Chapter 1 #2
“I’m sure you haven’t been. What’s this I hear about you not wanting a mate?
” He looked at his brother and glared. “He didn’t tell me.
I heard it through your grandda. He told me that you were out there asking about how to avoid having a mate and what to do about it if she came into your life.
You can’t be seriously thinking that you can just stop seeing women and that will be the end of it.
Do you remember how Mac came into Aaron’s life? ”
“Yes. Christ, will everyone just get off my back?” He knew the moment that the words left his mouth, he was in trouble.
The slap to his face from his mom hurt, but it was Aaron jerking him up from the chair that scared him a bit.
Aaron was bigger than him by a lot. And meaner too.
He’d seen it. “I didn’t mean to say that. ”
“You’re telling the wrong person.” He looked at his mom, who was crying, and his heart broke. “See what you did? Do you want me to kick your ass? I will for no other reason than you making Mom cry. What’s wrong with you?”
The shake to his body made him slightly ill.
But he wasn’t going to allow his big brother to take him to task any more than he would his parents.
When he was slammed back in the chair, he took his mom’s hand into his.
“I’m so sorry, Mom. I’ve had a really crappy day, and I didn’t mean to take it out on you.
I’m profoundly sorry for what I said. Please forgive me. ”
“What is wrong with you lately?” He said that everyone was on him for having an opinion about having a mate. “Well, I’m none too happy with you either. To think those things is just wrong, son. You have to know that.”
“I just don’t want someone tying me down.
I want to have the same life as I have now.
Free to come and go as I please and do what I wanted.
” She pulled her hand from his when she stood up and patted Aaron on the chest. “He told you and not grandda, didn’t he?
Running to you to get me into trouble. It sounds like something that he’d do. ”
“I want you to leave this house right now, Zeno. I don’t have to put up with your painful words, and I’m not.
” She moved to the kitchen door and opened it.
“Get out now before you say something that you’re going to regret.
I told you where I got my information, and I can’t lie to you.
You’ve hurt me enough, and I think it’s time that you were going. ”
“Mom, I’m sorry.” When she lifted her chin up, he could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Mom, but this is something that I’ve given a great deal of thought to. I should be able to have my own opinion.”
“It’s not your opinion that has this family upset with you.
It’s the way you’ve been treating everyone.
Snipping and snapping at people just because you don’t want a mate.
Well, that’s fine, and I hope someday someone comes into your life and makes you see reason.
However, I hope that she tears you up inside as you’ve done to me.
I’m heartbroken that you would even think to talk to me like you have.
” He asked her when he’d talked to her badly.
“Saturday night at dinner. You made a harsh comment about me cooking dinner. Then you tried to blow it off like it was nothing more than a joke. It hurt me that you think that I don’t have anything to do with cooking the meal that brings you home on Saturday.
I do it all. I just don’t clean up. And you’d know that if you came around more.
I think that it’s time that you left. I’ve had my heart broken by you enough for one week. ”
He left, but he wasn’t happy about it. They were all making him out to be the bad guy, and he wasn’t.
It was none of their business that he didn’t want a mate, and they should have respected him for that.
But no, they’d rather blame it all on him, like he wasn’t the one who was being persecuted for what he’d said.
When they all found their mates, he was the only one who was going to be happy, and he’d show them then.
There was no way he was going to find his mate now, even if she were to fall in his lap as Mac did to Aaron. He was made of sterner stuff than that.
~*~
Shawn was having a hard time finding his brother.
He knew that he had a cell phone on him, but either he had not paid the bill or he was avoiding him.
It had to be the bill, as there was no way that he’d think he’d be all right with being avoided.
He was going to find him even if he had to go to the morgue to do so.
And he’d better be dead if he knew the mess that he’d been trying to find him in.
“I’m looking for a man by the name of Benjamin Troff.
He’d be about my height and a little skinnier.
” He was at the last police station in the county, and he wasn’t having any luck.
When the man told him to wait a moment, he stood there and had himself a look around.
It was like all the other station houses that he’d been in.
Dark and in need of a little color. When the man came back, he was ready to ask him where else he could be when he smiled.
“He’s been arrested. A month ago now. Since he can’t make bail, he’s been sitting in the cell waiting for his turn with the judge.
” He asked what he’d done. “He threatened an FBI agent. Well, two of them. And they pressed charges against him. He’s been a model convict.
He even says please and thank you when he gets his dinner. ”
“Who is it I have to kill to get him out of jail?” He was serious, so he was startled when the officer laughed. “I want my brother out of jail right now. He came here to get money from our sister, and that was the last time I heard from him.”
“That’s who he threatened. Your sister and another agent.
” His sister was an FBI agent? He must have heard him wrong.
“No, they’re both agents. Though now I think that Mac has been teaching over at the elementary school for a while now.
They were short-staffed when she said that she could do it.
Did you know that she minored in elementary teaching when she went to college? ”
“I didn’t know she was smart enough to go to college.
You have to be shitting me about her becoming an agent.
There is no way that I’d allow that, and she has to know it.
” He asked him if he knew she was over eighteen.
“Of course, I know that moron. But that don’t give her any reason to become an agent. Where is she anyway?”
“I would tone it down if I were you. We don’t take too well to being called names when we’re on duty.
” He just laughed and shook his head. “I don’t know where Mac is, but your brother is back in the cells.
He’ll be there until at least a week from Monday.
He’ll be able to see the judge then. If you want to see him, you’re going to have to leave your personal items here at the desk.
And that would include any knives you have on yourself. ”
After leaving his personal items with the officer, he was taken back to see his brother.
He was ready to bitch at him for being caught when he got a good look at him.
Christ, what were they doing to him while he was locked up?
Starve him? Benjamin looked like he’d lost thirty pounds, weight that he couldn’t afford to lose.
“What’s happened to you? Are they not feeding you?” He said that he was glad to see him, too. “I’m serious. You look like shit. Are they starving you for sure?”
“I’m just eating better. And they let me walk around with an officer outside when the weather is good.
It’s good for me. Where have you been?” He said he’d been looking for him.
“I’ve been here all along. I couldn’t call you on account of them not letting me use my cell phone.
It’s probably dead by now. Anyway, I came here to get money from Mac and ran into some trouble.
She’s a Federal officer now. Did you know that?
Don’t threaten her or you’ll be in the cell next to mine. ”
“I’ll do what I want to her, and you should know that.
Christ, I can’t believe how skinny you look.
You haven’t been eating well at all, have you?
” He said that he doesn’t eat fast food anymore, but healthy food.
“Why would you go and do something like that? Fast food is the food of the gods if you ask me.”
“It’s not like I can go out and get me some now, can I?
” When he finally stood up, he could see that he really wasn’t all that skinny but healthier looking.
“I’ve been debating on telling you this or not, but don’t go trying to get anything from Mac.
She’s more than likely married by now and has a shifter for a husband.
Big mother fucking tiger that nearly killed me when I tried to get some cash from her. Look what he did to me and my body.”
He put out his hand, and he couldn’t believe the nasty scar that was there. It was five stabs that looked like they’d gone clean through his hand. Then, when he removed his shirt, he could see the same marks on his chest. Like the tiger had been on top of him, smashing him into the dirt.
“I was lucky. People said that because he didn’t kill me when I tried to get Mac to do something she didn’t want to.
All I wanted was a couple of thousand dollars, but she wasn’t having it.
Told me right off she wasn’t going to be paying me for the rest of her life.
How do you suppose she knew that I’d be coming by often to get a couple grand more?
” He laughed. “I started out wanting ten grand. I was going to share it with you and Dad, but by the end, I was begging for anything that they could give me. I was stupid for thinking that I could take on a tiger and come out on top.”