Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 113944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“Good point.”
Later, when they were back on the balcony of his room at the B&B, once again surrounded by the sounds and smells of the marsh, Zander called Nick and put him on speakerphone so that Bracken could be part of the conversation.
As Zander told the Alpha how Dale had divided the money, Bracken shook his head in amusement—still tickled by the matter.
“How did Rory take it?” There was a smile in Nick’s voice.
“Not well,” said Zander. “Expect some trouble. Tell the others to look out for him—he could turn up at the club or the motel and act like an asshole. He won’t do anything major like attack anyone, but he will fuck with you if he can.”
“All right, we’ll be on the lookout for him. What time will you be back tomorrow?”
Zander exchanged a look with Bracken before speaking. “There’s a situation here at the B&B.”
“What kind of situation?” asked Nick.
Zander explained, and the Alpha swore viciously. “Gwen looks worn out by it all,” Zander added. “But she’s still not folding.”
“We plan on offering to stay and give her protection,” announced Bracken.
There was a long pause before Nick spoke. “I don’t like it, Bracken. We’ve had peace for months now. I don’t want us to lose that.”
“The pack as a whole won’t be affected,” said Zander. “We’re not proposing taking her to our territory. We’re talking about extending our stay at the B&B. If something happens while we’re here, we can intervene.”
“She doesn’t need protection from shifters; she’s up against her own kind, not ours,” Nick pointed out.
“Yeah, and she’s up against her own kind because she’s helping one of ours,” said Bracken. “It would be all kinds of wrong to walk away from that when our very presence could make them hesitate to harm her. If we went home and then later found out something had happened to her, I’d feel like a complete bastard.”
Nick sighed. “They might not have any intention of harming her. They may just stick with trying to scare her.”
“You’re right,” allowed Bracken. “If they don’t try to harm her, great—it means we weren’t needed. We’d just like to be here in case we are.”
“Is there something else going on that I don’t know about? You seem pretty insistent on helping her.”
“Neither of us are involved with her, if that’s what you’re asking. She’s not my or Zander’s type. She has gorgeous eyes, though. I’m not really a guy who looks at eyes, but they’re a seriously striking blue—if you saw them, you’d know what I mean. Great legs too.”
Clenching his jaw because, yeah, he didn’t like hearing Bracken talk about Gwen’s eyes or legs, Zander said, “Gwen’s situation is bad. The humans trying to intimidate her are rich and have the kind of social power that allow them to go unpunished by the local police and judge, so they’re not likely to help her if these bastards step up their game. She needs protection. Maybe if she has it, the victim will feel safe enough to come forward again.”
“I don’t like to bring up bad memories, Nick,” began Bracken, tone sensitive, “but think about what happened to Roni.” Nick’s sister had almost been gang-raped by humans long ago. One of the bastards had recorded the foiled attack, and that footage was later featured on a fucked-up website where prejudiced humans uploaded videos of crimes against shifters and actually rated them. “It’s not the same as what’s happening here, I know that. You saved Roni; you had evidence to prove their guilt. But let’s say that Roni hadn’t had any help that day; let’s say that there was a witness who was being harassed into backing off. Wouldn’t you like to think that someone would have stuck up for her?”
“Gwen’s not your sister,” the Alpha rightly pointed out.
Zander balled his hand up into a fist. “But my sister was shot, and you know how that turned out.”
“So, in a sense, this is about Shelby.” After a long moment of silence, Nick exhaled heavily. “I’ll allow it, providing you agree to keep me updated.”
“That we can do,” said Bracken.
“For the record, I still don’t like this. Nonetheless, I’ll back you on it. But only to a point. If things get too bad up there, you both need to come home. That’s not a negotiation.”
Bracken nodded. “Agreed.”
“Good. Remember to keep me updated.” The line went dead.
Leaning back in his chair, Zander tapped his fingers on the table. “I thought he’d put up more of a fight.”
Bracken pulled out his own phone. “Nick’s a good guy. He’s also practical enough to know that Shaya would guilt-trip him into letting us stay if he didn’t consent.”
Watching Bracken’s thumbs flying over the screen of his cell, Zander said, “You’re texting Shiloh again, aren’t you?” The female margay shifter was Harley’s cousin.