Chapter 13
Ransom entered the dining room, where breakfast was set up as usual. Francisco was the only other person sitting at the table, eating a hearty breakfast of eggs and sausages, while staring at the TV.
“Morning, Francisco,” he said and walked to the buffet to load up his plate.
“Can you believe this?” Francisco asked, pointing to the TV, where a news program was running.
“Believe what?”
“They’re still kidnapping people off the streets. And they’re still masked! Despite the new law!”
Francisco looked heated.
Ransom looked at the video that was clearly shot by somebody’s cell phone camera, showing a Latino man being dragged out of his car by masked men wearing signs that identified them as ICE.
Francisco turned up the volume, just as the Latino yelled, “I’m a citizen!”
“Fucking assholes,” Francisco grunted, furious. “This could happen to anybody. Even to me.”
Ransom nodded. His friend would easily be identified as Latino, and while he was born and raised in the United States, and was therefore an American citizen, ICE’s racial profiling would put him in danger of being snatched and put in detention until he could prove that he was a citizen.
“There’s no due process,” Ransom commented.
“Exactly! For all we know, those guys aren’t even ICE!
They could be the Proud Boys, or some other neo-Nazi-fascist assholes playing army!
” He pointed to the screen again. “That poor guy is gonna sit in detention being mistreated until somebody from his family can bring him papers that show he’s a US citizen.
It’s disgusting what’s happening in this country. ”
“I agree.”
“At least you’re lucky! ICE won’t target you. You’re Asian!”
Ransom placed his full plate on the table next to Francisco and sat down.
“That means nothing. Every ethnic group is vulnerable now. Or don’t you remember what happened during COVID?
People were attacking innocent Asian people in the street, blaming them for the China-Virus.
” He made air quotes and huffed. “Don’t you remember that old Chinese woman who was attacked in San Francisco?
And that wasn’t the only hate-crime against Asians in the wake of COVID-19. ”
Ransom shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth and chewed.
His friend nodded. “I remember that. It was awful. I’ll never understand why people have the need to hate one ethnic group or another.”
“It’s been going on forever, and neither you nor I will ever be able to stop it. If certain people want others to suffer, they will find a way to do it. And right now, the Latinos are on the chopping block. Nobody’s safe.”
Parker entered the dining room. “Safe from what?”
“Safe from being picked up by masked goons from ICE,” Francisco said, pointing at the TV. “That is if they’re even ICE and not just some racists who got their clothes from an army surplus store and their guns from Walmart.”
“Yeah, sucks,” Parker said and walked toward the buffet.
“Not that you’ll have to worry about that,” Ransom said and pointed at Parker. “With your blond hair and blue eyes, they have no reason to target you. You look more American than apple pie.”
“Yeah, well, being blond and stunningly handsome has its drawbacks too,” Parker claimed.
Ransom jabbed Francisco with his elbow. “Did you hear that? Stunningly handsome?”
“Yeah, not sure who he’s talking about,” Francisco replied with a smirk. “I don’t see anybody here who’s blond and stunningly handsome. Only dark-haired and handsome.”
Parker turned and sat down at the table, placing his plate in front of him, then reached for the coffee and poured himself a cup.
“I’m not even gonna dignify that insult with a reply.”
He dug into his food, his facial expression relaxed.
Parker wasn’t easily insulted. The lighthearted banter between them was standard.
They had known each other since childhood, and their bond was strong.
They had each other’s backs, and a joke here or there was good for them.
Their lives were filled with service and duty, and sometimes they had to remind themselves that they were just young men still finding their way, still uncertain about what their future would hold.
Parker looked up from his food. “Ransom, by the way, Eve was looking for you.”
“When?”
Parker shrugged. “A couple of minutes ago.”
“Do you know what she wanted?”
Ransom looked at his watch. It was still early. In fact, he was surprised that Eve was even up yet. In the last few weeks, she’d been one of the last household members to appear for breakfast—as if she wanted to avoid everybody. Possibly him, since he was an early riser.
“Something about your car.” Parker continued chewing with gusto.
“What about it?”
Parker looked at him. “No idea. I automatically switch off when she gets upset, and all pissed off.”
He couldn’t blame his friend. Eve was hard to handle.
As the only daughter of the deposed alpha, she’d been selected to become Jude’s mate, but Jude had instead fallen in love with Danielle and mated with her.
It had been an affront to the family, particularly to Eve.
As a result, she treated all members of the Werewolf Alliance with disdain and spent more and more time at the equestrian estate that she managed for the pack.
“Guess I’d better check what she wants,” Ransom said and rose, leaving his half-eaten breakfast on the table.
Tossing his napkin on the chair, he left. When he stepped from the dining room into the foyer, he nearly collided with Eve. Her face was flushed, and her hair was a wild mane, not as perfectly coiffed as usual. The top two buttons of her blouse were open. She looked frantic.
“Damn it, I was looking for you!” she addressed him. “Your car is blocking mine!”
No good morning. No, could you please move your car?
What had he expected? A polite request? A few kind words?
Of course not. He knew what she was like.
From Jude’s team, he was probably the one person who knew her best. Not that it meant a lot, because Eve wasn’t somebody who shared much about herself with anybody—other than maybe with her Aunt Flora.
Right now, she was even pricklier than normal. The energy that she projected was different than her usual abrasive self. She seemed genuinely upset, and somehow, he didn’t think his car blocking hers was the real reason.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, before he could stop himself.
“I just told you! Your car is blocking mine,” she spat. “Move it, now!”
She was already hurrying toward the entrance door, fumbling for something in her handbag. He followed when he saw her dropping her keys on the floor.
Eve cursed and bent down, but he was faster and picked up her keys. When he handed them to her, he noticed her hands trembling. Before she could turn away from him and open the door, he gripped her wrist and held her back.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” he demanded, instinctively lowering the volume of his voice.
She sniffed before meeting his gaze.
“One of the mares is foaling, and there’s something wrong with her. I have to go there. Now.”
He nodded. “Alright, but you’re not driving. I’ll drive you.”
“But I have to—”
“You’re upset. You’re in no condition to drive. Let’s go.”
He took her by the elbow and led her outside.
The driveway was busy, much busier than it had been almost three months ago when he and the team had arrived.
The Werewolf Alliance had shipped every team member’s car to the Gallagher estate so they were more independent and didn’t have to rely on the Gallaghers’ cars to get around.
Due to the number of cars on the estate and the limited space in the garage, more cars were parked in the driveway, and it was inevitable that some cars were blocked.
It was a Kabuki dance every morning when everybody needed to leave for work.
Ransom clicked the remote for his blue Maserati and let go of Eve’s elbow. “Get in.”
She mounted no further protest and got into the passenger seat, while he slunk into the driver’s seat.
A second later, the car’s engine came to life with a roar.
He reversed out of his spot and turned before heading down the gravel path to the gate that opened when it sensed his car approaching.
A short while later, they were on the freeway, heading north to the equestrian estate Eve ran.
She hadn’t said a single word since leaving the house. He cast her a sideways look and noticed that she fidgeted, her fingers twirling with the strap of her handbag. He reached over to her and put his hand over hers, squeezing it in reassurance.
“We’ll be there in no time.”
She stared at him as if he’d said something wrong, looking frozen as if in shock.
He quickly shifted his gaze back to the traffic ahead when he felt a movement beneath his hand.
It hit him out of nowhere: he was still holding her hand.
The warmth and softness of her skin wasn’t what he’d expected from a woman who’d only ever looked at him with contempt.
Eve cleared her throat. Reluctantly, he let go of her hand.
It was best to pretend that it wasn’t a big thing and that it had meant nothing.
Nevertheless, something had shifted inside him.
Just like Eve had cried in his arms when she’d found out that her brother Cameron had been killed, he felt that same vulnerability in her now.
She was worried about her horse, and he knew instinctively that she would be devastated if either the mare or the foal died. It proved one thing.
Eve had a heart.