Take My Hand [Brac Pack 28] (13 page)

Darcy quickly dried his hand on the hand towel and then followed behind Cody. This was it. Either Cody was going to hire him or tell him to beat feet. He was praying he got the job. He had worked his ass off yesterday and today. Darcy had even gone above and beyond to make sure Steven, and then George, never lacked for anything while cooking. And Steven was right. George didn’t mess around in the kitchen. The guy was really nice, but very demanding.

“ Have a seat.” Cody waved a hand toward the chair on the other side of his desk when Darcy walked into the office.
Darcy sat obediently.
“I watched you all day yesterday,” Cody began.
He had? When? Darcy didn’t remember seeing Cody at all yesterday. But then again, he had been so busy that a tour bus could have crashed into the front of the diner and Darcy wouldn’t have noticed.
“You performed well under pressure and helped Steven out tremendously. George tells me that he is impressed with you. That’s something coming from the cowboy. I’m going to hire you. But I’m warning you, Darcy, no daydreaming. I know I’m hot, but you can lust after me when you clock out.”
Darcy’s jaw dropped to his chest. Was the guy serious? When did he give his boss the impression that he wanted him? Darcy racked his brain, but couldn’t think of any time where Cody might have gotten the wrong impression.“I…what?”
Cody laughed.“I’m joking. Go back to work.”
Darcy scratched his head, wondering what in the hell he had just gotten himself into. Well, at least his boss had a sense of humor. That was a good thing, he hoped.
Cody walked out of the office, whistling. Darcy chuckled to himself, shaking his head. He could see he was going to have one hell of a life here in Brac Village. The people were as nutty as hell, but they were nice. He was so glad he hadn’t walked away. Not only would he have missed out on the best thing in his life, but he genuinely liked this town.
Even though he still thought it was just a little too perfect.
Darcy jumped back, grabbing the back of the chair he had just been sitting in when a man just appeared in the office out of thin air. He didn’t think he would ever get used to that. It was weird as hell.
“Who are you?” Darcy asked as the man just stood there, looking over Cody’s office. The guy ran his fingers over the back of Cody’s cushioned office chair, sliding his fingers together as if he had found an inch of dust.
“I have a proposition for you.” His eyes snapped up, boring right into Darcy’s. A cold chill slithered down Darcy’s spine. The man’s eyes were filled with hatred and loathing. Darcy had never seen anyone look so damn coldhearted in his life.
“Where I’m from, that could get you arrested.” Darcy mentally shook his head. He was becoming as crazy as the residents in the village and he’d only been here forty-eight hours.
The corner of the man’s lips turned up into what should have been a smile. Darcy shivered.
“I will pay you one million dollars to leave town.”
Darcy stood there stunned. Had he heard the man correctly?
One million dollars? American?
“Can I ask why you want to pay me to leave town?” Darcy asked cautiously. He had an urge to ask if the man wanted him to leave by sundown. That was what this whole situation felt like. Maybe he should run and get a six-shooter along with George’s cowboy hat.
The man clasped his hands behind his back, raking his eyes over Darcy like he was dog poo under the man’s shoe. Darcy’s hackles rose, feeling the slow edges of anger build in him. He may not be wealthy like this guy apparently was, but that was no reason to look at Darcy as if he were worthless.
“My son seems to have lost his way. If he loses his mate, then he will turn into a coldhearted killer, something I had been grooming him for his entire life. You, Darcy Lagrange, are the only thing that stands in my way.”
Darcy had a bad feeling about this.“And who is your son?” “Raven. Now, do you accept my offer?”
Darcy sat back down, crossing one leg over the other, and then rested his hands on his knee.“How much do you think Raven is worth?”
The man chuckled, but the sound wasn’t humorous.“Shrewd businessman. I can respect that. Name your price, and we can negotiate.”
Darcy leaned back, tossing his arm over the back of the chair.“I don’t think there is a dollar amount on priceless.”
The man’s eyes narrowed, the edges rimming in anger as he gripped the back of Cody’s chair, his fingernails elongating as they cut into the soft leather, reminding Darcy that he wasn’t dealing with a human. How could he have forgotten so easily? This guy could probably drain him dry, but Darcy held his ground. Raven meant more to him than any dollar amount. He was being honest when he said Raven was priceless.
“You are a pitiful fool. The last man who tried to mate one of my sons dealt with Raven. He’s not at all what he pretends to be. Raven is bloodthirsty. He has participated in hunts where we’ve killed shifters for the pure joy of the sport. Whatever fanciful notions you have about him, they are all delusional. Now, take the money before I remove the offer from the table and just kill you.”
Yeah, Darcy was pretty damn scared right about now. The man looked like he would deliver on his promise. But then again…
“You can take your bullshit and get out of my boss’s office,” he replied furiously, the thought of anyone trying to separate him from his mate making his temper not only rise, but explode.“I don’t care if you threatened to disembowel me. I’m not letting Raven go. There is no fucking price you can name that will make me walk away.” Darcy just prayed it didn’t come to disembowelment. The man looked as if he could do just that.
Darcy ran around the chair, trying his best to get away from Raven’s father, but the man was quicker. He reached an arm out and grabbed Darcy’s collar, yanking him back.“Then we can settle this matter a different way.” Darcy had a feeling he knew what that different way entailed, and he tried his best to cover his neck with his hands.
“Darcy, I thought I told you—Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Cody snarled as he stepped into the office, his eyes shooting from Darcy to Raven’s father.“Get your damn hands off of him.”
“And what are you going to do if I refuse, shifter?”
Darcy was shocked at how the man sneered the word
shifter
. He really wasn’t liking his father-in-law very much. The man was an asshole, and Darcy was glad Raven had gotten away from the jerk when he did. He shivered at the thought of how Raven would have turned out if this man had gotten his wish.
Cody grinned, but the smile was anything but polite. If the man wasn’t his boss, and Darcy already knew he was a kind man, he would be praying that Cody wouldn’t come after him. The grin was downright evil.
“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”
Own size?
Cody was like, twice the man’s size. Of course, Darcy wasn’t going to point that out. He hoped Cody wiped the floor with this asshole. It still angered him that Raven’s father could put a price on his son’s happiness. There wasn’t enough money in the world to make Darcy leave Raven.
He’d learned his lesson the hard way of what it felt like not to have his mate at his side. He never wanted to experience that soulwrenching feeling again.
“Admit it,” Raven’s father said as he curled his fingers tighter into Darcy’s shirt collar, the fabric tightening in the front, making Darcy very uncomfortable. The man could strangle him this way.“All you shifters are savages.”
“Some days, but aren’t we all?” Cody replied.
Darcy’s father-in-law let out a low chuckle as he pulled Darcy closer. Closer was not what Darcy wanted. He wanted the asshole to let go of the back of his damn shirt so he could move as far away as possible.
“I proved shifters are nothing but barbaric savages. How do you think those wolves found the bears?”
Darcy stiffened, and slowly turned his head toward Raven’s father.“You sent them?”
“My little gift to Raven for his mating.”
“Is there a problem in here?”
Darcy gaped at the man standing in the doorway. He had to be damn near seven feet tall—not as tall as Maverick, though—and well over three hundred pounds of pure muscle. He sure as shit hoped this guy was on his side.
Sterling’s head appeared by the newcomer’s side, grinning at Darcy and giving him a thumbs-up.“I brought you very big help,” he mouthed and then pointed up the man.“His name is Tank.”
Darcy rolled his eyes. Sterling was such a damn dork. But Darcy would have kissed his brother right about now for sending the guy here. He could use all of the help he could get.
“Uh, can someone help me out here?” Darcy asked.
“Sure,” Tank said as he walked into the office and backhanded Raven’s father so hard that Darcy was instantly released. He quickly scrambled to the other side of the office, standing next to Sterling.
“You’ll pay for that,” Darcy’s father snarled, glaring at Tank as if he were already a dead man.
“Not if I tell the prince you’re starting your shit again, Magnum,” Cody snarled.
The man narrowed his eyes at Cody and then disappeared, but not before giving Darcy a withering glare. Damn, his father-in-law was creepy as hell.
“Thanks,” Darcy said as he tried his best to straighten his shirt, but it was a hopeless cause. The back was stretched out of shape. What was with Raven’s family and ruining his damn shirts?
“Next time scream,” Tank said as he walked from the office. “Come on, Sterling, let’s go finish our debate on wolves versus bears.”
Sterling bounced with eagerness as he followed Tank from the kitchen. Darcy would never understand how Sterling made friends so damn quickly. But thank the gods he had.
“Are you okay?” Cody asked as he gazed at Darcy’s mangled shirt.
“No worse for the wear.”
Cody was giving him that strange look again. The one he had given Darcy the day he had walked into the diner.“Is something wrong?”
Cody shrugged.“A lot of men would have taken the million dollars and run. Why did you choose your mate over the money Magnum offered you?”
“How much would it take for you to leave Keata?”
Cody growled.“There isn’t enough money in the world for me to leave my mate.”
“Exactly,” Darcy said as he turned toward the door, only to see Raven standing there with a smile that could light up the entire world.
“Thank you.”
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Cody said as he slid past Raven.
“Dude, I swear, you know exactly when to show up. Do you have some kind of radar that goes off whenever I spill my guts about you?”
Raven chuckled, walking into the office and pulling Darcy into his arms. Darcy had to lean back in Raven’s arms to see the man’s face, and damn if his mate’s lips didn’t look kissable.“No, but I’m glad I know where I stand with you.”
Darcy dipped his head, feeling his face heat up.
“
Awww
,” Sterling said from behind them.“You better give that man a kiss.”
“Get out, Sterling,” Darcy growled.“Why aren’t you harassing Tank?”
Sterling laughed as he walked back into the kitchen area, leaving Darcy and Raven alone to kiss. And damn if Darcy wasn’t enjoying every second of it.
“Is everyone who isn’t human nuts? It seems every paranormal person I run into needs therapy. I’m surprised Taylor isn’t booked for the next ten years.”
Raven chuckled as he kissed Darcy on the tip of his nose.“I came to give you a ride home.”
“In a vehicle or—” Darcy clung to Raven as his mate popped them back to the ranch. He should have known Raven would do things the weird way.

Kenway walked up to the front door of Alpha Maverick ’s home. He wasn’t in the least bit surprised when a wolf came around the side of the house, giving off a low warning growl. From the rumors that had reached Kenway’s township, Maverick had a fortress here in Brac Village. Only a suicidal fool would try to break in.

“ I’ve been invited here by the alpha,” Kenway said to the wolf, but that didn’t make the wolf back away. It stood its ground, watching Kenway closely. Kenway knew it was his size that intimidated most shifters, and even humans, but if they only knew what a big softie he was, they would probably laugh their asses off.

His size was the reason the alpha of the wolf pack who had come after him and his small pack had started shit in the first place. The man feared not only Kenway, but the mixer of breeds who had lived happily in town.

It still angered Kenway to think of the losses they had suffered just because someone feared them. They were senseless killings that some of his group were still trying to recover from.

The door swung open, a human standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, and piercings in his ears and lip. The man wore black jeans, a black T-shirt that read
When I snap, you’ll be the first to go
, and black boots that laced up all the way to the man’s knees. Chains hung from various belt loops, trailing off somewhere behind the man.“Town is back the way you came.”

Kenway sighed. This Goth man looked at him strangely? Wasn ’t that the pot calling the kettle black? “I’m here to see Alpha Maverick.”

The man raked Kenway with his crystal-blue eyes and then dropped his arms to his sides.“This way, but if you try anything, I’ll open a can of whoop ass on you.”

Kenway hid the chuckle as he was escorted down a long hallway. It amazed him how large the place truly was. It was huge from the outside, but inside…damn.

“ He’s in his office.” The guy pointed toward a closed door.“I’d warn you not to do anything stupid, but I’m pretty sure Maverick can take you down.”

Kenway ignored the strange-ass human. He was used to reactions like this to his massive size. He just wasn’t used to a puny human threatening him. It was kind of comical. He gave the human a onefingered salute before stepping into Maverick’s office.

“ Kenway,” Maverick said as he waved to a chair in front of his desk.“Having fun with Oliver I see. Did you bring me the list?”
Pulling the piece of notebook paper from his pocket, Kenway handed it off to Maverick.“That’s everyone.” Kenway still had a dreaded lump in his stomach that Maverick was going to change his mind and tell them to get out of town. It wouldn’t be the first time they were asked to leave their homes or even forced to do so.
Maverick sat back in his chair, pulling at the small patch of hair under his lower lip as he scanned the paper Kenway had given him. “Very interesting.”
Kenway knew the alpha would think so. Some of the breeds on that list were extremely rare. He hated to even reveal what his small group consisted of, but if they were going to settle here, it was a fair trade. Somehow Kenway knew Maverick wouldn’t betray or exploit them.
“We have two cheetahs, two white Siberian tigers, and a polar bear?”
Kenway nodded.
“An impala, a coyote, and…a rhino shifter?”
“That sounds about right,” Kenway said nervously.
“Let me ask you,” Maverick said as he laid the paper on the desk. “How did such a melting pot end up as a pack?”
Kenway knew this question was coming.“Reese, the polar bear, left the Arctic. With the climate change, he said it was too damn depressing to stay and watch all of the beauty melt away.” And Reese also was tired of not being able to find his mate in such a desolate place.“Steele and Paine, the cheetahs, are brothers and don’t have a coalition any longer. Their other two brothers were killed.”
“The rhino?”
Kenway should have known that was the breed Maverick was interested in. He was surprised the alpha hadn’t asked him about being a buffalo shifter yet. He sat there and explained to Maverick everyone’s story, leaving a lot of personal details out. It wasn’t his place to tell the alpha any of the men’s sorrows or hardships.
“And your story?” Maverick leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk, an interesting glint in his eyes.
“With all due respect, my story is mine to keep.”
“Fair enough,” Maverick said as he stood.“I’ll allow you men to stay. Bring them here tonight to swear their loyalty, and I’ll see what I can do about getting each of you men housing. I know the Manchester place isn’t big enough for all nine of you.”
Kenway inwardly blew out a relieved breath. He had worried the whole time since first meeting the alpha that Maverick would turn their request down.“Thanks.”
Maverick nodded as he waved a hand toward his office door.“Just don’t make me regret my decision.”
Kenway wouldn’t. But he wasn’t too sure about the rest of the men with him.
Those men were large predators after all. Well, except for the impala, Spencer. He just hoped they had more brain than brawn when it came to behaving in their new home.