Chapter 3
Havoc knocked on Remi’s front door, non-stop, until it was yanked open, then he grinned at Remi and his practically twitching eye.
“Just open the door and walk inside,” Remi said in carefully measured tones which spoke loudly to his irritation.
“That wouldn’t be at all polite,” Havoc quipped, flicking the end of Remi’s nose as he walked past him and into the house.
“But knocking for two minutes straight and flicking my nose is?” Remi asked. He pushed the door closed and followed Havoc into the living room where all the guys were assembled for Monday night football amid a coffee table covered with junk food and beer.
Havoc walked over to Remi’s sectional and plopped down in one of the empty spaces.
“Want a beer,” Barron asked, reaching into an ice chest beside the recliner he was sitting in and tossing it to Havoc without waiting for an answer.
Havoc didn’t even look up, he simply lifted a hand and caught the bottle in midair.
Remi reached over from his reclaimed seat a few places down and pushed a coaster toward Havoc.
“Dude, where did you get the need to keep everything so in place and use coasters and shit?” Havoc asked.
“How did you not? Were you not raised in the same clan? Mess up somebody’s shit and if one of our mothers didn’t slap you, our dads did,” Remi said.
Havoc took a long swig of his beer, then nodded. “You’re right. Use the coaster, got it.”
“Your woman would raise all kinds of hell if you didn’t take care of your stuff,” Remi said.
“And rightly so. I’m not disrespecting your shit. Just like giving you a hard time,” Havoc grinned, taking another swig and putting his beer bottle down on the coaster Remi had slid his way.
“Hey, anybody see that place Daisy’s trying to buy?” Brandt asked, changing the subject.
“No, where is it?” Christian asked.
“It’s that little place they used to sell portable sheds out of,” Brandt answered.
“The one they cemented the whole damn place, corner to corner?” Barron asked.
“Used to be a nice little house. They let it fall apart, and killed all the damn grass,” Christian said.
“Why that place?” Barron asked.
“That’s the one she wants to put her art place in,” Brandt said. “I told her that we’d check it out and make sure it’s sound. If so, and she really wants it, we’ll help her get it in shape.”
“Makes her smile again?” Havoc asked, shoving a chip with more onion dip on it than it should naturally hold into his mouth.
“Yeah, it does,” Brandt said.
“I’m in, then. I hate that somebody as sweet as her ended up so sad.”
“Same. Y’all know I’m not here much, but whenever I am, I’ll be there,” Christian said.
“What did happen with that? Why’s she been so unlike herself for so long?” Ronan asked.
“Don’t know the details. I get redirected every time I ask. I will find out, though. Do not underestimate me,” Brandt said. “In the meantime, though. I have something else to talk to y’all about. I’m gonna need you to understand that this is not to be repeated — not to anyone,” he said, glaring at Havoc.
“Hey! Don’t look at me like that. Something is secret, it’s secret. I won’t tell Analise.”
Barron, Remi, Ronan, and Christian all turned and smirked at him. “I won’t! Especially if it’s somebody else’s private business. Maybe. Probably. As long as she doesn’t ask me directly.”
Christian laughed. “You used to have balls, Havoc.”
“Yeah, and so did you! I see you sneaking in here sometimes and hooking up with Addie before sneaking out again before the sun comes up.”
Christian’s grin faded. “It’s none of your business.”
“Didn’t say it was. Just making sure you know I know.”
“And now we all know,” Ronan said, lifting his beer in a toast. “To brotherhood, blood and non-blood.”
“And just so everybody here knows, I was fucking dying. And now I’m not. And I promised her no more secrets ever! And I’m not breaking a single damn promise to my woman again, ever! You got a problem with that, y’all can all kiss my ass,” Havoc announced.
“I get it. It’s a fine line to walk between keeping private business private, and keeping secrets from your mate. Tempest understands, though, thankfully,” Brandt said.
“I’m sure Analise would, too. She’s not unreasonable,” Havoc said. “All I have to say is, ‘Brandt said I’m not allowed to talk about it.’”
“Great, send her to take it up with me. Thanks,” Brandt drawled.
“Hey, she’s your cousin,” Havoc said with a shrug as he ate more chips and dip.
“Thing is, I need this kept quiet, and I need everyone of us involved. I do not need a single female to get wind of it unless it becomes a safety issue.”
All of the males assembled zeroed in on Brandt, their attention a sharp focus on him waiting for him to explain.
“In that vein, I don’t want any of our parents to know either. They’d handle it all wrong and then things would be worse than they already are, or might be.”
“What the hell is going on?” Remi asked.
“Aunt Everly came to see me this morning. She’s the only one that knows so far. She thinks somebody is watching her house.”
“What the fuck?” Havoc demanded, sitting up straight and becoming even more focused.
“Not only that. She thinks, and so do I, that it’s because of Emmalyn. We think that it’s possible Emmalyn’s being stalked.”
Barron stood up.
“Here’s the thing,” Brandt said, holding his hands up to keep everyone quiet and calm while he finished his explanation while looking directly at Barron. “We can’t let anybody know we know. We can’t let our parents know because they’d run roughshod into the woods and scare whoever it is away.”
“And we can’t have that because I’m gonna kill a motherfucker,” Barron said.
“Bet,” Havoc agreed.
“And we can’t let the females know because they’ll start behaving differently and that’ll let whoever is watching Emmalyn know we know.”
“Who is stalking her?!” Ronan asked.
“I don’t know yet, but here’s what I do know… Aunt Everly’s been feeling like she’s being watched on and off since Christmas. She thought it was just her imagination, but then Emmalyn admitted that she’d been in flight or fight mode for a while now. Everly said it was probably just her lifestyle and not having anything to do lately. Emmalyn agreed and made a joke about it being better than being stalked by a deranged human who was pissed off because she profiled him.”
“That doesn’t mean she’s being stalked, though,” Ronan said.
“She was sent home from work with instructions to lay low,” Havoc added to the conversation.
“Does anybody ever tell me any damn thing?!” Barron demanded as he turned and walked for the front door.
“Hang on! You can’t let her know we know this is even a possibility. She’ll lock us out and won’t allow us to protect her. You know how damn stubborn she is,” Brandt said. “She’ll think she’s protecting us.”
“Then what the hell am I supposed to do? Allow her to get hurt or worse, so I don’t cause any waves?” Barron asked.
“No, but we have to play this smart. We all have reasons to be around her more often lately. Havoc, you and Analise have her helping with the wedding.”
“True,” Havoc said. “I can be more of a pain in the ass about it which will make her have to come around more to convince me to go with her ideas.”
“And when Daisy gets this little place, she’s going to need a lot of repairs done to it. I’m pretty sure Emmalyn is all in on that, too. So there’s another opportunity to be around her without her knowing what we’re actually doing.”
“I could ask her to spend some time with Addie because I’m not around as much, and she’d be over here more. That’d put her closer to her more often,” Christian said.
“That’ll work.”
Barron stood there shaking his head as his gaze wandered toward the ceiling, doing his best to get his emotions under control.
“You alright?” Ronan asked.
Barron swung his attention to Ronan. “No. I’m not. I’ve been playing fucking games instead of just getting my head out of my ass and claiming my mate. Now, not only is she pissed off at me, she’s in danger. If she was mine, living under my roof, there would be less chance of any fucking body getting near her.”
“Then claim her,” Remi said.
“She’s angry as hell,” Barron said.
“Apologize.”
“I’m about to drag her ass to my house and lock her in the fucking bedroom,” Barron said.
“Look, we don’t know anything for sure. All we do know is some uneasy feelings, enough of a problem at work for her boss to give her some time off with orders to lay low, and an off color remark from Emmalyn that seems to play into the scenario we’re thinking could be happening. It’s easy enough between us all to find a reason to be with, or drop in on, or pass by unexpectedly, Emmalyn or anyone or where she might happen to be. We need to keep this to us for several reasons, not the least of which is Emmalyn running off to keep us out of her business. And if we’re right, and she’s being stalked, whoever is watching would follow her and we’d have less of a chance of protecting her away from here than we do right in the middle of our own territory,” Brandt said.
“Truth,” Havoc said, “girl’s stubborn as fuck.”
“Barron?” Brandt asked.
“Agreed,” Barron answered. “Don’t you have her here?” he asked, tapping his temple.
“I do, but most of the time she has me shut out unless it’s convenient for her to send me a thought all of a sudden. She’s never here physically, so it’s not really been a big deal.”
“Until now,” Barron said.
“Until now. I need to make it a point to all of our clan that we need to enhance our connections telepathically. Our parents do it, and it’s been a big plus to their bond as a clan. We need to do the same. It’s not utilized enough. We’ve gotten used to phones and not strengthened it like they have.”
“Fine. When are you going to do it?” Barron asked.
“Let’s have a thing, get everybody in the clan there, bring it up and make sure it’s understood,” Remi said.
“What about Kiernan, Abby, Addie and Shawn?” Christian asked.
“Them, too. Gives me more of a handle on what they’re thinking and feeling anyway. And if they choose not to stay, we can break the bond. As long as they’re here, they need to be connected.”
“Gives us more sets of eyes to keep an eye on the clan as a whole, too,” Remi said. “They’re good people. I like them.”
“The males anyway. We can’t let the women know because we don’t want the stalker, if there is one, to notice differences in behavior. If he’s been watching since Christmas, he’ll be familiar with our routines by now.”
“This is a lot of preemptive shit for something that may not even be real,” Ronan said.
“Kind of tells you something, don’t it?” Brandt said.
“You think it’s a legitimate threat. You don’t think it’s just being overly cautious,” Ronan said.
“No, I do not think we’re just being overly cautious. What do you think, Havoc? Since you’re the one who knew she was told to lie low,” Brandt asked.
“I think I’m going home right now to make sure my house and my family are safe. This is not a drill, people. Whatever is happening here, whatever it becomes, it’s followed Emmalyn here and anyone Emmalyn loves is being watched by default while Emmalyn is being watched,” Havoc said. “Y’all let me know if anything else needs to be done. I’m going home.”
After Havoc left, the remaining clan members sat solemnly considering all that’d just been laid out before them.
“When are we going to get everybody together?” Ronan asked.
“Tomorrow. Dinner at my house,” Barron said. “I still think we need to let our parents’ clan know, though.”
“Everly knows, and she knows not to be alone. And she’s watching. If things become more tense, we’ll let Kaid know. He can keep control, for the most part, if necessary. But it can’t be common knowledge to everyone for the same reasons we already discussed,” Brandt said.
“Why not tell him now?” Barron asked.
“This is our problem. We’re handling it.”
“That’s almost as arrogant as Emmalyn trying to deal with this herself,” Ronan said.
Brandt looked at Ronan with a look that might possibly kill.
“Respectfully, just saying,” Ronan amended. “But I’m not wrong.”
Brandt glared at him.
“I’m not!” Ronan insisted.
“He’s not,” Barron said.
“Fine, I’ll talk to him, but if they scare this bastard away before we can take him out, I’m gonna blame you two.”
“Works for me,” Barron said, heading out of the room.
“Where are you going?” Brandt asked.
“To find Emmalyn. I’m done playing games.”
Brandt stood up and quickly finished off the rest of his beer. “See y’all later,” he said.
“Where are you going?” Remi asked.
“To talk to Kaid. Need to get it done now before somebody says something to him and I haven’t spoken to him yet.”
Remi, Christian, and Ronan sat across from each other, the only three left. “Now what?” Ronan asked.
Remi shrugged. “I’m watching the game until somebody tells me I’m needed elsewhere.”
“Same,” Ronan said. He ran a chip through the onion dip that Havoc had just about finished off. “Do you have anything other than chips and dip?”
“Me, too,” Christian said. “I rarely get to watch a game anymore.”
“I have some leftover meatballs. Mama made meatball sandwiches the other night.”
“And you have me eating freaking onion dip,” Ronan said.
“There wasn’t enough for everybody. But there’s enough for us,” Remi said with a grin.
“I’m in,” Ronan said, following Remi into the kitchen.
“Bring me one, too!” Christian called out, settling back in to watch the game, knowing that Addie was safe in her home with her family. He could afford to relax a little with the guys.
Ronan took a seat at the kitchen island and watched Remi reheating the meatballs in a rich tomato sauce. “Since it’s just the two of us in here… what’s going on with you and Bailey?”
“None of your damn business,” Remi said as he put the bowl of meatballs and sauce in the microwave.
“No, seriously, is she your girl?” Ronan asked.
“Yes, she is. Stay the hell away from her.”
“I don’t want her, Remi. That’s not the point.”
“Then what is?” Remi asked.
“It’s just… she’s human.”
Remi turned around and looked at him curiously. “So, my mother’s human.”
Ronan huffed. “I know that. And I adore Aunt Avaleigh. My point is, you can’t have kids with Bailey. It’ll kill her.”
“I know that. Do you think I don’t know that? My mother lost a lot because someone tried to force her to carry a Dragon’s kid. I would never do that to anybody.”
“And I know that. But does she know? Does Bailey know that if she’s picturing the perfect little happy family with you, that it’s not happening? At least not the traditional way. Your family is one of the strongest, the bond y’all share. And you and Angelle are treasured and loved so damn much. But does Bailey know that in her future she won’t be giving birth to her own kids if she marries you? Because she needs to know. She has a right to decide that before she’s too far in.”
The microwave pinged, forcing Remi to open it. He took out the bowl and slammed the microwave. He put the meatballs in the already sliced garlic-buttered pistolettes and placed them back in the microwave for about fifteen seconds to warm the bread. When the microwave pinged again, he took out the plate with three sandwiches on it and placed it on the kitchen island.
He braced both hands on the kitchen island and just shook his head as he looked down at the sandwiches.
“You still gonna let me eat that sandwich, right?” Ronan asked.
Remi raised his head and looked Ronan in the eye. “You done spouting enough fucking wisdom for the night? It’s not enough to mouth off to Brandt, you gotta get in my shit, too?”
“Can’t help it, man. Everybody thinks I’m just a kid. I’m not a kid, and I see things that need to be pointed out.”
“And maybe you have a little too much of your daddy in you, too,” Remi said.
“Probably. But have I said anything that’s not right?” Ronan asked. “I mean, Kaid does need to know, even if the rest don’t. And Bailey deserves to know that if this is forever, she can’t have her own kids. I mean, she might not even want to have kids, you know? But she’s a sweet girl and at least deserves her own decision. And that means she has to know what we already know, and that is that you can’t give her kids — personally, anyway.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll handle it my own way, though. If that’s alright with you Mr. All-About-Everybody-Else’s-Life.”
Ronan gave a single, distinguished nod.
Remi moved one of the sandwiches to its own plate and pushed it gently toward Ronan. “Eat your sandwich and shut up for a while.”
“Deal. Your mom’s meatballs are the best. Don’t tell my mom I said that, though.”