Chapter 15
15
AUSTYN
We pile into Rad’s red Audi S4 and drive six hundred miles before stopping for the night at a dive hotel. Walter rides shotgun, providing navigation and snarky comments, while Tate and I snuggle together in the back. It’s cramped, but I don’t mind. We’re exhausted, so we sleep despite Walter and Rad snapping at each other.
Killian and Beau drive their RV, and I’m glad they’ve joined us instead of taking off on their own again. After checking into the hotel and taking quick showers, we meet at the all-night diner across the street.
The place is busy for nine at night on a…is it still Sunday? A black-and-white sign at the entrance tells us to seat ourselves, so we find a booth and a small table in the back. Tate scoots in next to me, and I press my leg against his. Even after ten hours, I need to reassure myself he’s safe.
“Go ahead, Walter.” Rad gestures to cushioned seats opposite ours.
“You first, sweetheart.”
Rad crosses his arms and lifts a sparkly brow. “I insist.”
“Insist all ye want, I don’t like being trapped?—”
“For fuck’s sake,” I snap, smacking my hand on the table. “You two have been griping at each other this entire trip. Give it a fucking rest.” Everyone goes quiet. Not just my companions but the people seated around us.
That’s when I realize we aren’t alone.
A woman wearing an apron, black pants, and a red shirt with the diner logo gives me a look like I’m the disruptive one—okay, maybe I am—and slaps menus on the table. Her blonde hair is streaked with gray, and her blue eyes say she’s seen it all. She’s almost as intimidating as Petroni, and if dinos weren’t a consideration, I’d put my money on her in a fight.
Her glare shifts from me to Walter and stays there. He grumbles and slides into the booth. Rad sits, preening, until he also earns a look from—I glance at her name tag—Nadine.
“What would you boys like to drink?” she asks, jotting our answers down on her pad. She turns to Killian and Beau. They’re standing awkwardly next to the small table.
Her brow raises. “Are you going to stand there all night?”
“It’s already night, so?—”
Beau puts his hand on Killian’s arm. “Don’t mind him. He takes things literally.” He gives our server a charming smile. “Hi, Nadine. How’s your day going?”
She darts a glance at our table. “It’s been better.”
He nods. “We all look a little rough, but my friends and I were in a sixteen-car pileup this morning. You probably saw it on the news.”
“That’s not—” Killian starts, his brows scrunched together.
“Not the point,” Beau adds quickly. “You’re right, cher. It’s no reason to be rude. We apologize, Nadine. This vacation has been a nightmare from start to finish, and we’re all tired and hungry and…just trying to get home.”
The change in her demeanor is instantaneous. “My goodness, you poor boys. Well, if you’re hungry, you’ve come to the right place.”
“Can we move this table closer to our friends?” Beau asks with another charming smile. Nadine doesn’t stand a chance. Maybe we should have used Beau to charm Petroni. Don’t hurt the doctor. Jacobs’s words come back to me. Huh. He’d known who Beau was. And wanted him unharmed. What was that about?
After Killian and Beau move the table over, Nadine takes their order and leaves to get our drinks. The chatter in the diner resumes as everyone ignores us and once again focuses on their food. Tate leans against me, and I take his hand. I’m glad to be out of the fight. And the car. I’m looking forward to food and time alone with Tate.
After Nadine brings our drinks and we order, I clear my throat. “Killian, Beau, thank you for helping us. I hate getting you involved in this.”
“We’re already involved, Austyn.” Beau glances at Killian, and he nods. “Only we didn’t tell you everything when we visited your shop a few months ago. It’s hard to know who to trust.”
I take a drink of my water and nod. “Understandable.”
Killian sighs. “I told you about my amnesia and getting captured…” He shakes his head and stares at his coffee. Beau takes his hand. “I’m still piecing it together. The men were from a secret faction of the military. They branded me: A9 .”
“That’s horrible.” Tate gapes at Killian and then shakes his head. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.” His shoulders sag. Is he thinking of everything he’s been through? I put my hand on his leg to reassure him while vowing, again, to destroy everyone who hurt him.
“Tate knows some of what happened, and I already told Rad,” I say, not wanting him to have to relive everything. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course. The part we left out is that I was held at gunpoint by a group of men.”
I frown. Didn’t he just mention this? Is his amnesia getting worse? “Killian?—”
“Let him finish. Go ahead, cher. Tell them.”
“Thanks, Doc.” He smiles gratefully at Beau. “It’s been multiple times. But this time, I was held captive by Victor Jacobs’s men.” His eyes dart to Walter and away. “They…tortured me.”
All eyes go to Walter. “What the fuck?” I ask. Just when I thought we could trust him. Tate actually growls.
“Hold on,” Walter says, jabbing a finger at Killian. “That’s not—we rescued you from those military asswipes. Twice, I might add. Petroni tortured you.” Walter sits back with a huff. “And it wasn’t my idea to get you involved this time.”
“We needed them,” Rad says, and Walter waves his hand dismissively.
I jump in before they start arguing again. “Go on, Killian.”
“Petroni used a taser. He said it was to help bring my memories back. It didn’t.” He wraps his hands around his coffee cup. “So, I broke his nose.”
“That was me favorite part.” Walter grins. “Ye really messed him up. And then Tate here breaks it again.” He chuckles and takes a sip of his tea.
“Great job, Tate.” Beau gives Tate a thumbs-up. “That fucker deserved it.” Tate smiles, a blush creeping up his neck. He’s so freaking adorable. I kiss his cheek.
“Here we are,” Nadine interrupts, handing out the food. Once she’s gone, we chow down. I’m starving. We’d picked up a few snacks along the way, but we mostly wanted to get as far from Jacobs and his goons as possible.
Tate devours his within minutes, and Walter smirks. “Worked up an appetite, eh? Can we talk about the large sauropod in the room?”
“I’m not the only one.” Tate glances around as if he’s checking. Everyone else is a therapod. Well, not everyone.
“A size joke, Walter? Really?” I glare at him.
“Would I joke about that?” He snorts. “Size doesn’t matter. Until it does, if ye know what I mean.” He gives me a wink, and I give him the finger.
Beau laughs. “I think Walter’s referring to his demeanor. Tate’s a big ol’ sweetie, even as a dino.” He leans in, his eyes bright, as he warms up to his subject. “Unlike the rest of you.”
“Rude,” Walter says, even though he was the one who brought it up.
Beau ignores him. “Therapods are carnivorous, so they hunt and kill. And while Austyn is an omnivore, he still eats meat, so my point stands.”
“What about our pirate friend?” I ask, curious to hear his thoughts. “Walter eats plants and berries, just like Tate.” Beau isn’t as renowned as his father, but he knows his stuff.
“True. But everyone knows Pentaceratops have short tempers. And as a whole, ceratopsians are a brutal bunch. They like to show their horns.”
“If you got it, flaunt it.” Walter pops a fry in his mouth with a salacious grin.
Everyone laughs except for Tate. I grab his hand, wanting to wipe away the doubt in his eyes. “Their faces when you shifted, Tate. It was glorious.”
“But they’re right. I’m not something scary like you and Killian.”
“Tate, you’re one of the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the earth. I think Jacobs realized they didn’t have enough serum. And all he could do was scurry away like the rodent he is.”
“How?” Walter asks around his bite of food. “How did they not know?” He points a fry at me. “How did you not realize your boyfriend was a Brachiosaurus?”
“I don’t know. Tate?”
He swallows a bite of his salad and drinks the rest of his water. “I kept him hidden.”
“Why?” I ask, leaning in to catch his gaze. “I know you were scared, but…I’m still trying to figure out how much you knew. You’ve been coming to my shop for the last six months.”
“When Mrs. Callihan told me you could help, I didn’t see how. But I kept coming to your shop…because I liked you.” He stares at his food, and I tap his leg with mine, encouraging him to continue. “I thought a monster lived inside me. And I could only keep him contained for so long. The few times he got out, I was exhausted or stressed and had no memory of what happened.” His eyes meet mine. “I couldn’t control the monster once he got out. And it terrified me. So I controlled what I could by refusing to shift. Sorry, Aus, I should have been honest with you.”
“Oh, sweetness, I understand. You were trying so hard to protect everyone.”
He nods, his eyes sad. “A month ago, Petroni contacted me. Said they could help me gain control of the beast. I didn’t trust him, so I told him no. But then people started dying. And Belinda—” He blinks a few times and clenches his jaw. “The depths they went to?—”
I grab his hand again and thread our fingers together. “I’m sorry, Tate. Was…she your girlfriend?”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “But she was my friend.” I want to erase the sadness in his eyes. “And she trusted me.”
“You didn’t kill her?—”
“It was because of me.” Tate takes a deep breath and blows it out. After a few of these, his shoulders relax. “But I’m not responsible for anyone’s actions but my own. I know that.” He smiles at me and kisses the side of my face.
I grin so wide my cheeks hurt. This man never stops surprising me. “Tate?—”
“I’m trying to fucking eat. Could you lads turn down the lovey-doveyness until I choke down me veggie burger?”
We return to eating after Walter’s outburst, but Tate and I continue to sneak sweet glances and not-as-sweet touches under the table. Killian and Beau are less demonstrative. But barely. Rad ignores everyone.
Beau pushes his empty plate away and wipes his mouth. “I’d like to analyze the dart guns to see if they were using a serum to control the dinos.” He shoots a look at Killian. “I’ll need a lab to test it—mine is no longer available.”
“I might know a guy,” Walter says, and when Beau hesitates, he rolls his eyes. “I risked my life for you lot, and you still don’t trust me.” He shakes his head dramatically. “I know a guy who might let you use his lab.”
Beau brightens. “Thank you. That would be great. It’s not personal, Walter. I don’t trust most people.” He lets out a harsh laugh. “In fact, the professor I was working with at the university discredited me—so I lost my job and career—and stole my research. Now we think they’re using it to control dinosaur shifters. Well, not him. He ended up dead. Mauled by a wild ‘animal.’” He uses air quotes. Is he saying a dino killed him?
“What was your research on?” Rad asks, his tone casual. But I realize that’s the question I should have asked months ago.
“We were studying the differences between alligators and crocodiles. Specifically, why crocodiles are more aggressive. But I suspect Jansan was taking it further than that.”
I choke on my water. “Was he attempting to make dinosaurs more aggressive?”
“Not sure. The research could be used in several ways. If they made dinos less aggressive, would they be easier to control? There’s definitely more to it.” Beau glances at Killian. When he nods, Beau continues, “Dino shifters were part of the military group. The question becomes, why? Are they being controlled? Or are shifters helping them for another reason?”
Nadine returns and clears our plates away. “Dessert?” When everyone declines, she narrows her eyes like she can’t believe anyone would turn down homemade apple pie. Normally, Rad, and I suspect Tate, would have dessert, but everyone seems to be exhausted.
“What’s the plan, gents?” Walter asks, leaning back and crossing his arms.
“I was able to pack up the shop before—” Rad cuts off at the frantic shake of my head.
“Before?” Tate asks, his bushy eyebrows furrowing together.
Rad gives me a pointed look. I didn’t want to worry Tate, but now I have no choice. I sip my water, taking as long as possible before answering. “My shop is gone. Freak explosion.”
“What?” Tate tries to stand, and I put my hand on his leg to calm him. What is his plan anyway? Hunt Victor Jacobs down and finish the job? Probably.
Rad huffs a breath. “I torched the shop. On the boss’s order.”
“Why?” Beau asks, and his question sounds curious. Not accusatory.
“No one else can make clothes the way I do. I’d like to keep it that way.” I give Tate a warning look. “And before you start beating yourself up, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to uproot my life and start over. People get suspicious when you don’t grow older than the age of your first shift. Moving around is an ongoing thing.”
He nods, twisting his glass round and round. “Do you think they’ll come looking for us?”
It’s a good question. And one I can’t answer. “Walter? You know these guys. What do you think?”
“Hard to say. Jacobs got his ass handed to him. He won’t want to let that go. But I also saw the terror in his eyes. So, I don’t think so. He might go through the motions, but he’s got other things in the works.”
Tate’s shoulders relax. “That’s good.”
The rest of us don’t relax. I recognize the thirst in Walter’s eyes. “No.”
“Aus, we can’t let this go.” He leans forward. “We know Jacobs is up to something.” He looks almost guilty as he darts a look at Killian and Beau. “He’s been taking blood from the men at the compound. And even from some of the women and children shifters in town. ‘For tests,’ he says, but something about it is shady.”
“You’re just now telling us?” Beau asks. “No wonder no one trusts you, Walter.”
He shrugs. “I didn’t think it was important at the time. But now we know. Jacobs is a threat to our very existence. We can’t just wait around and see what happens.”
“Dramatic, much?” I ignore the tension radiating from Tate. “The answer is still no.”
“Fine. I can do it on me own. Or if anyone else wants to join me.”
“Aus, maybe?—”
“No, Tate.” Damn, his protectiveness. “You’re not ready.” I soften my voice and use my ace. “I’m not ready.”
As Tate nods, Walter shakes his head. “I can see I’m outnumbered. Get settled, Aus. Get our lad here in fighting shape. Then get yourself ready because this fight is coming with or without ye agreeing to it.”
He’s right, but I keep that bit to myself. I need Tate to be ready. Losing him would destroy me.
Walter pokes Rad until they’re both out of the booth. He throws money on the table. “I’ll let you know on the lab, Doc.”
“Thank you.”
Tate’s eyes well with tears. “Take care of yourself, Walter.”
“Stop it right now, you big softie.” But Walter can’t hide the smile on his face.
“Walter.” I nod. Definitely no tears from me, but I guess he’s an okay guy.
“Aus. See you gents around.” He waves at everyone and jams his hat on his head. Then he winks at Rad. “Call me if you get lonely.”
“I’ll never be that lonely.”
Walter cackles. “Again, you mean, right? Because I remember?—”
Rad puts a hand over Walter’s mouth. “We’ll discuss this outside.” He turns to me. “Let me know where you end up, boss.”
After Killian and Beau say their farewells, Tate and I are blessedly alone. He stares at the table. Is this about the people he’s lost? It makes sense. I kiss Tate on the cheek. “Cheer up, sweetness, we have the world in front of us. Any particular place you want to go? I was thinking of the Cuyamaca Mountains in California. Plenty of space to roam around.”
He smiles. “Will there be an Awesome Austyn’s Clothier there?”
“That will not be the name, but yes.”
“Will it be Tate proof?”
I laugh and squeeze his hand. “Not sure that’s possible.”
“Will it have green apple Jolly Ranchers?”
“Definitely.” We stare at each other, and even though the world is falling apart, I’ve never been happier.
“And my very own Awesome Austyn that I can love and take care of for the rest of my dino life?”
My breath catches. “That’s a long time. Think you can put up with me for that long?”
He shrugs. “Depends.”
I snort and then cover my mouth. “On?”
“Are we really doing yoga and meditation every day?”
“Yes. There’s no getting out of that. But I know you like rewards.”
“I really do.” Tate cups the back of my neck and pulls me into a kiss. “I know we have a lot going on, what with rebuilding your shop, learning to accept my dino side, and eventually saving dino-kind as we know it, but I was thinking, maybe…”
“Yes?” I prompt eagerly.
“Maybe we can go back to the hotel room, and you can reward me?”
“Fine. But you know I’m making you work for it.”
As I start to stand, Tate grabs my arm. “Aus, it feels like too soon and a million years too late, but…I love you.”
I melt like chiffon under a hot iron. “Oh, sweetness,” I say, kissing him. “I love you too. So freaking much.”
We pay for our meal and walk out into the fresh Nevada air. The mountains in the background soothe me.
Tate stops and glances around. “Um…Aus? I think we’re stranded.”
He’s so adorable. I thread our fingers together and kiss his knuckles. “Rad is an excellent assistant. When he wants to be. Our new vehicle is being dropped off tomorrow.”
The worry line on his forehead deepens. “An Audi?”
I hold back a grin. “You don’t like Audis?”
“I was curled into a ball most of the trip,” he grumbles, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Aw, poor thing.” I kiss his frown. “But I’m here if you need assistance working out those kinks.” Patting his bicep, I sigh and imagine all the ways I can help. My hand moves to his shoulder. Tate coughs and raises his brows. What are we talking about? Oh, right. The car. “Rad knows what to get. It has plenty of room for your long legs and thick thighs.”
He smiles shyly. “Does this mean you’re going easy on me?”
“Not a chance.” Chuckling, I wrap my arms around him and pull him close. “Time to toughen you up, my sweet, lovable Brachiosaurus. Stretch those lizard arms and see what you can do.”
And he does. Tate seems to have a new confidence as we explore each other’s bodies and then later, after dark, explore the area in our dinosaur forms.
Two dinosaurs from different worlds. Different periods. A Troodon and a Brachiosaurus together. Forever.
And for once, forever sounds pretty good to me.