around here either. It can be an adventure,” she paused. “And I promise to attend college wherever we go.”
Oh, Lucy knew her so well! The offer was tempting. Not only would Gabby be able to still see her younger sister, and keep tabs on her, but she would also be getting an education. Gabby was so close to saying yes, but then she thought of how she would be putting Lucy’s life in danger.
“Trust me,” Gabby said softly, “I would love nothing more. But I just can’t put your life at risk too.”
Lucy gave her a strange look. “Do you think people are after you? Like, they’re going to follow you? That’s crazy, Gabby! I mean, why? Who?” She bit her lip. “I think you might be overreacting a little.”
If only Gabby could tell her the full story!
“Lucy, please. I need you to trust me.”
“I do,” she insisted, “but-’’
A loud bang downstairs cut her off. Both girls paled and looked at each other.
Gabby hurried to the door, pressing her ear against it.
“It was probably only Mom,” Lucy said, though she didn’t sound quite certain.
“Shit,” Gabby whispered, “I shouldn’t have come here.” Taking a deep breath, she pulled the door open and tiptoed into the hall. She heard another loud sound from the living room.
Maybe Lucy was right. Maybe it was only their mother.
With Lucy on her heels, they quietly made their way down the worn stairs.
“Son of a bitch,” Gabby heard her mother curse. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the shabby living room to see what was going on.
“Gabby! What are you doing here?” her mother exclaimed, her eyes glassy and unfocused.
“It doesn’t matter,” Gabby said. “What’s all the noise?”
“Yeah, come on, Mom. Go to bed,” Lucy said, “Stop making such a racket.”
“I’m not making any racket,” Andrea slurred. “You girls were the ones making noise. That’s what woke me up.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Come on, Mom,” she said, taking her mother’s vodka bottle.
But Gabby didn’t move. “What are you talking about? What noise?”
“Didn’t you just get here?” her mother asked, clearly confused. “Isn’t that what I heard at the door?”
Fearful, Gabby ran to the windows, looked out, and then pulled the blinds shut.
“What’s going on?” Lucy asked anxiously.
“I don’t know. But I have a b
ad feeling.” She turned to face her mother. “What did you hear? Tell me exactly.”
Her mother shrugged, stumbling slightly. “I don’t know. Noises. By the door.”
Gabby ran to the front door, but heard nothing, and then quickly moved to the back door. She heard nothing, but just as she was heading back to the living room, she heard a loud bang at the back door.
“What was that?” Lucy cried.
“We know you’re in there!” yelled a savage, male voice from the outside.
“They found me,” Gabby whispered. She knew with certainty that it was not Zane or Michael, but someone from the other clans. “Take Mom and get upstairs,” Gabby ordered. “It’s me they’re after.”
“What? Are you crazy? I’m not leaving you!”
“Lucy! Get upstairs!” Gabby yelled.
“No!”
There was another loud bang and Gabby knew they were going to break the door down. Why had she ever come there? She should have known that she would be found. And now she had put her sister and mother in danger for no reason.
“I’m sorry,” Gabby cried, looking at Lucy. “I never should have come here!”
Just then the door came down and four rough looking men rushed inside. Gabby jumped in front of Lucy and her mother, who was too drunk to even realize what was going on.
“Leave them alone!” she yelled, “It’s me that you want.”
The man in the front had long, scraggly hair, and was just as big and broad as Zane and Michael, if not bigger. Clearly, he was a bear. Gabby was beginning to recognize the physical traits. The man approached Gabby as if she were prey, taking her in. His eyes raked across her in a way that terrified her but she refused to show it. She stood taller, straightening her shoulders.
The man laughed—it was a terrible sound. “Oh, you can pretend that you’re not afraid, princess,” Gabby didn’t miss what he implied, “but I know you are.”
He stepped closer, taking a finger and running it along Gabby’s breast. She shook, but remained in place.
“Get off my sister, you asshole!” Lucy screamed, jumping in front of Gabby, aiming to hit the man. But he was too quick, aided by his bear instincts, and he knocked Lucy along her jaw and she fell limply to the ground. Gabby cried out and then lunged for the man, but the other three grabbed her, restraining her, and she looked down to see blood dripping from Lucy’s lip as she crawled onto her knees.
Andrea was a beat behind the action, but now she was yelling and screaming like a lunatic, and one of the men left Gabby to restrain her mother.
“Bring all a’ these bitches!” bellowed the man with the scraggly hair. “We’ll drain them all and see what we get!”
“No!” Gabby screamed, kicking and fighting as one of the men grabbed Lucy by her hair, causing her to shriek. The men dragged the women to the door.
“You all better shut the fuck up before we decide to just kill you now!”
Gabby wasn’t going to die without a fight, and she kicked harder, not caring what happened to her.
The man restraining her cupped his hand around her mouth and just as she was going to bite down, Zane and Michael burst through the broken back door. Quentin, Sam, Tommy, Grayson and Mick followed behind. Gabby had never felt such happiness at seeing people she despised.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Somehow Zane had managed to keep himself in check, but he wasn’t quite sure how. When he saw Gabby being held against her will by those thugs, he wanted to shift right then and there and rip those pieces of shit into nothing but bloody slabs of meat.
Yet, he kept it together.
“Let her go,” he roared, charging into the room and knocking down the man holding Gabby.
Surprised, the man released Gabby, yelling as he swung at Zane. But Zane was so full of adrenaline and anger that the man was no match for him. Zane punched him again and again, even when the man was curled up into a ball on the floor, moaning.
“Zane! Zane!” Michael yelled.
Zane finally took a step back, realizing he had beaten the man into a bloody pulp. It was nothing short of what he deserved.
Out of his trance now, he looked around, watching the fight that had erupted in the small living room. Michael and Grayson were holding a dark skinned man who seemed to be fighting the hardest, and Tommy and Sam each restrained two men who had surrendered. Mick was picking up the unconscious prick that Zane had beaten, and Quentin was surveying the damage.
Zane finally noticed Gabby, Lucy and their mother huddled in a corner of the room.
“Hey. It’s okay,” he said, moving slowly towards them. Lucy looked pretty bad; she had been hit in the mouth. And their mother seemed pretty upset, though she was clearly drunk. Zane reached out to touch Gabby’s arm but she recoiled at his touch.
“Don’t touch me!” she shrieked, jumping back.
Shit.
“I know!” Gabby cried, hysterical now. “I know what you did!”
Zane stared at her blankly. She couldn’t possibly be talking about her father.
“I know,” she raged. “I know it was you! You’re the one who is responsible!” Her eyes were wild and unfocused.
“Gabby,” Michael said slowly, moving towards her and leaving his prisoner with Grayson. “We need to get you back to safety and then we can discuss it.”
“No! I’m not going back!”
Michael leaned down so he was looking her directly in the eyes. He spoke calmly. “Tonight was the perfect example of why you are not safe and how easily you can put your loved ones in harm’s way.”
Gabby looked sickened by his words.
“Now, please come with us and we can discuss things.”
Gabby nodded slowly and moved to follow Michael.
“Gabby! No!” Lucy cried through her fat lip. “You can’t just follow these—these strangers!”
Gabby shook her head sadly. “They aren’t strangers, Lucy. And I promise you they are trying to help me. Even if it doesn’t look that way.”
Lucy shook her head, tears falling down her face, as Andrea shrank back against the wall. Michael turned toward Lucy. “We will take good care of your sister, I promise. She will be in touch soon.”
Gabby nodded, trying to give Lucy a brave smile, which made Zane feel even more like an asshole. “It’s true. I’ll see you real soon. You have to trust me.”
“I’ll stick around and take care of things here,” Quentin said as he moved toward Lucy, who looked like she was ready to run after Gabby.
“Good idea.” Michael turned back to the women. “This is Quentin. Allow him to help you. You’re in good hands.”
Lucy looked wildly at Gabby. “This is crazy!”
“Quentin’s nice, Luce. Trust me. He’ll help you and Mom out, okay?” She was already moving behind Michael, accepting her fate.
“But—but, Gabby! No!” Lucy exclaimed, stumbling after her.
Gabby hugged her tightly. “I promise. Everything will be fine,” she whispered. Then she looked over at Michael. “Let’s go, please.”
He nodded, and they slipped out the door.
Zane followed as anger, remorse and rage bubbled inside him. His bear tore at his insides, wanting out.
A van pulled around to the back of the house. Zane wasn’t surprised to see Alicia driving. It seemed that she was involved with everything these days, especially since she and Grayson had become an item. Her eyes were red and puffy, and Zane figured that she felt so guilty over Gabby escaping that she was willing to do whatever she could to help.
Gabby climbed silently into the front seat, slamming the door hard behind her. The rest of the men, along with the intruders from the other clan, got into the back of the van. Once everyone was inside, Alicia sped away. Tommy and Sam began tying up the four men; the man who Zane had beaten was just starting to stir. Once the men were tied up and gagged, Mick shoved them into the very back of the van.
“I’m getting sick of this shit,” Mick swore under his breath, but Michael
shot him a lethal look.
The drive back to the clan lands was filled with stony silence. Alicia and Gabby got out at Alicia’s house, and Grayson hopped into the driver’s seat and took the van to Sam and Tommy’s place. Sam, Tommy and Mick jumped out, taking the four men with them.
“Get all the info you can,” Michael ordered, “then report back to me.”
They nodded and then dragged the men toward the small house.
Grayson dropped Michael and Zane back at Michael’s house and then pulled away. The prick was probably headed straight back to Alicia’s.
Zane was exhausted, and wanted to sleep, but he knew Michael wouldn’t allow it. There was too much going on. The men went inside and settled in Michael’s living room.
“She knows,” Michael said flatly.
“No shit,” Zane snapped, and then instantly apologized. “I’m sorry.”
Michael let it go. “She must have overheard us. That’s the only thing I can imagine.”
Zane shrugged. “Either way—she knows and that’s all that matters now. She’s never going to forgive me. And she’s right not to,” he added. He killed Gabby’s father. Why should she ever forgive him?
“We need to make this right. You need to speak with her in the morning. She’s been through a rough time. We also have to deal with the matter of Liam’s death.” Michael cringed, and Zane knew that tomorrow Michael would spend the day with Liam’s parents—Alicia’s brother and sister-in-law.
“What if she won’t speak to me?” Zane said, knowing he sounded like a pussy.
“Try. Do what you can do. Even if she doesn’t forgive you, you owe her an explanation.” Michael stood up and stared out the window into the darkness. “And now the cubs,” he sighed. “Go home and get some rest, Zane.”
“Are—are you sure?” Zane faltered. This was unexpected.
“Yes. It does no good for two of us to sit here and try to figure out the cub issue. I just don’t know how to protect them!” he exclaimed, pounding his fist against the wall. “And we need to get Gabby in check. We can’t be dealing with her running away when he have more pressing matters on our lands.”