Chapter 20
Morning arrived soft and sweet, climbing over the mountains and finally bringing the sun. Adam finished scouting the area around the cabin, setting a couple of traps, mainly searching for trespassers. So far, the cabin seemed secure. His phone blared Livin’ on a Prayer, and he looked at the screen. Interesting. “Adam here,” he said, accepting the video conference.
Councilman Peter Gallagher came into view, his hair slicked back, his eyes narrowed. “Word reached us that Titans of Fire burned down and the leadership is missing.”
“Aye,” Adam said easily, noting two wide trout in the river. Did Victoria like trout?
“Don’t you think that’s information you might’ve passed on?” Peter hissed.
Adam studied the current leader of the Coven Nine. It was time to stop messing around. “Did you send a hit squad to take me out, Pete?”
Peter drew back, the lines in his neck elongating. “Are you, our only Enforcer, asking the chairperson of the Coven Nine if he illegally and immorally hired mercenaries to perpetrate murder?”
What a dipshit. “Aye. That’s exactly what I’m asking. And by the way, referring to yourself in the third person is a sign of lunacy. Just so you know.” The breeze picked up but failed to cool Adam’s heated flesh.
Peter coughed. “I’m insulted but not surprised. The Dunnes aren’t exactly known for class.”
Adam leaned into the camera. “What are we known for, Pete?” Maybe it was time to remind the witch why the Dunne boys were Enforcers.
Peter cleared his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Since Titans of Fire no longer exists, your undercover op is finished there. It’s time to come home and train the new crop of Enforcers.”
Fuck. Adam wanted to tell the asshole to shove it. The entire thing. The job, the case, the Coven Nine. But he was the only one in the family who still had the inside track, and if they were going to figure out who’d set up Simone, being an Enforcer gave him an edge. “We don’t know who the manufacturer of Apollo is,” he replied, “but that person will be looking for a new main distributor.” There was no question Bear and the Grizzlies would be approached. “I need to be here for that.”
“Negative,” Peter said.
Adam leaned against a pine tree, his temper pricked. “Did you just use a military term?” Good ole Pete had never served in any branch of the witch military. Of any military. “Really?”
“Dunne, I truly don’t appreciate your insubordination,” Peter spat.
“Well, hell, Pete.” Adam allowed the predator in him to show. “Considering you put a kill order on my brothers and cousin, it’s real hard not to reach through the phone and rip out your throat.”
Peter smiled then. “I see. In that case, you are hereby given notice that you’re required to be in front of the Council of the Coven Nine in three days to pledge your allegiance as well as provide proof of your recent mating. If you have not mated the Monzelle woman, she dies instantly. I have ten Guard squads raring to go, and I’ll even offer an incentive for the squad that takes her out.”
Adam barely kept the death threat inside his throat. A death threat would instantly be met with termination of his employment, if not his life. “I’ll see you in three days,” he said, clicking off. Jesus. Three days. He quickly dialed Kellach.
“Kell here.” His brother sounded preoccupied and slightly irritated.
“The Council wants me to pledge myself to them after I mate Victoria,” Adam burst out, fire lancing down his arms. “I think we need to neutralize Gallagher. I really do.” It was the cleanest and smartest way to keep his family alive, but saying the words felt like a sledgehammer to the gut. If Peter died, Sal would fold, and Nessa had always been on their side. Well, maybe not on their side, but she had voted against their being killed. That meant something.
“If we do that, we tear the witch nation down the middle,” Kellach said.
“We don’t have a choice,” Adam snapped.
“Hey. I didn’t say it was a bad idea. I just said we’d start an internal war that might destroy us all.” Kellach cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking about how smoothly Peter Gallagher took over the Council. As if it were planned.”
Adam fought his anger and tried to concentrate. “He’s an ambitious bastard, but do you really think he set Simone up? He hasn’t been in power enough time for the long game.”
“I don’t know, but what I’m saying is that you’re the guy to figure it out,” Kell said, his voice calming. “Whatever has you so tied up has to be taken care of. You’re the strategist. The smartest one. The guy who’d rather pierce somebody’s brain with a good battle plan than punch a guy in the face. Remember?”
“Aye,” Adam said as the world pressed in on him. “We know Grace Sadler is somehow involved, and now that we’ve killed both of her sons, we really need to find her.” Grace had been removed from the Council because of treason, and she’d spent decades coming up with her plan for revenge. Her sons had died in separate battles, and a part of Adam regretted that, although there had been no other choice but to kill them.
“Agreed. Also, I know we’ve left you holding a shitload of garbage, with all of us being charged with treason and going underground. I get that. Plus, you’re now the only witch member of Titans of Fire, and I know you hate that place.” Kellach sighed.
Adam winced. “Ah, I may have blown up Titans.”
Silence ticked for the briefest of moments. “You did what?”
Adam frowned. “How did you not know?”
“Ah, hell. I now owe Daire ten thousand dollars. I hate losing a bet.” Kellach turned and yelled over his shoulder. “Adam blew up the Fire compound.” He returned to the phone. “I took Alexandra for a night off up at a cabin across the lake. I’m supposed to have a briefing with Dage in an hour.”
The king would probably love to impart the information about the explosion. “Pyro kidnapped Victoria, and she was all bruised, and, well . . .”
“You blew the place up,” Kellach said simply. “I get it.”
Adam rubbed his eyes. What the hell was wrong with him? “I am losing my mind.” The brand on his palm brushed his cheek.
A scuffle ensued on the other end of the line, and soon Daire came on the phone. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Adam grimaced. “I was just asking myself the same question.” He couldn’t tell his brothers about the mating mark. It only appeared when a potential mate was near, and he didn’t want to discuss its significance. Not for a second. “Pyro told us all he could about the manufacturer of Apollo. I don’t think he even really knew a name.”
“Figures,” Daire muttered. “But it does beg the question. Why are you blowing things up instead of following the paper trail to save Simone?”
“Because I’m the only one out here to blow things up.” Adam’s voice rose, and he rapidly calmed himself. “So you all, who are safely behind walls with no enemies to battle, will have to do the research on this one. Follow the paper yourselves, damn it. Look at all the shipping manifests from Russia, the ones that moved planekite and bore Simone’s signature, and figure out who could’ve doctored them.”
Daire chuckled. “That’s what we’ve been doing, I promise you.”
“Good. Put Kell back on,” Adam said.
Something rustled. “It’s Kellach.”
“Hey. A hit team was waiting for me outside the police station this morning. Pierced me with two darts, and I put at least one of them in the hospital. Make sure Alexandra doesn’t go anywhere near the Seattle PD until we figure this mess out. They’re not only looking for you,” Adam said.
Silence ticked over the line. “You got shot with Apollo?” Kell asked, the words sounding like he’d shoved them through jagged teeth.
“Aye. I’m fine. Just stay where you are.” Adam glanced at the rising sun. “I have to go. I’ll call if I get any information from the guy in the hospital.” He clicked off before his brother could answer. Now he wanted to check on pretty Victoria before he had to go torture a witch.
He whistled, heading back toward the cabin. The day was finally looking up.
* * *
Tori finished a bowl of cereal, twisting Adam’s note around with her finger. The guy had a habit of leaving her notes and not waking her up in the morning, now didn’t he? This one told her to relax and have a nice morning. The note rather pointedly said that there were hit men in town, and she wasn’t to consider leaving the cabin. He’d turned into Mr. Bossy Pants again. But he had ended the note with a promise to bring lunch back, and if she was still in bed, he’d join her.
She grinned. That was an offer she’d accept.
But first, she was definitely remiss in checking up on poor Bear. Rinsing her dish, she loped out to her car. For the trip, she’d put on dark jeans and a light red sweater, leaving her hair down around her shoulders. Considering somebody was shooting Apollo darts in the city, she had no intention of going anywhere but Bear’s.
Saying a quick prayer upon starting her car, she gingerly drove away from the cabin. The drive was nice, with the sun shining through the trees and a slight breeze rustling the branches. She kept to the back roads, noting belatedly that the Fire and Grizzly headquarters hadn’t really been that far apart. Their respective territories spread out in opposite directions, but the clubhouses were only thirty minutes away from each other. Perhaps they’d wanted to keep an eye on each other.
Singing along with Dierks Bentley, she turned the corner and drove down the long lane to Grizzly headquarters. The place was quiet, almost peaceful.
She parked and stood in the sun, allowing the meager rays to warm her. Fall scented the air, but for now, the sun was making an effort. Tori straightened her sweater and moved toward Bear’s office.
A Grizzly member in full cut strode out from around the corner, pushing a sparkling Harley. He paused upon seeing her and then moved her way. About thirty years old, he had a full beard and intelligent brown eyes. His boots were scuffed and his cut looked like it had been around awhile. Finally, he reached her. “Hi, Tori. What are you doing here, sweetheart?” His voice was kind but firm.
He knew her name. The guy looked familiar, so she’d probably met him at some point. “Hi. Um, where is everybody?” The place was usually teeming with bikes.
He grinned and pointed to the sun. “Out for a ride. Finally.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “That’s good.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, but Lucas ain’t gonna change his mind. When he dumps a girl, it’s for good. You know that, right?”
Oh yeah. She bit her lip and nodded. “I do know that, and I’m not here to cause trouble. I actually need to see Bear.”
The guy frowned. “Bear? Why?”
“I, ah, it’s personal.” Maybe not everyone knew Bear had a sister. He seemed like a man who kept his secrets close and probably wouldn’t like Tori spilling the news.
The guy shook his head. “Not a good idea, lady. Bear doesn’t like women.”
Her eyes widened. “Bear is gay?” If so, she had a friend who would probably love Bear. Her friend played the drums, and he had the worst taste in men. Bear was a little rough, but he’d treat Jonny well. “I have a friend—”
“No. Bear isn’t gay,” the guy said.
Tori blinked. “But you said—”
“Bear doesn’t like men, either. In fact, Bear doesn’t like pretty much anybody. That’s normal for him, and lately, he’s even worse.”
Which was exactly why she needed to see him. She took a deep breath and forced her most reassuring smile. “Thank you for the warning, but it really is a personal matter that Bear would like to hear. I wouldn’t bother him if I thought it would just piss him off.”
The guy pursed his lips, obviously thinking it through. “Well, that does make sense. All right. He’s in the office.” He hopped on his bike. “Good luck.” He ignited the engine and roared away, his hair flying in the breeze.
Tori watched him go and then walked over the smooth concrete toward Bear’s office. She knocked, but nobody answered. She knocked again. Finally, she nudged open the door to see Bear behind his desk with a smattering of papers in front of him. A beer in the bottle sat next to his elbow, and a fan rotated with sharp squeaks in the corner. He glared at her.
Her legs wobbled. “Um, hi.”
“Did I say come in?” he asked, his honey-brown eyes narrowing. “Did I?”
“No.” Her chin snapped up, and she walked inside, shutting the door behind her. “Which was incredibly rude, by the way. When somebody knocks, and you’re right inside, then you answer them. Even better, you get off your butt and open the door.” He scared the crap out of her, so she had no choice but to babble. “A nice ‘come in’ would have been acceptable.”
He sighed. “Go away.”
She turned on him, fully prepared to let him have it. Then she looked. Bear’s eyes were bloodshot, and sweat poured down his face, soaking through his shirt. His hand trembled on the desk, and beneath the shaggy hair, his face was stark white. His lips looked blue. “You’re not all right. Oh, Bear. You need a doctor.”
He chuckled, the sound full of pain. “A doctor can’t help me.” Then he frowned again. “Why are you here?”
“Your sister wanted me to check on you. I’ll call her—”
“No.” Bear’s bark came out a full growl. “Call her and I’ll rip off your arm.”
That was a little extreme. Seriously. Tori took a deep breath and circled the desk. “Fine. At the very least, I’m getting you into bed.”
He smiled, flashing a dimple in his pale left cheek. “I’m not up to full speed, but I’ll give it a shot.”
She rolled her eyes and helped him to stand, more than a little surprised when he allowed her to take some of his weight. “Ah, where do you live?”
“There’s a cabin out back,” he said, his eyes closing.
“Okay.” She’d get him to his cabin and then call a doctor. Enough was enough. His sweat rolled down her arm, but she got him out back, and he lifted his face to the sun. “Keep going.”
His left leg gave, and he fell, taking her with him.
She landed flat with a muffled oof. “Bear.” Rolling away, she pushed herself up. She needed help.
He groaned and lifted to all fours before standing and weaving. “Ah, shit.” His eyes opened and seemed to darken. “You need to leave, Victoria. Now.”
“I’m not leaving you,” she said. What a stubborn ass.
“Now!”
She crossed her arms. “No.”
“Damn it.” Bear lowered his chin, and fur sprang up along his arms.
Her breath caught. What the hell? She took a step back. Her lungs stopped working.
He growled again. Razor-sharp fangs slid from his mouth. He lifted his head and let loose with snapping growls. His arms spread out, and his soaking-wet shirt ripped down the middle.
She froze in place, her legs refusing to move.
All of his clothes fell from his body. Fur covered him from head to toe, and his face changed shape, becoming elongated. Then he dropped to all fours as a humongous grizzly bear, fur rippling in the breeze.
He opened his mouth wide and roared at her, his canines glistening.