Chapter 20
Arms loaded with bags, Tyce walked with Briel toward his blacked-out Humvee trying to ignore Shane conspicuously scanning the area a few yards ahead of them. The day was brisk, beautiful. The cold temperature and fat flakes lazily drifting down lent a rosy glow to Briel’s cheeks and nose. Studying her out of the corner of his eye, he felt something he hadn’t felt since he was a kid. Nervousness.
He’d taken her to the closest clothier, which was the trading post on the Blackfeet reservation. The clothing selection was minimal, but Briel had picked out several pairs of sparkly-pocketed jeans, a couple of sweaters, some socks, several outfits and toys for Fena, and puffy coats and winter gear for them both. At the counter, he’d picked out several pairs of beaded barrettes, bracelets, and earrings for his girls, which made Briel blush. Her flush changed from the singe of shyness to one of anger when she’d made a scene about paying for her own things. That wasn’t happening. She didn’t know it now, but she’d never pay for a single thing ever again.
When they reached the Humvee, Shane opened the back and took the bags from Tyce, loading them inside. Turning to Briel, Tyce realized he didn’t want his alone time—well, relatively alone—with Briel to end. He offered hopefully, “Lunch?” Holding out his arm, he motioned toward a nearby café.
Briel worried her bottom lip. She was hungry. He knew it, because he could hear her stomach growling, but she looked uncertain as she eyed the café and then ducked her head and turned toward the Humvee.
It instantly pissed him off when she muttered, “Pass.”
***
Briel saw Tyce’s brows spear down before she ducked her head and amended. “Thank you, but no.” She took a step toward the waiting vehicle, but Tyce caught her elbow.
“Lunch it is!” He exclaimed. Trying to turn her back toward the café only resulted in earning him a dainty scowl.
“Hey!” Briel attempted to jerk away. “I said no.”
A tall native guy walking past stopped and tipped the brim of his cowboy hat that had a huge pheasant feather sticking out of the band. “Problem, ma’am?” He eyed Tyce as if sizing him up.
Tyce flicked an unconcerned glance at the cowboy, speaking to him but keeping his eyes on Briel. “She’s fine. Keep moving.”
His declaration caused Briel to smile appreciatively at the guy, shaking her head before allowing Tyce to pull her toward the restaurant. A few steps from the still-staring stranger, Briel leaned closer and hissed, “What is wrong with you?”
“Me?” Tyce led her into the road and held up a hand as if he was some sort of police officer. The action forced a car to come to a sliding stop on the icy street so that they could cross.
Briel flashed the car an apologetic smile and a wave as she hurried to keep up with Tyce’s grip on her arm. “People don’t act like that. You asked me to lunch. I said no. That’s supposed to be the end of it.” When he didn’t respond, she looked up and watched his jaw work. Hmm, typically stoic Tyce Steele was actually agitated? Good! “Plus, you can’t just dismiss people like that.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, “Or, go halting traffic like you’re the stinking mayor.”
“I do what I want, Briel. I get what I want.”
His words sounded like a warning, and a shiver coursed through her slight frame. She was still off-kilter from Aries’ words, and it wasn’t something she’d addressed yet with Tyce. She didn’t know how to. The whole idea of her being ‘his’ was absurd. His actions and words now only reinforced that fact. The man was a certified bully. “And clearly people have allowed that, but I’m not them,” she argued, jerking hard to free her elbow. “Don’t manhandle me, Tyce! And don’t ask for my opinion and then completely ignore it!”
Hard eyes landed on hers. “I heard your stomach growling. I know you’re hungry. And you not wanting to spend time in my company isn’t going to prevent me from caring for you as I should. You’re my responsibility!”
She asked breathlessly, “Is that what you think? That I declined your lunch offer to avoid spending time with you?” Her tone was incredulous. “I haven’t spent time away from you since you kidnapped me!”
His eyes flashed dangerously, but she kept going, her anger beginning to boil over. “I declined lunch because a woman is entitled to do so!”
He was in her face in a flash, his nose nearly pressed to hers. “You can despise Walkers all you like, Angel; it doesn’t change anything for me.”
She stared at him angrily. What did that even mean? Wordlessly, she shook her head and backed up a step, noting that he immediately tracked her with one of his own. “I’m worried about Fena, Tyce. I wanted to skip lunch to get back to her sooner. I love her, and that’s what love is, denying one’s own comfort and wants for the sake of another. I’d forego a thousand lunches if it meant one second of her not being alone and afraid in a new place.” She backed up another step, and when he made to follow, she held out her hand, placing it on his chest to halt him. “This has nothing to do with how I feel about Walkers.” She swallowed hard as the wind slowly picked up. “I may not know if Walkers helped kill my father, but what I do know is that Walkers protected Fena when I couldn’t.” She lifted her chin haughtily, trying to hide the frustrated moisture that pooled in her eyes. “For the rest of my days, I’ll never forget that you all came for us when no one else cared to. Not the soldiers my father dedicated his life to, not his colleagues who he sacrificed all his time for. Skin Walkers came for us. You came for us. And for rescuing Fena, I’m more grateful to you all than you could ever possibly understand. I owe you so much, and have no way to repay you. I don’t hate you. You know nothing,” she accused, before turning and racing back across the street, ignoring the waiting Humvee to hurry into a nearby park.
Tyce snarled, watching her go. The scent of her hurt and anger swirled in the air, kicked up by the approaching storm. In his periphery, he saw Shane push off the vehicle quickly as if he meant to go after Briel, but Tyce lifted a hand and stayed him. He did this; he’d be the one to fix it.