44. Tristan
Chapter 44
Tristan
It’s hard to remember the last time I was this angry. I’ve been so distant from my own emotions for so long that the fury I feel now is hitting me hard. I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
The anger isn’t toward Penelope. It’s clear she was a victim in this mess. But I have half a mind to march back to the bakery and haul those three men out to answer for what they did to her.
Because the truth is clear that they did abuse her. Penelope looks cowed. She looks like she feels powerless and afraid, and the look on her face when she first saw the three of them was enough to prove that they aren’t good people. Even if she had stolen from them, they probably deserve it.
Her eyes are red rimmed from crying, and I hate to see it. I kneel down in front of her, reaching up to take her face in my hands. With my thumbs, I wipe away the fresh tears that spill down her cheeks and look right into her eyes.
“None of that was your fault,” I tell her. “They had no right to treat you like that, and you were right to get away from them.”
Her eyes go wide and then she blinks in surprise. “Aren’t you mad?” she whispers. “I’ve been lying to you this whole time.”
“I know. And I wish you hadn’t lied. I wish you hadn’t felt like you needed to. But I do understand why you felt like you had to.”
“They hurt you, Pen,” Xavier says, coming to sit down with her on the bench. “They treated you like shit and isolated you. Of course you had to run. Of course we understand why.”
“He’s right.” Dominic sits down on her other side. “And it doesn’t take a genius or a bleeding heart to take one look at those guys and see they aren’t good people.”
Both of them touch her, trying to ground her the way I am. Dominic takes her hand, threading their fingers together, and Xavier rubs soothing circles into her shoulder.
“But…” Penelope whispers. “I thought you would hate me for this.”
“We don’t,” Xavier says. “We couldn’t. We know you better than those fuckers do, and we know you’re not the kind of person who lies for personal gain.”
“And it’s not like you approached us about marrying us,” I point out. “It wasn’t your idea. You weren’t manipulating us or anything.”
She bites down on her lip. “That’s true. I just… didn’t think you’d take it so well.”
“We can be reasonable,” Xavier teases gently. “And I remember how you looked that day that we ran into each other. You were so upset and so lost. You can’t fake that kind of emotion. You needed someone then, and I was happy to be there for you, just like I’m happy to be here for you now.”
Penelope’s eyes spill over again, and she cries softly, using her free hand to wipe at her eyes. “I hated lying to you,” she admits. “We kept getting closer and closer, and I wanted you to know everything about me, but I was so afraid.”
“We know,” I say, stroking her cheeks. “We get it.”
All three of us lean in close, surrounding her. We hold her between us, letting her cry it out.
“This doesn’t change how we feel about you,” Xavier says. “You’re still our wife. Still our queen.”
“But no more lies,” Dominic says, and there’s a hint of steel in his tone. “If this is going to work, we have to be honest with each other.”
“Okay,” Penelope murmurs. “I promise.”
“Good girl.”
She seems calmer now that she knows we’re not angry, but I share a look with the other two members of my pack, sharing a silent communication. They know this isn’t over as well as I do. We’re going to have to deal with this other pack if we want to get them out of Penelope’s life for good.
Xavier looks resigned and Dominic looks determined, but we keep focusing on Penelope for now. She’s the most important thing.
After a while, she drags in a breath and pulls back. “I’m okay now. I think. God, I probably look a mess.”
“You’re still beautiful,” I tell her sincerely.
“We should probably get back to the bakery,” Xavier says.
Dismay fills Penelope’s eyes. “I can’t believe my grand opening got so ruined.”
“It’s not ruined,” Dominic tells her. “We handled all the remaining customers while you were gone. Don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.” He stands up and the three of us escort her back to the bakery.
All the customers are gone, but her old pack is still there, sitting down at a table like they own the place. Rage rises in me, and it takes a massive force of will to keep me from grabbing Isaac and slamming him against the wall. And that would just be the start.
“Had your little tantrum, Becca?” Isaac asks, looking at Penelope condescendingly. “Fuck, you always were a massive fucking baby. Crying anytime you couldn’t get your way.”
Dominic and I put ourselves between Penelope and the three men. “You don’t talk to her,” Dom says. “If you have something to say, you can say it to us, but leave her out of it.”
Isaac rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair. “Fine.” Something about his tone says he’s behaving for now, but might change his mind if he feels like, and it makes me grit my teeth in irritation.
“Why did you come here?” I ask them. “Are you trying to get her back?”
“Not necessarily,” Isaac says.
Dominic makes a face. “Then what is it? You didn’t come here just to tell us the so-called truth about her. You want something, so stop playing fucking games and come out with it already.”
“She left us,” Isaac snaps. “She was ours, and she just up and left without our permission. That really hurt.” He puts on a pout that’s fooling no one. “And it turns out she managed to find herself a trio of rich men who cater to her every whim. That doesn’t sound fair to you, does it? That she ran out on us and gets to live a lavish life. Liars don’t deserve things like that.”
“That’s not for you to decide,” Dominic growls. “What we choose to give our wife is our business.”
“Sure, sure.” Isaac waves a hand. “But see, we deserve some compensation for what we had to go through. We lost a member of our pack. All for money.”
Penelope tries to say something, but Xavier puts a hand on her arm, shaking his head subtly. Nothing she has to say is going to sway these men. They look at her like she’s below them, like she’s just a ticket to their revenge or whatever this is. They won’t even hear her.
But the truth of the matter is right there in front of us now. “You want compensation,” I say. “You want us to pay you off.”
Isaac grins. “Now you’re getting it. You can clearly afford it, three big shots like you. And since we’re giving you our sloppy seconds, it only seems fair, right?”
I’m two seconds from lunging at this fucker, but Dominic stops me with a shake of his head. I stand down. Barely.
“You’re nuts if you think you’re getting anything from us,” he replies.
Mitch and Vincent are watching me now, both of them with hunger in their eyes like they’re spoiling for a fight. They’re letting their leader do the talking, but they’re paying attention to everything.
“You either give us what we want, or we make things very hard for your little wifey there.”
“You won’t touch her,” I snarl.
“We don’t have to,” Isaac shoots back. “We could drag her name through the mud. Let everyone know that the wife of three illustrious billionaires has a not so spotless past. I’m sure the people in your circles would love to know about that. So you either give us money or a leg up or we talk. We’ll reveal everything about how she played the system and stole from us and is now trying to use the same con on you.”
“That’s a lie,” Dominic points out.
“But will be people see it that way? It’ll be our word against hers, and I’m sure people will wonder why three important men married a nobody. The damage will be done. And if that’s not enough, we’ll take her to court.”
I frown. “On what grounds?”
“For damages. She caused us pain and suffering. You can’t imagine how much it hurts when your beloved Omega runs away.” He presses a hand to his chest. “We were distraught, weren’t we, boys?”
“Heartbroken,” Vincent says, smirking.
Mitch just grunts, his eyes still flicking between me and Dominic like he’s sizing us up.
Xavier pushes Penelope behind him and steps up to face the other Alphas with us. “It’s wild that you think you can come here and threaten us. You can’t touch us.”
“We don’t have to. It’s her that’s easy to hurt. And even you can’t protect her from what we can do just by telling the truth as we know it.”
So lies, basically. Anger rages in me, and I curl my hands into fists. All three of us are on edge, determined to protect Penelope in any way we need to, ready for a fight if it comes to it.
Isaac’s relaxed air is just an act, and his two packmates are on the edges of their seats, waiting for the order. The tension is thick, and I spare a second to regret that this is going down in Penelope’s bakery.
“We’re not giving you anything,” I tell them. “So you can get the fuck out.”
Isaac snorts, pushing to his feet. “I don’t get it,” he says. “Why is she so worth protecting? Some weak, fat Omega you probably found on the street? She’s worth the risk?”
And that’s it. The last of my patience goes flying out the window. Before I even register the motion, I’m striding forward and hauling back to punch Isaac in the face.
It’s a solid hit, and he stumbles back, his eyes snapping with fury.
“Say one more thing about her,” I snarl at him. “Say it, so I can end you right here and now.”
“If you wanted to fight, all you had to do was say so,” Isaac snaps back, launching himself at me. He tries to hit me back, but I duck out of the way, leaving his momentum to carry him across the floor and into one of the tables.
“Tristan!” Dominic barks, grabbing my arm. “This isn’t the fucking time.”
“Or the place,” Xavier adds, with a significant look around us.
Isaac and his guard dogs look like they’re ready for an all-out brawl if one is about to break out, but I drag in a deep breath and then another. Penelope’s eyes are wide, and I don’t want to do this in front of her.
“Get the fuck out,” Xavier says, sounding as cold as I’ve ever heard him.
Instead of arguing, the other three head for the door. Isaac looks over his shoulder at the four of us. “This isn’t over,” he promises, and then they go, letting the door slam shut behind them.
Silence reigns in the bakery for a moment, and then Penelope comes over and takes my hand. “Are you okay?” she asks.
I nod. My fingers are a little sore because it’s been a long time since I last threw a punch, but nothing is broken. She raises my hand to her mouth like she’s going to kiss it, but then hesitates.
“It’s okay,” I murmur. “You can touch me, angel. You won’t hurt me. Even if I was covered head to toe in bruises, every bone in my body broken, I would still crave your touch.”
She smiles softly and brushes her lips over my knuckles. It helps soothe the lingering anger inside me.