Battle Scars (16 page)

“Now he’s got another chance to save her. I get that,” Jess said. “As long as she knows he’s yours and backs off when it’s time.”

“He knows. She knows. And I know.”

“Yes, yes you do. She means a lot to him. But don’t forget he’s wearing your marks on his skin.”

I paused, one hand on the screen door. “He’s wearing her marks as well—but they’re on the inside.”

Bran was standing by the side of my Jeep when I walked out, his arms crossed in front of him and scowling.

I wasn’t the reason.

Eddie Longstrand stood a few feet away, watching Bran watch him. The parking lot was near-empty. There were three cars left—my Jeep, Jess’s Taurus and a beat-up pickup truck I assumed belonged to my friendly neighborhood enforcer.

I stood on the porch and lifted my face toward the sun. The cool breeze brought me the news there was a new litter of barn cats. Out in the forest along the edge of the farm I caught the scent of a deer, springing away from any potential hunters.

I walked up to Eddie. “What are you doing here?”

“My job.” He looked over my shoulder out into the forest. “Jake told me to help you.”

“What?”

He rolled his shoulders back, the thick, toned muscles rippling under his shirt. “Jake told me to help you out. He don’t like the way the Chandlers are acting and don’t want to get caught up in the trouble coming down.”

It took me a few seconds to decipher the silence between the words. Jake knew there’d be hell to pay at the end of all of this and didn’t want his family pulled down when it hit the fan.

The chance to tweak the Chandlers’ tail was a bonus.

“You going to behave yourself?” I asked.

Bran coughed, saying a curse in the middle of it.

Eddie ignored it. “I’m not a thug like McCallister.” He turned his head to one side and spat on the gravel. “Hitting you was bad enough but this, this kidnapping a human? He went too far. She went too far.”

“You know the Chandlers better than I do. What’s Mary thinking?” I leaned back on the hood of my car. The warm sun on my skin was wonderful and I sucked the sensation up, trying to store it away for what I knew was going to be a rough few hours. “She must have known this was going to start trouble, big trouble.”

Eddie chuckled. “That she does. But she’s worried that if she lets her youngest go off and ignore her legacy that others are going to follow, leave her dream. Her older son, her family associates who have already spent time and money trying to bring Middleston down.” He spread his hands. “How can you have a feud if no one wants to feud?” A smile twitched at his lips. “And I’d be out of a part-time job.”

“Works for me,” Bran said. “If you weren’t working for this jackhole we wouldn’t be here.”

I’d forgotten how fast Felis could move. Especially when pissed.

I blinked and Bran was flat against the driver’s door, Eddie’s forearm pressing on his windpipe.

Bran scrabbled to get a hold on him, trying to dig his fingers under the iron bar threatening to cut his air off.

“Do not disrespect Jake Middleston,” Eddie said in a low rumbling voice. “You can get away with a lot ’cause of who you and who you’re with but you’re not going to get away with that.”

I slowly peeled myself off the hood, trying to look concerned but not threatening. He wouldn’t hurt Bran and Bran knew it.

Didn’t make the situation less ugly.

Bran’s breathing was high and wheezy but he wasn’t panicking. He glared at Eddie, the defiance in his brown eyes not waning.

“What sort of dirty work have you done for your boss? Covered up for a crime?” He coughed and drew a shallow breath. “Beaten on any women lately like your buddy Nathan? You get your rocks off pounding on girls?”

Eddie’s arm shifted a fraction, allowing Bran more air. “I’m not like McCallister. I’m not a thug. I don’t know what you think an enforcer is but we’re not all punks.”

“Could have fooled me,” Bran rasped. “If it looks like a duck—”

Eddie pulled his arm away, letting Bran slide free. He didn’t move away but kept deep inside Bran’s personal space, close enough to renew the attack.

I tried to stay calm despite my pulse shooting into triple digits. This was not what I needed right now.

Eddie tipped his head toward the road and the departing Felis. “You have no idea what I do.” He gave me a sideways glance. “I coach a curling team every year made up of kids without fathers. I do a lot of work you’ll never see if you’re lucky.” He snorted. “If I were like McCallister I wouldn’t be here to help. I’d be tucking away a few beers at the bar and wondering who to take home tonight.” He locked eyes with Bran. “I don’t expect you to trust me without question but I do expect you to respect me as a family member.”

Bran didn’t say anything for a long, agonizing minute. He didn’t look away but kept the stare going, neither of them blinking first.

The lump in my throat grew, demanding attention. I couldn’t interfere with this but I needed to cough badly.

Bran dropped his gaze to the ground. “I apologize.” He stuck out his hand. “I was wrong in my comments about you and the Middleston family.”

Eddie studied Bran’s face for a second before grabbing the hand in a tight bone-crushing grip. Both men grimaced as they squeezed harder, each trying to top the other.

Men. Felis or not, they drove me nuts.

I cleared my throat with an almost-painful cough.

“Okay, break it up before I get seriously turned on.” The two men turned toward me, both red-faced. “Eddie, you know I’m going to have to go to where Evan and Lisa are. No disrespect intended, but what’s to stop you from grabbing Lisa and making a break for it?”

Eddie grinned, confirming my concerns. “You are a smart one.”

“Not just a pretty face.” I pointed at the farmhouse. “But I’m not going to turn down help when I can get it. You know the Chandlers. You’ve been brawling with them for years. Where would they take Angie?”

Eddie leaned against the Jeep. “Won’t be their main farm. Be too risky to have her near all the kits. Mary might be angry but she’s not stupid, she’s not going to let this human find out ’bout the family.” He tapped his chin. “They won’t take her farther north, make it harder for them to bring her back. She’s got to be somewhere within maybe fifty miles.” His eyes narrowed as he did the mental math. “Still leaves a lot of options but not as many as before.”

“Right. I need you to track down where she is. You know their farms, their businesses, where they could be stashing her.”

Eddie chuckled. “Good idea. And it keeps me out of the way, right?”

“Yes. Nothing personal.” I didn’t have time to mince words. “I’ve got your phone number. Here’s mine.” I rattled off the digits. “Call me when you have their location. Don’t move in until I arrive.” I paused, choosing my next words carefully. “I’m assuming you’ll be reporting back to Jake. Please don’t call in any more
friends
until we get this sorted out.”

Eddie nodded. The last thing we needed was a swarm of Middleston enforcers charging to Angie’s rescue under the premise of “helping out.” That was a fast way of moving the family feud up from the occasional brawl to all-out Felis war.

“I’ll call.” Eddie headed for his pickup truck, one of the few vehicles left in the lot.

Bran rubbed his throat. “Strong bastard.”

“Yep.” I opened the driver’s door. “Give me the keys.”

“What’s the plan?” Bran asked as we pulled out of the parking lot, tires spewing gravel everywhere.

“No idea.” I stomped on the gas pedal, taking some of my anger out on the car. “No fucking idea. Yet.”

* * *

We pulled onto the highway just before rush hour—which was to say that the roads were three-quarters clogged with people racing to get back to Toronto instead of up to Northern Ontario. Bran had a death grip on the dashboard as I wove between tractor-trailers, tucking the Jeep into spaces technically not recommended for cars my size.

“So,” he gasped as I narrowly swerved around a chemical tanker, “where are the kids?”

I put a finger to my lips and pointed at my feet. He caught on quickly enough.

I wouldn’t have passed up the chance to put a bug in my car as it sat outside, unguarded.

I wouldn’t put it past the Chandlers and McCallister to do the same. I’d have to wait until I got home to make a full sweep but I couldn’t risk it.

“Let’s get home first.” I feigned a yawn. “I’ll have to make some phone calls and see how the bus schedule is. I don’t remember when the next run is from Buffalo.”

“Drop Trace a call.” Bran ignored my glare. The last thing I needed was for the Chandlers or Middlestons to start brawling with the Penscotta Pride.

I aimed the Jeep between two large SUVs, brushing the paint on both bumpers and enjoying Bran’s discomfort.

He’d earned it. Besides, it kept him from worrying about Angie.

That made one of us.

Chapter Twelve

We made it back to Toronto just before six o’clock, my internal clock screwed five ways to Sunday thanks to all the disorientation I’d experienced in the last twenty-four hours. My throat was sore from making small talk about every sports team Toronto had and a few we thought should be added. I slipped the Jeep into the tiny parking lot at the back of the house and we headed inside.

Bran tugged at my sleeve as I fumbled with the lock.

“Think they’ve got bugs in here too?” he whispered.

“I doubt it. Still—” I locked the door behind us and went to my desk, ignoring Jazz’s demanding trill.

Bran picked her up and stroked her white fur, muttering sweet nothings.

I opened the bottom drawer and pushed aside a stack of newspaper clippings and a very old package of Scotch mints.

It’d been an expensive purchase for a very nervous client who demanded his house be swept weekly while he dealt with a very angry ex-wife-to-be. His paranoia wasn’t totally unfounded as I found not only a hidden camera but also two microphones, clumsily placed by the ex during one of her visits. The divorce had gone much smoother when I explained the illegality of what she’d attempted and her lawyer had given in to most of my client’s demands to avoid getting the police involved.

I put the small electronic box on the desktop and turned it on. The answering
beeps
and
boops
told me all I needed to know.

“We’re good.” I let out a sigh of relief. The last thing I needed right now was to strip the house down looking for electronic bugs. The place was so old I’d be better off just setting it afire and claiming the insurance.

Bran walked into the kitchen, the cat still in his arms. The refrigerator door opened and closed with the familiar sound of cat food being dumped into a bowl. He re-appeared with two cans of soda.

He placed one on my desk before opening the second and drinking half of it in three gulps.

The man had excellent breath control. My heart gave a little flutter before calming down and remembering the current crisis.

“Okay. What’s the plan?” he asked again.

“The kids are with a homeless man called Red. He’s family.” I popped the punch-tab on the can. “Down in a squat under the Gardener Expressway.”

Bran flopped down on the sofa. “A homeless Felis?”

“I got lucky. So did they.” I sipped the carbonated drink. “I’m going to ask Evan to go home. I’ll explain the situation to them.”

“And if he says no?” Bran finished his drink. “You can’t leave Angie out in the cold like this.”

“I wasn’t planning to.” There was a bit more bite in my words than I’d planned.

Bran shook his head as he crushed the can in one hand. “He’s a kid. He doesn’t know what he wants to do. You can’t leave this up to him, it’s a lot bigger than just running away with his current love du jour. There’s a woman’s life at stake.”

“He’s going to be a man in a few days. He’s a man now.” I sloshed the drink around. “He’s got to make adult decisions and this is the first one.”

“And if Evan says no and decides to run? Are you going to stop him?”

“I don’t know if I can.” I took another sip. “He’s an adult, not some little kid I can tuck under my arm and run with. I’m hoping he’ll be honorable enough to realize he has to deal with this now. There’s no putting it off any longer thanks to McCallister grabbing Angie.”

“Tell me the truth. Will they kill her?” The sharpness in his voice cut deep. “If you don’t get Evan to go home and we don’t or can’t drag his ass back—will they kill her?”

“No.” I paused. “I think not.”

I couldn’t lie. Not to him, not even on this subject.

He shifted on the couch. “What do you mean, ‘think not’? I thought it was illegal for a Felis to kill a human. We’ve seen that before.”

I swallowed. This wasn’t going to be pretty. “It’s not illegal but severely frowned on. You remember Shaw.”

The anger in his eyes ebbed a bit as he recalled Jess killing his half-brother’s kidnapper.

“She had to answer to the Grand Council for that. It’s not taken lightly. But it does happen.” I didn’t bring up our visit to Penscotta and the hard fact that the Pride down there had considered hiding Mike Hancock’s death if I’d discovered he was poking his nose in family business.

If Angie died the family would close ranks and she’d disappear, another statistic in the thick file of missing people.

I knew Bran knew this.

I knew he didn’t want to think about it.

“Look, I get that she means a lot to you.” I got up from behind my desk and walked toward him. “But I’m not going to lie to you and say it’s all going to be okay. I can’t guarantee that. We’re dealing with a mother who wants her son back and is willing to break all the rules to get him. I don’t know how to handle that.”

“I get that, I really do. I don’t know why I’m not calling the cops right now and calling in the damned SWAT team to get her back.” He rubbed his face with his hands, turning away from me. “I just don’t know what to do. Or what not to do.”

I pressed my hand on his back, his body heat searing my skin. “I’m sorry. All I can tell you is that I’ll do my best to save her.”

“That’s supposed to be my job,” he murmured through his fingers. “I’m supposed to be saving her. I fucked it up before—I’m supposed to be saving her.”

I didn’t know what to say.

I looked around the living room, imagining Nathan McCallister sitting not far from where Bran was, Eddie opposite him. The two enforcers invading our homes, our lives.

The options were narrowing and I wasn’t sure if my idealism, my belief in true love was going to carry us out of the storm this time.

Jazz curled around Bran’s leg, her short stuttering strides winding her between his feet. He looked down and chuckled.

“Silly cat. Got more common sense than all of us I expect.”

“At least she doesn’t spill salsa on the bedspread.”

“True. She barfs up hairballs instead.” He stroked the white cat’s back before looking up at me, the pain on his face ripping my heart open. “I can’t lose her, Rebecca. I can’t lose her again.”

The words caught in my throat, keeping me from answering for a minute. “I won’t let you.” I reached out for him. “Let’s go bring her back.”

* * *

We went down to King Street to grab a cab. I wasn’t sure if anyone was still following us, electronically or otherwise, but it never hurt to be careful.

We switched cabs twice until I felt comfortable with the third, instructing the cab driver to drop us off a few blocks from the camp.

It took me two passes to find the right opening in the fence, the bent and cut wire ready to catch and rip flesh if we entered the wrong way.

“Whew.” Bran wrinkled his nose as he maneuvered his way in. “What a dump.”

I sidestepped a mysterious puddle of liquid, trying not to inhale. “Tell me about it.” I didn’t want to insult Red by mentioning it before but the variety of smells coming from his fellow residents ran from nice and fresh soapy to rank and disgusting. Between the body odors and items in different stages of decay my stomach was doing flip-flops as we made our way toward Red’s camp.

I wasn’t sure how Red managed.

I’d be curious as to how the kids did.

No one gave us a second look, either due to having seen me before and assessing me as mostly harmless or not wanting to get in our way.

Lisa was the first to see me, leaping up from the piece of wood she’d been using as a seat by the small campfire. She rubbed her arms despite it being a warm evening.

“You’re back. What’s happening? Can we leave now?” The words tumbled out one after the other.

I didn’t need to be Felis to know she was scared. Whatever love she had for Evan had been sorely tested over the past twenty-four hours. But she’d held on despite the changing and dangerous circumstances.

This had to be more than an infatuation.

Red appeared out from under the makeshift tarp tent. “Suz!” He tossed something back inside the tent and charged at me, letting out a rolling gurgle.

He grabbed me and swung me around like a sack of potatoes. On one of the passes I spotted Bran, caught between scowling and staring.

Finally my feet hit the ground again and I extracted myself with a laugh. “Thanks for the hearty welcome but I haven’t been away that long.”

Red shrugged. “Pretty girl like you should get hugged every chance you get.” He looked at Bran, squinting as he sized him up. “You her mate, then?”

Bran looked at him.

“Good.” Red poked Bran in the arm, hard. “She deserves a strong man. Strong woman needs a strong man to stay balanced. Like daily fiber.” He nodded toward Lisa. “Like that one. She’s got herself a keeper as well.”

Lisa didn’t say anything but her cheeks went pink.

“Where’s Evan?” I asked.

“He’s over there putting a new wooden skeleton together for Ed. His tent fell down last storm and he hasn’t gotten the knack yet of making somethin’ that stays up.” He motioned with me to follow him. “Young man’s good with tools. That’ll stand him for a lifetime if he stays in practice.”

“‘Suz’?” Bran whispered as we followed, Lisa in tow.

“It’s a long story. Roll with it.”

We made our way under a stack of rotting wooden crates into a larger part of the camp where Evan stood with an older man, wrestling with some misshapen boards. He swung the hammer and bashed in the nails one by one.

“He’s got a knack for building,” Red said. He lifted a hand. “Ed—gotta take your handyman away for a bit.”

The white-haired man with a noticeable hump on his right shoulder patted Evan on the arm. “Thanks. I’ll take it from here.”

“Okay.” Evan handed the hammer over. “Just be careful. Don’t put the nail in too close to the edge of the wood or it’ll split.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “What’s happening?”

“We need to talk.” I turned to Red. “Family business. You too.”

Red said nothing and led us back to his camp.

Lisa went to her previous spot by the wooden stood and shuffled her feet back and forth over the well-trodden ground. “Are we going home?”

From the tone in her voice it was obvious she wasn’t thrilled with the street life. I hadn’t meant to make her miserable but I wanted her to realize there was more to living free than snuggling in trees at night.

“Maybe.” I sat down and motioned for them all to do the same. Bran settled in beside me on the piece of driftwood, so close I might as well have been in his lap.

Evan crouched next to Lisa and put his arm across her shoulders. He pulled her close to whisper something in her ear. She whimpered and tucked her face into his neck for a second before sitting up again.

“We have a situation.” I studied Evan’s face. If he bolted or ran I’d have little chance of catching him.

Red and Bran, on the other hand, just might.

I spoke slowly and carefully, watching both Evan and Lisa’s expressions. “I met with both your families to plead for peace and to allow you to return and continue your relationship.”

“Let me guess. My dad freaked,” Lisa said with a crooked smile. “He’s not very open to change.” She covered her mouth and giggled. “Took him forever to decide on a new car color when the old truck blew up.”

Evan didn’t laugh. He watched me with a seasoned hunter’s stare. “My mother did something, didn’t she?”

“I tried to negotiate with her and she took action. Dangerous action.” I licked my lips, not sure how to explain Mary Chandler’s thinking to her son.

“How dangerous?” Red interrupted. “A mother, she’s gonna go to the wall for her kit.” He looked sideways at Evan. “Don’t be holding it against her. It’s a natural thing.”

Evan nodded. “I understand.” His attention returned to me. “What did she do?”

“She’s kidnapped a friend of ours. A human friend.”

Red sucked in his breath. “That’s not right.” He looked at Bran. “We ain’t supposed to get too involved in human lives.”

“I’ve noticed,” Bran answered dryly.

“Your mother is demanding I either bring you back or tell her where you are so she can send someone to come get you.” The still-fresh scar on my left arm throbbed. “I’m assuming you know Nathan McCallister.”

Evan scowled. “He’s a punk. Ever since my dad died he’s been strutting around the farm playing cock of the walk, trying to get my mom’s attention. She’s not stupid enough to fall for that crap but he keeps chasing her tail hoping for a chance to make good.”

“Well he’s got it now,” Bran said. “Either he came up with the idea of kidnapping Angie on his own or she put him up to it. No matter who thought of it he’s grabbed her and taken her hostage.”

“Angie? You mean the woman who runs the drop in center? The one that drove us here?” Lisa dug her nails into Evan’s arm. “Her?”

Evan’s jaw tensed. “That’s not right. Angie’s got a good street rep. She doesn’t deserve this. Not because of us.”

“True,” I agreed. “You know what sort of danger she’s in when it comes to the family.” I was trying to be delicate.

“They could kill her,” Lisa whispered. Her nails twisted farther in Evan’s skin.

So much for delicate.

Evan reached over and carefully pulled her hand free. The inflamed crescents on his tanned skin began to fade as he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it in a silent soothing motion.

“We’ll make it right. Promise.”

I cleared my throat, bringing their attention back. “I wanted to talk to you, give you the choice of what to do.” I felt Bran’s body tense beside me. “I could have told them where you are and let you deal with McCallister on your own but part of being an adult is making your own decisions and taking responsibility for them.” I pointed at myself. “I wouldn’t want someone to do that to me so I’m not going to do it to you. You’ve got the choice here.”

“What if we run?” Lisa asked. “We can get out of here before you can get to McCallister, we can leave the city.” She squeezed Evan’s hand. “It’s one option.”

I rubbed my palms on my knees, trying to quell the sudden itching. “They’ll track you down. You could get lucky and escape right now but then you’d have to always hide, stay underground. Never contact another Pride, never come in contact with any other Felis.” I paused, letting my words sink in. “It won’t be easy.”