Vance, p.9
Vance, page 9
part #1 of Roar Series
Unfamiliar with the uneasy feeling he hadn’t been able to shake, he considered for the twentieth time in half as many days if he shouldn’t simply pack his belongings and go. Maybe that was the problem. He needed a new start, a new life. A new everything.
“Vance?” one of the ladies called from outside his door as she knocked lightly. “The machine is down again.”
Sighing he got to his feet. He wouldn’t be making a new start today. Today it would be everything as usual. “I’ll be right there.”
~~~
Several days later Jack, Draven, Rance and Niko were sitting at the smaller kitchen table as opposed to the large formal dining table, enjoying a meal of tamales, tacos, Spanish rice and beans when all four suddenly stopped talking and became very still as they waited for the female moving hesitantly toward them to walk into the kitchen.
Breaking the suddenly still, quiet moment, Jack reached for his beer, washed down his bite of food, and turned to watch the doorway to see Kassidy enter.
The moment she stepped into the kitchen, all four sets of eyes settled on her. “Hi,” she said, uneasily.
“Hi,” Jack answered. “You hungry?”
She nodded. “When Bonnie was changing my bandages earlier, I told her I thought I’d skip dinner tonight, but after the wonderful aromas filtering into my room, I decided I’d come see what it was all about.” She offered a tenuous smile and flashed a look around the table briefly looking at each of them.
“Come have a seat,” Niko said, getting up from his chair and gesturing to one of the empty chairs.
“Oh, no, you don’t have to get up,” she said, holding up her hands to signify he should stay seated.
“Sit, woman. I’ll get your plate,” Niko insisted, scowling at her trying to make him sit.
“You may as well sit down. He’s not going to allow you to do anything but eat. He’s on a mission to feed you now,” Jack said.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner,” she said.
“It’s all good. Sit,” Jack said, using his foot to push out the chair Niko had indicated she should sit on.
“Anything you don’t eat?” Niko called from the stove.
“Not really. Well, peppers, really hot ones?” she asked as more of a question than a statement.
“Got it,” Niko said. “Wuss stomach, like Jack’s.”
“Hey!” Jack bit out.
“Just saying,” Niko said, without missing a beat. “It is what it is. Not insulting anybody.”
Jack smirked at Kassidy, then took another bite.
“Is there enough? I don’t want to take anyone’s dinner,” Kassidy said nervously.
“Niko picked it up when he went to the bar to make sure all was on track for the night. One of the Latina ladies in town makes lunches and sells them. He bought everything she had and brought it back. We have plenty.”
“Here,” Niko said, setting a plate in front of her.
“Thank you,” Kassidy said, looking at the mountain of food in front of her.
She looked around for a fork, then realized the guys were all eating with tortilla chips and soft tortillas, and started to dig in the same way.
“Hold on. Your hands aren’t fully healed,” Rance said, jumping to his feet as he shot glares at Niko. He came back with a fork and handed it to her.
“Thank you…” she said, hesitating for him to say his name.
“Rance,” he said.
“Rance. Thank you,” she said. She loaded her fork and took a big bite, closing her eyes as she chewed, and appreciating the flavors on her tongue. “Oh, yeah,” she said, nodding to herself, before leaning over her plate to take another bite. “This is so good,” she said around a mouthful.
Rance grinned at her. “Isn’t it, though?” he asked redundantly.
“Been a long time since I had really good Mexican food,” she admitted.
“Not a lot of it where you’re from?” Draven asked.
She slanted a ‘really’ look at him. “I was in Idaho.”
“Yes, you were,” Draven said, smiling at her. “Glad you’re here now, though.”
Kassidy smiled at him then sat there with fork in hand, looking down at her plate.
“So, Kassidy, do you prefer another name, Kass or something, or just Kassidy?” Jack asked.
“Kassidy works,” she said, seeming to snap out of her stupor and begin to move her food around her plate with her fork.
“Okay. Kassidy, is there anything you need that we haven’t provided to you?” Jack asked.
She shook her head. “You’ve been more than generous. And Bonnie has taken care of my hands so well that they’re almost healed.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that. Also glad you decided to come down and say hi,” Jack said, giving her a sincere smile.
Kassidy nodded. “I’m sorry it took a few days. I just wasn’t up to it. I’m still not sure I’m up to it.”
“Stomach won out,” Draven said.
Kassidy nodded and flashed a brief smile.
“Can’t live the rest of your life upstairs hiding from the world,” Jack said.
She smiled. “One of the last things Jared said to me was to live my life. To be happy.”
“And you should.”
“I know. And I appreciate you understanding while I was trying to hide away,” Kassidy said. “I’m by no means even okay, but sitting up there alone crying and raging at God is only making me worse.”
“I’m right there with you,” Jack said.
“You might not be aware,” Rance said, “but we all were raised with Jared. We loved him, too.”
“He was one of my very best friends,” Niko said, his voice low as though he was confiding something that meant a great deal to him.
“What we’re trying to say,” Draven added, “is that we mourn him, too. You don’t have to do it alone unless you just want to.”
Jack waited until she started eating again before he spoke. “As far as I’m concerned, you were his wife. You’re family. You’re welcome here as long as you choose to be here. You’ll be provided with protection by the Pride just like he would have had he reached out to me to let me know where he was. But having said that, you’re not a prisoner here. If you choose to leave, no one will stop you. Please just let us know where you’re headed so we can help you out if you need.”
“I appreciate that,” Kassidy said, clearly touched that they considered her family. “I don’t want to impose, but if I could stay here a little longer until I can figure out what to do…”
“No. That’s ridiculous. Family doesn’t impose. This is your home. You tell me what you need and you’ll have it. Jared sent me a message to come for you, knowing that I would. Knowing that I’d treat you as well as my own. I will not let him or you down. You relax, you do whatever you want to do, or don’t do anything. Your life has been turned upside down. You owe nothing and no one anything. Just relax and do not stress about what happens next. Whatever happens next will come on its own. You’re safe here until it does, and after,” Jack said.
She sat there eating quietly, feeling a little bit better about being under Jack’s roof with no plans to leave yet. He really wanted her here. And from the sounds of it, he planned to continue to look after her in Jared’s absence. She’d have to do something at some point to earn her own way, but for now, she could just relax a little and mourn Jared. She swallowed reflexively and set her fork down on the edge of her plate as she fought another round of tears.
“Kassidy?” Jack asked, quietly, trying not to startle her.
“If he’d called you…” she started, unable to finish her question.
“You’d have both been here, safe. I removed my father from power a few years ago.”
Kassidy nodded and took a deep breath. Despite her best efforts, a tear escaped her lids and began to trail slowly down her cheek, realizing none of this was necessary. They’d had a choice.
Jack pushed his chair back, preparing to stand.
“Where is he?” she whispered.
“Boise,” Draven answered. “I completed paperwork to have him brought home. Should be in the next couple of weeks. There’s an investigation ongoing, so it won’t be a quick thing.”
Kassidy nodded again, obviously trying to get a hold on her emotions, but tears were beginning to fall more frequently.
“Do you know who…” Jack asked, stopping himself from asking too blunt a question and upsetting her further, “we need to be searching for?” he finally settled on.
Kassidy shook her head. “He said he heard three engines, and that they were back for us.” Her voice was raspy as she forced her voice through her vocal cords as she fought tears.
“Three engines,” Niko repeated.
Kassidy nodded, using the back of her right hand to swipe the tears off her face as she clenched her jaw and tried to regain control.
“Back for you. That sounds like someone had returned with the intention of harming you both,” Jack said. “Who came back?”
She shook her head and shrugged. Then she stopped shaking her head and looked up at him. “His Pride. He was assembling his own Pride. They’d gone on ahead to set up camp. We were going to spend a couple of days camping in the mountains. I wanted to take a vacation camping. Could they have come back?” she asked. “They were our friends. We trusted them!” she exclaimed.
“Sometimes your own blood can cross you. Maybe they wanted what he had. Maybe they planned to challenge him. Could have been anything at all. Maybe only one of them who was stronger than the others pushed them to follow him, convinced them he could win the challenge and they didn’t really want to be on his bad side when he did,” Jack said.
By this time Kassidy was crying freely.
Jack moved closer to her and lifted her from her chair. He sat down on her chair, then sat her on his lap and held her close while he did his best to soothe her, urging her to quiet down as he smoothed his hands over her back and tucked her face into his neck. “Shhh. It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay. I’ve got you now. No reason to fear. It’s all going to be okay.”
She cried for another minute or two, then eased back and looked up at him. “I want vengeance. You asked what I want… I want vengeance!”
Jack nodded slowly, smiling at her like a parent would a child they were proud of. “And you shall have it. We all will.”
~~~
“No, sir. There’s no trace of him.”
“Unacceptable! There’s got to be a trace. He wouldn’t just disappear from the face of the Earth.”
“We’ve looked. There is no trace. The Pride he was infiltrating has disappeared as well. The bar they called home has burned down. There is no indication that Trent or Laighin or any of his Pride were ever there. There is however gossip,” Bartles said.
“Gossip about what?”
“I’m sorry, Alpha, but, the gossip around town is that there were five unidentified bodies sent to the crime lab in Boise. They’re all burned, sir, beyond recognition.”
Alpha Falwell slammed his hands against the desk he was sitting at, and slowly stood, his glare a frightening thing on the male who addressed him. “You’re telling me one of them is my boy?”
“It’s possible, sir. He’s missing. He could have been killed during the challenge.”
“My boy wouldn’t fall to such a subordinate shifter. Do not make the mistake of stating that he has again.”
“Of course, sir.”
“He’s probably on his way back to us, having challenged and taken everything the Laighin boy had for himself. I’m sure he’s on the way back to us with the rights to the new territory and sworn loyalty from the Pride members in hand. I wouldn’t accept any less and he knows that.”
“I do hope you’re right, sir.”
“Let me make one thing clear. I told Trent to infiltrate the Pride. I ordered him to take possession of the territory, to set himself up as Alpha, and to extract sworn loyalties from the pitiful Pride the Laighin boy had started. I told him how to do it, and to not make any mistakes. He will be successful. It is imperative that we increase our strength, our presence, our numbers, our power. Power is all that will maintain our way of life.”
“Yes, sir. I agree, sir.”
“If he didn’t want to be run out of town, he shouldn’t have set up shop adjacent to our territory. Everyone knows not to challenge a Falwell!”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now! Get out there, find Trent.”
“Yes, sir. What about the rumors of the five burned bodies, sir?”
“Find out who they were. I’m sure Trent’s most likely responsible, but if that’s what he had to do to claim the territory Jared Laighin was trying to develop, then that’s what he had to do.”
“On my way, sir.”
“And help Trent clean it up if necessary. We want no shit show on our doorstep. Instead, turn toward Laighin’s pride.”
“Yes, sir.”
Alpha Falwell slowly lowered his aged body back onto his seat. He was scowling as he considered all the possibilities that could have prevented Trent from being home by now. Not the least of which was the fact that he might be one of the bodies Bartles had spoken of. Normally Bartles was one of his best Pride members. One of the most dependable, and most efficient. Today, though, he hoped Bartles was wrong. Because if he wasn’t, there would be hell to pay. Someone would pay for the loss of his boy. And they’d pay dearly. It had been years since a war between the Prides had taken place, but this just might be the beginning of a new one.
Chapter 10
A week later Bonnie jogged down the stairs and fairly bounced into the kitchen, humming as she went.
Jack turned to face the entry way at the same time she stepped into view.
He simply stood still; his coffee cup held against his lips mid-sip.
She came to a full and screeching halt.
Jack raised an eyebrow at her early morning joy.
“Sorry. I didn’t think anyone else was here.”
He raised his other brow.
“I mean, except for Kassidy. I just changed her bandages. We went to just band aids this time. After a day or two of band aids she shouldn’t need anything further at all. They’re more to remind her not to use her hands too much than anything else.”
He sipped his coffee. “Good. Seems your salves work wonders, as always.”
She nodded, then looked at the coffee pot, where she’d been intending to pilfer a cup of coffee on her way out, then to the front door, and back to Jack. “I guess I’ll be on my way, then,” she said.
“I guess so,” he answered.
She looked at him, and so many emotions flitted across her face that he couldn’t quite read any of them.
His own face was fully guarded, so she had no hope of deciphering his thoughts either. The only thing she picked up from him was irritation.
“I’m sorry,” she said again, then made an effort to slow her steps and reduce the bounce she’d had in her stride before stumbling on him in the kitchen.
He watched her go, wondering why she always apologized and made a quick exit when he was around. He set his coffee cup on the counter and when doing so, his glance passed over the coffee pot. He sighed. The coffee pot. She’d been hoping for a cup of coffee. Quickly, before she had time to get too far away, he hurriedly dumped his coffee in the sink, went back to the pot and poured a fresh cup, then added a squirt of honey, and a fair amount of milk. He rushed from the kitchen through the living room, and on seeing her fleece jacket across the arm of the sofa snatched it up, too, before he opened the door, prepared to issue a sharp whistle to call her back. But instead, he ran right into her — literally.
~~~
Bonnie walked out of Jack’s house and pulled the door quietly closed behind herself. She ran her hands up and down her upper arms to warm her skin, realizing for the first time that she’d left her jacket inside. “Damn!” she grumbled. She turned and looked at the door, seemed to deflate into herself, and turned her back to the door again. “I’m not going back in there. He barely tolerates the fact that I breathe, much less in his house.”
She stood there considering her options. She lived far enough from Jack’s house that it was inconvenient to run back home for another jacket or a sweatshirt before running to the grocery in town. But she didn’t want to be cold, either. “Crap!” she cursed. Then all in one instant, the door opened and Jack rushed out, almost knocking her to the ground.
“Oh, shit!” he exclaimed, his left arm letting go of her fleece jacket to quickly wrap his arm around her waist to keep her on her feet, while his right hand shot up in the air to hold the coffee cup aloft.
Bonnie shrieked in surprise, her hands going to his forearm around her waist to help balance herself.
“It’s okay, I got you. I got you,” Jack repeated.
Her heart was pounding, but it wasn’t from being startled. It was from Jack’s nearness. Slowly, she extricated herself from his hold, and turned to face him.
“The hell?” she asked, her voice forcibly calm now.
He grinned at her sheepishly. “I saved the coffee,” he said, lowering the cup he’d been holding out away from their bodies.
“Okay,” she said, her brows bunched up as she watched him critically.
“I’m sorry, Bonnie. Are you okay?” he finally asked, finding his voice.
“Yes. You just startled me. And it’s fine. It was my fault for still standing here.”
“Nah, it was just an accident. Here, this is for you,” he said, extending the coffee cup to her.
She looked at the cup. “Isn’t that your cup?” she asked, knowing full well it was the same cup he’d been drinking from just minutes earlier.
He shook his head, then leaned over to retrieve her jacket. “And this is yours, too.” He shook out the fleece jacket, then held it by the collar for her to slip into as she looked at him questioningly. “Put your arm in,” he said, lifting the jacket a little to indicate she should put it on.
