Israel

by Avery Gale

  “This kitchen is amazing, but it would be wasted on me. Cooking doesn’t seem to be in my skill set. One of my college professors tried to relate her upper-level pharmacology course to cooking, and I almost failed the damned class.” She rolled her eyes in exasperation, “I still think comparing cooking to chemistry is a staggering overestimation. Assuming people know the names of a zillion different ingredients is presumptuous. Why, in the name of all things holy, do they use so many foreign words to describe things? Some are Italian, some are French… the list is endless.”

  Israel leaned his head back and laughed. Her mini-rant told him far more about her than the words alone. He was pleased she felt safe enough with him to be herself. Brilliant, beautiful, and a sense of humor? Fate had been good to him.

  “I understand your frustration with the terminology since most medical terms are so easily understood.” He added a nod to the mocking comment, but she wasn’t going for it.

  “Was that sarcasm? It sure sounded like sarcasm. What happens to your subs if they cop an attitude? I bet you punish them for being flip.” Israel was in front of her before she could pull in a deep breath, his fingers capturing her chin, tilting her face up, so they were face to face.

  “It was teasing. Outside a scene, I will take as good as I give, but you’ve pushed yourself into dangerous territory. My real issue with your comment is the allusion to other subs. Rest assured, my lovely mate, from the moment your scent drifted to me, every other submissive faded from my memory. As a shifter, you should be well aware of how this works, so your comment represents a deliberate challenge.” He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger, brushing the surface of her skin with a touch meant to comfort. “Challenges… every challenge will be answered.”

  I knew it was too good to be true. Why do I always say the wrong thing? Get through this and go home. Go to work and stick to what you know.

  Israel was astonished. Did she really believe he’d walk away from her because she’d challenged him? He wanted to kick the ass of whoever convinced this amazing woman she had to be perfect all the time. The physical toll associated with that level of pressure had to be suffocating, and the emotional burden would be enough to break the strongest person. Pulling her into his arms, Israel held her close until he felt her relax.

  “When was the last time you had more than a day off?” He felt her stiffen, but he wasn’t going to back down. Their future depended on them being able to speak openly about everything, even if it was out of her comfort zone.

  “You mean like a vacation?”

  He already knew the answer, the tone of her voice giving her away. Bristol’s response had been something between disbelief and worry. Did she think he was going to judge her for doing what she loved?

  “No, I mean more than two consecutive days.”

  “There isn’t any reason for me to take off.” Her eyes focused on something over his left shoulder.

  He didn’t ordinarily allow subs to hide, but in this case, he sensed she needed a little distance to pull her thoughts together. Bristol had been on her own for a long time—having a mate was going to be a big adjustment for her. Israel nodded for her to continue, watching her take a deep breath, then another before speaking. This time, her words were so subdued, they had an air of defeat.

  “I don’t have a family to visit. It seems unfair for me to take off and sit in my apartment while my co-workers miss their family celebrations.”

  He understood what she was saying. He’d had employees in similar positions, and there had been one common thread—they’d all suffered burn-out. After one quit, Israel started insisting the other two took their vacations and stayed in the rotation to have holidays off. They’d grumbled but thanked him later. He was considering how to best convince her she needed to dial it back when his phone rang. Since he’d set it to only accept emergency calls, he sighed and reached for the annoying device.

  After talking to Austin and Bronx earlier in the day, Israel had worried Clovia might be mentally unstable, but he didn’t have any evidence she was dangerous. Gut feelings aside, he didn’t have anything to indicate Bristol wouldn’t be safe at the hospital. Before he could ask his mate any more about her upcoming shift, his phone chirped with an incoming message. This time the text was from Parker Andrews, the Chief of Police. Frowning, Israel turned the screen so Bristol could read the message.

  We are looking for Dr. Bristol Banks. Her apartment was broken into an hour ago.

  Chapter Nine

  Bristol read the message twice before the words made sense. Her initial reaction was disbelief and shock, followed quickly by anger, then amusement. When she realized Israel had gone perfectly still beneath her, Bristol took a deep breath before turning to face him.

  “I guess I’d better get dressed. Please let him know I will be there as soon as I catch a cab.” She tried to get to her feet, but he held tight. Looking up to meet his gaze, Bristol smiled. “I’ll be okay, it was just a bit of a surprise. Anyone desperate enough to break into my place needs the clothes worse than I do. I don’t keep much in my apartment because there isn’t much space there.” He studied her for long seconds before setting her on her feet.

  “Let’s go.” The rough tone of his voice made it clear it was pointless to argue.

  If she was honest with herself, Bristol was relieved she wouldn’t have to face the situation alone. No doubt, she would be forced to field questions, she wouldn’t know the answer to and be subjected to the questioning looks of officials who wouldn’t understand why she was willing to live in such a pathetic dump. Someone who’d never been poor might not understand why she felt the need to save every cent she could.

  “My sisters have clothes in the closet of the spare bedroom. Help yourself to anything you need. I’m going to make a few calls while I wait for you.”

  The independent woman inside her wanted to tell him she was more than capable of handling this on her own, but an impending sense of danger kept her from speaking up.

  “Thank you. I… well, I appreciate you offering to take me. I’m not sure how the police knew to contact you, but I’m always surprised how connected people are here in Austin.” Bristol had always felt isolated, forced to deal with grown-up challenges early, forging her independent nature, but it also meant she hadn’t spent any time networking—a skill the members of Prairie Winds seemed to have refined to a science.

  An hour later, Bristol stood in the middle of her small apartment, staring in resigned disbelief at the tattered remnants of her personal belongings. The few dishes she’d accumulated over the years lay broken on the floor. Judging by their positions and the dents in the cheap sheetrock, she assumed they’d been thrown at the walls with considerable force. Every piece of clothing had been shredded, the tattered garments piled on the floor nearly unrecognizable.

  “Can you tell if anything is missing, Dr. Banks?” The man Israel introduced as Parker Andrews, the local police chief, was looking at her with concern. She’d seen him at Prairie Winds but hadn’t known his name or what he did for a living until today.

  “Honestly, I don’t think so. I didn’t have much. My laptop is at the office, and my tablet is in my bag. Diplomas and things like that are kept at the office. I didn’t have any jewelry other than what you see.” Waving her hand around the room where a few things she’d picked up over the years lay broken on the floor, Bristol took a deep breath, trying to hold back the sudden wave of emotion washing over her.

  No one had said it out loud, but she wasn’t naïve. This was an act of rage rather than a burglary. The realization she’d made an enemy, capable of an act this senseless was humbling and terrifying at the same time. How was she going to get this mess cleaned up before her shift started in a few hours?

  Bristol knew she could hire a cleaning crew, but it seemed like a waste of time and money since there wasn’t anything left worth saving. All she needed was a scoop shovel and a bunch of trash bags. Thank the heavens, she didn’t keep anything o
f value here. Hell, the entire complex was a crime waiting to happen. She was surprised this wasn’t a weekly event. Taking a deep breath and straightening her spine, Bristol wasn’t going to wallow in self-pity. It was just stuff and certainly not anything she couldn’t replace over time. Looking up, she was surprised to see Chief Andrews looking at her thoughtfully, his gaze intent and assessing.

  “Do you have any idea who might want to hurt you, Dr. Banks?”

  “No, I’m baffled. I don’t have any enemies that I’m aware of. This isn’t the best neighborhood, as I’m sure you already know.” She wanted to believe it was a random act, but something about it felt personal. Looking up to meet his gaze, she tried to smile. “Please… call me, Bristol.”

  Bristol appreciated Israel stepping aside, so she could field questions without interference. He’d stood at the side of the room, his quiet presence a balm to her rattled spirit. She could feel his unwavering support, wondering what it was like growing up in a family where people looked out for one another.

  Shaking her head, she looked down, toeing some of the perfume-soaked fabric away from her shoes.

  “Wait. The perfume… it’s not mine.” Why would someone bring their own perfume to destroy my apartment? Bristol felt herself sway as a sense of dread moved through her.

  You smell like a wet dog. How can you stand yourself? Go sleep outside. No, we’ll still smell you on the back porch. I don’t care if it’s fucking snowing, you stink, and we’ve got people coming over.

  A chill moved through her as a flashback played so vividly in her mind, she nearly fell to her knees and begged to be allowed to stay inside. Her parents hadn’t been shifters, and they’d never stopped cursing fate for saddling them with a demon child. Their abuse had taken many forms, but it was their emotional distance that hurt the most.

  “Come back to me, Beautiful.” Blinking, Bristol brought Israel’s handsome face into focus. His expression was grim but filled with compassion rather than sympathy. “Good girl. Stay with us, Sweetheart.” She followed his line of sight when he glanced to the side, surprised to see his brother, Bronx, standing nearby. Flashing her a smile, she was sure had women falling at his feet, Bristol felt herself smile. Hell, I bet he was as charming as he was incorrigible as a child.

  “Incorrigible doesn’t even begin to cover it, Beautiful.” Israel kissed her forehead, then turned her to his brother. “Let Bronx walk you down to the car. He’ll be happy to show you whatever pimp-mobile he’s driving.”

  “Hey, I’ll have you know a McLaren 720S is not a pimp-mobile—it’s designed to impress a future sister-in-law. Who knows, I might even convince her she’s making a terrible mistake hooking up with you.” When he wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders to escort her out of her trashed apartment, Bristol was relieved to feel nothing but protective, brotherly energy surround her. The man was obviously a world-class flirt, but it was equally apparent that’s where it ended.

  “Get your own woman.” Israel’s barked response was followed by a much softer warning. Take care of her, Bronx. I’m entrusting you with the most important person in the world. Bristol might have thought those words were the end of the telepathic communication if she’d heard Bronx respond. Once they were seated in Bronx’s car, she turned to him and raised her brow in question, and he laughed.

  “Yes, there was more, but it was about what he would do to me if anything happened to you. Very tacky. You could do better, you know.”

  She found herself relaxing, despite the mess she’d just left. The supple leather seats cocooned her, the sound system made it seem as though they’d gotten front row seats at a Kenny Chesney concert, and the new car smell made her forget the obnoxious smell of the perfume in her apartment. When Bronx started the car, she turned and started to speak, but he shook his head.

  “Israel wants to do this for you, Bristol. My brother takes care of all of us. He drops everything and flies all over the country when one of us is in trouble, yet never asks for anything. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time he asked anyone to lend a hand, so when he asked me to take you shopping, I agreed without a second thought.”

  “Shopping? Why would he want you to take me shopping?”

  “Sister, your clothes are shredded, and even if they weren’t, the stench would be enough reason to send them all to the dumpster. We can replace stuff, but it will take a while longer to get that damned smell out of my nose. Freaking hell, that was nasty.”

  She couldn’t argue with his comments about the perfume. The disgusting scent had no doubt been chosen explicitly because it was overpowering and gross and easily covered the scent of whoever had been in her apartment.

  “You don’t have to take me shopping, Bronx. I have a few things at my office, and I’m sure you have plenty of other things you’d rather be doing.”

  “A few things? Okay, listen. If I don’t take you, my sisters are going to swarm you like a hive of bees. You’ll be stuck hitting every high-end store in Austin before they decide there isn’t enough locally for you to choose from, then you’ll find yourself spirited off to Dallas before you know what hit you.” Shaking his head, Bronx grinned, “You’ll be traumatized for life, and Israel will be pissed because I didn’t follow instructions. To be perfectly honest, I don’t want to disappoint him when he never asks for anything—and of course, there’s the fact, he’s a pain in the ass when he’s mad.”

  She didn’t know any of the Adlers well, but she was coming to realize they were usually teasing when they sounded the most serious. The unrepentant grin lighting up Bronx’s handsome face was all the confirmation she needed.

  “Israel warned me you tend to take things literally, so I’ll try to curb my sarcasm. Probably wouldn’t be a good idea to place any large bets on my success.” Shaking his head as they turned onto the highway leading to the city’s high-end shopping district, he flashed her another well-practiced charming smile. “Shopping sucks and having to scale back the snark is going to be a challenge, but on the flip side, we get to spend a chunk of Israel’s money. Top that off with the bragging rights, I’ll get with the girls, and we have a winner.”

  “He can’t buy me clothes… it’s too much. It doesn’t matter, anyway. I have to be at the hospital in a couple of hours, so I don’t have time for this foray into retail hell. I need to get my car moved to…” Damn, where was she going to stay until her apartment was fixed?

  “Parker already called the hospital.” Bristol felt her mouth drop open and her blood pressure spike. “Oh, shit, I know that look. Any man who survives childhood with five sisters recognizes that expression. Chill, little sister. The chief doesn’t want you hurt on his watch—he’s just doing his job. How would it look if he didn’t protect the city’s favorite doctor? You think he wants to answer to all those pissed-off pregnant women or their husbands?”

  She could only stare at him, shocked speechless.

  “Yeah, didn’t think so, and this isn’t even mentioning that he’s a Dom. You see where this is headed, right?”

  Bristol let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding and nodded. The hospital was fairly secure against outsiders, but she’d be a sitting duck if Clovia Williams was the culprit, and Bristol’s gut instinct told her the woman who considered Israel hers was a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic. How had her life spiraled so out of control in such a short time? Damn, she’d spent years putting scandal and bad publicity behind her. Now, she’d been dropped right in the middle of a situation she hadn’t done anything to create. It was damned humbling. The sudden realization the car had stopped moving shocked her back to the moment.

  “Israel is right—you are as brilliant as you are beautiful.” Bronx didn’t wait for her to respond before getting out of the car. When she started to open her door, he frowned at her over the hood. Offering her his hand when the door was opened, he helped her out of the low car.

  “Thank you, you’re a wonderful gentleman. I’m sure your mother would be very pro
ud.” His eyes glittered with emotion as he looked down at her.

  “I sure hope so, but to be honest, it was our dad who taught the rules of chivalry to his sons. Most of them, by example, but a few required knocking our heads together.”

  Tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow, Bronx escorted her into a dress shop, Bristol hadn’t even known existed. A woman in a rose-colored dress, Bristol knew cost more than her entire wardrobe, rushed to greet Bronx without even looking twice at her. When Bristol tensed, Bronx tightened his hold on her hand.

  “Mr. Adler, what a wonderful surprise. I’ve seen you on television… your ads are always delightfully entertaining. I must say, you are even more handsome in person. I heard your brother was in town for a wedding. I’m sure you enjoyed spending time with your family. What can I show you?” The woman was fawning over him to the point, it was almost funny. Bristol was making sucking noises in her mind when she heard Israel’s laughter float through her mind.

  You’ll get used to it, Beautiful. Women fall over Bronx and Kensington. The rest of us have just learned to use it to our advantage.

  Knowing Israel had been able to stay connected to her despite the distance between them was impressive, but realizing Israel went to the trouble when she suspected he was busy, warmed her heart. Damn, he wasn’t playing fair.

  I don’t intend to play fair, mate. I intend to win. Your heart is the prize.

  By the time Bristol realized Israel had cut the connection, Bronx was standing in front of her, smiling.

  “Are you ready to spend some of my brother’s money, sweetness? Israel already called to let the staff here know we were coming. Seems he gave them some pretty clear guidance about what he has in mind.” When she started to speak, he shook his head. “Choose your battles, Bristol. Israel wants to do this for you. Gratitude is so much nicer than protesting. Accepting a gift doesn’t make you any less independent.”