Chapter Four
“Turn off the lights,” Cassie mumbled grumpily. She threw an arm over her head, attempting to protect her eyes. “Wow, how much did I drink?”
“Cassie?” Laney’s voice was hushed. Cassie lay still for a moment, trying to work out what Laney was doing in her bedroom. She dropped her arm onto the bed, slowly opening her eyes. Her head felt ten times its normal size, and every enlarged inch throbbed mercilessly. Her vision was blurred, everything distorted, and it took her a while to focus on Laney’s concerned face.
“Wh-what happened?” Her throat was scratchy, and she eagerly sipped the water Laney held up to her mouth. “Where am I?”
This wasn’t her bedroom. The bed was hard and small, the room stuffy and a horrible beige color.
“You’re in the hospital.”
“The hospital? Why?” She peered around in alarm, careful to move only her eyes. If she turned her head, she was going to throw up for sure.
“You don’t remember?” Laney asked hesitantly, her gaze growing more concerned.
Remember?
“Oh God, the shop.” She seized Laney’s hand, hissing in pain as she moved too quickly. “Are you all right? Dusty?”
Laney flinched slightly. “I’m fine. Dusty pushed me out of the way. I’ve got a few scratches, some bruising, nothing major.”
Cassie’s gaze roamed what she could see of her friend and saw she was speaking the truth.
“Dusty?”
Laney’s lips pressed together, and Cassie noticed how pale her friend had grown.
“Laney? Are you okay?”
Laney nodded. “Dusty took the brunt of the explosion. It’s touch and go. Even if she does survive, they may not be able to save her leg.”
“Oh no,” Cassie gasped, horrified.
“I know.” Laney was silent for a long moment, obviously deep in thought. Then her gaze focused on Cassie once again. “How do you feel? The doctor said you took a bang to the head and you’ve got some nasty bruises.”
“Me? I-I’m fine. You should be worrying about Dusty, not me. Where is she? What caused that explosion? How long have I been unconscious for?”
“Not long, about ten hours or so. And, ahh, we’re not sure what caused the explosion, yet. Dusty’s been taken to the were hospital in New York,” she told Cassie.
Cassie took a deep breath. “Were hospital?”
“Yeah, all the staff are werewolves. She’ll get better help from them than she would in a human hospital.”
“Shouldn’t you have gone with her?”
Laney bit her lip then straightened her shoulders, shaking her head. “No, there was nothing I could do. Jay and Cain went with her, Cooper met them there. She wouldn’t appreciate my pity or my worry.”
“Jay went?”
Laney nodded. “Yes.” Cassie expected her to say more, but she merely turned to the flowers on the bedside table. “He sent these flowers to you, aren’t they nice?”
Betrayal, pain, anger mingled inside her, an insidious mix. Don’t be an idiot, he didn’t promise you anything. Feeling this way was senseless and stupid.
“Did he know I was injured?” She tried to make her voice as neutral as possible but knew she’d failed when Laney gave her a sympathetic look.
“Cassie, you’ve got to understand the way a pack works. Cooper ordered—”
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter anyway.”
But it did. It felt like he’d chosen Dusty over her. Even though she had no right to expect anything from him.
“Do you know where my bag is? My phone was in it.”
Laney winced. “I have your stuff. I’ll bring it tomorrow, but your phone didn’t make it. Some big-footed firefighter stood on it, I’m afraid.”
Of course, he had. Story of her life.
Cassie swallowed heavily, fighting back the pain. She almost wished she could cry. Shedding tears might give her some form of release, some way to rid herself of the pain beating against her insides. She closed her eyes.
“You tired, Cass?”
“Yeah,” she replied truthfully.
“Okay, I’ll leave you alone to get some sleep. I’ve spoken to the hospital director, and he’s agreed that Josiah can stay with you. He’ll be right outside the door. Call out if you need anything. I’ll come and see you tomorrow.”
She wasn’t going to end up like her mother. She wasn’t going to spend her life longing for a man who didn’t want her.
She was stronger than that.
She had to be.
* * * * *
The next morning, she felt much stronger and, while not happier, at least she wasn’t a ball of self-pitying misery. She’d come to a decision. She had a plan, and the only thing that could upset it now was if Laney refused to help her.
The phone in her room had rung a couple of times in the night, but she hadn’t bothered to answer. Probably a wrong number anyway.
The door opened, and she heard Laney thank Josiah before she walked inside. Cassie didn’t know why Josiah had spent the night outside her door, but she’d felt safer having him there.
“Hey, how you feeling?” Laney walked over and hugged her lightly.
“Good, really good, no dizziness or headaches. The doctor says I’ll be able to leave tomorrow.”
“That’s great.” Laney smiled briefly.
“Any news on Dusty?”
Laney nodded. “She survived the night, so they think she’s going to live. Although she may not want to if they take her leg.” Laney frowned before making an obvious effort to smile again.
“Jay asked about you.”
“Did he?”
“He tried to call.”
Oh, so maybe not a wrong number. Was he calling to explain why he wasn’t here?
“I told him that I’d take care of you. I’ll pick you up tomorrow. You’re coming to stay with me. You shouldn’t be alone, and I could use the company.”
Cassie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “The doctor said I’m fine. I told him I live by myself and he didn’t see any problems with my going home alone as long as I take it easy. Laney, what aren’t you telling me? Why was Josiah standing outside my door all night? Do you know what happened to the shop?”
Laney sighed and sat, looking terribly tired. “The explosion was caused by a bomb set to go off when the door opened. While it wasn’t a huge explosion, a fire broke out, and all the sprinklers went off. Most of the stock is ruined, I’m afraid. Insurance will probably cover it…”
But that could take months, maybe even longer, to come through. All her dreams. Gone in one instant.
“I’m so sorry, Cassie.”
“Don’t,” Cassie told her. This just reinforced the idea she’d been toying with. “At least no one was killed. That’s what’s important.”
“Cooper ordered his enforcers to watch us carefully while they try to figure out who attempted to hurt one of us.”
“You think someone actually tried to kill you?” Cassie was horrified.
“I don’t know. But with those threats I’ve been getting it seems likely it was aimed at me. The fire destroyed any evidence. Until we find out who set the bomb, I’ll be under heavy protection.”
“Could have been aimed at Dusty. She’s always pissing someone off.”
Laney smiled weakly.
“I’m surprised Cooper didn’t come racing back to you.”
Laney shook her head. “Believe me, he wanted to. But he’s Dusty’s Alpha, he had to be with her while they stabilized her. A severely hurt werewolf is dangerous, they don’t think rationally. While others could subdue Dusty, they’d have to use force, whereas Cooper can use his power over her as her Alpha. He had to force her change when they thought she might die.”
Laney looked as sick as Cassie suddenly felt.
“Usually changing helps us heal, but Dusty’s injuries were so extensive, her leg wouldn’t mend properly. Shifting probably saved her life.”
“How come Cooper had to force her to change?” To Cassie that sounded horribly painful.
“She was unconscious.” Laney took a deep breath, her hands shaking as she ran them through her silvery-blonde hair. “Anyway, he’ll probably head back soon. I’ll arrange to get some of your stuff sent over to my place.”
“I’m not coming to stay with you, Laney.”
Laney’s eyes narrowed. “Cassie…” she warned.
Cassie smiled. “Come on, Laney, we both know they weren’t after me.”
“We don’t know that for sure. Even so, if they find out you’re my friend, it’s possible they could hurt you to get to me.”
“Which is why I’m going to head out of town for a bit.”
Laney frowned, shaking her head, but Cassie carried on before she could speak. “Don’t argue with me, Laney. My mind’s made up, and I need your help with this. The shop’s gone, and it’ll be a while until we can sort everything out, especially if someone is trying to hurt you. I need to get away, just for a while. Unless you need me to stay.”
She’d stay for Laney. She’d do whatever she needed for her friend.
“I guess you’ll be safer away from here. At least until we figure out who is doing this.” Laney bit her lip. “I hate that you could be in danger because of me.”
“I’m not.” Cassie grabbed her hand. “They did this. Not you.”
Cassie had done a lot of thinking last night. She had to get out of this town, away from everyone who knew her, away from Jay. She needed some time by herself. The thought of seeing him again filled her with both a sick dread and a horrible longing. She’d been an idiot to believe him when he told her that he wanted her.
He’d gone with Dusty—he’d made his feelings abundantly clear. Maybe he’d been ordered to, but surely if he’d told Cooper that she was important to him, then he could have stayed.
But she obviously wasn’t that important to him.
Laney bit at her full lip. “I don’t know. I feel like you’re being driven out of your home because of me.”
“No, no I’m not. I’m leaving because of me, for me. I’ve never even left the state, Laney. There’s nothing here for me. The store was my dream, and now that’s gone.”
“We’ll get a new store,” Laney protested.
“Not for a while.”
Laney let out a big breath before snorting. “I’m going to miss you, but I also know you’ll be safer away from me for a while. All right, what can I do to help?”
* * * * *
What was he doing here?
Jay paced up and down the waiting room of the were hospital. Each moment that he spent here, he felt more anxious. More ill. His head ached, pounded. The wolf was furious, close to the edge. Jay had to work hard to keep the beast controlled.
He shouldn’t have left her.
She was alone. Injured. Without protection.
“Stop pacing. You’re making me feel sick,” Cooper grumbled, but Jay ignored him and continued to march up and down.
“Damn it, Jay.”
“I need to go home. It’s been three days. I have to make sure Cassie’s all right.”
Cooper glared up at him from his laptop. “Laney said she’s doing fine.”
Jay growled. “I have to see for myself.” He was unsurprised by the curious stare Cooper gave him. It had become imperative that he get back to her, and each day the urge grew stronger.
He’d tried ringing her, but she wouldn’t answer his calls. As soon as he got home, he’d force her to talk to him, even if he had to camp outside in her yard.
“You’re needed here,” Cooper told him.
Jay shook his head. “Dusty’s out of immediate danger. Cain’s here, he won’t let anything happen to her.”
Both Jay and Cooper had been astonished by the normally reclusive enforcer’s dedication to the temperamental redhead.
“What the hell is your thing with Cassie anyway, Jay? Last week you were lusting after Dusty, now you’re all concerned over some human? I brought you here because you seemed to be close to Dusty, or at least you wanted to be. Instead, all you can talk about is Cassie.”
Jay turned, his eyes flashing as he snarled, “She is not just some human!”
Cooper snarled back, his power as Alpha forcing Jay to back down. “You need to calm down. I thought you were determined to find a mate.”
“There’s no rule against taking a human mate,” Jay argued. He knew they could never be true mates. That sort of bond happened only between werewolves, and even then, it was rare. Most mated pairs weren’t true mates, and yet they never seemed to wish for anything more. So why shouldn’t he take Cassie as his mate?
He stilled as it became clear. Cassie was his mate.
He felt a surge of approval from the wolf.
Cooper’s face grew thoughtful. “No, there isn’t, but they take more care. Most human-werewolf relationships don’t last. Humans are different from us, softer, more fragile.”
Jay snorted. As if he didn’t know that. “So, I’ll treat her with kid gloves. She’s mine.”
And he’d left her. Stupid. Idiot.
Because of the pack. He’d let the pack down once, and he’d swore he would always put them first.
But not at the expense of his mate.
“You know you can’t change her.” It was a statement, not a question.
“I know.”
Cooper was silent for a long moment. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do.”
The wolf hummed with satisfaction.
* * * * *
As the bus rattled past the sign welcoming them to Addison, Nebraska, thoughts of Jay raced through Cassie’s mind. Jay smiling at her, his eyes darkening with desire, his tanned hands against her pale skin loving her… She had to put these thoughts to rest. This was a fresh start, a place where no one knew her, where she could be whoever she wished to be.
A new life she intended to embrace wholeheartedly.
Stepping out of the bus, she thanked the driver as he pulled out her suitcase, waving as he drove away. Glancing around, she noticed she was alone and checked her watch. The bus had arrived early. She’d wait a bit longer before she began worrying about Laney’s friend forgetting to pick her up.
Thank goodness Laney had helped her arrange everything. Cassie had a place to stay in the old apartment building where Laney had lived. Her old neighbor, Josh, had even agreed to collect Cassie from the bus stop and drive her there.
“Need some help?”
“Eek,” Cassie cried out, dropping the suitcase down on her toes. Hopping around, tears welled in her eyes as she glowered at the man who had scared the living daylights out of her.
And was struck by the absolute beauty of him. Thick, blond hair fell in waves of sparkling gold and creamy white. His hair was a shocking contrast to his eyes, which were a dark blue, almost bordering on black. His face was simply perfect, with high cheekbones, an aristocratic nose, and a firm, strong jaw.
It almost hurt to look at him. There was something unworldly about him, his looks almost too perfect to be real.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Even his voice was striking—silken and scary.
“N-not a problem,” she stuttered, stepping away from him a little as he bent and picked up her suitcase.
“Where are you going?”
“Umm, please give me my bag.” She grasped for the case only to have the bag move up out of her reach. A small gesture that fired her temper, enabling her to break free of the spell he’d woven over her.
Great. She’d been here two seconds, and she was about to be robbed. Not the best start. “Listen, mister—”
“Please, call me Brynn.”
“I don’t need any help.”
“I would be happy to escort you wherever you need to go.”
Old-fashioned was the word that came to mind. Old manners, old charm…infinite danger. The look in his eyes said it all. He was smiling, but his eyes were sharp, hard. They constantly moved, searching, as though he were expecting trouble.
He took her hand, and she jolted back, staring up at him in shock. His skin was freezing. He touched her as though he expected her to go with him, to trust him. There was something strange in the way he looked at her, almost as though he knew her.
He was totally delusional if he thought she was going anywhere with him. She opened her mouth, prepared to scream for help when a Jeep turned into the parking lot, watching as a man waved at her from within.
“Cassie! It is Cassie, right? I’m Josh.”
“Josh, hi.” Cassie let out a relieved breath. She moved toward him and shook the hand he held out, never happier to see anyone in her life. Turning back, she opened her mouth to dismiss Brynn and was startled to see he’d already left.
“Josh, did you see where that guy went?”
Josh frowned, looking around, his serious look at odds with his almost boyishly enthusiastic face. “What guy?”
Cassie looked at him in confusion. “He was just standing here. You didn’t see him?”
“I didn’t see him. Was he hassling you?” Josh seemed ready to take off after the mystery man.
“No, he wasn’t hassling me. He was…well…different. Said his name was Brynn. He was tall, blond, do you know him?” she asked.
Josh shook his head. “No, probably a visitor passing through. I grew up here. It’s a small town, so I pretty much know everyone. I’ll ask around, though. You let me know if you see him again, you hear?”
She nodded, smiling, yet she knew she wouldn’t call him. Something told her Brynn could easily take him and she didn’t wish any harm on Josh. As he drove her to her new apartment and helped her settle in, she wondered why she couldn’t fall for a man like him—a nice guy, cute, thoughtful, with a steady, normal job. Normal would be kind of nice. She sighed… Except she wasn’t after nice. She wanted hot, riveting, mind-blowing.
A shiver rocked her body as she thought about Brynn. Now there was a man who she definitely shouldn’t go near. He had trouble written all over him.
* * * * *
“Where the hell is she?” Nearly a week after the explosion, Jay paced the living room of his sister’s house, fury rolling through his body.
She’d run from him. Part of him understood why—she thought he’d chosen Dusty.
“She left a few days ago, Jay. She needed a break, and frankly, I think she’s safer away from us right now. At least until we find out who set that bomb,” Laney replied.
Jay cursed himself for not coming home earlier. He’d fully intended to, but fate had worked against him. First Dusty had taken a turn for the worse. Then once she’d stabilized, Cooper had decided to return home with him, causing more delays.
“It’s got to be HAW,” Reed theorized. Marcus nodded.
“It’s odd, though. Why bomb the shop? Why make such a declaration of war against us? They have to know we’ll retaliate when we find proof that they’re behind this.” Marcus was frowning.
“I want that proof, and soon,” Cooper demanded. “They tried to kill my mate, and it isn’t the first time they’ve struck at her. They’re probably behind the rattlesnake in Laney’s car, the hate letters.”
“Why me?” Laney asked.
“Because they’re using you to get to me,” Cooper stated. “They kill you, they hurt me, and it weakens the pack.”
Josiah leaned back against his seat. “If only all the evidence hadn’t been destroyed. The smoke masked any scents.”
Jay tried to concentrate on the conversation around him but found it difficult to focus. His mind was too full with thoughts of Cassie.
He stalked over to where Laney sat. “Where. Is. She?” he snarled, looming over her. Immediately, he was dragged back and slammed into a wall. Laney’s yell of protest barely registered as Cooper stood close, his power forcing Jay to back down.
“Do not talk to her that way.” Cooper’s fury was a tangible, living beast in the room. Jay nodded, hardly able to breathe with Cooper’s arm slammed against his neck. Cooper let him go, backing up, turning to Laney, who was tugging on his arm.
“Jay! Are you okay?” Laney peered around Cooper’s body, staring at him in concern. She attempted to get past her mate, who obviously didn’t want her anywhere near Jay.
“I’m fine, squirt.” He was stunned by his behavior.
“Goddamn it, Cooper, let me past. There was no reason to go all Alpha on him. He’s my brother.”
“Stay where you are,” Cooper ordered her. “And brother or no, no one talks to you that way.”
“He’s right,” Jay admitted, ashamed of himself. “I’m sorry.”
“This isn’t like you.” Laney was still staring at him in concern.
“I have to find her. I need to make sure she’s safe.”
Laney frowned, glancing up at Cooper, who stared down at her. Jay knew they were communicating through their mate bond.
Then Laney sighed. “She’s in Addison. She’s staying in my old apartment. Last time I talked to her, Ella had gotten her a job at Fat Eddy’s.”
Jay stared at Cooper who nodded, his face still stern. “Go.”
He didn’t need to tell him twice.