28. Chapter 28 - Regina
Chapter 28 - Regina
C hayce’s dejected look made my chest hurt. He made me mad, though, and that shit is not excusable. It’s only been a short while since I skidded into town, literally, and there has to be some type of learning curve. The fact that he told a bunch of other people his suspicions pisses me off.
Not that I have my phone and that it’s safe to use—it’s time to make some calls.
“Hello,” the tired voice says from the other end.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the contracts and that Jaygon is missing?” I yell, not bothering with pleasantries with Rafferty.
“What the fuck time is it?” he grinds out, his voice still groggy from sleep.
“Eight a.m.”
“Fuck,” he says. Shuffling in the background reaches me. “Hold on a minute, I gotta piss,” Rafferty says just before the line goes silent.
My nose crinkles at his crass words. That was more than he needed to share, but at least he didn’t take the phone in with him. There are certain things a sister doesn’t need to hear, bodily function or not.
“All right,” he heaves out. “While I make some coffee, what is your problem?” Rafferty questions, ignoring my opening statement.
“When we talked, why didn’t you tell me?” I question, fighting back tears of frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me that Jaygon was missing? Or about the contracts? Instead, you called Chayce?” I spew rapid-fire questions at my idiot brother, not giving him a chance to answer one before throwing the next one at him. My voice gets louder with each question.
“Do we need to do this now?” Rafferty gripes.
“Yes,” I state emphatically. “He pissed me off. You have pissed me off. Chayce is busy, so you are getting my attention right now.”
“How the fuck does that work?” Raff bites out, tossing my anger right back at me. “Your boyfriend fucks up, and somehow it’s my fault?” His voice gets higher as he speaks.
“You also fucked up,” I respond as a reminder. “You still haven’t answered my question. Why. Didn’t. You. Tell. Me?” I bite out each word since I have asked three times now.
Rafferty mutters a soft “fuck” as the coffee machine gurgles in the background.
“He can protect you,” Rafferty finally answers, referring to Chayce. “What kind of shifter is he anyway?” He changes the subject.
“Dragon,” I say, sighing loudly as I try to get him back on track. “Why are you being cagey about this?” My disappointment in being left out is obvious.
“G, he needed to know what was going on,” Rafferty starts to explain. “He has access to more information in the criminal database. I am too far away to protect you. Not only that, he is the town sheriff. Chayce needs to be on alert due to the potential crime element possibly heading in your direction,” he finishes, causing me to pout at the reasonable explanation.
Rafferty’s level-headed explanation takes some of the wind from my sails. Deciding it’s my turn to change the subject, I smirk, not that he can see it.
“Emma is coming to see me.”
He huffs out a chuckle at that.
“That place won’t know what hit them with the two of you together,” Rafferty says with a smile in his voice. “What made that happen?”
“She had a meltdown when I told her that I was moving here,” I explain. “Once she heard about Chayce, she did a one-eighty, asking if he has brothers.” Rafferty starts laughing at this, knowing how Emma is. “As soon as she found out that he did, she started packing. There are more men in this town than women, and they are all paranormal,” I continue, causing Rafferty to whistle in surprise. “I have actually met most, if not all, of the alphas. They seem nice,” I tell him, hopeful that my best friend will finally find some happiness.
“Of course, they are going to be nice to you,” he says as if I am stupid. “Chayce could eat them if he wanted to.” Rafferty laughs, causing my brows to furrow.
“Would you be okay if Em stops to see you before she leaves town?” I ask, trying to ignore the images of Chayce’s dragon on a rampage, eating the other alphas. “I really could use some more warm clothes. Not to mention that I am ready to ditch everything I have for fear that Jay bugged my stuff.” I shudder.
“Shit,” he exclaims. “Yeah, I can make that happen. I am off today, so I will go back to your place and start checking everything and pack a bunch of stuff,” he says, automatically switching into protector mode. “Make sure she has my number and have her call me when she is ready to go. Since I am up,” he says, emphasizing the up since it’s obviously my fault for waking him. “I will grab a quick shower and some food, then head out.”
“Thank you,” I say sincerely, “love you.”
“Love you too, G,” he responds. “We got this.”
Forcing back tears, it takes a moment for the knot to clear from my throat before calling Em.
“Hey, bitch,” she answers, chipper as usual. “What is going on?”
“Assuming you were serious last night about coming down here.” I pause in case she has changed her mind.
“Shit yeah, I am serious as a heart attack,” she quips.
“Could you please stop by my place so Rafferty can give you some of my stuff?” I ask before quickly tacking on, “You wouldn’t mind bringing it with you, right?”
“Abso-fuckin-loutely!” she cheers, making me laugh. “Tell me about these brothers,” she demands, changing the subject.
“Let me tell you, there is more man meat in this town than a girl would know what to do with,” I tell her, chuckling as she gasps audibly.
“What do you mean?” she questions.
“The little bit I have seen, there are very few women. The alphas are all hot as hell. Oh, I met one of the betas too. If you can’t or don’t find a man of your own in this town, girl, something is wrong,” I tease.
“We will see,” Emma says skeptically. “Goodness knows my love life or lack thereof, can use a good kick in the ass.”
“How long before you think you will be here?” I ask, making a mental note to talk to Gypsy about her staying above the bar.
“My plans are to be there by the end of next week. There are some things that need to be cleared up first,” she says, a hint of sadness in her voice.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, concerned for my normally exuberant bestie.
“Nah, I’m good,” she says, brushing off my concern.
“Okay,” I respond, not convinced that she isn’t hiding something. “As you can tell, my phone is good to go. Deakon did some computer thing and removed the tracker,” I say, stating the obvious but changing the subject.
“Ohh, what is Deakon?” Em says, her enthusiasm front and center again.
“He is one of Chayce’s brothers,” I respond with a giggle of my own, explaining who, not what Deakon is.
“Nice!” Em responds with a yell. “All right, if I ever plan on getting on the road, I need to get my ass moving,”
“Keep me updated on your plans and where you are at,” I instruct. “By the way, when you get into the mountains, be careful. My GPS wasn’t working right—the signal sucks.”
“Will do. I will also call Rafferty and grab some of your stuff,” she reassures me before ending the call.
Grabbing a fresh cup of coffee, after we say our goodbyes, I grab my computer and head to the couch, planning on getting some work caught up.