Desert Bound (Cambio Springs) (6 page)

“Nah.” He shrugged. “By the time I’m sixteen, it’ll all be built, right?”

“Hopefully.”

“And you’re still gonna stay here?”

“Yep.”

“Even afterward?”

Alex nodded, glancing over at Kevin, who was staring out at the main road, watching a car head toward the highway.

“I guess…” the boy started. “I mean, it’s not the most exciting place, is it? Dad was always talking about all the stuff he could be doing if Mom was willing to move.”

Alex bit his tongue, trying to figure out what to say to the boy. 

Kevin continued, his voice a little rougher. “I guess I don’t blame him for wanting to get away. The Springs isn’t all that exciting.”

If Joe Smith was standing in front of him, Alex would strangle him.

“You know, I’ve been a lot of places, Kev. Some are pretty amazing. Traveling is great. You should definitely go exploring when you’re older.”

The boy nodded. 

“But after you’re done exploring, it’s good to have a place to come home to,” he continued. “And, if you ask me, the thing that makes a place exciting is the people. That’s why I’m moving back. People like your mom and Jena. Ted and Ollie. Kids like you and Lowell. People are more exciting than places.”

“Yeah?”

Alex leaned over and put his hand on Kevin’s shoulder, pulling him closer. He spoke in a low, commanding voice, the voice he used on the younger wolves in the pack. Confident. Sure. Maybe a little scary if the pup had messed up. It was the voice his father had used with him, and if Alex knew anything about teenage boys, it worked.

“Kevin, do not ever think that your dad leaving had anything to do with you. That was his failing, not yours.”

He sounded like he wanted to speak, but didn’t say anything. Alex squeezed his shoulder again, letting his natural authority roll over the boy.

“Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Uncle Alex.”

“And do not ever think his actions reflect on you. You are your
mother’s
son, and you will be a good man. You’re going to mess up sometimes, but in the end, you’ll make decisions in life that your mother will be proud of and that I’ll respect.”

Kevin nodded, sniffing back tears so Alex wouldn’t see. He nudged the boy up and out of the seat, saying, “I think there’s one more box in the back of my truck. Go get it and put it in the shed.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then we’ll head to the house and get a beer.”

Kevin halted and turned. “Really?”

“Well, I get a beer. You get a root beer.”

A hint of a smile crossed Kevin’s face, then he ran back to the truck.

Alex caught Ted watching him from the corner of her eye over and over during dinner. It was Jena, Caleb, and their two boys. Allie and her three boys and one girl. Ted and Alex rounded out the group. They were taking shelter on the back porch while the kids played inside. Five boys under fifteen and one baby sister could make a hell of a lot of noise. 

Allie nudged him. “I don’t know what you said to Kevin, but thanks.”

“Yeah?”

“He seemed a little better after he helped you out this afternoon.”

“Good.”

“You pull that alpha crap on my kid?” 

He knew Allie was teasing, so he said, “Only when he needed his butt kicked. You got a problem with that?”

“Nope.” She shook her head before she grinned. “Just be prepared. He might be your shadow from now on. Ollie’ll have some competition.”

Nope. He wasn’t going to say anything. Biting his tongue. 

Alex still hadn’t spoken more than a few words to his old friend since Allie’s husband had left. Had no idea what Ollie was doing with the knowledge that the feelings he’d been carrying for over fifteen years might actually stand a chance with Joe out of the way. He wouldn’t say he was happy that Allie’s husband left her…

Exactly.

“Might be better if he spends time with Ollie, don’t you think?” Ted offered. “After all, Alex works so much. And when—” She broke off, suddenly flustered.

“What?” Alex asked.

“Nothing.”

“No, what were you going to say? When what?”

He knew what she had been going to say before she thought twice. In the back of his mind, it twisted and burned. The nerve… Her distrust in his intentions had hurt him. Frustrated him. Now, she was just pissing him off.

At least she had the grace to look embarrassed.

“It’s nothing. Forget it.”

He didn’t want to let go. Months of frustration came to a head. “Tell me.”

Jena said, “Hey guys, let’s not—”

“No, Jena. I want to hear what Ted was going to say. I’m betting she was going to tell me that I should keep my distance, so that Kevin doesn’t get attached to another guy that leaves.”

Allie paled as silence fell over the table, and Alex saw Caleb put a hand on Jena’s shoulder.

“Alex,” Caleb warned. “Take care.”

The embarrassment had left Ted’s face. She was just as pissed off as he was. She raised her chin. “I’m just thinking about the kids.”

“Hey—” Allie tried to speak up, but Alex cut her off.

“No, you’re not. You’re thinking about yourself and insulting me, implying that I’d
ever
abandon anything that mattered that much.”

Caleb stood and ushered Jena and Allie into the house, leaving Ted and Alex alone on the porch. 

Her face had paled. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Or I guess we didn’t matter as much as I thought we did. Good to know.”

Her whispered words almost knocked the breath out of him, but the anger was harder, stronger, and it took control of his tongue.

 “You’re still dredging up history, but as far as I know, the only one in town still waiting for me to leave is you.”

“Just because you say—”

“When did I lie to you, Ted?”

A child’s shout came from the house. Laughter answered. A reminder of everything he’d given up. The life they could have had.

“I’m not doing this.” He stood up and left his beer on the table, walking toward the lit trailer in the distance. Ted followed him.

They weren’t halfway there before she said, “I’m looking out for my nephew, Alex. The last thing Kevin needs—”

“You are so full of
shit
!” He spun and gripped her arm. “This has nothing to do with Kevin. This is about you and me, so tell me: When did I lie to you? When?”

“You never—”

“I never told you my plans? Maybe that was because you didn’t listen.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.”

“Really?” He stood back and crossed his arms. “What did you think I was doing in LA? Following after you like a puppy? Working construction until you graduated?”

“We always planned to come back here. When school was done—”

“That was
your
plan.”

“And you never told me different!”

He stepped closer. “Maybe I tried and you didn’t listen. Maybe I realized that there was only one person whose dreams mattered in our relationship.”

She looked like he’d slapped her, and Alex immediately regretted the words, but his blood was boiling, and he couldn’t stop.

“I gave you everything I could, Ted. Everything. I put up with a hell of a lot of shit that I wouldn’t have from anyone else. And half the time, I thought I was invisible. But I never lied. Not once. You just didn’t listen.”

Her face was pale, but her jaw was set. “Actions speak louder than words.”

“And how did my actions lie to you? When we were living together? When we made love? There were two people there, Ted. You can’t put that on me.”

“No, you can just take off and lie about coming back ‘soon.’”

“I didn’t lie to you!” He threw his hands up and started walking toward the trailer again. He had to get away from her. Maybe it was all a mistake. Maybe he was an idiot for even looking back. “I have never broken a promise to you. Not once.”

“How I’m supposed to believe you’ll stay? That you won’t leave again when the job is done.”

“You left
me
!”

“And you were already gone!”

“I came back.”

 “Sure you did. But not to stay! I thought you were back five years ago. When you came to me in Palm Springs—” She choked on the words as he turned. 

“Ted.” Coming to her a year after their breakup had been a mistake. He’d known it even when he was driving to her house. Knew he couldn’t offer her what she needed from him. But he’d been weak and he’d missed her so damned much.

Making love to her had been like coming home. And they’d never talked about it. Alex’s guilt fell like a blanket over his anger.

That time, he had been the one to leave, and he couldn’t deny it.

“I didn’t know what to believe,” she said. “You left. Again. And every time I tried to move on, you came back. Every time I met a guy I liked, you were there to mess things up. Just to remind me of what I couldn’t have.”

“I’m back now.”

“And how am I supposed to believe that?”

She stood in the light of the almost full moon, black eyes flashing. Dark hair slipping down around her face. 

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known in my life.”

She took a step back, surprised. “Alex—”

“And the hardest.”

“I have to be.”

How much of that was his fault?

Alex whispered, “You won’t believe a word I say, will you?”

“What does it matter? You said yourself we were done.”

“We’re not done.” He stepped closer, needing to touch her. “We’re never done. That was the lie.”

“Did it even hurt you?” He almost didn’t hear her. Her voice had gone from hard to painfully soft. “Giving me up? You keep telling me that I’m the one who left you, but you walked away from that apartment without a backward glance.”

It hit him like a punch to the chest. He took a step back. “How could you ask that?”

He’d been wrecked. Broken. A thin covering of man over a broken-hearted kid. It was Ted who had moved on. Ted who’d packed up their apartment and left him behind. She was the one who put up walls. 

“You say you never broke a promise, Alex, but you did.”

“When—”

“You gave me your heart, then you took it away. And you took mine with it.” She blinked rapidly. “So don’t tell me I’m hard. I’m just protecting what’s left.”

Then she turned in the moonlight and walked away.

Hours later, Alex was still awake. Still watching her walk away.

“You walked away from that apartment without a backward glance.”

He’d had to. If he’d have looked back, Alex would have fallen to his knees and begged her to stay. Begged her to give up the residency that brought her back home, even when he knew she needed to go. Being tied to the city had started to affect her health. Her spirit was exhausted. She’d needed to come back. And he’d needed to stay.

“Don’t tell me I’m hard. I’m just protecting what’s left.”

Why didn’t he ever hear things when he needed to?

He’d cut her deep. Maybe he’d never realized quite how much. Ted was so good at putting up a strong front that he forgot she needed more from him. She needed to be his
Tea
, not just everyone else’s Ted. She’d needed to have a safe place to show that softness, and when they’d been together, she did. 

Then he’d taken it away.

So she locked that part of herself down tight. “Protecting what was left.” Who could blame her?

He was an idiot.

Why had he let her walk away that night?

He rolled over and banged his head quietly against the headboard. Where was the bourbon when he needed it? Not that getting drunk was a good plan. He’d need to be clear headed if he had even a sliver of a chance of fixing this.

His phone fell to the floor just as it started ringing.

Alex grimaced. No one called for anything good at 3:11 in the morning. Squinting, he looked at the screen.

Caleb Gilbert.

Immediate thoughts of Jena and the baby rushed into his head, and he slid his thumb to answer.

“Caleb? What’s wrong? Is it Jena?”

“No, Jena’s fine, man. We’ve got another problem.”

He shook his head and sat up. “What? What other problem? It’s three in the morning.”

“Alex, this is shit news, but… Marcus Quinn is dead.”

“What?”

“His body was found on your job site.”

Chapter Five

“Come to the desert, they said. It’ll be quiet, they said.”

“Seriously, Caleb, shut up.”

“All we have are drunk and disorderlies. The occasional vandalism or theft. It’ll be so peaceful.”

Caleb stood over the body of what used to be Marcus Quinn while Ted took the liver temperature. The body was a mass of vicious bites, and pieces of the face and stomach were missing. Whatever had happened to him first, coyotes had happened second, and it wasn’t pretty. They’d eaten around his clothes, tearing pieces of his shirt and dragging it and other parts away from the corpse. It would take hours to collect all the evidence. They weren’t even starting until the sun rose.

“Who shifts to a coyote around here?” Caleb asked.

“This isn’t shifters,” Ted said. “He wasn’t killed by coyotes.”

“Tell that to the Quinns before we have a riot. Jeremy already has Old Quinn in his truck. Had to escort him home.”

“How’d the Quinns find out?”

“Who the hell knows? One of the wolves found the body and called me, but who knows who he told after that.” 

She looked up. “Which wolf?”

“Patrick McCann. He’s only sixteen. Think he was cutting through here on the way back from his girlfriend’s house. Past his curfew.”

“That’ll teach him to sneak in more make-out time.”

“Yeah, no kidding. His dad called me as soon as the kid got home and told him. I asked him to keep things quiet, but…”

“Patrick’s dad called Robert McCann about a minute after you, if not before.” She looked back down and continued to work. “In case you were wondering. So all the clan leaders know by now.”

Caleb’s eyes got hard. “I kept my mouth shut when this town took care of Missy the way they did. Jena was bleeding in my arms and saving her life was more important than the law. But that shit isn’t happening again. Not on my watch. This town is not going to deal out justice by mob.”