Chapter 19
Sighing, he grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and searched for anything to fill in as background noise. Then he toed off his shoes, took his phone out of his pocket and flopped onto the sofa. He dialed Brandt’s number and waited for him to answer.
“’S’up?” Brandt said after the first ring.
Ronan grinned to himself. “Couple of things. Got a minute?”
“Yep. Give me a second,” Brandt said.
Ronan could hear him walking through the phone and then heard the sound of a door opening and closing.
“Alright. I’m sitting outside ready to listen. Except for the big ass Alligator floating around my side of the river. “Hey! Why you gotta muddy my river access? Go dig a slide out on your side.” Almost immediately Brandt started laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“You ever see a Gator try to flip you off with his front paw? Lucien is something else,” Brandt said.
“Without a doubt,” Ronan said.
“Alright. What’s up?” Brandt asked.
“Went to go see Daniel the other day to let him know what I’ve learned about Giada, and to let him know I’m concerned. I know he’s there most of the time, and that whole generation volunteers on the regular so I wanted to ask him to just keep an eye out while they’re there anyway.”
“Good plan,” Brandt said.
“Thought it was, until Kaid interceded and every one of them got involved because my dad and I got into it again.”
“Aw, shit.”
“Yeah. But we made good and it ended with all of them wanting to help keep her and the kids safe. Thing is, she can’t know about it because I’m supposed to be giving her time.
Long story short, I’m spending most of my evenings there just sitting quietly in the woods watching so she won’t know I’m there.
They’re taking over later at night because they said I can’t be awake all night and all day and go to school and work, and so on and so on. So they’ve volunteered to help.”
“Why didn’t you come to me for help?” Brandt asked.
“You’ve got babies. Havoc and Barron have babies. Kiernan and Shaun have babies. What are y’all going to do, leave your babies with your mates every night to guard my mate and babies who don’t even know who we are yet?”
“Yeah,” Brandt said indignantly.
“They don’t have babies anymore. They are all bored out of their minds and wandering around the shelter looking for something to do. They’re thrilled to be helping and it doesn’t take any of you away from your families. They’re all taking turns so nobody’s really over burdened.”
“Except you because you won’t get any rest, because you’re there despite the fact that they’re there.”
“I have been, though. I hate not being there and feel guilty when I even try to lie down to sleep, but at least I’m able to get some rest.”
“I understand.”
“I just wanted to update you. I’d have called you by now, but with school and watching over Giada and trying to force myself to sleep, I just lost track.”
“It’s not a problem. Just try to update me sooner in the future.”
“I will.”
“And it might be nice if you’d explain why you feel like she needs protecting,” Brandt said.
“Oh, yeah. That might help.”
“Might be important,” Brandt agreed.
“Sorry. I’m just off since I got home. I feel like I’m on edge and cant’ stop fidgeting. Nervous, you know?”
“I hate that feeling.”
“Me, too. Anyway, she ran from a very abusive situation. A situation in which she was physically and emotionally abused and controlled. Given to her husband and his family when she was sixteen to settle a debt owed by her father. Then the kids arrived and the husband resented them. He was jealous of his own kids. What the fuck kind of man is that? But she ran the first chance she got. She doesn’t even enroll them in school because she’s afraid they’ll be found. ”
“How long has she been on the run?”
“I’m not sure exactly, but about five or six years, I know that.”
“She really thinks he might still be looking for her?”
“She said that if he finds them she has no doubt he’ll kill the kids first so she’ll have to watch, then he’ll start on her.”
“Who the fuck is this psycho?” Brandt asked.
“You heard of the DiCaviatoppi family?”
“Have I?” Brandt asked.
“Crime family out of Chicago…”
“Oh, fuck! Yes! I know who they are. Well, from the media and shit. Damn!”
“Yeah, so, she’s never let down her guard and never told anyone who she really is until me. She’s worried because of the similarities between us and that family, so she asked for some time.”
Brandt thought about it. “I was prepared to be defensive on behalf of us all, but I can actually see that. We all live in family communities. We all work for the family. We all move in a family circle and keep outsiders out. We come together in a heartbeat for whatever is going on, bad or good.”
“I tried to tell her it’s not like that for us. We’re nothing like his family, and I think she wants to believe me, but is gun shy.”
“You blame her?”
“Not in the least. I even said that people like that don’t scare us, and that we’d protect her from anything.”
“Doesn’t help the case you’re pleading,” Brandt said.
“No, it didn’t. Just sounds more like them.
” Ronan chuckled. “Trying to make light of it she asked if we were super heroes or something. I told her no, I was a Wolf shifter and my dad was a Wolf, my mom was a Lion, you were a Bear and we even had Gator shifters and Dragons. She got a kick out of it and thought I was just teasing.”
“Wait until she figures out you’re serious.”
“We’ll see how that goes over, then. But in the meantime, Bam put an app that connects me to the surveillance system at the shelter on my phone, so I spend a lot of time watching it when I’m not there.”
“That helps at least.”
“Yeah it does.”
“That it?” Brandt asked.
“That’s it. I’m having Valentine’s Day dinner with her and the kids at the steakhouse. Matteo, he’s the younger boy — he wanted to know if we could have the meat I sent home with them the other night. So, that’s where we’re going.”
Brandt laughed. “A man knows what he wants even when he’s a little man!”
“Yes, he does. And Leo, he’s such a sweetheart. He attached himself to me when I stopped by there this evening on my way home. I’m telling you, Brandt. I love these kids already.”
“Sounds like they’re attached to you, too.”
“They are.”
“Looking forward to when they’re here full time. Wish she’d just give in and move in there with you until we get your house ready.”
“Me, too. But I can’t push her or I’ll just send off red flags of the situation she’s running from already.”
“I get that. In the meantime, keep me posted. I’ll let everybody else know what you’re dealing with, what we might eventually be dealing with, and let me know if anything goes down.”
“I will.”
“Alright, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Later,” Ronan said.
“Hey! Wait!” Brandt said.
“Yeah? I’m still here.”
“How are you going to get from here to there if something goes down? It’s a twenty-five minute drive.”
“That’s why I wanted to be there every night but I was outvoted. I just figure they’ve got it until I get there.”
“Something happens, you come here, or call me. Me and Tempest will be there in a second. She’ll get you there in two seconds more.”
“Deal! Hope I don’t ever have to take you up on that, but don’t think I won’t.”
“Later!” Brandt said.
“Later!” Ronan answered. He stared at the TV for a few seconds, then checked the security app on his phone. There was nothing to report there, so he put his head back and did his best to rest. “I’m never going to get any sleep tonight,” he grumbled.
Hours later he came awake out of a dead sleep, sitting straight upright.
Ronan sat perfectly still, looking around his house to try to determine what woke him.
But there was nothing. Then he felt it — a nudge at his subconscious.
He focused on it, and realized it was his father.
He opened his mind and let him in, expected just a gentle nudge to let him know everything was okay.
But instead, he got three words only. Get here now!
Ronan sprang to his feet, groggy from sleeping heavy for a few hours and slapped his pockets, searching for his phone. Dropping down to the floor he finally found it under the table where it had fallen. He dialed Brandt, nearly panicking until he answered.
“Ronan?” Brandt asked, his voice roughened with sleep.
“Now! They’re at the shelter now! I need Tempest!”
“We’re coming!” Brandt said, ending the call.
In less than a minute Tempest’s green and lavender mists were swirling in the living room, and Ronan was pacing on the edge of them. As they dissipated Tempest and Brandt became corporeal and Brandt reached out and grabbed him. “Hold on,” Brandt yelled as Tempest’s mists began to swirl again.
“Keep your eyes closed,” he heard Tempest’s voice murmur as though in a dream.
In less time than it took for Tempest and Brandt to get to him after his call, he felt his feet on solid ground.
“You can look,” Brandt whispered.
Ronan opened his eyes and looked around himself. They were in the woods on the far side of the tiny home community built on the shelter’s land.
“I feel four near the building. Three further away across the street. That’s where Giada is. I’m still feeling the kids over here, they’re hidden away,” Tempest said, looking out over the tiny homes. “Maverik and Bam are on site, too.”
Before Brandt and Ronan could make a quick plan, Ronan heard Giada scream, followed by soft whimpers and took off in that direction, shifting as he went, and leaving his clothes behind as his Wolf shook his massive body and kicked his legs free.
“Stay safe,” Brandt said, kissing Tempest quickly. She smirked at him. “You stay safe. I’m going to pay these guys’ boss a visit.”
Brandt grinned at her as she gathered her mists and disappeared.
He discarded his clothing and shifted into his bear so he could better access his instincts, and quietly made his way toward the main building of the shelter where Tempest had said she sensed four men.
As he got closer he heard a snarl, then the ripping and tearing of flesh.
He stepped around the corner of the building and Maverik’s silver Wolf tossed a look his way as he finished tearing the windpipe out of the man he’d cornered.
Brandt’s Bear met his gaze for long enough to let him know he’d been seen, then he continued around the building.
When he got there, Bam was standing there totally nude — which told Brandt he’d shifted back to his human form — and grinning at the man as he tried to provoke him into taking a swing at him.
Despite the man’s obvious fear at seeing a bear change into a human, he was defiantly standing his ground.
“Give it your best,” Bam taunted. “Want me to hold my hands behind my back?”
“I’ll kill you!” the man threatened vehemently.
Bam laughed. “Okay.” He stepped forward and reached out one hand, shoving the man with only his fingertips off balance.
The man tried to swat Bam’s hand away, and took a swing at Bam’s face.
Bam caught the man’s fist in his own and grinned at him as he continued to hold it within his own fist, slowly squeezing until the man started screaming and slowly going to his knees, as Brandt heard the sound of popping bones.
Bam’s smile disappeared as he slowly bent the wrist attached to the hand he’d just shattered, forcing the man onto his back on the sidewalk.
“Please! Please!” the man screamed, begging for mercy.
Bam lifted a foot as he held the man’s arm taut at an unnatural angle, and kicked at the man’s elbow, snapping it and leaving the arm dangling within his skin.
But instead of putting his foot back on the ground, Bam slammed it down on the man’s chest. “You. Do. Not. Hurt. Children!” Bam bellowed, accenting each individual word with a stomp from his foot.
The man who was already screaming from his destroyed arm, tried to scoot himself across the cement and away from Bam’s attack.
But all it did was make Bam more angry.
Bam followed the painfully slow retreat of his chosen victim. Bringing his foot down on the man’s chest, breaking ribs, rupturing his spleen, his liver, and eventually his heart. “Kids are off limits, you sorry piece of shit!” Bam leaned over bellowing in the man’s face.
The man didn’t move. Didn’t whine or protest anymore at all.
Bam nudged him with his foot. “Hey! I’m not finished!”
The man didn’t respond at all anymore.
Bam straightened up and looked around the grounds. He focused on Brandt’s Bear and flashed him a cold smile. “I caught him looking for the kids. You don’t fucking hunt kids!”
Brandt’s Bear gave a single nod of his monstrous head.
“He’s dead. Now I gotta find another one,” Bam said before he shifted back into his Bear and walked off in the opposite direction of Brandt.
In the distance Brandt heard more screaming, the howls of multiple Wolves, and a woman’s sobbing.
He took off at a run, his Bear loping fearlessly across the darkened property of the shelter.
He’d gone no more than about thirty feet when a human stepped out in front of him, brandishing a gun in his direction.
Brandt didn’t even stop his lope, he just lifted one of his huge paws as he bore down on the man and slashed across his midsection eviscerating him in one swipe.
The clattering of the gun to the ground wasn’t even enough to make Brandt turn and look.
His focus was on the scene he heard unfolding in the park across from the shelter.