“Since they care for you, they would be much more rigorous at hunting the extremists than others would have been. I need to know you are safe.”
“She will be,” said Jesse. “She has me.” Another father might have felt comforted by that, but Jesse could see that Clive saw it as trespassing.
“She also has me. It’s a father’s right to love and protect his child.”
Love? Harley inwardly snorted. “You’re not capable of that emotion.”
Clive slid his gaze to her. “Maybe not. Or maybe I just process the feeling differently than others do.” He looked back at Jesse. “She was the sweetest child you’ve ever known. Used to draw me pictures and write me stories. I treasure them. She may now look at me differently and not show me that same unconditional love, but she’s still my daughter and I’ll always love and protect her.”
“But you don’t regret what you did that got you locked up, do you?” asked Jesse.
Clive blinked. “Why would I? Did those humans not deserve what they got?”
“Your son deserved justice. You didn’t seek that. You sought revenge.”
“Sometimes revenge is the only thing we can seek. The human justice system would not have seen to it that those men paid for what they did.”
“Maybe not. But in doing what you did, in getting yourself locked up, you left Harley vulnerable. That’s not loving or protecting her.”
“I left her vulnerable, yes . . . and I regret that. But think of all the things that may not have happened if I wasn’t a free man. Lily would not have broken and Harley would have had both parents—good things, true. But then she wouldn’t have needed Tess; she would have remained part of the pride. And if I had been around when your old pack targeted Harley, I would have challenged your father for blaming her for your sister’s addiction. And he would be dead now.”
“And The Movement might never have been formed,” Jesse added, very tempted to ask him outright if he had indeed formed it.
Clive’s smile widened. “Don’t ask questions that you don’t really want the answers to.” He rose to his feet and called for the guards. “Don’t forget it’s my birthday in two months, Harley. I’ll expect to see you then.”
As they walked across the prison’s parking lot toward their SUV, Jesse took her hand. “Do the guards often leave you alone with him?”
“All the time,” Harley replied.
“Well, they damn well shouldn’t. I know he’s your father, Harley, but he’s also a convicted killer.”
She puffed out a breath. “Yes, he is. And he’s worshipped by the other shifters in that place, so you can imagine how easy it is for him to start prison riots, can’t you?”
Jesse stopped in his tracks. “You’re telling me he starts riots if they don’t give him what he wants? Like a little kid who throws a tantrum to get their own way?”
“Yep. Giving Clive what he wants is a win-win situation for the guards. He can keep the other shifters in line, making their job much easier. But he can also make that job hell. If his requests aren’t unreasonable, they agree to them.”
Jesse brushed her hair away from her face. “You know it’s very possible that he formed The Movement, don’t you?”
She swallowed. “Yeah. But I don’t want to know if he did or if he didn’t. I’m just going to pretend it’s a dumb theory.”
Jesse couldn’t blame her for that. “Although he’s accepted our mating, I don’t think he likes that you have another male in your life. By protecting you, I’m imposing.”
“He protects me the way someone would protect a prized possession. He sees me as something that belongs to him as opposed to an actual person.”
“Yet, he gave you to Tess.”
“Yeah, but there were a lot of conditions involved.”
“Such as?” he asked as they resumed walking.
“I couldn’t change my surname. Tess had to take me to see him twice a month and allow him to call me once a week, whether I liked it or not. She had to agree to send me to the school and college of his choice. She also had to send him photographs, copies of school report cards, and stuff like that. She couldn’t take me on vacation or send me on school trips without his approval. The list goes on.”
Well, fuck. “Giving custody to Tess allowed him to control you.”
“Yes. Giving me to Tess was, by no means, a selfless act.”
Reaching the SUV, Jesse pulled her close and spoke gently. “Baby . . . I ask this without judgment: If you don’t like to visit him, why do you?”
“When I was sixteen, Tess had trouble with her boss. Sexual harassment. She made a complaint, and he set out to ruin her reputation; basically portrayed her as ‘the office slut.’ She’d come home from work every day, stressed out and devastated. She’s such a gentle person. Not tough when it comes to things like that. I mentioned the situation very briefly to Clive, not expecting him to react one way or another. He didn’t say anything about it or even look interested. Two days later, her boss pleaded guilty to sexual harassment and resigned.”
“Clive found some way to threaten him?”
“That’s the weird thing. I expected him to proudly declare that, yes, he fixed the situation so I’d feel indebted to him. But he claimed to have no idea what I was talking about. I could tell he was lying. I still don’t really understand why he lied. But it shows that even cruel people can do good things for a woman in need.” For ridding Tess of that problem and eliminating the stress from her aunt’s life, Harley could at least take time out of her own life to visit him now and then.
Jesse kissed her forehead. “Maybe it was his way of repaying Tess for caring for you the way he isn’t capable of doing.”
“Maybe. Can we go home now?”
“Home works for me.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sitting at the dining table in the main lodge with Ally, Harley explained her plans for the club she would soon officially own, having worked out an agreement with her old boss. “I contacted the shifter bands and DJs who I’ve enjoyed performing alongside in the past; many of them are interested in playing at the club.”
“On a permanent basis?” asked Ally, tapping her pen on her notepad.
Harley shrugged. “It depends how much they like the club. Some may do it as part of a tour.” She checked the clock, disappointed to see it wasn’t even time for lunch yet. Jesse had left shortly after breakfast to pay a visit to Hector’s parents, but it seemed like he’d been gone for several hours. She and her cat were missing him and hadn’t wanted him to leave, but they also understood that he had duties that couldn’t be ignored.
“In terms of staff,” began Derren, “how many people will you need to hire?”
“The club isn’t huge, so four bartenders working in shifts of two would be enough,” replied Harley. “I’ll also need two bouncers working on the door at one time. I can deal with the administrative side of things.”
“I mentioned the club to Taryn,” said Ally after jotting down Harley’s answer. “She thinks it’s a great idea and that it might be wise to use at least one of her enforcers as a member of the staff—they’ll be recognized as Phoenix wolves, and it will be a visual reminder that anyone thinking of fucking around will have to deal with both our pack and theirs.”
Eli nodded a few times. “That makes sense.”
“Makenna said that one of the loners who works at the shelter used to work at a bar.” Ally tilted her head. “You probably met her at Cassidy’s party: her name’s Madisyn.”
Harley searched her memory. “Oh yeah, she’s a cat shifter.” Harley hadn’t been able to sense what breed, though. “I like her. If she’s interested, we can definitely talk.”
Ally scribbled something on the pad. “I think Riley would be a good choice as undercover security, someone to keep an eye on what’s going on inside the club. She’s tough.”
“She’s also in hiding,” Eli reminded her.
“Yeah, but—” Ally cut off and her eyes went whit
e. She didn’t move, didn’t speak—just froze.
Hackles raised, Harley demanded, “What’s wrong with her?”
In an instant, Derren was behind his mate, gripping her shoulders. “She’s having a vision.” There was no panic in his tone or expression, which made Harley’s own anxiety recede a little. It couldn’t have been even thirty seconds later that Ally’s eyelids flickered and she was once more looking at them with her brown eyes.
Ally shot to her feet and looked around, blinking in surprise . . . as if confused by her surroundings; Harley recalled that her visions weren’t flashes of an event—for Ally, it always seemed like time had continued as usual, but then she would snap out of it and realize what she saw hadn’t yet happened.
Ally grabbed Derren’s hand. “Somebody’s here.”
Derren stilled. “What?”
“We have a trespasser.”
Eli shook his head. “None of the sensors have been tripped or all our cell phones would be beeping.”
“This person can get past those sensors without tripping them,” she told him.
Harley was about to ask how that was possible when something else caught her attention. She cocked her head. “Do you hear that? The birds. They’re going crazy.”
“That’s because there’s a bird shifter out there,” said Ally.
“What?” demanded Derren.
“In my vision, we were sitting here talking about the club when we heard the birds going insane. You and I went outside and saw a little kestrel with too-wise eyes; we sensed it was a shifter. It was gone before we could even try to grab it. I’ll call Bracken. Derren, you warn Zander. Eli, tell the others to head to the basement.”
Eli strode into the living area, where Kathy, Kent, Caleb, and the pups were singing along to a Disney movie. Ally and Derren were just ending their calls when Eli rushed back into the kitchen and said to Harley, “You need to go down to the basement. The others are heading there now as we speak. The rest of us need to check . . . Harley, what are you doing?”
What was she doing? She was stripping naked so she could shift and go outside; that was what she was doing. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“You need to stay here,” Eli insisted. “If anything happens to you, Jesse will rip out my lungs.”
“Look, if there’s a bird shifter out there, my cat is the best chance we have of grabbing it. None of you can climb trees like she can. And none of you are used to hunting birds. I’m going out there. Don’t get in my way.” In only her underwear, she demanded, “Do you want to face my cat again, Eli?”
“Dammit! Let’s go.” He and the Betas melted away. Harley then removed her underwear and shifted.
Looking up at the basic tan brick house, Jesse said, “You sure Hector’s parents live here?” His human mother would be fine, but not her mate; it would be every shifter’s nightmare.
The house was small and narrow; hell, Jesse felt suffocated just looking at it. The garden was tiny and overgrown, meaning the male’s wolf would have no land to roam. The short, faded white fence provided absolutely no security, which would make any shifter feel edgy. It was situated on a very busy main road, so there was a lot of noise and activity. In addition, all the houses were closely clustered together, offering little privacy.
“It’s the last place you’d expect to find a shifter,” said Roni.
“Maybe that’s the point,” suggested Marcus.
“Nick and I will do the talking,” said Shaya as she opened the small gate. “If all five of us speak, they could feel overwhelmed.” Everyone nodded and then followed her down the narrow stone path and to the front door. Inhaling deeply, Shaya knocked twice.
Through the frosted window on the door, Jesse saw a thin figure. The door opened a crack, and a pair of distrustful blue eyes took them in. Jesse would bet that if the woman who answered had been able to scent they were shifters she’d have slammed the door in their faces.
Nick arched a brow. “Adriane Flynt?”
“What do you want?”
“We’re not here to harm you,” Shaya assured her. “Or your mate.”
Anxiety rose up in her scent at Shaya’s use of the word “mate.” “You’re shifters,” she said.
“Yes,” said Shaya. “We’d like to talk to you.”
“We have some questions,” began Nick, “and we need answers.”
Frowning, Adriane cleared her throat. “I don’t know anything that could be of any interest to shifters. We’re loners and we like it that way.”
“It’s about Hector,” said Nick.
Something Jesse couldn’t quite identify flashed in Adriane’s eyes. “Something’s happened to him?” she asked.
“No,” replied Shaya, trying to put her at ease. It didn’t work.
Adriane studied Nick closely. “He’s upset you somehow, hasn’t he?”
“Can we talk inside?” asked Shaya. “I understand this is your home and you may not want strangers inside. Tell me, Adriane . . . what would you do if someone tried to take your home from you?”
Realization dawned on Adriane. “Hector wants your territory.” Clearly she knew of Hector’s hobby. “My mate isn’t home right now.” And she clearly wasn’t comfortable meeting with them alone.
“You have my word that we are not here to harm you,” Nick told her. “We just have some questions.”
“We’re not in contact with Hector,” said Adriane. “We really can’t help you.” She tried to shut the door, but Nick shot out his hand to hold it open.
“Please, Adriane?” Shaya bit her lip. “This is very important. We wouldn’t have come all the way here if it wasn’t.”
“How did you find us?” It was a grumble.
“It was difficult.” Nick looked around. “Are you hiding from Hector?”
“No,” she said a little too quickly. “We just didn’t want to be found by any of the shifters he insists on offending.”
“If you need protection, we can offer you that,” Nick told her. “I don’t mean by joining my pack. You can stay right here. But if you ever need protection, you’ll have my backing in whatever way you need it.”
Shaya shuffled forward slightly. “Will you help us, Adriane?”
“I don’t see how I can.” They could tell she was wavering, most likely highly tempted by Nick’s offer of protection.
“Let us explain everything. Then you can decide.” Shaya clasped her hands. “Please?”
Muttering something under her breath, Adriane looked at Nick. “Is she always that hard to say no to?”
He sighed. “Yeah.”
Opening the door, Adriane said, “Follow me.”
The white-and-gray themed living area was so small it didn’t have room for more than a sofa, armchair, TV, and a fast-dying plant. There were photos on the wall of Adriane and someone who Jesse guessed was her mate, Thad, but not a single one of Hector.
The Alpha pair settled on the sofa while Adriane took the armchair. Jesse, Roni, and Marcus remained standing.
Flicking her long, dark ponytail over her shoulder, Adriane licked her lips. “I’d offer you coffee, but . . .” But she didn’t want them to stay long.
“I understand, so I’ll just get straight to the point,” said Shaya. “We’d like to know why Hector hates shifters so much.”
Tilting her head, Adriane asked her, “Do you have pups?”
Shaya smiled. “I do.”
Those distrustful easy brightened slightly. “How old?”
“She’s three.”
“You love her.” The light in Adriane’s eyes dimmed. “I’d imagine you have no idea what it is like to be terrified of your own child.”
Jesse blinked, taken aback.
The human averted her gaze as her expression took on a faraway quality. “Even as a toddler, it was obvious that something was wrong with Hector. His eyes . . . it was like looking into a bottomless pit of nothing. He didn’t play. He didn’t laugh. He was stubborn when it came to toilet training—wore diapers
until he was seven. The other pups made fun of him for it, but he didn’t seem to care. He didn’t behave like a child at all.”
Adriane’s head whipped back to face them. “Don’t think he was abused or anything. People are always quick to scream ‘abuse’ when a child is cruel. He had loving parents and a supportive pack. It was like he was just wired wrong or something.”
Shaya raised her hands in a placatory gesture. “I wasn’t assuming he was abused.”
After a moment, Adriane gave a curt nod.
Nick said, “You said he was cruel. How?”
She fiddled with her fingers. “He would threaten me. Threaten to cut me or himself. If I wouldn’t give him what he wanted, he would urinate all over his shoes and clothes. He was manipulative. Always lying. So spiteful. I swear one look from him could give me an icy chill. Punishments didn’t work because he simply didn’t care.”
“The pack didn’t help?” Nick asked.
“They would have, but they didn’t see the real Hector for a long time. He was very good at showing people what he thought they wanted to see.”
A little like Clive, Jesse thought.
“I suppose you can’t truly know a person until you’ve lived with them. To the pack, he was polite and quiet. They were all ‘poor little Hector, he can’t get the hang of potty training.’ The truth was that he had the control to use the bathroom, he just didn’t want to use it. But they didn’t know that, and they felt bad for him. One of the other mothers said she’d ‘teach’ him. He did it for her, let her pretend she’d taught him the control, to make me feel inferior. The others all decided I was just a bad mother. He thought that was funny.”
“What about his father?” asked Nick.
“Thad saw him for what he was, but he thought being firm with Hector would make him change. It didn’t.”
“We were told Hector was accused of playing a part in a rape and murder,” said Shaya. “Was that true?”
Adriane swallowed. “At that point, his behavior had gotten worse. People started to see that something wasn’t quite right. They saw through his lies, they weren’t so easy for him to manipulate, and they would tell their children to stay away from him. I think on some level he may have felt lonely. Maybe not loneliness as we feel it, but . . . isolated. Like he had no one that understood him.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. It could be that I’m just trying to make excuses for him because I don’t want to face the reality of what he is.”