Chapter 10
Daniel rode past all the usual places he might find Remi, eventually resorting to riding up and down all the streets of the neighborhood behind the grocery store.
Still, there was no trace of him. Finally, with his patience growing thin, he resorted to a very infrequently used head-voice, and called his son telepathically.
Remington! he bellowed at Remi through the thoughts in his mind.
There was no answer.
You have three minutes to send me the address, and step outside so I can speak to you, or I’m going to call the clan, and have everybody take a street searching every damn house until we find you.
Lying on the sofa in the apartment Olivia shared with her roommate, Remi closed his eyes tighter, trying to ignore his father’s demand.
Two minutes, Daniel announced.
Remi unintentionally let out a snarl, jerked himself into an upright position.
One minute, Daniel said, the tone in his voice growing angrier and angrier with each passing moment.
I am in no mood to do this right now! Remi sent back to his father.
Don’t fucking care. Thirty seconds, Daniel warned.
A growl of frustration bubbled up and out of Remi as he stood up and started for the door. 1327 Friar St. I’m coming outside.
Check your fucking attitude before I get there! Daniel warned.
“Where are you going?” Olivia asked.
“My dad’s looking for me. He’ll be here in a second.”
She looked at the phone she’d been systematically removing numbers from while Remi napped, then up at Remi. “How would you know that? He hasn’t called or texted.”
“Believe me, I know.”
“Oh. Well, great! I’ll get to meet him!”
“No, you won’t. Stay inside,” Remi ordered, opening the front door and walking outside at about the same moment the rumble of a motorcycle could be heard outside.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Olivia snapped.
Remi pulled the door closed behind himself and stepped outside.
He watched while his father brought his bike to a stop and threw a leg over before the engine had even fully stopped running, striding right to him.
Daniel was impressive as ever. Standing nearly six and a half feet tall, long black hair falling straight almost to his waist. Tanned skin, muscled body and with the cockiness that only a Dragon shifter could carry.
“Want to tell me what the hell is going on?” Daniel demanded.
“I guess you heard Brandt kicked me out of the clan,” Remi said disdainfully.
“I heard that you pushed enough fucking buttons that he gave you an ultimatum.”
“Yeah, of course, you take his side, just like everybody else.”
“Remi, are you really so fucking stupid that you think you can blame everybody else in your family for being happy, simply because you’re not?”
“I’m not blaming them for being happy!” Remi shouted.
Daniel stepped right up to Remi until their chests were touching.
Though Remi was a tall, muscular male, Daniel was bigger, and stronger.
He looked down his nose at his son. “I am here because I care about you. You are my son, and I will kill for you without a second thought. I will also whip your ass for your arrogance and disrespect. You talk to me like that again, and I’ll prove it to you.
I am not your enemy. Brandt is not your enemy.
Do you understand what I’m saying to you, Remi? ”
“Yes, sir,” Remi snapped.
“Good. Because this is your last warning. The next time you talk to me like that, I’m just going to knock your teeth out of your mouth. Then we’ll continue this conversation at the dentist’s office when I pay him to put them back in. You got that?”
“Yes, sir,” Remi answered, a little less angrily.
“Now. Tell me why you felt the need to push Brandt so far that he put you out.”
“Because he’s all up in my fucking face like I’m not an adult and can’t handle my shit!”
“You shattered the window in his truck! Obviously you can’t handle your shit. In fact, you’re making it worse!”
“I didn’t mean to do that. I was just angry because he said my girlfriend isn’t allowed on clan property, and my fucking house is on clan property! How can he tell me who I can and can’t have at my house?”
“Because he’s Alpha, son! And because she’s been nothing but disrespectful! She’s made other clan members uncomfortable and taken advantage of you!”
“That’s bullshit. She loves me!”
“She loves what you can do for her! Have you managed to check your fucking accounts lately? Are you aware that your checking account went negative, so it started pulling from your savings account, which is now drained as well?”
“That cannot possibly be right! I had thousands in there! There’s got to be some kind of mistake! If there was a problem like that, the bank would have contacted me.”
“Have they tried?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been answering calls. But I have emergency people on there in case they can’t find me, or if there’s an emergency.”
“Who’s that?” Daniel asked.
Remi closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. “Brandt. And Mom.”
“Well, I’m guessing that when Brandt tried to tell you about the bank letting him know that your accounts were drained, you reacted defensively.”
“I still think there’s a mistake. Olivia wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Why’d you give her a debit card, Remi?” Daniel demanded.
“She was having trouble paying her bills, I helped her out. You’d have done the same if that’s what Mom needed when you first met her!”
“You telling me this girl is your mate?”
“No! Cristie is my mate, but we all know what happened with that! Wasn’t enough that I lost Bailey, I couldn’t even have Cristie! Then when I find somebody that truly cares about me, nobody will even give her a chance to join our family!”
Daniel stood across from his son, calling on every bit of control he had not to hit him. “Let’s bring this to an end before I lose my patience with you. And let me for the sake of clarity here, state that I fully understand why Brandt knocked the fuck out of you. You’re a dumb ass!”
“I…”
“Shut your mouth and listen!” Daniel bellowed, his Dragon clear and present in his eyes.
Remi snapped his mouth shut and glared at his father, not particularly liking what his father was saying, but smart enough not to poke the stronger Dragon inside him.
“You are so far into your pity party that you can’t see anything clearly.
You have lost so much of who you are in your deepest soul that you are craving approval from anybody, and let me tell you this girl you chose is not the answer.
You loved Bailey, but then you found your mate and it threw you for a loop.
I know there was confusion, there was guilt, and I understand where all of that came from.
But what you’ve failed to realize is that Bailey loved you, too.
She didn’t just cut you loose. She chose to let go so you wouldn’t feel guilt about walking away from her to be where you truly belonged. ”
“Cristie didn’t want me, and Bailey walked away anyway!” Remi exclaimed.
“Bailey walked away so you wouldn’t have to deal with the responsibility of leaving her. She did it, so you wouldn’t have to carry that! How do you go from a girl like that to this fucking drain on society?!” Daniel demanded.
“Don’t go there, not now,” Remi said. “I asked her to marry me. We’re engaged.”
“You just enjoy digging fucking holes, don’t you?” Daniel asked.
“You don’t understand,” Remi said, his voice quieter than it had been.
“Yeah, I do. You’re looking for acceptance, approval.
You’re looking for the love you have convinced yourself you’ve been cheated out of.
You’ve convinced yourself that neither Bailey, nor Cristie cared enough to fight for you.
Simple truth is that Bailey put your happiness before her own.
That’s love. And she deserves that kind of love in return.
You owe her a debt of gratitude for putting you first. And Cristie didn’t shut you down.
She understood you were struggling and gave you room.
She also told you she wouldn’t wait forever.
You didn’t pursue her. She went home. YOU let her slip away. ”
Remi shook his head, signaling he was still in denial.
“You can shake your head all you want, but it’s the truth.
Then you’re going to resent everybody else in your clan because how dare they have mates when you have nobody.
What kind of family or friend does that make you when you can’t even be happy for the people you love?
The people that love you? What happened to you, Remi?
You have always been the most steadfast. The kindest. The most caring and generous. And now you’re a drunk.”
“I’m not stupid, Dad! It’s not like I’m using drugs!”
“I didn’t say you were stupid. But your behavior is stupid.
I did say you’re a dumb ass, and I stand by that.
Alcohol is a drug. It’s addictive, and it can ruin a person’s life.
You’re very close to going so far over the edge that you’re going to lose everything.
Don’t do that, Remi. I’m begging you. Open your eyes.
Get your head out of your ass. Stop drinking.
Rethink everything from a different point of view.
You chose not to claim Cristie, so she went home alone.
She didn’t deny you. You denied her. Bailey didn’t turn her back on you to hurt you.
She walked away because she loved you. It was her gift to you. Show her she made the right decision.”
Remi was no longer looking at his father, he was staring off in the distance, his jaw clenched, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he dealt with emotions he’d rather not have to deal with.