Theirs (17 page)

He slid closer, taking my hand. “I want you to be happy, Kitty Kat, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“
Neither do I, but any kind of love and a happily-ever-after takes risk.”

He stared long and hard at me before conceding, “As long as you’re happy, I’ll support this. But if they ever raise a hand to you, tear you down or ruin that happiness for even a second, I’ll round up my men and we’ll go wolf hunting.”

I chuckled lightly. He was the definition of a big brother. “Deal.”

He squeezed my hand and let go.

“
How’s business going without you?” I asked, bending my legs to sit Indian style.

He scrubbed the back of his neck. “A complete fucking catastrophe. I’m going to be cleaning up messes for months and kissing corporate asses bigger than yours.”

“
Hey!” I cut my eyes at him.

“
Stop. I never said there was anything wrong with a larger- well, you know.” He flicked his wrist towards my bottom.

“
I can’t wait for the day a woman steals your heart, William, and I hope her rear asset is larger than mine.”

“
Not happening.” He wasn’t the least bit concerned.

“
It will, right when you least expect it too. Trust me, I have experience in this field.”

He rolled his eyes. “Less than a week and you’re already claiming to be an expert. Talk to me in a few years, sis.”

“
Okay.” His ignorance amused me. He really thought he was immune to love. I knew now, thanks to Jerry and Ellie, that that wasn’t the case. “What do you want to do today?”

He peered at me, one brow quirked. “Fancy a date, love?” He hadn’t attempted an English accent since my great depression days.

“
Perhaps.” I played coy. “What do you have in mind?”

“
There’s a Starbucks and a movie theater in the next town over.”

“
Oh, how fancy!” I feigned impressed delight.

He dropped the British dramatics. “Compared to this pass through, it is.”

“
Snowy Mountain isn’t that bad. It has all the charm a small town ought to.”

“
Says the girl who’s been here six days and only lived in a big city prior.”

“
Ocala isn’t a big city.”

“
You don’t even remember it,” he scoffed. There were times he reminded me of Ellie, and, odder, other moments he made me think of Jerry.

I stuck my nose up, crossing my arms over my chest. “That’s beside the point.”

A chuckle rumbled his words. “Go get dressed before I change my mind. I might prefer a day of hard liquor if you’re gonna rip me all day.”

I sobered. Pressure abruptly built in my chest.

He clenched his eyes shut and expelled a harsh breath. “Shit. I didn’t mean that, Kate.”

I swallowed past the tightness in my throat. I didn’t trust myself to speak. I couldn’t picture Billy ever being as bad as our mother, but the idea alone stonewalled me.

He stood and pulled me up into his arms. “I’m sorry, baby girl. You of all people know I have my bastard moments. I wasn’t thinking.”

My veins were icy. Even Billy’s heat didn’t reach me and he was right up against me.

“
I’ll watch one of those girly lovey movies with you if you want.” He broke away, rubbing his hands on my upper arms. His expression was earnest. Regret stared at me in his depths. He was trying.

I lightly blew away some of my tension. The beginnings of a smile twitched my lips. “It’s called a romantic comedy.”

“
Yeah. That.” He grimaced.

I cracked, grinning animatedly. “You act like your nipples are being clamped.”

His frown deepened. “Don’t tell me you’re into that sort of thing.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Never tried it, but I imagine it’s painful.”

“
I said
don’t
tell me.” He shuddered. “Go get dressed. I need a hefty dose of caffeine to deal with your surprises.”

“
Wimp.” I snickered.

He took a solid step away from me, clearing a path. “Go,” he ordered firmly.

“
Yes, Dad,” I teased.

I returned in ten minutes dressed in a pair of skinny jeans, a tank with my own better fitting USC hoodie and black ballet flats. When I asked Ellie why USC instead of Clemson, she replied, “Because their colors are horrendous. Nothing looks good with orange and purple. Whoever picked those colors was blind, deaf and dumb.” She then proceeded to make an I-want-to-vomit face.

Billy headed for the door, car keys in hand. “I see you’ve gone shopping. You know those clothes aren’t practical in Miami.”

“
About that. I’m thinking about staying.” I brushed past him, ignoring his parted lips and heavily arched brows.

With every day that passed, Ellie and Jerry, along with their much cooler-climate-than-Miami town were growing on me. With every kiss, a little more of my heart left Miami, and my life until now, behind.

—

Chapter Twenty-Six

ELLIE

Of all the days for the pack young to act like hell’s spawn. Being away from her was hell. I wouldn’t even pretend that I hadn’t been a bitch all day. Of course Jerry had been equally as grumpy, snippy and bear-like, but God forbid you called him out on it.

“
I don’t care why you were fighting. We’re a pack. You don’t fight your brothers.” Jerry’s voice bellowed down Main Street. The boys had literally stopped traffic with their brawl.

“
He’s tryin’ to steal my mate.” Wes snarled at Bren.

“
You can’t steal a fuckin’ mate if she’s yours too!” Bren spit at the ground.

“
How old are you?” I scoffed.

“
They’re twenty years of stupid. You’re either going to hurt each other and her or you’re going to run her off. Either way, you’re fucking it up.” Jerry held firmly to their collars. “Lock ‘em up together until they work this out.”

They both rebelled, rumbles and tiny barks sounding between them.

Jerry expelled a growl loud enough to send shivers down my spine. Everyone fell eerily silent, aside from the car speeding off in the opposite direction.

Something about it seemed off; wrong. My wolf leapt to attention, sneering. My chest constricted, my heart seized, propelling me to act
now
.

I broke protocol. I shifted on the fast, flying through the broken bones, splitting muscles and intense pressure; I followed my gut, the tiny hairs on my body that stood up on end. We sensed the danger looming. I just knew it was
him.

“
Shit! Handle this.” Jerry’s words carried towards me, but I was already down the street.

The asshole had a lead foot. Even superhuman speed wasn’t enough. I rounded the corner the car had taken just in time to catch the Florida tags turn off towards the highway.
Fuck!
He was here. This was what we’d been waiting for and a fucking pissing contest had distracted us. Most every one in town had gathered in the street to contain the feud.
Dammit, dammit, dammit!

My wolf howled, her distress for our mate haunting the air.

Jerry came up behind me, still in his uniform. “Is that who I think it is?” His fury was palpable.

My body reformed as I regained control. “The fucker’s finally here. He escaped to the highway.”

He took off his shirt and passed it to me. “I need to see Kate. I’m not leaving her until he’s dead or behind our bars.”

His polo swallowed me, but offered some protection to the elements. “Agreed.” With a curt nod, we started back into town.

The guys had been hauled into the back of the squad car. They didn’t look at each other. It would be a bit before they came to their senses, like Jer and me.

The majority of the pack still stood in the road, watching us as we approached. It felt like fire was at our heels, driving us to be faster. I barely contained my wolf, barely stifled my rising rage. I needed to see her. I needed to make sure she was okay. Like Jer, I wouldn’t leave her knowing he was free, especially after Kate had shared those nasty notes from the twisted dickhead.

“
Let’s go,” he snapped. “Cover us,” he ordered to no one in particular.

I had no doubt Becca and Sal would step up again.

—

Chapter Twenty-Seven

KATE

“
Don’t give me that look. You agreed to watch a romantic comedy with me.”

“
I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it.” He paid the young employee at the box office counter.

I snickered. “Next time you should think before you speak.”

His eyes danced with wittiness. “Seems I’ve heard that one before.”

I rolled my eyes, grabbing the tickets the girl passed through the opening in the glass wall. “Yeah. You and Dad both.”

It was the phrase they always blurted when my mom and me would argue. Inevitably, we would spew venom with our words. We always aimed to kill with our verbal ammo. We did a lot of damage.

He held open the entrance door to the small theater. The enticing, warm buttery scent of fresh popcorn permeated the air, welcoming me inside.

The theater had approximately six movies showing, and none of them were the latest and greatest. There was something charming about it though. It eliminated the pressure to always be on top of the trends. I was always behind in pop culture, fashion, the hippest thing this week; being in Snowy Mountain alleviated some of my social anxiety. Aside from the whole Donovan issue, I was far more relaxed and connected in South Carolina than I’d ever been in Florida, the place I’d lived all my life. Maybe I was a small town girl at heart.

I moved past Billy and headed for the concession counter. “You’re buying me popcorn with extra butter and a cherry coke,” I informed him.

“
I’ve spoiled you too much.” He spoke with a smile.

I laughed. He made that statement at least twice a year, usually followed by a vow to slow down, but he never did. “You love me.”

“
I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“
You know, this time off seems like it was good for you. You’re not as high strung and moody.”

His smile faded. “I’m ignoring that.”

I considered him. “It’s the truth.”

“
I’m not moving or giving up my business,” he snipped.

“
Never said you had to, but a vacation, oh, say, once a year, wouldn’t kill you.”

He looked me square in the eyes, giving nothing away. “I’ll think about it.”

He placed our order and carried it towards the theater. Being a small community still, I suppose they trusted their citizens or knew where to collect their money if they snuck in because no one checked our tickets.