“I don’t like this.”

Jessie rolled her eyes as her father complained for what had to be the twentieth time about her going to the prison with Spyder.

Of course, there was an advantage to the fact he was still sulking with her... He was on the phone with Spyder. Not her.

Miracles did happen from time to time.

“Tell him our time is nearly up,” she said, jerking her mate’s sleeve.

He nodded and said, “I have to go, Mundo. You know they don’t allow cell phones in the prison.”

“Just keep her safe. She might frustrate the living shit out of me, but I need her all in one piece. Who can I be mad at otherwise?”

“Thanks, Dad. I love you too,” she hollered, hoping he heard her sarcasm.

Spyder shook his head as he disconnected the call. “I swear to God, you two have the weirdest relationship.”

“It’s love hate.”

“Mostly love. Don’t make out it isn’t.” He eyed her after he’d stored his cell phone in the glove box. “He’s just hurting about your wanting to run away.”

“I really don’t want to have this conversation, Devon,” Jessie said softly, climbing out of the car to avoid this particular topic. “We’re not going to agree on it, and in the end, there’s nothing to fight over. It never happened. I don’t know why you’re letting it upset you so much.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know either.”

She shot him a look. “You don’t sound so convinced.”

“When you first told me, I didn’t. Now, I guess it’s starting to make sense.”

They walked to the outer gate and fell quiet as the guards processed their papers. Another round of identity verification and they were offloaded into a waiting room with about ten other people. Some couples, some singletons, some with young kids.

She grimaced at that. Both for the kids and parents’ sake.

As they sat down, he murmured, “I’m glad you didn’t have a childhood like mine.”

“You think it’s churlish and maybe childish of me to shove that away, right?” When he grimaced, she sighed. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s wrong. You had the worst childhood imaginable. I, on the other hand, am bitching about being loved too much.” She pursed her lips. “Of course it looks like I’m shoving it all back in their faces.”

“But you don’t think you are?”

“You have to have led my life to understand it, Devon. Dear Goddess, I’m well aware that in comparison to yours, I’ve been blessed. I don’t deny that. But the thing is, I wouldn’t have run if they’d just let me spread my wings. If they’d let me mature the way any teenager does, I wouldn’t have needed to hare off. Instead, I had to do it secretively. I watched them blow Ava’s plans into the water at every turn.” She pulled a face. “Do you know she got a full scholarship to Harvard?.”

“Seriously?”

Jessie nodded. “And they wouldn’t let her go. It killed Ava. She wanted to go so badly, I thought...” She bit her lip. “Well, I don’t know what I thought. Those were some bad days for her. She went into her bedroom and barely came out for months. Then, she tried again with another college. A closer one. Then one in the state. Nothing. Nada. They wouldn’t let her. Goddess, they wouldn’t let me go to community college.”

“Wow, that’s intense.”

“Yeah. Exactly. And that’s just one thing. My dad wouldn’t let me go on birth control.”

“Is that why you’re still a virgin?”

She snorted. “Say it a little louder why don’t you? Some prisoners on the other side of the compound didn’t hear.”

He grinned at her, ruefully. “Sorry, babe.”

She just rolled her eyes. “And no, to answer your question, that isn’t why. There’s such a thing as condoms, ya know. If I’d wanted anyone badly enough, I’d have done it. As it was, my dad was such a pain through high school that dating just wasn’t a possibility. Not without him threatening to pull me out and home school me.”

“You’re shitting me,” Spyder said on a long, low exhalation.

“No. Unfortunately, I’m not. I also knew not to even dare rebel against that. I wanted to finish high school too much to risk it. They all think I’m ditzy. This stupid blonde Barbie, but I’m not. Ava wasn’t the only one who wanted to go to college.”

“He’d have really pulled you out?”

“There isn’t a doubt in my mind that’s exactly what he’d have done if he found out I disobeyed him by dating one of the boys in my year.” She bit her lip and looked at him from underneath her lashes. “Do you understand? Just a little what that was like for me? I know they didn’t abuse me, and they did it out of love, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling like all my life I’ve been a puppet, moving around to someone else’s cues.”

He nodded and reached for her hand. Squeezing it, he murmured, “I’m sorry for judging.”

“Hell, I’d judge too,” she confessed. “And though I admit to being a baby sometimes, I swear I’m not all the time.”

His grin was wicked.

“Don’t you dare turn this around to sex,” she chided with a chuckle. “This isn’t exactly an atmosphere conducive to romance.”

He snorted. “You’ve not watched enough porn, babe. Prison wardens and prisoners getting it on, hard-core.” He grinned as she sniffed. “That’s the height of romance.”

Before she could hit him, hard, a warden called their names. They strode over to him, went through another body search, yet another identity check, and finally went into the visitors’ room.

“Dear Goddess, how long did that take?”

“From start to finish?” He looked at his watch. “About forty minutes.”

“Goddess, they take the piss here.”

“They’re in charge,” he said with a shrug. “One time, when I was visiting Sammy, they held me in that waiting room for two hours. I thought I was going to die of boredom. Then, another time, I waited over an hour and they turned me out without even seeing my bro. Some dick had started a fight and they’d put the compound on lock down.” He grunted. “Those days were a barrel of laughs.”

Spyder paused near the entrance, then looked around. Obviously spotting Joe, he grabbed her hand with his, and with the other, waved at the man in question.

He led her to the table, waited until she sat down and said, “Joe, I’d give you a hug, buddy, but I don’t feel like having them frisk me on the way out.”

Joe snorted. “I’ll have that lucky privilege, so don’t worry, I don’t mind sparing you the experience.”

Spyder grimaced. “What can I get you, man?”

Jessie frowned at that. “It’s not like we’re in a coffee shop, Spyder,” she chided.

Her mate just chuckled and pointed over the other side of the room. “There’s a vending machine, babe.”

“Oh,” she said, cheeks blushing.

He winked at her, then looked expectantly at his friend. Joe immediately rattled off a list, which had Spyder chuckling. “Sammy was just the same.”

“That shit costs a bundle in the commissary.”

“Junk food does?” Jessie asked politely when Spyder headed over to the vending machine.

“Yeah. It’s ridiculous.” He smiled at her so sweetly that it was hard to think he’d smashed his ex’s head in, and Ava had never mentioned what he’d done to the boyfriend who’d been abusing his daughter, but Jessie could only imagine it was a thousand times worse. Hell, everyone had a tipping point. “You know, when I got Spyder’s note and read that he’d been married, I have to admit, I was stunned.”

“I’ll bet. He wasn’t exactly the settling down type, was he?”

Joe chuckled. “Nah. He definitely wasn’t. But I guess, when you find your mate, you find your mate.”

Her eyes widened at that. “I beg your pardon?”

Joe grinned, pleased that he’d surprised her. “One thing about jail. There’s hardly any smell. Sounds weird, but there isn’t. Or at least, no new smells. When you walked in, I scented you straight away. Bear, right?”

She gawked at him. “Are you a Shifter?”

He nodded. “Wolf.”

“That’s how you...”

Joe grunted. “Yeah. The mother of my daughter wasn’t my mate. I shouldn’t have grown impatient. And I shouldn’t have let her get pregnant, not when I knew she wasn’t my life mate. Bears have it easy. They can only knock their mates up. It’s not the same for wolves.”

“I’m so sorry, Joe. I had no idea.”

“Why would you?” he said with a shrug. “I never told anyone. I certainly never told Spyder.”

“Are you without a Pack?”

He nodded. “Yeah. My dad was no good just like me. He dumped my mom, who’s pure human, and did a runner. I had to learn my shit the hard way. Just like my daughter.” His jaw clenched. “They won’t let me see her, but I can write. Still, that kind of stuff isn’t something you write in a letter, is it?”

Emotions clogged in her throat at his predicament. “Why didn’t you tell your defense? You know Shifters get treated differently by the justice system. You know they give you different privileges. Plus, they’d put you in a separate part of the jail. Would let you out to shift and stuff. Your Wolf must be going insane by now.”

Things had been different back in her father’s day. He’d often said that the hardest part of being inside was holding the beast in during lockdown for however long the term was.

Since his last trip inside, the time before he’d mated her mom, prisoner’s rights had changed to protect Shifters too. After all, it did no one any good to have a Shifter change in the middle of a riot full of humans.

That had happened too many times, and the public outcry at the unnecessary carnage had provoked the required changes in law. Mixing humans and Shifters in this kind of potboiler scenario could only end one way.

With human blood being spilled.

Shifter rights had come about to protect humans, not Shifters, but it was a win-win situation.

“I wanted to be the big man. I did the crime, and I was more than willing to do the time,” he admitted wryly. “I fully confess to being stupid.”

“You know the jury would have looked at you differently though. A Wolf going on the rampage is far easier for them to swallow than a human. You know humans expect Shifters to be walking on a tightrope. It’s like they’re just waiting us for to go nuts.”

He grimaced. “Like I said, I regret my stupidity now.”

She held out a hand. The gesture surprised him, but he held out his too. She squeezed his fingers. “Look, we’re here for an ulterior motive.”

“Figured as much,” he said. “Spyder’s been cool. Kept in touch. Sent me shit. But he’s not visited. Truth is, what with Sammy being locked down here, I knew he had too much on his plate anyway.”

“You know The Nomads, right?”

“The MC?”

“Yeah.”

“I know of them.” He looked at her cautiously now. “Why?”

“My dad sits on the Council. He’s a brother.”

“Shit. You mean to tell me The Nomads are a Bear Clan?” He whistled. “Now there, you have knocked me for six. I didn’t see that coming.”

“Should I be jealous?” Spyder asked, pointedly staring down at their joined hands as he dumped shit loads of candy and chocolate on the table.

Jessie rolled her eyes. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

The Wolf Shifter grinned. “I expect a thank you letter, Spyder.” Her mate chuckled, but Joe continued, “Congratulations at the mate bond, buddy. I couldn’t wish it on anyone nicer.”

If she’d been surprised, Spyder started choking on some chewy candy he’d just popped into his mouth. She whacked him on the back until he was breathing normally again, and when he was, he demanded hoarsely, “How the hell do you know?”

“He’s a Shifter too, Spyder,” she said softly.

He gawked at that. “No fucking way.”

Joe grimaced. “Way.”

“What the hell are you doing in a human jail?” he demanded. “They put Shifters in special prisons now, don’t they?” He frowned, then answered his own question. “But it never came up in court that you were a Shifter. Otherwise I’d have known. You dumbass, why the fuck didn’t you tell anyone? They’d have been more lenient on you.”

Jessie shot him a look. “Now do you see why I was holding his hand?”

Spyder pouted. “Sort of.”

“Stop being a baby,” she retorted, but she was grinning as she reached for his hand with her spare one. “That better?”

He winked. “Much.”

Jessie huffed out an exasperated breath, then said, “I’m not leaving you in here, Joe. We’ll arrange an appeal or something.”

“I’m in here without parole.”

“I don’t care. There must be something we can do.”

Spyder snorted. “We managed to get Sammy out of jail. I reckon there’s definitely something we can do.”

She nudged him in the side, and he grunted an apology. Unfortunately, Joe saw both of their reactions.

“Don’t worry. Whatever happened, I’m just glad it did. No way a kid like Sammy belonged in here. When they let him out, no one was happier than me. Your family was always good to my mom and me, Spyder. It killed me that I couldn’t do more for him in here, but we were in different blocks. All I ever heard was about him getting beaten up and being in the clinic.” He grimaced. “They were terrorizing him in here.”

“I know,” Spyder said grimly. “It’s a long story, but we know who your cellmate is.”

“Martinez?” Joe lifted his brows. “Yeah? What about him?”

Before Spyder could say a word, Jessie stated, “Joe, I want you to know two things. Whatever you say to our proposal, we’re going to get Savannah out of state care. I don’t know if we can wrangle it so she comes and stays with us, but if she’s a Wolf Pup too then maybe the authorities will let us take hold of her. Especially if we big up how volatile pups can be at her age.”

Joe’s eyes widened. “You’d do that?”

“We were always going to do that, but now I know she’s a pup, it’s more imperative than it was before.”

“Are pups really dangerous?” Spyder asked, tone urgent.

“No. Of course not. But the humans don’t know that, do they?”

Spyder shot Joe a look. “That’s a relief.”

Jessie sighed. “Let’s get back on track. Anyway, we’re going to do our best for Savannah, and once I tell my daddy about your situation, I just know he’ll want to help, too. So, those two things will happen whether you agree to help us or not.”

Joe’s eyes were wide as he asked, “Help you do what?”

“We believe Martinez arranged for Jessie’s kidnap on the outside. We also believe he was trying to start a war between Spider’s Venom and The Nomads. We’re trying to make sure he stays out of our business, and stops targeting the MCs.”

Joe turned from Spyder to study her in concern. “He didn’t succeed, did he, Jessie? You weren’t hurt?”

“No. I met Spyder first, and my travel plans changed.”

Joe blew out an obviously relieved breath. “I’m really glad to hear it, and I understand what you’re saying about trying to get him to stop targeting the MCs but... how are you going to do that? The son of a bitch manages to run the Cartel from inside this place. By all rights, he should be in a federal prison, but his lawyers pulled a hail Mary and managed to keep him in a state one.”

“If possible, can you remember this number?” Spyder recounted it by heart.

“I can try. You might have to tell me it a few times, but what is it?”

“It’s one of Martinez’s bank accounts. The one he uses to fund his family’s living expenses.”

Joe blew out a breath. “Goddess.”

Her smile was tight. “Someone,” she said, clearing her throat. “has hacked into it and emptied it. If he wants it back, then he needs to leave us the hell alone.”

Joe slumped back in his seat. “Fucking hell. Are you sure it’s wise to pull the tiger by its tail?”

“For fuck’s sake, he’s not a Shifter too, is he?” Spyder demanded, making both Jessie and Joe chuckle.

Jessie stated, “As far as I’m aware, no. But Joe’s the one to ask.”

Her mate’s friend shook his head. “Nah. He’s not a Tiger. It’s just the old saying, you know?”

Spyder grumbled, “I do, but just wanted to make sure.”

Joe’s grin was lopsided. “You guys don’t ask for much, do you?”

“Part of the deal of him getting his money back is not beating the ever-loving shit out of you,” Spyder said, his tone cheerful enough to have Jessie rolling her eyes.

“I’m relieved to hear you’ve thought of every eventuality,” Joe retorted, but he was grinning as he complained.

Spyder reached for a bag of Skittles and shrugged. “This ain’t no half-baked plan,” he said in his best Texan twang.

“I’ll do it,” Joe told them. “What’s he going to do? Lock me up until the reaper comes for me?”

Jessie’s smile was toothy. “I really hope you don’t have to shift, Joe. I hope it’s not necessary, at any rate, but if it is, then try to take a chunk out of him, won’t you? For our sakes?”

He chuckled. “Sure.” Joe studied her a second. “Do you really mean it about getting Savannah out of foster care?”

“I really do.”

“But how?” He shook his head despondently. “My mom’s been trying but they just won’t listen.”

“It takes money. Fortunately for you, we’ve got that, and if you’re on our side, then you’re on the right team.”

“You’re pretty free with the MC’s cash, babe,” Spyder said around a mouthful of candy.

“Nah. I know someone who’ll help. Regardless of whether the Prez approves or not.” They shared a look. Ava would help out, and so would Annette. It didn’t matter whether Mars was happy about it or not.

There was no way Jessie was leaving a Wolf pup in state care. They wouldn’t have a clue how to rear her properly. Female She Wolves could shift at will, unlike She Bears. There was no way a state institute would be able to cope with that.

Joe released a shaky breath. “You’d have my undying gratitude. I hate that she’s in a fucking home and all because of me. I was trying to make things better and fucking failed.”

“There’s no other way your beast could have reacted,” Jessie tried to soothe. “Your Wolf wouldn’t be able to countenance what was happening. That’s why you should have pleaded your heritage as part of your defense.”

“I’m not on the register,” he admitted. “They’d fine me for not having signed onto the ‘list’.”

“So? Better to be fined than stuck in here until you’re dead, surely?”

He grimaced. “Fair point. I’ve never admitted it before, if I’m honest. Not to anyone. I only shared with you because I knew you were Bear and if Spyder said he was married to you, then that meant mated.”

Jessie smiled. “I’m glad you did. It changes things. If any of the Council didn’t feel like helping you before, well, this will change their tune.”

“I don’t need pity,” Joe warned.

“Don’t you?” Jessie demanded. “I thought you’d need all the help you could get?”

Silence fell at that, until Spyder cleared his throat. “She kind of has a point there, bud. Only way you’re getting out of here is in a coffin, after all. Can’t sink much lower than that.”

Joe blinked. “You two really don’t know how to pull your punches, do you?”

Jessie pulled a face and admitted, “No. Not at all.”

Joe chuckled and shook his head at her downcast expression. “Come on. Tell me that number again. Last thing I need is to forget the fucking thing before I even start.”

Eyes brightening, Jessie said, “Thanks, Joe.”

After a couple of minutes spent with him reciting the number back to front and front to back, he asked, “Do you need me to get in touch with you over this?”

“Only if you want. But what I want is for you to make it clear that you’re only acting as a messenger because you know Spyder. He’s already done something to fuck Martinez off. He can stay in his spotlight for a little while longer. He’s got thousands of Bear Shifters guarding his ass. You, though, don’t have diddly squat.”

“Again, with the pulling your punch thing.” Joe grimaced and reached for the candy. “I need the sugar,” he confessed and poured some down his throat.

“She’s that kind of woman,” Spyder teased. “Drives a man to candy.”

Jessie batted her lashes. “I’ll remind you of that. Later.”

As Joe hooted out his amusement, Spyder squeezed her knee under the table.

Somehow, this was all going to work out right.

Jessie knew it. She could feel it in her core. And that, for the moment, was all she needed.

“You don’t make easy promises, do you?” Chris asked later that evening as she explained to Ava what she’d told Joe.

Chris seemed madder than her, though. But that was because Ava dealt with most things the same way. Be it the desperate need to do laundry or the news she had to somehow pull another miracle and get another man out of jail, she just blinked. Then she turned her attention back to the screen.

Jessie sometimes thought she could yell, ‘Fire’ and it would induce the same reaction in her, but she’d never been brave enough to try out her theory.

There was no doubt about it, Ava was weird. The Clan, on the whole, took advantage of that weirdness, so even though Chris’s stance was kind of irritating. Jessie was glad Ava had someone at her back at last.

“What was I supposed to do?” she demanded. Just because she was pleased he was standing up for Ava, didn’t mean she wouldn’t fight toe to toe with him. “Leave him to rot in there? The man’s not going to see the light of day in forever. He’ll go insane if he can’t shift. God only knows who’ll die if his Wolf decides enough is enough and wants to come out and play.”

“It doesn’t sound like he’s all that in touch with his Wolf,” Chris pointed out, folding his arms over his chest. “Coming out to play isn’t something that might ever happen.”

She snorted. “He batted someone to death, Chris. How much more in touch with his Wolf do you want him to be? You really think he can withhold a shift for the rest of his life?”

Spyder suddenly developed a coughing fit at that, and even Ava snickered.

“She’s got you there, babe.”

Chris scowled and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’m tired of the entire fucking MC depending on you to wipe their asses.”

She shrugged. “I’m used to it.”

“And she loves it,” Jessie pointed out. There was no malice as once there would have been, just solid gold truth. Ava got off on all the little acts of naughtiness she undertook.

Jessie would have to be blind to not notice that.

Well, apparently the rest of the Clan had failed to notice, so maybe she was wearing contacts.

Ava patted his hand. “It’s okay, babe. She’s right. I like a challenge.”

“There are challenges and there are challenges. This is just too much. It’s a fucking pissing contest.”

Ava shot him a look, and it was so filled with love and gratitude that it made Jessie’s heart stutter with warmth. Even though Ava was like a robot in some ways, it was nice to see the mate bond affected her like any red blooded woman.

Once she’d finished turning Chris into a pile of mush, she flashed Jessie a glance. “I’ve already arranged for Savannah to be transferred to a different social worker.”

Jessie gawked at her Ava’s speed. “No way. That’s incredible.”

The other woman shrugged. “I guess. If she has a new case worker, it will be easier to get through the cracks.”

“What are we going to do with her though? Joe says his mom’s petition for custody is consistently refused.”

“I know, I read the file. The court thinks she’ll let Savannah visit her father and they want to avoid that.”

“Could we adopt her? Or foster her or something?”

“She’s not a puppy or a kitten, Jessie,” Spyder remarked, sinking back onto Ava’s sofa. “She lasts a lot longer than Christmas morning.”

She shot him a glare. “I’m well aware of that.”

Ava pulled a face. “I doubt we could convince them of that. I mean, what case worker, even an overworked, stressed out, and underpaid one would agree to let a little girl live in an MC clubhouse with hundreds of men stomping through every day?”

Jessie cleared her throat. “Yeah, I didn’t think that through, did I?”

“Not really. No,” Ava mocked, but there was a warm, teasing glint in her eye as she spoke. “Still, we might be able to get Justiss, Graver, and Toni involved. After all, he’s got more influence than the MC. More money, too. Plus he lives off site on the MC’s housing development. Records don’t show that though. The subdivision is in a different name. Also, Toni’s a doctor. Respected in the community and she’s the director of her clinic now. Plus, she specializes in Shifters, so the theory works with the news that Savannah is a Wolf pup. She’d need someone who’s down with the different species of Shifter. Who better than someone like Toni?” She pursed her lips and Jessie knew she was sinking into a different world; one where fact and logic took over everything else. “Leave it with me,” she said after a moment’s quiet. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Ava,” she replied, her tone overloaded with gratitude.

Chris glowered at her. “Where’s my thanks? I’m the one without my mate for the evening.”

“Good thing you’re on duty then, isn’t it?” Jessie pouted. “You think I’d dump this on Ava’s shoulders when I thought you had a free evening. That stings, Chris. That really burns.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Your dad’s right. You are a pain in the butt.”

She grinned because he said it affectionately. “Have fun. I switched your duty with Mack’s when I was visiting with Annette and no one was looking.”

He scowled. “What the hell did you do that for?”

“Because you like talking to him about philosophy of course. It was either him or Roger.”

Chris grunted. “Okay, you did me a favor. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

She chuckled, stood on tiptoe and pecked his cheek. “Have fun.”

He swatted her aside and she fluttered away, not stopping until she reached the sofa where she dragged her mate onto his feet.

As they stepped out into the hall, he asked, “Do I even want to know?”

“Probably not.”

“Since when did bikers read philosophy?”

She snorted. “You’d be surprised at what the brothers get up to. We’re, and now you, are around for a hell of a long time. We diversify.”

“What about Roger? What’s so bad about him?”

“He likes fly-fishing. A lot. Chris, on the other hand, loathes it.”

Spyder grinned. “I get it now.”

She winked and tugged him toward her. As their torsos clashed, he dipped his head and pressed a kiss to her lips. As he swept her away in the lash of his tongue against her bottom lip, she groaned, then moaned a little harder when he pulled away almost as swiftly as he’d started the whole thing.

Before she could pout, he held up a hand to silence her. “There’s a guy in your room.”

She frowned, strained her ears. “How do you know that? I can’t hear anything.”

“Well, I can.”

She nudged him in the side. “Do you think that’s your gift from the Goddess?” she asked, excitedly.

They’d almost given up waiting on the gift, and she didn’t like to mention it but she had super hearing and she couldn’t hear jack.

He rolled his eyes at her. “No. I doubt it.” His whisper was enough for her to strain her ears. “Any of the brothers would have waited outside for us, right?”

She nodded, and finally understanding his point, she froze. “Without a doubt. Do you think Joe’s spoken with Martinez already?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m about to find out.”

Before she could do more than blink, Spyder had the door open. The room was lit with a low lamp in one corner; she assumed to stop the light from shining under the door. But before she could take note of a few shadows grappling together, she let out a shriek as someone was thrown against the wall. The subsequent crash and bang was almost deafening. An explosion of dust and rubble poured out of nowhere, and she choked as she inadvertently swallowed down a mouthful.

“What the hell?”

She blinked.

That was Sammy’s voice; His shaken, scared, and pained voice.

Jessie rushed in and switched on the main light. What she saw when she did had her gawking all the harder.

Spyder had thrown his brother against the wall.

His brother who had to weigh at least two hundred pounds.

And Sammy hadn’t just collided with the wall. He’d punched through the dry wall.

She could see into the hallway thanks to the hole he’d made with his head.

Spyder was on his knees at Sammy’s side now. In the time she’d spent gawking at the chaos her mate had made in their room, he’d clambered over to his brother and was apologizing.

“What the hell were you doing in here in the dark anyway?” he groaned as his hands fluttered uselessly over his brother’s form. She could see why. The force Spyder had used had induced a nose bleed. Blood was gushing all over the goddamn place.

She grimaced at the carnage then rushed into the connecting bath to grab a towel. By the time she was back in the bedroom, a small crowd had gathered around the door.

“What the hell’s going on?”

Of course Mars had to be there, didn’t he? Just had to witness this little fuck up.

“Just a small incident,” she started, but he immediately held up his hand.

“I run a clubhouse and a Clan that sees over two hundred goddamn Bears roaming around the halls at any given moment, and all of them, combined, haven’t created this level of destruction in at least twenty years!” he roared.

Stomping her foot, she snapped, “Dammit, Prez. We didn’t want Sammy to know about that.”

“Sammy?” he blurted out. “Spyder attacked Sammy?”

“We thought he was somebody Martinez had sent. We heard somebody creeping around my bedroom.”

“I wasn’t creeping around,” Sammy denied. “You have cable TV in here. I wanted to watch a show. That’s all.”

Mars shook his head. “How the hell did you destroy the wall?”

Spyder swallowed as he stared up at the Prez. “I don’t actually know, Mars.” He pulled at the neckline of his T-shirt. “It doesn’t make sense. I just pushed him against the wall. I didn’t even do that much.”

Jessie cleared her throat again, and this time, snatched his attention. He’d been focused inward, and Jessie would bet her signed copy of The Secret that he’d just been chatting to his mate via their telepathic bond.

“I’m sure you were just riled up, Spyder. Hell, today’s been stressful. We’re all on edge. You thinking Martinez was after us was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Mars scowled at her, then softened. “I suppose it must have been... concerning. For an intruder to get in, that was a significant security breath.”

She nodded quickly and flared her eyes at Spyder. He wasn’t looking though, just busy pressing the towel she threw at him against Sammy’s nose.

“Right, that’s it. Enough gawking,” Mars roared, and the spectators swiftly retreated.

“Thank Annette for me, Mars,” she said softly when he was the last Bear remaining.

He cocked a brow. “We all have our secrets, I suppose. At least now we don’t have to worry he won’t be able to protect you.” He eyed the damage on the wall. “But you can pay for that out of your own money. Seems you managed to save enough up to run off. You can put it to good use now.”

Her appreciative smile died a quick death, and his grin told her he knew she was mad. But hell, he was the Prez. It wasn’t like she could throw her shoe at him, was it?

Swiveling on his heel, he whistled as he strode off. With the room cleared now, she scrambled over to her mate’s side and knelt close to Sammy.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “We can get the healer to tend to you. You know her, and I know you like her. Pip can help. Or Major. Whichever.”

With the towel pressed to his nose, not much of his face was visible save for his eyes. They were wide.

“She’s a Shifter?” he demanded, his voice muffled through the thick cotton terry.

“Yes. I’m a Bear Shifter.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he directed the question at his brother.

“I was going to. I just wanted you to settle in first. You know how you can be, Sammy. If you hadn’t liked it here, you’d have made a fuss, and I want you to settle in here and be happy. Like I told you, I’m relinquishing my hold on the MC, and I know Jessie’s parents will be happier if we stay here for a little while.”

Sammy blinked at them both. “You didn’t trust me.”

His accusation had Spyder flinching. “That isn’t true,” he replied softly. “Of course I trust you.”

“Then she doesn’t.”

There was a lot of venom in that one word, and it had Jessie flinching. She’d known for a few days that Sammy didn’t like her. He avoided her at all costs, going so far as to leave a room when she entered one. It was so beyond obvious that it was almost comical. Well, it would be if it wasn’t really important to her that Sammy like her.

She’d simply decided that giving him space and time was the best course of action, but now, in the face of his utter dislike, she felt tears prick her eyes.

“I do trust you,” she stated calmly, but her words were husky with emotion. “I have nothing to hide.”

“She’s telling the truth, Sammy. I was the one who wanted to keep the Shifter Clan on the down low. Admit it. You can be stubborn. Even though you love this place, if I’d brought you here, knowing that, you’d have hated it on purpose.”

Sammy scowled. “What’s she done to you? How come you could throw me like you did?”

Spyder blew out a breath. “He has a point,” he told her in an aside. “It certainly wasn’t me in control. I have no idea how, what just happened is even possible.”

She snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course it was you. It’s your gift, don’t you see?”

“My gift is to turn into the Hulk?”

A laugh escaped her. “I don’t know. It was too dark to see if you turned green.”

He rolled his eyes but his snicker had her lips twitching. When she turned to look at Sammy, seeing he was still looking at her like she was evil incarnate, she softly asked, “Why don’t you like me, Sammy? Have I done something to upset you?”

From what she’d seen, Sammy was like any other twenty-two year old man. A selfish prick most of the time who thought more with his penis than he did his brain. But equally, his skill, focus, and dedication in the workshop were beyond crazy, and he was neat as a pin. There were times when he was very young, and she sensed the learning disabilities Spyder had discussed with her, but not often.

There was no reason for her to excuse his dislike of her away with any ‘disability’ he might have.

Ava lived with hers, and she led a regular-ish life. Well, if a person could consider hacking and managing the account department of a national conglomerate singlehandedly, that is.

Things had changed. Disability was no longer as set in stone as once it had been.

Sammy was quite capable. He just had his quirks, that was all.

“You’re going to take Spyder away from me,” he said on a rush, sounding very naive.

She shook her head. “Why would I do that?”

“Because that’s what women do.”

She frowned. “That isn’t fair, Sammy. I’m not like that.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Maybe not yet, but they never are at first. How many girlfriends did Dad have, Spyder?”

“Now that’s really not fair, Sammy. We both know that Dad was the reason most of those relationships broke up.”

“That isn’t true. He was a great boyfriend.”

Jessie huffed. “Have you ever had a girlfriend, Sammy?” When he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, but shook her head, she quirked a brow at him. “Then how do you know what a good boyfriend looks like?”

He pursed his lips. “He treated them well.”

“No, bro, he didn’t,” Spyder denied. “He treated them terribly. And they weren’t girlfriends, Sammy. They were club whores.”

Sammy blinked at that, but Jessie was having a hard time holding in her chuckles. “There have been a few around here, you know. You don’t have to whisper the word around me.”

Spyder grimaced. “I didn’t want you to think...”

“What? That you slept with them? Of course you did. That’s what riders do.” She blew out a breath, and directly at Sammy, said, “But what we have isn’t a regular relationship, Sammy. We’re mated to one another. I can’t cheat on him and he can’t cheat on me.”

“How do we know she isn’t lying?”

“My mom and dad are mated. As are Annette and Mars, Kiko and Mischa. There are plenty more mated couples around here. Ask them.”

“They could all be lying. To make you look good.”

She snorted. “Now that’s taking this conspiracy too far.” She patted his leg. “Come on, Sammy, stop being silly.”

“I’m entitled to be silly. Spyder just threw me through a wall.”

“Just your head,” Spyder corrected.

“Is that supposed to make the ache go away?” Sammy complained.

“If it’s hurting that badly, then we’ll go to Pip.”

“No.” Sammy held out his hands. “I’m fine. I just need a few Ibuprofen.”

She shrugged. “If you’re sure. But later on, if you change your mind, you know to go to Pip. She’ll help you, and you’ll feel like you were born yesterday. That’s how relaxed you’ll be.”

He studied her with no little suspicion and she grimaced. “Come on, Sammy. Take me on trust, like I’m taking you on trust. It’s not my fault you saw lots of bad relationships when you were a kid. I saw heaps of good ones and I can still understand why you don’t have faith. People lie. But I have no need to lie. And no one, I mean not a single damn person on this Goddess given Earth could love your brother like I do.”

“Do you really? Love my brother, I mean?” he demanded, focusing on that question with a single-mindedness that stunned her.

There was no prevaricating. She simply reacted. “Yes. I do. I meant every word.”

“And I love her,” Spyder said softly, catching her look with a small smile.

He slumped against the wall.

“If I’m being honest, I never expected to have my mate tell me he loves me while his brother is in the room.”

“Yeah, bro, you’re cramping my style with the flowery romantic shit.”

Sammy eyed him over the towel which he was still pressing to his nose. “Like that would be hard.” He cleared his throat then let out a pained moan as that one gesture obviously had a cascade of aches raining down on him. He must have shoved the pain aside though because his tone was bright as he said, “If you’re sure you love one another then I have to be happy for you.”

Spyder snorted. “Not that I’m complaining, but where does it say that?”

He shrugged. “It’s like a law.”

Lips twitching, Jessie murmured, “I think we need to get you to bed, Sammy. Your head is bound to start pounding soon.”

“It already is,” he confided with a grimace. “In fact, it’s doing more than pounding. It’s ringing.”

Spyder helped heave him up onto his feet. When he started weaving, she clucked her tongue. “Just go to Pip.”

Spyder shook his head. “Sammy hates doctors.”

“Pip isn’t a doctor. Now, Toni, she’s a doctor. A real one. But Pip’s gifts are like your strength. They’re a talent from the Goddess.”

Spyder peered at his brother. “That sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it, Sammy?”

He blinked caramel chocolate eyes at them both. “It does sound kind of neat,” he said softly. “That means I won’t have to have any needles or injections, right?”

Jessie nodded. “That’s right.”

When Sammy finally complied and the three of them headed toward the healer’s quarters on the floor below, Jessie had to admit she hadn’t expected the night to end with a trip to Pip’s bedroom.

But then, that was family for you. The best laid plans of mice and men were often screwed up by the ones closest to them.

And in this case, with Bears, there was triple the trouble.