Epilogue #2
“Packard put me through to voicemail again.” He brings his eyes to mine. “I know you got shot and shit, but did you ever get a chance to snoop around and ask questions?”
Guilt hits me like a sledgehammer and I glance at Erick and Wiley, neither of whom I told about Kash.
“Actually—”
“What?” Kade steps forward and I see the desperation in his eyes.
I hold up two fingers. “Give me two minutes.”
Confused by my answer, he glances at Erick and Wiley before turning his golden-brown eyes back to me.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Crash, thankful when he picks up on the first ring.
“How was your trip?” He says, but I hear him opening and closing multiple doors, as if he’s putting as much distance between where he was when he answered my call and where he can talk freely.
“It was good,” I drawl, giving him a few extra seconds to let him get to where he needs to be. “But I’ll tell you more about that later. I should have called last night, but it slipped my mind while getting Doralee settled at my place. Do you have any updates for me?”
Crash sighs, and it sounds like he’s now in a safe space. “Let me guess. You’re standing in a room full of shifters with a giant brown bear ready to tear a chunk out of your ass?”
“How’d you know that?” My eyes go to Kade, who shifts uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
“I saw Packard put him through to voicemail a minute ago and figured you’d be calling. Do you want to put me on speaker?”
“Sure, but let me say a few words first.” I set the phone on speaker and check my back, making sure if Kade rushes me he won’t toss me in the fire—whether it be by accident or not.
“I’ll fill in the details later, but on the phone is my twin, Crash—or Lieutenant Pumarston, Colonel Packard’s XO.”
Kade twirls his hand and tells me to speed it up, which I guess means Erick already told him about meeting my twin brother.
“They have Kash at MirMax.” I say without a preamble.
“What?” Kade surges forward as I expect and fists my shirt, lifting me a good two inches off the ground. Erick is also on his feet, pulling Kade off of me while Wiley attempts to pry his fingers loose from my collar.
“He’s okay.” Crash yells through the speaker. “I mean, he’s not okay, but he will be.”
“Not helping, Crash!” I curse as Kade shoves me back at the same time Dinah runs out of the house with Geneva and Doralee on her heels.
“What the hell is going on?” Doralee rushes over to me, shielding my body with hers, and while I love my woman’s fierceness, I do not want her standing between me and the largest bear shifter I’ve ever met.
“Explain yourself!” Kade barks at me and my phone.
“Sweet Fates, let me.” I cut off Crash before he says something that gets me killed. “X many months ago…”
I tell the story just like Crash told it to me, right up to the point that they flew Kash stateside and got him settled at MirMax a week ago.
Kade visibly shakes as he fights to control his animal. Dinah wraps her arms around his waist to soothe him, and it’s probably the only thing saving me right now.
“Is he healthy and safe?” Kade’s tone is deadly.
“Yes. As far as a bear goes he’s a little underweight, but otherwise he’s perfectly healthy.”
Kade bares his teeth. “I’m coming out there to see him.”
“We expected as much.”
“Who is we?”
“Me and Cricket.” Crash answers, but I make a signal with my hand to insinuate the two of us.
“What about Packard?” Kade sneers, as if saying our old commander’s name makes him ill, which right now it probably does. Packard might be the king of the jungle, but Kade is big and powerful and much younger.
“He’s going to kill me.” My twin sighs.
Kade’s eyes shift my way, and then he looks at my mate and hangs his head. “I’m sorry, Doralee.”
She nods, but says nothing.
Dinah pats Kade’s pecs, and the look she gives him must tell him it’s time to go. He swings her up into his arms and she wraps her legs around her waist as he nuzzles her neck and takes several deep breaths before looking at me. “When can we leave?”
I glance at Doralee who nods her head. We’ve already talked about this while soaking in a hot tub two nights ago. She knew this might happen, because I knew this would happen. “As soon as you want, man.”
He nods. “Karter’s engagement party is in two weeks. I’d like to have an answer about Kash before we head to Fortune Falls.”
Doralee slides her hand into mine and speaks for us. “We can leave tomorrow.”
“Better yet.” Crash announces. “I’ll clock flight hours and pick you up.”
Little by little the hate I’ve felt for my twin has chipped away, and in this moment I’m proud to call him my brother.
“Thank you.” Kade turns away and carries his fiancée somewhere private for spiritual cleansing or some shit—which means he’ll reek of mating pheromones when he comes back.
I slump into a chair and pull Doralee onto my lap, blowing out a sigh of relief. Lifting my phone, I depress the speaker on my phone and bring it to my ear. “I told you he would wring my neck.”
“Sorry about that. I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow?” Crash’s voice holds a hint of hope, like he actually wants to see me.
“It looks that way. Good night, brother.” I wait for him to respond because I’m curious what he will say.
Crash clears his throat. “Yeah, see you tomorrow… brother.”
Doralee frames my face with her slender hands, rubs her nose against mine, and whispers, “Your family is fun.”
I snort. “It’s not normally so contentious.”
“I wasn’t being a smart ass this time.” She giggles when I cock a brow at her.
“I mean it. Only people who love each other are willing to be there when bad news is delivered. And people who really love and care for each other are willing to be the bearer of bad news. You knew the moment you saw Kash that Kade would kill the messenger, and you took that on responsibility anyway.”
“I didn’t have a choice. We take care of our own.” I slip my hand between her thighs, instantly grounded.
“Colonel Packard said the same thing to me at MirMax.”
Erick walks up and hands me another beer as the last one was knocked down by Kade’s assault. He sits in the chair next to us and nods his agreement. “It’s true. We make our families, and anyone we bring in is fiercely protected.”
Smiling at my brother, I bring my eyes back to my mate. “If something happened to me, my family—now your family—would take care of you and our children, no question.”
“That’s how it is in a pack.” Wiley takes the seat on the other side of us, and pulls Geneva onto his lap.
Geneva grins and nods her agreement. “Welcome to the family, Doralee.”
“Thanks. I’m happy to be here.” My mate leans in places her lips against my ear, “And I’m really happy I broke the rules.”
“Me too, babe. Me too.”
Thank you for reading Cocky Cougar. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review and sharing with your friends.