“This—” She waved between them. “—is a perfect example of what we should avoid. Petty fighting should be beneath both of our clans. If we have an issue, we discuss it. Come to a consensus privately so that we provide clear leadership for the town in public.”
That shut both of them up, because Ted saw they were both considering it.
The wolves didn’t like arguing. Thought it made them look weak to have to bicker about matters on a council they thought they ran. But it was necessary at times. All council decisions had to be unanimous. And most of the bickering was between the cats and the wolves.
The cats, on the other hand, had always been the second strongest, and they knew it. It was partly by design and partly their nature. Most cat shifters had little interest in any matters but those that affected their immediate family. Their loyalty was deep, but only extended to blood relatives. And frankly, Ted knew that most had no interest in the real responsibilities of town leadership.
In forming an alliance, the cats got equal footing in decisions and the wolves avoided public bickering. It could be a win for both clans if Alex and Ted worked things right.
Alex said, “Think about it. Talk it over with your elders, Lena. I can speak for the wolves that we’re open to a private alliance. With Ted and I together, the other clans will suspect it, but they won’t say anything.”
“And the first topic for discussion is the mayor’s position,” Robert said.
Lena agreed immediately. “Yes. And Ted, I know you don’t—”
“Not going to happen,” Ted said with a groan. “Mom, seriously? I told you I don’t want to be in leadership.”
Lena waved a hand. “The mayor’s position is in name only. You would just implement what the Elder Council wants.”
“No,” Alex said quietly. “That needs to change.”
Robert asked, “Why?”
“Because the cats and the wolves already have enough power, Dad. The mayor needs to come from one of the other clans. And he or she needs to not be a rubber stamp. Look what happened with Mayor Matt.”
“Cat,” Robert sneered.
“Matt Marquez was a decent guy,” Alex continued. “He got frustrated with the lack of respect the council gave him, and that was part of the reason—”
“His wife went nuts and killed people?” Robert broke in. “I don’t think anyone can take that blame but Missy Marquez.”
Alex leaned forward. “We don’t have to run everything. The town won’t fall apart if we share the load.”
Robert didn’t have any response to that.
“I’m going to have a resort to run, along with managing the business in L.A. I don’t have time to micromanage. That’s not the kind of leader I’m going to be. You know this. You’ve always known this.”
After a few more moments of silence, Robert sighed and said, “Not a Quinn.”
Lena sipped her coffee and said, “A bear would be ideal. The Campbells are steady and involved in the community. The birds are even more insular than the cats and they have a tendency to wander. A bear would provide enough of a counterweight to our representatives on the council to make the other clans feel as if they have a say. Everyone trusts them.”
Ted said, “Or we could—I don’t know—give democracy a try and let people vote on it.”
“Fine,” Alex said. “But I’ll be instructing my clan that none of them are going to run.” He looked at Lena.
She said, “I’ll speak to my father and my aunt.”
“And I’ll speak to Old Quinn,” Robert said. “Need to talk to him about something else anyway.”
“Will Quinn be a problem?” Ted asked.
“I don’t think so. He’s got enough on his plate right now.” Robert glanced between Ted and Alex. “Any news on Marcus’s murder?”
“Caleb is working with both of us now,” Ted said, feeling her mother’s eyes on her. “And I know he has Ollie checking out some leads, too. Jeremy is smoothing things over with the Sheriff’s office and doing what he can. He’s still got a lot of friends there. But we need to find Joe Smith. Put the word out that if anyone sees him, they contact me or Alex. We have some questions.”
Lena said, “That woman and her children deserve to know what happened. Marcus was a good father.”
Robert asked Lena, “How are the kids doing?”
“They’re adjusting well enough,” she said. “But the attention and uncertainty are wearing on them. The other children are mostly kind. I’m keeping an eye on things.”
Robert grunted and Ted tried to suppress a smile. Alex’s dad may have disliked her mom, but no one could deny that, for the children of Cambio Springs—no matter their clan—Lena Vasquez was their champion. Every child in that town was hers, and she made no bones about it. More than one neglectful parent had felt the edge of her claws if they didn’t straighten up.
Alex leaned over and whispered, “We need to work on giving them some grandkids. They won’t be able to fight about other shit when they’re fighting over our kids.”
“Slow. Down.”
She felt his grin against her neck when he kissed her.
“Not a chance.”
The swoop of steel guitar hit her as Alex swung her around to the Bonnie Raitt tune on the jukebox. Ted decided that “Something to Talk About” was their tune, because every eye was on them as they danced around the Cave and more than a few of them were talking.
Partly, it was the fact that they were together—very very together—but most of it was about the fact that Alex was the new McCann alpha.
She couldn’t say he looked different, except for the red bites and claw marks that were almost healed. She couldn’t say his voice was different or that he walked differently.
Except he did.
It was that indefinable quality that had marked him when he was fourteen. The one that had always caused friction with his father. And now it was the settled confidence of knowing he was the biggest and baddest. And no one—at least no one who didn’t want their ass kicked—was going to challenge him.
Being alpha looked good on Alex. So it was probably a good thing he’d mated with her. A lesser woman, Ted decided, would let the man walk all over her, because that walk was damn sexy.
They’d spent the day poking around the construction at the resort. The site had dried out from the rain, but more storms were in the forecast, so they were hustling. Ted had the day free from the clinic, so she’d asked Alex to show her around. It was the first time that she’d truly allowed herself to feel excitement.
The Cambio Springs Resort and Spa was clearly Alex’s labor of love. He loved it and was involved in planning every inch. From the mineral water pools to the guest cottages, he explained it all. The treatment rooms. The restaurant and private dining nooks. The landscaping. Watching him talk about it made her fall in love with him all over again, because she was finally starting to understand his passion. And that understanding gave her peace.
They’d lost years, but that sacrifice meant something when it could lead to something so beautiful.
The resort would be stunning. But more than that, it would be a lifeline for the place they both called home. And the complete privacy that Alex was cultivating as the hallmark of the resort would also be the thing that kept the town safe. It would be an oasis, but a private one. And in a little over a year, it would be complete. According to Alex. They were already taking reservations.
She was startled out of her thoughts when his mouth swooped down and kissed her hard.
“Don’t think so loud, Vasquez.”
She smiled and curled her hands around his shoulders. “You’re so lucky I’ll have you, McCann.”
“Yes,” he answered. No hesitation. No bickering. Just a cocky smile. “And you’ll have me again when we get home.”
“You’re insatiable.”
“You’re irresistible.”
And how was she supposed to resist when he said stuff like that? Ted had to raise her voice a littl
e to hear over the crowd. “When are you moving your stuff in?”
“When do you want it?”
Ted couldn’t pass that one up. “I want it whenever you want to give it to me, McCann.”
He burst out laughing and stopped dancing to lift her up in his arms and swing her around. He met her lips for a lingering kiss on the slide down.
Happy. Ted didn’t think she’d ever seen Alex so happy.
She didn’t think she’d ever been that happy, either.
Ted saw Sean and Allie dancing in the corner of the room. Sean bent down to whisper something in her ear just before Allie threw her head back and laughed.
“Playing with fire,” Alex muttered.
She glanced behind the bar. Ollie’s jaw was set, and he was pointedly ignoring anything but the drink he was pouring.
“What’s Sean up to, Alex?”
“Other than being an idiot?”
“Hey.” She tugged on his hair. “He’s not being an idiot.”
“He’s playing with her. She doesn’t need that.”
“He’s not playing her. Sean adores her the same way you do.”
“Do you see me flirting with her in front of the bear? Right after her husband took off?”
“No, but you’re not Sean,” Ted said. “He’s a flirt. Always has been. And I’d say that right now, having a good friend give her some harmless flirtation probably makes her feel pretty damn good, since her asshole husband had been ignoring her for years.”
Alex looked surprised. “Years?”
“Years.”
His shoulders tensed. “You’re right.” He bent down and inhaled the scent at her neck. “She probably needs that.”
They danced for a few more minutes, winding down as the song switched to a slower one.
“I’d never ignore you, Ted.”
“I know.” Her head lay on his shoulder as the room spun around. “I’d kick your ass if you ignored me like that.”
She felt his soft laughter as he held her. Spinning around, feeling the mellow of two beers and a full dinner sink into her. Peace. Quiet. When things settled down, this would be her life. Working at her clinic. Visiting Alex at the resort. Maybe taking off to Vegas or L.A. for the weekend. Sunday dinners with friends and slow dances at the Cave… Her eyes drifted closed as she relaxed on Alex’s shoulder.
And when she opened them, the panicked face of Joe Smith was looking at her through a window.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“What are we doing?” Alex frowned as Ted pulled him toward the door of the Cave. “Ted, what’s—”
“Outside. Now. Quiet, querido.”
He shut up and walked.
“And make sure no one is following us.”
Holding the door open as she walked out, Alex glanced behind them, but saw no one taking note. They probably thought the two new lovers were ducking out to go home early. He glanced at Ted and hoped no one noticed her purse sitting at the end of the bar where Ollie had stashed it for her.
She led them out to the parking lot, stopping until she heard a low whistle from the bushes. Then Ted frowned and stalked toward it.
They were only a few feet into the dark brush when she stopped. Her hand flew into the darkness and he heard the solid thud as it collided with someone.
“Fuck, Ted!”
Alex stepped forward and held her back, blocking her with his body as he searched the night.
Sprawled on the ground was Joe Smith, looking dirty, ragged, and beat as he rubbed a hand over the jaw that Ted had punched.
She let loose a stream of furious Spanish, all the while reaching down to hit him again. Alex had to hold her arms, and he felt the animal energy ripple along her skin. He squeezed her arms. “Focus, Ted.”
“You bastard!” she hissed. “What are you doing here, and it better not be trying to get back with Allie, unless you want to die. You take off on her. Abandon those kids. Then come skulking in the parking lot? What are you up to, you sneak?”
“I needed to talk to you two!”
That brought both of them up short. Alex was only a few seconds away from letting Ted loose on the man, even though he knew they needed to talk to him.
He asked, “Why do you need to talk to us?”
“Don’t tell Ollie, okay?” He was dusting off his pants, and Alex took the opportunity to assess him.
Joe had always been lean, but his clothes were now hanging off him. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in weeks, and by the scent of things, he wasn’t getting regular showers.
“What’s going on, Joe?” Ted demanded.
“I’m trying to do right. I know I fucked up, Ted. But she’s better off without me anyway. You all knew that. So did she. She’s just too damn loyal to—”
“We are not your marriage counselors,” Alex interrupted. “What’s this about? Is it about Marcus?”
Even in the moonlight, Alex could see Joe’s face pale.
“I didn’t know,” he whispered.
“You need to explain that, Joe.”
“He… I owed him some cash. He said it was a way to pay him back. Hell, I hadn’t used that shit in years. Didn’t even think it was good. But he—”
“Who are you talking about?” Ted hissed again, glancing over her shoulder to check the parking lot when the door swung open.
“I didn’t know. I know me and Marcus fought about stupid shit. Cards and stuff, but I didn’t know. Wouldn’t even given him that shit, but he knows! Man, he knows. And he said he’d tell everyone.”
“Tell everyone what?” Ted asked.
Joe kept rambling. “I’m an asshole, yeah? But my kids, man. My kids. I can’t let my kids—”
“Joe, shut up.” Alex stepped closer and stared into the desperate man’s eyes. He let his anger rise, knowing that Joe would scent it. Knowing that, even outside the pack, the coyote would react to the stronger predator in front of him.
He did. Alex smelled the urine as Joe let out a whimper.
“Tell me who you’re talking about.”
“Avery,” Joe whispered. “I owed him money, and he asked me to—”
Joe’s voice cut off with a gasp a second after the door to the Cave slammed open and his eyes flew over Alex’s shoulder.
A ferocious roar filled the air as Joe yelled, “Fuck!” and shifted in a blink.
Seconds later, the coyote had disappeared into the darkness and Alex tackled Ted to the ground to escape the path of the thundering grizzly.
She scrambled to her feet and yelled, “Ollie, stop!”
It was too late. Both animals had disappeared into the night.
“Shift!” she yelled, shoving him. “You need to catch him. Catch them. Joe knows—”
“Joe knows a million burrows in this desert. More than you or me. And definitely more than Ollie. He’s fast and smart.” He kicked his boot in the dust. “Shit! He’s history, Ted.”
“You don’t know that.”
She stepped toward the bushes, acting like she was going after them.
“Ted, do not chase that bear.”
“It’s Ollie. It’s not like he’s going to hurt—”
“A few things you need to know about Ollie, Ted, and one of them is that when that man loses it, he goes into a boar-rage that does not listen to reason or understand much past his animal.”
She blinked, but stopped walking. “What? He’s Ollie!”
“It takes a lot to get him there, but when he does, you do not fight him. You do not provoke him. You get the hell out of his way and hope he doesn’t run into anything but full animals.”
“But he’s Ollie,” Ted whispered.
“Yeah.” He put his hand on her jaw. “It doesn’t happen often. But even the quiet ones need to roar every now and then.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Ted’s voice was shaky.
“If he doesn’t come back within an hour or so, I’ll track him down.”
There was more movement in the parking lot. Sean and Allie had j
oined them.
“He had your purse,” Allie said. “He went to the window. I think he was going to bring it to you, but he…”
Sean took a deep breath, then his eyes cut to Alex. “Who was it?”
“Joe,” Alex said.
Allie’s eyes got huge. “Joe?”
Ted walked over and grabbed her hand. “He was talking to us. Something about Marcus. Then Ollie came out and—”
“He can’t hurt him,” Allie interrupted her, looking at Alex. “You have to stop him. He can’t hurt the kids’ dad. He’d never be able to live with himself.”
Sean and Alex exchanged a look. “Don’t think he’s going to see it that way, Allie.”
“He will eventually.” She stepped closer. Desperate. “Find him. Stop him.”
“Joe’s fast, honey,” Sean said. “He’ll be all—”
“This isn’t about Joe!” she yelled. “You have to keep Ollie from doing this, Alex!”
Alex met her desperate eyes. Saw what was swimming behind them. Then he turned and ran into the dark.
Hours later, exhausted and bleeding, he walked into the house.
“Alex?”
She was still awake, calling from the bedroom.
“I’m coming back,” he called. “Don’t get up.”
“Is he all right? Is everyone okay?”
He shrugged out of the jacket he’d retrieved from the bushes behind the Cave, and started unbuttoning his shirt as he walked to the bedroom.
Ted was already standing, so he went to her, gave her a brush on the jaw and a quick kiss. “I’m beat. Everyone’s fine. Go back to bed and let me shower, then I’ll fill you in.”
She grabbed his arm before he could turn, holding him in place.
“Ted—”
“Are you okay?” she whispered. “Should have asked that first.”
He smiled, reached for the back of her neck, and pulled her into a harder kiss. It was slow, deliberate, and thorough. He tasted every part of her mouth before he let her go, biting her lower lip as she let out a soft sigh.
“Let me shower,” he said. “I’ll meet you in bed.”