5. Chance #3
Beau nodded. “He’d never go for that.”
“The alternative is both of them learning more than they’d ever want to know about the people who killed Zeke.”
Rena sat down beside me while Reese crawled onto Beau’s lap. My mate offered me a drink of her soda, but I shook my head. I’d just been giving Reese shit. I wasn’t thirsty.
“You ever wonder how our lives would’ve played out if Zeke hadn’t noticed something was wrong?” I asked, relishing the fact that Rena was leaning into my side. Lifting my arm, I wrapped it around her, my forearm resting on her collarbone.
“We still would’ve met,” Reese said, glancing up at Beau. “And if Zeke had brought Charlie and Lucy home with him, then Ambrose and Lucy would’ve met.”
“Maybe,” Rena said with a smile. “How long have you guys been together? I didn’t meet Chance until yesterday.”
“That’s true,” Reese said. “But you would’ve met eventually.”
“Danny wouldn’t have found Rosemary,” I pointed out. “He’d still be looking for her.”
“Or maybe they would’ve met at that gun shop,” Reese said. “Rosemary said she saw Danny and Zeke at a gun shop before they actually met.”
I nodded. It was possible.
“We’d be traveling Europe,” Reese said with a sigh.
“Oh, shit,” Rena said, as if she’d just realized something. She turned her head and looked at me. “If Reese is going to Europe, I want to go to Europe.”
Reese snickered.
“I’ll take you to the fucking North Pole if you agree to the bond,” I replied, raising my eyebrows at her.
“Playing dirty now, are we?”
“You’re the one who wants to go to Europe.” I grinned.
“I’ll just take myself to Europe,” she backtracked.
“But I know all the good places to stay,” I whispered, leaning in.
“Fine, I’ll consider it.”
“You should’ve told me yesterday that buying your affection would work. I’ve got so many ideas now.”
She smiled and turned back toward Reese, who was watching us with a dopey grin on her face.
“This is the best thing ever,” she sighed.
“Keep your panties on,” Rena replied dryly. “Chance knows I’m just fucking with him.”
“I really, really wish you’d fuck with me,” I crooned in her ear.
“I’m cuddling on the couch with you,” she said haughtily. “Be grateful.”
The funny thing about it was that I was grateful she was pressed up against me. All of us were waiting anxiously for Danny and Rosemary to get back so we could find out exactly what they’d found, but that small pocket of time almost felt normal.
Beau and I sat with our mates while they bounced from topic to topic.
They didn’t discuss anything heavy, but they were so comfortable with each other that there didn’t seem to be any topic off-limits.
Reese asked about Rena’s insurance and mentioned that Beau had her car towed to our house, which I needed to reimburse him for.
I nodded at him in thanks. Rena complained about not having her purse or her phone, and then immediately said she actually hadn’t even missed it because so much was going on.
Reese complained about missing her job, and Rena offered her one on the spot, which Reese turned down.
It sounded like they’d had the conversation before.
They went back and forth that way until the intercom on the wall announced that Danny and Rosemary had landed.
We immediately rose, but when I reached for Rena, she moved away. “I think I can handle the stairs,” she said as Beau and Reese headed for the door.
“You sure? I don’t mind carrying you.”
“Yeah, I think the pain medication kicked in, so I’m feeling pretty good at the moment.”
“All right.” I followed her into the hallway and down the steps. “Let me know if you want to stop.”
“Didn’t you hear?” she said a little breathlessly. “I’ve got super healing powers.”
“Just because the outside looks that good doesn’t mean the inside is healed,” I countered.
I really hated watching her struggle down the stairs, stopping every few stairs to take a deep breath, but I did it anyway. If she wanted to push it, she could push it. I’d be there when she inevitably felt like shit.
“Proud of yourself?” I asked as she finally reached the ground floor.
“Yes,” she replied.
I reached for her hand and led her into the living room. We stopped just behind the grouping of couches, and Rena’s hand tightened around mine.
Rosemary looked like she’d been crying for hours. Her face was swollen and blotchy, her eyes completely bloodshot.
Danny didn’t look much better.
For two people who’d gone to do reconnaissance only, they both looked a whole lot like they’d been through a battle.
“What did you find, Arne?” my father asked, his voice low.
Danny scrubbed his hands over his face, his elbows resting on his knees. “It’s a lab,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I don’t know how many Vampires they have in there, but it’s a lot. More than we ever would’ve guessed.”
“I counted sixty-three,” Rosemary croaked. “Vampires and mates. But there were more. That was just as far as I got before we had to move.”
I felt the blood drain from my face as anger tensed every muscle in my body.