Chapter 47 #2
“I have questions for you,” Nessa began, holding up a hand when Angelo opened his mouth to speak. “I’m sure you do, too, but you’ll have to wait.”
“That’s fair,” Angelo agreed, rubbing his chin against his shoulder in agitation.
Nessa stared at him, unblinking. “How long have you been in Montana?”
“A few weeks.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Just a few?”
Angelo pursed his lips. “About a month.”
“Why did you come here?” she asked, a slight tremble in her voice. Murphy squeezed her hand in reassurance.
Angelo glanced at Murphy, and then at Colter, almost as if he didn’t want to talk with them present. That was too damned bad because Murphy wasn’t leaving. Whatever this male wished to confess to his sister, he’d do it with an audience.
Murphy moved from his own chair to stand behind Nessa, planting his hands on her shoulders as he loomed over her. Angelo watched him warily, a muscle jumping in his cheek at the possessive way Murphy stood by Nessa.
He doesn’t like me.
Good. He didn’t want to befriend the male. He wanted him gone from their lives.
Not your decision to make, he chastised himself. And it wouldn’t be happening anyway. He couldn’t let a human, a threat, leave now that he’d seen them shift. Although, in truth, he didn’t know what he would do with the male.
“I came here for you, V. I’ve been looking for you for a while now, and I got a lead from the last place you stayed at. Tracked it from there.”
Angelo looked away from Murphy and back to Nessa. His eyes softened. “I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you when you came to me for help. I’ve thought about it every day since you disappeared.”
Nessa shook her head. “No, you don’t get to pretend you were oblivious to everything. You knew what Tony was doing to me.”
“I didn’t,” he denied sharply.
“Watch your tone,” Murphy snapped.
“Right.” Chagrined, Angelo shook his head.
“I’d known Tony was violent, V. But he promised me before he pursued you that he’d never hurt you.
That he loved you. Back then, I trusted him.
He’d done so much for our family. For me,” Angelo reiterated with a small wince.
“I trusted him implicitly. It’s something that’s beaten into us when we’re initiated; loyalty among each other above all.
So when you told me what happened, what had been happening, I just couldn’t believe it. ”
“You should have.” Nessa looked down at the table, and Murphy heard the gentle, rhythmic tapping of her fingers over her jeans. “I was your family, and you chose an abusive asshole over me. You wouldn’t even talk to him because you were afraid of what he’d do to you.”
“I know.” Angelo’s eyes watered. “But I confronted Tony the day before you left. I swear I did. What you’d told me haunted me for weeks.
Despite how tight I was with him, I just had this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that if I didn’t address things, if I didn’t stand up for you, something bad would happen. ”
“Something horrible had already been happening,” Murphy growled, his bear pushing to the surface in answer to his growing fury. “You were a coward.”
Nessa stiffened at the insult, her shoulders tensing beneath Murphy’s palms. He wanted to say more, but he held back, refusing to make this situation worse for her.
“There’s no excuse for my actions,” Angelo continued, ignoring Murphy entirely in favor of his little sister. “I’ve failed you in every way that mattered, Vanessa. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
“Good.” Nessa looked back up at him, her fingers going still. “You’re my brother, Angelo. You’re supposed to protect me from people like Tony, not turn a blind eye. The things he did to me—” Her voice cracked, the scent of her tears tickling Murphy’s nose.
“I’m so fucking sorry, V.” Angelo blinked furiously as he, too, began to cry.
Nessa let out a trembling breath. “What do you want, Angelo?”
“I want to make amends.” Angelo leaned forward, the rope around his torso straining against the back of the chair. “To prove to you that I’m not a useless piece of shit. I want us to be a family again.”
“I have a family,” Nessa informed her brother. “They would never hurt me like you did.”
Pride exploded in Murphy’s chest at her admission.
“You mean these … things,” Angelo said, his tone more confused than anything else.
Nessa crossed her arms in front of her chest. “They’re bear shifters. Not things. And yes. This bear clan is my family.”
“Sorry, I …” Angelo eyed Murphy and Colter warily. “This is obviously new to me.”
“You’re taking it better than I did, honestly.” Nessa lifted her hand, placing it over the one Murphy had resting on her shoulder. “I panicked the first time I saw them shift.”
“I probably would have lost my shit if I hadn’t gotten knocked the hell out,” Angelo admitted.
“Sorry, my fist slipped,” Colter commented lightly.
Angelo turned his attention to the male. “You really don’t like me, do you?”
“No,” Colter answered flatly. Murphy grinned.
Angelo cleared his throat, looking away from Colter and back to Nessa. “So what happens next? Since that guy couldn’t bewitch me or whatever.”
“It’s compulsion, not bewitchment.” Murphy kissed the crown of Nessa’s head. “I’d be fine with breaking your neck and burying your body in the woods, but it’s up to Nessa what happens to you now.”
Angelo looked past Nessa and up at Murphy, seemingly unphased by the threat. “You’re her man?”
“I’m her mate, yes.”
“Mate,” Angelo drawled. “What does that mean exactly?”
Murphy raised a brow. “That whoever lays a hand on her again will receive the same treatment as Tony.”
Angelo nodded slowly. “Sounds like Vanessa is in good hands. Or … Paws?”
Colter smacked the back of his head. “You want me to gag you again?”
“Dick,” Angelo spat under his breath.
“I am in good hands,” Nessa assured Angelo, though Murphy wasn’t sure why she bothered. She craned her head back, looking up at Murphy questioningly. “He can’t just leave. He knows too much.”
“But you don’t want him in the dungeon,” Murphy guessed.
He doubted she wanted him dead, either.
Angelo stiffened in his seat, a small scent of fear filling the room. Murphy inhaled deeply, unashamed that he found the male’s unease satisfying.
She shook her head. “If Angelo’s serious about making amends with me, he can start by proving his loyalty to us.”
Hope shone in Angelo’s eyes. “I’ll do anything you want, V.”
“This doesn’t mean I want a real relationship with you. We’ll never be close like we were before,” Nessa warned. “I don’t even know if I want to see you again after tonight.”
Angelo flinched, his movements stilted by the ropes binding him. “I understand,” he finally said softly. “I’ll be grateful for whatever chance you give me. And I’ll prove to you that I’m a changed man. A better man.”
“Then you can start by keeping Murphy’s bear clan a secret from the rest of the world.”
“To be clear,” Murphy added sternly, “you will not have access to a phone. The internet. The outdoors. Not even a TV until we’ve seen that you can keep your mouth shut.”
“I was in a gang for over a decade. I’m not a rat,” Angelo answered, lifting his chin proudly.
“We’ll see.” Murphy stared him down, allowing his bear to rise closer to the surface.
Angelo reared back, his eyes widening in fear. “Y-Your eyes just glowed. What the fuck—”
“Hopefully, for your sake, that’s as close as you get to seeing my bear again,” Murphy threatened.
Colter sighed, pushing to his feet. “Well, I guess the douche can stay under house arrest in my cabin. I have an extra room.”
“You’d do that?” Nessa asked, perking up in her seat. “That’s really sweet of you, Colter. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” he said, sending her a soft smile. “I’m just hoping he tries to run.” He turned toward Angelo then. “You won’t make it far, and when I catch you, you’ll really wish I hadn’t.”
“Jesus Christ,” Angelo whispered faintly.
“Now that we’ve got that settled,” Murphy said, beyond exhausted. “Please take our guest back to your place. And let me know if you run into any issues. We can figure everything else out in the morning.”
“Will do,” Colter answered.
He plucked Angelo up from his seat, steering him from the dining room and out of Murphy’s cabin.
Then it was just Nessa and Murphy, alone at last.
Unable to stand another second without her in his arms, Murphy picked Nessa up from the chair, carrying her toward his bedroom. “How are you holding up, sweetheart?”
Nessa shrugged. “I just want to shut my brain off until tomorrow. Can we take a bath and then go to bed?”
Murphy nodded. That sounded perfect.