Bearing It All (Alpha Werebear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (25 page)

He calmed me with a brush of his hand against my cheek. “It’s all right now though,” he said. “Everything is fine. At least, I think it is.”

“Yeah.” I paused for a second to wipe away a tear. “Yeah, we’re all okay, and you’re a hero. And, no police.”

“They never came?” he asked. Ash tried to push himself up on his elbow, but that wasn’t happening. “But the sirens. I heard sirens about a half second before the world blew up.”

I shook my head and bit my lip. “They came, and they took Leota off. Turns out, hiring someone to kidnap people is a pretty big deal. I think there were some Federal Agent guys with them. I’m not sure if those types have
ever
been in Jamesburg before.”

“They’re just leaving me alone?”

“Look around,” I said. “We’re in the middle of the woods. The reason it took so long for me to get over here is that I waited until the big time, black-suit-slim-tie guys were gone.” I snickered. “Erik told him Atlas was his brother. I have
no
idea how that occurred to him, or what it says about his genealogy, but they seemed to buy it.”

He took another slow breath, grimacing at the point where it hurt. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“Ribs,” he grunted. “No blood though, so I’m probably fine. I’ve been through worse. So all the girls? They’re okay?”

I nodded. “They are all absolutely fine. There was some question whether or not Henry got nabbed, but—”

“Violet?” It was Erik shouting for me. “Where you at?”

I waved him over. “Hey, your friend’s on the radio. She, turns out, was working in Duggan’s office the whole time he was panicking over her being kidnapped. I guess some Master’s students are actually more reliable than college kids. He coming around yet?”

Letting out a long, relieved breath, I nodded.

“Coming around and able to talk,” Ash said.

“You’re a hell of a fighter, Morgan,” Erik said as he knelt down in front of him. “Can I shake your hand or is it broken?”

Ash cracked half a smile. “Hand is okay. Ribs are sore as all hell, but my hand’s fine.” He grabbed Erik’s hand and they shook for a second. “She told me everyone was okay, but—”

“Thanks to you, Morgan,” Erik said. “If it weren’t for you, I’ll be straight with you – we’d be dead. Don’t
ever
tell anyone this, but I froze. I’m usually the one who goes diving straight at the danger, but in this case I didn’t know what the hell to do. You saved our asses, Morgan. You saved the town.”

“Ash,” he said. “Name’s... call me Ash.”

“Right, Ash,” Erik said. “You’re a damn good fighter and a damn good man. If you’re looking for a new line of work, I’m sure we can find a place for you. I understand your brother was... a little bit of a rare specimen?”

Ash nodded. “Yeah, he was that.”

“Take some time to think it over, but I think it’s about time the hyenas had another bear in their ranks. You got balls like steel shot, Ash, and I don’t hand out compliments easily.”

“Thank you, sir,” Ash said. He had a solemnity to him that I didn’t expect. “But what about Marlin? I’ve got kind of a checkered past.”

Erik laughed. “You have yourself a beautiful girlfriend,” he said. “And Marlin seems to have found himself something very similar. As far as your background? We all do things we’re not proud of. I spent six hundred bucks on Shamu souvenirs.”

On the edge of the woods, just in view, Atlas stood stock-still. Jenga’s zombie was holding Marlin up by the leg and poking him in the stomach over and over again, making him sway back and forth. Marlin kicked and wriggled and squealed, but this... this was just about fitting his level of dignity.

“Why didn’t they take him in?” Ash asked. “Or me?”

“You are, as far as the Federal Agents are concerned, an unfortunate bystander who wandered in just when shit got hot. They’re going to question you, but I released you to home custody.”

“I don’t... have a home,” he said.

“Oh yes you do,” I shot back and smiled when he looked at me, confused. “My couch is pretty big.”

“Violet, you... really? You don’t have to do that.”

“I know,” I said. “But I love you, Ash. I have since the first time I saw you. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the first time I laid eyes on you it was like fate hit me in the chest. I’m not missing this chance, and I hope you won’t either.”

Erik was smiling warmly. “That’s all very nice. But anyway, Marlin. He is officially under arrest, but they couldn’t get him away from his friend over there.”

“You mean your brother?” Ash said with a grin. “She told me. I can see the resemblance. You both have a kind of... cockeyed? Confused? Constantly perplexed, way of looking.”

As he said that, Atlas giggled, and let a tendril of drool run down his face. Then he poked Marlin in the stomach again, sending him back and forth.

“I could have them arrest you now, I guess,” Erik said with a laugh. “But I can’t believe it worked. I think they just took one look at old Atlas there and didn’t want to get any closer. No amount of lilac water will hide
that
smell. Especially when it starts getting a little humid. Anyway. I just wanted to tell you your friend was on the police horn, Violet, and that you two could leave whenever you want.”

“Thank you, Erik,” Ash and I said at exactly the same time.

“You didn’t have to do that for me,” Ash finished.

“No, I did. You saved my life. I owe you a lot more than just letting you sleep with your girlfriend instead of in a jail cell. Let me know about the police job when you have some time to—”

“I’ll take it,” Ash cut in. “I’ll take it and be incredibly grateful.”

“I thought you might. You two crazy kids have fun, all right? But not too much.” He eyed me sideways. “I don’t want you wrecking my newest star officer before he even starts the job.”

I blushed and nodded. “Uh, Erik, sir? Can you just tell Henry I’ll call her when I get home? He’s gonna need some help getting back.”

“Tell you what. I’ll do you one better. You take Izzy’s car.” He tossed me the keys. “And I’ll help him to it. Get him to the hospital and get those wounds taken care of, all right? We’ll work out picking it up later. Oh, and Violet?”

“Yes sir?” I asked.

“Stop calling me sir. That’s reserved for obnoxious town councilmembers.”

Erik helped Ash, haltingly, to his feet. Once he was able to get himself balanced, we started the long, slow trek out of the woods.

“You got him from here?” Erik asked as soon as Ash was standing and walking, albeit slowly, on his own. “I gotta deal with the hyenas and make sure these girls are all accounted for. And I think I see that ridiculous Whit Whitman over there. I don’t want him to irritate Detective Daniels.”

“I think so,” I said. “If he falls on me though, I’ll, er, squeak for help.”

Erik put his hand each on Ash’s shoulder, and mine. “You two are good souls. Thanks again for what you’ve done. Oh, and Ash – get those gunshots taken care of fast, huh? I know they’re not serious, but still, I’ve had enough to know you don’t want to let those things get infected. Come by the courthouse when you’re all patched up. We’ll get you a badge.”

And with that, he was gone.

The whole thing sorta swirled around my head for a minute. All the pain and the weirdness and the fear and how right then, I didn’t feel any of that. All I felt was safe.

We neared the edge of the woods, and there was Atlas, holding his new best friend like a dog with a chew-toy.

“Here’s a sight,” Ash said, nudging Marlin with his foot.

The croc stirred to life and instantly started thrashing and kicking and spitting. Good old Marlin. Looking over at Ash, I squeezed his hand. I knew there must be horrible things running through his mind, but the expression on his face was just a kind of strange, glossy-eyed thoughtfulness.

Pity, maybe?

“You’re fucked!” Marlin shouted. He was red in the face and obviously pretty upset about his situation. “Get me down from here, Crag! I’ll dump you on the fuckin—”

Atlas grunted, wiped his chin and interrupted Marlin’s rampant rudeness by dropping him squarely on the top of his head.

“Ah! You goddamn mongrel! What are you doing?”

A slow, deep rumble that must have been laughter came out of Atlas’s mouth. “Funny... man,” he said before patting Marlin on the head and ruffling his hair like he was a four year-old. “So... funny.”

Ash just shook his head. “You’re not going to do anything to me,” he said, through gritted teeth. “Not now, not ever again. I doubt you’re going to be doing much of anything to anyone, actually.”

Marlin let out an angry puff and reached for Ash’s arm. Ash slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me,” he said. “You tried to ruin me, you tried to break me. Well, it all turned around.”

“Hey!” Erik called as he trotted over. “Got all the girls taken care of. Everyone’s in perfectly good shape, if shaken up. Guessing that your former employer is now free of his big, drooling boyfriend there?”

“Who are
you
?” Marlin hissed. “You don’t got no right to do nothin’ to me! I want my lawyer, I want
your
lawyer. You owe me big, asshole,” he prodded Ash in the chest. “You owe me everything!”

Ash clenched his jaw. If he hit this guy, it was going to hurt both of them. It’d be worth it though.

“How would you like to make your first arrest as a deputized officer of the town of Jamesburg, Mr. Morgan?” Erik asked, flashing him a quick grin.

“I think I’d rather punch him,” Ash replied.

Erik laughed. “Yeah, I can see that. It isn’t really procedurally correct for an officer of the law to hit a suspect though, especially when said suspect is about to be questioned by the FBI on kidnapping across state lines.”

Ash grunted.

“But if you’re not a
police officer
, the worst that can happen is you’d face an assault charge. Of course, all the hyenas are cleaning up the scene, and—”

“Welcome to the force, kid,” someone said, walking up behind us.

“Detective Devy Daniels. I understand you’re Aiden Morgan’s brother? He was a good man. Glad to have you.”

He and Ash shook hands, briefly. “Thanks,” Ash said. “But I’m not—”

“Not yet,” Daniels said. “But you’re going to punch that asshole, and I’m going to pretend not to see, and then Erik here is going to deputize you. At that point, you’ll arrest him and we’ll hand him over to the FBI. Any questions?”

Guess I was right about him being a badass. Quigley being his kid made very, very little sense.

“Hey!” Marlin croaked. “You can’t do that! You stupid cop! You can’t let him punch me, I’ll file assault charges, I’ll—”

Ash’s hand shot out like a bullet from a gun – a really, really big gun. There were four red marks right in the middle of Marlin’s wobbly, awful looking face where Ash’s fist crunched his nose.

A smile crept across Ash’s face. “God I’ve waited a long time to do that. I guess I really shouldn’t choke him to death?” he asked Daniels.

“That’s harder to pretend I didn’t see, son,” the short, gruff hyena replied as he fished a stumpy cigar out of his suit pocket and lit it up. “But that was a hell of a shot. I’m surprised he’s still standing.”

Without making a sound, Marlin’s eyes crossed, and he fell backwards. He landed hard, with a thump, as a cloud of dust drifted out from underneath him.

“Well, there you go,” Daniels said. “I’m very rarely surprised. Good work son, now cuff him and I’ll deal with the rest. You go get those wounds taken care of. I’ll see about getting you a retroactive benefit package since they were suffered in defense of the town.”

Ash just kind of stared at him as the little, no-nonsense hyena rattled on. “Uh, yes sir,” he finally said.

“Anyway, welcome to the force. I’ve got actual work to do. Glad you got to break that asshole’s face. I mean, allegedly you broke his alleged face.”

Without another word, the detective went about his way, puffing on his cigar and talking to person after person, notepad in hand.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Erik said. “Get him arrested, and get yourself to the hospital.”

“Isn’t there some kind of procedure or something?” Ash asked. “Like, me arresting him?”

“If you like, sure. I now pronounce you a deputized officer of the law, town of Jamesburg, county of Jamesburg, so on and so forth. Good enough?”

Erik plopped a pair of handcuffs into Ash’s pocket. “Go get ‘em tiger,” he said. “Uh, bear.”

“Marlin Guatorre,” Ash said, “You’re under arrest on suspicion of kidnapping across state lines, operating illegal gambling operations, stealing a lot of wallets, and in general just being an unlikeable, sleazy dick.”

Erik waved a couple of Hyenas over, who took the cuffs, nodded and dragged Marlin away.

“This ain’t the last you’ll hear of me, Crag! You owe me everything! You—”

“Hell of a job, son,” Erik said. “That was really good official police language until you called him a sleazy dick.”

“Sorry,” Ash started to say, but Erik cut him off.

“No, no, not at all. What I was about to say is that was excellent police work until you called him a dick. Calling him a dick was an excellent Erik Danniken move.” He clapped Ash on the shoulder and smiled, then nodded toward the car. “Go on you couple of crazy kids. I’ll send Izzy or someone by later for the car, all right?”

“Thanks again,” Ash said. Erik nodded, and went on his way.

“Kinda funny, isn’t it?” I asked.

Instinctively, I reached for Ash’s hand and found his fingers already open and waiting. “What’s that?” he asked.

“How all this came together. Three weeks ago we were just a couple idiots playing around in my ex-boyfriend’s apartment and now we’re... whatever we are.”

Ash let out a little laugh. “I’m not sure either,” he said. “But whatever we are,” he pulled me in with his good arm and pushed my head back with an eager, badly-needed kiss. “This is exactly where I want to be. With you.”

––––––––

“T
his place... is nothing like I remember.”

House after house rolled by the windows as I drove vaguely toward my apartment. The route I took was circuitous since I figured if he was going to be a police officer in Jamesburg, Ash should probably at least see it before he joined the force.