Chapter Thirteen
Stalking into his clan’s bar Sunday evening, Ripper felt his mouth thin at what he saw. He’d received a call from the bartender to warn him that a fight might potentially break out. It turned out he’d been right, and Ripper hadn’t arrived soon enough to prevent it.
Grunts, curses, growls and the sounds of flesh smacking flesh filled the air. One male was very clearly dominating the fight, but he was in no rush to end it – punching, stalking and shoving his opponent into things.
Glasses smashed. Chairs hit the floor with a bang. Table legs scraped the floor as they skidded.
Spectators appealed for the two males to stop, but no one jumped into the fray. He couldn’t really blame them. Getting between two fighting werewolves was never a good idea – they could both as easily turn on you.
Hence why the bartender had called Ripper.
It wasn’t rare for werewolves to get physical like this – they generally welcomed the rush.
As such, he’d shown up here many times in the past to break up fights.
Quite often, he would arrive to discover that they were over and the fighters were cleaning up any mess they’d made.
They’d often buy each other a drink in apology, and then it would be forgotten.
Tonight, it wasn’t going to be that simple. This wasn’t a mere drunken brawl or a case of wolves getting into it over something petty. Two people had swanned in here knowing that it would set another person off. This had been the result.
Ripper strode over there, shouldered his way through the crowd, and planted himself between the fighters. ‘Stop,’ he ordered, his voice firm.
They did, their chests heaving, their gazes still locked, their faces set into glowers.
‘Pull back. Both of you.’
Each male did as he ordered, neither looking at him.
‘Logan, go cool off in the office.’
Swiping at his split lip, his brother angrily stalked off without a word.
Ripper turned to the other male. Given that his face was a mass of bruises and cuts, he was no doubt regretting his decision to rile up Logan.
After leaving Emberlyn’s house on Tuesday evening, Ripper had tracked down his brother. The guy had been sitting on his private pier, knocking back beers. He hadn’t ranted at or blamed Ripper for CeCe getting together with Neal. Nor had Logan pushed Ripper to finally cave to CeCe’s demands.
Quite the opposite.
Logan had claimed that he was ‘done’. Knowing she was now sleeping with another guy, that she’d been able to move on so fast so easily, had hit Logan hard. He hadn’t been expecting it. The fact that she’d chosen someone she didn’t even care about over him had crushed Logan.
‘I’m not gonna hunt Neal down and kick his ass,’ he’d told Ripper. ‘Let him have her. I’m not interested anymore.’
He’d meant it because he’d been positively gutted. And during the days that had followed, he’d made a pointed effort to avoid the couple.
Had tonight been a case of him incidentally seeing CeCe and Neal about town, Logan would have hidden his pain and turned away. But no, nothing about this had been ‘incidental’, so Logan’s reaction was not only understandable but justified.
‘Neal, go to the restroom and clean yourself up,’ Ripper instructed. ‘Then you’re gonna clean this mess and get the fuck out of here. I’ll deal with you tomorrow.’ He wanted to talk to his brother.
Neal’s back snapped straight. ‘Why isn’t Logan being forced to help? I didn’t throw the first punch—’ He cut off as Ripper got right into his face.
‘Don’t play fucking innocent with me,’ Ripper growled.
Neal’s gaze dropped to the floor.
‘You came here with the sole purpose of setting Logan off. You started the fight just by walking through that door. You knew exactly what would happen.’ Ripper flicked his gaze to CeCe. ‘And so did you.’
Her eyes widened. ‘What? No!’
He turned back to Neal. ‘Restroom, now.’
The werewolf scurried away, a slight hobble in his step.
CeCe crossed to Ripper, wringing her hands. ‘I know how this looks, but I swear I didn’t—’
‘Don’t bullshit me,’ he bit off. ‘You could have gone anywhere with Neal tonight. Any-fucking-where. You chose this bar, knowing Logan would be here – he comes here every Sunday night to play darts and shoot the shit with some wolves from our clan. You knew it would hurt him to see you with Neal. Knew it’d set him off.
So the only reason you’d come here is if you wanted that. ’
‘I didn’t!’ she protested. ‘I would never do anything to hurt Logan!’
‘Then why choose this bar?’
‘It was a busy week, I had a lot going on, I lost track of the days, thought it was Saturday. I didn’t realize my mistake until I walked in and saw people gathered near the dart board. I was about to walk straight back out, I swear. But Logan saw us and rushed over.’
Ripper clenched his jaw. ‘Didn’t I just tell you not to bullshit me?’
Her eyes flared. ‘I’m not lying, I got confused.’
‘Did you also get confused when you started dating a guy you only think of as a friend?’
She snapped her mouth shut. ‘I could tell that you weren’t going to change your mind about the triad. But Logan . . . he wasn’t giving up hope. I thought that if it looked as if I was moving on, it would force him to let this go and move on himself.’
‘So you’re using Neal? Does he know that?’
‘No.’ She averted her gaze, pulling a face. ‘I feel bad about it, but I didn’t know what else to do. This is my mess. I suggested the triad, I caused all the friction, I needed to put it right.’
‘How in the hell was seeing you with Neal ever going to put this right for Logan? All you had to do was make it perfectly clear to him that you’re not interested in a triad anymore.’
‘I did! He could tell I was lying!’
‘You really thought that this was the solution?’
She grimaced, adjusting her tee. ‘I’m going to go talk to Logan; check he’s okay.’
‘No, you’re not. You’re going to help Neal clean this mess, and then you’re going to leave with him.’
Her head jerked back slightly. ‘Look, I realize you’re upset about me and Neal—’
‘I’m not, CeCe. I want things to go back to the way they were before, when we were nothing but friends. A natural part of that would be you dating someone. But you’re not dating Neal, you’re using him. And you’re hurting my brother in the doing of it.’
Her lips thinning, she jutted out her chin. ‘I love Logan. I love you both.’
‘Yeah? You’ve got a messed-up way of showing it.’ Ripper walked off, weaving through the tables until he arrived at the office.
Inside, Logan sat on a chair near the desk, gently probing his jaw. He looked up at Ripper, his eyes dull. ‘Neal ain’t much of a fighter, but he got a few good shots in.’
Ripper walked over to his brother. ‘How did all that play out exactly?’
Sighing, Logan lowered his hand to his lap.
‘I meant it when I told you I wouldn’t seek him out or confront him.
But they walked in here hand in hand, smiling and laughing .
. . I didn’t see it coming, Rip. It took me off-guard.
I didn’t think she’d do that to me, and it pissed me off that she did.
Before I knew it, I was striding over there.
‘I told them both to get out. Told her I thought better of her. Said I wanted them out of my sight. But that motherfucker went nose to nose with me, saying I needed to accept that CeCe was his; that he now gets to come inside her; that I’ll never have her again; that he’d one day claim her. Things escalated from there.’
Ripper bit out a curse. Neal had really gone all out to provoke Logan. ‘She swore she thought it was Saturday.’
Logan’s eyelids lowered. ‘Fuck that. Her eyes went wide when she saw me, as if she was shocked. But I know her. That emotion was fake.’ He rubbed at his forehead.
‘She did this in the hope that I’d find it so hard to see her with Neal that I’d put more pressure on you to give her what she wants, didn’t she? ’
Ripper gave a weak shrug. ‘Probably.’
‘I hated the idea of her with him, but I didn’t want to think you were right; that she’d do something as cold as use him to play you.’ Logan eyed him closely. ‘You would never have caved, would you?’
‘No. And it wouldn’t really have been what you wanted if I had. You and me can’t even share a pizza without snarling at each other; how were we ever gonna share a mate?’
Logan’s lips quirked a little. ‘I told myself we’d make it work.’
‘It wouldn’t have lasted. It would have fallen apart, and that would have come between us.’
‘Nothing could do that,’ Logan asserted.
‘She was already doing it. You’ve spent months hating me. You talked about switching clans.’
‘I was just blowing off steam. I didn’t mean it. And I don’t hate you. Never did. I hated the situation.’ Logan flexed his jaw and winced, probing at a red spot. ‘You know, I’m almost glad she did this tonight. It opened my eyes; made me realize you were right.’
‘I’d have preferred it if I wasn’t right.’
Logan sighed again, his gaze turning inward. ‘She isn’t someone I ever thought would deliberately gut me open like that.’
‘She’s still the CeCe you know. People do out-of-character shit sometimes.
She’ll be regretting it now. And I’m thinking Neal will be getting dumped tonight on top of everything else.
She admitted she’s using him. She said it was her attempt to make you get the message that a triad isn’t going to happen and we should all just let it go and move on. ’
Logan scowled. ‘Bullshit. I’ve been a dick to you; even threatened to leave the clan. She didn’t ever try to calm me down. She wanted me to keep nagging you and making threats. I didn’t see it.’ He paused, his expression pensive. ‘But you did.’
‘You always think the best of the people you love. I’m too jaded and cynical.’
‘And half your mind is on the Black Willow Witch.’
Ripper went rigid.