Chapter Twenty-Three
Kari
“Can you get to the point, Bowie’s waiting for me in the car.” Kari continued packing up his things. He had nearly escaped, two more minutes and he would have.
“I’m sure he’ll survive for a few minutes!”
Kodi was evidently in a mood, one Kari wasn’t in the frame of mind to deal with. It was already late, he was hungry, and he wanted to see if he could get Bowie to talk about what was bothering him. Something was making him anxious and unable to fully enjoy their playtime.
“Maybe so, but I’m hungry as I missed lunch because a meeting overran when you arrived late.”
“I offered to grab you a sandwich.”
Kari could tell a sulk was on its way by the way Kodi pouted. He sighed in frustration. “You did, sorry. What is it?”
“What do you think about the PAs all helping with Emmy?”
It was so left field, Kari stopped what he was doing to stare at Kodi, not sure what the heck this was all about.
“I’ve no problem with it. They have a routine Popi sorted with Frey and Hollis, so it shouldn’t impact too much on the workday. Why, what am I missing?” Clearly it was something, and Kari had some guilt because all of his attention of late was given to Bowie.
“Don’t you think Bowie will get ideas?”
Kari frowned. “Ideas of what?” he asked, confused.
Kodi scowled and stomped in front of Kari’s desk. “Wanting to have a child,” he snapped.
Two things registered.
Kodi was acting strangely about babies—the PAs wanting babies—when it hadn’t been something his brother had ever mentioned before, in any conversation they’d had.
The baby question had Kari also register something about Bowie. They had lived together for months, and to date, Bowie hadn’t had a heat. Shouldn’t he have had? Bowie hadn’t so much as mentioned it. Was that because he was taking heat blockers? If he was, had that been at Rex’s instigation?
An unpleasant sensation unfurled in his gut. He hadn’t asked whether Bowie and Rex had sex, and he had no intention of doing so. Yet…
His phone ringing distracted him, and he tugged it out of his suit jacket to see Bowie’s name on the screen. He grinned at Bowie’s impatience and hit accept. “Babycakes—"
“You think someone's gonna save your sniffling fucking ass. I know what you did, texting my boyfriend those pictures. You’re gonna tell him what a damn liar you are, do you hear me?”
Kari had not realized he was running until he had to stop to open the door to the stairway that led to the fire exit, he leapt down three steps at a time, anger and terror in charge.
Behind him, he heard voices. Not just Kodi, but Laken and Jupiter too. But Kari didn’t stop. He couldn’t when Bowie was in trouble. His heart thundered at the familiar-sounding voice screaming at Bowie.
Multiple shoes hit the stairs right behind him.
There was the sound of a clatter, a cry of pain coming from Bowie, then silence, which was Kari’s undoing.
“I’ll fucking kill him.” Sounding inhuman, Kari’s wolf was in full agreement and surged inside him, his clothes ripping as his wolf emerged. They shook off the remnants of his expensive suit, leaving it in shreds, the shoes left on the stairs as they leapt down the stairwell.
“We’ve got your back,” Kodi shouted as Kari’s wolf hit the bottom and used its full body weight to force the fire exit open. Alarms rang out as they burst outside, scenting Bowie’s blood. They charged in the scent's direction, howling in anguish at the sight of Rex on top of Bowie.
Bowie’s scream for his daddy broke the leash on any semblance of control Kari might have had of his wolf.
They charged, snarling rapidly, knocking Rex off Bowie with a headbutt that came with so much rage they didn’t feel the impact.
Teeth bared, they went for the hands that dared to touch and hurt their mate. Dared to mark him once more.
Rex’s furious pain-fueled curses shot adrenaline through them with each attempt to get him to release the hands he bit indiscriminately at, before they clamped their teeth into one. Blood coated their mouth as he tore at the flesh, teeth grinding into bone, driven by pure, unadulterated rage.
“Kari. Kari, fuck, stop! Bowie needs you.” It was Bowie’s name spoken in panic that had Kari push to get his wolf side to listen.
Stop, Bowie needs us.
His wolf let go, tossing its head in fury, eyes flashing a warning, its muzzle dripping with blood. They ignored the cursing, crying man on the ground and stepped back cautiously, searching for Bowie.
Jupiter and Laken were stationed on either side of Bowie, holding him up.
Protecting him, Kari reiterated when his animal snarled at his brothers. Bowie, pale and shaking, had more marks on his throat, and it cut at their heart better than a scalpel. Big, terrified doe eyes engulfed his face as he stared at Kari. Was he scared of them?
Let me shift.
I need to get the smell off him, scent mark him.
I get it, and we will, but you can’t do it here, covered in this fuckwit's blood.
His wolf tossed its head at Rex and snarled dangerously in warning when the man was clearly stupid, struggling to a standing position, shouting obscenities.
“Fucking crazy animal, l’ll have you arrested for this!” Rex cradled the more mangled hand in front of him, and they wanted to tear the thing off at the wrist bone.
Kodi stepped in front of him, blocking his view when he hadn’t quite decided to not follow through. “We’ll deal with him. Shift. You can use my jacket.” Kodi slipped it off and held it out.
Kari’s wolf receded with a little pushing.
He nodded his thanks to Kodi, taking it and slipping it on over his naked chest. For a second, Kari contemplated the expensive fabric, then gave in and rubbed the sleeve over his bloody mouth, knowing he looked a bit like a horror movie victim covered in blood.
He could feel flesh stuck between his teeth, as well as the awful coppery taste of blood coating the inside of his mouth.
“Gross man,” Kodi grumbled, sounding amused.
“Call the police. And an ambulance, now!” Rex’s angry demand reignited Kari’s fury.
Uncaring that his cock and balls were hanging out, Kari swung around Kodi to stomp to Rex. Kodi laid a restraining hand on his arm.
“No, I’m the hothead, not you.” Kodi came in close and whispered next to his ear. “Bowie needs you. I heard him shout. Let him be your priority, we’ll deal with Rex.”
Kari took a deep breath, then released it as he turned his back on Rex and walked to Bowie.
Kodi was right, but it didn’t remove the desire to rip apart the asshole who’d laid hands on Bowie.
The moment he was within arm’s reach, Bowie launched himself at him, burying his head into Kari’s neck, releasing harrowing sobs.
Kari shuddered under the weight of his own emotions while wrapping his arms tightly around Bowie, not thinking about the mess he was when Bowie clung to him unashamedly. Burying his face in Bowie’s sweet scented hair, Kari murmured soothing words, working to reassure them both.
“Take another step and you’ll see what uncontrollable anger really looks like.”
The deadly threat from Kodi, delivered in an unemotional voice, sent a shiver through Kari.
He moved so that his back was no longer to Rex, holding Bowie into his side.
He met his brothers' interested gazes before they moved, flanking Kari and Bowie.
He had no interest in hiding, not when Bowie needed him.
“Yeah, it’s not a pretty sight,” Jupiter said in a conversational tone that did not hide the anger. Jupiter rarely got angry, which made it more shocking to Kari. “Laken, call the cops.”
Laken had his phone out as the security guards appeared around the side of the building just as the alarms stopped ringing.
“What’s going on here?” A guard asked. Kari recognized Burt, his shrewd eyes assessing the group. There was surprise when he realized who everyone was. “Oh, sorry, Mr. Starling, I’ve contacted the police,” he aimed at Kodi, who was closest to Burt.
“Thank you. Can you get one of your men to access the outside security camera footage for the police, please? We’ll need it to show this fucktard attacking Bowie.”
“I did no such thing,” he stated haughtily. “He charged at me!”
Bowie whimpered into Kari’s neck. “It’s alright, Babycakes.”
Even as he said it, Kari knew it wasn’t true. Rex had once more been able to lay his violent fucking hands on Bowie, hurting him. “We need an ambulance too.”
“On it,” Burt muttered, turning to his men and issuing orders.
Laken stepped forward at the same time as Jupiter did.
“Are you a fucking dimwit? There are security cameras all around this building. There’ll be multiple angles to reveal what you did,” Laken stated causally, then Kari heard knuckles cracking. Something Laken did when he was furious and ready to fight.
The man clearly couldn’t read a precarious situation. “That animal needs to be chemically castrated. He attacked me,” Rex spluttered, raising the hand that was mostly a mangled mess and would scar if the shithead didn’t shift. “I’m the one bleeding and injured.”
Kari snarled at Rex, but it was Bowie clinging to him that held his wolf back.
“You. Marked. Him.” Each word he enunciated hurt his throat, rubbed raw by the regret at not protecting Bowie like he promised.
“I can scent his blood on you.” He pinned Rex with a flinty stare.
“This time I’ll have you locked up, and the fucking key thrown away so you can never touch anyone like this again. ”
Siren’s in the distance got Kari working on slowing down his breathing and containing his temper. It wouldn’t do to end up in a cell, too.
“This time?” Jupiter questioned, his gaze was moving between Kari and Rex.
“Not the time, bro.” Kodi pointedly looked at Bowie.
Jupiter’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded, his lips clamping together when his attention returned to Rex.
When the flashing lights of the patrol car lit the car lot, Kari murmured into Bowie’s ear. “I’ll need you to be a big boy for me and tell the officers everything that’s happened. Can you do that for me?”
Bowie moved to reveal red, tear-swollen eyes. “W-will you s-stay with m-me?” His teeth chattered together in shock.
“Yes. I won’t leave your side.”
Not until Rex is behind bars.