Chapter 3
Building Walls
Titus was hanging around again. He was there so often that she was getting used to it. It was a foolish habit to fall into. She needed stay aware and build the proper walls around her emotions. The male was too appealing and she felt a pull toward him that was new to her. That made him dangerous to her peace of mind.
At least Titus was currently her biggest challenge. Everything at the school was completely under control. The order had been placed for needed supplies, the building was ready, and she had a small group of volunteers including a mated tiger with grown children Titus had recruited. His interest in Beth was purely related to the project they worked on together. She wondered why he had bothered to get a volunteer. Not that it wasn’t appreciated, she was thrilled.
Sheba, who turned out to be Mack’s and Monroe’s mother, sounded like a perfect volunteer. She’d raised three males and one female so she knew how to handle kids. The lady sounded calm and competent when she’d spoken to her on the phone. So much so, that when she’d offered to help with the volunteers, Beth had put her in charge of them.
Her presence would ease the first day of school difficulties that always popped up. Most of the work preparing for that day would occur the week before. For now, she would give her projects for Ariel all her attention. If she found time, her house needed some love. She’d finished the laundry room and it was relaxing and completely organized. The new washer and dryer were energy efficient and had all the bells and whistles she’d loved.
The next project was the main bathroom on the first floor. She used the one in the master so this one had been pushed to the bottom of the list. Now that she was home, she would get to work. Once she was done, the room had been stripped of the old shower, sink, and toilet. The old linoleum that was coming apart had been removed and the floor was prepared for what she would put down next. Finally, she’d stripped all the trim off so she could paint it and the walls.
Checking the time, she saw it was late. She could get lost in her projects and forget to go to bed at all if she wasn’t careful. This house was a passion of hers because she could see herself raising the next generation with a husband helping her. The kids she could see clearly, but the man was shadowy. Once the house was done, maybe he’d make himself known to her.
For now she needed to clean up and get some sleep. Saturdays were just like every other day. Sunday sometimes they knocked off early. Once she got to bed, sleep hit her immediately. It wasn’t like she got a lot of it and she needed what she managed to get.
The next morning, she was up before the alarm rang ready to get to work. She took her big travel mug with her to Ariel’s so she could steal some coffee, but when she got there, it was all gone. Boss started another pot and ate breakfast while the coffee brewed then fought off coffee drinkers so she could claim half the pot for her mug.
“Hey, she who brews takes the pot. Make your own damn coffee if you want it so bad.” Boss grumbled.
“Someone’s feeling feisty. It’s those seven day weeks on the schedule, isn’t it? Get this project done and we’ll go shopping and have a girl’s night with everyone.” Ariel offered.
“We haven’t done that in so long.”
“Since Danny left. My fault, I didn’t adjust well.”
“Now Matt is gone too. I’m so sorry Cuz. I didn’t even offer you any comfort.” Boss admitted.
“Bullshit. You went to Matt to help for a weekend when I couldn’t and you agreed to lead a crew when I was between a rock and a hard place.”
“The weekend was for one of my favorite male cousins and the job, we helped each other.”
“That’s what family is all about.” Ariel insisted.
“I love you, Cuz.”
“Now take your coffee and go to work. Your crew is waiting. Don’t forget to take Tammy and Jet with you.”
Boss turned to see overly interested faces watching the whole exchange. They all went out and loaded into the big crew cab work truck Ariel assigned to her crew. On the way to the job site, she discussed nondisclosure with her crew. It was just to make sure they understood and they seemed to. They turned in to kitty land, a fun nickname she’d given the place. Titus and the rest of the crew sat on the conveniently place picnic table waiting for them.
Tammy and Jet talked nonstop all the way to the job site. Tammy was thirteen and Jet was ten. For today they would run errands like getting water or tools. At lunch the kids both were picked up and taken home. They would get exposed to the job site a little at a time. Tammy was old enough to work longer, but it was easier to just send them both home.
Everyone knew what to do and she was happy with how the training had come along with the new people. They were halfway through their morning when someone screamed. On a construction site screams just weren’t good. She dropped everything and hurried as quickly as she could and still apply caution. One of the newer ladies stood there pointing to a gorgeous guy. That’s what the scream was about?
“He’s a guy, Sweetheart. Nothing to scream about.” Boss said.
“Boss, I presume?” The blond guy asked. By now everyone had made it to where she was and they all watched what was going on.
“And you are? The famous elf, perhaps, who harassed Andi?” Boss asked.
“Harassed is such a harsh word.”
“Pretty guy, if you don’t leave, I may be forced to hurt you.” Boss threatened.
“You, hurt me? I think not. Just come along quietly and I won’t hurt anyone else.” Pretty said.
“Apparently it’s true that pretty guys have no brains. Leave or you’ll wish you had.” Boss suddenly had a gun out and she took the safety off.
“You wouldn’t shoot me, I’m pretty. I don’t know why you girls always pretend you know how to shoot a gun.”
“First of all, the most dangerous person is one holding a loaded gun who doesn’t know how to shoot it. Second, this gun can kill even a supe.”
The fool couldn’t help it, he took a step forward so she shot him in the shoulder. “You shot me!” he whined in disbelief.
“After fair warning. You’re right though, I need more practice. I was going for your heart.” She really wasn’t, but the look on his face was priceless.
“You’re meaner than Andi.”
“Yes, I am. She’s a sweetheart and you managed to piss her off. I’m not nice at all.”
They all watched as he held his hand out as the bullet popped out of his shoulder. “The bullet is spelled.” He said in awe.
“I told you it would kill a supe. You need to learn to believe people when they warn you.”
“You expected me.” Pretty observed.
“The odds were good.”
Trucks pulled up as Tyne and Moe got out of the first one and rushed up. “Is this him?” Tyne asked.
Andi moved out from behind him. “Yes, he’s the one.”
“Identifying me won’t do you any good.” Pretty said.
“Names hold power.” Harry said as she stepped out next.
“Oh, gods! It’s you. I’m gone.” He disappeared in a moment with no sign he’d ever been there.
Boss went to hug Moe and Harry. “What about me?” Tyne said. “Am I chopped liver?”
She hugged him too and a rumbling growl filled the air. Everyone looked at Titus who looked surprised. “It’s like that, it is?” Moe asked.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Boss said.
“They never do until it’s too late.” Harry observed then she laughed. Boss didn’t find it funny.
“We need to get back to work, but thank you. I had to use one of the bullets. Why do the bad guys always make you prove you’ll shoot?” Boss asked.
Tyne erupted in laughter. “We got some dumb bad guys around here. They hear how tough you ladies are, but they just have to test it. Hey, Titus. Haven’t seen you since you got here. How is it going?”
“It was going okay, but now I’m not so sure. I take it that you’re familiar with this guy?”
“Yeah, he considers himself a bounty hunter, but he takes people who aren’t criminals. Right now he’s been hunting mates for alphas who have deep pockets. We figured Boss would get his attention no matter what she did.”
“What about Beth?” Titus asked.
“Beth?” Tyne questioned.
“Yeah, my new school teacher. Is she in danger?”
“She’s been informed and armed also.” Tyne explained. Titus let out his breath. Apparently Beth worried him.
“What do we do now?” Titus asked.
“Just what we’ve been doing. What choice do we have? There’s no way to tell when or where he’ll attack.” Tyne explained.
“Tyne has done well preparing us. You saw that.” Boss said.
“I see you are prepared, but Beth isn’t as strong as you are.” Titus observed.
“Are you sure about that?” Moe asked. Boss glared at her. What the hell was Moe doing? She didn’t want Titus giving things a closer look.
“She’s a sweet and gentle teacher. Beth doesn’t act like she could fight or even run away fast.” Titus explained.
“You just have to have faith that she’s been prepared as well as she can be.” Tyne declared. Titus didn’t look happy with that.
“She’s not yours to protect.” Moe added.
“When she’s on our lands she is.” Titus noted.
“Do what you must, but we have to go.” Harry pointed out.
Good ole Harry always got things on track or horribly off track depending on the situation. “Yes, and we need to get back to work.” Boss said loudly so her crew could hear. She wasn’t impressed with the pretty blond fae bounty hunter. He’d messed up her day and put them behind. Now they would be playing catchup. She’d kick his ass and shoot him next time he showed up.
Work returned to normal, but they’d lost at least an hour. They didn’t get it back as the day progressed because they ran into other troubles. A few bad boards, a shorted load, and a sick worker who she had to take home. None of those things would have set her back normally, but now they prevented her from catching up.
At the end of the day, she just wanted to scream. When she took the workers to Ariel’s at the end of the day, she wasn’t surprised she already knew everything. “How much time did we lose?” She asked.
“An hour that I couldn’t catch back up.”
“That’s not bad. It could have been much worse. He’ll be back.” Ariel predicted.
“Yes, but Harry left me a magic net to catch him with.”
Ariel giggled. “The male is arrogant. That will take him down a few notches. I wish I could be there to see it.”
“Titus was concerned about Beth. He thinks she’s too weak to protect herself.”
“Males see what they want to see.”
“You were right about that. He feels she and I have nothing in common.”
“I feel bad for him when he finds out.” Ariel admitted.
“Are you sure he will? Once his buildings are done, he won’t be around me anymore.”
“I know he’ll find out.” That made it certain. If she knew, she’d seen it in her dreams.
“No one lied to him. He drew conclusions.”
“He won’t see it that way.”
“I’ll deal with it when he finds out. For now, I have enough other things to handle.”
“How many Sunday volunteers?”
“The two guys Titus sent you.”
“That’s all?”
“Some said maybe next week since they know in advance. Most of the guys have mates or girlfriends. The girls just want to have fun and find a boyfriend.”
“I suppose I understand.”
“Liar. You’re a workaholic. You have a family, but still work all the time.”
“I take off a couple days a month for family or for time with Blake and I make him do it too.”
“As you should.” Boss agreed. “That’s still a lot of long days and six or seven day weeks.”
“I suppose you’re right. I was taking off more before the boys left.”
“I see, it’s their fault.”
“No, you’re right. I need to hire more help, but I’ve been let down when I go outside of friends and family.”
“Have you really pulled in all the family you can?”
“No, you’re right. Maybe I could offer Mairi a job. She’s good with the crews and a good organizer.”
“Yes! She likes to volunteer with kids. Call her right away. I could use her when school starts.”
“You know her grandpa just passed?”
“I didn’t. How do you keep up with everyone? Being around family helps with grieving. That I know for sure.”
“I know you do, Sweetie. He’s been gone a while now.”
“He has. I’ve thought about starting a foundation in his name to help drug addicts get clean.”
“He would have been proud of you, whether you do it or not.”
“I know. He always was my biggest fan.”
“Don’t you dare start crying. If you do, I will and I won’t stop for days.” Ariel admonished.
“Okay. I’ll stay strong.”
“Let’s eat supper then you can go. It’s French tonight.”
“Chicken Annamarie?”
“Of course.”
Supper was as wonderful as usual. It was always good and it saved her worrying about what to pick up or cook. By the time she got home, she was worn out. Cleaning up, she prepared for bed and went to sleep right away.
In the morning, she headed to Ariel’s, but there was no one to pick up. She still got her breakfast and took coffee with her. The two new guys were waiting for her and ready to go. They impressed her with the amount of work they got done with only three of them working. While it wasn’t what she had hoped for since she’d expected more help, it was a lot considering everything.
After lunch, Titus came over and helped a bit. “I didn’t know you worked construction before.” Boss observed.
“I never have, but I listened to you instruct your new team members.”
“So are you a good student, or am I a good teacher?”
Titus leaned in and she froze as his lips brushed hers lightly. “Both.” He replied as she stood, not believing she had let him do that.
Boss stepped away from him still trying to analyze what had just happened. Luckily, the other two workers were on the other side of the house. The need to get work done finally overrode her shock and they began to get something done. After today, she needed to stay away from Titus. The kiss, even though it was light as butterfly wings, had hit her hard.
Once they were done for the day, she was in a hurry to escape. There was work to do at home getting things remodeled. So far, except for the roof, the heating and cooling unit, and replacing all the windows; she’d done it all herself. With no one to drop off, she headed straight home. The house was empty and her footsteps seemed to echo through the hall. Not usually lonely, she felt that way now. It was like something was missing, but she wasn’t sure what.
Once she got to work on the guest bathroom, she got into the swing of things and concentrated on the work at hand. It was late when she finally got to a stopping point. After a hot shower, she fell onto bed, asleep instantly. Dreams came in which she was chased by the pretty fae, but Titus saved her. She snorted to herself in her dream. Never had she needed a male to save her. It just wasn’t the way things worked.
She woke up getting ready immediately. It would be a routine Monday or so she thought. She arrived at Ariel’s, but a serious mood seemed to hang over everyone. “I need to speak to you after breakfast.” Ariel said. Her sad demeanor broadcasted bad news ahead with the only question being, how bad?
Boss ate quickly then addressed Ariel. “I’m ready for the bad news.”
“In my office, okay?”
“Sure.” She followed Ariel to the office and Ariel closed the door once they were inside.
“Sit, please.” Ariel suggested so she did. “I’m sorry, Beth. Do you remember Dale?”
“Daryn’s little brother? He was such a cute kid. Is he in trouble?”
“You could say that. He’s hooked on the blood drug and living in one of the places addicts stay. Damon has decided to raid it to get him out, but he needs you to be a family member that was concerned and got the police involved. There are undercover agents and they noticed him.”
“They would have to be one of our family to recognize him.”
“It was Manning. He said the kid looks just like Daryn. He asked if they could get him out and clean him up and Damon agreed.” Ariel explained.
Boss told herself she wouldn’t cry. “I’ll do whatever is needed.”
“I knew you would. You’ll need off tomorrow. Damon will pick you up and fill you in. Pick one of your people to lead the crew for the day and I’ll check on them or have someone else do it part way through the day.”
Boss nodded, she didn’t feel much like talking. She felt guilty for not checking on Dale after Daryn died. He’d looked so much like him, it had been painful. That was something she would correct if the experts could get him clean. Dale would stay with her and she’d find him a job.
The day went slow and everyone kept watching her like she was a bomb about to go off. “What’s the matter? You look like someone killed your cat.” Titus said with a chuckle.
“A friend is in trouble and I feel like it could have been avoided had I been more diligent.” Boss answered.
“Why are you responsible for this friend?” Titus asked.
“It’s a long story I don’t feel like sharing.” Boss replied. Titus frowned, but she didn’t care. He’d have to be happy with that answer; it was all he was getting. The day finally came to an end, thankfully. Tomorrow would be a bitch too.
In the truck, she turned to JZ. “You’ll be in charge tomorrow. This is your chance to shine.”
“You won’t be here?” He asked.
“No, I have a personal day. Good luck and remember, if anything unexpected happens that you can’t handle, call Sara. She can call Ariel in if needed. They are both aware of the situation and prepared to help as needed.”
JZ swallowed hard. “Okay. I can do this.”
Boss wasn’t sure if he was trying to assure her or himself. It didn’t matter, at least he was willing to give it a shot. Maybe he would make a good second. She had missed having one. It had been hard to make a choice with nothing, but raw recruits. Titus’ guys looked good, but they were the rawest of all having never worked construction before.
When she dropped her people off at Ariel’s, she stayed for supper. She spoke to Ariel briefly letting her know JZ would be in charge. “Don’t worry. It will be okay.” Ariel assured.
God, she hoped so. Dale was so young to already be in a position where his life could be forfeit. Damn all those involved in the blood drug trade to hell. Maybe this small raid would make a difference, but she doubted it. The trade was too far reaching. It had stolen Daryl from her. She refused to allow it to take Dale too. Boss hoped she was in time to get him back, to save him as she’d been unable to save Daryn.
Once she was home she finished her guest bathroom and she was happy with the way it looked. The next project was the living room. It would be easy compared to the kitchen or the bathrooms. It was floors, walls, and hiring someone to restore the fireplace. The windows were already replaced. She’d had the whole house done at the same time because the old windows were drafty and many were broken.
She took a shower then went to bed, but her spirit was restless and sleep evaded her. When it finally came, it was filled with dreams. In one dream Daryn urged her to help Dale, but not to trust him. The drugs changed a person and it took a while for them to recover. Boss tried to work out what that meant, but her alarm went off and the dream was pushed to the side as she got ready, wearing the same clothes she would have worn to work. A pony tail and her favorite hat completed her outfit. Boss didn’t want to stand out.
Making coffee, she got out a frozen breakfast burrito and nuked it while she waited on her coffee. They were done at the same time. She was through eating and filling her coffee mug when Damon arrived in person. “Want a cup of coffee?” Boss asked.
“Don’t mind if I do. Let’s sit down while I fill you in.”
“Okay.” She said as she filled and prepared the coffee as he liked it. Boss had been around Marissa, Damon’s mate and her cousin, quite a bit after her mating.
“We’ll drive to Springfield and catch a helicopter. It’ll make the trip much shorter. It’s how we’ll come back too. The place we’re going is a dump. It was a nursing home at one time, but it was abandoned and it looks like it. They didn’t buy it, they just moved in and began using it. That allows us to go in unexpectedly because the government owns it. Any questions so far?” Damon asked.
“Sounds pretty clear.”
“A full team will go in and secure the building and any people present. The drugs will immediately be shipped out. The people will be processed and you’ll go in once we find Dale. I’ll give you a chance to reassure him in the hopes it will calm him. If not, he’ll be tranquilized. Many times they don’t recognize their friends or family. They can hurt others or themselves if proper steps aren’t taken.”
“I understand.”
“Once he’s taken, he’ll be sent to a detox station where he’ll be at least a week. Once he’s determined to be clean, he’ll be yours. Are you sure you can handle the responsibility? They can be difficult the first few months while they have a mental need even after their bodies adjust to the loss of drugs.”
“I need to try. Having him in a sterile institution and not offering him a home seems a callous way to treat family.”
“Most of these people have family, but none will take them. We even had one who was almost detoxed and his grandma asked to see him. She slit his throat because he was an embarrassment to their family. Will felt guilty as hell, even testified against the bad grandma, but she got off.”
“That’s awful and that’s not what family should mean. Where was the love?”
“She was a very proper rich woman. The standing in society and the business world meant more to her than her grandson.” Damon explained.
“The situation just showed her true self.”
“Are you ready? If you have music with ear buds, you might want to take them. It’s a dull ride.”
“I do. Won’t we be able to talk?”
“There are some head pieces, but they are on the same channel as the crew.”
“Oh, alright; I’ll grab my music.” She hurried to get it then they headed out the door. Closing and locking it, she went to Damon’s car getting in. Boss had almost expected to see Marissa since she’d never been around Damon alone. He must not take her into these dangerous situations unless necessary. He was making a good decision to keep her safe.
After around an hour of catching up on family and small talk, they met the helicopter at a private field near Springfield. The pilot told Damon the trip, around eleven hours by car, would be a little less than five hours by air. This was going to be a long day, but that was no surprise. The surprise was when the calming music and the vibrations of the helicopter put her to sleep. She woke hours later when Damon shook her gently. He pointed to the ground making her understand they were about to land.
It was a relief that the trip hadn’t been boring, but she was embarrassed that she had slept nearly the whole way. The nap had been good sleep too, she felt more rested than she had in a long time. She felt the copter slowly dropping and saw a large X on the ground ahead. Nothing like a plane, the copter would stop right on the X and he did.
“We’re here now. That SUV is for us. Boomer sent it to take us to the location. They’ve already raided it. The drugs were confiscated and the people divided into groups. Dale is waiting for you. He’s pretty bad, but he’s still recoverable.” Damon explained.
She understood they’d decided to go in without her, both to make things safer for her and so they wouldn’t have to sit around wasting half their day. It wasn’t anything she couldn’t understand. Boss was just anxious to see Dale. The specifics of the raid weren’t her concern. That was up to the professionals who dealt with this every day.
They got in the back of the SUV. There was a driver and a guard assigned to them. Boss understood, they considered Damon a valuable resource and her an untrained civilian. That called for protection being placed on both of them. If anything, she’d expected one guard for her, but two for Damon.
Her nerves acted up as she wondered how Dale looked, if he would even recognize her, and if he’d be a foaming at the mouth beast as many hardcore users of this drug were. It was scary to face, but she needed to. Often she’d wondered if she’d faced Daryn’s addiction and gotten him help, would he still be here today. Oh, she realized on a logical level that he was ultimately responsible for his own actions, but they were family so shouldn’t she have found a way to help?
They hadn’t landed far from the site and Damon took her hand to give her strength. Marissa had probably told him to since she wouldn’t be there to comfort her in person. Family was what gave her strength at times like these. She knew many people thought Damon harsh, but that just wasn’t true. He was only harsh with those who deserved it. With victims, he was kind and gentle.
People looked up as they came into view. One smart ass in a local cop uniform moved up to them. “This your wife, Damon? She looks kind of young.”
“This is my wife’s little cousin. You can stay the hell away from her, Marcos.” Damon replied.
“I’m hurt that you would be that way.” Marcos answered with a grin that said he was anything but hurt.
They moved past him and to the room Dale was staying in. As they stepped in, Damon closed the door. Dale was lying on a bunk, restrained. “Dale?” Beth whispered.
“Who are you?” His voice croaked as he spoke.
“I’m Beth.”
“Beth. Beth. Beth. I had a cousin named Beth once. My brother died and she ran away.”
“I’m so sorry, Dale.”
“It doesn’t matter. The drugs comfort me. Tell them to give me my drugs. They’ll listen to you, Beth.”
“The drugs aren’t good for you. Your body is rotting from the inside out.”
“Come on, Beth. Help me.” Dale begged.
“I am. I’m letting them clean you up.”
“You stupid bitch.” He shrieked. “Can’t you do anything right?” That was the Dale she’d expected and been prepared for.
“Let’s go, Beth. You can’t help him until he’s clean.” Damon gently tugged on her hand. She took a sleeve and wiped the tears hoping no one would see them. Damon gave her a half smile. “It’ll be alright.”
Beth knew Damon didn’t know for sure, but she felt better with his assurance anyway. When they walked out, the annoying cop wasn’t there and she was glad. They made it to their SUV as their guards trailed along. She and Damon sat in the back as the guards took the front seat. It was time to head back. Had Damon not assured her they had success with patients addicted at Dale’s level, she would have thought him a lost cause.
Was God giving her a chance to redeem herself? Beth swore to herself she would do all she could if Dale would meet her halfway. She was good with kids, even troubled ones, but she’d never worked with an addict before and she knew it would be different. It would be more challenging than anything she’d ever done. If Dale didn’t get clean and regain a decent life, it would hurt even more than losing Daryn had. It would be like losing him twice.